Extender/Signal Booster problem in Chicago on high floor

[mm53]

53rd floor,  60611 zip.  Bought brand new extender due to constant dropped calls on all 3 iPhones (1-2 bars at home, 4-5 outside) and set it up according to directions (connected to router, connected to power supply and plugged in, located right next to window). The power and WAN lights are blue. The system light is blinking red and the GPS is solid red. I waited over an hour, set it up again and again, tried GPS extension. Same problem. Our internet is fast and has always worked well. We have RCN cable/internet/landline bundle. Arris modem and Linksys E2500 router. I'm wondering whether the issue is being on a high floor.

[Snn5]

The GPS location can take a looooong time.  I have seen reports of 5 min to 2-3 hours.

[mm53]

I reconnected the extender yesterday afternoon and awoke this morning to find similar problem. System light still blinking but GPS is solid magenta.

[vzw_customer_support]

mm53,

I completely understand how frustrating this has been for you. Let's get the network extender working right. You mentioned that the System light is blinking. Is it a blue or red blinking light?  If the GPS LED light is red or magenta, the internal antenna may not be able to detect a GPS signal, and installation of the external GPS antenna may be necessary http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-36587/.

Please visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-111628/ to view LED Combinations - Possible Failure Reasons and Recommended Actions. Keep us posted if you need further assistance.

JohnB_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

[Weth]

Just open the window and go out on a ledge

With a skyscraper and other skyscrapers around, you will have limited view of the sky. It may take a while for 3 satellites to be visible in the available view to above to get a GPS lock.

[mm53]

That would pose an even greater problem as I do not have a ledge!  The extender is right next to the window which has a clear view of the lake and the sky and is above other buildings in the surrounding area. When I am in the lobby of our building I have 4-5 bars.

A salesperson at the Verizon store and one at Best Buy told me that Verizon sends its signals from the ground up, while AT&T sends them from above to below. Not sure what to think.

[Snn5]

And GPS uses satellites that are in the sky.

[Weth]

I am going well beyond my level of expertise now, but here is a thought. Below is a map of the orbits of the GPS satellites. You need to have at least 3 in view for a lock. Since you are in Chicago, looking at the lake, that means you are looking North, correct? Based on this map, there is not much of a orbit window north of Chicago and it may be quite difficult to get 3 in view pointing north. Anyone else more in this field to call crap on my interpretation?

I do know that when I am in Chicago, the higher up in the building, the worse my Verizon signal gets. At the very top of Hancock tower we had a business event, barely had any signal to send all my pics.

[mm53]

Wow, very impressive research. I am actually facing east, I will try moving the extender to a south location and see what happens. I would be happy just to get a signal for my husband's phone; he works from home and his cell is his "business line."

[Snn5]

I also find that one must take into consideration the Earth's rotation and the satellites' orbit and the times that they align at your coordinates.

[Snn5]

So yeah, lots of factors play into the GPS location issue: 

tower/GPS/satellite/trajectory/angle/time of day/spin of Earth's axis/tilt of the Earth in relation to heavenly bodies/what your cat ate for dinner/humidity/seasons and other less contributing factors I'm sure.

[mm53]

This is starting to sound like sci-fi. Perhaps the other me (the one with the cat) in a parallel universe is having better luck. You made a good point about GPS signals; I've become fixated on Verizon's cell tower signals, I'll try to keep moving the extender around and see what happens.

[Snn5 · Accepted solution]

It's kinda the same way as DirecTV...southwest-facing.

[mm53]

Snn5, Weth, Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, literally. I had to use the extension cable to get the GPS antenna on a south window (also some west), The GPS locked in about 15 minutes. I returned the extender and antenna with cable still attached to the east side of the room, so I could tuck it neatly under the TV stand. It's been working perfectly for about 3 days now. All lights are still blue and, although GPS blinks red occasionally, the signal strengths on all our iPhones are now 5 bars. Just with I could get rid of that unsightly cable, but when I disconnect it and try inserting the antenna alone, I completely lose the GPS signal.

[Snn5]

Wow, that was a shot in the dark...but YAY.