We all know how frustrating it can be for your phone to not work properly in stressful situations. This can be especially frustrating when you’re indoors, as you head to the window or out the door to try and maintain that important phone call. Recent times have seen us relying more than ever upon communication and our smartphones overall. In most developed countries, smartphones have become a part of everyday life. In the UK it is believed that over 90% of the population either owns, or has access to a mobile smartphone.
The last 18 months saw a significant challenge with Covid 19 seeing workplaces shutdown and a remote working model being implemented. This saw the reliance on mobile phones and connectivity increase even further as businesses tried to maintain the same levels of productivity without being in an office environment. The last few weeks have seen us return to offices for the most part and day to day working life resuming like normal. For some businesses this has seen a return to old signal free office or workplace. With a return to dropped calls following suit. Especially for business owners requiring a hotel signal booster.
Boosting Mobile Signal
So before we discuss what may be causing the lack of 4G signal indoors, we must first take a look at what may be causing the issue. There are a number of different things which can cause phone signal to struggle to reach a building. It may be that the building itself is located in a place where the nearest base station is far away and signal limited (Common in rural areas) or it could be a case that due to the built up area where the building is located that the signal cannot pass through nearby buildings. In most cases the problem is more to do with the actual building itself and the materials used in the construction. A couple of materials which are known to cause interference with phone signal includes, wood, metal, concrete, insulation, foil, tint windows and a number of other less common reasons. It may be one of any of these reasons that your building is struggling to maintain a 4G signal.
Older buildings, which used thick walls are particularly common reasons why signal doesn’t penetrate. Now we have discovered what may be causing the problem, how can we fix it? At Sure Signal we have worked on numerous different types of building to provide an indoor solution to poor phone signal. Completing installations for some of the largest and most reputable companies in the UK, we are the trusted choice for OFCOM compliant 4G signal boosters.
The majority of our installations are carried out using a distributed antenna system for large building mobile signal boosters.
Distributed Antenna Systems
A Distributed antenna system uses the best available signal outside the premises to provide an in building solution. An external antenna is placed strategically on a high point of the building, usually the roof space, to receive the best signal available. Once this has been achieved, it is then cabled to the signal booster to send the boosted phone signal towards the internal antennas via cable also. The internal antennas will distribute the signal throughout the building therefore providing 4G signal indoors.
The size and scope of each project is dependent on the size and scope of the building or area of the building which needs the phone signal boosted. At Sure Signal we look at each project individually and provide a bespoke solution for each. In some cases, a distributed antenna system is either not capable of covering a very large area or not suitable for the layout of the building. In these cases we use a hybrid DAS to distribute the signal using network and converge units which work off each other.
All the equipment which is stocked and installed by Sure Signal Ltd is OFCOM license exempt and fully legal for use. This is imperative you adhere to the OFCOM regulations as you are liable to receive fines and or prosecution for the use of non compliant equipment. The only brand of 4G signal booster which has been approved by OFCOM for use in the UK is the Cel Fi range of signal booster. The Cel Fi Prime is designed for homes, and very small buildings.
The Cel Fi go X had the larger buildings like offices and work premises in mind during its design. The Cel Fi Solo is similar to the Go X but comes with more capabilities and power, perfect for use in difficult situations where signal is particularly poor. The last Cel Fi signal booster we install at Sure Signal is the hybrid DAS Cel Fi Quatra which is the choice for most large scale installations.
Sure Signal has worked alongside Cel Fi on a number of successful UK installations. We are their trusted reseller and have regularly done installations on behalf of them. If you would like to discuss the options available to you or your business, please get in touch today with one of our expert staff who will be happy to give you the options available to you and arrange any site surveys or installations you may need. For a free quote and estimate of costs send an email with the floorplan of your building in question and one of the team will get back to you straight away