Does your cell phone regularly drop calls in poor weather, or is there so much static in the connection that it’s nearly impossible to hear anything? Find out why rain affects your cell phone reception in our explainer below.

Atmospheric Water Vapor

The primary way that rain interferes with phone calls is because of the excessive atmospheric water vapor. As we all know, to make a call, your phone has to send a signal to a cell tower, which connects that signal to the person receiving and making the call.

When there’s rain, especially heavy rain, more water vapor in the air gets in the way of your phone and the tower, interfering with the signal. We’ve made great strides in telecommunications in adverse weather. However, a heavy rainstorm can still cause phone signals to drop or interfere with the signal, making the call quality poor.

Electromagnetic Interference

Another reason why rain affects cell phone reception is electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI is when the internal mechanisms of an electronic device experiences disruptions from outside signals and electromagnetic waves. It’s also known as radio frequency interference.

There are three main causes of EMI, including natural EMI. Natural EMI comes in many forms, but one of the most common is the electrical static from rainstorms and thunderstorms. The static charge in the atmosphere can disrupt your cell phone if it doesn’t have quality EMI shielding for protection.

Tips for Improving Cell Reception in Bad Weather

What can a person do if their phone regularly has trouble making calls when it rains? After all, we can’t control the weather! A few simple strategies can help users improve their cell reception in even the worst weather.

Use a Signal Booster

The simplest way to improve cell phone reception is to get a signal booster. A signal booster does what it sounds like—it gives you a stronger signal in your home or wherever you call.

You can likely get a signal booster from your mobile carrier, but they’ll likely only sell you one that works with their network. It’s typically best to get a booster from a third-party company so that everyone can use it instead of those with your network carrier.

Switch to Wi-Fi

Another way to get around bad cell reception is to skip it entirely and only use Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is much less vulnerable to bad weather and typically carries a stronger connection, so using Wi-Fi to make calls and send texts is a reliable option.

24World Media does not take any responsibility of the information you see on this page. The content this page contains is from independent third-party content provider. If you have any concerns regarding the content, please free to write us here: contact@24worldmedia.com