Do AT&T's 3G bars actually..

[Wetstuff]

...measure anything. I can imagine One - Two bars are a clear indicator of a weak signal, but what does Five bars actually mean? Is there such a thing as a weak/strong signal and a strong/strong signal?

I'm one of AT&T's 3% ..on the fringes of all cellular networks .. grasping for all information I can get to bend a signal to allow us to shed a landline. Cheers.

 

[figmo10]

A strong signal reception does not neccessarily indicate fast data rates.

 

[Ltapilot]

Hey Wetstuff been watching your quest for enlightenment, good luck.
Here is just a bit more information. Excellent Article Disconnect Between Bars Cell Signal By J. Cheng iPhone 3G

 

[Wetstuff]

LTp ... that was a helluva read. I don't pretend not having to go to Summer School to pass a remedial math class, but it was written well enough for me to mentally dump the abbreviations an glean the essence of it. Thanks.

I also just dnld the free App: SpeedtestX HD and did a run here at my shop in the middle of lotsa humanity (signal strength) .. and will run same at home. I'll post the results.

Thanks again for the link.

Jim

 

[Seadog]

It can be interesting using wireless. I get as good as or better internet speed here as my wifi connection to my DSL. Yesterday, I was trying to access using Edge and it was like pulling teeth. It is all a matter of infrastructure. The problem is that there is so many towers and the technology moves so fast, it is impossible to keep up. They are still keeping crews busy installing 3G systems, while trying to get 4G started.

 

[Wetstuff]

So, I got this app SpeedtestX ...and it confirms the obvious. There were three runnings .. two at my shop (this morning so you could see the full GUI) and one at home in the driveway by the house last evening. It is posted next to the test I ran at the shop about this same time on May 23rd in the lower image.

Duh?! ... what I failed to do - was test it farther up the lane where I actually get 5 Bars in the front pasture.. This way I would be able to actually measure 5 Bars-to-5 Bars ... not 5 to 2-3 bars. I will re-test.

 

[Wetstuff]

Here's what 5 Bars means...

Maybe less than you think...

Here is the 5 Bar reading in town.

Here is the 5 Bar reading at home.

Unlike a motorcycle throttle, WFO, or 5 Bars, can mean full speed - half speed ... or whatever AT&T/Apple decides it wants it to mean.

Bars certainly measure something .. but 5 Bars give me the feeling I am standing in front of one of those guys in Time Square with three walnut shells asking me where the ball is.