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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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).
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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).
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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?
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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.
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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.
I purchased a Galaxy Nexus from Verizon shortly after release and I ended up returning it due to connection issues. The signal was very weak in areas where I normally have a good signal strength. This was causing some missed calls. Also, I had troubles staying connected to my wifi from the bedroom when every other wireless device I own had no such issue.
I am not overly impressed with SGS3 and I find the $399 no contract Galaxy Nexus to be very attractive. I am considering giving the GNexus another try but I don't want to go through the hassle if I am going to have the same issues.
Finally, my question is, will I have a better connection with the non-Verizon version of the phone purchased directly from Google either due to it being a different version or due to updates since I last tried it with Verizon shortly after release?
I enjoyed the phone other than the issues I mentioned above. I am currently back with AT&T and off contract since I returned the Verizon phone. Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Kirk
Well I didn't get a response here, but I ordered mine from google yesterday. Hoping for the best and will post what differences I see in case anyone is interested.
Honestly don't think the WiFi will be drastically better. They're pretty much the same, although I've never particularly had issues on my GSM model.
Hope it works out.
The GSM doesn't have cell signal issues like the Verizon one. But wifi will be the same. I've found the wifi range to match my atrix for distance from router. I ignore the bars and just read the signal dBm and its fine.
I've had my GNex for a little over a week now. At home and at work, I get great signal for GSM/3G, and Wifi is excellent, as long as it's 2.4GHz. 5GHz works, but is weaker due to higher frequencies not penetrating walls as well.
Out and about, it's a different story. MANY business that I go to will have ZERO signal indoors, and I will have to go outside to do something as simple as a Yelp check-in. GPS also falters pretty seriously. I upgraded to 4.0.4 as soon as I could. My phone is rooted, but has the stock ROM. My Captivate got a MUCH better signal than the GNex, and was about to ask if anyone knew a way to boost the signal. My battery life is phenomenal, but I would gladly sacrifice some of it to be able to get a usable signal inside a building made of something other than wood.
UPDATE: After I did a bit of research, I determined that the GNex that shipped from Google had the XXLA2 radio on it, which is odd since it's a phone that's only sold in the US. I did a bit of research and changed the radio to UGLC1. If I'm right, the European baseband won't do anything on 850MHz, but the NA Baseband will. I'll test it out and report back here. If I'm right, then shame on Google for shipping a phone with the wrong radio!
Archpope said:
I've had my GNex for a little over a week now. At home and at work, I get great signal for GSM/3G, and Wifi is excellent, as long as it's 2.4GHz. 5GHz works, but is weaker due to higher frequencies not penetrating walls as well.
Out and about, it's a different story. MANY business that I go to will have ZERO signal indoors, and I will have to go outside to do something as simple as a Yelp check-in. GPS also falters pretty seriously. I upgraded to 4.0.4 as soon as I could. My phone is rooted, but has the stock ROM. My Captivate got a MUCH better signal than the GNex, and was about to ask if anyone knew a way to boost the signal. My battery life is phenomenal, but I would gladly sacrifice some of it to be able to get a usable signal inside a building made of something other than wood.
UPDATE: After I did a bit of research, I determined that the GNex that shipped from Google had the XXLA2 radio on it, which is odd since it's a phone that's only sold in the US. I did a bit of research and changed the radio to UGLC1. If I'm right, the European baseband won't do anything on 850MHz, but the NA Baseband will. I'll test it out and report back here. If I'm right, then shame on Google for shipping a phone with the wrong radio!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know how that goes. Definitely interested!
RogerPodacter said:
The GSM doesn't have cell signal issues like the Verizon one. But wifi will be the same. I've found the wifi range to match my atrix for distance from router. I ignore the bars and just read the signal dBm and its fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually...there are quire a few threads on XDA where GSM users DO have issues
adrynalyne said:
Actually...there are quire a few threads on XDA where GSM users DO have issues
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Click to collapse
OK then it definitely doesn't seem as wide spread as the cdma one. Solid signal for me personally.
RogerPodacter said:
The GSM doesn't have cell signal issues like the Verizon one. But wifi will be the same. I've found the wifi range to match my atrix for distance from router. I ignore the bars and just read the signal dBm and its fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would you consider adequate dBm?
OK, I've had my GNex for a little while now and I can definitely say that I'm happier with GSM version. I have none of the signal issues that I had with the Verizon version. Thanks to all that replied!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
hi guys,
so i have an S3 and i LOVE it to death. i am running Task AOKP rom which makes the phone 100000 times better but even on stock TW, the phone was great. however, what i am noticing (and from doing some reading a lot of other people notice as well) is that the reception of the phone is really lacking. over the past few days, i have been doing some experimenting with my S3 and a few other phones that i have access to. almost in every single situation, the S3 reception was drastically worse than the other phones. here are a few examples:
1) yesterday me and the wife went to a friend's wedding. when we got there, i had zero reception (x on the reception bars) while my wife's iphone had 3 bars (both ATT).
2) at work, i always have 1-2 bars and not that great reception while my coworker with an HTC phone on ATT has full service.
3) at my house, i have a few areas that the phone just struggles to get even a single bar and both my wife's iphone as well as all my previous phones (galaxy s2, iphone 4, blackberry etc..) never had that issue.
this is my second S3 unit and the previous one was not that great reception wise as well. i tried every kernel and rom you can imagine and even reverted back to stock a few times just to make sure its not rom related.
at this point, i am actually considering selling the S3 and going with an HTC One X even though i prefer everything about the S3.
have you tried different modems...just a sugestion.....some people get better reception when they flash different modems
Plays2 said:
have you tried different modems...just a sugestion.....some people get better reception when they flash different modems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, tried every single one of the modems that has been released so far. at first i was sure that it is just my phone or my area but a google search shows that this is pretty known issue with the S3 which is not giving me too much hope. like i said, i LOVE the phone and love its features but this one is starting to get me down.
Are you using a protective case? I've read where some cases cause reception issues.
I am quite sure that the radio in the sgs3 is not as strong as many other phones I've had. Wifi and mobile connection are much weaker compared to other devices. I am also sure that its the hardware as no matter what modem or rom I'm running its low signal in areas where friends on the same carrier with different devices are fine. It's normally not a big deal in areas with a strong signal but in areas with a weaker signal its very noticeable when others with different hardware have a signal still.
redger725 said:
Are you using a protective case? I've read where some cases cause reception issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no case. i even tried it without the back cover and the results were the same
blue265 said:
I am quite sure that the radio in the sgs3 is not as strong as many other phones I've had. Wifi and mobile connection are much weaker compared to other devices. I am also sure that its the hardware as no matter what modem or rom I'm running its low signal in areas where friends on the same carrier with different devices are fine. It's normally not a big deal in areas with a strong signal but in areas with a weaker signal its very noticeable when others with different hardware have a signal still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, that's what most posts are saying in random forums. if it is a hardware issue, no modem in the world will make it better. i also agree that it is not a big deal in areas with strong signal but yesterday i had zero service which meant no incoming or outgoing calls for 3-4 hours while my wife had no issues with her iPhone (made me look really bad especially after all the **** i give her about owning an iPhone )
Its weird because in places other people dont have reception (they have iphones and other android phones), such as elevators, basements, in sky scrapers, i have reception and they don't. Maybe the network i'm running on (rogers) is well implanted in the city but i honestly have not noticed any worse reception in my GS3 compared to my other phones like the GS2 or iPhone 4
I switched from an iPhone 4 and I have actually got better reception and call quality with my S3 than I ever did with my iPhone. I am on ATT too.
Have you tried disabling LTE to see if you can force it to HSPA?
also have you tried a new sim just for good measure?
I haven't had much issues with respects to service when comparing it to my Nokia Lumia 900 and iPhone 4
Drew
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I get better reception that my old iPhone 4 and my infuse... areas where I use to drop calls don't anymore. Example: an area up north where I go shoot firearms, I would lose service about 1 mile before heading up the mountain road, now, I have service the entire time except for about a mile up when I go between a sub station and a dam, but once I pass it, I'm good to go. Many parts of i5 I would drop service, now there is only 1 part where service gets spotty and I may drop the call. Several other places that I learned drop calls no longer do for me since getting the s3... not sure why our experiences are different, maybe you had bad luck and received 2 defective devices. I'm in California btw, splitting my time between sf bay area, Sacramento and Redding.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Yeah I can't wait to ditch my S3, looking to get a S4 when it comes out.
cheetablaze said:
Yeah I can't wait to ditch my S3, looking to get a S4 when it comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this to lol:thumbup:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
I get great reception as far as I can tell. At my friend's house, his iPhone gets awful, call-droppingly bad reception and I have no issues. Both AT&T.
*#*#4636#*#*
put that in your dialpad and than go to phone options and btu it to gsm/lte preffered. if you were like me the setting should be on wcdma originally in which case i had horrible reception like you
I notice no issues with stock.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
I'm pretty annoyed by the lack of OEM accessories that we were promised.
Also annoyed that JB hasn't been officially released yet by the four major USA carriers.
But I'll be darned if there is anything better to switch to.
Phone OR manufacturer. We complain a lot, but Samsung and the Galaxy series have always been the Android leaders.
I get great reception. Full 4g lte coverage in my area. S3 is a great device. No regrets. Best phone out there by far.
I am getting signal and "0" call drops when in lift too and in car parking lots... where all my previous phones used to drop signal crazy!!!
I get great reception. ATT, Miami. My old iPhone's couldn't compete.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Rattles said:
hi guys,
so i have an S3 and i LOVE it to death. i am running Task AOKP rom which makes the phone 100000 times better but even on stock TW, the phone was great. however, what i am noticing (and from doing some reading a lot of other people notice as well) is that the reception of the phone is really lacking. over the past few days, i have been doing some experimenting with my S3 and a few other phones that i have access to. almost in every single situation, the S3 reception was drastically worse than the other phones. here are a few examples:
1) yesterday me and the wife went to a friend's wedding. when we got there, i had zero reception (x on the reception bars) while my wife's iphone had 3 bars (both ATT).
2) at work, i always have 1-2 bars and not that great reception while my coworker with an HTC phone on ATT has full service.
3) at my house, i have a few areas that the phone just struggles to get even a single bar and both my wife's iphone as well as all my previous phones (galaxy s2, iphone 4, blackberry etc..) never had that issue.
this is my second S3 unit and the previous one was not that great reception wise as well. i tried every kernel and rom you can imagine and even reverted back to stock a few times just to make sure its not rom related.
at this point, i am actually considering selling the S3 and going with an HTC One X even though i prefer everything about the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it in San Antonio, tx
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Hi all, I recently just upgraded from the HTC Rezound to the One M8. Overall I like the phone but as far as signal strength goes, it seems like a downgrade from the Rezound. My phone is stock and has the latest updates. I even did a factory reset after the last one. I troubleshooted with tech support and they recommended I return the phone. I went to Verizon the other day and got a new SIM card. The sales person told me that the Rezound's back case was pretty much one giant antenna and that's why my M8 seems like it doesn't get as good of service. I'm used to 3-4 bars of 4G inside my house now I get 1-3 bars of 3G with the occasional 1-2 bars of 4G inside. Is there anything I can do to improve this or is this just how it's going to be?
Unfortunately, the only thing I can recommend for you is to mess around with the APN settings, which should be just fine since it was sold straight from Verizon. Some phones get better reception than others. In my experience, my unlocked M8 is getting MUCH better reception than my G2, but I'm on AT&T.
The number of bars don't mean anything. Literally, there is no standard to what they symbolize. And while you would think that HTC has kept it (what the number of bars symbolizes) somewhat constant between the 2 phones, there is no guarantee of that. Much better to look at Settings>About>Network, and look at Signal Strength in dBm. The larger the value, the better the signal. Keeping in mind the value is negative, so a "larger" value actually means a smaller absolute value (drop the negative). -80s to -90s is decent signal. -110s is call-dropping bad.
Assuming you really do have poorer signal on the M8, if you are not on the latest software version, you might update (as updates typically include new radio software) but the difference will probably be minor at best. Or you can s-off and try an older radio. But it might mess up other things to do so (and again, I wouldn't expect a huge improvement, if any). And you can only flash a Verizon radio (GSM radios are not compatible with the Verizon version). Plus these types of mods void your warranty, and I'm not sure you want to go there or not.