Poor 3G/4G coverage in my neighborhood 93109

[jbinsb]

Hi, I want to report poor coverage at my house and in my neighborhood.  We can never get 3G/4G at home even though the coverage map shows we are covered.  We usually get 1x coverage and constantly drop calls. Neighbors in the area who are also Verizon Wireless customers report the same issues.  Our zip code is 93109 and I'm personally using a Motorola Moto-x phone.  AT&T users in our neighborhood report great coverage.   Is there any way to get this addressed?

[vzw_customer_support]

jbinsb,
Let's look further into this! Does this only happen inside the homes in your neighborhood? Is service ok outdoors? Did this just begin? For 3G devices try dialing *228 send option 2 and for 4G device try powering off and removing/inserting the sim and test. Please share. Thank you.

TominqueBo_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[jbinsb]

Hi,

It does not happen only inside the houses, I would say service is a little better outside but it is still bad and dropped calls or cutting in and out still happens frequently.  Trying to use the 3g/4g for data is also problematic.  It's rare if we get a 4g signal.  This has been happening for quite sometime but just recently seems to have gotten much worse over the last several months.  I have tried the *228 and it did not improve.  Ourselves and our neighbors all have 4g phones so I will ask them to try powering off, removing and re-inserting the sim card and I will do the same.  I will report back the results here after we have all tried this.. 

Thanks for your help.

-Jon

[jbinsb]

Update

*228 does not work on my moto x at my house, all I get is "call not sent".  I misspoke above when I said I had tried it here and it did not improve.  I removed the sim card and re-inserted the sim card while in the house.  When I powered the phone back up I could not get service until I went out in the front yard and then I got 1x with 1 bar. 

Look forward to finding a solution for this so we can use our phones normally while at home.

Thanks,

-Jon

[vzw_customer_support]

Thanks for the additional details jbinsb. Please be aware we do not recommend dialing *228 for 4G devices, such as the Moto X. The roaming update by phone is only used for 3G devices. Based on your description, the issue sounds location based versus equipment. We're not reporting known issues in your home zip. It sounds like you are experiencing interference from the homes and topography in your neighborhood. How long have you been experiencing these difficulties? Did you move recently?

JonathanK_VZW
VZWSupport
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[jbinsb]

Hi Jonathan,

I've lived in the same house since 2004.  Several years ago I ditched the land line in favor of just the cell phone.  Coverage was decent, not great, but good enough.  I could at least have a phone call in the house without it dropping or cutting out.  My wife and I have switched phones several times since then and basically the service has gotten worse rather than better.  We both currently have a Moto X phones right now and used to be able to use them in the house even though  we would only get 1 bar and mostly it would be on 3g.  In the last 4-5 months it has gotten worse and worse.  Since it's been worse we've asked several neighbors if they are having the same issues.  The neighbors we spoke to that were on Verizon wireless all complained of the same poor coverage and also said it seemed like it has gotten worse more recently.   I know that two of them have Samsung S4 phones and they have trouble making and receiving texts and calls while at home same as we do.

Thanks,

-Jon

[vzw_customer_support · Accepted solution]

Thanks for keeping us posted jbinsb! I do show service opportunities in the area as mentioned. Our engineers are aware of the issues and do monitor these areas from time to time. Have you ever considered the utilization of a Network Extender to improve your indoor coverage http://vz.to/18OsD8A? Please keep us posted, thanks!

MatthewS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSUPPORT

[jbinsb]

Hi Matt,

I tried clicking the link you included but got the following on the page that it went to --> page is not currently available.

I really don't want to have to buy anything like an extender.  I live in a populated area of Santa Barbara, CA.  I could understand if I was out in the boonies and had to get an extender but we're not.  It's a very condensed neighborhood and service has gotten worse at a time when it should be getting better with newer technology.  We are well within the coverage map and there's no reason we should not be getting the 4G at home that we pay for on our phones.

Thanks,

-Jon

[vzw_customer_support]

Good evening jbinsb!

I am a consumer too and I certainly understand your concerns with regards to getting wireless service at home! While technology advances rapidly and wireless service continues to improve, there are several factors that impact radio signals and structural interference is a major one. Structural interference is in fact the number one factor that prevents us from guaranteeing indoor service. The Network Extender http://vz.to/1jMR0HT is a one time investment and the best tool available to improve your indoor wireless service experience.

AntonioC_VZW
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VZWSupport

[jbinsb]

Hi Antonio,

You are suggesting I go buy a $249 extender that is only going to give me

3G. I'm not going to do that while I'm paying for 4G for my service. I

will switch to AT&T before I do that. They do provide 4G that works in my

house as I've seen from friends coming over with the AT&T service. The

fact that this has gotten worse over the last 6 months is not an issue with

structural as you mention. I'm in a populated area with residential

homes. The neighbors and myself expect better from Verizon then just

telling us that it's because we are in our houses is why we can't get

service. Seriously?? There are no large buildings or recent changes in

our area that would seem likely to affect the service. How about sending

out a representative to do some testing and try to find out what the issue

is before telling me to go buy equipment.

Regards,

-Jon

On Thu, May 22, 2014 at 5:30 PM, Verizon Wireless Customer Support <

[xpnomore]

I live on the Santa Barbara Mesa, west of Meigs Road. We have 3 bars of 3G in the home, then finally 3 or 4 months ago, finally got a 4G signal of 2 bars but it was great for several months. Now all of a sudden 4G is gone and 3G is back. No 4G at all.

[vzw_customer_support]

xpnomore lets get things moving! Your area is surrounded by our extended 4G coverage which will cause the signal to fluctuate. However lets make sure your device is connected to the strongest signal possible. What phone make/model do you have?

AshleyS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[xpnomore]

Again we did not have 4G until around February 2014 when it showed up with 2 bars, in the home with a stable constant signal, on our iPad 4G and iPhone 5, we enjoyed 4G for about 3 months and then no 4G at all, inside or outside the home.

I had a DSL outage the first week in May 2014 and used the iPad with 4G, inside the home, we had bad DSL the month of May and finally no DSL the last week in May 2014 and discovered we had lost 4G, inside and outside the home.

DSL is back up after we received a new modem but 4G does not register.

Gary

[vzw_customer_support]

I can see why you'd be disappointed to stop getting the 4G service that had been available. In your area, we show extended 4G service. This means it may fluctuate between 3G and 4G, and at times 4G may not be available.

Thank you,
MichelleH_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[jbinsb]

That would be great if we could get 3G for starters.  Is anyone at Verizon reading this whole thread?  We have to leave our house and walk or drive down the street to call Verizon to report the problem because otherwise we will drop the call while waiting on hold.  Help us out here.  Improve the coverage in our area or fix what broke in the last 4-5 months.

[xpnomore]

Again, 4G was 24/7 for more than 2.5 months. It did not fluctuate. Solid stable usable signal.

I have been using cellphones since they were 5lb 3watt battery packs.

Either a antenna in the array was tweaked one degree and it affected another area and changed back or the power was boosted and it caused problems with another carrier,

or handshaking with the Elings Park site, but we did have a non-fluctuating signal.

[vzw_customer_support]

xpnomore,

Thanks for the info. Have we submitted a ticket to have our technician review this concern in further detail? This may help if the issue is indoors only http://vz.to/IHRT6h

EfrainM_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[xpnomore]

Please be informed that May 11, 2014, Wednesday night at 2359 hours a large crane was seen working at the Shoreline Plaza cell site at the corner of Meigs Road and Cliff Drive.

I have no information concerning which carrier was doing the work but hardware is either being upgraded or replaced at that location which would definitely play into the current coverage issues.

[jbinsb]

We are also on the mesa west of Meigs and reporting the same issues.  My wife opened a ticket with Verizon last month for our actual address and the 4G problems, they said they would look into and let her know.  My wife had to drive down the street just to call Verizon so the call would not get dropped. They responded to the ticket after several weeks and marked it as "fixed".  Sadly nothing has changed so I don't understand what was "fixed".  We do not get 4G at our house yet we pay for the service and are in the extended 4G coverage area.  We rarely get 3G and mostly we have trouble getting any service in our house at all.   

[vzw_customer_support]

We want you to have consistent 4G performance in as many locations as possible jbinsb. I'm sorry to hear about your difficulties. When did these difficulties begin? You are also in the 93109 zip? How is your service outside your home or neighborhood? Structures such as your home or workplace can interfere with signal penetration.

JonathanK_VZW
VZWSupport
Follow Us on Twitter@VZWSupport

[jbinsb]

Hi Jonathan,

I'm the original poster of this thread and you have asked me these same questions previously and I answered them.  I feel like we are going in circles but nothing is being done to address the actual issue.  Since no structures have changed in our neighborhood that is not an explanation for why the coverage has deteriorated.  Has a Verizon technician been to our neighborhood to analyze the issues?  I'll say it again, it has become worse in the last 4-5 months. Verizon has changed something or there is a Verizon equipment failure in our area.

Thanks,

-Jon