BEFORE UPDATING!! Post your true signal strength before/after (READ 1ST POST!)

[Geckotek]

All of these posts about "I get 5 bars now!" or "I'm only getting 300Kbps" are worthless guys. Let's get a true comparison here to see if there is a real improvement or if Apple/AT&T are just pulling a fast one on us.

A couple of posters have given the instructions on how to so this...here is a post from Themadpunter.

For an accurate test of your 3G signal strength, and to see if the 2.1 update really does someting, other than just bump the bars up visually, put your iPhone into "Field Test Mode" prior to the update and then after the update. Example:

To do so, go to the number pad and type *3001#12345#* hit send.
Look at the numeic indicator next to your carrier logo in the upper left of the screen. The lower the number, the weaker the signal. Keep in mind that all numbers are actually - negative. The closer to 0 the better the signal. This is resulted from the carrier, not from Apple.

-75 gives all 5 bars of strength. Call quality is perfect.
-105 no bars, just barely hanging on to 3G. Call quality is sub par.

to exit field test mode, just hit your home button. Ther are a slew of other things in this mode that you can see, but unless you are a UMTS technician, most of it will be gibberish to you. This will really tell you what is going on behind the scenes of the signal bar.

For me, I won't be updating until the Jailbreak is available for 2.1. I'm just going to record my readings in a few key places in this post to compare later.
Please post your:
firmware | location | results (it will fluctuate, give an average)

2.0.2 | @ my desk @ home | -73
2.1.0 | @ my desk @ home | TBD

2.0.2 | @ my desk @ work | -95 | 2 bars
2.1.0 | @ my desk @ work | TBD | TBD
(my office and Church get bad reception...those will be the real tests for me)

 

[Raid]

Ok this could be interesting

2.0.2 | At office | -85 (stable) Ranged from 79 to 93
2.1 | At office | -79 (stable) Ranged from 71 to 93

Oh and for what it's worth I have 3G off.

 

[pintnight]

Too late for me. But, where my iPhone sit in my house, before I was getting in the 90. I'm now getting in the low 70.

2.0.2 | My home office | upper 90
2.1.0 | My home office | -70

 

[iceterminal]

Ok

2.0.2 | My office | avg -79 (between -73 and -85)
2.1.0 | My office | avg -73 (between -69 and -75)

I'm close to downtown Dallas Tx.

 

[radiotowers]

2.0.1 | -103 dBm | 1-2 bars
2.1 | -109 dBm | 4-5 bars

Uh, yeah.

Can't comment on dropped calls yet.

 

[spyz88]

2.0.2 | My office | avg -unknown
2.1.0 | My office | avg -107 (between -100 and -117)

Also, I am in an area around NYC and in a full 3G coverage area.

How is this possible with 4 bars? I just dont get it.

 

[spyz88]

2.0.1 | -103 dBm | 1-2 bars
2.1 | -109 dBm | 4-5 bars

Uh, yeah.

Can't comment on dropped calls yet.

You and I are in the same boat

 

[AustinSTI]

Before (2.0.2) -101DB 1-2 bars
After (2.1) - -101DB 4 bars.

 

[Bodah]

2.0.1 | -103 dBm | 1-2 bars
2.1 | -109 dBm | 4-5 bars

Uh, yeah.

Can't comment on dropped calls yet.

Before (2.0.2) -101DB 1-2 bars
After (2.1) - -101DB 4 bars.

I see that some people read the first post, and the title of the thread....

 

[Jeremy1026]

I don't have signal strengths, but I have speed numbers.

Numbers below are an average of three tests performed at iphonespeedtest.com.

2.0 - 3G -> 270kbps
2.1 - 3G -> 450kbps

 

[radiotowers]

I see that some people read the first post, and the title of the thread....

What exactly are you looking for? The dBm is roughly the same (actually slightly worse) in the same location. I provided "bars" just for reference, even though it's irrelevant in the scheme of things.

 

[dalvin200]

how the hell do you get rid of the number next to the cell provider??
i pressed the home button and its still there

 

[AustinSTI]

I see that some people read the first post, and the title of the thread....

Yeah ok because WHERE you are is more important data than How many bars you have at a given DB Give me a break. (Apologies in advance if I'm taking your comment the wrong way. I assumed you were criticizing the lack of Pipes and Location in my post.

 

[AustinSTI]

What exactly are you looking for? The dBm is roughly the same (actually slightly worse) in the same location. I provided "bars" just for reference, even though it's irrelevant in the scheme of things.

Bars isn't irrelevant; in fact its 1000X more relevant than 'I'm in my office' or 'I'm in the bathroom playing with myself'.

The whole POINT is to see if the signal strength (DB) actually changed, OR if they remapped signal strength to bars. Without the bars its much less useful to point DB

 

[impact_blue]

Before (2.0.2) -101DB 1-2 bars
After (2.1) - -101DB 4 bars.

Wow. Is Apple really pulling a fast one on us? Same signal strength, but more bars with 2.1

 

[Geckotek]

I don't have signal strengths, but I have speed numbers.

Numbers below are an average of three tests performed at iphonespeedtest.com.

2.0 - 3G -> 270kbps
2.1 - 3G -> 450kbps

Please refrain from including these types of numbers. They are not helpful and cannot truly be compared. They are not a true indication of signal strength.

Also, please include the minor version....2.0.1, 2.0.2 etc..

 

[Geckotek]

Bars isn't irrelevant; in fact its 1000X more relevant than 'I'm in my office' or 'I'm in the bathroom playing with myself'.

The whole POINT is to see if the signal strength (DB) actually changed, OR if they remapped signal strength to bars. Without the bars its much less useful to point DB

Location is relevant, we have to compare apples to apples. You can't compare signal in one room of your house to signal in another room, let alone from your house to your office. I am listing location because over the next few days I will test several locations before I update.

Bars can be relevant to see if Apple did raise the number of bars to the same signal strength, but what I REALLY want to know is if my signal strength went up.

If you want to include bars, put another pipe with the number of bars.

 

[edrex]

2.0.2 | At my desk | -97 (1 bar)
2.1 | At my desk | -97 (4 bars)

 

[radiotowers]

Bars isn't irrelevant; in fact its 1000X more relevant than 'I'm in my office' or 'I'm in the bathroom playing with myself'.

The whole POINT is to see if the signal strength (DB) actually changed, OR if they remapped signal strength to bars. Without the bars its much less useful to point DB

Yeah exactly. I guess I didn't see the point of saying that I'm sitting in my living room both times, i.e., why the hell would anyone bother posting signal strength for two different locations when trying to make a comparison between two firmware versions? If you're going to post results from multiple locations, that's fine, but...

The issue with bars is only relevant to me for exactly the reason you mentioned. But ultimately, I don't care how many bars I have as long as I can actually not drop a call, or have the other party be able to understand what I'm saying.

So:

2.0.1 | Living room of my house | -103
2.1.0 | Living room of my house | -109

 

[dalvin200]

how the hell do you get rid of the number next to the cell provider??
i pressed the home button and its still there

well.. i found a half assed solution..

just tap the number and it will turn into the bars..
tap it again and it will turn to numbers!!

 

[alFR]

For the love of God, it says in the release notes:

Improved accuracy of the 3G signal strength display

What about that makes you think (a) they're claiming that signal strength will have improved, (b) that signal strength will have improved?

 

[Geckotek]

For the love of God, it says in the release notes:



What about that makes you think (a) they're claiming that signal strength will have improved, (b) that signal strength will have improved?

IF that's the case, then I should have FEWER bars in MORE places.

 

[ebrunn]

Wouldn't these new numbers not be accurate if they change how it calculates the signal strength?

 

[kane4fire]

2.0.2 - -104dB - 1 bar
2.1 - -104dB - 4 bars

2 dropped calls already with my 4 bars

 

[CocoaPuffs]

Apple assumed we're gullible fools.

I have 2 iPhones in the same location. Top ones is the 2.0.2 and the bottom ones is from 2.1.