How To

The Cheapest Way to Boost Cell Phone Signals at Home and Rural Areas

Phone signals are crucial for communication. Imagine when in an urgent need to call someone and your phone shows one or two bars or no bars at all and displays no signals! Such a situation is usually very heartbreaking, especially when in great need of help from someone you can only reach on the phone.

However, there exists a cheap way to boost cell phone signals to communicate appropriately. Rural areas are notorious when it comes to poor network signals. The reason behind the problem is that the signal boosters are far away in that by the time the waves arrive, they are already weak.

In such a scenario, you experience call dropping, delayed messages, and slow internet connections. It is even worse if you are using an outdated operating system for your phone. This composition will major mainly on the cheapest ways to boost your cell phone signals at the home, office, or while on the move.

If you have been wondering what you can do to end the problem, then you are lucky to be around to learn more. You do not have to use a lot of money to install a cell mast in your home compound or office working environment.

What are cell phone signals?

Cell phone signals are the connectors of various users across networks. When you call someone and pick your phone, the devices connect using the available signals. The essence of phone signals is to facilitate communication.

Cell signals rely on radio waves that travel through the air and reach a phone from a cellular network within a cell tower. Signal strength varies with the distance from the cell tower, and it is measured in dBm.

What factors affect cell phone signal strengths

cheapest way to boost cell phone signal

Before discussing how to boost cell signals in rural areas, let me first discuss the factors affecting cell phone signals. Various factors affect your cell phone signal strength which you must know.

Some are easily avoidable, while others require costly interventions, including migrating. The following are factors that affect cell phone signals.

  • Proximity to the nearest cellular tower
  • Physical barriers (mountains, buildings, trains, etc.)
  • Tower load
  • Competing signals
  • Weather
  • Signal going through a cellular repeater

i) Proximity to the nearest cellular tower

The closer you are to a signal mast, the stronger the network is and vice versa. Just take a good example of a loudspeaker somewhere. When you are near it, you get the sound loud and clear.

However, when you move far away, the sounds slowly fade until you cannot hear them. That is the same case with cell phone signals. In fact, you can be so far away from a cell tower that your phone cannot even show a single bar.

ii) Physical barriers (mountains, trains, buildings, etc.)

Mountains and tall buildings are significant contributors to poor network signals on the other side. Since they are big objects, signals cannot go through like light objects such as clothes, iron sheets, etc.

That is why cell phone companies prefer building cell masts on the highest points around to ensure that signals move freely and around a 360-degree point. 

iii) Tower load

Every cell phone tower within a locality serves phones within the given vicinity. However, it can only serve a limited number of devices. When there are more people within the area than the tower can handle, some people will experience poor network conditions.

A good example is a university graduation ceremony. There are usually so many people that you can easily lose someone within the crowd. The good thing with tower load issues is that they are usually temporary.

iv) Competing signals

Suppose many electronics are relying on radio waves within your vicinity. In that case, your phone may experience poor network conditions. You have probably heard a disturbing sound from your radio when you place a cell phone near it when on.

In such a situation, the radio and the phone are competing for signals. Also, when many phones are in one place, they can compete for cell signals.

v) Weather

Have you ever called when it is raining or very foggy? There are high chances that you were having issues with connectivity. Even when you try to use the internet when it is raining, the connection speeds are a bit low. Weather contributes greatly when it comes to signal distribution and reception.

vi) Signal going through a cellular repeater

 A cellular repeater boosts cell phone signals and distributes them to the available devices. It may have some issues and may not boost the signals appropriately.

Which is the cheapest way to boost cell phone signals at home and in a rural area?

You need a signal booster if you are receiving poor signals due to being too far from a cell phone booster. This is a device that adds strength to cell phone signals to make communication easy. The process of adding strength to phone signals is called cell signal amplification. Sometimes the devices take the name amplifiers.

If you want to know how to boost cell signals at home for free, I am here to help you. You can buy a cell phone signal booster from any of the trustworthy companies and get started. There are various cell phone booster brands which include;

  • weBoost
  • SureCall
  • HiBoost, and
  • Nextivity Cel-Fi

Once you buy a cell phone booster device, you need to install it and start enjoying solid signals. The devices come with three main parts, which include;

  • Exterior antenna
  • Amplifier, and
  • Interior antenna

The exterior antenna collects the cell phone signals and transmits them to the amplifier. The amplifier then increases the signal strength and relays them to the interior booster, broadcasting them to the surroundings. Phones and tablets can then benefit from the boosted signals.

Most cell phone boosters are DIYs (Do It Yourself), and thus you can set everything into working by following the following simple steps.

1) Install outdoor antenna

The first step is installing the outdoor antenna. It can be either a wall mount or a pole mount. Whichever the type, the functioning is just the same. Start by unscrewing the antenna from the L-mounting bracket on the antenna base with a wrench. After that, use the supplied screws to mount the vertical plate of the L-bracket on the wall.

Finish by screwing the antenna back onto the horizontal plate. You can wrap the connector between the antenna and the feeder line with waterproof tape to prevent water from entering inside the joint.

2) Install indoor antenna

Once you are through with the outdoor antenna, you can then proceed to install the inside antenna. You can choose an indoor panel antenna or an Omni-ceiling antenna when buying your device, depending on your usage. You can then install it on the most appropriate point.

Start by choosing a point that faces the area where you want the signal reception. A corner will be the most appropriate to cover a wide portion. Drill the screw (s) to the wall and mount the bracket. Complete by putting the panel antenna on the bracket.

3) Mount the amplifier

Now that the two antennas are in the correct position, you can mount your booster on the most appropriate point. Choose an area near a power outlet. Mount the booster with screws as per the manual instructions. Connect the outdoor antenna to the point marked ‘outdoor antenna’ and tighten the point with your hand or wrench, whichever is appropriate.

After that, connect the indoor antenna to the point marked ‘indoor antenna’ and tighten it correctly. Connect the power code to the amplifier, connect the plug to a power outlet, and power on the repeater. This way, you will have installed your amplifier to boost cell phone signals for free. 

What should I do if my phone is not receiving signals?

You have installed your antenna, and still, your phone is not receiving signals as expected? Are all other phones around you working perfectly? Then your phone must have some issues. You can try the following things before you conclude that your phone is useless.

  • Switch off your device, remove and return the battery, then power on. In most cases, this simple trick works to return cell phone signals.
  • Turn off and on the flight mode. I have tried this trick several times, and it works miraculously. When you turn off the flight mode, you begin a new connection, and there are high chances of getting stronger signals.
  • Remove and reinstall your SIM cards. When you remove and return your SIM cards, then your phone signals may come back stronger. It is the next move you should take if removing SIM cards does not work.
  • Restore factory settings. You can opt to restore your phone into factory settings to clear any available virus that could be interfering with your phone signals. However, make sure you scan the phone fast to remove any virus. You should also back your data in a memory card before clearing your phone.
  •  Take it to a technician. If all the above do not work, you can then take your phone to a qualified technician and have it checked.

Bottom line

Cell phone signals help to connect various devices for communication. They enable you to send messages, make voice calls as well as use the internet. Cell phone signals can be affected by barriers, weather, signal competition, and an overloaded tower.

You can boost cell phone signals by installing a cell phone booster at home or office. Sometimes your phone might be faulty not to receive cell phone signals, and you must repair it. 

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