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Verizon GS3 signal reception thread

data issues related to dbm #'s?

  • high dbm, data works fine

    Votes: 53 68.8%

  • high dbm, data does not work

    Votes: 17 22.1%

  • other: explain in comments

    Votes: 7 9.1%
  • Total voters
    77
Skeeter125 said:
It seems strange there is such a variance. On some other threads people are reporting it better than other phones they've had. Maybe some people just got lemons? At least with the nexus it seemed like everyone had issues. With the sgs3 not so much
Click to expand...

I don't necessarily think the radio is that much worse on my sgs3 than my tbolt, it's just that on my tbolt I can force 4G whereas on the sgs3 it seems to take the stronger signal, which is 3g in my apartment. If there was a way to force 4G on the sgs3 I'd be all set but vzw took away that option. I am seriously considering just tucking away the sgs3 until 4G gets strong enough in my area to connect all the time while I'm at home. It has gotten stronger since I moved here about 9 months ago.
 
One thing I wish people would mention when they post numbers or comparisons, tell us how the coverage map in your area is or give a city.

I'm seeing a lot of people saying, "Oh, this phone sucks!" on another forum I won't mention, but who is to say they don't live out in the sticks and they're lucky to get half a bar? Of course there may be reception issues. Depending on if they are in an LTE area or an LTE Extended area, the dcb will be off too. The further out you are, the more your dcb reading will vary. (Obviously as mentioned prior, if you have another LTE phone running ICS, that would be the best comparison, but dcb doesn't mean much by itself.)
 
it'd be REALLY nice if a dev could make an app to shut off EvDo... that would essentially force the phone into LTE mode....
 
for the people having issues
can you call
*22899 let it go thru its update, it will hand up automatically
then wait 3 minutes for things to settle in
test
if same then pull the battery and wait 1 minute reinstall then test again

this is just something I have done on other phones and worked
a long shot but??

Now also if it does not let you dial *22899 then add a contact and dial the contact, you will need to wait the 3 minutes and pull battery for 1 minute.

edit
This does not work, it messes up sim card
 
While it is true that we have to be careful when comparing reception levels of different phones, and 3G vs. 4G, remember that 3G is still always used for voice, even if you are in a 4G LTE area. LTE is currently only used for data by Verizon, it might change in the future with voLTE. Since 3G uses 800 and 1900 Mhz, and 4G uses 700 Mhz, they will behave completely differently (building penetration, etc...). Now given all this, 3G is CDMA and uses the MEID to activate, whereas 4G is GSM and uses the SIM card to activate and talk to the network. We really have two phones in one in order to transition to LTE and keep the compatibility with 3G until LTE can replace 3G for voice and data.

It seems to be very important to follow the activation process in order to activate both 3G and 4G. Some people jump too fast and seem to only end up with one or the other. Follow the "getting started" guide for activation.

The Verizon variant of the phone has to deal with this challenge on the data side: use LTE/GSM when available, if not switch completely to CDMA. I have a feeling that this is the reason why the WiFi toggle is not available on this SGS3 vs. all the other GSM carriers. On those phones, when you turn on WiFi the phone switches from GSM to WiFi for data. On Vz it is more complicated due to the fact that the phone uses CDMA and LTE/GSM for data, but needs to keep CDMA ON for voice all the time. So the standard Samsung WiFi toggle can't be used, otherwise it would probably turn off voice CDMA service if you are in a 3G only area. Makes sense?

Coming back to the thread subject of signal strength, I still think that it is a valid point to compare 3G phones with the SGS3, simply because that is the network that everyone uses for voice. Some will argue that they primarily use their phone for data, but most people want their phone to have great voice capabilities when they need to talk. For me, this is the #1 reason to choose Verizon over the other providers, I need voice coverage 100% of the time even though I might not use a lot of minutes. I just need the 3G to work. This is why I pay extra for the best network in the USA. If I can get 4G data speeds in more places than other providers then that's fantastic, and eventually get voice over 4G. But for now I am buying the renowned 3G nationwide coverage that no one else can provide.

In summary, 3G on the SGS3 should be compared with existing 3G devices in order to evaluate the quality of the voice service.

Obviously I did not receive my SGS3 yet, can the lucky owners tell us if it is possible to force 3G only, and if the dbm reading changes at all when you do that?
 
triumphcyan said:
While it is true that we have to be careful when comparing reception levels of different phones, and 3G vs. 4G, remember that 3G is still always used for voice, even if you are in a 4G LTE area. LTE is currently only used for data by Verizon, it might change in the future with voLTE. Since 3G uses 800 and 1900 Mhz, and 4G uses 700 Mhz, they will behave completely differently (building penetration, etc...). Now given all this, 3G is CDMA and uses the MEID to activate, whereas 4G is GSM and uses the SIM card to activate and talk to the network. We really have two phones in one in order to transition to LTE and keep the compatibility with 3G until LTE can replace 3G for voice and data.

It seems to be very important to follow the activation process in order to activate both 3G and 4G. Some people jump too fast and seem to only end up with one or the other. Follow the "getting started" guide for activation.

The Verizon variant of the phone has to deal with this challenge on the data side: use GSM when available, if not switch completely to CDMA. I have a feeling that this is the reason why the WiFi toggle is not available on this SGS3 vs. all the other GSM carriers. On those phones, when you turn on WiFi the phone switches from GSM to WiFi for data. On Vz it is more complicated due to the fact that the phone uses CDMA and GSM for data, but needs to keep CDMA ON for voice all the time. So the standard Samsung WiFi toggle can't be used, otherwise it would probably turn off voice CDMA service if you are in a 3G only area. Makes sense?

Coming back to the thread subject of signal strength, I still think that it is a valid point to compare 3G phones with the SGS3, simply because that is the network that everyone uses for voice. Some will argue that they primarily use their phone for data, but most people want their phone to have great voice capabilities when they need to talk. For me, this is the #1 reason to choose Verizon over the other providers, I need voice coverage 100% of the time even though I might not use a lot of minutes. I just need the 3G to work. This is why I pay extra for the best network in the USA. If I can get 4G data speeds in more places than other providers then that's fantastic, and eventually get voice over 4G. But for now I am buying the renowned 3G nationwide coverage that no one else can provide.

In summary, 3G on the SGS3 should be compared with existing 3G devices in order to evaluate the quality of the voice service.

Obviously I did not receive my SGS3 yet, can the lucky owners tell us if it is possible to force 3G only, and if the dbm reading changes at all when you do that?
Click to expand...
Makes sense. I do have to ask, what about Sprint? Does their S3 have the standard wifi toggle? Because I thought they too use CDMA and 4g (in a very small number of locations).
 
OK. I took my SIM, put it in my Nexus, booted and checked signal. Then I did the same for the S3. Then I repeated. I did this on the counter in my bathroom with the door closed, which I think is a tough place in my apartment because there are no windows. Here are my results:

1. Nexus -83; S3 -77.........2. Nexus -83; S3 -74
 
It means better signal with the GS3. That's great.

Do you have 4G where you are? If so can you please boot the phone without SIM, and check 3G dBm to compare number with previous 4G reading?

Thanks
 
jackdubl said:
OK. I took my SIM, but it in my Nexus, booted and checked signal. Then I did the same for the S3. Then I repeated. I did this on the counter in my bathroom with the door closed, which I think is a tough place in my apartment because there are no windows. Here are my results:

1. Nexus -83; S3 -77.........2. Nexus -83; S3 -74

I assume that means slightly worse signal on the S3, correct?
Click to expand...

No that would be a better signal on the S3
 
jackdubl said:
OK. I took my SIM, but it in my Nexus, booted and checked signal. Then I did the same for the S3. Then I repeated. I did this on the counter in my bathroom with the door closed, which I think is a tough place in my apartment because there are no windows. Here are my results:

1. Nexus -83; S3 -77.........2. Nexus -83; S3 -74

I assume that means slightly worse signal on the S3, correct?
Click to expand...

No, your S3 in the second test is showing an 8x stronger signal.
 
SamMax said:
No that would be a better signal on the S3
Click to expand...
Alright, good. The signal got as low as -63 in the bathroom at another point, but it was just before my controlled experiment. I should also mention that I was in a 3G only area and WAS connected to my wifi. It wasn't giving me wifi signal, was it?
 
triumphcyan said:
On Vz it is more complicated due to the fact that the phone uses CDMA and GSM for data, but needs to keep CDMA ON for voice all the time. So the standard Samsung WiFi toggle can't be used, otherwise it would probably turn off voice CDMA service if you are in a 3G only area. Makes sense?
Click to expand...

Wifi toggle wasn't left out because of programing challenges. The wifi toggle on my VZW Gnex works just fine and its on the same VZW (cdma/LTE) network.
 
No worries! I am speculating on the reason for the WiFi toggle, no fact yet. However keep in mind that your GNEX does not use the S4 SOC. It has a separate chip for LTE. The S4 Krait is all integrated, so it may behave differently when it comes to switching between 3G and 4G radios and WiFi.
 
triumphcyan said:
No worries! I am speculating on the reason for the WiFi toggle, no fact yet. However keep in mind that your GNEX does not use the S4 SOC. It has a separate chip for LTE. The S4 Krait is all integrated, so it may behave differently when it comes to switching between 3G and 4G radios and WiFi.
Click to expand...

Potentially... but the ATT GS3 uses the same SoC as the VZW GS3 and has a wifi toggle.
 
jackdubl said:
OK. I took my SIM, but it in my Nexus, booted and checked signal. Then I did the same for the S3. Then I repeated. I did this on the counter in my bathroom with the door closed, which I think is a tough place in my apartment because there are no windows. Here are my results:

1. Nexus -83; S3 -77.........2. Nexus -83; S3 -74

I assume that means slightly worse signal on the S3, correct?
Click to expand...

Good to hear/see :)
 
jackdubl said:
OK. I took my SIM, but it in my Nexus, booted and checked signal. Then I did the same for the S3. Then I repeated. I did this on the counter in my bathroom with the door closed, which I think is a tough place in my apartment because there are no windows. Here are my results:

1. Nexus -83; S3 -77.........2. Nexus -83; S3 -74

I assume that means slightly worse signal on the S3, correct?
Click to expand...

no that means the s3 was getting better signal. (lower negative #'s are better ala -77> -83)
 
triumphcyan said:
ATT does not have the challenge of using CDMA for voice and LTE for data
Click to expand...

The option to turn off/on wifi is already present on the phone but buried in a menu. The toggle communicates with the radio's in the same way as that menu option.... it's just a short cut.

I predict that once this bootloader is figured out we'll see a true wifi toggle in short order. Until then... I guess will have to agree to disagree:)
 
dfran1 said:
for the people having issues
can you call
*22899 let it go thru its update, it will hand up automatically
then wait 3 minutes for things to settle in
test
if same then pull the battery and wait 1 minute reinstall then test again

this is just something I have done on other phones and worked
a long shot but??

Now also if it does not let you dial *22899 then add a contact and dial the contact, you will need to wait the 3 minutes and pull battery for 1 minute.
Click to expand...

I thought *228 was bad for 4G SIM cards, and would disable them... Is *22899 SIM card friendly?
 
triumphcyan said:
It means better signal with the GS3. That's great.

Do you have 4G where you are? If so can you please boot the phone without SIM, and check 3G dBm to compare number with previous 4G reading?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I am in a 3G area, at least for another month or two based on Verizon posters around town. I was also connected to my wifi while I did the test. Let me know if I need you change something and I can run the test again.
 
triumphcyan said:
ATT does not have the challenge of using CDMA for voice and LTE for data
Click to expand...

That's true. But today's GSM phones also use two radios actually. GSM edge for voice and UMTS/HSPA+ for data which is kind of WCDMA technique. In case of CDMA like verizon, sprint, 1X and 3G EvDo are packed in one CDMA radio chip and 4G/LTE is in different radio. LTE is kind of advanced HSPA with high speed.

But I don't think that's the reason why Wifi toggle is removed from GS3 on verizon. All other verizon smartphones have no problem toggling WiFi while using voice. WiFi just disables or reduces power to EvDo part of 3G while 1X is always active. I think it's just Verizon wants us to use more data than WiFi. Still you should be able to switch, setup WiFi in the setting menu.
 
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