Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

PROOF (Video): Reception Issues is NOT a Software Problem!

Modacke

Modacke

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 6, 2009
66
0
So I ran a test with two iPhone 3GS, one with iOS 4.0 and one with iOS 3.1.3 to see if there really is a software reception problem with 4.0. I just gripped each phone for about 30-40 seconds and see if the reception would go down. The results were interesting to say the least. BOTH PHONES when gripped tight lost reception! I am importing, editing, and uploading the movie as I type. I will pot a link to YouTube when it i uploaded. Just thought I would share this!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8wot7o9LHU
 
this should be good. I wasn't able to repro the signal drops on my 3G (to a point where data is unusable/calls drop) before updating to iPhone OS 4 either.
 
Modacke said:
So I ran a test with two iPhone 3GS, one with iOS 4.0 and one with iOS 3.1.3 to see if there really is a software reception problem with 4.0. I just gripped each phone for about 30-40 seconds and see if the reception would go down. The results were interesting to say the least. BOTH PHONES when gripped tight lost reception! I am importing, editing, and uploading the movie as I type. I will pot a link to YouTube when it i uploaded. Just thought I would share this first!
Click to expand...

People are saying it may be *fixable* through a software update specific only to the iPhone 4. This doesn't prove that much, besides apple's official statement, which was kind of bs anyway..... No one was saying it was a software issue in all of iOS4.

Xanadeath
 
celticpride678 said:
You do realize that the issue that everyone is talking about has nothing to do with the iPhone 3GS, right? It's iPhone 4.
Click to expand...

But some are claiming this is only an issue with iOS 4, not the iPhone 4. This should shut them up. Of course, arn already posted the video of the 3G doing the same thing back in 2008 on iPhone OS 2.
 
Eso said:
But some are claiming this is only an issue with iOS 4, not the iPhone 4. This should shut them up. Of course, arn already posted the video of the 3G doing the same thing back in 2008 on iPhone OS 2.
Click to expand...

Yup Yups some are saying this is an issue with iOS 4, others just with iPhone 4. As soon as I get an iPhone 4 I will make another test will all three devices. Maybe even with some other type of phones!
 
Modacke said:
Yup Yups some are saying this is an issue with iOS 4, others just with iPhone 4. As soon as I get an iPhone 4 I will make another test will all three devices. Maybe even with some other type of phones!
Click to expand...

Actually, I think they've been saying that its a software issue with all iPhone 4s. That means apple can fix it via a software update, but it only affects iPhone 4s
 
Well here is Apple's Respons:

Steve Jobs Email: "Just avoid holding it that way"

Official Statement: "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/apple-responds-over-iphone-4-reception-issues-youre-holding-th/
 
Modacke said:
Well here is Apple's Respons:

Steve Jobs Email: "Just avoid holding it that way"

Official Statement: "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases."

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/apple-responds-over-iphone-4-reception-issues-youre-holding-th/
Click to expand...
Nice job in directing the focus back to the real issue.
He wouldn't have said that if it were merely a software problem.
 
Its both. THe software manages the basebands. There is a scientific phenomenon with short happening. This isn't rocket science. But if you are already in crappy signal land, the problem just tends to make matters worse.

If you are in a very good signal area, then you will lose maybe 1 bar. If you don't believe I will change to 3 locations, 3 different buildings and some places lose signal because of this and some places don't.

This means that the short is only causing a FIXED drop in gain. After that its the software thats taking over. If you are in the so so area, once you cause the short, if the signal is has dropped to a certain point, it starts changing bands (it starts to panic). But if you are in a strong signal area, the drop in gain doesn't to over trump the signal quality and this it doesnt panic.

I'm holding it with my left hand, no drop. But at my work, you can see it drop inside because of the spotty reception and increased reflection points. Outside my work, no drop.

Apply different tests. NOT THE SAME TEST.
 
Dammit Cubs said:
Its both. THe software manages the basebands. There is a scientific phenomenon with short happening. This isn't rocket science. But if you are already in crappy signal land, the problem just tends to make matters worse.

If you are in a very good signal area, then you will lose maybe 1 bar. If you don't believe I will change to 3 locations, 3 different buildings and some places lose signal because of this and some places don't.

This means that the short is only causing a FIXED drop in gain. After that its the software thats taking over. If you are in the so so area, once you cause the short, if the signal is has dropped to a certain point, it starts changing bands (it starts to panic). But if you are in a strong signal area, the drop in gain doesn't to over trump the signal quality and this it doesnt panic.

I'm holding it with my left hand, no drop. But at my work, you can see it drop inside because of the spotty reception and increased reflection points. Outside my work, no drop.

Apply different tests. NOT THE SAME TEST.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comment, and actually i have great AT&T coverage in my house. And you are right it may be both software and hardware, or just hardware. BUT my video proves it is not just software like everybody wants to believe!
 
At work if i hold my iphone 4 covering the seams then i lose signal completely, thus dropping calls, no data etc...

Yet when i am at home and do the same thing i only lose one bar.. can continue to call and use data, etc.

My workplace is pretty spotty for reception at the best of times and i have a reasonably consistent signal at home, not perfect but good enough... consistency is the key i think.

So i cannot really say whether i think its software, hardware, both or neither....

Just thought i would add my 2p....
 
so then its .....apple's fault for hardware and software of the iphone4


and of course ATT for not giving us stronger signals.

You always blame ATT.

Oil spill.......ATT
911............ATT
El Nino.......ATT
 
your testing is flawed bro. It would have been a proper test methodology if you had an Iphone 4 in the scenario.
 
Eso said:
But some are claiming this is only an issue with iOS 4, not the iPhone 4. This should shut them up. Of course, arn already posted the video of the 3G doing the same thing back in 2008 on iPhone OS 2.
Click to expand...

yes be your test on a single phone proves there is an overwhelming issue with all the phones

i'm not here to say there is an issue or that there isn't an issue, but what i don't like to see is when people post their own personal experience/test and try to apply that across the board to everyone

so have experiencing an issue, others are not, apple will address it in the next week, until then everyone is just beating a dead horse by continuing to repost the same thing, nothing new here at all
 
eiger said:
your testing is flawed bro. It would have been a proper test methodology if you had an Iphone 4 in the scenario.
Click to expand...

UMM No "Bro" it is not flawed. I ran a test to see if iOS 4.0 had an issue with reception and succeeded with that test. As I said as soon as i get an iPhone 4 I will further the test by including it. HOWEVER many people are thinking that t is just iOS 4 causing the reception problems.
 
Modacke said:
So I ran a test with two iPhone 3GS, one with iOS 4.0 and one with iOS 3.1.3 to see if there really is a software reception problem with 4.0. I just gripped each phone for about 30-40 seconds and see if the reception would go down. The results were interesting to say the least. BOTH PHONES when gripped tight lost reception! I am importing, editing, and uploading the movie as I type. I will pot a link to YouTube when it i uploaded. Just thought I would share this!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8wot7o9LHU
Click to expand...

There is a video on YouTube of a macrumors member who gripped his iP3G running 4.0 and his signal flatlined. So this test isn't conclusive to say the least.
 
ryuuzaki said:
There is a video on YouTube of a macrumors member who gripped his iP3G running 4.0 and his signal flatlined. So this test isn't conclusive to say the least.
Click to expand...

Actually, if anything, it really does prove its a software issue. Because you did it with OS3 and OS4 on a 3GS. You didnt take into account that you had no controls when running the test (I.e a software build that doesnt' drop signal).
 
ryuuzaki said:
Actually, if anything, it really does prove its a software issue. Because you did it with OS3 and OS4 on a 3GS. You didnt take into account that you had no controls when running the test (I.e a software build that doesnt' drop signal).
Click to expand...

People were saying the reason why the iPhone 4 had reception issues was because iOS 4. So I took the SAME two phones and ran DIFFERENT software on them. If the iphone 3GS only had reception issues on the iOS 4.0 then it is a software problem. HOWEVER because both phones dropped bars it is not the iOS 4 causing the problem! ITS REALLY NOT THAT HARD TO COMPREHEND!
 
Also remember folks - no reason to conclude at this point that a HARDWARE issue can't be addressed with a SOFTWARE update.

While the antenna and human intervention is clearly in play, the reason that reduced reception causes the behavior we're seeing can still be influenced by the baseband firmware coding. What is known at this point is that iOS4 uses a different algorithm for tower signal hopping and initial tower selection. Therefore it is POSSIBLE that a firmware upgrade could mitigate the impact of the antenna design.

In any case, I still believe that to paraphrase the great Sir Winston - Never in the field of human endeavor was so much FUD owed to so few actual issues.
 
Modacke said:
People were saying the reason why the iPhone 4 had reception issues was because iOS 4. So I took the SAME two phones and ran DIFFERENT software on them. If the iphone 3GS only had reception issues on the iOS 4.0 then it is a software problem. HOWEVER because both phones dropped bars it is not the iOS 4 causing the problem! ITS REALLY NOT THAT HARD TO COMPREHEND!
Click to expand...

I think it's been pretty clearly established that the external antenna being shorted by your hands is the main culprit of signal loss, not so much the baseband software.

That's not to say the problem can't be countered using software though
 
mojo8472 said:
I think it's been pretty clearly established that the external antenna being shorted by your hands is the main culprit of signal loss, not so much the baseband software.
Click to expand...

Agreed, nobody should think otherwise. The point is, how the software reacts to signal degradation IS different in iOS4 and therefore:

That's not to say the problem can't be countered using software though
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back