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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.
Curious issue with my Titan II. Cellular data connection just fails at random intervals. Cycling airplane mode or rebooting the phone is the only way to get it back. HTC blames it on AT&T and AT&T blames it on HTC. I've spent hours on the phone with each. Even got a new Titan II from AT&T, but it went into this constant reboot loop, so I went back to the first unit.
Now comes the interesting part: I live in Detroit and have been traveling to FL quite a bit, this year.. and the issue DOES NOT HAPPEN IN TAMPA. Phone runs perfectly well, there. Here in Detroit, cellular data "up" time ranges from 5 minutes to 14 hours when static. 2 minutes to 20 minutes when driving around town. Drops are less frequent when streaming something.
HTC Titan II stock (FW: 2180.0400.118011.502)
Windows Phone 7.5 (7.10.8112.7)
4G SIM card (3rd one)
Appropriate data plan
Serious thanks for any ideas anyone has. Do I add an APN, throw the phone against the wall, or what? Please do not suggest I change to a different phone as that is not an option.
DrDon995 said:
Curious issue with my Titan II. Cellular data connection just fails at random intervals. Cycling airplane mode or rebooting the phone is the only way to get it back. HTC blames it on AT&T and AT&T blames it on HTC. I've spent hours on the phone with each. Even got a new Titan II from AT&T, but it went into this constant reboot loop, so I went back to the first unit.
Now comes the interesting part: I live in Detroit and have been traveling to FL quite a bit, this year.. and the issue DOES NOT HAPPEN IN TAMPA. Phone runs perfectly well, there. Here in Detroit, cellular data "up" time ranges from 5 minutes to 14 hours when static. 2 minutes to 20 minutes when driving around town. Drops are less frequent when streaming something.
HTC Titan II stock (FW: 2180.0400.118011.502)
Windows Phone 7.5 (7.10.8112.7)
4G SIM card (3rd one)
Appropriate data plan
Serious thanks for any ideas anyone has. Do I add an APN, throw the phone against the wall, or what? Please do not suggest I change to a different phone as that is not an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm facing the same issue.
It seems something related to wifi sleeping when the phone goes stand by and the solution could be keeping it alive in some way....like streaming..
I hope this will be fixed with AT&T Tango 8773 Update (Once it finally come....)
DrDon995 said:
Curious issue with my Titan II. Cellular data connection just fails at random intervals. Cycling airplane mode or rebooting the phone is the only way to get it back. HTC blames it on AT&T and AT&T blames it on HTC. I've spent hours on the phone with each. Even got a new Titan II from AT&T, but it went into this constant reboot loop, so I went back to the first unit.
Now comes the interesting part: I live in Detroit and have been traveling to FL quite a bit, this year.. and the issue DOES NOT HAPPEN IN TAMPA. Phone runs perfectly well, there. Here in Detroit, cellular data "up" time ranges from 5 minutes to 14 hours when static. 2 minutes to 20 minutes when driving around town. Drops are less frequent when streaming something.
HTC Titan II stock (FW: 2180.0400.118011.502)
Windows Phone 7.5 (7.10.8112.7)
4G SIM card (3rd one)
Appropriate data plan
Serious thanks for any ideas anyone has. Do I add an APN, throw the phone against the wall, or what? Please do not suggest I change to a different phone as that is not an option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you aren't hitting "black spots" on your network? If you have random connection drops in only particular area it is likely the masts and AT&T issue. I've swapped my provider from the one which did 2G/3G signals to 3G only provider. 3G only has better coverage and lesser black spots on the network and hence I hardly see any drops in connectivity. Don't hard reset or anything, it will only make you re-do the whole phone, won't help the cause.
Have you checked if two golden pins on the back cover are making good contact with phone?
drupad2drupad said:
Are you sure you aren't hitting "black spots" on your network? If you have random connection drops in only particular area it is likely the masts and AT&T issue. I've swapped my provider from the one which did 2G/3G signals to 3G only provider. 3G only has better coverage and lesser black spots on the network and hence I hardly see any drops in connectivity. Don't hard reset or anything, it will only make you re-do the whole phone, won't help the cause.
Have you checked if two golden pins on the back cover are making good contact with phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to rule all of that out as it doesn't happen at all in Tampa. I can drive from Ybor City to Clearwater and back and never need to reset the phone. Here at home, I have four bars and will lose cellular data with the phone in a static location. Driving around in Detroit is guaranteed to make it drop cellular data even with the phone lit up and active. I can have Navigator running and it'll just quit loading maps and giving directions until I cycle Airplane Mode. In Tampa, this doesn't happen.
In Tampa, I've gone the whole week without any need to reset the phone. I can't walk from the gate to baggage claim in Detroit before it loses its data connection.
DrDon995 said:
Have to rule all of that out as it doesn't happen at all in Tampa. I can drive from Ybor City to Clearwater and back and never need to reset the phone. Here at home, I have four bars and will lose cellular data with the phone in a static location. Driving around in Detroit is guaranteed to make it drop cellular data even with the phone lit up and active. I can have Navigator running and it'll just quit loading maps and giving directions until I cycle Airplane Mode. In Tampa, this doesn't happen.
In Tampa, I've gone the whole week without any need to reset the phone. I can't walk from the gate to baggage claim in Detroit before it loses its data connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UPDATE: Cellular data connection is a little better with WiFi turned off. It won't lose it as quickly in a static location, but still loses it as I move between towers. Also had to reinstall a couple of apps that had stopped launching.
Is forcing Tango an option?
I have the same problem,
I live north of detroit.
my phone has been in to htc repair 3 times, i think they have replaced every part in it, the last time i got it back it held connectivity for 11 minutes.
this is on my home tower as well as several towers around me.
Normally all testing was done with wifi off, on towers where the lumia 900 and my wifes iphone have never lost data.
i have been waiting a week for a htc level 2 rep to call me.
we shall see
Keep me posted. Last time I spent time with HTC, they decided that - since the issue only happens in Detroit - that it was AT&T's problem. AT&T, naturally, claims that the problem doesn't appear on any other device, so it must be the device.
Can't wait for Windows 8 phones. I'm getting one.. ANY one.. the first day they go on sale.
Well I just got off of the phone with a level 2 rep from HTC, who seemed pretty confident that the problem is the rear cover. He is sending one out, and says if that doesn't fix it then it will be a phone replacement.
jjmorgan64 said:
Well I just got off of the phone with a level 2 rep from HTC, who seemed pretty confident that the problem is the rear cover. He is sending one out, and says if that doesn't fix it then it will be a phone replacement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While entirely skeptical, I certainly hope it works. PLEASE post your results.
DrDon995 said:
While entirely skeptical, I certainly hope it works. PLEASE post your results.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm more skeptical than you, trust me, but it would explain how so many people get the same problem with replacement handsets, as that piece is often not replaced
So, I'm in Florida for the week and noticed something.
In Detroit, the status bar says "4G"
In Tampa, the status bar says "LTE"
As before, I have not lost cellular data connection since I landed in FL. Kind of rules out the battery cover as the issue is gone, here. It appears the issue goes away in LTE areas while it's present in areas yet to get LTE. Detroit's LTE rollout hasn't happened, yet. So, it appears I've got another month of suffering before the problem is rectified.
One other note. With Internet Sharing set to ON...
In Detroit, my wife's laptop connects to the phone and can get internet.
In Tampa, my wife's laptop connects to the phone, but cannot get internet. It gets the error msg: "your computer is trying to use a dns server that is incorrect or doesn't exist"
My laptop works flawlessly connecting to the phone's Internet Sharing both in Detroit and Tampa. For the life of me, I can't find anything different in her settings over mine. Both are Win7. Hers upgraded from Vista, mine x64 and new this fall. Also, two internet-capable televisions connect to the phone and get to the internet flawlessly. But something with LTE doesn't like my wife's computer. Odd.
Honestly, I adore everything about this phone except for the data connection issue in Detroit (and a few other areas, it seems).
There HAS to be a setting or SOMEthing I can tweak to get this thing to work in Detroit.
Check battery cover, radio negotiation, firmware of radio
DrDon995 said:
So, I'm in Florida for the week and noticed something.
In Detroit, the status bar says "4G"
In Tampa, the status bar says "LTE"
As before, I have not lost cellular data connection since I landed in FL. Kind of rules out the battery cover as the issue is gone, here. It appears the issue goes away in LTE areas while it's present in areas yet to get LTE. Detroit's LTE rollout hasn't happened, yet. So, it appears I've got another month of suffering before the problem is rectified.
One other note. With Internet Sharing set to ON...
In Detroit, my wife's laptop connects to the phone and can get internet.
In Tampa, my wife's laptop connects to the phone, but cannot get internet. It gets the error msg: "your computer is trying to use a dns server that is incorrect or doesn't exist"
My laptop works flawlessly connecting to the phone's Internet Sharing both in Detroit and Tampa. For the life of me, I can't find anything different in her settings over mine. Both are Win7. Hers upgraded from Vista, mine x64 and new this fall. Also, two internet-capable televisions connect to the phone and get to the internet flawlessly. But something with LTE doesn't like my wife's computer. Odd.
Honestly, I adore everything about this phone except for the data connection issue in Detroit (and a few other areas, it seems).
There HAS to be a setting or SOMEthing I can tweak to get this thing to work in Detroit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hum.. that's curious. I had the original titan with similar issues.
I disabled wifi when not connected. I replaced battery cover also. The titan2 supposedly fixed that issue with the battery cover because it was a design flaw.
The radio supports 2G, 3G/4G/H and LTE. You may want to check it. You can set the radio it uses and not let the firmware decide which radio to use. You can check the service menu, I forgot the code. Just search for it.
If you use 2G, data and voice are not supported simultaneously. Check and make sure the contacts on the battery cover and on the phone are clear of debris. Use a solution to clean the contacts on the phone.
In the past I manually set the radio to 3G (HSPA and HSPA+) [HTC Pure, HTC HD2 on at&t]. The 3G radio is mature and should have less issues with the radio negotiation.
BTW, there is a keep alive wifi app also.
Thanks. I'll have to look for the codes. It's pretty obvious after going back and forth so much that the Titan II has a flaw with the way it handles AT&T's 4G. Scanning the maps from others who have had problems all show that they're in areas with 4G but without LTE.
Yeah, if I could force this thing to do LTE or 3G I think we'd be fine. It's the Best Phone Ever so long as it gets LTE, 3G or Edge. Anything else and it's crap.
Yes, back connector is okay and I've done this every way one can think of and kept notes. WiFi doesn't matter. On or off, the T2 will lose cellular data connection randomly in 4G areas. NOT in LTE areas. I'm only unable to test it on other carriers.
Similar problem with data
So I have had a similar problem -
I had a Samsung Focus, great phone, but I wore out the USB port - wouldn't charge consistently or sync. I figured I might as well use the insurance I had been paying. They sent me a Titan I - it had the bad microphone issue. So after some messing around they sent me a Titan II.
It has never had consistent data connection. I am in an area where I get the 4G icon (not LTE).
My experience tells me that if I move around and change cell, or lose signal in the cell I am in for any reason, then the phone will NOT connect back to data. It can (almost always) still get phone calls and send/receive texts and so on, but no data. Toggle airplane mode always fixes the problem, until the next time.
Originally HTC wanted to send me a new back cover - AT&T have been completely useless, they have no idea. Eventually after messing around with factory resets, powering on and off continuously, another new SIM card, HTC decided they want the phone repaired or replaced (level 2).
It is still inside the 30 day limit for exchanges from Assurion (AT&Ts insurance carrier) so it's getting replaced. I'll let you know if it fixes the issue, but I haven't been in an LTE area so I can't check that.
Personally I think it is a problem with handing off/reconnecting to 4G tower service - we'll see......
Anyone have the radio codes?
I've had the same problem since I got the device as well; but have noticed that it doesn't happen in all areas around me. My house is one of those areas though that I always lose connections. I've tried every APN / idea I've found on the internet with no luck. It's clearly something to do with AT&T towers. The only think I've not been able to try is a different SIM card in the same phone since it requires a '4G' sim card to even work at all. However the same SIM does work fine in '3G' only phones.
Going with the radio idea, does anyone have the codes to turn off the LTE radio? I just saw the list saying this phone will be long gone before AT&T ever gets LTE in Colorado so maybe just turning it off would help. Every code i found was for the T1 though and it didn't work on my phone.
jjmorgan64 said:
I'm more skeptical than you, trust me, but it would explain how so many people get the same problem with replacement handsets, as that piece is often not replaced
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Click to collapse
UPDATE: HTC insisted on sending me a new SIM card cover (since it contains the radio's antenna). Despite my argument that the fact it works in Florida negates antenna as a suspect, they sent it along, anyhow. Naturally, there is no change. It still randomly drops cellular data. And now, I've picked up another spot on the freeway where my calls get dropped. Granted, it happened ONCE, so that could be any number of things. Long story short, it's not the antenna.
Next idea?
Well, I'm in Florida and found a spot where the phone fell back to 4G from LTE. Data issue returned. So, that takes geography out of the equation. The phone can't hold a data connection when using 4G. So, should I go for a fourth unit?
My addition:
AT&T recently rolled out LTE to my area in CT. I never had the problem before on straight 4G. Now, when I go from LTE to 4G (my drive every morning) data just stops working. I push it in to airplane mode and back out again and it works.
BTW - I am running Tango, so that is not likely to be a fix unless a radio update is released with it.
N!njaDuck said:
My addition:
AT&T recently rolled out LTE to my area in CT. I never had the problem before on straight 4G. Now, when I go from LTE to 4G (my drive every morning) data just stops working. I push it in to airplane mode and back out again and it works.
BTW - I am running Tango, so that is not likely to be a fix unless a radio update is released with it.
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Click to collapse
AT&T just switched on LTE metro-wide, last night. Now, the Titan 2 performs just as it does when I'm in Florida. It's nice having a data connection that'll stay good all over town, again.
I have spent some time discussing this with HTC and AT&T. Actually just got off the phone with HTC level 2.
I too have gone through all the options - new phone, new cover, new SIM card (you can just go into AT&T and ask for one, no charge), hard reset, everything.
From the information in this thread, and elsewhere I can say that the phone drops data on one of two things happening:-
- connection to tower is interrupted in current cell, but is re-acquired
- connection is handed off to adjacent tower as you travel to a new cell
Both these things will drop data IN 4G AREAS ONLY. If you are lucky enough to have consistent LTE in your area, you shouldn't have any problems.
Right now I'm working on getting the service menu codes so we can play with the radio settings. It sounds like HTC support reps have been forbidden to give these to end users on windows phone devices (I wonder why??!!).
If I get this information and it provides a fix for this issue, I will (obviously) post it, and I imagine HTC will as well. Here's hoping.....
Andy
I've had my S4 since VZW released it, and one of my only gripes is that the reception seems to be weaker than almost any other phone. Meaning, it seems to default to the weaker service wherever I am.
It is most obvious at home; on the 3rd floor I get a mix of 3g/4g whereas other phones have solid, constant 4g. The 2nd floor is the same. On the 1st floor I never see 4g, instead it is a mix of 3g and 2g whereas other phones are solid 3g. Sometimes I won't even have data service.
Even when I go out and I am in an area that you might consider a fringe zone it seems my S4 will default to the "lesser" service. And it also seems to take longer to switch up to the "higher" service when moving; for example where all phones will have 1x and then moved to an area where all phones will have either 3g or 4g, my S4 will be the last to switch up, if at all.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Gulanowski said:
I've had my S4 since VZW released it, and one of my only gripes is that the reception seems to be weaker than almost any other phone. Meaning, it seems to default to the weaker service wherever I am.
It is most obvious at home; on the 3rd floor I get a mix of 3g/4g whereas other phones have solid, constant 4g. The 2nd floor is the same. On the 1st floor I never see 4g, instead it is a mix of 3g and 2g whereas other phones are solid 3g. Sometimes I won't even have data service.
Even when I go out and I am in an area that you might consider a fringe zone it seems my S4 will default to the "lesser" service. And it also seems to take longer to switch up to the "higher" service when moving; for example where all phones will have 1x and then moved to an area where all phones will have either 3g or 4g, my S4 will be the last to switch up, if at all.
Has anyone else noticed this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm noticing the EXACT same issues! My other phones (DNA,Rezound,iPhone5,etc) have been much better for both signal and switching.
I've somewhat recently obtained the LG G2 Mini (D620R) due to my stupid self bricking my Samsung S3. In every single way it utterly destroys the S3, despite the S3's specs being slightly better. I've recently switched to T-Mobile, since I was under the impression that T-Mobile is a GSM carrier, and my phone is GSM as far as I know and Straighttalk was no longer a viable option.
I was told I would get spotty data coverage where I live, and that is completely understandable and I knew that going in. However, I have been getting little to no voice and text service where I live, and fair service in town. Even a free cell booster did not seem to help despite getting fair signal at the window unit. I did a bit of troubleshooting and for some reason, the phone is connected to T-Mobile (WCDMA). This makes no sense as A)It's a GSM phone (afaik). B) T-Mobile is a GSM carrier. The only other options when scanning the networks in the area are AT&T (WCDMA) and AT&T (GSM). In town, there is a T-Mobile (GSM) network, but selecting it results in EDGE instead of 3G/H. The cell booster did work some at first, but it seems to have stopped helping at all. Since it is not a T-Mobile phone I can't use Wi-Fi calling/texting. Is there something I'm missing? Did I find wrong information/get lied to about T-Mobile? Did I get scammed on the phone? I'm hoping I can get some help or figure this out, I can't really afford another phone and getting a phone through T-Mobile would push my bill up way too high (and honestly, I'm considering dropping to the non-unlimited plan because of how insanely expensive it is).
A less important question, how do I bypass the tethering restrictions? Do I need to root the phone or is there a simpler method? Last time I rooted a phone...it resulted in me having to buy this one in the first place...
Also, is the S3 really that badly crippled by Touchwiz a weaker phone can utterly humiliate it?
Ok, first of all google a bit about mobile network standards, there's everything explained. I'll just introduce you with a few things:
1. WCDMA is not equal to CDMA, it actually represents 3G standard for regular (not CDMA) phones.
2. GSM equals 2G standard, and it gives EDGE data communication, while WCDMA equals 3G/3G+ standard and it gives HSPA/HSPA+ data communication.
As I said just google it, at your location you probably have stronger 2G than 3G signal, and when you go to some bigger town or city you get 3G better.
For start read the information given at this link.
Problem is, I get absolutely no EDGE at all where I live, only 3G/H and I consistently lose all service and cannot make calls. I am well within the coverage area for at least voice. I also have been having more and more troubles with data even in town. It's progressively gotten to the point where I have to constantly toggle data just to get some mobile data for a few minutes or so.
Try to select 2g only network and you should get EDGE.
If I select 2G Only, I get no service at all, it doesn't even attempt to search for a signal where I live (Red 'X' instead of spinny icon). However in town if I do this, I do immediately get switched to EDGE/2G and it's signal is slightly better.
Than it means you don't have network coverage at your place, that's all.
My booster however shows it gets 3 bars, and I was made aware at the time I would get at the very least get voice service. I did some checking and I'm about 5 miles from the nearest cell tower. My only other option at this point is AT&T, but I have a general distaste for them, can't afford a phone if they don't have a BYOP program, and they do shady things to rooted phones from what I've heard.
I do expect poor or no data service where I live, I can make do with that. What I don't expect is no voice service at all, sometimes even to the point of no E911 either.
Guys,
I need some help, I have an S21U (unlocked) from Samsung. Since launch day, I've had no problems with it. I was with Verizon, then had to move to TMo because of coverage at work. I noticed I started losing signal, like dropping completely, showing the no service circle with a slash, which would immediately be followed by full bars. When on a call, the call drops. This happens over and over, making the phone unusable as a phone.
Thinking it was TMo, I switched back to Verizon. Same thing. I've scoured the web, and there are posts out there describing the same issue, but no resolution. So far, I've tried:
-swapping for a new SIM card
-resetting the network settings
-switching carriers
-using app to manually select LTE over 5G (more on that below)
I've read people hard resetting, with no success. Other than selling or return the phone for a carrier-branded device, I don't know what else to do. I think the timing of the problem and my switch to Tmo was coincidental. It SEEMS when the device switches from 5G to LTE I lost all service. But I haven't stared at the screen to be able to confirm that. I've also seen it flipping from LTE to LTE+ to 5G. But when it drop, it drops hard, and I am one of the 6% of people who still need a phone to be a phone.
Any ideas or suggestions? Returning for "service" through Samsung seems like a nightmare, and the local Samsung repair place said all they will do is re-flash the device.
Thanks!
Tmobile is horrible where I am too. I'm a sprint customer and they are steering me to their crap network.
Use routines to set up a button to run 4g lte mode only
5g is very problematic for me and lte works consistently.
I think 5g is still in it's infancy and not worth the extra power usage even when it's a bit faster in good service areas.
robnitro said:
Tmobile is horrible where I am too. I'm a sprint customer and they are steering me to their crap network.
Use routines to set up a button to run 4g lte mode only
5g is very problematic for me and lte works consistently.
I think 5g is still in it's infancy and not worth the extra power usage even when it's a bit faster in good service areas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. It's not TMo, I switched back to Verizon, same issue. So it's definitely the phone. I did try and select LTE only, it didn't matter. Same problem.
ret4425 said:
Guys,
I need some help, I have an S21U (unlocked) from Samsung. Since launch day, I've had no problems with it. I was with Verizon, then had to move to TMo because of coverage at work. I noticed I started losing signal, like dropping completely, showing the no service circle with a slash, which would immediately be followed by full bars. When on a call, the call drops. This happens over and over, making the phone unusable as a phone.
Thinking it was TMo, I switched back to Verizon. Same thing. I've scoured the web, and there are posts out there describing the same issue, but no resolution. So far, I've tried:
-swapping for a new SIM card
-resetting the network settings
-switching carriers
-using app to manually select LTE over 5G (more on that below)
I've read people hard resetting, with no success. Other than selling or return the phone for a carrier-branded device, I don't know what else to do. I think the timing of the problem and my switch to Tmo was coincidental. It SEEMS when the device switches from 5G to LTE I lost all service. But I haven't stared at the screen to be able to confirm that. I've also seen it flipping from LTE to LTE+ to 5G. But when it drop, it drops hard, and I am one of the 6% of people who still need a phone to be a phone.
Any ideas or suggestions? Returning for "service" through Samsung seems like a nightmare, and the local Samsung repair place said all they will do is re-flash the device.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having same issues. However I've always been on Tmobile but I literally have no service at my home or work so pretty much all day. On top of that the wifi calling hardly works so making calls is useless. It drops right as it starts ringing lol. I'm pretty sure my issue is a tmobile issue.
Clear sim card tool kit data.