Database Users

Nexus One 3G issues is real on all N1s..

Parden if this is posted somewhere else. But this needs some serious attention. As of current, I realize the 3G issues is a design flaw. So this means all N1s have this problem. You can test it for your self. The easy way to fix this would be to have stronger 3G coverage but thats not the case. Let me quote whats been said at droidstory.com and the nexus forums..
I’ve been saying all along that this is a RF issue. I noticed this right away when I got my phone and even posted this video on Jan 9 to show how the N1 drops 3G as soon as you hold it in your hand.
The problem occurs only when you are in an area with a weak 3G signal, anything less than -80dBm. (Higher negative numbers mean weaker signal.)
Basically, if you have -90dBM or less signal strength with the phone sitting on your desk, holding it in your hand will push it down to -100dBm or less. At that point all bets are off. Before the update it would switch to Edge around -100dBm, now it seems to hold on until about -105dBm.
The “dBm” (dB-milliwatt) is a logarithmic measurement of signal strength, and dBm values can be easily converted to and from mW values. So a decrease of roughly 3dBm yields a change of roughly HALF in the mW value.
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Click to collapse
After watching that video you can decide who to blame.
Google if the device's rx sensitivity is so poor when held in hand it needs a recall. Is it a hardware issue?
After google & HTC watche the video and get to test in an area with <-84dBm signal strength reading, I'd love to hear the response from their respective tech teams soon.
The signal reading being low low doesn't mean low signal. Compare with other devices/instruments.
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.. read more here and here
The question. What is Google waiting on to say something? to do something?? its enough that we also have serious touch screen problems to deal with but come on Google..Are we really beta testers? you think its EASY to give you 500+ for a phone?
share your thoughts..

at first i thought it was just me, but now is my phone as well as my wifes phone.
and to send it back with in the 14day period they keep $45 o yours when the phone is running like a pos. Great one Google i expected way better from yall

Not sure what my take is...
1. All phones drop signals a bit when held by both hands.
2. This bouncing between edge/3g doesnt happen to me in strong 3g areas. In the area where it sometimes happens I cant replicate the issue stated it seems random. But to be fair my G1 was always bouncing back and forth there , heck even with Sprint I had mediocre EVDO steadiness.
It may be a slight hardware problem made worse by a network with very spotty 3g coverage in most areas.

j23a45m said:
at first i thought it was just me, but now is my phone as well as my wifes phone.
and to send it back with in the 14day period they keep $45 o yours when the phone is running like a pos. Great one Google i expected way better from yall
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Click to collapse
Its getting really annoying and the silence Google is practicing is getting defending..

If I cup the bottom of the phone in my hand, my signal strength does drop a bar or 2. I never lose 3G completely though. Luckily I have a strong signal where I live. I could see this becoming a real problem if I travel away from home though. It's rather annoying that Google didn't catch this before releasing the phone

I just tried the same thing (holding in both hands, covering back etc..) on my HTC Pure on at&t and my 3g connection dropped down to 2 bars from 5 bars. Seems to be normal behaviour with all phones with internal antenna.
I think the only problem seems to be that N1 is too picky about signal trength and switches to edge as soon as signal strength drops down slightly.
I do not think this is an hardware issue.
EDIT: See attached screenshot from my old Nokia 6682 user manual. They specifically warn against this.

Maybe you think it's "real on all N1s" because of anecdotic evidence and postings on the internet, but that doesn't mean proof.
Now it might have trouble with US 3g frequecies or it might just be a software "problem" where it switches to edge before the signal gets too bad.
I can safely say I've had no problems at all, the signal doesn't switch back and forth, signal doesn't change when I cup it with both hands etc.
Granted I have -75dBm signal where I live, but it's not like I sit around playing with my phone indoors all the time either

All cellular phones lose signal when you cover the antenna with your hand. ALL of them. I've had over 20 cell phones in the past 10 years, and every single one had this issue. Why this is a standout issue on the N1, I don't know.

The previous two Nokia phones I used all lose signal when holding the antenna area.

Well, again it happened to all phones with internal antenna...and not just Nexus One especially on a week 3G coverage.

ram130 said:
Parden if this is posted somewhere else. But this needs some serious attention. As of current, I realize the 3G issues is a design flaw. So this means all N1s have this problem. You can test it for your self. The easy way to fix this would be to have stronger 3G coverage but thats not the case. Let me quote whats been said at droidstory.com and the nexus forums..
.. read more here and here
The question. What is Google waiting on to say something? to do something?? its enough that we also have serious touch screen problems to deal with but come on Google..Are we really beta testers? you think its EASY to give you 500+ for a phone?
share your thoughts..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thoughts are as follows:
The antenna is in the bottom of the phone - this isn't a design "flaw" it's how the phone was designed to fit the necessary components into a small fixed space. This isn't the first phone designed this way and it won't be the last. It was likely designed that way due to space constraints with the speaker, mic and camera up top. Again, the "issue" is only prevalent in areas of weaker 3G coverage.
The iPhone 3G is designed the same way and people see the same issues with 3G dropping when you cover it with your hand - you can find the same youtube videos on it.
Google was aware of this before it shipped and in the manual states not to cover the back of the phone and to hold it in the preferred position. I don't think Google has anything to say that isn't in the manual already...
Now, you can argue that the N1 may get poorer 3G reception compared to other phones, but to argue that covering the antenna with your hand causes a degradation of signal is a "design flaw" is asinine. This happens with all phones and all antennas. There's likely few ways they could have placed the antenna in the top of the phone with the size of the current phone and the hardware that's already up there.
I wouldn't hold your breath for Google to "do something" as people seem to want as there's nothing they can "do" other than say, "Read your manual and quit covering the antenna with your hand".

Omg really..when is this topic going to end? Those of us with common sense know that it's nothing to do with the Nexus one or Android specifically. All phones do the same thing. I just did it with a friends iPhone. I can go around my building (AT&T) and cover anybodies phone with my hand and drop a bar, sometimes two. It's common networking knowledge. You cover the antenna, you lose some signal strength.
If you have 2 bars of 3G and you cover it up and lose 2 bars....What do you think happens? You go to Edge. Everybody thinks they know this issue like they invented the damn thing. There is no specific problem with the Nexus One. Give it up already.
Ironically common sense isn't so common these days...

I am sitting at my desk, I have a rooted N1 customized to the max. I am using the ERE36B Radio, (not the one in the OTA) I have 4 bars of 3G/HSPDA If I cover the bottom of the phone with both hands, I dont loose a single bar.
I fully believe this is a software issue. The leaked radio is working great for me, I almost never lose 3G now.
Yes covering the antena will cause you to lose signal, why wouldnt it?

Blah, I have a N1 and G1 on tmobile on different lines and they always have the same service same speed tests. Maybe my phone is the phenomenon, but I doubt it.

krohnjw said:
Google was aware of this before it shipped and in the manual states not to cover the back of the phone and to hold it in the preferred position. I don't think Google has anything to say that isn't in the manual already...
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Click to collapse
Whats the preferred position?
Any comfortable way caused you to block the radio.

I get the same signal strength my G1 did in all the same places. Using both the OTA radio and the 36B radio. If I'm in a place with weak 3G I force it to 2G. Why would Google give a **** about T-Mobile's 3G coverage?

JoshHart said:
Blah, I have a N1 and G1 on tmobile on different lines and they always have the same service same speed tests. Maybe my phone is the phenomenon, but I doubt it.
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uberingram said:
I get the same signal strength my G1 did in all the same places. Using both the OTA radio and the 36B radio. If I'm in a place with weak 3G I force it to 2G. Why would Google give a **** about T-Mobile's 3G coverage?
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This is what I have been saying. I have a MyTouch, N1, and G1 and they all have the same signal strength at all times. I sold the G1 already but my wife still has the Mytouch.
Everybody who complains has nothing to compare it to. How can you say something is worse because you "remember" another phone? You can't. It's T-mobiles coverage. It has nothing to do with Google, Android or HTC.
People just need to get over it already and stop complaining.

dumbestcrayon said:
This is what I have been saying. I have a MyTouch, N1, and G1 and they all have the same signal strength at all times. I sold the G1 already but my wife still has the Mytouch.
Everybody who complains has nothing to compare it to. How can you say something is worse because you "remember" another phone? You can't. It's T-mobiles coverage. It has nothing to do with Google, Android or HTC.
People just need to get over it already and stop complaining.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, since you have access to multiple Android phones...
Can you try the TRUE test?
Open up Settings -> About Phone -> Network on both phones sitting side by side.
Can you compare the *exact* signal strength on both phones? (dBm vs dBm when side by side)
And yes I have absolutely HORRID service in my place. I'm lucky to get better than -95.

In times of change the learners will inherit the earth, while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
Good job, you apparently know it all. . . BTW, thanks for the earth

From the experience gained using mine is evident that all problems are not hardware but FULLY firmware related.
Since everytime I make a call the phone SHOWS a better coverage than staying only surfing the web. Also when tethering, if I make the phone call suddenly the HSDPA speeds tend to increase at about 20%, I presume that when you are calling, the firmware might be settled to somehow strength the radio signal. Compare this on-call speeds to my "normal" ones:
Anyway, right now the only temporal solution for the indiscriminated switch backs to GPRS when navigating is making sure of accesing the radio config (*#*#4636#*#*) and select WDMCA ONLY...

Radio Update Needed

Most of us on here are coming from another Android. I have noticed that outside the signal and speed are incredible (twice the d/load speed of my G1 on the same network).
That said, inside my office the signal appears to be much weaker. I would say it is downloading about the same as my G1, but the signal indicator is only showing like 1 bar, and on EDGE.
Anyone else noticing something similar? I tried 3 Radio's on the G1 but the last one I had seemed perfect. Would like to hear others thoughts....

do u think thats why GPS ... is tripping ,, ((( Location not available )))

I agree something is wrong but I have no clue what it is and it does not seem to affect my usability... I have been in a part of my house where the phone reads 0 or -111dBm and I have had perfect 3g and calls. Infact when I get start a call I can see the bars go from 0 to 3 bars and as soon as I'm off the call the phone goes back to 0dB, this is on speaker phone with the phone on a table.
My G1 reads 97dBm, in the same location.

Neffstarr said:
do u think thats why GPS ... is tripping ,, ((( Location not available )))
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Click to collapse
i dont think so

The leaked firmeares have updated modems that address this issue. Ive gone back to stock due to lagging but I miss the great reception.
Sent from the best phone from TMO... Vibrant

Inside my office I get zero bars of reception, but the 3G logo stays up, data speeds don't suffer much, and call quality is still great. I switched to my 9700 Bold this week to see how I feel about it and while it did show more 3G bars, data speeds did suffer a little, and calls did break up a little.

I flashed Frank-twiz 4 today and am getting better speeds indoors than I have ever had so I am calling this an improvement over stock.

It actually drops calls in my office, which stinks. Reception definitely not as good as my last phone (a BB, so it's apples/oranges). One of my few real Vibrant gripes.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

I wish the J6 showed an improvement for me but I cant say that it did... I still cant hold a call in some part of my house... Vibrant is the best reception compared to a g1, mytouch slide, and bold 9700... by a little bit... but no magic radio has ever fixed my dead zones (enter zombies)
its a damn shame.. my coverage map says I have good coverage, I reported it to TMO and there is no resolution planned..

KerryG said:
I flashed Frank-twiz 4 today and am getting better speeds indoors than I have ever had so I am calling this an improvement over stock.
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Click to collapse
+1... Usually when I am reading the fourms in bed I get one bar & will flip flop 3g/E. Right now I'm seeing 4 bars 3g strong!

This makes me a lot more interested in flashing that ROM. I've heard good things, but i was holding out.... getting tired of holding out.

No working GPS? No problem. No froyo? No problem. Bad reception? Problem

First off I'd like to say I'm thankful for everything the devs here do. I've tried the 3g fix and it didn't do anything, so now I'm just curious if there is anything else out there that fixes it.
I'm on the newest DL09 and the problem is still there. Bad reception. I'm serious when I say I get full 3g bars maybe 1% of the time, and I'm dead center in a verizon 3g area. I've never seen a signal jump around as much as on the fascinate. It will switch between 3g and 1x constantly throughout the day, and when it's on 3g it looks like the bars are dancing all day long because they just jump around.
My original Droid will have a steady 5 bars pretty much all day. Fascinate...not even close. It's getting ridiculous actually. I can download updates for apps on my droid no problem, but I actually wait til I get home on my wifi to download updates on my fascinate. I constantly get "stuck" loading a page on the net because of the ridiculous reception.
Now my question is...is there any fix out there that actually works that I might have skipped over? Good reception is a HUGE thing, especially when I'm dead center in a 3g area, and the fascinate doesn't have it. I'm thinking about selling it in the next few days because it's absolutely crazy.
People complain all day long about the GPS and no froyo...and I'm actually confused as to why many do not complain about the reception. That's the biggest issue with the phone IMO.
Thanks for any help.

Have you actually tried contacting Verizon about it? It sounds like you've got an antenna issue, which should be pretty easily addressed with a phone swap.

AlexDeGruven said:
Have you actually tried contacting Verizon about it? It sounds like you've got an antenna issue, which should be pretty easily addressed with a phone swap.
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My friends has the same issue, and I've seen people complain about it before. So I think it's a fairly common issue.

brian85 said:
First off I'd like to say I'm thankful for everything the devs here do. I've tried the 3g fix and it didn't do anything, so now I'm just curious if there is anything else out there that fixes it.
..
Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming you tried the reprogramming codes?
http://www.ehow.com/how_4532332_reprogram-verizon-phone.html
probably the 1st thing you tried, but just checking. I know for me, i went from being in the -102 range (1 bar) to -89 range (2 to 3) at work. Also at home i went from -92 to -51 (MAX)

You did option 2 correct?

Just did option 2 and it seems to have done nothing. Going back and forth between -96 and -101

If you dont see people compalining about reception, its largely due to the fact that the phone doesnt really suffer from reception issues. If I were you, I'd call verizon and make a formal complaint about the hardware restricting your usage, I'm sure they will work with you.

I'm a sales rep at a Verizon corporate store, 4 of my co-workers have Fascinates and we ALL experience a MAJOR difference in signal quality compared to co-workers with Droid X's and Droid 2's...
There's a five page thread on droidforums (fascinate section) about every single person in that thread having reception issues on the fascinate. And if you do a "fascinate reception issue" search on google, there are threads everywhere about that.
I just have a feeling everyone is focused on froyo and GPS so that's why reception isn't brought up much. I highly doubt, with as many people that have this problem, that it's just a problem on some of the galaxy s phones.

agreed bro i lose signal from my bars are really sporadic

BlackHoleSlam said:
agreed bro i lose signal from my bars are really sporadic
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Yeah it's very frustrating.
What's even more frustrating is even when I get 4 full bars I only get -89 on the mobile signal widget..that's far from max reception.

I've never had reception problems per se but I have full bars and 73 dbm. Also for some reason my 3g download rate is nerfed. Earlier today on speed test got 63 kbps and 462 ping dunno why. Mostly hovers in the 300kbps range
Sent from my sch-i500 using dl09 supah clean

AlexDeGruven said:
Have you actually tried contacting Verizon about it? It sounds like you've got an antenna issue, which should be pretty easily addressed with a phone swap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had two phones now, and they both have very poor signal strength. Comparing my Fascinate to a friends Droid, sitting just a few inches apart, he had a dbm in the mid to high -70's, while mine was in the high -90's.
If you're in a solid coverage area, it gets fine reception and you're not likely to see the problem, but as you travel into a lower signal area, the Fascinate trails off very, very sharply. Even though I live in an area with supposedly blanket coverage, my house is towards the bottom of a small hill and I typically get zero or 1 bars on the display, every once in a while 2, but it'll drop back to 1 or 0 as soon as I pick the phone it.
The Fascinate does have a very week antennae design.

I rarely see 3 or 4 bars...come to think of it, I don't think i've ever seen 3 or 4 bars. This is when I'm in an area which should definitely have excellent coverage.
OP: do you have actual symptoms of poor signal like slow down/up load or dropped calls?
My speed tests when i have 1bar 3G are about 800Mbits up and 500Mbits down. Never dropped a call (rarely make calls, though). I have read that some folks suspect that the Fascinate has reporting issues? I don't know...but since I'm not seeing horrible speeds I've tried ignoring the fact that its always reporting 1-2 bars.
Kind of similar to the TWoS thing. I chased this one for a little bit too before dismissing it as a reporting issue (for now).

I originally was upset about the reception but came to realize that the office building I work in is built like a bunker. Other then when I am in the center of the building I get good reception, at my desk near a window I get 1-3 bars. However anytime other then when I am in this building I almost always have full bars.
However I have noticed that when I am in my office what ever bars I get my friends droid gets one more. But when it comes down to that it isn't Verizon...again the problem is with Samsung.

Hey guys,
what if I did option 1 instead of option 2 in *228 reprogramming?
On another note, my 3g indicator constantly disappears in verizon hotspot areas, it is really quite the annoyance.

Are you on a stock kernel?
Sent from my USCC SCH-I500..

Negative, I'm on Dl09 supah clean with adry's 12/30 test kernel.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

The reception for my Fascinate isn't spectacular. I don't know how it ranks among smart phones, but there is a definite difference between it and my chocolate 8550. In known holes in vzw's coverage I occasionally lose signal, but I don't use it as a phone enough to drop many calls.
However, I spend the majority of my time in strong signal environs, so it doesn't really come up as an issue for me, and I just accept it. It will be a decision factor for my next phone though.
Maybe others have a similar situation: worse yes, but liveable.
Swyped w/ XDA App. When in doubt, mumble.

I have noticed the signal over the past 24 hours has been jumping all over the place like Verizon may be running tests or something. The drop being very consistent intervals of no bars but still 3g.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

My brother has Fascinate as do I and out of the Box his got 2 more bars than mine and his almost always has more signal.
Remember this was before I started rooting and all that.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

Reception Issues with Verizon PLAY R800x?

I've posted this in a couple forums and I'm trying to figure out if it's a widespread issue or just an issue with a few units. My PLAY is consistently getting 2-3 bars LESS than any other phones right next to it. And it seems that BGR also had similar issues with their review unit and said that the PLAY had some of the worst reception they've seen in a long time. And when I posted about this on the official VZW forums, other members also stated they are having similar problems. I'm also struggling to connect to 3G when my area is completely covered in 3G and was ALWAYS on 3G on my iPhone 4.
So I'm wondering, how is everyone else's reception on Verizon? Are you having similar problems, or are you getting just as many bars as other phones in the same area?

My phone also shows only 1-2 bars at most. However if you go to the status of the phone, the phone, the actual strength for me is between -79 - -80 db which as far as I can tell is perfectly good reception.
Haven't had any dropped calls and could make calls so far everywhere I went.

I have the rogers version (canada) and reception/3g is amazing, almost always full bars. Wireless on the other hand sucks.
My friends iphones/captivates get wireless where mine wont...

On AT&T with my R800a and I have better signal now than I ever did on my iPhone 3GS, oddly enough. I get signal in places the iPhone used to choke on consistently.
From what I remember being on Verizon years ago, bars didn't matter as much as CDMA voice is pure digital. You either have a solid connection or you don't at all. EVDO was similar as I remember it, sharing the same data stream and the reason why you can't talk and surf at the same time. Is the phone just showing weak bars or is it a problem of no signal at all?
At any rate, I bet SE will patch the radio firmware in the 2.3.3 update for the US.

It's mostly just showing low bars but the fact that it's having trouble staying on 3G is the biggest thing. It's on 1x 80% of the time but I should always be on the EVDO connection. I'm going to try a few more tests with my girlfriends iphone and my play and see just how much they are different. I really hope it's something that is an be fixed through software.
Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

My reception is terrible on my unbranded R800a, as I rarely have more than two bars. I know most phones have this issue, but when I hold the phone near the bottom for too long (which is often), it messes with the signal. 90% of the time when I'm using it, it reads zero bars.
I've yet to have a dropped call though, so I'm not too concerned about it...more of a mental thing than anything else.
Edit: I'm getting -101 dBm in most rooms in my house...looks pretty bad to me.

Like I mentioned before, have any of you gone into the about phone section and read the actual signal? I don't think you can trust the bars as actual signal strength. Check the actual numbers.
I had one issue with the phone at 1x, I restarted it and it was fine. I had the same issue with my Droid 2 sometimes, so I don't think it was all on the phone.

Went back to the Verizon store today to see if they would swap it out with a new one. But first we compared it to the floor model and it had the same problem. It had consistently lower signal than other phones in the store. He basically said I have the 14 days to return it and decide whether I want better signal or the gaming controls. He agreed with me that the phone wasn't holding a signal as good as the other phones. Even driving down the highway which ways gave me 5 bars is giving me 1. And my signal is 86+
Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

Mines is about the same as my htc droid eris on the verizon network.
In settings, about phone, it shows -90 dBm
Just read somewhere off the internet that the about phone settings dBm doesn't represent 3g. it represents 1x. Not sure if it is true.

Do you think I should just try and make them swap the phone out for me and see if the new one is any better before just returning it for good? And what are the chances they would gladly swap it out for a new phone without giving me a hard time and making me pay a restocking fee? The phone is awesome except for the reception issues I'm having. And I'd hate to pass on the phone if it's an isolated incident.

They will xchange it. Do what ive done call tech support and make them document u need aa replacement
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

I tested talk and web browsing, works fine on verizon. Possibly just another iOs limitation. *_*
Back to topic, I've noticed the 2 - 3 bars usually in LA but the signal strength is good dBm. ?
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

mine is usually round -85 DBm and like 1-2 bars, my other tunderbolt is full bars for my wife, have nto checked DBm on it tho

placing xperia play next to original droid.
Droid: 4 bars, -70dBm
Play: 1 bar, -74dBm
Both 3g.
Not sure what this means?

trothmaster said:
placing xperia play next to original droid.
Droid: 4 bars, -70dBm
Play: 1 bar, -74dBm
Both 3g.
Not sure what this means?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This means that the reception is a tiny bit worse in pure radio power. However, its scale is MASSIVELY shifted in regards to bar listings. I would be just bottoming out around -96dBm on my Droid. Dropping out at -80dB is a bad thing.

so it sounds like a software update could help? or am I miss-understanding....

I swapped out my phone and my new one is much much better
Sent from my R800x using Tapatalk

I also swapped mine and see no improvement. What improvement were you seeing?
Sent from my R800x using XDA App

Having the same signal problems with my r800x. I think it might just be an issue with Verizon.

[Q] Anyone one else think the radio on the Nexus 4 is sub par?

I've definitely noticed a decrease in service compared to my previous phones, especially the T-Mobile Galaxy SIII. I'm not sure if its poor Radio firmware, or the materials, but it's a noticeable drop. Using a signal booster in my house, I used to get full bars in my bathroom just two rooms away on the GSIII. The Nexus 4 barely gets 1.
Anyone else having issues, and does anyone know if newer radio firmware will be released soon?

feels the same for me, if not better than my galaxy nexus.

Yeah, my connection cuts out quite frequently. It's pretty annoying

jacklebott said:
Yeah, my connection cuts out quite frequently. It's pretty annoying
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't really compare how my reception is with my nexus since I am on a new provider, but I did notice something odd with how many bars I have. I assume there is some kind of battery saving function because when I am not really using data I will see 3G, as soon as I use data though it will switch to H. But what I noticed is when I am on 3G I will have like 2 bars service, but when the phone switches over to H I have full or close to it..
Maybe thats normal just thought it was odd?

ogrillion said:
I can't really compare how my reception is with my nexus since I am on a new provider, but I did notice something odd with how many bars I have. I assume there is some kind of battery saving function because when I am not really using data I will see 3G, as soon as I use data though it will switch to H. But what I noticed is when I am on 3G I will have like 2 bars service, but when the phone switches over to H I have full or close to it..
Maybe thats normal just thought it was odd?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Normal. Saves data. That's how T-mobile does it. Not sure about the bar part, unless it's switching towers for some reason? Ha.
Ordered my Nexus 4 on the 13th. Still waiting.

Yes it's noticeably worse than any other smartphone I've owned.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

In my case, it's the opposite. It's the best smartphone in terms of service quality. maybe because I'm in Belgium !

VoiD_Dweller said:
Yes it's noticeably worse than any other smartphone I've owned.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Weren't you the one that dropped yours in the toilet? If so I don't think you qualify anymore for bug reports
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I seem to be having the same reception problem the iPhone 4 had, namely that when I hold the phone, I lose reception.
Flat on desk: -82dBm
Fingers on either side of phone, still flat on desk: -99dBm.
Is anyone else getting the same phenomenon or is it just me? I wanna do a replacement if it's just me, but if it's something that everyone is experiencing, then I'll live with it.

I notice 2 things, 1) in general the reception is lower (4bars with my sensation/hd2 = 3bars on my n4) but I haven't done any real testing so it could be the bars are incorrect 2) big death grip problem, as soon as I grab the phone the reception drops and can cause a call to drop
For the most part I get good reception but yeah in certain parts of the house the phone is unusable.

I wonder if a simple bumper fix will do
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 09:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------
h.nocturna said:
I seem to be having the same reception problem the iPhone 4 had, namely that when I hold the phone, I lose reception.
Flat on desk: -82dBm
Fingers on either side of phone, still flat on desk: -99dBm.
Is anyone else getting the same phenomenon or is it just me? I wanna do a replacement if it's just me, but if it's something that everyone is experiencing, then I'll live with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same, going from -77 to -85dBm
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Keep in mind that bars mean nothing. Check the dBm / asu, the lower the better. Over ~110 things get dicey/unusable.
When I had my N4 on AT&T, it got better reception than my Capitvate and Atrix 2. I'm on T-Mobile now, and I'm still experimenting.

strobex said:
I wonder if a simple bumper fix will do
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I have a tpu case on mine and it hasn't made a difference, actually the thing that works for me is switching to 2G + wifi when I'm home and of course 3G when out and about, I just wish nfc task launcher or tasker could access that "toggle" on the stock rom.

Hi
Different phone different reception patterns. No two phones will be exactly the same in terms of their signal strength, you might find an improvement compared to a previous phone, you might find it is worse, most will see no difference and it's very dependant on environment. I've seen no difference personally. Given some time and feedback from various carriers can improve things with radio updates, such as the phone being more or less aggressive in switching between cells, or protocol fixes that help prevent drop outs during higher error rates when the signal is lower and cleaner/quicker hand-off to adjacent cells.
It should be noted the main antenna is at the bottom of the phone like most mobiles these days, so holding it at the bottom cupped in the palm of your hand will see the signal reduce and battery consumption increase as it tries to transmit through flesh. There are diversity antennas towards the top of the phone, but these are for reception only and do not transmit.
A bumper is unlikely to help unless it was extremely large to make the distance between a hand and the antenna several inches! The iPhone was a different issue, it was because the antennas were not insulated and were being de-tuned and shorted by being touched when the phone was held.
Regards
Phil