phone cuts out

[gmopro1]

Does anyone have issues with Samsung S10 lately, like late 2023 into 2024... as far as it cutting out for short durations while on a call?  this is annoying. Not sure why it does this all of a sudden. i am usually on wifi but switched to the verizon network and still had some issues with other person not hearing me.  Also, happened with old router and now the new one.

[SynthpopAddict]

What's your signal strength when you are on cellular service?  If you are regularly using Wi-Fi, would be willing to say Verizon is not very good in your area?  It's been my experience you have to have at least -110 dBm signal strength for calls to not drop out.  If you are at -115 or greater, your call quality will go down the drain with people not being able to hear you.

[gmopro1]

ok, so my calls dont totally drop. the other person just loses my audio for a time and then i walk around into another room and it is okay. Looks like i have 2 or 3 bars right now on 4G LTE.  i am usually on wifi bc i work from home.Even when this happens and i switch to the mobile network, doesnt help. They still cant hear me.  

i called about this and the first tech only had some settings suggestions. didnt help. Then i called yesterday and the person said i needed an updated sim card.  Probably need a new phone. This is a Samsung S10.  Tht must b the issue.

How do i see that numeric signal strength? Can u provide that information? Thanks.ok, i found that under mobile networks. Says -112 dB , now -113,  and 99asu.  -110, -109.  -111, etc.   -113.  what is asu? that is 99 and the other phone in house is at like 33 asu. they are on tmobile with a newer samsung phone. like a S21 i think.    their strenght is like 2 better than mine , but close and they never cut out on audio.    ok, so i want that ASU lower according to what i read and i want the strength to be -112 to -60 dbm.  Walking around, it seems better in another room.  I read ab sim card and that doesnt help signal strength according to what i read. Not sure why they are sending me that.

So, i want that signal strength closer to zero i guess.  So it should be -110 or -109,etc. That would be >=  -110 actually.  -109 is greater than -110 so i want it greater than -110. So, if i am at -115 or less, call quality will have more issues. Thanks.

[SynthpopAddict]

The "asu" stands for Arbitrary Strength Unit and represents how fast your phone can refresh its location based upon the signal it receives from the tower.  With yours being very high, the phone isn't "updating" all that quickly, so yes, it may be time for a new phone as this sounds like the source of your call dropping problem (it's akin to a streaming video stopping to buffer sometimes if internet speeds are really slow). I have a budget Samsung A14 5G phone and it's always between 30-33 asu unless the dBm signal strength becomes really horrible for some reason, in which case the asu gets closer to 40.

The "bars" on the display are an approximation of actual signal strength and vary depending on the phone and carrier, so knowing how to find the actual signal strength is better.  It will be somewhere between -50 to -120 dBm from what I've read, but in real life, even when I have 5 bars on my phone and am a block away with a clear line of sight to a tower, I've only ever seen -80 dBm at best (but maybe that's just my phone).  If you're consistently around -113 dBm at home, it's getting into the danger zone of having call quality problems, but may be OK at times.  -120 dBm or less is usually considered "dead zone" land.

Thanks for the tidbit on negative integers (I'd forgotten that from basic math as math has never been my strong suit LOL). 😃

[gmopro1]

Actually, you were correct if referring to absolute numbers which i see is what is done there in this case. You are fine.

Ok, yes, i will try the sim card upgrade first and then if that is still not helping much...new phone. i guess this S10 is about 4-5 yrs old or so. I have liked this phone. Issue free...well ..until this. Thx for the info and also the quick response on follow up.

Well, for the buffer on streaming..funny that u brought that up. I dont have any issue on pc or on phone for streaming with my CR1000B router 300-300, but yes, on my 2015 Samsung tv... i do see that buffering spinning circle now esp at beginning prior to menu entry (initial load of the streaming app) or main menu of NFLX.  now, during streaming a film or series, i dont see it on NFLX, but i do get it on Prime video for some reason.  Prime vid takes more time for me on this 2015 tv.  i dont have another tv to test ,but will get one for bedroom as my current bedroom one is not smart and it was on a fios stb which is now gone.  Now i will have to test this going forward but yesterday it was clean while watching Band of Brothers on NFLX.  i have had several stops and spins with Prime video though on this tv. and it is not fun at all and caused me to munch on more snacks. This may be another case of needing a device upgrade here.  I am going off topic, sorry moderators. i get it..this is for wireless subject. Ooops.

Nice job on danger zone and dead zone. haha  i fear that dead zone... esp if i am in the middle of some sort of tech support call. LOL. Thanks again.

[SynthpopAddict]

YW. Saw your thread in the Fios forum about the router and TV issue.  Fortunately, there are 3 or 4 super users who are really knowledgeable on the Fios stuff, so hopefully one of them will reply soon.

[gmopro1]

Thanks. i posted on Fios thread ab it but no response yet.

[vzw_customer_support]

We are here to help with your Verizon Wireless service. To better assist, please tell us a little more. Is your device software up to date? Did you add a screen protector or new case?

~Maria

[SynthpopAddict]

A little tidbit I found elsewhere on the internet: The average lifespan of a smartphone is 2.5 years (!) - obviously, if you take care of the phone and don't use the heck out of it, can last longer.  The better-known brands can last a year or 2 longer than that, which is why they'll get software updates for 4 years or so before becoming unsupported.  iPhones can reportedly last up to 6 years.

Modern wireless technology has come a long way, but based upon the joke I saw about digging in a landfill and coming across an old Nokia with half a battery charge remaining on it...might make you long for the days when phones would last decades, even if you couldn't text on them or go online?

[gmopro1]

Software is up to date.

Has a case but never was a problem in the past.  no screen protection.

S10 phone.  they are sending me a new sim card.  Old phone i  guess.

With case off, same kind of performance on the signal strength.  no issues in past with this phone case.

[SynthpopAddict]

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@gmopro1 wrote:

Software is up to date.

Has a case but never was a problem in the past.  no screen protection.

S10 phone.  they are sending me a new sim card.  Old phone i  guess.

With case off, same kind of performance on the signal strength.  no issues in past with this phone case.

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Having a case and/or screen protector on shouldn't mess with signal strength unless maybe you've got one of those military-grade super protective cases completely enclosing the phone where you could drop the phone or maybe throw it in water and it wouldn't mess up the phone at all?  (And you'd have to go into a basement or some other situation where there are things to block receiving radio waves.)  I don't think they charge for a new SIM card, so couldn't hurt to see if that improves your asu readings, but if it doesn't, then your phone is showing its age and time for a new one.

[vzw_customer_support]

We're glad to hear that your software is up to date, gmopro1. I would agree that if the case wasn't an issue in the past, that it likely is not an issue now unless its a different case. Let's keep digging into this. Does this audio issue seem to follow you around, or only at specific locations?  Do you notice this happening with one contact only, or any contact? What, if anything, has recently changed with your service, plan, area, etc.?

-Joseph