I recently switched from AT&T but am having trouble with my LTE service at and around my home

[gtexan]

I have been a long time AT&T subscriber. I recently switched to Verizon to get the new iPhone 7. Before switching, I checked the Verizon coverage map for my area and it appeared that it was comprehensive and strong coverage.

After receiving my new phone I have had numerous issues:

1. Frequently getting only "1 bar" for signal strength (In field test mode this equates to frequent -110 to -118dB signal strength)

2. Calls are difficult to hear (frequent sporadic reception that makes it hard for others to understand me)

3. Regular transitioning from LTE to 3G speed

I entered a chat with a Verizon rep and he told me that there were "cell towers all over my location" and that he could improve my problem through "syncing" my account with the local towers. I do not know what this means, but he told me he was going to make a change on the Verizon side and then to turn off my phone, reset network settings, and then reboot after 5 minutes. I did these steps and waited a few days but the problem has persisted.

Please help! I never experienced these signal strength issues with AT&T and this is making my experience unstable and unsustainable.

[vzw_customer_support]

gtexan, we don't want this to be an ongoing issue for you. Wireless reception can be challenging indoors due to restrictions caused by the materials that your home was built with. As a result, it's normal for signal to fluctuate. However, how's service when you leave your residence? Do you have this issue indoors, outdoors, or both?

LasinaH_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!!

[gtexan]

Hi LasinaH_VZW,

Thanks very much for your reply. I am having issues indoors and outdoors. This afternoon I had a call that lasted a total of 26 minutes. The call was force -ended three times due to poor reception and the person not at my location unable to hear intelligible information. The reception seems to be poor in all areas of my house.

The other problem is that I did not have these issues on AT&T - indoors or outdoors.

Can you please comment on what the "sync" procedure with the towers was and what this is supposed to accomplish?

[mama23dogs]

gtexan wrote:

Hi LasinaH_VZW,

Thanks very much for your reply. I am having issues indoors and outdoors. This afternoon I had a call that lasted a total of 26 minutes. The call was force -ended three times due to poor reception and the person not at my location unable to hear intelligible information. The reception seems to be poor in all areas of my house.

The other problem is that I did not have these issues on AT&T - indoors or outdoors.

Can you please comment on what the "sync" procedure with the towers was and what this is supposed to accomplish?

I could be wrong, but I think it's CS speak for, "We are stalling as we have no idea, hope to pass the buck to the next guy"

Do you have more than one phone with Verizon?  Are all phones poor?   Only at home? 

wifi calling worked great on my Samsung.  Turn it on.

[Weth]

mama23dogs wrote:

wifi calling worked great on my Samsung. Turn it on.

I should know better to write anything that is anywhere remotely Apple v. Android

We all agree, turn on wifi calling, and hope the 10.0.3 update fixes all your issues!

[vzw_customer_support]

gtexan - You're welcome. I want to thank you for all of the work you have done so far. We strive to provide you the best service nationwide. Let' put an end to the service issues you're having, so you can have crystal clear calls. What software do you curretly have on your iPhone 7? Please go to Settings>General>Software update. When you reset network settings, you refreshed the the connections to our towers.   

JacobV_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!!

[gtexan]

Hello LasinaH_VZW?
I have not heard back despite answering your follow-up question.

To update others:

I did turn on wifi-enabled calling and upgrade to the newest OS. This has helped when calling from inside my house but does not improve the reception outside (my wifi does not reach there).

With regards to data usage, I also have some devices in my house that limit wifi receptivity and would appreciate the ability to use LTE data when wifi is running slow

[mama23dogs]

I know you don't want to switch again, but if you had reception with ATT and dont with Verizon, you need to go back to ATT. 

Sorry, but paying for service you can't use isn't right. 

I went back to ATT a few months ago and am happy I did.  Reception isn't as good as Verizon for me, but the price and ease of getting inexpensive Phones makes it worth the switch. 

[mama23dogs]

There have been many existing customers who upgraded to the iPhone 7 with the same results.  I suggest you contact Apple for a replacement phone. 

Have you tried wifi calling on the phone ?  If you have home wifi, you can use your home internet connection for talk and text. 

[gtexan]

Is the antenna in the iphone 7 worse than the 6? My hope was that it would be an improvement. I can try wifi calling but I was hoping for a different solution

[Weth]

We bought 2 iPhone 7 - a regular 7 and a plus. Each has as good to better reception than the 6 and 6 plus they replaced. There does seem to be some reports that some 7s have worse reception. Those that are beta testing the next version of iOS report it improve with that upgrade.

You should try wifi calling - it really is a great feature. It hands off from wifi to cellular quite well. The wifi calling implementation that the iPhone has is much better than android.

Just turn on wifi calling and leave it on. I think you will be glad you did. Even if you fix the reception issue.

[Weth]

The update for the 7 and 7 plus for connectivity issues was just released today! Good timing

Update iOS to 10.0.3 which is to fix connectivity issues on the 7 and 7 plus

https://9to5mac.com/2016/10/17/apple-releases-ios-10-0-3-iphone-7-and-7-plus/

[Weth]

Agree, try wifi calling if you have wifi at home.

[SWAustinTX]

I just switched one line from AT&T and picked up an iPhone 7 plus and am having the same exact issues.

This makes no sense.

In my home, it either shows to have 1 bar on LTE with a download speed of around 4 Mbps or it reverts to 3G with 2 bars and a download speed of less than 1 Mbps, yet my first gen iPad Air (AT&T) sitting next to it on my desk is showing 3 bars on LTE with download speeds of 33 Mbps.

At best, behind my home I managed to find a spot that gave me 4 bars but less than 10 Mbps (once) and less than 5 Mbps on subsequent attempts.

If there is no simple, logical solution...I guess I'll return to AT&T.
I'm glad I didn't port over all of the other lines just yet.

[Weth]

Looks like you are just in a poor Verizon signal area.  Simple choices are: 1) current speeds acceptable at home.   2) use wifi calling when home. 3) switch to provider that has better coverage while your still in return period.

[rcschnoor]

Different cellular providers use different cellular towers. Different providers will have different coverage in different areas. The AT&T tower may be closer to your home or have a less obstructed view to your home.

Do you have wifi in your home? Using wifi if available would likely be a better choice in both speed and cost as that would not count against your data allowance. I have a GOOD signal in my home, but have my phone set to automatically use wifi when in range of my home wifi. This keeps my cellular data usage lower and I get as good if not better data speed as when on cellular data with full bars.