yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
That's really interesting. Well first off, the higher the dBm the WORSE you're doing. If you're in the 60's and 70's, you're sittin' on top of a strong tower. If you're 110-120+, you're probably barely holding on to the signal. Most people range from the 80's to 110's. There are tons of other factors at play on that signal, but that's the general idea. What's really weird is that your S6 is actually getting a stronger signal than your S5 based on those numbers, but is still dropping LTE. To me, that points to a software problem and the radio telling it to drop to 3G too early. Curious - is your S5 using VoLTE/Advanced Calling, or "normal" LTE?

My problems haven't been as drastic as yours sound, that's for sure. I live in a generally strong area for LTE, though, and one of the first to deploy Advanced Calling back when all that started with the G2 and S5. Most people wouldn't notice my issues the way they would yours, unless their call dropped.

I really wish I could get a few minutes to myself to do some comps with my iPhone 6 and other S6...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
Is there a way to get signal strength from an iP6? Thats my work phone but I am admittedly Android biased, so I really only use it for work calls and web testing. I did post up a poll to see if this is wider spread than we think.

http://xdaforums.com/verizon-galaxy-s6/help/poll-galaxy-s6-switching-to-3g-1x-t3082452

I am really hoping its not and just my unit. I am really not being overly dramatic either, it has been that noticeable at all of known strong signal spots.

-Lil'
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Try this: http://lifehacker.com/5929546/see-the-actual-signal-strength-on-your-iphone-with-this-quick-tweak

And there is DEFINITELY an attenuation issue on this phone. I can almost, at will, cause mine to switch to 3G. Don't get me wrong, I have to hold the phone in a way that's not likely to happen, but it's a drastic effect. Trying to record it now.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Here you go:

[YOUTUBE]6U3vdoarb0Q[/YOUTUBE]

I have my left hand holding the botton of the phone from the back, and my right hand holding the top from the back. Again, not a common hold, but it's an incredibly strong affect regardless.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] JOSE89178:
Lucky you, here I am stuck on LTE with 1 or 2 bars or no service while my mother has 4/5 bars of 3G on a iPhone 4. Getting ready to take it back. Almost missed a very important call yesterday due to this BS. Doesn't even make any freaking since why it would still be on LTE when theres no service and fall back on 3G. If I disable.enable airplane mode I'm connected to 3g or 1x with 4 bars before it goes back to stupid no service/1 bar lte ;(
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] droidiac13:
I posted this in the battery thread, but thought maybe it would be helpful here too. I just left a Verizon store and the gal I spoke to went into the S6 employee forum and said that they are aware of the issue with battery drain and connectivity issues. They are supposedly working on an update to fix both, but she had no ETA. The battery drain is being caused by the WiFi being connected and the answer right now is to turn off WiFi. I don't know if any of this is true, but it is what I was told.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Well that makes two, so that's potentially a good sign: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=60108563&postcount=18
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
Yes. but the question is ... will that fix come before or after our return period, because I am beggining to get an ichy return finger even though I really dont want to.

I saw a new crazy behavior on my way home today. In a know decent 4G area at two stoplights my signal bar litterally flip flopped back and forth at least 7 times in a matter of a minute between 1 bar of 4G, 3 bars of 3G and 1X. It was somethign I have never seen. then about a mile down the road it did it again. Upon arriving home which has always been a good 4G zone it immediately hops to mid level 3G and stays there. Now after being home for a bit it was steady at 3 bars 4G and the phone has not moved an inch and is now barely 2 bars 3G.

---------- Post added at 08:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:20 PM ----------

Verizon Wireless is convinced its a SIM card issue. So I am going to the corporate store tomorrow to do a SIM card swap ans see how that pans out. I will report back
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] gr_exclamation:
This post definitely gives me relief that I haven't received my phone yet, but also preps me for what may come and what I'll be looking our for... ?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
I still have an unopened S6 with an unactivated SIM card. In a few I'll open it up and activate it and see if it's any different.

Well the good news is there's only a few of us with these problems so far... so the statistics are on your side. :P
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
That's incorrect. S6 and S6 EDGE like every other LTE user device is required to have two receive path for LTE. One at the bottom, one at the top right side.

There isn't such a thing as LTE user device with "one" receive antenna. Period.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
Let me know jntdroid I'm at the door at vzw waiting for them to open at 10 am to swap sims. Of course as I'm sitting here my 4g is pegged and pulling like 32Mbs... lmao
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
So what would be the correct description then - single radio instead of antenna?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
Baseband processor is MDM9635M, handles everything from LTE to CDMA and in between. Takes care of 1x voice, EvDO, LTE.

CDMA operators aren't really getting devices with secondary baseband to simply camp for 1x Voice anymore and provide talk/surf while on 1x/3G. It uses too much power, and most people are on LTE these days which is way more power efficient.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
At my house last night there was no difference with a new sim, heck even with a different S6. They both reported the same signal strength and almost identical speedtest results. My iPhone 6 seemed to hold at similar levels as well. Reception at my house is better than at my office, though, where I've been switching to 3G (and did this morning).

So far this morning with a new sim in my original S6, I'm having the exact same issues switching to 3G and I can make it happen at will by holding the phone a certain way with both hands. So I don't think a new sim will help - that's almost always their default solution anyway... though your problems *have* been more extreme than mine.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Gotcha - so the more accurate terminology would be to say that prior Android devices on Verizon have had a dual baseband setup?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
So the plot thickens. Stopped in a my local VZW store. Explained my backstory and all of the troubleshooting etc. Asked around to all the techs if they have seen anyone else come in complaining of signal issues and dropped 4G, calls etc. They all honestly said they haven't as of yet but it is early.

Swapped SIMs and then pulled this type of bandwidth at the store, now I know this is ridiculous, but I don't think i was pulling anywhere near that previously even in a good 4G spot.

Now I downloaded an app called Real Signal to see where I am averaging. I am going to put it through the paces for the next few hours. At face value it seems to be alot better, however my house and the gym at noon will be the real test. Here are the last hour results from my signal strength.

I'll post back after 1 with how it performs at the gym because thats where it dropped completely out.

P.S. I am also beginning to wonder if the Versus Iron Shield case I am using is not helping the cause at all. The case has a TPU base with a metal bumper band. I watched the DBs on signal strength move down (or up in this case) a few DBs when its off, however the throughput on SpeedTest didn't really show any discernible difference.

This is the case http://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Verus-Aluminum-Samsung-Titanium/dp/B00UAYPEGG

Thoughts? Not sure where the antenna actually lies in the phone so I dont know if I am chasing ghosts with the case issue.

-Lil'
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
If the case has an aluminum band that hinders the "openings" around the frame of the phone (the little light plastic on each side of the top/bottom of the frame), that could very will be hindering things. Though the back is glass, not aluminum, so I wouldn't think that would be as big of an issue as a phone like the iPhone 6 or HTC M8/M9 where the entire body is aluminum.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
I was thinking the same thing. I figured you could get signal out of the back since its all glass. When i hit the gym I will try, off and on and see what kind of results I get.

---------- Post added at 11:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 AM ----------

OK so explain this one to me. It honestly feels like it takes the phone a few minutes to spin up a strong signal. As I sit here in my office charging on a wireless pad, I unlock it.. the 4G bars are low and speedtest puts be at like around 4Mbs. Without even moving the phone, BUT keeping the screen on and unlocked I try the test again and we are back at say 20Mbs. Is it possible the radio takes that long to 'spin up' so to speak or am I grasping at straws now?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] equake:
In store Speedtests are usually meaningless because they either have a booster or Femtocell at the site.

That being said, it might be antenna gate all over again lol.

my 2 cents.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
Here is my last 6 hours of signal and connection ... bad doesn't describe it.

Phone is going back for a replacement with fingers extremely crossed it's a bad unit... :(
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
I'm am in full agreement on the quick trigger finger with the software switching to 3G. I can see that alot where the S5 and S4 used to stay on a low 4g signal for quite some time before switching to 3G. Now if it gets even remotely low it switches fast and even gast off of 3G if that's low. It's rather dissapointing with such a great device otherwise
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] equake:
That's a long post lol. But essentially its very dependent on location/Signal strength. But I would be very sad if the reception is not any better than my S4.

I would be curious to see what LTE band its picking up. What's interesting is if both Band 4 and 13 are available which band it would pick up or would it it drop to 3G. My S4 would pick up Band 13 in one part of my house and then Band 4 in another part.

my 2 cents.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
I can't imagine it would be worse than the S4... do you get yours soon? And is there a way to tell which band it's grabbing?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] equake:
Usually the Hidden Menus show some of this info. But VZW disables this unless the phone is rooted. You may be able to use http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2609045.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] cgalyon:
Noticed today that even when it shows 4G (2 bars it seems) my rates are extremely low. I usually get about 0.7 - 0.86Mbps. I'm lucky to break 1Mbps. I tried power cycling the device and also tried toggling Wi-Fi on and off, but it made no difference. Currently very concerned and may end up returning the device because of it, which would be very sad because I love everything about it otherwise (well, except for it being locked down).
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] nateohio:
I can say that so far (only one day) that the S6 performance is damn near identical to my note 3's performance here at my house which happens to be in the only crappy service area in town
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] xdadevnube:
My Note 3 is pretty awful for dropped calls and data performance in low reception areas. What about yours?

---------- Post added at 11:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 PM ----------

Install LTE Discovery app from Play Store
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] Ziocomposite:
How much lower are the speeds you are now getting with the phone?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] John_Steffensen:
I got the same issue with my new S6 as the rest of you I guess. As a result I contacted my local (I live in Denmark) Samsung service point, (using my girlfirend's phone obviously, since mine is pretty much useless), and the woman I spoke to said that Samsung is well aware of the Wifi and antenna issue. She said that she could see in some logs that they're working on a software update to fix the issues. She insured me that it is a software issue and not a hardware issue. She couldn't give my a release date since it could take anywhere between a week and a couple of months.

After my little chat with Samsung, I spoke with a few people that I know knows quite alot about cell phones and especially antennas, and they both said it sounded more like a software issue than a hardware issue. I just guess I'll hang on to my S6 for now and wait for that update to be released.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
Having one hell of a time getting my unit replaced because of a system glitch on Verizon's part so I have no news ont he swap today however I did download the Discovery LTE app mentioned.

The screenshot is typical of what I am seeing... 110Dbs LTE Band 4.

View attachment 3265900

-Lil'
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
The sad part here is.. this seems to be a software issue based on my contacts, your and a few others, yet its been deemed indirectly ok with the masses and folks at large that a $700 USD phone is ok for a large-scale release with this kind of issue in 2015. I know this sounds like a simplistic view, but I find it very hard to wrap my head around taking 4 years in backwards steps in regards to wireless and data signals to move forward in build quality and camera technology. Hell, I would have been more than happy with the exact same quality of radio/antenna as the S5. At this point I would take the damn performance of the S4 over what I am getting currently. If I wanted reliability and service like I am getting with the S6 I would have taken my business to T-Mobile and at least known what I would be getting. After 14 years with VZW this is NOT what I come to expect. Especially with the 'rigiorous' testing that they say they do that generally pushes our software updates well past what every other carrier does.

Just my 2 cents.

-Lil'
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] John_Steffensen:
I'm with you on this. They fu*ked up beyond what can be expressed by words and it bacially speaks for itself. That said, I just wanted to share my information and let people know, that there might be some sort of reasonable solution in the "near" furture.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Yeah the whole "rigorous testing" thing baffles me when this stuff pops up. Though I have to wonder, since so few are having these issues (or noticing / complaining), there might be some other factor at play we're not seeing or thinking of.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
I got my vzw issue cleared up after 3 hours on the phone.

Getting a replacement tomorrow. A friend of mine just got his s6 locally and not having any of these issues. So here's to hoping I have a bad unit.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] Alucardis666:
Same! :-/
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] bigbean17:
Created an account so i could comment on this thread....... i am also having connectivity issues on my s6. Not quite as bad as others but my phone seems to switch to 3G much quicker than my past phones. But get this, my wife and i both have s6 s that we both bought from the same place the same day and her phone does not have the same issue as mine. At home i have issues holding a 4G signal but she is a few feet away from me and has a constant 4G signal.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
That's interesting - I had two separate S6's that acted the same way. Are there any differences between you and your wife's? Like cases or something external like that?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] bigbean17:
We do have different cases. Mine is a spigen neo hybrid which does have an aluminum band that runs around the outside edges of the case but the back is plastic. Her case is all plastic. I didn't get the case right away (few days ago) so im pretty sure mine had this issue before i put the case on.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
[MENTION=2623863]lilsalmon[/MENTION] also had a metal banded case... Mine doesn't, but my issues haven't been as severe either. Even if it wasn't a (or as much of a) problem before, I wonder if the metal band is contributing to it at all. Even though I don't have a metal band, my hands can make the signal drop like a rock...
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] bigbean17:
This weekend i will have to take it out of the case and see if that makes a difference.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Despite all of the stuff I wrote here, I'm still having issues that I simply don't have on my iPhone 6 - namely calls dropping more often, and people on the other end saying "say that again, you're cutting out a lot". Even when my iPhone 6's signal would drop, calls remained consistent. And again, it really really really seems like it's dropping to 3G a lot more often than any prior device, despite what I said in that long post before. I realize that's anecdotal, but I guess that is in the subject of this thread... :)
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] nateohio:
Although I can relate to being frustrated, for me I understand that being an early adopter always comes with issues. Very rarely does a new release come with zero issues. Overall though I am very happy with this phone, issues aside.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Indeed... the problem is none of the other VoLTE phones I've had with Verizon act like this one. But I agree - this is one of, if not the best Android phones I've ever used.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] bigbean17:
Looks like you were right my signal strength has improved once I removed the metal band. Now I have the same signal strength as the wife's. Thanks for your help. I hope a software fix will help improve the data reception even further.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
That's good to know - thanks for checking back in!
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] s197:
You realize that band is plastic and just looks like metal right? I have the same case.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] hoola20055:
I thought it was an aluminum band? My signal also improves when I remove the band. I have the worst signal with this phone than any other phone.drops to 3g a lot where I usually get 3 or 4 bars
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] bigbean17:
It says on the band that it is aluminum and I can tell that it is definitely metal. I went to the spigen website and I have the neo hybrid metal.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] lilsalmon:
Got my replacement S6. It seems better however I am still seeing an itchy trigger finger on switching to 4G. Then once jumping to 3G it seems rather leery to jump back to 4G quickly. Not really fond of how the software is handling the the handoff between bands. My speed and 4G does seem better and I am in the process of grabbing a new case without the metal band. I have the Versus Iron Shield which is basically a mirror of the Spigen Neo Hybrid Metal that you guys are talking about. Using the Discovery 4G app I can definitely see a 2-4 DB improvement without the case depending on how strong the signal is to start. So I do think there is some interference at play here with the metal bumper based cases. It may not play a dramatic role, but it is quantifiable while using that app to measure signal strength.

To further the case here I picked up a 64GB S6 in black from Best Buy yesterday. Similar signal results to my 64GB White unit I received from Verizon corp store as well as the unit shipped direct from Verizon.

-Lil'
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
Of course it does. Any metal material directly connected with the antenna bands will bridge those plastic molds that are separating the antennas and attenuate the RF.

Also, Band 13 is in most areas running at capacity. AWS doesn't penetrate into the buildings as well as low band, so it's the physics.

If Band 13 is overloaded, the network will automatically relegate your device to 3G.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Shouldn't it do that on any phone then?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
Metal case will attenuate signal more or less on any phone, however, plastic phones insulate the antenna within it's metal (steel reinforced) frame, and there is no direct contact with the antenna.

Phones like HTC M7,8,9, iPhone, GS6 all have metal shell with the antenna modules directly attached to it from the inside. Two plastic molds at the top and bottom of GS6 essentially separate metal portion of the case that contain the antenna from the rest of the metal body to prevent detuning.

When you apply metal case to that form factor, you're effectively bypassing that plastic mold insulation, and bridging the metal antenna portion of the phone with the rest of the metal housing of the device, which detunes the antenna.

I always go with no case at least initially, as it gives me a clearer picture of the RF, and allows me to feel and enjoy the craftsmanship. The obvious downside is you could drop the phone and damage it if you have history with that.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] Fireballfx:
But on all of these cases, there is an insulating TPU layer between the metal antenna and the metal of the case. I'm not arguing about the idea of metal insulating from RF bands, but this is slightly different than having the metal of the case 'bridge' the metal antenna of the phone as you are implying.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
When you have a metal frame case covering the entire metal frame of the phone, there is only so much TPU can do to mitigate the RF attenuation. On top of that, add the (sweaty) hand contact, and you're in for a treat.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
Sorry I wasn't more specific - I was actually referring to that phrase with my question about it happening to any phone.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
Yeah capacity issues are network side, regardless of the user device.

That said, when a user device reports low signal levels back to the network, network decides whether the device should stay on LTE or move to 3G.
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] jntdroid:
So attenuation *could*, in theory, cause one phone to drop to 3G while another hangs on to LTE, even if both have a similarly weak signal... depending on what the network is seeing from both?
[Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6] milan03:
The similarly weak signal reported to the network isn't going to factor to what user device is being relegated to 3G. It would either have to be too inconsistent, or significantly worse.

There are parameters in place on the network side that handle handoffs between different LTE bands (AWS, PCS, 700MHz) and it's entirely managed by network, not the device, unless you have access to ServiceMode and lock the device onto the specific band. Samsung Galaxy devices have an excellent ServiceMode on GS6 variants, but Verizon unfortunately doesn't want us to access this so they've blocked it. Once we get the root access, we should be able to re-enable it.

Falling back to legacy layers like 3G happens when the LTE signal levels reported back to the network are unusable or inconsistent,

OR

when the LTE network is at capacity. Recently users have been reporting higher than usual utilization of 3G within the areas of coverage where they've always seen solid LTE signal and coverage, and this is almost entirely because the wireless operator is running out of the capacity and needs to address it by adding more cells within the coverage area.