Is the signal really this weak?

I realise this not going to make the people having issues feel any better but I've had the Keyone for two weeks now and I was also concerned early on about poor reception, poor call quality etc.but I have used the phone in my travels from North Bay to Sarnia and have never had a dropped call even though my "signal strength" was one or two bars at best. So, I would suggest that we not stress out about the "signal strength " indicator but how the phone actually works for you.

Posted using Z30 on CB

Originally Posted by vpblaze

I have come to the conclusion that the antenna in this phone is a POS!
Its so frustrating because it's actually such an awesome device. But this signal is just hurting so badly!
My usual places where I would have gotten full bars LTE, I am still only getting one bar LTE or as shown below, it's going down to 4G! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8a6b9e5558.jpg

When you make a phone call, the phone always says 4G at the top.

Signal IS weak. I have awful reception in my house and at least with the PRIV I could barely make calls. KEYone it just drops out.

I finally gave in and purchased a MicroCell. I was out of options and patience.

Originally Posted by vpblaze

I have come to the conclusion that the antenna in this phone is a POS!
Its so frustrating because it's actually such an awesome device. But this signal is just hurting so badly!
My usual places where I would have gotten full bars LTE, I am still only getting one bar LTE or as shown below, it's going down to 4G! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...8a6b9e5558.jpg

Remember the KEYOne uses a lower end SoC, the Snapdragon 625 with a X9 LTE Modem, this is a weaker Modem than what even the Snapdragon 808 in the 2yrld PRIV had (X10 LTE Modem).

Originally Posted by luvsql

So I'm gaining only at most 10 dBm on my Passport. It's not a huge jump so I'm not going to worry JUST yet.

A signal increase of 10 dBm is actually very significant. An in crease of 3 dBm is actually equally to a doubling of the signal strength.

Originally Posted by luvsql

At work I can get full bars, but checking the signal it's never better than -85. That's not good.

-85 dBm is a solid signal for wireless. It is the in car design standard for some of the US wireless carriers fir CDMA.

Well I went and exchanged for a new device yesterday at Rogers. They were easily accommodating.
Got back and set it up. During set up, noticed right away that it hovered around 1-2 bars. Which that's where it stayed.
Did a speed test just now, and the download speeds are terrible.

How are you guys testing the signal strength? Is it an app?

IMO, this is super frustrating. It's 2017, there is no excuse for this crap signal! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ca475f39ce.jpg

Originally Posted by vpblaze

Well I went and exchanged for a new device yesterday at Rogers. They were easily accommodating.
Got back and set it up. During set up, noticed right away that it hovered around 1-2 bars. Which that's where it stayed.
Did a speed test just now, and the download speeds are terrible.

How are you guys testing the signal strength? Is it an app?

IMO, this is super frustrating. It's 2017, there is no excuse for this crap signal! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ca475f39ce.jpg

And this has nothing to do with bars. It is a fact. Calls drop where on my other devices, including the Dtek60, they did not drop. Very poor quality for a core function.

Question - is it possible that this could be fixed via software or is this permanent?

Put a case on the phone.

Here's a "not touching it" comparison between my DTEK60 and a K1 that an associate sent me to test. No issue. If I pick it up wrapped in a piece of paper, no change. Bare hands, held the "wrong" way, I change the resonance of some of the metal and poof -- off LTE I go.

My house is a near-complete "black hole" when it comes to cell signals. Actually driving around and using the K1 yesterday I found it has equal to somewhat superior reception to my DTEK60.

So if you're having signal problems put a case on the phone so you don't physically touch the metal and I bet the problem disappears.Attachment 425356Attachment 425357

Originally Posted by tickerguy

Put a case on the phone.

Here's a "not touching it" comparison between my DTEK60 and a K1 that an associate sent me to test. No issue. If I pick it up wrapped in a piece of paper, no change. Bare hands, held the "wrong" way, I change the resonance of some of the metal and poof -- off LTE I go.

My house is a near-complete "black hole" when it comes to cell signals. Actually driving around and using the K1 yesterday I found it has equal to somewhat superior reception to my DTEK60.

So if you're having signal problems put a case on the phone so you don't physically touch the metal and I bet the problem disappears.]

See I have thought that it may be caused by the way I am holding the device.
While I have been holding it, I can watch the signal go from 2 bars 4G to full LTE back down to 1 bat LTE. It just dances all over.
At the same time though, I am not going to use a case. The only case I like using are the pocket pouches.
It's very frustrating. Regardless of what chip set is in this, it's a BlackBerry, it's signal is supposed to be top notch!

The phone does have a weaker modem than flagship phones. I would think of you are in a questionable signal area to start with you would have trouble.

It's not the chipset, it's physics.

The case is metal. The case is part of the antenna system (inherently so, since it's conductive.) It has resonant frequencies, which are part of the antenna system and which it must have to work.

When you pick it up the "wrong" way you change the resonant frequencies a bit because you are (more or less) conductive as well and you are now in electrical contact with it. This is true when you hold a non-metal-cased phone as well but to a lesser degree (due to inductive coupling) but on a metal-cased device the effect is much larger and impossible to control for perfectly.

BTW historically (BBOS) BlackBerry phones have had horrid antenna systems. I returned one a number of years ago for exactly that reason -- I'm not sure which one it was, but it was one of the "real" blackberries before they went to BB10. It was unable to get ANY reception in my house where my former phone, sitting in the exact same place, was perfectly fine.

The KeyOne's antenna system is in fact very good. Put a case on it if you find it to have unacceptable performance in your particular area and with your particular body resonance changes and I bet the problem disappears. It's easy enough to test -- pick the phone up using a rubber or other non-conductive thing (e.g. a vinyl glove) and see if the problem you experience disappears.

Or just use speaker phone while it lays on the table

Originally Posted by kbz1960

Or just use speaker phone while it lays on the table

I have had major call signal losses while the phone is sitting in a non-metallic place in my car. On car speaker. It drops calls where my Dtek60 functions perfectly.

And besides that ... if one must enclose the phone in a rubber or plastic case to use it for a core function, does anyone think that's acceptable??

Originally Posted by stanfordprof

I have had major call signal losses while the phone is sitting in a non-metallic place in my car. On car speaker. It drops calls where my Dtek60 functions perfectly.

And besides that ... if one must enclose the phone in a rubber or plastic case to use it for a core function, does anyone think that's acceptable??

I bet some do. I have a phone with the same modem. I haven't had an issue so far anywhere I have been. In my house the dbm is - 101 but haven't dropped any calls yet.

Originally Posted by stanfordprof

I have had major call signal losses while the phone is sitting in a non-metallic place in my car. On car speaker. It drops calls where my Dtek60 functions perfectly.

And besides that ... if one must enclose the phone in a rubber or plastic case to use it for a core function, does anyone think that's acceptable??

I have spent a day with a K1 I was sent (so I have no dog in this fight; I didn't pay for it and will have to return it when done writing my review) and not only have I had no problems even in very fringe service areas, it's superior (by quite a bit) to my DTEK60, which I've owned since launch day.

All metal-cased phones are subject to this sort of issue if held the wrong way and your body impedance just happens to couple "wrong" for the antenna configuration. People are different, impedance is different, the way you hold the phone is different. Stack it the wrong way on a metal-cased phone and you have problems.

Do I think the "case fixes it" is a problem? No, but then again I think you're nuts to leave a $500 device naked given the screen and camera-cover damage exposure without a case, no matter who made the device. You may see it differently, of course, but I consider the risk of damage to be high enough on any such device and the cost if I do drop it uncased to be unacceptable enough that I case all my devices, so for me it's a null event. The only reason I don't have a case on the K1 I'm using right now is that I don't actually own it; if I buy one I'll case it, just as I did with my DTEK60.

I am just ranting now about my disappointment, but my replacement device actually went down to Edge today. I haven't see this signal strength in quite some time....

Ugh

Originally Posted by vpblaze

Well I went and exchanged for a new device yesterday at Rogers. They were easily accommodating.
Got back and set it up. During set up, noticed right away that it hovered around 1-2 bars. Which that's where it stayed.
Did a speed test just now, and the download speeds are terrible.

How are you guys testing the signal strength? Is it an app?

IMO, this is super frustrating. It's 2017, there is no excuse for this crap signal! https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...ca475f39ce.jpg

What would be considered good speed? Mine is showing 24.2 Mbps download, and 11.7 upload. It's Verizon network, wifi off

would be interesting to know^^^^^^

edit..: just did a test on my Zenfone 3 soc 625 64-4 gig on wifi; download/23.21 mbps upload/14.86

and on the telus network with signal strength at - 110 gbm 34 asu; download/28.33mbps and upload/5.63

done with ookla

Originally Posted by cathlene1

What would be considered good speed? Mine is showing 24.2 Mbps download, and 11.7 upload. It's Verizon network, wifi off

I don't know. It all depends on the towers around you. I've seen people post, other threads and phones, worse than that and some much better. The speed test can also make a difference. Testmy.net claims to show real speed vs flash based tests etc.

Originally Posted by kbz1960

I don't know. It all depends on the towers around you. I've seen people post, other threads and phones, worse than that and some much better. The speed test can also make a difference. Testmy.net claims to show real speed vs flash based tests etc.

I tested again using Testmy.net and my results improved a bit. 27.4 download and 16.5 upload

without wanting to seem like a Keyone fanboy for me the reception is better than my classic and on a par maybe slightly less than my q10 but where I live reception is not great but I can have a phone conversation indoors with no problem whereas this would have been dodgy on the classic

Originally Posted by cathlene1

I tested again using Testmy.net and my results improved a bit. 27.4 download and 16.5 upload

That's better than I get on Verizon with my moto z play droid.