Here’s Why You Have Cell Signal Everywhere But At Home

If you’re like the majority of Americans, you’ve ditched your landline and have gone to a strictly mobile phone plan to stay connected. If, however, you struggle to maintain a clear and reliable cellular signal at home, you could be second guessing that decision due to missed calls, dropped calls, staticky connections, or other problems related to your cellular service.

Before you make the drastic decision to switch carriers (which might not even solve the problem) or to go back to a landline, let’s take a look at some of the issues that can cause cellular signal problems at home and how you can effectively fix those issues to get a better, more reliable cellular connection at home whenever you need it.

Here are some of the reasons why you may have a good cellular signal everywhere but at home.

Reason #1: Distance from a tower

The farther a cellular signal has to travel to get to you, the weaker it becomes. So, even if you live in an urban or suburban area, you might still experience poor cellular signals if you’re not close to the nearest tower for your carrier. This can also cause problems for people living in rural areas, because the nearest cell tower could be miles and miles away, making it difficult to receive any signal at all, let alone one from a specific preferred carrier.

Reason #2: Building Materials

If you have great cell reception outside your house, but struggle with missed calls and bad connections when talking from inside, your problem is likely not with the signal itself, but rather from interference from the building materials in your home. Certain materials, like steel, concrete and roofing materials, as well as other obstructions like multiple floors and thick walls can cause cellular signals to bounce around and become weaker before they make it to your phone. This can mean you have a lot of difficulty using your phone indoors

Reason #3: Other Signals

When there are a lot of signals concentrated in a small area, such as in very densely populated urban areas, incoming signals can bounce off each other, making them weaker before they get to their destination. This phenomena is called destructive interference and can make it really difficult to get a reliable cell signal at home.

Reason #4: Old Technology

When technology advances, older equipment can lag behind, because it isn’t equipped to work with new systems. If you have an older model cell phone, and find you’re regularly having issues getting and maintaining a strong cell signal, it might be time to upgrade your device. A newer device will be able to take advantage of new technologies that improve internal antennas, utilize better software, etc.

Reason #5: Geography

Aside from the distance between your home and the nearest cell tower, did you know that other geographic elements can affect your ability to receive and maintain a connection to a cell tower? Geographic features such as mountains and tall trees, among other things can weaken cellular signals as they bounce off and/or have to travel around the obstructions. This can result in a nonexistent or unreliable cellular signal in your home.

Though they don’t account for every reason you have problems using your cell phone at home, the factors above account for the majority of reasons a person might experience poor cellular connectivity at home.

The good news is, you don’t have to live with disrupted cellular phone service. For almost any of the issues above, having a cellular signal booster installed in your home can help you access and maintain a strong, reliable cellular signal all the time.

Cellular signal boosters have three main components: an outdoor antenna, an amplifier or booster, and an indoor antenna. The outdoor antenna takes the incoming signal and directs it to the amplifier. The amplifier then strengthens the signal and passes it to the indoor antenna. Then, the boosted signal is broadcast in whatever area of your home you want via the indoor antenna. The result is a strong, reliable cell signal in your home.

Best of all, cellular signal booster systems are completely customizable, and can be set up to address your home’s specific needs. For example, you can choose to boost the signal throughout your home, or in a single area. You can decide if you want to boost multiple carriers and signal types, or focus on a single specific type of signal to boost in your home.

If you’re considering having a signal booster system installed in your home, you should consult with an expert to help you choose exactly the right set-up for your home’s cellular signal requirements. Consultants can help you choose an off-the-shelf system or put together a custom solution, depending on your needs. Either way, you’ll have the confidence of knowing you have exactly the right cellular signal booster equipment for your home and can relax and enjoy the benefits of great cellular service at home all the time.