A mobile communication device comprising a low power signal detector and a manner of utilizing a low power signal detector in a mobile communication device. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise a first module adapted to receive a communication signal. A second module may be adapted to operate in a plurality of operating modes, comprising a first mode and a second mode. The first mode may, for example, comprise characteristics of a sleep mode. The second module may, in the second mode, process the received communication signal (e.g., determining information communicated by the received communication signal). A third module may be adapted to determine, based at least in part on a non-informational characteristic of the received communication signal, whether to operate the second module in the first mode or in the second mode.