We'll discuss the multiple reasons that your phone may show weak bars.
There are a few different reasons why your phone or mobile device would show that you have weak or bad cell phone signal, including distance from the nearby cell phone towers, obstacles in the way, construction material of the building or vehicle that you are in, or potentially if your mobile device has been damaged. We'll cover all of these in more depth.
Distance from the Nearby Cell Towers
The closer you are to a cell tower from your carrier, the stronger the cell signal is going to be. In urban areas, you'll most likely be close to a number of cell towers, so if you're outside, you'll typically never have a problem with weak cell phone signal.
In more rural areas, with a much less dense population, the number of cell towers available are significantly less and much more spread out, so you may find yourself in a location that is far away from the nearest cell tower, resulting in a much weaker outside signal. If you're in a vehicle, the signal will continue to get weaker as you move away from the nearest cell tower, until you begin to approach a new tower, and the signal will once again get stronger.
Obstacles in the Way
Cell signal is transmitted from a cell tower to your phone in typically a straight line. If there is an obstacle in the way, like a building, hill, mountain or if you're in a valley, then the cell signal is going to have a very difficult time getting to you, which may result in weak, irregular, or no signal at all. Large obstacles are typically the most challenging signal issues to overcome.
Construction Materials
The construction materials, such as brick, block, metal, or concrete, that the building you're in is built from frequently cause signal problems. In addition, the windows on newer buildings are routinely employing energy efficient coatings to make the building more efficient for heating and cooling, but which also prevent cell signal from easily penetrating into the building. Cell phone signal boosters are designed specifically to route around construction materials that are blocking signal, and get the cell signal to the areas inside that require cell service.
This also applies to vehicles, such as Airstream trailers, which are constructed completely of metal, and have a very difficult time receiving good signal inside. A mobile RV signal booster will be able to route the cell signal into the vehicle and broadcast it for better cell service.
Damaged Mobile Device
Sometimes a mobile device, such as a phone, tablet, or hotspot, shows that it is receiving poor cell signal, while other devices on the same network are showing good or great signal. In these cases, it's most likely that the device has been damaged, and the internal antenna is not functioning as effectively as it should. The best option then is going to be to replace the mobile device, as a signal booster will not be able to solve the cell signal problem.
Once you have a better understanding of why bad cellular signal occurs, it's easier to understand how a cell phone signal booster can be used to solve