Tech, Trade And Travel Tips: Network Coverage

Most of us are worried about the problem of Poor Mobile Network signals in our smartphones. Due to this, there are problems like call drop, slow internet speed, poor voice quality, the message getting stuck, and no email.

Mostly all network operators have the same story.

Now that Android phones have become an important part of our life and bad network coverage can sometimes become the reason for our frustration. Due to this, our work is also hampered.

It doesn't matter if you are using a 3G or 4G device, you are looking at your phone wondering what's the point of paying monthly bills when you are not getting anything.

Sometimes we see no signal bars, and no service, which is another disturbance to the flow of our daily life.

Before we headed to the solution, let’s understand “What causes weak network signals?”

There are various factors that cause a weak cell phone signal.

Distance From the Cellular Tower

The farther away you are from a cell mast, the weaker the signal gets.

The users might experience issues such as:

clicking noise during calls
cracking sound on calls
difficulty hearing another side
slow mobile data
Battery draining issue

Geographical Area

The cell signal depends on the geographical area.

If you live on one side of a mountain, and there are only limited cell phone sites in your area on the other, you’re not likely to get good coverage.

Blocking Antenna

Remember the early days of mobile phones. They were big in size and had exterior antennas. The phones were weighty, but their signal was pretty good due to those exterior antennas.

Today’s cellular phones have inbuilt antennas. You should be careful how you are holding the phone otherwise you can block the antenna, and lose your signal.

The Embedded antenna depending on your phone model, is located near the top of the phone.

These days, a smartphone can have multiple antennas, like, one for Bluetooth, one for GPS, two or more antennas for 4G LTE communications, and one or two for Wi-Fi.

Bad Weather Affects

Mobile network signal travels on radio waves.

Extreme weather conditions such as humidity, moisture, heavy cloud cover, snow, thunder, lightning, high-speed wind, heavy rain, and ice can affect the distribution of cellular signals from a cellular base station to the receiving device whether you are indoors or outdoors.

Examples

Lightning causes electrical interference and it can also damage network towers.
High-speed wind can cause structural or electrical damage to your nearby mobile base station.
A high volume of water molecules in the air can make mobile signals more irregular.

Building Structure And Construction Materials

Building Structure affect the network coverage

It is not surprising that construction materials such as steel, brick, concrete, fiberglass, and wood affect the coverage.

That's the reason you might experience slow data and dropped calls while indoors.

Fiberglass is still made of such substances that push back the signal.

Insulated buildings may also reduce the strength of the phone signals.

Most phone calls are made indoors. Yet being indoors is where signal struggles to get in---Internal Clutter

It's worth mentioning here, mobile phone signal strength is evaluated in decibels (dBm- decibel milliwatts).

Luckily, you can check the network signal strength on your phone.

Settings App > About Device or Phone> SIM status > Signal.

Its range is '-30 'dBm to '-110' dBm. The closer to '0' decibels, the stronger the cell signal. '-85' dBm shows good strength. ‘-120’ dBm is a dead signal and you may face issues in making phone calls, sending or receiving text messages, or using mobile data.

Building structure and material are common causes of poor cell phone signals. It subtracts dBm from your signals, the more it subtracts, and you will get poor signals.

There are some building materials that kill signals.

Fiberglass Insulation (-2 dB)
Concrete Cement 6" (-10 to -20 dBm)
Plywood (-4 to -6 dBm)
Clear Glass (-4 dBm)
Metal: What Metal Blocks Cell Signal (-32 to -50 dBm)
Solid wood (-5 to -12 dBm)
Brick (-8 to -28 dBm)
Tinted And Low-E Glass (-24 to -40 dBm)
Plaster (-8 to -16 dBm)

Metal roofs also block cell phone coverage

If you observe that the signal improves as you walk around your home or stand near doors or windows, it is likely the signal is being interrupted by metal construction materials.

Low Battery

The low battery also causes poor phone signal. If you do not charge the phone battery that is required for the processor to draw maximum signals from the nearby mobile phone mast. It is recommended to charge the battery by at least 25% for a better signal.

Overloaded Cell Towers

Sometimes, we go to a festival, concert, or any other crowded place and find the signals to be super slow.

That's because many users are struggling for a slice of that 3G or 4G cellular service.

So, you get slow speed, and at worst, you will consistently be kicked off the congested network.

If the outgoing call transfers to the nearest tower that’s already full, the call could be dropped, the more phone traffic that fights for space, the weaker signal you get.

It is just like parents sitting in their cars in front of the school, waiting for children, and other people stuck in traffic.

The above points have cleared you "why don't we get better coverage sometimes?"

Here are some best practices that you can use to fix network issues.

Keep the phone battery charged by at least 25%

Charge battery for better signal strength

Phones consume a lot of energy to get the proper network. Many times the phone is not able to get enough power to search the network when the battery is critically low.

Always keep the phone sufficiently charged, so that there is no problem in finding good signals.

Switch the Network Mode

Switching from 3G to 2G mode can also solve the issue. In such a situation, even if the speed of your internet is reduced, the problem of the Poor Mobile Network Signal will be fixed.

Removing the phone cover increases signal strength.

Hold Your Phone Correctly

One reason for the low signal on the phone is to hold the phone tight. When you hold the phone tight, another layer is created on the phone which weakens the signal of the phone.

Remove Signal Blocking

Many times such things are present in the room which creates obstacles to phone reception, so do not place electronic or magnetic products that prevent signals in the room.

Also, keep the minimum things in the room so that the signal does not get obstructed.

Wi-Fi Calling Feature

Wi-fi calling when mobile carrier not available

Some operators provide an option to make calls or send text messages using Wi-Fi when the cell carrier is not available. To enable this option,

Settings > sim cards & mobile networks> tap on sim icon > Scroll down and you can then toggle on WiFi calling.

Take Mobile Phone Higher Place

The coverage usually improves the higher you are, as there are some obstacles such as basements, underground parking, and garages that can block the signal.

If you reside on the hill or in a valley, start walking up, If indoors, try heading upstairs and staying with the side of the house that’s nearest to the cell phone mast.

Go Outside

Making phone calls from the basement or deep inside buildings is sometimes impossible as mobile signals are blocked by building materials, such as steel and concrete, etc.

So if you’ve no coverage, walk outside where you are likely to enjoy a stronger signal.

Microcell

Microcell works like a network booster. It helps in transmitting the signal to your home. For this, you have to connect it to your home router and it uses an internet connection to boost the signal. The advantage of a microcell is that it provides the signal even in a place where the signal is dead.

Cell Phone Signal Booster

If after all efforts, your phone is experiencing network issues, then you can use the mobile signal booster or repeater. Keep the booster in a place in the house where the signal is weak or dead. By doing this, the repeater transmits the signal from there to the entire house.

Check The Sim Card

The signal also depends on the SIM card. Many times it happens when the networks suddenly go away. The reason for this may be a damaged SIM card or a dust freeze. No matter how carefully you use the phone, the dust still goes inside. Networks can be better if re-installed after cleaning the SIM card. Using the SIM by replacing it is also a solution, but it can happen that your SIM card is bad in that case. We can solve the network problem by changing the SIM.

FAQs: Poor Mobile Network Signal

Q. What is the definition of mobile signal strength?

Ans. The strength of a cell phone signal is measured in decibels (dBm). Signal strengths can range between -30 dBm and -110 dBm. The higher the number, the stronger the cell signal. In general, any signal that is better than -85 decibels is considered usable.

Q. What factors influence mobile signal strength?

Ans. Many factors can affect the strength and quality of your mobile device's signal, including wireless interference from items such as microwaves and power lines, obstructions such as buildings, hills, and trees, weather conditions, and high demand and usage on the operator's mast.

Q. How do I determine signal strength?

Ans. Settings ->More Options (or More Settings) -> About Phone -> Cellular Networks View the Signal Strength on this screen.

Q. How can I improve the strength of my mobile network signal?

Ans. Turning off and then on your phone's connection is the quickest and easiest way to try to resolve your signal issues. Toggling Airplane mode while moving from one location to another restarts the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular network modems, forcing them to find the best signal in the area.

Final Words

We face similar issues with mostly all network operators.

Whether you are using 2G, 3G/4G, or even 5G phone, it has now become part of life, and It is seen in every hand, but if you get stuck in such a situation when you have to make an urgent call or send messages but due to the Poor Mobile Network Signal, you have to face a lot of troubles.

In such a situation, you can solve these issues by using the above tips and tricks.

That’s all folks! If you have any queries feel free to write to me in the comment box.

Related Blog Topics:

When we talk on mobile, the call often gets disconnected or there is too much distortion during the calling, then we place the blame on the network operators. While the reality is something else, the problem may be in the handset as well.

The network strength of the cell phone is weak and due to this, many other problems including calling and data start.

While purchasing the handset, we take the best device by looking at the feature, style, and price of the phone, but do not check the mobile network strength.

Although there is no way to check the mobile network strength at that time, later you can check it. Next, I have explained the same way. If your phone is having a network issue, then this article is useful for you.

You can find out by yourself whether this is the phone problem or the network itself is weak in your area. Network strength in the cell phone tells what kind of signal is coming in your phone.

The quality of other network-based services depends on it, including your calling and data.

Network strength is measured by dBm (decibel-milliwatt). Every 3 dBm doubles the network strength.

For example, if your cell phone has a −83 dBm network and if it becomes −80, then the power is doubled and if it becomes −77 dBm then its coverage is doubled.

So remember that the network strength will always be in - dBm and the lower it is, the better.

Check the mobile network strength on an android and iPhone.

It is very easy to measure the network strength in Android phones. For this, follow the below-mentioned steps.

1. Go to your phone settings.

2. From there, you have to select about the phone or about the device and click on it.

3. Here you will find many types of options, but you have to go to the status.

4. There are many options here too, but you have to choose the SIM card status. Clicking it will open the next screen and at the bottom here you will see the signal strength.

You can know how the mobile network strength is.

This method may be somewhat different on many mobile phones. Especially on Chinese phones, you have to go to the first phone.

From here, click on the status and then on the network. Now, you can see the signal strength in your phone.

On iPhone-

Open the dialer pad and dial *3001#12345#*.
The Field Test menu will show on the screen.
Now, tap on LTE and tap ‘Serving Cell Meas.’

Here, you can see rsrp0 which shows the signal strength of your primary tower, the closest one to your location. Whereas, rsrp1 denotes the signal strength of the next nearest tower.

What is the best signal strength for 3G/4G networks?

However, a question is bound to come to your mind how much signal strength in the phone will be called the best. The way to know about the 3G/4G signal strength is the same but the scale changes slightly.

If you are using 3G SIM on your phone, then -50 to -79 dBm network strength will be called Best. If it is -80 dBm to -89 dBm, then it is fine, and -90 to -99 dBm can be considered average.

That is, from here, you start having trouble.

If the signal strength is 100 to -109 dBm, then it is weak and 110 dBm or above is very poor. Similarly, there is not much difference in this scale for the 4G network, but if it has a signal up to -90 dBm then it can be said to be very good. Whereas from -91 to -105 dBm is fine.

In the same way, -106 to -110 dBm network strength is average and may cause problems. While -111 to -119 dBm is bad, and if -120dBm is again very bad condition.

This way you can check which phone has a good or poor mobile network strength.

That's all folks! I hope, you have enjoyed the article. I’m eager to receive your feedback.

Poor Mobile Network Signal-Here How You Can Fix It Easily