Thoughts about reception/connectivity - iPhone 3G

spud2007 · 09-24-2007, 07:48 PM

I have had many issues with my reception/dropped calls. Wanting to know if anyone has this problem also. My razor had 80% better service.

geordisjd · 09-24-2007, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spud2007

I have had many issues with my reception/dropped calls. Wanting to know if anyone has this problem also. My razor had 80% better service.

It's only as good as what AT&T provides. I have great reception, except in 2 specific places (unfortunately one of my offices' building), which is exactly the same places where I had poor reception with my Treo.

greenjbhsd · 09-24-2007, 08:30 PM

I cannot assign a % difference between the reception I get now and the reception I got before, however, in *general* my reception with Verizon was better. My reception with ATT is fair. Oddly I dropped my phone two days ago. It landed on the bottom right corner and now my reception seems better.

How are you assigning the % difference in call quality for the phones?

LionelHutz · 09-24-2007, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spud2007

I have had many issues with my reception/dropped calls. Wanting to know if anyone has this problem also. My razor had 80% better service.

Equipment-wise, my iPhone does at least as well, if not better, than my previous AT&T phones. Carrier-wise, I've never used Verizon but the conventional wisdom seems to be that their service and call quality is superior to AT&T in most places, so that could be all or a large part of your problem.

geordisjd · 09-24-2007, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greenjbhsd

Oddly I dropped my phone two days ago. It landed on the bottom right corner and now my reception seems better.

That's got to be a placebo effect!

greenjbhsd · 09-24-2007, 09:07 PM

Hey, if it is i'll take it!

Velodog2 · 09-24-2007, 09:21 PM

Lots of threads on this to gather data from. In many of them I've stated that my iPhone performs significantly worse than my razr under the same conditions of location and carrier.

Prelector · 09-24-2007, 09:24 PM

I've noticed reduced performance compared to previous phones also. In parallel, I've noticed significantly reduced bluetooth and wifi signals compared to other devices.

I suspect that Apple reduced the transmit power of the various transmitters: cell, bluetooth and wifi, as a way to increase battery life. If I'm correct, the good news is a software update could "fix" it; course we would have to get Apple to actually write that software update :P

Velodog2 · 09-24-2007, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prelector

I've noticed reduced performance compared to previous phones also. In parallel, I've noticed significantly reduced bluetooth and wifi signals compared to other devices.

I suspect that Apple reduced the transmit power of the various transmitters: cell, bluetooth and wifi, as a way to increase battery life. If I'm correct, the good news is a software update could "fix" it; course we would have to get Apple to actually write that software update :P

That's an interesting theory that I've not heard before. As for anything being 'fixed' by a software update, well, we've all learned that possible does not mean probable.

jrbnc · 09-24-2007, 11:18 PM

Hello,

I have a Q on verizon and recently purchased the iphone. I live just north of MHT new hampshire. I still have the verizon account because i use it as my home phone, so I needed to first test the iphone reception in my area.

So far i found the iphone reception really bad compared to Verizon in the areas i tend to travel. I have had more dropped calls on this phone in the past 4 days i have had it, then i ever had on verizon in the past 5 years. I am kinda shocked, as when i looked at the ATT coverage map online it shows my house in the best possible signal area, yet the signal is constantly in and out. When i sit in the family room i have a 5 bar full signal, then 1 minute later, while still in the chair, the phone will say No Service. I find this to be the case not only in the house, but also when driving around the area, even on major routes like 93 around exit 4. Rather than the phone bars decreasing incrementally as the verizon phone does, it just cuts out. At least on verizon the call may get a little choppy but it wont drop out, and certainly doesnt have the drastic fluctuations i am seeing on the iphone. I have yet to try another ATT phone at the house to see the behavior and the signal performance. I will attempt tonight with a loaner blackberry from the office. While in hampton the other night I did find that with my iPhone side by side with my old mans blackberrry, he had another 1-2 bars at any given time than the iPhone. Also edge was noticably faster than the iphone. espn.com took 3-5 seconds to load on blackberry whereas it took 10-15 on the iphone.

I really HATE verizon customer service. They have been awful and getting worse. I can't wait to leave them, but first I need to find a phone that works. In anycase have another 10 days or so to hope an update comes out that could potentially enhance the signal that the device recieves, assuming that the issue is with the phone and its not the network. If not i guess i'll return it and be stuck with verizon for the time being.

Also got into the diagnostic mode i found on a thread somewhere which shows the towers your currently connected to and lots of tech. data. But apparently the rx? should be -80 or lower for a good signal. But all the towers i was connected to showed at least -95 and most were over -105. That was while the phone showed 4-5 bars on the display. Not that the data means much i suppose.

Anyone seeing these crazy fluctuations while not even moving? Weather was sunny, very slight breeze and 74 degrees one of the days, so i can't imagine atmospheric conditions are the cause of the fluctuation.

Thanks,
Josh