Database Users

Phone Call Issues

I purchased 2 new Galaxy S's for my Girlfriend and I on Optus in Australia,
Both of us are having issues with it dropping out during calls. It seems that you can't hear people or they can't hear you, 1 of the 2.
The signal is Great, The Phones are Absolutely Awesome. I don't want to give them up.
Has anyone experienced or heard of this problem, It seems that after 30 -60 seconds it just stops, but not consistently, I have been making calls all day and it only did it once, Yesterday I made 1 call that actually worked.
I've upgraded my Firmware to JG3 in case that was it, They came with DTJF3, I'd like to reset hers and dump the rom, However i'm not quite sure on how to do that.
Instructions?, I'll up it after a factory reset and dump.
Optus is picking them up monday as we only had them 3 days before we couldn't take it anymore.
Regards,
aRTie11

Yeah I've experienced something similar, in the middle of a converstation my call got dropped and returned to home screen by itself for no apparent reason. experienced this twice in one day. Not happened since but mind you I've not made many calls since.

well I guess I just got a bad batch.guess I'll wait for the replacements
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

My two cents, this has never happened to me...

Wow, I'll be getting mine from Optus on Monday. Will see how it goes. Maybe it was just the Optus network being crap?

Try not to touch the bottom part of the phone especially in bad reception areas. Don't completely trust the number of bars.

eaglesteve said:
Try not to touch the bottom part of the phone especially in bad reception areas. Don't completely trust the number of bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're talking about the SGS, not the Iphone 4

Definitely wasn't reception,i live in small town. 5 towers and I know all the blackspots are.
Plus call didn't drop, just couldn't hear them. Or mostly they couldn't hear you.
Sent from my Galaxy S using XDA App

I've been with optus die years and they do have blackspots, you can hear but not speak is probably a blackspot. I have ben using the galaxy s and what used to be a black spot on my iphone is now perfect reception on my beautiful samsung. Next time it happens try moving around.
Sent from my AWESOME Galaxy S

Will.1 said:
They're talking about the SGS, not the Iphone 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You still think the problem is unique to just iPhone 4? I don't. But you may need to see some videos to be convinced. I'll post some videos on ore phones later. Watch this space.

I had a very similar issue with my SGS, but it seemed to resolve itself after a factory reset.
In my case, calls were dropping out at about the 7minute mark, and I had this happen twice in a row while I was on hold waiting for an Optus representative to activate a new account..... I just thought it was Optus cutting me off, but the next day when it happened again while talking with my boss - I realised it was the phone.
At the same time, I also found that Handcent messaging software also gave me issues (not receiving SMS's) as well, and it might have caused the same problem before doing the factory reset.
I've since moved to the european firmware JG5, and even with handcent, I've yet to have an issue with dropped calls or not receiving SMS's - so IMO its firmware related..
JF3 firmware has a lot of bugs too (which is pretty bad), so hopefully Optus releases new firmware based on either JF7 or JG5 soon!

cheetah2k; said:
I had a very similar issue with my SGS, but it seemed to resolve itself after a factory reset.
In my case, calls were dropping out at about the 7minute mark, and I had this happen twice in a row while I was on hold waiting for an Optus representative to activate a new account..... I just thought it was Optus cutting me off, but the next day when it happened again while talking with my boss - I realised it was the phone.
At the same time, I also found that Handcent messaging software also gave me issues (not receiving SMS's) as well, and it might have caused the same problem before doing the factory reset.
I've since moved to the european firmware JG5, and even with handcent, I've yet to have an issue with dropped calls or not receiving SMS's - so IMO its firmware related..
JF3 firmware has a lot of bugs too (which is pretty bad), so hopefully Optus releases new firmware based on either JF7 or JG5 soon!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This firmware that you just had is from Samsung and does not require rooting, right?

eaglesteve; said:
You still think the problem is unique to just iPhone 4? I don't. But you may need to see some videos to be convinced. I'll post some videos on ore phones later. Watch this space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I promised to follow up on the fact that death grip affects all smartphones, so here are some of what I wish to say:
a) If you want proof that death grip does affects SGS's signal in equally dramatic way compared to iPhone4, do this:
- Go to your settings/About phone/Status and look at the value of dBm under Signal strength. In my house, if I leave my SGS on the table, it would read -81dBm. Yours will have different value.
- Then pick up the phone, and death grip the bottom back of the phone, and see for yourself that it drops within seconds. In my case, it drops by 30dBm, to -111dBm. Edit: in fact no death grip is necessary to reduce SGS's signal strength by 30 dBm. You hove to merely place it on your flat palm without even the need to grip it in order to reduce the signal by that much!!! I have a video for this if anyone wants me to upload it to YouTube.
b) A change of 30dBm may or may not be an issue, depending on what you're left with. So, call may or may not drop as a result. I could only drop call in bad reception area as I have mentioned a few times.
How does this compared to iPhone 4's drop magnitute? I don't have an iPhone 4, so I will go by a report written by Anandtech to get this figure:
The difference between placing it on a table and holding it tightly covering the fatal gap area is summarised by this sentence:
"For example, at another test location, signal without holding the phone is -89 dBm, which is still displayed as 5 bars. Cup the phone, and you'll fall all the way to -113 dBm". The change in signal strength in iPhone by death grip or simply bridging the two piece of metal is 24dBm - less than in SGS. The full story of iPhone 4 Antenna test is:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3794/the-iphone-4-review/2
c) If you believe the media, you would have gotten an impression that as soon as your hand touches the gap between the two antenna in iPhone, signal will be cut off. However, reality is that many people had found it IMPOSSIBLE to see the change in bar where reception strength is strong like what is provided by Telstra Australia (if you believe in bar, that is. I don't, BTW). But see the following video to see that this user could touch iPhone4 in anyway he wants and not affect the bar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9mkV3nPuXk
If the reception is already bad, like with Vodafone and Optus' case in Australia, you'll see the effect, as the following videos shows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjFMhhM2_tg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJVHLOF4kLU&feature=related
To see the effects on some other phones, here are some of them:
Nokia E71
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amPG52DVQuk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi1gHDa7-X0&feature=related
Nexus One
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6SpLHjcb5c&feature=related
Samsung Galaxy S
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vefQ4I2wOXs
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?deskto...d&feature=player_embedded&v=LROTHrTR92k&gl=AU
There are must too many such videos for me to list. You'll also find equally number of cases where people are not affected, dending on how they hold it.
What to make of all these? For me, I'm not really bothered. I'll simply use a case for my Samsung Galaxy S.

As a followup. I received my new phone today. Happened again on first call.
Decided to turn off 3g. Next call. NO PROBLEMS. It s annoying as I'll have to turn it on and off as I need.
Going to ring optus tomorrow and quote the problem again. We only just got 3g in town, so i reckon that'd be it
Sent from my NEW GT-I9000 using XDA App

artie11 said:
As a followup. I received my new phone today. Happened again on first call.
Decided to turn off 3g. Next call. NO PROBLEMS. It s annoying as I'll have to turn it on and off as I need.
Going to ring optus tomorrow and quote the problem again. We only just got 3g in town, so i reckon that'd be it
Sent from my NEW GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My data cap is low so I turn 3G on off, I agree on it being a pain. To make it slightly less painful I recommend 2 things. A shortcut, in case you don't know:
touch and hold on a blank spot on your homescreen, like adding a widget or app
select "shortcuts"
select "settings"
select "3G data call settings"
this way you wont have to enter/exit settings, it makes it much less painful, I used to try to keep my settings in my recently used so I could jump back to it easily.
1 other thing that might help, app "quick desk", not as big a help as the shortcut, but it can be combined with the short cut so you won't have to leave apps if you happen to have left the 3G on/off in the wrong position for your desired actions.
Hope that helps

Try out “Show and switch 2G/3G“
from the market

Already ahead of you guys first thing I did last night.
So it's a radio bug from the look if it
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

On the plus side it isn't a hardware issue. So even if they get upset about me flashing a custom rom. They can send mine back to me
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

Improve wifi performance

This is the lamest "mod" ever.
If you are experiencing dropped wifi because you are just barely within signal (like I am at work), holding the phone in landscape orientation with the backlit hardware keys on the right will increase your wifi signal by two bars. Im assuming the chip is on the right side of the phone.
Cheers
Sent from my Atrix using XDA App

I definitely got to try this on Monday....my wifi signal sucks @ work:-(

Mine does the opposite.
Never live in the past but always learn from it.

Lol it works and I'm sat next to the router! How bizarre.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App

Tennis11 said:
Mine does the opposite.
Never live in the past but always learn from it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it depends on router location. Both orientations should be tried. This saved me because holding the phone upright drops signal every few minutes, but landscape is a solid 2
Sent from my Atrix using XDA App

makes sense that the wifi antenna is on the right since if it is plugged into a dock (left side down, where the hdmi/usb are), the wifi would be able to get the best signal....dont know this for a fact but makes sense

Room7 said:
makes sense that the wifi antenna is on the right since if it is plugged into a dock (left side down, where the hdmi/usb are), the wifi would be able to get the best signal....dont know this for a fact but makes sense
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point
Sent from my Atrix using XDA App

from my understanding,
the way antennas work is that they have a null/hole perpendicular to how they're pointed.
in other words, if the transmitting antenna is pointing straight up and down, then the receiving antenna should be pointing straight up and down for the best reception. otoh, for the WORST reception, the receiving antenna should then be pointing sideways (if the transmitting is pointing straight up and down.)
therefore, in a perfect world, if you wanted the best coverage...on a router with two antennas, you'd point one straight up and down, and another sideways. that way you have everything covered...the straight up and down, and the sideways...and everything inbetween.
but we don't live in a perfect world...and there are walls, reflections and cancellations...and so came the rise of the "rabbit ear" tv antenna position..two antennas pointed 45degrees off center...which is a compromise. each antenna is now more likely to pick up "something" vs "nothing". you may not get the best reception, but you won't get the worst...and you shouldn't get "holes".
and so with the atrix, it'd depend how the wifi antennas are situated vs how your router antennas are situated vs the wifi reflections off the walls, etc.
also, if you think about it, if the antennas are on the side...then in portrait mode your hands are covering the antennas, whereas in landscape mode you're not.

The atrix has N draft wireless and i have been less than impressed with the signal strength seeing as my iphone back in the day could get much better signal in identical situations. However this does not by any means diminish the awesomeness of android over iOS

Khoops66 said:
The atrix has N draft wireless and i have been less than impressed with the signal strength seeing as my iphone back in the day could get much better signal in identical situations. However this does not by any means diminish the awesomeness of android over iOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's because of the location of the wifi chip on the phone. I get better signal with my Atrix lanscape, hardware keys to the right, than I could get with my iphone 4 in ANY orientation.
Sent from my Atrix using XDA App

Khoops66 said:
The atrix has N draft wireless and i have been less than impressed with the signal strength seeing as my iphone back in the day could get much better signal in identical situations. However this does not by any means diminish the awesomeness of android over iOS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im holding a new atrix an a new iphone4. Not only is the atrix reception better it can see 6 wifi networks, the iphone only 2.
On data 2g when in devon i was downloading apps and checking emails while the iphone couldnt get any reception on the same mobile supplier.
Jonnym
i like both phones and there os's but the atrix is far better connected

Jonnym said:
Im holding a new atrix an a new iphone4. Not only is the atrix reception better it can see 6 wifi networks, the iphone only 2.
On data 2g when in devon i was downloading apps and checking emails while the iphone couldnt get any reception on the same mobile supplier.
Jonnym
i like both phones and there os's but the atrix is far better connected
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has not been my experience at all. My Atrix gets worse wifi connection under all circumstances compared to my iphone 4.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

Damn that does work..
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

Jonnym said:
Im holding a new atrix an a new iphone4. Not only is the atrix reception better it can see 6 wifi networks, the iphone only 2.
On data 2g when in devon i was downloading apps and checking emails while the iphone couldnt get any reception on the same mobile supplier.
Jonnym
i like both phones and there os's but the atrix is far better connected
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in Devon and just waiting on my Atrix to be delivered so I can move my IP4 back to 2nd / spare phone. where I work is right on the fringe area of 3g signal and i find the Iphone will hold onto 3g and end up dropping calls, when it should let it go and drop to 2g like most phones do when they are in the same place.
Its good to know in your experience the Atrix has better signal and hopefully in a couple hours I'll be able to post the same confirmation. I also have a wifi network close by our office that lappies can see but normally phones dont so will be interesting to see if the Atrix lists it.
Kevin

I would like to also confirm holding it sideways as mentioned really does seem to work! mad.
Jonnym

Tinyk said:
I'm in Devon and just waiting on my Atrix to be delivered so I can move my IP4 back to 2nd / spare phone. where I work is right on the fringe area of 3g signal and i find the Iphone will hold onto 3g and end up dropping calls, when it should let it go and drop to 2g like most phones do when they are in the same place.
Its good to know in your experience the Atrix has better signal and hopefully in a couple hours I'll be able to post the same confirmation. I also have a wifi network close by our office that lappies can see but normally phones dont so will be interesting to see if the Atrix lists it.
Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't take my experience as a all encompassing rule. Where we were there is no 3g at all. My laptop is about the same on seeing the other networks as my Atrix but better at staying connected to them.
Any one had any luck using BTopenzone?

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?
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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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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.
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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