Hello Moto Q Forums

[tiaza]

Hmmm, maybe I have it on the wrong settings, but I very seldom get 3g, even though when I look at TMO's 3g coverage maps, I should be getting 3g all over the place, almost continuing coverage all over the Valley.

Any hints about what I might be doing wrong or a setting a need to adjust? Leave it on wifi? Shut wifi off?

Thanks!

[THE-COPS]

What phone did you have before this, and how was the 3g signal then? Wifi wouldn't affect your cell signal.

I dont own a droid phone, but I am willing to try and help.

[tiaza]

Before this, I had a RAZR, so I any G wasn't possible!

Since this is the first 3G phone I've owned, I think I may have it set up wrong.

I also noticed that emails I send don't always go, particularly if I'm not at home (where my phone picks up the house wifi). So I think I've got something set funny.

Thanks for your eye on this.

[coolpoete]

I would call tech support to see if there is any kind of reprogramming steps you can take to get the phone on 3G. I would also ask them about the email issue. It could be related.

[tiaza]

Originally Posted by coolpoete

I would call tech support to see if there is any kind of reprogramming steps you can take to get the phone on 3G. I would also ask them about the email issue. It could be related.

Good suggestion, CoolPete. I'm new enough with 3G and the Cliq that I don't know what is just my ineptitude and what might actually be a tech problem.

Thanks! I'll post what they tell me.

[coolpoete]

No prob, basically you need to find out specifically where the 3G areas are and what could block any of those signals. Things to remember would be where you are in your house, are you far away from Windows, or would you be in a basement type area that may strain the reception. Also, something to ask Tech if you want to get real detailed and if they are good is how far is the nearest cell tower in your area. The reprogramming thing is really meant to force your phone to search out the nearest tower. It may be a good idea to be outside or near a window when you do that so that you can get the best result.

In my office my desk is in the back corner (yeah, sucks) and there are no windows. I'm next to a wall of an adjacent office so I have really bad, I mean REALLY bad reception. My phone will show the searching dots pretty often so I have to remember to put my phone right next to my PC rather than in my pocket when I get there. But if I walk around to other areas of my office I'm ok. Anywayz, I digress...

[tiaza]

Turns out the 3G maps may be a little deceptive. The fine print on them seems to indicate that they can be a mix of TMO and/or other carriers like ATT. If your phone isn't set to allow roaming, it won't pick up the other carrier's network, or if it does, you can get hit for roaming.

I will mos def ask about the nearest cell towers. I know that moisture can jack signals really bad - rainy days, even the moisture in the concrete of fairly new buildings - or big glass-fronted buildings can bounce signals in weird ways. So reception can be whack in the best of situations. I'm in south Texas (McAllen-Edinburg area), and the maps show almost continual coverage.

So I'm also going to ask about settings on my phone. Evidently I get EDGE or 3G more often if my wifi is set to off. If I find out more, I'll let you know.

Thanks, Pete!

[tiaza]

Pete, sorry I forgot to get back to the thread on this, but before I called tech support, I decided to do a factory reset on my phone. Having Motoblur means I'm not losing all my numbers, and MyBackup means I'm not losing my aps!

So I reset it. And couldn't remember which email I used for Motoblur! Grrr. The bad news is that I did lose some aps, but the GREAT news is that dumping a bunch of aps solved my 3G issue entirely!

I had been checking out apps like a bandit, and I bet some of them conflicted with each other, too. I slowly re-added apps, only ones I was sure I wanted. No problem!

[coolpoete]

Ok, thanks for the replies. Were the apps that you dumped running in the background all the time or something? Were they using your data connection? I know there's a debate on CDMA vs. GSM and that GSM can do voice and data at the same time. Being that you have this BLUR stuff on there I'm trying to figure out if that is what's diminishing your 3G coverage.

[tiaza]

a lot of these apps were running in the background. i had things like wifi finder, hibernate, a battery widget that lets you turn on/off GPS & bluetooth & wifi....