S4 mini losing network

[fishy-2007]

I have a (non-contract) Galaxy S4 Mini and I really like it, it's on  a SIM-only plan from Vodafone .  I live in the remote countryside with no 3G coverage (4G is like a far off dream) so I have a Sure Signal at home which works really well.  I have the phone set to GSM/WCDM Autoconnect in Settings/Network Connections/More Networks but nearly every time I leave the house and the 3G signal provided by my Sure Signal the phone loses network and won't allow me to call or recieve calls or even texts, this includes every morning when I go to the office.  It's driving me nuts, I have to remember to either re-start the phone or set it to GSM Only before I leave home to make sure I have a signal.  If I don't the phone gives me an eror message "Not registered on Network" or something like that.  I know it's not a network problem because I have colleagues in the same office on Vodafone who will be experiencing a strong (albeit 2G signal).

Is this a SIM or phone problem or just an artefact of using the Sure Signal in an area with no 3G?

I haven't appraoched Vodafone yuet as I anticipate they will blame the phone and when I ask Samsung I'm sure they will say it is the network.

Any help or suggestions as to what I can do to sort this would be appreciated.  

Fishy

[Retired-Kay]

Hi fishy-2007, 

Does this happen on just the one phone or all that are connected to the Sure Signal? This may help us determine if it could be a handset or SIM issue. 

Thanks, 

Kay

[fishy-2007]

Hi again

This only happens with the S4 Mini and it isn't getting any better.  On Saturday I left the house and lost signal but despite restarting the device 3 or 4 times when away from home it wouldn't pick up service.  It is hugely frustrating, I'm pretty sure it is the phone because my wife's Nokia dn my own Blackberry (both on Vodafone) were just fine all day.  Any further thoughts that anyone has on this welcomed but I suspect its something I will beed to resolve with Samsung??

All the best

Fishy

[Retired-Matt_B]

Hi Fishy,

Thanks for getting back to us.

It certainly looks to be a problem with either your phone/SIM card. At this point, I'd recommend attempting to use another Vodafone SIM card in the S4 Mini.

If the issue still persists, you'll need to arrange a repair. If the SIM card works fine, I'd recommend visiting your local Vodafone store, where you'll be able to collect a new SIM card.

Thanks,

Matt B

[fishy-2007]

Thanks Matt, I'm going to the big City on Tuesday so will seek out the Vodafone shop and exchange SIMs there, is that something that is quick to do and free?  Do they transfer my data from my current SIM to the new one?

All the best

Fishy

[Retired-James]

Hi fishy-2007,

You don’t need to worry as it will normally take a couple of minutes to do and they’ll transfer everything over to the new SIM for you.

James