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Old 3G Signal Boosters and New 4G / 5G Smart Phones: Why Upgrade?

Aug 24, 2018

Old 3G Signal Boosters and New 4G / 5G Smart Phones: Why Upgrade?

Boost your 4G service and prepare for the 5G revolution with 4G / LTE smartphone signal boosters.

Today, United States lags behind the global average for internet speeds, and nearly 40% of rural Americans lack a high-speed internet connection. These facts may not be surprising for many Americans, especially if you have ever visited a smaller country with ubiquitous internet access. Luckily, a smartphone signal booster can solve many of these problems, enabling off-the-grid Americans to enjoy a powerful and speedy cellular signal.

In this guide, we share some practical tips for choosing the best cell phone signal booster, so that you can enhance your current experience and be prepared for the latest developments in cellular technology. As cell carriers begin to roll out 5G networks next year, we want to make sure you invest in signal boosters that are able to take advantage of faster data speeds. In the meantime, these cutting-edge boosters will make the most of your 4G LTE network as well.

Why Should I Upgrade to a New Signal Booster?

In the fast-paced world of technological innovation, smartphones are being updated and redesigned on a regular basis to provide users with the best experience possible. With this in mind, it is easy to see how technology can become obsolete pretty quickly, rendering old devices ineffective. This has been the case with signal booster models that were designed to boost cell phone reception on 2G and 3G networks. Today's cellular carriers are equipped with 4G LTE - the newest network technology on the market. As you can imagine, old signal boosters on 2G and 3G platform that were originally created for outdated networks are no longer compatible with new smartphone technology 4G and LTE. Therefore, for users trying to boost their cell phone signal with 2G or 3G boosters, an upgrade is needed to work with your 4G LTE devices.

While 4G LTE boasts lightning-fast speeds, it also has a few problems. For example, if you're standing at the midpoint between two cellular towers, one of the towers will interfere with the other tower's signal. This results in around 72% of cell phone owners dropping calls at inopportune times. And it is not just a problem in rural areas, since inter-tower interference can occur in major cities as well.

If you're one of the many unlucky smartphone owners who experience dropped calls on a regular basis, it might be time to amplify your coverage with a signal booster. Our 4G LTE signal boosting technology can solve most of your cellular woes, including:

  • Dead Zones: If you live or work beyond a cell network's coverage area, you can use an outdoor antenna and signal amplifier to expand the available coverage. This is a lifesaver for rural residents.
  • Geographic Barriers: Cellular towers aren't fool-proof. Any physical barriers that get in the way will interfere with the signal, until it finally reaches your location in a weakened state. A signal booster can pick up the weak signal and amplify it wherever you are.
  • Dense Building Materials: If you need smartphone coverage inside a building made with thick construction materials like metal and concrete, an upgraded signal booster can help.

Despite 5G, 4G & LTE Networks are here to stay for a decade, or longer.

If you have a cell phone signal booster that boosts only 3G, you must upgrade to 4G / LTE booster if you now have 4G phone, tablet, or mobile hot spot. But if you already have 4G / LTE signal booster, you're good for the next decade because 5G network is intended to complement 4G / LTE networks, not replace them completely. 4G / LTE frequencies are lower and thus better for penetration into buildings and housing structures versus the new higher frequency 5G networks.

In most indoor situations, a 5G connectivity will not be consistent unless there's a cell tower in close proximity such as atleast within one block area surrounded by a street on all four sides. In most cases, a 5G antenna will be right outside each home or one at every 2nd housing structure.

That will take decade(s) to implement all across the country in major metropolitan areas, leave alone rural remote areas. Meanwhile, if 5G coverage is not accessible consistently, your mobile device will attempt to catch 4G / LTE network which will get boosted by your 4G booster if not accessible by your handheld wireless device. Therefore, you're all set for now if you already have a 4G / LTE cell phone booster. 

How Will 5G Improve Cell Coverage?

In the near future, 5G will revolutionize the cellular world with another leap in data speeds. Some tech experts believe it will finally make it easy for Internet of Things devices to communicate in real time. Meanwhile, autonomous vehicles might be able to use the 5G networks to send driving data from thousands of cars.

It is a new frontier in cellular coverage, and the 5G networks will need to be designed in a unique fashion. Unlike today's towers, the cellular carriers will have to install smaller antennas in much closer proximity. 5G smartphones will have new antennas as well, which may extend the average battery life for users.

As our country's network infrastructure evolves to a 5G model, we recommend staying one step ahead by investing in a smartphone signal booster. It is estimated that 5G will be tested in a few major cities by 2020, and will not be adopted on a mass scale until at least 2022.

If you struggle with weak 4G coverage in your area, you will still need a signal booster to take advantage of 5G. Our experts will guide you to the best cell phone signal booster on the market, so you can upgrade your current cell phone experience and be prepared for the 5G innovation. Try our risk-free boosters today, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Cell Phone Signal Booster Video:

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  • If you’ve got a 3G booster and you’re still trying to use it, you’re in for even more of a surprise now than when this was written. I think if you want a booster that’s up to date, you should consider a 5G booster. A 3G booster is more or less a paperweight now.

    Cynthia Vaccaro on
  • So say you buy a cell phone signal booster because you discovered they’re one way how to improve your mobile phone’s signal strength. Things are going well with your 4G phone and 4G booster but now, 5G is out. From what you’ve been told, the cell phone booster itself is going to last a long time. The problem is that the new technology (5g) will require a new booster. Do you feel ripped off or is this just part of the ever-evolving world of technology? I wish I knew. New cellular generations seem to be every 15 years or so. If 5G follows this, you won’t need a 6G cell phone booster for a long time. Who knows, maybe 5G will be so good you won’t need a booster to get reliable signals. Wishful thinking?

    Abe Fitzgerald on
  • Palmer, you ask what the average life of a cell phone signal booster is. Here’s the situation. When you buy a signal booster, they are durable equipment that lasts a lifetime. The problem isn’t with the boosters but with the cellular technology, which itself is short-lived. Thus, your cell phone signal booster will eventually have to be replaced or upgraded to work with newer technology phones.

    For example, some people still use 3G boosters like the Surecall Flexpro 3G (https://www.signalbooster.com/products/surecall-flexpro-3g-home-building-cell-phone-signal-booster ) to boost 3G reception on 3G phones. These boosters will work on 4G phones when no 4G network signal is available and the phone falls back to 3G (because they are backward compatible). However, the 3G booster will not boost the phone when it runs on a 4G network signal. Likewise, when 5G comes around in 2019 and spreads even more in 2020, 4G boosters like the Surecall Fusion 4Home (https://www.signalbooster.com/products/surecall-fusion4home-3g-4g-home-building-signal-booster) will not boost signal on 5G phones for 5G networks (but will boost 4G when phone falls back to 4G mode if no 5G signal available because they are backward compatible). Thus, if you have a 4G booster and you have a 5G phone, you’ll want a 5G booster. So yes, cell phone boosters last a long time, but new cellular technology ultimately requires an upgrade. Technological advances bring positives and negatives with them. It is a solid piece of equipment though, and would last a lifetime – if only technology did not change every 10 years, it would never need to be upgraded.

    Greg Vinison on
  • When I think of cell phones, I can’t help but think how to improve mobile phone signal strength. Why? Dropped calls, lousy reception, and slow data speeds. I run into this at home and it’s not my phone. There are areas in my home where the cell signal coverage is poor, which is why myself and others have problems with their cell phones, depending on where they are. I know that cell phone signal boosters can help, but I’m concerned by this article because I don’t know if I’m going to buy one and need to upgrade in a few years. What’s the average life of a cell phone signal booster?

    Palmer Edwards on
  • Upgrades are a part of life whether it’s cell phone signal boosters, computers, new leased vehicles, or cell phones. Personally, I’d rather invest in a cell phone booster than constantly buy new phones. Yeah, there are different ways how to boost your cell phone signal at home for free, but I have a situation where there are lots of dead zones and I’m looking to make the entire house into a cell-friendly environment. I think the only way that’s going to happen is with a constant helper, i.e. a cell phone booster.

    Mark Ulrich on
  • I don’t know about cell phone signal boosters. I’ve heard they are one way how you can improve your mobile signal strength but how often am I going to have to upgrade? I’m not sure if I want to buy one if I’m going to have to upgrade it in a few years. I guess I like buying electronics that last many years. I know it might sound unrealistic (look at how quick computers and TV’s improve), but I’m old school like that. This is one purchase I have to contemplate further.

    Roderick G. on

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