5 ways to quickly find the nearest cell tower
In a world that relies heavily on connectivity, poor cell reception is a problem that plagues many consumers and businesses. If you're experiencing poor signal conditions at home or in the office, identifying the source of the signal can be the first step to improving reception. As of 2018, the number of base stations in the United States is approaching 350,000. This number indicates that there may be a cell tower near you.
Finding your nearest cell tower location can give you insight into what's causing your connection problems. Knowing the orientation of the cell towers relative to your location will provide a signal path, making it easier to implement strategies to enhance reception.
Cell tower location -min
1. Start with your carrier
Cellular carriers, even if advertised as nationwide, are not guaranteed to serve the same areas. It's important to start your search with your current cell phone carrier so you know which towers you identify are relevant to your situation. Verizon, T-Mobile, and ATT are the top three carriers in the U.S. and have many resources to help you locate their cell towers.
Verizon Cell Tower Locations
Verizon provides its customers with a map of cell towers that shows the area covered by the network over 2.5 million miles. While this map is a good starting point for making sure you have Verizon coverage in your area, it won't provide the precise location of the towers closest to you. It's also important to note that this map is based on 4G LTE coverage, so those using 5G may find better success with coverage maps in cities where the carrier offers Verizon 5G service.
ATT cell tower locations
ATT users have a similar tool that shows the areas the carrier serves, although it doesn't offer a nationwide view and requires a specific location. As with Verizon users, customers will not be able to use this tool to locate cell towers. However, the interactive map can tell you if service is available at your exact address, and what type of coverage you can expect, such as 4G LTE or 5G.
T-Mobile Cell Tower Locations
Those who do business with T-Mobile also benefit from an interactive coverage map, but this one provides a nationwide overview and options for finding specific addresses. Like the other two, the individual towers aren't listed, but the map can show you if you fall within T-Mobile's coverage area and the type of coverage you have available.
Once you've confirmed that you're within coverage of your specific cellular carrier, you can use a variety of tools and techniques to find out the mobile tower locations for your service.
2. Try Cell Tower Locator Maps
Now that you've confirmed that your carrier of choice has coverage, you're probably wondering, "How can I find cell towers near me?" Location maps are an easy answer to that question. These third-party maps provide accurate locations of cell towers and can verify the provider as well as the type of network the tower transmits. Here are some options to help you get started:
Cellmapper.net: This interactive tool has some filtering options to start your search. Start by entering your carrier and network type. Then enter your address to find all towers that match your carrier and network parameters. The results are displayed on a map to show you the towers in your area, and the signal strength of each tower.
Scadascore.com: This interactive map lets you see the number of towers in a given area. Zooming in will give you a more focused view showing you where the towers serving your area are.
CellReception.com: This search tool is limited to cell towers registered with the FCC. You can search by zip code or city and state to generate a map showing all the towers in your area. Clicking any location will give you the address and owner of the tower. You can also limit your search to specific providers by checking the correct box.
You can also download a cell tower locator app on your phone to help you with your searches. Some apps you can try include:
Cell Tower Locator: This app for Android provides the approximate location of cell towers on a generated map. The app also provides options to measure signal strength and GPS location.
Cellular Signal Finder: This is a map-based application available in the Apple App Store. The map clearly shows all the cell towers near you and identifies which carrier each cell tower belongs to. There's even a feature that lets you see a photo of the actual tower if you click on one of the map markers.
3. Use your smartphone
Once you've found the nearest cell tower, the next step in troubleshooting any connectivity issues is to measure the signal strength. As convenient as they may be, bar graphs on smartphones are not a reliable indicator of signal strength. Instead, you need to determine the signal level measured in decibel-milliwatt (dBm).
Cellular phones operate in the range of -50 dBm to -120 dBm, with -50 being full strength and -120 being almost no signal. Although bars on phones correlate with this measurement, each carrier has determined its own range that is reflected in these bars, making metrics inconsistent between companies.
To get signal strength measurements on Android, browse your phone's menus to find "Signal Strength" or "Network Type and Strength." Instructions for your iPhone vary depending on the type of phone you're carrying. After completing the measurement, you will have a better understanding of the signal received from the designated tower.
4. Hire professionals
If all of these steps seem a bit onerous, or if multiple towers need to be identified for your business location due to employees or customers using personal phones from different carriers, you can always choose to arrange for a site survey by certified installers at Wilson Pro. These professionals can come to your facility and use signal meters to measure the signal strength at various points within the building, as well as identify the locations of cell towers that serve your business.
This is especially beneficial in a business setting, as it can identify any dead spots or weak signal areas that could slow down your employees or frustrate your consumer base. Better connectivity ensures smoother workflows and a more satisfying customer experience.
5. Consider a Cell Signal Amplifier
Whether at home or at work, if you are finding weak connection issues, a cellular signal booster or amplifier may be the solution for your needs. These boosters give you a quick and affordable option to boost signal throughout your building, ensuring you can stay connected no matter what area you're in.
WilsonPro provides enhanced solutions for businesses that lack signal strength at the nearest cell tower location. Using a passive distributed antenna system (passive DAS), the booster will capture the outside signal and bring it into the building, amplify it to 32 times its original strength, and strategically project it to weaker signals Area.
This enhancement of cellular signal enables employees in the building to work faster on their professional or personal devices, while improving for customers who may need to connect with loved ones to make decisions or just want to pass time on their devices while waiting. Connectivity is a service.
