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Frequently Asked Questions

It’s incredibly frustrating when you have “full bars” outside, but as soon as you step into your living room, your call drops or your video starts buffering. 

The short answer is that mobile signals are essentially high-frequency radio waves, and while they are great at carrying data, they are surprisingly “fragile” when they hit solid objects. 

Here are the three main reasons why your indoor signal struggles: 

Your building is a Shield 

The materials used to build modern, sturdy homes are often the biggest enemies of a cell signal. 

  • Brick and Concrete: These are dense and soak up radio waves like a sponge. 
  • Metal: If your home has a metal roof, aluminium siding, or even foil-backed insulation, it acts like a “Faraday cage,” reflecting the signal away before it can get inside. 
  • Energy-Efficient Windows: Many modern windows have a transparent metallic film (Low-E coating) designed to reflect heat. Unfortunately, it’s just as good at reflecting mobile signals. 

If you have a decent signal outside but none inside, a signal booster (or repeater) is the ideal solution.  

  • The Setup: You place an antenna outside (usually on the roof or a window ledge) to “catch” the signal, and a second unit inside to “rebroadcast” it throughout the rooms. 
  • Pro Tip: Look for “Consumer Boosters” that are approved by the regulators, so they don’t interfere with the carrier’s network. 

In this case, you will definitely need a mobile repeater, because the signal will not get through a metal-clad building, nor will it penetrate underground.  

This is a great question. 5G stand-alone is operated at 3.5 GHz, which is the highest commercial frequency operated by the mobile operators, and while they are great at carrying data, they are surprisingly “fragile” when they hit solid objects. This is why your mobile signal can get worse in the summer,  as leaves on the trees disrupt the signal.  

In this case, you will need a mobile repeater to feed a signal into the basement,  it is a great way to get mobile signals in car parks,  so you can pay for your parking. 

There are several ways to improve Indoor Network Coverage, such as Repeaters, in expensive and quickly installed. Small Cells, quick to deploy, but there can be high monthly costs for fibre transmission and connection to the mobile operators.  Finally, distributed antenna systems are used for big buildings like shopping centres and airports for example.  

There are many apps you can download. Network Mobile Info is free and easy to use.  

Wi-Fi calling is great for consumer use, for example, at home, but if you want carrier-grade performance, security, and a stable connection, a repeater is the only choice.  

Your building is a Shield 

The materials used to build modern, sturdy homes are often the biggest enemies of a cell signal. 

  • Brick and Concrete: These are dense and soak up radio waves like a sponge. 
  • Metal: If your home has a metal roof, aluminium siding, or even foil-backed insulation, it acts like a “Faraday cage,” reflecting the signal away before it can get inside. 
  • Energy-Efficient Windows: Many modern windows have a transparent metallic film (Low-E coating) designed to reflect heat. Unfortunately, it’s just as good at reflecting cell signals. 

This is a great question but not easily answered. There are many variables, such as the size and location of your building, what you need the signal for, and what type of solution you need.  Contact us at Pan RF, and we would be happy to talk through your requirements.  

There are a number of Signal Booster vendors. Remember to look out for a couple of key points: the first is approval by the regulator, and the second is “active gain control” (AGC)  

If you find one with AGC but no approval from the regulator, stay away from it; it is more than likely to cause you problems.  

In Europe, the rules are a little different; you can install signal boosting as long as it does not interfere with the mobile network. A good rule of thumb is to stick to products approved by OFCOM. 

There are many apps you can download. Network Cell Info is free and easy to use.  

This is a question that is always asked; the higher the frequency, the more fragile the signal, so any dense materials like steel, concrete, bricks and even certain modern glazing can block a mobile signal. 

There are many apps you can download. Network Mobile Info is free and easy to use.  

Yes, they do, as long as you get the system designed and installed by a professional. This is not a task the IT department can complete.  

There are several ways to improve Indoor Network Coverage, such as Repeaters, in expensive and quickly installed. Small Cells, quick to deploy, but there can be high monthly costs for fibre transmission and connection to the mobile operators.  Finally, distributed antenna systems are used for big buildings like shopping centres and airports for example.  

This is a question that is always asked; the higher the frequency, the more fragile the signal, so any dense materials like steel, concrete, bricks and even certain modern glazing can block a mobile signal. 

This is a great question, but not easily answered. There are many variables, such as the size and location of your building, what you need the signal for, and what type of solution you need. Contact us at Pan RF, and we would be happy to talk through your requirements.

There are several ways to improve Indoor Network Coverage, such as Repeaters, in expensive and quickly installed. Small Cells, quick to deploy, but there can be high monthly costs for fibre transmission and connection to the mobile operators.  Finally, distributed antenna systems are used for big buildings like shopping centres and airports for example.  

Wi-Fi calling is great at home, but if you want carrier-grade performance, security, and a stable connection, a repeater is the only choice.  

Yes, you can install a booster in your office. You may have to ask your landlord for permission to mount a donor antenna on your roof, but as they are smaller than a TV aerial, there should be no issues.  

This can be done by a professional company like Pan RF, or there are many apps you can download. Network Mobile Info is free and easy to use.  

As the Unique Selling Points (USP) of 5G are beamforming and massive MIMO, 5G is predominantly a Macro service (designed for outdoors).  

A good 4G system indoors can offer comparable connectivity and download speeds to 5G, because 5G cannot take advantage of its USPs inside a building. 

Buy a booster, get it installed by an approved professional; the mobile carrier won’t help you unless you are Google or a massive stadium.  

Mission-critical indoor network coverage should be supplied with an active digital DAS,  with a carrier-grade base station transceiver, correctly dimensioned for the maximum number of users, so that if there is an incident, the system does not get overwhelmed.  

There are several Approved boosters on the market. Make sure you don’t just buy a cheap one and get fined and have the system removed.  Pan RF can advise you on the correct booster for your needs.  

This can be done by a professional company like Pan RF, or there are many apps you can download. Network Cell Info is free and easy to use.  

5G coverage indoors is used by the operators to supplement capacity.  As there is little difference between a good 4G system indoors and a 5G system indoors, because the massive MIMO or beamforming cannot be deployed, unless you are inside a stadium.  However, inside normal buildings will see 5G for capacity purposes.  

This may be due to the carrier re-configuring the tower with higher frequencies, which is sometimes called re-farming within the telecoms industry.  

There are several ways to improve Indoor Network Coverage, such as Repeaters, in expensive and quickly installed. Small Cells, quick to deploy, but there can be high monthly costs for fibre transmission and connection to the mobile operators.  Finally, distributed antenna systems are used for big buildings like shopping centres and airports for example.  

It is always best to employ a professional company like Pan RF to guide you. 

If you look around, there are hundreds of different types of buildings, and no one system can solve every problem.  Contact Pan RF, explain your situation, and we can help you fix the problem or advise you on the most suitable system to solve your particular problem.