signal bars at Zero?! is this normal? - Essential Phone Questions & Answers

Hello guys! I don't know what's going on but since I have this device almost every time the signal bars are at zero. Anyone having this issue?

Yep, this phone has terrible reception. Although, the signal bars don't necessarily reveal how strong the signal really is. Indoor reception is worse than outdoor. I have one or even no bars inside my house, but I can still get lte+ speeds. As soon as I walk outside I have full bars, and not much difference in download speed. I have missed more calls with this phone than any other phone I've had though. Really bummed cuz this phone is so close to being the best phone I've ever had.

atrix_noob said:
Hello guys! I don't know what's going on but since I have this device almost every time the signal bars are at zero. Anyone having this issue?
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(On T-Mobile network) At home phone shows more than half of bars, at work, outside and in most places phone shows at least half of the bars. I did see no bars couple of times in few places, but it didn't create any issues. Comparing it to other phones and if dB signal is to be believed, then it is safe to assume that Essential has about -6 to -8 dB less than devices from leading manufacturers.

Airwolf79 said:
Yep, this phone has terrible reception. Although, the signal bars don't necessarily reveal how strong the signal really is. Indoor reception is worse than outdoor. I have one or even no bars inside my house, but I can still get lte+ speeds. As soon as I walk outside I have full bars, and not much difference in download speed. I have missed more calls with this phone than any other phone I've had though. Really bummed cuz this phone is so close to being the best phone I've ever had.
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Yes, I agree. The reception on this phone is super weak

Charkatak said:
(On T-Mobile network) At home phone shows more than half of bars, at work, outside and in most places phone shows at least half of the bars. I did see no bars couple of times in few places, but it didn't create any issues. Comparing it to other phones and if dB signal is to be believed, then it is safe to assume that Essential has about -6 to -8 dB less than devices from leading manufacturers.
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Agree I have a Note 8 and on tye Essential the signal is much weaker.

atrix_noob said:
Hello guys! I don't know what's going on but since I have this device almost every time the signal bars are at zero. Anyone having this issue?
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I'll get this on certain stretches of highway. It will go to no bars, then bars with no internet. I set to airplane mode and then I'll get bars and LTE again.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk

cfclay said:
I'll get this on certain stretches of highway. It will go to no bars, then bars with no internet. I set to airplane mode and then I'll get bars and LTE again.
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Yes, sometimes even if I have no bars at all the service seems to function properly. Maybe it's a software related thing.
Right now I'm at zero bars but the LTE keeps working fine. Idk what is going on lol

I live in a fringe area of Verizon. This phone is no weaker than my old Samsung S4.

Related

A cross-country trip, the Froyo Radio and what it might mean to you!

So I just recently took a trip from northern California to Tennessee and had some interesting results with the Froyo radio. For reference I own the ATT-version Nexus One and have data roaming enabled.
When I used the phone before Froyo radio I had many problems with the 3G switching to Edge and back when needed which caused random data dropouts. Even turning the phone off and back wouldn't force the phone to switch connections to Edge when needed which would make me very frustrated in times of need.
On my trip I found something very interesting, not only did 3G and Edge switch almost perfectly, but Edge performed MUCH faster than before. While it isn't as important now in a world of 3G coverage, when I was on the "edge" of civilization I still got surfing speeds that were not far behind that of 3G speeds. My browsing, and most importantly Google Maps usage rarely suffered a performance hit despite where I was or what type of connection was available to my phone.
There was a difference between performance; 3G would act like Comcast and Edge would be a little behind, but in terms of actually surfing the Internet the extra 2-5 seconds it took to load up a desktop webpage didn't make a difference.
Technically the bandwidth speeds were much different. 3G performed from 1 to a max of 2 megabits down and .3-1 megabits up, while Edge showed speeds of 300-500 kbps down and 100-200 up.
One thing I did notice throughout the trip is the Nexus One's signal meter did not report correctly, there were times where it showed no signal and I had super fast connection, and also times when it would show full or near-full bars and there was no connection.
Hope someone finds this info useful!!! I'm very happy with the coverage my Nexus One gets with the Froyo radio now!
I have always found that my nexus holds calls and has fast data showing zero bars. One reason I've always loved the nexus
Just a point of clarification, EDGE has a maximum theoretical bandwidth of 473.6 kbits/s for 8 timeslots.
In real world conditions EDGE should have throughput of 236.8kbit/s with 4 timeslots(which is what most carriers employ).
Dan
Wonder if there's and app/mod to replace the signal bar with the actual signal #s?
Hey Sellitus, what else did you find working/not working on that trip?
I am considering a longer drive (SF to NY) and want to know about battery life, apps that were really handy, and which weren't.
SiNJiN76 said:
Wonder if there's and app/mod to replace the signal bar with the actual signal #s?
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hey that would be nice. just like how cyanogen puts the battery percentage, it would be nice to have the dBm level of signal overtop of the signal meter.
RogerPodacter said:
hey that would be nice. just like how cyanogen puts the battery percentage, it would be nice to have the dBm level of signal overtop of the signal meter.
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The dBm and signal bar IMO opinion are rather pointless in regards to data. Having a very poor 3G signal will always be faster than a full GPRS signal.
Also, a signal meter in terms of DB would jump around quite a bit...
sprinkles said:
Hey Sellitus, what else did you find working/not working on that trip?
I am considering a longer drive (SF to NY) and want to know about battery life, apps that were really handy, and which weren't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for ATT I hit data roaming quite a few times, and although it worked on edge pretty quickly during those times it would randomly drop when the R was showing randomly. I think what happened a lot on the trip is when I was out in the middle of nowhere bouncing between towers would cause random dropouts, but they were usually no more than a few seconds.
I don't remember which apps specifically though a few also did not like the trip, but most would hang and resume in a few seconds after data was reconnected even if the signal strength showed it was connected the entire time with signal. Sometimes Google Maps hung, though it was rare and I noticed it more because I used it near constantly on the trip.
If I were to give advice to anyone looking at a cross country trip, buy a map or get offline GPS maps to help. We bought a map and it proved valuable at times, though we rarely needed it.
I wonder if the "enable data while roaming" setting had anything to do with that. Maybe an internal bug.
torchedlh said:
Also, a signal meter in terms of DB would jump around quite a bit...
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I don't know how a number jumping around would be any different than a graphical signal meter jumping around. The iPhone has had this hack for a long time where you can replace the signal meter with the dBm reading. Though I've never owned the iPhone, but seen it on friend's iPhone before.
I know I'm often going into the android settings to look at my dBm reading, didn't jump around too much for me to see.
I've been having some reception issue lately with AT&T around my hometown (usually its quite good),so I did some googling, and found plenty of info on radio signal, and how to interpret -dBm, but I'm still baffled by the ASU. I really couldn't find much, just some random post on a random forum that left me with some questions:
In a 3G network your cell phone tries to open three channels to three radios so they can locate you and hand you off properly.
Those three channels make up you ACTIVE SET.
ASU is ACTIVE SET UPDATES or the rate at which your phone is able to update its location to the towers/radios.
This rate is affected by signal strength, load, and probably a lot of other factors that I haven't puzzled out yet.
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Can anyone shed some more light on this? Usually at home I have 2 bars of HSDPA, somehwere in the -90s dBm, and anywhere from 4-8 asu.

Signal Strength Booster?

I get poor reception on my Incredible whereas my parents get great reception on their phone. A little googling and this popped up:
http://www.onlyincredible.com/incredible-booster.html
is this legit at all? i'm not a technical guy so I have no idea.
I call bull****. They used to sell these things for regular cellphones. They didn't work then, either.
slorange said:
I call bull****. They used to sell these things for regular cellphones. They didn't work then, either.
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I was thinking the same thing but trying to be hopeful ya know? I really need some signal boost. I average around -90 dBm
If you're desperate, it's not like $2 is a huge sacrifice for a likely useless piece of plastic. I don't know I usually get between 80-100dBm at my house and i have no complaints about the service... The bars don't necessarily tell the whole story. 85dBm is 5 bars on my 6bar signal meter, so keep in mind that bars don't necessarily tell how mcuh signal you have. With the stock 4 bar meter, I would never have 4 bars at my house; usually 1 or 2; sometimes 3.
Jes7er said:
If you're desperate, it's not like $2 is a huge sacrifice for a likely useless piece of plastic. I don't know I usually get between 80-100dBm at my house and i have no complaints about the service... The bars don't necessarily tell the whole story. 85dBm is 5 bars on my 6bar signal meter, so keep in mind that bars don't necessarily tell how mcuh signal you have. With the stock 4 bar meter, I would never have 4 bars at my house; usually 1 or 2; sometimes 3.
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I go by the dBm and just sitting my room I can go from -85 up to -120
I always thought that it would be normal for my dBm to be in the -60 range. Am I wrong or is -80 to -90 okay?
I get -91 to -106 in my room and I have good enough signal to do anything I want. Also my friend bought one of those for his Eris and thinks it actually hurt his reception but I can't imagine there's a difference with or without it
morph3k said:
I go by the dBm and just sitting my room I can go from -85 up to -120
I always thought that it would be normal for my dBm to be in the -60 range. Am I wrong or is -80 to -90 okay?
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Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
If you want something to boost your signal this is one of the only things I've found that will actually do it..... http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...CODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE
They are normally priced at $120 but can be had for $15. I bought one and currently use it in both my vehicle and home. It will boost the signal for me from around -105 dbm in my house to around -90 dbm, but I've seen it get as good as -81 dbm. I plan on buying another that way I don't have to keep moving it around.
They say it works within a 6 ft radius of the plug but I've found that you need to be a little closer than that to it.
-80dbm is the best signal possible. Also, cdma signal fluctuates. Don't expect it to stay at a consistent number. Unless you're having issues with dropped calls or slow data, I wouldn't spend another second concerning yourself over it.
Thanks for this... now would two of these work better then one?
androidtrkdr said:
If you want something to boost your signal this is one of the only things I've found that will actually do it..... http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...CODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE
They are normally priced at $120 but can be had for $15. I bought one and currently use it in both my vehicle and home. It will boost the signal for me from around -105 dbm in my house to around -90 dbm, but I've seen it get as good as -81 dbm. I plan on buying another that way I don't have to keep moving it around.
They say it works within a 6 ft radius of the plug but I've found that you need to be a little closer than that to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
patches152 said:
-80dbm is the best signal possible.
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How do you figure this?
I've seen my signal get better than -80 dbm.
patches152 said:
-80dbm is the best signal possible. Also, cdma signal fluctuates. Don't expect it to stay at a consistent number. Unless you're having issues with dropped calls or slow data, I wouldn't spend another second concerning yourself over it.
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I know people here don't take bars for much, but why is -80 only 2/5 bars if it is all i can expect? I've only had a couple dropped calls so you are probably right that i shouldn't worry about it.
androidtrkdr said:
How do you figure this?
I've seen my signal get better than -80 dbm.
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I've never seen mine better than -78 unless it was some weird fluctuation for a second
0 would actually be the best possible. But it can never happen, so, meh.
As far as highest signal strength possible, I've been in the -30's before. That's the highest I've ever seen.
Same, -32 was my best
dpwhitty11 said:
0 would actually be the best possible. But it can never happen, so, meh.
As far as highest signal strength possible, I've been in the -30's before. That's the highest I've ever seen.
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Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Your head absorbs wireless signals.
So, use the speakerphone more often, or better yet, use a good quality Bluetooth ear piece so the phone can sit near a window still.
morph3k said:
I know people here don't take bars for much, but why is -80 only 2/5 bars if it is all i can expect? I've only had a couple dropped calls so you are probably right that i shouldn't worry about it.
I've never seen mine better than -78 unless it was some weird fluctuation for a second
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Click to collapse
keep in mind that CDMA phones with VZW use two radio frequencies. one is voice, the other is data. so the "bars" and 3G doesn't do much to specify which of those two network connections its representing. my guess is that it's representing data strength, not voice.
-80dbm is the "best" signal strength i've ever seen a verizon wireless cell phone have. and that's based on other phones, such as blackberries, winmo, etc...i'm not sure if it gets any lower than that on CDMA networks. i know my WI-FI, when at the strongest, is usually -40 or -60 dbm.
for example, sitting at home my signal is -84 dBm, and that is pretty much full strength
also, the value we are discussing is how "loud" the signal is. take into consideration that network traffic will also impact service in varying ways.

G2 signal attenuation - any better?

I briefly had a G2 and quickly returned it to T-Mo and stayed with Verizon due to the signal attenuation issues I had. Additionally, I saw numerous posts about this on AF, XDA, T-Mo Forums and a few other places I cannot remember. My question is, have the software updates that have been pushed through helped this problem any? I really liked this phone, aside from the signal problems and now with it being free through the 20th at T-Mo, I would like to give it another shot, but not if I am going to have more problems.
For those who are wondering what I am talking about, the G2 issues I (and many others) had were similar to the problems iPhone 4 users had where the signal dropped down to very low or nothing by simply holding the phone. I could sit at my desk and watch it go from an H with full bars, then drop to E, to no service, then it would gradually return when I placed it back on my desk.
Additionally, the reason I made a post about this is that the forum topics about this seem to just have stopped, nobody really seems to be screaming "it's fixed!!!" So just trying to get some input as to whether it really is fixed.
Thanks for your input!
ive noticed this as well. It usually happens when I surf the web. No idea? It is annoying but it won't cause me to send it back. I love it too much compared to all the others i've gone through. I'm sure they will isolate the problem and it will get better. (here's hoping)
Never had any places on the phone that I touch where signal will just drop, though out here in the middle of practically nowhere my signal will randomly drop sometimes regardless of what I'm doing with the phone.
I think I suffer from this as well. It constantly drops my data, especially at my house. If I set it on my desk with mobile hotspot it works great, and I'm not touching it so I may have issues with that
I've yet to have this happen. Constant h in my status bar and signal is strong.
Probably a defect phone?
Sent from my Pear phone.
It happens. It happens with every phone, including the G2. It just depends on where the antenna is and how it's held. You can play around with attenuation by enabling dBm signal strength in CM.
To enable it, go to Settings > CyanogenMod Settings > User interface > Status bar > Check Show dBm.
dBm is measured in negative numbers. A higher (less negative) number indicates higher signal strength.
-80dBm is stronger than -100dBm for example.
This is actually a non-issue.
Explanation:
The phone actually picks up signal BETTER than other phones... especially when the signal is weak. The effect that you are seeing is actually the reception returning to a *normal* level when you happen to be holding it in some particular way.
I have two phones; an HTC DREAM and an HTC VISION. Sitting on my desk at work, the DREAM will show 0-1 bars, but connected, the VISION will show 2-3 bars. Holding both in my hand, the DREAM will continue to show 0-1 bars, the VISION will drop to 0-1 bars and both will read the same dBm. Same signal when held, the VISION is just more sensitive (i.e. sensitive in terms of able to hang on to a weaker signal, not sensitive in terms of flakiness).
In contrast to apple junk, the apple junk actually has the antenna wrapped around the outside of the phone. When you hold it in your hand and the signal drops, it isn't suffering from attenuation, its being GROUNDED OUT.
dhkr123 said:
This is actually a non-issue.
Explanation:
The phone actually picks up signal BETTER than other phones... especially when the signal is weak. The effect that you are seeing is actually the reception returning to a *normal* level when you happen to be holding it in some particular way.
I have two phones; an HTC DREAM and an HTC VISION. Sitting on my desk at work, the DREAM will show 0-1 bars, but connected, the VISION will show 2-3 bars. Holding both in my hand, the DREAM will continue to show 0-1 bars, the VISION will drop to 0-1 bars and both will read the same dBm. Same signal when held, the VISION is just more sensitive (i.e. sensitive in terms of able to hang on to a weaker signal, not sensitive in terms of flakiness).
In contrast to apple junk, the apple junk actually has the antenna wrapped around the outside of the phone. When you hold it in your hand and the signal drops, it isn't suffering from attenuation, its being GROUNDED OUT.
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Whatever the cause is, the phone was unusable when I held it in my hand normally. The only semi-fix was to hold the phone at the top near the earpiece, which was uncomfortable...or never touch it.
miller7796 said:
Whatever the cause is, the phone was unusable when I held it in my hand normally. The only semi-fix was to hold the phone at the top near the earpiece, which was uncomfortable...or never touch it.
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Seems like you just have a poor signal or faulty phone to begin with. I don't have that issue at all. In fact this phone seems to hold a data connection in weak areas better than my previous android phone did. If yours was that bad then there was something horribly wrong that warrants replacement.
You may also try CM7, it seems to keep a signal even better than my current ROM does. Not sure why, maybe it's just a placebo effect.
Humm, no issues with Wifi, H or G3 dropping, Bell network though, BUT when I switch from H/ G3 to wifi, if I am on bluetooth, it gets all garbled and I have to hangup call. I would think a location issue or some form of interference you guys are having.
KCRic said:
Seems like you just have a poor signal or faulty phone to begin with. I don't have that issue at all. In fact this phone seems to hold a data connection in weak areas better than my previous android phone did. If yours was that bad then there was something horribly wrong that warrants replacement.
You may also try CM7, it seems to keep a signal even better than my current ROM does. Not sure why, maybe it's just a placebo effect.
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Click to collapse
Nah, I'm positive that the sentiment is that the radio hardware does suck and there are definite attenuation challenges. I've now verified this through a myriad of different Desire Z's here.
At my work desk I get HSPA and HSPA+ speeds at times. However holding it drops it down so there are 0 bars and it stays on HSPA, drops to 3G with no bars, back up to HSPA, etc... lots of unnecessary band switching whereas other handsets will not do this. They'll get a lower signal/dB all together though. And their attenuation is a lot less.
If you hold the phone upright the reception is much better. Drop it down and hold it in landscape mode and there is an immediate drop and sometimes it begins switching bands depending on the service area you're in. It can be quite annoying being right on the cusp because that's a huge battery killer.
I really wish there was at least some modest software fixes to accommodate for this flaw. I know that much can't be done hardware wise at this point but I think some improvements should be attainable through updates and optimizations. Hears to hoping because I love my Desire Z!!
bongd said:
Nah, I'm positive that the sentiment is that the radio hardware does suck and there are definite attenuation challenges. I've now verified this through a myriad of different Desire Z's here.
At my work desk I get HSPA and HSPA+ speeds at times. However holding it drops it down so there are 0 bars and it stays on HSPA, drops to 3G with no bars, back up to HSPA, etc... lots of unnecessary band switching whereas other handsets will not do this. They'll get a lower signal/dB all together though. And their attenuation is a lot less.
If you hold the phone upright the reception is much better. Drop it down and hold it in landscape mode and there is an immediate drop and sometimes it begins switching bands depending on the service area you're in. It can be quite annoying being right on the cusp because that's a huge battery killer.
I really wish there was at least some modest software fixes to accommodate for this flaw. I know that much can't be done hardware wise at this point but I think some improvements should be attainable through updates and optimizations. Hears to hoping because I love my Desire Z!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. I experience this the most when I browse the web since I usually browse with the keyboard open.
There is a SIGNIFICANT amount of drop in Wi-Fi signal strenght whem the keyboard is open and your hand is covering the left side (top for portrait). However when the keyboard is closed and you cover the TOP again the signal drop is maybe by 1 bar....
As far as 3G/4G to EDGR drops are concerned.... that can be taken care of... if you go into radio diagnostics (*#*4636#*#* > Phone information) and selecting WCDMA ONLY...... this will prevent phone going into EDGE if minor fluctuations occur in the cell signal. Mind you, this option is only useful if you are in a GOOD 3G/HSPA+ coverage area....
Cheers
funkadesi said:
There is a SIGNIFICANT amount of drop in Wi-Fi signal strenght whem the keyboard is open and your hand is covering the left side (top for portrait). However when the keyboard is closed and you cover the TOP again the signal drop is maybe by 1 bar....
As far as 3G/4G to EDGR drops are concerned.... that can be taken care of... if you go into radio diagnostics (*#*4636#*#* > Phone information) and selecting WCDMA ONLY...... this will prevent phone going into EDGE if minor fluctuations occur in the cell signal. Mind you, this option is only useful if you are in a GOOD 3G/HSPA+ coverage area....
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just remember to change it back to allowing Edge if you are going to travel outside the 3G/HSPA area.
I have noticed this since day one. It was very obvious at weak signal locations such as were I work. Inside a steel building with 20 machines running on 480 volts. I have enabled 180 degree rotation in CM settings and have used it this way so much that I have no doubt that the signal is reduced when the phone is held the "normal" way, in either hand. If I hold it upside down, trackpade at top, then it is fine.... also if the H signal is strong, more than 2 bars.. then it doesn't matter how you hold it.
I have compared this to my G1, that I still own. And the problem is that the G2 seems to have trouble switching from weak H to weak E and I can replicate a loss of signal everytime. I mean that an"x" Is displayed over the signal strength meter. And I can not make calls. This never happened on the G1. I have even disabled the ability to use H and it solved the problem. So then I took the htclib_ril.so from the G1 and used it in the G2. This didn't seem to change much.... So I believe that it IS a problem with the radio, or a problem in the librilswitch.so that does not get referenced in the G1 build.prop. But is in the G2...
If anyone knows how to make adjustments to when the phone switches from H to 3G to G to E I would really like to know. I think it could be the solution we need....
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
When I check my phone it always say HSPA and never HSPA+ whats up when will I know if I'm on 4G I'm in a 4G market Philly!!
I received my G2 yesterday, and it is a lot better at handling a signal when you hold it in your hand. There's still a slight drop in reception when you hold the phone, but more of what you should expect to happen rather than a complete drop down to the dreaded X. Still testing it out a for a few days before deciding to drop Verizon, but I sure do like that I can talk and use data at the same time on the G2.
I've had this problem with my new G2. With either the stock ROM or CM 6.1.1 when I hold it the signal drops. This is a non-issue in areas where there's good coverage, but at my house where the signal is quite weak this usually means the difference between signal and no signal. If I don't hold it the signal improves. My Cliq gets better signal here than my G2 does. Also, the Cliq doesn't suffer any noticeable signal issues when I'm holding it.
It's funny, as I go about my daily routine with my G2 instead of my Cliq, I notice these things. I get much weaker signal in certain areas with my G2 where I got acceptable signal with my Cliq.
trees247 said:
When I check my phone it always say HSPA and never HSPA+ whats up when will I know if I'm on 4G I'm in a 4G market Philly!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't believe there's an HSPA+ icon. Just H.
Try using the Speedtest.net app to check your speeds. There's no HSPA+ on my network but I still get decent speeds. I just wish coverage was better so I wouldn't switch bands and lose signal all the time. The radio hardware on the G2/DZ sucks!
dhilberg said:
I've had this problem with my new G2. With either the stock ROM or CM 6.1.1 when I hold it the signal drops. This is a non-issue in areas where there's good coverage, but at my house where the signal is quite weak this usually means the difference between signal and no signal. If I don't hold it the signal improves. My Cliq gets better signal here than my G2 does. Also, the Cliq doesn't suffer any noticeable signal issues when I'm holding it.
It's funny, as I go about my daily routine with my G2 instead of my Cliq, I notice these things. I get much weaker signal in certain areas with my G2 where I got acceptable signal with my Cliq.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only option I have found yet,(limited time to tinker) is to turn on 180 degree rotation and hold the phone "upside down" it seems to work every time.... So when I am in a place that has weak signal and I need to use data, I flip it around, and it works fine.... I know this is lame considering I paid so much for the phone but.... it does work.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Poor Signal Reception?

Anyone else noticing a lower signal reception with this phone?
I am coming from an iPhone 4. Previously at my house I was at 4-5 bars, now 2-3.
At my work I usually had 2-3 bars, now I get no signal to 1 bar.
I was trying really hard to enjoy the phone but now that I have seen the signal at my work I think it's going to have to go back
I wonder if the Inspire would get a better signal.
Update: It's not just the bars, I make calls and texts regularly at work with my iPhone and have never had a problem. With the Atrix it is dropping to no service and I can not make a call or text.
I was just noticing this same thin as well, i'm coming a captivate and where i normally have full service, the atrix gives me 2-3 bars. That said however, i don't notice much of a difference, if any at all, in the speed of things
Signal bars are different from phone to phone. I wouldn't trust those to much. However I find this behavior odd as I get better reception on this phone vs my old one. A lot better as in 2 - 3 bars better. Were you able to make calls on you iphone when it actually had the 1 - 2 bars at your office?
Vaires from phone to phone, remember when iPhone 4 showed higher signal then it was supposed to? then apple pushed the update
Yeah I made calls and texted regularly in my office, with the Atrix it drops service enitrely (says no service) and I can't make a call or send a text
I wouldnt care about the bar difference if it wasn't for the actual no service vs never having a problem.
That is interesting , my captivate had 0 to no service in my office, while the atrix has atleast 3 bars of edge.
crawlgsx said:
Anyone else noticing a lower signal reception with this phone?
I am coming from an iPhone 4. Previously at my house I was at 4-5 bars, now 2-3.
At my work I usually had 2-3 bars, now I get no signal to 1 bar.
I was trying really hard to enjoy the phone but now that I have seen the signal at my work I think it's going to have to go back
I wonder if the Inspire would get a better signal.
Update: It's not just the bars, I make calls and texts regularly at work with my iPhone and have never had a problem. With the Atrix it is dropping to no service and I can not make a call or text.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Comparing using the bars is not going to work across different phones, besides the iPhone 4 was known for reporting more bars then other phones.
In Android go to Menu > Settings > About Phone > Status and note the signal strength.
On Verizon you could update what they call "roaming capabilities". It's not really roaming, its more like manually updating or sync'ing tower or geographic locations. It's supposed to help some issues with signal strength.
Does ATT have a method to manually re-sync in this fashion?
HAROLDS Did u even read the bottom of my post?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
tbae2 said:
That is interesting , my captivate had 0 to no service in my office, while the atrix has atleast 3 bars of edge.
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i think that means your Captivate still tries to look for a 3G signal but the Atrix is so weak that it cannot find any 3G signal and therefore it automatically starts looking for the Edge signal.
I am saying this because I also noticed the same behavior inside my apt building elevator.
This is interesting. I guess I'll find out tomorrow, but several of my friends and I have been noticing that deadspots with our N1's and Captivates. Like no signal, no voice, no text, no data. In the same locations iPhone 4's are good to go on everything. I volunteered to be the guy that gets an Atrix to see how it does. This thread has me worried.

Nexus 4 Signal Strength Fluxuations

Does anyone have a problem with their Nexus 4 signal strength?
I have Bell Canada, which is supposedly has the best coverage in Canada, I live in the suburbs of a relatively large city and I often see no bars at all. I'm sitting on my couch right now and the signal strength is ranging from -97 dBm to -110 dBm.
Do 2.4 Ghz band devices interfere at all? I have bunch of portable phones and 2 routers, so maybe this is related?
Nexus 4 on T-Mobile
I am in Portland OR in an area of good signal according to T-MO but my nexus rarely shows any signal bars inside my house. This is my 3rd N-4. T-Mo says they have great signal in my area.... so what gives with this signal thing?
My reception has been wonky ever since the 4.2.2 and baseband update.
ccgabe said:
I am in Portland OR in an area of good signal according to T-MO but my nexus rarely shows any signal bars inside my house. This is my 3rd N-4. T-Mo says they have great signal in my area.... so what gives with this signal thing?
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I get 1-2 bars in my house usually between 95-105 db, outside I get low 80's and full or near full at all times. Even though my bars inside top out at 2 I have still managed to pull up to 13 Mbps but thats on a sunny day. Didn't see any results above 9 Mbps today. I live on the outskirts of a not so major city so I can't really complain. One minute I'm pulling 10 Mbps and the other I'm only getting like 200 Kbps though, but it's all good enough for what I need it for and I can't complain since its only $30/month. I just transferred from Virgin Mobile after their "upgrade" resulted in me and many other of their customers losing data for the last 3 weeks and to this date its still not fixed! Their "3G" speeds were atrocious, I've pulled higher speeds off of T-Mobiles 2G network.
I hear a lot of us who are on 4.2.2 and baseband .48 have had issues so I'm thinking its either a major software issue with the radio firmware that hasn't been addressed yet in any revision or it could be a major hardware issue as well as I flashed .27, .33, and .48 and noticed no differences. I had to set my phone to WCDMA Only to get it to maintain a good connection, otherwise HSPA/HSPA+ would just cut out after 2 minutes of use and revert to 2G or have no data at all for 5-10 minutes. After switching to WCDMA Only this problem went away completely and I haven't lost a signal since. For whatever reason it picks up more adjacent towers as well on this setting.
I have that kind of problem also though I notice it only when the signal is weak.
It goes from -99dbm to -111dbm with no reason. My other phone (Defy) keeps a good -97 at the same spot without any fluctuation.
I will try to switch to wcdma only.

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