Cape Town Focus: Why am I struggling to get Cellular Signal?

With magnificent views, great food and vibrant city, Cape Town is one of the most breathtaking places in the world. It's high contrast between mountains and sea creates a beautiful paradise that holds Iconic sites like Table Mountain and picturesque towns between its valleys. From vineyards to corporate businesses, the city boasts a growing economy with increasing opportunities. But does the contrasting landscape affect cellular signal, and what can I do to improve it?

Mountains and Signal

Cape Town is famous for its beautiful mountains and lush terrain, but this can obstruct the signal emitted from the cell phone tower. With many of the towns situated at the base of the mountains, it’s tough for the signal to reach mobile devices. Areas with dense forrest will likely also experience distorted signal with trees blocking the incoming signal. Depending on your signal strength outdoors and the size of your home, the Wilson Pro A500 Kit can assist with amplifying the weak signal in your home. For very weak cellular signal and larger spaces, the powerful WilsonPro A1000 Kit would be more suitable to achieve the desired indoor cellular reception.

Farms and Large Open Landscape

Notorious for world class wine, Cape Town is home to many vineyards and other agricultural farmlands and orchards. Technology has made it easier to keep track of the harvest yield, but these apps often require data to function. With many of these plots situated a far distance away from the nearest cell phone tower, it can make it challenging to receive the signal needed to run these applications. Our weBoost Am100-Pro is perfect for situations like this, the device can be installed into the heavy duty vehicles or bakkies for amplified signal on the go.

Extreme Weather

Cape Town has its fair share of unpredictable and extreme weather. It may be strange to hear, but weather can affect your cell phone signal. An example of a direct effect would be lightning causing electrical interference with cell signals during a thunderstorm. Rainstorms are likely to have the greatest effect on cell reception because of the density of water vapor associated with them. The heavier the rain, the more likely it is to negatively affect your reception. Atmospheric water vapor (like rain) can also reduce your cell reception by absorbing energy from radio waves. Wind should not affect your cell signal. But any of the above-described weather conditions associated with high winds certainly can cause service issues. High winds can also damage cell network equipment and power lines, which could affect local cellular service.

Signal on the Water

Whether you want to go fishing or explore the coastline, the V&A waterfront offers many marine activities and adventures. But staying connected on the water can be a challenge. Bolton Technical will soon be offering a wide range of Marine antennas that can be used in conjunction with our signal boosters. All of these antenna’s are protected against harsh weather conditions and sea spray.

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