Cell Phone Signal Bars? Really?

Do you think that there are no effective methods to determine the best carrier short of depending upon the bars on a cell phone? In order to accurately assess various carriers’ coverage, you’d need to be like a squid, holding a half dozen different phones (one for each RF band with a service plan for each carrier) and visually comparing all the bars simultaneously for coverage. Cell phone signal bars? Really?

Carriers put out color-coded coverage maps to give consumers an idea of how well they cover a given area. While comparing carriers one quickly learns that they establish geographic competitive advantages by strategically placing cell towers along densely populated stretches, cities and areas that will maximize customer coverage. They also tend to focus build-outs in markets where their competition does not have coverage. All of this leaves one with the same question when installing wireless IoT or M2M networks. Are you really going to trust the cell phone signal strength?

Trying to integrate bars on all of the carriers smart phones is not very scientific. If you are installing a cellular modem M2M connection in a smart grid application you would not likely glance at a mobile phone for the desired carrier and say “I have 4 bars here, that should be good enough.”

When making a critical determination you need to make a scientific measurement with a test instrument. No two cell
phone will give you the same “signal strength” let alone four! Are you going to trust this for your wireless IoT network? Are you willing to pay for 4 monthly plans, and the cost of the phone for every installer? Even with a good negotiated plan, it adds up month after month.

The first step in any successful cellular modem installation is verifying that the modem has a good connection back to the carrier network. Two important factors are good signal strength and good signal quality, which make the modem deployment more reliable. Both of these factors can be assured by using dedicated receivers and following some simple steps in this handy M2M/IoT ePaper. Download it now and check back for more blogs and tips soon.