Razr drops data often: Should I trade razr for a differnt 4G-capable phone?

[kitty_macdougal]

Hi everyone,

Got my Droid Razr on Verizon here in the Seattle area, and thus far the experience is lacking. I please need your help to troubleshoot phone vs Verizon service.

The key problem is the data connection. Over the couple of weeks that I have owned the phone, the data connection will suddenly become unavailable, 4G LTE or otherwise. Tricks I have read online (e.g toggling airplane mode on an off, phone restart) is of limited success when the phone throws a fit, and the battle to get my data back can last several minutes.

Never had this problem with my original Droid 3G phone that this replaced-- slow as a snail sometimes but never dropped data connection.

I am looking for help from the forum to try to understand if this is a problem with the phone, the 4G network, or both.

Would I fare any better if I just returned this phone for a different 4 G capable phone?

Thanks.

 

[Deron]

From what I have read, Verizon has had network issues with their LTE network a few times this last month.

1. When is the last time you had a data connection issue?

2. Are you using Smart Actions to turn off cellular data when your screen times out? I know when I use this feature it takes a while for my 3g or 4g connection to return when I turn the screen back on.

3. Have you gotten any SIM card failure notifications in your notifications bar?

I use 3g and wifi most of the time. When I use the LTE network I find it to be about 90% reliable. I still lose 4g connection a small amount of the time. I live in Central Florida.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[jpcalhoun]

Hi everyone,

Got my Droid Razr on Verizon here in the Seattle area, and thus far the experience is lacking. I please need your help to troubleshoot phone vs Verizon service.

The key problem is the data connection. Over the couple of weeks that I have owned the phone, the data connection will suddenly become unavailable, 4G LTE or otherwise. Tricks I have read online (e.g toggling airplane mode on an off, phone restart) is of limited success when the phone throws a fit, and the battle to get my data back can last several minutes.

Never had this problem with my original Droid 3G phone that this replaced-- slow as a snail sometimes but never dropped data connection.

I am looking for help from the forum to try to understand if this is a problem with the phone, the 4G network, or both.

Would I fare any better if I just returned this phone for a different 4 G capable phone?

Thanks.

Deron ask some good questions and the information he provides is accurate. Have you downloaded and installed the latest (only) update that is available (released last week).

 

[jst4fun]

Even with the latest update, some of us that have Data issues are still having it.
No smart actions - No wifi turned on - No bluetooth turned on, just plain Jane and still after the update a few days again still loosing Data drops just not as bad.
I traveled this weekend for Christmas and still had Data drops quiet often. Even within a 4G coverage area.

 

[kitty_macdougal]

Thanks Deron,

My replies are below in italics.

I appreciate your ideas. Sounds to me you think it is the network, not the phone.

From what I have read, Verizon has had network issues with their LTE network a few times this last month.

1. When is the last time you had a data connection issue?

Just last night.

2. Are you using Smart Actions to turn off cellular data when your screen times out? I know when I use this feature it takes a while for my 3g or 4g connection to return when I turn the screen back on.

I did not set this up, but if this is the default setting I can try to turn it off.

3. Have you gotten any SIM card failure notifications in your notifications bar?

No.

I use 3g and wifi most of the time. When I use the LTE network I find it to be about 90% reliable. I still lose 4g connection a small amount of the time. I live in Central Florida.

Is this done by setting phone to CDMA only? Either way, somewhat dissapointing that we have to do this since we paid $$$ for this phone.



Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

[kitty_macdougal]

Thanks jst4fun. Sounds like your vote is for phone, not network.

Even with the latest update, some of us that have Data issues are still having it.
No smart actions - No wifi turned on - No bluetooth turned on, just plain Jane and still after the update a few days again still loosing Data drops just not as bad.
I traveled this weekend for Christmas and still had Data drops quiet often. Even within a 4G coverage area.

 

[kitty_macdougal]

Thanks for your post.

Yes-- the phone underwent an system update but like just4fun, the situation with my phone did not improve. Still a wresting match for consistent data.

Deron ask some good questions and the information he provides is accurate. Have you downloaded and installed the latest (only) update that is available (released last week).

 

[jroc]

I know with the update...for some reason data was disabled on my RAZR. I had to enable it again. Some folks mentioned Smart Actions may have went haywire after the update. I cant really tell cuz I'm not having data drops...but maybe someone should investigate Smart Action settings, probably starting over from scratch. There was also a lil update to Smart Actions that offer suggestions based on how you use the phone, I think. I never saw that before the update.

 

[cereal killer]

Factory reset after the update has resolved this issue for many. Yes it's a pain in the butt but you just may benefit. I suggest giving it a shot. As an FYI, your phone will still be updated to latest package after reset.

If that doesn't fix it then it's definitely a Network/tower issue in your area

 

[kitty_macdougal]

thanks jroc.

Overall the tally I think thus far among those that have poseted is that I should keep on troubleshooting with the current phone and not give up yet.

I'll probably just restore the phone to factory settings later this evening over a beer then as cereal killer suggests in the next post. Hopefully that will reverse any of the oddities you mention above as well.

I know with the update...for some reason data was disabled on my RAZR. I had to enable it again. Some folks mentioned Smart Actions may have went haywire after the update. I cant really tell cuz I'm not having data drops...but maybe someone should investigate Smart Action settings, probably starting over from scratch. There was also a lil update to Smart Actions that offer suggestions based on how you use the phone, I think. I never saw that before the update.

 

[kitty_macdougal]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Just road-tested the Razr to do some troubleshooting, and predictably the Razr dropped the data connection as I proceeded from a densely packed area of Seattle to a remote area ~ 1 hr out of town.

The Razr then went into one of its hallmark fits and I could not get data back at all until manually switching the unit to CDMA only. Only then did I recover stable data (3G).

So the answer I think is that this is an issue both of coverage and of the phone. Verizon over-promotes the 4G service it provides; in my hands, coverage is quite sparse relative to 3G. This issue is compounded with the phone's inability to just switch over to 3G without going into settings to force the switch to CDMA, even with this update that was sent out recently supposedly to fix this problem.

Perhaps there are better phones out there that don't have this problem (but they are all probably buggy to some degree, I suppose).

I'll have to try the approach of cereal killer next and factory reset the phone, but for those readers having a similar pattern of difficulties, I hope this post is of use.

 

[eapeyton]

After the latest update, my phone lost data altogether. I got an error message saying my sim card was not authorized. I switched to 3G only mode and that took care of it for a while. Then after a few more errors I completely lost data. I took it to Verizon and they tried 3 or 4 sim cards and couldn't get it to work correctly. They had to replace my phone. Just wondering if you had got that sim card error message or if anyone else has?

On a semi-related note, Since I got my new phone I lost several of the apps and widgets that were installed on my first phone. I had a widget that was a row of 5 green icons for wifi, gps, bluetooth, updates, and something else. I can't remember what the widget was, anyone have any idea?

 

[Trip3601211]

It's crazy seeing that from these latest and greatest to the first Verizon 4G LTE devices; they all have had the lost data issue. I myself have jumped ship from thw Droid Charge back to my X2 due to loosing data all the time. My 3G is consistant on my X2...it just must be some thing they're dealing with within the 4G LTE towers. IMHO.

Sent from my DROID X2

 

[PuppyBurger]

My data drop issues are definitely caused by the phone. When WI-FI is on I don't get data. When I turn it off, data comes right up. Turn it on again, data dissapears.

Sometimes I need to do the Airplane mode toggle to help things along. Updated the phone yesterday.

 

[Raw Dodge]

I'm still having data dropping problems on my Razr too....the update did help some but the data is still unreliable and spotty.I'm seriously considering going back to my x2....data was slow but always there and I miss my google navigation, pandora, and full days without carrying a charger around.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk