switched from iphone4 to gs3 (verizon)... signal concerns

hand banana

Member
Dec 20, 2012
9
0
0
Visit site
so ive had verizon for about 2 years now, and during my time ive had the iphone 4, recently i noticed the gs3 was available from best buy for 49.99 so i jumped on it, ive been with the gs3 for about 5 days now and just have a couple concerns.....

let me start off by saying that i love the gs3, the big screen and speed are enough to make me not want to go back to the iphone, but in my area, specifically my home, the iphone4 got much better reception i feel, and i feel it stayed connected to wifi better

i called verizon and got a range extender, which works great for half of the house, but it doesnt make it to the 2nd floor and its hard to send out texts at times, which is weird because with the iphone4 (when i didnt have the range extender) the 2nd floor got the best reception in the house

just a little concerned with this issue going forward, i have until NEXT sunday to return the phone, i most definitely want to keep it, but why is it getting less reception than my old iphone4?
 

chadrob30

Well-known member
Sep 29, 2012
53
0
0
Visit site
Yup, mine sucks as a phone too. Does great texts and MMS. Just can't use it as a phone. Admittedly I haven't tried using it as a phone much since JB came out. Not impressed at all.
 

sjsamdrake

Member
Jul 17, 2012
10
0
0
Visit site
I just moved from a Verizon iphone 4 to a GS3. I really like it, but the WIFI reception is not as good. I had to install a second hot spot in my house to get it to work. I think if the Wifi fades iOS switches quickly to 3g, but Android doesn't, and thus appears to hang more.

Phone reception seems great to me.

... Sam
 

JJ Jones

Well-known member
Dec 14, 2012
554
0
0
Visit site
I recently switched from an iPhone 4 to the Razr Maxx HD. Ive now had a chance to take it to multiple spots where I would have no signal at all on the iPhone. The Maxx has kept at least 3 bars of 3G in those spots, and at times 2 bars of 4G.

I know it's not the GS3, but if signal strength is a concern, you may want to check out the Razr Maxx HD. From what I have read in the forums, Motorola devices supposedly have superior radios. So far, that's been what I've experienced.
 

hand banana

Member
Dec 20, 2012
9
0
0
Visit site
ahh i really dont want to get rid of this phone, but im not sure if signal will get better and my return window is rapidly closing!

- - - Updated - - -

ahh i really dont want to get rid of this phone, but im not sure if signal will get better and my return window is rapidly closing!
 

lbkiml

Well-known member
Jul 2, 2012
287
7
0
Visit site
I would return it if you aren't getting enough signal to actually use your phone.

I get little to no signal indoors so I can't even use it unless I step outside.
 

LegalAmerican

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2012
2,330
156
0
Visit site
You could definitely give that a shot. Have you noticed if the signal is better anywhere than your iPhone was? For example......my GS3 doesn't get a good signal at work while my Razr Maxx got it fine. But everywhere else, my GS3 actually gets a better signal than the Razr Maxx got. So I only have to deal with that frustration at work. Of course if it was bad at home, i'd be annoyed.

I will say this though, don't put TOO much stock into what chadrob30 says. There are a handful of threads on here where all he is doing is going around and saying his S3 has every problem that anyone says theirs has. But I don't really believe him because if ANYONE had THAT much problem with a phone, they would not keep it. There's just no way.

Good luck with finding a solution though because this really is a top 3 device. Signal is pretty dang important but every phone will certainly have it's weakness. Lucky for me, signal has not been an issue or I would not put up with it.
 

hand banana

Member
Dec 20, 2012
9
0
0
Visit site
ok cool, i think im going to take it back tomorrow and see what happens, cuase i dont want an iphone 5 and thats the only other phone id probably consider next to the gs3
 

nj1266

Well-known member
May 17, 2011
174
2
0
Visit site
Welcome to the dirty little secret of the GS3: When you are in a high signal area then the GS3 will get great reception. But when you are in a marginal signal area (like my house) you will get crappy phone service.

I know this first hand since I have an iPhone 5 and access to a GS3. We are on the second GS3 and the 2nd SIM card because of poor phone connection (dropped calls and chopped words during calls).

The reason for this is Samsung's use of cheap radios in their handsets. If you want to stay with Android, I recommend you exchange the phone for Razr MAXX HD. Motorola uses higher quality radios than Samsung. Or you can return the phone and get an iPhone 5. Mine does not suffer from dropped/garbled calls at my house.


Sent from my iPhone 7
 

chadrob30

Well-known member
Sep 29, 2012
53
0
0
Visit site
I will say this though, don't put TOO much stock into what chadrob30 says. There are a handful of threads on here where all he is doing is going around and saying his S3 has every problem that anyone says theirs has. But I don't really believe him because if ANYONE had THAT much problem with a phone, they would not keep it. There's just no way.

Wow...you just can't let it go can you? hand banana, if your phone sucks take it back. I took my first one back and now it's too late to take this one back. Mine is currently for sale so it can become someone else's problem. LegalAmerican is out to discredit every post I make, in any way she can.
 

charlier180

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2010
132
6
0
Visit site
I just moved from a Verizon iphone 4 to a GS3. I really like it, but the WIFI reception is not as good. I had to install a second hot spot in my house to get it to work. I think if the Wifi fades iOS switches quickly to 3g, but Android doesn't, and thus appears to hang more.

Phone reception seems great to me.

... Sam

Personally, I have found that different smartphones can be impacted by how a wireless router or hot spot is configured or which GHz is used.
For instance, at home my GS3 gets much better signal strength from my Netgear wireless router on 2.4 GHz (b/g/n) than it does on 5 GHz (a/n).
I have also found that in areas where multiple wireless routers are located channel overlap from multiple routers can cause connection issues.
I had that a lot at work until we changed some of the hot spots in the office to use different channels so they did not step on each other.

If your hot spots and/or wireless router are all using the same channels you might consider changing them.
Might also try connecting your GS3 to 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz (if your wireless supports it) to see if one or the other works better for you.

As far as iP4 vs GS3 and signal strength that is apples and oranges. The iP4 is 3G and the GS3 is 4G.
Different technologies and in some cases different towers with potentially different locations.
Personally, I have found that my GS3 works better on 4G than my Droid X did on 3G in many of the same locations.
Recently at a friend's house in rural Maryland the GS3 had good 4G service whereas the Droid X most times could not get 3G service.
I even got better service in my friends all steel, car workshop with my GS3.

Obviously everyone's GS3 experience can be different. This is just mine.
 

LegalAmerican

Well-known member
Feb 15, 2012
2,330
156
0
Visit site
Wow...you just can't let it go can you? hand banana, if your phone sucks take it back. I took my first one back and now it's too late to take this one back. Mine is currently for sale so it can become someone else's problem. LegalAmerican is out to discredit every post I make, in any way she can.

That's not hard to do. But please stay on topic. This isn't the place for personal attacks.