How do signal boosting apps work

Typically the beam is relatively wide around 45 degrees , but some specialty antennas are narrower. Yes, they do! Signal boosters amplify both the signal being received by and sent from your phone, resulting in stronger signal. And if you use a directional outdoor antenna , you can also improve your signal quality as well. Yes, a signal booster will almost always help you increase your data rates, whether it's for a hotspot or a phone.

That being said, your data rates depend on a number of factors, and boosting signal strength is only a small part of the equation. There are three things that can cause bad cell phone reception: weak signal, low-quality signal, and congestion on the cell network. You can fix each of these with a signal booster. Weak signal can be amplified by the booster and a directional outdoor antenna can be used to improved signal quality. By amplifying the signal of higher frequency bands and making them available to your devices, a cell phone signal booster can also help you overcome tower congestion.

Higher frequency bands travel less far and penetrate buildings less well, so they are generally less congested than lower frequency bands. Dropped phone calls are almost always caused by either low signal strength or low signal quality. Today's 4G LTE phones use a technology called "Voice over LTE" for calls - which means your phone calls are transmitted in almost exactly the same way as data. By increasing your signal strength and signal quality, you'll be able to boost both your cell service and your data rates.

With dB of gain, it amplifies cell signal more than any other booster on the market today. However, it only works with one carrier at a time. Gain isn't the only measure of a signal booster: downlink output power matter too. If you have strong outdoor signal, downlink output power is more important than gain. There's a lot more competition here, devices from SureCall, weBoost, Wilson and HiBoost all have competitive downlink power levels.

If you're in a vehicle, uplink output power is the most important measure. The weBoost Drive Reach is the clear winner here, with more uplink power than any other booster on the market.

Some carriers offer free boosters to their prepaid customers. T-Mobile will provide a Cel-Fi Duo unit to its customers if you reach out to them. However, we don't particularly recommend this device, as it doesn't come with an outdoor antenna - which is critical to making sure that you get the best signal. Many users who try this particular booster come to us for a better solution. If you have a good broadband connection into your building already, Verizon sells a consumer device called the 4G LTE Network Extender for consumers.

This device is a "femtocell" - which means that it requires a reliable internet connection. The answer here really depends. But consider: how much did you spend on your last phone? How much do you pay annually for your cell service? Chances are, your household spends thousands of dollars a year on cell service already. Spending money on a signal booster to make sure you're getting reliable coverage and the best data rates is worth it for many people.

If you see apps that claim to boost your cell phone signal - stay clear. If there were something you could do via software to boost your signal, your phone would likely implement that change. The majority of apps that claim to boost your signal are scams, and you'll be able to see their poor reviews. Easy returns. Satisfaction guaranteed. Talk to a signal expert: Email. Toggle navigation. Account Register Log in. I know, that's a bold claim.

If you do anything as long as we have, you learn a thing or two. This guide has three parts: Part 1: Our Top Product Recommendations - The best signal boosting kits for every application Part 2: The Signal Guide - Essential reading about cell signal, phone bars, boosters, cellular frequency bands, antennas, and lots more.

In this document:. Part 3: Frequently Asked Questions. Free system design service. Let us customize a complete cell booster system for your building. Jump to the right part of this document. Cel-Fi GO X. Our favorite "broadband" signal boosters that work with multiple carriers including Sprint If you have weak outdoor signal and need coverage for multiple carriers or for Sprint, the best cell signal booster options are either the Hi-Boost Home 15K or the SureCall Fusion4Home.

Excellent booster with comparable performance to more expensive systems. Budget option that will provide coverage for rooms. For smaller homes and apartments under 1, square feet : Our top choice for smaller homes and apartments with strong outdoor signal is the weBoost Home Multiroom. Excellent booster kit for small homes when outdoor is strong. For larger homes and offices from 1, to 5, square feet : For larger homes and offices, we recommend using either the HiBoost Home 15K or the Wilson Pro 70 Plus.

High quality design and construction, excellent performance. Enterprise-grade booster with four indoor antenna ports and three outdoor antenna ports. WilsonPro Enterprise Signal Booster Read more. Depending on your exact device and signal strength, yes, Android phones have faster cell speeds than iPhone. A new study from researchers at Dartmouth College have found that aluminum cans and aluminum foil can be used effectively to boost wireless signals in the home.

WiFi boosters and WiFi extenders are usually associated with filling in dead spots, but they can also be used to add faster speeds and even new features to your WiFi network.

Skip to content Android Windows Linux Apple. Some other features include signal measurements and a crowd-sourced signal finder. See also: Our guide to the best phone plans for every type of user. OpenSignal is a lot like Network Cell Info.

However, this one also works with Wi-Fi signals. Basically, if you can connect to it, OpenSignal can probably find it. This one works well for a variety of reasons.

The best, though, is that it compares signal strength between the big three carriers in the US to see if maybe a different one has a better signal where you live.

There is also a coverage map so you can see if maybe you just live in a weak zone on your carrier. See also: The best internet providers in the US. There are a bunch of Wi-Fi Analyzers on mobile. The app not only shows you the Wi-Fi signal from your home but those from nearby homes as well. You can get a really good sense of the network congestion in your space with this app.

From there, you can adjust your router settings to broadcast on less cluttered channels, and that may help your signal issues. This one supports 2. See also: The best gaming routers: Say goodbye to Wi-Fi lag.

Most modern routers are configurable via an app. These apps are beneficial because you can toggle and change various settings. For instance, I own an Asus router, and I use the app all the time. I can view things like system performance, make the router itself run a speed test not over a wireless network , and change all kinds of settings like my DNS. Cell phone boosters need a power supply, as well. While that probably could be solved by having a battery backup, the FCC prohibits it Besides having less efficient performance in comparison to in-building, carriers do not want signal boosters redeploying signal outside.

The amount of noise that this can bring into the network can cause issues for the cell towers in the area and should be avoided. If you live in a rural area with a fair number of people sharing the same tower, this can negatively affect everyone's coverage.

Signal boosters won't work outdoors for a number of reasons - including power concerns, effectiveness, and legal reasons - but they do work extremely well indoors. If you need cell phone signal in your area, get it boosted indoors. Unfortunately no current amplifiers are equipped with a battery per FCC regulations - but even if they were, since boosters are designed to be used in a confined space, you would not see much difference.

Your boosted signal is confined to the space in which you set it up. If your neighbor comes to your home, however, they will get boosted signal. A signal booster cannot be used directly with a solar panel, as it uses a specific power and voltage.

However, you can use it with power DERIVED from a solar panel if it's the main source of power A cell tower signal is received by the booster, amplified, and rebroadcast. How does the phone know which signal tower or booster to respond to? It will latch on the strongest source. Since the booster is in closer proximity, it will pull signal from the booster.

In , the FCC passed new regulation mandating that all cell phone signal boosters be certified with improved designs to avoid interference with carrier networks. Back in the wild west days of cell phone boosters, some unregulated third-party boosters had caused numerous interference to carrier cell towers which led to overloading the tower, causing network shutdowns and other harmful performance issues.

This has continued with the introduction of 5G. So beginning in and moving forward, all cell phone signal boosters have been and must be FCC-certified. As a result, amplifiers cannot be sold separately. This is why it is impossible for retailers and online sellers to only sell you an amplifier since the FCC considers the complete kit as approved and not individual parts, especially the amplifier.

However, this doesn't limit customers to purchase additional antennas, splitters, and other parts to tailor their coverage.

The outdoor antennas are waterproof, but the amplifiers themselves are designed to be placed in a moisture-controlled environment, so, unfortunately, no.

Cell phone repeaters are designed for use with all cellular devices, so, yes. Your hotspots and the like are covered as well. Not directly, but if you buy a 4G booster you should see considerably faster data speeds. It will not boost WiFi on any other devices, but can indirectly via a jetpack or hotspot. Wilson Amplifiers is the leading provider of cellular amplifiers.

We seriously hate dropped calls and poor coverage, so it's our goal in life to rid the world of spotty signal, one happy customer at a time:. Friday - November 12, What is a Signal Booster? We have the answers! See complete cell signal booster kits for your situation:. Cellular Device Gets Boosted signal. Cellular Device Gets Boosted Signal. Are signal boosters legal? Do cell phone boosters really work? Does it work on my network carrier?

I only have one carrier providing all my cellular service. Are there any good single-carrier amplifiers I can get? Do I have to have internet connection for these to work? Do I need to pair my phone to a cell phone booster? Can I use my booster outside? Can I use this while hiking? Will my neighbor be able to use my boosted signal?

Can this be used with my solar panels? Why are cell phone signal boosters sold as a complete kit? Are the boosters waterproof? Is it compatible with my device? Does it boost WiFi?