7 tips to improve your mobile signal today
Signal failure is one of the most frustrating occurrences of modern life as calls drop out mid conversation and text messages stubbornly refuse to send. Mobile phones are meant to allow us to be in contact no matter where we are, but for some people, this may not be the case as their mobile signal betrays them time and time again.
If you’re paying for these high monthly mobile phone bills, you deserve to get what you’re paying for. Without reliable 3G & 4G LTE (and soon to be 5G) signals, your cell phone is basically a glorified calculator that takes photos.
A recently conducted survey found that 29% of mobile phone users in Britain suffer from poor or no indoor reception at home. This rises to 50% for those living in rural areas. The survey also found that 57% of mobile users claim to have experienced patchy call quality, while 43% have had calls cutting out and 37% suffered no reception at all when trying to make or take calls at home.
With these statistics plaguing our connectivity, our team here at Boxedtech wanted to extend to you a few tips and tricks to improve your mobile signal, read on to find out more.
Get higher up or closer to the nearest mobile tower
Your mobile phone and mobile phone tower play a game of Marco Polo every time you use your phone.
When there’s a clear line of sight between them, it’s easy for the two to communicate with each other. But when there are objects and obstructions in between, it gets a little harder for the two to communicate. When you see people raising their phones or moving to a window, they are basically trying to reduce the interference between the mobile phone and mobile tower.
It’s not always the fault of the mobile tower because external interferences could also be the root of the problem as well. From trees to concrete to other network devices, you may just have to sidestep past these interferences and reduce or move around clutter and other objects in the way.
Mobile signal boosters
Why wait for someone to fix your problem when you can take matters into your own hands. Get a cell phone signal booster.
Mobile phone signal boosters, sometimes also called cell repeaters, take an existing outside cell signal, boost it up, and then distribute the strong signal inside your home, business or vehicle. They work with all networks simultaneously, have no recurring fee, and are a great option if you have limited cell signal. These mobile signal boosters can take an existing cellular signal (no matter how weak) and boost it up 32 times more powerful than it’s original state.
Use Wi-Fi calling
If you are in your home or place of work, chances are you probably have a Wi-Fi router connected to a broadband connection. Most smartphones now allow users to send messages and make calls over Wi-Fi, so turning on this feature can defeat patchy mobile phone signals.
Keep your battery full
Your phone needs to do many things. Connecting to a mobile tower takes a constant supply of power, so if you’re low on battery, your phone might not have enough juice to find a mobile signal. That’s why many smartphones have a battery-saving mode – for extra measure, though, carry around a portable battery or power bank.
It’s always advisable that if you still find your mobile phone lacking power before the end of the day, a portable boost of power is always a good idea.
Ensure your phone is updated and turn off services you aren’t using
Update your software always and turn off services that you are not using. You know those notifications you occasionally receive about updating your software? A component of those updates includes optimising your phone’s mobile signal connectivity and its ability to identify/connect with towers. Ideally, you should always update your phone, however, if you haven’t recently, then you should make sure you do as soon as possible.
Turn off any services you’re not currently using. Services like WiFi, Bluetooth and Near-Field Communication (NFC) can sometimes cause problems by either trying to send your calls and data over a different service or allowing other devices to use up bandwidth that is needed for fast data or clear calls. Try disabling them on your phone and see if your signal improves.
Switch Carriers
Switch to a carrier that has better coverage in your area. While not typically a cheap option, switching to a carrier with better coverage in your area can be a good way to solve your cell signal problem once and for all. Review the coverage maps for each carrier and talk to your neighbours, friends or colleagues to identify which carrier works best – this is especially important if you’ve recently moved to a new neighbourhood, town or city.
Get a network extender
Network extenders, also called femtocells or microcells, are devices sold by your carrier that create a cell signal in your home and route all of your cellular calls and data over your broadband internet. While there are some downsides to network extenders, like call handoff issues, if you don’t have any cell signal outside, then it’s going to be your best option.
For more information on how to improve your mobile signal and other interesting tech-related topics, visit our store.
