If you’re interested in getting Nomad Internet, you probably want to know more about cell phone coverage in your area and your nearby cell phone towers. Your towers will impact your internet signal. Here’s what you need to know to be a more informed 4G user.
What Do Cell Phone Towers Look Like?
Cell phone towers can take on a wide variety of appearances. There are all kinds of shapes and sizes and some of them are disguised in unexpected ways such as flags, trees, or even works of art. Cell phone towers are fenced in with a locked gate. If you were to look closely and see several locks on a single gate, it’s probably because there are multiple service providers in the area. Every tower has a box with radio transmitters that have two-way communication with phones. There are thick cables connecting the radios to the actual tower.
How to Find a Cell Phone Tower Near You
There are a lot of tools you can use to find where your nearest cell tower is. Some of the best include scadacore.com, cellreception.com, and cellmapper.net. There are also many mobile apps you can use to locate your closest towers such as Network Cell Info or RootMetrics’ Cell Phone Coverage Map. Most cell phone providers also have their own coverage maps so it’s worth checking out your provider’s website. Because no single app or website will be 100% accurate, you may want to check out several sites to find the most up-to-date and accurate information.
How to Determine What Cell Phone Tower You’re Connected To
If you want to find out exactly what tower you are connected to, you can also try using an app. One of the most accurate apps is Opensignal. You should ideally use an Android phone (yours or someone else’s) because you will have greater access to signal information.
You can also try using a signal meter. However, these are expensive, so unless you’re a professional telecom user you may not want to make such a big investment.
Is It Bad to Live Near a Cell Phone Tower?
A lot of people have their hesitations about living near cell phone towers. Will the tower cause cancer or other health effects? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has certain guidelines cell phone towers must comply with, including keeping radiofrequency (RF) radiation levels low out of an abundance of caution.
As stated by the American Cancer Society, there is no strong evidence linking exposure to RF waves to noticeable changes in health. However, this does not mean the RF waves from cell phone towers have absolutely no impact. More research is still needed.
As far as cancer specifically goes, there is no current evidence linking cancer to proximity to cell phone towers. Because of the cautions that cell phone towers must comply with according to the FCC, there is no reason to believe cell phone towers are currently posing a threat to the general public.
How to Get a Cell Phone Tower on Your Property
Qualifications for Getting a Cell Phone Tower on Your Land
If you’re a landowner, you may be interested in getting a cell phone tower on your property. There can be a substantial amount of money in it for the owner if you’re able to get a tower on your property. If you don’t have any towers nearby you, it can also benefit the mobile users in your area. That being said, if there is already a tower nearby, your chances of getting a cell phone tower are slim. See if there are towers:
- Within half a mile if you’re in an urban area
- Within one mile if you’re in a suburban area
- Within three miles if you’re in a rural area
If your area doesn’t meet these criteria, it’s possible that a new cell phone tower could be built on your property. You can also see how much demand there might be for a new tower in your area by looking at a cell phone coverage map. If the coverage is high as is, again, there probably isn’t a need for another cell phone tower. But if coverage looks spotty at best, there may be a need for one.
You’ll want to check out local zoning codes regarding cell phone towers. You can do this by contacting your city or county zoning office and seeing if your land would meet the requirements necessary to have a cell phone tower. The ideal conditions for getting a cell phone tower built on your property would be if your property is zoned as industrial but most of the nearby properties are residential. This would make your property uniquely poised as a great candidate for a cell phone tower.
Taking Action to Get a Cell Phone Tower Built
Even if your property meets these qualifications, you still can’t simply request for a tower to be built. You can, however, show you’re interested. One way you can do this is by putting up a sign on your land that says you’re interested in leasing your land for a cell phone tower. You definitely shouldn’t expect instant inquiries, but it’s one way to draw attention to your property. The goal is for a site acquisition agent to see the sign.
You can also reach out directly to wireless carriers and tower companies through their websites. Just make sure you include all the information that’s relevant such as:
- Your land’s address and latitude and longitude coordinates
- The size of your land
- How your land is classified for zoning purposes
- The distance between your land and major roads
- Your contact information
Again, you should definitely not expect an immediate response or any response at all. But if you’re interested in how to get a cell phone tower on your property, it’s definitely worth trying.
Discover the Strength of Nomad Internet
With all of this information, you can be much more informed about using your mobile device and your internet if you’re a Nomad customer. If you’re not already using Nomad Internet, reach out to us! We’d love to tell you more about the strongest, most reliable internet that goes where you go.