Repeater Advice

I'm looking at three manufactures for a SOHO repeater. (Requirements: from
1000 to 3000 sq. feet).

PowerMax ($700)
http://www.digitalantenna.com/cellamprep_DA4000SBR.html
Cell Antenna ($500)
http://cellantenna.com/repeater/cae50_gemini.htm
Wilson ($800)
http://cellularoutlet.stores.yahoo.n...0innocoam.html

Does anyone have any advice on this?

I can often get as much as 2 bars (out of four) with my naked phone
outdoors. My office is in a garden level room (half underground) in a four
bedroom tri-level house. My house has steel siding (you know, RF repellant!
LOL!).

Anyway, I've been using an external antenna connected directly to my phone
(no amplifier) for a few years with good results. I just stuck a good Wilson
Trucker antenna in the bushes outside my room window. But I'm tired of being
tethered to the damn wire. I want wireless.

My main concern is how much signal do these wireless repeater things take to
operate efficiently? I read sorta conflicting stuff on the ads. One ad says
you need a good "three bars" (described as -75db) for the wireless amp to
work properly. My phone gives me two or three bars. But the test screen
readout on the phone only measures -80 to -90db with three bars. I checked
my phone measurement at a fully pegged signal level (four bars on my phone)
and it only measured -79db). So... is my measurement device in my phone off?

I know I can get a wired amplifier (booster) with no issues, but I want
wireless. Evidently these wireless repeaters are much like the RF section of
the phone itself. It does take a certain minimum signal to make it work. I
think this minimum signal has to be higher than the wired amplifiers, since
the wired ones are directly connected and only service one phone. Yes?

Again, any advice on any of the above solutions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

-Frank