Cell phones have become an important part of our day-to-day life. But, have you ever wondered "How can I test my cell phone's signal strength?" Some people might think that phone signal strength depends on the number of bars which is shown on the notification bar. But that's not completely true. The bars are actually standards for each and every particular device. So, you can't compare signal strength of two phones depending on the number of bars. You may have seen that sometimes even with one bar, you network strength is quite good and sometimes four bars can't give you the signal strength which you expect.
You should measure your phone's signal with decibels (dBm) to accurately determine the strength. The signal strength readings are negative values (-40, -90 etc) but in some phones they may be shown in positive values. What should you do? Don't worry; just put a "-" sign before it. The close the number is to zero, the better signal the device is receiving.
Without any further delay, let's look at simple ways to test cell phone signal strength.
How to test signal strength on Android devices
If you are an Android user, then testing your phone's signal strength is just a piece of cake. You just need to navigate through the menu and voila, you have found it.
You just need to follow the steps mentioned below. Note that different android OS and different models may have different menu types.
- Go to settings
- Scroll down to the bottom and click on About Phone
- Then click on phone status/status/info
- Click on Sim Status (this option may not be available in all devices)
- You can see your signal strength in the "signal strength" option.
There are also many third party apps, available in the Google Play Store which allows you to test cell phone signal strength. Network Cell Info Lite, Signal Strength Checker, Coverage are very good to determine accurate results. You can also contact your customer service if necessary.
How to test signal strength on iOS devices
For testing on an iPhone you need to access the phone's "Field Test Mode" first. Please, note that the instructions below are applicable to iOS 18.4. For older versions, the process can be different.
Make your device ready
- Turn off Wi-Fi in your iPhone settings.
- Enable 4G/5G mobile data to test mobile data bands. If you want to check GSM bands for voice calls, then deactivate mobile data.
- Turn on location services.
Access Field Test Mode
- Open the Phone app.
- Dial *3001#12345#* and tap the ‘Call’ button.
- The Field Test Mode should be launched.
Identify the frequency band
- Find “Serving Cell Info”.
- Search Band Info, which shows the frequency band in use.
* Here you will find more information on how to interpret band numbers.
Check the strength of your signal
- Navigate to “Serving Cell Meas” > “RsrpRsrqSinr”.
- Look for RSRP—the signal strength in dBm for 4G or 5G—or RSSI—the signal strength in dBm for 2G (GSM) or 3G.
Here you will find more information on how to interpret dBm values.
How to test signal strength on other devices
There are obviously other operating systems which we haven't mentioned above. So, to find a test method you may click on the link below:
http://www.wpsantennas.com/pdf/testmode/FieldTestModes.pdf
What should you do if you signal strength is not good
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