G150 vs G250 Mobile Signal Booster UK 2026: £85 150m² vs £110 250m² — Which Voice Call Booster Is Right for Your Home?
Stuck choosing between the £85 G150 and the £110 G250? Both are Ofcom-legal Band 8 voice call boosters for O2, Vodafone and giffgaff. We tested both head to head across four UK homes to find out when the extra £25 is worth it.
Verdict up front: if your home is 160 m² or larger, the G250 Mobile Booster at £110.00 is the better buy. The £25 upgrade over the G150 at £85.00 buys you 100 m² more coverage, 5 dB more gain, a 7 dBi outdoor antenna instead of 5 dBi, and a 10 m coaxial cable instead of 5 m. If your home is under 150 m², the G150 is the smarter, cheaper choice.
Both the G150 and the G250 are voice and SMS-only boosters. They amplify Band 8 at 900 MHz, which is how O2 and Vodafone broadcast 2G and 3G voice across most of the UK. Neither one improves 4G data speeds, neither supports EE or Three, and neither is a 5G product. That narrow RF focus is exactly why both can be sold so cheaply: a multi-band data booster like the C100 costs £109.99 but covers only 100 m².
We tested both units head to head across four UK homes: a 90 m² two-bed flat in Brighton, a 140 m² Victorian terrace in Bristol, a 220 m² three-bed semi in Guildford, and a 255 m² stone cottage in Dorset. We measured signal bars, dropped call rate, installation time and edge-of-coverage performance. This guide also compares both against the C100 at £109.99 and a typical £35 Amazon generic unit, because many shoppers consider all four at once.
The C100 at £109.99 looks similarly priced to the G250 at £110.00 on paper. But the C100 is a 4G data booster rated for only 100 m². If your problem is dropped phone calls, the C100 will not help at all. If your problem is slow mobile internet, the G250 will not help at all. Picking the wrong one is a £110 mistake.
What the G150 and G250 Share in Common
Before we dive into the differences, it helps to understand what is the same between the two units. They are both built on the same G-series platform and share the same core design philosophy.
Both Are Voice and SMS Only
Neither the G150 nor the G250 amplifies 4G LTE data or 5G. They are single-band boosters tuned exclusively to Band 8 at 900 MHz, which carries 2G and 3G voice calls and SMS text messages on O2 and Vodafone networks. If your phone struggles to hold a call indoors, both units will help. If your problem is slow Instagram loading or Zoom freezing, neither will make a difference.
Both Are Ofcom Licence-Exempt and UKCA Certified
Both units carry UKCA and CE certification and are Ofcom licence-exempt, meaning you do not need to apply for a frequency licence or pay an annual fee. They both use automatic gain control to prevent oscillation and they both support the same roster of UK networks: O2, Vodafone, giffgaff, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Lebara and Lycamobile.
Both Need at Least 1 Bar of Outdoor Signal
This is the most important technical caveat for either unit. A signal booster cannot create signal from nothing. It needs at least 1 bar of usable 900 MHz signal at the outdoor antenna position. If your garden has zero bars of O2 or Vodafone signal, no booster at any price will help. The G250's 7 dBi antenna gives it a slightly better chance in marginal-signal areas, but it is not a magic bullet.
Full Specification Comparison Table
Here is the complete technical picture across all four products we tested. Numbers come from manufacturer datasheets and our own lab measurements.
| Feature | G250 £110.00 | G150 £85.00 | C100 £109.99 | Amazon Generic £25-50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product type | Voice and SMS only | Voice and SMS only | 4G data + voice | Unknown, uncertified |
| Frequency band | Band 8, 900 MHz | Band 8, 900 MHz | Bands 1/3/7, 900/1800/2600 MHz | Claimed multi-band, unverified |
| Max gain | 65 dB | 60 dB | 65 dB | Claimed 55-70 dB, unverified |
| Output power | 17 dBm EIRP | 17 dBm | 15 dBm | Unknown |
| Noise figure | ≤5 dB | ≤5.5 dB | ≤5.5 dB | Unknown |
| Coverage area | 250 m² | 150 m² | 100 m² | Claimed 200-300 m², unproven |
| Outdoor antenna | 7 dBi omni, 10 m coax | 5 dBi omni, 5 m coax | 5 dBi panel, 10 m coax | 3-5 dBi, 5 m coax |
| UKCA / CE mark | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Ofcom licence-exempt | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, illegal to operate |
| Supported networks | O2, Voda, giffgaff, Sky, Tesco, Lebara, Lyca | O2, Voda, giffgaff, Sky, Tesco, Lebara, Lyca | O2, Voda, EE, Three (data) | Unknown, unverified |
| Unit size / weight | 180×130×30 mm / 350 g | 160×110×25 mm / 250 g | 170×120×30 mm / 320 g | Unknown |
| Power consumption | ≤10 W | ≤10 W | ≤12 W | Unknown |
| Simultaneous users | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unknown |
The most important row is the product type row. The G250 and G150 are voice-only. The C100 is data-capable. The Amazon generic is a gamble. Do not confuse a voice booster with a data booster just because the prices look similar.
What the Extra £25 Actually Buys You: G250 vs G150 Breakdown
The G250 costs £110.00 and the G150 costs £85.00. That is a £25 difference, roughly 29% more expensive. Is it worth it? Let us break down exactly what that £25 buys.
Coverage: 250 m² vs 150 m²
The G250 covers 250 m². The G150 covers 150 m². That is 100 m² of extra coverage, or 67% more indoor floor area. In a two-bedroom flat this does not matter. In a three-bedroom semi with a rear extension, it is the difference between covering the whole house and leaving the third bedroom on one bar.
Gain: 65 dB vs 60 dB
The G250 has 65 dB of maximum gain. The G150 has 60 dB. That is 5 dB of extra amplification. In RF terms, 3 dB doubles the effective signal power. So the G250 delivers roughly 1.8 times the amplified signal strength at the edge of the coverage bubble. In a weak-signal rural home, that 5 dB is the difference between a call that cuts out and a call that stays solid.
Outdoor Antenna: 7 dBi vs 5 dBi
The G250 ships with a 7 dBi omni-directional outdoor antenna. The G150 ships with a 5 dBi unit. That 2 dB antenna gain means the G250 can pull in a weaker outdoor signal from further away. In our Dorset test at 9.7 km from the nearest tower, the G250 held 2 to 3 bars indoors while the G150 could barely hold 1 bar.
Coaxial Cable: 10 m vs 5 m
The G250 includes a 10 m coaxial cable. The G150 includes a 5 m cable. That extra 5 metres is the difference between routing the antenna up to a chimney stack on a detached house and having to mount it on a nearby drainpipe. For terraced houses where the booster sits at the front and the chimney is at the back, 5 m is often not enough.
Noise Figure: ≤5 dB vs ≤5.5 dB
The G250 has a slightly better noise figure at ≤5 dB versus the G150 at ≤5.5 dB. A lower noise figure means the amplified signal stays cleaner, with less background hiss. On a phone call, that translates to clearer audio and fewer complaints from the person on the other end.
Price, Coverage and Value-for-Money Table
Sticker price is not the whole story. The table below compares cost per square metre of coverage, cost per dB of gain and cost per supported network, so you can see which product delivers the most value for your specific situation.
| Value metric | G250 £110.00 | G150 £85.00 | C100 £109.99 | Amazon Generic £35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price per m² of coverage | £0.44/m² | £0.57/m² | £1.10/m² | Unknown, unproven |
| Price per dB of gain | £1.69/dB | £1.42/dB | £1.69/dB | Unknown |
| Price per supported voice network | £15.71 per network | £12.14 per network | £27.50 per network | Unknown |
| Includes cable length | 10 m included | 5 m included | 10 m included | 5 m included |
| 5-year electricity cost | £14.80 | £14.80 | £17.75 | Unknown |
| Legal to operate in UK? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No, up to £5,000 fine |
| Best for | 3-4 bed homes, rural | 2-bed flats, small homes | Data speed problems | Nothing |
The G250 wins on price per m² of coverage and price per supported voice network. The G150 wins on price per dB of gain because its absolute price is lower. The C100 looks similarly priced at £109.99 but covers only 100 m² and solves a different problem. The Amazon generic is not just bad value, it is actively illegal to operate in the UK.
Why the C100 at £109.99 Is Not the G250's Competitor
Many shoppers compare the G250 at £110.00 with the C100 at £109.99 because the prices are nearly identical. This is a category error. They are two different products solving two different problems.
The G250 Solves Dropped Calls
If your phone drops calls in your house, if you cannot hear the person on the other end, if text messages take ten minutes to arrive, the G250 is the product you need. It amplifies 900 MHz 2G and 3G voice signals. It will not make your internet faster, but it will make your phone calls reliable.
The C100 Solves Slow Data
If your 4G internet is too slow to load web pages or stream video, if Zoom calls freeze, if you cannot send WhatsApp photos, the C100 is the product you need. It amplifies 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2600 MHz bands used for 4G LTE data. It will make your data faster, but it covers only 100 m² and it is not optimised for voice call quality.
What If You Have Both Problems?
If you have both dropped calls and slow data, you need two separate units: a G250 for voice and a C100 or higher data booster for internet. They work on different bands and they can run side by side. Do not try to solve both problems with one box, because no single box in this price range does both well.
Warning: Do not buy the C100 thinking it will also fix dropped calls. It amplifies data bands, not voice bands. And do not buy the G250 thinking it will speed up your 4G. It amplifies voice bands, not data bands. They are not interchangeable.
Honest Pros and Cons of Every Product
| Product | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| G250 £110.00 |
Pro 1: 250 m² coverage is the sweet spot for 3-4 bed UK homes and small offices. Pro 2: 65 dB gain and ≤5 dB noise figure deliver clean, strong signal across the whole house. Pro 3: 7 dBi outdoor antenna and 10 m coax handle detached houses and weak rural signals. Pro 4: UKCA certified, Ofcom licence-exempt, unlimited simultaneous callers. |
Con 1: Voice and SMS only, no 4G or 5G data improvement. Con 2: Does not support EE or Three voice networks. Con 3: £25 more expensive than the G150, which is enough for smaller homes. Con 4: No smartphone app or LCD screen, status via LED only. |
| G150 £85.00 |
Pro 1: Cheapest way to get Ofcom-legal voice call boosting for a 2-bed flat. Pro 2: Same network support and UKCA certification as the G250. Pro 3: Compact at 160×110×25 mm and only 250 g, easy to mount discreetly. Pro 4: 60 dB gain and 17 dBm output are adequate for homes under 150 m². |
Con 1: 150 m² coverage leaves the third bedroom or rear extension on one bar. Con 2: 5 dBi antenna cannot pull in weak rural signals as well as the G250. Con 3: 5 m cable is too short for many detached house installations. Con 4: 60 dB gain is 5 dB less than the G250, noticeable at edge of coverage. |
| C100 £109.99 |
Pro 1: Only product here that actually boosts 4G data speeds. Pro 2: Supports all four UK networks including EE and Three for data. Pro 3: UKCA certified and Ofcom licence-exempt. Pro 4: Good choice if your problem is slow internet, not dropped calls. |
Con 1: Covers only 100 m², too small for most 3-bed homes. Con 2: Not optimised for voice call quality, may not fix dropped calls. Con 3: £109.99 price is close to the G250 but solves a different problem. Con 4: Higher power consumption at ≤12 W. |
| Amazon Generic £25-50 |
Pro 1: Very cheap upfront price. Pro 2: Ships quickly from UK warehouses. Pro 3: Looks similar from the outside. |
Con 1: No UKCA or CE certification, illegal to operate in the UK. Con 2: No Ofcom licence-exempt status, fines up to £5,000. Con 3: No AGC, can oscillate and interfere with nearby cell towers. Con 4: No warranty, no UK support, no verified specs. |
How They Performed in Our Real-World Tests
Test 1: Two-Bed Flat in Brighton, 90 m²
Pre-booster: 2 bars O2 in the living room, 1 bar in the bedroom. Occasional dropped calls on the commute home. The G150 at £85.00 delivered 3 to 4 bars in every room. The G250 at £110.00 also delivered 3 to 4 bars, but there was zero measurable difference on this small footprint. Verdict: save £25, buy the G150.
Test 2: Victorian Terrace in Bristol, 140 m²
Pre-booster: 1 bar Vodafone in the front room, zero in the rear home office. Dropped call rate 21%. The G150 delivered 3 to 4 bars downstairs but only 1 to 2 bars in the rear office. The G250 delivered 3 to 4 bars across the whole house including the rear office. Verdict: borderline. If the rear room matters, the G250 is worth the £25.
Test 3: Three-Bed Semi in Guildford, 220 m²
Pre-booster: 2 bars O2 at the front door, zero in the rear extension and upstairs main bedroom. Dropped call rate 24%. The G150 covered the ground floor but left the upstairs bedroom and rear extension on one bar. The G250 delivered 3 to 4 bars in every room. Verdict: clear winner, G250 at £110.00.
Test 4: Stone Cottage in Dorset, 255 m²
Pre-booster: 1 bar outdoors at the chimney, nothing indoors, nearest tower 9.7 km away. Dropped call rate 27%. The G150 with its 5 dBi antenna could not pull in enough outdoor signal; indoor reading stayed at 1 bar. The G250 with its 7 dBi antenna held 2 to 3 bars indoors and cut dropped calls to under 3%. Verdict: G250 is the only option here.
Final Verdict: Which One Should You Actually Buy?
Small Apartment or Studio Under 80 m²
Buy the G150 at £85.00. Your space is small enough that the G150's 150 m² rating is more than enough. You will not notice the extra 100 m² of the G250. Save the £25.
Two-Bed Flat or Modern Apartment, 100-150 m²
Buy the G150 at £85.00 if the furthest room gets at least 2 bars outdoors. If the rear bedroom or home office is a dead zone, step up to the G250 at £110.00 for the extra 5 dB of gain.
Three or Four Bedroom Home, 160-260 m²
Buy the G250 at £110.00. The 250 m² coverage, 7 dBi antenna and 10 m cable are exactly what a family home this size needs. In our Guildford test house, the G150 could not reach the upstairs bedroom at all.
You Need 4G Data, Not Just Voice Calls
Do not buy either the G150 or the G250. Buy the C100 at £109.99 instead. It is the only unit here that amplifies 4G data bands. Remember it covers only 100 m², so it is best suited to a single floor or a small flat.
Budget Is Tight
The G150 at £85.00 is the cheapest Ofcom-legal voice booster you can buy. Do not be tempted by the £25 to £50 Amazon generics. They are uncertified, illegal to operate, and they can get you fined up to £5,000 by Ofcom. The G150 is £60 more expensive but it is the only safe, legal option at the bottom of the market.
The Bottom Line: The G150 at £85.00 and the G250 at £110.00 are both excellent Ofcom-legal voice call boosters for O2, Vodafone, giffgaff, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, Lebara and Lycamobile. The G150 is the right choice if your home is under 150 m². The G250 is the right choice if your home is 160 m² or larger, if you live rurally, or if you have a detached house that needs a 10 m cable run. The £25 price gap buys 100 m² more coverage, 5 dB more gain, a 7 dBi antenna and double the cable length. That is excellent value for anyone who actually needs the extra reach. The C100 at £109.99 looks similarly priced but solves a completely different problem: it boosts 4G data, not voice calls. The Amazon generics at £25 to £50 are not just bad value, they are illegal. Pick the G250 for 3-4 bed homes, pick the G150 for flats, and never confuse a voice booster with a data booster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I buy the G150 or the G250 for my home?
If your home is under 150 m², buy the G150 at £85.00. If your home is 160 m² or larger, buy the G250 at £110.00. The £25 difference buys 100 m² more coverage, 5 dB more gain, a 7 dBi antenna instead of 5 dBi, and a 10 m cable instead of 5 m.
What is the difference between the G250 and the C100?
The G250 at £110.00 is a voice and SMS-only booster rated for 250 m² on Band 8 900 MHz. The C100 at £109.99 is a 4G data booster rated for only 100 m². They look similarly priced on paper but solve completely different problems. The G250 fixes dropped calls; the C100 improves mobile data speeds.
Is the £25 price difference between G150 and G250 worth it?
Yes, if your home is 160 m² or larger. The £25 buys 67% more coverage (250 vs 150 m²), 5 dB more gain (65 vs 60 dB), a 7 dBi vs 5 dBi outdoor antenna, and a 10 m vs 5 m coaxial cable. That is roughly £0.25 per extra m² of coverage, which is excellent value in the RF hardware market.
Does the G250 really cover 250 m² in a real UK house?
In ideal open-plan conditions, yes. In a typical UK terraced or semi-detached home with solid brick walls, expect effective coverage of 200 to 230 m² on one floor, or 150 to 180 m² spread across two floors. In our 220 m² Guildford test house, the G250 delivered 3 to 4 bars in every room.
Can I use the G250 to boost 4G data on my phone?
No. The G250 amplifies only Band 8 at 900 MHz, which is used for 2G and 3G voice calls and SMS text messages. It does not amplify 4G LTE data or 5G. If your main problem is slow mobile internet or buffering video calls, you need a data booster like the C100, not the G250.
What happens if I buy a cheap uncertified booster from Amazon?
Amazon generic boosters priced £25 to £50 are uncertified grey-market units. They are not Ofcom-licence-exempt, they may interfere with nearby cell towers, and operating one can result in a fine of up to £5,000 from Ofcom. They also typically have no UKCA mark, no AGC and no warranty.
How does a 7 dBi antenna compare to a 5 dBi antenna?
A 7 dBi antenna has 2 dB more gain than a 5 dBi antenna, which means it can pull in a weaker outdoor signal from further away. In rural locations where the nearest tower is 5 to 10 km away, that 2 dB difference is often the gap between a usable indoor signal and no signal at all.
Is the 10 m cable on the G250 long enough for a two-storey house?
Yes, in most cases. The 10 m coaxial cable gives you enough length to route from a ground-floor booster unit up to a chimney stack or loft-mounted outdoor antenna, with spare length for routing along skirting boards or through loft insulation. If you need more, you can upgrade to 15 m or 20 m extension cables.
What is the noise figure of the G250?
The G250 has a noise figure of ≤5 dB, which is better than the G150 at ≤5.5 dB and the Mobile Repeater UK Pro at ≤6 dB. A lower noise figure means the amplified signal stays cleaner, especially when the incoming outdoor signal is weak. This results in clearer voice calls with less background hiss.
Can I upgrade the G250 cable to 15 m or 20 m?
Yes. The G250 ships with a 10 m RG-series coaxial cable, and you can upgrade to a 15 m or 20 m extension if your outdoor antenna needs to be mounted further from the indoor unit. Longer cables do introduce some signal loss, but the G250's 65 dB gain has enough headroom to absorb it.
Learn More: 250 m² Call Signal Guides
Best Call Booster for 250 m² — UK Three-Four-Bed House Buyer's Guide
How to choose a top-of-range voice booster that covers a semi-detached house or small office without paying for 4G data.
G150 vs G250 Booster — Which Voice Unit Fits Your Home?
Honest UK comparison of the £85 150 m² step-up and the £110 250 m² flagship: antenna, gain, coax and coverage.
How to Improve Calls Across a 250 m² Home — UK Step by Step
Chimney antenna placement, 10 m coax routing and DIY install for three-four-bed houses and small offices.
O2 & Vodafone 250 m² Call Booster — Band 8 MVNO List
Which O2 / Vodafone MVNOs the G250 covers, and why EE and Three customers need a different unit.
Shop the G150 Mobile Booster for £85.00 — O2 Vodafone 150m² Voice Booster, Free UK Delivery →
