Answer up front: if your household, cafe or small office runs O2 or Vodafone SIMs and needs 4G data plus boosted 2G voice calls across a 250m² three-bedroom home, medium flat or commercial floor for up to 25 simultaneous users, the CG250 at £295.00 is the pick; it pairs Band 20 at 800 MHz data with Band 8 at 900 MHz calls, holds ≥60 dB uplink and ≥65 dB downlink gain, outputs ≥17 dBm (roughly five times the CG200's ≥10 dBm over +7 dB), feeds up to 3 indoor antennas, and ships the 10m outdoor plus 5m indoor cable pair. If you only need a two-zone 200m² home for 20 users and can save £89.01, the CG200 at £205.99 carries the same Band 20+8 stack at ≥10 dBm with 2 antennas. If your SIMs are EE-led and you want EE data plus EE calls rather than O2/Vodafone voice, the CD250 at £295.00 swaps Band 8 for Band 3 at the same output and size.

The £89.01 CG250-vs-CG200 gap (295.00 minus 205.99) buys +50m², +5 users, +7 dB output power (≥17 vs ≥10 dBm, ≈5x), and a third indoor antenna, while gain stays ≥60/≥65 dB and the bands stay Band 20+8. The £0.00 CG250-vs-CD250 gap buys different operators rather than more machine: same 250m², same 25 users, same ≥17 dBm, same gain, same antenna count, but the CD250's Band 3 at 1800 MHz serves EE voice while the CG250's Band 8 at 900 MHz serves O2/Vodafone voice. No single unit boosts EE calls and O2/Vodafone calls together, because those two call layers live on different bands this chassis family does not combine.

This page compares the three Boost4U chassis side by side rather than in a roundup: the CG250, the CG200 and the CD250. It separates the data layer on Band 20 (shared by all three) from the voice layer (Band 8 on the two CG units, Band 3 on the CD unit), sizes the output-power and footprint difference between CG250 and CG200, and gives a five-branch decision tree so the choice follows which SIMs you hold, how big the zone is, how many devices attach, and whether budget or coverage decides.

All three are UKCA and CE certified, Ofcom licence-exempt, ship free within the UK on 1 to 2 day handling plus 10 to 15 day transit, and carry a 365-day mail return window. None carries 3G Band 1 at 2100 MHz or 5G; all run from an AC 100–240V to DC 5V UK 3-pin adapter. The rest of this page numbers every gap in pounds, dBm, square metres, users and antennas before you order.

Before the tables, three rules keep the comparison honest. First, Band 20 at 800 MHz (uplink 832–862 MHz, downlink 791–821 MHz) is shared by all three and carries O2, Vodafone and Three 4G data, so data capability is not the deciding factor; the deciding factor is which voice band the chassis amplifies. Second, the CG250 and CG200 share Band 8 at 900 MHz (uplink 890–915 MHz, downlink 935–960 MHz) for O2/Vodafone 2G calls and SMS; the CD250 instead tunes Band 3 at 1800 MHz for EE 2G calls. Third, between the two CG units, gain is identical (≥60/≥65 dB) and only output power, area, users and antenna count differ, so the CG200 question is purely "do I need 250m², 25 users, 3 antennas and ≥17 dBm today or later?"

Output power matters more than sticker price for a wide footprint. The CG250's ≥17 dBm drives the cleaned signal across 250m² and up to 3 whips, while the CG200's ≥10 dBm holds a 200m² two-zone cell; the +7 dB gap is roughly five times the transmit power, not a louder tone but a reachable signal to more antennas and rooms. Gain cleans the donor identically on both CG units, so raising output rather than gain is the engineering choice for multi-antenna spread.

Coverage figures assume reasonable donor signal outside and 10m vertical separation between the outdoor omni and indoor whip; a weak rural donor at −97 to −105 dBm needs the optional Yagi and long cable even on the bigger chassis, and a strong donor at −70 to −90 dBm lets the CG250 add a second and third indoor antenna via splitter and extra cable, up to 3 total. The tables below compare specs, price gaps and day-one versus five-year cost before the decision tree.

Read the voice rows before the price rows: both CG units boost O2/Vodafone calls, only CD250 boosts EE calls, and all three boost O2/Vodafone/Three 4G data on the shared Band 20; then read output power, where CG250 and CD250 share ≥17 dBm and CG200 sits at ≥10 dBm.

The £89.01 CG200 saving buys a smaller footprint, lower output and one fewer antenna, not a different network; the £0.00 CD250 tie changes only the voice operator. Neither gap buys more data speed, because Band 20 data is identical across all three chassis.

The CG250 and CG200 tune the identical two bands: Band 20 at 800 MHz for O2, Vodafone and Three 4G data, and Band 8 at 900 MHz for O2/Vodafone 2G voice calls and SMS, and they share the same ≥60 dB uplink and ≥65 dB downlink gain. If both sit in a single room, they look the same because the shared donor, Band 20 data and Band 8 voice work on either chassis. The difference appears as the zone grows: the CG250 raises output from ≥10 to ≥17 dBm, which spreads the cleaned signal across 250m² for 25 users and feeds a third indoor antenna, where the CG200 holds a 200m² cell for 20 users with 2 antennas.

The +£89.01 line item by line item

For £89.01 (295.00 minus 205.99), the CG250 adds: +50m² of rated indoor area (250 versus 200); +5 simultaneous users (25 versus 20); +7 dB output power (≥17 versus ≥10 dBm, roughly five times the transmit power); and a third indoor antenna capacity versus the CG200's 2. Gain, bands, noise figure ≤5 dB, 5 dBi omni and 3 dBi whip family, and the 10m outdoor plus 5m indoor cable stack are matched.

Where the CG200 still wins

The CG200 at £205.99 wins on entry price by £89.01 and is the honest choice for a two-bedroom flat, a small family home across two zones, or a home office where the boosted signal reaches two rooms and active devices stay at 20 or fewer. In that footprint the extra 50m², 5 users, ≥17 dBm and third antenna are unused capacity, and the lower price plus the same Band 20+8 data-and-calls path makes the CG200 the value pick.

Where the CG250 becomes unavoidable

Once the layout is a three-bedroom home, a cafe floor, a shop and back office, or a small office serving staff and guests, the CG200's ≥10 dBm, 200m² and 20-user rating thins at the third room. The CG250's ≥17 dBm and 25-user headroom keep data and calls connected across the full footprint, and the third indoor antenna on a splitter covers a separate zone without buying a new box. Buying CG200 now and CG250 later costs 205.99 plus 295.00 rather than choosing the CG250 once for a 250m² layout.

The CG250 and CD250 are a £0.00 tie on upfront price, area (250m²), users (25), gain (≥60/≥65 dB), output power (≥17 dBm) and antenna count (3); even the 10m outdoor plus 5m indoor cable stack matches. The whole difference is the voice band the chassis amplifies, because both share Band 20 for O2/Vodafone/Three 4G data.

CG250 Band 8: O2 and Vodafone calls

The CG250 tunes Band 8 at 900 MHz (uplink 890–915 MHz, downlink 935–960 MHz). On O2 and Vodafone SIMs this boosts 2G voice calls and SMS indoors, and 900 MHz also reaches deeper through masonry than higher bands. MVNOs on the O2 network (giffgaff, Sky Mobile, Talkmobile, Lycamobile, Tesco) and on Vodafone (Lebara 2G, TalkTalk 2G) ride this same call layer. EE receives Band 20 4G data only; the CG250 does not tune EE's Band 3 voice.

CD250 Band 3: EE data and calls

The CD250 tunes Band 3 at 1800 MHz instead, which carries EE 4G data and EE 2G voice. An EE-led home or venue gets boosted EE calls that the CG250 cannot provide; in return, O2 and Vodafone SIMs receive Band 20 data only, with the call channel left native on 2G rather than boosted. The CD250 cannot add Band 8 later, and the CG250 cannot add Band 3 later; these are fixed voice layers, not switchable modules.

The £0.00 tie decides by SIM, not by spec

Because price, area, users, gain, output and antennas are identical, the CG250-versus-CD250 choice is a pure operator question: O2/Vodafone-led household or cafe with calls = CG250; EE-led venue with calls = CD250; mixed where EE voice and O2/Vodafone voice both matter = no single chassis solves both, and a second band-specific unit or a larger multi-band system is required rather than forcing one box.

Walk the branches top to bottom and stop at the first yes.

Branch 1 — Are your main SIMs O2 or Vodafone (incl. giffgaff, Sky, Talkmobile, Lycamobile, Tesco, Lebara, TalkTalk) and do calls drop indoors?

Yes on both: the Band 8 call layer matters, so stay inside the CG family. Move to Branch 2 for size and output; do not pick the CD250, which leaves these calls native.

Branch 2 — Is the footprint 200m² or smaller (two-bedroom flat, two rooms), active devices 20 or fewer, and budget the deciding factor?

Yes: CG200 at £205.99, Band 20+8, ≥10dBm, 2 antennas, save £89.01. No (three-bedroom home, cafe floor, shop plus office, 21–25 active devices, third room, or growth planned within 2 years): CG250 at £295.00, 250m², 25 users, ≥17dBm, 3 antennas.

Branch 3 — Are the main SIMs EE-led and does EE voice drop indoors while O2/Vodafone appear only as data?

Yes: CD250 at £295.00, Band 20+3, EE data and calls across 250m² for 25 users at ≥17dBm. Do not reach for the CG250 because it never boosts EE Band 3 voice.

Branch 4 — Do you need both EE boosted calls AND O2/Vodafone boosted calls in one home or venue?

Yes: none of the three chassis covers both voice layers; plan a band-specific second unit or a larger multi-band system rather than overloading a single box. No: return to Branch 1 or 3.

Branch 5 — Is the site a whole detached house, a multi-floor spread, 3G Band 1, or 5G?

Yes: a single 250m² chassis is undersized or band-wrong; choose a larger or multi-band system. No and the zone fits 250m²: return to Branch 1, 2 or 3 and order the matched unit.

Day one, CG250 and CD250 tie at £295.00 and CG200 sits at £205.99. The five-year total separates them when a second purchase appears.

The CG200 buyer who expands later pays 205.99 plus a 250m² chassis before the second aerial, splitter, cable run and install; the CD250 buyer who later adds an O2/Vodafone call layer pays a Band 8 unit on top of the 295.00 already spent. Only the correctly matched single CG250 or CD250 closes the job day one at £295.00. The £89.01 CG200 saving evaporates when growth forces the second box.

The CG250 box at £295.00 holds the ~450 g amplifier (170×110×30 mm, 3.0 kg shipping), the 5 dBi omni outdoor aerial, the 3 dBi whip indoor antenna, the 10m outdoor low-loss coax, the separate 5m indoor coax, and the AC 100–240V 50/60Hz to DC 5V UK 3-pin adapter. Optional: 20m (+£20), 30m (+£30), 40m (+£40), 50m (+£50) cable; external/Yagi aerial (+£50); protector (+£20); max optional combo £415.00. The CG200 box carries the 10m outdoor plus 5m indoor stack at ≥10dBm; the CD250 box matches the CG250 cable stack for its EE job.

Basic setup takes 10 to 15 minutes without tools: fix the omni outside with a clear mast view, keep the indoor whip at least 10 m vertical below, run the outdoor and indoor coax, power from the UK 3-pin adapter, and read steady green before testing. Strong donor at −70 to −90 dBm permits up to 3 indoor antennas via a 2-way or 3-way splitter and extra cable; weak donor at −97 to −105 dBm needs the Yagi and long cable first. The custom note reads "Expandable coverage by adding indoor antenna, splitter, cable if the outside signal is strong."

All three carry UKCA, CE and RoHS, are Ofcom licence-exempt, ship free within the UK (handling 1–2 days, transit 10–15 days), and carry a 365-day mail return window. The £295.00 CG250 price is valid to 2027-10-18, InStock NewCondition, and ships to GB, DE, FR, IT, ES, NL, BE, AT, SE, DK, FI, IE, PT, PL and CZ; the CG200 at £205.99 and CD250 at £295.00 follow the same shipping and return terms.

O2/Vodafone household or cafe, 250m², 25 devices, calls must hold, wide footprint: CG250 at £295.00, Band 20+8, ≥17dBm, up to 3 antennas, the only high-output 250m² box that boosts O2/Vodafone calls.

O2/Vodafone household, one-two zones, 200m², 20 devices, save £89.01: CG200 at £205.99, same bands, lower output, smaller footprint.

EE-led venue, 250m², EE calls matter: CD250 at £295.00, Band 20+3, accept O2/Vodafone data-only.

Quick verdict: pay the £89.01 for CG250 only when the zone reaches 250m², 25 users and a third antenna at ≥17dBm; at the £0.00 tie, CG250 serves O2/Vodafone calls and CD250 serves EE calls, so match the voice band to your SIM and the output to the footprint rather than chasing the biggest spec sheet.