-75dBm a generic signal level?

[thebignewt]

In the N.Y./L.I. area I've never seen better than -75dbm.

Why does that matter? Does it affect the phone's performance?

 

[nkd]

Why does that matter? Does it affect the phone's performance?

Stronger signal is better no matter what. -75 is better than -85 or -95. So yes the greater the number the better it is.

 

[milan03]

Why does that matter? Does it affect the phone's performance?

That's not the issue if you read the first post you'd know it. We're discussing the odd, generically quantized way of reporting Signal Levels. It looks like it spits out only 6 values. Just read the topic properly...

 

[nkd]

Since most (all) of us are seeing the same exact values, it leads me to believe that they're representing the actual bars... I've never seen a value other than these 6 generically quantized:

-120 (0 bars), -113 (1 bar), -100 (2 bars), -93 (3 bars), -83 (4 bars), -75 (5 bars or better).

If anyone has more insight on this, please chime in. All I know, I can't wait to get the next OTA, which I'm hoping will offer standard dBm values.

I always get 2 bars at -93dbm, I only get that strength at 3g signal. 4G is usually around -93dbm to -120dbm.

It is really outrageous that the phone is so unstable on 4g. 3g signal never fluctuates for me.

4g signal goes from -93 to -110dbm sitting in the same location and sometimes totally drops it(happens like a once an hour). I have 4g most of the time at home, but I don't see a reason for a phone to be jumping around that much. LTE signal is suppose to better at penetrating buildings but it very unstable on this phone specially in a residential area round the edges of the city.

I had the razr and the 4g signal was so much more stable on that phone. It just seems like this phone is jumping around to different towers all the time and not picking up the best signal. If I get -93dbm for a few minutes and than -104dmb for the next 20 mins, I don't understand why it would jump to -120dbm and totally drop signal the next min.

 

[edoublediz]

Is not every 3 dB difference a double (or half) change in power? A 3 dB decrease is 50% of the power.

-93 dBm should be substantially less than -87 dBm (6 dBm difference).

i dont think that is correct. i know that theory is true in relation to audible dB. doubling amplifier power will net a 3db increase in SPL and vice versa. i cant see how this would translate to radio signal strength. i could definitely be wrong but i dont know.

 

[Ken7]

Why does that matter? Does it affect the phone's performance?

If the phone has more trouble handling weak signals than other phones, then yes, it matters. We have so many people that have seen that issue, the problem with the Nexus radio in weak areas is way beyond 'speculation', it's just fact.

 

[Ken7]

i dont think that is correct. i know that theory is true in relation to audible dB. doubling amplifier power will net a 3db increase in SPL and vice versa. i cant see how this would translate to radio signal strength. i could definitely be wrong but i dont know.

I believe it is. Every 3db increase in signal strength indicates a doubling of signal strength.

 

[MBSMD]

Since most (all) of us are seeing the same exact values, it leads me to believe that they're representing the actual bars... I've never seen a value other than these 6 generically quantized:

-120 (0 bars), -113 (1 bar), -100 (2 bars), -93 (3 bars), -83 (4 bars), -75 (5 bars or better).

If anyone has more insight on this, please chime in. All I know, I can't wait to get the next OTA, which I'm hoping will offer standard dBm values.

2 bars at present showing -93 dBm.

 

[crankerchick]

Is not every 3 dB difference a double (or half) change in power? A 3 dB decrease is 50% of the power.

-93 dBm should be substantially less than -87 dBm (6 dBm difference).

3 dB lower is indeed 50% less.

However, what you might be missing is that it is possible the Nexus only reports specific dBm volumes, as the OP is postulating. In that case, -87 and -93 may very well be the same, since the -87 may be "absolute" while the -93 could be stronger, but it's being reported as -93 since that is the next weakest quantization value. In other words, if the true reading is -87 dBm on the Nexus, but it only reports in integers of -75, -83, -93,...and so on, then it would report -93 even though that isn't the true reading.

I have definitely only seen particular values out of my Nexus and have personally never seen better than -75 dBm myself, and that was indeed 4 bars of LTE.

I think this is a good thread. There's nothing wrong with trying to understand what our phones are reporting and how that may or may not be different from other phones. It's all academic and enlightening. Just because one's phone might "work" doesn't mean it's work "well" and certainly doesn't mean we shouldn't try to understand how it works.

 

[bwillyM5]

Full 4 bars LTE right now and reading -72 dBm, 68 asu in Raleigh, NC.

 

[radef]

I logged RSSI data from a recent trip from Lynchburg, VA to the DC metro area. About 14,000 data points along the trip, and the CDMA RSSI does seem to fall into discrete values of -75, -83, -93, -100, -120.

This is disappointing since all my prior Motorola phones display RSSI in 1dB increments. Lumping them into "buckets" like this is hiding the real data.

The LTE and EVDO RSSI meters appear to have a different set of buckets - but again they look like buckets.

Can anyone confirm if this has changed with the leaked version of radio code (4.0.3 I think)??

 

[milan03]

I logged RSSI data from a recent trip from Lynchburg, VA to the DC metro area. About 14,000 data points along the trip, and the CDMA RSSI does seem to fall into discrete values of -75, -83, -93, -100, -120.

This is disappointing since all my prior Motorola phones display RSSI in 1dB increments. Lumping them into "buckets" like this is hiding the real data.

The LTE and EVDO RSSI meters appear to have a different set of buckets - but again they look like buckets.

Can anyone confirm if this has changed with the leaked version of radio code (4.0.3 I think)??

I have both Nexii and on a GSM version, it perfectly displays signal levels in 1dBm increments. It only goes up to -51dBm, and any signal stronger than -51dBm doesn't show which is a very common on most GSM phones.

 

[Ken7]

I have both Nexii and on a GSM version, it perfectly displays signal levels in 1dBm increments. It only goes up to -51dBm, and any signal stronger than -51dBm doesn't show which is a very common on most GSM phones.

That's very interesting. That sort of proves there's some kind of issue with the intervals displayed on the LTE version. We all know it certainly doesn't show 1db increments.

 

[davelm]

Yeah on 3g 2 bars seems to always be -93 and 3 bars is -83.

 

[jafels]

As I stated earlier and others have too. It does occasionally read something other than those standard numbers. I have seen a -66dbm in a 4g area and a -71 in a 3g area. Those are the only two times I have ever seen something other than the standard numbers...but I have seen them. The how and why of it.....clueless.

 

[jafels]

i dont think that is correct. i know that theory is true in relation to audible dB. doubling amplifier power will net a 3db increase in SPL and vice versa. i cant see how this would translate to radio signal strength. i could definitely be wrong but i dont know.

http://www.wildpackets.com/elements/whitepapers/Converting_Signal_Strength.pdf

This explains it in relation to cell signals.