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Cell Phone reception with metal roofs
Posted on 2/26/22 at 3:48 pm
Posted on 2/26/22 at 3:48 pm
I've seen some comments that some folks have poor cell phone reception in homes that have metal roofs.
Thinking about replacing a shingle roof with a metal roof. Trying to determine if that's a bad idea for cell phone reception. Currently have AT&T cell phones but also am planning to switch to TMobile.
Looking for input, good or bad for cell service in homes with metal roofs and what cell service you use. AT&T and Verizon should have similar performance since they use 5mm Wave for 5G. TMobile uses Sub6 for 5G service, so I would expect possibly a difference in performance impact from a metal roof. Thanks in advance.
Thinking about replacing a shingle roof with a metal roof. Trying to determine if that's a bad idea for cell phone reception. Currently have AT&T cell phones but also am planning to switch to TMobile.
Looking for input, good or bad for cell service in homes with metal roofs and what cell service you use. AT&T and Verizon should have similar performance since they use 5mm Wave for 5G. TMobile uses Sub6 for 5G service, so I would expect possibly a difference in performance impact from a metal roof. Thanks in advance.
6
Posted on 2/26/22 at 5:07 pm to 98eagle
I have a metal roof. It does make a small difference, but it is not going to take you from 4 bars to nothing. I'd roughly estimate 1 bar difference inside vs outside with a metal roof and 1/2 bar with a shingle roof.
Posted on 2/26/22 at 8:15 pm to 98eagle
It comes down on how close you are close to a tower, I might be wrong but the closer you are to one of those massive towers definitely makes a difference.
Posted on 2/26/22 at 8:54 pm to 98eagle
mmWave has trouble penetrating a sheet of paper...
Posted on 2/26/22 at 9:17 pm to 98eagle
I'm in a home with a tin roof. I only got 2 bars of signal, but it's not keeping me from doing whatever I want.
Posted on 2/27/22 at 11:29 am to 98eagle
If you're seeing a major issue, you can reach out to your cell provider and see if they can provide something to mount on the roof to bring the signal in. We had to use that for TMobile phones before we switched back to Verizon in a couple of locations where I work.
Posted on 2/27/22 at 5:39 pm to skrayper
You wouldn't happen to know what the device was that Tmobile provided you? Was there a cost for said device? Did it require connecting to wifi? TIA
Posted on 2/28/22 at 4:50 pm to MikeDaTiger23
quote:
You wouldn't happen to know what the device was that Tmobile provided you? Was there a cost for said device? Did it require connecting to wifi? TIA
Depends on what you're looking for.
If you have high speed internet, you can use a CellSpot. It connects to your network and acts as a mini-tower.
If you don't, you can get a signal booster that sits in your window.
The devices we used were more geared toward businesses. You'd probably be okay with the residential devices.
Pretty sure T-Mobile provides them for free if you meet certain criteria. The CellSpot has a $25 deposit.
You won't connect either to Wi-Fi; the CellSpot you'd connect with an ethernet cable to your router or modem, and the Signal Booster you'd simply set in your window. To use the CellSpot, you would need to register an e911 address (basically a means for 911 to identify your location from the mini-tower).
Posted on 2/28/22 at 9:12 pm to 98eagle
quote:
AT&T and Verizon should have similar performance since they use 5mm Wave for 5G. TMobile uses Sub6 for 5G service, so I would expect possibly a difference in performance impact from a metal roof. Thanks in advance.
For starters, forget about mmWave. Unless you live next to a node, you're not getting mmWave indoors.
The 5G you'll be looking for will come from the 2.5-2.6 Ghz band (T-Mobile) and the 3.4-3.7 Ghz Band (Verizon, AT&T and to a smaller extent T-Mobile). T-Mobile has deployed their 2.5-2.6 Ghz band in most major cities and is now moving towards deploying it in smaller towns. When all things are equal, 2.6 Ghz > 3.5 Ghz when it comes to penetrating walls. So obviously T-Mobile will be the first carrier you want to test.
Having said that, a metal roof could cause signal issues. There's no telling until you actually do it and test it out. Cellphone signals come from towers, so the signals would be penetrating through your walls and not your roof, so at least there's that.
Posted on 2/28/22 at 9:31 pm to Texas Weazel
Here's my plan. I'm going to get a metal roof, keep my AT&T wireless phone service, but then also order T-Mobile's 5G Home Internet device and service for $50 a month. Then see if I can get the T-Mobile device to work okay (as is or by adding some kind of signal amplifier). If I get the T-Mobile device working okay for internet service, then I will switch my cell phone service. I guess I will be fricked if neither T-Mobile or AT&T work out.
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