8 Reasons why cell phone signals suddenly go bad

You’re sitting on your living room couch, walking around in a mall, or sitting in your car waiting for your kids to get out of school. You’re messaging or chatting on your cell phone, when suddenly your call drops or you can hardly hear the person on the other end.

Poor signal again?

You think to yourself, “I’ve got to change service providers.” Not so fast! Chances are your network provider is not at fault (well, not always).

Here are some of the reasons that contribute to poor signal:

1. Heavy Cellular Traffic

These days we’re doing a lot more with our phones. 80% percent of South Africans own a smartphone, and we have more handsets than people in our country (98.05 million mobile connections). Gone are the days when we were only using our cell phones to call and send text messages. Today our cellular devices are our lifeline to our family, friends and our livelihood.

We rely on them to take photos, send emails, edit documents, streaming video, games and apps. Our cell phones are working harder than ever before and they’re not just used for voice calling anymore.

This demand on both device and network is a contributor to dropped calls, and slower upload and download speeds. Look around next time you are waiting in a queue at the bank, sitting in the doctor’s waiting room or braving your local home affairs office. Chances are most of the people around you are doing the same thing as you - spending time on their cellular devices. 

All those devices are fighting for a space on the nearest cell tower. The more users linking to the same tower the weaker your signal becomes and you might drop your a call.

2. Building Material

Ever noticed that you have great signal outside and as soon as you enter a building your signal drops or that you need to stand near a window to get good signal.

That is because almost all building materials known to man are “signal killers”. 

Brick, concrete and steel are some of the worst culprits. Cell signals are required to connect to cellular devices and cannot penetrate these materials and therefore these “cellular” radio waves are deflected or distorted. Even glass, and particularly modern Low E-glass used for energy-efficiency will block your signal. 

Read more on the materials responsible here.

3. Low Battery

If you've forgotten to charge your phone battery, you may find yourself with poor signal when you need it most. Your phone needs energy to maintain a connection with a cell tower, and it may struggle when its battery is low.

We recommend adjusting your settings to see your battery power as a percentage, and not letting your battery drop below 25% to maintain optimal device connection with the cell tower.

4. Bad Weather & Cosmic Events 

Cellular devices transmit and receive electromagnetic waves, which can be affected directly by weather phenomenon such as humidity, heavy cloud cover, thunder, lightning, wind, rain and ice.

Eruptions on the surface of the sun send waves of gas into the atmosphere, and have been known to disrupt mobile phone communications. 

They can disrupt the signals sent to and from a satellite, and produce changes in the Earth’s magnetic field. Obviously, this does not bode well for your cellular signal.

5. Blocking Your Own Antenna

Take a minute and think about the first cellular phones you can remember . Sure, they were as big as shoe boxes, but they also had exterior antennas. The phones were heavy and unwieldy, but their signal was pretty consistent. That’s partly because of those exterior antennas. Today’s phones have antennas embedded inside the phone. If you’re not careful in the way you hold your phone, you can block the antenna, and lose your signal.

A cover on your device could also be blocking your signal, and if you have been struggling with getting reliable signal, try and remove your phone cover to see if it is blocking your signal.

Where exactly your embedded antenna is depends on your phone and model, but with a little bit of searching the web, and you should be able to find a user manual for your phone and the location of your antenna. Now that you know where it is, you should have no trouble avoiding this issue.

6. Mother Nature

Did you just go for a walk in a Pine Tree forest? The foilage can block cell signal and cause weak signal or dropped calls. If your home is surrounded by large trees with lots of leaves, these might be blocking your cellular reception.

7. Hills and Valleys

Geographic landscape is a common reason for poor cellular signal. Let’s say you live on one side of a mountain and your closest cell tower is on the other side of that mountain, chances are you won’t be getting good signal. Similarly, if your house is located inside a valley, you might struggle with getting good cellular reception. 

8. Signal From Your Service Provider

Do only phones on a specific network have bad signal? Ask someone that uses a different network to check their cellphone signal, if everyone is experiencing bad cellular reception it might be down to building material, however if only one mobile network provider has bad signal it might mean that there are no or not enough towers close by supporting your network.

The Solution - Bypass Obstruction and Amplify your Signal

A cell phone signal booster increases your weak signal up to 32 times, whether at home, in your car, or in a public place such as an office building.

Cellular signal boosters work by bypassing any materials that might be blocking your cellular signal using an antenna and cable to run signal to an amplifier which amplifies weak signal, and then rebroadcasts the stronger signal in your home through an indoor panel.

The results? Improved cellular reception. Faster internet. Better voice & data.

Features and benefits of using a cell phone booster:

• Works for all cell phones & cellular devices.
• Works for all cellular networks in South Africa.
• One-time purchase, no monthly fees.
• No need for wifi or any broadband connection.
• Easy intstall kits that come with all the parts.
• ICASA approved signal boosters

Below are the top signal booster models for increasing your phone's signal and service at home, your office, or your vehicle.

Best Value Home Solution - A500 Signal Booster Kit

• Most popular home and small office solution
• Better voice, text message & internet guaranteed
• Amplifies 2G, 3G & 4G LTE for buildings up to 500m²
• Works for all phones & networks. MTN, Cell C, Vodacom and Telkom
• Easy install kit with all parts included. ICASA Approved.

The WilsonPro A500 (50 Ohm) from Wilson Electronics is the most popular home and small office cell phone signal booster we currently offer.

It features automatic gain control with a self-optimizing design for easy installation & maintenance.

With up to +70 dB gain of power, it greatly enhances cell service for all of your wireless cellular devices (smartphones, tablets, notebooks, hotspots, etc.) on any network in South Africa. 

The average home size in South Africa is around 250m². Under absolute best conditions, the WilsonPro A500 covers up to 500m² with great outside signal and an open-spaced layout home.

Awesome option for most homes, small offices, farmhouses, and buildings under 500m². If you're getting some spotty reception, we'd recommend to start with this first since this tends to be the Goldilocks or "just right" model.

Only at Bolton Technical

• FREE Delivery to Major South African cities, R500 Minimum Purchase.
• 30 Day money back guarantee. No questions asked.
• 1-Year Warranty.

Most Powerful & Best Commercial Solution - A1000 Signal Booster Kit

• Most popular large office and building booster
• Better talk, text & internet guaranteed
• Boost 3G & 4G LTE for buildings up to 1,000m²
• Works for all phones & carriers. MTN, Cell C, Vodacom and Telkom
• Complete kit: all parts included, easy install. ICASA Approved.

Our Review:

The Wilson Pro A1000 (50 Ohm) from Wilson Electronics is the most popular commercial cell phone signal booster offered in South Africa. It features automatic gain control with a self-optimizing design for easy installation & maintenance. 

With up to +74 dB gain of power, it greatly enhances 4G LTE and 3G cell service for all your wireless cellular devices (smartphones, tablets, notebooks, hotspots, etc.) on any network in South Africa. 

Best case scenarios can expect coverage up to 1,000m² More likely results can at least expect 550-750m2 even with below average outside signal. 

If you have extremely poor signal (remote area) or need wide coverage for a 1,000m² building or a warehouse, the Wilson Pro A1000 is your new best friend.

Only at Bolton Technical

• FREE Delivery to Major South African cities, R500 Minimum Purchase.
• 30 Day money back guarantee. No questions asked.
• 1-Year Warranty.

Best Small Area / Vehicle Solution - AM100-Pro Signal Booster Kit

• High-powered range: Up to +50 dB gain for 32X stronger signal.
• Multi-user Dual Solution: Boosts signal for multiple users in a vehicle or 

Our Review:

The WeBoost Drive AM100-Pro is a nice affordable option if you're on a budget and only need spot coverage.

Depending on the outside signal, you may get 1-2 room coverage under best conditions. But you're not here because of best conditions, so it's more realistic to say desktop to small room coverage (about 35 to 50m2).

Most customers have told us they're much closer to the inside antenna than anticipated for better signal. Great option for single office, home office and small areas like apartments. Good starter kit if you have decent outside signal but doesn't cover the whole home and not a strong performer in rural or secluded areas with poor signal.

E-mail us to get free consultation and advice, OR if you have any questions or comments.

Our trained, South-African based customer support is available on +27 11 749 3085. Call and get the signal you deserve!