Can you have a cell phone booster in your boat?It all depends upon the type of vessel you have.
Does your vessel have an enclosed cabin? Or is it an open-air boat? Your answer will determine whether a marine cell phone booster will work in your craft. If you own a vessel that can benefit from a signal booster, we can help you find one that works best for you. We’ve been helping improve cell reception and data speeds in boats across the country. We want to help you with your cellular booster needs, too. Let’s start by discussing…
How a Cell Phone Signal Booster Works
A cell phone booster is a system that provides good data speeds when the weakest of signals is available. These systems use two antennas – one outside the boat, the other inside – and a signal amplifier. The outside antenna takes weak cell signals and passes them through a cable to the amplifier. From there, it then sends the amplified signal to the antenna inside the boat. The inside antenna broadcasts boosted signal to all devices in the boat.
When you place a call or text from inside the boat, this process described above operates in reverse. The signal passes through the inside antenna to the amplifier. It then broadcasts the boosted signal to nearby cellular towers. These devices are very effective. That’s why they’re used to improve cellular connections on boats and oil rigs as well as at marinas.
Boats With Enclosed Cabins
If your boat has an enclosed cabin, you can use a marine signal booster. Why? Well, it has to do with those two antennas we told you about. The inside one works within an enclosed cabin space. This provides separation between the inside and outside antenna. This prevents an effect called “oscillation.” When oscillation occurs, most cell boosters power down to correct the problem. To solve this, boat owners typically put 15 feet of space between the inside and outside antennas.
Open-air boats, such as speedboats with open cabins, can’t benefit from a signal booster. There’s nothing to prevent the two antenna signals from interfering with each other. The oscillation that results from this renders your booster useless when you’re out to sea. That’s where you need reliable signal most! To put it bluntly, you can’t use a signal booster on any boat that doesn’t have an enclosed cabin.
Your Marine Signal Booster Experts
If you need to improve your marine cellular connection, Solid Signal can help. We’ll match you with the right cell phone booster system. We carry cell phone booster products that are best suited for marine installations. If you want to end dropped calls and texts when you’re out to sea, call us at 888-233-7563. Our product experts are happy to recommend the best cell phone booster for your vessel. Reading this after business hours? Fill out the form below and send it to us. We’ll be in touch to discuss cell phone boosters for boats.
