Phone repeatedly dropping 4G LTE connection

[spectrumfox]

Starting this morning, Monday 3/21/2011, my Thunderbolt has been having problems keeping a 4G LTE connection even though I am in a very good coverage zone.

The symptom is basically, during network activity the phone will suddenly drop 4G LTE and lose all data connection. Then somewhere between 5-10 seconds later, it will re-appear. It will continue to do this repeatedly while I am attempting to use the 4G LTE network.

I've had to use the solution posted here, which explains how to disable 4G LTE and use just Verizon's 3G network:

http://community.vzw.com/t5/ThunderBolt-by-HTC/Force-close-issue-while-connected-to-4G-network/td-p/...

While this solution works fine now, I would like to see if anyone else is having this problem and if it is a known issue.

[alfieferenzo84]

dial *#*#4636#*#*

phone info

first drop box select lte mode

wait a min

then switch it back to cdma +lte/evdo auto

back

should stay in 4g now

[spectrumfox]

Unfortunately, that trick did not work. My phone still drops 4G LTE during network activity occasionally, and then reconnects about 5-10 seconds later. It didn't do this when I originally bought the phone. It only started this morning.

[PJNC284]

may just be the area that you're in.

[spectrumfox]

After I bought the phone, the phone worked perfectly at home and at work and didn't drop at all.

Now suddenly starting this morning, It's dropping my entire network connection, not just lowering down to 3G. It's completely disappearing, then re-appearing about 5-10 seconds later.

It might be the area I'm in, but why would problems start this morning?

[ajnevares1]

I am having the same problem ...Ive had my TB for 4 days now and it has been doing this since I initially activated it. Called VZW a couple of times and have only been offered a replacement but I am hesitant to jump to the conclusion that it is a device issue.

Its the first 4G phone so I guess some issues were expected? I understand the *228 does not work for SIM cards ...is there another way to update the roaming?

[AZSALUKI]

---

ajnevares1 wrote:

I am having the same problem ...Ive had my TB for 4 days now and it has been doing this since I initially activated it. Called VZW a couple of times and have only been offered a replacement but I am hesitant to jump to the conclusion that it is a device issue.

Its the first 4G phone so I guess some issues were expected? I understand the *228 does not work for SIM cards ...is there another way to update the roaming?

---

your sim card does it automatically. there should be no need to update it yourself.

[spectrumfox]

Nothing has solved the issue yet.

[ajnevares1]

Using the Phone Info App does keep my 3G locked ...but where I am 4G is suppose to be available anywhere in the city (which is primary reason I purchased the phone) Thanks for the info ...atleast this way I can always access data apps without issue, maybe once the inconsistency of the 4G is resolved I can switch it back but I am thinking of throwing this one in a drawer and reactivating my DInc.

Havent tried it yet, but would another work around be just leaving the SIM card out?

[spectrumfox]

Leaving the SIM card out will cause the phone to complain about a lack of SIM card.

[willzzz99]

ALL 4G devices are essentially ETSI GSM/LTE devices. Even your 3G CDMA credentials are on the SIM card. Think of it as a AT&T/T-Mobile phone. 

[ajnevares1]

Thanks everyone ...had the phone replaced last night and the inconsistent data connection continues. Hopefully it will resolve itself sometime soon

[spectrumfox]

The issue appears to have resolved itself as of yesterday afternoon/evening. I'm now maintaining a stable 4G connection. Anyone else seeing the problems cleared up?

[latino4e]

Changing the subject. Did you guys paid full price for this phone?. How much does it cost when an upgrade is available in a plan?.  And as a final question.  Does the ultimited Data,cost more by owning a LTE Phone, or it still 30 dollars?. I assume verizon charges more,because obveously it cost more to them.. to have this Network .. right?

[PJNC284]

Phone is $249 on a 2 yr contract and $319 on a 1 yr contract for those who are eligible or new customers.  If you're a previous verizon customer and eligible for a NE2, that would then be subtracted from the $249 if you sign a 2 yr contract.  Some people also have work discounts that reduce the amount further.  As for the data, it's a flat $29.99 for unlimited 3G/4G data.  The mobile hotspot is also included for free until May 15th when I'll likely go to the normal $20 for 2GB. 

[ajnevares1 · Accepted solution]

its been about 14 hours since activating my replacement and it continues to cut in and out. spoke with vzw and they are now saying it is a known issue, no ET on resolution but expect a OTA update sometime soon. hopefully soon because i have only 10 days left to return this before being stuck with it.

[XrayJon]

Try cleaning the SIM card contact.  It helped me a lot.

[Nyobie_B]

Same problems here with 4G disappearing for stretches of time.  Some days, my phone can't drop 4G even if I willed it to, and other days like today, I can't get 4G to show up long enough to run a speed test. 

My Thunderbolt location here is southeastern Michigan by the way and from what I can tell from other Forums on Android devices, this is a common problem that seems to come and go.  It's December and the last post was June and there are still people having sporadic problems.

[ajnevares1]

i paid about $270 for mine ...which was $270 too much if anyone is considering the TB, hold off! as of now, the DINC is much more stable by comparison! i am still not over how the TB is advertised as 8GB internal storage and actually only has 2.49GB! its not worth it ...right now. once they fix the bugs it may be a decent phone but i think i am going to wait for the Bionic now.

[PJNC284]

I don't have an Incredible to compare to but mine is perfectly stable and performs better than a slightly modified fascinate which has better hardware.    As for memory, there's speculation that it's actually only 4 because of the way it's formatted.  But even that should be more than enough since you also have a 32GB sd card.  And meh to the Bionic.  Blur is the worst UI overlay on the market.