Overview of Cell Phone Signal Boosters

A cell signal booster is a device that creates a more robust signal for your cell phone. This makes calls and data connections more reliable.

Signal Boosters: The Basics

Have you ever encountered the phenomenon of "dead zones" when using your cell phone? You know, the patch of an area where you have no signal and therefore can't use your network provider's service to complete actions such as making a call, using an app, searching the web, or sending a text.

This issue can be highly frustrating, and an excellent first step to avoiding cell phone dead zones is picking a provider with adequate coverage in your area by checking its coverage map (this is especially important if you live in a remote, rural location).

However, even if your provider offers coverage where you live, you could still run into dead spots with little to no cell reception in specific areas of your home, such as your home theater or basement.

This is where cell phone signal boosters come in: These gadgets use an antenna and an amplifier to boost your cell phone reception and get you more bars so you can use your phone as you wish. Keep reading for more info on why you might want to use a cell booster, how they work, and what features to look for if you're considering purchasing one.

As mentioned above, cell phone signal boosters are intended to improve your phone's reception and signal, counteracting issues affecting cell reception, such as building construction and obstructions, your phone's distance from your carrier's cellular tower, and more.

You can purchase cell phone signal boosters from various online and brick-and-mortar retailers, with prices generally ranging from $20 to $200 depending on factors such as bandwidth. 

Why Use a Signal Booster

You might consider buying a phone booster if your cell phone connection is sub-par or nonexistent in your home or a specific part of your home where you spend a significant amount of time. These products address the issue of limited coverage, and in theory, they're meant to help prevent annoyances such as dropped calls.

How Signal Boosters Works

Boosters employ an antenna to capture a cell signal. The antenna can capture a robust and reliable signal because it's placed (that is, you put it) in an area that does receive one. For home use, it might be the roof of your house or outside a window. Cell signal booster antennae are either uni-directional (used for terrible reception or to boost the single carrier) or omnidirectional (used for moderately bad reception or to increase the signal of multiple carriers).

The antenna then passes the cell signal to the amplifier or cellular repeater, which boosts the cellular signal. After this step, the amplifier/cellular repeater passes the increased signal to an inside antenna (indoors), which is responsible for distributing the amplified signal to a given area in your home. 

How to Choose One For Your Home

One of the first things to think about when considering purchasing a signal booster is your particular mobile carrier. Not all boosters work with all network providers (e.g., AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon Wireless, among others), so make sure to check that the booster you're considering is compatible with your particular carrier. Most retailers will list which carrier(s) a booster works with on their product page.

Aside from compatibility issues, you'll want to pick a booster appropriate for the specific size of space where you're looking to improve coverage. For instance, if you need to boost the cell signal in your home theater, a booster that covers up to 1,000 square feet should be sufficient. As is the case with cell network compatibility, you'll typically find details on how large of a space a booster covers in its product marketing materials either online or in a store.

Can You Use One in a Car?

What if you don't want to boost your cell phone reception in your home but want to improve it when driving? There are signal boosters for this use case as well. But since you'll be mobile rather than stationary, there isn't as much focus on coverage area; instead, you'll want to find a signal booster that supports your carrier and the network you use.