Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
klopus
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have persistent problem with my 2 weeks old Razr M, mostly in Midtown Manhattan which is LTE saturated. Basically if I use the phone in 3G/1x zone (e.g. inside deep inside office highrise) it almost never switches back to 4G even when I come back to the strong 4G area. The only cure is to flip Airplane mode on and then off after which my Razr M happily finds full bars 4G. That's extremely disappointing - 3G is noticeably less snappy and the phone gets warm.

Anybody else experience this or I got a lemon?

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
B33
Legend

Go to the Google Playstore and Download Motorola's Restore Connectivity App Once Downloaded Tap on the Widget it will go into the App Tap Next it will Load up When it's Finished Tap -->  [  Restart  ]   it will shut the Device Down and Re-power back on and the 4G should Return..

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
klopus
Enthusiast - Level 1

Thanks but unfortunately this app isn't compatible with Razr M.

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
B33
Legend

Hum!   interesting Try a Soft Reset See if that Works..

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
klopus
Enthusiast - Level 1

Even flipping Airplane mode helps not speaking of hard and soft reset. Still after some time it goes back again to sticky 3G behavior until next Airplane mode flipping.

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
B33
Legend

Well i imagine This isn't a fun thing to see. On my two Maxx's they have pretty well stayed on the 4G on occasion it will go to 3G but resume Back unless i'm in a Rule Area but i would try Checking with the Sim Card as the Sim is what gives the phone the 4G service..

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Hi there Klopus!

Aside from this I hope you're thoroughly enjoying your Razr M!  Technically speaking at this time this is considered normal and I will be delighted to explain why.

When a hand off from LTE to 3g occurs it's seemless but the direction is only one way. The same data connections can't go back to LTE from 3g. The remedy is to stop the data connections completely and then you will reconnect to LTE.  This is why airplane mode has been working for you.

This is the way of the technology at this time and as mentioned there may be third party applications that disable your data connections long enough to jump back to LTE without having to use airplane mode.

Thanks,

MelissaM_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
klopus
Enthusiast - Level 1

Hey, Melissa, wow, thanks for taking time to put a detailed answer. It's quite rare for the carrier reps to answer on forums, I wasn't expecting it.

I can't say though that your answer is convincing to me. According to your explanation if the LTE phone ever falls to 3G it can't get back until all current data connections are terminated or reset. But sometimes my Razr M falls to 3G or even 2G but then in a stronger signal area happily recovers back to 4G without me doing anything special, same apps that may have data connections still in running.

Also if your theory was totally true then it would affect all LTE phones, wouldn't it? My coworker to the left has Verizon Samsung Galaxy III and my coworker to the right has Verizon iPhone5. In the place facing the window where we sit (Midtown Manhattan) LTE signal is quite good (3-4 bars) and all 3 phones normally show 4G. In the kitchen and restrooms which are deep inside the building there's at best weak 3G which affects all phones. But I'm the only one still having 3G permanently when I come back from the kitchen or the restroom. My neighbors Samsung and iPhone5 switch back to 4G after few minutes. I'm usually permanently stuck in 3G unless I flip Airplane mode or reboot. Today for example Airplane flip didn't help and even re-boot also. I had to reset the phone to get it back to 4G!

Hopefully you can see both of my points and understand why I'm still skeptical.

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
tambeb
Newbie

I wouldn't totally accept that explanation to be honest. Below is a reply I just posted to someone else's data issue. Based on the fact that my 4G in my midtown NYC office is 100% normal on Sundays when I sometimes work versus almost completely unusable consistently Monday through Friday with no exceptions, I think it's network saturation plain and simple. Any time I'm outside of NYC on a weekday afternoon my LTE is much more reliable but weekdays basically anywhere in Manhattan are awful. I just wonder if it affects everyone or if some accounts somehow are less able to get space on the towers than others.

*********

I live in NJ, but I work in midtown Manhattan and the exact same thing is happening to me. And just like you, when I'm outside the city in the suburbs my LTE is more or less fine. I do happen to still have an unlimited plan and it wouldn't be too outrageous to assume we might be getting throttled. But my best guess is that it's because of network saturation. On weekdays I consistently have this issue in NYC, but I work some Sundays and on those days my LTE is 100% normal in the office. To me that screams saturation. Also, the pattern of drops and attempts at re-connects feels exactly how it felt when I was on AT&T a few years ago when the iPhone first started clogging their network. And unfortunately the customer service experience is the same too. Either they're all in on the conspiracy and won't admit the saturation or they truly don't know. At this point I'm just going to wait it out. I don't have the energy to go through new phones and resets. (I actually did a factory reset when the problem first started and of course it made no difference.)

*********

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Re: Razr M: Sticks to 3G and doesn't flip back to 4G/LTE
sillyme
Newbie

Thanks, my phone was stuck on 3g, your solution worked for me! Thanks

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