WiFi Signal issues, should I complain to VZW?

[zakth]

Since getting my Fascinate several months ago I noticed an issue with very low WiFi signal. I have a good WiFi router, and the signal is at max strength on all of my WiFi devices not matter where I use them in the house. However with my Fascinate I only get 1 dot (not even a bar) when in my living room. When I'm in the room right beside the router I get all but 1 bar, which should be a full signal. I also seem to have an issue with cell signal. In my house, sitting in the same place I am now, I use to get 3 strong bars with my Moto Droid 1, but now I get 1 bar that comes and goes constantly on my fascinate.

I guess what I'm wondering is if there is anything at all vzw can do about this or is this just how the hardware is? Perhaps I just got a bad unit?

Before anyone ask, I have tried every modem release, and have flashed several different roms and have the same problem no matter what software I have used.

 

[Kevin Gossett]

Signal strength isn't great on the fascinate. On DI01 there was am issue on how it was actually being reported by the software, but that has been resolved. The biggest question is are you actually dropping calls or data, or are you just concerned with the amount of signal you're seeing?

 

[zakth]

I don't drop calls but sometimes I can't make one. Also 3g is often not showing so data is sloooow.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

 

[Chris3D]

Unfortunately, the fascinate just has a rather week antenna. Nothing Verizon will be able to fix. I've just learned to live with it, I don't drop calls, so I generally just try to ignore the fact that I typically only have 0 to 1 bars at home.

 

[Azturbomini]

IMO, You need to be checking your dbm ratings rather than looking at the signal bars of the phone for your wifi connection. I use wifi analyzer from the market to do so.

 

[Dsat1908]

I have a rooted Verizon Fascinate running 2.2. Although I haven't data to back up this statement, I feel confident in my home (two story large house with NETGEAR 300N router upstairs in my office) that my phone gets a better WIFI signal since I installed 2.2. I connect now at 72MBPS about 90% of the time. If the speed drops, I disconnnect/reconnect WIFI and it almost always jumps back up to 72MBPS. I have two other computers also connecting to my network via N USB WIFI dongles with no loss of speed.

 

[MrSmith317]

I rooted and have the bloated(manually de-bloated) EB01 and I have no issues with wifi signal. I have a problem with radio signal but never wifi. Lastly I have noticed that there is a kind of death grip not unlike the iphone with the fascinate. Do you notice a signal difference if you're not holding the phone?

 

[joebob2000]

I completely agree with the wifi signal issue, my laptop (an old 802.11g-only dell) gives me full speed, "green" level signal anywhere in my house and my fascinate will literally only give me that full speed rating if i am in the same room as the router. Anywhere else, the phone loses "bars" which roughly correlate to speed, to the point that when I am two floors up and the laptop is still showing full 54mbit, the phone shows me 11 or even 5.5 mbps.

It still loads web pages and other media plenty fast, and the phone's wifi antenna (and cellular for that matter) are really small and therefore really lacking compared to other better equipped devices. Its only a design flaw insofar as we didnt realize that the antenna was tiny when we bought the phone. Let's face it, we wanted a teeny tiny slim lightweight phone that was all screen and battery. Other things have to take a hit.