I am having difficulty with my cell phone in my house. I find it next to impossible to make or receive calls in the house. If I go outside the house all is well. In attempting to find the cause of this adverse service I have been led to suspect that the aluminum siding on the house, which is grounded to the waterpipes, has formed a complete Faraday gage preventing reception. I might add that the house is Arkansaw constructed.
Have any of you experienced a problem of cell phone reception in a house with aluminum siding? Does the Faraday Gage theory have any weight?

Actually, it's a Faraday Cage. That's the same thing you see in a microwave - It is holes which are too small for the waves to go through.

I live in a house with aluminum siding and I don't have a particular problem, but aluminum siding could be an issue. Do any of your neighbors have a house without aluminum siding - Maybe they'd let you try a call inside their house and you could see if it makes any difference.

Have any of you experienced a problem of cell phone reception in a house with aluminum siding? Does the Faraday Gage theory have any weight?You bet I have... This house is wood, but I used to have major problems in a previous dwelling.

Yes, aluminum siding acts like a Faraday cage. You need to get the signal past the obstacle. I had to rig two connected areals: One inside and one outside. That fixed my problem.

/Claes

Your phone type might be a problem too. I just went to one of the little compact phones, from having a run-of-the-mill Nokia. I noticed my reception quality drop (same vendor for service) immediately. I've since been told the antenna on the little flip phones is nowhere near as good as on the other style.

At work, our offices are fabbed from metal building systems. In one, I get reception (albeit one bar) in my own, I get no reception. Of course, reception is pretty hit and miss no matter if you are in a building, car, or standing along the side of a road around here.:rolleyes:

I live in a house with aluminum siding and don't have any problem with reception, but the signals may be bouncing off the steel plate in my head. Sometimes I receive radio signals in my head from Guam too.

Just a thought, If you know the direction of the nearest cell tower, you could experiment by going near the closest window, I am sure the wavelength of a cell phone is small enough to pass through a 30" opening.

Carl-

I have had two different phones and two different service providers with identical results. "NO WORK". I am bothered somewhat by the grounding of the aluminum siding. I understand the concept of the 1/4" copper tubing from two opposit corners of the house being strapped and clamped to the cold water pipe to yield the best ground possible; PROVIDING YOU ARE CONNECTED TO A CITY WATER SUPPLY! If, however, you live in the suburban areas and have a well then I don't get the idea. You see with my well the copper pipes all come down to the ballast tank which is served by the well through a PVC connecting pipe. I dont think PVC conducts so I really wonder if the aluminum is groundedd.
The electrical service, on the other hand, is grounded through a copper pipe embedded 10 feet into the ground! Any idea on this?
I have thought about the antennae that Claes mentions and I am tempted to try it.
Carl has a good idea as well. The nearest cell tower is 4 blocks to the south east but it doesn't seem to matter. Could it be the full length screens in my Anderson windows? :confused:

Try a passive antenna re-radiator. It is basically a coil of wire inside your house with one end attached to earth ground (a stake driven into the ground) and the other end connected to an antenna outside your house. The cell phone will be coupled through the coil to the antenna outside. You can probably do a web search for a more detailed explanation of the construction and theory.

Try a passive antenna re-radiator. It is basically a coil of wire inside your house with one end attached to earth ground (a stake driven into the ground) and the other end connected to an antenna outside your house. The cell phone will be coupled through the coil to the antenna outside. You can probably do a web search for a more detailed explanation of the construction and theory.


Thanks Al, I will do some research. Claes is this what you used?

Thanks Al, I will do some research. Claes is this what you used?Here is a description of a home made passive-antenna-reradiator.
(http://my.integritynet.com.au/purdic/passive-antenna-reradiators.htm)

Claes is this what you used?Yes, more or less. The link Al provided is good. :agree1:


/Claes

Actually your windows may be a factor as well. A Low-E coating on the windows can hamper signal strength. If you have any type of sun or heat coating on the glass that can really hamper signal reception as well. All those coatings, from my understanding are metal in base component. Albeit angstroms thick, it can still be enough to dramatically alter cell phone reception. Do you have issues with any other type of reception (i.e. cordless phone outside in the yard, AM Radio etc.)?

In a previous post I questioned the grounding of aluminum siding to the water pipes when you are on a well. Well (no pun intended) the maintenance men here at work tell me that its not the pipes that make the ground connection so pvc pipe is not the issue. Any one care to quess why?
OK! OK! Its the water stupid!!! The water conducts! Why do you think they clear the swimming pool if a storm is approaching? :o

Just had to let everyone know this.

Here is a description of a home made passive-antenna-reradiator.
(http://my.integritynet.com.au/purdic/passive-antenna-reradiators.htm)

Thanks Al, interesting article. I will have to review it more, maybe even try it. :applause:

There have been many times since I acquired my first cell phone when I was happy I had no reception. I love the fact the incoming call just pops into voicemail and I can check it at my leisure.

I note several movie theaters in my area have a jamming device which prevents reception anywhere in the building, regardless of cell phone type or carrier. As soon as you step out into the parking lot, reception is loud and clear. The beauty is no ringing phones or loud phone conversations disrupt the film; the downside is no contact with baby sitters or other emergencies, even if you are conscientious and put your phone on vibrate and go to the lobby for your conversation.

I also note several suburban office buildings have installed "repeater" or passive antennas to aid in cell phone reception for all carriers, while others seem to REVEL in blocking reception for any carrier but one they have a contract with.

It all depends upon whose ox is being gored, I suppose.

Actually your windows may be a factor as well. A Low-E coating on the windows can hamper signal strength. If you have any type of sun or heat coating on the glass that can really hamper signal reception as well. All those coatings, from my understanding are metal in base component. Albeit angstroms thick, it can still be enough to dramatically alter cell phone reception. Do you have issues with any other type of reception (i.e. cordless phone outside in the yard, AM Radio etc.)?

We do have a cordless phone in the house. I have seen the wife walking outside in the yard and in the street and still be talking on the phone. So no problem there. I believe the cordless is spec'd at a range of 900 ft.

All I know about the windows is they are Anderson thermopanes circa 1980.
The rest of the house as I stated earlier is Arkansaw constructed. It has 6" walls filled with fiberglass and then the outside of the wall was wrapped in 2.0" styrofoam with and aluminized coating. The aluminum siding is hung over all of this. The entrance doors are insulated steel. The attic has 2.0 feet of blown cellulose and the basement cinder blocks were filled with insulation as they were laid down to the frost line if I recall.

The only other thing that I have noticed is that the remote for my Ford pickup will unlock the doors from inside the house.

Unless you have a tin roof, you are not really in a Faraday Cage. You are surrounded on only 5 of 6 sides, four walls and the ground. You should get adequate reception through the roof. Does your phone reception increase dramatically when you are outside? If not, at 4 blocks you may be TOO close to the cell tower. They are meant to broadcast outward from way up, right underneath is one of the worst reception locations.

Unless you have a tin roof, you are not really in a Faraday Cage. You are surrounded on only 5 of 6 sides, four walls and the ground. You should get adequate reception through the roof. Does your phone reception increase dramatically when you are outside? If not, at 4 blocks you may be TOO close to the cell tower. They are meant to broadcast outward from way up, right underneath is one of the worst reception locations.

Reception is just fine as soon as we go outside! I have never checked it upstairs (closer to the roof) I will have to try it!

Jim, if you are successful, just move into your attic. But, you will probably find that the reception is not much better there if your signal is attenuated because of your house's construction. Take a look at google answers (http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=34777) and Cell Phone Reception Search (http://www.cellreception.com/index.html).

Your phone type might be a problem too. I just went to one of the little compact phones, from having a run-of-the-mill Nokia. I noticed my reception quality drop (same vendor for service) immediately. I've since been told the antenna on the little flip phones is nowhere near as good as on the other style.I had the same thing happen so I took mine back - That was in 2002. I ended up with a Sanyo. No PDA stuff, no camera, no 'extras' - But the phone works where others don't even register a signal. It's small, but not the 'micros' that I see many people using.

Unless you have a tin roof, you are not really in a Faraday Cage. You are surrounded on only 5 of 6 sides, four walls and the ground. You should get adequate reception through the roof. Does your phone reception increase dramatically when you are outside? If not, at 4 blocks you may be TOO close to the cell tower. They are meant to broadcast outward from way up, right underneath is one of the worst reception locations.

Icy Mountain wins the cigar. I finally got around to taking my cell phone upstairs and guess what signal strength increased 1 1/2 to 2 times what it is on the ground floor. Simply amazing the information found here at the cove!
Lets see do I go to the trouble of installing a passive antennae or do I simply go upstairs. :thanx:

Icy Mountain wins the cigar. I finally got around to taking my cell phone upstairs and guess what signal strength increased 1 1/2 to 2 times what it is on the ground floor. Simply amazing the information found here at the cove!
Lets see do I go to the trouble of installing a passive antennae or do I simply go upstairs. :thanx:Jim, try the home made passive antenna. Just put the external antenna in your attic. You might get away with just another coil in the attic as your antenna.

Jim, try the home made passive antenna. Just put the external antenna in your attic. You might get away with just another coil in the attic as your antenna.

Thanks Al, It looks like I may yet have to do this. I told the wife if see needs to use the cell phone to simply go upstairs. I think she wanted to beat me up! You see her office is downstairs so she needs to be on the phone and on-line at the same time. I wonder if I could move her office upstairs? Nope :nope: I better print out that paper on the antenna.

Thanks Al, It looks like I may yet have to do this. I told the wife if see needs to use the cell phone to simply go upstairs. I think she wanted to beat me up! You see her office is downstairs so she needs to be on the phone and on-line at the same time. I wonder if I could move her office upstairs? Nope :nope: I better print out that paper on the antenna.http://elsmar.com/Forums/images/smilies/thumbup1.gifIt beats a beating.