What the hell is wrong with my LG Optimus P970? 3G / HSDPA keeps disappearing

Hi guys,

Does anyone have any technical idea of why that would be happening? I basically keep getting dropouts of 3G and H signals, even in the middle of the city it struggles to connect. Just disappears, and eventually comes back though I don't change position…

The phone is GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and I'm on the optus network. Is it a software/hardware thing, or just not compatible with the network?
Thanks :)

Comments

  • +1

    There shouldn't be any problems with frequencies according to:
    http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/mobile_phone_frequencies
    http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_black_p970-3704.php

    Did you buy it outright? If you bought it outright then it's probably worth making sure you update it to the newest software using the updater here:
    http://www.lg.com/au/support-mobile/lg-LGP970

    If you KNOW that you have 3G in the area where you are but the phone isn't connecting you can do the following:

    Open the dialer (the stock one)
    Type: * # * # 4636 # * # *
    Go to phone information
    Scroll down and you should see something like "WCDMA Preffered"
    Open this menu and choose WCDMA only. The phone will then only connect to 3G networks. The downside is obviously if there is no 3G you have no coverage even if there is a 2G network available. You can always change it back.

  • GSM 850/900/1800/1900
    They're the 2G frequencies

    the 3G frequencies are:
    HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100

    Optus uses 900 and 2100MHz for their 3G networks , so hardware wise, you should be fine.

    I'm guessing it's a software issue.. I'd be backing up all my data and doing a factory reset.

    • Alrighty! Done a factory reset and it seems to be better, need a bit more trialling. Just in case it doesn't improved I've had a look at another phone and the wife could inherit mine :)

      It runs on:
      GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
      HSPA/WCDMA 850/1900/2100 MHz

      Does that mean I won't get 3G on the optus network? Or only if I go out of the metro area?

      Looks like a great phone otherwise!

      • You will get 3G in metro, but not in regional areas.

        • awesome, thanks heaps

      • -1

        Just in case it doesn't improved I've had a look at another phone and the wife could inherit mine :)

        "Gosh, Honey, this thing is an absolute POS - here, I'll go buy one that works properly and you can have this one." Yep, absolutely guaranteed to score you points, I'm sure.

        • Umm Yeh well no one was asking for a smart ass comment but the fact is she doesn't use the web on her phone, doesn't even have a smart phone in fact so not only would my phone be a considerable upgrade, any issues with hspda wouldn't be noticed …

          Save the marriage tips for a relevant thread.

  • Awesome thanks guys. It didn't used to be like this. I tried the WCDMA only thing, but had the same problem. Seems to occur mostly when moving on transport, especially going through train tunnels. Network signal is lost and then I can't get back on the network without turning phone off then on again…

    I have the latest android available. Apparently LG is considering rolling out ICS for this one, so I'm hoping that resolves it!

    • Seriously, there's a software fault that you need to fix and while an upgrade may fix it, a Wipe has a far better chance, plus you can do the wipe today, instead of next year or whenever LG get off their bums to release last year's OS for your handset.

      • Nuts, I was afraid of that. I assume I lose all apps installed? Contacts are just synched with Gmail so that's fine, but apps would be a bit of a pain. Although less so than constantly dying signals :s

        • Yep, it means you lose everything!
          Backup your apps with Titanium backup or MyBackup
          (you may need root access)
          But only restore apps that you need to keep data for.
          Don't restore any system settings.

          MyBackup can backup/restore SMS/MMS and call logs if you need them.
          And if you're sychronised with Google Play Store, you can reasonably quickly reinstall all your apps reasonably quickly.
          The few times I've needed to do a restore have taken maybe 2 hours on WiFi.
          I usually just do it whilst watching a movie.

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