In 2019, more than 3 billion people owned a smartphone.
Smartphones have changed the way we live, but at their core, they serve two main purposes: making calls and browsing the internet.
Both of these things are a problem if you don’t have any cell phone signal. The good news is there are things you can do to help.
Read on as we take a look at how to improve cell signal.
Move Location
Poor reception can be caused by a number of physical objects. The walls and floors in your home may be impacting your signal strength, and even the hills and valleys that surround you can cause issues.
If you’re struggling with the signal at home, try moving your location. If you’re on the ground floor, move upstairs. Try to get close to a window if possible, and open the window if things still don’t improve. If this doesn’t help, try going outside.
This way you should get to learn the dead spots in your home, and be able to avoid them.
Don’t Block the Antenna
Things have improved dramatically since the iPhone 4’s notorious antenna issues. Back then, if you held the phone in the wrong place, you could kill what had previously been a strong signal.
Whilst these issues are a thing of the past, internal antennas are never going to be as strong as the nubbins that used to jut out of your old brick phones. If your signal is weak, try taking off the phone case if you have one on or get a new antenna to boost cell signal.
If things are desperate, trying propping the phone upright and using it on the speaker without holding the phone at all. You should find that this improves the signal a little.
Restart Your Phone
Sometimes your connection may be weak due to a problem with your phone’s settings.
The easiest way to reboot everything is to turn your phone off and then switch it back on again. This should reset everything and may help to remove any connection problems you were having.
On iPhones, hold the side button (and volume button too on newer phones) until you see the slider appear to switch off your phone. On Android, hold down the power button to access the option to power off your phone.
Use Additional Tech
If your signal is constantly a problem at home or at work, technology can help.
Try investing in a mobile phone signal booster. These products have an outdoor antenna to pick up a stronger signal, and a device or devices you set up indoors to broadcast that stronger signal through the building. You should find that your signal is significantly stronger throughout.
If you constantly suffer with poor signal indoors, then this can make a huge difference.
Use WiFi Calling
If you’re at home or at work, the chances are you will also have access to WiFi.
If you’re concerned about having a weak cell signal because you want to make a call, then you can always opt for WiFi calling instead. This works exactly the same way as a normal call, except your voice is transmitted over the internet rather than over the cellular network. Since your WiFi signal should be much stronger, this can make for much clearer calls with no dropouts.
You could also use the calling features on apps such as Skype and Whatsapp instead.
Update Carrier Software
We’ve all had a strange message on our phone about updating our carrier settings.
Usually, we ignore them, but if you’re struggling with your cell signal, then this may actually be a way to fix the problem. Those updates tell your phone which cell towers to connect to, so you may find that after an update, you’re getting a much stronger signal.
A quick online search will tell you how to manually update your carrier settings rather than having to wait until you get another message from your carrier.
Remove Your SIM Card
If updating your carrier settings doesn’t work, you can try to reset them.
The simplest way to do this is to remove your SIM card from your phone. It’s advisable to switch your phone off before you remove the SIM card. When you take it out, examine it to see if there is any damage; if there is you’ll need to request a replacement from your carrier.
Reinsert the SIM card back in your phone and switch it back on. It should then reconnect to your carrier and with some luck, this may improve your weak signal. If not, it may be that the problem is with your carrier itself.
Change Your Carrier
If your problems persist, it may be that your carrier doesn’t provide a very strong signal in your area.
All carriers have different levels of network coverage in different areas. One carrier might have a really strong signal near your home, whilst another carrier might have hardly any coverage at all. Each carrier will have information on their website about their signal strength; you’ll be able to search for your location to see how strong the signal is.
There are also websites that allow you to compare the signal strength of multiple providers to find the one with the best signal in your area.
Now You Know How to Improve Cell Signal
Hopefully one of these tips on how to improve cell signal will have helped your situation.
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