Develop Bugs

[Q] How's your signal strength? [LTE]

Hey all,
I'm curious to how your reception is on the VZ GNex. I still have my Rezound here and it seems like I'm getting about -20db worse on the GNex compared to the Rezound. I'm curious - has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks,
Super

yeah, and it is killing me. In the same spot in my room I had my rezound, I had MUCH MUCH better signal strengh. I could keep 4G all day, which is why I switched from sprint to verizon. Thunderbolt, Droid Bionic, Rezound, all worked fine. The GN looses 4G consistantly. This might be a deal breaker for me. I am going to try a custom rom in a min when it finishes downloading, but I doubt that will help. Also am on 4.0.2.
on the thunderbolt there was a setting that allowed us to change when it "lost" 4G signal. I.E. it would allow the phone to pick up a weak signal. Does anyone know if there is a setting like this? I know the signal isn't weak in my house from the previous phones, so it is either a setting like this, or the GN has a really crappy radio...

The 3g and 4g on my Nexus is very bad and not even usable. It is either dropped or barely working. Without wi-fi my phone would have been useless today.
If this isn't correct quickly I will have no choice but to go back to my Thunderbolt which was great!

Service at my apartment just sucks but it's getting the same reception as my OG Droid

I had a rezound and was certainly getting a better signal, 2 things I noticed on the rezound was the battery door actually had antenna relays in it, and also there was 3 settings on the rezound for network performance (performance, normal, and battery saver)

I get horrible signal strength in spots, like on my way home from work there are several short distances where it just drops the signal all together.
At home, my phone seems to just drop connection completely and it's having a hard time picking it up again. Noticed this morning it had been without network access all night. Rebooted it and everything was OK (strong signal) in the exact same physical location.

does any body know how to update roaming with this phone I tried *228 but that didn't work

I am having similar issues in regards to network dropping out. I can understand why 4g would -being limited coverage and all- but 3g should seamlessly pick up where it drops off, plus my voice signal is much lower -100dBmw vs -85/-90dBm which I got with my OG Droid.

jnyce87 said:
does any body know how to update roaming with this phone I tried *228 but that didn't work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't update roaming on LTE devices, as the sim card automatically does it. What you can do is a "sim reset" type thing.
Power off, and leave your sim card out for like 5 minutes. Put it back in and turn on the phone. According to multiple sources, this will cause the sim to have to re-register on the network, thus refreshing/updating your privs.

Rezound is way better reception wise. Matter of fact, the Rezound is better at a lot of key things! Ima give this a chance but I gotta say I miss my Rezzy!!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

WOW.... my Nexus data was very bad and almost unusable, but now it is fixed!
I didn't want to, but I did a factory data reset and it resolved the data issues. Everything is solid connections now and holding steady. Before the signal was bouncing all over the place.
Give the factory data reset a try if you are having issues. Yes you have to start over but it's better than having a phone that doesn't work.
Phew... now I am happy again! I really thought I was going to have to go back to my Thunderbolt.

OK. I did some digging. I recommend all users download an app called sensorly. It would appear that the reported signal strength by default is 4G. Currently, my 4G is is teetering at -100dBm to no signal and that shows on my phone as no bars. However, I discovered that my 3G is at -90 dBm (excellent coverage). From what I have researched it would appear that the phone has issues handshaking between 3G and 4G which I am sure will be corrected in an OTA update.
If I go to Settings-Wireless & Networks-More-Mobile Networks-Network Mode-CDMA/LTE and switch to CDMA only my bars come up and my dBm appears normal in settings.
I am pretty confident this is a LTE/3G handshake issue. Just like when you leave your home and you are still barely connected to wifi and the phone doesn't know what to use, so all of your apps fail trying to connect. I think it is just the same.
Anyway, I hope this helps others. It has made me less neurotic finding this out.

I had the rezound and returned it because of the headphone noise. Got the nexus and it gets terrible signal and speeds where the rezound was great. Called Verizon and they are sending me another Rezound and told me it shouldn't have the audio problems. We shall see. I just know that the nexus is unusable in my house due to reception.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

CDMA GNex Signal Issues

I just got my VZW Galaxy Nexus this last week and I've been experiencing signal issues. Often when check my phone, it will have no signal at all which can take some time to come on, and then its sometimes even longer before I get a data connection of any kind. I am in Lincoln, NE so I have 4G here which works great when it works. Is this a common problem with these phones? I rooted and installed CM9 that day I got it so I want to determine if I have bad hardware that needs to be exchanged or bad software that can be fixed. I found the 4.03 leaked radio on the boards here and flashed it, which has seemed to help some but I still have issues. What is everyone's experience with VZW and the GNex?

Common problem seems to be the complaint of a longer "connect to network" time, both on startup of the phone and if data is lost or switched down from 4G to 3G
The consensus seems to be that its a s/w issue that can be corrected.
Oddly enough, I was standing in the middle of our local shopping mall with no bars, yet did a Google search for "Verizon Wireless" (go figure, right?) and it came right up....no it wasnt cached. Just shows that our bar readings may be inaccurate, so who knows what else might be inaccurate. I also had my phone right next to a demo GNex at the Verizon store, and the demo was showing 2 or 3 bars of 3G, while mine had 1 bar of 4G......so which is better, 1 bar of 4G or 3 bars of 3G? Judging from app download speeds, Id rather have 1 bar of 4G anyday.

I have seen some comments about the bars in the status being in accurate, however when mine has no bars it seems to be that way. I am unable to use the internet, text or call which is an issue for me.
I also should note that I use JuiceDefender to control my data connection. While this should have no bearing on my phone/text connection, I am wondering if it may have some affect on the 4G connection even after I have the screen on for a bit.

I have 4g disabled and haven't had any issues. I'd try disabling it, restart and see if it happens again. Make sure its still disabled after restart.

I've been having big time issues with mine. Lots of time I go to pick up my phone and it has service, decent service, but won't connect to data. Once I'm connected it is not an issue but if I'm on wifi at home, and turn it off, it just doesn't want to connect unless I reboot.
Rooted and tried a new radio. A little better but still has been doing some weird things.

shoman24v said:
I've been having big time issues with mine. Lots of time I go to pick up my phone and it has service, decent service, but won't connect to data. Once I'm connected it is not an issue but if I'm on wifi at home, and turn it off, it just doesn't want to connect unless I reboot.
Rooted and tried a new radio. A little better but still has been doing some weird things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long have you had yours? My biggest question that I'm trying to answer right now is if I have subpar hardware. Since the phone is only a week old I know I could return it to stock and easily get VZW to give me a new one. This may not be the case two months from now however.

jst07 said:
How long have you had yours? My biggest question that I'm trying to answer right now is if I have subpar hardware. Since the phone is only a week old I know I could return it to stock and easily get VZW to give me a new one. This may not be the case two months from now however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had it since it's been released. The newer leaked radio is better, but it also does weird things too. I don't know if this is because I'm in a 4G town or what.
I don't get 4G where I live, but my buddies with a Bionic and Rezound do here at my house, albeit it's very sketchy for them.
Thing is, I'll have good 3G signal if I'm driving, but for some reason (at least with the original radio) it wouldn't connect. Still testing.
So far the newer radio has been better, but hasn't fixed my issue.

at my house it sucks a few blocks down or anywhere else its rock solid so i just wifi at home better for battery anyway

I hit dead zones where i really shouldnt be. Downgraded from 4.03 to 4.02 and the jury is still out. Might be overall software issue like OP said.

shoman24v said:
I've had it since it's been released. The newer leaked radio is better, but it also does weird things too. I don't know if this is because I'm in a 4G town or what.
I don't get 4G where I live, but my buddies with a Bionic and Rezound do here at my house, albeit it's very sketchy for them.
Thing is, I'll have good 3G signal if I'm driving, but for some reason (at least with the original radio) it wouldn't connect. Still testing.
So far the newer radio has been better, but hasn't fixed my issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear you're having the same problem, but I am glad to hear this sounds like a correctable software issue and not isolated bad hardware. Hopefully VZW will make some improvements to their LTE network and get some radio updates for us soon. I'm in the same boat as you, the 4.03 leaked update was a definite improvement, but a far cry from being a total fix.
As for when my data connection is working...holy hell is LTE fast. I'm clocking it in at 12-16Mb/s, which is killing even my home cable connection. I was confused as to why something seemed slower when I was at home using wifi. I disabled my wifi altogether since I'm lucky enough to have an unlimited data plan still.

Big issue
I have replaced three verizon Galaxy nexus's....all of which, each day i switched...i was either on the phone with a tech dude or (2 of them) one on one at the verizon corporate store.
All of them confirmed that there is a reception issue.
I reside on long island...specifically in the nassau area...4 towers around me..its HEAVILY 4g and 3g...3g is lower than 1mb...i actually never reached 1mb.
ever rep said its 'odd' and 'seems wrong'
now i love this phone...the one i have now..no different then the others..and unfortunately im waiting for the one i mailed to reach them ..to switch yet again.
the problem is..idk if i can handle this issue (4g drops to 3g and has to manually move back which takes forever..and very very slow pick up on any of them)
i want to believe this can be solved by a radio update..but judging by the insane amount of tries i have (every type on every version 4.0.1, 4.0.2 and 4.0.3 with kk6..there is no improvement,
im praying its a software..im waiting..and i have a feeling come january 15th...when everyone who has the phone is officially locked in it and loses the worry free exchange..is when verizon or samsung will actually admit whatever problem this is.
what kills me is i left tmobile for this (7+years) all nexus's ,,all unreal connections with free tethering and $65 a month (tax included)...my wife took my plan...and i took hers (she is grandfathered into unlimited data)
Now she has a sgs2...clocking in at 12mbs at home..ON AVERAGE...with fasstt radio switching...mine is unbelievably unstable sometimes can hit that but averages at 6-8. and in this house my wife got amazing connections on her previous 4g phone. very odd stuff, hers to the 4th one being the lucky one!
go figure!

I really wish this phone was more reliable with its signal, and hopefully VZW will get it taken care of. I'm debating about calling in to talk to a tech, but I'm not sure if I even want to because I don't expect anything to be done, and I don't want to swap phones for another one with the same issue. At the same time, I think I'd rather have this phone with some issues over the Rezound or Razr (once you go ICS, you can never go back)

Radio problems? Try this

I know there is a lot of talk about the radio issues the Nexus has been experiencing. My experience is a lot like many others. I would go do use my phone (data or text) which showed I had two or three bars of service. As soon as I tried to use maps or send a text I would loose all service and have to wait about two minutes before everything connected again and only then would I be able to data or voice. I had people telling me that they would try to call and get a fast busy signal.
For some reason my Nexus was dropping its signal entirely but I would still show bars, only after trying to use a signal would the phone realize that it was disconnected and reconnect to the network. Very very very frustrating.
For ****s and giggles I disabled LTE and switched to CDMA only. For two straight days I didn't have a single problem (except no 4g of course). Soon as I turn LTE back on I start dropping signal again. I think the phone has a problem with either keeping LTE active while sleeping or it can't gracefully do handoffs with LTE and CDMA.
On the other hand, If I run pandora and have LTE active I won't loose connection. I've tried this in a two hour car ride all around So Cal which supports the phone sleeping theory.
Anyway, if you're having the same issues try running CDMA only for a couple days and see if that helps.

I'm in. Switching now

I can't say anything to confirm or reject your findings because I have a GSM Galaxy Nexus. Is there no way to switch to CDMA when the screen is off/sleep mode and when the screen is active switch LTE on. That way background data and voice still work albeit at a slower connection but you never lose connectivity.
Just a theory, I assume that LTE switching off would be to save on battery life. I personally use Tasker to switch data off when screen is off and when it's on I set it to turn the data on too. I have seen a massive increase on battery when phone is idle and my standby is just short of around 1 week (tested when I had forgotten my charger and USB cable and deliberately didn't turn screen on to conserve battery life, had 8-9 phone calls during that period no issues)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

I switched LTE off purely to stop my data from dropping.

First of all, thank you OP for posting this info
And this is exactly what VZW customer service people want us to do as one of the "solutions" to LTE drop. And I've been using this phone with 4G off due to the drop this entire time, but this is more like a remedy..
On the advertisements for Verizon GNex : "The fastest, most reliable network and the latest 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus Device comes to life!"
On the phone with VZW customer service after you purchase this phone eager to use 4G : The representative tells you... "Why don't you turn the LTE off, and just use it as CDMA?"
And we are thinking 1) where is the supposed update that was to come since 3 months ago?
2) We feel like we bought a Ferrari and the maker is telling us we shouldn't drive faster than 80mph.......If we go pass that speed, our engine is going to be shut off.
LOL...sad..

This works. My signal has been pretty stable since turning off LTE ... Battery life has increased as well ...
Now I'll try rooting my phone and installing a 4.0.4 radio and see how it goes...

This issue sounds like it may be addressed in the update rumored for next month. (Problems with data when the device sleeps.) Here's a quote from Droid Life.
Our friend, the Mobile Panda aka @black_man_x tossed out a quick, but important Tweet this afternoon that has to do with your Galaxy Nexus. As someone that has a well known insider track record when it comes to Verizon and LTE devices, we usually listen when he has something to spit out. Android “4.0.5″ and “April” is what he dropped today. According to Sir Panda, 4.0.5 is in testing and fixes “audio reboot issue as well as data falling asleep.” That should make you smile, right? April is a bit late seeing as the device was released in December, but what can you do?

sdmf91 said:
This issue sounds like it may be addressed in the update rumored for next month. (Problems with data when the device sleeps.) Here's a quote from Droid Life.
Our friend, the Mobile Panda aka @black_man_x tossed out a quick, but important Tweet this afternoon that has to do with your Galaxy Nexus. As someone that has a well known insider track record when it comes to Verizon and LTE devices, we usually listen when he has something to spit out. Android “4.0.5″ and “April” is what he dropped today. According to Sir Panda, 4.0.5 is in testing and fixes “audio reboot issue as well as data falling asleep.” That should make you smile, right? April is a bit late seeing as the device was released in December, but what can you do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember going through the same thing when I got the Thunderbolt. There were all kinds of issues but eventually they all got worked out

bazzawhite said:
I can't say anything to confirm or reject your findings because I have a GSM Galaxy Nexus. Is there no way to switch to CDMA when the screen is off/sleep mode and when the screen is active switch LTE on. That way background data and voice still work albeit at a slower connection but you never lose connectivity.
Just a theory, I assume that LTE switching off would be to save on battery life. I personally use Tasker to switch data off when screen is off and when it's on I set it to turn the data on too. I have seen a massive increase on battery when phone is idle and my standby is just short of around 1 week (tested when I had forgotten my charger and USB cable and deliberately didn't turn screen on to conserve battery life, had 8-9 phone calls during that period no issues)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This particular issue isn't about saving battery life. It's about the cellular connection dropping out completely. Many users (myself included) have this happen several times a day. I can be in an area with a strong, full signal, and then all of a sudden my phone is searching for service. This happens far too often, and it happens both when I'm using the phone and when it's idle. Having LTE switch off when the phone is asleep isn't particularly useful for this issue because the connection drops when I'm trying to use the phone. I don't notice the connection dropping when the phone is idle unless I miss a call and get a voicemail later.
For me, I still randomly lose connectivity in CDMA only mode, although not nearly as frequently as when I have LTE on.

Prevent maps app from running all the time if you want to save battery. I use Gemini app manager from the market. I block maps from starting at boot and have seen significant battery life increases. App functions normally when ran too.

My take on Galaxy Nexus problems (VZW)

I've had this phone now for less than a month. I know it's not a long time, but I think I've got a pretty good idea of how this phone performs. I have not rooted this phone, I am on 4.02 and PRL 15119.
1. The signal problem:
Coming from a Droid2, the first thing I noticed was one or no bars where I used to have full! I was losing data all the time, until I switched to CDMA only. My phone kept switching to LTE and back again, I spent more time in hand offs than connected!
I had the opportunity to have my Nexus, a TBolt, and a Maxx all in my basement together and did a few tests. All three phones had trouble holding LTE here when I was able to run a speed test, they all performed similarly, between 1 and 2 Mbps. When all three switched to CDMA, they displayed one more bar on and off than my Nexus, but showed similar pings and speeds.
I spend a lot of time in my basement and have never had troubles losing data (CDMA only) even though it displays 0-1 bars all the time.
Now, I do occasionally have problems with data, but it's nothing new to me. My Droid2 would show full signal and just not load a page or drop to 1x in locations known to be strong service.
I have not had this problem with the WiFi hand off back to cellular data. This phone switches faster than my Droid2 ever did. Like, by a lot. I work in no service building. Every morning I turn my WiFi on and just turn it off when I get in my car to go home. Usually I have cellular service before I can even turn off the WiFi.
I read a lot of reports where someones Nexus would be outperformed in a 4G speed test by another Verizon 4G device. Not the case here. My tests were constantly the same when comparing between the Nexus, TBolt, and Maxx.
I stopped in the Verizon store and two of the sales dudes had 4G phones, a Razr and another Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus guy was rooted on 4.04 and couldn't break 10Mbps while Razer guy and myself were fighting for 40Mbps.. Maybe there are some lemons out there
All in all, I may have gotten a good device (made in China, go figure), but I do not believe there is a real problem here. If this is your first android on Verizon, I can see where you'd think there are problems. Whenever I pick up my phone, I just ignore the bars and use it. It always works. Even in 3G, this phone loads pages WAY faster than my Droid2.
2. Battery life: I am not a real heavy user. There are times when I'll spend 20 minutes in the bathroom playing angry birds or reading threads, but that's about it. I got the Verizon extended battery before leaving the store with my new phone. This battery has 200mah more juice than the extended battery in my old Droid2.
I think this phone get's great stand by time, I got it to go 3 days off charger with a few calls and texts every day and a little bit of angry birds
On a whole, I'd have to say it get's as good or better life than my last phone.
3. Random reboots: I was constantly pulling my phone out of my pocket to find that it was off. I had gotten quite concerned after reading all the posts about crash reboots. It wasn't until I set the phone down while booting it up that I saw the screen shut off. I knew something wasn't right here and reproduced the shut down by smacking the phone in my palm while it was booting it up.
After looking closely, I noticed the battery would move up and down in its compartment. I solved this by taking some folded paper and taping it to the bottom edge of the battery. Pushing the battery up into the contacts on the phone. I also added some tape/paper to the top of the battery so the cover is pushing it down into the compartment.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but I haven't had a single crash/reboot. Just this battery connection problem.
4. Slow screen rotation: I have noticed this, it is VERY annoying when you first get the phone. Habit is to flip it landscape BEFORE launching the app you want to use. This is why you think it's so slow, because the home screen will not flip, it just refuses to. In any app, it flips just like you're used to. A non problem that I'm sure will get fixed.
5. Screen banding: I tried looking at the blank grey screen on any brightness, I could not get the bands I kept reading about. I guess I got lucky!
6. Overheating: I read this phone will try to use 2.4 and 5GHz spectrum's while on WiFi. The first thing I did was set it to 2.4 only and have not had any issues. I use WiFi 8 hours a day every day with out the phone getting hot. I also use the hot spot almost every night, as I don't have a land line internet at home. Never an issue, once again, to the touch this phone was not as hot as my Droid2.
I really like ICS and this phone seems like a keeper. I hope this inspires someone to go out and buy the Nexus!!

Over the weekend I went to the Verizon store to compare the vz nexus signal. Turns out every device with lte read -60 and then nexus -80. But there was one lg phone that displayed both signals at the same time, 1x and lte read -60 and -80. So I wonder does Verizon lte phones actually never show lte signal and always show cdma even when connected to lte?

Just earlier today I compared my Galaxy Nexus at -110 to my dad's Rezound at -80. Side by side at the exact same time. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture.
I'm unrooted stock 4.0.2 right now.

Silly question but did the salesman with the Nexus have LTE on?

How in the world could you go 3 days on a 2100mah? The most i can get is maybe a day or day and a half. Usually its under a day as i use my phone alot.

Dan76 said:
Just earlier today I compared my Galaxy Nexus at -110 to my dad's Rezound at -80. Side by side at the exact same time. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture.
I'm unrooted stock 4.0.2 right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lost the link but basically non ics phones show 3g signal instead of 4g or something like that. Its a different signal type that's why the gnex always shows less because its showing its actual signal
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

i honestly think its a hardware issue, but i have read all the threads and there is nothing concrete... my phone works perfect on 3g but i switch it to 4g and it just looses signal i could have 3 bars and then all of sudden it just looses all signal, it does not switch to 3g..im in a good 4g coverage area as well. im really angry and i dont want any other phone but the one i have . I hate blur so forget motorola

davidadavila said:
i honestly think its a hardware issue, but i have read all the threads and there is nothing concrete... my phone works perfect on 3g but i switch it to 4g and it just looses signal i could have 3 bars and then all of sudden it just looses all signal, it does not switch to 3g..im in a good 4g coverage area as well. im really angry and i dont want any other phone but the one i have . I hate blur so forget motorola
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That shouldn't happen doesn't to me at all. Call Verizon. Get a new phone lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

RogerPodacter said:
Over the weekend I went to the Verizon store to compare the vz nexus signal. Turns out every device with lte read -60 and then nexus -80. But there was one lg phone that displayed both signals at the same time, 1x and lte read -60 and -80. So I wonder does Verizon lte phones actually never show lte signal and always show cdma even when connected to lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is generally the case.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

RogerPodacter said:
Over the weekend I went to the Verizon store to compare the vz nexus signal. Turns out every device with lte read -60 and then nexus -80. But there was one lg phone that displayed both signals at the same time, 1x and lte read -60 and -80. So I wonder does Verizon lte phones actually never show lte signal and always show cdma even when connected to lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they are not ICS devices, they do not show the LTE signal.

You have problems?
Cool story bro. This isn't a support site.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

fix-this! said:
How in the world could you go 3 days on a 2100mah? The most i can get is maybe a day or day and a half. Usually its under a day as i use my phone alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was achieved over a weekend in a strong service area on cdma only. I was at a solid 3/⁴ bars the whole time. I was at a buddys house for a lan, so i was doing my surfing on the computer. I was doing most of my texting in google voice on my pc, so the only use the phone saw was calls and bathroom browsing lol.
Yes, the nexus measures signal differently and this is why it cant hold 4g, it thinks the signal is too weak and lets go before it should. If you had a vzw droid before and know where the strong 3g is, set it to cdma only and see how it performs compared to the old phone. If your getting data drops and dropped calls where you didnt before, then exchange your phone.
Ive read there is a way to force lte only, this would be the best test. But i cant remember how to do it.
Want to add, the ics keyboard is the best one ive ever used. Also, speaker volume on this phone is plenty loud. I have had problems with call quality when i have no bars. Just does not sound good and hard to unserstand people. When i have a bar or more, sounds great. Like theyre in the room.

chancy319 said:
Silly question but did the salesman with the Nexus have LTE on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely lte. I am not sure what vzws theoretical max speed is on 3g, but in our area, max is about 1.7Mbps. I know theoretical is no where near 10Mbps.

teeBOMB said:
Definitely lte. I am not sure what vzws theoretical max speed is on 3g, but in our area, max is about 1.7Mbps. I know theoretical is no where near 10Mbps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could the differences have been due to your radios? I'm on 4.0.4 with the new radios and I don't break 10Mpbs.
The speed is fast enough for me and I don't remember exactly the speeds I had on the earlier radios. I vaguely remember breaking 10Mpbs at times. I might reflash the older radios and do speed tests.

I'm happy to report I have zero problems with my VZW GNex since day 1
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

dynamicpda said:
Could the differences have been due to your radios? I'm on 4.0.4 with the new radios and I don't break 10Mpbs.
The speed is fast enough for me and I don't remember exactly the speeds I had on the earlier radios. I vaguely remember breaking 10Mpbs at times. I might reflash the older radios and do speed tests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now i didnt see these guys screens, i dont know what they were using for testing or what server they were connecting to. He told me hes never been able to break 10 megs. For all i know he rooted and flashed on day one. I cant imagine the members of xda would overlook something so obvious, but who knows. Give it a try eh? For reference all my mentions have been using the official speedtest.net app and chicago servers. Im tempted to root, but im waiting for 4.05 ota and have no idea how to do it. Ill get there eventually

I've found that LTE can vary wildly in speeds. You really need multiple tests with multiple phones at the same location/time.
That said, I saw a huge difference between FC05 and FA02. I found that the best combination for my phone was FC04 on the CDMA radio and FA02 on the LTE radio. It's a good 2mbits faster and much more stable. Signal in my house is borderline, so you really see the difference.

tspderek said:
I've found that LTE can vary wildly in speeds. You really need multiple tests with multiple phones at the same location/time.
That said, I saw a huge difference between FC05 and FA02. I found that the best combination for my phone was FC04 on the CDMA radio and FA02 on the LTE radio. It's a good 2mbits faster and much more stable. Signal in my house is borderline, so you really see the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion.
I flash the FC04/FA02 combo and in the spot near my house where I am disappointed, 4.5Mpbs down / 2.5 up, I got pretty much the same results. One difference I did notice is that the hybrid combo is slower to switch from 3G than FC05/FC05. I toggled LTE to force 4G connect.
I flashed back. Eager to see what 4.05 brings and also if the latest official IMM76K brings new radios.

Smokeey said:
You have problems?
Cool story bro. This isn't a support site.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, it kind of is since most of us come here for help.
Also, if your read the OP he was not complaining about issues as much as addressing them.

What are the chances that software update can fix 4G issues?

My phone can barely keep 4g at home. Usually I have 2 bars, but soon after holding it it will go down to 3g. My wife's droid charge stays in 4g with 2 bars and her sister's og razr keeps between 2 and 3 bars in 4g. Yesterday my phone was firmly stuck in 3g, today I have 2 bars of 4g.
Crap like this makes new want to return it. What do you think? Should I wait or should I throw in a towel on this one?
Sent from my Droid RAZR M using Tapatalk.

My two cents, if the phone isn't working right for you, return it now. I wouldn't bank on a software update to fix anything.

Right after I wrote this post I read the CNET article about Motorola pissing off customers for not providing updates. Called amazon and the phone is boxed up and ready to be shipped back Monday. Don't need the headaches. I'll see how the hd is like when it comes out.
Sent from my ADR6330VW using Tapatalk 2

dandar said:
Right after I wrote this post I read the CNET article about Motorola pissing off customers for not providing updates. Called amazon and the phone is boxed up and ready to be shipped back Monday. Don't need the headaches. I'll see how the hd is like when it comes out.
Sent from my ADR6330VW using Tapatalk 2
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It will be pretty hilarious if Motorola continues to suck with updates even though it's now owned by Google.
-Sent from my Razr i on AT&T.-

I'm gonna have to talk my father into returning his, too. I get 4G reception fine on my Bionic, and his is only on 4G for a couple of minutes after a restart at best. That's just laying on the table, never mind picking it up. He doesn't seem to even care, but he paid for a 4G phone, so I have to convince him that he should be getting 4G if I am! It's a beautiful phone, but......

dandar said:
My phone can barely keep 4g at home. Usually I have 2 bars, but soon after holding it it will go down to 3g. My wife's droid charge stays in 4g with 2 bars and her sister's og razr keeps between 2 and 3 bars in 4g. Yesterday my phone was firmly stuck in 3g, today I have 2 bars of 4g.
Crap like this makes new want to return it. What do you think? Should I wait or should I throw in a towel on this one?
Sent from my Droid RAZR M using Tapatalk.
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Click to collapse
I personally don't have any issues with 4G overall on my RAZR M. My room and whole house overall don't like any cell signal since the place is from the 50's. But when I'm outside its perfect. Maybe its a flub unit. Could try getting a replacement. Wouldn't hurt.

There are a couple of threads about this in the Motorola forums. I'm really surprised about it as Motorola has more experience with radios than any other manufacturer.
https://forums.motorola.com/posts/5fb46833c0?page=3
As for the updates, I think this is more a Verizon than a Motorola issue. Verizon is even stalling Nexus updates directly from Google. Motorola continues to lose market share but it seems to me they're focusing on Verizon and not the cell phone market. Maybe that will start to change.

I have a large territory and regularly drive 1000+ miles in a week. Drove 1500+ miles last week, which was my first trip with the M. No issues with LTE signal whatsoever. Was actually rather impressed with how much LTE coverage Verizon has. First LTE phone for me. I noticed that going back and forth from LTE to 3G causes a momentary loss of data as the phone is switching between networks. Which makes sense, doesn't take long and is not an issue. But I'm not sure if it would drop your call or not. Never could confirm that was happening while on the phone.
The right hand "death grip" only affects the Wi-Fi signal. At least enough to see a difference in data speeds.

My personal opinion is that software tweaks can help it.
#1 - Most of the issues I've seen seem like the software simply giving up on 4G too quickly, not that the phone can't hold onto it "physically".
#2 - There do seem to be some attenuation issues, but it seems inconsistent depending on location / tower. So while software might not fix this, some tweaks to the algorithms could help.
#3 - The phone, while switching back to 3G at times where I didn't think it should, has never dropped data completely, and the transition between 3G/4G has been seamless and instant.
#4 - The Galaxy Nexus was acting VERY similar to this prior to 4.0.4. While 4.0.4's radios didn't resolve it 100%, it GREATLY improved the phone's ability to hold onto 4G. So software CAN help.
Maybe I'm just being idealistic (I hope not!), but given Moto's track record, I do believe software can improve this situation. Not 100%, but hopefully by a good margin.

It takes quite a bit more power for a device (your Razr M) to hold on to a poor LTE signal than it does to switch to a stronger 3G signal. So if you want better battery life then you want your phone switching to 3G when it has a very poor LTE signal. I prefer my phone behave this way as 90% of the time I don't need my phone consumer power searching for and holding a signal when I'm not using my phone. Other manufacturers sacrifice battery life by pouring more juice in to the searching and holding of LTE signals.
Compare the battery life of your Razr M to the other devices mentioned and you will see a difference.
Its about perspectives, do you need to have LTE showing when its sitting around or do you want it when you need it?

jimmydafish said:
It takes quite a bit more power for a device (your Razr M) to hold on to a poor LTE signal than it does to switch to a stronger 3G signal. So if you want better battery life then you want your phone switching to 3G when it has a very poor LTE signal. I prefer my phone behave this way as 90% of the time I don't need my phone consumer power searching for and holding a signal when I'm not using my phone. Other manufacturers sacrifice battery life by pouring more juice in to the searching and holding of LTE signals.
Compare the battery life of your Razr M to the other devices mentioned and you will see a difference.
Its about perspectives, do you need to have LTE showing when its sitting around or do you want it when you need it?
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I think you're exactly right, and mentioned that possibility in a post over on the Moto support forums. And honestly, if that's the case, great.
But for those of us in areas where LTE signals are strong, it shouldn't be switching, and even that is happening occasionally. I can understand if I go into a mall (just as a large "inside" example) and my Inc 4G is fighting the whole time just to keep that 4G/LTE in the notification bar - it's a waste of battery, and honestly the connection will probably struggle even when I do try and use it. So in that scenario, 3G would be better all the way around.
But if I'm at home, 150 yards from a tower, where LTE is extremely strong (even when I had the Thunderbolt upon it's initial release), I shouldn't pick up my phone and see 3G, and have to toggle AP mode just to get 4G back. That's happened to me a handful of times. It immediately grabs 4G with full bars and -70's on the dbm side, but doesn't seem to want to grab it back on its own.
If that's some sort of feature built into the software (i.e. inactivity > drop to 3G) then that's awesome. But the flipside isn't working quite right - where it should be switching back to 4G again.
edit: I have an Inc 4G alongside my M for comparison purposes... didn't know if I had mentioned that before in this thread or not! And for what it's worth, the battery life on both phones is extremely similar - not a noticeable difference anyway. And the Inc 4G has a 1700mah.

Well I'm coming from a thunderbork so I'm definitely not a stranger to network issues. Confirming, it (the M) has no issues holding onto 3G, right? I don't even have 4G in my area yet so I am just praying this won't be another thunderbrick (which can't even switch from wifi to data without needing a toggle)

afunyun said:
Well I'm coming from a thunderbork so I'm definitely not a stranger to network issues. Confirming, it (the M) has no issues holding onto 3G, right? I don't even have 4G in my area yet so I am just praying this won't be another thunderbrick (which can't even switch from wifi to data without needing a toggle)
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I've had no issues with data dropping, even when it switches, which has been nice. But I have great coverage, both 4g and 3g, in my area.
Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

I agree with the others who brought up the issue of battery conservation... but also remember, the RAZR M is one of the (physically) smallest LTE phones on the market. Antenna placement was tight, and it is very different from the Bionic, Photon Q, and RAZR. They cannot be compared to one another. If you look at the FCC records for the M vs the Bionic, HD, OG RAZR, etc you'll see the difference.
While I agree as well that LTE "stickiness" can be improved, I also believe it is a matter of strong signal coverage. I live in a Verizon LTE mecca, and I also have an AT&T LTE phone. In areas where I have LTE on one device, I have it on both. In areas where my AT&T device has NO signal, I drop down to 3G on the RAZR M.
All in all I am quite satisfied but as can be said with anything, there is room for improvement.
Honestly, before people go on a bender returning their phones, first, get a new SIM card. Second, turn off Smart Actions. Third, call Verizon and make sure there is in fact LTE coverage for your specific address (the coverage map means nothing). Fourth, you can ask Verizon for a signal study where a tech will come to your area and test the actual signal strength.
I can absolutely attest to the fact that when you are in a proper LTE zone, the RAZR M latches, and stays connected (even with one bar) quite well.

mk1151 said:
I can absolutely attest to the fact that when you are in a proper LTE zone, the RAZR M latches, and stays connected (even with one bar) quite well.
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until you pick the phone up and hold it in your hand?
It is good most of the time (I'm also in a LTE mecca), but it's inconsistent when compared to other LTE devices, even my Gnex on the latest radios. I love the phone, but it's annoying when it acts that way.
And yes, I've done your suggestions, and then some (less the tech... but I live within 200 yards of a tower and have/had multiple devices to test against over a long enough period of time).
The S4 chipset was supposed to handle LTE/CDMA better and more efficiently, and so far the Incredible 4G is the only device I'm seeing actually live up to that.

mk1151 said:
...Second, turn off Smart Actions..
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Why do you suggest turning off Smart Actions for 4G drops?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

scottjb said:
Why do you suggest turning off Smart Actions for 4G drops?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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Smart actions can effect how your phone uses radio power, and what processes run in the background. While I don't have any issues with Smart Actions running in the default setup, I've heard others indicate that it has impacted signal strength. It's really more of a troubleshooting step than a prescribed fix.

I'm in NYC Metro and the 4G signal is good but I do notice my phone on 3G. I decided to use an app to see if I'd get a noticeable improvement in battery life if I keep 4G off. Just used my phone normally for a couple of days but the battery life was the same.