Best Cell Phone Signal Booster for Rural & Remote Areas – Reviews
We all the need the ability to talk to our loved ones from a cell phone. However, if you are living in a rural or remote area, you may face call drops due to the bad cell phone reception.
It can be very frustrating when you are not able to reply to a message. It’s even more frustrating when you cannot speak to your loved ones during an important conversation.
Living in a rural area does not mean you need to sacrifice family talk time. If you are working from home, you will find it equally painful to not have a proper conversation or slow browsing speeds.
There are a few ways to improve cell phone signal, but one of the easiest is to use a cell phone signal booster. It is not the most economical solution, but if you are looking to avoid call drops and have better browsing speeds, then this review of cell phone signal boosters will provide you with answers.
Table of Contents
How does a Cell Phone Signal Booster work?
A Cell Phone Signal Booster kit consists of the following:
- Outdoor antenna
- Indoor antenna
- Signal amplifier
A simple way to define how the booster works are as follows:
An outside antenna receives a signal from a cellular tower, sends the signal to an amplifier that transmits the boosted signal through an antenna inside your house.
The outdoor antenna, as the name suggests is placed outdoor. Usually near a window or on the rooftop. The antenna should be placed in an area when the cell signal is the strongest. The outdoor antenna communicates to the cell tower of your carrier.
The indoor antenna is placed inside the house and communicates with your cellular device. These are typically placed in the centre of the house or office.
Cell phone boosters take weak outside signals, reduce noise and interference, and rebroadcast them inside at a higher strength. It also works in the reverse direction when your call needs to be broadcast to the cell tower.
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To boost cell phone signal in rural or remote areas, this is our recommended cell phone signal booster.
While SureCall Fusion4Home manufactures various types of boosters, this is the best one that they provide.
The booster can amplify signals up to 3,000 square feet, based on the signal strength outside the house.
It boosts the signal for all North American cell phone carriers. So you do not have to worry if you change your carrier in the future.
Get yourself this best signal booster. We are optimistic you won’t regret this decision.
Best Cell Phone Signal Booster Reviews
There are many cell phone boosters available at a wide range of prices. Some do come at a premium and are meant for commercial use. In this section, you will find boosters that are meant to improve the signal strength for your home.
We have reviewed some of the best signal boosters. We use our unique crowdsourcing method to identify the right product for you. Without wasting much time, let’s get into our top 5 cell phone signal boosters.
1. SureCall Fusion4Home Yagi/Whip
The Fusion4Home Signal Booster from Surecall boosts cell phone signal at home or office for up to 3,000 sq feet.
While Surecall manufactures multiple versions of boosters, to amplify your signal in rural or remote areas, this is the one we recommend.
This well-built device boosts 4G LTE along with Voice and Text signal for all cell carriers in North America. It also supports all the common cellular standards. So if a better cell carrier comes your way, you can still improve the quality of the signal.
It also supports up to 5 different users simultaneously. The booster can amplify signals for up to 4 rooms in your home.
- Test to provide at least 3 bars where the outside signal is 1 bar
- Quick installation or you can use Snap Install service at a cost
- Could distinguish between AT&T and Verizon operating in the same band, to boost signals from both carriers
- Can provide a signal of -76 db in front of the antenna
- Supports all North American cell carriers and cellular standards
- Amazing signal if you are living in the sticks
- Performance can be impacted if you are living in a metal building
- Reception can be a little low in some spots
2. weBoost Connect 4G 470103 Indoor Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home and Office
For many reviewers, this signal booster is probably their number 1 choice. However, due to the heavy cost associated with it, we deciced to assign it the number 2 position.
If cost is not a great concern for you, then you should buy this WeBoost signal booster for enhanced cell phone signal.
All WeBoost boosters come with a patented automatic gain control which automatically enhances the signal. The automatic gain control tones down the booster rather than turning it off, if you have a strong outdoor signal.
The weBoost Connect 4G 470103 can boost 4G LTE and 3G signal up to 32 times for fewer dropped calls. It also works with all major US carriers.
The device can boost the signal up to 5,000 sq feet based on the strength of the outdoor signal. Your mileage may vary though, so take note of this feature.
- Known to increase 3 bars of outdoor signal to 5 bars indoors
- Excellent support from the technicians at WeBoost
- Compatible with all US carriers including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, Straight Talk, U.S. Cellular
- Helps prolong your cell phone battery life
- The reception drops off rapidly once you move away from the antenna
- Installation is not the easiest and the included instructions are not very helpful
- Expensive when compared to the other options in this review
3. SolidRF Five Bands BuildingForce 4G Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home and Office
SolidRF is a Canadian based company that builds many types of signal boosters. The one that we reviewed for this roundup is the Five Bands BuildingForce 4G Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home and Office. We initially went for a lower version from SolidRF. However, once we noted some of the features lacking, we decided to review the BuildingForce 4G model instead.
This device is compatible with all the cellular carriers in the USA. It boosts the signal for voice and data simultaneously. And, it also supports multiple users at the same time.
You can receive an enhanced signal of up to 72 times the reception that you receive outdoors. The BuildingForce 4G boost can cover an area of up to 6,000 sq ft. The device is known to have improved reception in a rural home which is 1,500 feet from the main road.
As you are probably aware, with a better quality of signal, the battery life of the cell phone improves. Additionally, with improving signal strength, you video chat with your loved ones or office colleagues with clear images and sound.
- Installation is easy
- Can boost signal strength on hills
- Supports all North American cell carriers and cellular standards
- Responsive customer care team, to resolve your queries promptly
- Can work up to 6,000 sq feet
- Can be troublesome when installing the antenna
- Is relatively expensive
4. Phonetone Cell Signal Booster Band 5 Cell Phone Signal Booster for Home with Panel Antenna and Outdoor Yagi Antenna
The Phonetone Signal Booster is one of the most economical boosters in this review roundup.
The signal booster from Phonetone is meant only for the cell phones that work on Band 5.
It is compatible with all US Carriers, but you need to be aware of the band that it works on. On an iPhone device you can check the band it uses by performing the following:
Dial *3001#12345#*, then press Call button;
Click ‘Serving Cell Info’;
Check ‘Freq Band Indicator’ to see if its a Band 5.
The booster can serve up to 3,000 sq ft and can support up to 50 simultaneous users. You may not need this feature for your house. It could be a good consideration for an office in a remote area. This version of the device does not support the boosting of 4G signal. You can choose a higher-end model which will amplify the 4G signal too.
The booster is easy to install and setup. It has an excellent design too. It is however meant for small houses, although it claims are for larger coverage.
- Economically priced
- Easy to install
- Works even if you have a metal roof
- Attractive designs
- Pediatricians and parents choice
- Limited to operate with Band 5 cell phones only
- This model does not boost data. You can check out better models from the manufacturer
5. zBoost ZB545 SOHO Dual Band Cell Phone Signal Booster
The zBoost Signal Booster can extend the coverage up to 2,500 square feet in your home or office. It is meant for small houses, as the signal will drop after a certain range. It supports multiple users simultaneously.
The booster device works only with 800 & 1900 MHz frequencies from all major American carriers. One notable carrier that it does not support is Nextel.
The zBoost Signal Booster does not amplify 4G signal, so be aware of this before you buy this booster.
The booster claims to provide a boost of up to 64 dB.
- Can boost signal from 2 bars to 5 bars
- Easy to install the antennas
- Works well even in a house with a metal roof
- Some devices were known to not work out of the box
- Does not last for long. Maybe one to two years
- Can turn-off intermittently, which means you need to restart it
Buying Guide
Now that you have read a review of 5 of the best cell phone signal booster devices, you might be curious to know how to decide which one to get.
Below is a buying guide that will help you decide on the booster device for you.
Support For Multiple Devices
Most of the cell phone boosters that are available nowadays are able to support multiple devices. So, if you have a family with your or you wish to use it at your office, you will need to consider support for multiple devices.
Boosters that work for a single device are rare to find. They do cost a little less though. So its for you to decide which one you need.
Support for One Cellular Carrier Or Multiple Carriers
The devices that we reviewed work with multiple carriers. You can still find single carrier support boosters. These work for a single network like AT&T or Verizon. Since boosters are typically expensive devices, you should consider support or multiple carriers. This will give you the flexibility to change carriers if you are not happy with their service.
Area Coverage
This depends on the size of your house in the hills or your office. If the space that you need to cover with the signal booster is about 2,000 square feet, there is no need to look for a booster that supports 6,000 square feet.
Boosters that provide coverage for larger areas are more expensive.
FAQs
Why does a Cellular Signal become weak?
If you are living in an urban area, you would probably not expect dead zones, i.e. areas where a cellular signal does not exist. However, you know for a fact that you come across dead zones. One of the primary reason for this is the material used in buildings.
Most of the material that we use in buildings like metal, concrete, steel, are known to prevent the reach of a cellular signal. Even glass windows can weaken the signal.
You also need to be aware that the number of cell phone users is increasing regularly. This adds to the congestion on the cellular tower.
In rural or remote areas, we all expect cellular signals to be weaker, naturally. This is because the carriers do not typically have their large tower antennas close to where you stay. The further apart the tower antennas are spaced, the signal is weaker. The technology used in these antennas are also not always upgraded regularly.
These are some of the factors that weaken cellular strength at any given location.
Here is the list of US metros and how they perform for cell signals.
How do I check my cell phone signal strength on iPhone?
To confirm that you are facing issues due to your signal strength, it is important to measure the current signal you receive.
If you want to measure the signal strength in your area, you can use the field test mode on your iPhone. In this mode, you will obtain signal strength readings in decibels (dB) instead of the bars that you are familiar with. Signal strength in decibels is a measured on a negative scale. On your iPhone, you will not see a negative sign though. A -80dB signal is much better than a -90dB signal.
In order to get to the field test mode on the iPhone, here are the steps:
- From your phone dialer, enter the following code:
- *3001#12345#*
- You should the main Field Test menu. In there, select “LTE”.
- On the next menu page, select “Serving Cell Meas”.
- Look at the numbers next to rsrp0 and rsrp1.
Note: RSRP means Reference Signal Received Power. The one with 0 is the signal of the tower you are connected to and the one with 1 is the closed backup tower.
Anything positive than -90 is considered an excellent signal. So, if you have -100 signal, then you are worse than -90.
How can I boost my Cell Phone Signal?
There are many ways to boost the cell phone signal. The most effective way is to use a Cell Phone Signal Booster. However, the other ways are:
Clear out interferences
If possible, you can remove objects that weaken your signal. One possible way is to remove metal objects in your area.
You can also stay close to an open window when you need to use the cell phone.
Use your cell phone at proper power to the battery
Cell phones that are running on low battery are programmed to minimize highly intensive tasks. One such task is finding the strongest signal. The cell phone should be charged so that it does not reach the low battery level.
Change your Cellular Provider
Not the easiest option, but you can find a cellular provider that has better coverage of your area. Some cellular providers work well in some rural or remote areas. If you are not on them and they are economical, change your cell carrier.
Conclusion
We are living in the times of the smartphones. Over 95 percent of adults in North America (the USA and Canada) have a cell phone of some type.
Our lifestyle is now driven by cell phones. The phones are used to text, chat, call, surf the Internet and watch videos.
By now, you should have identified your choice for the best cell phone signal booster for rural or remote areas. In case you did not, let us know in the comments section. You should now wave goodbye to unwanted call drops or slow data speeds.
You can also read our review of the Best Outdoor TV Antenna for Rural Areas.
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