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4G Slower than 3G at work - Can't force 3G connection

Hi,

This has really aggravated me for a long time, ever since I was on the Galaxy Nexus with 4G. Anyways I now have a Galaxy S4 and the signal at work provides 2 bars of 4G but when I am on 4G it is incredibly slow to the point where the phone is useless other than for phone calls. I used to be able to use an app that forced 3G connections which run fine and allows me to do everything I would need during the day and make it passable. Verizon it seems has taken the feature away all together from Android 4.3 with the S4 which is total crap. Now I am stuck using a 4G network that is slower than 2G.

Please help with an alternative. We don't have a public wifi at work so cell is my only option. Can't wait to get over to T-Mobile once this contract ends.

Comments

Klue

A couple of things you might try.

1. Pull the Sim card and reinstall it.

2. If that doesn't improve the situation try going into your network settings and change CDMA/LTE setting to Global. I understand that global runs only on 3G.

Schr8r154

Both were unsuccessful unfortunately.

Klue

Do you still have this problem when you step outside? If your building has a lot of metal built in, then the signal could be partially blocked.

Schr8r154

Yeah it works fine once I get far enough away from my building but my issue is that 3G is considerably faster than 4G from my office. I can't understand that and it's not an issue of more people being on 4G now because it has been like this since 2010 when nobody was even on 4G.

Cutee83

Hi Schr8r154,

I am also having an issue with my 4G connection. It's been on going since last Wednesday 2/19/14. Very aggravating indeed. I went to a Verizon store and they replaced my sim card....no help. I then had a replacement S4 sent and still no help.

I am very disappointed since I had always gotten great 4G coverage where I am (work and home). I feel like i am paying premium dollar for service that isn't working.

I toggle the network between Global and LTE/CDMA a few times and if I'm lucky I get a minute of service. Also toggling airplane mode on and off sometimes works for a minute too. Other than that my phone is useless until I get home and connect to WiFi. But in all honesty, this shouldn't have to be done to get data working.

I really hope this issue is resolved soon, I have no other ideas on how to fix this. I am very tempted to switch carriers at this point. When I spoke to Verizon customer support I asked for the time my data has been out to be credited or pro-rated, but they refused.

Hope you get yours resolved soon, and if I figure anything out I will let you know. If the 4.3 update wasn't stable, than they shouldn't have released it. I almost wonder if this is the issue.

Regards,

Stephanie

unknown

Could be they are doing upgrades to your tower. Or the tower has had an increase in the amount of bandwidth being used.

Cutee83

When I called and spoke to customer service and tech support they said nothing was different in the area. First thing I asked if there was a 4G outage here, but they won't admit to it. They said there aren't any "known issues" regarding service or with the S4.

It isn't just isolated to here either. I work 40 miles away from home and it happens in both locations.

But thanks for the suggestion.

Cutee83

Also a few co-workers also have Verizon Wireless and are not having the same issue. They are on different devices other than the S4 (ie: Iphone 4, Blackberry, Droid Rzr Maxx)

Klue

Easy enough to figure out, find someone with a S4 and do a functionality comparison from the exact spot. Chances are if both have the same problem its the network. If not then there is something wrong with the phone. This way you isolate where the problem lays, but not necessarily how to fix it.

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