1. KeithF40's Avatar
    What is the optimal connection for the data no Verizon at least on the 8830 WE. I'd like to know what -90, -80, what all that means.
    05-07-08 09:27 PM
  2. JRSCCivic98's Avatar
    Aren't you the same one that keeps asking this same question every week. Change back to the bar graph and wait for full bars, then switch to numerical and you'll see what optimal level is. The bar graph is just a graphical representation of the numerical value (split up into sections based on range of the numerical value vs graphic). Find your own range.

    Perhaps changing back to the bar graph will rid you of your obsessive complusiveness of wanting a perfect signal all the time.
    05-07-08 10:34 PM
  3. smaug's Avatar
    I sit at -90 dBm usually, and the service is good.

    Data should be fine as long as 1XEV is displayed on the home screen.
    05-07-08 10:36 PM
  4. jeffh's Avatar
    A dBm is a standard unit for measuring levels of power in relation to a 1 milliwatt reference signal. The minus sign means the ratio is less than one, which will always be the case with a cell phone, since you're not normally close enough to a tower to receive a signal power >1mW. -80 dBm is a typical 5-bars signal. -100 dBm is low, but still usable. I don't know what the lowest usable signal level is.

    Since dBm is a log unit, every 10 dBm corresponds to a factor of 10 change in power. So, using values we typically see in cellphones,
    -80 dBm = 10 pW
    -90 dBm = 1 pW
    -100 dBm = 0.1 pW
    Last edited by JeffH; 05-07-08 at 10:52 PM. Reason: added example of log scale
    05-07-08 10:40 PM
  5. smaug's Avatar
    A dBm is a standard unit for measuring levels of power in relation to a 1 milliwatt reference signal. The minus sign means the ratio is less than one, which will always be the case with a cell phone, since you're not normally close enough to a tower to receive a signal power >1mW. -80 dBm is a typical 5-bars signal. -100 dBm is low, but still usable. I don't know what the lowest usable signal level is.
    I thought the lower the number was, the better the signal. So -100 dBm is a better signal than -80 dBm.

    I could be wrong, but that's always what I thought.

    EDIT: Ahhh, I take that back, I just checked it out on my phone. It was at -107 at one point, and it was like 1 bar.
    05-07-08 10:42 PM
  6. jwadejr9's Avatar
    no, the closer to 0 the number is, the better
    05-07-08 10:44 PM
  7. smaug's Avatar
    no, the closer to 0 the number is, the better
    Hehe yeah, I did a little experiment and figured out I'm a dummy
    05-07-08 10:45 PM
  8. KeithF40's Avatar
    Thanks Jeff, that was the answer that I wanted. Shoot me for being inquizitive.
    05-07-08 11:22 PM
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