Apple

[batangas]

My wife has iPhone SIM free from Play.com3G on Vodafone with no problems.

I bought a 3GS which arrived yesterday. I have had no end of problems with Vodafone reception KT17 3N area.

Even if I uncheck 3G in settings it only shows 1-2 bars whilst my wife's iPhone shows full bars. I have restored the phone 3 times and all seems well at first but soon it says "no service"; when I search it shows Vodafone and O2, whilst a search on my wife's 3g shows all networks. It "locks" on to Vodafone with no problem. My 3GS constantly loses reception and goes to "no service." I tried "automatic" as well as "mannual".

When I put my SIM back in my N95 it shows full bars.

1. Should I get a new SIM from my Voda shop as it looks worn / old.
2. Is there a problem with the Voda transmitter (since Vodafone moved it from Epsom Racecourse old grandstand - further west now from me with both grandstands blocking the signal from my house and office?). The small cell on the Toyota building Great Burgh seems to be only 2G and very weak power. I am less than 300m from Toyota building and about 800m from Epsom Downs grandstand.
3. Should I send this iPhone 3gs back t Play.com for a refund - is it a hardware issue?
4. Should I tell Vodafone the IMIE number of the new phone - will this help?

It has been very frustrating especially as my wife's 3G is working with no issues.

Thanks.

Danny

[simonaldworth]

My wife has iPhone SIM free from Play.com3G on Vodafone with no problems.

I bought a 3GS which arrived yesterday. I have had no end of problems with Vodafone reception KT17 3N area.

Even if I uncheck 3G in settings it only shows 1-2 bars whilst my wife's iPhone shows full bars. I have restored the phone 3 times and all seems well at first but soon it says "no service"; when I search it shows Vodafone and O2, whilst a search on my wife's 3g shows all networks. It "locks" on to Vodafone with no problem. My 3GS constantly loses reception and goes to "no service." I tried "automatic" as well as "mannual".

When I put my SIM back in my N95 it shows full bars.

1. Should I get a new SIM from my Voda shop as it looks worn / old.
2. Is there a problem with the Voda transmitter (since Vodafone moved it from Epsom Racecourse old grandstand - further west now from me with both grandstands blocking the signal from my house and office?). The small cell on the Toyota building Great Burgh seems to be only 2G and very weak power. I am less than 300m from Toyota building and about 800m from Epsom Downs grandstand.
3. Should I send this iPhone 3gs back t Play.com for a refund - is it a hardware issue?
4. Should I tell Vodafone the IMIE number of the new phone - will this help?

It has been very frustrating especially as my wife's 3G is working with no issues.

Thanks.

Danny

I have just purchased the same phone from play.com and without any reception issues (that I'm aware of). I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but as you have tested the sim card in two other phones and all is well the fault lies elsewhere. It could be a reception issue but I would be inclined to try the sim in another iphone and compare it with yours in the same locale.

[batangas]

I have just purchased the same phone from play.com and without any reception issues (that I'm aware of). I'm sorry I can't be more helpful but as you have tested the sim card in two other phones and all is well the fault lies elsewhere. It could be a reception issue but I would be inclined to try the sim in another iphone and compare it with yours in the same locale.

I am restoring iphone 3gs again (4th time) with new voda SIM card. It is lying on my desk in my study showing 4 bars on vodafone 2g (I have disabled 3G in iphone settings.) About 5 seconds after i pick it up and hold it vertically, the bars, one by one reduce until the No service message comes up.

So frustrating. I phoned customer service up today and although they were sympathetic they could not help. I still feel it has something to do with weak reception here at KT17 3NZ. The voda cell at Toyota HQ (01737) being weak and only 2g; and the voda cell next to epsom racecourse grandstand (01372) being blocked from my location behind 2 steel and concrete grandstands, and that I am in a "dip".

Any comment from a Vodafone rep about improving 3g coverage here in KT17 3NZ, Epsom Downs area???

I bought an O2 payg sim card today also, and although it showed 2 bars (2g) and no service (3g), it also went to "No Service" when I held the phone vertically.

Fed up. I have a returns code from Play.com and will wait till monday before sending it back!

[Adam_V]

Hi batangas,

Welcome to the eForum Although we don't officially support the iPhone the eForum is a great place to get all kinds of hints and tips to get you up and running. There's also quite a community who are successfully using iPhones (jailbroken or SIM free) on our network.

Judging by all the tests you've run it's very clear to me that the issue is a phone fault so sending it back to Play.com would be the best move. Since your wife's iPhone is working fine on 3G I can see no reason for you having any problems with 3G in your area. However if you do want to check the coverage in your area or anywhere else in the UK be sure to check out our new and improved Vodafone Coverage Checker.

In answer to your question about your IMEI number it doesn't make any difference with the signal strength but it's a good idea to get this updated on your account as it can help prevent unauthorised access if your phone is ever lost or stolen. Give us a call on 191 and we can sort that out for you

I hope it goes well with your replacement but if you have any technical queries with your iPhone please drop us a post and we'll do our best to support you.

Many Thanks,

Adam
eForum Team.