How to Boost a Weak Mobile Network | Falcon Security Systems

Diagnosing weak signal before spending money

Before buying anything, find out what problem you actually have. "Weak signal" covers at least three different situations with three different solutions, and the wrong purchase fixes none of them.

Check the signal in dBm rather than bars — every phone can show this in its settings or a field test mode. Roughly speaking, better than -85 dBm is good, -95 to -105 dBm is marginal, and worse than -110 dBm is effectively unusable. Bars are a marketing indicator; dBm is a measurement you can act on.

Then walk the building and note where it changes. If signal is fine outside and poor throughout the interior, the building fabric is the problem and a booster is the right answer. If it is poor outside as well, you are far from the mast and a booster will have little to amplify — an external directional antenna aimed at the nearest mast is the better path.

If signal is good but data is slow only at certain times, you do not have a coverage problem at all — you have a congestion problem, and no booster will fix it. In that case a fixed internet connection with Wi-Fi calling solves it properly.

Measure before you buy

• Read signal in dBm, not bars
• Compare outside, at a window, and in the affected area
• Note whether the problem is calls, data, or both
• Note whether it is constant or only at busy times
• Identify which network each affected user is on