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iphone 4s on AT&T -- Is connection reliability improved?
- Thread starter WannaGoMac
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Nice Thread!
NYC, My i4S Att Is A Super Solid Phone All Around, Great Reception, Love It!
NYC, My i4S Att Is A Super Solid Phone All Around, Great Reception, Love It!
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You seem to be drawing this conclusion, but that would be ignoring the significant number of respondents so far who have indicated otherwise, not to mention the independent threads which are cropping up and indicate that some users are not finding their 4S is getting better results.
My own conclusion, posted previously, still holds: that in areas with good 3G performance, the iPhone 4S performs somewhere between very well and exceptionally well. However, in areas of poor 3G performance, it does not because service quality limits the iPhone's performance.
Compared to what?
Well, just seems strange to me that people I know have told me that where they use their prior iPhones and found AT&T awful are now saying they don't have one issue. This occurred immediate to the purchase and use of the 4s, so I don't think AT&T just happened to build more towers that day. Additionally, I am still using my 3GS and found I still get the same connectivity problems that these people aren't -- and in some cases these new 4s owners are in the same building as I. Lastly, the poll numbers, at this point, are overwhelmingly indicating better performance from the 4s on AT&T -- provided people are honestly voting
If you're in a truly lousy AT&T coverage area (i.e. no towers or your buildings are basically faraday cages), no phone can correct that issue. If you're in a decent enough AT&T area, improved antenna etc will make a difference given the scenarios I have tracked thus far. People are all saying less dropped calls (many telling me not one dropped call) when using the phone exactly the same as their prior 3G and 3GS.
Of course, it could be the hawthorne effect
The fact that the poll so far reflects a majority reporting improved performance is not disputed. However, neither should the fact that a notable minority are reporting otherwise. It is clearly true, based on those results, that the 4S is capable of better signal performance than prior models and that users upgrading can reasonably hope for better call quality and reliability. It is equally true however that there are circumstances, beyond the user's control, in which the potential benefits of better call quality and reliability are not being realised.
It's not a criticism of the iPhone 4S so much as a condemnation of service standards in some locations, whether due to geography, infrastructure or the inevitable problems surrounding ultra-low power radio. Even so, it's a more accurate reflection of what iPhone users can expect than a simple blanket conclusion that the iPhone 4S performs better than prior models, when clearly for some that isn't the case.
As to whether people are voting honestly, there is no way to tell. But you have to either assume they all are, or all are not since there's no other genuine criteria to make a judgement, nor any discernible reason for anyone to respond falsely on one side of the argument more than the other.
For my part, the fact my 4S hasn't improved cellular performance doesn't prevent me concluding that it is a superb device, and worthy upgrade from the 3GS.
That's exactly what all people are NOT telling you.
Point of clarification, I meant people I physically know where I live and plan to use the 4s are all telling me in person the 4s performance on AT&T far better than in the past using older iphone models. The measurement, as stated in OP, not one dropped call when they used to drop daily and no internet time outs. To me that sounds great as my 3gs is complete agony to use right now.
I am going to get the AT&T 4s and try it out. If it's not better I will just pay the re-stocking fee and switch to verizon.
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I'm from the UK, but I thought I would still contribute to this thread...
My iPhone 4S has improved drastically on signal performance, especially around the house, where my old phone and my parents phones can barely keep one bar and this gets 4-5 all of the time. We're all on the same Network which is Three (and apparently it's the worst carrier around according to most people).
I can only put the boost in performance down to the new antenna design in the iPhone 4S.
Also, when I'm in College, the Music rooms are in the basement of the College and nobody in the class can use their phones because they get no reception, whereas I can. It's very odd, but I'm chuffed.
My iPhone 4S has improved drastically on signal performance, especially around the house, where my old phone and my parents phones can barely keep one bar and this gets 4-5 all of the time. We're all on the same Network which is Three (and apparently it's the worst carrier around according to most people).
I can only put the boost in performance down to the new antenna design in the iPhone 4S.
Also, when I'm in College, the Music rooms are in the basement of the College and nobody in the class can use their phones because they get no reception, whereas I can. It's very odd, but I'm chuffed.
If it's a matter of whether to upgrade or not, I would heartily recommend you do. Even as a user who has not benefited from call performance improvements in my area, I don't doubt I will when traveling elsewhere. And the 4S is a notable improvement over the 3GS in a number of other ways too - not least the screen quality, which with it's pin sharp rendering makes the 3GS look distinctly fuzzy by comparison.
Unless you are in very difficult reception area and have had to manually switch your 3GS to 2G, the one thing you can pretty much rely on is that the worst result in upgrading to a 4S is that your call quality will stay the same.
Thanks so much for your assistance. It's been a very very difficult choice, and I am still shocked, I am going to stay with AT&T.
Given all the other factors in this decision such as unlimited data grandfathered in, probably get early upgrade to iphone 5 on AT&T unlike verizon, far faster speeds than Verizon (when AT&T works haha), and more for the money on AT&T compared to verizon I have come full circle.
Still can't believe it!
Just yesterday had nothing but endless timeouts using my 3gs, really hope it's as dramatic an improvement for AT&T as some people are physically telling me where I will use my iphone most.
I think questions like this are almost impossible to answer because it really comes down to where you are when you rate the reliability of a connection. In some places it probably has improved. In others? Not so much. I would recommend going with a carrier that works well where you live, but other then that it is hard to give advice when it comes to topics like this.
There's no better evidence than people using the device in the same places you are going to be using it. Bearing in mind the rather tribal nature of the AT&T/Verizon issue, the reality is that there is generally not a whole lot to chose between them, and usually going with either means forgoing something in the service of the other that would be beneficial. Verizon might have better voice service, but AT&T might be faster. Even if not, the ability to talk and surf at the same time might be crucial. Alternatively, for those who travel overseas, Verizon (or Sprint) might be the better option purely for better choice of GSM services while outside the US. It depends on individual priorities and needs much more, in most cases, than differences in service standards between the alternative providers.
In some cases however, where one provider has no available service in a location the individual knows they are going to be spending considerable time, such as home or work, while the other provider has good service in that location, the decision about which provider to use would be pretty clear, almost regardless of any other factor.
Oh Sorry Ha!! Compared to My 3G And My GirlFriend i4 She Is Mad because I Don't Use Cases Or Covers In My i4SCompared to what?
Well, just seems strange to me that people I know have told me that where they use their prior iPhones and found AT&T awful are now saying they don't have one issue. This occurred immediate to the purchase and use of the 4s, so I don't think AT&T just happened to build more towers that day. Additionally, I am still using my 3GS and found I still get the same connectivity problems that these people aren't -- and in some cases these new 4s owners are in the same building as I. Lastly, the poll numbers, at this point, are overwhelmingly indicating better performance from the 4s on AT&T -- provided people are honestly voting
If you're in a truly lousy AT&T coverage area (i.e. no towers or your buildings are basically faraday cages), no phone can correct that issue. If you're in a decent enough AT&T area, improved antenna etc will make a difference given the scenarios I have tracked thus far. People are all saying less dropped calls (many telling me not one dropped call) when using the phone exactly the same as their prior 3G and 3GS.
Of course, it could be the hawthorne effect
For me here in Mississippi, my service at home has greatly improved! When I first got my iPhone 4 last year at launch, it was impossible to make a call from there. Eventually, At&t gave me a microcell and that helped a great deal. After rewiring the data connections in my house, I did not use the microcell anymore. Apparently, At&t service around my home had somewhat improved but not to the point I didn't drop 2-3 calls a day. Fast forward to today and I usually have 3 bars+ of service, great call clarity and not to mention 2.5Mbps-3Mbps downloads. I'm not sure what has exactly changed in the antenna on the 4s, but its a night and day difference for me!
Tampa, Fla and Raleigh, NC
Great thread WGM.
I'm in the same boat as you are. I have a 3GS and can say without question AT&T voice sucks in both markets I have lived in. Just moved to Raleigh in June, we moved up here from Tampa. I was really hoping AT&T service would have been better here in the Research Triangle. So much for that. I get just as many dropped calls on my 3GS here as I did in Tampa. On top of that I have people constantly tell me I'm breaking up and have to repeat myself. What garbage.
That said I believe I will make the same decision and stay with AT&T for another 30 days anyway. I will give the 4s a try and report my findings here. I'll gladly pay a restocking fee to give AT&T another chance with the 4s. I know I can save some considerable money over Verizon each month, with my discounted unlimited data and the unlimited text with unlimited mobile to any mobile. Pricing with AT&T is now comparable to Sprint. Plus AT&T offered to let me keep my 4200 rollover minutes and lower my calling plan, as well as give me $50 off a 4s. They at least are showing me some love, lol. Can't get crap from Verizon, my wife has been with them for 9 years and she has been out of contract for 2 years, they have offered us nothing!
I know I haven't answered your question in full, but I will! Thanks again for starting this thread. I find it useful.
Great thread WGM.
I'm in the same boat as you are. I have a 3GS and can say without question AT&T voice sucks in both markets I have lived in. Just moved to Raleigh in June, we moved up here from Tampa. I was really hoping AT&T service would have been better here in the Research Triangle. So much for that. I get just as many dropped calls on my 3GS here as I did in Tampa. On top of that I have people constantly tell me I'm breaking up and have to repeat myself. What garbage.
That said I believe I will make the same decision and stay with AT&T for another 30 days anyway. I will give the 4s a try and report my findings here. I'll gladly pay a restocking fee to give AT&T another chance with the 4s. I know I can save some considerable money over Verizon each month, with my discounted unlimited data and the unlimited text with unlimited mobile to any mobile. Pricing with AT&T is now comparable to Sprint. Plus AT&T offered to let me keep my 4200 rollover minutes and lower my calling plan, as well as give me $50 off a 4s. They at least are showing me some love, lol. Can't get crap from Verizon, my wife has been with them for 9 years and she has been out of contract for 2 years, they have offered us nothing!
I know I haven't answered your question in full, but I will! Thanks again for starting this thread. I find it useful.
Hmmmm
Just got my 4S today. So far I haven't noticed an improvement BUT I've only used it at home and took a short trip (4 miles) to run an errand. Time will tell. I'm sure I'll be able to assess my reception given more time. Oh, I did notice, what appeared to be, some "switching" going on.
So, I'll report back and cast my vote later
Just got my 4S today. So far I haven't noticed an improvement BUT I've only used it at home and took a short trip (4 miles) to run an errand. Time will tell. I'm sure I'll be able to assess my reception given more time. Oh, I did notice, what appeared to be, some "switching" going on.
So, I'll report back and cast my vote later
I live in Houston and have never had a problem with AT&T. My parents live in a very little town in east Texas, when we first got Cingular there was poor signal there but the only cell service they could get, all others had no signal and still do today, AT&T now has 3G out there in the piney woods of east Texas. I work for a cable company and AT&T is our competition but......I will never switch wireless service.
One more testimony we drove from Texas to Philadelphia with 3 different providers in the car t-mobile, Verizon and AT&T ..... I was the only one who never had the "searching" on the phone. May son and daughter in law switch to AT&T within a month of that trip
One more testimony we drove from Texas to Philadelphia with 3 different providers in the car t-mobile, Verizon and AT&T ..... I was the only one who never had the "searching" on the phone. May son and daughter in law switch to AT&T within a month of that trip
I had an iPhone 4 a long time ago and switched to Sprint and the Evo 4G because of the horrible connection in the SF bay. Couldn't make a call from my apartment or my parents. Would show full 3g signal at work and not have an internet connection. Although it isn't as fast as some I am averaging around a 1M down connection and I can actually use internet just about anywhere and can have over an hour long call without the call dropping.
It might not be the device per se. AT&T has been improving nd enhancing their network. As an example prior to March of this year I was going to switch to VZW because of data issues in my area. I saw an AT&T tech where I work a d he told me their improving and enhancing the network and advised me to just hold on and that I'll see a difference very soon. He was correct! I've heard this happened not just in my region my all over the USA.
Actually, it will be the device in the scenario I described in the FP. These are people reporting the day they switched from a 3g 3GS to a 4s on AT&T better reception/reliability. AT&T didn't happen to make adjustments to each posters nearby cell the day everyone individually bought a 4s around the country (though would be nice of AT&T if they did)
Just read your post and boy did that ring a bell! I moved, a few years ago from an area where I got decent coverage to a location with spotty reception. I had massive dropped calls and low to no signal in a certain area I frequented often. My signal strength where I actually lived was a bit better but still didn't compare to the place I moved from. I called AT&T constantly about this problem. What really angered me was their responses. They played the ignorance card, as if I was the only one experiencing these problems. I knew this to not be the case. At one point a rep even blamed the iPhone for my woes. They grew tired of my constant calls, relented and gave me a month of free service. Eventually, in time, something happened and my dropped calls decreased in number. I was so determined to switch carriers when I was out of contract, mainly because of thei attitude, lack of concern and failure to acknowledge and take steps to correct the problem. Well I've been out of contract for a while, until recently, but decided to give them another 2 years. What has changed? Their customer service improved and so did my dropped calls but the reception still needs some improvement. Also, I still enjoy an unlimited data plan, which seems rare now as well as a discount. Before I became an AT&T customer with Verizon. Their service went from the 12th floor to the basement during the many years I spent with them. And they could have cared less that they were losing a long time customer. So, going back to Verizon was not an option for me. Have not heard good things about Sprint from others including family members. So it was a no brainer for me to stay wit AT&T and I'm at peace with my choice. I was totally impressed with how the iPhone 4S launch was handled at the local AT&T store here (went there even though I ordered mine through Apple online). I'm hoping that my signal strength improves with the 4S but will be okay because I think they are working on this issue because of the improvements I've seen. I doubt if switching phones will result in a change in signal strength so right now I'll just be pleased with the dropped call improvement. Sorry for the length but was not able to shorten the story and get my point across
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iPhone 4S is a Switch Hitter!
I think you might have something here. I just cast my vote here for improved reliability with the 4S. Unlike the first day I got it, this time I drove all around town to compare the signal strength in certain areas before and after the 4S. It seems as though the switching (from Edge to 3GS) for better reception seems to make the difference here. When my 4S does the switching, in weaker reception areas, I get more bars. In the last case I went from one bar to three after my 4S switched. Then shortly after that I had full bars. This is an area where I was consistently getting one bar with my 3GS.
Actually, it will be the device in the scenario I described in the FP. These are people reporting the day they switched from a 3g 3GS to a 4s on AT&T better reception/reliability. AT&T didn't happen to make adjustments to each posters nearby cell the day everyone individually bought a 4s around the country (though would be nice of AT&T if they did)
I think you might have something here. I just cast my vote here for improved reliability with the 4S. Unlike the first day I got it, this time I drove all around town to compare the signal strength in certain areas before and after the 4S. It seems as though the switching (from Edge to 3GS) for better reception seems to make the difference here. When my 4S does the switching, in weaker reception areas, I get more bars. In the last case I went from one bar to three after my 4S switched. Then shortly after that I had full bars. This is an area where I was consistently getting one bar with my 3GS.
I gave up on AT&T abysmal level of service and lack of reasonable quality. I switched to Verizon with the 4S. With my 3GS on AT&T, half my outgoing calls need 2-3 tries to dial successfully. About 70% of my calls (incoming or outgoing) dropped. I would lose 3G data in many areas.
With Verizon, my call and data reliability so far have been 100%.
With Verizon, my call and data reliability so far have been 100%.