Almost every smartphone user has come across a situation where their phone is showing a poor signal even when they are in an area that is known to have a strong cellular signal. Lack of signal could result in dropped calls, missed messages and slow internet as well. If you have also come across such a situation, then there are a few tricks that you can use to boost cell phone signal.
Boost cell phone signal: easy tricks
A poor, or no cell phone signal is one of the worst issues that you can experience when you really need it. It leads to frustration as you have to wait endlessly to send a message or websites to open. You can, however, overcome this frustration by using a few tricks that could help you to boost cell phone signal.
The following are the quickest and easiest ways to fix the signal issues:
Toggle Airplane mode –It has often been seen that toggling Airplane mode on and off results in restoring the signal.
Restart your phone – this is a common trick that can fix many small issues. Many users have reported that restarting the phone has fixed the cell phone signal issues for them.
Update your phone – it has been seen that updating the phone helps in boosting the signal strength. It is possible that the carrier or the phone maker releases an update to fix an issue with the signal strength. So, it is recommended that you run your phone on the latest version and install the update as soon as it arrives.
Use Wi-Fi if available – if the cell phone signal is poor but there is a WiFi signal, then switch to WiFi. You can use the WiFi to make calls and for internet use. To enable WiFi calling on the iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular and turn on WiFi calling.
Use a mobile hotspot – these are cellular routers that use 4G data to connect to the internet. Although hotspots can be used as an alternative to home internet, it is mostly used by those on the go to get stable internet on more than one device.
More tricks to boost cell phone signal
The following tricks to boost cell phone signal could take a little of your time:
Remove SIM – You can also try removing the SIM and then inserting it back into the phone. Doing this (sort of) refreshes the settings and may resolve the signal issues. You may need a SIM card tool or an unfolded paperclip to get the SIM out.
Check phone’s battery – if the battery of your phone is low, your phone may not find a signal as connecting to a cell tower requires a continuous supply of power. So, if your phone has a low charge, then charge it immediately, or if you are outside, then use battery saving techniques such as enabling battery-saving mode, lower screen brightness, turning off push notifications and more.
Go to a less-crowded network – if you are on a congested network, then try to move to a less congested network. Remember, the less congested the network, the stronger the cell phone signal. If your phone is showing 4G/LTE, but only one signal bar, then you could manually switch to a less congested network, like 3G.
Find nearest cell tower – if you have a poor cell signal, there are chances that something is blocking the signals from the nearest cell phone tower, or you are very far from the nearest cell tower. To check the nearest cell tower, you can use an app, such as Open Signal, or a cell tower map website. Once you get the location of the nearest tower, try to move as close to it as possible by moving to a room or area that is nearer to the cell tower.
These tricks will cost you money
You should try these options only if the above options don’t work:
Cell phone signal booster – if the above tricks don’t work, then you can buy a cell phone signal booster. There are many boosters available in the market that serve different purposes, such as homes, vehicles and more.
Femtocell or microcell – this is also a piece of hardware and is like having a personal mini cell phone tower. Each carrier names their microcell differently, for instance, T-Mobile CellSpot, AT&T Microcell, Verizon Network Extender and others. When compared to the signal booster, these microcells cost a little upfront, but need a longer financial commitment.
Get a new phone – sometimes you may start to get signal issues if your phone is old (say over 5 years). This happens because technology is always changing and the new phones are developed based on the latest technologies.
Switch carriers – if you often face poor signal strength issues, then you may consider switching to a different carrier. There may be another carrier’s tower that is closer to your home than the one you are using now. It is not an easy decision to make and you may want to do some research to see if others on the same carrier are also facing the issue or not. Also, if you are planning to switch, there are a few carriers that offer an incentive to new customers to mitigate the cost of switching.
