Ideas for improving cellular reception IN my truck box.. (living space)

Fredricksen

Member
I drive a retired ambulance.. a 1994 Ford E-350.
The issue I have is when I am in the back (in the box), my cell signal drops to nil. Even when I am in an area with good coverage.

This makes working on a laptop, using my phone as a hot-spot, problematic..

The box is aluminum skin around steel framing...a faraday cage of sorts, I suppose.

Short of getting a signal booster, is there any way to improve reception in the box?
Even better if it doesn't require a lot of power..

Thanks!
 

Winterpeg

Active member
Sounds like you already know the answer....

Cell booster.

Weboost has some good products. The truck version has an internal antenna that removes the requirement to place your phone on a cradle.
 

WRONG_WAY_DAVE

Active member
The cell phone booster are the only way to go, TTBOMK. And they only work if there is a signal. You may need to even go with hard wiring, or play around with where the thing should be mounted. Let us know what you choose, please?
 

Fredricksen

Member
hrrmmpf. It's one thing to open the back doors, or sit at a camp table..
but now that the cold weather is coming. Looks like I have another project. :)
Thanks for the insights..
 

sonoronos

Usually broken down on the side of the road
Since you're getting very poor cell reception in your van, I would think you'd be a good candidate for a repeater :)

Technically, repeaters and boosters are somewhat different animals, although people often use the terms interchangeably.
 

Jacobm

Active member
I've heard of passive signal boosters that are basically two antennas connected by a wire, one outside and one inside. No idea if they actually work or not, but likely cheaper than a repeater or booster.
 

Mtn Mike

Observer
I have the same problem in my cargo trailer conversion camper. It's got aluminum skin around a steal frame which does create a faraday cage. My solution has been to put my cellphone/hotspot in the space within the roof vent above the "skin" of the roof. I have a plastic roof vent cover which keeps it out of the elements. The phone receives the outside 4G signal but can still send a wifi signal into the box. This is definitely not as sophisticated as a booster but the system works pretty well for me.
 

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