What causes poor cell reception? An understanding of the causes of poor cell signal reception and remedies
Intermittent cell service is a common occurrence, especially with increased urbanization and increased cellular traffic, despite technological advancements in cellular technology. Instances of dropped phone calls, calls not going through, or “fish tank” voices during calls are most often a result of degraded cell service.
Poor signal reception, however, does not affect everyone in the same way, and a number of factors might contribute to the quality of cell reception and signal.
So what causes poor cell signal?
Building materials
If you notice cellular service fading in and out while indoors, it’s likely the cell signal is being blocked by construction materials. Cellular signals have a hard time penetrating certain building materials, the biggest culprits being steel, low-E glass (glass with a coating or tint applied to it), concrete, and solid wood, among others.
Different materials block cellular signals to varying degrees. Steel is the biggest culprit, followed by concrete walls and low-E glass, which block or weaken service as it passes through. This is especially bad when the walls are thick. The center of the building might essentially become a dead zone.
Cell Tower Distance
Cellular signals can only travel so far before they start weakening. The actual distance varies depending on terrain, frequencies, and the signal transmitter’s power. The greater the distance between the phone and a cell tower and the more obstacles in the way, the weaker the signal gets. This leads to issues like one-bar service and echoing voices during calls. Rural dwellers tend to be the most affected, as they’re sparsely populated in terms of cell towers.
Heavy Cellular Traffic and Congestion
All mobile devices compete for space on the nearest cell tower in densely populated locations, but the tower can only support so many devices and users simultaneously. Cell towers do have a maximum capacity, and when that threshold is reached, excess calls and traffic are redirected. Calls are dropped or are unable to go through as more devices connect to a tower, causing signal degradation for all devices connected to the tower. This is especially noticeable during peak hours at home, in traffic, or at festivals.
Cellular companies’ network management procedures include throttling some connections during periods of congestion. The network prioritizes more expensive cellular plans at the expense of less expensive ones. Additionally, devices with a stronger signal from the tower are prioritized.
Dead Spots
There are several corners of a location that may not be adequately covered by specific service providers. A user might suddenly experience a loss of service, particularly when moving around or in particular areas of the house.
Dead zones are places where there is no cell service. This can be caused by a general absence of cell towers or by any form of barrier preventing users of mobile devices from reaching a tower. The majority of cellular service providers offer a coverage map that shows the regions that are sufficiently covered by their service.
Geography and Landscape
Since cell signals have a hard time penetrating physical obstacles, natural barriers like mountains, hills, and trees are also major culprits. People living on one side of a mountain with a cell tower on the other side or those under heavy tree cover are likely to experience a massive drop in cellular reception and service.
Weather Elements
Cell signals are transmitted and received in the form of electromagnetic waves, which can be heavily interfered with by weather phenomena like rain, wind, thunder, snow, and humidity.
Rare weather events like solar flares can also have adverse effects on mobile communications systems when they disrupt the Earth’s magnetic field.
Blocked Antenna
All cell phones transmit cellular signals through antennas, most of which are embedded inside modern phones, in contrast to older models that had exterior antennas. With embedded antennas, it’s easy to block them either by using magnetic plates or metallic phone cases, which can compromise cell service reception.
In areas with strong signal strength, the blockage may result in an unnoticeably small signal degradation but can make a huge difference in near-dead zone environments.
Low Battery
Bad signals drain a mobile device’s power while it’s constantly searching and trying to latch onto an elusive signal. A low battery doesn’t allow the phone to function optimally, especially as some phones enter automatic power-saving mode. Considerable energy is needed to maintain a connection with a cell tower, and a phone may struggle with this when it’s running low on power.
The remedy for this can be as simple as keeping the phone charged.
REMEDIES
There are several remedies, tips, and tricks within your control that can be used to solve or at least mitigate poor cell signal and reception issues;
Ensuring there are no obstacles between your phone and cell towers. This might involve getting to a window or stepping outside during calls, away from metallic objects or concrete walls.
Removing the phone case if it’s of a thick metallic kind that might hinder the phone antenna from receiving a better signal.
Ensure the phone is charged so there’s enough to search for stronger signals and keep a connection to a distant cell tower.
Toggling Airplane mode on and off forces the phone to restart the wireless adapters and applications, i.e., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular network modems, and forces them to search for and find the best signals in the area, especially when moving around.
Resetting the network settings: This method can cause any saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN connections, and APN settings to be lost, so extreme care and forethought are required.
Moving away from crowded areas where the chances of cell towers being congested are higher due to increased traffic.
Sometimes reaching out to the service provider can iron things out. A cell tower could be down due to a number of reasons, including cut fiber cables and power outage issues. These are beyond your control but can help clear up any doubts on your end.
Faulty SIM Card: Again, reaching out to the relevant service provider can help dispel any doubts.
Cell Signal Boosters
By far the most practical solution after all the do-it-yourself remedies have had no effect would be to get a cell signal booster. A signal booster receives the same cellular signal the cellular provider transmits, amplifies, and rebroadcasts inside a room, house, or building.
They achieve this by having an outdoor antenna to receive the signal, which they transmit to the amplifying device inside the building via cable, usually coaxial. The amplifier redistributes the signal via indoor antennas placed strategically around dead zones in the building.
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