Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people are required or choosing to work from home. This transition from traditional in-office work has caused more individuals to depend upon having reliable cell phone coverage.
However, according to the Federal Communications Commission, 19 million Americans or 6% of the country’s population lacks access to the internet. Moreover, they reported in 2020 that in rural areas, ¼ of the population, 14.5 million people lack access to a reliable network connection.
Cell phone boosters can extend coverage in your home and car providing improved coverage in remote locations. Read more of this article to choose the best cell phone booster for your home, car, or business in 2021.
A cell phone booster is also known as an amplifier, repeater, or signal booster is a repeater system that involves an amplifier adding power to a reception. The goal of a cell phone signal booster is to take existing cell phone signal and amplify it.
There are three main elements to a cell phone booster:
These elements are all detached pieces that are strategically placed around and in the area, you are trying to improve the cellular signal. Other optional elements include attenuators (reduce unwanted frequency signals), lightning surge protectors, and splitter and taps. These are not necessary; however, they can improve the quality of your cell phone booster.
The three main elements—exterior antenna, amplifier, and interior antenna—work together to form a wireless system to boost reception to the desired area.
First, the cell reception is detected and captured by the outside antenna. Then the signal is amplified by the cellular repeater or amplifier. Lastly, the amplified cellular signal is rebroadcasted to the users throughout the building or covered area with the inside antenna.
As a result, users will get:
Cell phone signal boosters can be used in cars, private homes, office spaces, and more. They are especially useful to those working at home in rural areas.
Cell phone boosters are necessary when you have a weak signal. If you are somewhere that has absolutely no signal, a cell phone signal booster may not be enough for you to get a network connection.
Many obstacles can cause poor cellular signal. Elements like mountains, construction materials, and distance can lead to a weak signal in your work area.
To determine if you have a weak signal and require a cell phone booster, you may want to check the dBm in your area. dBm is the measurement used to determine the level of cellular signal and stands for decibels per milliwatt. For your reference—any number higher than -90 dBm is strong, numbers below -110dBm is weak, and numbers below -120 dBm are considered dead zones.
When measuring your area’s dBm, try apps like “CallMapper”. The dBm of your area needs to be addressed to determine the type of cell phone antenna that is needed and where it needs to be installed. Once this is all decided upon, it is easier to choose what cell phone signal booster is right for your unique situation.
Learn more about the WeBoost Installed Home Complete cell phone booster for home HERE.
To learn more about SureCall’s best cell phone booster for home, click HERE or head to our directory listing.
Learn more about the WeBoost Drive Reach portable cell phone signal booster HERE.
To learn more about the SureCall’s best cell phone booster for rural areas, go HERE.
Cell phone signal boosters are convenient because they support all networks. Below is a list of networks that are supported and amplified by cell phone boosters. Keep in mind that many cell phone boosters, particularly in-home devices may need to be registered with your wireless provider.
By using a cell phone signal booster, your phone or electronic device receiving the signal will have to work less because it will not be constantly searching for service. Since your device is working less at connecting, it will have better battery life.
Cell phone signal boosters tend to be priced reasonably. The best part about the pricing is it tends to be a one-time fee with no subscriptions. All you are paying for is the equipment and sometimes the installation if you choose that feature.
Cell phone boosters for the home run on a higher price scale because they are more time-intensive for installation, compared to portable cell phone boosters. A stationary cell phone signal booster can include installing coax cables in the walls. A home cell phone booster usually takes a day for installation, whereas, an office building could take months, severely raising the price.
Portable cell phone signal boosters run cheaper because the systems are smaller and can be installed by the user. Self-installation significantly lowers the cost.
The best cell phone signal boosters can range anywhere between $350 to over $1,000 dollars.
Other accessories that are available include below:
These accessories are not necessary to have a functioning cell phone signal booster. However, they can be useful.
The attenuator is used to reduce unwanted frequency signals; therefore, this accessory could prove useful in populated areas where frequencies are overflowing. To decide if an attenuator is needed for your installation, first, evaluate the area you are using your booster to determine if there will be an overload of frequency signals.
A lightning surge protector not only keeps your equipment safe; it also can keep your connection clear during heavy storms. To be clear, a lightning surge protector solely keeps your cell phone booster safe from static discharge created from a nearby lightning strike. Surge protectors do not protect against direct lightning strikes; you will need a lightning rod if you are concerned about direct strikes.
A splitter or tap is another accessory you can purchase for your cell phone signal booster. This device is used to split a signal coming from one cable into two or multiple to reach more than one antenna inside. This technology can expand the area your amplified signal reaches. However, this does not improve the quality of the signal. A splitter is not necessary to make your cell phone signal booster functional, it simply is used to increase the area the signal reaches.
Although these accessories are not needed to make a cell phone signal booster functional, they can prove incredibly useful to individual situations.
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We hope this cell phone booster review gave you the necessary information to find and choose the best cell phone booster for your home, car, or business.
Author Bio:
Deanna is from Frederick, MD. She attended Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Professional Writing and minor in Fine Arts. While at Juniata she worked as a Juniata Assistant Professional Writer for the Provost.
This experience then led her to work as a journalist for Arts Help and a volunteer grant writer for Team Hope after graduating. In her free time, Deanna enjoys volunteering, making pottery, and getting outside.
Deanna is from Frederick, MD. She attended Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Professional Writing and minor in Fine Arts. While at Juniata she worked as a Juniata Assistant Professional Writer for the Provost.
This experience then led her to work as a journalist for Arts Help and a volunteer grant writer for Team Hope after graduating. In her free time, Deanna enjoys volunteering, making pottery, and getting outside.
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