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verizon/nexus/puerto rico story

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goldrush28

Well-Known Member
We were in PR for the whole month of March. From the time I got of the plane I had NO internet access. I could call, text and e-mail, but no internet or data. Even at a wireless hot spot I could not get online. After 4-5 levels of tech support they admitted that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus cannot be used for data or internet in Puerto Rico. Regardless of what anyone says, that is the fact. They were kind enough to overnight a Razr Maxx to my daughter who was coming to visit us. She brought the Razr to me and everything worked fine. Verizon's internet and data in PR is 1G so get used to sloooooow, but at least it works. Again, it was not MY nexus, it is ALL Nexus's, so be warned. They are aware of it, they just don't tell people. This leads to my question. The Razr at least performed in PR and I've been home for 1 day and so far it seems like the perfect phone. I want, and am willing to pay for the very best. Is there something better than the Razr? I looked at the Galaxy Note, but Verizon doesn't offer it yet. Any thoughts?? Thanks in advance
 
Hmm. Interesting. Which CDMA technology is 1G? It can't be 1x because that's what calls, SMS, and MMS go over. So it's whatever came before that? Well if that's the case, then I would imagine that most of the new 4G phones are going to start leaving out that technology.

Wait-- how could you email? And at a wireless hotspot, do you mean you were just connected to a wifi router that was hooked up to Internet access? If so, that part makes no sense.

Are you going to be in PR a lot?
 
This is interesting too..
I am from Puerto Rico and i never heard that problem.
If you are on a hotspot, all data goes through WiFi.... dont see how that would keep you from using the phone. you said you could send email.... how come? that doesnt go via voice...
begs to question... under mobile settings...
was data roaming checked or uncheked??
was prefered network automatic or home?
i know CLARO is a common used company there that has roaming contracts with vz and sprint and what not and your phone settings can easily be the culprit
 
Sorry maybe I wasn't totally clear; First of all it might not have been 1G (I used that term to convey the slowest possible). I could text but not text a picture. The internet could not be accessed period. EVEN at mobile hotspots I could NOT connect at all. I apologize for the e-mail confusion. I could NOT e-mail until I got the Razr in my hands. Data roaming was checked and the preferred network was automatic. They had me try every possible setting combination. Verizon shows PR as part of their "extended network" and with my previous smart phones (LG Dare and Original Droid) I was able to use all services, as slow as they were, and have never paid a roaming charge. The story is that Verizon built the towers and network in PR, brought in Claro as a partner, they had a falling out and part of the divorce agreement was that Claro would provide "some" bandwith for Verizon customers. Just enough to make the service viable but like I said before it's snail slow. The focal point of my post was just to alert Nexus users of this known problem and try to get some feedback on the Razr overall. Is there anything better?? It seems to be as good as it gets right now. Thanks again and sorry if I was confusing. Art
 
BT, I see you have a GNex. Do you use Verizon in PR? I bet you don't. We spend the entire month of March there and sometimes get there in between. If Verizon wasn't the best there is back home I'd consider switching carriers but for 11 months I love Big Red.
 
No, unfortunately, I've yet to venture that far south. I did live in Madrid for a month once, but I am itching to visit Puerto Rico some time. Maybe even halfway making some plans for a trip. ;)

Ok, I gotcha. So you're there pretty regularly, eh? Yeah, that would be annoying.

Now I'm still not clear, when you say mobile hotspots, are you talking about connecting to a regular wifi network? Because if so, that can't be right. Either it was a coincidence and the connection to the Internet on that wifi network was bad, or something is wrong with your phone as far as wifi. I've got an old Android handset that isn't hooked up to any service and wifi works like a charm on it.

I wonder if the mobile data issues have anything to do with the G'Nex having poor signal issues. I wonder if the updated radios in the 4.0.3 ROMs or the upcoming OTA update would help. I'm just speculating on that, though. I'm still not sure exactly what the technological issue is. Did they say exactly what the G'Nex didn't have that the Razr had?

As far as getting another phone, I think I would probably look at the Razr Maxx over the Razr. I think it's only a tad thicker and has a much larger battery. Enough to get through three days for some folks. Otherwise, I the Rezound is the other top tier one out right now. I'm also pretty sure I heard about a new Moto phone coming out in the next couple of months that will be the new best thing. And I would guess that it has ICS, but I don't know for sure.
 
I'm just confused by the "even at a wireless hotspot i could not get on" statement. If you are connecting to wireless access point, that is via wifi and shouldn't matter what data network the hotspot is getting its internet connection from. I wouldn't mind some clarification on the hotspot that you speak of that you couldn't get to the internet on.

Also, the Galaxy Nexus does support 1x data (my phone occassionally goes to 1x at work) so that can't be why the Nexus doesn't work. I'm not doubting your statements, just trying to make sense of why the Galaxy Nexus doesn't work in PR.

None of what you have told us they said actually explains with any technical emphasis what it is about PR that makes the Galaxy Nexus not work there, and that is what has me curious to understand.

That said, if you like the Razr, you should get it. The best phones on VZW right now are the Razr Maxx, the Galaxy Nexus, and the Rezound. The Motorola Droid Fighter is rumored right now but no idea on release date. If you like the Razr and it work for you as you need it to in PR, then go for it. That said, March is gone now, so except for your few short trips to PR throughout the year, you are looking at next March before your next long trip there, and there will be plenty of other phones to choose from by March of next year.
 
I'll try to answer both your questions at once. I have no idea why, technically, the phone can't access the internet in Puerto Rico, but it can't. As I stated earlier, technical support admitted that it is an issue. Not just with MY Nexus, but with ALL GNex's. They went so far as to send me a Razr Maxx which did work, albiet slowly, but that's because of their coverage in PR. even at a hotspot like Starbucks or a hotel with wireless, it would find the wireless access point, it just would never connect to it. All I tried to do here was alert people to the problem. I'm not sure if it is a hardware or software problem, but it is true of all GNex's. If someone has been able to get online with their GNex in PR I'd be interested in hearing from them. All that being said, I love the RazrMaxx and intend to keep it until the next best thing comes along. Verizon's data service in PR is terrible and I would consider changing carriers, but the coverage back home (CT) is second to none. I hope in some way my posts have helped some people. P.S. Chaco, you are in PR. Do you know anyone with a GNex that works there?
 
goldrush28 said:
I'll try to answer both your questions at once. I have no idea why, technically, the phone can't access the internet in Puerto Rico, but it can't. As I stated earlier, technical support admitted that it is an issue. Not just with MY Nexus, but with ALL GNex's. They went so far as to send me a Razr Maxx which did work, albiet slowly, but that's because of their coverage in PR. even at a hotspot like Starbucks or a hotel with wireless, it would find the wireless access point, it just would never connect to it. All I tried to do here was alert people to the problem. I'm not sure if it is a hardware or software problem, but it is true of all GNex's. If someone has been able to get online with their GNex in PR I'd be interested in hearing from them. All that being said, I love the RazrMaxx and intend to keep it until the next best thing comes along. Verizon's data service in PR is terrible and I would consider changing carriers, but the coverage back home (CT) is second to none. I hope in some way my posts have helped some people. P.S. Chaco, you are in PR. Do you know anyone with a GNex that works there?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking you were having some unrelated issue with Wifi that coincidentally showed its face when you were having issues. It makes no sense that a GNexus wouldn't be able to use wifi just because you were in PR. Wifi access is pretty much standard worldwide. I could believe that the Gnexus has issues in PR with Verizon's network. But Wifi has absolutely nothing to do with Verizon. Or even cell phone networks at all.

Technically, I should be able to bring my phone to Russia, and still have full wifi connectivity regardless of the fact I have no cellular service.
 
A Verizon CSR admitting there's a problem seems quite suspect to me. Not that they admitted a problem, but that they seem to do that quite often, even when there is a solution.

So quite frankly, I don't buy the explanation that a GNex won't work in PR, period.

Additionally, since you couldn't even connect through wifi, then the problem seems far more endemic. I've no idea other than before traveling, you must inform Verizon and ensure that international roaming is appended to you account. But I will say that I had no problem with my GNex in the Dominican Republic.
 
The WiFi part is really weird (like everyone else says...) I still use my DINC on WiFi and it does not have any cell service...

I'd go get a replacement phone.
 
There is no technical reason the Galaxy Nexus shouldn't work if the LG Dare, Moto Droid, and Droid Razr all work. They all operate on the same bands CDMA 850 / 1900... with the Droid Razr and Galaxy nexus both adding the LTE 750 band.

Wifi not working has to be a mistake. As was pointed out, its an international standard.

Maybe it was a defective device and the CSR had no idea and just said it doesn't work there. Maybe the CSR thought that it wouldn't work there b/c its a 4G/LTE device. Who knows. But if those other phones work in PR there is no technical reason the GN shouldn't.

I guess I'll find out in December....
 
My concern was to inform and warn those with a Gnex, that if they are planning a trip to PR, their phone would not be able to get online. PERIOD !! Tim, you will find out in December. This will be my last post on this particular subject. I just returned from a month in PR and I know the truth. Call Verizon or Samsung for that matter. There are high level technical support tickets open with both of them trying to address the issue. They promised to let me know if a fix comes up because I liked my GNex a lot. The Razr Maxx they replaced it with is fine for now. Who knows, maybe Verizon will get the Note soon. Good luck to all (especially those going to PR with their Gnex's) LOL.
 
Easy man, no one is disputing your phone didn't work and everyone appreciates you sharing your experience and what VZW told you. If anything, people are trying to understand why they would tell you that. Considering they don't always have a clue, it could be something wrong with your phone and you certainly wouldn't want that. Chill on the defensiveness.
 
A call to Verizon today netted no warnings about an upcoming trip to PR.

Considering they sell the Galaxy Nexus in PR, this story is getting even more fishy. While I'm sure that's the GSM model, I've yet to see any explanation why a LTE with CDMA fallback won't work.

I'm not disputing the OPs claim that his phone didn't work. I'm actually quite interested if there is an actual defect, but so far haven't seen anything to confirm it.
 
goldrush28 said:
My concern was to inform and warn those with a Gnex, that if they are planning a trip to PR, their phone would not be able to get online. PERIOD !! Tim, you will find out in December. This will be my last post on this particular subject. I just returned from a month in PR and I know the truth. Call Verizon or Samsung for that matter. There are high level technical support tickets open with both of them trying to address the issue. They promised to let me know if a fix comes up because I liked my GNex a lot. The Razr Maxx they replaced it with is fine for now. Who knows, maybe Verizon will get the Note soon. Good luck to all (especially those going to PR with their Gnex's) LOL.
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Since I've been following this thread for a bit, I also want to say that none of us are disputing what you said and we're not questioning at all that you had the issues that you had and that the CSR said to you what he/ she did. I think all of us here are by nature curious about the nature and reasoning for technical "stuff", otherwise we wouldn't be on the forum. And I'll again say that I can maybe see a software issue not allowing mobile data, but that on the wifi issue, I still think there was a separate issue either with the phone or the hotspot(s) that you tried to connect to. And I still wonder if there might be something wrong with the phone itself.

But I'm not sure if you felt like we were questioning you yourself, but I think I speak for everyone here that we were only trying to help you figure out if the CSR didn't know what they were talking about, if your phone was defective, and just figure more out about what was going on.

Any way, I'd still like to hear if anyone else has problems with it in PR or what you hear from them. Even if I never visit PR, I'm just curious for technological reasons.
 
I went to PR about half a year ago. I had no Verizon reception at all on my Droid X (only extended network so I turned it off). I had brought my parents as well and they only got extended network on their dumb phones as well. From what my PR Coworkers told me, Verizon doesn't work well there so everyone there uses AT&T or something else.
 
I just got back from being in PR...no data access. Talked to VZ and the tech rep opened an escalated ticket. I received a call back the next day stating that the Nexus cannot communicate properly with the data network in PR and that it is a known issue that will hopefully be fixed with a software update. My coworkers had Droid 3 and Bionic...both got 1x data. Sounds like an ICS issue with CDMA. Also, the only way I could get voice calls to work was to change my network settings to CDMA instead of LTE & CDMA.
 
Matttamasy said:
I just got back from being in PR...no data access. Talked to VZ and the tech rep opened an escalated ticket. I received a call back the next day stating that the Nexus cannot communicate properly with the data network in PR and that it is a known issue that will hopefully be fixed with a software update. My coworkers had Droid 3 and Bionic...both got 1x data. Sounds like an ICS issue with CDMA. Also, the only way I could get voice calls to work was to change my network settings to CDMA instead of LTE & CDMA.
Click to expand...

Ah, software issue! I called it! lol. Are you running stock?
 
Like I said, I didn't know whether it was hardware or software. Nice to see that a few people confirmed my "story". As far as the wifi issue, I'm stumped as well. I tried 4 different known hotspots including an internet cafe who's wifi worked for sure, still couldn't get online. Still haven't heard from one single person in Puerto Rico who's GNex works on Verizon's network. Hmmm?? Maybe there's something to my "story". Just teasing, I'm not that thin skinned. In the meantime I'm lovin' my Razr Maxx. Best phone I've ever owned. 4G is as snappy as my cable modem at home and battery life is 50% at the end of the day with moderate to heavy use. Thanks to all that contributed to this thread. If I hear anything new I'll inform.
 
I'm curious about this issue too-

Matttamasy said:
I just got back from being in PR...no data access. Talked to VZ and the tech rep opened an escalated ticket. I received a call back the next day stating that the Nexus cannot communicate properly with the data network in PR and that it is a known issue that will hopefully be fixed with a software update. My coworkers had Droid 3 and Bionic...both got 1x data. Sounds like an ICS issue with CDMA. Also, the only way I could get voice calls to work was to change my network settings to CDMA instead of LTE & CDMA.
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You say there was no network data... were you able to connect to wifi hotspots? I believe the OP had problems with both.
 
The hotspot at the hotel worked just fine. The only other hotspot I found was at a cafe at the airport and there was a sign there stating their Internet wasn't working. I think wifi is fine...the issue is with cellular data access.
 
Matttamasy said:
The hotspot at the hotel worked just fine. The only other hotspot I found was at a cafe at the airport and there was a sign there stating their Internet wasn't working. I think wifi is fine...the issue is with cellular data access.
Click to expand...

I guess there is something to our "story" that the OP's WiFi should had been functional -p
 
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