How is your Evo Shift Signal strength???
Just got my Shift two days ago and I generally like the size, speed, etc. Getting used to Android as I previously used a lot of WinMo and Blackberry devices.
The signal strength on this phone doesn't seem very good for me. My home has marginal Sprint coverage but Touch Pro2 seemed to have better signal strength and reception. It was rare that I ever missed an incoming call.
The shift gets a very weak signal and it sometimes drops to "no bars" for awhile.
I've also observed that the signal meter and my ability to initiate and maintain calls varies with how I hold it. I hold the phone with my right-hand, and have to hold it with my fingers near the top of the phone to get the best reception. Some other folks have posted similar problems. So I'm wondering if this is a general defect with the Shift or if my specific phone has issues.
geekdaddy said:
How is your Evo Shift Signal strength???
Just got my Shift two days ago and I generally like the size, speed, etc. Getting used to Android as I previously used a lot of WinMo and Blackberry devices.
The signal strength on this phone doesn't seem very good for me. My home has marginal Sprint coverage but Touch Pro2 seemed to have better signal strength and reception. It was rare that I ever missed an incoming call.
The shift gets a very weak signal and it sometimes drops to "no bars" for awhile.
I've also observed that the signal meter and my ability to initiate and maintain calls varies with how I hold it. I hold the phone with my right-hand, and have to hold it with my fingers near the top of the phone to get the best reception. Some other folks have posted similar problems. So I'm wondering if this is a general defect with the Shift or if my specific phone has issues.
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Click to collapse
first of all, update your PRL and your Profile, just to be sure.
But yes, the antenna seems to be at the bottom of the phone, and holding your hand over that area will indeed have an effect on signal strength. But unless you're already at your signal strength limit for calls, I don't think it makes much of a difference. I don't think the bars are entirely accurate, since my signal strength currently says -101, but I have full bars.
I haven't had any issues getting signal in places I've always had signal, and I actually seem to get better service in areas I couldn't get any service with my Hero, so I think it's an improvement.
Signal strength is ok, but not as good as my Evo was.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
Its worse than my Hero, that's for sure.
Sent from my bathroom, with toilet paper.
Mine seems pretty bad so far. I seem to be roaming allot. Isn't that the triangle above the signal? I will go from one bar and then it will switch to roaming and 4 bars. Seems to go back and forth like that.
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk
This:
EricSS619 said:
Signal strength is ok, but not as good as my Evo was.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
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and this:
Heelfan71 said:
Mine seems pretty bad so far. I seem to be roaming allot. Isn't that the triangle above the signal? I will go from one bar and then it will switch to roaming and 4 bars. Seems to go back and forth like that.
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WTF mate, in places where i'd get sometimes full bars with my evo i'm now down to 1 or 2 or even roaming. very strange. In my bedroom on the evo i'd generally stay around 2-3 bars and now i find myself in roaming on occasion. Hoping a radio update helps.
johnnycross22 said:
This:
and this:
WTF mate, in places where i'd get sometimes full bars with my evo i'm now down to 1 or 2 or even roaming. very strange. In my bedroom on the evo i'd generally stay around 2-3 bars and now i find myself in roaming on occasion. Hoping a radio update helps.
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Click to collapse
Indoors seem to be my biggest problem. Outside I get a good signal but if I am inside anywhere the bars go down drastically.
not to mention the GPS is total crap vs my Evo that I traded in!
Stilll worth the trade though =)
EricSS619 said:
not to mention the GPS is total crap vs my Evo that I traded in!
Stilll worth the trade though =)
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why did you not like the evo? just curious.
Heelfan71 said:
why did you not like the evo? just curious.
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Honestly I think mine was just messed up, it lagged terribly and I tried everything to fix it. After I saw my girlfriends lag free shift it was a no brainer for me.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
wow my Shift has great signal strength, way better than my Evo was.
i'm on my second Shift (first one had a bad ear piece speaker) and same experience with both. great reception so far
I was torn between getting an Evo and an Evo Shift. I played with them at my local Sprint store as they were side by side. When the phones were just sitting, both of them had 5 bars. When I picked the Evo up, it still had five bars and when I picked up the Evo Shift, the bars dropped to three. At that moment, I was going to get the Evo. After that, I kept hearing nothing but good reviews about the Evo Shift (amongst whiny minor complaints), saw that the Evo Shift's quadrants were pwning amongst non-rooted devices, and heard 1 too many complaints about the Evo's battery life; this pretty much sealed the deal for me. I had decided that I could live with the Evo Shift's apparent signal strength issues... Can HTC do something about the radio?
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
I can't replicate the grip of death but sometimes I do notice my bars going from 0 or 1 to 5 or 6, it will just jump. I don't know why. But I haven't had any problems because of this so I don't really mind.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
i have cupped my shift in both hands and held it against my chest and my battery only dropped one bar. I think that is a good sign and will not bother me at all.
dnalevelc said:
i have cupped my shift in both hands and held it against my chest and my battery only dropped one bar. I think that is a good sign and will not bother me at all.
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Err, you mean the signal not the battery right? If your battery dropped that much from cupping the phone, you have issues, lol
dnalevelc said:
i have cupped my shift in both hands and held it against my chest and my battery only dropped one bar. I think that is a good sign and will not bother me at all.
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God I wish people didn't obsess over "bars" and were reasonable like you. Bars don't mean anything, really. Monitoring signal levels in db makes sense, but people who talk about bars remind me of those who smack their TVs for better reception!
If you can make and hold a call without problems, it doesn't matter how many bars you have. Or if your phone shows 7 bars but you can't make calls, is that a good thing? There are no clear guidelines or standards on bars, so people need to stop obsessing about them.
hammondnav said:
God I wish people didn't obsess over "bars" and were reasonable like you. Bars don't mean anything, really. Monitoring signal levels in db makes sense, but people who talk about bars remind me of those who smack their TVs for better reception!
If you can make and hold a call without problems, it doesn't matter how many bars you have. Or if your phone shows 7 bars but you can't make calls, is that a good thing? There are no clear guidelines or standards on bars, so people need to stop obsessing about them.
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Agreed, I honestly couldn't tell you what my bars were at any given time. Other than in the bathroom, I know it's 0-1 there.
wardfan220 said:
Agreed, I honestly couldn't tell you what my bars were at any given time. Other than in the bathroom, I know it's 0-1 there.
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That's odd because I get the best signal front Sprint in my house in the bathroom lol.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
Bars seem to make a difference to me when they go to zero and I lose my call. Now I know why this happens randomly with this phone.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
After exactly 14 days with my evo shift, i had the same symptoms with my phone yesterday. i woke up with my phone showing full bars, no bars, x, no bars, full bars, no bars, etc etc every 30-45 sec's. i figured possibly a tower down or something....then drove to work 20 miles away had the same issue in out and out service, texts not going through, browser timing out. i tried updating, resetting, battery pull, nothing fixed it.
I went into a sprint store and they were able to verify the problem as they watched the screen. i am officially the first warranty exchanged evo shift at that corporate store...according to the tech (who i know for the last several years, my phone failed the signal test of some sort. so if your phone sounds like mine more than likely its a defective radio/part inside and you should be able to get a exchange for it. hope that helps someone out in what to do.
Related
Any CDMA Android users(Eris/Hero) here facing issue with 3G not working despite being in a good 3G area while other Sprint or VZW users having full bars while on your phone it keeps fluctuating between bars or 1X and 3G?
Very reliable for me... coverage in hawaii is excellent
I don't think its coverage, I think is more of a software thing from Googleing around
Yes, i've noticed this the past couple of days. In the same spot in my apartment ill have a strong 3G signal for most of the night, then randomly it will switch to 1x for a while, then sometimes after a phone reboot or toggling mobile internet i'll get 3G back.
I thought it was just a coverage thing but it wouldn't make sense to be, i have 5 bar signal.
Your signal is greatly affected by the weather outside. When it is cold or wet you have the chance of receiving a weaker signal. But when it is warm the signal will extend. This is because when it gets cold the particles in the air move around more causing the air to be denser. When it is warm this is the opposite causing your signal to flow freer through the atmosphere. Hope this makes sense I wrote it on my phone and didn't prof.
So, even thought is sunny outside and the weather isn't too cold(HB got very nice weather right now), the fact that I am sitting down in my living room and the data on my phone went idle as I am searching market place is due to the the weather? Odd....
http://www.the-cell-phone-advisor.com/cell-phone-reception.html Found this to help you understand and in reading it I got mixed up I think in my explanation. Sorry. Also, You don't have to sound condescending when you talk to people about things you don't know about. Or haven't researched.
Thank you. As a note the Eris was having problems with 3G idling and switching between 1X and 3G. An update came out last week to fix that, but some say that update didn't fix the issue.
You think I should exchange my Eris for another one and see if things are better? Or is that not worth the effort?
I don't think it is worth it. If it is only a firmware issue wait till 2.x comes and see if it is fixed. But I wouldn't give up the Eris for any of the other crap Verizon offers at $99 or less
Edit: Who is saying that it didn't help? I am really just curious to read what they have to say not mocking you. Link(s) please.
No I was saying return it for another Eris as I like the phone a lot. Well I am getting the feeling maybe the update VZW brought out didn't fully fix that issue that is all.
I am reading that this maybe an Android issue as my friend with a Omnia on VZW gets better speeds and more bars than I do in the same place.
The eris is imo the best handset verizon offers right now. The moto droid is a close second.
We should call and email HTC complain to them about this issue, so they can have it checked pronto. Please I ask you.
Isnt this just what Hybrid mode does?
So is this fluctuating 3G not normal? My real issue is the data connection being lost all together, which does essentially cause my 3G to come in and out.
tdavis42 said:
Your signal is greatly affected by the weather outside. When it is cold or wet you have the chance of receiving a weaker signal. But when it is warm the signal will extend. This is because when it gets cold the particles in the air move around more causing the air to be denser. When it is warm this is the opposite causing your signal to flow freer through the atmosphere. Hope this makes sense I wrote it on my phone and didn't prof.
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Click to collapse
I'd like to point out a fallacy in your post. What actually happens when something gets cold is the particles compact together, and when they get hot, the spread out. The exception to this is water, which expands when it freezes. This is why it's said you should run warm water over a cap you can't get off. Warm it up, expand the metal and there's more give.
I think the bars are inaccurate it's showing zero bars when it says 3g and internet and text messages work fine
Yea I've noticed the same thing. Maybe Samsung wanted to avoid a class action lawsuit for exaggerating signal strength?
lol right and at first i thought i had full bars since nothing was showing but the unlighted bars
It just seems like a minor issue. I've yet to experience poor call quality at zero bars... sucks because it's all in our heads really. Bars have taken over!
Your holding the phone wrong (sorry couldn't resist)
Lets take 2 possibilities...it is either a display bug...
or maybe just maybe..your signal is too strong which goes above the meter and shows 0...(that would be funny)\
more realistically look at this:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/01/cell-phone-rece/
Interesting that may be true
heygrl said:
It just seems like a minor issue. I've yet to experience poor call quality at zero bars... sucks because it's all in our heads really. Bars have taken over!
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Me too. In my living room I go between 0dBm and -111dBm but I have never lost 3g data nor had a call dropped. Although I can't see the dB reading while on a call I do see the bars go from 0 to 3 bars and as soon as I'm off the call and they go back to zero,
I'm thinking it's a software issue that will be fixed
Same issue here. Zero bars most of the time in my home but 3G is working and calls are fine!!!
It has a death grip
I notice that when I hold the phone, bars go down very quickly, but they typically come back up for the most part.
I set the phone down on my bed - bars go up to full.
I hold the phone naturally in my hand - bars start dropping one by one.
For the most part they hit 0 bars, but connection seems fine. I was on a call and made the bars go down. My friend on the other end didn't notice any problems with the line. I didn't notice any problems either.
I can replicate the issue easily just by holding the phone. Looks like Apple was on to something with their claims. I wonder if Consumer Reports will put this phone it's list of not recommended phones too...
Never lol
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iceshinobi said:
Never lol
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I have the same issue when i hold the phone in the lower left hand corner. I thought getting a case would correct the issue like on the iphone, but even with a case it still happens.
For Wi-Fi only. I go from 3 "bars" to one when holding the lower left corner. Has anyone noticed this? I will try and get screens showing the percentage.
Edit: I confirmed it in Wi-Fi manager. It drops instantly from 44% to 22%!
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk Pro.
WiFi antenna is at the bottom of the phone. Put your hand behind the bottom of your phone and aim it at your router. Note low signal strength. Remove hand. Note jump in strength. Ponder the penetration abilities of a 2.4 GHz signal. Repeat, rise.
If you cover the top half it'll lower the call signal/reception.
Award Tour said:
If you cover the top half it'll lower the call signal/reception.
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Click to collapse
That's when you ponder the penetration abilities of a 1.9 GHz signal... unless you have 4G connected
Argh. When will they stop putting antennas where you hold the phone? Does a case fix this? Mine is naked now.
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Sent from my HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk Pro.
TheBiles said:
Argh. When will they stop putting antennas where you hold the phone? Does a case fix this? Mine is naked now.
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk Pro.
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Click to collapse
I have a case on my phone. Its a Luxmo case and I don't seem to have a signal problem holding it.
Ill test better when I get home though and confirm.
Sent from my HTC Evo 4G using XDA app.
No problems here.
Sent From My HTC Evo 4G Using Tapa Talk Pro!
they have to put the antenna somewhere... and the evo has a lot of antennas
We'll see this on Engadget tomorrow.
Sent while sitting on the toilet.
You know if you encase the phone in 4 inches of concrete it gets no signal at all, or at least so I've been told.
Ya, I heard if its submerged in a couple inches of water it has reception problems too. Someone should test that out and let us know
Sent from Cybertron.
wright3d said:
Ya, I heard if its submerged in a couple inches of water it has reception problems too. Someone should test that out and let us know
Sent from Cybertron.
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I live in a LOW signal area and I tried hold on the phone in every possible way..NO difference. Nice try tho lol
It's just the Wi-Fi, and I've had the phone since before launch and only noticed it now, so it obviously isn't that big of a deal.
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk Pro.
Every single phone is like this, which is why the Iphone thing was blown way out of proportion. Whenever you hold any cell phone in a certain position, it loses signal.
TheBiles said:
Argh. When will they stop putting antennas where you hold the phone? Does a case fix this? Mine is naked now.
--
Sent from my HTC Supersonic using Tapatalk Pro.
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No. This is not a problem at all. The iPhone issue was that 2 antennas could be physically bridged. The CDMA antenna is appropriately at the top iirc. The other needs to go somewhere...
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backdown said:
Every single phone is like this, which is why the Iphone thing was blown way out of proportion. Whenever you hold any cell phone in a certain position, it loses signal.
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This is incorrect.
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So if I hold the phone upside down I will get a better signal? Sweet all we need now is an app to flip the screen 180 degree [goes to try it]..
Didn't work it was the same..
backdown said:
Every single phone is like this, which is why the Iphone thing was blown way out of proportion. Whenever you hold any cell phone in a certain position, it loses signal.
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Click to collapse
I don't know if it was blown that out of proportion. I mean that was the typical way people hold their phones. It wasn't like they grasp the phone with two hands or something. Face it Apple made a mistake there I said it. GOD FORBID..
SharkUW said:
This is incorrect.
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No, he's right. If it weren't true, you could get a signal in a underground bomb shelter.
Edit: Meaning that if you block the antenna in the phone well enough (even with your hand), you'll experience some signal drop.
zone23 said:
I don't know if it was blown that out of proportion. I mean that was the typical way people hold their phones. It wasn't like they grasp the phone with two hands or something. Face it Apple made a mistake there I said it. GOD FORBID..
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Click to collapse
FWIW, I could drop the signal by 1 bar on my iPhone 4 but it doesn't make a noticeable difference.
Everytime if i hold my phone normally, the signal starts dropping. I managed to track it down to the bottom part of the phone, just beneath the battery cover.
As soon as my hand touches that part the signal starts dropping from 4bars to 1 or 2 bars.
Anyone else has this problem?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Yeah,easily reproduced here too.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
yea, i had to return mine because of it. every time i used the keyboard, the signal would drop or even die out. hopefully the next one i get won't have the same issue, or at least not as bad as the device i had before.
Hope youll have it sorted out. I have 1 or 2 levels of drop only. Its a common problem with recent smartphone models? Strange.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
The bottom of the phone is where the antenna is.
I mainly get one or two signal line drops when holding the phone with the keyboard open. Not a big problem.
But... WiFi seems to be a lot worse: if I don't touch the phone I get full bars, but if I hold it (keyboard open again) it sometimes can drop to one or no bars.
And I was laughing at the iPhone 4 users.
Might worth try to add isolation lol,like for iphones
I cannot yet reproduce the wifi thing tho when im further away it may indeed weaken.will test it further
-- sent from htc z using xda app
Wifi only drop one bar here. I'm 3m away from a n-router.
Isolation doesnt seem to work. It might just be a weak antenna.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Was able to reproduce a 1 bar drop from WiFi once, nothing since, and nothing from signal.
one bar drop. but no change in usage. iwould suggest ignoring the signal strength
Drops 1 bar here. Not big deal.
Same here. Drops one bar. Sometimes two. But i had exactly the same thing with my Touch Pro. As long as I don't get dropped calls, i don't mind.
Problem also on desire HD
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
My Wifi drops all the way to zero when using my phone with keyboard.
Tho, this is when I'm couple meters away from the router (2nd floor). When I'm on the 1st floor the signal only drops 1 bar.
FFFFUUUUUU
I just noticed this. I'm currently in a low signal area. Phone sitting on table: -103dBm. Using keyboard: -113dBm. 2 bars to 0 bars and even no signal.
How can they do this? ****.
Never experienced none of those issues. Wow that's crazy.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk ~Obsidian V3 w/ Froyo Black theme.
Like the iPhone, it is only obvious in low signal areas. Go to settings about status and look at the numerical signal. It drops quite a bit.
I did a test and dropped from -99dbm (7asu) to -112dbm (1asu) by deathgripping my phone. It went from 2-3 bars to 0 bars.
philliman said:
Never experienced none of those issues. Wow that's crazy.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk ~Obsidian V3 w/ Froyo Black theme.
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Click to collapse
I wonder if its related to being made of more metal than usual devices, alu alloy of htc z.
-- sent from htc z using xda app
I've noticed the death grip; 2-3 bars (!!) in some indoor areas
Maybe this is why I've noticed battery drains faster when leaving my phone face up than face down (poor signal = more power consumption to keep the link)
I took this video of my shift from my original evo. If its not as bad as the iPhone its still troubling.
What do you all think?
I tried replicating your results and haven't been able to. My signal doesn't seem to change at all regardless of how I hold the phone.
Unable to replicate.
Sent from my bathroom, with toilet paper.
think someone has too much time on their hands
Mine does the exact same thing. It is pretty annoying. Probably my biggest complaint about the Shift so far.
Mine did the same as well. PArt of why I returned it
does the same thing for me as well.
There is another thread further down in general that talks about low signal issues and the antenna being in the bottom of the phone.
I figured this issue might be related to just my home but it happens every where. I am hopeful its a defective antenna otherwise I'm considering returning and going back to my Evo.
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I have updated my PRL and profile several times hoping this will resolve my issue with no effect.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CDaxhjUs9M&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Same thing happens with wifi. Maybe get a holster and Bluetooth headset? I know. I have an idea for an invention. A hat that has a holster on top for your phone. No more body blocking signals!
Another thing kinda related, the old phones with the telescopic antennas usually always outperformed phones with stub or internal antennas. I say bring back the telescopic antennas and get more bars!
I was able to replicate this quite easily on the wifes shift...however I am left handed so it doesn't effect me as much when held in my left hand...this may be a huge factor in deciding which phone I get w/ my upgrade on the 1st though
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Like the video said, pretty much all phones do it so that's nothing new. Some might be worse than others.
I still can't make mine do it, but I do know the signal on this thing is worse than my hero pretty much all the time.
Sent from my bathroom, with toilet paper.
Mine seemed to be doing that at first but not consistently. This phone is definetly getting better service where I live than my old hero though
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Zardos66 said:
I still can't make mine do it, but I do know the signal on this thing is worse than my hero pretty much all the time.
Sent from my bathroom, with toilet paper.
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Click to collapse
I always get horrible signal in the bathroom...lol
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I feel lucky, I seem to be the only without this problem who is also getting BETTER reception than I did with my Hero. I know someone else in my area with this phone, I'll ask and see if he's having any issues like this.
Mine will do this, but I have a very poor connection in my house. It's always on the verge of going into roaming/not having service. So it doesn't take much to lose signal strength.
ajs2677 said:
I feel lucky, I seem to be the only without this problem who is also getting BETTER reception than I did with my Hero. I know someone else in my area with this phone, I'll ask and see if he's having any issues like this.
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Click to collapse
Hey same for me, the signal is far superior on the shift than the hero
Sent from my PG06100
Damn....my phone does the same thing. I was just hoping I would be able to point and laugh at those who's phones were losing bars too....
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the5ifty said:
I always get horrible signal in the bathroom...lol
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Click to collapse
The reception in my bathroom is so $hitty I have to use wifi.