How to Increase Signal in my Apartment? - Epic 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I recently moved in to a new apartment for college and unfortunately my signal is very poor while inside the building.
This is really the only place on campus that I don't get great signal unless I get close to the window and pray that my phone decides to connect.
I've briefly looked into possible solutions but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions/opinions on what I should/ could do.
I briefly looked into the Sprint AIRAVE, which I should be able to get. However, unless I can get it for free then I really don't see it as a viable solution, especially since my contract is up soon and I can just move to another carrier.
At this point I see my options being:
1. Get the AIRAVE.
2. Purchase a 3RD party signal booster (If cheaper than Sprint one).
3. Come up with some kind of DIY solution
4. Change some things on my phone in the hope that it improves.
5. Switch to another carrier.
What do you guys suggest doing/ think is the best option?
Are there ay other options I've missed?
Current Setup on my Epic 4g:
Rom: CM9 STABLE build from 8/10
Kernal: Shadow v0.6.3.3
PRL: FC09

I suggest option #1: Call Sprint and throw a fit, and have them provide you an airave

You may be better off with option 5.
The Airave is more of a cop-out solution for Sprint and their craptastic network. However, if it works for you then by all means go with it.
I've been with them for over 10 years now and haven't seen much network improvement in my city in the last 5 years. There are big patches of dead and weak signal spots all over. Hell, I can step outside my office building and find a dead spot in one 5 foot span, then move out of that span and be in a 3-signal strength spot.
I'm waiting a bit longer to see if their network will improve in my area. Otherwise, I will most likely jump carriers.

nikon120 said:
You may be better off with option 5.
The Airave is more of a cop-out solution for Sprint and their craptastic network. However, if it works for you then by all means go with it.
I've been with them for over 10 years now and haven't seen much network improvement in my city in the last 5 years. There are big patches of dead and weak signal spots all over. Hell, I can step outside my office building and find a dead spot in one 5 foot span, then move out of that span and be in a 3-signal strength spot.
I'm waiting a bit longer to see if their network will improve in my area. Otherwise, I will most likely jump carriers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My family has used them for about 10 years total, with a brief break when we lived in england. I've never really had any problems with getting signal where I needed it before now. But yeah, at this point they better make a good offer if they want me to stay with them.

So I called sprint, they wanted me to go through some troubleshooting stuff and ended up asking me if I was rooted.
I had a bunch of back and forth with him and he claimed that being rooted/not on stock caused my phone to show no "vital signs" and that even if I am using the proper PRL it doesn't matter. Everything he said sounded like a bunch of policy stuff and he never gave a clear explanation of why it mattered if I am rooted. Anyways he said I could restore to stock/factory settings and then he would call me back latter and we would troubleshoot stuff.
I am going to be doing the flowing:
1. Backup everything
2. Odin back to stock (non-rooted + update)
3. Go through the troubleshooting, even though I know it won't make a difference.
4. Hopefully get the AIRAVE for free.
5. Go back to my current setup.
I've also noticed that turning 4G on may actually make a difference in signal (Since there is 4G in atlanta).
Does anyone have in thoughts about this?
Am I wrong in saying that being rooted has NO effect on connectivity?

GuidingArrow said:
So I called sprint, they wanted me to go through some troubleshooting stuff and ended up asking me if I was rooted.
I had a bunch of back and forth with him and he claimed that being rooted/not on stock caused my phone to show no "vital signs" and that even if I am using the proper PRL it doesn't matter. Everything he said sounded like a bunch of policy stuff and he never gave a clear explanation of why it mattered if I am rooted. Anyways he said I could restore to stock/factory settings and then he would call me back latter and we would troubleshoot stuff.
I am going to be doing the flowing:
1. Backup everything
2. Odin back to stock (non-rooted + update)
3. Go through the troubleshooting, even though I know it won't make a difference.
4. Hopefully get the AIRAVE for free.
5. Go back to my current setup.
I've also noticed that turning 4G on may actually make a difference in signal (Since there is 4G in atlanta).
Does anyone have in thoughts about this?
Am I wrong in saying that being rooted has NO effect on connectivity?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do anything with Sprint that involves troubleshooting, you should be on 100% stock. Also, never admit to rooting, even though there is that PDF from internal Sprint mail around these forums saying it's basically okay for customers to be rooted. It's way easier to just get back on stock and step through troubleshooting, than dealing with a script following CSR on the matter.
It takes an experienced flasher all of 3 minutes to get from stock back to previous setup or a new custom setup. So not a big deal.
Turning on 4G is an entirely different radio; hence you would have differing signal strengths from 4G to 3G.

GuidingArrow said:
I recently moved in to a new apartment for college and unfortunately my signal is very poor while inside the building.
This is really the only place on campus that I don't get great signal unless I get close to the window and pray that my phone decides to connect.
I've briefly looked into possible solutions but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions/opinions on what I should/ could do.
I briefly looked into the Sprint AIRAVE, which I should be able to get. However, unless I can get it for free then I really don't see it as a viable solution, especially since my contract is up soon and I can just move to another carrier.
At this point I see my options being:
1. Get the AIRAVE.
2. Purchase a 3RD party signal booster (If cheaper than Sprint one).
3. Come up with some kind of DIY solution
4. Change some things on my phone in the hope that it improves.
5. Switch to another carrier.
What do you guys suggest doing/ think is the best option?
Are there ay other options I've missed?
Current Setup on my Epic 4g:
Rom: CM9 STABLE build from 8/10
Kernal: Shadow v0.6.3.3
PRL: FC09
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe try the nexus modem and see if that improves signal. Some people say it has and got rid of dropped calls. Samsung is notorious for making awful modems, but Google made the Nexus one, so it is better for me and most people who have tried it.

I know really shouldn't have admitted to being rooted but I think I kind of wanted to argue with him about it, just to see what kind of reasoning they give.
And yeah, flashing back to my previous setup shouldn't be too hard. I already know for a fact that going to stock won't solve the problem,
I'm still testing the 4G thing since I can't really confirm if it is actually boosting the signal or not.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
@xboxfanj: I thought about trying that the other day. I have to be on a CM7 rom to use it, correct?

GuidingArrow said:
I know really shouldn't have admitted to being rooted but I think I kind of wanted to argue with him about it, just to see what kind of reasoning they give.
And yeah, flashing back to my previous setup shouldn't be too hard. I already know for a fact that going to stock won't solve the problem,
I'm still testing the 4G thing since I can't really confirm if it is actually boosting the signal or not.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
@xboxfanj: I thought about trying that the other day. I have to be on a CM7 rom to use it, correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now there is a patch for CM10 as well. Nothing yet on stock or CM9.

Yeah I noticed that. I tried switching to PA1.99 and using the nexus modem but it didn't have any kind of effect in my apartment.
So I odined back to stock fc09.
The Sprint rep called me back, I told him it didn't have an effect (because it didn't).
He agreed to send me the AIRAVE at no charge so I should hopefully have it in a week or so.
After I get it all setup I'll update this thread with details as to whether or not it actually solves the problem.
Now time to root my phone again...

xboxfanj said:
Now there is a patch for CM10 as well. Nothing yet on stock or CM9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Waiting for someone to do a TW stock patch!
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium

kennyglass123 said:
Waiting for someone to do a TW stock patch!
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am dying for the cm9 patch!! So far aokp has given me my best setup (sorry KG, TPR is a very close 2nd!).
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

kennyglass123 said:
Waiting for someone to do a TW stock patch!
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully it'll be compatible with the touchwiz framework. Does anyone know where I can find the mtd tw device source?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

Received the AIRAVE today. Took a little bit of fiddling to get it setup right.
I now get pretty consistent signal, generally 5 full bars, throughout my apartment.
My only real complaint is that it decreases my internet download speed from over 100Mb/s to around 40Mb/s.
The decrease is unavoidable since I have to use the AIRAVE router functionality in order to have it and my computer hooked up.
However it did seem to increase my upload speed by about 5Mb/s once I increased the limit it had set by default.
It also seems to causes me to receive texts twice but that may have just been a one off thing.
Overall it has solved the issue and since it was free I can't really complain.

The double text is an occasional thing and probably will never happen again. I hooked my airave to my router instead of the modem as suggested and it works just fine and does not interfere with my throughputs.

kennyglass123 said:
I hooked my airave to my router instead of the modem as suggested and it works just fine and does not interfere with my throughputs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is how I have mine set up and it works perfect.

Mine is setup so that the AIRAVE connects to the wall and then to my laptop (it's probably hooked to a router/modem somewhere but it's dorm internet so I have no control over that).
It would probably be faster if I hooked it through a separate router but I don't really want to spend the money on one, and would need a pretty decent one since my school has one of the top 10 fastest internet connections in the country (if I had to guess number 3, behind the pentagon and google fiber).

Related

1x/3g

Not sure when and with what ROM this started happening but my signal drops to 1x really frequently. 3G is always going in and out. Any ideas or fixes? Has this been discussed somewhere before? On train ride in to work so haven't searched threads yet! I flashed synergy a few days ago coming from mikg and before that gingerale..and before that cyanogen! It seems like I've had the problem since moving back to sense from cyanogen about a month/month and a half ago.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Where are you located? Have you had speed related issues?
Sprint has been having issues related to the overloading of towers with the excessive growth of data usage [with the boom of the Evo]
Towers are set to send some phones to 1x when 3g usage is high in order to alleviate speed issues for all.
That could explain your issues.
mattykinsx said:
Where are you located? Have you had speed related issues?
Sprint has been having issues related to the overloading of towers with the excessive growth of data usage [with the boom of the Evo]
Towers are set to send some phones to 1x when 3g usage is high in order to alleviate speed issues for all.
That could explain your issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in the northwest suburbs outside of downtown Chicago. I work and commute to the city and I experience it the whole ride to and from home. I will be sitting at my desk and randomly go from full 3G to 1x. At home in the suburbs, my signal is terrible in my house already but I do get dropped to 1x as well. Don't really notice any speed changes besides the normal slowdowns from what I am assuming is the congestion.
That sounds like a horrible way to fix their congestion issues! Is this something they just started doing? Like I said in the first post, everything functioned perfect up until a month or two ago. Also, would they apply that to an area as big as Chicago out the suburbs?
ripalsanghani said:
I live in the northwest suburbs outside of downtown Chicago. I work and commute to the city and I experience it the whole ride to and from home. I will be sitting at my desk and randomly go from full 3G to 1x. At home in the suburbs, my signal is terrible in my house already but I do get dropped to 1x as well. Don't really notice any speed changes besides the normal slowdowns from what I am assuming is the congestion.
That sounds like a horrible way to fix their congestion issues! Is this something they just started doing? Like I said in the first post, everything functioned perfect up until a month or two ago.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a fix, it's just a way to alleviate some congestion while they work on redoing the towers.
I'm not saying this is what's happening to you but it's likely.
You can try to have the phone reactivate itself. [If I recall correctly that function is in ##yourmsl#]
You can get your MSL here.
You can also try to update your PRL and then Data profile.
Same thing here. I've complained to Sprint several times so now they want me to bring my phone in to be checked so I need to unroot. Ugh
mattykinsx said:
It's not a fix, it's just a way to alleviate some congestion while they work on redoing the towers.
I'm not saying this is what's happening to you but it's likely.
You can try to have the phone reactivate itself. [If I recall correctly that function is in ##yourmsl#]
You can get your MSL here.
You can also try to update your PRL and then Data profile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I will give it a shot. I did update my PRL and profile in that order but didn't seem to help. If nothing helps maybe I'll have to get this bad boy replaced or something.
ripalsanghani said:
Thanks for the info. I will give it a shot. I did update my PRL and profile in that order but didn't seem to help. If nothing helps maybe I'll have to get this bad boy replaced or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also, and before you ask there is no logical reasoning for this and even the very knowledgeable technician that recommended it hasn't figured out why it would do anything, you can try going to ##3282# and clicking "view" and then clicking on EVDO and then backing out and trying the internet.
They don't know why that would do anything and no it doesn't make any sense...but that's exactly why I refuse to go into anything related to working on computers...for being logical they aren't logical...at all.
By the way, doesn't hurt to keep your radios updated.
Best of luck.
mattykinsx said:
Also, and before you ask there is no logical reasoning for this and even the very knowledgeable technician that recommended it hasn't figured out why it would do anything, you can try going to ##3282# and clicking "view" and then clicking on EVDO and then backing out and trying the internet.
They don't know why that would do anything and no it doesn't make any sense...but that's exactly why I refuse to go into anything related to working on computers...for being logical they aren't logical...at all.
By the way, doesn't hurt to keep your radios updated.
Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, I am actually in IT so I know exactly what you mean. I will try that out as well. And my radios were updated and I was actually considering rolling back to see if that caused any issues for me.
Let me correct myself, sorry I never run Sense, it's ##786# then you hit menu and hit reset.
You need to have your MSL. Also, please note that this will erase your /data and you will lose all personal information.
Furthermore, be sure to cancel when it tries to do a check for firmware update.
This honestly may be more trouble than it worth though.
Thanks, yeah I found the reset option in another thread. I reset, hit the prl update, cancelled the firmware check and will run this around town for the day see if I get 1x. I'll post back here later today. thanks again for the help!
Well used for most of the day and so far so good. Saw it go down 1x once on train compared to everytime I unlocked the phone. Let's hope this isn't temporary . Ill post again after the weekend to test around the suburbs and state to state during a trip to toronto. Thanks again!
Oh and speed still sucks but that's a sprint issue obviously.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
ripalsanghani said:
Oh and speed still sucks but that's a sprint issue obviously.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it is.
ripalsanghani said:
Not sure when and with what ROM this started happening but my signal drops to 1x really frequently. 3G is always going in and out. Any ideas or fixes? Has this been discussed somewhere before? On train ride in to work so haven't searched threads yet! I flashed synergy a few days ago coming from mikg and before that gingerale..and before that cyanogen! It seems like I've had the problem since moving back to sense from cyanogen about a month/month and a half ago.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem a month ago. It's the phone. I tried many different combination of radios and roms but no help. Ended up exchanging it. When you bring in the phone just use the android browser to load a heavy graphic webpage which should take forever in 1x mode.

LOS update -- new development

I am currently tethering over a 4g connection, and my internet is working fine, BUT I have a complete LOS for the cell signal. I think this could be a very important fact because we should be able to know some things by the fact that WiMax is working while the cell signal is altogether lost.
Hopefully, with this info, a solution is a little closer at hand.
Ok...when people say LOS do they mean Loss Of Service? Or Loss Of Signal?
Because if its the latter, that sht aint that bad. But if its the former...I'm glad I don't have it.
ms79723 said:
Ok...when people say LOS do they mean Loss Of Service? Or Loss Of Signal?
Because if its the latter, that sht aint that bad. But if its the former...I'm glad I don't have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is bad. People that get it have to reboot phone for it to come back and it kills battery life. Nit to mention missed calls and texts. It is a complete loss of service.
Sent From My Evo Killer!!!
Its 2 separate radios..
I had pandora going over 4g earlier for hours...but lost signal with a crossed out circle after about an hour. Pandora kept going but u couldn't make a phone call, ths.falls in line with the other poster. Im running eg30plus over latest 2.1 midnight.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
As WhiteWidows stated, it's 2 different radios. The LOS people have posted over and over about is the ability to make/receive calls (which is what the OP posted about). The Wimax radio (4G) doesn't transmit phone calls. That's why you can do data on 4G and still make a call at the same time.
.....
Hi guys, this is one of my first posts but I've been a long time reader coming from the Evo 4G forums. I'm rooter using Zedomax v3 and experienced multiple LOS as well.
Last night I tried limiting the clock speed to 1ghz and setting the min at 400mhz. Strangly I now get slightly better reception and never had a LOS yet. Will continue to test out this theory and see if it's clock speed related.
I came about testing this since I ran mine at 1.6 for a while and not only would I get more LOS occurances, I would also get phone freezes lol. I tether and stream music a lot so wanted to keep it slightly underclocked to keep the temps down. Hope this helps as a temporary band aid for the LOS bug
It definitely makes sense that the two radios are separate...the point of my post was just to offer some more information to help figure out a fix.
If one radio fails while the other stays working, do we know that the problem is phone-related? Many posters have speculated that the issue may be on Sprint's end, so I wasn't sure if this info did anything to challenge or support that theory. Maybe it does nothing, though -- just throwing it out there!
Someone posted a log cat of a LOS. There's still some coding in the radio files that thinks there is a sim card. Says sim disconnected and result radio off
sent from my DAMN ET4G!!!!
Hopefully a solution is found soon, I've seen similar issues posted on various android forums. Androidforums, Sprint community and here. Wish I waited a bit to hear more user experiences....
Success100 said:
Someone posted a log cat of a LOS. There's still some coding in the radio files that thinks there is a sim card. Says sim disconnected and result radio off
sent from my DAMN ET4G!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone tried editing the build prop to manually change the preferred network from wcdma to CDMA auto? Maybe that'd fix that issue
I have been on my current SGS2 stock out of the box for over a week now and have not had any LOS issues, or missing texts, or data not working, or missing phone calls, etc.....
I have been using wi-fi, 4G, 3G, have an Airaive, went to an area where there is no Sprint service and phone roamed fine and then went back to Sprint service when available.
I have been unable to replicate the LOS issue on my current phone through all possible ways of using it.
My first SGS2 was also fine until I rooted it which then gave me an LOS within 12 hours of doing so.
If someone has a another sure way to get an LOS, I am willing to try it on my stock, never rooted phone but I don't think there are any other situations I can try that I haven't already......
Time.I have went 3 days without a los then 2 in same day.It is all random

Verizon LTE just quit. Can anyone help diagnose?

Hey everyone...Yesterday, on my stock, 4.0.4 GNex, I noticed I was getting terrible 3G speeds, and no 4G data whatsoever (even though the 4G signal existed). I thought maybe there was a temporary outage, but no dice...VZW support said there were no issues. Today, the issues still remain, and I have no idea what the problem could be. I took some screen shots, so if anyone could offer some advice, I'd really appreciate it. I'd love to try and resolve this myself instead of bringing it to some of the inept VZW techs at the local store. I'm located in Western NY and there is normally a great 4G signal here.
I can post screenshots once I am allowed since I'm a newbie here.
THANKS!
EDIT: I should add, I've experienced the 4G dropping to 3G for a while, and I know this is an ongoing issue with GNex users, but this is completely different.
rms2219 said:
Hey everyone...Yesterday, on my stock, 4.0.4 GNex, I noticed I was getting terrible 3G speeds, and no 4G data whatsoever (even though the 4G signal existed). I thought maybe there was a temporary outage, but no dice...VZW support said there were no issues. Today, the issues still remain, and I have no idea what the problem could be. I took some screen shots, so if anyone could offer some advice, I'd really appreciate it. I'd love to try and resolve this myself instead of bringing it to some of the inept VZW techs at the local store. I'm located in Western NY and there is normally a great 4G signal here.
I can post screenshots once I am allowed since I'm a newbie here.
THANKS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another case, same awnser, considering what you said, the device is running the latest official release, and it seems 4g never works at all: return it and get a new one, probably has a bad radio.
If we can get a NYC vzw user as yourself who doesnt have the issues you're describing, i think that would kill it as faulty hardware.
Sent from my i9250
bk201doesntexist said:
...and it seems 4g never works at all: return it and get a new one, probably has a bad radio.
If we can get a NYC vzw user as yourself who doesnt have the issues you're describing, i think that would kill it as faulty hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meaning the radio just went bad? I've had this since launch day and never experienced a problem until yesterday. Also, I'm far from NYC, so if anyone in Western NY (Rochester/Buffalo area) has the same issue, let me know please.
Well, you said you have a stock phone and it doesn't sound like yourself have made any changes to cause this. So, what is it that you want to do? Flash the radio firmware? Root the phone and try different ROMs? Go through all this so in the end you take it to the store anyway? If your description of the problem is accurate, then it does sound like you have a hardware issue. Just take it in and deal with the inept VZW techs.
netbuzz said:
Well, you said you have a stock phone and it doesn't sound like yourself have made any changes to cause this. So, what is it that you want to do? Flash the radio firmware? Root the phone and try different ROMs? Go through all this so in the end you take it to the store anyway? If your description of the problem is accurate, then it does sound like you have a hardware issue. Just take it in and deal with the inept VZW techs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I didn't want to do any of the things you listed. I was asking if anyone here could help me diagnose the problem, in other words, see if there's any way to prove it's a hardware issue. I wasn't sure if there were any applications I could get to run diagnostics checks.
rms2219 said:
Meaning the radio just went bad?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you never experienced these issues before, yes.
I would eliminate a few things (simcard, check another 4g capable phone, side by side, see if it works fine) first and do some testing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
It ended up being the SIM card. They replaced it, and instantly the 4G worked again.
Galaxy S3 in midtown NYC and I've been having the same issue for the last day and a half....
bk201doesntexist said:
If you never experienced these issues before, yes.
I would eliminate a few things (simcard, check another 4g capable phone, side by side, see if it works fine) first and do some testing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Defective Radio?

I have been having a lot of problems with my new honey, namely in the signal department! I went through a whole thing with it right after activation...it worked, then didn't, then did...etc. A chat session, phone call, & 2 trip to the actual store (all in 1 day!) resulted in them doing a factory reset and sending me on my looney way. It seemed to have helped, for about a day and a half. Now it is dropping signal again! It seems to do so, sometimes, when I have the wifi on. But then sometimes not (I'm not sure if wifi is culprit or coincidence.)
The ATT store employees said I may have changed a setting (I'm sure I didn't as I don't know of any setting that would even cause that!) and also "explained" my signal will naturally fluctuate...(They think I am an idiot, obviously and of course the phone was working fine when I was there...duh!) They also gave me a new sim card.
I *really* want to love this phone! But I'm finding it frustratingly undependable. Texts won't send when I need them to. I'm not getting them either, always. Voice is hit or miss when it drops (sometimes it works, sometimes not.) I have ALSO noticed the signal is not as strong as my old beloved Cappy. That thing was a horse (and I'm thinking of going back to it if this new one doesn't wise up!) Seriously, $300 bucks for a brand new phone & it can't keep a proper signal?
Is it the radio? Is it the software (still 100% stock, unrooted)? Should I make them give me a new one? What if it doesn't work, either? Flashing it to fix the issue is fine for me, but I've been holding out for multi-view before I get flash-crazy. lol Not to mention I may have to return it so better to not mess with it [yet]. I'm very frustrated & tired of getting looked upon like I'm the typical woman idiot who is not as smart as her new smartphone!!! I am NOT imagining it!!!
k.babymamma said:
I have been having a lot of problems with my new honey, namely in the signal department! I went through a whole thing with it right after activation...it worked, then didn't, then did...etc. A chat session, phone call, & 2 trip to the actual store (all in 1 day!) resulted in them doing a factory reset and sending me on my looney way. It seemed to have helped, for about a day and a half. Now it is dropping signal again! It seems to do so, sometimes, when I have the wifi on. But then sometimes not (I'm not sure if wifi is culprit or coincidence.)
The ATT store employees said I may have changed a setting (I'm sure I didn't as I don't know of any setting that would even cause that!) and also "explained" my signal will naturally fluctuate...(They think I am an idiot, obviously and of course the phone was working fine when I was there...duh!) They also gave me a new sim card.
I *really* want to love this phone! But I'm finding it frustratingly undependable. Texts won't send when I need them to. I'm not getting them either, always. Voice is hit or miss when it drops (sometimes it works, sometimes not.) I have ALSO noticed the signal is not as strong as my old beloved Cappy. That thing was a horse (and I'm thinking of going back to it if this new one doesn't wise up!) Seriously, $300 bucks for a brand new phone & it can't keep a proper signal?
Is it the radio? Is it the software (still 100% stock, unrooted)? Should I make them give me a new one? What if it doesn't work, either? Flashing it to fix the issue is fine for me, but I've been holding out for multi-view before I get flash-crazy. lol Not to mention I may have to return it so better to not mess with it [yet]. I'm very frustrated & tired of getting looked upon like I'm the typical woman idiot who is not as smart as her new smartphone!!! I am NOT imagining it!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would definitely take it back and make them give you a new one.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
Sounds like your antennae is shorting out or something like it wasn't soldered properly or the cable isn't secure. Would explain why WiFi affects it. I'd go there and demand a replacement and if they don't wanna budge your within 30 day no questions return. Then go to a diff store and get a new one. I really don't see it being a software issue.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
cjsspape said:
Sounds like your antennae is shorting out or something like it wasn't soldered properly or the cable isn't secure. Would explain why WiFi affects it. I'd go there and demand a replacement and if they don't wanna budge your within 30 day no questions return. Then go to a diff store and get a new one. I really don't see it being a software issue.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible that whatever the problem was, it miraculously resolved itself? I had it drop signal two more times since this post, then nothing since. It's been working perfectly. I hate to keep it if it might arise again but I hate to return it if it was some weird fluke thing.
This may or may not be related to the above problem: has anyone noticed their reception is not as good as on a previous device? I had a Cappy and it always got great signal. I noticed this one is not as strong in the same places I previously visited with my old phone. Although admittedly, it seems to be improving. Does that even make sense or is even possible? Just like me, my phone has to be the goofball of the bunch!
k.babymamma said:
Is it possible that whatever the problem was, it miraculously resolved itself? I had it drop signal two more times since this post, then nothing since. It's been working perfectly. I hate to keep it if it might arise again but I hate to return it if it was some weird fluke thing.
This may or may not be related to the above problem: has anyone noticed their reception is not as good as on a previous device? I had a Cappy and it always got great signal. I noticed this one is not as strong in the same places I previously visited with my old phone. Although admittedly, it seems to be improving. Does that even make sense or is even possible? Just like me, my phone has to be the goofball of the bunch!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha I'm glad its working better but I still think it may be hardware related. I get better signal now with this device then my sIII or my note before it. Have ya done anything to your phone at all? Root mod etc?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
cjsspape said:
Haha I'm glad its working better but I still think it may be hardware related. I get better signal now with this device then my sIII or my note before it. Have ya done anything to your phone at all? Root mod etc?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. I've done nothing because I'm having this returning debate. lol I'm itching to though!
This is classic "my car doesn't work so take it to the garage then it works fine and they will make fun of you" If I do return it what do I say? It is documented about my "troubles" as per the ATT phone rep. Though if I can't reproduce the problem they're just going to send me on my way, I'm afraid.
k.babymamma said:
Nope. I've done nothing because I'm having this returning debate. lol I'm itching to though!
This is classic "my car doesn't work so take it to the garage then it works fine and they will make fun of you" If I do return it what do I say? It is documented about my "troubles" as per the ATT phone rep. Though if I can't reproduce the problem they're just going to send me on my way, I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With enough "negotiating" they'll take it back haha. Plus are you still within your no ask return window? Just explain how its sporatic but annoying to the point its not functional for reliable use and they should do something within their power to help ya out
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k.babymamma said:
Nope. I've done nothing because I'm having this returning debate. lol I'm itching to though!
This is classic "my car doesn't work so take it to the garage then it works fine and they will make fun of you" If I do return it what do I say? It is documented about my "troubles" as per the ATT phone rep. Though if I can't reproduce the problem they're just going to send me on my way, I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You spent enough money on the device, you should be absolutely happy with it, not apprehensive. If you wait past the return date, it's going to sit in the pit of your stomach for 20 months and ruin your enjoyment of it until you can upgrade again. Not worth it. Smile your brightest smile, walk into the store, very nicely tell them that you've had multiple issues and the AT&T phone reps said to go in and ask for an exchange. That's it. They're going to count on you being intimidated and going away. Smile, be nice, and don't be intimidated.
If they say you have to reproduce the problem, invite them to spend the day with you. The Note 2 is amazing and you shouldn't settle if you believe your hardware is having problems.
UserNamer said:
You spent enough money on the device, you should be absolutely happy with it, not apprehensive. If you wait past the return date, it's going to sit in the pit of your stomach for 20 months and ruin your enjoyment of it until you can upgrade again. Not worth it. Smile your brightest smile, walk into the store, very nicely tell them that you've had multiple issues and the AT&T phone reps said to go in and ask for an exchange. That's it. They're going to count on you being intimidated and going away. Smile, be nice, and don't be intimidated.
If they say you have to reproduce the problem, invite them to spend the day with you. The Note 2 is amazing and you shouldn't settle if you believe your hardware is having problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. I have decided to take it in later today, as my 14 days is up on Friday. I hope they have stock of them. Anyhow...I have another question. If a phone is sitting still with no movement (and the weather is good, lol) will there be variations in signal strength? I get 3 bars with 4G showing, then it drops to one tiny bar. Sometimes the 4G disappears then reappears. The it will go back up to 4 bars. All in the course 5 minutes! I do realize signal will vary with movement but will it if your phone is just sitting there?
I am trying to experiment a little. I just realized/remembered that I had (uneventfully) dropped my phone (not hard, in-case) about the same time as my dropped signal problem pretty much resolved itself. So then I was like, hmm, maybe there IS something loose inside. I've tried gently shaking/jarring it here on my desk, coincidentally with the bars dropping back to just 1 as a result. But then again it may be coincidental as they are seeming to waiver A LOT. I just wondered if it is normal.
I never really stared at my old phone (Galaxy1) here at my desk but I'm almost positive it always had more than 1 bar at this same location and I never noticed it waiver like this one. But like I said I never had to make myself stare at it to check, either! lol Just wondering if someone knows a little more about cellphone signal 101 than me.
I have the issue of no 4G HSPA+ but I can get a strong LTE signal when in an LTE reception area. I'm wondering if you are in an LTE area and can get LTE? Where are you located?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
I have noticed problems with my GN2 as well. Mine shows I have signal but my data stalls or doesn't seem to work as it should. I'm in an area where there shouldn't be any problems. Only seems to happen in non LTE areas. Whenever I have LTE signal this thing is blazing fast.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Update: Took the phone in. Basically, they had never heard of the issue with this phone. But...I walked away with a replacement. So far so good though I've had it only a few hours. The girl was very nice & explained even though I was borderline limit she would take care of me. I told her I received it Fri the 9th but she said they were basing the 14 days on the 7th! I said I didn't physically have it till the 9th! Jeeze. Moot point since she was going to take care of it anyhow but it just concerned me how (corporate) att could chop 2 days of my in-store return time!
So no, I'm not in LTE land, unfortunately. 3g H+ & E only though I can't complain about the coverage or speed. Good enough for me 4 sure.
The signal bars waivered quite a bit even while in the store. They said while some fluctuation is normal it shouldn't be as much as it was doing especially with the close proximity of the tower & good weather and especially while just sitting on the counter.
I downloaded the free app "No Signal Alert" from the Play Store. In just a few hours it recorded lost signal 4 times! (In a very good coverage area) [my first phone b4 the exchange] Consider using it if you want to see if you are losing signal like I was. Handy app!
Hopefully this is a good one. I know it sounds goofy but this phone seems to even move faster than the other. Weird. It will be interesting to hear if anyone else is having this problem. Maybe there was a bad batch of them or something? Like the Nexus I read about & their signal problems.
Sent from my awesome gn2 jesusphone using xda app-developers app
Haha im glad that they helped ya! No its not goofy or silly to think that one phones faster then another because no two phones are alike. The silicone chips are very different and performance can very greatly. I had an s3 that wouldnt take custom kernels to save its life but I got it replaced after a two year old and a toilet incident haha and that one took even the most abusive settings in stride!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda premium
I have a similar situation with mine. LTE will be working fine but then I notice that once I connect to my home wifi and then either leave my wifi range or turn off wifi the LTE icon will show in the status bar and it will show that it's sending and receiving data but Web pages will stall and never load, Play Store will timeout, and SpeedTest.net will start up but the needle will freeze about 1/8 of the way up indefinitely. I've toggled data at this point but it never fixes it, I have to restart the phone at which point LTE works perfectly but once I get back on my wifi the cycle will repeat, this has happened reliably for about the past week.
Do you all think I have a defective radio or am I missing something? I'm still within my return Window and will probably swap it Friday.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
williamsjscott said:
I have a similar situation with mine. LTE will be working fine but then I notice that once I connect to my home wifi and then either leave my wifi range or turn off wifi the LTE icon will show in the status bar and it will show that it's sending and receiving data but Web pages will stall and never load, Play Store will timeout, and SpeedTest.net will start up but the needle will freeze about 1/8 of the way up indefinitely. I've toggled data at this point but it never fixes it, I have to restart the phone at which point LTE works perfectly but once I get back on my wifi the cycle will repeat, this has happened reliably for about the past week.
Do you all think I have a defective radio or am I missing something? I'm still within my return Window and will probably swap it Friday.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea my wifi lte transfer is always spot on so something may be wrong
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williamsjscott said:
I have a similar situation with mine. LTE will be working fine but then I notice that once I connect to my home wifi and then either leave my wifi range or turn off wifi the LTE icon will show in the status bar and it will show that it's sending and receiving data but Web pages will stall and never load, Play Store will timeout, and SpeedTest.net will start up but the needle will freeze about 1/8 of the way up indefinitely. I've toggled data at this point but it never fixes it, I have to restart the phone at which point LTE works perfectly but once I get back on my wifi the cycle will repeat, this has happened reliably for about the past week.
Do you all think I have a defective radio or am I missing something? I'm still within my return Window and will probably swap it Friday.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds very similar to how mine is acting. I'm wondering if it is the ATT smart WiFi app causing the problem. Shows data incoming and outgoing but stalls.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
kkl0wn said:
Sounds very similar to how mine is acting. I'm wondering if it is the ATT smart WiFi app causing the problem. Shows data incoming and outgoing but stalls.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's exactly how it's acting for me. I just now disabled the AT&T Smart WiFi app and after a quick restart and toggle test there was no problems, but I'm not sure if the problem will only pop up after I've been on wifi for a while. I'm going to see if it keeps doing it tomorrow.
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Disabling Smart WiFi appeared to fix the problem.
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What I noticed today is that when this same issue happens, with 4G icon and wifi icon both active, it occurs after I manually check for a firmware update within the system settings. The 4G icon doesn't go away until I reset the phone.
Also I manually deleted the all the AT&T boat ware apps before this was happening so the smart wifi app is not causing this for me.
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Weird, if you get the issue and don't have the Smart WiFi app then it must be something else and it was coincidence that it worked normal for me today. I've only checked for firmware once (when I first got my phone) so it must be something else causing it. I'm hoping the multi view firmware will also have a fix for it.
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4.2.2 OTA signal question

Hey folks,
Just a quick question I was hoping to get some clarification on:
Like many, I got the 4.2.2 OTA on Tuesday evening and everything went fine with the download and install. That being said, I'm having some signal issues that are a bit strange. For the most part the signal quality is fine. Not really having any connection issues, but I've noticed lower bars being shown overall. After doing some digging though I've determined that apparently 4.2.2 reports signal quality differently than 4.1.1 did... representing a much truer value based on dBm and not overly inflating things for constant 3-4 bars. Essentially it's like I remember way back with 4.0.2. I still find it a little odd that I can show -85dBm and only have 1 bar, but if that's how things are reported in 4.2.2 then so be it.
The thing that's bothering me though is this: at times my signal will read 0dBm 99asu. I'll have zero bars showing, but it will still show 4g in the notification bar and will say connected to the network in status. I can make calls, text, surf the web, download apps, even run speed tests without any problem (although not great numbers, they're not horrific either) Eventually bars and dBm "come back", but the amount of time for that to happen varies. Again, nothing seems to be affected by this, but it's just a little disconcerting to have happen.
So, has anyone else experienced this? Google searches show some talk of it but otherwise haven't turned up much. I've done a battery/SIM pull and that didn't change things. Is it possible something may have gone a bit sideways in the ota download? Was thinking a factory reset may help too but not looking forward to wiping my device only to find out this is pretty normal.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
It's possible that the OTA updated the baseband, please look into that as I'm not entirely sure. If that's the case, then it might just be that the new baseband is not suitable for your coverage area in which case I'd suggest you flash a previous release.
iLeopard said:
It's possible that the OTA updated the baseband, please look into that as I'm not entirely sure. If that's the case, then it might just be that the new baseband is not suitable for your coverage area in which case I'd suggest you flash a previous release.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I'll fully admit I'm not as up to snuff on this as others, so please correct me if I'm wrong... but the 4.2.2 OTA did in fact contain new radios from VZW, so shouldn't the baseband have been updated for everyone who took it?
Mine is: I515.10 V.FK01/I515.FK02
As I understand it that breaks down to phone model (I515), HW rev 10, with the new radios being FK01/FK02
Wouldn't every VZW GNex that was on the 4.2.2 OTA have the same baseband; outside of having either HW rev 9 or 10?
Currently I'm locked, stock, not rooted... yeah, probably one of the last Thinking I may unlock and root and try the 4.1.1 radios again. Do I need TWRP or CWM to flash those or can that be done if I keep stock recovery?
As always thanks for all input, much appreciated.
My Gnexus is the same . but despite that it actually performs better oddly enough
Do/can you update roaming (*228) with the Verizon nexus? Or is that just something I could do with my old fascinate (yes, a fascinate and then nexus... I am a glutton for VZW punishment).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Big ZD said:
Do/can you update roaming (*228) with the Verizon nexus? Or is that just something I could do with my old fascinate (yes, a fascinate and then nexus... I am a glutton for VZW punishment).
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can, but as far as I know you'll then have what is considered a 3G PRL pushed to your phone, something beginning with "5"... if you just let the PRL update and push on it's own like it's supposed to you'll have a 4g PRL, and will begin with a "1" Both work the same and pick up both 3G/4G signals...not sure what the true difference is honestly. I've been on 15192 for ages now and it's been fine up to this point... Think I'd just as soon keep it. Thanks for the suggestion though.
I Read some where online. That if you take out the Sim card let it for like a minute or so. Slap it back in and there you go. It work for me
ironside2011 said:
I Read some where online. That if you take out the Sim card let it for like a minute or so. Slap it back in and there you go. It work for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, did that... battery pull and sim card pull... left it out for 30 min then back in... no difference. Like I said, it's not that I'm having a huge problem with my data connection, it's just acting... strange... kind of all over the place. Lots of fluxuation, odd readings/bar equivalents, and the whole 0dbm 99asu thing with still being connected. However I've also now started seeing higher than normal "time without signal" percentages... Just flakey. And frustrating... no issues at all until the 4.2.2 ota.
mine is not really a problem but I had way more bars of coverage in a multitude of places (work, home, gym, etc) on the old radios. I havent looked at the dbm's but visually it's different. might be something for someone interested to look into.
btw, im in fresno, ca.
bubarub said:
mine is not really a problem but I had way more bars of coverage in a multitude of places (work, home, gym, etc) on the old radios. I havent looked at the dbm's but visually it's different. might be something for someone interested to look into.
btw, im in fresno, ca.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well Google changed how the signal is read visually through the bars to provide a more accurate reading. You should look at dbm
Toro | Xylon | Diamond
Having the same experience here (Whidbey Island, Washington) where the 4g signal clings on until it absolutely had to fall back to 3g. New radios may be contributing, but the change in coding to report lower signals may have improved the ability to hang on to a 4g signal. Hand off seems pretty slick too, but that's likely a function of the new radios that came in the OTA.
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