Verizon Galaxy Nexus Reception and Call quality - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Hi,
I am looking to buy Samsung Galaxy Nexus and upgrade my Verizon contract. I didn't see good reviews for this phone. I heard lot of complaints about poor signal reception, call quality and battery life (reviews like PCMAG and others). I am not too worried about the camera but if the signal and call dropping is real problem, then I don't think it's worth considering this phone.
Anyone experienced any issues? If so, is there a fix?
Please help me making a decision.
Thanks,
Kala

i havent had any issues with call dropping or anything like that
signal in my area is very very strong (full LTE coverage, full bars) so i cant comment on that part

I get full bars of 4G where I live, and 30mb/s, but then again I live in Manhattan.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Not sure where you're looking at reviews, but Verizon, Amazon, Best Buy, and WireFly all average ratings of 4+ out of 5.
FWIW, I live in OKC and came from an LG Revolution that always had full strength. My Gnex seams to normally have 2/3 out of 4 bars, but I've never lost signal and get the same speeds I did on the Revo.

I've never had a dropped call on this phone. I live in Tucson and I get 2-3 bars of 4g usually at around 20mb/s.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

The thing that messes measurements up for people, and has unjustly lead to a poor reputation, is:
1) Non-4.0 phones never report LTE signal strength. They will always show CDMA signal strength. Since the LTE network is a lot patchier than it should be given the low frequency it operates on, people assume the 10db difference is due to phones. It is not (google AnandTech Galaxy Nexus if you want to see an exhaustive test). Switching the phone to CDMA-only will put it on-par with other devices.
2) The phone uses considerable hysteresis (averaging the signal over a period of time) when calculating its signal strength. You literally have to two phones next to each other and wait for 10 seconds for the GN to accrue enough data to give you an accurate reading. Most phones will give you the last reported strength, so you'll see the dbm reading change every half second based on slight changes in angle and atmospheric conditions.
The Nexus is at least as good as the OG Motorola Droid (the only phone I've compared it to side-by-side), with a variance of +/-3 dbm, which is probably within the margin of error for these things. And at least in my experience, it will NOT drop a call. I've held calls in areas that had almost no signal (zero bars, -120dbm reading), and while the call got choppy when I ducked under some steel structures, it didn't disconnect. Having used AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular recently, I don't know if it's phone or network, but it's impressive.

Just make sure you close apps with ads on them through multi-tasking button (swipe them away), turn GPS off, turn 4G off and battery will last you an entire day with texts, calls, web serving and playing apps. No dropped call or signal issues, camera doesnt focus that well even after touching the auto focus. I would buy this phone again in a heartbeat.

I had two of these. The first wouldn't charge. It also kept loosing the 4G signal. This meant dropped calls and messages not being sent. I picked up a "New" replacement and the phone charged fine. The dropped signal issue persisted with the new device. BTW, I'm in Albuquerque NM.
I tried several radios, but to no avail. The call quality isnt very good either. I really wanted to keep the phone, but have no use for a device that will only work flawlessly on 3G. I was even willing to sacrifice call quality because I don't talk very much on my phone.
Google the Nexus and connection issues. You'll get a grip of links to read about signal loss. The problem seems to be area specific. You may have no problems. I now have the Galaxy Note. Works well, but ATT is slower than VZW in my area (No LTE). The call quality is the best I've ever experienced. Now waiting for ICS.
Steve

A far as call quality goes, on the Verizon GNex, it's really awful. I often find myself asking people to repeat themselves a lot more than I should. My old Samsung Solstice (feature phone) had much better call quality but then again that was on AT&T. Also until it's fixed you have to deal with people on the other end of the conversation occasionally not being able to hear you, its happened to me twice now.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

You are insenuating it is the network that affects your call quality.
It is not. I don't think anyone will argue that a feature phone is better as a phone, than a smartphone is, as a phone. Call quality is not the reason you buy a smartphone.

I have had nothing but problems w the lte gnex. In side by side comparison between the gnex, Droid 4 and the stratosphere the gnex will say -120 dbm while the others will b in the -75 to -85 range. On top of that the othe to phones hold on to 4g much better. In places where the nexus has -120 dbm 3g signal pulling 500kbs the other 2 phones have nearly full 4g bars pulling 25mbs. On top of that the nexus can take up to 10mins to switch from 4g to 3g and vice versa while the others take 30 secs max. The gnex is the best phone I've had but after 2 replacements and trying every radio combo available I just cant deal with this BS any more

I have similar experience. While I can receive a signal about 80% of the time with the 4G network, while I am on that network, my call voice quality is horrible. What I hear is fine, what other people hear from my voice is unacceptable. I have been on Verizon tech support, many days and hours trying to get this resolved.
From what I have read above, I have to agree with everyone that is trying to say that this is not a network issue. I agree. it is the phone, plain and simple. I used the Galaxy S II, and that is possibly the best phone I have ever owned. That was on the Sprint network. I had to switch to Verizon because where I moved, I had no Sprint signal. When I switched to Verizon, that phone was not available. I chose the Nexus. I should have waited for the S3.
I don't know what to do at this point. 4 months of phone replacement, SIM card replacement, PRL updates, Phone OS updates, etc. Verizon is calling me back again tomorrow in the continuing saga of call quality diagnostics...
I will try to keep everyone up to date, if you are interested.

No problems here. After the 4.0.4 update the random reboots stopped. Calls have always been clear, and even clearer after the update. Recently upgraded my wife's phone to a GNex and same deal - no problems. Were in and out of 4g in the Puget Sound area and switching is not an issue. Happens fast and for the most part flawless. Only on a few rare occasions does the phone seem confused and stop getting a data connection for a few minutes.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

bad radio?
I have had issues with outbound call quality. The person on the other end says I sound like Charlie Brown's teacher, Wawahwa wa wawwa. First time it happened I went to Verizon and they swapped out the SIM. Good to go for a couple weeks then it started again. Back to VZW and they sent a replacement phone which i transferred the second SIM to. Great for a few weeks and back to VZW for a THIRD SIM. This morning I got the OTA 4.2.2 and Im back in class with Charlie. Im wondering if its the radio at this point...ideas?

the issue is the radio.
I 100% hated this phone.
I had it for almost 2 years and I've been threw 3 of them, all had the worst call quality Ive ever seen in a phone. to the point it couldnt even make a phone call. random screeching sounds, dropped calls, I would hear the person but they wouldnt hear me. I had to take it back for the USB plug on it breaking, had a REAL bad screen once where it would burn in after being on for not even 10 secs. Nothing but problems
I have real strong signal strength in my area so having on these issues is un called for and NOT looking good on verizon.
I hated this phone so much I ended up buying a GS3 on ebay and never looked back
I do NOT recommend this phone to anybody.

Related

Is anyone else's Verizon GNex constantly losing service?

So yesterday I noticed I was constantly losing 4g connection on my Nexus. No problem, 4g has been horrible here for the past week on my Thunderbolt too...probably just a Verizon issue.
Since last night I have noticed that the signal dropping is not just 4g...I'm losing service in general. Dropped calls, failed SMS messages, everything. It happens about every half hour. I'm being told that a lot of calls to me are going straight to VM. I love this phone's features but this morning I'm ready to throw it against a wall. Is anyone else experiencing this? Time to return it to the store for a replacement?
I haven't been losing signal outright, but I am reverting to 3G more often. My Bionic would do this in roughly the same areas, but the more recent radio updates had kept me steady on 4G. Hopefully future updates to the Nexus will do the same!
I think this may have something to do with the radios used on Samsung phones. An update should fix it. Because I just switched from the rezound and I had excellent signal in my house and then I switched to this and there is about a fifteen dbm difference
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
i have reverted to 3G several times randomly.
also i noticed that coming off of wifi, it takes quite a bit of time for 4G to restore itself.
My TB has been doing so in my office for the past couple weeks at least. Noticeable 5-7db loss on CM7. Data loss and weak signal on GNex too. I just deal with it anymore. Ide go back to a damn flip phone if I could
My SGN has a very poor signal strength compared to my T-bolt. The phone was unusable - no data & no bars (-120dbm). When I had data (rarely) it was 1x. After an hour in the store & on the phone with Verizon tech support they have a ticket out on it. We tried different SIM cards & a different phone even. It might be a network thing on their end - for a while at least my phone wasn't showing up as activated & the Baseband I had was not what she showed in the system.
I will let you know what I learn. I want to keep my GSN but not as a paperweight...
same issue
I called verizon and said this is not common. So whenever a phone call is ended and it tries to reconnect to 4G, the phone loses all radio signal. This is completely frustrating.....i have reset to factory(no help). I have replaced the sim card(no help)....this sucks.
UPDATE:: 12/22/2011 went back to the store and swaped out to a new nexus galaxy. All problems are gone, and this phone is working great!!! seems to even have better battery life now. probably because it is not constatly dropping the signal.
No signal here.
Set to 3G only.... no dice. No 4G here, but still no dice with the dual setting.
Had made two calls yesterday after getting home.... both were lacking in call quality, but the calls were completed. I was connected to the extender on the first call, but not on the second (thought it might have injected the noise on the line). The second call wasn't perfect, but a considerable less amount of noise. I do live in a poor signal area and that is why the need for the extender.... I figured the noise on the second call was due to poor signal.
This morning..... no SMS, no voice, no nothing!
I have played with the extender on and off.... and later came to notice lots of posts on this not being a usable combo.
So.... my conclusion. GNex has a horrible radio and if you require an extender, forget it! My DX held a much better signal.
In the end... no matter how cool the SW and HW is, if you can't make a phone call, why have a phone!
This handset is a major FAIL! The fact that VZW screwed the pooch on it and turned a Nexus device into a carrier device sucks balls as well!
EDIT: and oh yeah.... vzw support was worthless on this.
Same exact issues. My wife and I both have the GNex. We can be right next to each other and when I call her it will go straight to VM. If I pick up her phone and call, mine will ring. Afterwards I will be able to call her and it will not go to vm. VERY frustrating! I've had to text her to ask if her phone was ringing and it wasn't, so she would call me.
^ I heard from many Verizon people that its common when phone does not ring and goes straight to voice mail on other devices. Is this really an issue ? If fact it was SO frustrating that they had to switch to Sprint.
Wasnt an issue with my OG Droid or Incredible.
I own a Rezound and side-by-side speed tests show the GN's ping times and speeds are horrible! My GN looses connection often and reconnects are slow, not as bad as the Bionic, but definitely noticeable. Hopefully the radio is software correctable.. Time will tell, hopefully this will happen within my 45 day return period..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
I find my nexus to be going from 4g/3g every once in a while probably some verizon down time
if it doesn't get fixed, I will be going back to the rezound. I love this phone, but not having a good signal in my own house? killer...
I have heard this is a usual problem with samsung phones, but I can always hope it isn't the case as i love this phone.
nosympathy said:
if it doesn't get fixed, I will be going back to the rezound. I love this phone, but not having a good signal in my own house? killer...
I have heard this is a usual problem with samsung phones, but I can always hope it isn't the case as i love this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea Samsung has been known for poor signal strength I ran speed testing my Inc vs my fascinate and then the rezound vs the nexus and every time the HTC phones blew the Samsung phones away
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I played with the GN at the VZW store today for less than 10 mintres, and it lost its connection while I was handling it. I tried to figure out the cause, as I had a full bar 4G signal on my TB.
I hope this is a quick and simple radio fix, as I really like this phone.
I am waiting a few more weeks to see how this is handled and to check on batt life before I jump over. Never been a Sammy fan, so i am a little cautious.
i have poor signal as well
double post
I turned in my rezound for the Gnex and I am having horrible service at my house as well. With the rezound I had 2-3 bars and with the nexus I go into extended service or no service. I really love this phone as well but if I cant get a signal at my house back to the rezound I go.
Data drops are significantly less on the GN versus the Droid Razr... I would lose data service for 30 minutes at a time on the phone.
In my bedroom, I have two bars of 3G coverage. My thunderbolt had 1 bar, and the Razr I returned had two bars. In general, for me, it has a similar signal to the Razr. HTC phones always have a terrible signal strength for me...
I don't have (or need) 4G coverage where I live. When I go to Austin or SA, I notice that the 4G coverage is less on the GN vs either the Razr or Thunderbolt. However, as I live in an area that won't get 4G anytime soon, this is fine for me...

True cause of "signal" issues

Has anyone read this article? Very informative.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5254/investigating-the-galaxy-nexus-lte-signal-issue
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
interesting read.
For a long time people have blamed their handsets for problems when the truth is there are always a lot of network issues out there at any given time.
Simply blaming your handset and assuming the network is 'great' because it has full bars or a good db is not the way to go.
Bars or db ultimately mean nothing, they do not mean you will get good speeds or in some cases to be able to make a call, in my experience its rare that the handset is to blame
True.
I had the RAZR before my phone. I would bet that the RAZR wasn't showing the correct signal strength and this is what a lot of people are comparing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
aye it would be interesting if someone ran some speed tests on the two devices side by side to what what the speeds v coverage were like
edit
jimdurt said:
They still have some issues to work on. My OG Droid gave me a better signal at my house on 3g. At least measuring the db strength. I dont have 4g here so the measurement in db strength should be sufficient to accurately see which phone has better reception.
Give Google time. They have the right hardware. Just need to get the software tweaked a bit more.
My wifes DroidX consistantly shows -93dBm with 3 bars of 3g service, while my GNex bounces a little more between -120dBm(most of the time) to -93dBm(rarely)
Even with no bars and @-120dBm, i get 600kbps download. Thankfully i have 18mbps download service through ATT Uverse wifi.
I do have to mention, my service improved ALOT from 4.0.1 to 4.0.2 update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At -120 on 3g your lucky to anysort of dl
My 3g/4g signal has never been better. This phone is twice as good as my incredible.
WiFi signal strength does seem to be a little less strong but nothing horrible. Now I wish they would figure out why the OS won't go to sleep.
Well, Verizon resolved all my Nexus, CDMA, and LTE issues for me in one fell swoop. They called me yesterday and told me that they couldn't provide me service at my house and recommended I switch to a different carrier.
I was with them for less than three days. Brought my Galaxy Nexus and wife's temp phone back to the store, then went to the Apple Store to get my wife an iPhone 4S on AT&T with the plan to stop at an AT&T store to get myself a Skyrocket. While standing there playing with the 4S waiting for a sales associate, I got the warm fuzzies from back when I used the iPhone and decided to get one for myself as well.
It was a fun year with Android, but looking back at how I spent yesterday debating if I was going to keep the GN with all its issues, I think I made the right call for me.
I also forgot how much better GSM is than CDMA. I have full bars in my office, whereas on Sprint and Verizon the phones were struggling to hold onto a 3G connection. Amazing difference.
Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread for a moment. I truly hope that this is an issue that can be fixed with software; it seems like poor reception has become a hallmark of Samsung phones and I haven't seen a software update yet that makes a notable difference. We'll see what Sammy and Verizon come up with.
i can understand the signal strength display not being accurate but explain this...
for one, the signal strength on this Nexus is always 1/2(or more) then what i had on my Thunderbolt or Rezound at any given time/place.... which apparently is explained above.
what isntvexplained is this... my Thunderbolt was able to download fast, but not nearly as fast as my Rezound. on the R, i was able to download 1GB in roughly 5 minutes. ive tried downloading the same file(s) from same location various times(test) on this Nexus and it always takes 30 - 40 minutes.
so if the signal strength isnt being reported accurately i can accept that.... but what about the significant difference in data speed?
i also want to note that on my Reound, whenever i played a track in Google Music it started up right away and could jump/skip forward in a track without delay...
now on this Nexus, theres always a delay before the track starts & when you jump/skip to. buffering b.s.
Your Rezound probably already had the music cached.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
You guys also have to keep in mind that the LTE network slows down the more people that use it. When it was first intro a year ago, it was STUPID fast. Like 50mb DOWN. I remember my Droid Charge hitting low 40's in May. Now that there is a plethora of phones that have LTE and a lot of people using it, the network will be slowed. It still beats the hell out of any other network.
I’m glad somebody posted this.
I did a little experiment in my office this morning with three Verizon LTE phones:
1) Samsung Charge
2) HTC T-Bolt
3) Samsung Galaxy Nexus
With all three phones laying side by side, I opened up the same “Network Signal” app. All three phones we ranging in the -85 to -100 dB strength. There was no phone that clearly had a better or worse signal.
However, the Samsung Charge was showing 4 out of 5 “bars”, the T-bolt had 3 of 5 while the Nexus has a whopping 1 out of 5 bars. Amusing since they we all reading between -95 and -90 dB at that moment.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA. I can’t speak for the T-bolt, but I could have sworn I saw the Charge at -95 / -100 dB and still reporting LTE Net. Type.
So, food for thought. Hopefully this “update” that Verizon is working on isn’t anything more than a recalibration of the “bars” indicator.
-Gp
Grannypotts said:
I’m glad somebody posted this.
I did a little experiment in my office this morning with three Verizon LTE phones:
1) Samsung Charge
2) HTC T-Bolt
3) Samsung Galaxy Nexus
With all three phones laying side by side, I opened up the same “Network Signal” app. All three phones we ranging in the -85 to -100 dB strength. There was no phone that clearly had a better or worse signal.
However, the Samsung Charge was showing 4 out of 5 “bars”, the T-bolt had 3 of 5 while the Nexus has a whopping 1 out of 5 bars. Amusing since they we all reading between -95 and -90 dB at that moment.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA. I can’t speak for the T-bolt, but I could have sworn I saw the Charge at -95 / -100 dB and still reporting LTE Net. Type.
So, food for thought. Hopefully this “update” that Verizon is working on isn’t anything more than a recalibration of the “bars” indicator.
-Gp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There needs to be some kind of way to trick the OS into thinking it actually has the real signal so it will stop switching between 3G and 4G.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have -86dB with 3 4G bars as I write this. I know that's not much of a difference from the -85dB, but I thought I would just mention it. Also, I've had -93dB with 4 4G bars (no picture of that though).
Syn Ack said:
There needs to be some kind of way to trick the OS into thinking it actually has the real signal so it will stop switching between 3G and 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 30,000 foot uneducated view is simply that the calibrations for the Nexus require a stronger signal to both acquire and then maintain an LTE data connection. These calibrations probably could be tweaked, but at what cost? I suppose (assuming my theory is correct) the decision came down to a flaky 4G or a solid 3G... and Verizon chose the stronger connection over the faster one. Do you blame them?
However, when I do get a solid 4G connection... the speeds are stupid fast.
On my lunch break today:
30.6M down
15.7 up

New verizon user

I was with t-mobile for 8 years and decided to try verizon for 2 years after hearing how good the network is. I thought there's no better time then now considering I have 275 in bestbuy gift cards and this amazing phone is 300. After 2 days of use it seems the network is just OK don't know if there are still bugs to be worked out of LTE network or if its the rom I'm on. Before flashing the rom the signal struggled also? Didn't have a whole lot of time to test as I rooted and had a rom an hour after getting my phone (live for the development) Does anyone have a clue on what's up. Verizon says my area in Cleveland (mistake on the lake) has good coverage and friends have said nothing but good things also. Thanks community! Love ya guys and girls out there
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
You might want to try flashing a different radio in your respective development forum, it's kind of hit or miss between regions so you'll have to see which works best for you
radio flash may not fix signal its been pretty common issue with vzw nexus users as i myself still experience it
I had a Razr for a month before the Nexus and my wife still has a Razr. Other than the well-publicized nationwide outages, voice and data are rock solid on that phone.
My stock Nexus has been anything but. I love voice and data several times a day. Hoping an update will improve things or that I got a bad unit. I have a replacement on the way as my headphone jack doesn't output stereo.
Certainly nothing scientific but in my experience the Verizon network is the best there is (I've been on T-mobile and Sprint, never ATT).
McDeadagain said:
I had a Razr for a month before the Nexus and my wife still has a Razr. Other than the well-publicized nationwide outages, voice and data are rock solid on that phone.
My stock Nexus has been anything but. I love voice and data several times a day. Hoping an update will improve things or that I got a bad unit. I have a replacement on the way as my headphone jack doesn't output stereo.
Certainly nothing scientific but in my experience the Verizon network is the best there is (I've been on T-mobile and Sprint, never ATT).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea voice has been excellent for me since release day however data is hit and miss in my area but if i go to another area of my city or anywhere else its rock solid really weird however i have a tbolt on another line that works rock solid everywhere data and voice
McDeadagain said:
I had a Razr for a month before the Nexus and my wife still has a Razr. Other than the well-publicized nationwide outages, voice and data are rock solid on that phone.
My stock Nexus has been anything but. I love voice and data several times a day. Hoping an update will improve things or that I got a bad unit. I have a replacement on the way as my headphone jack doesn't output stereo.
Certainly nothing scientific but in my experience the Verizon network is the best there is (I've been on T-mobile and Sprint, never ATT).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't speak to the voice/data dropping, but as per the headphone jack, I know this may sound like I'm talking down to you, but I'm really not: Did you try pushing the headphone plug all the way in until it clicks into place?
Samsung phones for some reason have very tight headphone connections. On my Vibrant, and on my GNex, I had to push the plug in pretty hard to get it to go all the way in. On the Vibrant, I thought I had the same exact problem as it was only outputting to the left speaker, but then I gave it a nice little push and it was fine.
Just thought I'd pass that along.
I've been on Verizon for quite a few years, with a bit of time on other networks through family phones or work phones. the network really is solid. data rates on 3G do not compare to good HSPDA, but LTE is fantastic. as far as the nexus itself, I have found that it has the exact same voice reception as my three previous android devices, and actually think the 3G data works better most of the time. now, the signal indicator is always lower, but actual signal strength seems to be identical, regardless of how many "bars" there are.
MMcCraryNJ said:
Can't speak to the voice/data dropping, but as per the headphone jack, I know this may sound like I'm talking down to you, but I'm really not: Did you try pushing the headphone plug all the way in until it clicks into place?
Samsung phones for some reason have very tight headphone connections. On my Vibrant, and on my GNex, I had to push the plug in pretty hard to get it to go all the way in. On the Vibrant, I thought I had the same exact problem as it was only outputting to the left speaker, but then I gave it a nice little push and it was fine.
Just thought I'd pass that along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No offense taken ;-)
Actually I tried everything. I use it with the headphones plugged all the way in, and it worked for a couple of weeks and then suddenly stopped working. I tried a different pair of headphones too. The only time it does work is if I hold the headphone plug just barely into the jack. If I let go it falls right out.
Helluva silly thing to go wrong.
Alottt of threads have harked about the verizon gnex having poor connection. In myself have switched 3 different phones. And still have the issue. Tech support even tested them and said themselves there is definently and issue. Google code has ALOT of tickets specifying the same thing. This is slowly cooking into something serious
I was this tmobile for 7+. Took my wife's Verizon plan..we switched...she can even tell the poor reception. I just want to know if this can be fixed software wise because...I reaaallly like this phone but its very scary.
Your definitely not alone guys. This will gain traction in the coming days
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Thanks for all the replies! My guess after reading all the post is that its still a major work in progress. Verizon has a lot of users and a major Rep to hold up so they'll probably fix it and not leave us in a bad situation?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
mike216 said:
Thanks for all the replies! My guess after reading all the post is that its still a major work in progress. Verizon has a lot of users and a major Rep to hold up so they'll probably fix it and not leave us in a bad situation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE is still in Beta stage for sure. Obviously they'll figure it out eventually. It's their long term strategy to go all LTE for voice and data.
I too have this issue. Signal is significantly lower and I often lose signal altogether. Switching from 3G to 4G is also flaky. Just for the hell of it I called up VZW support and they said it's a work in progress and they are working with Samsung to get a resolution.
spencer88 said:
I too have this issue. Signal is significantly lower and I often lose signal altogether. Switching from 3G to 4G is also flaky. Just for the hell of it I called up VZW support and they said it's a work in progress and they are working with Samsung to get a resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually just leave mine in CDMA mode only due to the 4G/3G switching. I definitely get weaker signal in my house and slower LTE data speeds with the GNex compared to the Rezound I had for several weeks.
Raibyn said:
I usually just leave mine in CDMA mode only due to the 4G/3G switching. I definitely get weaker signal in my house and slower LTE data speeds with the GNex compared to the Rezound I had for several weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too leave mine in CDMA mode for most of the time. Signal can still be -83 dBm and it can drop off to -120 dBm at any given time, or drop signal completely and show 0 dBm.
I am having the same issues and have a thread going at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1403133
This is seeming to be widespread so hopefully there is a fix in the near future. For now, the 4.03 radio update others have mentioned helped me quite a bit, although it did not fix it. You can find it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1403133 if you have not seen it already.
I am also in the same boat as you as I rooted to install CM9 the same day I got the phone. After reading the forums I believe the issue lies in the radio software (hopefully not hardware) and not with the ROM itself since CM9 is still very beta.

[Q] How is 4.0.4 Signal on CDMA Nexus?

Hello,
I am looking to get feedback from users on Verizon's CDMA nexus running 4.0.4. I am wondering if the signal quality has been improved? Obviously signal is important to me, and I live in an area that would have signal issues if I don't stay in the beaten path! I like the idea of a pure nexus device; however, it is not worth it if I can't make or receive phone calls.
Thank you for any input!
Verizon In New England Area
I've been running the unofficial 4.0.4 radio for month now in New England. For the most part I get great 4g and a decent 3g coverage when 4g drops. At home it will usually stay in 4g. Sometime it will drop to 3g when it's in my pocket or I'm in the middle of the house. I use it a lot for 4g hotspot seeing I'm on the unlimited plan. At work because it's a huge medal building, it will drop a lot more. We even have cell towers for Verizon on the roof. But I believe at that point I'm too close. With this phone I've noticed that it very rarely drops down lower than 3g giving me bad data connection. This is only my second 4g phone, having the Lg Revolution before. I'm trying to revive the revolution for my wife so she can use the 4g hotspot too. But now I've just flashed the 4.0.4 official radio and I'm going to see how it does. I'll let you know.
I get 1 bar on this new VZW GN, where my CDMA iPhone 4S gets 3. Since this VZW GN came with 4.0.4, I'm not sure what it used to be like.
HTH
I would say get a Motorola RAZR if signal strength is important to you...I live in Jersey and commute to New York, and I've had this phone since launch on VZW...signal strength is not it's forte and has not improved one iota...I've tried every radio that has leaked out, and a bevy of custom roms to boot...no improvement...I'm extremely bummed...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
My decision
Well...I wanted to post what I ended up deciding and if I am happy with it or not after a few weeks.
I went with the Verizon Galaxy Nexus.
My previous setup was US Cellular on a Motorola Electrify!
As expected, the signal quality was less than the Electrify; however, most of the signal issues are while I am driving. Where I used to drop out once; I now drop out twice on the same stretch of road. This is only for about a minute though.
My job has 7 different locations with one out in the middle of no where. I have service at all sites which was the biggest decision factor. I do not regret the decision I made 3 weeks later.
I was a bit concerned about the speaker volume, but volume+ fixed that.
The phone quality is great IMO. I have found nothing lacking on the phone except the signal. I was a bit iffy on the camera, but It is better than my Electrify 8mp camera. Plus ICS.... enough said on that.

Verizon nexus call quality

Just wondering if any of you Verizon nexus owners have any issues with call quality. Not referring to signal strength but more of voice quality. When I talk to someone their voice sounds a little scratchy or sounds like the speaker is blown. Is this normal? Just wondering if I should get a replacement. Thanks !
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
The call quality is horrible. Besides low volume, the voice calls are always breaking up. Sometimes I can't hear caller and sometimes they can't hear me. It is on every call, whether it's 1 bar of signal strength or 4 bars. It is the worst phone I have ever had as far as call quality. I don't know if it is a Verizon issue or a Samsung radio issue. But my next phone will not be a Samsung or Verizon (even though I hate to lose unlimited data).
I love ICS but I am tempted to go back to iphone and AT&T (but my wife has an iphone and ios looks so old now). I left a couple of years ago, but this Nexus phone has pissed me off so much. Or I may wait until next decent Android phone and wait until it's out a few months to get reviews first.
FishTaco said:
The call quality is horrible. Besides low volume, the voice calls are always breaking up. Sometimes I can't hear caller and sometimes they can't hear me. It is on every call, whether it's 1 bar of signal strength or 4 bars. It is the worst phone I have ever had as far as call quality. I don't know if it is a Verizon issue or a Samsung radio issue. But my next phone will not be a Samsung or Verizon (even though I hate to lose unlimited data).
I love ICS but I am tempted to go back to iphone and AT&T (but my wife has an iphone and ios looks so old now). I left a couple of years ago, but this Nexus phone has pissed me off so much. Or I may wait until next decent Android phone and wait until it's out a few months to get reviews first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm kinda wish I would have seen this sooner. Since no one responded I figured I was the only one with this problem and called verizon for a replacement. My problem was mostly with the speaker sounding like it was popped. I had no problems with dropped calls or people cutting in and out. Hope my replacement doesn't have those issues
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
FishTaco said:
The call quality is horrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this likely varies device to device. I have horrible signal reception on mine (50 feet from a tower, I was at -75dBm), but the voice quality of calls is perfect via handset, speakerphone, and bluetooth.
Cilraaz said:
I think this likely varies device to device. I have horrible signal reception on mine (50 feet from a tower, I was at -75dBm), but the voice quality of calls is perfect via handset, speakerphone, and bluetooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have good call quality
@cilraaz if I'm not mistaken lower the dBM the better signal reception.
jerrycycle said:
I have good call quality
@cilraaz if I'm not mistaken lower the dBM the better signal reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smaller numbers, which are actually higher since they're negative, are better reception. However, -75dBm at 50 feet from a tower is fairly poor. In my home, I'm usually at -100dBm (-93dBm at best) and at work, which has been notoriously bad for me, I usually stare at -120dBm with consistant signal drops.
Edit: My numbers are 3G CDMA RSSI based. 4G on radio FC05 uses RSRP, which shows a lower signal number for the same signal quality (here's a good explanation). I don't really use 4G unless I need the speed, though in a lot of areas I get better 4G signal than 3G. I've tested all of the modems and noted no difference between EK01, EK05, EK06, FA02, or FC04. On the 4G side, I noted no difference between EK02, EK04, or FC05, but had noted slow handoffs and data drops with the 4G FA02 modem.
Edit2: My device is using an 09 hardware revision (listed under baseband as i515.09). Some have stated that the 10 revision (i515.10) has inherent problems, whether due to poor hardware or poor construction (if true at all... I have no way to know).
I have good call quality on my Verizon GNex. Sound is crisp and clear. It's much better than the call quality I had on my ATT Captivate.
I always have Awesome calls.
--------------------------------------------------
If I have helped you.... hit that sexy thanks button. ^_^
Cilraaz said:
Smaller numbers, which are actually higher since they're negative, are better reception. However, -75dBm at 50 feet from a tower is fairly poor. In my home, I'm usually at -100dBm (-93dBm at best) and at work, which has been notoriously bad for me, I usually stare at -120dBm with consistant signal drops.
Edit: My numbers are 3G CDMA RSSI based. 4G on radio FC05 uses RSRP, which shows a lower signal number for the same signal quality (here's a good explanation). I don't really use 4G unless I need the speed, though in a lot of areas I get better 4G signal than 3G. I've tested all of the modems and noted no difference between EK01, EK05, EK06, FA02, or FC04. On the 4G side, I noted no difference between EK02, EK04, or FC05, but had noted slow handoffs and data drops with the 4G FA02 modem.
Edit2: My device is using an 09 hardware revision (listed under baseband as i515.09). Some have stated that the 10 revision (i515.10) has inherent problems, whether due to poor hardware or poor construction (if true at all... I have no way to know).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I received my replacement and it was a 10 revision hardware. What a nightmare! Wouldn't make calls, wouldn't connect to the internet, no service whatsover. Long story short, I called verizon and they are sending me another replacement. Worst part is I used up my final screen protector on this recent phone. I guess I should try out the phone before I do anything to it. Will update on Friday when I get my third replacement
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Categories

Resources