In our modern lives, where we heavily depend on our cell phones, poor reception can lead to major inconvenience and frustration. When you have no signal, you can’t use essential mobile functions, which can bring things to a standstill.
Signal blackspots can occur anywhere and are mainly caused by poor network coverage or interference between your phone and the nearest cell tower. If you find yourself plagued with frequently dropped calls or sluggish data speeds, here are some easy fixes to enhance the mobile signal in your home.
Identify the nearest mobile phone tower
One of the prominent reasons for your weak cell phone reception is the distance between your phone and the nearest cell tower. If you are looking for the best signal reception, it is important to know the exact proximity to your carrier’s tower. There are several websites that can help you check how far you are from the nearest tower. Similarly, apps like Open Signal and Root Metrics will help you check the signal strength in a particular location and the mobile operators that offer the best coverage in your area.
If the tower for one network is closer than the others, that might help you decide which network to choose. It’s worth noting that you’re not limited to a single network solely because its tower is the nearest. Remember to explore options with MVNOs (smaller telcos that use the infrastructure of bigger telcos), which may provide alternatives with better coverage.
Consider using femtocells
Femtocells are devices that function by converting internet signals into mobile phone signals. The device by Optus creates a mini mobile network inside your home and allows you to make phone calls through the internet connection.
However, you need to ensure that your broadband has a minimum speed of 1.5 Mbps and an upload speed of 256 Kbps.
Use a cell phone signal booster
A cell phone signal booster (commonly known as a cell repeater) takes your existing cellular signal, amplifies it up to 32X, and boosts it in your surroundings. The boosters consist of an exterior antenna that picks up the signal and then channels it to the amplifier installed in your home.
They are carrier-independent and can boost the signals of various network operators to multiple members at the same time. With these devices, you will always get five signal bars as long as there is some signal around the antenna.
Always keep your battery charged
When your mobile phone tries to connect to the nearest network tower, it takes a lot of power from the battery. If you are low on battery, your phone might not have enough power to search for a decent signal. Smartphones can also run in the “conserve power” mode and can be programmed to use less power for the signal process.
To conserve the battery, you can switch off the running apps, lower the screen brightness, and turn off unnecessary push notifications. You can also consider using a portable battery charger to keep your phone charged on the go and minimize reception issues due to the low battery.
Use an external antenna for your phone
Connecting your cell phone with an external antenna is one of the most cost-effective ways to boost the signal. Outdoor signal strength is always greater than the signal indoors. Therefore, external antennae can help you channel the outdoor signal and boost coverage inside your home.
While considering an external antenna, it’s important to note that if the signal is poor outdoors, you should install directional antennas. The directional antennas are pointed in the direction that the reception is strongest to boost the signal effectively.
If the signal strength is fine outdoors, you can use the omnidirectional antennas. These antennas receive signals from 360 degrees and help you get the best signal reception.
The bottom line
If you are tired of clinging to one signal bar, these fixes can help combat the issues that cause low signals. However, different signal situations require different solutions. For instance, a cell phone signal booster will only help if you have a stable signal at one location, and femtocells will only work if you have a strong internet connection. If none of these solutions are giving you optimum strength, you can consider alternatives like Wi-Fi calling or changing network operators.
Lack of mobile signal is a common problem, but most people don’t realize that there are solutions. Don’t put up with dropped calls and slow internet; look into boosting the signal within your home, and you can always find a way to keep connected.
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