Child Item

Site Totals

61493 Questions Answered 271 Categories

Galaxy S4 reception on 3g networks

I bought my S4 about 6 weeks ago and it has been a great phone. This past weekend I was in a rural area where cell service has historically been marginal. Phones have always worked for voice and text but you can forget about decent internet access.

In this environment my S4 had zero internet service, would not send texts, and quickly lost battery charge. All this while my wife's iPhone 4s worked as always, phone and texts fine and marginal internet. I ran by the local Verizon store this morning to compare my dbm reading with other phones and to discuss the problem with the staff. The dbm reading on my S4 was -106, about the same for like or similar phones in the store. The person I was speaking with suggested the difference could be that the iPhone 4 operates on 3g rather than 4g, as did my prior phone.

So the question is, can 4g be switched off on the S4? A quick look at the menus seems to indicate 'no'. If not, is there any other way to make the S4 reception as good or better than the iPhone 4 in this type of environment? As I find myself in less than perfect cell environments quite often, this could become very important some day.

Thanks,

Comments

Verizon_Support

Hey there hmtodd,

Congrats on the S4. It is an awesome device and I hope that you are loving it so far. I am sorry for the issues that you are having in a specific area and I would like to further investigate to see if we can get you back in the fast lane.

At this time there is not a way to switch the S4 off of LTE and put it into CDMA only. Which zip code are you having issues in? Do they primarily occur indoors? or outdoors as well?

Please try powering off the device and removing the sim card. Reinsert the sim card and power the device back on and test the connection. Visit http://vz.to/10NQRZJ for steps on how to properly remove and reinsert the sim card.

Keep us updated with results.

Nicholas_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

maggieo

I have the EXACT same problem as do a BUNCH of people at my company that just got new phones. We are in Springfield, MA 01103 in a medium height building. I have had a 4g Droid Charge for 2 years with no problems. Since I (and several others) got the Galaxy 4S, here's what happens.. It's a "normally" strong 4G area - so our phones stay mostly on 4G but can't even get to the internet. We do get emails. TXT/SMS are hit or miss - some send and some fail. Phone signal is low - I haven't talked much on mine - just got it. So - if you turn a certain way - your phone "might" go to 3G and it's fine (slow speed but at least it works) - and if you are in a different spot or moment etc - it stays on 4G and we are out of luck.. but some places it will NOT go to 3G so we can't use these critical devices. Those with iPhones and even the new 4G blackberry's (ALL VERIZON) can switch their phones to 3G - like I used to be able to do with my Droid Charge.. So - you now have the information.. I am on the 17th floor of this building. Please either give me a way to set my phone to 3G, or point a tower/signal UP to my floor.. Some "presume" that the towers are pointing down to those on the ground. We have offices on the 12th floor of this same building and the 4g is fine there.. but a few floors up - and we are out of business.. You said above you took away the option and you will fix problems if they arise - so please fix ours asap. Oh - I have tried re-inserting my sim card more than once.. Basically the phone is going to try to get the 4G signal and it sticks with it even when it's too weak.. It's not like it's slow - you CAN NOT get to the internet, maps, play store - nothing... Please advise asap. Thank you.

hmtodd

Nicholas_VZW,

Thank you for the response. The zip code I was in last weekend is 42032. I was outside most of the time so it was not building related. I was on a bluff and could see for miles, but it is mostly open terrain. Not to confuse the issue with the phone, but it is a location where my MiFi will typically bounce between 3g and 4g connections but not be able to access much of anything, For a moment you will see 3 or 4 bars with the green 4g led on, but in the next instant it all goes away and it starts searching again. I can only presume the same thing is happening with my phone. Unfortunately for testing purposes, I am not at that location any longer and will not be back there for a couple of months.

Next week I will be in a more difficult VerizonWireless environment in zip code 37880, so that could prove interesting (and frustrating). You really hate to have the hottest phone on the market and not be able to connect.

Your message gives me hope that a solution may be under consideration, and messages like the one from Maggieo and others indicate a solution is needed.

Thanks again, and please let me know if there is anything I can do short term.

Regards,

eburger

Identical problem. 22066. 3G service worked fine on Droid 2 Global. LTE service works fine on iPhone and iPad, right now. Some kind of configuration thing on the S4, or does the S4 just not work?

Verizon_Support

Hey there maggieo,

Congratulations on the new S4. They are awesome devices and I hope that you are loving them so far.

Signal can be challenging while indoors due to the construction of the building and other environmental variables. The higher you go up in a building, the more challenging it can be to get signal, because yes the cell towers are pointed down. An accessory that may help is a network extender. Visit http://vz.to/O3ZzCi for additional information.

How is service outside of the office building? Do you experience any issues in that zipcode any where else?

Nicholas_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

Verizon_Support

Thanks for the details hmtodd. We certainly want you to have reliable wireless coverage. Did you try removing your SIM card and battery for a few seconds as we suggested in the first response? Do you know of any other VZW devices besides your wife's phone that were in the area? Some phones have a stronger signal than others and I would be interested to see whether other model 4G devices perform the same way in this area. I see that the closest 3G tower to this area is about 7 miles away, while the closest 4G tower is 11 miles. The further 4G tower shouldn't affect voice service, but if the phone is trying to find the 4G tower further away, it could affect data and cause the battery to drain fast. How often do you travel to this area?

Marquia_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

Verizon_Support

@eburger

You should get the same 4G LTE network benefits on your Samsung Galaxy S 4! What type of signal do you get on your Galaxy S 4? Do you have a 3G or 4G signal? Is this problem happening at one specific location? And if so, is it happening indoors, outdoors or both?

Please try removing and reinserting the 4G SIM Card http://vz.to/1azC0Z0, and change the Network Mode setting to LTE/CDMA http://vz.to/1bzry6B. Let me know how this works out for you. Thanks!

AnthonyTa_VZW

Please follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

eburger

This was a case of UBD, with contributory factors from VZW.

The behavior was as described by everyone on the thread. However, my problem was VZW had deactivated by SIM. The behaviors looked the same, but it turns out to be a totally different issue. New SIM, phone works great. Thanks for responding!

maggieo

Hi Nicholas, Thanks so much for the reply.. So - outside the building is fine - all around the area is fine and on strong 4G. Our Droid Charge's were fine on 4G too.. I think we are on the opposite side of the building from where the cell tower is - and the people over there are fine.. so - the main "immediate" problem is that we can't switch to 3G, like we could on our old phones.. Those with iPhones and B-Berry's can switch down.. they get a strong signal - although slower of course for the internet. But with us stuck on 4G - there's enough signal for phone calls - for the few that we have made - and for sure the SMS - which is also on the "phone" part I think.. But not the internet etc - weather, stuff like that.. So - re the Network Extender - I thought that was just for voice?? I actually had to BUY ONE (and it wasn't cheap) for my house when we switched from B-Berry to Droid 2 years ago, b/c we couldn't make phone calls. and recently I was told that's only for voice, not for data - can you confirm that? Of course since only 3 of us went with Droids (all the Galaxy S4), and everyone else got the iPhones (and one blackberry hold out!) they not going to love to spend the $$ on that - but let's first see if it would help. For sure when we were on the 12th floor - same exact "side" of the building, we had no problems on 4G.. The exact addres of the building is 1350 Main St. Springfield, MA - maybe you can look at what towers are near us and see if any adjustments can be made. There are two othe "CLASS A" office "towers" right near us - I have friends at them, but most are on lower floors.. but - maybe there's some antenna that you could angle for us - since you don't allow us to "dumb our phones down" to 3G.. Of course we'd much prefer our 4G to work. It's so spotty - but the problem is the phones grab 4g and then just don't work.. instead of dropping themselves down to 3G.. At my house my phone is always only 3G.. Also - there's something re the Network Extender being only for 3G someone just told me (at verizon) - maybe at 3G it's just voice and 4 G different? Maybe you can clarify my incorrect info - I just forget what I was told when I called VZW to compain about this problem.. Anyway - will keep an eye for your response.. appreciate that you folks do respond here. and - I'm glad the guy at the bottom just had an activation issue, but for sure that is not my issue..

maggieo

Just an FYI, I HAVE changed mine from "global" to LTE/CDMA - still "tries" to get the 4G and signal is bad - but it won't drop down to 3g..

pharmangie

I really think it is a problem with your verizon's tower in your area. I bought a S3 1yr ago. I keep having the same problems. Went through 6 replacement phones trying to get the phone to work in my home town (at the time my town had an old 3G tower). The phone worked great when I traveled on a 4G network and also worked fine on other 3G towers. The only thing Verizon offered was to keep sending out replacements, finally they gave me a credit on my bill because they could not keep my data connection. About 6 months ago they updated our local tower to a 4G, I have never had any problems with data connections since. I just bought the new S4 and it works like a charm......... keep bugging them about the loss of data connection, they can see it on there end when you lose connection. Have all your friends call!! The more complaints the faster they will fix the tower.

Verizon_Support

Hi Pharmangie,

Awesome! I am so excited to hear that your services are working properly. We work hard to make sure that our service goes everywhere you go. Thanks for the compliments.

Have a great day!

Pamela_VZW

Please follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

hmtodd

I did remove the SIM card as requested, but haven't noticed any different performance. From my experience and from what I am reading here and elsewhere, it appears the S4 needs the user option to ignore 4g. It would be better if the phone would connect to 3g automatically when 4g is poor, but that might not be technically possible.

As for other phones around in the 42032 zip, I can't say that I did a survey. Sorry, it would have been a good idea but maybe intrusive to other people.

My trip to zip 37880 was much better than expected. I was with a group on that trip and everyone using Verizon thought reception was improved from the last time we were there. Congratulation on that.

A fix would be nice.

Hugh

dart44072

I am having signal issues as well. I purchased an S4 and had terrible reception. I took it in to get it looked at and was told everything was fine. They let me know that V was working on some towers. I came back two days later to a V corporate store and they switched the sim card. The next day, the same issues. V replaced my phone with a new one at the store. I went back today because nothing has changed. V is sending me another phone to try. At this point I do not even want to deal with Samsung anymore. I love the feature on the phone, but if I don't get reception, it's just a paper weight.

By the way, I have had the dreaded O with the slash through it many times while my wife is standing right next to me. She has 4G, I have no signal. She has a Droid Razr. I will never buy another Samsung phone again.

zettel29

Pamela,

I recently switched to a Samsung Galaxy S4 myself and have been having reception issues. I do not think that it is just my phone however, but I cannot get anyone at technical support to help me out. I live in zipcode 43606 and my roommate is having signal issues in the house, out front of the house and even down the road. This is happening when the phone shows full 4G LTE coverage. I have the S4, he has the iPhone 5S. Can you help me?

Verizon_Support

Buying a new phone is always exciting but can become frustrating if you start to have signal issues zette129. You chose an awesome phone because I have friends and family who have this phone and love it,and thats how we want you to feel about this phone. I'm sorry you have a new phone and have had to visit the store multiple times but I'm extremely happy that you're receiving a replacement. Just as a reminder, you have a 14day worry free guarantee that allow the return of the phone for a full refund or exchange to a different new phone. If you choose to return the phone within this trial period for a different phone, you will have to pay the difference in cost if there is one and a restocking fee. I can understand the need to try a different type of device after your situation but I want you to be confident in our ability to ensure you have a working phone. Please keep us posted because if you continue to have issues we may have to file a trouble-ticket or review other options. Also, provide your zipcode so that I can review your area for issues. I look forward to hearing from you.

Enjoy your new phone and your weekend.

KinquanaH_Vzw

Follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

jth2013

I had signal issues out of the box with my first S4. First let me say I LOVE the phone. The menu structure and camera are the best.

90% of my use of my phone use is in a rural area, so good signal strength is the most import thing.

Verizon has replaced my Galaxy S4 three times in the last 4 months in an attempt to get a phone with good reception. I have sat side by side with other Verizon customers who were using their phones(motorolas) for calls and for data, yet I had NO signal. I could not make a phone call, send a text or use any data. This has become a constant problem with the S4. It has been the exact same on all three S4 phones. Can anything be done to increase reception?

I am trying very hard not to knock the phone. I absolutely love the menu structure. The menu structure and the camera is why I chose the S4. They are the best out there! Unfortunately, I will not be able to use them and I will have to settle for less.

The last straw. I also have a Verizon MiFi hotspot. I was sitting with Verizon friends who were making calls, texting and surfing the internet (they each had 2 bars of signal strength showing). I had ZERO bars of anything. I turned on the MiFi and it had 4 bars of signal. I connected my S4 to the MiFi via wireless and made my calls using Skype & Magic Jack!! Since then I have noticed that my MiFi will have 4-5 bars when the S4 has 1 or none??

I tried real hard to stay with the S4, but its lack of reception forced me to a different manufacturer's device. I am now on my 4th phone in 5 months. I regretfully traded in my S4 for the Motorola Maxx. Now, I have signal in areas that I had none on the S4. I am able to use my phone now, but I do miss the S4 for its features. The menu, camera and just plain basic functionality on the Maxx is no where as nice as on the S4, but I can make calls where I could not with the S4. Besides being able to use the phone, the battery is the only thing the Maxx has the S4 beat at.

If there is nothing that can be done for an S4, it there a different model Samsung with great rural reception that has a similar menu structure and camera?

Child Item