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Many households are opting to use LTE connectivity instead of cable or fiber broadband. People choose LTE for various reasons: sometimes due to the expense of wireless broadband, but most often because in rural areas LTE is simply the fastest option available.
But LTE has its limitations. Slow LTE data rates are common. In this article we discuss how you can improve 4G LTE data rates.
There are five factors that affect the LTE data speeds you experience.
Roughly by order of importance, these are:
There are generally three things you can do to improve your data rates:
Here’s how each of these affects the five factors above:
New Phone or Hotspot |
External Antennas |
Signal Booster w/ External Antennas |
|
---|---|---|---|
Signal Quality | No effect | May Improve | May Improve |
Conencted Bands | May Improve | May Improve | May Improve |
Tower Congestion | May Improve | May Improve | May Improve |
MIMO Support | May Improve | May Improve | No effect |
If you want the very best data rates, and don’t mind relying on WiFi for distributing indoors, use the latest hotspot from your carrier with external antennas mounted outside the building or vehicle.
If the outdoor signal is very weak, you can add an inline “M2M” booster. We specifically recommend the Wilson Pro IoT 5-Band.
If you don’t have a hotspot, or can’t afford the monthly charges associated with adding a line of service, or if you simply want wireless LTE coverage indoors, use a cell signal booster.
A cell phone signal booster amplifies the signal from outdoors, rebroadcasting indoors wirelessly to get you the best data rates. Check out our in-depth review of the best cell signal boosters to find the right model for you.
Have more questions that we haven't covered here? Or have a tip on an app we should try? Please leave a comment or reach out to us!