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Question

Are signal strength and data speed linked?

  • February 8, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 8 views

I get a fair signal at home usually 3 to 4 bars indicated out of 4. I am in a good signal area according to the website yet my data speed is so poor as to be unusable, yet when at work I get a poor signal 1-2 bars but a usable 10mb data speed 

Why?

2 replies

WelshPaul
Platinum 
Contributor
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  • Platinum 
Contributor
  • February 8, 2026

Different masts. Congestion most likely.


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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • February 8, 2026

Hi ​@Pippinstem Thanks for sharing your experience, we understand how frustrating this must be. Data speed isn’t determined by signal bars alone; it can also be affected by factors like network congestion and local cell capacity. This is why you might see full bars at home but slower speeds, and weaker signal at work but faster data.

 

Conversely, a weaker signal at work can sometimes deliver faster data if the local network is less congested.

To help improve your experience at home, you could try:

Restarting your phone

Toggling airplane mode on and off to reconnect to the network

If the problem persists, a network reset on your device can sometimes help

 

~Marquerita