Let’s be honest here. “Watching TV” doesn’t mean what it used to. Remember when everyone would come to the living room and watch together? That doesn’t happen very much anymore. Today, everyone has their own device. Even if the living room TV is on, chances are you’re doing something with your phone at the same time. You might even be watching video on your phone while the TV’s on. Don’t be ashamed. We all do it.
Here’s what really happens when you watch on your phone
If you’re watching TV on your phone, you’re either connected via Wi-Fi or cellular, obviously. Either way, your phone’s using a lot of power, and that means the battery will probably run out long before bed. Of course you don’t need me to tell you that. Battery life on most phones is pretty bad and it’s not getting better.
Streaming over Wi-Fi can actually take more power than cellular depending on the setup. Streaming at home means you’re getting the full amount of data coming through and that can take processor power. On the other hand, cell providers generally will cut the bitrate of videos so that they’re easier to stream. This is good for power use, but if you’re not getting great cell reception, the phone will strain to get anything at all. Once again this means a lot of power used. Does it sound like you can’t win in this scenario? I totally get it.
How can you even tell if you have bad reception?
Of course, this is really the heart of the problem. Those bars at the top of your phone? They’re useless. (Why? Read this.) Digital signals have something called “the shelf effect,” meaning that everything seems great, until it isn’t. You may not have any idea how hard your phone is working or how weak those signals really are. The real solution is to use a cell phone meter, but they aren’t cheap. Android phones can use cell meter apps, but Apple phones use a test mode that’s notorious for breaking. In other words, there might be a few bad ways of knowing that you have poor reception, but there aren’t any good ways.
You might not even know that the reception is bad until you lose service completely. That’s how digital signals work. They either work well, or not at all. This doesn’t help a lot if what you’re trying to figure out is whether or not your phone is working overtime to get good signals.
Here’s how you solve the problem
First of all, here’s the hard truth. You have bad cell service at home. I can almost guarantee it. The building materials in most homes block up to 75% of cell signals. This means that unless you’re practically right under a tower, the reception inside your house is bad enough that your phone has to work harder than it should. The good news is that there is a solution.
A cell phone signal booster like the weBoost Home Multiroom will solve the problem. Cell phone signal boosters work by pulling in as much signal as possible from an outside antenna. They then amplify that signal and rebroadcast it inside. The result is that you may have more bars inside than outside!
Cell phone signal boosters like this one cost less than a single cell phone. They work for all the cellular devices in your house, and they’ll probably outlast every phone your family has now. They’re futureproof, too– they work with today’s signals as well as the nationwide 5G signals that have just started rolling out.
Best of all, the average person with typical homeowner DIY skills can install a booster themselves. Once the booster is installed, it really is “set it and forget it…” nothing else to do but enjoy great cell phone signal.
How do you know which one to get?
While I’m a big fan of the Home Multiroom, I admit it’s not for everyone. Maybe your space is smaller or larger than this booster is designed for. Maybe you have a car, truck, RV, or even a boat. Maybe you’re looking at a massive space like a warehouse or shop. That’s where the experts come in.
We have a whole team dedicated to helping you find the right cell phone signal booster. If you know what you want, check out the great selection at Solid Signal. If you need help deciding, call us! We can design the perfect system for spaces of 100 to 100,000 square feet. We’ll create something customized to your need, so you never have to worry about bad cell service again.
Call the experts at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. We’re here to make it easy for you! If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.
