I think Verizon's network is causing the reboots

[FrankXS]

Didn't want to start yet another thread on this so I decided to post this here...

If you think this lost data connection issue is ThunderBolt specific, think again. Our newest Samsung Droid Charge cohorts have all the same data issues. Including some folks who traded the TBolt for the Charge to get away from it.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/samsung-droid-charge/88874-connectivity-issues.html

Warning! Do not post TBolt threads directly into this linked Samsung Charge area by mistake. Not unless you have something to say about the Samsung device. Just wanted the folks here to see the similarity.

-Frank

 

[robrecht]

Didn't want to start yet another thread on this so I decided to post this here...

If you think this lost data connection issue is ThunderBolt specific, think again. Our newest Samsung Droid Charge cohorts have all the same data issues. Including some folks who traded the TBolt for the Charge to get away from it.

http://forum.androidcentral.com/samsung-droid-charge/88874-connectivity-issues.html

Warning! Do not post TBolt threads directly into this linked Samsung Charge area by mistake. Not unless you have something to say about the Samsung device. Just wanted the folks here to see the similarity.

-Frank

Yeah, Chrisy already linked to other non-4G phones having similar problems. Not sure if the problem is more pronounced with 4G phones that have the potential for additional 3G-4G transition issues. I think part of the problem is all the new Verizon iPhones, the new 3G infrastructure that the TBolt uses, and the fast building out of 4G. I assume the network is being over stressed to the limit.

 

[FrankXS]

Yeah, Chrisy already linked to other non-4G phones having similar problems. Not sure if the problem is more pronounced with 4G phones that have the potential for additional 3G-4G transition issues. I think part of the problem is all the new Verizon iPhones, the new 3G infrastructure that the TBolt uses, and the fast building out of 4G. I assume the network is being over stressed to the limit.

As macabre as it sounds, it's good to see these data issues with other new 4G phones. If VZW gets bombarded with "no-data" phone replacements, across the board, they will put a whole new priority on getting to the bottom of this issue.

-Frank

 

[Chrisy]

I posted to non Android and non Thunderbolt phones on VZW Rebooting. I was glad when I saw that. What got me thinking was what I said in the OP, my moms co-workers VZW phones are Rebooting too. One isn't even a smart phone.

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

I am almost always 4g but once a day I go to an area where 4g is crap and it has to switch back and forth to 3g . I have never had a random reboot and have had the phone since launch...

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

When I rarely go to 3G at home I don't reboot. For me anyway it has nothing to do with it switching between 3G and 4G. As I said before it is only when I'm in a basement environment and the phone struggles to lock onto any signal (ie going between the signals and not staying on one for more than 30 seconds).

Again like I said in my poll thread it's almost like the restarting is a fail safe because it clears out the cache and attempts to establish a connection from scratch. They may be able to put something in the next update where instead of restarting it just clears the cache. Could they do that? Who knows, but it's an idea.

Sent from my Thunderbolt

 

[robrecht]

Again like I said in my poll thread it's almost like the restarting is a fail safe because it clears out the cache and attempts to establish a connection from scratch. They may be able to put something in the next update where instead of restarting it just clears the cache. Could they do that? Who knows, but it's an idea.

Sent from my Thunderbolt

That's exactly what I've been thinking. And more. Perhaps the data connectivity, reboots, and excessive battery drain are sometimes related. All three problems sometimes seem to have a random component. One day battery life is OK, not good but OK, the next day it is terrible. Some people have reboots all the time, but it seems like most of us don't have a problem or only rarely experience it. Likewise data connectivity. So here's the scenario. Data connectivity blip occurs. Usually the phone reestablishes the connection quickly, during its next handshake. Sometimes the data connection to the tower is reestablished with a simple phone call. Sometimes the phone reboots itself to reestablish the connection. If it doesn't reboot, the battery drains quickly with the 4G modem constantly searching for a signal. This is only a theoretical scenario, but a couple of times my data connection has been restored simply by making a call. If you're working and not slacking off, you wouldn't know if your phone is disconnected from the network and draining its battery trying to restore the connection. Somebody calls you or you take out your phone to make a call and the data connection is restored and you only notice that your battery life is worse than usual today. But if your phone had rebooted while you were working you would never notice either the lack of connection or the reboot. We don't have a random rebooting problem; We have a data connectivity problem that is exacerbated by a random failure to reboot.

Thanks, Robrecht

 

[Chrisy]

I always get a reboot while using Google Navigation. Every time, consistently. Haven't noticed location yet.

 

[robrecht]

I always get a reboot while using Google Navigation. Every time, consistently. Haven't noticed location yet.

That might be caused by GPS interference with the 3G+/4G signal that some have asserted. The reboot fixes the GPS and exacerbates the connectivity/reboot problem.

Thanks, Robrecht

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

That's exactly what I've been thinking. And more. Perhaps the data connectivity, reboots, and excessive battery drain are sometimes related. All three problems sometimes seem to have a random component. One day battery life is OK, not good but OK, the next day it is terrible. Some people have reboots all the time, but it seems like most of us don't have a problem or only rarely experience it. Likewise data connectivity. So here's the scenario. Data connectivity blip occurs. Usually the phone reestablishes the connection quickly, during its next handshake. Sometimes the data connection to the tower is reestablished with a simple phone call. Sometimes the phone reboots itself to reestablish the connection. If it doesn't reboot, the battery drains quickly with the 4G modem constantly searching for a signal. This is only a theoretical scenario, but a couple of times my data connection has been restored simply by making a call. If you're working and not slacking off, you wouldn't know if your phone is disconnected from the network and draining its battery trying to restore the connection. Somebody calls you or you take out your phone to make a call and the data connection is restored and you only notice that your battery life is worse than usual today. But if your phone had rebooted while you were working you would never notice either the lack of connection or the reboot. We don't have a random rebooting problem; We have a data connectivity problem that is exacerbated by a random failure to reboot.

Thanks, Robrecht

I personally would know if my phone reboots or if it loses connection while at work because I use Radio Companion all day and I'm on LTE all day. Now as I said earlier in this thread the network here in St. Louis is rock solid and I haven't had any random reboots or loss of connection outside of the two times I was in a basement. So in that aspect it is a location (geography) issue as well.

Sent from my Thunderbolt

 

[Johnly]

Interesting thread. I am no expert on how a cellular tower could reboot a device. I it some devices handle corrupt bits better than others? All my BBs suffered rebooting, and when I switched to motos the issue vanished. Do some UIs get stuck with corrupt data an cope by rebooting while other UI and hardware combos laugh and kill the application in the sandbox and truck along? I have no clue, an have read this thread. Anyone with actual experience on specific ways a tower could force a phone to die and reboot? I admit, I get data interruptions, but no rebooting like I did with a BB. Good thread Chrisy and I am going to bet you are right, and that also how well a device copes plays a certain role as well.

 

[Chrisy]

I think we're figuring it out!

 

[robrecht]

Interesting thread. I am no expert on how a cellular tower could reboot a device. I it some devices handle corrupt bits better than others? All my BBs suffered rebooting, and when I switched to motos the issue vanished. Do some UIs get stuck with corrupt data an cope by rebooting while other UI and hardware combos laugh and kill the application in the sandbox and truck along? I have no clue, an have read this thread. Anyone with actual experience on specific ways a tower could force a phone to die and reboot? I admit, I get data interruptions, but no rebooting like I did with a BB. Good thread Chrisy and I am going to bet you are right, and that also how well a device copes plays a certain role as well.

The tower doesn't reboot the phone, but when the phone cannot reconnect to the tower, it may sometimes reboot itself as a last resort effort to reestablish the connection. That's the hypothesis. I don't know if it's true, but it's an elegant theory in that it ties together several problems: loss of connectivity, randomly terrible battery life, worse GPS performance in 4G, an OTA update that fixes GPS but increases problems with data connectivity and reboots, and an over stressed network experiencing growing pains. Again, I don't know if it's true, but William of Occam would appreciate how it proposes a single cause for a number of problems that others see as unrelated.

Thanks, Robrecht

 

[FrankXS]

The tower doesn't reboot the phone, but when the phone cannot reconnect to the tower, it may sometimes reboot itself as a last resort effort to reestablish the connection. That's the hypothesis. I don't know if it's true, but it's an elegant theory...

Personally I don't believe there is anything elegant about it. Or that it reboots for a purpose. I think it just crashes and reboots as a result.

I'm so glad I'm not having the reboot issue!

-Frank



Sent from my HTC ThunderBolt 4G/LTE using Tapatalk

 

[Cringey]

For the 3rd time driving by Verizon's exit off of Route 78 in NJ my phone has rebooted. In the same area I always lose my XM Radio and on my Blackberry I would lose my signal. It is a coincidence I think but strange.

 

[Mortiel]

The towers being suspect I find unlikely. I do however think its possible the corrupted firmware version for the radio could be causing the OS to crash. Think of it like a Windows XP driver causing the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

 

[Johnly]

The tower doesn't reboot the phone, but when the phone cannot reconnect to the tower, it may sometimes reboot itself as a last resort effort to reestablish the connection. That's the hypothesis. I don't know if it's true, but it's an elegant theory in that it ties together several problems: loss of connectivity, randomly terrible battery life, worse GPS performance in 4G, an OTA update that fixes GPS but increases problems with data connectivity and reboots, and an over stressed network experiencing growing pains. Again, I don't know if it's true, but William of Occam would appreciate how it proposes a single cause for a number of problems that others see as unrelated.

Thanks, Robrecht

Thank you for the expansion sir. I would suspect motorolas and iphones to be rebooting as well? I think it's possible, but I suspect the software has been designed to deal with connection errors without rebooting itself. I don't know either, and I wonder if it is just a 4g snafu, and if charge owners are experiencing this in waves? I won't tolerate rebooting phones now that I have had years without.

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

The towers being suspect I find unlikely. I do however think its possible the corrupted firmware version for the radio could be causing the OS to crash. Think of it like a Windows XP driver causing the infamous Blue Screen of Death.

The reason that doesn't make sense is because of the other phones that aren't even smartphones that are having issues as well. If it was just the Thunderbolt then maybe, but as FrankXS' link showed, the Charge is having connection issues as well. Then you have the fact that mine doesn't reboot at all unless I'm in a basement. So I know I don't have corrupt firmware because mine hasn't rebooted minus my 2 basement reboots.

People really need to pay attention to the conversations as I am even getting annoyed with myself because I feel like I'm saying the same stuff over and over and over and over and over and over again. I think the handling of the weak/dropped data signal issue is close to the mark. It's the only thing that makes sense.

Sent from my Thunderbolt

 

[Johnly]

I wouldn't get annoyed, people just see it different and maybe their hypothesis is different as well. No one knows for sure, though it sounds like yours is feasible. Cellular phones should never reboot because of a lost connection.

 

[VideoEngineerAJS]

I wouldn't get annoyed, people just see it different and maybe there hypothesis is different as well. No one knows for sure, though it sounds like yours is feasible. Cellular phones should never reboot because of a lost connection.

I agree it shouldn't reboot. That's why I guess technically it still is HTC's problem as they need to have the phone handle connection issues more practically. However these issues also happen to point out that Verizon needs to work on their network in a few places.

Well I'm not annoyed I just don't want people to feel like I'm repeating myself just to repeat myself and I don't want others to get annoyed either.

Sent from my Thunderbolt

 

[Johnly]

I hear you bro. I think you have a good point though and you mentioning charge owners experiencing the same, maybe Verizon has a 4g snafu?