How To Update Cell Tower Reception On Phone

Where are the cell towers nigh me?

Cell phone signal boosters make the nearly of signals from every carrier, merely how exercise y'all know what'due south making your signal weak to begin with? Carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Dart, T-Mobile, and The states Cellular love to showcase their colorful maps of "nationwide coverage", but how do you pinpoint the point in your precise location?

Finding your nearest prison cell phone tower is not every bit difficult as yous might think. Jail cell phone tower maps can exist accessed in a myriad of ways, and SignalBoosters.com has the scoop on Verizon tower locations, AT&T tower locations, T-Mobile belfry locations, Sprint tower locations, and more.

Websites, apps, signal meters, and a little elbow grease can help you discover a cell tower most you. We've tested all the options ourselves, and we're ready to laissez passer our wisdom on to you lot.

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one. Websites: How to Find Jail cell Phone Towers Near Me

Enough of websites offer interactive cell tower maps to pinpoint the nearest cell phone tower to your electric current location. These are a few of our favorites.

PS: jail cell phone service providers update their information on a daily basis and don't provide official cell tower maps, so results may vary.

CellMapper: Favorite

Our favorite website for locating towers in your area, Cellmapper provides the most reliable, up-to-date information for wherever you detect yourself. It'south functional — merely not terribly user-friendly — design does require a little experimentation to navigate, but in one case you orient yourself, information technology does provide reliable prison cell site locations for all major carriers.

Extra Credit: For AT&T, T-Mobile, or Dart subscribers, blazon in '310' before selecting your provider. Verizon subscribers can type '311'. Coupled with your zip code or accost, this method should reveal the towers in your area immediately.

OpenSignal.com: 2d Favorite

In truth, it doesn't actually evidence y'all the precise site of your nearest jail cell tower, but OpenSignal does have up-to-date coverage heatmaps for carriers in your vicinity. This site gives y'all more of a general idea of the strength of coverage in nearby areas.

AntennaSearch.com: Third Favorite

AntennaSearch isn't the prettiest or the easiest to navigate, but it is chock full of useful information. With a little patience and a lot of exploration, you can proceeds some stiff insights into your local jail cell tower location, besides as lots of valuable information for the more technically-inclined.

CellReception: Fourth Favorite

CellReception includes towers and electric current user reviews in your area, but their data on cell towers is lacking. Some data is still amend than no data, and this site works relatively well when supplemented by other methods for finding your nearest cell tower.

2. How to Find Your Cell Carrier's Nearest Belfry

Nationwide carriers don't always guarantee nationwide coverage. Each service provider falls victim to certain pockets of weakness in the U.s., so it's best to do a little research for yourself. Using your address and nil lawmaking, it's relatively easy to sniff out the strongest service provider in your area.

AT&T's Cell Tower Map

Search for domestic or international coverage
Zoom in to sixteen times magnification
Filter map information by voice, data, or prepaid coverage
Search locations by address, postal code, country, or landmark

Verizon's Cell Belfry Map

Search locations by accost, city, or postal lawmaking
Includes an interactive map
Zoom in to six times magnification

T-Mobile's Jail cell Tower Map

Shows region and route information for up to five addresses
Zoom in to 11 times magnification
Search locations past address

Dart'south Cell Tower Map

Filter map data by voice or information coverage
Zoom in to twelve times magnification
Search locations by address

According to your findings, you may or may not discover your location "covered". While this information is helpful, it doesn't actually signal the location of your nearest cell tower. Because these maps are designed as marketing tools, their areas of coverage don't measure the strength of that coverage. And so fifty-fifty if you lot find yourself under a colorful blob of "coverage", you may all the same notice dropped calls, slow download speeds, and a weak signal overall. A cell tower locator is however the near reliable means to finding the strongest signal.

3. Smartphone Apps to Find Your Nearest Prison cell Belfry Location

Like the websites we've tried, there are also a plethora of apps designed to locate your nearest cell telephone tower. Using your location, these apps are able to map out the closest prison cell telephone belfry — though their accuracy is hard to verify. It is, all the same, helpful to become a general idea of how strong your phone's service is, according to your telephone. Nosotros've listed a few of our favorites to help discover cell phone tower locations and coverage quality:

OpenSignal (Recommended): For iPhone and Android

Currently the best option for most (see Update) iPhone users, this app features a compass that points you lot in the direction of your carrier's nearest jail cell telephone tower, every bit well as a map.

For iPhone | For Android

UPDATE: We've received reports that OpenSignal on the latest iPhones no longer points toward your cell tower, so, sadly, at that place are even fewer options for iPhone users than before.

Network Cell Info Lite (Highly Recommended): Android Only

While Network Prison cell Info Lite is a amend application overall, it only works for Android. It shows your nearest cell tower AND its ID number, giving you a more accurate reading for dB and dBm, so you can amend understand your signal strength. Like our professional person installers, you can employ dBm as a directly measurement of signal strength, which is far more reliable than the bars on your phone.

LTE Discovery (Recommended): Android Simply

LTE Discovery is a powerful, in-depth tool that'due south user-friendly enough to show the best cell service in your expanse — and it's used most oftentimes by industry professionals.

RootMetrics' Cell Telephone Coverage Map: For iPhone and Android

RootMetrics is a potent indicator of signal quality in your area, though it does non accept a cell phone tower map. You may not exist able to notice your nearest cell belfry, you lot can explore a local heatmap that's crowdsourced for real-globe signal force.

For iPhone | For Android

While none of these apps can heave our signal, they can be helpful for locating the general vicinity of your nearest tower and getting an idea of the signal strength in your area.

4. Notice Your Prison cell Tower Location Using Your Smartphone'due south Antenna

How well-nigh some good old-fashioned reverse-applied science to find your phone'southward nearest tower?

All cellular devices operate over radio waves, which are measured in dBm (decibel-milliwatts). The standard frequency falls between: -50 dBm to -120 dBm, with -50 dBm being the strongest, and -120 dBm the weakest (full expressionless zone).

The bars you see on your phone are an attempt at conveying this strength, though it's upwards to your carrier to define the actual correlation. Meaning, dBm point force and the number of bars is somewhat arbitrary. Dart's 1 bar could exist equivalent to Verizon'south 3 bars, even when the dBm is identical.

Bars may be subjective, but dBm readings are non. The closer you are to -50 dB, the ameliorate your signal. The closer you are to -120 dB, say goodbye to your signal. Fortunately, your smartphone tin display these dBm readings for you.

How to Access Your dBm Bespeak (Field Test Mode):

For iPhone Users

Please note: Apple tree has subconscious dBm readings in iPhone field test mode since releasing iOS 11 and 12, but, depending on your iPhone chipset (Intel or Qualcomm) and your carrier (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint), there is a potential workaround.

AT&T or T-Mobile iPhone with Intel chipset (iOS xi & 12):

Dial *3001#12345#*
Cull LTE
Choose Serving Cell Means
Your dBm tin be read every bit rsrp0

Verizon or Sprint iPhone with Qualcomm chipset (iOS xi & 12):

Dial *3001#12345#*
Cull 1xEV-DO
Your dBm can be read as RX AGC0

For whatever iPhone pre-iOS xi:

Punch *3001#12345#*
Swipe down the notifications bar
Your dBm can exist found in the upper left-mitt corner of the screen

Incompatible carriers and chipsets won't be able to access these options, but the second-all-time pick is a speed examination performed around your abode.

For Android Users

Field examination fashion on Android varies past model and operating system, just is usually constitute under the Settings menu.

Select Settings
Select Nigh Phone
Select Condition or Network
Select SIM Status
Your dBm can be found under Betoken force

In one case you've found your dBm reading, explore the perimeter of your abode and accept notation of the areas with the strongest dBm reading. This volition indicate the full general direction of your cell phone belfry and where you lot tin find the best reception.

5. Update your Telephone to Find New Towers

Your telephone will generally connect to the nearest tower, but with the construction of new towers and various adjustments, it's possible you can do better. Tower updates vary by carrier and device, but the process itself is simple.

AT&T Tower Update

Options for iPhone:

1. Plow the Network Off and Dorsum On (fastest & easiest)

Toggle the "Airplane" icon off and back on to reconnect to the network. Easy!

2. Download iPhone Carrier Update

Connect to your Wi-Fi network (or the AT&T network), so swipe upwardly on the screen to show the iPhone Control Eye. Tap the "Wi-Fi" icon to turn information technology on.
Tap the "Settings" icon on your habitation screen, then select the "General" choice
Tap "About" and and then "Install" to install a carrier update (if an AT&T carrier update is available)

3. Restart iPhone

When all else fails: Plow information technology off. Turn it back on. Voila!

Options for Android:

1. Turn the Network Off and Back On (fastest & easiest)

Swipe downwardly from the top of the screen to the Quick Settings menu. Tap "Airplane" to turn information technology on. Look 10 seconds, and then tap "Plane" again to plow information technology off.

2. Update Android Device

You can update your carrier settings past updating to the newest version of the Android Os bachelor for your device.

Tap the "Settings" icon, then select "Nigh device".
Select "Software Update", then wait for your phone to search for an update.
Tap "Install Now" to install the update on your Android device. Once the update has been downloaded and installed, your Android will be using the newest carrier settings and the newest AT&T towers.

3. Restart Android Device

For this and all electronic devices: Plough information technology off. Turn it back on. *Chef's buss*

Verizon Tower Update

Updating to the latest Verizon jail cell towers is a snap and can be done in several means.

Restarting your device normally causes the location memory of your phone to reset, causing information technology to reach out to the nearest towers. If there'due south a tower that's popped upwardly recently, your phone will find it.

Alternatively, y'all can but dial "*288" and select "2" when prompted. This will cause your phone to update to local Verizon towers, which can accept upward to two minutes.

A concluding method is to punch "*22899" and press "Transport." A musical ringtone will play, and a recorded vox will instruct you to concur while your phone is being programmed. A few seconds later, you should hear a few beeps, and "Programming Successful" will appear on your brandish. Your Verizon cell towers are at present updated.

T-Mobile Tower Update

To update your T-Mobile towers, you can try the AT&T method above, or this alternative restart method:

Ability off your device
Remove the SIM menu
Wait a minute
Re-insert the SIM bill of fare and ability your telephone dorsum on
Your telephone should automatically perform a T-Mobile tower update

Sprint Tower Update

Updating your Sprint cell towers requires a PRL (preferred roaming list) update to your device.

Select "Device Management"
Choose "Update the PRL (Preferred Roaming Listing) on your device"
Follow the instructions

US Cellular Belfry Update

The practiced old-fashioned restart method (in a higher place) is best for US Cellular customers looking to update their cell belfry. Either go into Airplane mode on your telephone (described above), or ability off, remove your SIM card, expect a minute, replace information technology, and power the device back on.

6. Use a Signal Meter to Find Your Cell Tower Location

While Field Exam Style (using dB) is a great fashion for most of united states to find our strongest signal, a indicate meter is past far the most accurate method, used by installers, contractors, and overachievers.

The point meter is a handheld device that pinpoints all 4G and 3G frequencies and bands, displays bespeak forcefulness in dBm, and gives accurate jail cell belfry direction inside a 45 to xc-degree radius. It is a worthwhile investment for professional telecom users.

7. Finding Your 5G Jail cell Tower

5G cell towers are not like the 4G, LTE, and 3G cell towers we know and love.

For those living in 5G areas, you'll know it. These cell towers are everywhere, with far more density than a 4G tower requires. In fact, they're and so pocket-size that they can exist placed on lighting fixtures, the tops of buildings… fifty-fifty hole-and-corner.

Most major carriers accept withal to fully implement 5G in fifty-fifty the about populated urban areas, making 5G coverage maps the thing of science fiction. But stay tuned...

And so How Exercise Prison cell Towers Work?

A jail cell phone tower (or cell site/Base of operations Transceiver Station) is a structure that emits cellular signal as a "cell" in a network. This is accomplished through a labyrinth of transceivers, digital signal processors, control electronics, primary and fill-in electrical ability, and GPS receivers. Basically, they're transmitters of radio signals.

From there, each tower is different. Even if you're staring up at a jail cell tower right this very moment, it might not contain the transceivers that use frequencies for your carrier, or maybe those transceivers are pointed abroad from your location.

Generally, cell towers use power to generate radio waves at a certain frequency. Your jail cell phone is tuned in to a specific frequency range (or band) depending on your carrier and the features you're trying to use.

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Contact Us

We're hither to aid with whatever problems you might be experiencing with poor cell service. Contact u.s. today, or call u.s.a. at 1-800-470-6777.