This is something I have noticed with Samsung phones having owned an S2/3/4. In good signal areas no issues, in weak areas they are a disaster.
Yesterday at work a mast/tower was getting worked on so we were all connected to a different mast, we usually get full signal at work. My S4 was getting no bars, my friends Xperia something or other had 4 bars, another friends iPhone 6 had 3 bars.
Another annoyance is a quirky thing I have only seen Samsung phone do, Emergency Calls Only yet the phone is displaying full bars signal. What seems to happen here is you have no signal on your network so the phone detects any network to enable the ability to make an emergency call. Unless you look at the lock screen displaying the operator name, you have no idea that you actually have no signal.
Does anyone else have these issues?
I should add if I load the GPE rom all is fine, its only TW related it seems
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Hi guys,
I have moved over from a 700p to mogul and so far have loved it.
The only thing I seem to miss, which is somewhat important is improved reception. Places where I would get solid reception with 1 or 2 bars. I am lucky to get 1 bar. These spots keep dropping calls or not receiving them.
Have my phone now sitting next to a Sanyo Katana, which is getting 3 bars, my phone is showing 0.
Man I love the phone, but there has got to be something which improves the reception.
Thanks for any suggestions.
I changed around my roaming settings to Sprint only network and noticed a large difference in less dropped calls.
Go to settings->phone>services, roaming. It is set to automatic to default which is going to cause more dropped calls and poorer battery life
Thanks for the suggestion.
However, I already have it on Sprint only for roaming.
you should check out the db readings in /windows/fieldtrial.exe rather than bars. bars illustrate your actual strength differently on each device and each provider and are basically uncomparable.
you could also try the 1.40 radio rom. I am not sure if it gives any higher reception than 1.32, but I've had better luck making calls in low reception areas.
an example... alltel's titan ROM reports "full bars" at as crappy as -85db, maybe even -90. Sprints reports 2 bars at the same signal level on the exact same device.
I am not sure if I can use the radio rom. My phone is with Sprint, is this something that can I use?
Hi everyone,
I'm on a fringe coverage area with AT&T. I have a pretty new sim card, but I noticed that I get a lot of dropped calls while on 3G (or H). I usually get 1-2 bars on 3G. Shouldn't the call I'm on, hand-off to Edge if the signal is not strong enough on 3G? Right now, its dropping the call altogether on 3G with no fallback to Edge. Is the Xperia's radio to blame for this?
Thanks!
i dont know who is to blame but if your on the fringe as you say, you should just manually set your device to use edge/gsm.
it will save on your battery and have less dropped calls. otherwise, you phone will keep bouncing between signals.
i also have the same problem and i am curious of the answer i dont want to lose 3g all together but i have 1 bar in my house and drop calls also.
Has anyone on AT&T tried to flash their xperia with the Raphael radio? Is the signal alot better?
not just exactly the same problem here, but similar (according to the network). at home, i have no 3g coverage and manage to get edge at best, problem is intermitantly my voice stops, even though i can here the other caller perfectly, the phone still keeps between 2-3 bars of signal, and i can even stay on the call over 30 seconds after it happens. the other caller can just hear like a dead noise. the network has me testing the 3g thing for the next couple of days though.
PS. this also happened with a K850i and a K800i
I'm in an area that t-mobile maps show should have excellent phone and data coverage. Both are horrible. Data service is almost always edge with very few bars. If I ever do get 3G its usually only momentary and never above one bar.
The problem is reception doesn't seem to improve regardless of where I am. I drove to a neighboring state along freeway that t-mobile showed had full coverage. But the few times I did get a signal, I was roaming.
So, I arrive in Boulder CO thinking I should have excellent coverage, but nothing changes. Hardly any signal strength when I do have a signal. I've tried all the radios, several ROMs... even the stock one. Nothing helps.
The question is:
Does t-mobile coverage general suck? This is my first time with the company. I plan to get someone's version of the Galaxy S, but if t-mobile coverage is this bad, I'm not getting theirs.
Does the Leo radio generally suck?
Do I have a bad phone?
Is there an app that measures and logs signal strength (preferably with GPS)? I've seen them for wifi, but is there one that tracks and logs the voice/data signal on the t-mobile network?
I had a G1 before the HD2 and I usually get the same or one bar less than what I used to get with my G1 in the same places.
Try these
dc41 said:
I'm in an area that t-mobile maps show should have excellent phone and data coverage. Both are horrible. Data service is almost always edge with very few bars. If I ever do get 3G its usually only momentary and never above one bar.
The problem is reception doesn't seem to improve regardless of where I am. I drove to a neighboring state along freeway that t-mobile showed had full coverage. But the few times I did get a signal, I was roaming.
So, I arrive in Boulder CO thinking I should have excellent coverage, but nothing changes. Hardly any signal strength when I do have a signal. I've tried all the radios, several ROMs... even the stock one. Nothing helps.
The question is:
Does t-mobile coverage general suck? This is my first time with the company. I plan to get someone's version of the Galaxy S, but if t-mobile coverage is this bad, I'm not getting theirs.
Does the Leo radio generally suck?
Do I have a bad phone?
Is there an app that measures and logs signal strength (preferably with GPS)? I've seen them for wifi, but is there one that tracks and logs the voice/data signal on the t-mobile network?
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Click to collapse
1: its the reception but they have REALLY good reception around the US are you surround by tress or alot of buildings/businesses?
2: i prefer the 2.10 radio it works really well
3: call t-mobile and tell them bout your problem, but before you call do a hard reset and dont install any apps, if that doesn't work Switch your sim to another phone and see what type of service you get but use a touch screen phone
i have a different problem BUT VERY ODD!
At my house i get 3g but i can't even receive calls or call out but i can text perfectly and use the internet, i switched my sim to another phone and had the same problem i get 3g but wen people call me it goes straight to Voicemail, i found 2.10 works the best for me but i live in VEGAS it still didnt fix it but it kinda made it better...
pakistaniprince said:
1: its the reception but they have REALLY good reception around the US are you surround by tress or alot of buildings/businesses?
2: i prefer the 2.10 radio it works really well
3: call t-mobile and tell them bout your problem, but before you call do a hard reset and dont install any apps, if that doesn't work Switch your sim to another phone and see what type of service you get but use a touch screen phone
i have a different problem BUT VERY ODD!
At my house i get 3g but i can't even receive calls or call out but i can text perfectly and use the internet, i switched my sim to another phone and had the same problem i get 3g but wen people call me it goes straight to Voicemail, i found 2.10 works the best for me but i live in VEGAS it still didnt fix it but it kinda made it better...
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Click to collapse
Home office in an average neighborhood. I tried to find an app that measures the GSM signal strength. I found a demo of MobileGX P3Kit and it did just what I wanted except it doesn't log the signal strength. But, I guess the company went out of business. It only worked once, and the website link is dead.
Does the data connection use a different frequency than the phone signal connection? That's about the only thing I can think of that would cause the problems you have at home. Weird stuff.
I am in a marginal coverage area and the HD2 radio is horrible. I'll go from 3 bars to no bars back to 2 bars then to none in under a minute without moving my phone.
On my Blackberry I would get usable coverage everywere in my house, none in the basement, with the HD2 its pure luck if I can use it on the front porch.
When I'm standing below a T-Mo tower I will often drop a bar of signal... and thats standing under a tower, several other people with HD2's that I have spoken with have the same experience.
Seems like it varies from phone to phone, and from location to location.
I had a Cliq and despite it being a POS, it had excellent coverage, then I got a Nexus One and its coverage would drop regularly at home. It would drop so often that I didnt really use pandora or surf the internet unless I was on WiFi.
Now I have the HD2 and its been somewhere in the middle. Lots of people say changing the radio will fix your issue. I would definitely start there. Just because a radio version works for some doesnt mean it will definitely be the best option for your location.
dc41 said:
So, I arrive in Boulder CO thinking I should have excellent coverage, but nothing changes. Hardly any signal strength when I do have a signal. I've tried all the radios, several ROMs... even the stock one. Nothing helps.
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Click to collapse
Strange, I just left Boulder and I had full 3g signal strength.
I've placed my Omnia 7 next to my girlfriend's Focus in a place in my house that has traditionally been very poor in reception. She is able to get 1-2 bars on 3G compared to my NO SERVICE-zero bars on EDGE under the same network (ATT). Is anyone else getting fairly weak reception on their Omnia and is it all possible that my 4 year old SIM card is accounting for the difference in signal strength?
Next chance I get, I'll try swapping our SIMs....
I am not too sure of this but maybe the Omnia 7 isn't using its full potential on the US carrier since it is a EU device. (this shouldn't matter really but I am trying to say that it might be a software issue of how the phone switches connections)
By that I mean that some forum members (check the Focus Forum) have fiddled with the diagnostic codes to make their Focus phones have a more stable 3g or above connection.
Trying looking into that and posting there since the Omnia community is a little bit smaller it seems.
Or the phone is just not up to scratch ;D
Eriatarka said:
I've placed my Omnia 7 next to my girlfriend's Focus in a place in my house that has traditionally been very poor in reception. She is able to get 1-2 bars on 3G compared to my NO SERVICE-zero bars on EDGE under the same network (ATT). Is anyone else getting fairly weak reception on their Omnia and is it all possible that my 4 year old SIM card is accounting for the difference in signal strength?
Next chance I get, I'll try swapping our SIMs....
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Click to collapse
It could be your SIM if its old and not a 3G sim. Do you get 3G elsewhere?
The reason i ask is that EDGE is a 2G tech.
I work in mobile tech support myself, and i have seen SIM cards cause some seemingly random issues. (1 in particular was a handset unable to read SIM contacts, but his prior phone was OK)
On the other hand, i have also noticed 1 bar less then was displayed by my prior HD2. I have dismissed this as you should not reply on the number or bars to determine signal strength. They are coded differently. There is no standard, and in fact, changes by the Carrier can effect 'bars' displayed on the phone. (Think of a little buzz box with a 20ltr tank reporting 1/2 full, while a 4x4 with a 40ltr tank reporting 1/4. Both have the same amount of fuel)
ive noticed i get a bar or two less than my girlfriends desire and my diamond2 all on the same network & with new sim cards. this generaly means when she has 3G or HSDPA im stuck with GPRS unless were in an area with 3 or 4 bars.
Not entirely sure, but I think the Omnia 7 doesn't support US 3G frequency bands, that's why it's limited to EDGE - and then it depends on where you live... I suppose it's entirely plausible AT&T has a strong 3G network in your area, but not an EDGE one
mine has a good reception ... as good as other devices ...
In my House I sometimes got 4 dots but when a call comes through the connection is lost between talk without walkin on the same spot.. First I thought ok bad reception (had not before with my xperia1) But yesterdaynight I got the same problem outside my home. So the conversation gets totally jammed.
And I live in the Netherlands and not in the county side but in the big city...
So I managed to switch the SIMs on my girlfriend's Focus and my Omnia and unfortunately the poor signal remained on the phone, ruling out the SIM card having any negative effect.
I will get 3G outside my home and sometimes 3G+ (I'm not sure what the difference is), but inside my house, side-by-side, the Focus gets better reception and is more often on 3G whereas my Omnia will get worse reception often on EDGE.
Lame!
I might have to drop some cash for ATT's Microcell... Damn you ATT.
I notice it as well.
When I used my HD, the reception was fine inside MRT tunnels. Now with my Omnia 7 (same SIM card, by the way), I can't get a clear signal inside MRT tunnels during my commute.
Shame.
I don't know what caused it, though.. Anyone can shed a light on the issue ?
Mine has just suddenly started to not have any signal ANYWHERE in the house... the other 2 Vodafone phones here have near-full signal.
Eriatarka said:
So I managed to switch the SIMs on my girlfriend's Focus and my Omnia and unfortunately the poor signal remained on the phone, ruling out the SIM card having any negative effect.
I will get 3G outside my home and sometimes 3G+ (I'm not sure what the difference is), but inside my house, side-by-side, the Focus gets better reception and is more often on 3G whereas my Omnia will get worse reception often on EDGE.
Lame!
I might have to drop some cash for ATT's Microcell... Damn you ATT.
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Click to collapse
Hi I think I have found you a solution. Having been on the Focus forums I have noticed that people have enabled full "3g" through the root menu in diagnosis software.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=839154&page=8 ..... read this first please. Looks like it enabled full 3g but messed up his GPS settings (could be that he configured it wrong) Always make sure that you write down your original settings when using Diagnosis tool!!!!!!
If this doesn't help you then maybe flashing a different rom onto it would work.
I played around with some of the diagnostic settings but nothing really changed.
How exactly do I access the root menu to change the 3G settings you mention?
*#197328640# - Root Menu
Things you can do with this code
Speed up your internet by enabling hspda/hsupa
*#197328640#
1,8,3,5,2,3,[END]
Just be careful with this stuff. And always remember to back up your previous settings by writing them down somewhere so that you can restore it.
The link I gave you above leads to these codes.
BTW .. samsung updated the diagnosis tool .. if you have 0.9 something you might be fine! But if it updated then you will not be able to get into the root menu.
So... my Note 3 is like new, no exterior damage at all, I've taken well care of it, but I'm having some problems with signal reception.
Using LTE/GSM/WCDMA mode (or LTE preff with CM based roms) where the phone prefers 4G signal, I have 1 or 0 bars of signal, I miss calls and texts and web browsing using data is really slow!
Using GSM/WCDMA (3G mode in CM based roms) I have like full bars but slow internet using data, I don't miss any calls or texts (at least I didn't notice it) but when I am in the train and I pass through a tunnel, the signal is lost and it never recovers, I have to remove my battery and reboot the phone to regain signal (my other phone, a Galaxy Nexus, loses signal only inside the tunnel, then in seconds it reconnects again like it should, I also have full bars everywhere and no problems with the same SIM card, I also have an LG G2 at home and LTE works very well with the same SIM on that phone, it's just Note 3 that has really poor or no reception at all).
I don't think this is normal and I don't renember having problems like this in the past, how can I fix it? Please help me since I can't find any info by browsing and everyone knows Samsung isn't cheap when it comes to fixing things with knox 0x1, and I am fine fixing it myself if I know what to do.
Do phones use different antennas for LTE and 3G/2G? Is it an antenna problem? How can I pinpoint the problem? How can I repair it?
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: forgot to mention, I've tested this on many custom roms (CM13, CM12.1, RR, N5 ports, S6 ports, Aryamod, Stock Samsung Lollipop, Stock Kitkat) the problem is the same everywhere so I think it is hardware problem.