Connection problems / interrupts

Hi there,

I have issues with my FP1 (First batch) regarding the connection signal to my two providers. Sometimes the signal falls from four bars to zero bars while the phone is not even moving. This happens simultaniosly or with only one connection to the respective mobile network.

I already set back the phone to factory settings, that didn’t help.

I’m willing to change the daughterboard, with is apparently home of the network connection hardware. But I really don’t know if this will be resolving my issue… For me it’s like the last shot before I give up on my lovely FP1.

Has anyone experienced the same and resolved it?

Thanks!

Does this happen always in the same location (e.g. at home), or in more than one place?

It happens in different places.
My wife’s phone - lying right next to the FP1, not a Fairphone but the same provider - has no connection issues at all.

How old are your SIM cards? Old SIM cards can have problems with connecting to the network (sometimes providers change protocols, etc.).

One is barely a year old, the other one probably four to five years old. It seems that the newer one is working better but still sometimes bug. Could be the different network, too.

I do also suffer from bad reception from beginning with my FP1 as you can read here.

Mostly it happens in areas with bad reception at all but then either the call is interrupted or at least the other don’t understand a word during a call, or without a call the bars are jumping between 0/1 and 3-4 bars.
I think it is strongly dependent of the three-dimensional orientation of the phone (and its antennas) in regard to the sending masts…a 180° turning movement can provoke it in some of my cases!
But I do not have a solution, only in my flat I know how I should hold the FP to have acceptable reception quality.

Maybe you can play around with the type of network: try only 2G or only 3G and compare to the automatic mode of 2G/3G-mix. You can achieve it easily with XPosed+Gravity-Box.

I am using a two year old Fonic(O2) SIM.

Cheers, Robert

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You should probably get a new one (and hope that you provider gives you one for free).

A simcard of two years old could be the problem. Hopefully you can get a new sim card for free. See the answer from @Stefan.

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No, they actually charged me €10 for a new SIM card.

This depends on the provider of @JackNowhere.

(The topic @tofra linked to is a good overview).

Hi Therob,
thanks for the detailed answer, I also experienced the effect of turning the phone resulting in a better or worse connection. The weird thing is, that this happens also without moving the phone and with both providers. A new SIM-Card costs 25 € so this would be my last option and regarding the simliar problem with the newer SIM-Card it is not likely to solve the problem.

Have you considered that the old SIM card causes both networks to loose connections because it makes the modem software crash?

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Hi Stefan,
i will give it a try, thanks for the advice.

Before buying a new SIM card you could put it out of the phone for a while and see if the connection gets lost also with only the newer SIM in the phone.

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So I bought a new simcard and the problem still occurs. Another problem is that even when I have four bars i cant even do or recieve a call. I think I need a new phone, people are already getting angry not beging able to join me. I would give a try to the daughterboard but 11€ shipping for a part worth 5€… sigh

Hm, I’m sorry that it doesn’t work… Just for the sake of completeness: Have you been in touch with the official Fairphone support channel?