iPhone 3G Signal Boost Solutions

Recent posts on Apple Discussions have revealed that some users are experiencing low signal strength with the new iPhone 3G. There are solutions to improving / boosting the signal on your iPhone 3G, some of which are free. Others are quite costly. Read on to see the various ways you can boost your iPhone 3G signal strength.

A poor signal shouldn't come as a surprise, even to 3G handset owners, since not all areas on the globe are covered by one carrier, while buildings with heavy metal structures can also add to the discomfort of having a call jammed. Some of the less costly and more traditional ways of trying to get a better signal on your iPhone 3G include the following, according to iPhone Atlas:

- Reset iPhone
- Reset network settings
- Reseat your SIM card
- Replace your SIM card
- Attach tape to your SIM card
- Restore the iPhone

While few iPhone 3G owners would attach tape to the SIM card, making a small trip to have it replaced by AT&T for free sounds like a far better choice. Still, if you're not close to any AT&T store, and need to make an urgent call, these solutions (including Restoring the device) may do their bit.

Users can also try to dock the phone or attach a (dangling) USB cable to the device and then connect it to a computer (if one is around). The reason this may help, iPhone Atlas says, is because, "docking the iPhone or attaching it to a host computer via a USB cable (in turn delivering a charge) can boost signal strength dramatically." As you can imagine, giving the phone a full charge should work just as well. "Some evidence indicates that poor signals are a symptom of low battery charges, though this fix may be conflated with the aforementioned: docking the phone or attaching a USB cable," the site explains.

Other solutions include exchanging the iPhone for a new unit. Naturally, if everything else fails, it must be the device itself that's malfunctioning / performing poorly.

Lastly, handset owners also have the option to buy a signal booster for $250 from zBoost, the site says (as if buying the iPhone 3G with a two-year plan hasn't sucked you dry already).