Please read. Interesting article on the 4G LTE signal issue

[Ann154]

I saw this article on Google+ and wanted to share.

It is the best article that I have read describing all the data drops and connection issues.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2011/12/19/this-is-why-your-verizon-galaxy-nexus-or-other-4g-lte-vzw-ph...

What are your thoughts?

[John_Getzke]

Wonderful discovery and thanks for sharing!

The explanation in the article touches many of the sore spots the Mobile Hostpot users are experiencing with their devices going "dormant".  They would still be connected to the network but the data signal will have been terminated from the Verizon Network, forcing them to reboot the device.  I'm excited to share the news with others.

Now that we potentially know about the problem we can start hoping for a solution.  Please keep us posted if you find any new information like this.

[budone]

Excellent find!

[Ann154]

I too have experienced frequent drops of the 4G LTE network at work. Enough of them to send a message or two to one of VZW employees to report my impressions of what I see and what and where it happens. My Thunderbolt still bounces daily between 4G LTE, 3G and unknown network while at work. There are periods of smooth sailing, but there are times it will bounce several times in the space of a few minutes or less.

I have also had a 3G only android phone next to mine in a rural area and watch the 3G phone keep a data connection while mine struggled to stay connected to even a 1X connection.

I wonder if the Thunderbolts and its ability to connect better to the RevA version of the 3G network instead of the eHRPD is one of the clues to this mystery.

I love using my phone except for these times. Then it is exasperation.

[budone]

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Ann154 wrote:
I too have experienced frequent drops of the 4G LTE network at work. Enough of them to send a message or two to one of VZW employees to report my impressions of what I see and what and where it happens. My Thunderbolt still bounces daily between 4G LTE, 3G and unknown network while at work. There are periods of smooth sailing, but there are times it will bounce several times in the space of a few minutes or less.

I have also had a 3G only android phone next to mine in a rural area and watch the 3G phone keep a data connection while mine struggled to stay connected to even a 1X connection.
Wish
I wonder if the Thunderbolts and its ability to connect better to the RevA version of the 3G network instead of the eHRPD is one of the clues to this mystery.

I love using my phone except for these times. Then it is exasperation.

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Wish I was in a 4G area to help ya with that!  I think I have found a culprit for some of the Hotspot connectivity problems.  I decided to sign up for the unlimited hotspot while it is still unlimited. More on that in another thread.

[John_Getzke]

Heres how I see it:

As the article describes, the problem happens on the network side when an unauthenticated user is detected.  The connection to the towers are still maintained (as displayed through signal strength) but the user has been moved off the main data network into a "safe zone/dead zone" with no internet access. 

You see this situation happen when a DHCP server cannot be reached and your computer assigns itself a 169.254.x.x IP Address.  You may still be connected to the router/tower, but no one is able to talk to you because your local network has changed and you are in a world of your own.  This authentication error may not be relayed back to the original device so the device keeps chugging along as if nothing happened.

Would anyone else agree with this summarization?

[skeeter007]

That seems to be more along the lines of what I'm seeing. When I'm at work, my phone has a few bars of 4G, but no data connection at all unless I switch to 3G. When I get home (just one tower over I would guess) I get the same signal strength but am actually able to connect.

Galaxy Nexus.

[Ann154]

It seems that today is another day of struggle for people connecting to the 4G LTE network.

[Ann154]

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John_Getzke wrote:

Heres how I see it:

As the article describes, the problem happens on the network side when an unauthenticated user is detected.  The connection to the towers are still maintained (as displayed through signal strength) but the user has been moved off the main data network into a "safe zone/dead zone" with no internet access. 

You see this situation happen when a DHCP server cannot be reached and your computer assigns itself a 169.254.x.x IP Address.  You may still be connected to the router/tower, but no one is able to talk to you because your local network has changed and you are in a world of your own.  This authentication error may not be relayed back to the original device so the device keeps chugging along as if nothing happened.

Would anyone else agree with this summarization?

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That does make a lot of sense. I don't understand a huge amount of how DHCP servers play a role in the Internet connections, but what I do understand fits with this summary.

[Castlefinder]

I just got my Nexus on the 21st and ti worked great until yesterday so I read the article and found it disturbing to know that all the hooplah I had read about the 4G LTE network could be a big pain in the behind for me. Now I don't know much about the technical side of this like most of you seem to know but I did stumble upon something by accident. It may be addressed in another thread or I could have missed it here so I apologize if I'm being redundant. I lost my data connection yesterday afternoon in Walmart and could never get it back no matter how many times I turned airplane mode on and off or shut off the phone completely as suggested. Very frustrating to say the least...While surfing through the phone for any clue, I went into the Wireless and Networks tab and clicked on Mobile Networks. In there I noticed that Data Enabled (Enable data access over Mobile network) was not checked so I checked it and tried  going into the browser again. It finally connected! My guess is that either the App Killer or the Battery Savery app I downloaded must have shut it off to save power????? Just a guess so I uninstalled the battery saver but kept the App Killer to see if it happens again. Hope this is helpful to someone else that all the other fixes didn't help either. Other than that issue, I LOVE my Nexus so far!