Welcome to Our WirelessAdvisor Community!

You are viewing our forums as a GUEST. Please join us so you can post and view all the pictures.
Registration is easy, fast and FREE!

Join Now

Just for fun, signal readings at work

Discussion in 'The Roaming Zone' started by Yankees368, Jan 29, 2010.

  1. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    I thought it would be interesting to see how all the carriers stack up here at work. GSM was tested using my BB tour, CDMA was tested on a nokia 2126 (including sprint, want to be fair), iden was on boost, and metro was on its own phone.

    In order from best to worst:
    Nextel: -78
    Verizon: -83
    Alltel: -86
    MetroPCS: -88
    Centennial: -89
    AT&T: -89
    T-Mobile: -91
    Sprint: -98

    Definitely did not expect to see Nextel iden at the top of the list, and Sprint at the bottom! That difference can be explain by crappy tower placement on Sprint's behalf.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #1 Yankees368, Jan 29, 2010
  2. RJB

    RJB Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2004
    Messages:
    7,069
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    99
    Likes Received:
    36
    My Phone:
    iPhone
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.0.1; en-us; Droid Build/ESD56) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)

    I have only tested Sprint and Verizon...
    Sprint -85
    VZW -45 - tower is right across the street.
     
    #2 RJB, Jan 29, 2010
  3. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    Well, that is sure a difference, haha.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #3 Yankees368, Jan 29, 2010
  4. AnthroMatt

    AnthroMatt Big Meanie
    Super Moderator Junior Member Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2002
    Messages:
    9,257
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    2
    Likes Received:
    195
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    My Phone:
    Apple iPhone 13 Pro
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, AT&T Prepaid
    For me,

    Sprint -77
    Nextel -83
    Verizon -94
    AT&T = in and out of service. :)
     
    #4 AnthroMatt, Feb 1, 2010
  5. RJB

    RJB Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2004
    Messages:
    7,069
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    99
    Likes Received:
    36
    My Phone:
    iPhone
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    Yeah, they both work just fine though in that area.
     
    #5 RJB, Feb 1, 2010
  6. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    And that's the way I like my AT&T.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #6 Yankees368, Feb 2, 2010
  7. Tony E!

    Tony E! Retired Mod
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2003
    Messages:
    10,190
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    18
    Likes Received:
    44
    Location:
    City of /\ngels CA.
    My Phone:
    iPhone 6 Plus
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    lol

    I get very low signal at work, concrete building, i'm at -88 Nextel
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #7 Tony E!, Feb 2, 2010
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2010
  8. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    Which carrier?
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #8 Yankees368, Feb 2, 2010
  9. Gottachase

    Gottachase Member
    Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2009
    Messages:
    98
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    16
    Likes Received:
    3
    My Phone:
    Blackberry 9800 Torch
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    How are you able to measure the signal strength in dbZ? I've been trying to to do that for a long time.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #9 Gottachase, Feb 2, 2010
  10. Tony E!

    Tony E! Retired Mod
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2003
    Messages:
    10,190
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    18
    Likes Received:
    44
    Location:
    City of /\ngels CA.
    My Phone:
    iPhone 6 Plus
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    Nextel ;)....
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #10 Tony E!, Feb 2, 2010
  11. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    It's funny how you say that -88 is a very low signal. On the CDMA side, that is a normal, good signal. I rarely see a signal under -80, unless I have line of sight to a tower.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #11 Yankees368, Feb 2, 2010
  12. Tony E!

    Tony E! Retired Mod
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2003
    Messages:
    10,190
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    18
    Likes Received:
    44
    Location:
    City of /\ngels CA.
    My Phone:
    iPhone 6 Plus
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    My mobile device is iden, so considering that fact, i agree with you, not too bad for an iden device inside a concrete building.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #12 Tony E!, Feb 2, 2010
  13. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    I don't think -88 is a bad signal at all. More phones are usable up until -110 or so. I'll take -88 any day.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #13 Yankees368, Feb 2, 2010
  14. Tony E!

    Tony E! Retired Mod
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2003
    Messages:
    10,190
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    18
    Likes Received:
    44
    Location:
    City of /\ngels CA.
    My Phone:
    iPhone 6 Plus
    Wireless Provider(s):
    T-Mobile
    Agreed, now on a rainy day it's not the same story, signal flactuates like a seismograph inside the office.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #14 Tony E!, Feb 2, 2010
  15. RJB

    RJB Gold Senior Member
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2004
    Messages:
    7,069
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    99
    Likes Received:
    36
    My Phone:
    iPhone
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.0.1; en-us; Droid Build/ESD56) AppleWebKit/530.17 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/530.17)

    What phone do you have?
     
    #15 RJB, Feb 2, 2010
  16. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    I have heard that about nextel. A friend in NH says that his signal will jump from full bars to no service frequently, but only after sprint merged with nextel. Odd
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #16 Yankees368, Feb 2, 2010
  17. Gottachase

    Gottachase Member
    Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2009
    Messages:
    98
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    16
    Likes Received:
    3
    My Phone:
    Blackberry 9800 Torch
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    The samsung a-877 impression on AT&T I dont think it's possible to tell with that one though.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #17 Gottachase, Feb 2, 2010
  18. budney

    budney Resident Headbanger
    Super Moderator Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2003
    Messages:
    5,861
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    14
    Likes Received:
    341
    Location:
    Eugene, OR
    My Phone:
    iPhone 6s+
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    When I work it is at home. ;)

    AT&T -86dbm
    Verizon -88dbm
    Nextel -90dbm
    T-Mobile -94dbm
    Sprint -100dbm
     
    #18 budney, Feb 2, 2010
  19. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    Nice. I am guessing AT&T and vzw and the 850 mhz holders in your area?
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #19 Yankees368, Feb 3, 2010
  20. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    Here are my readings from in class, about 2 blocks away from my first set:

    Nextel -76 (~850)
    Verizon -76 (850)
    MetroPCS -83 (1700)
    Alltel -83 (850)
    Sprint -83 (1900)
    Centennial -84 (1900)
    AT&T -86 (850)
    T-Mobile -89 (1900)
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #20 Yankees368, Feb 3, 2010
  21. budney

    budney Resident Headbanger
    Super Moderator Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2003
    Messages:
    5,861
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    14
    Likes Received:
    341
    Location:
    Eugene, OR
    My Phone:
    iPhone 6s+
    Wireless Provider(s):
    AT&T
    That they are. :)

    Even though the 850 > 1900 is silly , it's all about tower location. :)
     
    #21 budney, Feb 3, 2010
  22. Yankees368

    Yankees368 Compulsive Signal Checker
    Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2003
    Messages:
    4,366
    Cell Tower Picture Gallery:
    876
    Likes Received:
    139
    Location:
    NYC
    My Phone:
    iPhones 4S???
    Wireless Provider(s):
    Verizon, Sprint 2002-2010, Voicestream 2001-2002
    It sure is. However, if all carrier are located on the same tower, like they are here in places, 850 vs. 1900 really does matter.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
    #22 Yankees368, Feb 3, 2010
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page

Copyright 1997-2023 Wireless Advisor™, LLC. All rights reserved. All registered and unregistered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
WirelessAdvisor.com is not associated by ownership or membership with any cellular, PCS or wireless service provider companies and is not meant to be an endorsement of any company or service. Some links on these pages may be paid advertising or paid affiliate programs.

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Accept Learn More...
    Dismiss Notice