Poor cell phone signal reception is never appreciated. Nobody likes those missing signal bars on a phone screen. You may have suffered from this problem at some point in your life.

Such problems have always existed, and over the years, people have come up with some unique, unusual, and home remedies for these problems. Here are 5 of the ways these crafty folks say they improve signal reception.

An old radio antenna

An old radio antenna could be a solution to your poor reception. They say all you need is an old radio antenna. This may sound absurd, but there are actually testimonials available on YouTube that guarantee the results of using this technique. All you need to do is place a radio antenna near your cell phone and connect it to your cell phone’s external antenna using a copper wire.

tesla coils

It is an electrical resonant transformer circuit that can help you improve your cell phone reception. All you need is a small piece of tesla coil and tape. You can tie the tape around your cell phone antenna and then use the tape to make sure it stays there. (that is, if you can actually find the antenna on your phone…)

paper clip

This is one of the easiest methods of improving reception. A clipboard is available in almost every office. All you need to do is take a clip and fix it on the external antenna of your phone. Care should be taken when doing so, as the clips may damage the screen or case of your cell phone. Adhesive tape can be used to attach the clip to your cell phone. (This was also featured by the guy with duct tape on his glasses)

Empty cans

Now you will never throw away those empty cans as they can rescue you from your poor signal reception. This is one of the most absurd ways, but it actually works like magic. All you need are two empty cans, a cutter, some copper wire, and a soldering iron.

The steps

1. Wash the cans well so that no residue remains.

2. Correctly cut the end of either can to the end, where there are no openings, and then weld the two cans together.

3. Poke a hole in any of the cans and put the copper wire inside and make sure it stays on well. Now attach the other end of the cable to the external antenna of your cell phone, and voila!

Here are the simple steps to use empty cans to improve signal reception. There are many variations of the method available and some even include the option of making small propellers out of the cans to decorate.

insulated wire

This is again one of the cheapest methods. All you need is 20 cm of insulated wire. Strip both sides of the wire (about 1cm each) and skew around the middle of the wire to form a stick to give you those circles. Now that your antenna is ready, you need to attach it to your cell phone’s external antenna and you’re done.

Enjoy these cheap and simple methods and say goodbye to poor signal reception. Or you can really boost your weak cell phone signals with proven signal boosters that are very affordable, much more effective, and will do much less damage to your expensive wireless devices.