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Cell Phone Coverage Dead Zone(s) in your Retail Store?

May 24, 2018

Cell Phone Coverage Dead Zone(s) in your Retail Store?

Most of us at one time or another have encountered the problem of "cell phone coverage dead zones" when using our cell phones. Besides being extremely annoying, cell phone dead zone in your house or store can also be life-threatening if we're unable to seek help for ourselves or someone else in an emergency situation.

This is especially critical in businesses because it also becomes a liability for the business during instances of medical emergency or armed robbery. It may also be problematic in retail stores during instances of shoplifting or merely when potential customers cannot make a call to ask their parents or family to help make a decision about a purchase.

The problem can similarly occur in vehicles. A poor mobile reception can lead to major inconveniences such as inability to call for help in case the vehicle experiences mechanical problem. This can especially become serious situation if on an isolated road or a highway in one of the many areas across the country.

One solution is to buy phone booster to solve the problem.

What exactly is considered a "Cellular Dead Zone"?

A dead zone occurs when you're not able to use your network provider's service to send a text, search the web, use an app, or make a phone call because you can't access a cell phone signal. This can occur when entering a retail store, a large office building, in a room of an office, riding the subway, driving through a tunnel, or driving into a parking garage. Therefore, dead zones are certainly not a phenomenon that only occur in remote or rural areas.

What Causes Cell Dead Zones?

There're many reasons why dead zones exist, where people experience dropped calls, slow download speeds, or they simply can't get online. Other than in remote areas there's certainly no shortage of cell towers, but there're other factors that prevent radio frequency cellular signals from being able to reach your mobile device. Dead zones are those areas where something is located between your mobile device and the nearest cell tower. It is in these areas that mobile devices are unable to access a signal that is strong enough to operate effectively on a cellular network.

The following are examples of obstacles that create wireless dead zones.

  • Building construction materials, such as concrete, brick, and steel.
  • Distance from cell towers.
  • Severe weather conditions, such as fog and storms.
  • Glass and metal in vehicles.
  • Geographic or natural elements such as hills, mountains, trees and other vegetation.

Perhaps the first step to avoiding potential dead zones is to ensure you choose a provider who offers effective coverage in your area. This is particularly true if you live in a rural or remote location. This can be done by checking the provider's coverage map. Keep in mind that, even though your provider might offer effective coverage in your area, there could potentially be dead spots in certain areas of your home, such as a basement or home theatre, where little or no cell reception is available.

Using a Signal Booster to Resolve the Problem of Dead Zones.

Cell phone signal boosters have been designed to amplify a weak existing cell signal to provide users with reliable cell signal in their business, home, or vehicle. The cell phone signal booster amplifies signal being sent to, and from your cell phone to the nearest tower. The signal booster comprises of an outside antenna (also known as a donor antenna), a signal amplifier (or booster), and an indoor antenna. Coaxial cables connect the amplifier to the donor antenna and indoor antenna.

Installing a cell phone signal booster will boost your cell phone reception, enabling you to use your cell phone and other devices wherever and whenever you wish.

Types of Cell Phone Signal Boosters to Resolve Connectivity Issues.

Cell phone signal boosters have been designed to counteract issues that affect access to reliable cell signal, thus improving reception and the 2G, 3G, and 4G LTE signal. There're three kinds of signal boosters available: In-Vehicle Signal Boosters for cars & trucks, Residential Signal Boosters for homes & apartments, and Commercial Signal Boosters for retail stores & office buildings including their underground parking garages. In-vehicle and residential boosters are ready-to-install using instructions provided by end-users, but commercial boosters require professional design and installation by certified installers.

If your cell phone signal is poor or even non-existent in certain parts of your home or office, a cell phone signal booster could well resolve your connectivity issues. Many cell phone users suffer from dropped calls or dead zones in specific parts of their office or home, which can be very annoying if it is an area of your home or business where you spend a significant amount of time. A cell phone signal booster will resolve the issue of little or no signal coverage, reducing the annoyance of dropped calls or dead zones.

As stated above, there're a range of cellphone signal boosters available for purchase from both online and physical retailers. Depending on various factors, a signal booster price can range from $5 to thousands of dollars.

How Cell Phone Signal Boosters Work.

Signal boosters amplify the cell phone signal being sent to, and from your cell phone to the nearest tower. Signal boosters to be used in buildings like a business or home have been designed to be installed in one location and provide signal coverage to the inner area of a building.

A powerful antenna (donor antenna) is mounted on outside of a building, typically on the roof or outside a window, and this antenna receives a signal from the nearest tower. This signal is passed via a low-loss (coaxial) cable to an amplifier, or booster, located within the building. The signal is boosted by the amplifier and then passed via a cable to one or more-than-one internal antennas, which broadcast the boosted signal to the specific areas of the building that require coverage.

The booster then works in reverse, by receiving your phone's signal, amplifying it, then using the outside antenna to broadcast it back to the closest cell tower. In this manner, a signal booster system can improve cellphone reception within all interior spaces.

The Difference between Omni and Directional Antenna.

When browsing signal booster kits, you may notice that some boosting kits have omni directional antenna(s) and some have directional antenna(s). Many customers are confused about the difference between Omni antenna and Directional antenna (also known as Yagi antenna), so let us discuss how they work and which one to choose for your specific needs.

Omni directional antennas.

This type exterior or donor antenna is usually referred to, as "omni antenna". However it can also be an interior or broadcast antenna which is usually referred to, as "dome antenna". Omni antennas are typically used in corporate offices because of their ability to pull signal from a 360° field. This is ideal when boosting multiple carriers who have cell towers spread out in various locations and directions. Another important factor to determine whether these're suitable is that the signal strength needs to be good at the spot where installed. The reason for this being the fact that these're not as powerful as directional antennas which we will discuss next.

Directional antennas.

This type exterior or donor antenna is usually referred to, as "yagi antenna", "log periodic antenna", "log-periodic dipole array antenna", or simply "LPDA antenna". However it can also be an interior or broadcast antenna which is usually referred to, as "panel antenna". Yagi antennas pull signal from a 45° to 90° directional field, which makes them more specialised performers. They’re able to reach further than an Omni antenna and pull in more signal because of their ability to focus on a narrower field in one direction. The downside is that the Yagi antenna typically boosts only one carrier cell tower towards which it is pointed, unless other carriers are also within that directional field. The result is that Yagi antenna work very effectively for users in rural and remote areas.

Both external Omni ("omnidirectional") and Yagi ("unidirectional" or simply "directional") are outside antennas that bring in an existing signal ready to be boosted by an amplifier. Both internal Dome and Panel antennas broadcast boosted signal received from amplifier indoors.

In Conclusion.

If you or your customers/clients are experiencing dropped calls or inability to make a call using a cell phone, try our 10 tips to improve signal without signal booster. The problem of not being able to make cell phone call due to no bars or no service can be fixed for good! If those tips and tricks do not help, contact us if you need help to find a signal booster solution to your cell phone signal issue.


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  • There are so many different things that cause dead zones. I thought that I knew all of them but was shocked to see fog on the list. What is it about fog that hampers cell phone signals? I’ve heard of heavy rain, snow, and high winds, but never fog.

    Liam Swift on
  • I hate dead zones. One minute you’re in your house chatting up with your friend and the next your call has disappeared into the great beyond—yet again. Cell phone dead zones in my home make me want to run my phone over with a truck (I’d do it but I don’t think the warranty covers that). It’s not much better when I get a dead zone while I’m out shopping (Do stores block cell phone signals?) because I like talking when I’m shopping by myself and I don’t like the idea of not being able to call out in the event of an emergency (or even something simple like calling home to see if we need anything). I hope stores start putting cell phone boosters on their property so I don’t have to deal with this.

    Cole Etheridge on
  • I think cell phone dead zones in retail stores are some of the best examples of what causes you to lose your cell phone signal—things such as building materials (concrete, glass, steel) that weaken or completely block cell phone signals being sent from the cell tower to your phone. These same factors explain cell phone dead zones in my home. In fact, you can make a cell phone dead zone map in your home to see what areas provide lno service. This is especially helpful if you decide to get an interior cell phone booster to remedy this problem. You’ll know what areas need the most help. With a booster, you can take an existing signal, amplify it, and watch it spread through your home, resolving dead zones. So the next time you walk into a store and see your signal bars plummet, you’ll know it’s likely you’re experiencing the same problems that affect your signal at home.
    Billy Rogers on
  • When you go into store after store and can’t get a cell phone signal, you start to wonder if they’re not blocking the signal. Do they want to keep you from doing price comparisons online? Do they want to keep you focused on shopping and not talking or surfing? Bottom line: Do stores block cell phone signals? The answer is yes, they do, but it’s not the store’s management, it’s the buildings themselves. As this article states, there are several factors that can weaken cell phone signals and even weaken them to the point that there’s no signal. So, Target does not block cell signals nor do supermarkets block cell phone signals. If Target had a cell phone jammer they would be in big trouble with the FCC. However, that being said, this article brings up an important point, stores should make sure cell phones are able to function in stores in case there is a medical emergency or a crime in process. In that case, a cell phone booster would help ensure the signals coming into the building are boosted enough so people can use their phones.

    Nick Sheridan on

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