Infuse data issues - possible solution - Samsung Infuse 4G

Hello, everyone. Long time member but this is my first post.
Anyway, I've had my Infuse 4G since June 2011. I really love the phone and enjoy trying the custom ROMs, especially Zeus. The phone worked great until about 2 months ago when my data plan stopped working.
To make a long story short, there may be an incompatibility with all Infuse 4G phones and the AT&T network towers in my area.
I apologize for the length of the email, but here's all the details for anyone who is interested:
I noticed that I would have intermittent data connections even though I had a steady 3-4 bars of H+. Voice and SMS would work fine, but the internet/sync/speed tests would be slow or non-existent. While I had an active voice call, the data was fine. About a minute after I hung up, the data would stop working again. I was afraid I fried something in the modem with all the ROM experiments.
I called AT&T customer service and they tried all the typical "quick fixes" like verifing the APN settings and making sure "Use packet data" was enabled. They reset the data plan on my account and replaced my SIM twice. They wanted me to replace my phone, but my wife has the same phone and she has the same problems. It seemed like the data would be better when away from the house, so I convinced them to open a network trouble ticket on my local tower.
One day while I was at work, they sent a technician out to my house and they said the tower was fine, but my house was on the line between the segments of the local tower. This combined with "an unusually high number of activations in my area" was the cause of my problem.
I called BS on this because my phone and house haven't changed in the prior 9 months when everything worked fine. They did credit me for both data plans for the month, so I can't complain too much.
I decided to call their bluff and get a new phone. When I walked into the local Device Support Center, I didn't finish explaining my problem before they asked me if it was the Infuse. It's as if they already knew the rest of my story and said that all Infuse owners in a 10-15 mile radius were experiencing the same problem. They previously had AT&T network technicians out and they confirmed it was isolated to the towers in the local region and isolated to the Infuse. They worked with Samsung who confirmed it wasn't the particular phones they looked at, but a network issue.
I'm currently in the process of getting approval for a new make/model even though I'm not yet half way through my contract. It looks like the local support center is pushing for a Galaxy S2 replacement for both phones, but it hasn't been approved yet.
I'll follow up here when I get more information, but I thought this might help others out there with data problems on their Infuse.
Thanks.
Matt

ITS IMPOSSIBLE for it to be singled out to one phone .. it really is .. unless course lets say, there was only one LTE 4G model phone and LTE was having issues then only that one model phone would have problems ... our Infuse runs on hspa+ like the inspire 4g and so on, so all those phones would have issues as well .. BUT hey if ur getting a replacement S2 (which runs on the same tower/network/apn as the infuse lmao) then I say go for it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA

@jpapa1086, I hear what you're saying and I didn't believe it at first either. I originally went to the repair center to swap my phone and rule it out. While she was on the phone, I heard the repair center manager offer to forward an email to the warranty department from AT&T's own network support technician that confirmed the Infuse had issues and other phones did not on specific tower sites.
Like I said earlier, I thought I fried something in the modem with my custom ROMs, but my wife's phone was still stock Froyo and hers stopped working around the same time.
I'm a network engineer for a living and it seemed to me like there is a network routing issue, not a radio communication issue. This is just my opinion, but I'm wondering if there's some kind of firewall or filter, perhaps involved in the throttling system, that is mis-configured for my area.
Either way, Fedex delivered two (referbished) S2s to me today and they are working just as well as the Infuse did on day one.
I'm not saying this is the cause of all Infuse data issues, but I'm offering my experience to the community just in case it may help someone else.
Thanks.

Related

4g LTE outage Cause!

So get this folks... I had read here that a credit was being issued for the outage, so I decided to see what dollar amount I would be given. When I spoke to the rep, he offered me 1.99$ (2 days of data loss). So I said, ok, fair enough. I then asked what in the world happened, how was the entire US affected? The rep then proceeds to tell me that due to the massive tornado activity in the south, the 4g was effectively shut down. He says, nature can be that way sometimes... But, I was not to worry because the issue caused by the storm has been fixed. Now, basically I feel that just like anything, things will break, but to blame network screw-ups of this scale on god, Come On! I hope this will not be their official line, because I may not be the most tech savy tbolt user, but I know darn well this issue was NOT caused by friggin tornadoes! I guess they suppose the masses are that stupid. I guess mother nature also auto rebooted my phone right before the outage as well???? WOW!
mslove333 said:
So get this folks... I had read here that a credit was being issued for the outage, so I decided to see what dollar amount I would be given. When I spoke to the rep, he offered me 1.99$ (2 days of data loss). So I said, ok, fair enough. I then asked what in the world happened, how was the entire US affected? The rep then proceeds to tell me that due to the massive tornado activity in the south, the 4g was effectively shut down. He says, nature can be that way sometimes... But, I was not to worry because the issue caused by the storm has been fixed. Now, basically I feel that just like anything, things will break, but to blame network screw-ups of this scale on god, Come On! I hope this will not be their official line, because I may not be the most tech savy tbolt user, but I know darn well this issue was NOT caused by friggin tornadoes! I guess they suppose the masses are that stupid. I guess mother nature also auto rebooted my phone right before the outage as well???? WOW!
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Because the tornados couldn't have taken out cell towers?
Honestly, who gives a **** what caused the outage? Does it really make that big a difference to you? They acknowledged the problem, fixed it within 24 hrs and are crediting people's accounts (which they really don't even have to do). Kudos to Verizon, I say.
g00s3y said:
Because the tornados couldn't have taken out cell towers?
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They couldn't have taken out cell towers in CO, where I live. It's possible that a large network outage in the south might have caused a cascading failure for the rest of the country but that suggests a surprising fragility to the LTE network.
I'm not particularly upset about it but it is a bit curious that severe weather in the South would take down a network nation wide.
Um if tornadoes took out the towers, but only 4g was lost, and in some cases 3g, then these sound like some very finnicky tornadoes. If I was a tornado I wouldn't go for the 3g and 4g but leave the tower and its power source and 2g parts unharmed. Or were there actual places where all cell reception was lost? I only ever heard verizon say 4g was down, and that thunderbolt people might have issues thanks to how their phone hands off between 3g and 4g which was why people had to do t a fix to get from 1x back to 3g while 4g was down.
I'm not sure if this is true or if it is related to the tornadoes, but I read somewhere that their central/primary "router" went down.
I happened to be talking to a Verizon network tech on the day of the outage about a seperate issue and he said that they were having a problem with the eHRPD/LTE authentication system. So basically the phones were being denied access to the new networks but could still get on the old network. Who knows whether or not that's true but it sounds more plausable than bad weather.
mpw3000 said:
I happened to be talking to a Verizon network tech on the day of the outage about a seperate issue and he said that they were having a problem with the eHRPD/LTE authentication system. So basically the phones were being denied access to the new networks but could still get on the old network. Who knows whether or not that's true but it sounds more plausable than bad weather.
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Maybe the tornadoes took out the devices that were responsible for the eHRPD authentication.
cigar3tte said:
Maybe the tornadoes took out the devices that were responsible for the eHRPD authentication.
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True. Usually there's redundancies for that kind of thing though. Especially for a large company providing a service nationally.
I was in Alabama (Huntsville) during the tornadoes, and I can say that I was having the 3G issue the day before the storms came through. The only issue that the tornadoes caused was the inability to make and phone calls or send any texts (busy network error). I was able to receive calls and texts though.
Sidenote: My thoughts are sent out to anyone affected down there, there was a lot of damage done.
The flaw in the OP's information is most likely the source. He got the info from an account rep. While a tornado might be able to mess with things locally, no way one, or even a bunch of them could cause a nationwide problem. Just give up trying to figure out what the problem was, that's Verizon's job. Just enjoy the phone.
cigar3tte said:
Maybe the tornadoes took out the devices that were responsible for the eHRPD authentication.
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eHRPD has been disabled since the outage. Perhaps the devices are still down.
Perhaps you fail to see that our network is not just towers. It is tied to land based systems and a location of major traffic can shut a system down. All it takes is one hit in the right place and the whole thing fails. Main hub for fedex had a failure and it shut down their whole network worldwide.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Is anyone seeing any outages today? I have been on 1x since around 6:00am mst
I'm down in phoenix 1x
3g in po dunk mississippi!
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
LTE running fine here in Detroit.
Any update from Seattle? LTE working fine there today?
burntorangefan said:
Any update from Seattle? LTE working fine there today?
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Been working fine here in Seattle since Thursday morning. Rock Solid 4G - no jumps or anything.
1. Buy phone, data changes from 4G to 3G to nothing constantly.
2. Leaked radio comes out, data changes a little better.
3. Immediately prior to outage, constant 4G all day.
4. Outage occurs, 1x for days.
5. Outage fixed, solid 4G in Philadelphia.
6. Leave Philadelphia, back in Jersey, no 4G, Goes from 3G to nothing. Under settings/wireless & networks/mobile network says connection failed. Uncheck, then check, 3G back, then connection fails again later. WTF.

just got gx2 having some issues

I just got the phone today me and fiance both got same phone we were told our area had 3g coverage i contacted tmobile support and the tech stated it is not availabe he actually suggested we seek another carrier anyone have any suggestions to getting better quality signal and data...
Since you bought it from Tmob you should ask and get the unlock codes for free and also should be opt out of the early contract termination fee as well because it was not your fault about the coverage area. Don't let them push you around. Stick to your guns that the tmob rep said you would have 3G and yet you do not.
Check with ATT and see if they have better coverage in your area. The G2X can work on ATT networks as well but you would have to do some research on the settings and etc.
Thats my two cents if your gonna leave Tmob and keep the phones.
As for getting better reception or data signal theres pretty much nothing you can do to make it better if the towers aren't there.
fabricatedhero said:
Since you bought it.......
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Agree with all that, maybe you can get the phone as a Standard rate plan, which they don't offer with smart phones. You can then use it wifi all over the place. And when the merger hits, you might get better reception if they can share antenna....though some say the G2x will not work on any 3G ATT signals.
thanks for the responses
Yea ive been searching around seeing if there was a fix or noticable difference in rooted pre gb releases for better sig/data strength and such i even caled tmo when i got home and spoke with tech rep and he suggested that i just return devices and go to a diff network I felt that was a horrible way to represent the company. Didnt even try or make a feeble attempt to troubleshoot just blew it off to ah well you dont get 3g in your area so to bad basically.
fabricatedhero said:
Since you bought it from Tmob you should ask and get the unlock codes for free and also should be opt out of the early contract termination fee as well because it was not your fault about the coverage area. Don't let them push you around. Stick to your guns that the tmob rep said you would have 3G and yet you do not.
Check with ATT and see if they have better coverage in your area. The G2X can work on ATT networks as well but you would have to do some research on the settings and etc.
Thats my two cents if your gonna leave Tmob and keep the phones.
As for getting better reception or data signal theres pretty much nothing you can do to make it better if the towers aren't there.
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Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the G2X only works on the 1700mhz 3G band. ATT does not use this band so he would be stuck on 2g, which is exactly the problem he's having with tmobs now.
well i should have gone further in to detail
The issue is in the store i was told that i would be in a 3g area once i got home i was only staring at the letter G on the highway i had 2G but at home now even outside I am at G and tech on the phone said i was in 2g area then proceeded to tell me i should look in to another company problem is ive tried verizon which is incredible service horrible support and sprint which had great customer service but horrid service I can travel to mount vernon and data roam.
knickfan5745 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the G2X only works on the 1700mhz 3G band. ATT does not use this band so he would be stuck on 2g, which is exactly the problem he's having with tmobs now.
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Hmmm you might be right and i have to retract my statement cuz now ever since the phone was released it showed that it was quad band and had both bands for tmob and ATT for 2g/3g/4g bands and now LG says its not.
Even Tmobs site showed it had that capability. I'm reading into it now. Thanks for the refresh course.
No one suggested WiFi Calling? I use it at work and its awesome. Really cuts down on battery usage too. Plus WiFi Calling is now FREE on Tmobile so why WOULDN'T you want to use it at home or at work?
Beats paying AT&T for a $100 WiFi Extender and having it come out of your bank of minutes.
Plus WiFi Calling works over standard WiFi, so even at McDonalds it will work.
Of course this is under the assumption that there IS some coverage around your home. If there was NO service then I would probably just look elsewhere. If you can at least make calls in your neighborhood and calls, text, and surf the web at home (using WiFi Calling and WiFi) then that isn't so bad. Text messages work on any network grade. The only issue you'd have with a slower network is data. But if there is decent service "around" your house, then WiFi calling works wonders to make sure you are online around your home.
It would actually be kinda cool to reply on a WiFi router for service because at 10pm I could just pull the plug and cells go off. No kids texting at 2am.
fabricatedhero said:
Hmmm you might be right and i have to retract my statement cuz now ever since the phone was released it showed that it was quad band and had both bands for tmob and ATT for 2g/3g/4g bands and now LG says its not.
Even Tmobs site showed it had that capability. I'm reading into it now. Thanks for the refresh course.
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No one really knows but Tmobile is releasing lots of "Quad-band" phones in the event the AT&T merger goes through. They've even stated they ONCE the merger goes through, they will unlock the other frequencies.
So while there is no absolute answer whether our phones are truely quad-band until we crack it open and actually test, it would be odd that it passed FCC, had it listed on the website, and touted as one of the biggest features... only to NOT have no such hardware.
Makes more sense that Tmobile just "locked it up" for now.
mikeew83 said:
Yea ive been searching around seeing if there was a fix or noticable difference in rooted pre gb releases for better sig/data strength and such i even caled tmo when i got home and spoke with tech rep and he suggested that i just return devices and go to a diff network I felt that was a horrible way to represent the company. Didnt even try or make a feeble attempt to troubleshoot just blew it off to ah well you dont get 3g in your area so to bad basically.
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There really isn't much the csr over the phone can do. If you don't have service the person on the phone can't magically teleport a tower into your hood.
They offered you the chance to return the phone and get your money back. How else would you like them to proceed when they can't provide you with service?
Thanks all for the responses
Yea thats what ive been doing just got it set up to wifi in the house honestly out and about not that big an issue as i already have everything i need on the phone at that point unless its a game using data based connectivity which i can deal the phone in itself is just to nice for me to let go of and as for the last post honestly youve waited your breathe and I dont appreciate the rudeness really there is no magic tmo fairy to pop out of my ass and stick a new tower in my back yard gosh there goes that idea. but yea def love the phone testing out root lol i couldnt wait day 1 rooted and working on a good rom/kernel combo in the near future you can look forward to me buildling from aosp soon as this has been something i have been nearing for quite a while now just couldnt find a decent enough phone to dev on so be on the look out for the Triumph Rom coming soon to your neck of the woods.
I was rude? I thought I was just being logical and asked what you would have done if you were the csr.
I'm glad you are at least trying the phone out via wifi, 99% of the people here would have ditched it.
well if i mistook you i apologize
But i def would not recommend someone leave my business for another without prior checking thoroughly to see what other options there may be this guy spent 5 minutes on the phone with me he was in tech support and did no do any literally anything to troubleshoot why i was listed in a 2g area but only getting 1g was my big issue but honestly ill take this over sprint any day i cannot leave the house 5 minutes in any direction without data roaming so just pushed over dark and sin with faux kernel going to set it up and test drive I will be working up some gb roms once official release is out which from the reads i have found is only sometime soon. heres to hoping.

[Fix?] 4G Connect problems

This is a long shot, and no real proof here, but I've experienced 4g connection problems since I've owned my phone for the past 3 days. I finally chalked it up to not having 4g in my area, as my phone was only able to connect twice in the three days I owned it.
Okay, so on the third day, I decided to sell my Droid X. I got the DC, by opening a new phone line. I wanted my old phone number back on the DC, so I called vzw to make the switch for me. They told me I would need a new SIM card because its burned with the current phone number. I guess they are write once.. and that's it.
So I went to the vzw store, got the new SIM for free, and switched numbers with no problems. HOWEVER, since I've got this new card I have not dropped 4g once at my house! Dude. I'm so happy, and to think, I thought it was because there was no 4g @ my house. (vzw reps said I lived in a fringe area... which I do)
So did this new SIM fix my problems? Or was it just a network problem vzw experienced. With the old card it did everything I could think of. Reboot, reinsert the card, remove battery. So, reinserting the new card wasn't what fixed it.
Well, thought I would share this in hopes it might help someone.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Never hurts to try a new SIM, but I think when customer service on the GSM carriers tells you that, it's just a way to get you to shut up.
You only had the phone a few days, and frankly, Verizon's 4G service is flakey at best. I'm in a very strong 4G area most of the time, and I'll go from 30Mb/s downloads to no coverage for hours at a time some days. It's very frustrating.
Like I said above, never hurts to try a new SIM, but I think given your short duration with the phone and that you're on the "fringe" of a 4G area, it's just as likely there were network problems in general.
Either way, good to see another satisfied customer.
That's cool. I would be quick to say that I believe you're right. It's been up and down today, so that gives me reason to believe it's just the network and not so much anything to do with my phone SIM card or not.

Network Extender

This could help everyone who has weak signal at home. My SGS3 was constantly switching LTE 3G 1X and sometimes loses connection completely when sitting downstairs. Even when it had reception call quality was terrible. Upstairs I got solid -99dBm LTE so that's fine. In the same time and place my old Fascinate has solid 3G or 1X and never loses connection or has problems with call quality. So I've called vzw and they offered me network extender. The problem was they wanted me to pay $150 for it ($250MSRP - $100 discount) even that I'm their customer for almost 10 years and pay $200/month for 4 lines. So I filed a claim with FCC but actually I wasn't hoping for anything. 10 days later I got surprise call from vzw and got brand new network extender shipped 2nd fedex for free. It helped a lot but it's still not 100% perfect. My phone still connects to LTE even it's only at -120dBm and then jumps to 3G extender when LTE is lost completely. So it won't help battery drain when switching bands but I don't lose connection and don't have problems with call quality anymore so that's better than it was before. So my advice for everyone having the same issues: spend some time filing a claim.
Give us the complaint details. Might help me
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
More details would be great
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
Wireless Telephone - Billing, Service, Privacy, Number Portability and other issues
File form 2000B with your details. I basically put exactly what vzw customer service rep told me as comments. So that my home location has "marginal" coverage and I could get network extender for $150 even that I'm paying $200/month for service that I don't get. I've also included comment about well known reception problems with new S3. That was enough apparently.
btw. I think that you should call customer service first before filing any claim. Ask them to put some notes about your reception issues on your account. And ask about network extender also. Maybe you will be lucky and they will offer extender for free without any claim.
Have now 3 recorded signal complaints with Verizon, tried replacement devices etc. This is fantastic, I literally was going to invest in one of these myself (verizon didn't even mention it to me, found out from an at&t user).
Thanks man
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
Last year I called cust. service and complained about the crappy signal at my parents house. They shipped out a free network extender no questions asked. I guess it just depends who you talk to, but they do have the authority to give you one.
I'm happy for you, but I would like to play devils advocate for a moment and make the argument they should have made.
Why do you complain about having marginal service in one place in your house now when you've been a customer for 10+ years? There are plenty of other carriers that may offer better service in your usual hangouts, but you have decided to stay with a company that cannot provide adequate coverage for a long time.
I may give this a try. I was looking at network extenders online and saw a lot of mixed reviews, so I haven't taken the plunge. My street in general is a 2 bar 1x deadzone. Thanks for the info!
While I am happy for you...it seems to me that this was not truly VZW's problem and is not something they should have had to fix unless we want everyone that works inside a building to get range extenders as well, for example. It appears as though you are a victim of great customer service to begin with (a $100 discount), and you simply got more oil because of being a squeaky wheel. There's nothing wrong with that, but VZW went out of their way to help you as far as I'm concerned.
Regardless, congratulations on your improved coverage! Does it work with Wi-Fi or 1X as well, or is it just 3G and 4G LTE? It'll last you a couple years at least as I don't see VZW upgrading radios for quite some time. How does it work? Does it just amplify the weak signal or do you have to have relays set up?
stargate125645 said:
While I am happy for you...it seems to me that this was not truly VZW's problem and is not something they should have had to fix unless we want everyone that works inside a building to get range extenders as well, for example. It appears as though you are a victim of great customer service to begin with (a $100 discount), and you simply got more oil because of being a squeaky wheel. There's nothing wrong with that, but VZW went out of their way to help you as far as I'm concerned.
Regardless, congratulations on your improved coverage! Does it work with Wi-Fi or 1X as well, or is it just 3G and 4G LTE? It'll last you a couple years at least as I don't see VZW upgrading radios for quite some time. How does it work? Does it just amplify the weak signal or do you have to have relays set up?
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Yeah this is what I forgot to put in my post, is it just for phone calls or does it have internet enhancing capabilities as well? Furthermore, I know companies share hardware to some extent, any clue if it would boost t-mobile as well?
I'm tired of paying for data when I feel forced to be on wifi all the time
Did last 2 posters actually read my first post? It's not that Verizon coverage was always that bad for me. My previous phone Samsung Fascinate that I'm still using on another line works just fine in the same place. I've also had numerous of other phones in the same place before (motorola razr 2 and motorola razr maxx was last 2) and none of them had problems with calls quality. So it's clearly S3's poor antenna what's causing reception problems for me. Verizon sold me not fully functional Samsung’s product and I've signed new 2 year agreement when got S3 and have to pay for service so they have to provide me what I'm paying for. They could try to replace my S3 with another one but everybody knows that it wouldn't help. They could send technicians to check signal in my area (that was first suggestion from rep) but that would probably not make any difference either or take another couple of months. They have network extender available for problems like that but why would I have pay to get it if I pay for service each month? That’s not my fault that they sold me product that cannot give me proper access to their service in the same place where other phones are working just fine.
SotYPL said:
Did last 2 posters actually read my first post? It's not that Verizon coverage was always that bad for me. My previous phone Samsung Fascinate that I'm still using on another line works just fine in the same place. I've also had numerous of other phones in the same place before (motorola razr 2 and motorola razr maxx was last 2) and none of them had problems with calls quality. So it's clearly S3's poor antenna what's causing reception problems for me. Verizon sold me not fully functional Samsung’s product and I've signed new 2 year agreement when got S3 and have to pay for service so they have to provide me what I'm paying for. They could try to replace my S3 with another one but everybody knows that it wouldn't help. They could send technicians to check signal in my area (that was first suggestion from rep) but that would probably not make any difference either or take another couple of months. They have network extender available for problems like that but why would I have pay to get it if I pay for service each month? That’s not my fault that they sold me product that cannot give me proper access to their service in the same place where other phones are working just fine.
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Did you read my post? I didn't say anything about your previous phone. I only pointed out that VZW did what they were not obligated to do. By virtue of the fact that you get service upstairs, your basement is the problem and not VZW.
Guys you should read what Network Extender is.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/network-extender
It's not cellular amplifier. It uses your internet connection to make and receive calls. So basically it's VoIP device with built in 3G signal antenna.
stargate125645 said:
Did you read my post? I didn't say anything about your previous phone. I only pointed out that VZW did what they were not obligated to do. By virtue of the fact that you get service upstairs, your basement is the problem and not VZW.
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First of all it's not a basement, it's ground level (2 level townhouse). Second, my other phones are working fine in the same spot and never lose connection or get poor call quality. So it's not fully functional device that they sold me.
btw. I love my S3 and would not replace it for any other vzw current phone
SotYPL said:
Did last 2 posters actually read my first post? It's not that Verizon coverage was always that bad for me. My previous phone Samsung Fascinate that I'm still using on another line works just fine in the same place. I've also had numerous of other phones in the same place before (motorola razr 2 and motorola razr maxx was last 2) and none of them had problems with calls quality. So it's clearly S3's poor antenna what's causing reception problems for me. Verizon sold me not fully functional Samsung’s product and I've signed new 2 year agreement when got S3 and have to pay for service so they have to provide me what I'm paying for. They could try to replace my S3 with another one but everybody knows that it wouldn't help. They could send technicians to check signal in my area (that was first suggestion from rep) but that would probably not make any difference either or take another couple of months. They have network extender available for problems like that but why would I have pay to get it if I pay for service each month? That’s not my fault that they sold me product that cannot give me proper access to their service in the same place where other phones are working just fine.
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You never mentioned your quality over time, only your reception discrepancy between phones. You also left your internet situation somewhat ambiguous, only mentioning that it switches between radios even with the extender. I understand your argument is that its a less desirable antenna in the GS3 than your previous phone, was just trying to get you to say more about your extender while taking a friendly poke at Verizon's usual lack of customer service.
I tend to use google voice when I'm at home through my computer, its just nice to know my phone actually HAS service in case of an emergency or if somebody important calls, or Jesus comes back etc.
The verizon variant of the S3 has considerably less radio power than other verizon devices. It's a known issue with Verizon, and it's up to them to remedy it, as the same device from Sprint gets better reception. I proved that with a coworkers sprint s3 + mine at work. His made calls, mine didn't.
Until they fix the radio issue, things like this may need to be implemented. Awesome original post, thanks again for the info.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
Still, if you can get reception elsewhere, it is not necessarily VZW's responsibility. Otherwise, they'd need to supply everyone who works in a building that limits signal, etc. I'm just saying VZW went out of their way. If your house is within the 4G LTE map coverage boundary, and you couldn't get coverage even on your highest floor, I could see what Verizon did as required. Verizon cannot control the configuration and construction of your house, after all. It is of no consequence regardless and Verizon doesn't lose money on the deal if it is assumed you would switch service providers had they not helped out so you've nothing to defend. I'm simply saying I, personally, don't think you were entitled to the signal booster to the point that an FCC complaint was warranted. A $100 discount would have been more than enough - in my opinion.
annoyingduck said:
The verizon variant of the S3 has considerably less radio power than other verizon devices. It's a known issue with Verizon, and it's up to them to remedy it, as the same device from Sprint gets better reception. I proved that with a coworkers sprint s3 + mine at work. His made calls, mine didn't.
Until they fix the radio issue, things like this may need to be implemented. Awesome original post, thanks again for the info.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
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What? How does that prove anything? The towers would have to be in the exact same spot, have the exact same output, hardware, design, etc., for that to even come close to proving anything. I'm not saying there isn't a problem, but simply that you didn't prove anything.
Boston area dude, no issues network wise here. The vzw s3 doesn't hold a card to vzw droids or HTC devices signal wise. There is little or no difference in this area between the carriers.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
---------- Post added at 11:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------
Plus both s3 devices registering an approximate -100 to 110db signal, vzw has 2 bars, sprint full bars.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
stargate125645 said:
Still, if you can get reception elsewhere, it is not necessarily VZW's responsibility. Otherwise, they'd need to supply everyone who works in a building that limits signal, etc. I'm just saying VZW went out of their way. If your house is within the 4G LTE map coverage boundary, and you couldn't get coverage even on your highest floor, I could see what Verizon did as required.
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Actually looking at vzw's website coverage maps my house is in the middle of full LTE coverage. Marginal coverage was rep's word. Maybe they have more detailed maps for internal use. But LTE was not a issue for me. I don't need data at home cause I always use wifi. Problem with making and receiving calls was the problem. It is fundamental future of the phone and S3 is still a phone right?
stargate125645 said:
Verizon cannot control the configuration and construction of your house, after all.
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Correct but they can control what they sell. So if they sell not fully functional phone they have to back it up and do whatever it's needed to make it work right. My other phones were always working fine in the same spot and even in the worst spot of the house where Fascinate would switch to 1X it never lost reception completely and never had problems with call quality. It is clear for me that Galaxy S3 hardware/software is the problem not my house and probably vzw is fully aware of that.
stargate125645 said:
It is of no consequence regardless and Verizon doesn't lose money on the deal if it is assumed you would switch service providers had they not helped out so you've nothing to defend. I'm simply saying I, personally, don't think you were entitled to the signal booster to the point that an FCC complaint was warranted. A $100 discount would have been more than enough - in my opinion.
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As my original post said, I was not hoping for anything filing fcc claim. I was prepare to fight more directly with vzw if nothing would change till the end of September. Probably I would demand technician visit or phone replacement. They chose to make me happy in the easiest way and that's fine for me. My post was strictly for informational purposes for people like me struggling with poor S3's reception who had no luck dealing with vzw directly.
Geeze people, why are you attcking the OP. He had bad signal at is house and Verizon sent him a booster. I think the issue here is with Verizon. They pick and choose who to send them to for free and who needs to pay. Maybe if they were consistant it would not be a big deal.
But why should one person have to pay $150 for the device and others get it for free with no other reason then they got lucky with the rep they spoke to. If people's main home billong address is in a known frigne area they should offer these for free. Verizon customers pay the highest monthly fee's then any other carriers. I had no problem getting a free booster from Sprint as many others received them as well free of charge.
[email protected] said:
Geeze people, why are you attcking the OP. He had bad signal at is house and Verizon sent him a booster. I think the issue here is with Verizon. They pick and choose who to send them to for free and who needs to pay. Maybe if they were consistant it would not be a big deal.
But why should one person have to pay $150 for the device and others get it for free with no other reason then they got lucky with the rep they spoke to. If people's main home billong address is in a known frigne area they should offer these for free. Verizon customers pay the highest monthly fee's then any other carriers. I had no problem getting a free booster from Sprint as many others received them as well free of charge.
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Agreed completely! Also why is everyone trying to stick up for Verizon so much?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Sprint Zone needed for good signal?

We switched to Spring Sep 3 to get the $100 for 20gb of data plan. It would be great but our coverage/signal is TERRIBLE. We live in Louisville, KY which shows 4G coverage across most of the city. We are lucky to get half bars with 3G 95% of the time. We've even been to a Spark city(St. Louis) over the weekend and our phones were constantly extremely slow loading webpages, Facebook, etc.
I've taken our S5's(wife and I have the same) to a few stores/service centers and no one sees anything wrong. The only thing that any of them told me was that the fact our phones don't have Sprint Zone installed might be the issue. That seemed crazy to me but I tried to find a way to add it to our S5's with no success.
Is there any truth to that? If not, then what can we do to boost signal/reception for data? At this point we're ready to go back to Verizon and start watching our data again even though it costs more. We feel like we've taken a step back into 2008 with our speeds.
wkupike2000 said:
We switched to Spring Sep 3 to get the $100 for 20gb of data plan. It would be great but our coverage/signal is TERRIBLE. We live in Louisville, KY which shows 4G coverage across most of the city. We are lucky to get half bars with 3G 95% of the time. We've even been to a Spark city(St. Louis) over the weekend and our phones were constantly extremely slow loading webpages, Facebook, etc.
I've taken our S5's(wife and I have the same) to a few stores/service centers and no one sees anything wrong. The only thing that any of them told me was that the fact our phones don't have Sprint Zone installed might be the issue. That seemed crazy to me but I tried to find a way to add it to our S5's with no success.
Is there any truth to that? If not, then what can we do to boost signal/reception for data? At this point we're ready to go back to Verizon and start watching our data again even though it costs more. We feel like we've taken a step back into 2008 with our speeds.
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Thats not true sprint zone does not have anything to do woth service..sprint is famous for always workin on towers "so they say' missed calls,drop calls and delaid sms.
They love to feed you lie after lie. But if you climb chain speak with superviser ask for discount they norm comp for your losses...
I figured but just wanted to ask since it was told to me at multiple stores/service centers. I love saving the money ($60 per month) and getting 22GB of data versus 4 with Verizon but that doesn't matter if you can't use it. Any tips on ways to try to increase our signals? Maybe our phones aren't programmed to properly connect to the towers?
wkupike2000 said:
We switched to Spring Sep 3 to get the $100 for 20gb of data plan. It would be great but our coverage/signal is TERRIBLE. We live in Louisville, KY which shows 4G coverage across most of the city. We are lucky to get half bars with 3G 95% of the time. We've even been to a Spark city(St. Louis) over the weekend and our phones were constantly extremely slow loading webpages, Facebook, etc.
I've taken our S5's(wife and I have the same) to a few stores/service centers and no one sees anything wrong. The only thing that any of them told me was that the fact our phones don't have Sprint Zone installed might be the issue. That seemed crazy to me but I tried to find a way to add it to our S5's with no success.
Is there any truth to that? If not, then what can we do to boost signal/reception for data? At this point we're ready to go back to Verizon and start watching our data again even though it costs more. We feel like we've taken a step back into 2008 with our speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wkupike2000 said:
I figured but just wanted to ask since it was told to me at multiple stores/service centers. I love saving the money ($60 per month) and getting 22GB of data versus 4 with Verizon but that doesn't matter if you can't use it. Any tips on ways to try to increase our signals? Maybe our phones aren't programmed to properly connect to the towers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are prob working in your area i got s5 wife got s5 and a s3 for other use like hotspot games. we do not have issues in our area so check your area for any work.
Tower may also be overloaded if not enough towers around for the amount of users.
I guess I could call support but it's been going on for over a month, that's just terrible to me. And none of the 2 stores and 1 service center I went to locally mentioned that. If they don't know then that's even more of a red flag. But since we traveled to a Spark city I still feel like it's beyond just local towers and maybe settings in our phones. But they were sent in from different Spring stores so it's not like they came from a bad batch. Just very frustrating and we'll probably just go back to Verizon if it doesn't change soon.

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