If you’re experiencing poor cell reception at home, you may be considering installing a cellular amplifier to boost signal strength. However, you may have questions or concerns about how they work, what types of amplifiers are available, or how to install them properly. At Powerful Signal, we’re here to help. Our team of experts is available to answer any questions you may have about cellular amplifiers for homes, from technical specifications to installation tips. We can help you choose the right amplifier to meet your needs, whether you need to boost signal strength for voice calls, text messages, or data usage. We understand that each home and situation is unique, and we’re here to provide personalized recommendations to help you achieve the best possible cell reception at home. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help improve your cellular signal.
Is a home cell phone signal booster necessary?
There are various reasons as to why you may require a cell signal booster for your home.
The primary reason is to enhance the cellular voice and data services in houses that have issues with missed or dropped calls and poor data speeds.
While you may receive acceptable signal strength in your home, you might want to cater to your friends or family members who use different carriers and face weak signal issues.
Having a strong signal in your home can aid in lessening your cell phone’s battery consumption. Weak signals that come from distant towers consume more power by your cell phone to connect to the network.
What are the benefits of a home cell phone signal booster?
A stronger cell signal in your home can:
Improve cellular reception throughout your home or in specific problem areas.
Improve your call quality and eliminate dropped calls and delayed text messages.
Increase your data speed for faster email, web browsing, and app usage.
Reduce your phone’s battery consumption.
Should I buy a 3G signal booster?
Until about 2014, all cell signal boosters were dual-band units that amplified the two bands of cellular frequency used by 3G networks (bands 2 and 5).
When 4G networks started becoming widespread, manufacturers began producing five-band systems that amplified the wider set of frequencies used by 4G LTE networks (bands ). These frequencies will continue to be used by new 5G networks.
The major cellular carriers shut off 3G nationwide in 2022. Because 3G is no longer available in most areas, we strongly recommend that you do not purchase a dual-band 3G signal booster. A 3G booster won’t amplify 4G or 5G frequencies.
Will a cell phone signal booster work in my home?
Cell signal boosters have been available for many years and the technology is mature and reliable, so the answer to this question is probably.
There are certain conditions in which a booster will not work, such as:
There is no cellular signal in your area. A cell phone booster can’t amplify signal if there’s no signal to amplify.
The cellular amplifier doesn’t have enough power for the size of your house. If you expect to fill a 3,000-square-foot home with a usable cell signal, you’ll need a cell signal booster that’s designed to cover that much area. Be sure that your coverage expectations line up with the specifications of the system you buy.
The amplifier boosts the wrong frequencies. Make certain that the booster you purchase amplifies the frequencies your carrier is using in your area. For example, there are no consumer boosters that amplify AT&T’s band 30 (2300 MHz) or T-Mobile’s band 71 (600 MHz). (Check out this table to see what frequencies are amplified by cellular boosters.)
Purchasing the right booster for your home’s size and shape and the type and strength of available cellular signal is the most important factor in successfully fixing your home’s cellular signal problem.
What is the functioning mechanism of a cell phone signal booster?
There are four primary components in a home cell signal booster system:
1.A cell signal booster.
2.An outside antenna.
3.An inside antenna.
4.Coax cables that connect the antennas to the booster.
Let’s examine each component and see how it’s used:
The cell signal booster
The central component of a cell phone signal booster system is the booster itself, which functions as a two-way amplifier.It receives and amplifies signals from cell towers outside and broadcasts them to cell phones inside the building, and vice versa.
Boosters vary in power and coverage area, with higher-power models available for weaker outside signals or larger areas to cover. Most boosters have two ports for outside and inside antennas and are powered by a standard 120-volt AC wall socket.
LED lights, an LCD display, or a smartphone app can provide information about the booster’s performance and any issues that may require adjusting the antenna positions.
The outside antenna
A donor antenna is employed in a cell signal booster to transmit and receive signals from the cell tower. Typically, the donor antenna is mounted on the roof at a height that enables it to have an unobstructed line of sight to one or more cell phone towers. Alternatively, it can be mounted on a tower or pole adjacent to your home.
To connect the donor antenna to the cell signal booster, a coaxial cable is run from the antenna to the Outside port on the booster. This cable can be brought into the house through an existing opening, vent or a penetration point that needs to be created.
There are two different types of donor antennas:
A directional antenna (an LPDA, a Yagi, or a panel) points at a specific cell tower. A directional antenna is your best option if you only need to boost the signal from one carrier and you have a good line of sight to the cell tower, without hills, trees, buildings, and other obstacles in your path. Directional antennas provide higher signal gain with less noise, so they work best when outside signal is very weak or your carrier’s signal is being drowned out by another carrier’s tower that’s close to your house.
An omnidirectional antenna communicates with every cell tower in range within a 360° field of view. Omni donor antennas work best when you don’t have a direct line of sight to a cell tower or you want to boost signal for multiple carriers from two or more towers in different directions. Omni antennas don’t need to be tuned (adjusted until they receive the strongest signal), so they are easier and faster to set up than directional antennas.
The inside antenna
The cell signal booster uses a broadcast antenna to communicate with cell phones and other cellular devices inside your home.
The broadcast antenna connects to the Inside port on the cell signal booster via a run of coax cable.
The broadcast distance of the inside antenna depends on the antenna design, the power output of the booster, your home’s construction materials, the type and length of the coax cables, and if you split the signal to multiple antennas.
There are two types of indoor antennas. The layout of your home usually determines which type of antenna will give you the best coverage.
A panel antenna is designed to transmit signal in a particular direction, with a signal pattern resembling a teardrop. To improve cellular signal in a particular area of the house, the front of the panel antenna should be oriented towards that area. Panel antennas are typically mounted on walls, facing forward, although in some instances they may be installed facing downward. They are particularly suitable when access above the ceiling is unavailable for mounting a dome antenna or in instances where a long and narrow area within the house requires improved signal coverage.
A dome antenna is designed to transmit signal in a 360° circle, similar to the shape of a donut or an inner tube. To achieve cellular coverage from the booster, dome antennas are usually located in the ceiling at the center of the desired area. They are commonly installed above or below drywall or drop ceilings as these materials do not block cellular signal. Dome antennas are widely used in commercial buildings and are also suitable for residential homes that have an attic or other access above the ceiling. They are popular and practical due to their exceptional performance.
Coax cables
A cell signal booster system uses coaxial cables (often just called “coax”) to connect the outside and inside antennas to the cell signal booster.
There are multiple varieties of coaxial cables available for use with cellular boosters. In general, the longer the cable length or the thinner its diameter, the greater the loss of signal from the booster to the antenna. Additionally, high-frequency cellular signals experience greater signal loss over a given length of cable as compared to lower frequencies. Therefore, it is recommended to use the shortest possible cable run between the booster and the antenna and avoid excess cable wherever feasible.
In some instances, it may be necessary to pull cables through walls to connect the antennas. Numerous YouTube videos are available that provide guidance on this process, and professional assistance can be sought from a satellite TV installer, electrician, or handyman.
There are two types of coax cable used with most home cellular booster systems:
RG6 coax is used with 75‑ohm booster systems in smaller homes.
You’re probably familiar with RG6—it’s the same type of coax that connects cable and satellite boxes to TV sets. RG6 is just over ¼″ in diameter (about 7 mm) and is terminated with ½″ (12 mm) F-male connectors.
Because of its higher signal loss per foot compared to other types of coax, RG6 in cellular booster systems can only be used for short runs, usually no longer than 30 feet.
RG6 coax cable is used with 75‑ohm boosters like the weBoost Home MultiRoom. 50‑ohm boosters in this class, like the HiBoost Home 10K, use 200-type coax with N connectors, which has performance characteristics similar to RG6.
400-type coax is used with 50‑ohm booster systems in larger homes.
400 coax is thicker than RG6 at 2⁄5″ in diameter (10.3 mm). (Its 0.400″ diameter is where it gets its name.) Its thickness makes it more rigid, which means it’s harder to run around tight corners and to conceal from view. It’s terminated with 4⁄5″ N-male connectors (0.8″ or 2 cm) that are are sturdier than the F connectors used with RG6.
The advantage of 400 coax is its performance—it has less than half the signal loss per foot of RG6. Because of its low loss, 400 coax is used with large home booster systems and in commercial buildings that require cable runs of 50 to 100 feet.
400 coax cable is used by 50‑ohm home boosters like the Cel-Fi GO G32 Stationary, SureCall Fusion5s, and HiBoost Home SLT. It’s also used with 50‑ohm commercial boosters that are sometimes installed in large homes, including the weBoost Office 100, weBoost Office 200, HiBoost SLT, and SureCall Fusion5X.
75‑ohm boosters in this class, like the weBoost Home Complete, use RG11 coax with F connectors that’s similar in size and performance to 400 coax.