No reception indoors

I just got myself a factory unlocked iPhone 3GS, but it pretty much loses all reception when I go indoors - reception drops to one bar and then usually to 'no service'. I've done some searching and it seems that a lot of people had this problem when the 3GS came out, but I haven't come across any recent information on this issue. I've tried all of the suggested fixes such as resetting the phone, turning 3G off etc, but nothing makes a difference. I basically can't send or receive calls when I'm inside! I've tried different sims and networks, but again, it makes no difference. The iOS is 4.3.1 and the firmware is version 05.16.02. I'm thinking this must be a hardware problem - if so, is there a known fix? Would appreciate any feedback, thanks.

Cell signal strength almost invariable drops inside any kind of structure. The radio signals are weak at best, and they do not penetrate walls and such well (especially concrete, brick or steel, or walls with lots of pipes, wires and so forth inside them).
If your phone works fine outside (or try next to an exterior facing window) but looses signal as you go deeper into the building, then it is the structure, not your phone, that is the problem.
In my own home, I have to use a 3g microcell in order to get reliable signal in most of the place. And my place is a wood structured building, but it still blocks signal as soon as you get just a few feet away from a window.

Similar Messages

Limited phone reception indoors

I have owned a BB Torch for 14 months. Within the last 30-45 days I get very limited to no phone reception in my office and at my home. I have the same office for over two years and lived in the same home for 19 years. ATT claims the phone is defective. It has never been dropped. It does not have any marks or scratches on it.
When in my office a an SOS signal. I get text messages and emails.
Any one know of a solution or is this BB a non-reliable phone.
Thanks.

pwg613 wrote:
Thank you for the response. I pulled the battery as you suggested and the problem still exist. I am using a windows 7 operating system.
have you ever upgraded your OS?
maybe give it a try and if that does not work then you hve a hardware fault.
Manual device OS upgrade instructions:
1. First locate your carrier and the OS file you wish to use.
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/support/downloads/download_sites.jsp
2. Do a backup of your device first, using Desktop Manager > Backup. Close Desktop Manager upon completion and unplug BlackBerry. Get DM here http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/desktop/
3. Download the OS file to the PC then install it to the PC by running (double clicking) the file you downloaded.
4. Go to c:\program files\common files\research in motion\apploader and delete the file named "vendor.xml."
5. This step is not needed unless there is an issue on next steps. Use BBSAK from BBSAK.org and wipe the device (after doing a complete backup) then after you get the error 507 (no OS installed) then proceed to step 6
6. remove internet connection to PC and reboot PC.
7. Plug in BlackBerry and double click on "Loader.exe." It's located in the same place as the above vendor.xml file was in.
8. if you did Step 5, restore from back up. Follow this KB if needed http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/KB10339
Enjoy the new OS.
Click here to Backup the data on your BlackBerry Device! It's important, and FREE!
Click "Accept as Solution" if your problem is solved. To give thanks, click thumbs up
Click to search the Knowledge Base at BTSC and click to Read The Fabulous Manuals
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Having a great iPhone 3G experience? You're not alone.

Given that this is a support forum, it's to be expected that it's primarily composed of people with issues with their iPhones. However, since several people in other posts have mentioned they are dropping by here to do some research before purchasing an iPhone, I thought I'd discuss my experience with a new Black 16 GB iPhone 3G.
Reception
Reading many of the posts in a few threads, I get the impression that people base their entire opinion of the iPhones reception on the number of bars the screen displays. This is a very flawed method. This [review|http://www.mobiletechreview.com/phones/iPhone-3G.htm] does a great job of describing why and is a must read for anyone considering a purchase. It's also a must read for those who think their iPhone is defective because it gets 1 or 2 bars while their buddy's Nokia gets 3 or 4. Basically it's up to the phone manufacturer to decide how many bars to display based on signal strength. Some phone makers, like Nokia, are much more generous with the bars than Apple is on the iPhone. The article I linked to uses actual signal strength measurement to compare and shows with identical signals the iPhone will show fewer bars than the Nokia. Bars do not tell the whole story when it comes to reception, and I'll describe my experience with the iPhone which backs up that claim.
I live in Pasadena, CA. With my original iPhone I got very average reception. In my office, the iPhone was all but unusable, and this was true of most people's phones. Around town reception was all over the place, but generally acceptable.
With the the iPhone 3G, things have improved. Around town I generally get 3 to 5 bars of 3G reception. In the Old Town area I've got 5 bars. Making calls is no problem, and the voice quality is far superior to my original iPhone. I've had no dropped calls and no service issue. In terms of data, the iPhone screams. Using this [speed test site|http://i.dslr.net/tinyspeedtest.html], I'm getting results between 920 and 980 kbps (1275 highest, 580 lowest). In the exact same spots, using my wife's original iPhone, we're getting 70-95 kbps, with several failed tests. That's a huge improvement!
Moving indoors, the 3G reception drops considerably. In my office, the iPhone switches automatically to Edge. However, unlike my original iPhone, I'm now getting good Edge reception in my office, usually 4 bars. Far more importantly, I can actually make and receive calls! At my home, 3G drops to 1 bar. However, I can still make calls without a problem. Data drops in half, with results between 390 & 550 kbps. This is still much faster than Edge however, but not as fast as areas with better reception.
Keep in mind that 3G reception indoors is expected to drop. AT&T keeps 3G on the 1900 MHz band, which isn't nearly as good as the 850 MHz band for penetrating buildings. For now, as there are far more Edge phones, AT&T is keeping Edge on the 850 MHz band. As this changes, indoor 3G reception will improve. I read in one of the other forum topics that one poster was furious with Apple and returning his iPhone 3G because he only got 1 bar of 3G service in his basement and he got 5 bars of Edge. He can be furious at Apple all he wants, but AT&T's 3G service, as currently implemented, isn't going to give you good reception in basements.
In my home and my office I have WiFi, so the 3G reception isn't nearly as critical as when I'm out and about. On the WiFi front, I'm happy to report that the iPhone 3G has improved range. I can actually walk out to my driveway, get in my vehicle, and drive away before losing signal. With my old iPhone, as soon as I closed the front door, the connection to my network was lost. This is a very nice, and unexpected, improvement!
GPS
GPS works great, and the "assisted" part really makes a difference. Using the GPS on the new iPhone is much, much more accurate that the old iPhone's methods of locating you. That's not a surprise, but what is surprising is how fast it locates me. Doing a side by side test with a Hertz Neverlost system, the iPhone pinpointed my initial location about 40 seconds faster than the Neverlost. That may not seem like much, but it feels like a long time when you're sitting in the car waiting to move.
+Creepy side note: I was playing around with the GSP in my house the other day. I zoomed in real close in Google maps and got right on top of my house. Walking from the back of my house to the front, the blue dot actually followed me. Yikes! I can't say why exactly, but it kind of bothered me. I guess I watch too much "24" and the like. :)+
_Speaker Volume_
The speaker volume is much improved with the iPhone 3G. If my old iPhone was in another room, there was a better than even chance I wouldn't hear it ring, even with the volume turned all the way up. With the new iPhone, I actually have to turn some of my ring tones down. Calls on the speaker phone are much louder with better clarity. I suppose it'll never be loud enough for some, but it's a big step up from the original iPhone and is just right for me.
_New Software_
As this is something available to all iPhone owners, I won't talk much about it, other than to say the app store is simply amazing. I've got 4 screens of apps already (some complete time wasters, some really useful) and the store just launched. With everything 1.0 atm, there are some bugs to be sure, but not as many as I feared. Most apps run great and are very addictive. My favorites include Loopt, Shazam, Pandora, Mobile News, Remote (best app if you have an AppleTV), Tap Tap, and iPint. I can't wait to see what the future holds!!
Battery
Battery life has been better than I had expected. I thought I'd have to charge my iPhone at least once, maybe twice, during the day. That's not been the case. If I leave the house in the morning with a fully charged iPhone, it's good for the entire day. This includes a ton of texting, music/audio book listening on my drive, dozens of calls, email, and web browsing. In fact, because it's so new and cool, I play with it much more than I typically would.
I've got a MobileMe account set up with Push. I get around 20 messages an hour pushed to my MobileMe account. When I wake up in the morning, there will often be 100 messages waiting in my inbox. I mention that to say that even with a lot of pushed email, my battery is still lasting a full day. I should also note that I'm on WiFi most of the day, and keep all services (3G, WiFi, Push, etc.) turned on at all times.
Issues
There are a couple of issues, which is to be expected with a new product and new software. I've run into the typing lag issue a few times. It's inconsistent however and not always present. I can usually text and type email without any lag, but if I'm on a web page and typing something into a search field, for example, it can get very laggy. This is something I expect to be fixed in a future software update.
The iPhone doesn't fit in my dual dock for my Apple bluetooth headset & iPhone and they aren't making a new one!!
Summary
I'm very happy with the new iPhone. It's everything I hoped it would be and then some. The 3G service is more than twice as fast for me than Edge, and has worked very well when I've needed to use it. WiFi range is improved. The ringer and volume is better. GPS works well and I will no longer be using a Neverlost system on my business trips. I recommend one highly!

KBeat wrote:
It's great to see that narcissism is alive and well (Raul, I'm thinking of you buddy). Apparently if Raul's iPhone isn't working, then no one has an iPhone that is working. If you think your iPhone is working, then it's because you're an idiot who doesn't know how to make or receive a phone call properly.
Unfortunately many posts of people who claim to have no issues with their 3G iPhones sound pretty much the same.
"If my iPhone 3G is working, then nobody can have one that is not."
"If you think your iPhone is NOT working, then it's because you're an idiot who doesn't know how to make or receive a phone call properly."
"If you think your iPhone is NOT working, then it's because you're an idiot who doesn't know squat about cell networks and 3G.
Please note, this is not aimed at you, but a general observation.
If their Iphone 3Gs work great then all of them have to work great and those of us who have a really bad iPhone 3G experience are just too dense to use them, are one the wrong network, clueless about 3G or generally just technologically challenged dimwits who don't understand neither the wonderful world of 3G nor how beautifully the iPhone 3G works, even when it doesn't.
Again, I had more dropped and failed calls with the iPhone 3G in four hours than I had with My Nokia 6280 on the same 3G network in almost two years. The network is also very clearly not overloaded, since I never had another another dropped or failed call after yanking SIM card out of the IDoorStop 3G and putting it back into the Nokia.

Weird: Can't Make or Receive Calls with Full Signals

Got an unusual one for you. For the most part, my iPhone has been excellent. Just about anywhere I go (in NY Metro area) I have had no problem making and receiving calls. The one major problem I have is that it does not seem to work at my desk at work. The wierd part is that I have FULL Antenna Signal and FULL EDGE signal at my desk (3rd floor of a 7 flr bldg) yet calls can not be sent or received. Incoming calls can not even be sent to voicemail, they are simply not connected at all (just two beeps after dialing). However, I do have internet access(although limited) and no text messaging ability. If I walk around the floor of the building and go closer to a window, the calls can go through, texting works and the internet is blazing. I called Apple who routed me to AT&T. ATT was so wrapped up in indicating that they do not guarantee reception indoors that I don't know if they really even considered whether it was a service issue or an iPhone issue. Either way the rep said that they have been dealing with this issue where full reception is identified but there is no service. They also indicated that the issue is predominantly found in large buildings. Any ideas on how to solve this??? Oh yeah, the guy in my office 8 ft away has Verizon with no phone calling problems at all. Thx 4 the help.

I went through the same with Verizon at my house. I had been a Verizon subscriber for my personal cell phone since the summer of 2001 until 3-4 months prior to the iPhone being released. While a close friend of mine was visiting for a few days who is an AT&T subscriber, he had much better reception at my house - not 5 bars but much better than the 1 bar I had with Verizon. I contacted Verizon technical support who told me the very same - they are not responsible for reception inside any building - too many factors with building materials, etc. Verizon updated the software on my phone, replaced the battery, sent someone out to my house and neighborhood to check reception, gave me another phone to use as a test but at the end of the day, nothing changed so Verizon let me out of my contract with a year remaining without charging me the early contract termination fee. I use my personal cell phone in place of a landline so reception at my house is important. I have much better reception with AT&T at my house - both with my first subsidized phone and with my iPhone.
Somewhat different from your situation with having full reception but not being able to make calls but since this only occurs at your desk at work, I don't believe the problem lies with your iPhone. There is probably a Verizon subscriber that may have the same problem at another location in your building. There are differences between CDMA and GSM networks which probably has a factor in this. This is relative by provider depending on location. There are some areas that I frequent often where I have reception with my iPhone but I didn't with Verizon.

Brightness/Contrast - Lighting

If something was recorded in a low light setting, (wedding reception indoors with dim lighting and candlelight) can FCE be used to modify the scene and add some brightness/contrast so the viewer can see more than shadows and things like that? If so, how?
Thank you in advance.

Thank you very much Tom!
The person for whom this footage was intended states they are unable to see anything but dark shadows and images on their TV and pc.
For me as the editor, the footage appears mostly clear keeping in mind it was a low-lit room and you can see people in motion, etc. on two TV's in my home and two pc monitors. The FCE manual says to only do color correction on a broadcast video monitor, not on Mac or another television.
Aside from telling them to buy a new TV and pc, (haha) I'm not sure specifically what to fix in this case.
Thanks once again for your help initially.

New iphone, intermittent "no service" indoors in good reception area

Hi. I'm new here.
I've had an iPhone 4 for over 2 years on O2 in the UK, and I've always been able to use it indoors at home. Yesterday, I received my brand new SIM-free iPhone 5, and I plugged in my new Vodafone pay-monthly nano SIM. I moved to Vodafone because they have a good coverage reputation.
According to Vodafone, I live in a good reception area, but indoors the phone signal indicator is moving between 3 bars and No Service. If I leave it on a table, it can change from good to bad over a few minutes, then get better again. This never happened with my old iPhone.
I have called Vodafone, and they say there isn't a service problem at the moment.
I have tried Reset Network Settings, and given the SIM a quick clean.
So, my next line of support would be Apple. But before I contact them, I wondered if anyone here had any advice?

Thanks for the suggestion. I should have said that it was one of the first things I tried. Sorry.
I had a brainwave: I remembered I bought a cheap pay-as-you-go Nokia phone on Vodafone for my kids in August. I switched it on, and put it next to the iPhone 5 on the table, and it's been showing 5 bars for the last 20 minutes. I'm no telecoms engineer, but that suggests to me that the Vodafone network signal is probably ok, and I can rule that out.

My phone reception is horrible since installing ios7. My calls drop indoors and outdoors and normal places where reception is great, there are no dots at all. How can I fix this on my phone?!

Does anyone else have this problem? Even in my own bedroom my phone reception keeps cutting out, as well as every single grocery store I walk into.

You can try restoring the phone but if that doesn't work I would check the updates frequently till they come out with another update. I've herd many of my friends with some what the same problem but not as sever as yours.

Iphone 5S - low reception at home

Hello all. I've had iphone 4 and 4s and now the 5s. I never had problems before with my reception at home. However, once i removed myself from the family plan, during my 4S, my signal strength at home went from 5 to 3(that's at best). Now on the 5S, im down to 1 or 2 bars. I already spoke with verizon and did a reset several times to no avail. I have voice and data roaming enabled - WHAT DO I DO?! And no im not buying the extender, thats just crazy.

Mangotequila
I appreciate you testing that out for us! Since it is only in your home and the case didn't change your experience, it does appear to be interference caused by your house. This can occur for a variety of reasons like building material for example! Due to uncontrollable circumstances like this, VZW is unable to guarantee service indoors. Different models of devices may have different experience in the same area like you're experiencing. Since this isn't happening in other locations, it does not appear to be a device issue.
I know you mentioned previously you're not interested in a home solution. A network extender is an option in this situation however. Please feel free to check out the details here: http://vz.to/T2BjUO
RuthW_VZW
Follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

Verizon Reception and Customer Service On Extreme Decline

My husband has been a loyal Verizon customer for almost a decade and I was on Tmobile several years back. He told me that Verizon was great and it was true...3 years ago, and so I decided to cancel my Tmobile service and join Verizon....even though it was much more expensive. Verizon use to be known as the more expensive, but much better quality and reception carrier...(e.g. "Can you hear me now?" commercials, which funny, have now dropped off the face of the earth). So we both had been on Verizon and been paying an arm and a leg and of course, we buy their phones, which come with these limited warranties and essentially stop working before the contract term is up, you end up renewing your contract. We had no problem with doing this and I was able to get an IPhone 4S before the IPhone 5 came out. That was middle of last year, and we had noticed the service was starting to go bad, but the people at the Corporate Verizon Store told me they were working on it and it would get better. So I signed on the dotted line...and little did I know because I got another phone, the people at the store decided to add some "third phantom line" I didn't even know about so my bill jumped! So we have two phones and are paying for three! My bill runs for two phones with limited data and minutes to around $170.00-$190.00...which is fine if the service was worth anything. But the service has just been going down the drain! My calls get dropped, they go in and out, my emails don't load, the internet doesn't work half the time and my husband pretty much completely can't use his phone - he can't ever get any emails and never has reception. I have to leave him voicemails or text him to call me because his phone always just goes straight to v/m. So, we were pretty much fed up - we wanted to stick it out because my husband had been such a long time customer and we were hoping things with get better, but they didnt. My husband was always telling me how great customer service was, and if you call them they will take care of you...but I don't know how they could make the service better.
But anyways, we call trying to see what the termination fee was and wow...$300+ for each line including a line no one told me they added on? Seems like fraud. So I googled it and apparently this was a big issues with Verizon doubling cancellation fees - how can they get away with this? They said it goes down $10 for every month up until the day the contract terminates and even if you cancel a day before it would be over $100...So we were looking at $900+ to terminate! Okay, fine, so seems like we are stuck apparently. Funny, because when I went in 2012 to get a new phone, I explicitly asked if there was anything different (my friends who HAD verizon told me to be careful because Verizon is getting worse and worse and really sneaky) and they guy failed to mention that they doubled the cancellation fee...misrepresentation? So we said fine, if we are stuck with awful service for a few more years, well we don't want to pay a premium for bad service (in fact, we were thinking to just get another phone with someone else in the mean time because we both need the phones and data packages for our work in Corporate America)...and we were paying $168 and the lady told us she can drop us down to $175...um...wait you are trying to upsell me? I know how much I pay each month. Unreal. And the lady at customer service was literally arguing with us. It was unreal! What happened Verizon?? I was really taken aback and we kept asking to talk to a supervisor because she was so unprofessional and rude and clearly trying to rip us off and she kept refusing for 30 minutes...Its been almost 2 hours on the phone with them and they said okay, we'll try to give you a tiny bit of credit and oh yeah, it takes 5 minutes to load one page on the internet and your calls get dropped and your email doesnt work? Too bad, wait out your contract....I will be sure to tell all my friends and family members just how awful Verizon has become because I am just beyond disappointed.

1. Verizon doesn't make any phones, the warranty comes from the manufacture. It is a one year limited waranty, same as ANY electronic device (hard drive, monitor, usb etc etc)
you bought a subsizied phone, you didnt pay full price that is why there is an ETF..it is not some trick or scam, it is common sense. (removed)
2. verizon ad campaigns change, watch the superbowl last year there was a can you hear me now commercial.
3. verizon invests more into its network than all the other carriers combined every year. Not every area will get the same service, some carriers are stronger than others.. what city do you live in?
4. you pay for service, you get service. there is no loyalty here.
5. where do you calls drop? have you tried marking them and putting in a ticket?
6. where does your data drop, email not loading? are you indoors when this happens?
7. Where is your husband when you call him and and it goes to VM, does he turn his phone off when he is at work?
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IPhone reception is poor (it's actually NOT AT&T).... Hope Apple Reads This

After using the iphone all I could think of was...."fewest dropped calls" my a--. I've never has so many dropped calls in my life since switching to the new iPhone.
Here are steps I've taken:
Verified that I'm in an excellent coverage area (with AT&T)
Swapped SIM - It was suggested online, and by Apple Support.
Swapped iPhone
Purchased Wi-Ex zBoost YX510 Dual band signal booster.
All to no avail.
I've determine it's not AT&T that is the problem it's the iPhone.
When the phone is sitting, I can get full signal, 4 bars. As soon as I pick up the phone...I get dropped calls, zero signal, no service, or maybe 1 bar (barely).
Even after doing all the aforementioned items, I still get loss of service. Clearly this is a problem with the iPhone, a search of the web shows TONS of people experiencing the same issue.
Not only that, but I contacted Wi-Ex the makers of zBoost which was HIGHLY rated by several reputable magazines etc...and they stated they have actually gotten a LARGE number of calls with respect to iPhone users having poor reception.
He pointed to transmit power as possibly being the culprit. I'm not a phone expert, I'm a Senior Systems Engineer, so not sure what that would have to do with anything. But he stated it used to be the old Motorola RAZR that they constantly got calls about and he verified that they definetly had the worst trasmit power out of any cell phone seen. Which is probably why so many people complain about the RAZR but now he states the iPhone calls are slowly taking over.
Even with the booster in my house, I reguarly get FULL signal 4 bars...but like I said...as soon as I touch the phone or make a call...it's all over.
I'm hoping this can be fixed through an iPhone update. I would hate to think I have to return the phone can cancel service, but I can't operate like this.
If Apple is watching, I'm willing to be a beta tester in anyway you see fit. I love the phone but I can't deal with all these great features but constant call dropping.

Hi Derrick,
Similar situation to you but..
I purchased yx500 cel single band (800 MHZ, that's the one iPhone uses at my location) actually 2 of them. Yeah I know alot of money to spend to get service at my house. But the 1st purchase was an absolute neccesity for my wife's iPhone. He phone is her ONLY phone for business and no service or 1 bar was not acceptable. The gain on the supplied base station omnidirectional antenna is only so so as the signal strength diminishes about 10 feet away from the base station. I tried the directional indoor base station antenna to get more distance from the base station, with no luck. So the 2nd purchase was another 500 cel for use in the other end of our downstairs, for me. 2 outdoor antennas on either end of the house.
The interesting part of this discussion is that my wife had Sprint previous to the iPhone and service was pretty much the same as it is now with ATT. Sprint's and ATT's towers are next to each other about 1 mile away, as the crow flies, from my house. I had and still have a Blackberry Pearl (now used as a backup phone just in case) and the service was the same as the iPhone. I had a friend over for dinner this weekend who just bought a Blackberry Curve (ATT) Same story with the service, 1 bar to no service. ATT's coverage map indicates (at street level) that we are in an excellent service area. I think our problem is that there are dense trees between us and the tower. Digital signals don't go through trees very well if at all.
For me and my wife the wi-ex product works although (and pertinent to your experience) occasionally the signal will drop inexplicably and dramatically.
On the road the iPhones work fine, and the very infrequent dropped calls are due to known (by me in my years of travelling) holes in the coverage area.
All of this stuff, unfortunately for people like us (at least for me), means that there are no definitive answers to the problem, and like you I have had to spend alot of money, and go through a long process of trial and error to maybe have an answer to the problem of service.
I'm traveling to Colorado, Denver in fact in a few weeks and will be very curious to see how service is there.
Will keep everyone posted.
CD3

IPhone 3G Reception Problems? You're Not Alone

I have the same problem with 3G coverage. I am suppose to be in a strong 3G coverage area at home. I only have 1 bar. Traveling around town (Sacramento area) my 3G coverage changes dramatically. From 1 bar to full bars? Not sure if its working properly or not??? Anyhow, this was posted on Engadget. After they exchanged their iPhone the problem went away? Could it be true? Is it the netork or our iPhones? Lets all hope nothing is wrong with our iPhones!!!!
iPhone 3G Reception Problems? You're Not Alone
One of the more disturbing things coming out of the iPhone 3G launch is reports of suspiciously poor 3G reception and speeds. Specifically, I've seen several people report one bar - specifically, one bar - of 3G reception in areas where other devices report strong reception. (More complaints at Engadget.)
This may be a problem with a batch of iPhones, or with something in AT&T's network, though I've also seen someone reporting the problem on O2 in the UK. The first review iPhone we got had this problem - it would mysteriously drop from four bars of 3G to one for no apparent reason, while our Motorola RAZR2 V9 reported better reception. Then it would shoot back up to four bars for no apparent reason a few minutes later. That unit would also occasionally throw up an "invalid SIM" error, requiring a reboot. That phone also had hideously slow 3G data speeds in the 50 kbps-150 kbps range, so the missing bars weren't just a display issue; there was something wrong with the way the phone was hitting the network.
We exchanged that iPhone for a different unit and no longer had the problem. We took the new iPhone and carried it around comparing it to a Motorola V9, and the two phones connected roughly the same number of calls on the 3G network. The new unit also had much higher data speeds in the same locations - still not great, in the 300-400 kbps range, but at least reflecting 3G.

my white iphone does the same thing. I will drop down to one bar on 3g but full strength when i turn 3g off. Some people have tried to say that it is because 3g had more difficulty going through walls. Mine will not switch between 3g and edge on it's own so i find that when at home i just have to turn off the 3g. I have also heard rumors of a bad batch of iphones. I tried to take it into the store today but they were so busy i just had to make an appointment for thursday, although i was able to replicate the problem in front of the apple geek, which was a little surprising becuase while in line outside the store i had full bars of 3g. It might just be an issue that occurs when indoors? I also have a problem with lag. I'm hoping to get it resolved thurdays, whether they give me a new phone or just tell me to eff off and deal with it. probably the latter.

I used to have reception and 3G access in a certain area....

I've had Verizon since 2008. We somehow have little to no service in areas where we used to have coverage. We have four different phones on the plan and it happens to all of them. Even friends and acquaintances with Verizon have complained that they no longer have service - even outside. (It used to be hit or miss indoors, but that's not a big deal). This issue applies mainly to zip code 16424. We previously had 3G and almost full reception outdoors but spotty coverage inside (no big deal, we'd just walk outside). Now, we can't get 3G and have only one bar even while outdoors. Inside there is absolutely no service. However, my husband takes his work cell phone (AT&T) with us and he has service and internet in the area. In addition to zip 16424, we now frequently drop calls, even around home, in places where we used to have service.
Keep in mind, I wouldn't be complaining if we hadn't had service all these years in this area. I do realize that cell service doesn't work on every inch of the planet; however, the issues with these areas just started. What happened? Is there an upgrade that we're missing?
Also - why is it so difficult to get to a customer service rep for anything other than sales? The online chat is never available and hold times are ridiculous!

Photo stream photos only remain in iCloud for 30 days and your iCloud back only remains on iCloud for 180 days. If you're looking for photos from last year I'm afraid they wouldn't be in iCloud at this point. Unless you have another backup on your computer or they are still on one of your other devices they're gone now.

Galaxy Note 3- NO RECEPTION

I am so disappointed with the Note 3. And at the very end of the day I am incredibly disappointed with Verizon. I've called and called about my reception... Note 3 in general doesn't have any reception in certain areas, like my own home. When I had a lower model phone I had mid to full reception at home.... until I got the Note 3. I have 1 bar to NO RECEPTION. Unbelievable. Why am I paying more than loamy family and all my friends for a service that I can't even use?!?!?!??!?! I am so upset and extremely disappointed. Note 3 was not an improvement it was a downgrade from a flip phone. This is not what a smart phone should be like.

This has been posted elsewhere on this forum and if you Google it, you will find discussions on the topic of reception on other sites with your device.
Band4 AWS XLTE was enabled with the KK update. The frequencies this new band uses have poorer building penetration characteristics than the Band13 that used to carry all the LTE traffic. So yes, prior to the update, your phone might have been working just fine because it was using Band13.
However, it appears the Note3 is more susceptible to reception issues with the new band. Maybe it's the design. Yet it's possible (who knows)? that earlier build models of the Note3 used different radio hardware / low-level software... Because supposedly some Note3 owners are not having problems. But, it's also possible the owners not having problems are in a market where Band4 isn't available right now, so they aren't experiencing the issue.
If your phone won't work indoors or it regularly drops calls, really, call Samsung and tell them to send you a new device. One that works as a phone. Maybe if it's not new it will be a newer build Note3 with a better radio / modem software. Tell them if it's not that, you would consider another model phone that will work as a phone.
Geesh.
Now it's possible a SW patch might fix the problem, but when would that be made available, and would it truly fix the issue? Until then, you have a phone rendered a non-phone by KitKat and you had no choice in the matter of getting KK. You must be documented, and calm discussing what you have done to troubleshoot the issue, maybe some additional research on your part, and you must find someone in a position to do something for you.

Patch 1.1.1 - Poor reception w/phone & Wi-Fi now

Ever since updating my iPhone with the new firmware (v1.1.1) I have noticed a dramatic decrease in my phones reception.
I previously got 5 bars consistantly where ever I went (including Italy last month on Vodaphone's network, which was a pleasant surprise!). I also had excellent Wi-Fi reception on my home network. In fact, the reception with AT&T was so good I was tempted to switch the rest of my family over from Verizon.
Well, since the recent update I am lucky to get 2 bars, and poor to no Wi-Fi reception. I also notice major distortion now when playing back purchased iTunes music through the phone speakers. Anyone else having this problem? Is there any way to roll back the update?
Message was edited by: dmarnel
Message was edited by: dmarnel

I'm experiencing the same thing. I have "No Service" nearly every time I am indoors. This did not happen with the previous firmware.

How can I get better reception?

I live on a farm on the edge of the Hampton Roads VA area (Norfolk, Newport News, Virginia Beach). Customer service tells me I'm about 3 miles from the nearest cell tower. The MiFi reception seems to work well enough, but since I work remotely half the time, I run out of GB's even though I'm on the largest plan right before the end of each billing month. To avoid the outrageous over charges, I switch to using the hotspot function on my Droid for the last few days of each billing month.
The signal for that device is lousy and have a difficult time even staying connected. Had to restart the hotspot 5 times to complete the registration here and write this post.
I don't have access to DSL or any cable services (if I did, I'd drop my Verizon Wireless non-voice services completely).
Does anyone know of or can suggest any way to boost signal for better service? I have called customer service numerous times and they don't seem to either know or want to help.

Hello. I have two suggestions that might help your situation.
Assuming you work indoors and that it degrading your signal, you could get a "booster" (no, not those cheesy stick-on things from TV). I live in a "black hole" for cell reception and purchased a Wi-Ex Zboost signal amplifier. There are different models and also other companies that make them. Basicall it's an amplifier. You put a foot-long tube on your roof (or probably in your case, you would need a directional antenna) and run coax into the area where your home office is. Here is a link that should help. http://www.wi-ex.com/solutions.aspx You can get add-on antennas so you don't necessarily have to get the professional model.
The other suggestion, since you indicated a willingness to change providers, is to go with a satellite system. Probably the most expensive system, but just another suggestion.
Good luck. Hope that helps.

No reception indoors

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