How do i find the closest cell tower

As of , the number of cell tower locations in the United States was close to , This number makes it likely that there is a cell phone tower near you.

Finding your nearest mobile tower location can give you some insight into the factors contributing to your connectivity issues. Knowing the direction of the cellular tower in relation to your location will provide the signal pathway, making it easier to implement strategies to boost your reception.

Cellular carriers, even if advertised as nationwide, are not guaranteed to service the same areas. Verizon offers its customers a cell tower map that shows the more than 2. Although this map is a great starting point to ensuring your area has Verizon coverage, it will not provide the precise location of the tower nearest to you.

Like those who use Verizon, customers will not be able to use this tool to locate towers. However, the interactive map can tell you whether service is available at your exact address as well as the type of coverage you can expect, such as 4G LTE or 5G. Those who do business with T-Mobile also have the benefit of an interactive coverage map , but this one offers a nationwide overview and the option to look up specific addresses.

Once you have verified that you are within the coverage area for your specific cellular carrier, you can use a variety of tools and techniques to find out the mobile tower location for your service.

These third-party maps offer exact locations for cellular towers and can verify the provider along with the type of network the tower transmits. Here are a few options to get you started:. So we tested a dozen different apps and websites against known tower locations to test their accuracy. Then we boiled that down to a short list: the 5 best ways to find and map your nearest 4G or 5G cell towers.

Unlike iPhones, Android gives apps programmatic access to signal information. This makes it possible for apps to identify the cell tower you're connected to. Beg, borrow, or steal. Just make sure that it's on the same carrier as you are. For example, if you want to see where Verizon's towers are, borrow a Verizon phone. Before you use any of the apps we suggest, it is important to check that your compass is calibrated.

Okay, with those tips out of the way, onto the good stuff Once you open the app, go to the "map" tab. Sometimes towers were off by a little, and sometimes by a lot. OpenSignal is a crowdsourced cell tower and coverage map that uses their own proprietary crowdsourced dataset.

Tower locations are computed by triangulating from user-contributed signal readings. Download the app, and select the fourth tab with the "arrow" icon.

Once there, you click on the "Cell Towers" button and a page will open showing nearby towers and with a blue line to your connected tower. But dBm readings are not subjective. They're pure science and math. The closer you are to dB, the better your signal. The closer to dB, the worse your signal.

And your smartphone has the native ability to display dBm readings. The next best method is performing a speed test around areas inside and outside your home. Field test mode on Android varies by phone model and Android OS version. However, it is generally found under the Settings menu.

Once you have your dBm reading through field test mode or app, walk around inside and outside the perimeter of your home. Make note which areas get the best dBm reading. This shows you the general direction of your cell tower and which rooms inside your home have the best reception. Usually, your phone is connected to the nearest cell tower. Performing a tower update is very simple, but it varies for each carrier and device.

Tap the "Airplane" icon to turn it on and then tap it again to turn it off to reconnect to the network. This is far and away the simplest method. Restarting your device usually causes the location memory of your phone to reset, causing it to reach out to the nearest towers. This will cause your phone to update to local Verizon towers, which can take up to two minutes.

Your Verizon cell towers are now updated. The best method for US Cellular customers to update their cell tower is the restart method.

Either go into Airplane mode on your phone described above , or power your device off, remove your SIM card, wait a minute, replace it, and power the device back on.

While using your phone in dB mode is generally a good way to find signal for most people, if you're an installer, contractor, or pro who really wants to be accurate, then getting a signal meter is a no-brainer. It's a worthwhile investment for professionals in telecommunications or those who want an absolutely bulletproof setup. This is accomplished with a myriad of transceivers, digital signal processors, control electronics, primary and backup electrical power, and GPS receivers.

They are, at the most basic level, radio signal transmitters. From there, it gets more specific to each tower. Even if you live right next to a very obvious cell tower, it might not contain transceivers that utilize frequencies for your carrier, or those transceivers might be pointed away from your location. In general terms, cell towers use power to generate radio waves at a certain frequency. Like our professional installers, you can use dBm as a direct measurement of signal strength, which is far more reliable than the bars on your phone.

RootMetrics is a strong indicator of signal quality in your area, though it does not have a cell phone tower map. While none of these apps can boost our signal, they can be helpful for locating the general vicinity of your nearest tower and getting an idea of the signal strength in your area.

All cellular devices operate over radio waves, which are measured in dBm decibel-milliwatts. The standard frequency falls between: dBm to dBm, with dBm being the strongest, and dBm the weakest total dead zone. Meaning, dBm signal strength and the number of bars is somewhat arbitrary. Bars may be subjective, but dBm readings are not. The closer you are to dB, the better your signal. The closer you are to dB, say goodbye to your signal. Fortunately, your smartphone can display these dBm readings for you.

Field test mode on Android varies by model and operating system, but is usually found under the Settings menu. This will indicate the general direction of your cell phone tower and where you can find the best reception. Swipe down from the top of the screen to the Quick Settings menu.