Data connectivity after 5.9.902 update

thochad · 02-12-2012, 01:13 AM

I picked up a Droid Bionic a few weeks ago, it's my first Android phone, and I really it got the most part. Initially, the data connectivity was very poor, but after updating to the 893 software and replacing the SIM, it got a lot better. It's running the stock software and not rooted.

Fast forward to last night. I saw on one of the forums that the 902 was out, so I searched for the update and installed it without a hitch. Upon rebooting, I got no data connection whatsoever. I tried rebooting, pulling the battery, airplane mode, etc. The voice was also in and out. I took it to Verizon today. The agent there got on the phone with Verizon tech support, did a hard reset on the phone, which did not help, and eventually said they opened a trouble ticket and said they would call me.

I called their tech support this evening to see what was going on, and the agent with whom I spoke said it was a "known issue" with the 902 software and that Motorola was working on a fix. I haven't found people online anywhere reporting problems like this.

In the meantime, I have gotten it to work to some extent. Switching to CDMA only and toggling airplane mode will generally yield a fairly reliable 3G connection.

I'm just wondering if anyone here might know what it is going on with this update, and also, if anyone has tips on resolving this, as it's clearly a software issue, perhaps even rolling back to the previous software. I just don't want to do anything that could brick the phone or jeopardize the warranty. I also don't want to sit around with a half-working phone all week.

Striker840 · 02-12-2012, 02:34 AM

I did the OTA 902 update Friday night and I have noticed a very GOOD increase in connectivity. I used to have constant data drops when taking my dogs out for walks, since the update if it does drop it picks back up within a few seconds. Overall the connectivity is much better, also, before the update I had the sim card replaced last week because of constant data drops.

matthimrod · 02-12-2012, 09:58 AM

I had similar results, but apparently not as severe. After the update, my phone would connect to 4G, but it would drop its connection randomly and frequently, sometimes after 10 minutes, sometimes after an hour. It always seemed to happen when I picked my phone up after it being off for a while. I would see the white signal indicator and when pulling down the notification bar, I'd see "(no service)" where it usually says "Verizon Wireless". The connection would usually re-establish, but after several connection drops, the 4G radio would just seem to drop off of the device. No amount of airplane mode toggling or "Restart Connections" or screaming, shaking, or threats of throwing my phone against the wall would get 4G to return. I noticed some oddness under under About Phone:

Baseband version went from "CDMA_N_04.07.00R LTEDC_U_07.1F.00" to just "CDMA_N_04.07.00R"
PRL version went from from "15098" to "1"
Under Status: IMEI and sometimes the SIM ID fields go to "unknown"

If I would reboot the phone, it would work normally for a while and if I change to CDMA only, it is pretty reliable. I also did some troubleshooting by swapping SIMs with my work Bionic and doing a factory data reset like the last poster. (I knew if I called VZW, they would ask me to try that.) I ended up calling Verizon and explaining everything to the tech. I got transferred directly to "level 2" and I have a replacement on its way. I'm still a little bothered by this because it does seem like a software issue since it worked fine on 5.5.893 aside from some random rebooting and a few other less-severe glitches.

There are images out there that can be flashed with Fastboot or RST Lite to get back to 5.5.893, but those aren't for the faint of heart. I did that after I manually applied the 5.9.901 update and had similar problems. This time, since the update was legit, I figured it was time to call Verizon. My work phone took the update fine, so I guess I got a lemon or something.

FN_ethan · 02-12-2012, 10:33 AM

Check this

Baseband version went from "CDMA_N_04.07.00R LTEDC_U_07.1E.00" to just "CDMA_N_04.07.00R"
Baseband version went from "CDMA_N_04.07.00R LTEDC_U_07.1F.00" to just "CDMA_N_04.07.00R"

Some of us that did the update, have 07.1E.00 The people "that Ive seen" (could be untrue) that have update and it kept the "E" have had problems after the update. Reinstall the update and once you get the "07.1F.00" you should be good to go. Dont know why but some of us who have done the install before it got pushed to us have had this happen. Happened to me and I just downgraded, rooted again and upgraded. Now im good to go, hopefully this happened to you so you know the problem and can fix it. Good luck =)

matthimrod · 02-12-2012, 11:25 AM

Interesting. I really should have looked more carefully. I don't remember which version I had now (I may have typo'd it above), but I just re-flashed the update through recovery for kicks without downgrading or anything special and now my LTE baseband is 07.1F.00. I'll see how this works over the next couple days... I might just send back that CLNR. Thanks!

matthimrod · 02-12-2012, 01:42 PM

I'm not sure if I made a typo earlier when I typed 07.1E.00 or if version 07.1F.00 is just doing the same thing. I really wish I'd looked before I reflashed the update. Regardless, I just had the problem occur again, so I'm going back to "CDMA only" until my CLNR arrives. Drat.

thochad · 02-12-2012, 03:52 PM

My baseband version is also the 07.1F.00, and at this point it's only working on 3G, but more reliably than yesterday.

gmonkey88 · 02-12-2012, 09:13 PM

On .893 I had very little connection problems. After updating to .902, i rebooted my device and the 4G connection would not work, only the 3G, voice and wifi. I did a battery pull, rebooted with no luck. I did a factory reset and now everything works great, along with great battery life.
To be totally honest, I don't see why I should have to perform a fully factory reset and lose most/all of my data.
My upgrade in May 13' can't come fast enough..........

thochad · 02-12-2012, 09:25 PM

The factory reset didn't help me, and now, after stopping in the store and four phone calls, they're sending a replacement unit out.

rendern · 02-14-2012, 12:29 PM

"They're baaaack....". The line from Poltergeist perfectly describes my experience with the .902 update. Connectivity gremlins that I thought Motorola/Verizon had exorcized with the last update are back with .902. Way to go.