|
|
How Does a Cell Phone Work?
Home » Handheld Electronics » Cell Phones » How Does a Cell Phone Work?Cell phones, unlike your home phones, do not require a phone jack to access the local telephone company's networks. The cell phone is actually a two-way radio that connects the telephone with a cellular tower. When talking on a cellular phone, your voice is picked up and the sound is converted to radiofrequency energy or what is called radio waves. Radio waves travel through the air until they reach a base station where the call is sent through the telephone network to the person whom you are calling on your cell phone. When you receive a call on your cell phone, the message travels through the telephone network to the base station that is closest to your wireless telephone. The base station sends out radio waves that a receiver in your cell phone detects and changes into the sounds of a voice.
In the cellular phone system, cities are divided into small sections called cells. Each cell is generally about 10 square miles and contains a base station that consists of a tower and a building containing the radio equipment. By dividing up a city into cells, millions of people can use a cell phone at the same time. Cell phones contain low-power transmitters and the base stations transmit at low power. Because of this limited range, it makes the possibilities of someone intercepting a cell phone call almost nonexistent in the United States.
Related Cell Phones Articles
- Cell Phones Overview
- How Does a Cell Phone Work?
- Digital vs. Analog
- Cell Phone Safety
- Choosing a Cell Phone Plan