How can you boost your cellphone signal?

After the power outages and loss of cellphone signals many of us experienced this month in the wake of Isaias, it's no wonder some readers have written in to ask: "I would like to know if you have any suggestions for boosting cellphone reception inside your home. There are areas in my house that drop my calls. It gets very frustrating."

One method is to switch to a different cell carrier that might cover your home with a better signal. But that may not be an ideal solution, since we sometimes choose a carrier based on other factors like bundling TV and Internet with cell service. The other option is to try to improve the signal no matter which carrier you use.

The most important factor in signal boosting is you can't boost a signal if it's not getting to your house. If you can't stand outside your home and get a signal, then there's no use in trying a booster.

Most people look for a booster when they can get reception outside, but the signal dies inside their home. Another good reason to try a cell booster is if you get a good cell signal in one area of your house but lose it as you walk around the house or if your calls drop in specific rooms.

The best boosters are made by Wilson Electronics.It has two divisions: Wilson Pro for commercial installations and WeBoost for consumer installations. WeBoost has two products that will boost the cell signal reaching your house, and they vary in how much area they cover inside your home. The WeBoost Home Room costs $399.99 and is designed to boost the signal in one room (up to 1,500 square feet) of your house.

The WeBoost Home MultiRoom costs $549.99, and it's designed to cover up to three rooms or up to 5,000 square feet. Both work the same way. You place an antenna outside your home where the cell signal is strongest. A wire runs to a booster amplifier inside your home, which is connected to an indoor antenna that distributes the cell signal inside your home. These boosters will work with any cellphone carrier, and they also will work with 5G signals.

There's no question that these are fairly expensive solutions, but given how much we have come to rely on our cellphones — especially in an emergency — this is the best option available.