Signal strength from S5 to Turbo

[ibcop]

Okay, I have the S5 and Turbo. For those that have made the switch from the S5 to the Turbo, how do you find the signal reception to be? I can get two bars on the Turbo of 4G LTE while the S5 will be full across. I have switched from Global to the LTE/CDMA but that didn't make a difference.

I'm wondering if I have a dud. I can make calls and hear okay but wanted to see if this is the "norm".

TIA for input.

 

[ctenc001]

Check settings>more...>Mobile networks> Network type and strength.
The bars are pretty misleading and inaccurate on some phones.

 

[ibcop]

I get:

1X = -91dBm
4g = -111dBm

Seems pretty crappy to me.

 

[ctenc001]

I get:

1X = -91dBm
4g = -111dBm

Seems pretty crappy to me.

What do you get on the S5?
I get
1x-88dBm.
4g- 97dBm
And on my old note 2 id get around -110 dBm for 4g.

 

[maverick96]

Signal on my turbo is no where near as good as was on my Note 4 or iPhone 6

Posted via Android Central App

 

[ibcop]

Signal on my turbo is no where near as good as was on my Note 4 or iPhone 6

Posted via Android Central App

Seems like that's going to be the norm.

 

[Danny1Bears3]

I'm in my basement with 2 bars of 4G...most phones only get 3 bars of 3G down here...

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[ibcop]

I'm in my basement with 2 bars of 4G...most phones only get 3 bars of 3G down here...

Posted via the Android Central App

I get 2 bars and that's it. Never goes any higher.

 

[billbrobaggins]

I get 2 bars and that's it. Never goes any higher.

Odd. I live in the DMV area so signal has never posed any issue

Is 2 bars normal for your area? I would replace it if not

Could be the SIM card??

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Danny1Bears3]

I get 2 bars and that's it. Never goes any higher.

Even when next to a cell tower? When I go to school, my university is right next to a cell tower and I have 5 bars.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[tvouge]

The displayed bars on the ui tend to be lower on my turbo then the S4. However the signal strength seems to be marginally better. For example, at home my S4 always shows 4 bars. My turbo almost always only shows three. But my 1x is around 84 and 4g is around 115. While my S4 1 x is around 84 and 4g is around 105.

Those bars lie to you. There was a controversy years ago when the Galaxy Nexus was launched. It showed a more accurate signal strength on the bars, and despite the fact that the true signal strength was higher or equal to other phones, because the UI didn't look as good compared to other phones Verizon patched the bars to act like other phones.

So I never trust those bars as being anything more than a estimate. If you want to know how good your really signal is, always check the in settings.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[doogald]

The displayed bars on the ui tend to be lower on my turbo then the S4. However the signal strength seems to be marginally better. For example, at home my S4 always shows 4 bars. My turbo almost always only shows three. But my 1x is around 84 and 4g is around 115. While my S4 1 x is around 84 and 4g is around 105.

Well, -105 is better than -115. The bigger the number (so, the smaller the negative), the better the signal.

If I remember right, LTE signal is usually about 23 dBm less than an equivalent CDMA signal, so -84 dBm is about the same as -107 dBm for LTE.

 

[tvouge]

Well, -105 is better than -115. The bigger the number (so, the smaller the negative), the better the signal.

If I remember right, LTE signal is usually about 23 dBm less than an equivalent CDMA signal, so -84 dBm is about the same as -107 dBm for LTE.

Learn something new everyday. So I suppose the S4 IS marginally better. I spend a lot of time in the middle of nowhere for work, but I know a bunch of spots where my S4 would get magical signal in the wastes. I'll update if the Turbo fails to get decent coverage in the wilds. But it is sad that it seems like the S4 and S5 have slightly better radios.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Eclipse2K]

I sold my S5 but the Turbo is generally better by 5-7 dBm for me. Its no surprise that Motorola wins.

Sent from my Motorola Droid Turbo

 

[MikeLip]

5 bars. Seems like it's always 5 bars. Actual signal reading is 1X = -62dBm. 4G = -81dBm.

 

[ibcop]

Odd. I live in the DMV area so signal has never posed any issue

Is 2 bars normal for your area? I would replace it if not

Could be the SIM card??

Posted via the Android Central App

The SIM card is new - it came with the device. 2 bars is what I get with the Turbo, but had a full rack with the S5.

 

[ibcop]

5 bars. Seems like it's always 5 bars. Actual signal reading is 1X = -62dBm. 4G = -81dBm.

That's freakin' awesome right there.

 

[doogald]

The SIM card is new - it came with the device. 2 bars is what I get with the Turbo, but had a full rack with the S5.

As others have said, you can't compare two phones based on bars, because there is no standard for how many bars equals a specific signal. Look at the actual signal strength. If you have a 1x signal better than -90, then you have decent signal, and you should be able to make calls to as bad as -100 without dropping the call or breakups in the call. Again, subtract about 20 for LTE data (i.e., look for better than -120 or so - at -120 you'll probably be having issues.)

 

[ibcop]

As others have said, you can't compare two phones based on bars, because there is no standard for how many bars equals a specific signal. Look at the actual signal strength. If you have a 1x signal better than -90, then you have decent signal, and you should be able to make calls to as bad as -100 without dropping the call or breakups in the call. Again, subtract about 20 for LTE data (i.e., look for better than -120 or so - at -120 you'll probably be having issues.)

I'm also concerned with "cell standby" chewing up battery. I relate this to a poor signal as I never saw this in the apps using battery. If it was there on the S5, it was at the bottom and definitely was this much. Mine shows 18% of battery consumed. If you have better signal than me, is yours typically this high?

 

[ibcop]