Lousy coverage w/ HTC Eris on Verizon

[jmw3025]

In all respects but one, I love my new HTC Eris. Problem is poor coverage. I can be standing next to someone with a different Verizon phone & he can have 3 bars while I have zero or 1. I've been various places that should have great service (e.g. downtown Oakland or Berkeley) and have no coverage. At home, my wife's "plain Jane" Samsung has better service than my "smart" Eris! Anybody have any tips, suggestions, comments? Or do I just need to get a different phone?

 

[chassum]

In all respects but one, I love my new HTC Eris. Problem is poor coverage. I can be standing next to someone with a different Verizon phone & he can have 3 bars while I have zero or 1. I've been various places that should have great service (e.g. downtown Oakland or Berkeley) and have no coverage. At home, my wife's "plain Jane" Samsung has better service than my "smart" Eris! Anybody have any tips, suggestions, comments? Or do I just need to get a different phone?

From what I've read, the 2.1 update gives more bars.

 

[tproctor]

Sounds like your phone may be messed up. I'm out in the sticks and have great service.

 

[doogald]

I am pretty convinced that the signal meter is faulty. Did you actually get no service, or poor service, or were you just relying on the signal meter?

Here is my example: I have a summer home in rural NH. With my last phone (a Motorola Q9m), I got a signal there, but calls would break up, and data service was up and down. A friend's house on top of the hill is notorious for having no signal. Well, I was up there last week for the first time since I bought my Eris, and was able to make and receive a phone call from his house with the Eris, and was able to get a consistent (though 1xRTT) data signal at my own place.

 

[Bswartz95]

From what I've read, the 2.1 update gives more bars.

I find the opposite to be true. The signal indicator with the leaked 2.1 is inaccurate. Signal is strong, but bars show less (can be checked in settings menu).

As for the 1.5 Eris, I had signal trouble as well. It was also the cause of severe battery drain. I never lost functionality, but it would always pull weaker signal than other Verizon phones next to me (LG Env and Blackberry Curve). I haven't experienced this problem with 2.1 yet - just the faulty indicator.

 

[Frisco]

Anybody have any tips, suggestions, comments? Or do I just need to get a different phone?

Live battery-pull (just remove it while the phone is on, leave it out for at least one full minute, put it in and power up).

Factory reset (in the menu.. I've forgotten the path.. perhaps somebody will put it in here) after backing up data you want to re-enter.

That's all I would try before returning the device.

 

[OfTheDamned]

In all respects but one, I love my new HTC Eris. Problem is poor coverage. I can be standing next to someone with a different Verizon phone & he can have 3 bars while I have zero or 1. I've been various places that should have great service (e.g. downtown Oakland or Berkeley) and have no coverage. At home, my wife's "plain Jane" Samsung has better service than my "smart" Eris! Anybody have any tips, suggestions, comments? Or do I just need to get a different phone?

First, I would double check to see if you actually have service or not. As doogald said, the meter is a little strange. If you are actually getting service and the zero bars isn't killing your battery then don't worry about it. You could try a good old *228 option 2 and see if that improves anything.

If all else fails, take the phone back and exchange it for a new one.

 

[jmw3025]

Thanks! Can you please tell me what a "*228 option 2" is?

 

[jeffyo]

I find the opposite to be true. The signal indicator with the leaked 2.1 is inaccurate. Signal is strong, but bars show less (can be checked in settings menu).

As for the 1.5 Eris, I had signal trouble as well. It was also the cause of severe battery drain. I never lost functionality, but it would always pull weaker signal than other Verizon phones next to me (LG Env and Blackberry Curve). I haven't experienced this problem with 2.1 yet - just the faulty indicator.

I still see the signal bars lower than the strength of the signal. Weird issue with 2.1 leaks. Hopefully it's fixed in the real OTA.

I am pretty convinced that the signal meter is faulty. Did you actually get no service, or poor service, or were you just relying on the signal meter?

Here is my example: I have a summer home in rural NH. With my last phone (a Motorola Q9m), I got a signal there, but calls would break up, and data service was up and down. A friend's house on top of the hill is notorious for having no signal. Well, I was up there last week for the first time since I bought my Eris, and was able to make and receive a phone call from his house with the Eris, and was able to get a consistent (though 1xRTT) data signal at my own place.

+1

From what I've read, the 2.1 update gives more bars.

Seriously?

First, I would double check to see if you actually have service or not. As doogald said, the meter is a little strange. If you are actually getting service and the zero bars isn't killing your battery then don't worry about it. You could try a good old *228 option 2 and see if that improves anything.

If all else fails, take the phone back and exchange it for a new one.

I've done the *228 several times and nothing makes the signal bar any better. The strength may improve slightly but there's only so many towers around you know.

 

[jeffyo]

In all respects but one, I love my new HTC Eris. Problem is poor coverage. I can be standing next to someone with a different Verizon phone & he can have 3 bars while I have zero or 1. I've been various places that should have great service (e.g. downtown Oakland or Berkeley) and have no coverage. At home, my wife's "plain Jane" Samsung has better service than my "smart" Eris! Anybody have any tips, suggestions, comments? Or do I just need to get a different phone?

If you are running the leak version of 2.1 your phone is fine and don't let the signal bars make you think your phone is not getting good coverage. It is. You can see for yourself when you have 1 to 2 or no bars and see 3G. Download speednet app and test your speed with those signal indicators. I bet you'll see a pretty fast test regardless of what you actually see in the bar indicator.

 

[Droid.eris]

The 2.1 gave me 1+ bar when im at home and my step dad with the HTC HERO gets all 4 which is quite weird because both of the cell towers are in my back yard Literally with about 1/4 of a mile apart

 

[jmw3025]

I still see the signal bars lower than the strength of the signal. Weird issue with 2.1 leaks. Hopefully it's fixed in the real OTA.

How do you make that comparison?

 

[jmw3025]

I am pretty convinced that the signal meter is faulty. Did you actually get no service, or poor service, or were you just relying on the signal meter?

I'm relying on both 0 or 1 bar of service showing, PLUS inability to make/receive calls or data.

 

[jmw3025]

First, I would double check to see if you actually have service or not. As doogald said, the meter is a little strange. If you are actually getting service and the zero bars isn't killing your battery then don't worry about it. You could try a good old *228 option 2 and see if that improves anything.

If all else fails, take the phone back and exchange it for a new one.

When I see 0 or only 1 bar, I often try to make a call or start up the browser to confirm poor or no service...and always get that confirmation.
I tried the #228,2 option--no difference here at home, but will see when I head out around town on errands this aft.

Thanks for your help!

 

[jmw3025]

The 2.1 gave me 1+ bar when im at home and my step dad with the HTC HERO gets all 4 which is quite weird because both of the cell towers are in my back yard Literally with about 1/4 of a mile apart

Doesn't that bug you? Did you call Verizon about it?

 

[jkmasi]

I don't pay too much attention to the number of bars, but I am bummed that my Eris drops calls in marginal service areas where my BB Curve could hold on to the signal. I also have more people complaining that I'm breaking up... it reminds me of my old LG flip phones. The antennae or whatever part of the hardware is involved is just not strong enough.
FWIW, I ha the same problem with my HTC TP2.

I may be forced to another carrier and/or other handset. There is a T-Mobile tower across the street from my office where I get extremely poor Verizon service and a new Sprint tower that I can see from the deck of my weekend place in WV where I get zero service. And my calls drop in my drive to and from work. Not so great for the supposed best network.

 

[digitaljeannie]

a new Sprint tower that I can see from the deck of my weekend place in WV where I get zero service.

My folks live in WV (northeast). WV is one big Verizon dead zone for the most part. You can get roaming but there is pretty much absolutely no native Verizon service in the whole state. If you're in WV frequently, you're better off with Sprint for CDMA or AT&T for GSM.

 

[ChiTownJim]

This poll is everywhere

 

[jeffyo]

I still see the signal bars lower than the strength of the signal. Weird issue with 2.1 leaks. Hopefully it's fixed in the real OTA.

How do you make that comparison?

You can see the signal strength within setting->about phone->network

anything >-80dBm is good.

At the very least the bars are show 3G data signal and not voice signal.

Download speednet and see for yourself.

 

[jeffyo]

with 1.5 I saw much better bar strength and possibly better voice. It might be the device driver they're using...I don't really know.

 

[carmendiva]

i have a pre plus from verizon that reads four to five bars(fluctuates)
and then the droid eris reads 0-3 bars(fluctuates) when I am home and using extended network box

when I am not home i.e my school library at PSU....my pre shows about 2-3 bars
while my eris usually stays at no bars or 1 at the most
and i've actually missed calls on my eris but not on my pre

 

[jeffyo]

i have a pre plus from verizon that reads four to five bars(fluctuates)
and then the droid eris reads 0-3 bars(fluctuates) when I am home and using extended network box

when I am not home i.e my school library at PSU....my pre shows about 2-3 bars
while my eris usually stays at no bars or 1 at the most
and i've actually missed calls on my eris but not on my pre

Why you have so many phones? lol I guess it's good to see a comparison though. My guess is it's the software doing the damage to the signal bars and possible the reception.

 

[carmendiva]

Why you have so many phones? lol I guess it's good to see a comparison though. My guess is it's the software doing the damage to the signal bars and possible the reception.

ha I GET ASKED THIS ALOT
lol i just like having the newest phone possible(if it's cool)
before both the droid and droid eris

i had a windows mobile Htc imagio and learned my lesson
and Android was the new "it thing" at verizon so i went there
then palm came in Jan and i got it

i try to stay current haha lol

but yeah i'm starting to think it's a software thing as well.
I just did a test with my friends new devour and i'm basically getting the same results in favor of the devour

Speaking of which...

God this phone is so ugly and slow(the devour)