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Published on August 13th, 2018 | by Júlio Ventura

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How to Improve Your Mobile Phone Signal

Now more then ever we rely on our mobiles for important daily tasks. Being connected is crucial to both our personal and professional life. Cellular reception has become the “gasoline” of humans. It fuels our day-to-day, it enhances our work life, it lets us to quickly engage with society in a matter of clicks.

Resultado de imagem para mobile reception

Connection is Vital
Image Source: which.co.uk

What Happens if Cellular Reception is Bad?

It’s a common issue we face too many times. There’s nothing more annoying than to desperately need a good cell phone coverage and not having it. A bad signal very often leads to: slow internet (or inability to connect whatsoever), endless loading screens, dropped phone calls, poor voice and video transmission quality, and frozen apps.

What Affects My Cell Phone Signal?

Do you know what affects your signal? I’m sure you have some idea, but you may very well be surprised at some of the answers. First of all, one of the most important factors is without a doubt the distance between the mobile device and the nearest cell phone tower (aka mobile mast). This is common knowledge, the further you are from a tower the less signal you will have. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you are in the middle of the woods and you are having bad reception. This also applies to tunnels and mountains, signal is often very weak or non-existent at all.

Secondly, avoid crowded areas where everyone is using their mobile phones. This happens very often, too many people using their phones will be overwhelming to the nearest mobile mast and it will cause dropped calls and weak 5G, 4G and 3G signals. A great example of this issue was the Pokemon Go (mobile game) event last year. It failed miserably due to too much cell traffic. The event wasn’t ready to handle that many people using 5G, 4G and 3G signal in the same area. The services crashed.

Thirdly, your mobile connection is also affected by the antenna design of your mobile phone. Unfortunately, this is not something you can easily fix without upgrading your entire phone (unless you are a very skillful engineer).

Last but not least, the type of building. Yes, it’s not a myth, indeed it plays a role in the mobile signal. For example, a building with thick walls will cause the signal to be very weak, especially if made of concrete, metal, or aluminum. Cell phone signals have a very hard time penetrating these types of material and often will cut reception entirely.

Simple Ways to Boost 4G Signal and Cell Reception

So, we discussed how you can identify low signals and the main causes for it to happen. Now it’s time to discuss how to solve this. A mobile phone signal booster can strongly enhance the reception, maybe not by 100% but enough for you to actually be able to access use your phone without any stress. We will be focusing on 4G, the fourth generation of broadband cellular network technology, and still the most common. Are you ready to discover some of the most effective mobile signal boosters?

1. 4G Signal Booster (Most Effective)

This is, without a doubt, the best way to boost your phone’s 4G signal. Many manufacturers have realized that mobile phone signal boosters are a big market. A common problem that requires an efficient solution. However, there’s an important factor you must take into consideration. Each operator uses a certain radio frequency. Therefore, when choosing a phone signal booster, you must be aware of the model that supports the frequency of your provider.

This is by far the easiest and most effective solution. Just keep in mind that they can only boost the signal, they do not create cellular signal or boost landline Wi-Fi signal. This being said, it is equally important to buy a 4G signal booster that fits your needs. What do I mean by this? Simply put, the further you are from a cell phone tower the more powerful (and consequently more expensive) booster you will require.

2. DIY 4G Signal Booster (Most Affordable)

No, it won’t be as efficient as a commercial signal booster unless you are a savvy engineer. However, if your signal is weak, but not too weak, it will do the trick. Keep in mind that if you have very bad reception, most likely a DIY mobile signal booster won’t fix your problem. There are many types of DIY signal boosters, it will depend a lot on your expertise and knowledge about the subject.

3. Signal Booster Apps

In my personal experience signal boosting apps are never as efficient as they advertise. However, some people find it to be enough to fix their issues. Just download the app (available for Android and iOS) and see how it improves your network connection. Some of the most popular apps are 4G LTE Signal Booster Network for Android, and OpenSignal for iPhone.

Nonetheless, this is not the most viable solution, I strongly advise you to consider a commercial mobile phone booster. They have proven to work much better then any other mobile app ever could.

4G Signal Booster Network App
Image Source: play.google.com

4. Move to Higher Ground

Simple and effective. Go outside and look for higher ground. One of the main reasons why your mobile signal might be weak is due to distance and the material of the building you are in. In my personal experience, going outside is usually enough to at least be able to make a phone call with decent quality or send an email. Of course, this is not always the case. If you have constant weak signal in your home, you will definitely need a booster.

Conclusion: Boosting Mobile Phone Signal

Now that you know the reasons and the “symptoms” of a low signal, it’s time to make a choice that best fits your problems. I can’t stress enough how efficient commercial mobile boosters are. Don’t think they are very expensive. In fact, there is a wide variety of boosters, ranging from low-budget to high-end solutions. In most cases a simple booster will do the trick. However, if you live in a rural area, most likely you will require a powerful mobile phone booster. Nonetheless, there is a solution to your problem, you don’t have to live with this constant annoying issue.

Comment & Share

Do you have any suggestions? Did I forget to mention something important? Let me know in the comment section below. Together we will the find the best way to improve our phones signal! Don’t forget to share this article with that one friend of yours who is always having mobile network issues.

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About the Author

Digital Marketer, Webmaster, Writer, and Tech Enthusiast. Undergraduate in Translation from Faculty of Letters in Lisbon, Portugal. Postgraduate in Digital Marketing from Lusofona University in Lisbon. On a quest for further knowledge.



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