Poor Reception - T-Mobile - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 3

I have two phones and two lines on T-Mobile. I have an LG G Flex and a Note 3. Has anyone else noticed that the reception on the Note 3 is much worse than many other phones. I can have both next to each other and they both get around -100dbm signal and the G Flex is fast loading pages (I don't get LTE in my apartment ever with my Note 3 but sometimes on my G Flex) and the Note 3 is slow and doesn't load the pages half the time. Wherever I go my G Flex data connection works a LOT better and a lot faster than my Note 3. I've done everything I can to my Note 3 to try and fix the problem (changing settings in Mobile Networks, going back to stock etc..) but the data is just flat out terrible unless I'm in a really strong LTE area. It's not the SIM card because I swapped them from one phone to the other and have the same issue. My Note 3 is on edge half the time in my apartment and my G Flex is always on 4G or LTE sometimes. I also have a friend on Verizon and his Note 3 gets a much worse signal than his wife's G2. When he bought an aluminum case for his Note 3 it cut his signal down so much that he had to take it off. I was thinking of upgrading the Flex to the Note 4 when it comes out, but now I'm having doubts.

Related

Note 2 very poor reception

First of all, I hope I am posting in the right place this time. I couldn't find anything for Note II Canada.
So I just bought a BNIB Note II a few days ago. It's the i317m (from Rogers/Canada) but had it unlocked and modified (or whatever that is called) to get it to work with AWS network (Wind mobile). It worked but the reception on the phone where I live is horrible. Basically the phone will only work if it's stuck next to one wall in my place (where the signal is 1-2 bars). Once I move the phone to any other place I lose all connection, and the phone is rendered useless, which really sucks. I have an older Blackberry that I'm borrowing and it constantly shows 2 bars anywhere in my place. I also had an LG Optimus and as much as it sucked at reception it was still better than the Note. Wind signal is generally good in my area except for a couple of blocks but still, I was expecting the Note II to have better reception than other phones.
So, I'm wondering if this has something to do with this particular phone or is this a known issue with all Notes? Anything I can do? The phone will show full bars once I'm out of those couple of blocks where I live but is it possible that the Note II has worse reception than cheaper and older phones?
Thanks.
I think Samsung are known for weak radios
Electroman365 said:
First of all, I hope I am posting in the right place this time. I couldn't find anything for Note II Canada.
So I just bought a BNIB Note II a few days ago. It's the i317m (from Rogers/Canada) but had it unlocked and modified (or whatever that is called) to get it to work with AWS network (Wind mobile). It worked but the reception on the phone where I live is horrible. Basically the phone will only work if it's stuck next to one wall in my place (where the signal is 1-2 bars). Once I move the phone to any other place I lose all connection, and the phone is rendered useless, which really sucks. I have an older Blackberry that I'm borrowing and it constantly shows 2 bars anywhere in my place. I also had an LG Optimus and as much as it sucked at reception it was still better than the Note. Wind signal is generally good in my area except for a couple of blocks but still, I was expecting the Note II to have better reception than other phones.
So, I'm wondering if this has something to do with this particular phone or is this a known issue with all Notes? Anything I can do? The phone will show full bars once I'm out of those couple of blocks where I live but is it possible that the Note II has worse reception than cheaper and older phones?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issue with my Note II on Mobilicity. After researching I've concluded that Samsung devices have weaker radio's that most other devices. I can wander around my home with my Note II in one hand and my wifes HTC Panache in the other and the Note II's signal is always 7-10 dBM lower than the Panache. The Panache never loses connection in my house and always has at least 1 bar while the Note II will drop in many places. Every time I call Mobi they say they'll make changes redirect an antenna by a few degrees or boost the signal but nothing ever changes.
I wish the phone would auto connect to the CDN Roaming network whenever I drop. I think it sort of does but just doesn't Register on the network because I do have a indication I can make Emergency Calls Only and shows I have 2-3 bars.
Senator949 said:
I'm having the same issue with my Note II on Mobilicity. After researching I've concluded that Samsung devices have weaker radio's that most other devices. I can wander around my home with my Note II in one hand and my wifes HTC Panache in the other and the Note II's signal is always 7-10 dBM lower than the Panache. The Panache never loses connection in my house and always has at least 1 bar while the Note II will drop in many places. Every time I call Mobi they say they'll make changes redirect an antenna by a few degrees or boost the signal but nothing ever changes.
I wish the phone would auto connect to the CDN Roaming network whenever I drop. I think it sort of does but just doesn't Register on the network because I do have a indication I can make Emergency Calls Only and shows I have 2-3 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've noticed that my Note2 has poor LTE reception, 1 bar and 1Mbps down. If I switch to WCDMA only I get 4 bars and 7MBps and 1up. I just thought that it was my area. 2 weeks ago I got an S4 and the signal difference is a amazing. The S4 has 4 bars of LTE and I get 20Mbps down and 10up, the Note 2 on the same sim still gets 1 to 2 bars and very slow data.
Senator949 said:
I'm having the same issue with my Note II on Mobilicity. After researching I've concluded that Samsung devices have weaker radio's that most other devices. I can wander around my home with my Note II in one hand and my wifes HTC Panache in the other and the Note II's signal is always 7-10 dBM lower than the Panache. The Panache never loses connection in my house and always has at least 1 bar while the Note II will drop in many places. Every time I call Mobi they say they'll make changes redirect an antenna by a few degrees or boost the signal but nothing ever changes.
I wish the phone would auto connect to the CDN Roaming network whenever I drop. I think it sort of does but just doesn't Register on the network because I do have a indication I can make Emergency Calls Only and shows I have 2-3 bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsungs have always lacked in the radio department always....
I remember how horrible the s2 was and the epic and vibrant.
Its one issue they have yet to fix.
Motorola #1 then htc then lg then Samsung then iphone dead last.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

[Q] No Mobile Data, WTF?!!

Decided to leave T-Mobile after 14 long and lately excruciating years... So, I go to Best Buy last night, signed up with Verizon, got me and the wife two brand new Galaxy Note 4 phones. LOVE the phones, but for some reason, and according to Verizon it is an "odd problem", we have NO MOBILE DATA!!!!
Will not even work, when it does it is stuck on 3G and the speedtest.net says 0.22mpbs download... I mean, wtf is in this thing a 9600 baud modem? :cyclops: But seriously, anyone else have this happen?
No problem with mobile data here. In fact I get 4g reception in fringe areas I normally didn't get in on my note 3. Since you just bought those devices I'd exchange them both and get new Sim cards, that's definitely not normal or acceptable. Oh and it's a shot in the dark but pull down the toggles and make sure sync and mobile data is on.
I have a note 4 and was on tmobile just before I jumped to Verizon. I am not impressed so far considering the cost vs others. I rarely get more than 2 bars and I am in NYC. It's surprisingly bad for signal quality considering we are in 2014 and I have a new flagship device on the supposedly best network in the country.
might just be your area, when i travel i get 60-70 mps 4g lte but at home i get spotty 3g

Cellular strength and throughput

We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the Samsung Galaxy Note 7's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.
So far so good here, no issues what so ever!
I gave 4 stars. It far better than my note 4 was. I did a speed test, in an area I have done numerous speedtests with the 4, and with the 4 I averaged 12mbps(being generous here) down, and 1mbps (after a few seconds at 0) up. With this 7, I got a 38mbps down, and 12 mbps up.... showed the same amount of bars as the 4 usually did, but obviously performed much better.
Keep in mind, I live in the middle of nowhere in Maine... speed tests were performed with about 2-3 bars (fluctuating).
For me its been much worse than my Note 5. Not really sure what's going on. Carrier is Virgin Mobile (Bell Canada)
Is there anybody who can compare Note 3 (n9005) with Note 7?
It's about 70% as good as my 6P but I can deal. I would have LTE and 3 bars in my office building .. Note 7 fluxuates between LTE 1 bar and HSPA+ or nothing at all. Thank God for TMO wifi calling, eh?
Hmm, it doesn't sound promising at all. :/ Signal reception is a big weakness of my Note 3 so I expected little bit more from a new device (and after few years of development) - I see that there are still some issues on Samsung side in compare to other brands and models especially at high-end market.
WiFi calling (and VoLTE) isn't supported by O2 Czech network yet because they are... kind of slow and "specific".
What about Note 7 and iPhone 6S/6S+ or LG G4? My colleagues have these devices so I can test and compare it little bit in real life with my Carrier.
Btw. Thanks man!
I'd rank it about equal to my note 4, which is disappointed but most things are as I get older...
BableMan said:
I'd rank it about equal to my note 4, which is disappointed but most things are as I get older...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a little better than my note 4. Little louder and clearer. Not crazy better, but better.
Corbitt74 said:
Its a little better than my note 4. Little louder and clearer. Not crazy better, but better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then we have different builds, mine suffers from worse speaker quality. I've assumed that's the trade off we get for being able to drop it in a toilet.
BableMan said:
Then we have different builds, mine suffers from worse speaker quality. I've assumed that's the trade off we get for being able to drop it in a toilet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to say really, we do have quite a bit of HD coverage here, also havent talked a lot on this yet, but from what I have its been good.
I had questionable service with my GS5 down in my basement, and now there's no question at all about the service on my Note 7 - it's non-existent. I cannot make or receive calls down in my basement anymore; have to go upstairs. This was rarely the case with my GS5, both on Sprint. Just my experience.
Perhaps it is the fault of AT&T and not the phone itself, but I get a shoddy signal at my house. I do live in a rural area, however, but it could be better nonetheless. Note: In town and in cities, I get perfect cellular strength.
Sattero said:
Is there anybody who can compare Note 3 (n9005) with Note 7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the Note 7 to replace my Note 3. I am on Verizon. The Note 7 has been leaps and bounds better than the Note 3 as far as cell reception. I could not use my Note 3 at home without a Network extender and now my Note 7 works everywhere, even the basement, without a hiccup. I originally, before purchase, thought I would need to use the WiFi calling feature here at my home, but there is no need. On my daily route, I used to have 2 dead spots, where I always dropped calls on my Note 3, but I have had no issues with the Note 7. I believe that may be in part due to the VOLTE capabilities that the Note 7 has over the Note 3. The Note 7 would be the perfect phone if they would have built it with a flat screen. I don't see any real use for the edge panels and I have already turned them off. No need for insurance or screen protector on the Note 3 and it still looks perfect. I am seriously contemplating getting insurance for the first time as I am extremely paranoid about breaking this thing. If it weren't for how much I use the S-Pen, I would have probably waited to see what the other manufactures come out with. Hopefully, the paranoia will wear off.
Is not compatible with sprint signal booster air rave, but i also havent seen it reach high network speed on lte. so far not impressed.
I'm coming from an LG V10 and it's definitely a bit worse in the signal strength but the actual speeds seem to be about the same. I tether my phone for home internet and I always sit it in the exact same spot in my window because I found where the best signal is. With my V10 I'd have about -105 to -109db and with the Note 7 I'm getting about -114. I might need to move it around a bit and see if I can get any better. When you have a strong signal it flies though. Today in the city while I had a full signal (not sure the db's but 5 bars were full) I got 99.8Mb down and almost 17Mb up Verizon just upgraded a lot of the network in my area.

Not connecting to 4g much

Hi starting to get worried about this device I had it on 4g once on three UK and it performed well same signal strength as my note 5 same speed but now it's gone to H and can't get it to ever switch back to 4g. My note 5 connects to 4g with full signal all the time Everytime. I love this device but this is starting to seem like a theme with low cost devices like axon 7.
For the first 3 seconds after inserting the sim or enabling data it's on LTE then switches straight to H.
Mines the same pal on three UK, it's got a crappy antenna my nexus 6 would give higher data speeds on 3g and 4g and would connect to 4g all the time, as I'm typing this at home my signal has switched from 4g to 3g and 4g at my house is beast on my nexus 6.
#neversettle
Well I've had it 2 hours it's going back I've now learnt my lesson on cheap phones.

Bands and LTE Coverage

I got the phone 3 days ago ....
I love the design, the Concept .... Hardware seems solid ... very fast and responsive .... faster than my Note 7.
However I have a big issue ....... *(
Even though on the official ASUS webpage it says the phone supports LTE Band 12, 700MHz for T mobile, the phone refuses to see and connect to anything else except Band 4, 2100MHz.
I live in an area where Band 4 LTE sucks ..... I dont live in the City ...
LTE Coverage seems to suck for me at the moment ....
On top of the LTE issues ..... It seems that this phone does not get very good cell signal for making phone calls ....*(
All metal design ??
Any thoughts on the LTE issues ??
You may need to bring this up to support and find out what is going on with it (otherwise t-mobile). I have metor pcs, and i know that goes with t-mobile, just might be certain bands not connecting to it.
Update:
OK .... so after further testing and use of the phone, I have verified that the phone does connect to ALL of the T-mobile LTE bands ...... both 4 & 12.
But the phone it self seems to have Terrible signal / reception ....... *(
I have been carting around with me 2 phones ...... this phone and the Note 5.
it seems that this phone is just having a very hard time holding a good solid LTE connection.
Not even good enough for a Messenger call or Whatssapp call ...... *(
when the Note 5 had great LTE, this phone couldn't even hold a connection long enough for a 30 second Whatssapp call.
its very frustrating ........
I think it has to do with the all metal body of the phone.....
Any input ??
Are their tmobile APN settings the same?
Do you have a case on it?
xda_geekman said:
Update:
OK .... so after further testing and use of the phone, I have verified that the phone does connect to ALL of the T-mobile LTE bands ...... both 4 & 12.
But the phone it self seems to have Terrible signal / reception ....... *(
I have been carting around with me 2 phones ...... this phone and the Note 5.
it seems that this phone is just having a very hard time holding a good solid LTE connection.
Not even good enough for a Messenger call or Whatssapp call ...... *(
when the Note 5 had great LTE, this phone couldn't even hold a connection long enough for a 30 second Whatssapp call.
its very frustrating ........
I think it has to do with the all metal body of the phone.....
Any input ??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I believe you are right. I don't own this phone, but thought I'd give my two cents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTsg7EyYKFM
Yes, this is not your phone, it's the ZTE Axon 7. Watch from around the 4 minute mark. Much loike the Zenfone Deluxe 3, the mostly all-aluminum body without much field testing is always going to be a drawback for wifi strength and certain radio frequencies on LTE.
The Axon 7 is arguably more plastic than the Zenfone 3 Deluxe (at the top and bottom at least) meaning there should actually be incremental differences for the ability to hold a frequency with good strength in the favour of the Axon 7, however it's receiving a few poor real-world reviews for those who have bothered to test. From that assumption, the more 'sleek' all-aluminum body of the ZD3 is going to have the same problems, so its no surprise that you are reporting it.
I'm considering getting this phone up against the LG v20 H990DS dual sim. But Wifi strength and reliability on 4G LTE is a huge considersation, as it's really a basic expectation of any flasgship - dont bother making a phone of all-alluminum if the drawback is poor performance. This is why the design of the v20 is 10x better, for instance.
RoOSTA
roosta said:
Yes, I believe you are right. I don't own this phone, but thought I'd give my two cents.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTsg7EyYKFM
Yes, this is not your phone, it's the ZTE Axon 7. Watch from around the 4 minute mark. Much loike the Zenfone Deluxe 3, the mostly all-aluminum body without much field testing is always going to be a drawback for wifi strength and certain radio frequencies on LTE.
The Axon 7 is arguably more plastic than the Zenfone 3 Deluxe (at the top and bottom at least) meaning there should actually be incremental differences for the ability to hold a frequency with good strength in the favour of the Axon 7, however it's receiving a few poor real-world reviews for those who have bothered to test. From that assumption, the more 'sleek' all-aluminum body of the ZD3 is going to have the same problems, so its no surprise that you are reporting it.
I'm considering getting this phone up against the LG v20 H990DS dual sim. But Wifi strength and reliability on 4G LTE is a huge considersation, as it's really a basic expectation of any flasgship - dont bother making a phone of all-alluminum if the drawback is poor performance. This is why the design of the v20 is 10x better, for instance.
RoOSTA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can assure you all just based on the quality of the display compared to the V20 this phone is a thousand times better. The blues are very apparent on the V20 and side by side it doesn't even come close. The V20 just looks awful. If you're browsing webpages and playing games I'd much rather do it on the Zenfone. I wonder what it's like up against one of the newer Samsung's. Maybe I'll test it out, but the sales people in most stores are so pushy to help and get in your way. Some people really need to learn the best way to a sale isn't by being pushy but feeling out your customer.
I think people's mileage is going to vary on signal strength. I noticed identical WiFi strength between this phone and the Moto G4 I have. I often get poor signal at work and this phone drops signal way less. I haven't really tested out LTE other than to check that it works and I get the same number of bars as the G4 in my house.
pacattack81 said:
I can assure you all just based on the quality of the display compared to the V20 this phone is a thousand times better. The blues are very apparent on the V20 and side by side it doesn't even come close. The V20 just looks awful. If you're browsing webpages and playing games I'd much rather do it on the Zenfone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AmOled wins every day over IPS, however limiting the display to 1080p on a flagship is... so 2014. You can get the V20 with same screen size and bigger battery. On top of that, it's removable. The best feature is repairability. Take off the back cover, 20 small screws and it's easy to lift out the plastic cover, motherboard cameras and screen with ease. Even the 3.5mm jack pops off easily. It's one of the last flasgships yo keep the FM radio and have a more than useful IR blaster.
Zenfone doesn't even advertise Nfc despite some deluxe owners saying their phone had it, but in a very awkward position. I can see you have a preference but I find it hard for there to be any comparison. Comes down to your requirements in the end.
RoOSTA
roosta said:
AmOled wins every day over IPS, however limiting the display to 1080p on a flagship is... so 2014.
RoOSTA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same can be said with putting an IPS display in a flagship phone. They chose 1080p vs 1440p because it's a well known fact 1080p gets better battery life. Put the phone side by side and pull up the same webpage and the text has the same clarity as the V20. Many will say the eyes can't tell the difference. Resolution aside, I can't express how much better the screen is than the V20. The phone is also lighter and smaller because it doesn't have the secondary display. At the end of the day, the Verizon's store rep owned the V20 and we both laughed at how awful the display on V20 looked compared to this phone.
Bottom line it's nice to have a removable battery, but it's the screen you look at most. I'd rather have a phone with the better display.
There's tonnes of IPS still used in non-amoled flagships. 1080 p does in fact get a better battery life, probably why LG increased the battery capacity. 2nd display is also very handy. A few grams/ounches weight isn't going to bother me when comparing both of these phones. Anyway, getting off topic. I think the design of this phone is the reason why you may be experiencing issues, or your radio could be faulty if it's happening everywhere, even in places you'd normally get good reception. See how the resulrs vary at inner city, more outer-suburban locations and compare to what you were getting previously (on this phoine or another 4G LTE).
RoOSTA
I got the phone to finally to replace my SG Note II N7100 version (I don't like newer Notes. I was hoping for same features past Note 4. Finally gave up replaceable battery feature for Asus ZF3D 64GB) Also I could finally use Tmobiles 4G LTE and add Freedompop H+ networks as secondary. I notice something with Tmobile LTE. At first Tmobile's 4G LTE had 1/4 bars and data speeds seem to fail a lot and if it pass it would read it as 0 kbps. But I kept using it for few days more. I'm starting to get 2 or higher on signal and data speeds hit around download 8/upload 1 mbps at 38 ms ping and this is at the same area. Not sure what happen in those first few days. Signal got boosted good if you disable secondary SIM. I get about 3 or 4 bars.
If I did get into good place I would hit around 10/25 speeds still better than Tmobile's H+ with Note 2.
^as long as lte signal gets better instead of few bars! What part of the USA?
snkchaos said:
I got the phone to finally to replace my SG Note II N7100 version (I don't like newer Notes. I was hoping for same features past Note 4. Finally gave up no replaceable battery feature for Asus ZF3D 64GB) Also I could finally use Tmobiles 4G LTE and add Freedompop H+ networks as secondary. I notice something with Tmobile LTE. At first Tmobile's 4G LTE had 1/4 bars and data speeds seem to fail a lot and if it pass it would read it as 0 kbps. But I kept using it for few days more. I'm starting to get 2 or higher on signal and data speeds hit around download 8/upload 1 mbps at 38 ms ping and this is at the same area. Not sure what happen in those first few days. Signal got boosted good if you disable secondary SIM. I get about 3 or 4 bars.
If I did get into good place I would hit around 10/25 speeds still better than Tmobile's H+ with Note 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same exact problem on my phone. It cleared up after a few days as well. My Sim2 slot is still enabled, so I don't know how mine fixed itself. Maybe something with the cell towers, not sure
galaxys said:
^as long as lte signal gets better instead of few bars! What part of the USA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in Tracy, CA.
snkchaos said:
I live in Tracy, CA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should usually have a good signal there. I'm in Vegas and have full bars with T-Mobile...
Hi all, I posted part of this message in another forum as it was part of a bigger posting. Here I am only posting issues with the Bands & LTE Coverage.
So I also upgraded my wife's phone (S5) to the Zen 3 deluxe (ZS570KL / 256gb hd / 6gb ram / 821 chip) and she hates it... calls keep dropping signal is low and it does not even say LTE. I did a speedtest comparison between her Zen 3 and my Zen 2 (rooted and running CM13) and mine is way faster. Hers is also disconnecting from cellular (AT&T) data and does not show 4G anymore along with no push notifications of emails. I get strong bars and the phone displays LTE, hers only shows 4G+.
Anyone else having these issues? Oh and she does have a plastic / silicon clear case.

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