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iPhone reception question/problem

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nickofari said:
No, Portsmouth, New Hampshire - same coast though - just look up/north.
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Whew, cool. I was hoping that our area wasn't out of money for new towers. ;) Just got home tonight (10:30PM), so I'll have to install the 1900mhz repeater tomorrow and report back.
 
jason32b said:
My instinct is to think that the problem is related to the phone jumping from tower to tower when it may not need to, and several AT&T reps have said the same. All of the Reps have thought that the situation was unusual -- the erratic jumping from 4-5 bars and then losing a call without moving. Almost unanimously, they have all said they thought it had something to do with jumping to a new tower.

I only had 2-3 bars in this same area with Verizon, but I NEVER dropped calls -- only an occasional distortion. I really hope I dont have to abandon the iPhone because of this.

Anyone having this kind of problem -- erratic signal -- please contact ATT and/or Apple and complain. In my opinion, either the iPhone (or iPhone software) is hyperactive in terms of looking for new towers, or it has to do with your physical location and the AT&T coverage in that area and an issue with overlapping towers.
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I've been having exactly the same issue here in Midtown Manhattan, New York. I did not have any of these problems with T-mobile, from whom I switched for the iPhone. I haven't had this kind of crappy coverage in a long time. This is sooo 1997. I am really on the fence about whether or not to take the iPhone back (I have till tomorrow to decide). It is definitely a fun phone and I want to be part of the fun of seeing it grow. I'm not sure how long that novelty will last versus the daily frustrations I may end up having with AT&T. This is like having a Porsche with no gas, or having Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled giving you a wish beyond your wildest dreams----but there's a catch!

I got the same sort of answer from AT&T...too many cell towers and the phone is dropping the call when trying to decide which one to use. While that may be a technically correct answer, it doesn't really solve my problem of having dropped calls. And I don't think it explains why it takes 30 - 120 seconds of No Service to finally get a signal again.

There's an old adage that you should never want something too much. Collectively, everyone has wanted an iPhone for so long and so badly, it had to come with a price I guess.

Bhavesh
 
veshman said:
I got the same sort of answer from AT&T...too many cell towers and the phone is dropping the call when trying to decide which one to use. While that may be a technically correct answer, it doesn't really solve my problem of having dropped calls. And I don't think it explains why it takes 30 - 120 seconds of No Service to finally get a signal again.

Bhavesh
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I have another problem with the AT&T technical answer. I was having abrupt signal changes from 4-5 bars to No Service without moving my hand!!! I could see having a problem deciding which tower to use if the phone is moving but not when it is completely stationary. Maybe the tower load is changing enough between each tower/phone handshake that the loaded tower tries to reduce that load by pushing some phones off to another tower. Whatever it is it sure needs fixing!!

Frank
 
I think people on here are describing two different issues...Some of them may be legitimate AT&T issues...i.e. they tell you that you are in a weak signal area. But for those of you that are experiencing the bouncing signals and no service for extended periods of time...I honestly don't think you can blame it on AT&T. I'm only speaking from my own personal experience...and had I been new to AT&T I might have done the same...but I wasn't new and it wasn't an AT&T problem. It was a problem with my phone. Since I had it replaced I've not had a single problem.

Just trying to say...don't get in the mindset that the problem has to be the signal when the real problem could be the phone. You HAVE to look at all the variables. If you live in a lead lined basement, then it probably is a signal issue. If you are sitting in one spot and have full signal and then it drops to nothing...it's probably a phone issue.
 
jtinkc said:
I think people on here are describing two different issues...Some of them may be legitimate AT&T issues...i.e. they tell you that you are in a weak signal area. But for those of you that are experiencing the bouncing signals and no service for extended periods of time...I honestly don't think you can blame it on AT&T. I'm only speaking from my own personal experience...and had I been new to AT&T I might have done the same...but I wasn't new and it wasn't an AT&T problem. It was a problem with my phone. Since I had it replaced I've not had a single problem.

Just trying to say...don't get in the mindset that the problem has to be the signal when the real problem could be the phone. You HAVE to look at all the variables. If you live in a lead lined basement, then it probably is a signal issue. If you are sitting in one spot and have full signal and then it drops to nothing...it's probably a phone issue.
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Very good comment. And in my case it also may be a combination of both the iPhone and AT&T. I was fooling around with my iPhone SIM in my Nokia N95 this morning and I noticed a random drop of 2-3 bars from full signal but never did it go to No Service. I had never seen that before on the N95 (or E61 or Dash or Trinity) so I suspect that AT&T has done some recent tower work near my location. In the case of the iPhone it probably does not have near as good sensitivity/selectivity in its radio's front end as the Nokias or Dash (nothing I have ever used does) so it cannot cope with with the signal changes. Maybe both AT&T and Apple have a bit of work to do to make the iPhone acceptable. And i think they will do so.

Frank
 
Based on that, here's my experience:

Got my iPhone almost 2 weeks ago. Coming from Verizon, I was immediately skeptical of the coverage because its been pounded into my head that Cingular/AT&T is not the best service in my area, although the service map shows BEST possible coverage almost everywhere I live (Northern Delaware). So going into this, testing the service, I tried to compare everywhere Verizon was great - so far I'd say the iPhone's reception has matched about 80% of the time but I have noticed the bars issue (5 to none and back in the same spot), dropped calls, spotty reception, and echoing.

After reading these posts, I called AT&T to see if my phone had the same problem and needed an OTA update. Initially I chose to go straight to an Apple rep and although he was extremely polite, I don't think he knew what he was talking about. Being an IT person I think I explained the problem as accurately as possible and he told me to fix it, I should turn WiFi on and off. That's right, in order to fix a voice issue and spotty signal strength I should power cycle WiFi. I thought voice and data was different, he said not so. So then I asked him if there was any kind of OTA update that needs to be sent or a reassigned ID (as suggested in post #36) - he said that in the next month, there will be an update to enable MMS (cool), ringtones, and all sorts of other media options. I said this was great and all, but I'm really interested in just making the phone part work - otherwise I'd just hold on to my iPod and Verizon phone.

So finally I realize I'm not going to get through to this guy so I say thanks and hang up. 5 minutes later I call AT&T customer service and speak to a nice guy (also with southern accent). He identifies that my area should have killer coverage and that I should be having no problems. Immediately he sends the OTA update and tells me to power cycle my phone in 10 minutes, try it out, and if its not improved I might have a hardware issue. I mentioned the problem about phone confusion trying to bounce between multiple towers, he agreed that could be a problem but didn't seem to know about it previously or about reassigning a phone ID. So I will try the OTA update and see if that works.

Incidentally I mentioned to him what the Apple tech said, about powering off WiFi to fix voice issues and he was borderline dumbfounded. Without ripping apart the Apple guy, he said that voice and data have been separate for quite some time, (I know).

Hopefully this will work, I LOVE the phone, but am concerned about the network.

By the way, skip through the automated menu:
1-800-331-0500 to call AT&T
Enter your 10 digit number
Option 0, then 0 to talk to an AT&T rep (for this issue)
Option 0, then 1 to talk to an Apple rep
 
I hate to say it, but the signal bar dropping is not the network. The iphone is not the first handset t do this..some sony ericsson devices have had this same issue. I have had them on both tmobile and att and they did the same thing. Jumps from full to 1 or no bars. I am not an rf engineer, but I do work in the wireless industry and have used practically every device under the sun at one time or another. I have other ATT handsets handy and none of them exhibit this behavior while my iphone does it regularly. The good news is that it can be fixed with firmware updates as I have seen it in an SE device. In general the reception just isn't as good as other devices I have(blackberry). I was at the movie the other night and my wife's phone had three to 4 bars and I had 0 to 1 at most. It seems to struggle in weaker signal areas.
 
I'm in NY and very frustrated.

wow. i'm glad i switched to AT&T... seeing as how they don't know anything.

I have this same issue [Random "NO SERVICE" in an area i know i have reception -- when i reboot most times signal returns]

I don't want to go through the hassle of swapping out phones... but i think i'm going to have to. I was just on the phone speaking with AT&T representative and an Apple representative. Both had no idea what an "update patch" was, or that this issue exists at all. hell, i think they barely knew what an iphone was.

so 40 minutes later, no "update patch" could be found. the apple rep. said "connect your phone through itunes and try to find an update there."
considering if there *were* an actual software updated, I'd know about it. oh, and you would too mister apple rep., so don't say "check for one"

I'm just really frustrated with this NO SERVICE issue. I have to admit verizon's service was flawless. I never had to think about stuff like this.

I'lll give it another day or two but I think it's back to the store for me for a phone/sim card swap.

sad.

Oh, yea. and my boyfriend has the same exact issue as I do.
 
Sounds similiar to my problems. Iphone worked fine in my driveway, no reception in the house. Kept cycling between no bars and no service in my house. ATT and Apple could not help (or did not know how to). Saddest day of my life. Had to return the iphone. I use it for business and it is critical that it work well in my office. If anyone returns theirs....DO NOT pay the re-stocking charge since this is a reception issue. Phoenix, AZ
 
Had my iphone replaced because of dead pixels. They would not allow me to exchange the phone because of the reception problem since it did not have a problem in the store (they probably have signal boosters in the back)... anyway the new phone definitely holds the signal strength a lot better in my home now. Most of the time it is 4-5 bars and sometimes jumps to 2-3. I have not seen No service yet and it is definitely a lot more steady.
 
Just to add my two cents... I've been having the exact same problems mentioned above. I commute daily between Philadelphia, PA and Manhattan, NY. While I'm in motion the phone is constantly losing reception/unable to send and receive text messages/unable to stream video because it loses data connectivity/etc etc. All of this this happens under the banner of full service, and EDGE connectivity. Obviously there is something awry.

Several times during the day, stationary or not, I look down to find my phone reading 'No Service' when I know that I'm in an area with great service. I've been an AT&T Wireless customer for years. There is no reason this should be happening. I must power-cycle the phone 10 times a day.

I've gone through the motions with AT&T and Apple. Today I got a brand new SIM, which did nothing. Tonight I will attempt to swap my phone out at the Apple Store.

I will say AT&T customer service has been amazing! Well done! And I seriously hope Apple has some major updates coming up...
 
dropped conference calls

I have found that when I use my iphone and my husband's iphone and call a third party for a conference call that the call drops every 16 minutes like clock-work. There are three beeps that the two iphone users hear:confused: and the call is lost. Is anyone else having this problem? Neither Apple nor AT&T have a clue. This only happens with conference calls.
It's not a coverage/reception issue because of the odd 16 minute thing. I have tried this over 8 times just to make sure that it is consistent.
Help!!!
 
What I have found to fix this.

I found if you hold the phone higher up, on the silver, without really touching the black part, leaving it exposed, the reception boosts.
I think covering it with your hand REALLY impacts reception?
A
 
update on changing the phone ID number

I posted earlier in this thread that I had perceived more consistent service after AT&T had reset/reissued a new phone identification number to me. Well, I'm afraid to report that any success I may have had was short lived and I am basically experiencing the same up and down situation as before. Calls dropping very often, even 50 feet from the local Cingular store :( I have found a few safe pockets in my home (including the roof) that seem pretty reliable so far. So maybe I am in less than stellar reception area - but the iPhone sure doesnt seem to know it half the time since it tells me I have full service and then will just drop the call 5 minutes later and show No Service. Maybe the iPhone is to blame and is hyperactive in the way it searches for reception. Maybe a combination of that and poor service. I guess we should all keep moaning to ATT and Apple and hopefully we'll see some firmware or network updates to help this out. Meanwhile, I'm going to try out some of these short range cellular repeaters and see if that gets me any better off at home. Will let you all know if they work. Look forward to reading more advice and experiences from everyone else.
 
It's all in how you hold it. If i hold it at the bottom with my hand covering (touching) the entire bottom, i get two bars. But if i hold it at the top or with my fingers keeping my palms away from the phone, i get five bars. Im not sure, but i would imagine the same holds true while it is in your pocket so close to your leg.
 
Cradle performance is better

In my basement, I have even poorer service than higher floors in the house. However, since my office is in the basement, I put the phone in the cradle for syncing. With only one bar, I received a call w/out a problem. I know this isn't a solution for most, but it might help.
 
It's all in how you hold it. If i hold it at the bottom with my hand covering (touching) the entire bottom, i get two bars. But if i hold it at the top or with my fingers keeping my palms away from the phone, i get five bars. Im not sure, but i would imagine the same holds true while it is in your pocket so close to your leg.
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Let me start by saying that I love everything about the iphone, except for the phone part. I am having the same problem as you. In my house when I hold the iphone in a way that feels natural(which covers the bottom antenna), it gets 1-2 bars. When I hold it at the top (very awkward) I get 4 bars. Which genuis decided to put the antenna on the bottom?

Here is how it probably went down at the Apple design office. "Hey dude, we should put the antenna on the bottom. That would be, like, so stylish man." says designer #1. "But wouldn't that be harmful to the reception of the phone" says designer #2. "Who cares. The phone has the apple logo on it. People will still buy millions of them if we get that condescending douchebag from Dodgeball to advertise for us again." says designer #2. "You are right. What the hell was I thinking? Let's go to starbucks and celebrate with a Mocha celery avacodo frapaccino." :D:D:D

WTF??
 
scho52386 said:
so....has anyone tried one of those antennae booster things? and if you have, how do you like it?
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I purchased the wy500 Cel from Tigerdirect.com for about $239. I took it up to my attic with the included cable hanging down thru the attic access door and connected it to the amplier. I immediately locked onto 5 bars and edge. I then took it apart and did a proper install and it has performed very well. No dropped calls and, when I turned the wifi off, routinely got 150 to 200 kbps on Edge. A lightening strike on our power line shut off power to the house. No damage to the booster and it keep on trucking. My installation fixed two problems, trees between the closest tower and my house and overcame the traditional stucco covering my house with the wire grid underneath. Of note, my packge arrived with a no return lable on the paperwork. You best talk to a real person when you make the order to ensure that you can return it if it does not solve you particular problem.
 
potholder solution

I have the same problem. My three bars of strength drop significantly when my hand touches the unit when I am at home. I placed my hand in one of the potholders used in the kitchen, and tried it. The signal strength stayed up. I suppose a thick glove would work as well. I have spoken with several AT&T technicians and one iphone technician from Apple. They were all clueless. The problem was absent when I drive in closer to town. I suppose it has something to do with having a weak signal strengh and the electrical/magnetic field associated with the human body---but hey, I was an English major, so what do I know!
 
Derald Lary said:
I purchased the wy500 Cel from Tigerdirect.com for about $239. I took it up to my attic with the included cable hanging down thru the attic access door and connected it to the amplier. I immediately locked onto 5 bars and edge. I then took it apart and did a proper install and it has performed very well. No dropped calls and, when I turned the wifi off, routinely got 150 to 200 kbps on Edge. A lightening strike on our power line shut off power to the house. No damage to the booster and it keep on trucking. My installation fixed two problems, trees between the closest tower and my house and overcame the traditional stucco covering my house with the wire grid underneath. Of note, my packge arrived with a no return lable on the paperwork. You best talk to a real person when you make the order to ensure that you can return it if it does not solve you particular problem.
Click to expand...

hey thanks alot!! i think i will go ahead and purchase one of those! how hard is the installation on the product? i am not very knowledgeable about these kinds of things, and have never installed anything like it.
 
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