why you have bad mobile signal

Why Is Your Mobile Signal Letting You Down?

It’s incredibly irritating to deal with bad mobile signals, frequent call drops, and painfully slow, choppy data connectivity. Before exploring the solutions to overcome this, you must first understand why all this is happening to you when you are paying your phone bills on time. Often, the problem boils down to “no signal found for mobile networks” despite all efforts to stay connected.

Well, there are three primary causes of weak mobile signals:

  • Your distance from the nearest mobile phone tower
  • Obstacles blocking the cellular signal’s path
  • Construction materials in the exterior of your building

These are some of the causes that we will be looking at in this article, explaining how they manage to work in affecting your connectivity. Moreover, it will guide you through effective solutions to help you stay connected to a strong and reliable signal from any location.

No Signal Found for Mobile Networks? Could Be Tower Distance!

Cell tower locations in New Zealand for improved mobile coverage.

Cellular signal broadcasts from towers that your carrier installs (such as Vodafone, 2degrees, Spark, etc.). The closer you are to a tower, the stronger your signal. But as you move farther from the tower, signal strength starts to drop. This process is known as attenuation. Eventually, the signal can get too weak to hold a call or transfer data smoothly.

One of the most common reasons for a weak mobile signal is simply being too far from a tower. Especially in rural or remote areas. Knowing cell tower locations in NZ can help you understand coverage in your area and pinpoint where signals might improve. Accordingly, if you’re looking for ways to enhance your signal in both city and rural areas, check out our short guide on improving mobile signals for better coverage.

And for those on Vodafone, finding ways to strengthen your signal can ensure steady service in areas with weak coverage. This can make all the difference, improving your connection quality where you need it most. But if Spark is your carrier, you can revive your coverage with these powerful strategies. These strategies will ensure you stay connected wherever you go without interruptions. On the other hand, 2degrees users can also benefit from a signal repeater to overcome weak connections in hard-to-reach areas. This guide covers how signal boosters can transform your weak 2degrees signal into reliable coverage, no matter where you are.

Might Be the Obstacles in the Way

Obstacles like mountains blocking signal

The second major cause of poor cellular signal is the presence of obstacles between you and the nearest cell tower. Mountains, hills, or even buildings can interfere with mobile signal connectivity. If you’re deep in a valley or underground, there might be no signal found for mobile networks. And that’s because there’s no direct line of sight to a nearby tower.

Large obstacles typically block mobile signals, making it difficult for the signal to reach you directly. Instead, the signal might reflect off nearby hills or buildings, arriving indirectly but with weaker, unstable reception. This fluctuation often leads to dropped connections or no signal at all in certain spots. Besides, areas with heavy urban development or natural barriers make the signal strength very poor, thus inflicting frustrating gaps in coverage.

Construction Materials

Materials like brick and concrete block mobile service

The last major cause of cellular signal problems is the construction materials in the building you’re in. Materials like brick, concrete, sheet metal, and wire mesh are notorious for blocking mobile service. Additionally, energy-efficient window coatings, tile or metal roofs, and certain water fixtures can create major signal issues.

If you notice that your cellular signal is usable outside but drops significantly once you step inside, construction materials are likely the primary culprit behind this problem.

See our thorough guide to gain a deeper understanding of the elements that may interfere with your signal. Common problems that result in no mobile coverage are discussed, along with how they affect your phone’s connection.

Combinations of Causes

Unfortunately, these causes of bad mobile signals often work in combination. For example, you might find a rural house with a weak outside signal and sheet metal walls that completely block the signal from entering the building. Alternatively, a house in a valley may lack a clear line of sight to the nearest mobile tower, with no other nearby towers available to receive a signal.

When we’re looking at solutions to solve your mobile phone signal issues, it’s good to have an idea of what combination of causes is creating the problem that you’re facing. This helps ensure that the right solution is put into place.

What is the Solution to Bad Signals?

No signal found for mobile networks

Thanks to technology, mobile coverage boosters are now available to turn weak signals from cellular towers into a stronger connection inside your home or building. These have literally become lifesavers for those who have to live and work in areas with poor reception. It cuts them off from others and allows no connectivity with the world.

Now, if you’re wondering what these mobile coverage booster devices are, we’ll answer that question in this post. We’ll also explain how they work to enhance weak mobile signals, turning them into stronger ones.

What are Mobile Coverage Boosters?

Phone Mobile Booster for Home Usage

Mobile signal boosters are small, easy-to-install devices that are legally installed to enhance signal reception at residences and offices. These devices capture weak signals from cellular towers with an external antenna, amplify them, and rebroadcast them indoors using an internal antenna. This setup ensures a stronger, more reliable mobile signal. If you are wondering whether mobile boosters are legal to use in New Zealand, make sure you read our article. It covers the legality of signal boosters and how they make sure locals do not break any laws.

Mobile signal boosters are also known as coverage boosters or signal repeaters. They surely come in many types. You can choose a mobile coverage booster based on the area that needs coverage, your mobile carrier, or the frequency you use. For instance, single-band boosters increase one frequency, while there are those for carriers like Vodafone, Spark, and 2degrees. More significantly, it is crucial to be able to understand the importance of mobile signal boosters in emergency cases. This is especially true when your purpose requires a strong, uninterrupted connection.

Meanwhile, dual-band boosters also support 3G and 4G signals of popular networks such as Vodafone, Spark, and 2degrees. Five-band boosters amplify all signal types: 3G, 4G, and 5G across any mobile network. And since 5G use is increasingly important, investing in a 5G signal booster will keep you ahead with fast, reliable coverage.

How Does a Mobile Coverage Booster Help?

Antenna gain

As stated above, a mobile coverage booster is developed to cater to three major causes of poor mobile phone signals, namely,

  • Distance from the Cell Tower: It amplifies weak mobile signals outside to and from nearby towers. This compensates for distance problems when no signal is found for mobile networks.
  • Obstacles in the Way: Using either an omni outdoor antenna or the Yagi antenna, it can broadcast a strong mobile signal in all directions. This ensures any obstacle does not block the signal. Which also increases the chances that it can bypass an obstacle.
  • Building Materials: The quality cable inside the booster routes the cellular signals around construction materials. These materials often block the cellular signals before the distribution of coverage to places needing better reception.

The mobile coverage booster will solve the problems in service if there is a usable cellular signal outside. Plus, it will make sure you get better service inside your house, office, or even car.

When choosing a mobile coverage booster, your provider and the area you want to cover matter. Additionally, mobile coverage boosters work both ways. When you make a call or use data, the boosted signal goes through the system. It gets further amplified and effectively reaches the nearest mobile towers. Learn about the many types of signal boosters, including frequency, carrier, and range, in this comprehensive guide. This will assist you in comprehending how each booster might improve your connectivity for a signal that is more dependable.

Stronger Signals, Wider Coverage

So, the way cell phone signal boosters work is very important, as the outside signal strength is also an important factor in the type of coverage you will get.

If your outside signal is weak, then a mobile coverage booster will also provide limited coverage. In contrast, the greater the outside signal, the increased inside home, business, or vehicle coverage area.

If you happen to have a weak outside cellular signal, you might want to consider buying a booster that has a much stronger amplifier for wider coverage.

That is why you will need to know your current outside cellular signal strength. With such information, you will be able to identify the correct size that will adequately cover your space. You might even install more than one system for bigger areas. To see a step-by-step breakdown of how you can install your mobile booster, make sure to check out the guide on installation where we walk you through the entire process of how you get your booster up and running.

You may even use a phone coverage map for NZ to assess the strengths of the signal in your area. This guidance saves you time and money by directing you to the best product for cellular signal coverage in your home or office. To make sure you’re on the right track, check out our article on the easiest way to check signal strength. Experience the difference and shop with us today!

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