Reception - How is yours indoors?

[razng2grtboys]

Okay, so I've taken my TB to a few places and I must say I'm not liking what I see in terms of reception indoors.

1) In my house, upstairs, 6 ft from window - reception was OK, but I'm in a 4G area and it kept switching from 4G to 3G without even moving the phone. Unplugged it was killing the battery.

2) Took it to a friend's house and in the basement I could not get a signal at all. I switched to his wi-fi and that worked well (battery drain stopped falling off a cliff at that point)

3) Took it to an 'Expo' (large warehouse type building) for a show. NO SIGNAL!! My wife had her Verizon Blackberry with her so I looked at it...STRONG SIGNAL!!

I thought it must be a setting or something, but everything was turned on. I then tried a reboot and for some reason I then got 2 bars...very strange.

I'd like to hear from other Thunderbolt users on your experience with 3G/4G reception so far.

 

[mjforte]

I live in a non 4G area and my 3G reception has not been good. 0-2 at most bars indoors when I had 3-4 all the time with my OG Droid.

Sent from my ADR6400L using DroidForums App

 

[Droid DOES!!]

I have noticed no difference in signal whatsoever. Battery life on the other hand.....

Message delivered via a Bolt of lightning

 

[Doran]

My signal strength was fine at my house but I'm getting no reception at my office. 4G has not made it to my area yet, so I'm just dealing with 3G. I can set a Droid X right beside it and it shows all bars lit up.

Not sure what is up with this signal issue, but if their is no resolution, I'm going to have to return it.

 

[alboboy10]

My reception at home on my DX has been bad lately, it goes to 1 bar all the time, and then goes to 0 bars with just a 3G sign and then just hits 1X and one bar or whatever. I live on the third floor, in the middle of a neighborhood where signal is amazing everywhere and 2 feet from the window.

I'm hoping it's a phone problem, as I've ordered the TB.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Compared to my Droid 1, my Thunderbolt has about equal reception. One thing is, even with 1 bar I can always make a call where sometimes my Droid 1 would say it has 1-2 bars but not make a call/do data.

 

[electric6]

compared to ALL of my coworkers verizon phones, and this is including dx's, droids, bb's, and even feature phones - my tb gets poor signal anywhere around where i work. I am VERY dissapointed so far. I switched to big red hoping to improve my crappy reception, and now its even worse than it was before, and the shi**y thing is, everybody else with verizon is getting 3-4 bars, when my phone is constantly fighting for one, or has none at all...

 

[MLoprete]

Not good if you ask the people I am talking to, which is confusing because I hear everything crystal clear?

Unfortunately it's just the area I live in though. I find it doing much better than other phones/services I've had.

 

[metzor]

The only 2 places I've used it - my house and my office - it get's the same 4-5 bars my D1 got. Reception is crystal clear. Haven't exactly put it through any rigorous testing yet obviously, but there is no issue for me where vzw has a strong signal and my phone doesn't.. so far.

 

[Jordan8]

Compared to my Droid 1, my Thunderbolt has about equal reception. One thing is, even with 1 bar I can always make a call where sometimes my Droid 1 would say it has 1-2 bars but not make a call/do data.

This kinda makes it seem like it's just a software problem(the signal bar reading wrong?) like how the battery % seems to be off on a lot of peoples phones. Just my .02

 

[DJStormX]

Compared to my Droid 1, my Thunderbolt has about equal reception. One thing is, even with 1 bar I can always make a call where sometimes my Droid 1 would say it has 1-2 bars but not make a call/do data.

This kinda makes it seem like it's just a software problem(the signal bar reading wrong?) like how the battery % seems to be off on a lot of peoples phones. Just my .02

I agree with Jordan8 until an update comes. Plus I was told by a VZ rep there still optimizing towers which is prolli why the signal are weird and flip floppin 3G/4G. Good things come to those that wait

 

[Doran]

Compared to my Droid 1, my Thunderbolt has about equal reception. One thing is, even with 1 bar I can always make a call where sometimes my Droid 1 would say it has 1-2 bars but not make a call/do data.

This kinda makes it seem like it's just a software problem(the signal bar reading wrong?) like how the battery % seems to be off on a lot of peoples phones. Just my .02

From my research on this, it appears that the different vendors are using different algorithms in determining how many bars to show. But, the Thunderbolts reception isn’t as good as some others. If you have a phone to compare with, on your phone, go to “Menu->Settings->About Phone->Network” Make note of the Signal Strength value. Compare this with the other device while placing them side by side. The path to this information on other phone may vary a little, but it still should be easily found.

The signal strength value is shown in dBm’s. The value will be a negative number. The more negative this value gets, the worse your reception is. My comparisons to a Droid X. The Droids value ranged from -94 to -98 dBm’s. The Thunderbolt ranged from -99 to -105 dBm’s in the same location. It’s not until it gets to -99 dBm’s that the Thunderbolt even displays a single “bar”. I do have a single, but the reception isn’t as good as this other phone.

 

[jntdroid]

Besides in my office, I've been in a Lowes and my house, and had zero problems maintaining a solid 4G connection. My office doesn't even try to connect to 4G (it appears anyway). 3G is kind of tough in my office as well.

However, the big test was always going to the bathroom on the first floor of our building. My D1 would hold the 3G signal, sometimes. Sometimes it would hold 1x. And occasionally it would drop signal altogether, but not often.

On the TB, the 3G signal drops to no bars, but still holds and doesn't switch to 1X or drop - at least so far, only had it a day or so.

When I look at the signal on both phones in my office, they're both bouncing between -94 and -96. The TB occasionally bumps to -100, but only briefly. However, one thing I don't understand, or know what it means. The Droid says CDMA - EvDo rev.A - I know what that is. The TB says CDMA - eHRPD - is that the "updated" 3G that can handle voice/data?

 

[BigMcGuire]

That's correct - eHRPD is the new updated 3G. Last night while I was talking to my girlfriend, she took another call and while I was on hold I checked my email and had her on speaker phone for awhile. That was pretty cool. Never done that before

 

[DJStormX]

So is that the reason why some ppl are having signal issues cuz of this new 3G signal? Verizon trying to smooth it out?