Do mobile phone cells maybe self adjust their radiation pattern, to accomdate phones which have a weak signal?
The thing is, I am located for a few days where the O2 signal was almost none existant when I got here, four days later the strength has gradually improved to the point where it has become usable. I have noticed a similar effect here at this location before.
I *think* that 'mobile signal' means 'what kind of bitrate I can get'
I remember using a 3G dingle for internet at a public show. Before the event got started it was usable at around 9600bps, As the campground filled up it deteriorated until you couldn't even send an SMS. bars on phones dropped out as well.
Plus of course atmospheric conditions really affect Mobile frequencies
There was no signal at all Wednesday, it ahowed up briefly and occaisionally Thursday and has continued to improve since then. Now that phone shows three bars and a steady connection.
I have data via Three and that was rock solid / full speed as soon as set it up.
Don't know if they do it to accommodate individual phones, but they (just 3G ones?) use something called "cell-breathing" where overloaded cells reduce their coverage so that neighbouring cells can expand to pick up some of the demand.
As I said, that may mean no more than 'there are less phones currently using that tower'
Different tower or transmitter?
My point being that '3 bars' doesn't means 'the transmitter signal is more or less strong; it may and does actually mean that's how good a connection you are going to get'
My phone gets between 0 and 3 bars fluctuating all the time. Now in the quiet evening its showing 3. Cant sustain a voice call, but will do SMS
If that was the case then I'd expect the signal indicator at venues I visit to plumet when the 50,000 crowd arrive, it doesn't but data throughput does.
May well be a different tower but is always a different transmitter, one owned/operated by Three rather than 02. B-)
All of the four networks have different service levels available here. O2 is 2G only, Three and Vodafone 3G, EE double speed 4G.
I think the signal bars are a "quality" indication, ie how hard any error correction is having to work on each burst of data. This is link layer stuff not application. The cell not having enough time slots to provide proper service to all those that want it doesn't come into it. Hence venues with full signal indication but only 300 bps throughput.
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