Reception issues- blame it on T-Mobile or G2X?

[mynickname]

I just signed up with T-Mobile and received my G2X two nights ago. It's running gingerbread and works great, except that I have extremely bad coverage at home. The signal can go from 2 bars to no service in 2 seconds flat without me even touching the phone. T Mobile's coverage map indicates that I should be getting a solid 4g reception, but 2g is more like it.

I know there have been many threads about the g2x having reception issues, but those threads seem to be from before gingerbread rolled out. Those of you who had reception issues with android 2.2, was that fixed with gingerbread?

If it matters, I get a solid 4 bars and 4g connection at the T Mobile store, so I'm not sure if the issue is with my phone, the software, or bad coverage. Somebody at the T Mobile store told me the 2.3.4 update would be rolled out within the next few days and that that would take care of my coverage issues but I'm not going to wait around and let my grace period expire in hopes that an update *might* fix my issues.

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

[benoit808]

I have seen the same reception before and after GB and it is average at best.
I would be very careful about the "would be rolled out within the next few days" because that usually turns into months. I haven't heard anything about 2.3.4 being rolled out for the G2X and doubt it's coming anytime soon. Anybody can correct me if I'm wrong though, which I hope to be.

That being said, I don't want this answer to be taken as an anti-g2x one because I am very happy with it despite the obvious flaws of that phone.

 

[wezra]

I have seen the same reception before and after GB and it is average at best.
I would be very careful about the "would be rolled out within the next few days" because that usually turns into months. I haven't heard anything about 2.3.4 being rolled out for the G2X and doubt it's coming anytime soon. Anybody can correct me if I'm wrong though, which I hope to be.

That being said, I don't want this answer to be taken as an anti-g2x one because I am very happy with it despite the obvious flaws of that phone.

The G2x continues to have some minor issues even after the GB update. It would not surprise me if T-Mobile and LG have continued to work on fixing some of these issues. Their has been some speculation on the forum that the GB update would be followed, not to shortly after, with a minor update to address some of these problems. Most especially the camera App which was great prior to GB but was highly downgraded in GB. A lot of complaints about that universally. Battery life continues to be an issue for some and, as you have noted, reception and phone issues. Nothing major, but annoying none-the-less. The G2x, now sadly forgotten (especially by the Mods on this forum), continues to be one of the best 4G/dual-core phones on the market. I guess because it is pure Android a lot of consumers tend to overlook it. Personally, it is the best Android phone I have had and will keep mine until the tires turn square!

 

[mynickname]

I have seen the same reception before and after GB and it is average at best.
I would be very careful about the "would be rolled out within the next few days" because that usually turns into months. I haven't heard anything about 2.3.4 being rolled out for the G2X and doubt it's coming anytime soon. Anybody can correct me if I'm wrong though, which I hope to be.

That being said, I don't want this answer to be taken as an anti-g2x one because I am very happy with it despite the obvious flaws of that phone.

I'm trying to determine whether the reception issues are due to my phone or to T Mobile's coverage. Are you able to get good coverage anywhere? As I said in my original post, I do get pretty good coverage in certain areas, so I'm not sure if this indicates that the phone is indeed working well and that the problem is with T Mobile's network.

 

[lindel]

Generally, when I'm outside, I get outstanding reception. 4G with 4 bars pretty much all the time. Inside can be somewhat spotty. I do live near Chicago (T-Mobile headquarters from what I understand), so that might make some difference.

I occasionally travel to OKC, and had decent reception there, but along the way were some absolute holes with no signal at all.

 

[lmc05]

Actually, they're based out of Bellevue, Washington

 

[lmc05]

My first thought would be to have someone else who you know that uses T-Mobile come to your house and see how their phone responds. Hopefully that would give you a better idea if it's the phone or the reception.

 

[mynickname]

Yes, I thought of that but I don't know of any other T Mobile users and most of my neighbors are with Sprint and AT&T. I did go to the dentist this morning and lost my signal a few times, and I noticed that the receptionist had a T Mobile Blackberry. I asked her if she had reception problems at the office and she had a solid 3 bars (I wavered between no service and 1) and said she had no problems. I'm pretty sure the problem is my phone. T Mobile has offered to replace it with another G2X, but I fully expect to have the same issues. I can also get another phone (and pay the difference- I got this one for free) but I'm concerned about having to pay money for a phone that may or may not work, and by then it'll be too late for me to get out of the contract.

Anybody know if the reception issues are due to hardware or software?

I'm pretty sure I'll just return the phone and cancel service, but I'm curious.