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Moving to a new office space can be a hassle. The time required to find a suitable space, packing up all of your equipment, and getting settled in a new location can be enough to make your head spin. As you hunt for a new office, keep in mind the things that will make the transition smoother on everyone. Our advice? Don’t overlook the importance of quality cellular reception. Learn how to boost cell signal in an office building here.
Why pay attention to cellular reception?
Today, most adults own cell phones, and many use them for work purposes like making sales calls and connecting with remote colleagues. But in many buildings, the reception isn’t great. Whether it’s because of the building materials (like concrete, brick, or even glass) or distance from a cell tower, poor reception is a common problem. On top of that, one study shows that only two percent of commercial buildings have the dedicated technology in place to offer reliable cellular coverage.
The demand for strong reception in the commercial setting is growing, and chances are it’s already important to your business. Before you sign your lease or take ownership of any new office space, consider performing an on-site cell signal survey as part of your review and inspection process.
What is a site cell signal survey?
The only accurate way to determine the strength of an existing signal is to take a strength reading in decibels (dBm) using a professional-grade signal meter. Sure, you can check reception strength by looking at the bars on your cell phone—but it won’t give you an accurate reading. Different carriers represent bars differently, so the results are all relative.
Instead, call a professional installer to conduct an on-site survey with a signal meter. This will show you, with total certainty, the strength of the existing cell signal inside and outside the building, on all bands and for all carriers. This way you’ll know what to expect in terms of cellular coverage in a prospective workplace.
Why does a cell signal survey matter for your business?
When you’re moving offices, you don’t want poor cell reception to affect your business operations. By conducting a site signal survey, you can anticipate how the cell signal strength will differ from your last office. If the signal is spotty, you want to know ahead of time so that you can either continue searching elsewhere or plan on improving the reception with a cell signal booster before you move in.
Here are a few more ways that a site cell signal survey can benefit your company when moving to a new office:
- Anticipate the cost of fixing a weak signal.
If a cell signal survey concludes that the building has a weak indoor signal, fixing it is definitely possible. With the right equipment and a trained installer, it can be a fast and simple process. Still, fixing a weak signal represents an added cost for a new owner. Armed with the information from a site cell signal survey, you can decide if the new space really is the best fit for your company—and if you’re willing to pay to improve it. - Increase office productivity.Professionals have come to rely on cellular devices in the workplace. One survey suggests that more than two thirds of people believe indoor wireless connectivity at work is essential—and the majority of those respondents said that a strong cellular signal would help increase their productivity.
- Improve employee morale.Change is hard, and there are unavoidable frustrations that come with making a big move. If you know what to expect in terms of cellular coverage, you can prepare your employees as they make the transition. Better yet, providing high-quality cell coverage for voice and data connections can be a nice bonus and improve team spirit.
- Added security features. Motion sensors, automatic door locks, security lighting, and alarm sensors can all be connected and controlled wirelessly—assuming there’s a strong cellular signal. These added security features can help your whole building operate more efficiently and reduce safety risks in the process.
