How Do I Boost Cell Phone Signal In My Car

If you are traveling on a dead spot or receiving poor cell phone reception in your car, you need to devise ways to get the surrounding network boosted to get better reception on the go.

Experiencing poor cell reception while traveling can be a nightmare you will never want to witness. However, when traveling through one of such dead zones, making an urgent phone call or connecting to your GPS to map your route may be difficult. Thus, knowing how to boost cell phone signal in my car can help during emergencies while traveling.

Based on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), some cell phone users still get weak or nonexistent signals in some service areas. As a result, these gaps in coverage can lead to dropped calls, reception loss,  and sluggish data speeds. Most importantly, you need to choose the best solution for improving your cell signal strength when in your car, RV, truck, van, and other vehicles.

These challenges affect many drivers across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Thus, a better cell phone in your car results in fewer dropped calls and high data speeds while on the go. However, affected users may improve their weak cell signals by using a cell phone signal booster for car. In this guideline, you will get the best cellular solution to improve weak cell reception inside your car for you and your passengers.

What is a Cell Phone Signal Booster?

A signal booster comprises a device that improves weak 3G/4G or 5G cell phone signals and enhances your car’s incoming and outgoing cellular signals. Fortunately, most cell phone signal booster for camping are compatible with all the significant phone carrier and boosts cell signals in Cars, RVs, boats, offices, homes, apartments, and commercial spaces. The components of a cell phone signal booster include:

  • The outside antenna is fixed on the exterior of a car to collect the external signal that exists outside your car.
  • The amplifier receives and boosts the signal from the outside antenna before transmitting the improved signal to the indoor antenna.
  • An indoor antenna broadcasts the amplified signal inside your car/vehicle.
  • The power adapter offers power to supply all the cell booster systems.

Quick Tips On How To Boost cell phone signal in my Car?

boost cell phone signal in my car

1) Check your Cell Phone

First, confirm whether your cell phone is running out of power and have it charged if the battery is low. There is a probability that a low battery influences your phone’s ability to perceive a signal from a cell tower. Besides, don’t let the cell phone case or your hand cover where the built-in antenna of your phone.

2) Change your location

While traveling, you can walk around or increase your elevation to find a safe spot by going up higher land. Check whether you can receive a more robust and stable signal to make the emergency call when driving towards the edge of the tower’s coverage area.

3) Switch your Network Type

Changing your network type may help. You can turn off the 4G network and switch to 3G or even 2G to see whether you can get a better connection in your car.

4) Look For A Signal Booster

A signal booster can amplify your weak 2G, 3G, and 4G signal within your car, delivering a more robust signal for clearer voice quality, better call and text, and faster internet. The outside antenna collects the signal from the nearest cell tower near your car. Then the signal booster amplifies signals received, and the interior antenna redistributes the enhanced signal throughout the cars. Therefore, you can improve cell signal at home and have more bars on your cell phone.

What Are The Causes of Weak Cell Reception in Your Vehicle

Generally, there are two leading causes of poor cell signal reception in your car, distance, and obstructions. If you and your car are too far from the nearest cell tower, the signal is too weak or unable to be detected. Again, the other factor is that obstruction between your car and the tower may block or weaken your car’s signal.

However, there are many different causes for your poor cell phone signal. And a strong cell signal should be able to reduce most of these obstructions if you know how to boost the cell signal at home for free. The most common causes of poor cell phone signal include:

  • Non-Conductive construction materials such as wood, glass, drywall, plastics, insulation, and others will weaken cell reception but, in most cases, will not entirely reduce a strong signal.
  • Conductive construction materials such as tin, silver, aluminum, steel, and copper can ultimately reflect a strong cell signal.
  • Organic material, including mountains and hills, large snow piles, and dense plant populations, can lower the strength of a strong cell signal to get into your car. On the other hand, sparse plant and tree matter and small snow piles of loosely packed snow may weaken a strong signal.
  • Weather conditions such as rain, dust, hail, fog, snow, sleet, and more can reduce your cell signal. There can be a weakening effect on cellular devices in minor or moderate weather systems. However, these could result in a complete weakening impact in severe weather systems.
  • Cell tower direction can have a severe impact on your signal. You may be right next to the tower, but if the tower is pointed in the opposite direction or angled, so the signal passes overhead, you may receive no cell bars.
  • Distance from the nearest cell tower can have a varying impact on cell service. For instance, if you are one mile from the cell tower, you will experience excellent cell reception. On the other hand, if you are 30 or 50 miles from the nearest cell tower, you will notice weak or no cell signal.
  • Radio Frequency interference can result in a weak cell reception from other devices’ radio frequency (RF) emissions. The emissions interfere with the signals on your cell phone to send texts, make calls, or stream data using cellular.

Why Look For A Cell Phone Booster for the Car?

Generally, a reliable cell phone signal enhances your productivity and efficiency and, most importantly, ensures safety on the road. Emergency cases can happen, and a vehicle cell phone booster is suitable for keeping drivers and riders connected using their cell phones and cellular devices. The benefits of signal boosters for cars and any other vehicle include:

  • Coverage for all cell carriers
  • Support for multiple users
  • No monthly fees
  • Fewer dropped calls
  • Improved call quality
  • Better data speeds
  • Easy to install
  • Expanded cell coverage map
  • Extends cell phone battery life

How To Boost Signal On Your Cell Phone At Home?

Particular objects in your home or office block signal include metal filing cabinets, decorative waterfalls, refrigerators, and solid furniture. Besides, other environmental factors affect the strength of your cell phone. You may use these tricks to improve your reception:

1) Update your software

Your cell phone may send you messages about updating your carrier software. These updates are what tell your phone what towers to connect to. Typically, you should constantly update, as instructed, your Android or iPhone cell phone.

2) Turn off any unused services

Services such as Bluetooth, WiFi, and Near-Field Communication (NFC) can result in problems by either trying to send your calls and data over a different service or enabling other devices to utilize up bandwidth required for fast data or clear calls. You need to try disabling the services on your cell phone and check if your signal improves.

3) Change your Voice and Data settings

Sometimes, the 4G LTE network that you’re using may get congested, and the 3G network, while typically slower, is a better option. If you’re using the 4G LTE network, try disabling it on your iPhone or Android phone (if supported) and automatically switch to the 3G network.

4) Turn airplane mode on and off

This method will force your cell phone to reconnect to the cellular network. If you’re traveling in an area with a good signal, but your cell phone doesn’t dedicate it, turn the airplane mode on and off to force the phone to reconnect.

5) Switch to a wireless provider that offers better coverage in your area

 If everything else fails, you can switch to a carrier with better signal reception in your area. This move can help alleviate your cell signal problems. Check the coverage maps for every carrier, such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and US Cellular, and confirm with your neighbor’s which carrier offers coverage in the area.

6) Remove trees and bushes

Trees, bushes, and any other living matter made up of water block cell signals to varying degrees. Therefore, you can trim unnecessary branches, remove overmatured bushes, or cut down all trees to build more open surroundings to improve cell signal reception.

7) Use different construction materials

Next time, when you’re planning on a home improvement project, you should research how the construction materials might affect your cell phone signals. Materials such as brick walls, metal roofs, and energy-efficient building materials block cellular signals compared to alternative materials.

Bottom Line

Getting a mobile signal booster in your car can help boost poor coverage and improve your carrier’s signal strength. Thus, knowing how to boost the cell phone signal in your car enable you to stay connected while on the move and reduces dropped calls and bad cell reception. You can follow the tricks provided in this guideline and invest in a cell phone booster to improve the signal strength inside your car.

Paula Beaton

Paula Beaton