3G Indicator and other issues...

[plarpco]

I just got my new DInc last Friday. I'm having some issues, and I want to make sure it's not just me.

1. Does the 3G indicator always show when you're getting 3G speeds, or only when you're transmitting data via 3G. I'm assuming the 3G indicator should stay lit, and the up/down arrows will light when data is transmitting.

2. I'm having horrible signal strength all over my city. In my house I get zero bars, and Verizon agreed to send me their Femtocell for free. That might solve my issue in my house, but around town, where I have 6 celltowers within 3 miles of my home, I still get only 1 bar and -90dbm. I rarely get more than 2 bars. I haven't experienced dropped calls yet, but I haven't made many calls. "Cell standby" is my number one battery consumer at 33%.

3. SD Card. Occasionally on rebooting, the SDCard isn't recognized. Rebooting fixes it, is that normal?

4. When I first set up my phone, the microphone wasn't working. I could hear people, but they couldn't hear me. I went in to a verizon store and they re-provisioned it and rebooted, and it started working. Is that possible, or just a coincidence?

I know some of these questions have been answered before. My primary reason for posting was the 3G indicator question and it's difficult to search for "3G" using the search feature.

Thanks!

 

[bigslam123]

1. It only lights up when there is activity.
2. Don't go by bars, only dbm strength, and ninety is is a decent signal. The algorithm used by HTC to calculate bar strength is flawed and does not show properly.
3. Your card may not be seated securely. Pull the card and make sure it is in there tight.
4. That's a new one for me. No clue.

 

[plarpco]

Just to clarify, the actual 3G text in the status bar will stay unlit most of the time, unless data is being transmitted at 3G speeds, and then the 3G will lite, as well as the up/down arrows. When it's done transmitting, it goes dark again?

So, I should ignore the bars completely? I'm getting -84dBm in my office right now. I should be happy with that, even though it's only two bars? That kinda sounds like the iPhone4 "the bars don't indicate signal strength, you're not holding it right" kinda response. Are they planning an update to show the bars correctly?

I'll check the SD card. Thanks!

And... maybe it was just a fluke. It seems unlikely that I'd have a problem with the mic and re-provisioning it would correct it. Maybe it was the reboot? I'm just worried that my phone is defective...

Thanks for your quick response. I'm open to other thoughts as well!

 

[iJason#WN]

I just got my new DInc last Friday. I'm having some issues, and I want to make sure it's not just me.

1. Does the 3G indicator always show when you're getting 3G speeds, or only when you're transmitting data via 3G. I'm assuming the 3G indicator should stay lit, and the up/down arrows will light when data is transmitting.

2. I'm having horrible signal strength all over my city. In my house I get zero bars, and Verizon agreed to send me their Femtocell for free. That might solve my issue in my house, but around town, where I have 6 celltowers within 3 miles of my home, I still get only 1 bar and -90dbm. I rarely get more than 2 bars. I haven't experienced dropped calls yet, but I haven't made many calls. "Cell standby" is my number one battery consumer at 33%.

3. SD Card. Occasionally on rebooting, the SDCard isn't recognized. Rebooting fixes it, is that normal?

4. When I first set up my phone, the microphone wasn't working. I could hear people, but they couldn't hear me. I went in to a verizon store and they re-provisioned it and rebooted, and it started working. Is that possible, or just a coincidence?

I know some of these questions have been answered before. My primary reason for posting was the 3G indicator question and it's difficult to search for "3G" using the search feature.

Thanks!

How did you get them to give you the Femtocell for free? They said I would have to pay $100 for one if I wanted one and my signal strength is terrible in my house.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Femtocell?

 

[plarpco]

How did you get them to give you the Femtocell for free? They said I would have to pay $100 for one if I wanted one and my signal strength is terrible in my house.

The Tech guy originally said he would give me the femtocell for $50, which was a discount from $199. I complained and said that since I was a new customer and just came from AT&T, that I would cancel my contract within 30 days if they couldn't help me out. I said, "look either you give me a break, or you lose out on 2 years of contract, and possibly a lifetime of contract fees." I then asked for a spare battery and the femtocell for $50, and he came back after talking to his manager and said that they would give me the femtocell for free. I do have to send it back if I cancel my contract within 30 days.

Strangely, the tech call center is about 5 minutes from my house so I was able to make some small talk about me coming over to his office to compare the number of bars on my phone with the tech's DInc in the parking lot. He wouldn't do that... but I will likely visit a verizon store to verify that my phone is reporting similar signal levels to other DInc's.

I wasn't expecting the free femtocell, but I've been pleased with my customer service experience so far.

 

[bigslam123]

Just to clarify, the actual 3G text in the status bar will stay unlit most of the time, unless data is being transmitted at 3G speeds, and then the 3G will lite, as well as the up/down arrows. When it's done transmitting, it goes dark again?

So, I should ignore the bars completely? I'm getting -84dBm in my office right now. I should be happy with that, even though it's only two bars? That kinda sounds like the iPhone4 "the bars don't indicate signal strength, you're not holding it right" kinda response. Are they planning an update to show the bars correctly?

I'll check the SD card. Thanks!

And... maybe it was just a fluke. It seems unlikely that I'd have a problem with the mic and re-provisioning it would correct it. Maybe it was the reboot? I'm just worried that my phone is defective...

Thanks for your quick response. I'm open to other thoughts as well!

Correct on all counts.

 

[plarpco]

Femtocell?

It's their signal extender device. You plug it into your broadband, and then it acts as a celltower in your house. It still eats minutes off your plan, even though it's really a voip device. Doesn't work for 3G data content though.

Network Extender

 

[bigslam123]

It's their signal extender device. You plug it into your broadband, and then it acts as a celltower in your house. It still eats minutes off your plan, even though it's really a voip device. Doesn't work for 3G data content though.
Network Extender

The new one does data, which is probably why they don't mind giving away the old version.

 

[iJason#WN]

The new one does data, which is probably why they don't mind giving away the old version.

How much is the one that does data? I don't see it on the Verizon site.

 

[plarpco]

The new one does data, which is probably why they don't mind giving away the old version.

I wasn't aware of that. I'm not sure which one they're sending me, but I'll update this thread when I get it on Wednesday. The reviews seem decent, although there do seem to be a few users who don't get any benefit from the device at all, or have trouble keeping a phone paired with it.

 

[bigslam123]

How much is the one that does data? I don't see it on the Verizon site.

I don't think it has been released yet. I believe it is supposed to come out in September.

 

[iJason#WN]

I don't think it has been released yet. I believe it is supposed to come out in September.

Gotcha. Do you think the one that's out now will be good enough? I have WiFi in my house which I use for data I just need a boost for voice calls. I get tons of dropped calls in my house cuz I have no bars and -110dbm

 

[bigslam123]

Gotcha. Do you think the one that's out now will be good enough? I have WiFi in my house which I use for data I just need a boost for voice calls. I get tons of dropped calls in my house cuz I have no bars and -110dbm

If you just need it for voice then the current one should work perfect for you, especially if the price is right.

 

[plarpco]

I just wanted to follow up on this. I received my free network extender from Verizon yesterday. They shipped it out free 2-day, with a return FedEx label in case I needed to send it back. They'll be following up with me on Saturday to see if it works. And it does.

I plugged it into my network, set it up by a window in my basement, powered it up and waited. It took about 20 minutes to get a GPS lock. After that, I saw 4 blue lights on the device, and 4 bars on my phone. In my basement I would normally get zero bars and -100 dBM. Calling #48 verified that I was on the network extender, and also right after dialing, I hear two beeps indicating I'm on the extender.

I made a couple of test calls, and the other party said I sounded fine.

It does seem to work a little counter-intuitively though. If I'm in my basement and I set my phone down, it eventually goes back to zero bars. As soon as I call my phone from my landline, it jumps to 3-4 bars and rings and picks up fine. It's the same with dialing out. If I ignore my phone for a while, it shows zero bars. As soon as I hit send after dialing, it jumps to 3-4 bars and dials out. I'm not sure if that is normal. I'll ask when I talk to the tech on Saturday.

I've also seen the 1x symbol indicating data transfer (I guess). Since I'm using WiFi in my house, I'm not sure if that is a big deal. I don't know if that indicates data transfer via the extender, or through the regular cell tower.

Even with the unit in my basement (my primary location of bad signal), I get network extender coverage on my second floor, although only 1-2 bars.

Overall, I'm happy with the device. It's solved my home coverage problem, the price was right, and customer service was great.