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Weak or Low Signal When Traveling - Help From the AT&T Community
Learn About Weak Signals From My Personal Experience
Traveling, I do it. You do it. Everybody does it. Some of you do it more than the rest of us, in a decked-out, stylish van you bought. Or you put some love & care into a van and convert it into a traveling powerhouse. So what does traveling in a van have to do with AT&T and your signal? A lot!
In August, I joined a friend for a quick weekend in Colorado. We drove around the mountains, fished (caught nothing), and camped. I experienced a few things, the lovely views, trails, wildlife, and something our customers reach out to us about often, weak signal or no reception. While I was not expecting this, I understood why, it was the mountains, valleys, and the rocks. You are probably wondering, what do mountains, valleys, and rocks have to do with the signal? Quite a bit actually. Depending on the location of towers, and the terrain will impact how your service will work and may prevent the cell signal from reaching you. Mother nature is not the friendliest when it comes to electronics and electronic signals.
Why?
Mountains and valleys block signals. Over distance, it is normal for a signal to weaken. It is like trying to use your remote control for your TV a block away. Then you factor in the rocks and boulders, it affects the signal even more.
Learn causes and solutions for weak and no signals
- Buildings & Electronics and Deadzones They Cause
- Is your service slow or is it your phone?
- A phone with a virus slows you down too!
- Check coverage in your area
- Is there is an outage? It is easy to check!
ChrisZ, AT&T Community Specialist
*I am an AT&T employee, and the postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent AT&T's position, strategies or opinions.
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ATTHelpForums
Community Support
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2.7K Messages
2 years ago
Traveling and wondering why your signal is dropping? We have you covered.
ChrisZ, AT&T Commuity Specialist
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ATTChrisZ
Employee
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165 Messages
11 months ago
Persona Experience Story
I recently drove from Las Vegas to Lake Powell in Arizona. It was a beautiful drive until the sun went down. We were streaming music and it stopped out of nowhere. I was not surprised but the front seat navigator was.
I had to explain why the service dropped. When they built the roads, they went through mountains. Signals from most providers cannot go through rock and it is very difffcult to place towers to ensure there is a signal. You would also need so many towers, it would take away from the majesty of the drive.
So if you are expecting a signal while going through mountains, the science behind this will make it difficult. Maybe one day providers will figure out a way to cover those areas but until then, it is literally the nature of the beast.
ChrisZ
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