Verizon Wireless Network Extender not working quite as well with Droid

[Matth3w]

Calls are ever so slightly choppier now that I switched from my LG enV3 to the Droid. I live in an area that is supposedly covered fully by Verizon but no service in town really gets good service here (and no, I don't live in a valley, on the outskirts, or in the middle of nowhere).

So we bought a network extender and were initially pretty skeptical about it (think eBay antenna extenders) but to be honest it moved our phones from 0 bars and rarely able to make/stay on a call to full signal at all times (for voice not data).

I know it seems to be working because I hear the tone it makes when I start a call, but yet the reception/signal strength on my Droid is like one bar. I know that bars don't necessarily mean anything but when you are talking one bar with a simulated cell phone tower RIGHT next to the phone, there is no reason to have one bar.

 

[Matth3w]

It says -62dbm and 0 for the other if that makes sense.

 

[Matth3w]

Calls are ever so slightly choppier now that I switched from my LG enV3 to the Droid. I live in an area that is supposedly covered fully by Verizon but no service in town really gets good service here (and no, I don't live in a valley, on the outskirts, or in the middle of nowhere).

So we bought a network extender and were initially pretty skeptical about it (think eBay antenna extenders) but to be honest it moved our phones from 0 bars and rarely able to make/stay on a call to full signal at all times (for voice not data).

I know it seems to be working because I hear the tone it makes when I start a call, but yet the reception/signal strength on my Droid is like one bar. I know that bars don't necessarily mean anything but when you are talking one bar with a simulated cell phone tower RIGHT next to the phone, there is no reason to have one bar.

I've got the same issue and so do a number of users on this thread.

I've got much worse problems now, too:

http://www.droidforums.net/forum/te...lp-no-one-can-understand-me-because-echo.html

 

[STIDRIVER]

Network extender works good for me... Sucks to hear your having issues

 

[fLiP SiD3]

Calls are ever so slightly choppier now that I switched from my LG enV3 to the Droid. I live in an area that is supposedly covered fully by Verizon but no service in town really gets good service here (and no, I don't live in a valley, on the outskirts, or in the middle of nowhere).

So we bought a network extender and were initially pretty skeptical about it (think eBay antenna extenders) but to be honest it moved our phones from 0 bars and rarely able to make/stay on a call to full signal at all times (for voice not data).

I know it seems to be working because I hear the tone it makes when I start a call, but yet the reception/signal strength on my Droid is like one bar. I know that bars don't necessarily mean anything but when you are talking one bar with a simulated cell phone tower RIGHT next to the phone, there is no reason to have one bar.

I am glad I ran into this thread...I was just about to go buy a Verizon Signal Extender tomorrow. I still might try it , since there is a 30 day return policy and if it dont work for me , I will definetly post my results here for all to see

 

[fLiP SiD3]

Calls are ever so slightly choppier now that I switched from my LG enV3 to the Droid. I live in an area that is supposedly covered fully by Verizon but no service in town really gets good service here (and no, I don't live in a valley, on the outskirts, or in the middle of nowhere).

So we bought a network extender and were initially pretty skeptical about it (think eBay antenna extenders) but to be honest it moved our phones from 0 bars and rarely able to make/stay on a call to full signal at all times (for voice not data).

I know it seems to be working because I hear the tone it makes when I start a call, but yet the reception/signal strength on my Droid is like one bar. I know that bars don't necessarily mean anything but when you are talking one bar with a simulated cell phone tower RIGHT next to the phone, there is no reason to have one bar.

I forgot to ask.........is that a Verizon Signal Extender that you bought and are using ?

 

[Matth3w]

Read the link I posted in #4...even with the supposed no signal it was working perfectly...before that. But it's probably a problem with my ISP not the NE.

 

[Matth3w]

Calls are ever so slightly choppier now that I switched from my LG enV3 to the Droid. I live in an area that is supposedly covered fully by Verizon but no service in town really gets good service here (and no, I don't live in a valley, on the outskirts, or in the middle of nowhere).

So we bought a network extender and were initially pretty skeptical about it (think eBay antenna extenders) but to be honest it moved our phones from 0 bars and rarely able to make/stay on a call to full signal at all times (for voice not data).

I know it seems to be working because I hear the tone it makes when I start a call, but yet the reception/signal strength on my Droid is like one bar. I know that bars don't necessarily mean anything but when you are talking one bar with a simulated cell phone tower RIGHT next to the phone, there is no reason to have one bar.

I forgot to ask.........is that a Verizon Signal Extender that you bought and are using ?

Yes, the one for 250.

 

[JhankG]

I think I have read that the network extender is not necessarily going to show more bars even though it is improving signal strength.

 

[STIDRIVER]

^^ At least for me... I don't see a boost at all while not on a call. When you make or recieve a call, you hear a beep noise and then if you look you'll be at full bars. Verizon lady told me it should boost somewhat while not on a call as well, but I haven't seen it do that.

 

[Matth3w]

It used to show full bars on my LG where without it didn't. So I know that it does this, but so long as you get the "doo do doot" tone before you make/answer a call, you are good to go. Assuming it works.

 

[aaf709]

I think I have read that the network extender is not necessarily going to show more bars even though it is improving signal strength.

Right. I called the Customer Rep about that and he said that with the Droid it won't. It was the clearest call I had made on a cell too.

It used to show full bars on my LG where without it didn't. So I know that it does this, but so long as you get the "doo do doot" tone before you make/answer a call, you are good to go. Assuming it works.

Press #48 and you should get an voice repeatedly saying that you're under Network coverage.

 

[brucin]

I have read that if you receive a weak signal from an external tower sometimes the NE will try to pass the phone off to that tower even though the signal is weaker. I use mine in a location where i have no signal from an external tower and my droid always has 4 bars.

 

[Vulcan1600]

I have a crazy issue with my NE and Droid. I'm using the 2.1 Alarm and it displays Celsius, which is not a big deal, however, I live in eastern PA near Harrisburg. However, when I am under the NE at home, it says I'm in Washington, PA for the weather. I selected "Use My Location" in the setup. I am 250 miles from Washington, PA which is south of Pittsburgh. My area code is 724, which is a Pittsburgh area code, but does anyone know why the NE has me placed there and not where I really am located at? As soon as I leave my house it knows where I'm really at. This also affects Beautiful Widgets at home with the NE too.

 

[Matth3w]

I had the cable people come out today to see if they could improve the consistency of the download speeds so the NE would work again. No dice.