By Philip C.
Have you ever been in a situation where you phone has lost almost all reception and you are expecting an important call and text? Your first impulse would probably be to try to lift your phone up into the air hoping that you get a better signal. Is that really the best course of action though? Find out more in this interesting article!
[Scroll down for the direct answer!]
How do mobile signals work
To begin to understand how mobile signals work, we must first understand how a mobile phone works. A mobile phone is essentially a two-way radio, consisting of a radio transmitter and a radio receiver. When you speak into a phone, the phone converts your voice into an electrical signal, which is then transmitted via radio waves to the nearest cell tower. The network of cell towers then relays the radio wave to the other party’s phone, which converts it to an electrical signal and then back to sound again.
The Antenna
Mobile phones contain at least one radio antenna in order to transmit or receive radio signals. Some cell phones use only one antenna as the transmitter and receiver while others, such as the iPhone, have multiple transmitting or receiving antennas.
An antenna is a metallic element (such as copper) engineered to be a specific size and shape for transmitting and receiving specific frequencies of radio waves. While older generation cell phones have external or extractable antennas, modern cell phones contain more compact antennas inside the device thanks to advanced antenna technologies.
It’s important to understand that any metallic components in the device (such as the circuit board and the metal frame for the iPhone) can interact with the transmission antenna(s) and contribute to the pattern of the transmitted signal. Many modern smart phones also contain more than one type of antenna. In addition to the cellular antenna, they may also have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and/or GPS antennas.
Connectivity
As mentioned earlier, a mobile phone is a two-way wireless communication device and needs both the inbound signal (reception) and the outbound signal (transmission) to work. The magnitude of the received signal from the cell tower is called the “signal strength”, which is commonly indicated by the “bars” on your phone. The connectivity between a phone and its cellular network depends on both signals and is affected by many factors, such as the distance between the phone and the nearest cell tower, the number of impediments between them and the wireless technology (e.g. GSM vs. CDMA). A poor reception (fewer bars) normally indicates a long distance and/or much signal interruption between the cell phone and the cell tower.
An interesting point to note: In order to conserve battery life, a phone will vary the strength of its transmitted signal and use only the minimum necessary to communicate with the nearest cell tower. When your phone has poor connectivity, it transmits a stronger signal in order to connect to the tower, and as a result your battery drains faster. That’s why good connectivity not only reduces dropped calls, but also saves battery life.
So does lifting up my phone help increase signal strength?
The short answer is: Maybe. Signal strength depends on many different factors, and while lifting up your phone might help, it is not a guarantee. If you are stuck in the MRT while it is underground, you will not get reception no matter how high you lift your phone up in to the air.
However, fret not, as we are here to share some tips on how to improve your signal strength in times of need!
1. Find out your signal strength.
Firstly, it is important to find out how strong your signal actually is.
While the bars on mobile phones are designed to give an idea of signal strength, they are not consistent across handsets. iPhones can find out what the actual signal is by dialling the code *3001#12345#*. This takes the phone into a hidden ‘field test’ mode. The actual signal strength measured in decibel-milliwatts (dBm) will be shown on the top left where the bars were. For those with an Android phone, look for the ‘signal strength indicator’ in settings. The higher the dBm number the better the signal – for good conversations it should be somewhere above -100dBm as below that number signals become patchy and calls can fail.
2. Make a signal map
Using your phone’s signal strength, walk around your house to look for the areas with the strongest signal. This can help you identify the areas that give the best reception.
3. Open a window
The walls and the insulation they contain can block signals from nearby network towers and prevent your phone from communicating with it effectively. By opening a window, you can increase the strength of the signal reaching your phone.
4. Find your nearest network tower
The closer you are to one, the stronger your signal. However, mobile phones do not necessarily connect to the nearest tower. You can use this link to find the nearest network tower that your carrier has to you. With this, you can try to ensure that your phone is pointing in the right direction towards the tower you are connected to.
5. Elevate your phone
Yes, lifting your phone up can help, although not with just the height you get from your arm. Getting the best signal from the tower your mobile is communicating with requires an unimpeded line of sight. The higher you are, the less there is in the way to block to signal so going upstairs to make phone calls can make the signal better. If you combine this with going to the side of the building closest to the tower and opening the nearest window, you may get enough signal to have an uninterrupted conversation.
6. Reset the connection
Mobile phones do not always connect to the closest cell tower, instead maintaining connection with a more distant one to prevent jumping from tower to tower. By resetting the link between the phone and the towers, however, it can often cause the phone to reconnect to a closer mast.
To get your phone to restart its connection, you can either turn your phone into flight mode for a few seconds or restart the device.
7. Use Wi-Fi calling
If you are at home, the chances are you will probably have a Wi-Fi router connected to a broadband connection. Most smartphones now allow users to send messages and make calls over Wi-Fi, so turning on this feature can defeat patchy mobile phone signals.
8. Change your grip
Some models of Apple's iPhone have been heavily criticised for their patchy reception and the company even admitted the way people hold their phones can influence the signal. The best solution is to work out where your phone's antenna is located and avoid gripping that part of the phone. Simply adjusting your grip in a bad call may improve the signal. Alternatively, try using a hands-free headset or earphones so you can avoid having to grip your phone around the antenna at all.
9. Switch providers
For some householders, the problem may lie with the mobile phone network they are using. Some providers have better coverage than others.
By looking at coverage maps found in this link, it is possible to see which network will work best for you. So there you go, it is a fact that lifting your phone can help improve reception, although it might not work most of the time! And also, with the 9 tips we provided on how to boost your mobile phone’s reception, you can avoid looking foolish in public while looking for a good signal! Are there any other tips we have missed out? Let us know in the comments section below! For more great articles, news and content, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, and like our Facebook Page!
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