Fed Up With Terrible Reception

[stang6790]

I had a Spigen Neo Hybrid metal case for my S6 and had a noticeable difference in reception with it on vs my Diztronic TPU case.

 

[Saros]

I had a Spigen Neo Hybrid metal case for my S6 and had a noticeable difference in reception with it on vs my Diztronic TPU case.

Yep -- lovely case, aesthetically, but it takes a big bite out of signal strength.

 

[mkurz12]

Just went and had the sim replaced last night. Was going to exchange the phone but they insisted I try this first.
Signal is still bouncing up and down but hasn't switched to 3G or 1X like it was before. It's actually been going between full bars (which I never had before)/to 3 bars. Thing is, it's constantly happening while not going anywhere. Bouncing around in between -89db down to -102db. So technically reception is better with the new sim bit still all over the place.
Have seen many reports of people on all carriers having this issue. Some say it has to with the antenna used and others say it has to do with the way the processor attempts to save battery.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mkurz12]

Just keeping the post update incase its helping anyone. The sim replacement seems to be helping. Over almost two days the signal hasn't gone below 4G which is great but now my battery seems to be draining much faster than it was before.
Dropped 12% in less than 45 minutes after taking it off the charger. All I did was wish one person Happy Birthday on Facebook in that 45 minute time span. Think I'll be taking it back before my 14 day return period is up. Don't want to get stuck with a phone with issues.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mhinc]

There are a lot of people dealing with this issue all over the world. Samsung's antenna runs weaker then other devices. I have searched far and high for an answer. There are only two main fixes I have found

1. Downgrade mobile reception to 3g
2. Upgrade system software or flash different roms to try and get stable modem software.

Basically if you live in a weak 4g area your signal will be very weak to zero when using these s6 or Note 5. If you are close to a 4g tower you can get very solid reception. But what I realised that even with one bar of solid reception I never miss a call, it's only when the signal keeps dropping to 3g and h+ that it just can't cope.

It's crazy when we analyze all the specs for days and weeks before purchasing these premium devices, who would have thought that Samsung just wouldn't give a **** about solid phone reception.

dreaming of electric sheep

Telus in Canada has finally admitted that the phone has a flaw. They are telling me that they are waiting for a software update to correct. I questioned how they felt a software update could fix a problem with the weak antenna. She explained that usually software deligates the signal strength, For example the antenna may only be set to 30% which testing in house would have found to be adequate. So what they are saying is that the software update would raise this to a higher number. Mind you that would also reduce battery life, but at this point I am willing to take that loss to actually get reliable service all day at work.

 

[mhinc]

Just keeping the post update incase its helping anyone. The sim replacement seems to be helping. Over almost two days the signal hasn't gone below 4G which is great but now my battery seems to be draining much faster than it was before.
Dropped 12% in less than 45 minutes after taking it off the charger. All I did was wish one person Happy Birthday on Facebook in that 45 minute time span. Think I'll be taking it back before my 14 day return period is up. Don't want to get stuck with a phone with issues.

Posted via the Android Central App

I tried a SIM Replacement and sent my phone off for them to re-flash the rom and same issue
Guess it depends who you are with to be honest

 

[drone3]

I tried a SIM Replacement and sent my phone off for them to re-flash the rom and same issue
Guess it depends who you are with to be honest

Yep, I replaced my sim and nothing changed.

dreaming of electric sheep

 

[mhinc]

Yep, I replaced my sim and nothing changed.

dreaming of electric sheep

Here's hoping Samsung has a update put out that will boost the antenna strength.

 

[LSXGMC]

I could handle improved reception at the cost of battery life. It would probably end up being a bit of a wash since as it stands right now I'm using my phone an additional 30% or more than I normally would since I am constantly stuck trying to reload websites or checking if I have service.

 

[Lourens Van Der Westhuizen]

I never thought I'll say this, but good-bye Samsung! Hello iPhone.
Enough is enough...

 

[Edna Alcazar]

i phone has problems also. Nothing is perfect in life.

 

[LSXGMC]

Well an update of sorts, not a lot to report though. Went to the store I purchased the carrier's store that I purchased the phone from. Fortunately the lady I dealt with also has an S6 and lives outside of LTE coverage so she was well aware of the issues, but has not pursued any resolution at all. I'm not sure if they are really going to be able to do much for me, but she discussed the situation with her manager and they decided to get ahold of their Samsung rep first to hopefully get a better understanding of what direction Samsung is going on rectifying the issue and what the time line is. I guess at least the store employee also has a personal interest in a fix so she should push for answers. From there, who knows. If a fix isn't in the short term I'll probably try and sell the phone and buy out the contract, maybe move to a different carrier.

 

[Corbino22]

Hey everyone!! Same issue here on my Note 5!! Read every thread and omg if there is an update to fix antenna that would be amazing!
Second note 5 I am on so far...

Has there been anyone out there who've had a replacement actually fix the problem??

Thx!!

 

[throttlehappy]

Doubt you will see a fix till the next model comes out. I returned mine a few days ago because of this issue. Luckily the cell repair shop fixed my S5 so I'm back to that.

 

[LSXGMC]

Well, 12 days later and no phone call. I really thought I'd get somewhere considering the store employee had a vested interest in getting an answer as well. I guess the writing is on the wall, nobody wants to deal with this issue.

 

[mazdagr8]

Hi all,

I'm Note 5 owner model SM-9208 using telco which operate on LTE Band 3(1800MHz) and LTE Band 7(2600MHz). I accidently found way to solve this network issue. Whenever my LTE signal is on Band 7(2600MHz), I only get 2 bar signal and the connection is terrible. I even encounter network communication issue while doing speed test. But when LTE signal is on Band 3(1800MHz), everything is smooth. Below are the step on how to set preferred LTE band and how to disable non- preferred LTE band :

1. Open your phone dialer.
2. Type *#2263#.
3. ServiceMode will appear (see pic no 1)
4. Select Stack 1.
5. Network setting will appear (see pic no 2)
6. Select Band selection.
7. Band selection will appear (see pic no 3)
8. Select Automatic.
9. Automatic band selection will appear (see pic no 4)
10. In my case, I select my preferred band 3.
11. Click More and select Back until network setting appear again (see pic no 5)
12. Select Band Disable.
13. Band disable setting will appear (see pic no 6)
14. Select LTE.
15. Band disable setting LTE will appear (see pic no 7)
16. In my case, I select my LTE band 7 to be disable.
17. Exit from this service mode by clicking Home button
18. Open your phone dialer
19. Type *#0011#
20. ServiceMode will appear (see pic no 8)
21. Select Stack 1.
22. My phone is on LTE Band 3 (see pic no 9)

 

[LSXGMC]

Doubt you will see a fix till the next model comes out. I returned mine a few days ago because of this issue. Luckily the cell repair shop fixed my S5 so I'm back to that.

I came back to provide an update. I can't say for sure that's where the time line fell, but it would have been close.

My S4 started having issues again at the end of June. I think it needs the charging port replaced. I decided to give the S6 a try and look at fixing the S4 if nothing had changed. Put my SIM card in, ran the updates. I noticed an immediate difference, but I wanted to give it some time to be sure it wasn't a fluke. I've been using the phone for over a month now and the problem is indeed greatly improved. Granted, it still doesn't have reception anywhere close to the S4, it is no longer so frustratingly bad that I feel like throwing it out the window.

I've been able to watch Netflix with minimal buffering, full football games on TSN GO without issue. Connectivity is generally good. I still have the odd case of prolonged loss of service, maybe a couple times a week. And I still experience some instances where I'll get a bunch of texts an hour late. That happened with the S4 as well occasionally, certainly not as often.

All in all I'm happy the device is working adequately. I really didn't want to go through the trouble of selling it and paying out my plan and getting a new phone. Glad my S4 survived as long as it did. That said, I still consider this phone to be a black mark on Samsung. Putting out a phone that does not work at a satisfactory level and then to take a year to correct what obviously turned out to be setting or software issues is pretty sad. Not sure if I'll bother with another Samsung in the future after this experience.

 

[Hunneybunny 77]

Well it's August 2018, my Sony Xperia z3 eventually gave up on me or should I say I can't take any more of having to tilt my screen, I couldn't calibrate the screen as for that model Sony decided to remove that function for their newer model they were putting on market, so to get this fixed I would have to take it into a shop to have it repaired at me cost (nice way for em to generate more money for their already busting pockets) I took it to a local shop who wanted £60 to try & fix but said its not a dead cert, I certainly didn't have £60 just like that for it still not to b fixed after he had tinkered with it, hence me still having it a couple of yrs after I'd bought it, bit I was seriously going to loose my **** n soon coz having to tilt it this way & then rotate it a full 360° to get to letters where my screen jus wasn't working (being the majority of it!) that was just to send a simple txt. My daughter knew the crap I'd been going thru with it n mentioned it to her friend n he dad kindly borrowed me his bk up fone, this useless pile of ****e it's turned out to be, I was I er the moon at first as it seemed so amazing compared to the nightmare I'd had with my screen on my z3 (b4 the screen it wasn't a bad fone tbh) so I asked if he wanted to sell it knowing my rapaor for my old fone was £60, don't get me wrong I got it at mates rates n paid £50 for it so mum chipped in n paid £30 n me the £20, iv had it for around a month & my head total fried with it I swear, so wish I'd tried to get my Sony fixed coz this is still a nightmare for their customers, how long down the line???

 

[Hunneybunny 77]

Hiya I'm tryna get my head round wat u said so I can look at wat I'd need to do to mine, iv got an s6 thou, wat made u choose band number 3? I take it u ran some test, if so what test did u do plz n what am I looking for, I'm not to bad at tinkering myself n will sit watching videos n scouring forums if I ever get a problems, sorry if I sound a bit dim but I'm stumped when people start talking about the MHz, if I'm honest, I ain't got a clue wat it represents or is for, so hope u can help m8

 

[Hunneybunny 77]

Hiya I'm tryna get my head round wat u said so I can look at wat I'd need to do to mine, iv got an s6 thou, wat made u choose band number 3? I take it u ran some test, if so what test did u do plz n what am I looking for, I'm not to bad at tinkering myself n will sit watching videos n scouring forums if I ever get a problems, sorry if I sound a bit dim but I'm stumped when people start talking about the MHz, if I'm honest, I ain't got a clue wat it represents or is for, so hope u can help m8