five bars
If you have five bars, which you apparently do, the death grip does affect performance at all.
If you have five bars, which you apparently do, the death grip does affect performance at all.
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iOS 4.1 Restores Field Test Mode
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How do you get back to signal strength only showing up in bars after doing the keep in field test cycle you mention above? It was nice to have for a while but i prefer to go back to the way it was...
As lame as this may be - I really like that fact that I can customize something on my iPhone now even without jailbreaking it... Maybe this is Apple's first step towards "Preferences" like on Droids/PPCs.
If anyone can't figure out how to go backwards, you can also net a network settings reset. That should do the trick. Anyone care to confirm?
If anyone can't figure out how to go backwards, you can also net a network settings reset. That should do the trick. Anyone care to confirm?
Ok, Gizmodo has the correct instructions on how to do the field test. The instructions on Mac Rumors is wrong. To do the field test you do this:
Dial *3001#12345#* into your phone.
Dial *3001#12345#* into your phone.
Same here. It's nice being able to switch between the two, but every time I open a new app, it goes back to the dB meter. Oddly, every app seems to remember the bars/dB setting separately once it's open. My phone is essentially stuck in dB meter mode now.
Tried it. Still stuck on the numeric value instead of bars
.Edit: Reset All Settings fixes it though.
How to remove field test mode.
If you were like me an turned on the field test mode using the power button hold and then the home button there is hope. It will come at a cost though.
You will need to navigate to: Settings/General/Reset/Reset All Setings.
This will make you have to set up your phones settings again (ring, pas code, email signature, etc.) but will turn off the switching.
Hope this help!
If you were like me an turned on the field test mode using the power button hold and then the home button there is hope. It will come at a cost though.
You will need to navigate to: Settings/General/Reset/Reset All Setings.
This will make you have to set up your phones settings again (ring, pas code, email signature, etc.) but will turn off the switching.
Hope this help!
Alternatively, if you didn't back up after permanently enabling the dB meter, you can just do a restore. Presumably you won't lose much, since 4.1 was only released today.
Anything above -95 is a good signal. -106 one can still talk but might get some garble.
1. I'm right handed and don't normally do a tight grip. I have a bumper, but I can place my fingers anywhere on the metal SS band (except lower left 'sweet' spot) and see no change in data speeds or RSSI.
2. I can take my thumb and index finger and bridge the gap above and below, with no adverse effects...only when I place my finger directly on the gap is there a problem ( 20+ dB loss). Also, placing a finger directly on the top gap (by earplug) produces no effect. The top gap also separates the two antenna, just like the lower gap. Interesting that it has no effect.
3. When in a lower RF signal range ( -110 to -95 dBm) I can see data stop and loss of 22 dB when placing my finger directly on the lower gap...my fingers elsewhere, or even a few mm's near the gap have no great effect.
4. When in a hight RF signal range ( -41 to -78 dBM) I see NO data or RSSI dB adverse effect at all. I had expected to see it drop by 22 dB too...but that would be ok...but instead I mostly see no change. Only once out of 10 tries did I see a dB change. I think I understand why some see to antenna issue at all.
1. I'm right handed and don't normally do a tight grip. I have a bumper, but I can place my fingers anywhere on the metal SS band (except lower left 'sweet' spot) and see no change in data speeds or RSSI.
2. I can take my thumb and index finger and bridge the gap above and below, with no adverse effects...only when I place my finger directly on the gap is there a problem ( 20+ dB loss). Also, placing a finger directly on the top gap (by earplug) produces no effect. The top gap also separates the two antenna, just like the lower gap. Interesting that it has no effect.
3. When in a lower RF signal range ( -110 to -95 dBm) I can see data stop and loss of 22 dB when placing my finger directly on the lower gap...my fingers elsewhere, or even a few mm's near the gap have no great effect.
4. When in a hight RF signal range ( -41 to -78 dBM) I see NO data or RSSI dB adverse effect at all. I had expected to see it drop by 22 dB too...but that would be ok...but instead I mostly see no change. Only once out of 10 tries did I see a dB change. I think I understand why some see to antenna issue at all.
At this point, someone needs to take a picture of an iPhone 4 sitting next to an iPhone 3Gs -- both running the Field Test Mode - to see if there is any difference in the received signal.
Regarding item #2... touching the top gap will degrade your WiFi connection, but should not affect cell performance. To notice the WiFi effect, you'll have to be 20 feet or so from the router. It's easy to notice by running one of the speedtest apps- once without bridging and then again with your finger over the top gap.
Regarding item #4... this is what I had observed before as well. There's some threshold above which no manner of death grip affects signal strength.
It didn't exist for those with clean iOS installs - such as new phones that were not restored from backup to bring forward settings/contacts/etc.
Can't recall who it was, but one of the sites reported being able to hold onto a call down to -113 or so - which is better than the 3GS by something like 20 dBm, IIRC.
Dropped Calls
I get -104 at home and a lot of dropped calls. Two houses in either direction is -83. My wife said AT&T is advertising service in 200 countries, yet we can't get consistant service in our own home in the United States.
At my university it is worse. 33,000 students with a huge number with iPads and iPhones and they can't use them in most buildings. As soon as Apple opens this up to new carriers there will be a mass exodus from AT&T if the new carrier has better signal strength, which Verizon has in our area.
Amazing...
I get -104 at home and a lot of dropped calls. Two houses in either direction is -83. My wife said AT&T is advertising service in 200 countries, yet we can't get consistant service in our own home in the United States.
At my university it is worse. 33,000 students with a huge number with iPads and iPhones and they can't use them in most buildings. As soon as Apple opens this up to new carriers there will be a mass exodus from AT&T if the new carrier has better signal strength, which Verizon has in our area.
Amazing...
An instantaneous snapshot is not sufficient, unless it can be demonstrated that:
- Neither device affects the other
- Both devices have the same modem firmware
- Both devices are using same cell
- The signal filter algorithms on both devices are in the same state
Mobile phones typically use filtering algorithms to prevent the "signal bars" from changing too quickly. It may be that the numeric signal strength is un-filtered, in which case ignore point 4
This post is amazing
Besides that why doesn't your university have WiFi installed. That is the propervway to gain access to the network from inside a building. Frankly you would be doing the young people on this forum a huge service if you would identify your university. It would prevent a lot of wasted time when people are searching for a university to spend their money at. After all would any technologically capable student want to spend time at a university that is WiFi free.
Sadly you sound a bit like a troll though that likely isn't your intention. But think about it why would any student want to use up their personal bandwidth when WiFi should be on every campus by now. Maybe I misunderstood you but no student should have problems using a WiFi capable device on any campus these days.
AT&T advertising service in 200 countries? Why would they do that.
You are inside a building what do you expect? That is why hospitals and other large buildings have cell phone repeaters. If a building is dense enough the cell signal won't get through no matter the service provider.
Besides that why doesn't your university have WiFi installed. That is the propervway to gain access to the network from inside a building. Frankly you would be doing the young people on this forum a huge service if you would identify your university. It would prevent a lot of wasted time when people are searching for a university to spend their money at. After all would any technologically capable student want to spend time at a university that is WiFi free.
Sadly you sound a bit like a troll though that likely isn't your intention. But think about it why would any student want to use up their personal bandwidth when WiFi should be on every campus by now. Maybe I misunderstood you but no student should have problems using a WiFi capable device on any campus these days.
Tried it. Still stuck on the numeric value instead of bars
Edit: Reset All Settings fixes it though.
Hmm well just fyi everyone, if you switch to dBm from bars it looks like it will be stuck that way for now.. I tried multiple times to get the bars back but they only show for a few seconds then disappear.
I got it successfully on Orange UK. Reading -91 to -103 in my building, which has very poor reception. I will be curious what the reading is outside....
The iPad is open to most carriers here in the UK, is that not the case in the US?