Strange Reception Issues?

[cr3amy]

My G2 gets strange reception issues. It'll be sitting there with 4 bars, doing something for me (like loading a webpage or whatnot) and all of a sudden it'll drop to no bars for like 20 seconds, then come back up to 2 bars, before getting back to 4. Even if it's just sitting on a table, not moving.

This happen to anybody else? You guys notice the signal bars dancing around for no damn reason, too?

 

[NoSpin]

Yes, lots of jumping from 3G to EDGE and bars all over the place. I've noticed that it doesn't do this when I am FIRMLY within coverage, but I'm currently on the 3G/EDGE border so lots of unevenness.

I believe this uneven radio is a common problem among the G2's and will hopefully be fixed with an OTA.

 

[cr3amy]

Yes, lots of jumping from 3G to EDGE and bars all over the place. I've noticed that it doesn't do this when I am FIRMLY within coverage, but I'm currently on the 3G/EDGE border so lots of unevenness.

I believe this uneven radio is a common problem among the G2's and will hopefully be fixed with an OTA.

I hope it gets fixed because it's really annoying.

Sitting there with full bars, then I try to make a call and it doesn't work

 

[aceman118]

That makes me hesitant about switching from blackberry. The main reason i ditched my iphone a while back was the inconsistency between the bars displayed and the actual signal strength. I have never had a problem with it on my blackberry.

I really want to make the jump to android but there are still some big things that I worry about and this is the top of the list.

 

[NoSpin]

It's not really an Android problem. It's more a "This is a brand new phone running on a brand new HSPA network" problem. Give it a little while and everything will be sorted out.

 

[i.am.sofa.king.addicted]

This has been happening to my wife since she got hers yesterday (complete loss of signal for no reason). For me, I've been dealing with severe lag when trying to load pages in the browser. Also, side-by-side with my Vibrant, the data speeds are markedly slower. My Vibrant will pull 5-6Mbps down on a tower that is known to be upgraded to HSPA+, but the G2 will only pull 3Mbps at best, and that's after a few false starts.


(And yes, I know the Vibrant is not HSPA+ capable. The point is the tower supports the higher speeds.)

 

[efpizarro]

I noticed the signal issues almost as soon as i got it last week, but at first it was nothing major. For me it always happens when i'm indoors, it would switch back and forth from HSPA+ to EDGE but it wouldn't cause problems with calling since i always had a signal. Today, however, apparently something went horribly wrong because after the phone froze and i had to remove the battery, when it booted back up i was totally unable to get a signal at all! Tried restarting it several times then it would come back for a moment then suddenly boom, no bars no nothing. It remained like this for a while and just now I see that it finally got the signal back and stopped with the problems. This could have also been an issue with the network itself in my area but either way there's obviously something wrong with the signal handling on the phone, hopefully this is something they'll be able to fix with a firmware update soon cause it's the only major issue with an otherwise excellent phone.

 

[cr3amy]

Something else strange that I noticed is that it tries to use the HSPA network for phone calls, even if Edge reception is better. I realized this when I noticed my calls drop often when wifi is off but don't when wifi is connected.

Would be nice if phone calls used whatever network signal has strongest reception...

 

[ScottieG59]

I have this problem all the time, whether I am on the T-Mobile Data network or on my home WiFi. It just starts to lose the signal and goes to X. I always have to do something to get it to reconnect. My Blackberry phones never had this problem. I am waiting to see if this gets fixed soon. Otherwise, rather than going back to my Blackberry, I will simply leave T-Mobile.

I left T-Mobile in the past when I kept losing connection. When AT&T was being overloaded the year the iPhone started to flood their network, I read that T-Mobile has fixed their problems. In some ways, T-Mobile is okay, but they just do not have the capacity to handle data connections in my area. I am always on EDGE at best unless I go several miles into Kansas City.

AT&T has greatly improved in my area, but they suck in too many areas I travel. Even Sprint has passed T-Mobile in quality and I swore I would use tin cans and string before I would use Sprint.

All I can say is that T-Mobile had better do something big and soon. If I leave them now, I will never consider going back.

 

[legendary1022]

Not sure where you are at in Kansas City (Go Chiefs!), but I haven't had a problem moving around kansas city. You may want to contact t-mobile. Wish I could give you better advice but living in kansas city I have no problems. Outside of it I lose hspa+ and some areas 3g but have a consistant edge connection. Remember t-mobile hasn't built their networks outside of major cities (makes sense obviously) the way the verizon and at&t have.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2

 

[rifleman223]

This seems to be a common issue. I notice that my signal fluctuates too. I am certain that this does not help the battery life either. I will be patient since the phone and I are still in the "honeymoon" phase.

Come on TMO, get a move on!

 

[cr3amy]

I really hope it's not the aluminum case, that would mean software updates won't do squat... :\

 

[anon62607]

I never notice it dropping to an X, but I do have a different problem. It will show I'm in HSPA and will indicate a strong signal ( -80 dBmilliwatt or so ) but the Internet connectivity will just not work for 20 or 30 seconds or more at a time. I only notice this really in downtown Portland but not in the suburbs.

Also, how can you tell if you are connected to a tower that has been upgraded to HSPA+?

 

[aceman118]

Also, how can you tell if you are connected to a tower that has been upgraded to HSPA+?

You can't. Well, unless you do a speed test and get over 7.2 Mb/s.

 

[atlsneakerhead]

It goes from E > H > G > E > X....what the heck is wrong with the reception on this thing. It's just sitting here and it constantly changes.

 

[ScottieG59]

I spoke with T-Mobile a couple times. I switched to the new SIM that came with their phone, but it did not help.

I spoke with their Tech Support (aka PDA) dept. The only issue I could find with them was that there have been issues in general about areas where phones switch between 2G and 3G often or bounce between towers. Sometimes, these phones will hang in between without a signal.

Also, by giving my home address, it allowed the Tech Support person to look at area coverage and maintenance issues. My home is in an area where all three levels of the data plan is intermingled and spotty. Additionally, two towers near me are being repaired. Together, this may be the problem which highlights the G2 having lower reception than my prior phone, a Blackberry 9700.

For now, I will switch the phone to 2G and see if that makes things more reliable. I can always turn 3G on when in the city. At home, I use WiFi for data access, so 2G is not a big deal there.

 

[cr3amy]

Yeah, that's definitely it. My 3G is what's spotty, not my 2G. But I don't know if it's because of switching, though. But why does it do a dance when I'm just holding it? I think the HSPA+ network is just inconsistent... so that begs the question: why are voice calls done through it? I feel like a freakin iPhone user here...

I would LOVE if there was some hacked software that forced voice-calls to be made thru Edge