What's the bar to dB breakdown for your phone?

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

After Anandtech's beautiful breakdown of the iPhone antenna and signal issues here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2

I decided that this might be helpful as traditionally bars don't mean crap squat. Some phones allow you to make calls at 0 bars. Others barf at 0 bars and won't function at anything fewer than 2 bars. In the end your SNR is what matters and numbers tells the real story.


Example:
Model: Motorola Milestone (GSM Droid)
Network: AT&T 3G HSDPA (be sure to indicate 2G or 3G)

Observations:
1 bar: -109dB and lower
2 bars: -99dB and lower
3 bars: -97dB to -85dB
4 bars: -79dB and higher

Edit: I'm gonna run around. I did these tests at my desk at work and this morning at breakfast. I can't seem to get that 3-4 bar transition. It happened better at home. I'm getting 85+ at work, so I need to go outdoors or something...

 

[tatteredpotato]

How do you find your signal strength on Android?

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

Download Real Signal or a similar app. It runs it the notification bar.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Download Real Signal or a similar app. It runs it the notification bar.

Thanks.

On a related note, if I have my own programs for signal strength and battery, can I hide the stock indicators?

Phone's an EVO btw.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

How do you find your signal strength on Android?

Oh. I just went into Settings => About Phone => Phone Status

And it shows your signal strength. I would look at that screen and match it to the bars in the notification bar...

Well Or you could use what some of the other posters have described. I think I'll try that too.

 

[pm]

On an iPhone dial "field test" *3001#12345#* and the bars change to a dB.

I have one data point on an iPhone and that is -79dB equates to 4 bars.