5G is sorta here - hope it helps signal strength

[ShaggyKids]

Just noticed my phone is intermittently showing 5G then back to 4G and switches back and forth. Mostly stays on 4G.

I'm in SE WI between Milwaukee and Madison. Just letting people know.

I'm hoping 5G will somehow help me get a better signal strength.

 

[IAmSixNine]

IT would also be helpful to tell us what carrier your with. Since 5g operate on different bands with different carriers.
Tmobile has more 600/700mhz low band in use now while ATT and Verizon have more mmwave in use in denser urban areas.

In fact i helped out a friend at her office last week. Same office i used to work at 3 years ago. My V60 had full bars of TMO service on 5G and my TMo iPhone 7plus on LTE barely had 1 bar.
Speed test on my V60 was 25 megs down and 17 up while my iPhone had 2 megs down and half a meg up.
So while TMO has done significant improvement in the area with 5G it has done nothing with LTE. This is one of the times i thought to my self, dang glad i have a 5G enabled phone. I worked in that building for almost 6 years and TMO had low signal in that building. So its nice to see 5G not only gave full signal inside but also much better speeds.

 

[mark233]

Interesting things happening here in NE Oklahoma (Tulsa). This past weekend I noticed my cell signal strength was fluctuating inside my apt. (unusual), so I looked with an app I have on all of my Android devices (Network Cell Info) and it showed I was connecting to Band 41 (a band I've never seen before but I believe is a Sprint band)...I'm usually connected to T-mobile band 66 inside my apt. with great signal strength (full 5 bars), but saw that while on band 41 signal strength wasn't quite as good as band 66 (4 bars out of 5). So I thought "hmmm".
I tried all of my phones (switching with the same SIM), a T-mobile LG G8, T-mobile LG V60 (network settings set on 4G LTE), and an unlocked Pixel 4a. Same results as all of them were on band 41.
So, I thought I'd set my V60 to 5G network settings, waited to see 5G confirmation, then do a speedtest and was pleasantly surprised. I also used the app Signal Check Pro (the results I can't really decipher lol).



That 5G download is a speed I've never seen inside my place (or anywhere on any phone I've ever had), however my V60 would not stay connected to 5G (fluctuating between 4G and 5G). I've had great download/upload/connectivity speeds in my place without 5G in the past. It's interesting, but my phones do well enough on 4G LTE at the present time.

 

[mark233]

I'd also just like to add that I really like my V60! Great device for me.

 

[ShaggyKids]

So do I have to set the phone somewhere to stay on 5G? If so, what do I update?

 

[smvim]

The big push for 5G focuses more on faster bandwidth, with extending coverage range being less an issue so when you're asking about 'signal strength' that's kind of grey area. It's not unlike the long standing issue with consumer routers -- 2.4GHz band networks provide more coverage range and can generally penetrate home construction better while 5GHz band networks can provide faster bandwidth. A 2.4GHz signal has a shorter frequency wavelength than a 5GHz signal, so in an open room you'll probably want to use a 5GHz network for optimal usage. But in most homes you have multiple rooms, lots of walls, metal ducting, furniture, etc. so it's not uncommon where on the other side of a home a stronger 2.4GHz signal will work out better than a weakened 5GHz one. The same applies to cellular now, and the situation is just as or even more conditional -- if you're in an open space and located relatively close to a tower emitting an appropriate (sub 6 or mmWave) 5G signal your mobile device could be getting really, really fast connectivity, but if not, your 4G/LTE might still be better.
But it's an evolving technology so eventually things will settle into place. The pandemic has had a dramatic effect on just about everything.

 

[ShaggyKids]

Our tower is about 2mi away at home and about 6-8 blocks at work. I personally think I should be getting excellent signal and coverage but it sure doesn't work that way.

 

[IAmSixNine]

As smvim was pointing out its not just LTE or 5G. Its what frequency band your connected to. With out a program like signal check pro as pictured above, the average user will not know if they are connected to 600, 700mhz or 5ghz or 26ghz. The lower the frequency the farther it can travel but it will also carry less data capabilities.
So im happy to see 5g as it will give us better overall capacity but also let the carriers put more users on towers with less slow down per user.
This will come in handy in dense urban areas like down town or at sporting events. I recall going to a Dallas Mavericks game 10 years ago and struggled to send a text or check email. But with todays technology and proper mm Wave set up in the stadium it would not be an issue. But mm Wave technology will only go a block or two and wont penetrate buildings very well. But it can carry a butt load of data per site for users.

For me in and around Dallas, i have very strong 600mhz or 700mhz 5G connection and often times when im home its on the 1900/2100mhz. While on 600/700mhz i will get greater distance from the tower and better building penetration but less bandwidth.
So you can be 2 miles away from a tower and if your on a lower band it will have better signal strength. But if TMO does not have lower band available then that same site might have lower signal strength.
Yup clear as mud.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

I'm in Minnesota and over 200 miles from a 5G signal when I checked a couple months back.

 

[Nyvideo]

I'm on Verizon and my phone shows 5G in most places now, but it's their new slower version of it. Speeds are usually less than LTE speeds. On Saturday I was out on Long Beach Island in NJ which isn't near any major cities and it showed 5G UW. I did a speed test and got a great download speed. The UW has disappeared even though the speed was high.

 

[sushiguy732]

I'm on Verizon and my phone shows 5G in most places now, but it's their new slower version of it. Speeds are usually less than LTE speeds. On Saturday I was out on Long Beach Island in NJ which isn't near any major cities and it showed 5G UW. I did a speed test and got a great download speed. The UW has disappeared even though the speed was high.
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I was on a fishing boat down the shore and this summer with friends. Left out of Point and traveled up to Long Branch, etc. I was the only one who had connectivity out on the water and it was 5G all the way. And it was fast too!

 

[ShaggyKids]

Seeing 5G more often on my phone now. Doesn't happen all over nor hang on for very long but for some reason my connection has been better, thank goodness.