When buying a cell phone signal booster, you want to buy what’s suitable for your needs and circumstances. Everyone doesn’t receive the same benefits from the same booster. And the booster you buy for your home differs from what you’d buy for an office or other commercial space. Knowing how to choose the right cell phone signal booster ensures you’ll buy the one that best strengthens your signal and covers the area. In this blog, we cover how to choose the right cell phone signal booster for your home, office, or vehicle.
Cell Phone Signal Boosters for Homes
Cellular signal boosters work great for homes or cottages that are far from the nearest cellular tower. If you live in a rural community, you’ll benefit from one. Everyone wants great calling quality when they’re at home, and a cellular booster helps you achieve this.
Before you buy a booster for your home, make sure you truly need one. Sometimes a broken phone is to blame for dropped calls, and other times it’s your location. For instance, most struggle to get a strong signal in the basement or if they’re near energy-efficient windows. If you have a poor signal regardless of where you are on the property, then a cellular signal booster will help!
Cell Phone Signal Boosters for Commercial Buildings
Buying a cellular signal booster for commercial buildings differs from doing so for homes or small offices since you’re covering a larger area. Commercial grade boosters are much larger than those recommended for homes.
Choosing a Cell Phone Booster Antenna
Choosing the right antenna also matters. The types of indoor and outdoor antennas you buy affect how well your signal booster will work. While some outdoor cell phone booster antennas work best in rural locations, this isn’t always the case. Also, think about your needs for the indoor antenna. Remember, you want one that properly rebroadcasts the signal in your space.
Outdoor Antennas
The two most common cell phone booster antenna types are omnidirectional and directional. Understanding the difference between the two will help you buy the right one, as each works best in different locations.
Omnidirectional Antennas
Experts recommend buying an omnidirectional antenna if you’re located in an urban or suburban area. This is because the inside signal is what’s weak in these locations. An omnidirectional antenna searches all areas for the strongest signal.
While omnidirectional antennas are easy to install and target multiple carriers, they have a few cons. Most importantly, this antenna can become overwhelmed as it searches for a signal in all directions. This may be problematic in a populated location.
Directional Antennas
If you live in a rural area, then a directional antenna will work best since the cause for a weak signal is typically distance. When you’re too far from the nearest tower, getting a strong signal becomes challenging. Directional antennas point towards the cellular tower and focus on strengthening that signal.
Like omnidirectional antennas, directional antennas also have some disadvantages. Understanding the pros and cons of each antenna ensures you pick what’s best. Directional antennas are more sensitive to frequency waves and need a clear path to the nearest tower. However, they have a more focused reception than omnidirectional antennas.
Indoor Antennas
Think about the area you want to cover as you look at the many indoor antennas for your home or commercial space.
While some indoor antennas rebroadcast a signal horizontally, others only cover a small space.
Often, large buildings require several indoor antennas for the best possible signal since more space is covered. You’ll also want to evaluate the indoor space as a room's shape could affect which indoor antenna you buy.
Dome Antennas
Dome antennas are ideal for small office buildings or apartments since they rebroadcast signals horizontally. They’re also omnidirectional and great for open areas. Before buying this antenna, keep in mind that you need access to the back of it. Because of this, most experts install it in attics or offices with removable ceiling tiles.
Panel Antennas
Panel antennas are another option for multi-floor buildings. Since they’re directional, they pull a strong signal. Another advantage to panel antennas is you don’t need access to the back of it. Remember that this antenna focuses on a single location—specifically long, narrow spaces.
Whip Antennas
If you’re looking to upgrade your car, truck, or RV, then a whip antenna works best; these also work great for home-usage. Whip antennas redistribute a cellular signal in a confined space.
If you’re buying this antenna for your vehicle, then the best outdoor antenna to pair it with is the omnidirectional antenna. This is great for cars because it searches 360-degrees as the vehicle moves.
How To Choose a Cable
Another important factor to consider when buying the right cellular signal booster is your cable. There are different coaxial cables for cell phone boosters. This cable runs from the outside antenna to the amplifier; it should be short. A shorter cable works best because it minimizes how far your signal travels. The longer the cable, the further a cellular signal must travel, and as a result, becomes weaker. The top cables include:
RG-6: Perfect for small homes but not commercial use.
RG-11: Ideal for homes and small offices.
SureCall 400: Great for large commercial buildings.
When you buy a cable, you typically want one with an ohm number, but evaluating your needs and researching your options is the best way of getting the proper cable. If you’re not sure what cable you need, an expert at SureCall Canada will happily assist you!
How To Install a Cellular Booster
When you buy a cellular booster for a home or commercial property, one of the first things you’ll need to do is walk around the property with your phone to find the area with the strongest signal. You can check your signal by going off the decibel reading which is in your phone settings. You may want to contact an installer for commercial properties so an expert can evaluate your signal strength.
Why Outside Signal Matters
Knowing the outside signal strength ensures you buy the best cellphone signal booster for your home, vehicle, or even rural areas. Experts recommend knowing this before you purchase an amplifier since you know exactly how weak the signal is. When you find the outdoor area with the strongest signal, you’ve found the location for the outside antenna.
SureCall Canada has cell phone signal boosters for offices, homes, and cars! Buy the booster that matches your needs so you never have to worry about another dropped call. As you shop for the perfect cellular signal booster, remember to carefully analyze your needs. Each booster and antenna best suits different needs. If you need help determining how to choose the right cell phone signal booster, contact a team member at SureCall Canada!
