Do you really experience signal issue with your GN?

[jroc]

I do not agree with your point that it may be hardware. Symptoms we are seeing are too random to consider it as hardware issue. Also, as you can see almost 40% of the entire users just on this forum do not experience any issue at all. Considering that people on the forum are more active and vocal than general public, I would say more than half of GN users probably would not be experiencing the issue at this moment. If the problem is going to be anything about hardware, it should be more reproducible, by anyone, at anytime.

Provided that my prior assumption that the ongoing issue is the hand-off /authentication issue is correct, it is more likely to be related to the software.

All I will say is this:

Historically for me...Samsung hasnt had as good as reception as some other phones in weak reception areas. Thats with 2 Samsung phones (one a regular cellphone, 1 smartphone) and 3 phones from another manufacture. (one regular cell, 2 smartphones.) That is enough to say to me that its a real possibility that it could be hardware.

A pic I posted at another site:

I have a RAZR. That is in my apt...which gets virtually no data signal, 3G or 4G. I HAVE to use Wifi to use anything network related. But look at how strong the phone signal is. Cell Standby is small too, didnt post a screen of it tho. My phone reception is stronger in my apt than data. Places at work and in my apt where I get weak to no data service, I can still make and receive calls. Sometimes good, sometimes sketchy. Thats why I do not agree with the G Nex showing accurate LTE readings and some ppl thinking thats fine. I use my phone as a phone first, so I want my phone to show me the phone reception....not data reception.

 

[chrisbkreme]

I was experienceing horrible problems with my GN. This is truely the phone I wanted, and waited it out, to only be disappointed. I returned my first one after dropping 10-15 calls a day for 2-3 days. It thought it was just the phone, but after only two days, I returned it too. It did so much that I wanted it to do, but not being able to consistently retain a phone call was a major problem. I finally decided to return it after it took me three separate tries to finish a 10 minute conversation.

Most of the time, I could hear the person talking clearly, but they said that they could not hear me, so we would hang up and reconnect again. It was wierd. I now have a Rezound, which seems to be a very solid phone, but I miss my Nexus.

 

[mozy]

My signal issues are intermittent. Sometimes it works fine. Other days I can't connect to anything. While other days I can only connect to 3G. These 3 scenarios have happened at home and work. I'm going to flash those new radios in soon and see if it helps, I suspect it will. Sometimes if things are not working I'll reboot and everything will be fine, other times not so much.

 

[not2gutta]

Ive lost 3G multiple times at my house(never experienced problems with my DINC,DINC2) ...very frustrating when playing texas hold em tournaments!:-\

 

[not2gutta]

No 4G in my area btw..

 

[jphillips1963]

If this was the case you would expect other users would be reporting the same problem. But it seems to be GN users almost exclusively.

If we did this same poll for the Rezound or the Razr I am guessing the results would be very different.

Coming from the Charge which had OK service to the GN and then onto the Rezound after my connectivity issues with the GN I can verify based on my experience my Rezound is best phone overall of the three I get continuous connectivity even get 4 g in areas I never could with the charge and in those same areas I couldn't even get 3g on the GN.

Everyone is on the hype of ICS and overly excited of this new UI and until those who have no issues trvale beyond the highly saturated area to one which isn't they will to experience these same issues. Instead of doing this to prove there is a problem they blindly turn there eye and stay within there safe zone.

 

[crankerchick]

All I will say is this:

Historically for me...Samsung hasnt had as good as reception as some other phones in weak reception areas. Thats with 2 Samsung phones (one a regular cellphone, 1 smartphone) and 3 phones from another manufacture. (one regular cell, 2 smartphones.) That is enough to say to me that its a real possibility that it could be hardware.

Even still, that doesn't make it hardware necessarily. What your phone does with the signal it receives is software. Just like with anything, some do better than others. I'm not saying it is not a hardware problem, because I don't know, I'm saying that calling it a hardware problem because Samsung has been known to have signal problems, or because it is only affecting the Galaxy Nexus, does not make it a hardware problem and thus something that can't be addressed.

I'm an RF engineer and I can tell you that what I can do with the same hardware and what the person sitting next to me can do with it will vary drastically and it might be due to how we connect things up and/or lay things out, but it might also be because of how we write the code that makes that hardware do something meaningful with it's input..

If it's an antenna thing on the Nexus, then it is hardware, if it's a noise or filtering issue, it's hardware, but there is coding that goes into this as well, which can be responsible for data drop outs or handing off to 3G from 4G when the next phone doesn't, and that is fixable in software.

 

[Johnly]

No doubt is is software.... not enough code weeks have happened so to jump at the hardware is premature.

 

[thebignewt]

I'm getting cold feet about this phone. I won't get 4G where I live, but I get 3G fine with my Dinc. My wife's iPhone never drops anything. I never understood why anyone with WiFi would ever use anything else at home or work. I won't dl my app updates unless there's Wifi, I set it like that.

 

[Premium1]

I'm getting cold feet about this phone. I won't get 4G where I live, but I get 3G fine with my Dinc. My wife's iPhone never drops anything. I never understood why anyone with WiFi would ever use anything else at home or work. I won't dl my app updates unless there's Wifi, I set it like that.

Most do not have issues with 3g it is 4g that is causing issues. Plus if you are using wifi that is one thing you won't have to worry about is the network dropping in or out. I would wait a little longer and see how the next update does with the device and if it helps those that are having issues.

 

[Premium1]

Coming from the Charge which had OK service to the GN and then onto the Rezound after my connectivity issues with the GN I can verify based on my experience my Rezound is best phone overall of the three I get continuous connectivity even get 4 g in areas I never could with the charge and in those same areas I couldn't even get 3g on the GN.

Everyone is on the hype of ICS and overly excited of this new UI and until those who have no issues trvale beyond the highly saturated area to one which isn't they will to experience these same issues. Instead of doing this to prove there is a problem they blindly turn there eye and stay within there safe zone.

They aren't necessarily turning a blind eye if they are never going to be in those "zones" People aren't going to travel(what for some may be hundreds of miles) to test out how their phone does in other zones that they most likely will never be in in the first place. If it works where they use it that is all they care about and honestly that is all they should care about. If a phone works where I am using it and where I will travel then it works for me. it may not be the same for you but just because I or someone else doesn't feel the need to travel somewhere to test the phone out does not mean anything.

 

[Samater92]

Well, I don't even know anymore. When I got the GN it was great I had 3-4 bars of 4g and as soon as I step in my house I get 1 to no bars of 4g and it stays on 3g for most of the time. It's weird because on the VZ map it says I'm in a great area for 4g. I never had dropped calls and I could text. I did however see the "network communication error" a few times using speedtest or the app market. I would say that I see more 1 bars than I see 2,3, or 4. Am I having the same issues? I'm lost because this is my first 4g phone, so I thought it was normal, but I guess not.

 

[jroc]

Coming from the Charge which had OK service to the GN and then onto the Rezound after my connectivity issues with the GN I can verify based on my experience my Rezound is best phone overall of the three I get continuous connectivity even get 4 g in areas I never could with the charge and in those same areas I couldn't even get 3g on the GN.

Everyone is on the hype of ICS and overly excited of this new UI and until those who have no issues trvale beyond the highly saturated area to one which isn't they will to experience these same issues. Instead of doing this to prove there is a problem they blindly turn there eye and stay within there safe zone.

They aren't necessarily turning a blind eye if they are never going to be in those "zones" People aren't going to travel(what for some may be hundreds of miles) to test out how their phone does in other zones that they most likely will never be in in the first place. If it works where they use it that is all they care about and honestly that is all they should care about. If a phone works where I am using it and where I will travel then it works for me. it may not be the same for you but just because I or someone else doesn't feel the need to travel somewhere to test the phone out does not mean anything.

I agree with both posts...

For some that may spend most of their time in a bad reception area....its something to keep an eye on and test for yourself. Some ppl are lucky enough to always be in good to great reception areas so it shouldnt matter to them.

Like someone who switched phones last year found out tho.....being able to reliably call 9-1-1 from just about anywhere meant more to them than anything. So it all depends on your wants n needs, what you are, arent experiencing, where you spend most of your time. I live n work in a bad reception area so phone reception is always my first priority.

Even still, that doesn't make it hardware necessarily. What your phone does with the signal it receives is software. Just like with anything, some do better than others. I'm not saying it is not a hardware problem, because I don't know, I'm saying that calling it a hardware problem because Samsung has been known to have signal problems, or because it is only affecting the Galaxy Nexus, does not make it a hardware problem and thus something that can't be addressed.

I'm an RF engineer and I can tell you that what I can do with the same hardware and what the person sitting next to me can do with it will vary drastically and it might be due to how we connect things up and/or lay things out, but it might also be because of how we write the code that makes that hardware do something meaningful with it's input..

If it's an antenna thing on the Nexus, then it is hardware, if it's a noise or filtering issue, it's hardware, but there is coding that goes into this as well, which can be responsible for data drop outs or handing off to 3G from 4G when the next phone doesn't, and that is fixable in software.

If thats the case....Samsung phones have, in my case, either had historically weak phone radios or bad software for phone reception. This is dating back to before Android even came out. They did finally do better with the GPS issues.....and in that case IIRC it was a new GPS chip, not software.

If it turns out to be software, great, should be alot of happy G Nex owners and potential G Nex owners. If its hardware....it is what it is....and its part of the pro n con list for these devices, manufactures.

 

[karn101]

A few quick words -

People who are saying 55% of owners are experiencing a problem are wrong. 55% of AndroidCentral.com users, who have an account, who opened this thread, and who voted are experiencing problems. There is quite a big difference between the two.

Next up, I truly believe it is a certain batch of phones. Here are some screenshots I just took. I have HORRIBLE service at work as you can see on my status bar. Now, look at my 'time without signal'. It isn't anywhere near what many of you are experiencing and I'm in a horrible reception area.

 

[CarryMe]

A few quick words -

People who are saying 55% of owners are experiencing a problem are wrong. 55% of AndroidCentral.com users, who have an account, who opened this thread, and who voted are experiencing problems. There is quite a big difference between the two.

The same is true of the 37% who aren't experiencing problems - It is 37% of AndroidCentral.com users, who have an account, who opened this thread, and who voted who aren't experiencing problems. So what? No one said this was a scientific study.

However, it does go to show those who are calling us whiners and saying we are trying to keep bumping our threads up that they are wrong, there are more of us ON ANDROIDCENTRAL.COM than those who aren't experiencing problems. Well-designed, double-blind clinical trial? No. Poll on an Internet forum? Yes.

Take it for what it is.

 

[Premium1]

A few quick words -

People who are saying 55% of owners are experiencing a problem are wrong. 55% of AndroidCentral.com users, who have an account, who opened this thread, and who voted are experiencing problems. There is quite a big difference between the two.

Next up, I truly believe it is a certain batch of phones. Here are some screenshots I just took. I have HORRIBLE service at work as you can see on my status bar. Now, look at my 'time without signal'. It isn't anywhere near what many of you are experiencing and I'm in a horrible reception area.

I think it may have to deal with certain batch of phones also due to the fact that some exchanged their phone for another and had much less issues with it. It would be interesting to see if there was a way to figure out when a phone was made and see if that had something to do with those having issues.

 

[Premium1]

The same is true of the 37% who aren't experiencing problems - It is 37% of AndroidCentral.com users, who have an account, who opened this thread, and who voted who aren't experiencing problems. So what? No one said this was a scientific study.

However, it does go to show those who are calling us whiners and saying we are trying to keep bumping our threads up that they are wrong, there are more of us ON ANDROIDCENTRAL.COM than those who aren't experiencing problems. Well-designed, double-blind clinical trial? No. Poll on an Internet forum? Yes.

Take it for what it is.

Because 99% of the time people will not post unless they have issues. You rarely see posts praising a phone because people do not post things like that...

 

[CarryMe]

Because 99% of the time people will not post unless they have issues. You rarely see posts praising a phone because people do not post things like that...

Lots of people have posted praising this phone, myself included AND while I do agree that people not experiencing any problems seldom start new threads, the same is not true of polls.

 

[ki11ak3nn]

I live just outside Seattle and I have a fantastic 4G signal. But since we are the city of coffee, and most coffee houses have free Wi-Fi, singal strength doesn't really affect me. Compared to my old Evo Shift on Sprint I feel like my download speeds have gotten way faster on my GN.....whether on 4G or Wi-Fi.

 

[karn101]

The same is true of the 37% who aren't experiencing problems - It is 37% of AndroidCentral.com users, who have an account, who opened this thread, and who voted who aren't experiencing problems. So what? No one said this was a scientific study.

However, it does go to show those who are calling us whiners and saying we are trying to keep bumping our threads up that they are wrong, there are more of us ON ANDROIDCENTRAL.COM than those who aren't experiencing problems. Well-designed, double-blind clinical trial? No. Poll on an Internet forum? Yes.

Take it for what it is.

Believe me, I am not arguing that fact nor am I saying that those experiencing a problem are making it up. I truly believe there IS an issue but I have a feeling it's a certain batch of phones. It can very well be a straight split of 50/50. I have two co-workers who have the phone (neither frequent any kind of gadget websites) and hear no complaints from them. BUT, if they were, they would most likely google the problem, find a website such as this, logon, and vote that they are having a problem.

As the other poster said; people who have gripes are more likely to complain than people who are content are likely to rave about it.