Great outdoor coverage doesn't always guarantee great indoor coverage. While wireless carriers have significantly improved outdoor performance with more cell sites and better 5G networks in most major cities, poor in-building coverage remains a common issue in offices, commercial buildings, condos, apartments, and homes.
Why Buildings Affect Cell Coverage
We expect our wireless devices to work seamlessly inside our homes and offices, as our phone numbers and online connections have become essential for staying connected anywhere. However, building materials like concrete, metal, low-emissivity (low-e) glass, and energy-efficient insulation, as well as locations in signal-shadowed areas, can block cellular signals—whether 4G LTE, 5G, GSM, or CDMA—making it difficult for phones to work in meeting rooms, home offices, warehouses, and other indoor spaces.
The Need for Strong Wireless Signals Indoors
With smartphones, tablets, and other devices now crucial for remote work, collaboration, and smart home technology, strong indoor coverage is more important than ever. While you might get by with just two bars for a voice call, modern wireless data applications—including video conferencing, cloud storage, and IoT—require a reliable, high-speed connection to function effectively. Enhancing in-building coverage is essential to maximize data speeds and ensure that all wireless applications, from video calls to connected devices, work smoothly where they are needed most—indoors.
The Role of Wi-Fi Indoors
Wi-Fi is a powerful solution for improving indoor connectivity, especially in areas where cellular signals are weak. Most modern smartphones, tablets, and devices support Wi-Fi calling, which enables voice calls, text messaging, and data services using an available Wi-Fi network instead of relying on cellular towers. This ensures that you stay connected, even in areas with limited cellular coverage. In addition, Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E offer faster speeds, lower latency, and increased capacity, which are crucial for handling multiple devices and data-intensive applications in homes and offices.
How We Can Help
Our platform is designed to gather information about buildings with indoor coverage issues, helping wireless service providers better understand and address your in-building needs. You can report coverage problems on our interactive map to notify carriers of weak signals, or you can take action yourself by installing a signal booster, repeater, or a small cell/femtocell to enhance coverage in your home or office. Additionally, setting up a robust Wi-Fi network and enabling Wi-Fi calling can provide an effective and reliable way to stay connected indoors, even in low-signal areas.