[Q] 3G- no data, but GPRS, Edge & HSDPA ok? - Nexus One Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I've had this problem with my Nexus One for as long as I could remember, but kinda ignored it - thought perhaps a new radio would fix it, or a new ROM...
But no, it still bugs me.
Basically, if the phone is on 'normal' 3G, I cannot receive any data. It just gets no connection. If I have HSDPA, or GPRS or EDGE - it all works fine.
But 3G? Nothing. And its EVERY time.
Travelling on the train every day, HSDPA isn't stable, so it often drops to 3G, but then it drops dead. I have to restrict the phone to 2G if I want to check things reliably.
I've tried every radio from every country from the original to the latest 5.12 leak.. yes, speeds increase, HSDPA engages more often, but as soon as I'm on normal 3G: Dead.
And I've tried all ROMs (original, MCR, Cyanogen, Desire, MIUI) - same.
Any build.prop tweaks I could find... same.
Now, I remember talks about this when the Nexus came out originally - but there doesn't seem to be any threads about it now, so do I just have a faulty Nexus One that I've put up with since Christmas last year?
Or have I missed something blatantly obvious that every else did to fix this problem?
Any help gratefully received

Pardon my grammar and spelling I'm typing from my phone without swype and its annoying. I had a similar problem. When on 3g I'd miss calls texts, etc...I had my boss call in my face and my phone didn't ring. It got so frustrating I turned off 3g for several months. Too make a long story short ....all those 3g problems went away when I 2.2 came out on xda I put a new radio and rom on. I can't tell u if it was the radio, 2.2, or if tmo had simply added new towers or improved signals from tmobile.
I'd call tmo see how your area looks and if there's any new towers.

I've been on 2.2.1, and 2.1, 2.2, and used all the radios that have been released.
All the same.
I'm in the UK and on Orange, and I have spoken, well, tried to speak to my network about it a couple of times, saying the fact that I've had this issue in the past with my HTC Hero, and I've tried every software update, radio, etc, but because the Nexus One isn't an Orange handset they blame that, Android, or the signal in my area. Yet, I can't believe its just 'Android', and it can't be all signal where-ever I go, so perhaps my phone does have a fault? I don't know!!
The common denominator between this and my Hero is the SIM card.. but convincing them the SIM is faulty is nigh impossible. I'm receiving calls and texts on 3G, and get data all the other times, so it can't be... can it?
Argh, as you can see, this is slowly driving me mad..!!!

Yours sound worst than mine. I used to have very reliable 3G data until upto mid October. After that period, there were numerous reports of Orange UK users struggling with data blaming (with high possibility) on merge plan with T-Mobile.
I tried SIM with my Hero and Nokia N82. All 3 phones suffer the same poor 3G connection and in places I spend my time mostly, all struggle to get any form of internet. Few months back on same places, all my mates were impressed by Orange's coverage.
Yesterday, out of nowhere I received a sms from Orange confirming that merged plan went well and customers are to benefit from all cell towers of both network. Couldn't stop smiling then tried to access XDA on N1's browser. Safeguard was ON and access denied. Tried to open few more, all same. Frustrated almost dialed 150 but couple hours later, all started as normal with H signal. No interruptions, no waitings and no error msg. Tested for almost 8 hours. Though still to confirm the reliability.
One more thing I noticed is that before I was using WM's AVS kernel. Almost always once in every 4 attempts, a msg would pop up on error connecting. Changed to SVS kernel and msg still would appear but very very rare. BTW, on latest Nightly.
Coming to end with orange contract and if problem continues, I'm moving to O2.
Try your SIM on other phones to see whether it's the issue with N1.

I might have the same problem. but this just came up 2 nights ago. while connected on data network, all is fine until it drops to 3G, app (opera mini) freezes and you will have to force close. restricted my network to 2G and all was fine. then a while ago i enabled again on 3G and all was fine again.
is this a sign that i may get your same problem soon?

Related

3G not working

I'm having major trouble with my phone and need some help.
I've got a standard Vario III no flashed roms etc..
When I'm on standard GPRS network the phone works fine, calls internet etc..
However whenever it switches to a 3G or H network I cant make or receive calls or use the internet. The funny thing is that when it tries to access the internet it looks like it connects but when you click on the 3G (with the arrows) it says there are no sessions active.
Help!!
yes.. i have the same problem too
so we must switch the band using gsm to get phone works normally. if we set AUTO it will failed to make call or to receive call.
another kaiser from my friend was normally in same area. please help us.. thanks
maybe I have the same problem, I can't make calls, when I make a call it do a sound alert and end the communication.
The line is ok, I was using it with other phone without problems. I spend today 5 hours with the mobile service provider (CLARO ARGENTINA) tech service and they finally say this must be a problem with the pda, not with the service (after testing all possible alternatives)
The phone is almost new! I can connect to EDGE and navigate the internet, H or 3G appear "some times" but it get EDGE 99% of the time.
When somebody call me the phone ring and then then lost connection. When people call me they receive a "network error".
1 of 20 times I CAN do a call.
Do you think is the phone? or there is some update ? I'm downloading a 6.1 rom to test with it.
it is not the phone. Assuming your are using T-Mobile, Edge network coverage is almost 100% complete, while T-Mobile's 3G network is in the early stages. So you will usually get Edge until 3G is nearing completion - T-Mobile is slow
Here is an article: http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/05/05/t-mobiles-3g-rollout/
Well I use Claro AR (in Argentina). EDGE is 100% and 3G is quite well in my city, but what do you think about my phone calls are closed after 5/6 seconds with error and then it lose phone coverage. Never happened with other phone, same provider, same line, other phone.
Now I have updated to a duttys Rom with a newer radio version (1.65.x, my phone comes with 1.21.x) and still happening. Now I will test another rom
It IS the phone.
If you do a search on this board lots of people are having that problem, as I found when encountering it myself. It's a hardware fault in the radio part, that requires sending the device back to HTC. They actually replace the whole mainboard to cure it, so it's a serious issue.
Awaiting to receive mine back, it's been there for a month now
Here's a large thread about it: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=335074
thank you
I force the phone to run under GSM network (not WCDMA) and the phone works perfect, internet too (only EDGE). But I can't use 3G because if I set it to WCDMA or AUTO in the phone network section, it's unusable.
That's the one. I'm receiving my Kaiser back from repair tomorrow, can't wait, and hope it will be fine this time... It's been at the service center for 6 weeks now
hello, any news ?
Yep, received it back like 3 weeks ago, everything works flawlessly. They replaced the whole mainboard just like for the other people with the same issue.
Ok I'm dead. Sending the devide to north america from Argentina? now way.
Why? I had to send it to the UK, not much of a problem...
and it back again to you? awesome!! not easy in latin america!
Ok I will call tomorrow the seller to ask the guarantee. let's see what happen.

(Poll) What's your opinion on 3g?

As far as making and receiving phone calls, do you use 3g? Any phone I've ever seen that uses 3g absolutely sucks. My dad's phone, my mom's phone, my girlfriend's phone, my phone. What happens is the call either doesn't go through. If you listen to the dial tone it has a small click right before each tone, if I hear that, it mean's the call isn't going through.
My mom and girlfriend have gone through replacements on their phone, but the 3g still sucks. I've even noticed they don't get that great of reception.
Even on my Tilt, if I switch to 3G i only have 2 bars and apparently people have complained of calling me but I never received the call. Now with Edge, I have full bars, and no one ever complains about the call not going through.
So what's your guy's take on 3g?
Similar to what you've experienced. I generally leave mine turned off the majority of the time, since I have the WiFi running when I'm at home anyway. I turn it on only when I need to browse the web or something when I'm out and about.
Not to mention the immense battery drain that 3G demands. My battery life is dramatically better on Edge as opposed to 3G.
Your provider needs to update/fix their network. This is not a device issue, it's a network issue. Proper 3G (well, 3.5G / HSPA, not just UMTS per se) should also use less power than GSM / EDGE for transfers... (in watt/kbps, though)
I know for a fact that all devices in my signature (that support 3G) can work perfectly with 3G on a proper network.
Chainfire said:
Your provider needs to update/fix their network. This is not a device issue, it's a network issue. Proper 3G (well, 3.5G / HSPA, not just UMTS per se) should also use less power than GSM / EDGE for transfers... (in watt/kbps, though)
I know for a fact that all devices in my signature (that support 3G), plus the Touch HD, Omnia and i780 can work perfectly with 3G on a proper network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't experience network issues as bad as the OP seems to have, but I've always had terrible battery life on my Tilt and my iPhone, my two most recent 3G devices. My 8525 was actually very good on the battery with 3G running all day long, never had a problem getting through the day.
Maybe the intermittent GPS usage on the latter two? I don't know.
Chainfire said:
Your provider needs to update/fix their network. This is not a device issue, it's a network issue. Proper 3G (well, 3.5G / HSPA, not just UMTS per se) should also use less power than GSM / EDGE for transfers... (in watt/kbps, though)
I know for a fact that all devices in my signature (that support 3G) can work perfectly with 3G on a proper network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should go in and ask them about it, just to see what they say. Ask them why the new and greatest 3g is worse than edge. I have AT&T, I live in Washington, and I live right by a Cell tower too (only a 2 or 3 blocks away from it).
I woudln't mind using it for data but the fees here are prohibitive for private use. We use it on our work phones for data and it works well on Telstra.
mikeeey said:
I should go in and ask them about it, just to see what they say. Ask them why the new and greatest 3g is worse than edge. I have AT&T, I live in Washington, and I live right by a Cell tower too (only a 2 or 3 blocks away from it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They'll probably say it ain't so Thing is, when 3G first got rolled out here, we had much the same issues. The big providers here spent some $$$ to replace "faulty" hardware at the towers, and voila, the problem disappeared (2 years ago?). Seems many 3G networks around the world have similar issues to the ones you described in the opening post. I have a sneaking suspicion that one of the 3G cell-tower hardware manufacturers - probably the cheapest and hence most used - makes some really crappy equipment. I could almost imagine that manufacturer is Qualcomm
In all seriousness though, all I know for sure is we had these issues here too, and they fixed them by fixing the towers. (Though of course there is some difference between different devices and how well they do 3G)
From talking to some guys at work Telstra's 3G network has been pretty much flawless for them asides from cost issues associated with Telstra.
I live in indonesia and never have any problem with 3G,. , the only problem is, its expensive,. lol,.
I am in NZ
No problems with 3G whatsoever. Have Imate JasJar - loving every second of it.
New Jersey, USA
3G has always seem pretty good around here in New Jersey with AT&T, but I'm 25 minutes from New York, so imagine how many towers they have on the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut). Very rare to lose 3G reception (exept on the iPhone 3G that everybody complains about losing it often). But important to mention also is that Kearny, town where my sister lives, I lose reception a 100%, my phone's reception just dies, and when I switch it to GSM instead of 3G...voila. Full signal strenght.
wow.. the results turned out quite different than I imagined.
Obviously it's just in my area that 3G sucks. I really wish they would fix this, considering that every phone released now is 3G...and you think someone would notice... well, I'm sure if I wait long enough people will start to notice, but who knows,
I can't remember the last time I had problems with 3G. though I remember before Cingular got bought by AT&T and they were just rolling out there 3G, I used to have problems then, I guess it was due to them configuring/re-configuring the towers. I think the engineers were just going by what the manual said, which weren't the best settings for each area.
I'm on 3G all day everyday on the hour and it's good. even when I'm in the basement and have 1 bar I still receive all my calls and I can make calls. though on this 1 bar I sometimes have to repeat myself every 1.5 minute, but I don't complain about that because it's 1 bar and I'm in the basement. at my friend's apartment I'm the only one that get signal, nothing else work there, not T-Mobile, not sprint, not verizon, not alltel, not vergin nothing else only AT&T works and I get 3 bars of 3G there. I always laugh because he has to leave his phone by the window and use his blue tooth.
I honestly don't think you're by a 3G tower because you should be getting way more than 3 bars. also ask them about the issue you're having AT&T is a good company they will listen to you. call them and open a ticket (before this they will have you go through the basic steps, restarting by removing the battery, etc) tell them you've done that multiple times and yet you have the same issue so it must be a network issue. have them escalate the ticket (they will send an engineer out and he/she will call you, they will work on the towers around your area). don't forget to be polite, no one likes a hot head.
in roughly mid year last year I was only getting edge at my job even though it is a 3G area. at home inside my house had full bars, so I called them up and they worked with me. the engineer stayed in my area roughly 2 weeks to deal with the issue. after that I've had 2 bars of 3G in doors at my job.

SGS Captivate Got Signal. Can't Use Network

So almost two months of owning my Captivate that I got from Rogers (BNIB from Kijiji) and I noticed that at a certain area in my school, I have 3/5 bars of signal yet I can't seem to text/call and use the network. Is this a network problem or phone problem? Or can it also be my SIM? My SIM card is pretty old. However everything was fine when I use my Sony Ericsson W715 in the same area.
I should add that my friends on the same network beside me, they can text/call fine, which leads me to believe that this is a phone problem. A poster over at Howard Forums suggested network congestion, but it seems impossible because everyone else can use their phone fine.
I've tried different modems too, but it doesn't help. It's like my Captivate doesn't want to work at certain areas of my school.
A couple of people are getting the same problem as well where the phone reports good signal, but they can't use the network at certain locations. We're starting to think that this is a phone problem...
geokilla said:
A couple of people are getting the same problem as well where the phone reports good signal, but they can't use the network at certain locations. We're starting to think that this is a phone problem...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed this same issue in fringe areas. I have ATT and in southern Utah they are quite weak. I wonder if the bars/signal are actually from another provider like T-Mobile or some off brand like alltel or something. Utah has a bunch of small providers in rural areas.
Specifically in my case I go up in the mountains at Brianhead Ski resort and i get 2 or 3 bars yet I cannot send texts or call. Verizon has coverage there and I heard rumor T-mobile had a microcell or something on one of the lodges.
Could the signal be from another provider that ATT doesnt have an agreement with? Or in the OP's case some provider besides his own?
That's highly unlikely though, the idea of my phone roaming onto another network. It'd show if I'm not on the Rogers network.
Plus, a lot of people use Rogers, such as my friends who are able to make calls and send texts when they are next to me while I can't at school.
Just an update. Switched to a new SIM card, no go. Got a reconditioned Captivate, still got the same problem. As always, everyone else around me could send and receive text messages fine.
Same thing happened to me twice today with the reconditioned Captivate, at two different locations. As usual, it happened to me at Ted Rogers School of Management on the 8th floor where it showed I had 3 bars and a 3G connection. However when I tried to send a SMS, make a call, or browse the web, nothing worked. Everyone else around me was fine though, so I still can't determine whether it is a network or phone problem. I already switched the SIM out for a new one too.
The 2nd time it happened to me today was just outside of the subway station. Keyword is outside. I wasn't underground. I had full bars, but again I couldn't use the network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
geokilla said:
Just an update. Switched to a new SIM card, no go. Got a reconditioned Captivate, still got the same problem. As always, everyone else around me could send and receive text messages fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still think it that in some cases our phones pick up out of network signals and show great signal strenght.
Maybe not in your case since others are working fine around you, unless they are bone stock maybe, and you have obviously improved your phone.
I did a bunch of expeirmentation with my phone, flashing different modems and such, trying to get an ATT signal at Brianhead Ski resort in Utah.
I could get the phone to show great signal on the bars and in settings/about phone/status but the service state and network would say unknown or unavailable, somthing like that. (maybe check those when you cant get out?)
I have since given up and reflashed so many times I dont remember which modem worked to give me good signal of networks I couldnt use.
I do know it was frustating as hell to have full bars and be unable to call or send texts.
FireRaider said:
I still think it that in some cases our phones pick up out of network signals and show great signal strenght.
Maybe not in your case since others are working fine around you, unless they are bone stock maybe, and you have obviously improved your phone.
I did a bunch of expeirmentation with my phone, flashing different modems and such, trying to get an ATT signal at Brianhead Ski resort in Utah.
I could get the phone to show great signal on the bars and in settings/about phone/status but the service state and network would say unknown or unavailable, somthing like that. (maybe check those when you cant get out?)
I have since given up and reflashed so many times I dont remember which modem worked to give me good signal of networks I couldnt use.
I do know it was frustating as hell to have full bars and be unable to call or send texts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your insight. The other people around me have other phones, such as Blackberry, Samsung Wave, etc. I even tested it with my old Sony Ericsson W715 and my friend's Samsung Wave at pretty much the same location (a feet or two away from me) when I can't use the network, and everything is fine so it most likely is a phone problem.
When it shows I have signal, it also shows the service state, like I'm on the Fido network and such.

From no Data Problems to 99 Problems

So when I first got the phone I had zero connectivity issues. After about 2 weeks I started having very occasional problems with it taking awhile to re-connect to 4g going in and out of weak signal areas. Now my phone refuses to connect to a mobile data connection of any sort. W T F.....and of course this happens after having the phone for 38 days.
Running Liberty 3 2.0 atm w/ 5.5.886.
What is the latest official release so I can flash to it before calling and *****ing at Verizon?
idk bout the probs you're having other than you're rooted, etc, yada.
i'm still stock, no available updates, running sysver 5.5.886.XT875
Verizon is having nationwide data issues right now. Try switching to CDMA only. If I'm on CDMA/LTE it won't connect to any data but if I switch to CDMA only I at least get 3G.
I was thinking the same thing, I haven't had the data issues that a lot of people have with the Bionic. I was getting 34mbs download speeds this morning on 4G, then when I got to work, no data.....so I did all the known fixes, and still nothing, thought it was my phone until I read about the Verizon issue. Took me a while to get 3G running, but now it seems OK, just no 4G. Hopefully it will be back up soon.
Yup, the outage has been acknowledged by VZW. I think this is the 5th nationwide LTE outage I've experienced since purchasing the Tbolt on launch day back in March. It proves once again that VZW is very good at selling phones and not so good at running a reliable network.
I know that if the network where I work experienced 5 major outages in 7 months people would be fired. I'm sure the lower level engineers are hard at work fixing the problem but the Director or VP of wireless networks needs to go .... now.
As an operations guy who runs applications for a major health care system I know I plan changes in stages and must present and document validated back out procedures before I get to do the change. The change control process at VZW is SERIOUSLY BROKEN. I know what you network engineers are thinking .... someone fat-fingered a change. Nope, the severity and duration of this outage (and the ones before it) are a sign of much bigger problems.
I never thought I'd see the day where I seriously contemplated leaving a carrier because of network unreliability. Bad coverage is one thing but not knowing how to run a major network speaks to bigger problems.
Tried switching to cdma only first thing and no connection there either. Guy right beside me with a Samsung Charge was still getting 4g with 20mbps down.
For those keeping track you can add another data outage today. I'll echo my comments from above ... VZW is great at selling phones and not so good at running a reliable network.
Oh yeah, wasn't it Verizon that used to make fun of AT&T's network reliability? Sounds like they are following AT&T's footsteps. I just came back from Chicago which should be a strong 4G area, and I kept losing my data connection and my phone was already set to CDMA only. At home in the southeast I will occasionally lose data connectivity but not as bad a what I experienced in Chicago.

Frequent Random Network Drops

I've seen a number of threads where people post about their device dropping network data connectivity, and needing a reboot to solve it.
My issue is a bit different. Occasionally (I've noticed it 3-4 times today) when I go to send a text (SMS) or to use a data enabled service like Hangouts, that my phone shows no bars at all.. not even just no data, but the bars are grey and there's a red x. I wait about 15 seconds and it reconnects, then another 10 seconds later, the data is live again.
Phone is a private sale and under 1 month old, and all the Stamina functions are off.. I do see that the "Queue background Data" is turned on, but I don't think this should effect, no?
Not sure what digits I should be looking at to know if this might be a hardware vs software issue.. build is listed as .93
Im no stranger to unlocking and flashing, but I've kept this stock cuz it's tight and I adore the battery life.
Suggestions?
sh0nuff said:
I've seen a number of threads where people post about their device dropping network data connectivity, and needing a reboot to solve it.
My issue is a bit different. Occasionally (I've noticed it 3-4 times today) when I go to send a text (SMS) or to use a data enabled service like Hangouts, that my phone shows no bars at all.. not even just no data, but the bars are grey and there's a red x. I wait about 15 seconds and it reconnects, then another 10 seconds later, the data is live again.
Phone is a private sale and under 1 month old, and all the Stamina functions are off.. I do see that the "Queue background Data" is turned on, but I don't think this should effect, no?
Not sure what digits I should be looking at to know if this might be a hardware vs software issue.. build is listed as .93
Im no stranger to unlocking and flashing, but I've kept this stock cuz it's tight and I adore the battery life.
Suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
check in settings in network and set your network to the one you use , like gm/wcdma /lte , maybe your phone is strugling to find 3g or 4g , try it , who knows it might solve the issue , ty
Been about a month since I posted, and I'm still experiencing this issue. I often thumb my phone on and it's not connected. I don't really mind waiting for the 30 seconds or so that it takes to jump back on the network, but it often means I miss calls, and since it's my business phone, it kinda bums me out to suddenly get a VM notification of a missed call even though it never rang.
Is there some sort of utility that I can use to monitor the network activity to see how frequently it drops, and for how long? I've looked into ones on Play but they don't seem to have a history, just something that shows what data up and down is currently being reported.
Sadly the only Sony store in my city (and I think the country - Canada) has recently closed for good, so I'm not sure how to go about warranty repairs...
sh0nuff said:
Been about a month since I posted, and I'm still experiencing this issue. I often thumb my phone on and it's not connected. I don't really mind waiting for the 30 seconds or so that it takes to jump back on the network, but it often means I miss calls, and since it's my business phone, it kinda bums me out to suddenly get a VM notification of a missed call even though it never rang.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that you're not alone. I've been experienced the same thing on my Z3C. I sometimes wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the MVNO I use doesn't support 4G LTE.
kopsis said:
I don't have a solution, but I can tell you that you're not alone. I've been experienced the same thing on my Z3C. I sometimes wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the MVNO I use doesn't support 4G LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.. Your issue isn't just data, but a complete network disconnection? Im with Fido which is an MVNO under Rogers, but I thought they supported LTE. The issue also persists even on wifi
sh0nuff said:
Interesting.. Your issue isn't just data, but a complete network disconnection? Im with Fido which is an MVNO under Rogers, but I thought they supported LTE. The issue also persists even on wifi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it seems to be a complete loss of the mobile connection. When I wake the phone I see gray bars and a red X on the signal strength indicator. Within seconds the phone re-acquires and the indicator goes to 2 or 3 bars. I have also seen it happen with wifi active. The frustrating part is that it doesn't seem to do it often enough to troubleshoot. I'll notice the problem maybe a couple of times a month and there's nothing obviously different about my usage patterns in those instances.
Mine does it at least a dozen times a day. I can only assume this as I frequently miss calls and at least 3-4 times a day I see it happen. =(
Same Problem
Randomly I have no connection at all but after a few seconds everything wents back to normal. Did not have this problem with T-mobile in Germany but with with O2 I have. With T-mobile I had LTE but with O2 I don't, so I guess that's the reason.
Interesting... I've disabled LTE and now have it on 3g/GSM. We'll see how it works moving forward, and I'll post again in a week. Stay tuned.
Service Providers
In the mobile network settings one can change the service provider manually. With LTE enabled my provider has three entries: LTE, 3G and 2G. Connecting two LTE fails, because my provider blocked it in my plan. Having LTE enabled, it often tries to connect to LTE I assume. I switched off LTE and set the provider manually to 3G. Maybe that helps. We'll see.
realTobbse said:
In the mobile network settings one can change the service provider manually. With LTE enabled my provider has three entries: LTE, 3G and 2G. Connecting two LTE fails, because my provider blocked it in my plan. Having LTE enabled, it often tries to connect to LTE I assume. I switched off LTE and set the provider manually to 3G. Maybe that helps. We'll see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.. I have LTE as part of my network and plan... But once I made changes to the settings as I indicated, I no longer receive the network drops I originally experienced.. I might just be missing the alerts, but it seems fixed... #crossedfingers

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