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iPhone 3G reception

D

dmelgar

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 29, 2005
1,589
168
Any comments from folks on how the reception is with the new iPhone 3G?

I've found some other sites talking about reception problems, but haven't seen anything here.

In particular, how does it compare against other 3G phones?

I just signed up for AT&T service (before the iPhone) to try it out. I tried an LG Shine, could not get any signal at my house. Then I switch to a Motorola RAZR2 V9 and its totally different, often 5 bars 3G.

I had hoped the iPhone 3G would get decent reception but these other threads are scaring me. I haven't heard anyone say anything good.

http://forums.wireless.att.com/cng/...thread.id=30980&view=by_date_ascending&page=2

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=1397833
 
Noticeably better in my area. There are three spots in town (wooded areas) where calls would always drop. The 3G iPhone has not lost a single call (yet). BTW - no 3G coverage in this area - coming in Nov (so they say).
 
my reception has been great. much clearer call quality. and i get better wifi reception as well i can get signal well out into my backyard. with the original iphone i would lose signal on my back patio.
 
I get really bad reception - one or two bars most of the time. I've had a few dropped calls today and frequent periods where the person I'm on the phone with can't hear me for seconds at a time.

I will hit 5 bars sometimes, but only for a few seconds before it drops back into the 1-2 bar range.

Also, my 3G speeds are extremely slow (in a major city with 3G coverage). Wifi was bad, initially, but it seems to have gotten better (I'm not sure how).
 
Well I was in manhattan all day (live outside the city with no 3G coverage anyway) and I had AWFUL coverage there. Don't know if it's an NYC issue or what, but i was in central park for bon jovi and my phone did not work AT ALLL. And my battery died trying (that's another issue) so i'm not very happy right now...
 
I believe this is a firmware issue.

I have 3G coverage in my town, and i get about 1-2 bars of 3G. I still get the 3G speeds and quality calls, so it doesn't matter to me. I took a little trip to somewhere else today, to a place where i didn't even think had 3G, i got 5 bars of 3G.


I don't think it's hardware at all. I think we will see a firmware update to fix all these little issues in the coming days.
 
I really can't compare how my iPhone 3G compares to other 3G phones. However, I have been a Verizon customer for years and I guess I got spoiled by their good coverage. I have no service at home and a good portion of my town and surrounding towns have little to coverage as well. Its too bad since I really enjoy using the phone but I am not sure if the price for service is worth the poor coverage.
 
Let me put this in the mix, then: I have a first generation iPhone, with 2.0. My AT&T signal has always been weak-to-nil since I moved to what's obviously a fringe reception area. Coverage map indicates that this is 3G country, but I'm wary about buying a 3G phone because I suspect making and receiving phone calls will be just as iffy as it is now.

Has anyone who had these issues with a first gen. phone and who upgraded to a 3G found an improvement in a fringe reception area?
 
I've been none too impressed with signal strength so far. :(

Contrary to what some are reporting, my wife and I have both seemingly noticed worse reception with our new iPhones (than with our original v1 iPhones). She actually volunteered that info to me yesterday without me asking. I've definitely noticed as well. We've both got 3G disabled. When enabled, 3G reception doesn't seem to be much better. In fact, it's actually usually worse.

Boy, what I wouldn't give to be able to have my pristine v1 iPhone back I sold 2 months ago. Should have just stuck it out and bought AppleCare. :eek:
 
Signal strength is alot better than I thought. 3G nearly every where I go and I'm in a little city about 30 mins outside of Tampa, Fl. I'm loving it.. Friend had a blackjack about 5 months ago and he said 3G sucked in the area. Like stated before nothing but awesome 3G signal
 
AT&T reception for my original iPhone has been shockingly average.

I had Verizon before the iPhone and the reception was very good and then I got the iPhone and wham....my reception must have been cut in half

I am hoping the 3G really helps me out
 
I've noticed fairly solid coverage, especially outside. At my desk, my phone teeters between 3G and EDGE and often chooses 3G with 1 bar instead of EDGE with 3-4 bars. Still, my 3G speed at one bar is 390.4 kbps (using iNetworkTest), which is very impressive in my opinion. Also, in comparison to my 2G iPhone, my iPhone 3G is getting better EDGE reception in the same spot (the 2G teetered between 1 and 3 bars in a temperamental fashion; this one seems to stay locked between 3 and 4 in EDGE mode).

Outdoors and in newer buildings, signal seems strong, and in the house I'm moving into in a few weeks, I've noticed nothing but full 3G signal.

I'm in the Philadelphia suburbs btw.
 
I have had new iphone3G for about a week and I can say unequivocally that the 3G reception totally sucks. I am taking it back. Apple screwed up. I had a Blackjack 3G phone that I used regularly in this same area with AT&T for the past 2 years and never saw this kind of terrible reception. Its not that calls are dropped, its the the volume fades up and down constantly if I am in 3G mode. If I switch to Edge only, then no problem. the callers on the other end hear the volume going up and down too. It has happened on every single 3G call I have made. Completely unacceptable.
 
I n most of the Denver Colorado area, I can say that the reception depends upon which block you are currently on. Two blocks away from my home. I can get 5 bars. At home, I can't get 3G unless I go outside.

Last night I was at a stop light and I had 5 bars. Two seconds later without even moving yet, it dropped down to 2. Of course, the same thing happens to my edge reception as well. 0 dropped calls, just not perfect reception.
 
My 3G iPhone much better than 1st gen, I used to get no service at home, never had that with new one. In local tesco I only got a signal next to Spanish red wine, now get signal all through shop. Am on holiday at the mo, so don't know what signal like at work, got a poor signal with old iPhone there.
I think overall new iPhone much better.
 
My phone on 3G gets 1-2 bars, same as an LG Shine in the same house. My EDGE frequently gets 5 bars. Calls sound great and I have no issues so far.
 
Dewdman42 said:
I have had new iphone3G for about a week and I can say unequivocally that the 3G reception totally sucks. I am taking it back. Apple screwed up. I had a Blackjack 3G phone that I used regularly in this same area with AT&T for the past 2 years and never saw this kind of terrible reception. Its not that calls are dropped, its the the volume fades up and down constantly if I am in 3G mode. If I switch to Edge only, then no problem. the callers on the other end hear the volume going up and down too. It has happened on every single 3G call I have made. Completely unacceptable.
Click to expand...

What city?
 
OrleansMac said:
What city?
Click to expand...

Seattle. And 3G reception has been stellar with my Samsung Blackjack for past 2 years. The problem is almost definitely something wrong these these phones. I'm still trying to decide if I should return the phone to AT&T within the next few days, pay my $30 restocking fee and then wait until Apple acknowledges this issue and fixes the phone to work properly a few months down the road. Otherwise it will probably be a long trail of warranty hassles. Probably worth the $30 hit to just return it and wait. Apple blew something bad on these phones in terms of 3G reception. I can't even have a voice phone call while the phone is in 3G mode, its unusable. Edge works fine.
 
Why are you all ACCEPTING this cr*p?

I was with with Verizon for (since before they were Verizon!!) ever. My wife and kids are still on Verizon, however, I switched to AT&T 3 months ago just to get a Windows PDA that could roam Internationally. With Verizon, I would get 1-2 dropped calls in 6 months tops. In the last 3 months since being with AT&T, I have had maybe 5-8 a month! Bars from 0 to 5 is common even if I didn't move (never seen that with Verizon). It just seems normal for AT&T customers to accept this cr*p. Now don't get me wrong, I travel to 6 different states a month, coast to coast so when i say Verizon rarely dropped calls and AT&T often does, I mean it.

So, forget me, and my dropped calls, the fact that Iphone is dropping so many calls should have little to do with Signal strength, even 1 bar should get you a call and you should be able to stay on a call without it dropping. There's no doubt from the posts in this and many other forums I am going to wait before I switch to an IPHONE (and I'm dying to get one).. The fact is you guys should be returning your Iphones because my guess is, that's the ONLY way you will get AT&T and Apple whom are both responsible to listen. If you return it, my guess is, they will ask you to keep it and give you a full credit.... they don't want it bacK!!

Fact is, search the forums and you will find Iphone gen 2 customers complaing about significantly dropped calls and little 3G coverage - Internationally so it may not be AT&T making it worse at all !!!!

Please, don't except this by saying, oh, it works in my town in 'most' places or doesn't work on these blocks or or or... This should work in virtually ALL places and NOT drop calls..... Don't live with it...
 
My iPhone 3G works everywhere and I never get dropped calls. In my room however, I tend to get No Service or 0-3 bars. I would like the service to get better, but doesn't mean I'm just going to return my phone.
 
newyorksole said:
My iPhone 3G works everywhere and I never get dropped calls. In my room however, I tend to get No Service or 0-3 bars. I would like the service to get better, but doesn't mean I'm just going to return my phone.
Click to expand...

Fine, if you don't travel and don't get dropped calls. Keep it. that's not what i'm saying - read the other threads.... this problem is a huge gaff by Apple IMHO and will harm their reputation.... I can see it...
 
3G is spotty around me. I only get 0-1 bars at home. In fact, my iPhone usually defaults to EDGE, which is 4-5 bars at home.

Up the street is another story. It seems if I go a few blocks in any direction, I suddenly have a full five bars of 3G.

I can't compare this to other 3G phones since this is my first. I did call AT&T and let them know about the apparent 3G dead zone in my neighborhood.
 
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