3g Service RESTRICTED at work?!

[achtungfemme]

During this week at work I have notice that my 3g service (or even 2g service) does not work when I am at work. My iphone will not load any pages or apps that require internet service. But then when I get home everything is normal. I have had good internet at work before, but it now seems disabled.

Is this possible?? Is it possible for them to restrict it? I do not get any specific errors. It just keeps loading and loading and then timing out.

[McGiord]

Do you mean:

1) you have bad cellphone coverage or reception when you are at your workplace?

2) Or if your employer is purposely blocking any external cellphone signal?

[achtungfemme]

Originally Posted by McGiord

Do you mean:

1) you have bad cellphone coverage or reception when you are at your workplace?

2) Or if your employer is purposely blocking any external cellphone signal?

My PHONE service is totally fine. I get calls, texts, have full bars. It is just when I go into safari or an app that I am not able to load ANY app that requires internet.

[McGiord]

Originally Posted by achtungfemme

My PHONE service is totally fine. I get calls, texts, have full bars. It is just when I go into safari or an app that I am not able to load ANY app that requires internet.

Check the Settings, do you have for any reason the cellular data service turned off?
Did you reach a cap in your data service plan?

Are you roaming?

Here in the US AT&T has an app called mark my spot, that helps to report coverage and service issues, when we face issues like you are describing we send a report through that app and they improve the coverage by adding more cells or other improvements.

By your user name it seems like you are in a german speaking country.
What is the name of your carrier?

[AndroidTriumph]

Originally Posted by achtungfemme

My PHONE service is totally fine. I get calls, texts, have full bars. It is just when I go into safari or an app that I am not able to load ANY app that requires internet.

As crazy as this sounds, I have also noticed this in the past. But I always assumed it was because I was in a big building that just had bad service at work.

[achtungfemme]

Originally Posted by McGiord

Check the Settings, do you have for any reason the cellular data service turned off?
Did you reach a cap in your data service plan?

Are you roaming?

Here in the US AT&T has an app called mark my spot, that helps to report coverage and service issues, when we face issues like you are describing we send a report through that app and they improve the coverage by adding more cells or other improvements.

By your user name it seems like you are in a german speaking country.
What is the name of your carrier?

I am actually in NYC and on At&t. Just a U2 fan :-)

I have an unlimited data plan and my service is enabled. It seems that at home though, I get service fine. I even think when I step outside, I have data service. Just wondering if it is possible to restrict data service only. If a company can do that?

[jessica.]

My 3G service in my work building is shoddy at best. I don't think the company is doing it, I think it's just a weird zone.

[ogm1er]

I had the same prob, I work in a hospital.
What you need to do is, make sure your wifi is on, then go into settings for wifi and most of the time your work should have a free guest wifi network. connect to that, then open up safari, there should be a login page for your works network, simply enter an email address as the name, and then try loading your destination url page.

[McGiord]

Give the Mark The Spot App a try, and see how AT&T answers to your reports.

I don't believe that your employer will be investing in such device to block only the data connection.

Is it your personal iPhone or provided by your employer?

Check with your co-workers if they are having the same problem.

If it is a common issue, then join efforts into reporting to AT&T, or maybe getting a signal booster could help.

[Vudoo]

Have you rebooted your phone when it has happen?

[SDub90]

Congestion may also be an issue. When I'm at school, during the spring and fall while classes are in session, my data service is crippled until the night or during a break when far less people are in the area.

[Kyotoma]

You could also try a reset of your network settings while you are at work. You'll have to set up all of your preset WiFi networks though once you get home or wherever you normally use WiFi.

[rjohnstone]

Typically tower congestion or weak signal will cause data to fail while still allowing for voice calls.

[DerekRod]

Depends where in NYC you are,Is your job in Midtown?Or one of the outer Boroughs?I work on 43rd and 6th ave,a block from Times Square if you think your gonna get reliable 3G in Midtown I hate to break it to you you wont.BUT AT&T is building extra towers and capacity in the area

[lordofthereef]

If you are alluding that your workplace is in cahoots with your cell provider to keep you from using data on your phone while at work, this is highly unlikely. Your workplace I suppose could use a jammer (though I have no idea of the legalities here) but that would jam all signal, I would think. This is likely a congestion issue. I have had times where I was 3+ bars and couldn't get data worth the life of me, all the while texting away, and this is in central Iowa (read: no the least bit crowded here).

[Mobile923]

Originally Posted by achtungfemme

During this week at work I have notice that my 3g service (or even 2g service) does not work when I am at work. My iphone will not load any pages or apps that require internet service. But then when I get home everything is normal. I have had good internet at work before, but it now seems disabled.

Is this possible?? Is it possible for them to restrict it? I do not get any specific errors. It just keeps loading and loading and then timing out.

I've had the same experience in my old work place. This was in Tribeca, downtown Manhattan... about 3 blocks away from the AT&T building.

Voice and Texting were fine but anything with data, I'd have to walk around my office looking like I'm scanning for life forms just to send an iMessage.

[Interstella5555]

Just throwing out there, but are you sure you haven't left wifi on and it's trying to connect to some network with no signal? This would explain why you're able to do everything else but not data on the phone. Also, as others have said, it would be extremely difficult for your employer to block 3G and nothing else, along with the legality of the whole thing.

[takeshi74]

Originally Posted by SDub90

Congestion may also be an issue.

^ This. Even if your coverage is good there's always congestion to be considered. Congestion is the Occam's Razor answer versus your company somehow blocking 3G and 2G data without impacting reception.

If in doubt, call your carrier.

[muledogus]

Same thing happens to me, OP. I can call, text and even use pandora and spotify just fine on 3g but my facebook and twitter apps will almost never load. I don't even know how they would go about trying to slow down certain sites over a 3g connection but it sure as hell seems like they are.

[iceterminal]

Many, if not all, hospitals we deal with have extremely poor signal. If you step outside, full bars. 10ft inside the door, 0 bars/searching....

Also, many older schools have this problem as well. So I would think that since you're in NY it might have to do with congestion as you're living with 17billion people in 2 square miles (yes yes, I know. I kid, I kid) plus the 4000 buildings blocking the signal, plus the building materials used could also prohibit any real 3G signal.

But I do believe it is illegal, with the exception of the federal gov't, for anyone or business to block or jam cellular signals.

[Applejuiced]

Originally Posted by iceterminal

Many, if not all, hospitals we deal with have extremely poor signal. If you step outside, full bars. 10ft inside the door, 0 bars/searching....

Also, many older schools have this problem as well. So I would think that since you're in NY it might have to do with congestion as you're living with 17billion people in 2 square miles (yes yes, I know. I kid, I kid) plus the 4000 buildings blocking the signal, plus the building materials used could also prohibit any real 3G signal.

But I do believe it is illegal, with the exception of the federal gov't, for anyone or business to block or jam cellular signals.

This.
Was in a hospital last week, less then 6-7 feet away from a window and still no signal and no service displayed on my 4S.

[xraydoc]

Originally Posted by iceterminal

Many, if not all, hospitals we deal with have extremely poor signal. If you step outside, full bars. 10ft inside the door, 0 bars/searching....

Also, many older schools have this problem as well. So I would think that since you're in NY it might have to do with congestion as you're living with 17billion people in 2 square miles (yes yes, I know. I kid, I kid) plus the 4000 buildings blocking the signal, plus the building materials used could also prohibit any real 3G signal.

But I do believe it is illegal, with the exception of the federal gov't, for anyone or business to block or jam cellular signals.

This x 10. Except for my hospital where "they" have a deal with Verizon who installed repeaters thought out the building. 5 bars of Verizon 3G and LTE. Zilch on AT&T (and T-Mobile; 1-2 bars of slightly usable Sprint).

[Ste Nova]

it will just be the building materals being nice and thick and stopping the signal... as for the windows

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...e-signals.html

[DerekRod]

My office building is built purposely to keep cell signals out tons of wiring and metals in the wall.

[aliensporebomb]

Do you work at a secret government installation? That could explain it.