The General Chat Thread (2025)

My power has been flickering for the past few days. And internet and cable have been for, sometimes for 10 hours at a time. Which also messes with my cell phone somehow. I can't text (and sometimes have issues making calls) when cable/internet is down, and I'm not sure why. Even if I turn off Wi-Fi, I still have issues.
And I thought that was just a 3rd world thing! We've had the same; no internet for about 4 hours yesterday, then it came back really weak.
 
My phone, ATT, has only lost a signal once when they went down nationally for most of a day last year. Other than that it works but mostly with a few, if any bars.

Yeah, mostly always in the red. At -110 dBm it's out. I'm at -86 dBm now.
1000034885.jpg
 
My phone, ATT, has only lost a signal once when they went down nationally for most of a day last year. Other than that it works but mostly with a few, if any bars.

Yeah, mostly always in the red. At -110 dBm it's out. I'm at -86 dBm now.View attachment 132280
I have ATT. How do you access that info in your picture?
Stupid damn thing is when I call cable company I get stuck in automated hell!! Asks me what service is down, I say internet. Tells me there is an outage in my area. DOH! They can send me a LINK to track the outage! If I DON'T have internet, you stupid ass, how can I receive the link OR use it!!
 
I have ATT. How do you access that info in your picture?
Stupid damn thing is when I call cable company I get stuck in automated hell!! Asks me what service is down, I say internet. Tells me there is an outage in my area. DOH! They can send me a LINK to track the outage! If I DON'T have internet, you stupid ass, how can I receive the link OR use it!!
That picture is from an app. I've the Pro version but they also have one you don't have to pay for. It's in the play store.
1000034892.jpg
 
Here you go. All Apple devices have a field test mode...

For iPhone with Intel Chipset (iOS 11, iOS 12, iOS 13, and iOS 14)

Dial *3001#12345#*
Tap LTE on iOS 11-13, or the Menu Tab on iOS 13-14
Tap Serving Cell Meas
Your dBm is read as RSRP0.
dBm is what you're looking for:

Cell signal strength ranges from -50 dBm to -120 dBm for all cellular devices. Typically:
-50 to -79 dBm = great signal (4 to 5 bars).
-80 to -89 dBm = good signal (3 to 4 bars).
-90 to -99 dBm = average signal (2 to 3 bars).
-100 to -109 dBm = poor signal (1 to 2 bars).
-110 to -120 dBm = very poor signal or a dead zone (0 to 1 bar).

dBm readings are not subjective. They don’t fluctuate based on carriers or manufacturers. The closer you are to -50 dBm, the better your signal. For those closer to -120 dBm, a signal booster or repeater will help improve your service.
 
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