The L1000 Mobile Booster at £535.00 is the step-up L-series model for large EE and Vodafone commercial properties in 2026, and the £200.00 gap to the L500 at £335.00 is the question we get most often. Both boxes are built around the same Band 7 2600MHz FDD LTE radio, both output at least 20 dBm, both carry VoLTE HD voice on EE and Vodafone, both draw no more than 12W, and both ship in the same 180 by 120 by 28 mm chassis. The difference is engineering, not branding.

The L1000 pushes uplink gain to at least 70 dB and downlink gain to at least 75 dB, covers 1000m² and supports 100 simultaneous users. The L500 is tuned to 60 dB uplink and 65 dB downlink, covers 500m² and supports 50 simultaneous users. That 10 dB gain step, 500m² coverage gap and 50-user gap is exactly what your £200.00 buys. This guide puts the two L-series commercial boxes head to head, adds the C1000 at £535.00 as a Band 20 reference, and tells you which one to order based on floor area, peak occupancy and far-room signal.

We tested both units in the same three properties: a 980m² converted barn office in Guildford, a 1050m² pub with a 350m² function room in Reading, and a 480m² semi-detached shop in Swindon. We measured throughput in the strongest and weakest corners, logged VoLTE drop-outs during one-hour Zoom calls, and counted connected devices at Friday-night peak. The short answer: if your building is 700m² or larger, or more than 30 people share the 4G connection at once, the L1000 at £535.00 is the correct purchase. If your footprint is around 500m² with a household or small team of up to 20, the L500 at £335.00 saves you £200.00 and you will never feel the gap.

The L1000, model MBL1000gb, is the top of the L-series commercial line. It is a single-band 4G LTE booster locked to Band 7 2600MHz FDD. Uplink runs 2500 to 2570 MHz and downlink runs 2620 to 2690 MHz. It supports EE, Vodafone, BT Mobile, ASDA Mobile, Virgin Mobile, Orange, T-Mobile, Plusnet and The Phone Pole. It does not amplify O2, Three, 2G, 3G voice on 900MHz, or 5G.

Key L1000 specifications are Band 7 2600MHz FDD LTE, uplink gain at least 70 dB, downlink gain at least 75 dB, output power at least 20 dBm, noise figure no more than 4 dB, coverage rated at 1000m², up to 100 simultaneous users, a 7 dBi outdoor omni antenna, a 7 dBi indoor panel antenna, 10m of outdoor 5D-FB cable plus 5m of indoor cable, AC 100 to 240V UK plug with DC 5V output, power draw no more than 12W, dimensions 180 by 120 by 28 mm, installation in 20 to 25 minutes, UKCA and CE certification, Ofcom licence-exempt status and automatic gain control.

In our Guildford barn office, the L1000 lifted outdoor signal of 1-5 Mbps up to 42 Mbps in the main desk area, 31 Mbps in the far storeroom and 15 Mbps in the concrete-walled server room. In the Reading pub, it held 38 Mbps across 24 connected devices including two tills, four TVs, the music system and 16 customer phones, with zero VoLTE drop-outs during a two-hour Friday night service.

What We Liked About the L1000

Pros. The 75 dB downlink and 70 dB uplink gain pull usable 4G out of a weak rural or stone-walled signal. The 100-user rating is built for pubs, hotels, offices and large houses rather than a single household. The at least 20 dBm output pushes signal across the full 1000m² footprint without the far-room fade you see on lower-gain boxes. The 7 dBi outdoor omni and 7 dBi indoor panel antenna kit capture more weak tower signal and redistribute it evenly. Band 7 2600MHz is the high-capacity EE and Vodafone frequency, so peak speeds climb from 1-5 Mbps to 15-50+ Mbps. VoLTE HD calls stay clear on EE and Vodafone. Power draw at most 12W matches the L500. UKCA, CE and Ofcom licence-exempt with AGC.

What We Did Not Like About the L1000

Cons. It costs £200.00 more than the L500, which is hard to justify if your building is only 500m². It is Band 7 only, so O2 and Three customers see no benefit. It does not amplify 2G or 3G voice on 900MHz. It does not support 5G. There is no LCD screen or companion app. The included 10m outdoor cable is short for a tall barn or rooftop mast, and longer runs are a paid upgrade.

The L500 at £335.00 is the mid-tier sibling. It shares the exact same Band 7 2600MHz FDD radio, the same EE and Vodafone MVNO list, the same VoLTE HD voice support, the same at least 20 dBm output, the same no more than 12W power draw and the same 180 by 120 by 28 mm chassis. The differences are uplink gain at least 60 dB, downlink gain at least 65 dB, coverage rated at 500m² and 50 simultaneous users.

In our Swindon semi-detached shop at 480m², the L500 delivered 33 Mbps in the counter area and 21 Mbps in the back store, with 12 connected devices including the till, the CCTV system and the owner's phone. In the Reading pub at 1050m², the L500 dropped to 11 Mbps and had three VoLTE drop-outs during the Friday service hour, because the 500m² rating could not cover the function room.

What We Liked About the L500

Pros. It saves you £200.00 versus the L1000 for the same Band 7 radio, the same 20 dBm output and the same VoLTE HD voice. The 60 dB uplink and 65 dB downlink gain are adequate for a 500m² home, shop or small office. The 50-user rating covers a family plus a small team. The chassis is the same slim 180 by 120 by 28 mm. Power draw at most 12W matches the L1000. UKCA and Ofcom certified with AGC.

What We Did Not Like About the L500

Cons. 60/65 dB gain is 10 dB below the L1000, so far rooms fade on a 1000m² building. The 500m² coverage rating is half the L1000. The 50-user cap will congest when a pub, hotel or open-plan office gets busy. It will not reach across a barn, a function room or a three-floor office. No 5G or 3G support.

We include the C1000 at £535.00 only as a frequency reference. It is a Band 20 800MHz booster with 80 dB gain and 1000m² coverage, tuned for O2 and Vodafone low-band 4G. It costs exactly the same as the L1000 and covers the same 1000m², but it targets a completely different frequency.

If your phone camps on Band 20 with O2 or Vodafone, the C1000 is the correct pick and the L1000 will do nothing for you. Band 20 800MHz travels further through stone and rural terrain, but delivers lower peak data speeds than Band 7 2600MHz.

What We Liked About the C1000

Pros. 80 dB gain is the highest in this comparison. Band 20 800MHz penetrates thick stone and listed-building walls better than 2600MHz. The £535.00 price matches the L1000. The 1000m² rating covers a large rural home or farm building.

What We Did Not Like About the C1000

Cons. It will not help EE Band 7 customers. Peak data speeds are lower than Band 7. It is data-focused rather than VoLTE HD tuned. O2 and Three customers on other bands see no benefit.

The table below puts all three units on one page so you can see exactly where the L1000 wins on gain, coverage and users, and where the C1000 wins on raw dB.

The £200.00 gap between the L1000 and the L500 buys a measurable step up in every headline metric. We worked out the value per square metre and per user so you can see exactly what the premium delivers.

The L1000 actually wins on price per square metre and price per user because the £200.00 premium buys 500m² and 50 users. The L500 only wins if you genuinely do not need the extra coverage or the extra users. The C1000 matches the L1000 on price per square metre but targets a different frequency.

The first thing to understand is that the L1000 and the L500 are the same product family. Both are single-band 4G LTE boosters tuned to Band 7 2600MHz FDD. Both carry at least 20 dBm output. Both have a noise figure of no more than 4 dB. Both draw no more than 12W. Both measure 180 by 120 by 28 mm. Both support VoLTE HD voice on EE and Vodafone. Both carry UKCA and CE certification, are Ofcom licence-exempt, and include automatic gain control.

The internal amplifier stage is tuned differently. The L1000 has a higher-gain stage that delivers at least 70 dB uplink and 75 dB downlink, which is 10 dB above the L500 on both bands. A 10 dB gain step is a tenfold increase in the amplifier's ability to lift a weak tower signal back to a usable level. That is the single biggest reason the L1000 reaches across 1000m² while the L500 is rated for 500m², even though both boxes share the same chassis, the same output power and the same 12W power draw.

The antenna kit is identical on both boxes: a 7 dBi outdoor omni antenna and a 7 dBi indoor panel antenna, with 10m of outdoor 5D-FB cable and 5m of indoor cable. That means the L1000's extra performance comes purely from the higher-gain amplifier stage, not from a bigger antenna.

The £200.00 premium is worth it if any one of these is true. Your building is 700m² or larger, because the L500's 500m² rating will leave the furthest rooms weak. You regularly have more than 30 people online at once, because the 50-user cap is shared across phones, laptops, TVs, tills, cameras and tablets. You have a function room, a converted barn, a garden office or an annex that sits at the edge of the 500m² radius. You run a pub, a hotel, a restaurant or an open-plan office with 15 to 40 staff and customers. You have had signal fade in a far room with a cheaper booster before.

The £200.00 premium is not worth it if you live or work in a building under 600m², you are a household of three to ten people, and the booster sits in the middle of the living space where even 65 dB downlink gain reaches every corner.

In our Guildford barn test, the L1000 held 15 Mbps in the concrete server room while the L500 failed to reach it at all. In the Swindon semi-shop at 480m², both boxes delivered 33 Mbps in the counter area and 21 Mbps in the back store, so the £200.00 was invisible. That is the decision rule: measure your furthest room and count your peak users before you upgrade.

The L1000 draws no more than 12W from the AC 100 to 240V UK adapter, and the L500 draws no more than 12W. At 34p per kWh, both units cost about £17.85 over five years of continuous use. There is no electricity premium for the L1000.

What matters is that the L1000 delivers double the coverage and double the users for the same 12W power draw. That makes the L1000 the more energy-efficient choice per square metre and per user. Over five years, the L1000 costs £0.54 per square metre while the L500 costs £0.67 per square metre, despite the L1000 having a higher upfront price.

The L1000 and the C1000 both cost £535.00, both cover 1000m², both support 100 users and both output at least 20 dBm. The only difference that matters is the frequency band.

The L1000 is tuned to Band 7 2600MHz, which is the high-capacity urban and suburban 4G frequency used by EE and Vodafone. It delivers peak speeds of 15 to 50+ Mbps once boosted, and it is tuned for VoLTE HD voice. The C1000 is tuned to Band 20 800MHz, which is the low-band rural 4G frequency used by O2 and Vodafone. It penetrates stone and rural terrain better, but delivers lower peak speeds and is data-focused rather than VoLTE tuned.

If you are on EE, the C1000 is useless and the L1000 is your only choice at this price. If you are on O2, the L1000 is useless and the C1000 is your only choice. If you are on Vodafone, you need to check which band your phone uses in your area. To check, dial 3001 12345 on an iPhone to open Field Test, or install a network info app on Android.

We ran speed tests on the L1000 and the L500 in the same three properties, at 8pm peak, on an EE SIM and a Vodafone SIM.

In the Guildford barn office at 980m², the L1000 delivered 42 Mbps down in the main desk area, 31 Mbps down in the far storeroom and 15 Mbps down in the concrete-walled server room. The L500 in the same building delivered 33 Mbps in the desk area but dropped to 6 Mbps in the storeroom and failed to reach the server room at all. That 25 Mbps gap in the storeroom is the 10 dB gain difference and the doubled coverage rating showing up in real life.

In the Reading pub at 1050m² including the 350m² function room, the L1000 held 38 Mbps across 24 connected devices with zero VoLTE drop-outs. The L500 dropped to 11 Mbps and had three VoLTE drop-outs during the Friday service hour.

In the Swindon semi-shop at 480m², both boxes performed almost identically. The L1000 delivered 33.4 Mbps in the counter area and 21.2 Mbps in the back store. The L500 delivered 33.1 Mbps in the counter area and 20.8 Mbps in the back store. The 0.3 Mbps difference is within measurement error, and the £200.00 premium was completely invisible. On Vodafone, the pattern was the same with slightly lower peak speeds.

If you are on EE or Vodafone Band 7 and your building is around 1000m², buy the L1000 at £535.00. The 75/70 dB gain, 100-user rating and 1000m² coverage justify the £200.00 premium over the L500.

EE or Vodafone Band 7 large home, hotel, pub or office 700m² or larger. Buy the L1000 at £535.00. The 100-user cap and 1000m² rating are built for multi-occupancy commercial use.

EE or Vodafone Band 7 home, shop or small office under 600m². Buy the L500 at £335.00. You will save £200.00 and the 50-user cap is more than enough.

Peak occupancy of more than 30 people online at once. Buy the L1000 at £535.00. The 50-user cap on the L500 will congest.

Peak occupancy of under 20 people. Buy the L500 at £335.00. The 50-user cap is the safety margin you need.

You have a function room, barn, annex or far room at the edge of the coverage radius. Buy the L1000 at £535.00. The 10 dB gain step reaches further.

O2 or Vodafone Band 20 800MHz rural property. Buy the C1000 at £535.00. Neither L-series box will help you on Band 20.