A Collection of Problems Regarding an HTC Hero

[daveybaby]

Looking at it logically, I'd say that a (b/g/n) setting would work for devices running at the 'b' standard, and at the 'g' standard, and at the 'n' standard.
We're obviously not looking at logic here......

Yes, it's supposed to. But it doesnt - not for my router anyhow.

Youre right, we're not looking at logic, we're looking at real world implementations of high frequency radio - very very messy analogue stuff. You have to bear in mind that this stuff is extremely complex and incompatibilities can occur - especially bearing in mind that most routers n-mode implementations were done before the standard was introduced. And sometimes things just dont work together as they were supposed to.

It sucks, and IMO it's definitely HTC's cockup (like i say, every other b/g device connects fine when the router is in b/g/n mode), but sometimes thats the way things are, and you might as well try restricting your router to b/g only and see if that helps. If that does help, then at least it narrows the problem down, and you can badger either HTC or the router's manufacturer and try and get it fixed (good luck with that, they will each blame the other ).

Also check your router for firmware updates.

 

[hannahl3]

Yes, it's supposed to. But it doesnt - not for my router anyhow.

Youre right, we're not looking at logic, we're looking at real world implementations of high frequency radio - very very messy analogue stuff. You have to bear in mind that this stuff is extremely complex and incompatibilities can occur - especially bearing in mind that most routers n-mode implementations were done before the standard was introduced. And sometimes things just dont work together as they were supposed to.

It sucks, and IMO it's definitely HTC's cockup (like i say, every other b/g device connects fine when the router is in b/g/n mode), but sometimes thats the way things are, and you might as well try restricting your router to b/g only and see if that helps. If that does help, then at least it narrows the problem down, and you can badger either HTC or the router's manufacturer and try and get it fixed (good luck with that, they will each blame the other ).

Also check your router for firmware updates.

Hey, thats worked!
Thanks for that!
Right, I'll get onto HTC and virginmedia then.....

 

[Slug]

Hey, thats worked!

You've now got a wifi connection?

 

[hannahl3]

Yep, WiFi is working now.
Its a slower connection speed though, so am expecting problems later when the networks get busy

 

[lekky]

hannahl3 answer the questions in my original post so we can help you with the other issues!

 

[Slug]

Yep, WiFi is working now.

Great news, well done! Now let's try to get your mobile network fixed.... Once you have a full range of connection options it'll be easier to tackle everything else.

Its a slower connection speed though, so am expecting problems later when the networks get busy

I wouldn't worry. Your external cable connection is unaffected, only internal wireless links. I doubt you'll notice much difference tbh.

 

[hannahl3]

hannahl3 answer the questions in my original post so we can help you with the other issues!

Re the call issue - occasionally calls will not be received and will not ring out. On pressing 'call', no tone at all.

Re the sms issue - occasionally sms will not be recieved by myself, or by anyone that I send out to. A 'could not deliver' notification comes back.

Both the above issues can be resolved by rebooting, but this isnt a satisfactory option as I may be missing urgent calls.

Re the browser issue - I'll pm you with a webpage to try out.

 

[lekky]

So I had a look around and the t-mob g2 touch seems to have some connectivity problems with 3G, similar to the problems you have mentioned. They seem to be less frequent/fixed by reverting the phone to 2G and disabling 3G. If you try this now and see if the problems still occur that would be good. Means a slightly lower internet speed but if it makes your phone more stable its probably a good idea.

(Also it seems this issue may be fixed with the roll out of android 2.1 for your phone.)

To manually force 2G mode do the following:

Settings > wireless controls > mobile network settings > Select 'use only 2G settings'

 

[hannahl3]

I tried that before and thought - 'why on earth am I downgrading my phone so that it may or may not work?'
Which is when the trusty Nokia resurfaced to become the most needed phone app for an HTC user.
HOWEVER - now that I have WiFi working, will that override the 3G signal and render the dropped calls and sms cured?

 

[lekky]

I tried that before and thought - 'why on earth am I downgrading my phone so that it may or may not work?'
Which is when the trusty Nokia resurfaced to become the most needed phone app for an HTC user.
HOWEVER - now that I have WiFi working, will that override the 3G signal and render the dropped calls and sms cured?

When you are connected to WiFi possibly, I'd suggest adding the 3G toggle widget to your phone desktop and turning it off when if WiFi range just to make sure though. It seems to be a T-Mobile problem rather than a Hero problem too.

 

[hannahl3]

Now this is the point.
Before I started using the Hero, I'd never have considered that an internet setting would have affected whether or not you could make/receive calls/texts. MMS yes, as you have settings for those, but calls and texts I'd assume were all handled by the standard network signal.
I actually have a WiFi on/off widget and leave it turned on now as it only actually uses WiFi when its asked to, for eg when the HSPD signal drops to 3G, or POSSIBLY when a call or sms needs to be sent or recieved?
Am going to leave it for a few weeks now and see if all is well, and if this turns out to be the case, many thanks for all your help - its like I have a fighting chance of the Hero working properly now!

 

[lekky]

Yeah try it, if it still drops calls, etc then try dropping it down to 2G. If it still causes problems you might like to use the 3G toggle widget to turn it off whenever you dont need it.

But its just theory anyway, hope it works for you. Anyway according to reports android 2.1 update is only a couple weeks away and that might solve the problems properly without us having to find a workaround.

 

[hannahl3]

As the problem is an occasional intermittent one, its impossible to predict when, and indeed if - a call or sms has been missed. One month should be a fair testing period, but as you say, the new version 2.1 may render this whole excercise obsolete anyway. But if nothing else, its been worth it to get the WiFi working and proving that the knowledge base in here exceeds that of both TMobile and HTC combined, who both considered the issue as a fatal flaw in software.

 

[hannahl3]

Hey, my concerns about downgrading a setting on the WiFi issue were unfounded - all connections to all laptops and games consoles are actually enhanced on the (b/g) setting!

However - another problem has arisen - more an extreme annoyance than a problem, but here goes -

I downloaded Mabillo Ringtones to get my old message tone back and 'set as notification tone' on the app itself. The sms tone was still a default HTC one after this, but the Email notification had changed to the new ringtone.
So I followed the instructions set out earlier in this thread re setting a ringtone by putting it into a folder and it worked, but the annoying problem is now that on an SMS notification, the message tone goes off twice. The email tone is dead right, playing once. So how do I set the SMS tone to only play once?