Why do I have five bars but poor cell phone reception?

Unfortunately, those one through five bars are inaccurate most of the time. They can be used as general estimation tool only. In addition, they do not indicate the signal strength in realtime - they reflect signal refresh every one to five minutes depending upon the cellphone manufacturer brand. Therefore, those antenna bars shown on your smartphone are not accurate. To refresh signal, simply turn on and then turn off airplane mode. Or restart the phone.

However, we recommend measuring correct signal strength in realtime using a signal meter to check signal strength of all carriers, or put your phone in field test mode so you can read signal strength of only your carrier - but in decibels, a precise unit of signal strength measurement. If your cellular service reception is weak all the time in an area of your home or when driving in specific areas, you may benefit from purchasing a cell phone signal booster.