How's your Signal strength? - Verizon Samsung Galaxy S III

I've had the s3 since it came out and I've always had crappy signal compared to my droid charge. At first I thought it was a crappy modem but the more I try to get better signal the more I get confused @[email protected] I live 4 miles away from a vzw tower. Outside my home I get 2-3 bars but if I just walk 100 ft towards the tower I get a solid 3-4 . Another problem I've been having is that I'll have 2 bars on 3g and it will switch to 1x until I turn data off and on. I thought as long as I had some signal it would stay at 3g; 2 bars is decent strength right?. I was just wondering if anyone else is having similar issues or has any idea what's wrong.
Sent from my SCH-I535

I've commented in a ton if these types of threads. There's a lot of these types of problems. Look through my comment history and you'll find most of them.
Also, please call and file a complaint with Verizon and Samsung. I know its time out of your day but they are refusing to admit this as an issue (at least to me) but for the sake of all those having problems, please make your voice heard.
/end stand on soapbox
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I'm really irritated! I was out with my friend, in a great 4G area, and her crappy (2-year-old) LG whatever it is Virgin Mobile 3G was pulling up information about theaters and movie time MUCH faster than my S3!
---------- Post added at 07:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------
I just got off the phone with a CSR. She said that if I dialed *228 then I probably messed up my sim card. She told me to go into a Verizon store to get a free sim card.
I didn't know that pulling the battery updates roaming capabilities.

gentleart said:
I'm really irritated! I was out with my friend, in a great 4G area, and her crappy (2-year-old) LG whatever it is Virgin Mobile 3G was pulling up information about theaters and movie time MUCH faster than my S3!
---------- Post added at 07:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:29 PM ----------
I just got off the phone with a CSR. She said that if I dialed *228 then I probably messed up my sim card. She told me to go into a Verizon store to get a free sim card.
I didn't know that pulling the battery updates roaming capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
must be a network issue in certain areas...my signal and data is great! Never see LTE speeds less 10mb, normally runs 20-30mb in my area. I do agree tho the 3g radio on this device is mediocre.

Related

[Q] 4G in Austin Tx

So after finding out that Austin wasn't on the short list for 4g, I calleded VW to see when it would. Of course the lady on the phone said she couldn't say. But going by the website it states it wont happen until atleast mid 2012.
When I bought the phone the sales rep talked about how fast the 4g was and thats why he was able to set up my phone so fast. Anyways, I called and asked about returning the phone because the main reason I bought it was for the speed. But I don't want to have to wait a year for it. The guy I talked to said they were told by the district manager that Austin would be getting 4g sooner then expected and should be here in about 2 months. Has anyone else been told this? And if so by who?
Getting 9.5mbps on average all over here in SA. Might have to come down here and check it out. I can't believe Austin doesn't have 4G yet. It's a college town. Hot spot with 4g would sell like crazy.
Here is what I'm getting around Philadelphia.
--------------------
Sent via the combination of 4G airwaves and a Samsung device, using the full featured version of Tapatalk, better known as Forum Runner.
So does anyone else have any input on the 4g speed in Austin? So far it's not any faster then the 3g was. 4-6m.
---------- Post added at 11:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:39 AM ----------
Guess I found my answer.
From the american statesman.
"Verizon promises 4G LTE subscribers will see an average data downlink rate of 5 to 12 megabits per second and an average data uplink rate of 2 to 5 megabits per second."
Hell that isn't fast.

AT&T: Worst thing about not being able to turn LTE off

I was at the AT&T store playing with the One X yesterday. I had read the complaints about not being able to turn LTE off, mainly centered around battery concerns. Well, I think there is a much bigger concern.
AT&T's LTE network is obviously spotty in most places. It's supposedly pretty robust here in the DC area. Well, the phone I was playing with was constantly switching between LTE and HSPA. And guess what? Every time it switched, it lost its data connection for a good 30+ seconds. So since it was switching back and forth constantly, it would lose data connection for several minutes at a time before it would finally stabilize on either LTE or HSPA for a few minutes. Then it would start switching back and forth again, thereby losing data yet again.
It took me about 10 minutes just to download the SpeedTest app from the market. And then, I could not even get a single speedtest to complete running because it never stabilized on a connection for long enough to complete the test. Web pages wouldn't load. Youtube wouldn't load. Basically rendered the phone useless.
So yeah, battery concerns are there, but they are minor compared to this. If you are in an area with weak LTE, but you do not have the ability to turn LTE off, you might essentially find yourself with no data connection whatsoever as your phone bounces back and forth between LTE and HSPA. I imagine that would be a deal breaker for most people.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my house and my office both get either strong enough LTE signals to avoid this, or, alternatively, that they get no LTE signal at all so that it just stays on HSPA.
Battery concerns aside, this is why AT&T needs to give us the option to turn LTE off.
No LTE in my area for a while, which is strange because I live near two big cities and neither of them have LTE yet, for that matter no city in TN has LTE yet
I believe you can technically turn the lte off by selecting "hspa only" in mobile network settings.
P_
pakalrtb said:
I believe you can technically turn the lte off by selecting "hspa only" in mobile network settings.
P_
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I've read, you can do this on the Rogers version, but not on the AT&T one.
In the future I can almost guarantee that there will be an option to turn it off and on as you wish. Most likely will require root but, if you aren't going to root it what are you doing here anyways haha
Well for what its worth, A quick flash of a rogers ROM and we are good to go ;-). Not that we should have to, but we shouldn't be kept from doing as we wish with out device. I am sure I will be flashing within the first hour of a released ROM.
Nope they disable it on all their phones. They don't want the customer selecting their network. They can charge more for data on LTE as its faster and you'll use more quickly.
They also don't want us to be able to force EDGE. Totally ridiculous.
I'm referring to the settings under mobile networks
GSM Only
GSM/HSPA ONLY
GSM/HSPA auto
GSM/HSPA/LTE
HSPA only
MattMJB0188 said:
Nope they disable it on all their phones. They don't want the customer selecting their network. They can charge more for data on LTE as its faster and you'll use more quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for those of us on unlimited data! Their plan backfires.
MattMJB0188 said:
They also don't want us to be able to force EDGE. Totally ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might be misremembering an old article, but from what I've read, they're actually starting to repurpose/shut down EDGE towers in cities with a lot of 3G/4G coverage. A good reason to keep us from selecting EDGE only.
I just want them to turn on LTE in Philly.
If the next iPhone (which will have LTE I believe) didn't have a feature where you can disable LTE, then people would go crazy. It's really a shame that the Rogers model allows you to do so but the AT&T model does not. It's not a big deal to me, but certainly I think the consumer should always have that option.
I am one of the lucky ones to still have unlimited on AT&T but there can't be that many of us left where it would affect things.
Pick up an AT&T iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 and you have an option to turn off 3G. And yes people would go nuts if the next iPhone didn't have an option to turn off LTE.
I hope they don't do away with EDGE. First thing I'd say is, why at home do I get 3 bars of 3G and then if I can switch to EDGE I get a full signal? Call quality isn't broken up like it is on 3G. I'd also like the option to switch my device to EDGE while I'm at work all day to save battery life. EDGE serves a very good purpose for me still.
I think more people need to start calling AT&T technical support and complaining about this. I guess its possible the next update could have this feature.
What good is LTE when its draining my phone sitting in a desk drawer all day?
I remember reading that by "getting rid of EDGE" ATT is actually upgrading those towers to 3G. So, yeah, you lose EDGE, but it gets replaced by better 3G coverage.
Although I entirely agree that not being able to toggle LTE is rediculous.
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_...-phones-will-be-thinner-more-efficient-scoop/
I'll just leave this here...
Just because Verizon rushed out LTE phones before the tech was ready which resulted in terrible battery life, doesn't mean AT&T did the same thing.
brandontrout said:
I remember reading that by "getting rid of EDGE" ATT is actually upgrading those towers to 3G. So, yeah, you lose EDGE, but it gets replaced by better 3G coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that even possible? I thought EDGE is still used for voice, and the reason that we can browse and use voice at the same time (like AT&T always advertises). I'm no expert by any means. But I don't think they can get rid of the EDGE towers, until they do something like move completely to 3G for voice, and LTE for all data (which obviously would not happen for a long time).
---------- Post added at 05:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------
If spotty LTE coverage indeed proves to be a problem on the One X, you can try manually enter a new APN to force the phone to HSPA+. I read it worked on the Vivid.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=25340058&postcount=16
cant we turn off mobile network all together?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA
zonk7ate9 said:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12261_...-phones-will-be-thinner-more-efficient-scoop/
I'll just leave this here...
Just because Verizon rushed out LTE phones before the tech was ready which resulted in terrible battery life, doesn't mean AT&T did the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you even read the original post? It really had nothing to do with battery life, which is a minor concern compared to what I described.
tian105 said:
cant we turn off mobile network all together?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only a solution if you have WiFi access. This would have no impact on the situation the OP is talking about: spotty LTE coverage causing data connection to be dropped.
Also defeats the purpose of having an LTE phone.
redpoint73 said:
Is that even possible? I thought EDGE is still used for voice, and the reason that we can browse and use voice at the same time (like AT&T always advertises). I'm no expert by any means. But I don't think they can get rid of the EDGE towers, until they do something like move completely to 3G for voice, and LTE for all data (which obviously would not happen for a long time).
---------- Post added at 05:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:38 PM ----------
If spotty LTE coverage indeed proves to be a problem on the One X, you can try manually enter a new APN to force the phone to HSPA+. I read it worked on the Vivid.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=25340058&postcount=16
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both GSM and UMTS support circuit switched voice calls. Only LTE does not, as there is not yet a standard defined for voice over LTE...so as long as there is a 2G or 3G network for circuit switched fallback, it will work.
Data is independent of voice in all GSM derived networks, unlike CDMA.
Your data connection does not reflect call quality.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2
You know, the current iPhone doesn't give you an option to force EDGE
Sent from my Lumia 900 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
mosesman86 said:
You know, the current iPhone doesn't give you an option to force EDGE
Sent from my Lumia 900 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but why do the 3GS and 4 allow it?

Poor Signal. Worst than my Nexus

Hey Guys I just got this phone recently. 2-3 wks ago. My problem is I get very poor signal. Mainly in my Neighborhood and in my house. Now I am wondering if I have a faulty device. The nexus is known to have very poor signal but it had better signal than this phone. I drop calls all the time (Mainly in my neighborhood)I do get texts just fine. I am on the latest VZW Modem/Baseband. Should I Odin back to stock to see if it improves? At my job I still get 0-1 bars but I do NOT drop calls. Should I ODIN back to stock using mobile Odin without the data wipe and ever-root to see if it improves? I do not remember what signal was like on stock and i pretty much put it on AOSP a few hours later.
I just realized I can go stand outside and get 7.5 mb on 4G but my dBm is 106. In my bed room it toggles between -112 dBm and 0 dBm 99 asu. Is that odd?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
96 views and no replies? At least let me know of going to stock would be a good idea?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Sandman-007 said:
I just realized I can go stand outside and get 7.5 mb on 4G but my dBm is 106. In my bed room it toggles between -112 dBm and 0 dBm 99 asu. Is that odd?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sandman-007 said:
96 views and no replies? At least let me know of going to stock would be a good idea?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in a similarly low signal area as well, my dBm hovers around -105 to -117 given the day. I don't frequently drop calls but mobile data is slow. Maybe Odin flashing a stock tar will help, maybe it won't. I don't expect much better results for you to be blunt.
SlimSnoopOS said:
I live in a similarly low signal area as well, my dBm hovers around -105 to -117 given the day. I don't frequently drop calls but mobile data is slow. Maybe Odin flashing a stock tar will help, maybe it won't. I don't expect much better results for you to be blunt.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the response. I'm going to Odin back today just to see. I wonder why I drop calls so much. I think I only drop calls in my neighborhood so I don't think it's the device so much. At Least I Hope Not
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Sandman-007 said:
I appreciate the response. I'm going to Odin back today just to see. I wonder why I drop calls so much. I think I only drop calls in my neighborhood so I don't think it's the device so much. At Least I Hope Not
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know the feeling. I don't typically hold long phone calls at home so the dropped calls don't occur too often. I'm fairly certain if I made calls every day, I'd see dropped calls 3/7 days with the same dbm each day. Mobile data strength doesn't bother me since I have wifi at home. When I'm out and about, my signal is fantastic so its a tradeoff I accept.
Poor Signal
I have a VZW Galaxy Nexus and have had signal problems the last couple of months and recently reverted to stock and the signal did not improve. I have signal problems in several places and have read others say it is the network and some say Samsung devices do not work well on Verizon. Of course with my issue the signal is between 0 and 1 bar toggling between LTE and 3G so my battery drains quickly within a few hours. Calls to Verizon end up turning into a sales pitch to buy a new phone. I am probably going to have to switch to another provider if I can find one that works.
---------- Post added at 05:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------
Something else to try is see if there are other radios for your model and flash them and see if one works better than another. I have seen that advise given on some of the other threads.
MPDnnrd said:
I have a VZW Galaxy Nexus and have had signal problems the last couple of months and recently reverted to stock and the signal did not improve. I have signal problems in several places and have read others say it is the network and some say Samsung devices do not work well on Verizon. Of course with my issue the signal is between 0 and 1 bar toggling between LTE and 3G so my battery drains quickly within a few hours. Calls to Verizon end up turning into a sales pitch to buy a new phone. I am probably going to have to switch to another provider if I can find one that works.
---------- Post added at 05:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:08 PM ----------
Something else to try is see if there are other radios for your model and flash them and see if one works better than another. I have seen that advise given on some of the other threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will have to try different radios. However do notice i have a GS3. I was just pointing out the fact that signal worst than my old nexus. I'm on VRBMB1 and signal is better. Going to update my baseband now.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
I didn't realize that mobile Odin erased internal SD and so i lost everything Luckily I baked up my titanium backups to Box.com 5 days ago but I still lost 5 days of texts and my pictures
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Sandman-007 said:
I didn't realize that mobile Odin erased internal SD and so i lost everything Luckily I baked up my titanium backups to Box.com 5 days ago but I still lost 5 days of texts and my pictures
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's tough, the pics matter more than texts in my opinion.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 4
I'd like to add that I never had signal issues with my VZW Galaxy Nexus, and I get complaints now of the people on the other end of the call with the S3. They keep telling me they can't hear me right or that it sounds muffled or garbled. I get my second S3 replacement today so hopefully it helps.

[Q] Verizon Moto G Speedtests on 3G

I've search around everywhere not just on XDA looking for speedtests of this thing. I really want to pick up the $99 prepaid Verizon phone, bypass the prepaid activation, and then use it as my main device for a while (on my Verizon contract). First off, if I bypass the prepaid activation, I could do this right?
Beyond that though, I can't find speed tests ANYWHERE for the Verizon version. I would love if anyone that has it could post what speeds they normally get. The issue is I've had an LTE phone for almost 2 1/2 years and never had a 3G phone, meaning stepping down would be pretty painful. So if I could just get some solid real-world numbers I could decide if it's even a possibility of me getting it.
Thanks.
I get about 60kbs with 1-2 bars, and 400kbs and higher with 4-5 bars.
also, you HAVE to have this phone activated on a prepaid account for 6 months straight before you can move it to a postpaid account.
Sent from my Moto G XT1028
---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 PM ----------
Also, a recent patent filing shows that an LTE Moto G is coming. So IF that comes to Verizon, that sounds like it would be great for you. Or if you live in a place where you can deal with T-Mobile or AT&T, then its an option for you.
Sent from my Moto G XT1028
TotesMyGoats said:
I get about 60kbs with 1-2 bars, and 400kbs and higher with 4-5 bars.
also, you HAVE to have this phone activated on a prepaid account for 6 months straight before you can move it to a postpaid account.
Sent from my Moto G XT1028
---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 PM ----------
Also, a recent patent filing shows that an LTE Moto G is coming. So IF that comes to Verizon, that sounds like it would be great for you. Or if you live in a place where you can deal with T-Mobile or AT&T, then its an option for you.
Sent from my Moto G XT1028
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow those numbers are inexcusably low... How can Verizon call that 3G? Also, is bypassing the activation just so people can use it as a media device? I don't see how it stops you from using a contract if you bypass it. I'll take your word for it though, just wondering for an explanation.
Also the news of an LTE Moto G is really awesome, thanks for letting me know!
Hobox10 said:
Wow those numbers are inexcusably low... How can Verizon call that 3G? Also, is bypassing the activation just so people can use it as a media device? I don't see how it stops you from using a contract if you bypass it. I'll take your word for it though, just wondering for an explanation.
Also the news of an LTE Moto G is really awesome, thanks for letting me know!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live out in the middle of no where, outside of a small town. Where I live, I get 1-3 bars, tops. So i never really have a strong connection. But it is STILL pretty freaking slow.
Patent filing for a LTE Moto G makes no sense whatsoever. Maybe an FCC filing for compliance testing is what you mean. Regardless it's probably not going to happen as US carriers have already decided what they want the Moto G for and it was for their 3G networks, mostly prepaid ones at that.
only did 1 speed test and I got 730Kbs down/1.1Mbs up. This was in the center of big city, near major shopping centers and highways in southern calif. (full bars), and really this varies on location and time of day. I've seen 2.7Mbs down/1.5Mbs up in the same place other times with an older phone as well as much less rates (~100 kbs) with this same older phone and in the same location (again full bars).
I can't believe how bad Verizon's 3G is compared to T-Mobile and AT&T...
Also, I don't really understand how they could tell if the phone is pre-paid and now allow you to use it on a contract if you bypass the activation. Especially if you rom it and then try to use it as your phone.
Anyway, I had an idea. I could use my current phone to tether to the Moto G when I want to do anything other than text or call people and then just use my phone for those things. Do you think it'd get tedious? (Why doesn't Verizon have calls/text over data yet )
I just bought the moto g on Verizon prepaid for 50 bucks did a speed test and got 2.47 down and .76 up. Not on the same level as my note 3 on DCHSPA or lte but fast enough for most things I need done on a smart phone
Oh and I'm in the suburbs of DC, southern Maryland area. Actually right next to a national park in did this in the basement of my house so I expect in the middle of the city with five bars I should get faster. Maybe in the 4-5 range down
This is on LoIng Island, N.Y....

My Nexus 5 is rarely using LTE and often on Edge. This was never a problem on Telus?

Hi Everyone,
I just cancelled my personal Telus account and switched over to my Rogers line (work pays for it)
While on Telus, i was always on LTE or H/H+ and never had any issues with data
Now that im on Rogers, i notice it's on Edge fairly often and/or has no data connection at all! Rarely do i see LTE
What's going on here?
Nexus 5 is stock-ish
I've tried other radios, which didn't help. Is there one that someone recommends?
Im just outside of Toronto, but still in within the GTA
zoltrix said:
Hi Everyone,
I just cancelled my personal Telus account and switched over to my Rogers line (work pays for it)
While on Telus, i was always on LTE or H/H+ and never had any issues with data
Now that im on Rogers, i notice it's on Edge fairly often and/or has no data connection at all! Rarely do i see LTE
What's going on here?
Nexus 5 is stock-ish
I've tried other radios, which didn't help. Is there one that someone recommends?
Im just outside of Toronto, but still in within the GTA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be a silly question but have you checked to make sure the coverage is the same for the new carrier?
Have you tried a different APN? (Settings > Mobile Networks > APNs ?? Will upload screenshots if you need guidance to do so. Your provisioning could be off. Or if it's simplest for you, you could do a factory reset to let it auto-detect on first boot.
Sounds like a question for your provider, Rogers. I wouldn't expect 2 completely different networks to operate in the same way myself.
They have separate towers, I believe... So could just be a bad spot for Rogers.
---------- Post added at 05:45 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:44 PM ----------
If it works fine around a big town... Probably your location. Won't get same signal and coverage on different carriers.
I'm using Rogers and always get LTE in Vancouver
Sent from my Nexus 5
Rogers has many dead spots within the gta, specifically aurora, Newmarket, Markham & vaughan are 4 areas that I have had either no signal or lucky to get edge
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app

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