Do your signal strength bars look accurate?

[Cory Streater]

I seem to have the opposite problem the iPhone folks have. Instead of having 4 bars everywhere I go (when in reality they have 1-2), I have 1 bar even though my signal strength is -65dBm, which is an extremely strong signal. It seems like the bars aren't displaying correctly. Anyone else notice this?

PS - You can read your signal strength in settings > about phone > status > signal strength.

 

[zachflauaus]

My Droid X actually acts like it constantly has three or four bars when on my Blackberry I would usually have around two or three bars out if five. I'm a little confused because my strength is currently -91dbm almost all throughout the house and as much as I love the Droid, I can't believe that the radio is that good.

 

[Aggie12]

hmmm weird i dont have that problem. i'm showing -85dBm and four bars. It's been roughly around those numbers all day. Btw, I'm in College station, Tx.

 

[Cory Streater]

Sounds like they are in reverse!

Seriously though, with a reading of -65dBm I should have solid white bars

 

[Matt Kline]

My bars are flakey as well, showing 0 at times up to 4 at times. Every time I look at the signal strength it's between the upper 80's and upper 90's.

Haven't dropped any calls though.

 

[dsignori]

Maybe you're all holding it wrong.

 

[Aggie12]

Sounds like they are in reverse!

Seriously though, with a reading of -65dBm I should have solid white bars

yes you should. that is odd.

 

[Cory Streater]

Maybe you're all holding it wrong.

I'm holding on to it with rubber coated tongs.

 

[willymakit]

I'm holding on to it with rubber coated tongs.

Good One.....LOL

 

[DarkSource]

I seem to have the opposite problem the iPhone folks have. Instead of having 4 bars everywhere I go (when in reality they have 1-2), I have 1 bar even though my signal strength is -65dBm, which is an extremely strong signal. It seems like the bars aren't displaying correctly. Anyone else notice this?

PS - You can read your signal strength in settings > about phone > status > signal strength.

I only had accurate signal strength on my Eris after I loaded a ROM. Without it, I had 0-1 bar where I have 4-5 bars with my Storm. My Eris had -80dBm most of the time. It was a bit annoying, but as long as you can browse the web then you're set!

 

[vicw926a4]

I've been fighting an ongoing battle with the fluctuating signal strength and bar indicators on my DX. I had attributed it to weak signal strength in the area of our home, and finally installed a cell extender from Verizon today. The unit is up and running, and I am able to call and receive through it, but the wildly varying bar indicators continues - even when I'm standing 6 feet from the extender, with no obstacles or source of interference. It will drift from no bars, to three bars to one bar to no bars, without any apparent change in the signal strength.

I had my daughter bring her Verizon Motorazr today, to make a side-by-side comparison, and her unit showed much more consistency between bar indications vs. distance to the extender. At this point, I'm quite exasperated - I love my DX, but this can't be right. I know the Extender is putting out, I can get to it via the DX at about 200 feet from the unit, before it fails to see it.

 

[rblake84]

That's odd, you should be getting a lot more if you have the extender.

 

[alphanu22]

what is supposed to be?
1bar =
2bars =
3bars =
4bars =
?

 

[vicw926a4]

That's odd, you should be getting a lot more if you have the extender.

I agree, it is really odd. Thhe fact that I can actually connect with the unit from across the street, and that the Motorazr registers consistently, gives me pretty good confidence that the Extender is doing its job.

 

[DaRkL3AD3R]

I'm actually getting an extender tonight and will do some tests with my X in home and let you know what happens. I have a Blackberry, 2 X's and I think a dumb phone or 2 laying around I can test it with. I'll report back in a few hours when I get things up and running.

By the way vic, are you saying your 3G bars are fluctuating? Because you are aware that the Extender only affects your 1x Voice Calls/SMS signal, not your 3G, right? Even with the Extender you'll be getting the same 3G signal as you were without it. Just a heads up

 

[rblake84]

Mine does the same thing, but also loses 3g all the time.

 

[DaRkL3AD3R]

Alright I have my Network Extender hooked up and working. On to the results...

Droid X: signal:noise ratio dropped from -100 to -110.... to -40 to -55. 1x bars changed from 0/1 to 4 constant.

All dumbphones saw the same bar change.

Calls are perfect, no drops or choppy sound breaking up.

The range on this thing, not so great. I mean its plenty for moving about your house, and if you had horrendous signal before, you're bound to see major improvements now. Just don't expect to go to the total opposite side of your house from the Extender and maintain 4 bars while you're there. I held onto no less than 2 while making a call and as far from the extender as my house allows me to get, and still be inside (where the real dead-zone is.)

But as per my findings, the lower my signal dbm got the higher my bars went.

 

[vicw926a4]

Alright I have my Network Extender hooked up and working. On to the results...

Droid X: signal:noise ratio dropped from -100 to -110.... to -40 to -55. 1x bars changed from 0/1 to 4 constant.

All dumbphones saw the same bar change.

Calls are perfect, no drops or choppy sound breaking up.

The range on this thing, not so great. I mean its plenty for moving about your house, and if you had horrendous signal before, you're bound to see major improvements now. Just don't expect to go to the total opposite side of your house from the Extender and maintain 4 bars while you're there. I held onto no less than 2 while making a call and as far from the extender as my house allows me to get, and still be inside (where the real dead-zone is.)

But as per my findings, the lower my signal dbm got the higher my bars went.

That was what I expected to see when I installed mine. It did show consistently good signal strength on the Motorazr, but not the DX. Just now I stood for several minutes about 8 feet from the extender - motionless with the DX in hand - it read a steady -67 dbm signal strength, and one bar. I think there is an obvious conclusion - my DX has some kind of issue, software, hardware, who knows. I'll check it again in the AM, and call Verizon about it, unless someone else can offer some insight into this condition. I wish I could get my hand on another DX, just to compare performance.

 

[DaRkL3AD3R]

That was what I expected to see when I installed mine. It did show consistently good signal strength on the Motorazr, but not the DX. Just now I stood for several minutes about 8 feet from the extender - motionless with the DX in hand - it read a steady -67 dbm signal strength, and one bar. I think there is an obvious conclusion - my DX has some kind of issue, software, hardware, who knows. I'll check it again in the AM, and call Verizon about it, unless someone else can offer some insight into this condition. I wish I could get my hand on another DX, just to compare performance.

Hang on vic. You are telling us that you're getting 1 bar, but you have -67 dbm signal strength. I just want to confirm something with you: 1x and 3G are not the same. They are two seperate signals, and have seperate bars and signal strengths. The number reported under Phone Status is your 1X, radio signal. You do not see the bars for this network unless you are making a phone call. The bars you see in your notification bar when your phone is idle at the homescreen is 3G. The fact that you have -67dbm means you have perfect signal, but only for making phone calls or sending texts. If you're getting only 1 bar for 3G, that means your data signal in your house is poor. The only option to workaround this is to use Wifi or to go elsewhere, as there is no Network Extender that I am aware of for the 3G signal

The 1x extender only uses 40kbps of your home broadband bandwidth per call, with a maximum of 3 simultaneous calls (120 kbps up/down load.) 3G uses upwards of 2mbps (1000kbps = 1mbps just for reference,) and having this attached to your router could have a serious impact on your internet usage on other devices, not to mention:

To have a 3G Extender in home seems pointless, as any home with a broadband router most likely has Wifi. And since Wifi is on average, 5-10x faster than 3G, it would be futile to want to extend 3G signal when one could just connect to their true broadband.

But to summarize as for your bars problem: 1x (network extender) is not 3G, and thus putting an extender in your home will not improve your 3G bars. Hope this cleared things up for you.

 

[Matt Kline]

The number reported under Phone Status is your 1X, radio signal. You do not see the bars for this network unless you are making a phone call. The bars you see in your notification bar when your phone is idle at the homescreen is 3G.

That would explain why my bars are kind of all over the place as well. I have a consistent signal of between -70 and -95 depending on where I am in my house. But the phone still makes and receives calls.

If what you are saying is true, WTF? I always thought bars told the tale for the voice signal strength. That's what they used to do before there was even such a thing as a data signal.

Not saying you aren't right, just sayin.