– How does cellular signal reach me behind so many walls?

Question

I understand that radio waves pass through certain material (eg concrete walls), and hence we can receive cellular signals when in an apartment

However lets say I stay in a lower level of a high rise apartment (eg level 3 of a 50 storey tall building) – how does the radio waves penetrate so many walls to reach me? Does the amount of material not matter in this case?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

It all boils down to signal to noise ratio. As long as the remaining signal level is above background and other noise levels the system is fine. The difference between the signal that leaves your phone and that gets to the tower can drop by approximately 140 dB or 1/100000000000000 and still work.