SMT5600 (CINGULAR) signal issue

[Guest jenya]

Has anyone experienced poor signal from the SMT5600 on cingular network. I have noticed that my bars are never consistant even if standing in one place. I am about to conclude that Smartphones in general do not hold signal as well as other basic phones. I am seriously about to get rid of this phone its soo annoying to have intermittent connectivity...

[Guest guidedbyvoices]

Where are you located? I'm in N.J. and have great signal strength. If you give me your ZIP Code, I can ask my Global Account Manager at Cingular to check coverage percentages. But you should definately perform a hard reset on the device, and start from day 1 again. Let us know the results of that. Perhaps somewhere in the phones settings you inadvertently changed something.

Edited September 12, 2005 by guidedbyvoices

[Guest jenya]

Umm, well after doing some research on other forums i'm not alone with this concern.

http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=681600

[Guest bradmatejo]

Yes! I have signal issues with my SMT5600!

I had an ATTWS MPx200 that provided average signal, but it was stolen. I replaced it with a Cingular SMT5600. It gives me decent signal around town, but sometimes it randomly drops to zero signal. But the real kicker is at my house. The MPx200 would occasionally have poor signal, but the SMT5600 drops to absolutely nothing (is it possible to have negative signal?) when I get within a block or so of my house. It's virtually useless to me if I can't make calls at home.

FWIW, my brother's phone (non-Smartphone) also has very poor signal at home. For both of us, every once in a while we'll get a minute or two of full signal, but those moments of bliss are rare.

Guidedbyvoices, could you use your magic touch to look at my coverage? I'm in 78749.

BTW, I've called Cingular about this. They said everything looked ok, but maybe it would pass in a few days. Also, they locked my account in to using "blue" towers (old ATT towers) since I had gotten decent signal with my ATT phone. I didn't see how that would do much for me, and it hasn't.

[Guest MrDSL]

Yes!  I have signal issues with my SMT5600!

I had an ATTWS MPx200 that provided average signal, but it was stolen.  I replaced it with a Cingular SMT5600.  It gives me decent signal around town, but sometimes it randomly drops to zero signal.  But the real kicker is at my house.  The MPx200 would occasionally have poor signal, but the SMT5600 drops to absolutely nothing (is it possible to have negative signal?) when I get within a block or so of my house.  It's virtually useless to me if I can't make calls at home.

FWIW, my brother's phone (non-Smartphone) also has very poor signal at home.  For both of us, every once in a while we'll get a minute or two of full signal, but those moments of bliss are rare.

Guidedbyvoices, could you use your magic touch to look at my coverage?  I'm in 78749.

BTW, I've called Cingular about this.  They said everything looked ok, but maybe it would pass in a few days.  Also, they locked my account in to using "blue" towers (old ATT towers) since I had gotten decent signal with my ATT phone.  I didn't see how that would do much for me, and it hasn't.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Same issue with my 5600 also I can be standing in the same spot and not even moving the phone and the signal will go from full bars to zero bars etc etc. Its very annoying but for the most part it holds my calls fine..zip 46614

[Guest cortez]

i only look at the signal indicator when i can't complete a call, a call is dropped or the person on the other end keeps saying "hello? hello?". otherwise i don't concern myself with the number of bars.

[Guest guidedbyvoices]

Both TX and IN are covered fine. You should go to the PHone settings and under Networks, go under Menu and select "Find a new Network" Then do a select network and choose Cingular.

[Guest jenya]

guidedbyvoices:

The network selection generally does not work... Cingular pretty much locked that down as well as preferred networks :o

[Guest bradmatejo]

Guidedbyvoices, thanks for checking. Thanks for your thoughts on this. When I do "Find a New Network" all I get is three listings for Cingular. And the signal is equally crappy no matter which one I pick.

I think I'm going to take the phone back to the store and have them swap it for a new one. Maybe it's the phone...

This is so bad, if it keeps up I'll have to get a different carrier...

[Guest mcdata]

Has anyone experienced poor signal from the SMT5600 on cingular network.  I have noticed that my bars are never consistant even if standing in one place.  I am about to conclude that Smartphones in general do not hold signal as well as other basic phones.  I am seriously about to get rid of this phone its soo annoying to have intermittent connectivity...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have the same problem in the Chicago area. While making a call and standing still, the signal strength moves from 4 bars to 2 bars and back.

[Guest jenya]

I have the same problem in the Chicago area.  While making a call and standing still, the signal strength moves from 4 bars to 2 bars and back.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As the other threads/forums say, the RF is a lot weaker on this phone thus giving you inaccurate coverage display.

I feel that I go through a lot of calls while driving and have these 'black holes' for like seconds at a time. I switched to my Nokia 3120 just to compare the coverage between phones since they are both Cingular phones. The Nokia was like 4 to 5 bars the whole time, and never had a 'black hole' experience....

[Guest aquila421]

funny you should mention that, i hit one "black hole" in jersey when on route 1 in woodbridge (central jersey). Other than that, anything beats the nextel i used to have. But on average, my 5600 reception rocks.

it's as if theres no cingular tower there, every day, the same black hole.