Related
How is your 3G reception on the Vibrant? I just purchased a Vibrant as a replacement for my aging and bluetooth handicapped G1 and I am disappointed with the 3G reception.
T-Mobile's coverage in my area is moderate, and the G1 has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors, and may even flop back to 2G. It is fairly consistently on 2G in my home at 2 bars and at work I can only get 1 bar of 2G with this phone and spend the majority of the time with no signal at all.
I sat down and did some comparison between the Vibrant and the G1 and have found the following:
1. *#*#4636#*#* menu shows significantly worse signal levels on the Vibrant than on the G1, often times showing 0db and 0asu in the same location I am seeing -89db to -101db 3G on the G1.
2. The service menu on the Vibrant indicates a signal level which on 3G is fairly consistently 8db better than the one shown on the info menu. Interestingly, 2G signal levels as shown on the service menu seem fairly spot on with those shown from the info menu in Android.
3. The service menu 3G signal levels on the Vibrant seem consistent with those that I see on the G1 with a variation of perhaps only a couple of decibels.
That said, it seems interesting that battery usage on the Vibrant seems to indicate nearly 60% of its time with no service under cell standby when I get 0% in the same location with the G1. I am wondering if the time being recorded here is in fact the time spent with 0 bars being displayed even if the phone does, in fact, have a signal.
It is apparent that there is at least a software issue with the display here, as has been concluded in prior threads. However, ignoring the bar display I am wondering what others feel of the signal coverage with their Vibrant versus their old phone?
Does anyone have any experience with any of Samsung's other phone offerings? Do you think Samsung will post a radio update for this phone or possibly release one along with the GPS Fix/Froyo update in September?
I work in a position which requires me to be on-call a certain times during the year, and I can't really afford to have a phone that camps out at 60% no signal. I am really looking for reasons to keep this phone, as I like it otherwise, but practically, I need a phone that is going to receive phone calls. Any objective indications anyone can give that Samsung will continue to support this device may help sway my decision to keep it. My 14 days will be up on Thursday, so I need to make a final decision about keeping this phone before then.
Also, do any developers think that modifying the handling of the signal display in Android will cause a change in the amount of time the phone spends acquiring signal between 3G and 2G, or is this something that is purely handled within the radio firmware? If this is changeable, is this something that can be included in a future custom rom?
No coverage issues with mine.matches my mt3g in pretty much every location.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I made a call in the BOONDOCKS of NC, in an old river mill with 22 inch brick walls... NOBODY else was able to place a call other than me (all the big networks and nice phones).
I have pretty crappy 3g service here in new rochelle when at home the phone keeps fluctuating between 0-4 bars for 3G and the data speeds very inconsistent. Sometimes it even falls back to EDGE! This is pretty lame, i called t-mobile about it and they said there nothing they can do! If i am unhappy i should return the phone.
I live in NYC...
That is really all I have to say.
3-5 up speeds
constant 3g connection
The bars on the phone are funky though they look like there are none but you can still make calls. Its just the software is off just like the battery percentage.
Rishikesh said:
I have pretty crappy 3g service here in new rochelle when at home the phone keeps fluctuating between 0-4 bars for 3G and the data speeds very inconsistent. Sometimes it even falls back to EDGE! This is pretty lame, i called t-mobile about it and they said there nothing they can do! If i am unhappy i should return the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're at home why aren't you on WiFi?
Seriously it's the most puzzling thing ever. 3G or not, I wouldn't be using it at home. Are you trying to replace your ISP with your phone or something?
You should do a search. Are you aware of the fact that -0dBm is impossible? The bars are off on this phone and the G1 is mediocre overall. It can hold on to a 3G signal for longer because your hand isn't blocking the antenna but the antenna itself is truly mediocre in fringe areas. Move your hand away from the bottom hump on the Vibrant. A lot of questions you're asking.. you're answering yourself.
I am not all too impressed with 3G coverage here at my home, but I mostly blame the network at my location and not necessarily the phone. TMO has spotty coverage near my house....period, and I live less than a mile from the tower. I have a Blackberry 9700 and it has similar issues with 3G. I've called and complained and they give me the usual "you're green on the map...return the phone....blah blah". I was closer to downtown Dallas yesterday and the phone had full bars and never got higher than -80dbm. Speedtest app showed about 3mbps downloads on average. I wouldn't say it was stellar but it's nothing like at home either. Only thing is my phone never automatically drops from 3G to E unless I am making calls. Once again the Blackberry 9700 does the same thing.
However, I am not completely convinced the phone isn't to blame either. I had a week with the new Motorola XT720, aka AWS Motoroi/Milestone that Magenta is/was rumored (who knows?) to get, and if Moto hadn't skimped on the CPU/RAM/screen/app memory of that phone I would have kept it instead of this Vibrant. That phone seemed to get much better 3G signal and HSPA was excellent compared to the Vibrant. I'm lucky if the Vibrant gets HSPA here at all. Overall network performance just seemed faster. It was quite obvious when I powered up the Vibrant the first time that 3G coverage is going to be an issue at my home with this phone.
FWIW my wife has an iPhone 3G which gets great 3G coverage here at the house on ATT. So I borrowed her SIM to test after I unlocked the Vibrant and it didn't make much difference. It did get 3G which I didn't think was technically possible until I saw that this phone has 1900 3G support as well as AWS. I do think the bars and definitely the battery indicators are not accurate whatsoever. I use Battery Indicator Pro and it's definitely obvious Samsung needs a software re-work.
Just because you live within 1 mile of a tower doesn't mean it's 3G or that there isn't something in the way of it's signal and your house.. I live within 1 mile of a tower and it's not 3G. It's supposed to get 3G soon.
heygrl said:
If you're at home why aren't you on WiFi?
Seriously it's the most puzzling thing ever. 3G or not, I wouldn't be using it at home. Are you trying to replace your ISP with your phone or something?
You should do a search. Are you aware of the fact that -0dBm is impossible? The bars are off on this phone and the G1 is mediocre overall. It can hold on to a 3G signal for longer because your hand isn't blocking the antenna but the antenna itself is truly mediocre in fringe areas. Move your hand away from the bottom hump on the Vibrant. A lot of questions you're asking.. you're answering yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I don't have WiFi in my house?
Maybe I would love to reduce my monthly expenditures by the $60 I throw away to Comcast?
I am well aware of the fact that -0dbm is impossible. This is simply what the phone is displaying. I also agree that the G1's reception is mediocre, but this phone seems worse than the G1. Blocking the antenna with my hand doesn't seem to make much difference on either the Vibrant or the G1.
I asked for objective answers to my questions which basically boil down to the following:
1. Do you think Samsung will provide support for the software on this phone (including the radio) over the long term ie. do you think there will be upgrades in this department?
2. Do you think this is something custom rom developers can address purely via modifying the OS?
Thanks for your snarky comments, but if you haven't got any objective input into the situation maybe this thread is not for you.
equid0x said:
Maybe I don't have WiFi in my house?
Maybe I would love to reduce my monthly expenditures by the $60 I throw away to Comcast?
I am well aware of the fact that -0dbm is impossible. This is simply what the phone is displaying. I also agree that the G1's reception is mediocre, but this phone seems worse than the G1. Blocking the antenna with my hand doesn't seem to make much difference on either the Vibrant or the G1.
I asked for objective answers to my questions which basically boil down to the following:
1. Do you think Samsung will provide support for the software on this phone (including the radio) over the long term ie. do you think there will be upgrades in this department?
2. Do you think this is something custom rom developers can address purely via modifying the OS?
Thanks for your snarky comments, but if you haven't got any objective input into the situation maybe this thread is not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're asking questions that we can't answer. Do we work at Samsung? No. Would stock Android fix this? Maybe.
It seems worse than the G1 because based on your comments the bars are having an affect on what you deem to be "worse". I've had tons of T-Mobile phones including the G1 and the Vibrant is not considerably worse than any. INFACT it will hold on to a 3G signal for longer than most. My CLIQ displayed 3 bars as -105dBm. Accurate? NO.
has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having any disconcernable change you're not doing it right
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
heygrl said:
You're asking questions that we can't answer. Do we work at Samsung? No.
It seems worse than the G1 because based on your comments the bars are having an affect on what you deem to be "worse". I've had tons of T-Mobile phones including the G1 and the Vibrant is not considerably worse than any. INFACT it will hold on to a 3G signal for longer than most. My CLIQ displayed 3 bars as -105dBm. Accurate? NO.
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having much of a change at all you're lying or not doing it right.
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that nobody here is working for Samsung but there are plenty of people here who have developed for Android, and the question I am posing is if this is something that can be addressed in a custom rom.
I think my original post makes it clear that there is obviously a software issue with bar display, but I am wondering if this software issue is also causing the Android OS to force a switch to 2G in an instance where the G1 with a properly functioning display would keep 3G. ie, the phone is switching to 2G early because it thinks it only has -111dbm when it in fact still has -103dbm. I am not clear on whether this functionality is performed within the OS itself or purely within the radio firmware.
My hands are rather large, so holding the G1 basically covers the entire rear of the phone. The antenna is near the top of the phone whereas the antenna on the Vibrant seems to be on the bottom. Though holding both phones in various positions seems to have little effect on the received signal strength so far as I can tell.
The time spent without signal in cell standby I believe to be erroneous. I think it is tallying up that time any time there are zero bars, even if the phone still has a signal. This makes it very difficult to objectively compare the 2 phones. If the OS is in fact driving the switch from 3G to 2G this may explain my poor access in fringe areas as the phone will be constantly flapping between the two. If the functions that drive this behavior are within the AOSP source this could easily be something we can fix in a custom rom even without Samsung's help, even if a radio update would be ideal.
heygrl said:
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having any disconcernable change you're not doing it right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can wrap my hand around the phone (Vibrant), either top, center or bottom and I do not see any change in either reception, call quality, network throughput or number of bars.
heygrl said:
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is perfectly understandable that if he has good reception with a G1, an older phone, he expects at least a similar level or reception with a newer, higher end phone. WiFi would be considered a workaround.
I just received my Vibrant on Monday and it's sadly replacing my amazing Nexus One. I've noticed that the Vibrant antenna is AWFUL. Where I received 4-5 bars on the N1, I'm getting 1-3 bars now and it even goes down to Edge once every few hours.
Like the OP, I've been monitoring the db levels and they're frequently around -95 through -107. While my calls don't actually drop, the quality does get worse. I'm also getting many 3G connection errors when trying to browser or download apps from the Market. It's quite disappointing. The phone is made of plastic as well, so I'd imagine that the antenna reception should be better.
Being that there are only 2 pages on this particular thread, does this mean it's a fluke and others' phones are ok?
allen099 said:
I just received my Vibrant on Monday and it's sadly replacing my amazing Nexus One. I've noticed that the Vibrant antenna is AWFUL. Where I received 4-5 bars on the N1, I'm getting 1-3 bars now and it even goes down to Edge once every few hours.
Like the OP, I've been monitoring the db levels and they're frequently around -95 through -107. While my calls don't actually drop, the quality does get worse. I'm also getting many 3G connection errors when trying to browser or download apps from the Market. It's quite disappointing. The phone is made of plastic as well, so I'd imagine that the antenna reception should be better.
Being that there are only 2 pages on this particular thread, does this mean it's a fluke and others' phones are ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4-5 bars on a phone with a 4 bar scale?
Stop looking at -dBm on the Vibrant, it's not accurate.
If you don't want the phone to switch to EDGE lock it on 3G.
heygrl said:
4-5 bars on a phone with a 4 bar scale?
Stop looking at -dBm on the Vibrant, it's not accurate.
If you don't want the phone to switch to EDGE lock it on 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you lock it on 3G?
javacody said:
How do you lock it on 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked for me (copy/paste and remove spaces in http):
h t t p://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7438987&postcount=7
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7438987&postcount=7
Thanks. 3G is spotty at best in the Des Moines Area, so I'll leave well enough alone.
So, in follow up to this, I had downloaded and installed RF signal tracker from the market and went driving around until I found a tower. It seems that via Android OS the best signal strength received was -81dbm and that was sitting right next to the tower. The phone stayed locked at -81dbm for a few miles down the road so I suspect this is peak signal on this phone which should really be something like -65dbm. I think this pretty much confirms that there is indeed a software issue with the signal display.
I also took some time looking at Android code and found that the bars are driven on GSM/UMTS by asu as follows:
if (asu <= 2 || asu == 99) iconLevel = 0;
else if (asu >= 12) iconLevel = 4;
else if (asu >= 8) iconLevel = 3;
else if (asu >= 5) iconLevel = 2;
else iconLevel = 1;
So figuring up the dbm values from these, I went ahead and created a new asu scale which is adjusted -8dbm from "normal" since this seems to be the worst case of the mismatch between the phone firmware and what Android is reporting and applied that within the market app Real Signal to try and get an apples to apples comparison of signal bars between this phone and the old G1. Unfortunately, the degree if miscalibration means we can't set a negative ASU so we don't get any meaningful display on Real Signal until we hit the 3rd bar. In doing this if I go to a moderate overage area I am seeing the bars I would expect.
After my little drive with RF Signal Tracker its actually pretty clear that discrepancy is really more like -15dbm, which adjusting the figures should mean that this phone in reality gets slightly better reception than the old G1.
It seems we should be able to workaround this in a custom ROM by doing one of the following:
1. Modify getGsmSignalStrength() to add the -15dbm to the returned signal strength value(hackish).
2. Modify the vendor RIL to compensate for the -15dbm offset when on UMTS. (Probably the proper solution).
I'm not clear on whether the vendor RIL code gets posted to AOSP...
equid0x said:
How is your 3G reception on the Vibrant? I just purchased a Vibrant as a replacement for my aging and bluetooth handicapped G1 and I am disappointed with the 3G reception.
T-Mobile's coverage in my area is moderate, and the G1 has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors, and may even flop back to 2G. It is fairly consistently on 2G in my home at 2 bars and at work I can only get 1 bar of 2G with this phone and spend the majority of the time with no signal at all.
I sat down and did some comparison between the Vibrant and the G1 and have found the following:
1. *#*#4636#*#* menu shows significantly worse signal levels on the Vibrant than on the G1, often times showing 0db and 0asu in the same location I am seeing -89db to -101db 3G on the G1.
2. The service menu on the Vibrant indicates a signal level which on 3G is fairly consistently 8db better than the one shown on the info menu. Interestingly, 2G signal levels as shown on the service menu seem fairly spot on with those shown from the info menu in Android.
3. The service menu 3G signal levels on the Vibrant seem consistent with those that I see on the G1 with a variation of perhaps only a couple of decibels.
That said, it seems interesting that battery usage on the Vibrant seems to indicate nearly 60% of its time with no service under cell standby when I get 0% in the same location with the G1. I am wondering if the time being recorded here is in fact the time spent with 0 bars being displayed even if the phone does, in fact, have a signal.
It is apparent that there is at least a software issue with the display here, as has been concluded in prior threads. However, ignoring the bar display I am wondering what others feel of the signal coverage with their Vibrant versus their old phone?
Does anyone have any experience with any of Samsung's other phone offerings? Do you think Samsung will post a radio update for this phone or possibly release one along with the GPS Fix/Froyo update in September?
I work in a position which requires me to be on-call a certain times during the year, and I can't really afford to have a phone that camps out at 60% no signal. I am really looking for reasons to keep this phone, as I like it otherwise, but practically, I need a phone that is going to receive phone calls. Any objective indications anyone can give that Samsung will continue to support this device may help sway my decision to keep it. My 14 days will be up on Thursday, so I need to make a final decision about keeping this phone before then.
Also, do any developers think that modifying the handling of the signal display in Android will cause a change in the amount of time the phone spends acquiring signal between 3G and 2G, or is this something that is purely handled within the radio firmware? If this is changeable, is this something that can be included in a future custom rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't done any detailed tests but I can state that in real world use, I am not happy with my Vibrant's reception. My G1 was very noticeably better at getting and holding 3G and Edge connections in the same locations where my new Vibrant won't.
Next to a tower on GSM(GSM/GPRS/EDGE) you should see -51dBm at the most with Android. W-CDMA is different because they really don't use -dBm to determine signal quality. They use power/noise.
I have seen in reviews about reception on the 3d. Can anyone with one reply with how the reception really is in day to day use
Thanks
Epic-ly wanting a new phone
grimduk said:
I have seen in reviews about reception on the 3d. Can anyone with one reply with how the reception really is in day to day use
Thanks
Epic-ly wanting a new phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My data speeds are better and Call quality is good.
DDiaz007 said:
My data speeds are better and Call quality is good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 same experience
On my EVO 4G in my condo it always showed 5-6 bars With the 3d its currently showing 3-4 bars. Haven't noticed any difference in call quality though, and I talked to a few folks the other night that said it sounded clearer then my old phone.
howie411 said:
On my EVO 4G in my condo it always showed 5-6 bars With the 3d its currently showing 3-4 bars. Haven't noticed any difference in call quality though, and I talked to a few folks the other night that said it sounded clearer then my old phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm noticing less bars as well
Well, I live in Alaska and there isn't a single Sprint store in the state... Even though they have coverage here, you can't even order a device here (normally, but I'm awesome and I can lol).
My EVO usually got 1-2 bars, around my house/work areas, more if I went into a downtown area with more Verizon coverage. My 3D gets 3-4 bars now in my house, and my bandwith test is increased by about 20% from the tests I've done so far.
TL;DR version:
I get much better signal, and better up/down speeds where I live.
This guy tested his e3d vs his e4g side by side. Seems like the e3d had a slight edge.
http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-3d/360306-signal-strength-analysis-evo-3d-evo-4g.html
ballr4lyf said:
This guy tested his e3d vs his e4g side by side. Seems like the e3d had a slight edge.
http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-3d/360306-signal-strength-analysis-evo-3d-evo-4g.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't dispute hard facts... thanks for the link. I think it was engadget that said signal was weak, but I am too lazy to search it out.
shortbus182 said:
Can't dispute hard facts... thanks for the link. I think it was engadget that said signal was weak, but I am too lazy to search it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Engadget also assumed that with the two phones being made by HTC and on Sprint that the bars corresponded to the actual same strength.
donatom3 said:
Engadget also assumed that with the two phones being made by HTC and on Sprint that the bars corresponded to the actual same strength.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts exactly.
Sent From My HTC Evo 4G Using Tapatalk On The Now Network From Sprint.
Its a world better than the NS4G
3g is horrible even after applying the fix listed in another thread.
Phone signal strength consistently is 1/2 that of my EVO....now, I haven't lost any calls BUT I am also not able to make calls in areas which had less than stellar signals where my wifes EVO will still make the call with no issue and show 2 bars while the 3D shows absolutely none.
jfenton57 said:
3g is horrible even after applying the fix listed in another thread.
Phone signal strength consistently is 1/2 that of my EVO....now, I haven't lost any calls BUT I am also not able to make calls in areas which had less than stellar signals where my wifes EVO will still make the call with no issue and show 2 bars while the 3D shows absolutely none.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't gotten the 3d yet, but I have seen this problem with my Evo 4g. Try to update your PRL, then update your Profile (In that order). See if that helps.
I'm getting almost the same bars as in my 4G or maybe 1 bar less, but I definitely think that call quality and data speeds (at least for me) are way better than my 4G. And also another thing I noticed is that I get better WiFi reception, now I get full bars in my house in places that my 4G use to get 1 to no bars!
Yeah yeah, its a shooter,we call it 3VO and I'm not afraid to use it...
I live in a fringe area where I always got either zero or 1 bar with the Evo 4G, but even with zero bars I could always hold a call, probably because these phones freely roam on Verizon towers too. Now with the 3D, I have to be honest: I think my Evo 4G was slightly better with reception just because I notice the 3D switching back and forth between Sprint and Verizon towers more often (roaming notification goes off more). If I had to quantify it, I'd say my old Evo 4G got maybe 10% to 15% better signal. But I expect that to improve via updates so I'm not too worried about it, especially since, well... it still works.
For the few who report "horrible" reception: do you keep your roaming enabled? You should: roaming within the U.S. only means you'll roam on Verizon towers which means we get the best of both worlds. The only place we can "roam" in the U.S. is Verizon towers and we roam them for free (both voice and 3G data). So leave roaming on!
Mike
Is it better in this area than the Sensation, I haven't heard any reports of death grip for it?
Have been having issues here in NE MA with horrible 3g, GPS dropping too often and a bad phone signal to the point of not being able to make or receive calls in areas that are marginal...but areas where my EVO always showed 2 bars and worked fine.
In what I would call "strong" signal areas, still had GPS and 3G issues no matter what. What I found with the phone signal is that in these areas, mit works fine, although it fluctuates every few seconds from a full set of bars, to 2 or 0 and then jumps back up again....constantly.
In the "marginal signal" areas where my EVO 4G worked fine and always showed 2 bars, the 3D shows none and won't make or receive a call. What is most perplexing is that even though it is set to "automatic" on the networks, it is not roaming to Verizon...and my buddy taking the ride with me had a full boat signal on his Verizon phone.
I was totally unable to get on the internet in these areas, although I could still send a text.
I don't get it???
Sprint re-provisioned the phone twice, and today a service center wiped and reloaded everything and also claims to have installed a "fifth update" which my phone never got.
My tests were done post upgrade and it did NOTHING to fix these issues.
With your fifth update did you check to see if you had S-OFF? lol
I just sent a reply back to HTC regarding Bluetooth and Roaming data issues and GPS issues... I await their response... However, I may be returning it and going to some other device.
I've found my old Evo3D, and the exchanged one to show 0 bars in places the Evo4G showed 2-3 bars. For the first time in my life, thanks to the Evo3D, I've had a dropped call, and it was in a place the Evo4G gets 2 bars and perfect voice.
Yeah, today at work I missed 3 calls and couldn't read XDA in the bathroom. That was the final straw. I reactivated my 4G, did some tests...and...well...the 3D has gone back home. Perhaps just for now. The 3G radio on that thing sucks. Maybe a radio update will fix it, but I'm not so sure.
Since I'm impatient and have kinda decided to go the Nexus rout from now on I stopped by the sprint store afterwards and did some signal tests with the NexusS4G--which has known 3G reception issues. Well, it had identical bars...that was a good sign, so I dug in a little deeper and it had nearly identical reception as my E4G.
The .3" of screen size will be missed, and it'll be hard to get used to the light weight...but I think tomorrow I'm gunna buy it. Sure, no SD slot, but, 16gb should be pretty damned good...I never did replace my 8gb card, though I did bump the limit a lot. I'm also sure the camera is way better...
...or I'll just wait for the SGS2. I'm not so antsy to get a new phone now after anticipating one so hard and being mostly disappointed. It's funny, the one thing I was the most critical of beforehand ended up being the only thing I'll really miss...the 3D. Lol to that.
Unfortunately I did a stupid thing and traded my EVO 4G in when I "upgraded" to the 3D.
I tried to get Sprint to do a swap....take back the 3D, take away the $150 trade in credit and give me a new or used EVO 4G for the time being and they absolutely refuse to do it without using up my upgrade to get back what I traded in.
Looks like will deal with this phone and return it on day 29, activate my BB Tour (YUCK) and live with that till something reliable comes out hopefully at the end of July or more likely in August.
This sucks.
I am having nearly similar issues. I am dropping calls in area's that have 4-5 bars. I look and when it reconnects it will be down to 0 signal and then back up 4-6 bars. Really odd.
Sad thing is I am coming from ATT and I only have till early next week to decide to stay with sprint or not.
Ohh decisions... not fun and not a good sprint evaluation.
Yeah, I really hope this is something that they can tweak with a radio update. My old Hero got a lot better reception than my Evo 3D.
w9sig said:
I am having nearly similar issues. I am dropping calls in area's that have 4-5 bars. I look and when it reconnects it will be down to 0 signal and then back up 4-6 bars. Really odd.
Sad thing is I am coming from ATT and I only have till early next week to decide to stay with sprint or not.
Ohh decisions... not fun and not a good sprint evaluation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can assure you it is not Sprint...it's the phone. I had the same/similar with my 3D...but never with the 4G.
Download Open Signal Maps. It will show you what tower you're connected to. I noticed something similar with my phone (the signal bars fluctuating). I checked Open Signal and lo-and-behold, my phone was tower jumping between 5 different towers in my area... I didn't even know I had 5 different towers in my area.
Ideally, your phone should lock on to the strongest signal in your area and not jump from strong signal to weak signal to slightly-less-weak signal, to strong again... Also, check out this thread:
http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-3d/361044-official-solution-3g-issues-3d.html
This problem doesn't affect everybody. For instance, my brother got a 3d the same day I did, and he's consistently getting 500-700 kbs d/l in the same places I'm getting 11 kbs d/l.
ballr4lyf said:
Download Open Signal Maps. It will show you what tower you're connected to. I noticed something similar with my phone (the signal bars fluctuating). I checked Open Signal and lo-and-behold, my phone was tower jumping between 5 different towers in my area... I didn't even know I had 5 different towers in my area.
Ideally, your phone should lock on to the strongest signal in your area and not jump from strong signal to weak signal to slightly-less-weak signal, to strong again... Also, check out this thread:
http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-3d/361044-official-solution-3g-issues-3d.html
This problem doesn't affect everybody. For instance, my brother got a 3d the same day I did, and he's consistently getting 500-700 kbs d/l in the same places I'm getting 11 kbs d/l.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do ##786# (or 768, not sure). Then click menu key and due a reset. This will also factory reset your device unfortunately. But I was having eh same problems, getting horrid 3gs speeds of around 50 kps. Once I did this my evo3d is constantly getting better 3g speeds than the 4 other evos in my family.
For some reason a lot of the evo 3d did not get the data set up right on one end or another. This seems to fix it.
Looking at that link now. Yes I've had open signal maps installed and I too have noticed that I am jumping between towers "a lot" say every 10-15 seconds or so. And that can be just sitting still in a parking lot and dropping calls :-( Will take a look and glad to hear that it is more with the phone than the actual network. I may have to downgrade to the 4G or NS4G.
BlueGoldAce said:
Do ##786# (or 768, not sure). Then click menu key and due a reset. This will also factory reset your device unfortunately. But I was having eh same problems, getting horrid 3gs speeds of around 50 kps. Once I did this my evo3d is constantly getting better 3g speeds than the 4 other evos in my family.
For some reason a lot of the evo 3d did not get the data set up right on one end or another. This seems to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anybody confirm that this works? My girlfriend's 3D gets a lot worse signal than mine. I'd definitely try this but only if it might actually work. She really doesn't like the factory resets because she has to redo all of her preferences.
Her's is so much more worse than mine that we've been thinking about getting it replaced.
BlueGoldAce said:
Do ##786# (or 768, not sure). Then click menu key and due a reset. This will also factory reset your device unfortunately. But I was having eh same problems, getting horrid 3gs speeds of around 50 kps. Once I did this my evo3d is constantly getting better 3g speeds than the 4 other evos in my family.
For some reason a lot of the evo 3d did not get the data set up right on one end or another. This seems to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
##786# will do a factory reset on your phone. ##72786# will do a "Data Only" reset (i.e. you don't lose any installed apps). I would try that before ##786#. You will need your MSL for both. I have done both. Unfortunately, in my case, the 3g improved for only a couple of hours and then it went back to tower jumping both times. I now have an appointment with the sprint store to replace my 3d later this evening.
do this guys... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1153371&referrerid=1002610
xanadu1979 said:
Anybody confirm that this works? My girlfriend's 3D gets a lot worse signal than mine. I'd definitely try this but only if it might actually work. She really doesn't like the factory resets because she has to redo all of her preferences.
Her's is so much more worse than mine that we've been thinking about getting it replaced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#786## worked to fix my 3G speeds. I was consistently getting under 100 Kbps up and down before walking through this procedure with Sprint a week ago. Since then, latency has gone down and speeds have improved significantly.
It did not fix persistent problems with GPS not locking and having poor signal reception compared to the 4G. Between these issues, overheating and the locked bootloader, I am pretty close to returning this phone (although I like most other aspects of it).
Looks as though the Photon 4G cleared the FCC today.
I think I will live with the 3d a bit longer just in case they come out with some miraculous software fix, otherwise return it, activate the BB until the Photon comes out.
Hopefully, for where I live and work at least it will have much better reception.
That's strange that a few of you guys have had every issue that was reported in some of those awful reviews. I've actually found my 3D has the exact same signal as the 4G sitting right next to it. It also recognizes changes in signal faster than the 4G. I must have been lucky to get one with no issues.
My EVO 3d is straight out of a snoop dog song, my calls are droppin like their hot!
My 4G never did this crap!
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
I'm sorry to hear that from you guys.. My experience is the opposite, I'm getting 6 bars in my basement which I used to get 2-3 and I can always stay connected to 4g in the upper parts of my house when my 4g could not..
Irishman42 said:
That's strange that a few of you guys have had every issue that was reported in some of those awful reviews. I've actually found my 3D has the exact same signal as the 4G sitting right next to it. It also recognizes changes in signal faster than the 4G. I must have been lucky to get one with no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe that there is anything wrong with the phone itself, however I do believe that there was a bad batch of radios installed on some of the 3vo's. Like I said, my brother's 3vo is working just fine while mine seems to be a lemon.
I got the Motorola Photon last week because it was only $99 dollars which is an amazing price for this amazing phone. I was going to get the LG Marquee because it was a 3G only device I believe and last time I got a droid from sprint they had the $10 dollar surcharge for premium data only for 4G capable device, regardless of the fact that there is no 4G in my area. Needless to say I read recently that Sprint is going to be shutting down or re-purposing their Wimax towers and moving to LTE, I think this is a great idea, but my question is, will my Photon be able to use LTE when it is available or will I have to get a new phone when they switch to LTE? Compared to Verizon, the data connection is a joke. Its very slow, luckily when Im at school they have wireless N wifi, and at home I have wifi. I would like to eventually not have to use wifi and be able to do stuff as simple as searching the market without having to wait 5-10 seconds for a page to come up. I used that 3G supercharger, and it is better then it was, but randomly drops the connection and goes to roaming now, that doesn't really matter though. Another comment I have on the Photon, is the phenomenal battery life. I didn't update my phone with the leaked software that was suppose to fix some battery issues, but I don't have any. I easily go 14 hours a day using it as an mp3 player, etc, and usually have around 60% battery power left then it takes like less then an hour to fully charge. Call quality and reception is about a million times better then my Samsung transform. Motorola has made me a believer in good phones. I'll never purchase another Samsung cell phone again, that's for sure. The only thing that could make this phone better would be LTE.
Welcome to the club. There's several threads on LTE, so check those out but there's no conclusive answer that I've seen. Battery life and reception are great with this phone so if you ever do have a problem, look for a rogue app.
Lol The club. I like that. Anywho I was looking around in the mophos build.prop file and it actually said some stuff about LTE, thats pretty cool. Maybe this phone is already prepared to switch to LTE in a future system update.
I think(read: I'm uncertain if)the Photon has the necessary 800mhz radio in it for sprints future rollouts(rev. a, rev. b, 1xAdvanced or whatever is gonna use it).
I'm actually trying to determine this as well, for certain, since this phone has amazing radios in it as far as the reception is concerned. I dont care too much about the LTE radio but I'd like to be able to use the revised 3G band. I've been thinking of getting the Photon and moving away from my Nexus S 4G only because of what I've heard about its ability to pull down a signal.
HSPA+ is the minimum foundation for LTE so if sprint layered their network the Photon would work fine because that is the Gsm Transceiver it has.
Thats what I was thinking! Sprint just needs to HTFU and cut out wimax and give us the better LTE network. Lol I bet all the new samsung phones will be **** out of luck though! That will be hilarious when the new GSII's are useless! Samsung blows
Alright so I'm purchasing a device for my uncle. If I was purchasing it for myself, the answer would be simple if it were for myself (Motorola can go **** itself after the way they treated my Bionic and my Droid 3) but he lives in the middle of no where and I mean the middle of no where. They only offer dial-up at his house and basically this phone is his only connection to the world and I'm certainly worried about radios and reception. I know that it all depends on the area overall but I'm hoping to get a general consensus of what will receive better reception.
I know that Motorola locks down their phones and I know that they are known for good reception but in my experience, a open phone means a better experience all-around but this really isn't a trade-off situation. I need a phone that will receive 3G, he'll never receive 4 bars or anything like that but even 1 or 2 would be a much needed improvement.
If any of you guys live out in the boonies or anything like that, please let me know what your experience is. Here is a somewhat general area of where he lives. Just look at the map and you'll see what I mean.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=ashf...chrome,mod=15&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl
MAXX, 1: moto radios will always be top in my book htc being a close second(in the days of the wide open radios maybe tied but i digress) and for a phone that will be light on signal you will need the battery to withstand the beating of a phone looking for a signal, standard batteries do not apply in bad signal zones lol as battery-life is first to take a toll