Knowledge Base

Why do I have difficulty making calls inside my home?

There are many reasons why homeowners have difficulty with cell signal reception. Some of the reasons include:

Building materials: Certain types of building materials absorb or reflect cell signals. The most common problems are seen with concrete and stone walls, steel roofs, and stucco. Large timbers and log cabins can interfere with cellular reception, too.

Basements: Basements frequently have cellular reception problems. Full underground basements are more likely to be shielded from outside cell signal than walk-out or partial basements, but these can also have problems due to concrete walls.

Shadowed areas: Cellular signals are line of sight. If your view to the cell tower is blocked by hills, large buildings, or even dense forest, your received signal will be reduced or eliminated completely. What little signal you may be getting is likely being reflected off of nearby terrain or structures.

Weak outside signal strength: If you can send and receive phone calls outside your home, but can’t get enough signal inside your home, this is probably a case of having very weak signal reaching your home that’s unable to penetrate your outside walls.