Things You Can Do To Boost Your Cell Signal
Posted by Greg Knell on 20th Nov 2019
Quick Summary of How To Boost Cell Phone Signal Strength
- Get a Cell Phone Signal Booster
- Try Using the WiFi Network
- Remove Yourself From Very Populated Areas
- Don’t Block The Antenna
- Use a Femtocell
- Get Closer To The Nearest Cell Tower
- Don’t Let Your Phone’s Battery Reach Almost Dead
- Remove Stuff That Interferes With Reception
- Other Things To Do When You Have No Service
Tired of your weak cell signal? Here are some things you can do on your own to get your signal up.
1. Get A Cell Phone Signal Booster
This is first for a reason. Getting a signal booster can eliminate the need to try all these other tips. It’s by far the easiestand fastest way to boost your cell signal. There are different models available that are designed for specific environments. One for your home, for your car, for your RV, and more. These devices are affordable and there’s no monthly fees or contracts or anything like that.
Doesn’t matter what carrier you use or what kind of phone you have. These helpful gadgets answer the question how to boost cell phone signal strength all by themselves.
For an explanation of how they work, take a look at Do Cell Phone Signal Boosters Really Work?
2. Try Using the WiFi Network
Wi-Fi Calling is an underused feature included on pretty much all modern cell phones. Most carriers offer it. Look through the Settings and find WiFi Calling.
This feature makes it so you’re not using your 3G or 4G network for calls and data usage anymore. When you turn this feature on, you’re now using the broadband internet connection for all phone activity.
If you have a weak signal, this should be one of the first things you try. This does use data so if you have an unlimited data plan, great. If not, just remember that this method uses data.
3. Remove Yourself From Very Populated Areas
A very common place for dropped calls and bad cell service is an enormous crowd. Places like sports arenas or concerts filled with thousands of people. That’s because the nearest cell tower is being bombarded by tens of thousands of users in high concentration.
Cell towers in this situation become overwhelmed. The result? Bad reception, grainy call quality, slow downloads, and text messages that won’t go through.
So, are you wondering how to boost cell phone signal strength in a crowd?When you need to use your phone, leave. Trying to use it in a giant crowd with fellow cell phone users will be frustrating.
4. Don’t Block The Antenna
The antenna? What do you mean? Only cell phones from the 80s and 90s had antennas.
That last sentence is partly true. Only cell phones from the 80s and 90s had external antennas. The one you have in your pocket certainly has an antenna, but it’s internal, not external.
Internal antennas are great for functional and aesthetic reasons. But they do present a slight problem that concerns reception. It’s possible to hold the phone in a certain way (sideways angles are usually the culprit) that blocks the antenna. This makes it hard for the cell tower to communicate with the phone.
Most phones these days are designed to prevent this from happening. But what if you have a thick protective case on it? And then you cover up the antenna area with your hand or face? This presents a problem.
The tip here is to try and remember to hold the phone in an upright position. This will make it so your internal antenna isn’t blocked. Keep a light grip on it and don’t smother your phone into your face. You’ll maintain a better signal this way.
Or use Bluetooth headphones or the speaker setting while your phone is propped upright somehow on a table or desk. This will give you the best available reception.
5. Use a Femtocell
Ever heard of a femtocell? It’s a small device that operates kind of like a cell phone signal booster. It’s a lower-power device compared to full-on signal boosters. If you do see them, it’s usually in a small office space or home.
Sometimes a femtocell is called a femto AccessPoint or a small cell. They convert an internet connection into a cell phone signal.
Femtocells are offered by most carriers. They can be pricey. Some cost between $300-400. And on top of that, you have to pay a monthly fee for it. Unlike standard signal boosters, femtocells only work with the carrier you use.
So people visiting your home or office won’t be able to use it if they use a different carrier. Plus, you need the internet for it to work. Standard cell signal boosters don’t.
As you can probably guess, we don’t usually recommend getting a femtocell. Especially because there are products out there that are more versatile, work better, and cost less.
6. Get Closer To The Nearest Cell Tower
Of all the reasons for weak signals, being too far away from the nearest cell tower is the most likely. The closer you are to it, the better your signal is. The further away you are, the worse your signal is. Simple to understand.
Do you even know where your nearest cell tower is? It’s a good idea to know this information.
It’s very easy to find out. There are apps and websites that tell you. You just type in your zip code and voila!
Here are some websites:
Here are some apps:
You can do more than just locate a cell tower with these apps and sites. Some of them let you compare the signal in your area with the signal in other areas nearby, or anywhere. These apps really help you with knowing how to boost cell phone signal strength.
7. Don’t Let Your Phone’s Battery Reach Almost Dead
When your battery life is just about gone, you say “My phone’s almost dead.” Well, just like everything else on your phone, connecting to a cell tower sucks a portion of battery power.
It’s harder for your phone to find and stay connected to the tower with a low battery. This is because cell phones are programmed to use certain amounts of battery power for certain tasks. Maintaining cell tower connection is low on the battery power usage totem pole.
That’s because it simply runs in the background all the time.
If you really want to know how to boost cell phone signal strength, practice power-saving habits. Such as:
- Turn off the Bluetooth feature when you’re not using it
- Close out of apps when you’re done using them
- Lower the screen brightness
- Turn off push notifications
- Bring a portable charger with you
8. Remove Stuff That Interferes With Reception
There’s a lot more that can obstruct your phone’s cell tower connection than just your hand. It needs to be in line, so to speak, with the tower. Signals are weakened when they have to pass through glass windows, walls, etc.
So how you get rid of the stuff that’s interfering with the signal? Sometimes it’s not so much getting rid of things as it is repositioning yourself. For example, sit in a chair next to an open window. Make your call out on the balcony or in the backyard. Get higher up.
And obviously, you can’t do much about buildings, hills, mountains, trees, thick walls, those kinds of things. Particularly if it’s made of concrete or metal. (Cell signals have a hard time going through those materials.)
Another obstruction that’s out of your control is the weather. Bad weather can really affect signal quality in a big way. Depending on what’s going on outside, signals can be temporarily eliminated altogether. Hurricanes, big thunderstorms, etc.
When it comes to knowing how to boost cell phone signal strength, there’s isn’t much to do about the weather.
But as far as actually removing things in your home or office, you do have some control. If you have devices or objects that emit electronic or magnetic signals, turn them off or remove them. These signals really interfere with cell waves. Large metal objects can do harm to cell waves, as well.
Get into a clutter-free mindset. The more that stands between you and the signal from the cell tower, the worse your reception will be. The phrase that’s often used in the industry to describe this is get a clear line of view.
9. Other Things To Do When You Have No Service
If your phone says no service or searching for service, here are some more things to try. If you really want to know how to boost cell phone signal strength, these are tricks you may not know.
Restart Your Phone
If you ever have an electronic device that’s acting up in any way whatsoever, restart it. That’s the first thing you should do. In this writer’s experience, this solves the problem, whatever it is, about half the time.
It acts as a healthy purge of sorts. Programming glitches get cleared. Malfunctioning apps start working. Signals get restored. Again, it doesn’t work every time. But always remember to restart your phone when problems arise and see if that does the trick.
Check the SIM card
A damaged SIM card causes all sorts of problems, including bad reception. If your phone is acting up, take the SIM card out and examine it. Does it look damaged somehow? Regardless, get a dry cloth and gently wipe it. Be careful.
Dust accumulation can affect the connection. If so, get it fixed or get a new one. Then restart the phone. How to boost cell phone signal strength depends on a properly functioning SIM card.
Turn Airplane Mode On And Then Off Again
Find Airplane Mode in the settings. Turn it on. Wait 5 seconds. Turn it back off again. This is a little trick that reconnects your signal to a closer cell tower if you’ve moved locations.
Turn On Cellular Data
There’s a setting on your phone called Cellular Data that can be turned on and off. The best possible cell signal relies on this feature being turned on. Check and see if it’s been turned off somehow. If it has, turn it back on.
If you’re traveling abroad and you’re having trouble with signal, there’s a different setting for that. Find Data Roaming in Settings and turn that on.
The Date & Time Need To Be Right
This seems strange, but it’s true. The dreaded No Service can be a result of the set date and time not coinciding with the actual time zone you’re in. To fix this, you have to be connected to WiFi first. Once you are, find Data and Time in Settings and there will be an option called Set Automatically. Turn it on.
Play With The Voice & Data Setting
Cell phone networks come in mostly either 3G or 4G (5G capabilities are on their way!) Depending on where you are, your nearest cell tower may operate with 3G better, for example. On the other hand, some areas have a stronger 4G signal.
Find Voice & Data in Settings. If you’re currently on 4G, switch to 3G and see if that helps your cell signal. If you see you’re on 3G, try 4G and see what happens.
Update Carrier Settings (iPhone)
If you have an iPhone, sometimes updates sent by certain carriers don’t install automatically. This can affect service. Find the About section in Settings. If you have a carrier update waiting to be installed, it will tell you here.
Update The IOS
If you have an iPhone, periodically you need to update the iOS. A notification will tell you when your phone needs an iOS update. Procrastinating these updates can really affect the quality of your cell signal.
When your phone tells you it’s time for an update, make sure to allow it to take place right away. If you notice that you haven’t had an iOS update notification for a while, check. Maybe you just didn’t notice somehow.
Reset The Network Settings
These last two suggestions are sort of last resort after everything else hasn’t worked. Find Reset in Settings and select Reset Network Settings. This won’t erase any of your personal data or anything like that.
Reset All Settings
The very last resort after everything else has been tried is to reset all settings. And don’t worry. This also will not cause you to lose any personal data. Find General in Settings and click on **Reset All Settings.
How To Boost Cell Phone Signal Strength (Everything You Can Try) - Conclusion
Share these tips on how to boost your cell phone signal with your friends, family, and coworkers. Nobody wants a weak signal. :)