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4G signal strength indicator?

Another very basic question. My Samsung Stratosphere's status bar has an indicator for 4G or 3G, and a 5-bar signal strength indicator. But do the bars indicate the strength of the 4G/3G data signal, or only the voice signal? Even when the 4G/3G indicator is gone (i.e., I have no data signal) there will be bars indicating (I assume) the strength of the voice signal. So does anything indicate the strength of the data signal?

Also, sometimes I've noticed the 3G indicator having what looks like a capital D underneath it instead of the up and down arrows. Anybody know what that means?

BTW, the Stratosphere user manual available here: http://cache.vzw.com/multimedia/mim/stratosphere/stratosphere.pdf is not entirely complete in its listing of status-bar symbols on p. 26. It doesn't list the Wi-Fi icon that appear when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Comments

jrh4054

As long as you have either the 3G/4G visible, the bars indicate the strength either the 3G/4G signal, depending on which is showing. The the up and down arrows below the 3G/4G turn red and green indicating you are either uploading or downloading. There is nothing that indicates the voice signal strength. If you experience the connectivity problems that many Stratosphere owners do, you will have no 3G/4G showing at all if you are not connected to the network. This happens to me frequently, but it usually only takes a few seconds for the 3G/4G connection to be made.

Dave-in-Decatur

Thanks, that's very helpful. My experience is similar to yours: just sitting around the house, 4G disappears, and then reappears shortly afterward. But even when it's gone, I do still have bars on the indicator. Since all I have then is voice connectivity, no data, I assume that the bars reflect that signal strength. Correct? Or what?

Ann154

With the D under the 3G symbol it means that the 3G network is available but not currently active.

The bars on your phone will only indicate the voice strength and maybe the 3G signal strength.

Only the Galaxy Nexus phone has the ability to represent the 4G LTE signal strength with the bars due to the Android OS system. It is not possible with the Gingerbread version of the Android OS.

Tidbits

^^What she said

Dave-in-Decatur

OK, so I take it that jrh4054 was mistaken as regards the significance of the bars when I have a 4G connection. (Not pointing a finger, just wanting to clear up my own confusion.) It does help to know the exact meaning of what I'm seeing on the status bar. And it would be great if Samsung gave a fuller explanation of the meaning of these symbols in their user manual!

budone

The signal strength bar is only for the voice side. Signal strengths can vary greatly between voice and data.

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