Help 3G drops

[aldamon]

Everyone, I found a program over in the Requests forum that might help with the notification problem. It's called Connection State Notifier and you can set it to check your Internet connection (and WiFi/Phone if you want) at a set interval (5, 15, 30, or 60 mins). When the connection is down, the program will notify you with a sound and/or vibration.

Connection State Notifier @ Android Market

 

[h00k247]

The typical time frame that is designated for Sprint to perform network impacting maintenance is from 01:00 to 05:00 daily. Parts of (or the entire network) can be unavailable during this time period. Other than then that, the network is just like anything and not guaranteed to be available at any time. There are many factors that can take the site off air. This impairment can be limited to just EVDO or all services.

A few things to consider with data speeds and availability are RF building penetration, distance from the nearest site, and number of users currently on the that site. During peak usage times connectivity will be limited and slow.

 

[Leslie Ann]

Some of the roms (all but stock apparently) cannot seem to reconnect 3g once it loses a connection. I believe it doesn't realize it has been lost, so it doesn't try to reconnect or even drop down to 1x. Happens to me as I pass through a dead spot in town, and on my nightstand every night.

I'm testing a custom built Rodimus now to see if it fixes the issue.

I asked RevolutionRed about it, he thinks it's something in the Xionia kernel causing it since that is mostly all that has changed on his rom. It coudl however be a problem I stock as well, but I don't remember having that issue.

 

[makinbiscuits]

I don't understand the mentality that it's OK for service to be broken because it's $25. I can understand slow speeds but dropouts without any visual notification are unacceptable. Hopefully the issues are worked out.

oh I never said it was ok, it just comes down to a choice of paying 25 a month or 60+ a month when there's no guarantee that that service will work 100% of the time either.

 

[Leslie Ann]

Okay, I am having it drop on stock Virgin as well. So either an app is causing it, or it's a problem with the phone. I'm kind of thinking it's an app issue, but I have no idea which it would be.

 

[raphy3]

I am pretty sure this is not due to a specific app. There is a large range of people having this problem. Plenty of users on stock roms, like me, who have not done anything to their phone are finding it just dropping data out of the box.

I am having the same problem: My status bar shows full six bars of signal power and a 3G logo next to it. One minute I will be able to browse the net, the next, suddenly no data is coming through. It will still show full bars, and still show "3G" - there's no indication that there is no data connection. Yet I will stare at the data transmission arrows just to the right of the 3G and watch the up arrow continually flash, while the down arrow just sits dark. So frustrating.

I have had it happen where I pick up the phone, after having had an OK connection earlier in the day, to find no data. I have also had it go out on my within seconds after picking it up and browsing to a webpage. The most frustrating part is that there's no telling how long the data connection is out for when the phone is asleep. I have missed several notifications this way. Right now, the only reliable notifications are texts. This is bad because I use gmail and gtalk a lot more than texts....

Has anyone taken a look at logcat or tested if this is a problem completely bone stock with no apps installed? If an app is the problem, I really hope it isn't one of the built in bloatware apps!

 

[Leslie Ann]

I am pretty sure this is not due to a specific app. There is a large range of people having this problem. Plenty of users on stock roms, like me, who have not done anything to their phone are finding it just dropping data out of the box.

I am having the same problem: My status bar shows full six bars of signal power and a 3G logo next to it. One minute I will be able to browse the net, the next, suddenly no data is coming through. It will still show full bars, and still show "3G" - there's no indication that there is no data connection. Yet I will stare at the data transmission arrows just to the right of the 3G and watch the up arrow continually flash, while the down arrow just sits dark. So frustrating.

I have had it happen where I pick up the phone, after having had an OK connection earlier in the day, to find no data. I have also had it go out on my within seconds after picking it up and browsing to a webpage. The most frustrating part is that there's no telling how long the data connection is out for when the phone is asleep.

Thanks, sounds very similar, but I didn't have this issue when I first got the phone, my connection was solid. It was also solid one night coming home with a bone stock Rodimus. It was only after I started messing with it. Unfortunately, I started loading more and more just before I rooted, so I'm not sure when it started.

I'm testing an almost bare Virgin + Xionia now. I took it to a known dead spot and it maintained a signal. I went through it twice 30 minutes apart. I always have an issue there. On the way back I threw in Quick Settings, Titanium and Adfree, it still maintained a signal and hours later I still have one.

I'm really thinking it's an app. Most likely a semi-common one.


See the thread I just made, maybe we can figure this out.

 

[aldamon]

I've basically resorted to adding several Airplane Mode On/Off cycles throughout the day with Timeriffic. At least that way I know I won't go half the day without data and not know it. I've tried to pick times I won't be on the phone

 

[Leslie Ann]

Following a tip from lynx2cross, I may have found at least some of the problem.

If you did any of the "battery saving" tips, that may be your problem. I was using Network by Phillip Mangelow. Before I uninstalled it I put it back on the appropriate "auto" setting. While the "correct" setting, it's not properly setting the phone back to what it should be set at.

Not being correct, when it loses the 3g signal, it doesn't auto-reconnect, nor does it kick down to 1x. Some have managed to get it to reset properly after a restart after uninstall, soem haven't.


Now, here is where I made a mistake and made it a huge hassle.
I was using Titanium Backup to backup my call log and text messages. Somehow I was restoring this setting. It is either in the same file, or named similar enough that I thought it was part of the sms system or call logs and was restoring it.


Once you install this, if you try to return to a normal connection setting, it may require a wipe (or figuring out what has been changed) in order to keep from losing data every time to have an interruption in signal. If you backup before you wipe, you may end up bringing that setting with you. It's not obvious where or what the setting is labeled.

 

[g2k]

I would like to add that I too have "network" installed and HAD troubles with 3g dropping randomly (even before installing network).

I downloaded/installed handcent and turned off auto receive and notifications in the BUILT IN text app, so Handcent could handle my texting.

It's been 2 days and NO 3g dropouts what so ever.

I used to own a Sprint Hero and there was an Issue with the built in texting app on that phone; keeping the dialer awake, just food for thought/trying to help.

 

[g2k]

EDIT: I may have spoken too soon, my 3g was down just minutes ago. Oh well it was a lovely 2 days...lol. Is anyone on Verizon having this issue?

 

[ScottColbert]

Had no problems earlier today, then about 2 hours ago dropped the 3g and i don't even have the icon showing now, though I have full bars.

 

[David73]

The app fast reboot may help

 

[Leslie Ann]

So far I have nailed down 3 things happening...

1. Phone loses activation. This is rare and resetting your connection does not fix it, try the Activate button. I had a bad rom flash do this to me, but others have had it at random.

2. 3g drops due to loss of connection and using an app or setting to increase battery. There is speculation that the menu is labeled wrong on our phones, creating problems. personally, I wiped and got rid of all connection manager type of stuff and leave it stock, it works fine. Fix the other things robbing your battery like Twidroid and Gallery running in the background.

3. The browser.
Dolphin mini has been reported to have connection issues, and I confirmed last night that HD has the same problem. Everything worked on the phone, except for it. I reset data, and it came to life. Do NOT use Dolphin to check for connectivity. If it's your default browser, change the home page to a more reliable site like Google or Yahoo, it may help at least some.

 

[ultramagnus]

on 2/27/11 i started having data connectivity issues.
my internet services just mysteriously stop working.

my Virgin Mobile (VM) phone services performed just fine so here's what i've done to troubleshoot.

i set my samsung intercept back to factory default settings.
i even went a step further and wiped out my entire SD card.
(whatever, not like i kept anything stored on it without a backup anyway)

i tested it out barebones. just the VM software. no market downloaded apps.
after a few hours, i had the same issues.

i made numerous calls to VM customer support. each call service tech was useless. they all had me perform the same functions ##847446# and to verify the MSID and MDN. whatever. 25 bucks. at the end of the day its my fault for getting rid of my verizon phone.

not to digress.

while i'm at home, i typically connect to my wifi network. its much faster than 3G service, and i hate to say this but time warner is just a bit more reliable than VM 3G.

for the times when i'm away from home and the phone internet craps out, switching the phone to airplane mode and back to normal service 9 times out of 10 will do the trick. i have had cases where a total reboot was necessary.

if i find more information, i'll repost.
until then, good luck VM users.

 

[Leslie Ann]

Imagine that, your wire based home internet is faster and more reliable, why am I not surprised. Did you honestly expect the opposite?

If it's crapping out and fixing with a reset of wireless, odds are, it's an app causing it. It could be a battery saver, or something you don't even think would be involved. Many discount the battery saver system simply because it toggles a built in program.

Wipe it, sync your contacts and do nothing else. I will bet your connection stays solid. You may want to try the activate button to make sure everything is setup properly as well.

 

[raphy3]

hmm, Leslie Ann, thanks for the thoughts on the "network" app. I have used it, but I am not noticing the problem of inability to switch to 1x when 3G is down. In fact, my data drop problems apply to both 1x and 3G. I previously thought that it only had something to do with 3G, but lately, if the phone is set to 1x, and I pick it up to go to a random site or something, I may not have data all the sudden even in that case, even though 1x icon is showing and I have full (6) bars. At work, my phone often switches from 3G to 1x without warning, with both having 3-5 bars of signal constantly. I don't know why that happens, but it doesn't happen at home. The fact that I see these 3G-1x switches tells me that the network app didn't necessarily screw things up.

One thing I have been doing lately is using the Dazzle widget with the mobile data toggle switch. about 75% of the time, a mobile data disable/enable will restore internet connection. The rest of the time a network change or radio off/on cycle will fix the problem. I don't seem to need to reboot.

As for an app causing it, I'm still a bit hazy on that. My phone is fairly close to out of the box. I don't have many apps installed. I wonder about twidroid, which is installed by default and we can't remove. Could this app be causing it? How can we stop it from running in the background and on startup? As a reference, here is a list of my running services:
LGDunservice (I wonder if the problem is a bug in LG or VM's own software...)
Google messenging service
Alarm Service
Android Keyboard

sometimes location friend service pops in and out to update latitude probably.

I just got off the phone with VM customer service. It went ok; they were surprised I've had the phone a month and not bugged them yet. I said I HAVE bugged them, just the last time I called the rep was totally useless, lol. Anyway, this time the guy "escalated" it to "headquarters" after basic troubleshooting. He asked me to reboot... I was like, you don't think I've rebooted the phone during the whole month I had it?! lol.
Anyway I will report back once they call back.

 

[Leslie Ann]

I wouldn't equate signal with data. The signal, I believe, refers only to voice, not data signal. While often the same, they don't necessarily have to match. I could be wrong though.


It doesn't have to be a running app that causes the problem.
Like with Dolphin, if you open it, it may or may not connect, meanwhile anything else can be connecting just fine.

The Network app changes a setting you don't even see.

The problem isn't with the Network app itself (supposedly). The problem is that the menu list you see, is wrong on the phone. So while you select the right menu item, you are actually selecting the wrong one. I don't remember the procedure, but there is a way to clear it and return to stock using that app.

Since your phone is stock, the easiest method for you to clear out anyproblems is to back up yoru apps, a program like AppBak, can make this fast and easy to re-install them. Your contacts are automatically saved (if you use Gmail). the only thing you really need beyond that is call logs and such, Mobile Backup 2 handles this quickly and easily. This leaves your app settings, most aren't an issue probably.

Back it up, rest to stock, activate it, put your call logs and messages back in and try it just like that for a day. If everything runs fine, then you know an app was causing your problem.

 

[raphy3]

I have discovered at least something repeatable with this data bug finally though. Whenever I have a long series of texts with someone, the data connection is gone afterwards even though it shows 3G. Whenever someone calls me or if I go to check voicemail, the data connection is down afterwards even though it shows 3G. Oddly enough, just one or two texts won't do it. It has to be a series of texts back and forth. Voice calls seem to cause the data to drop seemingly almost 100% successfully. Right now my phone is nearly bone stock and I still have this issue.

 

[Mzakos1]

I am having this issue as well. I'm running stock with no additional apps installed.it seems that nothing I do brings back the data, if I reboot the phone it doesn't help. It seems to come back on it's own whenever it feels like it. I haven't called cs yet but i will eventually. This is also happening on my wife's optimus on vm. I'll post back after I call cs, but somehow I doubt they will have a solution.

 

[mgatskie]

In my 2 weeks with this phone and being around an Intercept and a Rumor 2 user they both seem to experience the outages at the same time I do---thinking more the network then the phone but switching my data on-off will more likely bring mine back than it seem to theirs.

 

[Mzakos1]

Well mine and my wifes phone have had no data connection for two days now. I just got off the phone with cs and they claim that they are upgrading their network and have been for two days, so that's why the loss of data connection. I think that's bull crap. I will try again tomorrow and post back.