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How is your 3G reception on the Vibrant? I just purchased a Vibrant as a replacement for my aging and bluetooth handicapped G1 and I am disappointed with the 3G reception.
T-Mobile's coverage in my area is moderate, and the G1 has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors, and may even flop back to 2G. It is fairly consistently on 2G in my home at 2 bars and at work I can only get 1 bar of 2G with this phone and spend the majority of the time with no signal at all.
I sat down and did some comparison between the Vibrant and the G1 and have found the following:
1. *#*#4636#*#* menu shows significantly worse signal levels on the Vibrant than on the G1, often times showing 0db and 0asu in the same location I am seeing -89db to -101db 3G on the G1.
2. The service menu on the Vibrant indicates a signal level which on 3G is fairly consistently 8db better than the one shown on the info menu. Interestingly, 2G signal levels as shown on the service menu seem fairly spot on with those shown from the info menu in Android.
3. The service menu 3G signal levels on the Vibrant seem consistent with those that I see on the G1 with a variation of perhaps only a couple of decibels.
That said, it seems interesting that battery usage on the Vibrant seems to indicate nearly 60% of its time with no service under cell standby when I get 0% in the same location with the G1. I am wondering if the time being recorded here is in fact the time spent with 0 bars being displayed even if the phone does, in fact, have a signal.
It is apparent that there is at least a software issue with the display here, as has been concluded in prior threads. However, ignoring the bar display I am wondering what others feel of the signal coverage with their Vibrant versus their old phone?
Does anyone have any experience with any of Samsung's other phone offerings? Do you think Samsung will post a radio update for this phone or possibly release one along with the GPS Fix/Froyo update in September?
I work in a position which requires me to be on-call a certain times during the year, and I can't really afford to have a phone that camps out at 60% no signal. I am really looking for reasons to keep this phone, as I like it otherwise, but practically, I need a phone that is going to receive phone calls. Any objective indications anyone can give that Samsung will continue to support this device may help sway my decision to keep it. My 14 days will be up on Thursday, so I need to make a final decision about keeping this phone before then.
Also, do any developers think that modifying the handling of the signal display in Android will cause a change in the amount of time the phone spends acquiring signal between 3G and 2G, or is this something that is purely handled within the radio firmware? If this is changeable, is this something that can be included in a future custom rom?
No coverage issues with mine.matches my mt3g in pretty much every location.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I made a call in the BOONDOCKS of NC, in an old river mill with 22 inch brick walls... NOBODY else was able to place a call other than me (all the big networks and nice phones).
I have pretty crappy 3g service here in new rochelle when at home the phone keeps fluctuating between 0-4 bars for 3G and the data speeds very inconsistent. Sometimes it even falls back to EDGE! This is pretty lame, i called t-mobile about it and they said there nothing they can do! If i am unhappy i should return the phone.
I live in NYC...
That is really all I have to say.
3-5 up speeds
constant 3g connection
The bars on the phone are funky though they look like there are none but you can still make calls. Its just the software is off just like the battery percentage.
Rishikesh said:
I have pretty crappy 3g service here in new rochelle when at home the phone keeps fluctuating between 0-4 bars for 3G and the data speeds very inconsistent. Sometimes it even falls back to EDGE! This is pretty lame, i called t-mobile about it and they said there nothing they can do! If i am unhappy i should return the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're at home why aren't you on WiFi?
Seriously it's the most puzzling thing ever. 3G or not, I wouldn't be using it at home. Are you trying to replace your ISP with your phone or something?
You should do a search. Are you aware of the fact that -0dBm is impossible? The bars are off on this phone and the G1 is mediocre overall. It can hold on to a 3G signal for longer because your hand isn't blocking the antenna but the antenna itself is truly mediocre in fringe areas. Move your hand away from the bottom hump on the Vibrant. A lot of questions you're asking.. you're answering yourself.
I am not all too impressed with 3G coverage here at my home, but I mostly blame the network at my location and not necessarily the phone. TMO has spotty coverage near my house....period, and I live less than a mile from the tower. I have a Blackberry 9700 and it has similar issues with 3G. I've called and complained and they give me the usual "you're green on the map...return the phone....blah blah". I was closer to downtown Dallas yesterday and the phone had full bars and never got higher than -80dbm. Speedtest app showed about 3mbps downloads on average. I wouldn't say it was stellar but it's nothing like at home either. Only thing is my phone never automatically drops from 3G to E unless I am making calls. Once again the Blackberry 9700 does the same thing.
However, I am not completely convinced the phone isn't to blame either. I had a week with the new Motorola XT720, aka AWS Motoroi/Milestone that Magenta is/was rumored (who knows?) to get, and if Moto hadn't skimped on the CPU/RAM/screen/app memory of that phone I would have kept it instead of this Vibrant. That phone seemed to get much better 3G signal and HSPA was excellent compared to the Vibrant. I'm lucky if the Vibrant gets HSPA here at all. Overall network performance just seemed faster. It was quite obvious when I powered up the Vibrant the first time that 3G coverage is going to be an issue at my home with this phone.
FWIW my wife has an iPhone 3G which gets great 3G coverage here at the house on ATT. So I borrowed her SIM to test after I unlocked the Vibrant and it didn't make much difference. It did get 3G which I didn't think was technically possible until I saw that this phone has 1900 3G support as well as AWS. I do think the bars and definitely the battery indicators are not accurate whatsoever. I use Battery Indicator Pro and it's definitely obvious Samsung needs a software re-work.
Just because you live within 1 mile of a tower doesn't mean it's 3G or that there isn't something in the way of it's signal and your house.. I live within 1 mile of a tower and it's not 3G. It's supposed to get 3G soon.
heygrl said:
If you're at home why aren't you on WiFi?
Seriously it's the most puzzling thing ever. 3G or not, I wouldn't be using it at home. Are you trying to replace your ISP with your phone or something?
You should do a search. Are you aware of the fact that -0dBm is impossible? The bars are off on this phone and the G1 is mediocre overall. It can hold on to a 3G signal for longer because your hand isn't blocking the antenna but the antenna itself is truly mediocre in fringe areas. Move your hand away from the bottom hump on the Vibrant. A lot of questions you're asking.. you're answering yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I don't have WiFi in my house?
Maybe I would love to reduce my monthly expenditures by the $60 I throw away to Comcast?
I am well aware of the fact that -0dbm is impossible. This is simply what the phone is displaying. I also agree that the G1's reception is mediocre, but this phone seems worse than the G1. Blocking the antenna with my hand doesn't seem to make much difference on either the Vibrant or the G1.
I asked for objective answers to my questions which basically boil down to the following:
1. Do you think Samsung will provide support for the software on this phone (including the radio) over the long term ie. do you think there will be upgrades in this department?
2. Do you think this is something custom rom developers can address purely via modifying the OS?
Thanks for your snarky comments, but if you haven't got any objective input into the situation maybe this thread is not for you.
equid0x said:
Maybe I don't have WiFi in my house?
Maybe I would love to reduce my monthly expenditures by the $60 I throw away to Comcast?
I am well aware of the fact that -0dbm is impossible. This is simply what the phone is displaying. I also agree that the G1's reception is mediocre, but this phone seems worse than the G1. Blocking the antenna with my hand doesn't seem to make much difference on either the Vibrant or the G1.
I asked for objective answers to my questions which basically boil down to the following:
1. Do you think Samsung will provide support for the software on this phone (including the radio) over the long term ie. do you think there will be upgrades in this department?
2. Do you think this is something custom rom developers can address purely via modifying the OS?
Thanks for your snarky comments, but if you haven't got any objective input into the situation maybe this thread is not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're asking questions that we can't answer. Do we work at Samsung? No. Would stock Android fix this? Maybe.
It seems worse than the G1 because based on your comments the bars are having an affect on what you deem to be "worse". I've had tons of T-Mobile phones including the G1 and the Vibrant is not considerably worse than any. INFACT it will hold on to a 3G signal for longer than most. My CLIQ displayed 3 bars as -105dBm. Accurate? NO.
has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having any disconcernable change you're not doing it right
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
heygrl said:
You're asking questions that we can't answer. Do we work at Samsung? No.
It seems worse than the G1 because based on your comments the bars are having an affect on what you deem to be "worse". I've had tons of T-Mobile phones including the G1 and the Vibrant is not considerably worse than any. INFACT it will hold on to a 3G signal for longer than most. My CLIQ displayed 3 bars as -105dBm. Accurate? NO.
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having much of a change at all you're lying or not doing it right.
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that nobody here is working for Samsung but there are plenty of people here who have developed for Android, and the question I am posing is if this is something that can be addressed in a custom rom.
I think my original post makes it clear that there is obviously a software issue with bar display, but I am wondering if this software issue is also causing the Android OS to force a switch to 2G in an instance where the G1 with a properly functioning display would keep 3G. ie, the phone is switching to 2G early because it thinks it only has -111dbm when it in fact still has -103dbm. I am not clear on whether this functionality is performed within the OS itself or purely within the radio firmware.
My hands are rather large, so holding the G1 basically covers the entire rear of the phone. The antenna is near the top of the phone whereas the antenna on the Vibrant seems to be on the bottom. Though holding both phones in various positions seems to have little effect on the received signal strength so far as I can tell.
The time spent without signal in cell standby I believe to be erroneous. I think it is tallying up that time any time there are zero bars, even if the phone still has a signal. This makes it very difficult to objectively compare the 2 phones. If the OS is in fact driving the switch from 3G to 2G this may explain my poor access in fringe areas as the phone will be constantly flapping between the two. If the functions that drive this behavior are within the AOSP source this could easily be something we can fix in a custom rom even without Samsung's help, even if a radio update would be ideal.
heygrl said:
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having any disconcernable change you're not doing it right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can wrap my hand around the phone (Vibrant), either top, center or bottom and I do not see any change in either reception, call quality, network throughput or number of bars.
heygrl said:
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is perfectly understandable that if he has good reception with a G1, an older phone, he expects at least a similar level or reception with a newer, higher end phone. WiFi would be considered a workaround.
I just received my Vibrant on Monday and it's sadly replacing my amazing Nexus One. I've noticed that the Vibrant antenna is AWFUL. Where I received 4-5 bars on the N1, I'm getting 1-3 bars now and it even goes down to Edge once every few hours.
Like the OP, I've been monitoring the db levels and they're frequently around -95 through -107. While my calls don't actually drop, the quality does get worse. I'm also getting many 3G connection errors when trying to browser or download apps from the Market. It's quite disappointing. The phone is made of plastic as well, so I'd imagine that the antenna reception should be better.
Being that there are only 2 pages on this particular thread, does this mean it's a fluke and others' phones are ok?
allen099 said:
I just received my Vibrant on Monday and it's sadly replacing my amazing Nexus One. I've noticed that the Vibrant antenna is AWFUL. Where I received 4-5 bars on the N1, I'm getting 1-3 bars now and it even goes down to Edge once every few hours.
Like the OP, I've been monitoring the db levels and they're frequently around -95 through -107. While my calls don't actually drop, the quality does get worse. I'm also getting many 3G connection errors when trying to browser or download apps from the Market. It's quite disappointing. The phone is made of plastic as well, so I'd imagine that the antenna reception should be better.
Being that there are only 2 pages on this particular thread, does this mean it's a fluke and others' phones are ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4-5 bars on a phone with a 4 bar scale?
Stop looking at -dBm on the Vibrant, it's not accurate.
If you don't want the phone to switch to EDGE lock it on 3G.
heygrl said:
4-5 bars on a phone with a 4 bar scale?
Stop looking at -dBm on the Vibrant, it's not accurate.
If you don't want the phone to switch to EDGE lock it on 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you lock it on 3G?
javacody said:
How do you lock it on 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked for me (copy/paste and remove spaces in http):
h t t p://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7438987&postcount=7
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7438987&postcount=7
Thanks. 3G is spotty at best in the Des Moines Area, so I'll leave well enough alone.
So, in follow up to this, I had downloaded and installed RF signal tracker from the market and went driving around until I found a tower. It seems that via Android OS the best signal strength received was -81dbm and that was sitting right next to the tower. The phone stayed locked at -81dbm for a few miles down the road so I suspect this is peak signal on this phone which should really be something like -65dbm. I think this pretty much confirms that there is indeed a software issue with the signal display.
I also took some time looking at Android code and found that the bars are driven on GSM/UMTS by asu as follows:
if (asu <= 2 || asu == 99) iconLevel = 0;
else if (asu >= 12) iconLevel = 4;
else if (asu >= 8) iconLevel = 3;
else if (asu >= 5) iconLevel = 2;
else iconLevel = 1;
So figuring up the dbm values from these, I went ahead and created a new asu scale which is adjusted -8dbm from "normal" since this seems to be the worst case of the mismatch between the phone firmware and what Android is reporting and applied that within the market app Real Signal to try and get an apples to apples comparison of signal bars between this phone and the old G1. Unfortunately, the degree if miscalibration means we can't set a negative ASU so we don't get any meaningful display on Real Signal until we hit the 3rd bar. In doing this if I go to a moderate overage area I am seeing the bars I would expect.
After my little drive with RF Signal Tracker its actually pretty clear that discrepancy is really more like -15dbm, which adjusting the figures should mean that this phone in reality gets slightly better reception than the old G1.
It seems we should be able to workaround this in a custom ROM by doing one of the following:
1. Modify getGsmSignalStrength() to add the -15dbm to the returned signal strength value(hackish).
2. Modify the vendor RIL to compensate for the -15dbm offset when on UMTS. (Probably the proper solution).
I'm not clear on whether the vendor RIL code gets posted to AOSP...
equid0x said:
How is your 3G reception on the Vibrant? I just purchased a Vibrant as a replacement for my aging and bluetooth handicapped G1 and I am disappointed with the 3G reception.
T-Mobile's coverage in my area is moderate, and the G1 has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors, and may even flop back to 2G. It is fairly consistently on 2G in my home at 2 bars and at work I can only get 1 bar of 2G with this phone and spend the majority of the time with no signal at all.
I sat down and did some comparison between the Vibrant and the G1 and have found the following:
1. *#*#4636#*#* menu shows significantly worse signal levels on the Vibrant than on the G1, often times showing 0db and 0asu in the same location I am seeing -89db to -101db 3G on the G1.
2. The service menu on the Vibrant indicates a signal level which on 3G is fairly consistently 8db better than the one shown on the info menu. Interestingly, 2G signal levels as shown on the service menu seem fairly spot on with those shown from the info menu in Android.
3. The service menu 3G signal levels on the Vibrant seem consistent with those that I see on the G1 with a variation of perhaps only a couple of decibels.
That said, it seems interesting that battery usage on the Vibrant seems to indicate nearly 60% of its time with no service under cell standby when I get 0% in the same location with the G1. I am wondering if the time being recorded here is in fact the time spent with 0 bars being displayed even if the phone does, in fact, have a signal.
It is apparent that there is at least a software issue with the display here, as has been concluded in prior threads. However, ignoring the bar display I am wondering what others feel of the signal coverage with their Vibrant versus their old phone?
Does anyone have any experience with any of Samsung's other phone offerings? Do you think Samsung will post a radio update for this phone or possibly release one along with the GPS Fix/Froyo update in September?
I work in a position which requires me to be on-call a certain times during the year, and I can't really afford to have a phone that camps out at 60% no signal. I am really looking for reasons to keep this phone, as I like it otherwise, but practically, I need a phone that is going to receive phone calls. Any objective indications anyone can give that Samsung will continue to support this device may help sway my decision to keep it. My 14 days will be up on Thursday, so I need to make a final decision about keeping this phone before then.
Also, do any developers think that modifying the handling of the signal display in Android will cause a change in the amount of time the phone spends acquiring signal between 3G and 2G, or is this something that is purely handled within the radio firmware? If this is changeable, is this something that can be included in a future custom rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't done any detailed tests but I can state that in real world use, I am not happy with my Vibrant's reception. My G1 was very noticeably better at getting and holding 3G and Edge connections in the same locations where my new Vibrant won't.
Next to a tower on GSM(GSM/GPRS/EDGE) you should see -51dBm at the most with Android. W-CDMA is different because they really don't use -dBm to determine signal quality. They use power/noise.
I have an upgrade starting today, have original gnexus that came out almost 2 years ago. I love the phone but the signal is horrendous 3g/4g doesn't matter.
This phone looks great, to be honest not sure what phone to get, I don't care about rooting or upgrading rom's just don't have time for that need a phone that works.
Between the ones I have.. Ive got a 515.09 and .10 and both on LTE here average around -86-90 dbm , 3-4 bars all day
Sitting at -89 on my Note 3 right now, in my area I don't really notice a difference in signal
NeoMagus said:
Between the ones I have.. Ive got a 515.09 and .10 and both on LTE here average around -86-90 dbm , 3-4 bars all day
Sitting at -89 on my Note 3 right now, in my area I don't really notice a difference in signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so not major differences? Maybe i just got a bad gnexus, but I did exchange a few times right now sitting at -93 to -103 in 3g with 2 bars
with 4G I have one bar with -111
I just know compared to my daughters iphone she has much better signal then my gnexus, so I know something is up with this phone.
How is the camera on the note3 compared to gnexus? Is it better at least? I know it a cell phone, but gnexus camera was hit and miss.
I've never had an issue with the signal on either of mine .. might be a fringe area as well .. chances are though if its bad with the 515 it'll be bad with the Note.
Camera wise, jmo but I dont really like the Note 3's camera. Shots dont turn out well on mine often I liked how fast the GNex instantly snapped shots and I do prefer AOSP over TW
NeoMagus said:
I've never had an issue with the signal on either of mine .. might be a fringe area as well .. chances are though if its bad with the 515 it'll be bad with the Note.
Camera wise, jmo but I dont really like the Note 3's camera. Shots dont turn out well on mine often I liked how fast the GNex instantly snapped shots and I do prefer AOSP over TW
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks really torn, would have liked to just go to nexus 5 but I am stuck with verizon.
Choices really s4, note3, LG G2, or htc one or i guess that new htc max
Out of those any idea which has the best signals? I know this might be wrong forum to ask about other phones but not sure where to ask
Motorola phones are generally regarded as having good radios, but I personally haven't used one since the Bionic
The note 3 is the greatest phone on the market.
Signals are amazing.
Camera is amazing.
Battery is amazing.
Screen is amazing.
Speed is amazing.
It's only flaw is the lack of AOSP.
And if you ask most of us here, you will find that many of us agree AOSP on this device is a Downgrade.
You lose out on so many features.
With that being said.
You'd be a fool to buy any other current phone for Verizon.
(Maybe the exception for the LG G2)
I just got the note 3 and had come from the thunderbolt. Signal was better on the bolt unfortunately but when the signal is good man does the note fly.
Edit: 3g is always strong but when you get stuck on 1 to 2 bars on 4g the phone will just sit there sometimes.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
barrackOBAMA said:
The note 3 is the greatest phone on the market.
Signals are amazing.
Camera is amazing.
Battery is amazing.
Screen is amazing.
Speed is amazing.
It's only flaw is the lack of AOSP.
And if you ask most of us here, you will find that many of us agree AOSP on this device is a Downgrade.
You lose out on so many features.
With that being said.
You'd be a fool to buy any other current phone for Verizon.
(Maybe the exception for the LG G2)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After several devices, and trying CM variants since I dunno.... CM8 or CM9, I am worm out on AOSP. The signal specifically is always worse on AOSP than stock Touch wiz.
OP, I've been through the Fascinate, Charge, GS3 and now the Note 3. It seems to me (at least in terms of Samsung radios) that they finally got it right. I get better signal with the N3 than the GS3 which wasn't very old really. Both wifi and 4G. In places where I used to barely get any signal or the sporadic 1xRtt data I get a marginal 3G signal. That's good for the place I test it weekly which is like a Faraday cage. Most people in class with me have zero signal. For reference on AOSP on my GS3 I would have nothing there, zero, even texts fail there.
Last night I did a test with the wifi radio. I walked outside my place nearly 100 ft and was STILL getting usable signal using the 5ghz band of my router (Netgear WNDR3700) which to be fair has a lot to do with that test. I could have switched to the 2.4ghz band for improved range but in between these two apartment buildings I am probably picking up on 30 routers at once so 5ghz gives me much better SNR. It's noticeably improved over the GS3 as far as wifi.
All in all I am very happy with reception considering it's a Samsung. I put it nearly on par with coworkers Motorola Razr Maxx and similar handsets. Keep in mind I am in a very well established heavily covered LTE market metro area. You I think you still have a 14 day trial period with Verizon, why not give it a try.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
I was in a similar situation - loved the GNexus, other than poor signal as well as battery life. Stock ROM, also no time/interest in flashing ROM's, or even rooting.
The GN3 is a breath of fresh air. The battery life is incredible. I've only had it a month, and haven't done significant traveling, but the signal has just never been a problem. When I've tested it, it's been as good as my wife's Galaxy S4, which was clearly better than my GNexus.
The browsing experience with Chrome is also incredible - it seems as fast as my desktop loading pages and responsiveness (the GNexus wasn't bad, but this is dramatically faster). The display is gorgeous, and I love the size.
By a stroke of good fortune, it seems to work better with my BlueAnt S4 (visor-mounted bluetooth speaker device). It also works quite well with S-Voice, for truly hands-free operation when driving (I use Car Home Ultra with it).
So yes, for me at least, it simply works without me having to do much other than customizing appearance and apps. I have no regrets at all in going to the GN3 from the GNexus.
Probably best for the sticky here ...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2466108
Hello,
I'm new to this thread as I've been a HTC user forever.
I just got my first of many N3's last week and it seems that I have very low signal in a lot of places where I typically get strong signal.
For example on my HTC Evo 4G LTE I always get 5 bars and there was rarely any dropped calls at my home and office.
On the N3 I now typically only have 1-3 bars.
I'm sure its NOT a SPRINT network issue but a phone issue. Does any one else experience this issue? Is there a fix to get better signal?
Here is what I did with the sprint and verizon N3.
Sprint:
Purchased at Best Buy and had low signal issue and returned it.
Purchased at Sprint Store had low signal issue and I still have this phone.
Verizon:
Purchased at Verizon store and had low signal issue . They suggested exchanging the SIM card which I did but didnt change the signal strength.
Exchanged it for a different N3 and still had the same issue so I've returned it.
djscissorhands said:
Hello,
I'm new to this thread as I've been a HTC user forever.
I just got my first of many N3's last week and it seems that I have very low signal in a lot of places where I typically get strong signal.
For example on my HTC Evo 4G LTE I always get 5 bars and there was rarely any dropped calls at my home and office.
On the N3 I now typically only have 1-3 bars.
I'm sure its NOT a SPRINT network issue but a phone issue. Does any one else experience this issue? Is there a fix to get better signal?
Here is what I did with the sprint and verizon N3.
Sprint:
Purchased at Best Buy and had low signal issue and returned it.
Purchased at Sprint Store had low signal issue and I still have this phone.
Verizon:
Purchased at Verizon store and had low signal issue . They suggested exchanging the SIM card which I did but didnt change the signal strength.
Exchanged it for a different N3 and still had the same issue so I've returned it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it actual signal strength your concerned about or is it bar strength in the notification area? Also you can't compare verizon to sprint signal as a fair comparison as they will be different in different areas. Go into your settings and look at the actual signal strength of both phones. They will be measured in dbm.
i'm concerned with the amount of bars in the notification area which has a direct correlation to the amount of dbm in the settings. the sprint phone fluctuates between -91 dbm and -100 dbm.
I was testing a theory that the lte radio had something to do with it so I just went into settings/mobile network/perferred network mode and switched from "LTE/CDMA" to "CDMA" and the phone rebooted and wham , now i have 5 bars and -69 dbm. Something with the lte is messing with the phone. WTH!!!
That means to get a good signal i have to be in CDMA and only get 3g service. Why is this?
I'm out have no explanation. I have/had that problem too, people at the sprint store tells me its a issue of where the software in the phone isn't recognizing the lte the way it should and that a software fix is coming but no one know when. I was dropping so many calls (89% of them per sprint) on the stock rom I was ready to go back to my note 2, but after flashing a different rom I have only dropped one call since rooting and switching roms .
Bump
Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app
I don't know if LTE functions on the same frequency as 3g. As a rule from amateur radio, the higher the frequency the transmitter operates on, the shorter distance it travels. 800mhz usually has better penetration of buildings than 3g or 4g if they are on the 1.2ghz+ range. You will need more towers closer together to get better signal overall in the GHz range. Because of cost, I don't think anyone is going to put up more towers in the beginning. Years ago, the guesstimate of putting up a single tower was a million dollars. This is accounting for all costs to go from nothing to a fully functional self standing tower. Costs might be different now but I would say that it's safe to assume that they are putting LTE on existing towers. This is why LTE signal doesn't seem as far reaching as lower frequency technologies. This is as simple of an explanation as I can think of. Until they start widespread rolling out LTE on nextel's 800-900mhz range, and they release phones that take advantage of those bands, you're just going to have to deal with it with what you have as a phone. Spark and ex-nextel LTE transmitters "should" help throughput tremendously once they have the bugs ironed out.
I've read reports that the cellular reception is not as good as previous Galaxy phones or other phones around from the last few years.
What is your experience of this? Are you getting good signal strength?
mwatson said:
I've read reports that the cellular reception is not as good as previous Galaxy phones or other phones around from the last few years.
What is your experience of this? Are you getting good signal strength?
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Click to collapse
I agree the reception on my edge is very spotty
I drive a 400 mile route daily and have lots of opportunities to test. I'm on Verizon. In the last 3 months I've had the s6 edge, note 4, one m8, droid turbo, and lg g2. Functional signal strength is noticeably lower than the others on the s6 edge, though very close to the note 4 and m8. The droid turbo seemed to provide a slightly better signal strength and a friend of mine who still has the turbo can attest to that. G2 was good as well. I'd give the turbo and g2 an 8/10 on signal, and the other 3 phones I've mentioned 7/10. Unfortunately, people seem to have a pretty wide variety of experiences with signal strength. I've read a number of places that people thought the note 4 had amazing signal. I still have mine and it's nothing to write home about. The note 4 and s6 edge are very close from my experience in terms of signal quality - for whatever that's worth. In spite of the lacking reception, I've not experienced it making a big enough difference to impact usability on a daily basis. Just an annoying inconvenience once in a while.
I am in China now. Noticed that 4G reception using China Unicoi is weak. It bounces back and forth between 1 and 2 bars. Phone was bought in Hong Kong unlocked from CSL Telecom company.
Have you noticed your G6SE is dropping calls and has overall poor reception?
I've had mine for four days now and have dropped many calls and lost signal where my previous phone managed to easily retain the network and never dropped calls.
Also I noticed when connected to my car's bluetooth, the signal display never shows full strength where again my previous phone always did. The GS6E only ever shows 80%
20150424_222933-1 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
when looking at my signal history in gsam, it also never goes above 80% which ties up with what my car's display.
Screenshot_2015-04-24-22-15-33.png by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
Now i've made a comparison between my M8 and the GS6E and this clearly shows the GS6E is less sensitive to cell reception and this equates to the dropped calls.
The M8 can achieve -69 dBm at one one one point
Screenshot_2015-04-24-22-52-42 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
and the GS6E a lower -81dBm
Screenshot_2015-04-24-22-56-54 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
Ok, so the GS6E is not as good as others at cell reception. Is this a hardware limitation? or could new radios help this?
What is your experience of this?
There are various reports cropping up now about this
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/08/samsung_galaxy_s6/
https://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/204525
http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s6/516324-poor-sprint-lte-reception.html
mwatson said:
Have you noticed your G6SE is dropping calls and has overall poor reception?
I've had mine for four days now and have dropped many calls and lost signal where my previous phone managed to easily retain the network and never dropped calls.
Also I noticed when connected to my car's bluetooth, the signal display never shows full strength where again my previous phone always did. The GS6E only ever shows 80%
20150424_222933-1 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
when looking at my signal history in gsam, it also never goes above 80% which ties up with what my car's display.
Screenshot_2015-04-24-22-15-33.png by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
Now i've made a comparison between my M8 and the GS6E and this clearly shows the GS6E is less sensitive to cell reception and this equates to the dropped calls.
The M8 can achieve -69 dBm at one one one point
Screenshot_2015-04-24-22-52-42 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
and the GS6E a lower -81dBm
Screenshot_2015-04-24-22-56-54 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
Ok, so the GS6E is not as good as others at cell reception. Is this a hardware limitation? or could new radios help this?
What is your experience of this?
There are various reports cropping up now about this
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/08/samsung_galaxy_s6/
https://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/204525
http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s6/516324-poor-sprint-lte-reception.html
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Click to collapse
Veedubs unite!
What country and carrier are you on?
I'm in the US and on sprint and drop calls like crazy with my gs6e. Never had this issue with 10 years on sprint. I've noticed that I seem to drop calls more frequently while travelling on 9 at high rates of speed. It seems to be a tower handoff issue. I don't have the issue whilenjoying stationary.
I'm on tmo (US) and no issues. Honestly I've not read a lot of complaints about cell reception or at least no more than usual on any device. Regardless of that why I chimed in was really to say that my first phone was defective. The issues I had (horrid batt despite trying every fix mentioned here and all across the internet, fingerprint scanner was about 50%, again tried every possible fix I was able to scour up. New device and the fingerprint scanner immedietly worked perfectly and my battery life was fixed without me doing a thing. Keep in mind that by fixed battery I mean I get about 4 hours screen up time which isn't good but about what I would expect for a small battery in a bloated device.
Long story short, consider exchanging it. The lack of reports that speak of bad cell reception imply you may have a lemon to me.
Did you click on any of the links I posted in my original post? There are more too, but i thought that was enough.
5harkology said:
Veedubs unite!
What country and carrier are you on?
I'm in the US and on sprint and drop calls like crazy with my gs6e. Never had this issue with 10 years on sprint. I've noticed that I seem to drop calls more frequently while travelling on 9 at high rates of speed. It seems to be a tower handoff issue. I don't have the issue whilenjoying stationary.
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Click to collapse
Yeah love the VeeDub!
I'm in the Uk on the 3 network...
Here is my wife's 2013 Moto G next to my 2015 GS6E. She is also on 3. As you can see the Moto G performs much better than the GS6E. Moto G on the right obvs. It was also £500 cheaper!
DSC_0647 by markcaigerwatson, on Flickr
Definitely some poor signal reception on Galaxy S6 Edge. Mine has poor signal reception as well. Bought mine unlocked in Hong Kong model 9250.
If I tell one of the people in HK about this they will give me the same old lame answer that no one has complained about thus issue yet.:silly:
Poor reception on China Unicom in China, poor reception on CHT in Taiwan and poor reception on CSL in Hong Kong. Last but not least is Wifi reception is literally horrible unless you sit or stand right next to Wifi router!
Yep I'm having the same issue with my S6 Edge to. At first I thought it was my network (Three UK) but after doing some research, I'm reading the issue is more widespread, internationally 2. Calls keep dropping when I'm on a call and I'm getting a bad reception in places where my S5 didn't. Really not happy about this. I hope this issue can be fixed with an update.
Experiencing the same issue. I put my S6 edge, old S4 and iPhone 4 + 5s side by side and they all have max signal while my Edge had just 1 bar.
I've been researching and somehow got to the Sprint forums where they were also reporting the same problems. I saw there that you could try switching to CDMA only. Tried it and while it did improve the signal, it prevented me from using LTE which I'm not really willing to compromise.
mwatson said:
Yeah love the VeeDub!
Here is my wife's 2013 Moto G next to my 2015 GS6E. She is also on 3. As you can see the Moto G performs much better than the GS6E. Moto G on the right obvs. It was also £500 cheaper!
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Click to collapse
Got the same problem here in Oz. btw what app is that showing the signal strength?
-ivar
Samsung really needs to get this fixed ASAP as this could ruin the Samsung Galaxy Brand.
ivaho said:
Got the same problem here in Oz. btw what app is that showing the signal strength?
-ivar
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Click to collapse
it is called Network Signal Info.. Free from Google Play.
This is in México City full LTE with my Note 4 , but the EDGE has This really poor reception.
The Phone is faulty or is the same case as others report on signal issues?
Same here for me on EE in the UK, switch to 2g/3g and signal is fine, set it back to 2g/3g/4g and 1 bar
Not sure what the problem is with this Galaxy S6 Edge but the 4G LTE reception is poor and download speeds are slow.
Same for me. I m in France near strasbourg with operator orange. It works fine with iphone but not with my galaxy s6 edge! !! With the same sim card of course!
Sent from my SM-G925F using XDA Free mobile app
I have not been able to connect to LTE since I got the edge a month ago. I'm currently on OE3 if this helps. Could this be a hardware issue?
I have received a few updates on my Galaxy S6 Edge but until now the wifi reception along with 3G and 4G reception suck. Even when reception is great or average the download speeds suck and are about half of what they are on my iPhone 6. Was expecting better results out of this phone but I guess not. My guess is that they either intentionally turned down the power provided for cell reception and wifi reception for longer battery life or their antennas on this smartphone really suck. Definitely a problem that Samsung needs to look into.
Mine is also struggling with connecting to stuff. 4g is spotty, calls drop and break up, wifi is shockingly bad, even in the next room to the router. 1 bar or no service on EE UK in a good signal area.
Going to call Samsung tomorrow and if they have no solution, it is definitely going back.
I am going to get rid of this Galaxy S6 Edge when the new Motorola comes out. The reception for both wifi and cell signal are beyond horrible on this phone. Battery life is quite poor as well. Try making a call using speakerphone if you have to talk while driving and see how many people tell you that you sound horrible. Samsung should learn a thing or two from Motorola,Apple and Blackberry when making phones for phone calls.
Samsung dropped the ball with this phone in two areas: Battery and Reception.
I am moving to a new phone as soon as I can sell this.