iPhone 3G Reception Problems? You're Not Alone - Continued

Ok guys......here is what happened with my iPhone 3G problem. As stated, I called Apple, and they obliged to send to me a new phone. As it turned out, the person I had dealt with evidently misspoke, and I ended up getting an email that said I would be getting a box to send back my bad phone first, then they would check it, and if indeed it proved malfunctioning, THEN they would send me a new phone. If they found nothing wrong, then there would be a $100 diagnostic fee! I immediately called them, and after an hour, managed to get them to change it back to sending me the new phone first. Anyway....today I got the new phone. To make a long story short.....it works NO BETTER then the first one. I still have the lousy 3G service, unless I am practically in sight of the cell tower. So..........I love the iPhone for all that it does, and have relegated it to having the 3G turned off, and it meets my needs for now with only Edge. If I ever need some more bandwidth when out and about, I will turn 3G back on and see how the signal is. Maybe as updates come, and AT&T adds towers, then 3G may get better. I think the bottom line is that the phone is a little weak on getting the 3G signals (and maybe the software needs tweaking), AND AT&T is not off the hook either.....their coverage is highly exaggerated.
Bruce

Message was edited by: Bruce Sprague

So do the 3G signals get transmitted from the same tower as edge?
I happen to get good 3G service in 95% of my area so I really have no complaints.

I have a 16GB iPhone 3G which I purchased on launch date, and I continue to have atrocious reception problems in downtown Denver (a 5-bar 3G area on my old Samsung Blackjack). I repeatedly experience dropped calls, and even get the random "No Service" display, even in high coverage areas. It's an embarrassment to have my friend's $39 Sanyo phone outperforming a $300 Apple device.

This afternoon the AT&T store swapped my SIM card, but after a 2-hour "test drive" around town, the dropped calls problem persisted. I can't drive 8-10 blocks without dropping calls, and I am quickly becoming fed up with my iPhone. I am on day 31 of my 30 day return policy, so I had to make an appointment with the Genius Bar to try and get this thing replaced. After all the hype about this phone, I am thoroughly disappointed with it's call functionality. My mother literally told me last night, "please call me on a land line, I can't deal with your phone anymore."

This is my first, and will likely be my last experience with Apple. I expected far better. I pray a replacement phone solves these reception problems... Otherwise, Apple might be in for a class action lawsuit.

I am just a bit north of you near the Wesminster/Denver/Fed Heights area where they all meet. I have not have one dropped call since July 11 in my area and the 3G service is almost always 3-5 bars. I've only gone as far south as I-70 and West up to Arvada and the 3G service is also excellent in all that area.

The Omega wrote:

The issue is that if I am in a area where there is poor coverage (GPRS/EDGE/3G) and the phone sometimes switches from edge (E shown) to "No Service" and to GPRS (solid little square shown) and back and forth, and then I go to where there is 3G coverage (I have had 3G on all this time on the phone) the phone will not, or will take minutes to get any signal. If, however, when I am in the 3G coverage area and the phone says "No Service" I shut off 3G, the phone will within seconds get a edge (E displayed) and then I turn 3G back on and within seconds I get a 3G (3G shown) signal.

Yes, there is a problem with the iPhone firmware/AT&T network interaction with handoff between the protocols and towers. This also may affect 3G reception itself since, unlike the older protocols, the phone has to deal with more than 1 tower at a time. This should be an advantage, but if not coordinated properly it could be why some see wild fluctuations in 3G signal - 5 bars -> No Service in seconds.

In my case, while in a non-3G area with 3G deactivated and strong Edge/GSM signal, if I turn 3G on, I get No Service for more than 2 minutes before a 5 bar Edge signal is reacquired. There is definitely something wrong with protocol handoff.

An interesting point... I'm at school right now, and my reception does NOT drop when I hold my hand on the back. Not on EDGE OR 3G.

Here's my observation/experience
Bought my iPhone 3g last Saturday. Activated in Apple store, they made sure I was able a make a call before I left the store. I tested the internet speed after I stepped out of the store, full bar 3g great speed. The iPhone came with 2.01 stock. So I went home and restored all the data. After that, I tried to make a call with the new and shiny iPhone 3G, guess what failed call, try again failed call. Then I checked the signal strength on the iPhone screen, full bars 3G. Then I tried again to be sure, failed call. Then I fired up Safari, no internet connection, browser timed out. After this, I tried reboot, restore, reset network setting, airplane mode. I would get the dreaded "No Service" for > 5 mins and then full bar 3g again, but still failed call, browser timing out. Later my girlfriend told me she was trying to call me but, my phone didn't connect as if I turned it off. I took some screen shots of the "No Service" and failed call, and went back to the Apple store and had the people there looked at it. They ran the diagnostic, and told me I had six dropped calls, other than this the phone is working ok. I was able to make call and get on the net in the apple store, full bars 3G. But they were willing to swap the phone, so I got my self a brand new phone. The second iPhone has firmware version 2.0 instead. So this time I kinda kept track of the signal while I drove home. All the way home full bar 3G, net access was ok and fast. Right after I enter my apartment, all out going calls and net access failed again. This can't be right? So I walked out of my apartment, guess what, calls were made successfully and internet connects at 3g speed. So I guess my apartment was a dead zone. Now the question is why is the iPhone showing full bar 3G when it's in the 3G dead zone and not fall back to EDGE, by the way EDGE works flawless in my apartment. The iPhone seems to stuck in "No Service" and the hand off between EDGE/3G is not that seamless as advertised. In my case the culprit seems to be the iPhone and not the network. I still got about 30days to go. If things not going to improve by then, I'll indefinably return it.

+modular 747 wrote: In my case, while in a non-3G area with 3G deactivated and strong Edge/GSM signal, if I turn 3G on, I get No Service for more than 2 minutes before a 5 bar Edge signal is reacquired. There is definitely something wrong with protocol handoff.+

Yes, that also happens to me. If I am in a non 3G area and I have 3G on it does that. If I shut 3G off, I get an edge signal in just a few seconds. At home, I am on the very edge of 3G (1/2 mile down the road I get a good 3G signal), so when I am at home I shut off 3G and when at work (center of 3G area) I turn it back on. This is supposed to be automatic, but sure is not.

I have an ATT Tilt (the most powerful cell/pda phone available in the USA, in my opinion) and do not have any problem like this. They are right next to each other and the Tilt switches without any problems and within just seconds.

Despite this issue (really the only one I have had with the IPhone 3G), I still like the IPhone 3G very much. It is the coolest cell/pda phone you can get. It doesn't, however, have close to the functionality that the Tilt has but, what it does have it does much better. This is the first Apple product I have ever owned and, although I really do like it, I am disappointed because of this issue and the lack of simple features that most every other cell/pda phone has.

The Omega

Yes, I am sure that 3G is positioned on the same towers. Towers, all across the USA at least, are at a premium, so I am sure that AT&T is not putting up new towers for just 3G and using others for edge. This, I think, would cost them a fortune.

The Omega

Hello All,

Here is another link to check out.

http://news.cnet.com/one-more-thing/?authorId=140

Thanks,
Doug

I don't know if 3G shares non 3G towers "all across the USA" or not. I do know, factually, the only towers that I have seen where they share the same tower are on some the power tower sites here in SoCal. I live in the Victor Valley area (high desert, north of San Bernardino) and every 3G tower I have located here is 3G only. The closest 3G to my home is 1.74 miles away. The other nearby AT&T tower (non-3G) is 200-300 yards away from the 3G tower.

Most (if not all) AT&T towers are leased. The old (previous) AT&T sold their tower assets to American Tower years ago (pre-Cingular takeover).

Hello HeloCaptain,

Cool... you have done a lot of research. Great info!

Question (sorry if this has already been asked, posted or if you have replied...) what is the dBm signal strength you are getting? Not only at or near home but further away... like towards Vegas or down the hill?

Thanks,
Doug

The 3G coverage, per the AT&T coverage map, stops north of Victorville, resumes briefly as you approach and pass through Barstow. Unless they have very recently added more 3G, you will not see 3G north of Barstow until you are on the Las Vegas AT&T network. (I haven't been to Vegas in years.)

Unless I drive over to the immediate area of the 3G tower, my dbm is usually 101-113, inside or outside.

If you are interested, there is a tower farm on the E side of the 15, S of Bear Valley. South of the cell tower farm, perhaps 200-300 yards - is a lonely cell tower all by itself in the middle of a very large field. That is the closest 3G tower to me (1.74 miles).

I get a 66 at the tower, but at Bear Valley and Mariposa (perhap 1/2 mile?), 3G is 93 or worse. That is one reason I am convinced the 3G problem is in SOME of the iPhone 3Gs. I do recognize that some lucky folks have fully functional 3g iPhones (any one want to trade a 3G iPhone that works for my great Edge iPhone 3G).

{quote:title=HeloCaptain wrote:}{quote

I get a 66 at the tower, but at Bear Valley and Mariposa (perhap 1/2 mile?), 3G is 93 or worse. That is one reason I am convinced the 3G problem is in SOME of the iPhone 3Gs. I do recognize that some lucky folks have fully functional 3g iPhones (any one want to trade a 3G iPhone that works for my great Edge iPhone 3G).

Don't even think about laying your mitts on my iPhone buddy.

Yes, HeloCaptain, I was not very clear in my post. I did not mean they are on the same physical tower but that the occupy the same leased land. It is the land the sight that is in high demand. So, if at all possible and if it makes sense to do so, I would think that ATT would use the sites they have leased to put 3G towers on.

Sorry for any confusion.

The Omega