SureCall Cell Phone Signal Booster Blog

We see lots of people on the internet complaining about poor cell signal and many of them go right to, “I’m switching providers.” Should this be the first thought we have when we have poor reception consistently? It’s certainly tempting to quickly point the blame at your carrier because that would mean your problem has an easy fix. But the reasons for your poor signal aren’t always that simple.

In fact, jumping to that conclusion may be unwise for many of you with signal issues. Why? Because how strong or weak your signal is may not be entirely within your carrier’s control. Let’s talk about the influence your carrier actually has on the strength of your cellular signal as well as what causes poor cell signal.

Poor Cell Signal: What Causes It?

Let’s provide a refresher on how cell signals become weak before we discuss carrier influence. There are many things that have a negative influence on cell signal. Some are greater evils than others. Here the 7 most common enemies to cell signal, in no particular order:

Heavy Network Traffic

All of the cell towers that dot your nearby landscape are certainly advanced pieces of technological equipment. But they still can only handle so much traffic at once. This isn’t a problem in small-population areas. But in high-population, metropolitan areas, it often is. And when there’s a temporarily enormous amount of people in a small area - like at a concert venue or sports stadium on a given night - cell towers can be overwhelmed. When this happens, download speeds slow down and signals get spotty.

Your Nearest Tower Is Far Away

The closer you are to a cell tower, the stronger your signal will be (assuming minimal-to-no barriers - more on that below). This is because the farther the signal has to travel from the tower to your phone, the more it degrades. This is why when you’re out in the middle of nowhere, like when you’re camping in the woods, for instance, you have no service. The tower is so far away that the signal has degraded to the point where it doesn’t exist anymore.

Man-Made Interference

Certain types of materials - particularly building materials - are difficult for cell signal to pass through. The usual suspects are thick concrete, certain types of glass, metal, and steel. If the signal your phone uses has to travel through these things to reach you, it weakens it.

Bad Battery

The battery inside your smart phone plays an indirect role in signal quality. We say indirect because it doesn’t really have a relationship with the signal itself but rather with your phone’s ability to connect to the signal. When your phone has low battery, for instance, the default settings automatically re-prioritize what function deserves the most juice. In newer phones, the ability to make a call usually gets bumped to the top, which is great.

But what about older phones (unfortunately, that can be the difference of only 2-3 years) or phones with after-market or malfunctioning batteries? In these situations, users will probably have a hard time maintaining a solid connection. Bad (or low) battery can mean struggles with signal quality.

Inclement Weather

Because cell signals are physical frequencies that travel through the atmosphere from one point to another, weather can affect them. You may have experienced a decline in signal quality during a thunderstorm. But thick fog, heavy humidity, and even high-density cloud cover can have an affect on signal strength.

Landscapes

Landscapes can have the same disruptive effect on cell signal as building materials. If the signal’s line of sight is blocked by a thick grove of trees, a large hill, or a mountain, it will lose some of its strength by the time it reaches your phone.

Temporary Network Problems

Generally, cell towers run like clockwork and maintain their efficiency 24/7. But every so often, a tower can become damaged or may otherwise need repairs of some sort. In these circumstances, network users in the area may experience a drop in call quality and download speeds. And though rare, networks sometimes experience hiccups, so to speak, that have been known to affect signals for brief periods of time.

When Might It Be Your Carrier’s Fault?

Let’s say your cell signal has always been good where you live. You’ve never had any problems with it. Suddenly, you realize you’re getting only 1 bar of service when you usually have full bars, and this lasts for a couple of days. You haven’t changed carriers, you haven’t bought a new phone, your software’s up to date, and you haven’t built any tall concrete walls on your property. A circumstance like this could mean something’s up with your carrier.

Before you call your carrier to ask them if the network is experiencing troubles, make sure you consider some of the other causes listed above. Is there inclement weather happening in your area? What about a holiday or event happening nearby where lots and lots of people gather in a small area that could cause high network traffic? If not, then calling your network’s customer service number won’t hurt.

When you speak to someone, explain in detail what you’ve been experiencing so they can troubleshoot. They can tell you if local towers in your area are experiencing any issues and what’s being done to fix them, or if other network complications are occurring. They may also give you advice or steps you can take to increase your signal quality that you hadn’t thought of.

Can You Improve Signal Strength On Your Own?

What if your carrier says nothing can be done about your poor cell signal? Though this is not a likely outcome, it does happen. Your carrier can’t remove the office complex made of concrete and metal that was just built across the street. And they’re probably not willing to construct a new cell tower just for you. In a situation like this, there are some things you can do on your own. Getting a cell phone signal booster is an obvious answer. Aside from that, here are some other things you can try:

Test Your Entire Property

Walk around your house and property - inside and out - and take notice of the reception bars on your phone. Do they fluctuate as you move around your property? What about in certain areas of your house? Is it stronger in some areas and weaker in others? Depending on your situation, maybe you have good reception on your front porch so all you have to do is step outside to make a clear phone call. Or maybe you have really good reception upstairs. If favoring a certain part of the house isn’t too much of an inconvenience to you, then perhaps this could be your simple solution.

Get A New Case

You won’t be able to remove buildings and walls, but there is one obstacle that you can remove. There are some phone cases notorious for blocking cell signal (strange, but true). Look up the case you have on the internet and see if you can find information online about people who use that case and have the same problems you’re having. If so, simply getting a new phone case could help. Try one that’s made of different material or one that’s slimmer.

Keep Your Battery Above 25%

Does your phone say low battery all the time because you aren’t in the habit of keeping it charged throughout the day? If this describes you and you’re having signal issues, one thing to try is don’t let your battery drop below 25%. It may take some routine changes or the purchase of a portable charger. But some phones have a hard time maintaining a quality connection with a low battery.

Should I Blame My Poor Cell Signal On My Carrier? - Conclusion

In most cases, probably not. There’s only so much they can do for you. Sure, some carriers have better service in certain areas of the country than others. But you should have already done that research before you chose a network in the first place. But if you’ve tried many things to no avail, we recommend the installing of a cell signal booster as your best bet. Going outside all the time to make a call isn’t a sustainable practice. And for some, keeping a portable charger with you at all times just isn’t going to happen, either.

Many of the suggestions people give on the internet to boost cell signal are not practical, long-term activities. You need something reliable; a long-term solution - something that you don’t need to think about every single day but will still enhance your signal. A signal booster is just the thing.

At SureCall, we have multiple booster models designed for specific environments. Home models, office models, and vehicle models. Whether you signal problems are in your house, at work, or you in your RV, we have the best solutions to your cellular signal problem.

More questions? Contact a SureCall representative here.