TERRIBLE 4G reception.

[mercdizzle]

I got my Evo on Friday, and I'm getting pretty much 0-2 bars no matter where I am in the city. In my office, I get no 4G service. This is odd, because it shows San Antonio to be pretty well covered AND I have a Clear USB modem that I use in my office with my laptop that gets excellent signal. What gives?

 

[fortesquieu]

I got my Evo on Friday, and I'm getting pretty much 0-2 bars no matter where I am in the city. In my office, I get no 4G service. This is odd, because it shows San Antonio to be pretty well covered AND I have a Clear USB modem that I use in my office with my laptop that gets excellent signal. What gives?

I read that somewhere that since 4G uses higher frequency, it's signal has hard time penetrating buildings.

 

[mercdizzle]

I read that somewhere that since 4G uses higher frequency, it's signal has hard time penetrating buildings.

The Clear usb modem that I have uses the exact same wimax network that the evo does. It gets a great signal in my office, but my phone doesn't.

 

[mercdizzle]

does anyone get good reception on their phones? 4G

 

[brittonx]

does anyone get good reception on their phones? 4G

I'm only getting 1 bar and I am getting 5.9Mbps down and 1.0Mbps up here in Rochester, NY

 

[RiverOfIce]

A few things to remember.
1. This is a phone. You pc usb does not have to jump through hoops, like you phone does.
2. The antennae is on the top left side of the phone.
3. The current wimax network is just a back bone for what is to come.

 

[neodorian]

I have a Clear modem in my living room and it gets much better signal than my phone does. I would imagine that the modem has an easier job of it considering it can be larger, use more power, etc. Anyway, I just use WiFi when I am inside and consider Wimax more of an extension of WiFi for when I am out and about. This works well since Wimax is not as good at getting into buildings as some of the cellular frequencies. I have my Wifi and Wimax widgets on the main home screen so I can turn either one on if needed. Still, unless I am streaming or something, I don't really need it so I tend to leave both off anyway.

 

[Dangerboy]

I live in SA and have been very unimpressed with 4g to the point where I really dont bother turning it on....I live off Bandera/Mainland which is close to a tower. Sunday, my speeds were everywhere. I did a speed test which got me 4mbps down, but a couple hours later, it took 10 minutes to download an app.......

I went out during the day to the ingram area and I couldnt get youtube videos to even load up....over by the 281/nakoma area, things ran smoother....

 

[mercdizzle]

I live in SA and have been very unimpressed with 4g to the point where I really dont bother turning it on....I live off Bandera/Mainland which is close to a tower. Sunday, my speeds were everywhere. I did a speed test which got me 4mbps down, but a couple hours later, it took 10 minutes to download an app.......

I went out during the day to the ingram area and I couldnt get youtube videos to even load up....over by the 281/nakoma area, things ran smoother....

I work by the att center and live by sea world. at work, it's basically NO signal. Driving home, 0-1 bars, at home, 1-2 bars. Speed tests are all over the place. Very unimpressed with 4G reception at this point.

 

[jmcging]

I live in Columbia MD and work in Woodlawn MD, both of which show up in both the Sprint and Clear coverage maps as dark blue and best.

I have stood outside at home and gotten no 4G, and at work and gotten 1 bar (listed as poor, per the phone). I realize that topography may play a role at home due to hills and up and down rolling terrain, but work is flat out flat and I'd expect better than 1 bar outdoors.

I also got 1 bar of 4G on the 5th floor of a building while standing at the window.

So yes, some concern that the phone isn't handling 4G well could be terrain related, I'm concerned that in what should be a sea of 4G at work, outdoor reception is crud.

John

 

[RiverOfIce]

You guys understand that it is still being built out. Right? Even in "blue" areas there needs to be a lot of work done. But thank you for buying the first round of phones and then complaining about how everything does not work. Here is a little tip next time. If you do not want bugs, glitches, and problems. What 6-12 months after release. By then all the bugs are worked out.

 

[seretogis]

Same issue in Seattle: http://androidforums.com/htc-evo-4g/93225-speedtest-seattle.html

As I say in that thread, I still love the phone and it makes for a great 3G phone, just wish that the 4G was better in the "4G cities" like Seattle. After all, CLEAR is BASED here, you'd think it would be more extensive in their home town.

 

[kimrari]

I got my Evo on Friday, and I'm getting pretty much 0-2 bars no matter where I am in the city. In my office, I get no 4G service. This is odd, because it shows San Antonio to be pretty well covered AND I have a Clear USB modem that I use in my office with my laptop that gets excellent signal. What gives?

I have the same exact issue. Charlotte, plenty of 4g and I have clear high speed internet; but spotty/sporadic 4g.

 

[jmcging]

You guys understand that it is still being built out. Right? Even in "blue" areas there needs to be a lot of work done. But thank you for buying the first round of phones and then complaining about how everything does not work. Here is a little tip next time. If you do not want bugs, glitches, and problems. What 6-12 months after release. By then all the bugs are worked out.

You make a valid point but Clear and Sprint are both willing to take from me a considerable number of dollars in exchange for a service that they list on their maps as being available and available in a "strong" manner.

If they listed areas as "weak", if they said that the coverage areas are light shades of pale green indicating "spotty coverage" instead of saying that the product is mature, robust and widely available, I'd be inclined to say your point has merit.

But they don't. They are making the public believe that their product, in areas that are "blue" and "Best" will work as advertised. And as a customer, I'm saying that it is not working as advertised.

Is it Sprint? Clear? HTC? Don't know. But in this threeway partnership, money exchanged hands and it's reasonable given the advertising, to call them when the ere is a deficiency so that it can be addressed.

Maybe it's HTC's issue, maybe it's Sprint/Clear's issue, and they can change their maps to be more realistic of it's their issue.

I can't tell where the problem is, but it's their job to live up to their promises or adjust their promotional materials to line up with reality. I've no problem if the coverage is spotty, just tell me the truth. But if I do live in a 5 bar 4G area and I get nothing; then maybe I have a phone problem. How am I to tell unless I say something?

 

[jamor]

You will have to wait about a year until you get reliable 4g service.

LTE will be out by then too so everyone is in the same boat.

Isn't there any way you can just use 3g? Or call and get $10 removed?

I definitely would try that because that's just ridiculous to hear. That's Sprint I guess.

 

[bossxii]

As I mentioned in a couple of threads, KC is only about 50 tp 60% built out, per who I gather to be a higher up at Sprint. I walked into a RS Friday at 7am near the Sprint HQ here in KC and as the compers were rather slow he came up to me and asked if I had seen the Evo etc... I mentioned I was interested in the Hotspot feature and he explained that unril mid July I wouldn't see great coverage in KC. He mentioned several of the new ,arkets were turned on for the Evo launch but still 30 to 45 days until I would see consistent coverage and a fast connect.

I drove around a bit this weekend and in area's of even 1 or 2 bars was seeing 3 to 3.5mb down, 1mb up. If this is 50% up here in KC I can't wait to see it at full power and coverage.

 

[mercdizzle]

You guys understand that it is still being built out. Right? Even in "blue" areas there needs to be a lot of work done. But thank you for buying the first round of phones and then complaining about how everything does not work. Here is a little tip next time. If you do not want bugs, glitches, and problems. What 6-12 months after release. By then all the bugs are worked out.

*sigh*

Let me state AGAIN.

I've had a Clear wimax modem for months now. This is not brand new in San Antonio. I get great reception with it all over town, just not on the phone.

 

[eieio]

*sigh*

Let me state AGAIN.

I've had a Clear wimax modem for months now. This is not brand new in San Antonio. I get great reception with it all over town, just not on the phone.

Try doing a Firmware.PRL and Profile update to your phone..

 

[rushmore]

A few things to remember.
1. This is a phone. You pc usb does not have to jump through hoops, like you phone does.
2. The antennae is on the top left side of the phone.
3. The current wimax network is just a back bone for what is to come.

Still will be same high frequency band, so same building / structure penetration issues. That is the tradeoff- 4G will be faster and LTE will have better signal penetration in structures- similar (but not quite) to 3G.

Next year, the "my phone is better than yours" debates will be taken over by, "4G is better than LTE" and vice versa

 

[mercdizzle]

Try doing a Firmware and Profile update to your phone.. Fr

Just did both. Still no love with the 4g. Thanks.

 

[RiverOfIce]

I've no problem if the coverage is spotty, just tell me the truth.

You are honestly going to tell me, that cellphone 3g and cdma/gsm does not lie?

Even with those maps, you get spotty coverage. In my house, I have one spot where you can not get a signal 3g, cdma, but I can get wimax.

I am sorry you feel lied to, because you are being lied to. Bottom line, because it is not on the map does not means it works.

In my apt, on the edge of 4g coverage I get 1 bar. 1 bar is 4.03 mbps down and 340kbp up. Same spot with 3g, I get 2.3 mbps down and 800kbps up.

And as eieio told you, update.

 

[RiverOfIce]

Still will be same high frequency band, so same building / structure penetration issues. That is the tradeoff- 4G will be faster and LTE will have better signal penetration in structures- similar (but not quite) to 3G.

Currently lte has issues with moving at 25kmph, you get only a 1mbps speed.

The building issues are not as great as some people make out. Line of sight is always better.

 

[jmcging]

For the record, Woodlawn MD is a suburb of Baltimore, Sprints initial 4G market and my work location has been a dark blue area for well over a year. Maybe reality is different but one would think the map of the first Sprint 4G rollout would accurately reflect coverage. That's why the outdoor 1 bar result just seems wrong.

Agree maps are best case effort, and I'm not talking inside a house, I'm talking outdoors.

I even agreed that due to terrain, my outdoor walk about with zero 4G in a dark blue area like my home wouldn't seem improbable.

However, if Sprint is pushing 5 bars worth of 4G here at my office, my phone is only seeing 1 bar's worth. Outside, in a nice flat parking lot. The map is solid dark blue for a wide area; I'm smack in the middle. So I'd like to know which one has the problem, the phone or the wimax provider.

And FYI, there is no EVO firmware upgrade at the moment (2.1-update1) and the software is latest OTA 1.32.651.6.

 

[eieio]

Sorry doing to many things at once. PRL update and a Profile update..

What PRL version are you on?

 

[colnago]

For the record, Woodlawn MD is a suburb of Baltimore, Sprints initial 4G market and my work location has been a dark blue area for well over a year. Maybe reality is different but one would think the map of the first Sprint 4G rollout would accurately reflect coverage. That's why the outdoor 1 bar result just seems wrong...

Its all those trees around SSA hemming up the signal.