1. TekWarren's Avatar
    We just got new 8330's at work on the Verizon network. These are SO much better than the nextel 7100i's we just unloaded! Anyway I live about 40 miles from work and even thought the vzw coverage map shows pretty much all of of MI as "covered" including my home town...the signal generally sucks. I get 1-2 bars on 1x sometimes dropping to no bars but almost always at least 1 bar. I can't make regular calls or voice mail calls with the 1-2 bars generally but it seems that data can and does squeak out albeit very much delayed.

    Now...When I'm sitting in my computer room at home (I'm an IT guy) If I set my BB down on the palm rest of my laptop, laptop open and turned on. I get a strong 3-4 bars, I can get/make calls get email etc etc.

    Things to note...my laptop is using wireless N to connect to my home network. it is on a cheap plastic "stand" that sits in the corner of the room with another computer desk right next to it. With me sitting at the computer it is pretty much boxed into the corner.

    As long as i keep my head down near my open laptop I can make calls as I mentioned but as soon as I get away even a few inches signal drops out. I can even spin in my swivel chair, essentially staying in the same place just spinning around and signal drops to the 1-2 bars with limited/no connectivity.

    I've been in IT long enough to know that the laptop and/or its wifi connection should have absolutely nothing to do with the phone but this is just way to much coincidence. I guess I haven't payed attention to see if I get this same affect with the laptop off I will check that out tonight.

    Oh and its not just my house causing poor signal. I have walked all over my back yard, front yard, and all over the house to try and find a strong enough signal to communicate but I always have to go inside and set it down near the laptop and use it right there.

    Things I have done:

    Updated phone OS to 4.5
    Updated PRL (if it really even needed the update) - note on this I couldn't update from home and get some Alltel error message? Roaming tower?

    Last but not least...any "real" world things I can do besides this fluke to enhance the 1x signal I get at home? At work the BB works fine no issues at all and is speedy on the 1XEV connection.

    Thanks guys...oh and first post!
    10-09-08 03:30 PM
  2. Chief7's Avatar
    OK - Have NO answer for you but...

    That Is One Heck Of A GREAT First Post!

    And, now, on to the people who may have an answer. Oh, and welcome to Crackberry!
    10-09-08 03:39 PM
  3. TekWarren's Avatar
    Thanks for the welcome! I've been using the forum a bit for tips and info and finally decided to join in the fun!

    To update my querky situation When I got home I turned my laptop on in its usual location, and set the curve down on the palm rest...which is where its sitting right now (I use a regular keyboard at the desk). Sure enough it was at 4 bars as it is right now. I shut off the wireless connection via the laptops manual switch which actually shuts off wireless rather than just disables it. Signal is still good...I shut off my home router...signal still good. Next I shut down the laptop, less than a minute after shutting down my curve's signal drops down into the 1-2 bar range again and I can't get online with it. I am convinced the laptop is having an affect on the signal. I am going to watch the signal when I shut down for the night here after this post to verify it again.

    I had some other other thoughts about my home environment...we do have aluminum siding which could have some affect. But it really doesn't explain the lack of signal strength outside away from the house.

    Here's another thought: If I'm understanding how google maps work due to the disabled GPS in these phones it shows the location of the tower and the circle is the area that you are supposed to be within right? It says location with 5000 meters and on the map you have a dot with a circle...is this the actual tower? If so when I mark my home location on the maps I am pretty close to the outer edge of this circle but I would think still plenty close for usable signal. If this dot in fact does represent the tower the direct path to my house is across part of a lake. I pass fairly close to this lake on my way to work...I'll have to see if the signal picks up when I get closer.

    Finally I apologize for those blackberries I have just overloaded with these very long and rambling posts!

    Good night!
    10-09-08 09:35 PM
  4. smaug's Avatar
    That is a very strange thing you have going on there. It makes no sense, but maybe the laptop is boosting the signal somehow.

    Also, on Google Maps, that dot is the programs best guess at where you are. The more towers in the area, the more accurate it can get. It usually guesses within 500 meters where I am in Chicago. The area around it is the possible area in which you could be.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-09-08 09:48 PM
  5. Blkbear's Avatar
    Howdy TekWarren,

    Where you live are there a lot of big trees around you house?
    Hills? Does your house sit in a depression, compared to the rest of the landscape in the area? Valley between hills?

    House construction can play into signal strength or lack of same.

    I have a friends that live in what I call a punch bowl, the main road is above the top of their house, and there are large trees on the side of the house next to the neighborhood street. The cell signal there is pretty bad no matter what company is used. So they bought one of those signal boosters and they have great service there now for the entire house.

    Sounds like your laptop was acting like a reflecting antenna for you cell phone, which kinda explains why when it was powered off, the cells signal dropped, but not why it only worked when it was very close to the laptop, unless the signal there is just rotten for the phone.
    10-10-08 04:48 AM
  6. benzworm's Avatar
    well, I'm already stumped�


    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-10-08 04:52 AM
  7. TekWarren's Avatar
    Thanks Benz!

    And to answer BlkBear: I live in a smaller town, pretty flat all around with not many trees. If the tower is in fact over near the lake there are more trees over that way. I guess I should try and find others in my area using verizon and see how their service.

    Its weird I do almost always have 1-2 bars at home but like I said can't make calls or get data. Somehow I have to harness whatever the laptop is doing and blast it all throughout my house LOL.
    10-10-08 10:58 AM
  8. Blkbear's Avatar
    Thanks Benz!

    And to answer BlkBear: I live in a smaller town, pretty flat all around with not many trees. If the tower is in fact over near the lake there are more trees over that way. I guess I should try and find others in my area using verizon and see how their service.

    Its weird I do almost always have 1-2 bars at home but like I said can't make calls or get data. Somehow I have to harness whatever the laptop is doing and blast it all throughout my house LOL.
    Hey Tex, try this link..

    Find Cell Towers near you.

    I know when my friends bought their cell signal booster, that they went from very little to no signal at their place (an older 3 story house with basement), to being able to use their cell phones everywhere in the house, including the basement (where they had no cell service at all before).
    10-10-08 12:21 PM
  9. TekWarren's Avatar
    Thanks for the link I played around with the site but not sure I found a specific vzw tower.

    Situation continues, have to keep the phone sitting on my laptop with it on in order to get a usable signal...kinda defeats the purpose with the laptop right there but oh well I still get plenty of use during my work day. Guess I won't be moving my wife over to vzw any time soon. She is still on nextel (what I had before also) and gets full signal at home but I know for a fact there a nextel tower right down the road. They lease tower space at one of my previous places of employment.
    10-13-08 12:28 PM
  10. TekWarren's Avatar
    I emailed our vzw Data Sales Engineer today and got a fast response which was nice. I guess my home town is in the "extended network" meaning its using another carriers tower. I had figured this was the case or that the actual tower was just to far away. Still it doesn't explain why with even 2 bars I can't make or get calls. He said verizon is working on adding areas to their actual network and will update me when hears anything.
    10-17-08 03:23 PM
  11. Navan's Avatar
    Go to ThinkGeek.com- they have a great signal extender that my friend uses and now he's got full bars all throughout the house. If you've got 1-2 bars it'll work like a charm!

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-18-08 10:47 AM
  12. MarsVolt�'s Avatar
    May be your phone is still picking up a signal from a VZW tower far away instead of starting to roam.

    In options>mobile network
    Make sure network selection is set to automatic

    And under available networks do you see another carrier?

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-18-08 04:35 PM
  13. TekWarren's Avatar
    network is set to automatic, I can't remember if I have checked available networks while at home or not to see if there are other options but I will look tonight for sure. Thanks for the suggestions!
    10-21-08 11:14 AM
  14. TekWarren's Avatar
    Here's something I noticed tonight walking around the back yard with the dogs: When my curve jumps to full bars it shows "extended network" and then...it drops out and barely holds to 1-2, sometimes none and it always shows verizon for the network. So it seems the device has very tiny thread to a verizon tower and won't let it go for the extended network's tower which would likely give me full bars or at least a usable signal.

    Any thoughts? The settings are on auto, I don't see a way to force it to use the "extended" network only to lock it in the "home" setting which seems to be my current problem.
    10-21-08 08:24 PM
  15. lastraid's Avatar
    Almost sounds like you are in fringe VZW coverage area. With another carriers tower with stronger signal near by. At this point I would contact VZW tech support have them check your coverage area. Also request that trouble ticket be sent to Network repair to have the area checked out by system performance.
    10-21-08 08:31 PM
  16. fisherclive's Avatar
    my wife has vzw but uses a treo 750-i know, i know don't laugh, i tease her all the time. but getting back to the post, she has poor coverage as well , does not seem to matter where we are inside or outside, she drops calls, had the phone replaced, had a different antenna put on no difference-so much for the "network" i guess all those people in the commercials are on break or something...lol
    10-21-08 09:13 PM
  17. lastraid's Avatar
    my wife has vzw but uses a treo 750-i know, i know don't laugh, i tease her all the time. but getting back to the post, she has poor coverage as well , does not seem to matter where we are inside or outside, she drops calls, had the phone replaced, had a different antenna put on no difference-so much for the "network" i guess all those people in the commercials are on break or something...lol
    I would venture to guess it is the phone. Specially since a Palm 750 will not work on the VZW network. Might be a 700 0r 755. in which case they are both garbage. Have her get a real phone
    10-21-08 09:18 PM
  18. TekWarren's Avatar
    I sent another detailed email to our account rep "engineer" hopefully he will reply with some actual usable information tomorrow...
    10-21-08 09:18 PM
  19. lastraid's Avatar
    I sent another detailed email to our account rep "engineer" hopefully he will reply with some actual usable information tomorrow...
    Good deal, let us know the results. This one has my curiosity peaked.
    10-21-08 09:22 PM
  20. MarsVolt�'s Avatar
    Try calling *18.
    On sprint it redirects you to the closest cell tower not sure what it'll do on Verizon but on sprint it beeps for 4 seconds and hangs up automatically

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-21-08 11:21 PM
  21. Apollo_Creed's Avatar
    No one has told you to try to dial *228 option 2 to update your roaming capabilities?? You need to do that at least once a month. I do it once a week. Try that and see if that helps.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    10-21-08 11:38 PM
  22. TekWarren's Avatar
    Mars: I'll try that tonight, thanks.

    Apollo: I've been doing *228 about a once a week, sometimes more...see first post.
    10-22-08 11:15 AM
  23. johnmorganjr1's Avatar
    Wow!! Hope you get it all sorted out. Welcome to CB.
    10-22-08 12:09 PM
  24. TekWarren's Avatar
    No reply from the rep today I am wondering though...I keep reading about the "roam only option". I pretty much upgraded to 4.5 as soon as i got it and I'm wondering if that is why don't have this option. Was roam only mode available in 4.3? (or whatever previous OS I had). I would consider downgrading the phone to get it back if verizon isn't going to release their supported version of 4.5 any time soon. I also read about how to get into the cdma programming but I really don't want to go messing with that.

    Its funny I can still use my laptop to get full bars, on the extended network. As I sit here on the couch with my laptop all I have to do is move my phone over the keyboard area and within a second or two it will switch and have full signal...I wish the roam only mode was something easy to change, or even an app I could run from the home screen to switch it easily...
    10-22-08 08:55 PM
  25. TekWarren's Avatar
    Well I could not do the *28 as suggested. I should have known that actually since I can't do *228 at home either...get an alltel "we cannot complete your call as dialed" message.

    Can someone confirm for me that the original 4.3 OS has the option to choose roam only? If it does I think I need to downgrade for now, I know I'm giving up some great features but I need the phone at least functional when I'm at home since its my only line.
    10-23-08 12:01 PM
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