Every so often I run into a really good question, something I never really thought about writing an article about. This is one of those cases. It’s really just simple geometry, but let me show you the problem.
Cell phone service, like all types of radio waves, spreads out equally in all directions from the point where the broadcast is made. In other words, a cell phone signal looks like this:
The problem is, your RV looks like this:
which means, in order for the cell signal to cover your entire RV, it seems like a lot of it would spill out, like this:
These are pretty simple pictures but you get the idea. So, the question is, why isn’t this a bigger problem that people are talking about?
Cell phone signal boosters for RVs are a great idea. They solve a big problem, which is that you probably get poor cell service in your RV. It’s not your fault, and it’s not even your phone’s fault. The way RVs are built does a great job of blocking signals. All that metal, wire, even the wood cabinets do a great job of stopping cell signals from getting in. They do an even better job of stopping them from getting out. That’s why people will tell you that they can’t hear you, even if you can hear them.
Courtesy of weBoost
Cell phone signal boosters use a large outside antenna to pull in signals and rebroadcast them inside the RV. They do the same thing in reverse: pull them from your phone and blast them out to cell towers. The whole process works instantly and it works really well. So let’s talk about why you shouldn’t worry about cell booster signals spilling out into the world.
You got a booster (or you’re thinking of getting a booster) precisely because cell phone signals have trouble getting into and out of your RV. The same is true with the signals from your cell phone signal booster. Most of them are effectively blocked by the walls and cabinets of your RV. That’s the biggest point here: in reality those signals just don’t penetrate that far outside your RV. If they did, they would be received by the booster’s outdoor antenna and the booster would drop power until they didn’t.
Yes, signals from your booster probably do go a few feet outside your RV. But this isn’t a cause for concern. Even if another vehicle is close enough to receive signals straight from your booster’s indoor antenna, that vehicle will probably block the signals before they get to the phones inside. Even if you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic the chance of those signals getting into another car are really really small.
The other thing to know is that even if someone did connect to your booster, that doesn’t mean they could see your files or use your data. Such a connection would be very weak and using data would be very hard. Generally speaking, the protections added to every cell phone signal keep your data safe. I mean, you don’t worry about someone standing next to you stealing data from your phone, do you? I supposed it’s possible but it’s not likely to happen. Your phone is locked down and so is the cellular network. It’s just not a concern.
Now, it’s true that most vehicle boosters have a limit of 8 devices at once. So what if someone else connects to your booster and you want to use 8 devices? Again, realistically this isn’t going to happen. Even if you had 6 cell phones, a cellular router, and a hotspot, all those devices would connect to the booster when you left the house. There wouldn’t be any other ways for outsiders to connect. And realistically, it’s pretty rare to have 8 cellular devices in one RV. Even if you did, chances are that at least 7 of them could connect at any given time.
If you’re not happy with your cell service, don’t change carriers! Start by trying a cell phone signal booster. Boosters work with all major carriers and a booster bought today should work for at least 5-7 years without any worry of becoming obsolete.
Start by taking a look at the great selection at SolidSignal.com. There are boosters for every size building or vehicles there, all at the best prices you’ll find online. Not sure which to pick? Call the experts! Our team at our US offices is here for you during East Coast business hours. Just call 888-233-7563. If it’s after hours, no problem! Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you.
The post How does a cell booster only work inside your RV? Doesn’t the “boost” spill out to other cars? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
Cell phone service, like all types of radio waves, spreads out equally in all directions from the point where the broadcast is made. In other words, a cell phone signal looks like this:
The problem is, your RV looks like this:
which means, in order for the cell signal to cover your entire RV, it seems like a lot of it would spill out, like this:
These are pretty simple pictures but you get the idea. So, the question is, why isn’t this a bigger problem that people are talking about?
Here’s the real story
Cell phone signal boosters for RVs are a great idea. They solve a big problem, which is that you probably get poor cell service in your RV. It’s not your fault, and it’s not even your phone’s fault. The way RVs are built does a great job of blocking signals. All that metal, wire, even the wood cabinets do a great job of stopping cell signals from getting in. They do an even better job of stopping them from getting out. That’s why people will tell you that they can’t hear you, even if you can hear them.
Courtesy of weBoost
Cell phone signal boosters use a large outside antenna to pull in signals and rebroadcast them inside the RV. They do the same thing in reverse: pull them from your phone and blast them out to cell towers. The whole process works instantly and it works really well. So let’s talk about why you shouldn’t worry about cell booster signals spilling out into the world.
First of all, your RV blocks a lot of signals
You got a booster (or you’re thinking of getting a booster) precisely because cell phone signals have trouble getting into and out of your RV. The same is true with the signals from your cell phone signal booster. Most of them are effectively blocked by the walls and cabinets of your RV. That’s the biggest point here: in reality those signals just don’t penetrate that far outside your RV. If they did, they would be received by the booster’s outdoor antenna and the booster would drop power until they didn’t.
Second of all, don’t worry about it
Yes, signals from your booster probably do go a few feet outside your RV. But this isn’t a cause for concern. Even if another vehicle is close enough to receive signals straight from your booster’s indoor antenna, that vehicle will probably block the signals before they get to the phones inside. Even if you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic the chance of those signals getting into another car are really really small.
The other thing to know is that even if someone did connect to your booster, that doesn’t mean they could see your files or use your data. Such a connection would be very weak and using data would be very hard. Generally speaking, the protections added to every cell phone signal keep your data safe. I mean, you don’t worry about someone standing next to you stealing data from your phone, do you? I supposed it’s possible but it’s not likely to happen. Your phone is locked down and so is the cellular network. It’s just not a concern.
Now, it’s true that most vehicle boosters have a limit of 8 devices at once. So what if someone else connects to your booster and you want to use 8 devices? Again, realistically this isn’t going to happen. Even if you had 6 cell phones, a cellular router, and a hotspot, all those devices would connect to the booster when you left the house. There wouldn’t be any other ways for outsiders to connect. And realistically, it’s pretty rare to have 8 cellular devices in one RV. Even if you did, chances are that at least 7 of them could connect at any given time.
Looking to improve cell service in your home, office, or vehicle?
If you’re not happy with your cell service, don’t change carriers! Start by trying a cell phone signal booster. Boosters work with all major carriers and a booster bought today should work for at least 5-7 years without any worry of becoming obsolete.
Start by taking a look at the great selection at SolidSignal.com. There are boosters for every size building or vehicles there, all at the best prices you’ll find online. Not sure which to pick? Call the experts! Our team at our US offices is here for you during East Coast business hours. Just call 888-233-7563. If it’s after hours, no problem! Fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you.
The post How does a cell booster only work inside your RV? Doesn’t the “boost” spill out to other cars? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
