I wouldn't have a clue what my 4G speeds are, as I've not once been able to get a 4G signal here at my home. Never have been able to get 3G either. As a matter of fact, Ive only been able to get 2G a handful of times. The Entire rest of the time I consistantly have only 1 bar of service. And this is the way it has been since becoming a Verizon customer So Many years ago- Despite having 3 large, working towers in my area and amazingly only one mile from the VZW store! So Thank God we have pretty good WiFi here or i really would be s.o.l... Put it this way, the last 3 phones I've had couldn't even be activated while i was here at my would =(u cant do so over WiFi, and my VZW network was, as usual, barely showing a single bar of sevice.) So, To actually activate my phones, the VZW customer service person told me to get in my car and just drive until my phone picked up better service..! I've called about my situation several times, to no avail. It is quite hard to swallow, paying as much as i do, for the "#1 service provider in the nation", when in reality, it's as if I have no service at all. Does anyone know Any way I could improve this signal or get VZW to do something about it?!
How your service is depends completely on where you are and what's around you. Things like terrain, trees, buildings, etc., etc., affect signal. It's impossible to get service everywhere, and not all carriers have the same type of signal, some "penetrate" better than others. Here, the Verizon tower is about 9 miles away, I don't really get a usable signal in the house, or several places on my property. There is about 1/4 mile of trees on my property right behind my house, plus a few groves further out on my property. If I'd remove those, I'd have a better signal. The regional competitor I get my home Internet from is only about 5 miles away, but their signal is 1900MHz and is MUCH poorer than Verizon's here, it doesn't penetrate "things" as well. A new Verizon tower is up (will be in service in a couple months), I haven't plotted the direct distance yet, but I'd guess about 12 miles away, however there are no trees where it is and I can see it from my yard, I suspect signal will improve. I know lots of places that have no service of any kind. And AT&T, Sprint, and Tmobile are not in this area at all, minimum 30 to 100 mile drive to get service from them (without roaming on Verizon or the regional carrier).
To answer your question, to improve the signal, you could try a cell booster, which is what I have. It boosts all cell devices in the house, all carriers. But, it also depends on a fair signal outside to work, it can't perform miracles, and will not work in all situations. I suggest the WeBoost brand (formerly Wilson), many people around me have them. You install an antenna on your roof or a tower. I took a hotspot on the roof to pick the spot with the best signal for my home Internet, nowhere on the roof did the device have enough to lock on. However, with the booster, I have full signal in the house.
The other option is a network extender, but it only works if you have high speed internet available in your house, like DSL or cable (which I don't). It connects your cellphone and routes calls/data through it, through your Internet (basically like VOIP calling, sort of).
risesunsett,
Service is so important. I know I depend on my cellphone for so much. Let's look closer at your location. What zip code are you in when you have service concerns? Anyone else having the same issues?
RobinD_VZW
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