Nexus issues in Raleigh, NC (rant)

[clicq0]

I am in Raleigh, NC to help with a relative who's been hospitalized, and I have never, ever before hated my Nexus more than today. It is so bad I am on the verge of buying a prepaid phone just to make it through the week.

I know about the current issues with the Nexus -- the 4g handoff issue, battery, screen, low signal strength, etc. But what I am experiencing is what appears to be cellular radio lockups multiple times a day. I have been in Raleigh for 11 hours, and I've missed two calls from the hospital where the phone never rang due to the radio crashing (the phone doesn't ring, and when I try to make a call it hangs and I have to reboot the phone) and several calls to both the hospital and friends and family have dropped (cellular indicator will show no signal, call drops, then all of a sudden it's back to normal).

Normally, I can put up with the radio hangs because nobody important calls me, but when somebody from the hospital is trying to reach you... this is where I need my phone to work, and sadly, it has failed me repeatedly today.

I have the phone set to stay on 3G, and it is never this bad at home in western Michigan. I'm on the phone with VZW support right now, but is anybody else in the area experiencing these issues?! I have to suspect, based on the fact that it happens in Raleigh but nowhere else I've been, that it's something about how the phone interacts with the towers here...

 

[anthony2558]

Have you tried the normal steps like a hard reset? Or power down phone. Remove SIM card and battery for about 10 mins the reinsert?

via RAZR Maxx

 

[clicq0]

Have you tried the normal steps like a hard reset? Or power down phone. Remove SIM card and battery for about 10 mins the reinsert?

via RAZR Maxx

Thanks for the suggestions. I've powered down the phone several times and I've removed the battery on several occasions (actually, the battery isn't enough to last me through the day, so I swapped batteries twice during the day).

I haven't done a hard reset (which I assume means wiping my phone) today, though I did do one about 3 weeks ago.

I'll try the SIM/battery removal and see if that improves things today.

 

[eric3316]

I am in the Raligh/Cary area and do have issues once and a while with the radio. Data just stops working. Swtiching between 4G/3G does nothing and neither does airplane mode. Calls do not work either as you you said it locks up.

Only a soft reset works. Also noticed it does not matter what radio you are on. This doesn't happen often but it happens. Interesting that it might be location related though...

 

[Toddzilla#WN]

I'm in the Raleigh area as well and have data drops all the time. Seemingly everytime I enter a building, my data signal drops (gray bars and no "3G" text by the signal graph). I keep my phone on 3G because the 4G switch just locks the phone up too much and I think that also cause my phone mic to drop out on outgoing calls.

Every morning when I get to work I check my phone to see if data is working and most mornings I have to toy with it to get 3G up and running. Switching it to airplane mode doesn't work. Using "Fresh Network" doesn't work and some days only a complete shutdown will reset the 3G radio.

The sad thing is...none of this happened the first two weeks I had the phone. I love this phone save for the data radio.

I don't receive many phonecalls, so I can't tell you if it effects my phone reception. It hasn't appeared to.

Good luck with everything.

 

[anthony2558]

Looks like a location based problem. That sucks. Thinking there is no need for a hard reset now.

via RAZR Maxx

 

[MatthewShannon9]

Try removing the SIM card for a few minutes, this has always solved my issues like the ones you are describing.

 

[clicq0]

Thanks all for the comments so far. It's just incredibly stressful not being able to rely on my phone to receive calls in a situation like this .

Anyway, I removed the SIM and battery for a few minutes this morning. So far I haven't had any radio drops in the 3 hours sine then, but I have been dialing #832 (the VZW test call number) basically every time I stop somewhere as well.

 

[biggbrother2]

My friend has the Samsung Galaxy II SkyRocket on AT&T and he was complaining to me about the data not connecting frequently and having to reboot the phone. He came from an iPhone 3GS, and said he loved the phone except for this frequent problem. So maybe it's a Samsung issue?

I have had minimal data/voice issues, but my phone has locked up several times in 2 months, and rebooted. My wife's phone will drop a call every once in a while for no reason, like on an important call with the Gas Company. Funny thing is that it seems yo only happen at her job, which leads me to believe it's a specific tower issue.

Then again, my two previous Android phones (HTC Nexus One and HTC Sensation) both had recurring problems with data dropping for no explained reason. It was especially bad when driving away from home with WiFi connected, and the phones failing to acquire 4G, and only having voice signal.

So far, with my GNex, I have no issues like that, and I leave my house the same way I did with those 2 phones. I think Android in general has issues with data/voice signal not being acquired correctly sometimes, and Google still has not solved it.

 

[bgapfire]

I live in Raleigh and have not encountered the same issues. It could be location based or the building itself. It sucks that this has happened at such an inopportune time for you. I am one of the few that have not encountered the data drop handoff. With that said, the only issue I've had is the occasional shut down of the phone. I hope the next version release will cure these outstanding issues.

 

[clicq0]

I'm in a few different buildings, but I'm around the 27609 and 27610 zip codes.

I had a radio lockup about 10 minutes ago. I finally had time to call verizon. They had me remove the SIM while they reset some settings on their end, and they're having me track when I get a dropped call. They'll follow up with me tomorrow...

 

[rbess1965]

Just curious. Eric, Wondering & bgapfire, are you guys all using a Nexus and do you think a phone like the Maxx that hasn't had radio issues would work better in your area? It's been exceptionally reliable for me so far and call quality is off the charts good. Moto may not build the flashiest phone but they know how to build radios.

 

[bgapfire]

I'm definitely using the Nexus. I think the Maxx is a great phone but I have fallen in love with the screen on the GNexus. I also love the fluidity and clean look of ICS. If someone bought me a Maxx, I would probably use it. If the update doesn't resolve any of the issues with GNexus, I'll contemplate selling and buying another phone.

 

[thebignewt]

Hospitals can be difficult buildings to get mobile reception in. Lots of interfering structures all over the place. Lead in some places. They are not built like other buildings.

 

[biggbrother2]

Hospitals can be difficult buildings to get mobile reception in. Lots of interfering structures all over the place. Lead in some places. They are not built like other buildings.

Except I don't believe he's in the hospital. He is in the area and is missing calls from the hospital....

 

[eric3316]

Just curious. Eric, Wondering & bgapfire, are you guys all using a Nexus and do you think a phone like the Maxx that hasn't had radio issues would work better in your area? It's been exceptionally reliable for me so far and call quality is off the charts good. Moto may not build the flashiest phone but they know how to build radios.

I can't imagine myself using the Maxx over the GN. The problem does not happen often enough right now. It is annoying but it is the only phone on Verizon that interests me. Hopefully the next update will fix some things...

 

[clicq0]

Except I don't believe he's in the hospital. He is in the area and is missing calls from the hospital....

I was not in the hospital for most of these dropped calls / radio hangs -- it would either happen while I was getting a bite to eat, or sitting in my hotel room. In the hospital, I actually have fairly consistent data service (which I make use of while waiting around).

I haven't been using my phone as extensively as I was yesterday, but since calling Verizon, I haven't had a dropped call. Crossing my fingers that things are fixed, but we shall see how things are tomorrow!

 

[Toddzilla#WN]

Just curious. Eric, Wondering & bgapfire, are you guys all using a Nexus and do you think a phone like the Maxx that hasn't had radio issues would work better in your area? It's been exceptionally reliable for me so far and call quality is off the charts good. Moto may not build the flashiest phone but they know how to build radios.

I have a stock GN and I love everything about the phone except for the data issues and phone mic issues. I do think a MAXX would work better because my wife has the Droid 4 which I imagine has very similar radios and she doesn't have these issues. Having to play with my data signal everytime I enter a building is a pain and I miss a lot of messages as me and the wifey don't have a text plan so we use Kik usually and something about either the GN or ICS causes Kik and other data message programs to sleep and miss messages. Kik, G-talk, and Whatsapp all do it. That's a pain esp since we just came off of BB's and BBM.

Aside form all that...this phone rocks!

 

[wakebrdrnc]

I live in Raleigh as well. I love my GNexus. I have had the data problem once or twice but soft reset cured the problem. I do have the issue where about every other day people say my calls sound "li ke I am tal king all bro ken up li ke this." I am also having that stupid "cannot connect to camera" error very often. Anyone know a fix to that? Maybe the update? Oh I am stock too.

 

[eric3316]

I live in Raleigh as well. I love my GNexus. I have had the data problem once or twice but soft reset cured the problem. I do have the issue where about every other day people say my calls sound "li ke I am tal king all bro ken up li ke this." I am also having that stupid "cannot connect to camera" error very often. Anyone know a fix to that? Maybe the update? Oh I am stock too.

I got that camera error today after taking a lot of pics. I am on AOKP 29 which is based off the new 4.0.4 leak.