1. What is a case with WavCatcher-embedded, and why does it matter?
A case with WavCatcher's antenna technology protects your phone significantly AND improves your phone's connectivity, speed and battery life through enhanced global cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth signaling. At a similar price point to top protective case brands, this case solution can preserve your phone and screen's longevity while optimizing its performance and functions.
The WavCatcher Gen I beta case solution for the iPhone 6/6s was successfully vetted by 3 Tier One wireless carriers, several manufacturers and an independent test lab approved by all major U.S. wireless carriers.
A case with WavCatcher's antenna technology protects your phone significantly AND improves your phone's connectivity, speed and battery life through enhanced global cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth signaling. At a similar price point to top protective case brands, this case solution can preserve your phone and screen's longevity while optimizing its performance and functions.
The WavCatcher Gen I beta case solution for the iPhone 6/6s was successfully vetted by 3 Tier One wireless carriers, several manufacturers and an independent test lab approved by all major U.S. wireless carriers.
2. What happens when I put a case with WavCatcher-embedded on my phone?
Your smartphone gets immediate wireless relief and responds by reducing its power usage because of improved global cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth signaling. Your phone can even show a one bar improvement (10x or greater signal strength increase in iOS 11) in the signal meter despite its internal RF Power Amplifier and Automatic Gain Control that restrict and control power usage.
In addition, your phone's multiple radios search nonstop to acquire the best connectivity. This is why your phone's display and signal searching are the top two drains on its battery. Wireless relief through a cleaner signal means your phone's power regulators can reallocate the conserved power to other functions as your phone never stops multitasking. This helps mitigate functional lag.
Lastly, a cleaner wireless signal helps with network congestion and bottlenecks. Instead of last on and first off the network, your phone inside a case with WavCatcher-embedded improves your position to be last on and last off the network. All of these actions are what accounts for improved connectivity, speed and battery life, hence a better mobile experience.
Your smartphone gets immediate wireless relief and responds by reducing its power usage because of improved global cellular, WiFi and Bluetooth signaling. Your phone can even show a one bar improvement (10x or greater signal strength increase in iOS 11) in the signal meter despite its internal RF Power Amplifier and Automatic Gain Control that restrict and control power usage.
In addition, your phone's multiple radios search nonstop to acquire the best connectivity. This is why your phone's display and signal searching are the top two drains on its battery. Wireless relief through a cleaner signal means your phone's power regulators can reallocate the conserved power to other functions as your phone never stops multitasking. This helps mitigate functional lag.
Lastly, a cleaner wireless signal helps with network congestion and bottlenecks. Instead of last on and first off the network, your phone inside a case with WavCatcher-embedded improves your position to be last on and last off the network. All of these actions are what accounts for improved connectivity, speed and battery life, hence a better mobile experience.
3. How do I know a case with WavCatcher's antenna technology works?
Just about every user has mobile pain points in her/his personal use case. The simplest test is to put your phone inside a case with WavCatcher-embedded and go do what you do. In less than a week, you will most likely know where the improvement is. Previous users of our first generation beta case have given a variety of testimonials on how better signaling has improved their mobile experience. Some of these can be found at the bottom of the Firefly page.
Just about every user has mobile pain points in her/his personal use case. The simplest test is to put your phone inside a case with WavCatcher-embedded and go do what you do. In less than a week, you will most likely know where the improvement is. Previous users of our first generation beta case have given a variety of testimonials on how better signaling has improved their mobile experience. Some of these can be found at the bottom of the Firefly page.
4. What immediate real world tests can I do to see if my case with WavCatcher-embedded is working?
Cellular/WiFi - Enter a known wireless trouble spot (e.g. lags, drops and slow speeds) that you have personally experienced on your phone:
Bluetooth - Connect a Bluetooth-enabled device to your phone and see how far away the device will still function. Device examples you can test include:
Regarding any test involving the evaluation of Internet speeds, please note that a case with WavCatcher-embedded improves connectivity which is the signal connection between your phone and the wireless infrastructure, i.e. base station, wireless access point, etc. Outside of connectivity, other factors that affect Internet speeds include:
Cellular/WiFi - Enter a known wireless trouble spot (e.g. lags, drops and slow speeds) that you have personally experienced on your phone:
- Access your Internet browser
- Stream a video
- Make a voice or video call, i.e. FaceTime
- Play a game, e.g. Pokemon GO or one that requires constant data access
Bluetooth - Connect a Bluetooth-enabled device to your phone and see how far away the device will still function. Device examples you can test include:
- Wireless Headphones
- Portable Speaker(s)
- iPhone for AirDrop
Regarding any test involving the evaluation of Internet speeds, please note that a case with WavCatcher-embedded improves connectivity which is the signal connection between your phone and the wireless infrastructure, i.e. base station, wireless access point, etc. Outside of connectivity, other factors that affect Internet speeds include:
- Radios in the wireless infrastructure
- Wireless Provider - e.g. data caps and throttling from cellular carriers, wireless providers (i.e. cable, satellite, DSL, etc.)
- Subscribers - This can be hit or miss because speed fluctuation is affected by user fluctuation (the number of users on a particular radio at a specific instance in time). Typically, the longer your phone is connected to a radio, the better its performance as the network permits.
5. How does a case with WavCatcher antenna technology inside work?
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded are designed with the company's patented antenna technology that uses inductive coupling (a form of electromagnetic induction, e.g. wireless inductive charging) to provide wireless relief to the radios in your phone. These radios connect to small antenna structures which have limited energy fields because of size and device restrictions. This forces your phone to work incredibly hard to establish connectivity and accounts for much of its battery depletion.
A case with WavCatcher-embedded is essentially a 'plug and play' passive super antenna that is positioned outside of your phone and is thus unconfined to produce cleaner and larger coverage patterns. In addition, different elements of antenna diversity help ensure optimal mobile connectivity. To learn why wireless relief matters, please reference this article.
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded are designed with the company's patented antenna technology that uses inductive coupling (a form of electromagnetic induction, e.g. wireless inductive charging) to provide wireless relief to the radios in your phone. These radios connect to small antenna structures which have limited energy fields because of size and device restrictions. This forces your phone to work incredibly hard to establish connectivity and accounts for much of its battery depletion.
A case with WavCatcher-embedded is essentially a 'plug and play' passive super antenna that is positioned outside of your phone and is thus unconfined to produce cleaner and larger coverage patterns. In addition, different elements of antenna diversity help ensure optimal mobile connectivity. To learn why wireless relief matters, please reference this article.
6. How is a case with WavCatcher antenna technology different from booster antenna stickers that never work?
Booster antenna stickers do not work because their antenna footprint:
To contrast, cases with WavCatcher-embedded are designed to work globally. Smartphone antenna performance relies not on standards but frequencies which are the pipelines for data passage. Except for GPS, the 2018 cases with WavCatcher-embedded have engineered antenna feed lines that sync with every frequency band supported by your phone.
Booster antenna stickers do not work because their antenna footprint:
- does not cover the numerous frequencies nor frequency range required
- fails to inductively couple to the phone's internal antennas since there are no feed lines aligned to the associated RF 'hot spots'
- has incorrect spacing and/or loading necessary for successful inductive coupling to actualize
- can cause your phone's radio wave to scatter, i.e. trying to put 2 magnets together when they are not correctly aligned.
To contrast, cases with WavCatcher-embedded are designed to work globally. Smartphone antenna performance relies not on standards but frequencies which are the pipelines for data passage. Except for GPS, the 2018 cases with WavCatcher-embedded have engineered antenna feed lines that sync with every frequency band supported by your phone.
7. Will wireless charging work on my phone in a case with WavCatcher-embedded?
Wireless inductive charging, i.e. Qi standard, does work on phones that have a case with WavCatcher antenna technology inside. Unlike some other protective case solutions, cases with WavCatcher-embedded are constructed of material composition that enables RF energy to cleanly pass through (for example, carbon and zinc are known wireless-disruptors).
Secondly, cases with WavCatcher-embedded utilize a passive printed circuit antenna footprint which, unlike active and amplified solutions, minimizes the possibility of electromagnetic interference. Video demonstrations can be found here and here.
Wireless inductive charging, i.e. Qi standard, does work on phones that have a case with WavCatcher antenna technology inside. Unlike some other protective case solutions, cases with WavCatcher-embedded are constructed of material composition that enables RF energy to cleanly pass through (for example, carbon and zinc are known wireless-disruptors).
Secondly, cases with WavCatcher-embedded utilize a passive printed circuit antenna footprint which, unlike active and amplified solutions, minimizes the possibility of electromagnetic interference. Video demonstrations can be found here and here.
8. What's the big deal with improving my phone's WiFi signal?
Not only does improved WiFi help for in-stadium/heavy traffic use cases (cuts through congestion) and in-building barriers (walls especially at 5.0 GHz), WiFi is now a critical component to wireless operator’s network connectivity via mobile data offloading. With the sheer volume of network traffic and its associated use of streaming data, mobile data offload to WiFi has been adopted by every Tier One carrier. Here's are five reasons:
Not only does improved WiFi help for in-stadium/heavy traffic use cases (cuts through congestion) and in-building barriers (walls especially at 5.0 GHz), WiFi is now a critical component to wireless operator’s network connectivity via mobile data offloading. With the sheer volume of network traffic and its associated use of streaming data, mobile data offload to WiFi has been adopted by every Tier One carrier. Here's are five reasons:
- A better WiFi signal helps at home in places that have denser walls, especially at 5.0 GHz, which allows for faster data streaming.
- A better WiFi signal helps away from home, like at a busy coffee shop or when in a stadium, because it cuts through network congestion.
- A better WiFi signal helps when you are mobile because it improves your ability to stream from your cellular provider. Your provider uses mobile data offloading via WiFi to offset network traffic to ensure you have a better user experience. Having improved WiFi connectivity puts your on-demand streaming in front of the data line.
- A better WiFi signal helps improve your phone’s battery life, because the WiFi radio inside your phone constantly searches for a network. Better signal coverage means your phone uses less power.
- A better WiFi signal is a lag killer as it provides wireless relief to your phone’s WiFi radio. Doing so makes your phone more responsive as it has more resources available for multi-tasking activities.
9. Is a case with WavCatcher antenna technology a signal booster?
No, cases with WavCatcher-embedded are technically not signal boosters as defined by the FCC. Although the FCC states that “Consumer Signal Boosters are designed to be used 'out of the box' by individuals to improve their wireless coverage within a limited area such as a home, car, boat, or recreational vehicle,” they also add that signal boosters in general are devices that require amplification and/or electronic components to selected frequencies. These elements require FCC approval to prevent interference on wireless networks and to ensure a minimum level of consumer safety, i.e. SAR.
These solutions, unlike cases with WavCatcher-embedded, do not completely address the other important aspects of signal improvement such as efficiency at targeted frequencies, antenna diversity, pattern (shape) and gain (reach). Moreover, signal boosters can create unwanted noise which disrupts and corrupts wireless signals within the vicinity.
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded improve signaling because they utilize passive multi-band and broadband antenna technology. Unlike your phone’s internal antenna size restrictions, the WavCatcher antenna is unconfined by the device's form factor. The end results to your phone include power conservation and cleaner, larger coverage patterns that translate into improved connectivity, speed and battery life.
No, cases with WavCatcher-embedded are technically not signal boosters as defined by the FCC. Although the FCC states that “Consumer Signal Boosters are designed to be used 'out of the box' by individuals to improve their wireless coverage within a limited area such as a home, car, boat, or recreational vehicle,” they also add that signal boosters in general are devices that require amplification and/or electronic components to selected frequencies. These elements require FCC approval to prevent interference on wireless networks and to ensure a minimum level of consumer safety, i.e. SAR.
These solutions, unlike cases with WavCatcher-embedded, do not completely address the other important aspects of signal improvement such as efficiency at targeted frequencies, antenna diversity, pattern (shape) and gain (reach). Moreover, signal boosters can create unwanted noise which disrupts and corrupts wireless signals within the vicinity.
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded improve signaling because they utilize passive multi-band and broadband antenna technology. Unlike your phone’s internal antenna size restrictions, the WavCatcher antenna is unconfined by the device's form factor. The end results to your phone include power conservation and cleaner, larger coverage patterns that translate into improved connectivity, speed and battery life.
10. How should I clean my case with WavCatcher-embedded?
We recommend cleaning your case with WavCatcher antenna technology inside (and your iPhone screen) with a paper towel dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol. It effectively cleans and disinfects both the entire exterior (back face, TPU guard) and the internal silicone liner when the phone is out of the case. Afterward, a shammy or similar cloth can be used to wipe off the moisture.
An alternate method is to dampen a cloth or paper towel with soapy water from dishwashing liquid to wipe down your case and phone screen. Afterward, it can be dried with a shammy or similar non-abrasive material. In short, what works to clean your phone will most likely work to clean and maintain your case. However, the opposite action isn't necessarily true.
We do not recommend ever rinsing the case with running water, submerging it in water, or putting it in the dishwasher. This can wash out the phosphorus coating on the bars inside the TPU guard. If the case does get soaked for any reason, it will be fine overall since there are no electronic components in the case. It can simply be wiped down and/or air dry after cleaning.
We recommend cleaning your case with WavCatcher antenna technology inside (and your iPhone screen) with a paper towel dampened with 70% isopropyl alcohol. It effectively cleans and disinfects both the entire exterior (back face, TPU guard) and the internal silicone liner when the phone is out of the case. Afterward, a shammy or similar cloth can be used to wipe off the moisture.
An alternate method is to dampen a cloth or paper towel with soapy water from dishwashing liquid to wipe down your case and phone screen. Afterward, it can be dried with a shammy or similar non-abrasive material. In short, what works to clean your phone will most likely work to clean and maintain your case. However, the opposite action isn't necessarily true.
We do not recommend ever rinsing the case with running water, submerging it in water, or putting it in the dishwasher. This can wash out the phosphorus coating on the bars inside the TPU guard. If the case does get soaked for any reason, it will be fine overall since there are no electronic components in the case. It can simply be wiped down and/or air dry after cleaning.
11. Will cases with WavCatcher-embedded work with a magnetic mount?
First, magnetic car mounts won’t negatively affect your phone or your phone in a case with WavCatcher-embedded in regards to their antenna performance. Both your phone and the case's antennas are passive solutions that are not working in a frequency range where the magnet would alter their characteristics.
Depending on the strength of a magnet, a magnetic mount can potentially interfere with other parts of your phone that involve active circuits and its internal radios (including GPS). The magnetic mount won’t however interfere with a case with WavCatcher-embedded because there are no electronic or active components for the magnet to potentially disrupt, provided that the metal piece used for adhering to a magnetic mount is not placed in between the phone and the case. Placing any metal, especially metal, inside a case with WavCatcher-embedded will likely disrupt the signal enhancing performance.
Please be aware that any metal component, especially the metal piece used for the magnetic mount to gain traction, can adversely affect wireless signals for reasons too numerous to address in this section. If you remove the piece of metal away from your phone, with or without a case with WavCatcher-embedded, it is highly likely you’ll find your phone’s reception and performance improve.
That's why placing any metal directly on or in very close proximity to your phone is not recommended as scattering and multipath interference are potential consequences. To reiterate, the metal piece used for adhering to a magnetic mount should never be placed in between the phone and the case as that will disrupt the performance of the WavCatcher antenna.
First, magnetic car mounts won’t negatively affect your phone or your phone in a case with WavCatcher-embedded in regards to their antenna performance. Both your phone and the case's antennas are passive solutions that are not working in a frequency range where the magnet would alter their characteristics.
Depending on the strength of a magnet, a magnetic mount can potentially interfere with other parts of your phone that involve active circuits and its internal radios (including GPS). The magnetic mount won’t however interfere with a case with WavCatcher-embedded because there are no electronic or active components for the magnet to potentially disrupt, provided that the metal piece used for adhering to a magnetic mount is not placed in between the phone and the case. Placing any metal, especially metal, inside a case with WavCatcher-embedded will likely disrupt the signal enhancing performance.
Please be aware that any metal component, especially the metal piece used for the magnetic mount to gain traction, can adversely affect wireless signals for reasons too numerous to address in this section. If you remove the piece of metal away from your phone, with or without a case with WavCatcher-embedded, it is highly likely you’ll find your phone’s reception and performance improve.
That's why placing any metal directly on or in very close proximity to your phone is not recommended as scattering and multipath interference are potential consequences. To reiterate, the metal piece used for adhering to a magnetic mount should never be placed in between the phone and the case as that will disrupt the performance of the WavCatcher antenna.
12. What are my options if I don't like a case that has your antenna technology inside?
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded purchased directly from WavCatcher, regardless of brand labeling, have a 90-day, no questions asked return policy as well as the standard Limited Lifetime Warranty (cases only) that most Tier One case brands offer.
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded sold by the brand manufacturer, distributors and retailers may have different programs regarding returns and warranties. Please review the product packaging and/or the seller's policies to determine the terms and conditions of your case.
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded purchased directly from WavCatcher, regardless of brand labeling, have a 90-day, no questions asked return policy as well as the standard Limited Lifetime Warranty (cases only) that most Tier One case brands offer.
Cases with WavCatcher-embedded sold by the brand manufacturer, distributors and retailers may have different programs regarding returns and warranties. Please review the product packaging and/or the seller's policies to determine the terms and conditions of your case.