Placing your cellular device in the best location inside your building is very important. The fewer things you can put between the tower and the device itself are critical to maximizing the device's speeds. The most optimal spot for your device would be next to the exterior walls or by a non-Low-E window. Trying your device on all 4 sides of the building will give you an idea of which side has the best signal, since sometimes you might get a signal from a tower a long distance away, where another side of the house would pick up a closer tower, thus increasing your speeds. The initial setup of your device is a little bit of trial-and-error, in an effort to find that best signal.
List Of Materials And How Much They Block Cellular Signal:
|
Building Material |
800 MHz Cellular Band |
1900 MHz PCS Band |
|
1/2" Drywall |
2.03 dB |
2.43 dB |
|
Venetian Plaster |
7.91 dB |
16.22 dB |
|
6" Concrete Wall |
10.11 dB |
19.41 dB |
|
Glass Window |
4.35 dB |
4.38 dB |
|
1/4" Fiberglass |
1.62 dB |
1.90 dB |
|
Low Emission Glass Window |
33.8 dB |
33.8 dB |
|
Brick |
7.57 dB |
14.66 dB |
|
Solid Wooden Door |
6.11 dB |
12.33 dB |
|
Hollow Wood Door |
5.39 dB |
10.11 dB |
|
1/2" OSB Plywood |
3.27 dB |
4.91 dB |
|
1/2" Solid Pine |
2.01 dB |
5.05 dB |
|
1/2" Solid Oak |
4.68 dB |
6.11 dB |
The bigger the number, the more lost signal that will slow your speeds. While it is expected to lose signal as it passes through walls. Having your device on the opposite side of the house from where the tower is located, means you are having signal pass through multiple layers of wood, glass, drywall, thus it can greatly affect the speeds compared to having the device on the tower side of the house.
