

Once again, we come back to the question of outside signal strength. Obviously, antennas aren’t free, so finding the sweet spot between cost and coverage is the goal. In some cases, multiple indoor antennas may not be sufficient and the use of multiple booster systems inevitable. The amount of additional inside antennas will depend on the booster model, the outside signal strength, the area needing coverage, and other variables. Just be aware that this will require a splitter and additional cable runs, which will result in a loss that must be factored in. How Many Indoor Antennas Should I Buy?Īll amps that are 65-dB gain or stronger can support more than one inside antenna in case coverage needs to be expanded, and unless you live in a small area or only want one room coverage, buying additional indoor antennas could be warranted in certain cases. However, this will lead to lower gain levels throughout your installation.ġ3c.

Most more advanced, commercial signal booster systems offer automatic attenuation, so the threat of a shutdown no longer poses a problem. See “Understanding Cable Length: Size Matters” for more information. If you run more cable from the outdoor antenna to the amplifier, you can lower the volume of your outside signal and get your amplifier working again. Run more cable: The more cable you run, the weaker the signal ends up.Unidirectional Antennas” for more information. Fiddle with your directional antenna, or try an omni antenna. Fiddle with your outside antenna: If your outdoor signal is so strong it overloads your amplifier, having an optimal gain setup for your antenna is overkill.

If you struggle with overwhelming outside signal, this is your best solution. Use an attenuator: Attenuators are small devices you can plug into an amplifier to offset some of the gain which may be overloading it.This is easy to fix, however, and there are a few main ways:
#Antenna homemade cell phone signal booster install
However, if you install your system to maximize your gain, you may end up overloading your amplifier. If you have excellent outdoor signal but lousy indoor reception, that’s generally considered a great situation for a signal booster. Handling too powerful a signal is another common reason. Generally speaking, the two antenna should have 6 to 7 meter of vertical separation to prevent this from happening. This should only happen to your amplifier if you place it too near an antenna, or if the indoor and outdoor antenna are installed too near one another. Think of a microphone and a speaker: when they are placed too close together, an unpleasant screeching noise emits from the speaker. Oscillation refers to electronic feedback. There are generally two reasons why an amplifier will turn off: oscillation, and handling too powerful a signal. Sometimes, your amplifier will shut itself off, and you may not understand why. If too much power is present, you may need to install an attenuator.Ĭell phone signal boosters are sophisticated pieces of equipment, and like any electronic device, can become overwhelmed. Too much, and the amplifier will automatically shut off. That’s what will determine how much signal the amplifier can take in and rebroadcast.

It simply measures how much the signal is amplified, using dB. What makes one amplifier different from another? There are two main variables that make the determination: gain and downlink power. How Do I Differentiate Amplifiers? (Gain & Downlink Power)
