Weak cell phone signals are a frustrating experience that everyone is familiar with. Not only does a poor cellular signal cause voice calls to be spotty or to drop, it can also inhibit your ability to send text messages, use or download apps, stream media, and more. Most people tend to wave their phones in the air looking for that extra bar of signal strength, but this is often more comedy than strategy.
While a cell phone signal booster is your best bet to fortifying your cellphone's data signals, let's explore some easy DIY alternatives first.
Here are 9 easy ways to boost your cell phone bars, in order of increasing effectiveness. The first few steps offer immediate DIY solutions such as moving near a window while the items towards the end of the list offer universally reliable long-term solutions. Although some sporadic cell signal issues can be remedied by simply being mindful of your location and how physical obstacles such as walls or terrain can weaken your signal, we suspect that many of you will find the convenience of a cellular signal booster to be the most logical solution.
Turn on WiFi Boosting. You may be able to boost your cell phone signal in some situations by switching on WiFi boosting with your device. Some carriers only support WiFi boosting on certain devices while others have more open boosting availability.
Charge Your Battery. Searching for and maintaining a cell phone signal diminishes your battery life, with remote or obstructed areas requiring more battery juice. If your device battery is already low, your phone is more likely to struggle to provide the signal strength performance you're looking for. Charging your device’s battery can sometimes make the difference.
Remove Obstructions. Another way to improve cell phone signal is to remove obstructions. This is more challenging as the most significant obstructions include buildings, trees, mountains, or even the weather. But in some cases, the situation can be improved. If you’re using your phone in a vehicle then exiting a vehicle can help. So can opening a window, using exterior perimeter rooms, or avoiding making calls in basements or other thickly-walled structures.
Move Outside or to a Window. If you are indoors, moving outside or to an open window can also sometimes improve your cell phone signal. This is because when you are indoors a cell phone signal has to penetrate the walls to transmit a signal to and from your phone. Moving outside or to an open window helps to eliminate this obstruction.
Go to a Higher Location. If you’re outdoors away from nearby obstacles and you're still receiving a poor cell phone signal, you may be able to find a clearer signal by going to a higher level. This is because cell signals experience fewer obstructions and interference at higher elevations—this is especially true when comparing the top floor of a building to a basement or other ground-obstructed area.
Change Your Carrier. If changing your location didn't quite solve your cell signal issues or is prohibitively inconvenient, you may want to consider changing your carrier, as your network likely does not have a high density of coverage in your area. Before signing a contract with a cell service provider it’s important to make sure the areas you spend the most time in are covered. A good way to do this is to find the nearest cell tower for each carrier in your area.
Subscribe to a Femtocell. Femtocells are miniature cell towers in your home that piggyback off of your existing Internet broadband cables as a means of replacing cellular signals from nearby towers. However, these solutions often require a paid subscription, cannibalize from your wired Internet, have serious security flaws, and confer limited effective range in your home.
Buy a Different Phone. Newer phones will have radio technology designed to tap into the latest spectrums of cellular providers. If your network seems to have good coverage in your area but you are receiving a low-quality signal on an older mobile device, it may be worth investing in a newer phone for improved signal technology.
Get a Cell Phone Signal Booster. Most of the previous options are expensive, time-consuming, and have no real guarantee of working. Using a signal booster is the best and most reliable way to improve your cell phone signal. This is because cell phone signal boosters are a passive "fire and forget" solution that require no subscription fees and offer 24/7 improved connectivity for years after installation. Quality boosters that are legally FCC-certified can even improve the battery life of your devices, extend your range from cell towers, turn your home from a "dead-zone" into an oasis for your friends/family with different carriers, or serve as call/text/data enablers for professionals working in their home, office, or near their vehicle on-the-go.
Making the Right Signal Booster Choice
If you're still reading this, then chances are the first eight steps aren't feasible for you. The good news is that we at SureCall have 20 years of industry excellence in the cell phone signal booster space and can help you choose the right booster for your location's needs.
Most people make the mistake of purchasing a signal booster unit based solely on price rather than the level of performance that their location demands. Luckily, we've built out a universal signal booster purchasing guide for home, office, and vehicle locations to help you avoid having to test several booster models before finding the right performance. Even if you don't end up purchasing one of our boosters, these guides will help you make a more informed approach towards making the right signal booster choice that balances price with performance.
