Does my cell phone signal booster need to be professionally installed?

Here at Powerful Signal, many people ask us if professional installation is really necessary for cell phone signal booster systems.

Let’s address the basic guidelines to consider when answering this question for residential and commercial solutions.

Residential installation guidelines

Most cell signal booster systems for home use can be self-installed easily, and do not require professional installation. There are some exceptions, however.

Residential systems that can be self-installed

Conditions that typically allow for self-installation include:

• Your home is under 5,000 square feet.
• Construction is conventional drywall on wood studs.
• Your system has one interior broadcast antenna.
• Your home has a main floor with an accessible attic.

In these situations, you’ll install the indoor broadcast antenna and all coax cables in the attic.

The most difficult task is mounting the exterior donor antenna on the roof. If mounting a rooftop antenna is more than you want to tackle, we suggest hiring a satellite dish installer to do the job.

Residential systems that need professional installation

Conditions that typically require professional installation include:

• Your home is over 5,000 square feet. Cell signal amplifier systems that going into homes that are 5,000 to 15,000 square feet or more should definitely be professionally designed and installed. Homes this large are often constructed with concrete and steel, similar to commercial buildings, which makes proper antenna placement more critical than with wood-frame buildings.
• Your home includes custom hardwood paneling, stone work, large timbers, and other expensive materials. These types of construction materials have a tendency to block cell signals and require professional design.
• Your home is three or more stories. Homes this size may include concrete and steel, similar to a small commercial building. Working around these materials requires professional know-how.

Commercial installation guidelines

Although it’s more complicated to install a cell signal amplifier system in a commercial building than a residential building, it’s still possible under certain conditions.

Commercial systems that can be self-installed

Conditions that typically allow for self-installation include:

• Your system has one or two interior broadcast antennas.
• Your building is an open, single-story warehouse, up to around 10,000 square feet, with no obstructions.
• Your building is a single-story office, up to around 10,000 square feet, with drywall interior.
• You (or your employee handling the installation) understand applicable building codes. Plenum spaces, for example, require special fire-rated cable with stricter bend characteristics.
• Your building has existing roof access and penetration for mounting the exterior antenna and running a coax cable into the building.
• Your cell signal amplifier system does not have exceptionally long coax cable runs. Runs over 100 feet for any cable typically require professional installation.
• Your cell signal amplifier system has been professionally designed, and you have phone or on-site support from an experienced solution provider.

Remember, these are general guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules; there are exceptions to almost every situation. One of the most difficult issues to deal with in commercial buildings is the exterior donor antenna: Self-installation is only going to be possible if you have roof penetration and the building owner will allow an antenna to be mounted on the roof.

Commercial systems that need professional installation

Conditions that typically require professional installation include:

• Buildings with elevator shafts (usually concrete).
• Buildings with stairwells (usually concrete).
• Buildings with firewalls.
• Buildings with concrete walls, steel doors and framework.
• Multi-story buildings.
• High-rise and low-rise buildings.
• Buildings over 10,000 square feet.
• Situations where commercial building codes need to be taken into consideration (fire-rated cable, for example).
• Installations with long coax cable runs (runs over 100 feet, typically).
• Systems with more than two interior broadcast antennas.
• Systems that will experience high user loads.

In larger, more complex commercial buildings, a professionally designed and installed cell signal booster system will ensure that your performance expectations will be met.

A warning about “DIY” installation videos

There are hundreds of videos on YouTube and other sites that attempt to demonstrate how to install a cell signal booster system; almost all of them over-simplify the process. They can be useful for easier residential home installations, but they do not paint an accurate picture when it comes to complex commercial systems.

Powerful Signal has worked with many companies who tried to save money by performing a self-installation in a complex or large building, only to spend more to fix it than it would have cost to have it professionally installed in the first place.

Call Powerful Signal at 435-634-6800

We’ve been designing and installing commercial and residential cell signal solutions for over a decade. We can help you install your system or find the right people to install it for you.