There is nothing as frustrating as buying a brand-new cell phone or upgrading your phone with a new carrier, only to find that you have poor phone reception in your own home. While searching for a fix, you start to ask questions: is your home located in a mysterious ‘dead spot,’ or does a metal roof affect cell service? While this may be a common belief, don’t let it deter you from making important decisions such as roof replacement. In this article, we’ll dive deep into this myth and debunk it.
How Cell Phone Signals Work
Despite the impressive technology that has come to define cell phone devices, they are essentially radios. A cell phone has the capability to access and create audiovisual signals such as text messaging, phone calls, and Wi-Fi. As long as a cell phone is within a wireless network, it is able to transmit and receive inputs to and from all other devices which are also enabled within that network.
A variety of factors can affect cell phone reception, ranging from simple geography to the extant infrastructure for a device’s wireless network. But does a metal roof affect cell phone reception and create a barrier between your device and the rest of the world?
Does a Metal Roof Affect Cell Service?
Our metal roofing keeps out hail, snow, and rain, but does a metal roof affect cell service? Simply speaking, no! Cell phones can operate with ease where the infrastructure such as a cell phone tower already exists.
If you are reading this on your phone and you’re at home, a metal roof will not negatively affect your cell phone’s reception. Cell phones are powerful and seek out any signal they can connect with, hence why turning them off is the first thing you do on an airplane!
Cause of Poor Cell Phone Reception in House
Poor cell phone reception in house can be caused by a few factors, mostly having to do with your area’s coverage. Here are some of the common causes of poor cell phone reception in the home.
- Nature and the elements: One of the most common barriers to cell phone reception is the natural terrain surrounding the device. Rain and snow can affect cell phone reception, as well as dense forestry.
- Cell tower coverage: The location of the cell towers in your network is the most direct cause of poor cell phone reception. If you are more than 25 miles away from a tower, you may have differing coverage.
How Can I Boost My Cell Reception with a Metal Roof?
While it’s helpful to rule out metal roofing, the frustrating hunt for a fix for poor cell phone reception in house nonetheless demands an answer. How can I boost my cell phone signal with a metal roof? Here are a few common ways to improve cell phone reception at home.
- Repeater system or signal booster: Because your cell phone operates on radio frequencies, an easy way to improve your reception is to purchase a repeater system or signal booster which repeats your cell phone’s outgoing systems on several frequencies.
- Femtocell: A femtocell is a device that acts as a miniature cell phone tower, prioritizing your cell phone’s signals in remote areas with weak cell phone signals.
- Rearrange home layout: A simple and low-tech way to determine which rooms in your home have stronger cell reception than others is checking your bars in each area of the house.
- External antennas: If wireless reception continues to be problematic, consider an external antenna for your home. By connecting your device to an external antenna, its signal will become strengthened and improve reception.
Are Metal Roofs the Reason for Bad Connection?
While it is a widely held belief that the materials of your home can affect cell phone reception, if you are experiencing poor cell phone reception in house already, a metal roof will not negatively impact the situation.
There are several ways to improve your cell phone reception in your house which won’t get in the way of installing your metal roof.
Now that this myth has been debunked
Call Dream Roof to book your metal roof installation today! Our knowledgeable team will guide you through the entire process, from supplying to installation.
Related Article: Metal Roof vs. Concrete Tile
FAQs
As is the case with any building, there are several ways to boost cell phone signals in your house. These solutions range from the lo-fi and economical—strategic layout to buying signal boosters—to tech-forward small investments, such as antennas for consistently weak signals in remote areas. How can I boost my cell phone signal with a metal roof? Investigating the cause of poor cell phone signals is crucial but easy.
Despite the popular conception, the metal materials associated with the roofing of a single residential home will not easily interfere with a cell phone signal. Does a metal roof affect cell phone reception? Radio frequencies can penetrate airplanes, hospitals, and big box stores, which all use a greater amount of metal than the steel associated with a metal roof. Until recently, it was necessary for visitors to turn off their cell phones in the hospital, and it is still a requirement on airplanes because of the strength of these devices.
Metal roofing will not cause Wi-Fi interference and only negligibly impacts an existing problem with cell phone reception. By knowing your home and the spaces where Wi-Fi is stronger, you will be more confident in the renovation process. Take a walk around with your cell phone and identify where streaming and Wi-Fi seem to be weaker. You might be surprised by what you find out!