From the late 1990s through the 2000s, cell phone use went from being uncommon to a household reality. Despite the tremendous growth in cell phone use and service, there are still many places with limited service, and even in heavily populated urban areas, it’s common for people to lose service when traveling through tunnels or through areas with lots of tall buildings.

With the increased reliance on cell phones (and many jobs requiring that you stay connected), both businesses and individuals may opt to use a cell phone signal booster in order to improve or maintain their connection.

How to boost signal

When shopping for a wireless carrier, a common selling point you’ll see is their coverage area. By touting “97 percent coverage nationwide”, they’re trying to entice consumers with the assurance that their services are reliable almost anywhere you go.

Although having a tower is the first step in accessing cell phone service, it is only one of a number of factors. Even with a cell tower close by, you may have coverage issues. This is because both geographical and man-made formations can cause signals to drop, bounce, or weaken.

In the event that you have recurring issues with dropped calls and a poor connection, you can invest in a cell phone signal booster. What signal boosters do is amplify existing signals to increase their strength and improve the signal quality.

This means that people who may live or work in low-lying areas or neighborhoods densely populated with tall structures don’t have to accept the limits of the signals that reach them from nearby towers.

Where to boost signal

Boosting your cell signal may be necessary in several different locations, for a number of reasons.

On the road: Portable signal boosters are available that will keep you connected when driving. This is ideal for people who work on the road, because they will not find themselves in situations where they can’t reach their office due to poor cell service.

Truck drivers and delivery men aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from portable signal boosters. A portable signal booster can be installed in an RV so that travelers can be confident that they’ll have reliable cell service while away from home. In the event that a person is camping, they can also take advantage of the benefits of portable signal boosters to stay connected.

At home: There are a number of reasons why people want to have reliable cell service at home. Some people have home-based offices and an increasing number of people work from home. It’s also common for people to rely fully on their cell phone and have no landline installed.

Due to the strong demand for cell service at home, people who live in areas that have weak signal can turn to cell phone signal boosters to strengthen their home-based coverage. This strategy ensures that weak reception doesn’t have to be a deterrent for moving to a location that would otherwise be ideal.

At work: Many workplaces rely on cell phones. Workers may move from place to place throughout a large facility. In some cases, cell phones may be needed to supplement internet access to access information quickly, particularly if there is limited computer access on site.

In factories or other workplaces that can have a lot of noise, workers may also rely on being able to take their cell phone to a quiet area in order to place or receive work-related calls. Prospective business partners or investors touring your facility may also want to place calls during their visit.

The ability to make and maintain work calls can make the difference between gaining a client or losing them. These are reasons why business owners who find that their location receives weak cell service may benefit from investing in a signal booster. It ensures that everyone on site has access to reliable cell coverage.