Help Rough weekend with a new Droid Charge...

[TLDspectre]

My wife had a pretty rough weekend up in Gray, TN with her new Droid Charge. She was lucky to get any kind of consistent 3G connection, and could rarely send text messages successfully. I, on the other hand, was having no problems with my Droid X. We went in to Verizon yesterday to ask about the problem, and was told it was an issue with the phone attempting to establish a 4G connection (which I doubt was even available where we were), and because of the failure it was causing problems establishing any connection (3G, 1X). The rep's suggestion was to a) reboot b) toggle airplane mode and c) download an app to disable the 4G radio. My wife is very fussy over how her phone should work, and came very close to swapping her Charge for an iPhone 4. We still have 10 days left to test it out, but my concern is that problems Verizon has had with their 4G network is going to create a bad experience for her and force her over to the "dark side".

Have other Charge owners reported problems like this? I did see one thread where someone complained of a similar problem while others in the same thread said they were fine.

 

[executor485]

It's a bit of a pain, and I'm still debating... But if you turn the phone into CDMA only mode (3G mode) everything seems to work great. Then when you really want/need the 4G speed you turn it on. It's not fun, but to have the 4G speed its seemingly worth it to me... Verdict will officially hit Friday if I'm keeping the phone or not. As it stands now, I probably will :S
It does fight for a 4G signal, and if it doesnt have it, the 3G mode is "supposed" to seemlessly switch, but I dont think they have that process down yet. My guess is that it's all software, but I could be wrong.
If she doesnt care about 4G speeds, then just put it into 3G mode and be thrilled. Battery life is AWESOME with 3G only mode and there will be no connection problems. Seeing as the iPhone is the alternative, i'd say try the 3G only mode and see if that helps you decide. Its the same speed network as you'd get on the iPhone.

 

[TLDspectre]

I actually tried putting the phone into CDMA mode and it didn't seem to help any. Of course I hadn't tried to reboot either before or after making the change, so maybe that was a factor.

 

[addictedtocars]

I keep seeing these kind of poasts here and on the Bolt forums and the message I take away is that VZ RUSHED 4G out and the 4G devices were also rushed out. I am debating whether to get a DC or X2 in the next week or 2 and all the 4G related issues I am begining to think a rock solid 3G device may be better than iffy 4G especially if having 4G causes issues connecting even at 3G.

 

[Heelpir8]

I keep seeing these kind of poasts here and on the Bolt forums and the message I take away is that VZ RUSHED 4G out and the 4G devices were also rushed out. I am debating whether to get a DC or X2 in the next week or 2 and all the 4G related issues I am begining to think a rock solid 3G device may be better than iffy 4G especially if having 4G causes issues connecting even at 3G.

I went through the same thought process. Finally broke down and ordered a DX2 after I read yet another review that recommended running off wifi rather than 4G whenever possible to get yourself through the day without a charge. Don't want to have to go through a space shuttle launch checklist every tme I want to make it through the day worry free.

 

[jinwons]

Does CDMA 3G only mode require rebooting to be effective?

 

[addictedtocars]

Exactly! I want to unplug from charger and go until I return at noitgh and not worry about how much I can use the phone or what functions of the phone. Plus the DX2 battery is getting good reviews and the extended battery for the DX2 adds a nice bump in capacity with barely noticable change in dimensions of phone.

 

[Amrov]

What is the app for putting into 3G-only mode? I live in Austin, which (surprisingly) does not yet have 4G. I have been having problems dropping 3G connectivity and it is a pain. I'm running on WiFi at home to avoid that problem here, but still it's an issue when I'm out and about. I'd like to just switch to 3G-only mode for now and switch back once I have actual access to 4G.

Update: Found "LTE toggle" -- that didn't work for me. Also found "LTE on/off" and am trying that.

 

[lv2bsilly]

I have had my Charge activated since Fri the 19 and it has been working great. I usually have 4g coverage for the most part (I live in the Los Angeles area). I havent had much of a problem with it "seamlessly" switching from 4g to 3g and vise versa.

Maybe I am just lucky

 

[jinwons]

What is the app for putting into 3G-only mode? I live in Austin, which (surprisingly) does not yet have 4G. I have been having problems dropping 3G connectivity and it is a pain. I'm running on WiFi at home to avoid that problem here, but still it's an issue when I'm out and about. I'd like to just switch to 3G-only mode for now and switch back once I have actual access to 4G.

Update: Found "LTE toggle" -- that didn't work for me. Also found "LTE on/off" and am trying that.

I don't know if those apps would work for Charge as they were probably developed for Tbolt. But Charge has that setting in menu. Go to menu/setting/wireless setting/mobile network/system. There should be two options "LTE automatic" and "CDMA only".

 

[Outlaw71]

I keep seeing these kind of poasts here and on the Bolt forums and the message I take away is that VZ RUSHED 4G out and the 4G devices were also rushed out...

Look I switched over to T-Mobile from Verizon because I was tired of Verizons ever increasing prices in such hard economic times even though their competition was coming out with cheaper and cheaper packages (like Sprints and T-Mobiles $79 dollar 'Everything' plans) as well as their clamping down on Android by heavily influencing the OEMs to lock down the bootloaders and such. So please don't read into this post that I'm in any way a Verizon 'fanboy'.

As odd as it is that I feel compelled to come to Verizons defense here, I just have to say that Verizon in no way 'RUSHED' 4G out at all. They are in fact still rolling it out, and it won't be completed for years to come. This isn't any different than when they rolled out 3G. It took a while to get everyone covered, and of course not EVERYONE is covered by Verizon 3G even now, but it's the largest, most reliable 3G network in America... and when it's all said and done, they will more than likely have the largest, most reliable 4G network in the nation as well.

As for 'rushing' 4G devices out... they do have 4G service available in some cities, and the availability is growing by the day (and let me add that their LTE service BLOWS AWAY the competition... my T-Mobile 4G service is between 7 and 10 mb's down, compared to 25 to 35 mb's down on LTE!). So there is a legit demand for 4G devices on the market. If some people buy a 4G device even though 4G isn't available, or isn't very strong in their area yet... then that was their choice. People really don't have the right to complain about weak 4G coverage because Verizon isn't making any claims to the contrary. They will readily admit that 4G coverage is still in the early stages, and that widespread coverage is a few years away. So that criticism is unfounded IMO.

Furthermore, you also can't blame Verizon or any other carrier for bringing 4G devices to market because that's what the consumer is demanding right now. And in business you have to cater to consumer demand or you'll quickly find yourself behind the competition who is catering to it. And that's the catch-22, because the consumer isn't always as informed as it should be, and demands things before they're really ready for the mainstream. So businesses have to chose between not offering that which the consumer wants to buy, or offering it before it's matured and risking consumer backlash to the bugs still present in the technology.

It's really a no-win game they're playing. But that's about enough of me defending Verizon. Carry on.

 

[executor485]

I completely understand and agree with you on the network still growing, early stages, etc... However I think the real complaint isnt the lack of 4G coverage, its the fact that the phones do not properly switch between the 2 networks. I live in great 4G coverage, but when it doesnt get a signal, it doesnt properly switch to 3G to give me a signal. It may be that the 4G network is still being "built/modified" in Dallas, but even if that's the case, I'd like seemless network switching rather than forcing CDMA only mode.

And to respond to the people asking about restarting the device after switching to CDMA only mode, I did not experience that. I was able to seemlessly switch to CDMA/3G only mode. I use LTE switch, it's "charge" compliant, but all it does is bring up the settings menu, its easier than going through all the steps to bring the menu up, but its not an easy switcher like the other phones have atm

 

[wxman2003]

Tell your wife to come over to the dark side. Life is so much better over here, it really is. Its a beautiful place where mobile phones work.

 

[addictedtocars]

It took a while to get everyone covered, and of course not EVERYONE is covered by Verizon 3G even now, but it's the largest, most reliable 3G network in America... and when it's all said and done, they will more than likely have the largest, most reliable 4G network in the nation as well.

I know I keep hearing that, btu it is funny, gf and I were with TMO for last 7 years, I went to TMO because I was sick of poor coverage and constant dropped calls with VZ back then. So this year we both want smartphoens, and TMO poor and degrading coverageand dropped calls have been increasing here in ATL. So I get a VZ dumb phone and gf takes here TMO GSM phone to ATT we compare coverage and quality and while ATT may have spotty coverage in some areas I find the call quality on her ATT is usually better than my VZ and I have more spotty areas then she does. All my co-workers are ATT and rave about how good their coverage call and data service is. Only thing really pulling me to VZ is unlimited data, if ATT had unlimited data I woudl go ATT and save more since I can get a UVerse bundle. I think the VZ advantage is really in coverage more than anything right now.

 

[executor485]

Only thing really pulling me to VZ is unlimited data

Dont let this "unlimited" data be the only selling point. I can speak from experience, if you download "too much"... They will throttle your connection to UNHOLY slow speeds. There's an unspoken rule that if you're taking up too much bandwidth, then you're hampering everyone else's connections and you must be dealt with.
The limit is somewhere in the 5GB range... You'll go from ~1.5Mbps (3G) to a wonderful .3Mbps. Sure, you can download as much as you want, but when it takes 30 seconds to load google.com, you're not going to use the connection unless you absolutely have to.
I am not sure where the limit is with LTE, but I'm sure I'll find it. When I'm out on business trips I have to use my phone for all my data, about 8 days into the trip my connection basically dies thanks to this unspoken rule.

 

[addictedtocars]

Dont let this "unlimited" data be the only selling point. I can speak from experience, if you download "too much"... They will throttle your connection to UNHOLY slow speeds. There's an unspoken rule that if you're taking up too much bandwidth, then you're hampering everyone else's connections and you must be dealt with.
The limit is somewhere in the 5GB range... You'll go from ~1.5Mbps (3G) to a wonderful .3Mbps. Sure, you can download as much as you want, but when it takes 30 seconds to load google.com, you're not going to use the connection unless you absolutely have to.
I am not sure where the limit is with LTE, but I'm sure I'll find it. When I'm out on business trips I have to use my phone for all my data, about 8 days into the trip my connection basically dies thanks to this unspoken rule.

Maybe when I get my phone I'll hammer it continuously to see what happens and find the limit. I woudl hope LTE woudl have a larger limit, but then I look at ATT, their UVerse caps suck, 250GB cap whether you have 6mb service of 24mb service, seems rather unfair to me.

 

[executor485]

Maybe when I get my phone I'll hammer it continuously to see what happens and find the limit. I woudl hope LTE woudl have a larger limit, but then I look at ATT, their UVerse caps suck, 250GB cap whether you have 6mb service of 24mb service, seems rather unfair to me.

Yea, I find it to be a little rediculous to have limits like that. ESPECIALLY with all the Music and Video streaming out there now. If I were to stream Netflix all day at home, the limit would be hit pretty dang quick. Sure, most people may not come close to 250GB, but with 1080P video and whatnot, that bandwidth can be eaten up very quickly.
I'm sitting on 4GB of data right now, 2.4 on 3G, so we'll see if I hit the limit or not. I'm not going to try, but I will not limit myself either. I typically stream music all day and sometimes a TV show or two, I will probably hit 5GB easily before the end of the month, next month will be the real test.

 

[TLDspectre]

Tell your wife to come over to the dark side. Life is so much better over here, it really is. Its a beautiful place where mobile phones work.

The temptation for her was great, particularly because she already owns an iPad, but she really likes the larger screen size and quality of the Charge. For some reason she didn't like the "feel" of the iPhone.

BTW I have a Droid X that works great, and the limitations of iOS make that "beautiful place" not quite so beautiful - in my eyes, anyway. But then I'm the techno-geek of the family, whereas her needs are more basic. The next few days will tell the tale whether or not she ventures over into Apple country.

 

[potterdood]

I keep seeing these kind of poasts here and on the Bolt forums and the message I take away is that VZ RUSHED 4G out and the 4G devices were also rushed out. I am debating whether to get a DC or X2 in the next week or 2 and all the 4G related issues I am begining to think a rock solid 3G device may be better than iffy 4G especially if having 4G causes issues connecting even at 3G.

I don't really think they rushed 4G out, I think they did it in big markets 1st to see how it went and it'll take time to get it to most places but when they do, nothing will be better than LTE for a long time.