Thunderbolt randomly drops all service

[ToddL]

Wow. they still have Thunderbolts in stock?

He said he would send me one (a refurb obv). I'm hoping maybe they don't, and something better will arrive in the mail. I'll find out tonight or tomorrow.

 

[johnriii]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrpSrm1_-YE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This has been happening since June 2012 to both the Thunderbolts on my account. Sim cards have been replaced and one phone was replaced. Nothing has fixed it. There have been times in the past where i thought i fixed the issue, but those turned out to be only temporary. Verizon's network has become complete garbage IMO. I've had an open ticket for this issue for eight weeks now. Everytime I call I'm told I will just have to wait longer for it to be resolved. I'm seriously considering cancelling all six of my lines soon.


Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

I'm actually hoping it's a network issue, but I have a feeling it's not, based on others I know on VZW who almost never lose a 4G signal, and they all have newer (than the tbolt) phones. only time will tell.

 

[mightyfacundo]

Just wanted to add that my wife's Galaxy Nexus loses data at the same spot on the Freeway as my Bolt, which leads me to think it has something to do with the network.

 

[dpham00]

those of you gettting new phones, please keep us updated. I'd be curious to see if it's just a hardware issue, even though I believe its a combination of bad radio and the network. I have personally checked with other people on LTE with Verizon, and they report very little drop off as far as data connection. three people with the Razr maxx stated that they never lose connection. so maybe its the fact that the Tbolt is just OLD.

I was having problems with it since it first came out, ane had 4 tbolts total, all about the same. Since then I moved to the rezound, razr, razr maxx, gs3. All hold signal way better than my Thunderbolt. My friend still has a tbolt, side by side, the tbolt would drop service way more frequently than the tbolt. In areas of decent signal, my razr maxx, gs3, and rezound virtually never dropped signal, but the tbolt dropped signal ranging from a few times a day to more frequently. In fringe areas, my razr maxx, gs3 and rezound would drop signal, but even so much less frequently than the tbolt.

Sent from my Droid RAZR MAXX / Atrix Lapdock

 

[anon(394005)]

I'm actually hoping it's a network issue, but I have a feeling it's not, based on others I know on VZW who almost never lose a 4G signal, and they all have newer (than the tbolt) phones. only time will tell.

It has to be a network issue. Verizon apparently made some changes to their network back in June (when the issue started) that subsequently isn't playing well with their first LTE device. Prior to that, my data connection was rock solid (barring the occasional hiccup). My guess is the changes were made to benefit newer phones with the idea more people are getting those and/or will switch to newer when their older one doesn't work as well anymore.

 

[toan04]

after a new SIM and replacement thunderbolt, I still had the data drop issues. Then verizon replaced my thunderbolt with a droid incredible 4g, then no more data drops. The incredible 4g is nice and all but I miss the bigger screen that I had on my thunderbolt. I think the issue is when verizon upgrades their LTE network, the thunderbolt is just too old to keep up.

 

[TBoltJ]

I got my TB day 1 and it never held the signal. I still dont live near 4g (thanks Verizon 1.5 years later). I can never hold my 3G and usually exist on 1X if Im lucky. When I come off wi-fi, wake the phone up, look at it crossly, it cant get the signal back. I have to start up several different apps to "call" the network and sooner or later I get 1X or 3G (Sometimes on/off network or airplane mode will work, emphasis sometimes). I finally got fed up with all the issues with my TB (wouldn't charge, signal, etc) and luckily I have the best buy replacement program so they gave me a new TB no issues. This TB I find is much better. It seems a little better on getting the signal but still same issues as before. In the past with my old phone, even when I was in 4G territory it never held the 4G signal. Last week I went to Baltimore and had a 4G signal all weekend. It didnt drop, have trouble finding it or anything. This leads me to believe that beyond the issues this phone has it NEEDS a STRONG SIGNAL to hold on. Once I got back home goodbye 4G, goodbye 3G, barely hello 1X. (FYI, I find the new TB much more responsive, less issues with the touch screen, no reboots, sense crashes (YET!).

 

[ToddL]

New phone arrived today, alas it is another TB. Will check for data drops tonight, and will probably be calling them back, hoping for a new phone.

Does anyone remember where that tier listing of VZW phones is located? I think I saw it posted on this site somewhere If they offer me something, I want to make sure it's something better, not equal or worse.

 

[dpham00]

New phone arrived today, alas it is another TB. Will check for data drops tonight, and will probably be calling them back, hoping for a new phone.

Does anyone remember where that tier listing of VZW phones is located? I think I saw it posted on this site somewhere If they offer me something, I want to make sure it's something better, not equal or worse.

For 4glte phones, the charge and revolution are equivalent to the Thunderbolt.

One gen newer would be razr, rezound, gnex, d4(4" screen)

Two gens newer would be gs3, dinc 4g (note smaller 4" screen)

I would strongly recommend a phone from one or two gen newer, do not get a charge or revolution. I would avoid LG or pantech phones or low end Samsung like stratosphere.

Sent from my Droid RAZR MAXX / Atrix Lapdock

 

[ToddL]

Data drop confirmed on my new TB. I will be calling VZW over lunch today. Hope my call lands on sympathetic ears.

 

[gforce1963]

I have no data at all on my TBolt. And switching from 3g to 4g does nothing. Is it down?

 

[ToddL]

Quick update: They're sending me a Droid 4 (don't have to pay for battery or back). I didn't push for anything else, as I struggled to justify paying for a battery & back for a phone that I'm only going to have for another month. I'm not sure how I'll feel about the smaller screen size, but from what I can tell it has better hardware than the TB (and ICS). And hopefully a better resale value on Ebay.

 

[KJ78]

I just had this problem this morning. Somehow the data was completely turned off on the phone. I didn't find the problem until I went to switch between cdma and lte to see if that would fix things.

 

[gforce1963]

Over the weekend, I lost all data again. I was standing next to the wife, who's TB was still showing a 4G connection. Rebooting did nothing, as well as forcing the phone to connect CDMA. So I had to dump the TB for a Rezound I had sitting around. I had even did a factory reset and a flashing of a stock rom..no luck. Maybe the TB has decided to move on to the great cell tower in the sky

 

[natehoy]

those of you gettting new phones, please keep us updated. I'd be curious to see if it's just a hardware issue, even though I believe its a combination of bad radio and the network. I have personally checked with other people on LTE with Verizon, and they report very little drop off as far as data connection. three people with the Razr maxx stated that they never lose connection. so maybe its the fact that the Tbolt is just OLD.

The Tbolt and Rezound also have the oddball dual-modem radio that allows simultaneous voice and data over 3G. This is as opposed to the radio in the Galaxy S3 that actually implements the 3G/EVDO spec and supports "proper" simultaneous voice and data.

This thread from way back details how to shut off the "specialized" 3G network for Thunderbolts and go back to the "standard" network. This probably won't help any LTE woes, but might help you keep a more stable 3G signal.

##778# , Edit Mode, Password 000000 (six zeros) unlocks a whole boatload of tuning options for the radio. Use at your own risk - here there be dragons.

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ve...blems-3g-data-dont-hard-reset-read-first.html

 

[armeddroid]

I went to Verizon yesterday to address this exact issue. I have NEVER had this problem until 2 weeks ago. Everytime I get on Instagram, FB or even Google Play, everything disappears.
No 4G LTE, no 3G...nothing.

The REP had a TBOLT and he too is exp the same problem. He is statin that its the service but i called BS, because the rest of the phones in the store are working just fine.
In the end, he gave me a new Sim Card.
Tbolt still acting stupid.

 

[NCRick]

I have been dealing with this issues since AUGUST.. It started and I went to the store, they ordered me a replacement TB - a week later, back at the store, new SIM Card.. got tired of dealing with it for a while. A few weeks later, chatted with VZW useless customer service folks, they did something behind the scenes, seemed to help some. Not for long, back on the chat, she tells me it could be a 3rd party app issue and to delete the apps one at a time until it resolves itself. Well I did that, oh, that didn't solve it either.. Back on the phone with VZW tech support today - told to reset to factory settings today. Well now my phone is sitting here pegged out with 4 bars of 4g LTE service, but the only thing I am allowed to do is use the browser until she calls me back and of course its going to still be working when I talk to them but she is certain it is NOT A DEVICE ISSUE.. BS, all my family members have VZW and they do not have the connectivity issues I have. I am about ready to lose it on the next CS Rep I talk to.

 

[ToddL]

That is unfortunate. The second CS rep I spoke to knew exactly what I was talking about, and said it was a known issue with the software. Although she tried to give me another TB, as soon as I pushed back a little she offered me up a Droid 4 with ICS. No data drops since.

ETA: Make sure you're talking to tier 2 support. All of the tier 1 people I spoke to were clueless about this, which could be true since tier 1 has to deal with such a wide variety of calls from people.

 

[KJ78]

I called in Wednesday as I've had it with the dropped connection issue. It's become a constant problem. The refurbished phone seems slightly better. I've noticed a few data drops when downloading apps/updates. I'm going to give it a few more days to fully document my problem. Then I'm going to follow Todd_L above and find a way to tier 2 support and get a different device.

 

[keyworker]

I just had to register and put in my two cents. I've been with this phone since the beginning. March 17th almost two years ago. 4G was rock solid and has been since June - July. Since then I've had drops all the time when opening apps, web browsing, etc. Everything that's been explained here. It's a pain. I am going to call tomorrow and take the advice I read here. I hope I have good luck.