Signal Strength
i was on cnet.com and i came across an artice that talked about how CDMA works and how GSM works, and what the bars mean. i just wanted to know if this info was accurate. here is the whole artice
"Hello guys,
There are some other things to keep in mind when we talk about cell coverage.
GSM is based on another technology called TDMA (Time Division Multiple access). In a few words, users share a single radio channel by taking turns "talking" and "listening" on the frequency. CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) works differently in that everybody "talks" and "listens" at the same time, the phone and the cell tower "tuning out" all other irrelevant signals. It's more complicated than that, but that's basically how it works.
Now, wit...
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"Hello guys,
There are some other things to keep in mind when we talk about cell coverage.
GSM is based on another technology called TDMA (Time Division Multiple access). In a few words, users share a single radio channel by taking turns "talking" and "listening" on the frequency. CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) works differently in that everybody "talks" and "listens" at the same time, the phone and the cell tower "tuning out" all other irrelevant signals. It's more complicated than that, but that's basically how it works.
Now, wit...
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That would be interesting to find out. cnet is one of the best places for technology questions and articles. Maybe there is a forum you can ask the same question to there.
The way the article says it is that CDMA is better than GSM for signal quality because more people seem to be able to use it at one time. Or am I wrong?
The way the article says it is that CDMA is better than GSM for signal quality because more people seem to be able to use it at one time. Or am I wrong?
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Well, it's not really saying that CDMA has the better signal overall, but you are correct that CDMA does have a higher capacity than GSM. That simply means that a CDMA tower can process more customer's calls at one time than a GSM tower and also with a more secure signal.
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mekong77 said:
Well, it's not really saying that CDMA has the better signal overall, but you are correct that CDMA does have a higher capacity than GSM. That simply means that a CDMA tower can process more customer's calls at one time than a GSM tower and also with a more secure signal.
That certainly seems to be true. I know people on TDMA/GSM providers (like ATT an' Cingular) who get 'network too busy' msgs sometimes during peak hours 'cus there's more people on than the network can handle. Never have gotten that with Verizon/CDMA yet.
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SystemShock said:mekong77 said:
Well, it's not really saying that CDMA has the better signal overall, but you are correct that CDMA does have a higher capacity than GSM. That simply means that a CDMA tower can process more customer's calls at one time than a GSM tower and also with a more secure signal.
That certainly seems to be true. I know people on TDMA/GSM providers (like ATT an' Cingular) who get 'network too busy' msgs sometimes during peak hours 'cus there's more people on than the network can handle. Never have gotten that with Verizon/CDMA yet.
I think the reason you have never gotten a "Network Busy" message is because Verizon does not work in that manner. Us...
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Thanks fo' the 411. Now that you mention it, I think I might've gotten that capacity busy signal once. But when I redialed, I immediately got through.
Now the guys I know on TDMA/GSM who get the 'network too busy' messages? They redial, an' they get the same message, again an' again. I think the worst was the guy who was still wit' ATT.
Now the guys I know on TDMA/GSM who get the 'network too busy' messages? They redial, an' they get the same message, again an' again. I think the worst was the guy who was still wit' ATT.
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It was probably TDMA. I forget exactly how many calls a single tower could support, but it was something as pathetic as 6 (I believe) which was the reason so many more towers were required for TDMA technologies versus CDMA. GSM multiplied capacity five-fold on its own and other enhancements eeked out a few more callers per antenna on a tower, making GSM somewhere around 35. CDMA has about twice the capacity per antenna as GSM at 60 calls per tower.
The point where capacity becomes a moot point is 3G. EVDO does not improve on the existing call capacity of CDMA while UMTS increases capacity over GSM by incredible amounts. UMTS actually has a higher call capacity than that of CDMA and will hopefully resolve any network capacity issues a...
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The point where capacity becomes a moot point is 3G. EVDO does not improve on the existing call capacity of CDMA while UMTS increases capacity over GSM by incredible amounts. UMTS actually has a higher call capacity than that of CDMA and will hopefully resolve any network capacity issues a...
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Glad to see ya around Ruff. Did you not post for awhile or have I just missed all your posts?
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Haven't seen anything too interesting over here in awhile. Well, haven't seen anything too interesting on PhoneScoop in general, but I've been around.
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pete1660 said:
Glad to see ya around Ruff. Did you not post for awhile or have I just missed all your posts?
We were making out in the back room....
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RUFF1415 said:
However, I must say that the only time I ever got a network busy signal on Cingular was when they had one of their "power outages" after the merge to integrate the network in my market. It only lasted for an hour, and technically the capacity wasn't reached, the network just wasn't on. 😛
In what market are you RUFF?
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Thanks fo' the info. Though I'm pretty sure that at least a couple o' the guys wit' the problem were on Cingular. Which I guess means that theyre on GSM.
Still its nice to know dat 3G will solve the problem. Maybe inna few years the 'network too busy' message will jus' be a story we tell to kids, like scratched records an' carburetors. 🙂
Still its nice to know dat 3G will solve the problem. Maybe inna few years the 'network too busy' message will jus' be a story we tell to kids, like scratched records an' carburetors. 🙂
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SystemShock said:
Thanks fo' the info. Though I'm pretty sure that at least a couple o' the guys wit' the problem were on Cingular. Which I guess means that theyre on GSM.
Still its nice to know dat 3G will solve the problem. Maybe inna few years the 'network too busy' message will jus' be a story we tell to kids, like scratched records an' carburetors. 🙂
Cingular has their own TDMA network, one seperate from AT&T's TDMA network. It is still possible (and sounds to me, likely) that they were on the TDMA network.
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RUFF1415 said:SystemShock said:
Thanks fo' the info. Though I'm pretty sure that at least a couple o' the guys wit' the problem were on Cingular. Which I guess means that theyre on GSM.
Still its nice to know dat 3G will solve the problem. Maybe inna few years the 'network too busy' message will jus' be a story we tell to kids, like scratched records an' carburetors. 🙂
Cingular has their own TDMA network, one seperate from AT&T's TDMA network. It is still possible (and sounds to me, likely) that they were on the TDMA network.
Wow. I was under the impression dat Cingular had completed their transition to GSM for thier own network, an' it was only the ATTers who were st...
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SystemShock said:...RUFF1415 said:SystemShock said:
Thanks fo' the info. Though I'm pretty sure that at least a couple o' the guys wit' the problem were on Cingular. Which I guess means that theyre on GSM.
Still its nice to know dat 3G will solve the problem. Maybe inna few years the 'network too busy' message will jus' be a story we tell to kids, like scratched records an' carburetors. 🙂
Cingular has their own TDMA network, one seperate from AT&T's TDMA network. It is still possible (and sounds to me, likely) that they were on the TDMA network.
Wow. I was under the impression dat Cingular had completed their transition to GSM for thier own network,
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RUFF1415 said:...
Cingular and AT&T both started out as the plain old analog carriers. TDMA came along and both companies took that path versus the CDMA path. After it became evident that TDMA wasn't going to make the technological cut, most TDMA carriers, and of course Cingular and AT&T, each made the transition to GSM.
What you have heard is partially true. Cingular did make the tansition to 100% GSM, but all that meant was that every last tower that they owned was equipped with GSM capability. TDMA did not go away. They operated, and still do, alongside each other. AT&T's transition was never copmleted before they were purchased by Cingular, so granted, Cingular was much farther along with GSM than AT&T was.
Th
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i may have worded my question wrong.
in the article it says that a CDMA signal can jump from full servicce to 2 bars back to full, due to the number of people using that one tower, is that true?
because i have two verizon phones an lg vx 4500 and a samsung sch-a670, and i live right near a Verizon tower and in my room the lg will have all 6 bars (constantly) and my samsung will go back and forth between 3 (of 4) and 1, and in some cases 0. is this the phone, or is it the tower, because if its the tower its strange that my lg will have full and my samsung will have mid-range and sometimes very low signal strength.
in the article it says that a CDMA signal can jump from full servicce to 2 bars back to full, due to the number of people using that one tower, is that true?
because i have two verizon phones an lg vx 4500 and a samsung sch-a670, and i live right near a Verizon tower and in my room the lg will have all 6 bars (constantly) and my samsung will go back and forth between 3 (of 4) and 1, and in some cases 0. is this the phone, or is it the tower, because if its the tower its strange that my lg will have full and my samsung will have mid-range and sometimes very low signal strength.
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Bars are a tough way to judge, 'cus it seems like all phone makers do 'em differently. Like fo' example, your LG has a 6-bar display? lol, that's some sly marketing fo' ya. Kinda like the amp in This Is Spinal Tap that 'goes to 11' 😁
My friend's got a Samsung that routinely shows 3-4 bars (outta 4) in my house, while my Nokia 6256 shows only 2-3 (outta 4). So he thinks his Samsung gets better reception. But whenever we make calls to the same person, they always say my Nokia sounds clearer, an' I seem to be able to make calls in places where he can't. So much fo' the bar meter.
My friend's got a Samsung that routinely shows 3-4 bars (outta 4) in my house, while my Nokia 6256 shows only 2-3 (outta 4). So he thinks his Samsung gets better reception. But whenever we make calls to the same person, they always say my Nokia sounds clearer, an' I seem to be able to make calls in places where he can't. So much fo' the bar meter.
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SystemShock said:
Bars are a tough way to judge, 'cus it seems like all phone makers do 'em differently. Like fo' example, your LG has a 6-bar display? lol, that's some sly marketing fo' ya. Kinda like the amp in This Is Spinal Tap that 'goes to 11' 😁
My friend's got a Samsung that routinely shows 3-4 bars (outta 4) in my house, while my Nokia 6256 shows only 2-3 (outta 4). So he thinks his Samsung gets better reception. But whenever we make calls to the same person, they always say my Nokia sounds clearer, an' I seem to be able to make calls in places where he can't. So much fo' the bar meter.
I think this is really the bottom line: the bar meter is not a reliable indicator of the quality of your c...
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This is how CDMA signal strength/loading works:
http://www.cdg.org/technology/cdma%5Ftechnology/a%5F ... »
and this is the one drawback to CDMA vs other technologies:
Coverage versus Capacity
There is some bad news arising from the CDMA capacity equation. Namely, the fact that the power that the mobiles are required to transmit goes to infinity as the capacity pole is approached. As the required power increases, mobiles at the fringe of coverage will begin to run out of transmitter power. That is, they will be asked to transmit more than their capability allows. The practical consequence of this is that the system load should really be controlled so that the planned service area never experiences coverage failur...
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http://www.cdg.org/technology/cdma%5Ftechnology/a%5F ... »
and this is the one drawback to CDMA vs other technologies:
Coverage versus Capacity
There is some bad news arising from the CDMA capacity equation. Namely, the fact that the power that the mobiles are required to transmit goes to infinity as the capacity pole is approached. As the required power increases, mobiles at the fringe of coverage will begin to run out of transmitter power. That is, they will be asked to transmit more than their capability allows. The practical consequence of this is that the system load should really be controlled so that the planned service area never experiences coverage failur...
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since EV-DO is the upgrade path for CDMA2000, in not sure what revolution it will be, but when the revolution comes will it resolve the problem? will the tower be able to transmit maximum capacity and coverage?
i think i worded that right.
i think i worded that right.
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Well in CDMA its actually the opposite, as the site gets loaded the circle of coverage reduces. This is why the phones on the edge of the coverage ring are requested to transmit full power and if they still don't make it get cut off.
I don't think changing the revision will change the way it operates, they would have to re-analyze the way they designed the whole network.
I don't think changing the revision will change the way it operates, they would have to re-analyze the way they designed the whole network.
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The real question that this begs is this:
Is this a theoretical phenomenon, or is it something that has happened?
and
If it has happened, how often does it happen or how easily fixed is it?
Is this a theoretical phenomenon, or is it something that has happened?
and
If it has happened, how often does it happen or how easily fixed is it?
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OK. Here is what I have been told by tower techs. I don't know how reliable, but here goes. The signal flucuation could be becuase you can connect to a tower near you and another tower that is further away. If the tower that is nearest you is near capacity it might push you off to a further tower because someone needs to use a channel on that tower for a phone call.
As far as the RSS indicator (RSS means Relative Signal Strength) it is called such because it isn't an exact science. Someone posted that alot is "marketing". I truley believe that. The reason is I know Samsung only used 3 bars on some of their phones. It could be showing zero bars but you could make a call just fine. A LG phone has up to 6 bars. I have seen this ha...
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As far as the RSS indicator (RSS means Relative Signal Strength) it is called such because it isn't an exact science. Someone posted that alot is "marketing". I truley believe that. The reason is I know Samsung only used 3 bars on some of their phones. It could be showing zero bars but you could make a call just fine. A LG phone has up to 6 bars. I have seen this ha...
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Its not a matter of being "pushed off", with CDMA as more users occupy the site the circle of coverage is reduced for that particular site. Phone users that are at a distance are either told by the system to increase power or roam to an adjacent site. If it can't do either the call is dropped.
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WOW. It must really reduce that circle. There are two towers near me. One is about 2 miles away. The other is 8 miles. When I am showing on the one that is two miles away I have full signal strength. When my signal drops, the system also reads that I have been traded off to that tower further away.
So you are saying that call volume can make a towers signal radius to less then 2 miles? Also, the tower doesn't have a true circle pattern as the deflectors can channel the direction of signal...
So you are saying that call volume can make a towers signal radius to less then 2 miles? Also, the tower doesn't have a true circle pattern as the deflectors can channel the direction of signal...
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crazyeaglefan236 said:
So you are saying that call volume can make a towers signal radius to less then 2 miles? Also, the tower doesn't have a true circle pattern as the deflectors can channel the direction of signal...
For simplicity I used a radius of coverage, but yes it is based on the sector theory as all urban sites have 3 of them at each locations.
As to the actual mileage distance, this can vary a lot and it unique to each location. There are some sites designed to only cover a mile, and some even less.
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