Top Tips to Improve Your Phone's Signal Strength

A lot of our daily routine depends on cell phones. Things such as dropped phone calls, weak signal strength, and slow data can have a massive impact on our everyday life. However, the good thing is that you can now better your cell signal for clear cells and fast data speed. Here, we will enlist some of the best ways to improve your phone's cell signal strength. Let us get started and address them one by one.  

Get a Verizon network extender.

 

People who have Verizon wireless will love this solution to boost their cell phone signal. It is because, at present, Verizon is the only network that still offers a network extender. Also known as a microcell or femtocell, a network extender is a device that Verizon sells to create a better signal strength at your home. It will route all the cellular calls and the data over the broadband internet. Please bear in mind; there are a few downsides to using network extenders, such as the call handoff problems, but if you do not have an existing cell signal outside, this can be quite a suitable option. 

 

'I have been a Verizon wireless user for long, and the extender has wholly resolved my call drop issues, shares Dave, a TrueBlueFishermen associate. 

 

Take your phone higher.

 

The reception of cell phones better when you travel higher. It is because if there are buildings around, they can block your signal. So, if you are in a valley or at the foot of the hill, start climbing. If you are indoors, you can travel upstairs and travel to the side that receives the best reception. 

 

 Check your phone for any possible damage.

 

At times, when you drop your phone, despite your phone being in a case, it can lead to damage to the internal antenna. This will have a severe impact on the cell signal quality. So, it won't hurt to remove the phone's case and inspect it for damage. Carefully examine both the corners and the back. Alternatively, you can even schedule a free appointment with your carrier, and they can perform a diagnostic on your phone. It will help them confirm whether the hardware is properly functioning or not. Justin, an employee with MyPlumberschoice, shares that 'In my Apple, there was a hardware issue, which was hampering my cell reception. Since my phone was under warranty, they replaced my phone for free, and now the problem is solved.' 

 

Do not let your phone battery reach to critically low.

 

At times, when the phone attempts to connect to the nearest cell phone tower, it tends to suck up all the battery from your phone. When the battery is already low, it gets hard for the phone to look for a signal. Why? By default, our phones are programmed to consume minimum battery when searching for a network, especially when the battery is already low. Hence, it is unable to perform the task adequately, and this results in poor reception. Thus, it would help if you did everything you possibly can to conserve your phone's battery power. For this, you can turn off the NFC and Bluetooth. Also, use these features only when required. Also, keep the screen brightness to a minimum, ensure that no software or applications are running in the background that consumes your phone battery. Also, while you are traveling, it is inevitable for the battery to go low. So, in this case, carry a portable charger along.  

 

Remove your phone's case.

If there is a case covering on your phone, only removing it might better your phone's signal strength. At times, a case may block the cell phone signal and curtail it from reaching the internal antenna. So, try removing the case to see any improvement in reception. 

 

Get a new SIM or clean your existing one.

 

If you have used your carrier for a long time, your SIM card may not have adequate data to connect to the latest network systems. At times, its contact may be wearing down or dirty. This may result in intermittent failures. So, pop your SIM card out, and clean the metal surface using a cotton swab rubbed in alcohol or a disinfectant wipe. 

 

'Since my cell signal used to be continually weak, I requested my carrier's support representatives to give me the latest SIM, which helped better my signal strength,' shares Alexa, an associate with RazorHood. 

 

Yes, we agree with Alexa on this. At times, changing to a newer SIM can also improve your signal strength. Usually, your network providers will grant you a new SIM for free. 

 

Shop for a cell phone signal booster

 

This is the only certified solution, which is majorly recommended by all the key carriers and the FCC. A cell phone signal booster will catch all the existing signals outside your phone, amplify its strength, and then transmit this stronger signal into your home, vehicle, or business. The good thing is they work with all networks. So, there is no need to shop for different cell phone signal boosters. More so, it is a one-time investment, and there is no recurring fee.  

 

Keep your phone's software updated.

 

At times, the phone may be experiencing signal issues because you are running your phone on old software. Consequently, the phone may not perform at an optimal level. It may not have the newest optimizations for calls, bug fixes, data, or even routine operations. So, before trying every other method here, this should be the first thing that you do. 

 

Disable LTE if a single bar shows

 

The bars you see on your phone are determined by things, such as – load and quality on the nearby tower and the signal strength. If you see a single LTE bar, it means that the tower from where you are getting your signal is over-congested. Consequently, it affects the signal quality, resulting in it being significantly low. In this case, you can consider switching off LTE and using 3G for a bit. Since most people will be using LTE, 3G will be less congested, thereby giving you better signal strength. 

 

Get yourself a new phone.

 

When you have an old phone, particularly one that supports just 3G and not LTE, you should consider shopping for the latest phone. If you cannot afford the latest phone, even a version or two older models that support LTE will suffice. This, in itself, can better your data speeds and voice calls. 

 

Make the most of the Wi-Fi Network.

 

'I have always had cell signal issues, but this Wi-Fi calling has completely metamorphosed the things for me,' shares Robin, who did a CDR review online.

 

Well, yes, this is one of the most excellent solutions that are hugely prevalent today. Almost every carrier in the USA and Canada, and even the other parts of the world, offer this new and updated feature of Wi-Fi calling. As part of this feature, you can now use your internet connection to surf the internet and simultaneously make phone calls through your phone network. Please know that Verizon and AT&T offer this feature currently for Samsung Galaxy, LG, and iPhone users only. However, if you have subscribed to Sprint and T-Mobile, Wi-Fi calling is available on almost every model. You can find this option in the settings menu of your phone. 

 

Toggle the Airplane Mode

 

Lastly, if you are not receiving a signal on your phone, you can toggle the Airplane mode once, wait for about five to ten seconds, and turn it off again. This can help you better your reception. 

 

So, these are some of the most effective ways to better weak cell reception. 

Crazy Facts About Mobile Phones

A Brief History Of The Modern Smartphone

Today, smartphones are like an extension of our body. They are not just used to make calls and send messages but to update the world on social media, keep track of our movements and appointments, provide our brains with extra memory, store our most important documents and keep us up to date on world knowledge and news.

While we might not remember a world without smartphones, they are in fact quite a recent invention. Let’s take a closer look at a brief history of these now commonplace devices:

The first mobile phone

A patent for a wireless telephone was first issued in Kentucky in 1908. However, this patent was more like a two-way radio than the smartphones we know and use today.

The very first actual phone call made from a mobile phone was done so by Martin Cooper, an engineer at Motorola on the 3^rd of April 1973. Cooper made a call to rival engineer Joel Engel of AT&T from the streets of New York. The phone call, which was made using a prototype of Motorla’s DynaTAC model, was immediately followed by a press conference to confirm the achievement. The phone was only released to the market ten years later, becoming the first handheld mobile phone available.

While you might think today’s phones are expensive, the first mobile phones went on sale to the public for $4,000 each.

While mobile phones have changed dramatically to that first phone call in the 70s, the first smartphone wasn’t introduced until 1997. The Ericsson GS88 Penelope model has been created as being the world’s first smartphone.

A world obsessed

Today, there are more mobile phones in the world than there are people. It is estimated that there are more than 5,000 billion mobile phone users in the world, with each user having an average of 1.5 phones. More people in the world also have access to a mobile phone than a functional toilet.

The average person will check their mobile phone 150 times a day, or every 6 minutes. In a year we spend around 800 hours on our mobile phone, so if you check this site it only takes a minute. This obsession with mobile phone usage has led to an addiction identified as nomophobia.

Someone with nomophobia is afraid to leave home without their mobile phone and will check their phone much more than 150 daily average. Around 200,000 million people are suspected to be suffering from this disorder. Another disorder, known as ringxiety is attributed to someone that consistently hears a phone ringing even when it is not, while phubbing refers to a person who cannot focus on anything around them when busy with their mobile phone.

Smartphones replace other gadgets

Over the years smartphone have diminished the need for other gadgets. Alarm clocks, and even watches, have slowly disappeared from daily life with around 60% of previous users no longer needing these devices. Even relatively new devices, like the iPod, had a short shelf life with smartphones quickly offering the same functionality to users.

Identifying Dropped Call Locations

Dropped calls are often more annoying than dead zones themselves. Identifying the exact locations where dropped calls occur can be a complex task, as it requires analyzing various factors and data sources. However, telecommunication companies and network operators have methods to identify and address such issues. Here are some common approaches used to identify dropped call locations:

Network Monitoring: Telecommunication companies continuously monitor their network infrastructure to identify issues that can cause dropped calls. They use network monitoring tools and systems to track call quality, signal strength, and network performance. These tools help them identify areas where call drops are more frequent.

Customer Complaints: Customers often report dropped call issues to their service providers. Telecommunication companies collect and analyze these complaints to identify patterns and common locations where dropped calls are reported. By aggregating customer feedback, they can pinpoint problem areas.

Drive Testing: Network operators conduct drive tests by equipping vehicles with specialized testing equipment that measures signal strength, call quality, and network performance while moving through different areas. These tests help identify specific locations where call drops occur and provide valuable data for network optimization.

Crowd-Sourced Data: Some telecommunication companies and mobile network operators collect data from mobile devices using dedicated apps or network diagnostic tools. This crowd-sourced data provides insights into call performance, signal strength, and dropped call occurrences at various locations.

Network Analysis Tools: Network operators utilize sophisticated analysis tools that collect data from network equipment, such as base stations and switches. These tools enable them to identify areas with high call drop rates and analyze network parameters that may be causing the issue.

Signal Propagation Analysis: By analyzing signal propagation characteristics, such as terrain, obstacles, and building structures, network operators can estimate the signal strength and coverage in different areas. Weak signal areas are often associated with higher call drop rates.

By combining the data from these various sources and conducting detailed analysis, telecommunication companies can identify locations where dropped calls are more prevalent. Once identified, they can take steps to optimize the network, improve coverage, or address any underlying issues causing the call drops.

Which Cell Signal Booster is Best for Verizon

zBoost YX-510 Cell Phone Signal Booster Dual-Band Unit for Home or Office

What Is The ‘Dangerous’ Wi-Fi Setting On Your iPhone?

There are various cyber threats targeting your iPhone, including phishing attacks that lead to malicious websites, targeted emails that contain high-risk attachments, and even texts designed to crash your computer. In locking down its hardware and software, Apple does a fantastic job. But if you don't take basic precautions on your own, there isn't anything that Apple can do. And with one Wi-Fi feature that you need to disable on your computer, that's certainly the case. 

By now, airports, shopping centers, coffee shops, supermarkets, and hotels should all be well aware of the risks of public Wi-Fi. Convenient and generally secure, saving our data plans and ensuring that when away from home, we can use our phones normally. But if you connect your iPhone to a hotel, coffee shop, Wi-Fi airport, or restaurant, the risks are likely to be much, much worse than they need to be.

Yet again this month, as Americans gradually operate away from workplaces and sometimes homes, the FBI has warned users to beware of the dangers of public Wi-Fi. Hotels now advertising distraction-free spaces for those working from home have been highlighted by the FBI. Through developing their own malicious network with a similar name to the hotel's network, criminals may execute a 'evil twin attack.' "Instead of the hotel, visitors can then accidentally connect to the criminal's network." But attacks can be much simpler than this. 

When you connect to public Wi-Fi, to select a connection, you depend on the network's service set identifier, its SSID. This is also the name of the restaurant, coffee shop or bar, which is supposed to make things simple. Your iPhone will then connect to that Wi-Fi again and again automatically, each time you return to the venue, intended for convenience. But the easy convenience is a big security risk you have to handle.

"Many devices are designed to connect to established hotspots automatically," warns security researcher Sean Wright. In order to communicate, victims don't need to do something. They just have to be within range. In order to provide legitimacy, there are corporate Wi-Fi solutions that use certificates, but I have not seen any of these hotspots use them. 

This security risk is so extreme that it can be taken to the stage of satire. Public Wi-fi will still be at risk, "says Ian Thornton-Trump, Cyjax CISO." "I saw a Starbucks and a Subway Wi-Fi connection point once, flying 35,000 feet from Newark to Vegas." 

"I would stop any public network auto-joining," Wright says. You're never sure who's behind it. It also makes spoofing them all too easy because they are public and available. What he suggests is that with the same SSID, an attacker can set up their own Wi-Fi hotspot. It's as simple as that. And when in range, your phone will happily connect if you have previously linked to the legal network with that SSID.

Worse, the iPhone is actively looking for familiar Wi-Fi networks, "sending out probes for hotspots to which it wants to link," says Wright, "so that[an attacker] can stand-up hotspots with those SSIDs, a Wi-Fi Pineapple-built capability," malicious routers designed to intercept traffic. But there is, in fact, no need for special equipment. Nothing more than a cell phone is needed. "I was in the hotel lobby," says Wright, "and in a matter of minutes, I set up my 'free' hotspot and had five devices attached." 

"ESET's Jake Moore says," With more remote work than ever, it may be tempting to use a coffee shop for a change of scenery. But free Wi-Fi can not always be what you want it to be. When it comes to communicating without worrying about security risks, many people forget that public Wi-Fi can be unsafe and become complacent.

And if we use these public Wi-Fi networks when operating under coronavirus restrictions away from workplaces, then we risk damaging the networks and data of our employers, not just our own. "Connecting personal or business devices to the wireless network of a hotel," says the FBI, "can allow malicious actors to compromise the device of the individual and then access the guest's employer's business network." 

"While unlikely," Moore says, "if a threat actor controls the Wi-Fi that the target is connected to, it is possible to obtain information from a computer." Moore urges users to stick to cellular connections. But when working, it isn't always realistic. "When you are in desperate need to use an unknown hotspot, a VPN will help," he says.

Nicola Whiting, Chief Strategy Officer at Titania, echoes this appeal to use a VPN if you have to use hotspots. "Protect it if you link it. If you're willing to spend $10 or more on eating and drinking out, and you know you're going to use public Wi-Fi, many of us can spend some time and money ensuring you have in-built security, even though it's a risk." 

This is wise advice. But if you have a VPN, make sure it's a reputable, paid-for one. Free VPNs are sometimes worse than no VPN at all, including those supported by ads. Just because an app claims it's a safe VPN doesn't mean anything. Good VPNs will also allow you to locate trustworthy Wi-Fi networks, such as home and work, and all the others will enable the VPN to load automatically. This is perfect.

All that said, you should not enter public hotspots automatically. "Go to" Wi-Fi, "in your iPhone settings, and make sure that" Ask to Join Networks "is set to" Ask, "and that" Auto-Join Hotspot "is set to" Ask to Join. "This will prevent your iPhone from connecting to new or known networks or personal hotspots without you realizing it, giving you the chance to exercise caution before clicking" Yes.

Much more importantly, next to any public network you connect to, you can click on the blue-circled 'i' and disable the 'Auto-Join' function. You don't need to click on "Forget This Network," but if you are unlikely to be back, you can do that. You monitor where and when your iPhone connects in this way. When you are in a cafe or sitting in an aisle seat at 35,000 feet, this will keep you from connecting to the Wi-Fi of a coffee shop.

If you do these two things, when you need to use public Wi-Fi, you choose auto-join for any public network you connect to and use a reputable VPN, then you would have taken appropriate steps to keep your computer safe. That said, prudent security advice is to absolutely avoid public Wi-Fi. However, if you do, the FBI advises, "make sure to confirm the network name and the exact login procedures." Your purpose is to keep them from unintentionally connecting to the Wi-Fi of a fraudster that they are attempting to make look legitimate.