[sinkingfish]

Hey,

I've had the hero now for about 2 week, and in those 2 weeks my phone has dropped coverage maybe 5 times. When I turn the phone on and off, or switch airplane on and off then I'm prompted for my SIM and all is back working.

Today it happened again and I purposely left it for 10-15 minutes to see if it would correct itself, it didn't. To see if I could access the SIM I changed my pin number, which worked fine.

May it be an issue with my SIM or do you think I might have a faulty handset.

Thanks

Brian

[Glynn from Meteo...]

Hey,

I've had the hero now for about 2 week, and in those 2 weeks my phone has dropped coverage maybe 5 times. When I turn the phone on and off, or switch airplane on and off then I'm prompted for my SIM and all is back working.

Today it happened again and I purposely left it for 10-15 minutes to see if it would correct itself, it didn't. To see if I could access the SIM I changed my pin number, which worked fine.

May it be an issue with my SIM or do you think I might have a faulty handset.

Thanks

Brian

Hi sinkingfish,

I couldn't tell off hand but it sounds as though it may be the sim. Your best bet would be to call to the Meteor store where you bought the phone. They could have a look at the sim and if neeeded give you a replacement sim. If this doesn't sort it then it may be the handset.

Let me know how you get on with this and I'll see if I can help any further.


Hope this helps
Glynn

[sinkingfish]

Hi sinkingfish,

I couldn't tell off hand but it sounds as though it may be the sim. Your best bet would be to call to the Meteor store where you bought the phone. They could have a look at the sim and if neeeded give you a replacement sim. If this doesn't sort it then it may be the handset.

Let me know how you get on with this and I'll see if I can help any further.


Hope this helps
Glynn

Hey Glynn,

I'll try that at some stage this week. Hopefully It's just the SIM card. Do I have to get the replament SIM in the same store I bought the phone ? I'll keep you posted, thanks for the help.

Thanks

Brian

[iknorr]

Hi sinkingfish,

I couldn't tell off hand but it sounds as though it may be the sim. Your best bet would be to call to the Meteor store where you bought the phone. They could have a look at the sim and if neeeded give you a replacement sim. If this doesn't sort it then it may be the handset.

Let me know how you get on with this and I'll see if I can help any further.


Hope this helps
Glynn

I dont know if this is related or not bcause im roaming, but yesterday afternoon i also lost reception with a number of other people in the group. This only seemed to effect meteor customers in the group.
It came back on a few hours later though ( about 4 irish time). There were many different model of phone.

I tried restarting, manually registering a network, auto network search etc but nothing worked...until suddenly everyone got reception together. We were in the same place all day so its not coverage issues.

Glynn, any update with those emails iv been sending you? I have also posted about this in the special offers/promo section....maybe this will speed things up??

[Glynn from Meteo...]

Hey Glynn,

I'll try that at some stage this week. Hopefully It's just the SIM card. Do I have to get the replament SIM in the same store I bought the phone ? I'll keep you posted, thanks for the help.

Thanks

Brian

Hi Brian,

No, any Meteor store would be able to give you the replacement sim but just thought it might be easiest to return to the store where you bought it just in case the handset is faulty and it would then be easier to exchange. If you call to your most convenient Meteor store the guys there will try their best to get this sorted for you.

Thanks

Glynn
Meteor tak to us

[Cian]

Hey,

I've had the hero now for about 2 week, and in those 2 weeks my phone has dropped coverage maybe 5 times. When I turn the phone on and off, or switch airplane on and off then I'm prompted for my SIM and all is back working.

Today it happened again and I purposely left it for 10-15 minutes to see if it would correct itself, it didn't. To see if I could access the SIM I changed my pin number, which worked fine.

May it be an issue with my SIM or do you think I might have a faulty handset.

Thanks

Brian

Hi Brian,

I've also seen this on my hero once or twice but not as much as you it seems. Each time a reboot sorts it, hadn't considered switching to airplane mode, that is handy to know. I switched to meteor for the Hero so my SIM is brand new. Did you get anywhere with replacement SIM? If it works for you ill grab one myself.

Thanks,
Cian

[Tom]

I'm not sure if this is specific to the Hero. I've an unlocked iPhone (and while I acknowledge it isnt offically supported), I noticed the same behaviour. I have a friend with the HTC HD2 (winmobile handset) and he also has seen the same issue. I believe it's most likely indirectly network related. What I mean when i say indirectly network related is that most 3d handsets will default back to a 2g/edge connection when 3g reception is not adequate. This can result in dropped calls (on the iphone anyway) as the phone cycles to a different connection type from 3g when coverage is either lost or at a very very intermittent level.

[sinkingfish]

It happened again today, so I brought it into Meteor on Grafton St and got my replacement sim. Will see if that sorts it. A friend of mine who has a nokia on meteor says he looses reception when switching from 3g to 2g. I wonder is it a meteor issue ?

Will let you know how I get on with my new SIM.

[Tom]

It happened again today, so I brought it into Meteor on Grafton St and got my replacement sim. Will see if that sorts it. A friend of mine who has a nokia on meteor says he looses reception when switching from 3g to 2g. I wonder is it a meteor issue ?

Will let you know how I get on with my new SIM.

TBH in fairness to meteor I dont think this issue is specific to the meteor network. It is caused (as already mentioned) when a 3g phone looses coverage and switches to 2g coverage. Happens with iphones on O2 among other manufacturers phones as well. Replacing sim cards will not resolve the problem.
There are a few solutions... from a network provider point of view, improve reception in low signal areas (so phone has a good enough 3g signal and does not need to revert to the 2g network). From a phone point of view find a phone manufacturer that can handle this scenario gracefully ... im not sure if any phone manufacturer (nokia, sony ericsson etc..) handles this scenario gracefully. Im sure somebody much better than me will correct me if I'm wrong

[Sir Hero]

TBH in fairness to meteor I dont think this issue is specific to the meteor network. It is caused (as already mentioned) when a 3g phone looses coverage and switches to 2g coverage. Happens with iphones on O2 among other manufacturers phones as well. Replacing sim cards will not resolve the problem.
There are a few solutions... from a network provider point of view, improve reception in low signal areas (so phone has a good enough 3g signal and does not need to revert to the 2g network). From a phone point of view find a phone manufacturer that can handle this scenario gracefully ... im not sure if any phone manufacturer (nokia, sony ericsson etc..) handles this scenario gracefully. Im sure somebody much better than me will correct me if I'm wrong

I had a N73 from three.ie and it worked perfectly in the Sandyford area.
My new Hero drops connections several times a day, usually after midday and later afternoon.

I tried my Meteor sim in my old N73, and the connection ~was not dropped~

There is a fault with the Hero.

If I remove the SIM lock pin code, would this allow the phone to reregister with the network?

[Cian]

TBH in fairness to meteor I dont think this issue is specific to the meteor network. It is caused (as already mentioned) when a 3g phone looses coverage and switches to 2g coverage. Happens with iphones on O2 among other manufacturers phones as well. Replacing sim cards will not resolve the problem.
There are a few solutions... from a network provider point of view, improve reception in low signal areas (so phone has a good enough 3g signal and does not need to revert to the 2g network). From a phone point of view find a phone manufacturer that can handle this scenario gracefully ... im not sure if any phone manufacturer (nokia, sony ericsson etc..) handles this scenario gracefully. Im sure somebody much better than me will correct me if I'm wrong

Are we absolutely certain this is what causes it? Every time i have experienced it i have been stationary and using the internet. One minute the connection is working fine and i have full reception the next it has dropped out, i've lost net connection and i have no call reception either. Switching back and forth between airplane mode is much handier than restarting the phone but this is still unacceptable, i have had this happen 8 times over the last two days, as i said every time i have been stationary and had full reception before hand. If it is the case that the phone is switching between 3g and 2g network is there a setting on the phone where this functionality can be disabled and would this help?

Thanks,
Cian

[sinkingfish]

Yea maybe it is just while switching protocols. It was working a treat for the past week, but today it dropped and didn't recover twice. Maybe that's just the price you gotta pay for smart phones

It happens a friend of mine too and I think a couple of people on boards too. Must be an issue.

TBH in fairness to meteor I dont think this issue is specific to the meteor network. It is caused (as already mentioned) when a 3g phone looses coverage and switches to 2g coverage. Happens with iphones on O2 among other manufacturers phones as well. Replacing sim cards will not resolve the problem.
There are a few solutions... from a network provider point of view, improve reception in low signal areas (so phone has a good enough 3g signal and does not need to revert to the 2g network). From a phone point of view find a phone manufacturer that can handle this scenario gracefully ... im not sure if any phone manufacturer (nokia, sony ericsson etc..) handles this scenario gracefully. Im sure somebody much better than me will correct me if I'm wrong

[Tom]

I had a N73 from three.ie and it worked perfectly in the Sandyford area.
My new Hero drops connections several times a day, usually after midday and later afternoon.

I tried my Meteor sim in my old N73, and the connection ~was not dropped~

There is a fault with the Hero.

If I remove the SIM lock pin code, would this allow the phone to reregister with the network?

Hi ,

Well first off, I'm not saying this is definitively what your problem is ... it is however and educated guess. With regard to your n73 not dropping connections in the same location with the same sim card. That may well be the case. A lot depends on both the signal strength in the area and how good the reception is on your phone. Case in point. I have an iphone (version 1 ... metal back). A friend has the iPhone 3G. He gets notably better reception in low reception areas..(translation more bars when the phones are side by side in 2g areas). It is quite possible that your nokia gets better reception in a particular area when compared to the hero.

Are we absolutely certain this is what causes it? Every time i have experienced it i have been stationary and using the internet. One minute the connection is working fine and i have full reception the next it has dropped out, i've lost net connection and i have no call reception either. Switching back and forth between airplane mode is much handier than restarting the phone but this is still unacceptable, i have had this happen 8 times over the last two days, as i said every time i have been stationary and had full reception before hand. If it is the case that the phone is switching between 3g and 2g network is there a setting on the phone where this functionality can be disabled and would this help?

Thanks,
Cian

With regard to remaining stationary, its possible to remain at the same static position and get different signal strengths at different times of the day depending on network usage and number of 3g users in a particular area.

Hope this helps.

Tom.

[PaulK]

Are we absolutely certain this is what causes it? Every time i have experienced it i have been stationary and using the internet. One minute the connection is working fine and i have full reception the next it has dropped out, i've lost net connection and i have no call reception either. Switching back and forth between airplane mode is much handier than restarting the phone but this is still unacceptable, i have had this happen 8 times over the last two days, as i said every time i have been stationary and had full reception before hand. If it is the case that the phone is switching between 3g and 2g network is there a setting on the phone where this functionality can be disabled and would this help?

Thanks,
Cian

Menu > Settings > Wireless controls > Mobile network settings
Enable the option "Use only 2G networks".

This will force the phone to use the 2G (EDGE) network only. If the problem is caused by incorrect handoff from 3G>2G, then this should solve it. Obviously, you're now going to be permanently on the slower EDGE connection so you won't be able to benefit of the higher speed when in a 3G area.

[Cian]

Hi ,

Well first off, I'm not saying this is definitively what your problem is ... it is however and educated guess. With regard to your n73 not dropping connections in the same location with the same sim card. That may well be the case. A lot depends on both the signal strength in the area and how good the reception is on your phone. Case in point. I have an iphone (version 1 ... metal back). A friend has the iPhone 3G. He gets notably better reception in low reception areas..(translation more bars when the phones are side by side in 2g areas). It is quite possible that your nokia gets better reception in a particular area when compared to the hero.




With regard to remaining stationary, its possible to remain at the same static position and get different signal strengths at different times of the day depending on network usage and number of 3g users in a particular area.

Hope this helps.

Tom.

So bottom line, this is a quirk with the phone rather than something that can be sorted by the network (other than them improving their reception)? Would this be more hardware or software related? The Hero is due an update to Android 2.0 in the not too distant future, is it possible this could alleviate the issue?

Thanks,
Cian

[PaulK]

Right, ended up bying myself myself a SIM free Hero, from Expansys, fully unlocked one week ago. Was using my O2 SIM in it up to now, but ported over to BPL this afternoon.

Phone was updated with the latest ROM version from HTC as soon as I got it.

With the O2 SIM, the coverage was fine all week, phone never lost signal once.
With the Meteor SIM, my phone has lost coverage twice in the space of 8 hours and has had to be switched to Airplane mode and back again before it will reconnect to the network.

So it's looking like the issue is more with Meteor's network, not necessarily the handset...

[ger]

I got the hero yesterday and so far it has come up no network coverage 3 times, resulting in me having to turn the phone off and back on again.
I have no problem with phones losing coverage for a few secs with the move between 2-3g but I wouldn't expect to have to reboot it after still not having network coverage after a few minutes

[Cian]

I got the hero yesterday and so far it has come up no network coverage 3 times, resulting in me having to turn the phone off and back on again.
I have no problem with phones losing coverage for a few secs with the move between 2-3g but I wouldn't expect to have to reboot it after still not having network coverage after a few minutes

This is my main concern also, it has been pointed out that an easier way to sort the problem is to switch back and forth between airplane mode, it's faster than rebooting but it's still a pain.

[dloob]

Are we absolutely certain this is what causes it? Every time i have experienced it i have been stationary and using the internet. One minute the connection is working fine and i have full reception the next it has dropped out, i've lost net connection and i have no call reception either. Switching back and forth between airplane mode is much handier than restarting the phone but this is still unacceptable, i have had this happen 8 times over the last two days, as i said every time i have been stationary and had full reception before hand. If it is the case that the phone is switching between 3g and 2g network is there a setting on the phone where this functionality can be disabled and would this help?

Thanks,
Cian

I don't think it is the cause, I had Nokia's on three's network and they switched between 2 and 3G all the time.
They never lost signal and definitely never ended up with the SIM needing to be unlocked again.
I also have a friend with a HTC Hero on the Vodafone network for over 6 months, he has never had this happen with his phone and it has the same firmware versions as my meteor Hero.

[PaulK]

Added a reply last night but it doesn't seem to have appeared...
Anyway, ended up getting a SIM free Hero a week ago and was using my O2 SIM in it up to yesterday when I ported the number to Meteor Bill Pay Lite. Using the latest ROM from HTC.

When I had the O2 SIM, I never get the "No Service" message once for the entire week.
From speaking to someone who has it on Vodafone, they've never seen the "No Service" message once either.
Since putting the Meteor SIM into my Hero yesterday afternoon, I've had "No Service" displayed twice in the space of about 8 hours - although it's behaving itself today, hasn't lost the network... so far.

I also made a post a few days ago on this thread (which also hasn't appeared!), that switching the Hero to 2G mode only could solve the issue. EXCEPT, when you are on 2G (EDGE) and a data connection is in progress (which is the majority of the time on a smartphone like the Hero) any incoming calls to your number go straight to voicemail - your won't even realise someone tried to call you unless you have voicemail setup and the caller decides to leave a message. Maybe someone here could check if they have the same issue?