Problems - 2125 Searching for Network [Archive]

Gator5000e

02-11-2006, 08:25 AM

All of a sudden my 2125 is constantly searching for a network and not finding one. One the screen it just says Searching. Been that way for 6 hours now. I've turned it on and off; pulled the battery, forced it into flight mode to no avail. Cingular CS was no help and I will have to call tech supp later today.

Anyone faced and solved this problem yet? Thanks for any advice if you..had.

Kris Kumar

02-11-2006, 03:42 PM

Once in a while (for a split second every two days) it shows "searching..." and then picks up the carrier. It happens in areas which has up to 2 bars of signal strength. :-(

Also my 2125 has gone into the flight mode couple of times. :evil:

I would definitely talk to the Cingular rep.

I am hoping that there is a firmware update, the one with MSFP that will fix this one and other issues.

Mike Temporale

02-11-2006, 05:26 PM

Just a suggestion:

Start \ Settings \ Phone \ NEtworks \ Menu \ Preferred Networks

Make sure you're carrier is at the top, and remove any other carriers from the list.

Jerry Raia

02-11-2006, 07:14 PM

Cingular is the only one on my list. I haven't seen any of the behaviors described by Gator or Kris.

Gator5000e

02-11-2006, 09:13 PM

Thanks for the idea guys. It appears the SIM card went bad somehow. I called cingular tech support and the rep told me first he thought the problem was that my phone was set to still look at the ATT towers as well as the Cingular towers and he changed that on my SIM.

When that did not work, he thought my SIM became corrupted somehow and told me to go to a local store to get it switched out. I asked him if it would be a problem going to a store as I bought it on line- he said he would put in the notes that they are authorized to replace the SIM.

When I got to the store, she pulled up the notes and replaced the SIM and now it works. I had lost some stuff like the VM speed dial, but went to the Cingular live chat room and they sent me a SIM update which fixed that problem.

So now all is back to normal, except that I had performed a hard reset and now have to reenter all my setting and info. Yuk!

jfreiman

02-28-2006, 01:50 AM

I'm having the same problems, loss of carier, dropped calls -- plus terrible reception. Where I used to have 4-5 bars on my Audiovox SMT5600 I now have one or 2 bars and audio quality is terrible.

I've been working with Cingular for MONTHS now and they have not been able to help me at all. I've even had my 2125 replaced 3 times (4th phone) and had the SIM replaced once or twice.

This is getting so tiresome, I wish HTC had just updated the software/os on the 5600.

I'm embarressed to say, but I actually lost it today on the phone and crossed way over the line of sanity - but hey, in my defense I've been trying to resolve this problem since early December.

I too hope that this phone can be helped with a ROM update. However, no one I have talked to at Cingular has given me any indication that there is a problem.

rev12

03-04-2006, 02:15 AM

I have had this problem several times in the past - it appears that 2125 will burn out a sim card. I have exchanged phones 2125 and I have still burned out sim cards. So I believe that there is a problem with the 2125. Now because of my job I can not turn off my phone for any extended time that may be causing the problem - but I do restart the phone once a day.

jfreiman

03-04-2006, 05:00 AM

Burned out SIM card?

I'm sure that's possible but is it likely?

Next chance I can I'll stop by a Cingular store and see if they can swap out my SIM -- I'm extremely skeptical that any thing will help at this point, but I'll try anything - AGAIN! ;-)

Jerry Raia

03-04-2006, 05:56 AM

I have never heard of this phenomena.

jfreiman

03-04-2006, 07:44 AM

rev12

03-05-2006, 10:24 PM

Burn out is probably not the best description - but the sim card just stops working - One of the CS reps stated that the problem could be caused because the phone is seldom turned off and the sim card could be over heating - they are not sure. All I know is that the sim card will stop working - unable to connect to the network - every 3-4 weeks - so I always carrying a spare sim card as a back up. I hav never had a just problem with any other sim/gsm phone - and I always carry two phones because of my job. - Sometimes I will be talking on the phone and then hang up and not be able to connect to the network even with a 5x5 signal - then when I restart the phone - I don't even connect to a tower.

Kris Kumar

03-06-2006, 01:19 AM

I also have had some strange experiences with the 2125.

One day the EDGE/GPRS stopped working. I was at work and I could not access the data network. pIE will say connecting and stay stuck at that. After some time, I would lost the EDGE E sign in the top bar and got G instead, but it still would not connect. Called Cingular and they said there was no cell tower problem and said they will reset the Internet account. But no luck, got back home started working. So probably it was the cell tower. :? But why didn't Cingular folks catch it.

There are times when my phone goes into Flight Mode and stays that way till I reboot. :-(

On the home screen, I have seen the carrier name "Cingular" flash for a second or say, instead of Cingular it would say Home Network or something with Home.

The 2125 is still the most robust Smartphone I have ever owned, with the best reception ever, but I still am not 100% happy with the radio module on this Smartphone. :wink:

Jerry Raia

03-06-2006, 02:08 AM

I have had similar strange experiences like that. I've just shrugged them off as Smartphone growing pains. :lol:

jfreiman

03-08-2006, 01:24 AM

Well, I went to a Cingular store today at lunch and had a new SIM card installed.

Since I have nearly ALL my problems in my apartment I'll know when I step through the door if changing the SIM out helped or hindered my use of the phone and it's reception.

-John

JTR

03-17-2006, 06:51 PM

The issue definitely seems to be with the Sim Card. I was told that the "UICC" sim cards are incompatible with the 2125. You have to go to the Cingular store and get a different Sim card. I haven't gone yet so I don't know whats different about Sim card.

My problem has occured mostly when I travel and usually for 24 hour periods.

Jerry Raia

03-17-2006, 06:57 PM

What is a UICC SIM card?

JTR

03-17-2006, 07:14 PM

I just went the Cingular store and the rep said that tech service doesn't know what they are talking about. I had to fight with them just to pull up the account and read what tech service said. Cingular is really lowering the bar on customer service.

JTR

03-17-2006, 07:19 PM

Jerry Raia

03-17-2006, 07:37 PM

No, it was a 3G card which is what I told the tech service person but apparently they didn't listen. I think the UICC is a 2G card. I think they just pushed me off onto the store expecting them to fix the problem. Basically, I don't think any of them know what the cause is.

Oh you would be hard pressed to find someone in the store who knows anything. Just ask them if they have ever heard of this site. If you get a negative response move on to the next person. :lol:

etamura

03-22-2006, 02:01 AM

I am on my 3rd Cingular 2125 handset since January. The main problem which Cingular cannot fix is when it drops the network so the display only says "searching". The only fix is to call the support line, wait a long time, and then have them delete your device from their network and then reboot the phone and have it re-register on Cingular's network. Then it will work for a while. They have replaced the sim card 3 times thinking that it was burning out but none of the sim cards were faulty since they worked fine in other gsm devices. The phone truely SUCKS! I hate it I hate it I hate it.

Jerry Raia

03-22-2006, 02:05 AM

This is unfortunate as I like this phone. I haven't had these problems myself though.

jfreiman

03-22-2006, 03:05 AM

Yea, I've had it with the 2125. After trying to work with Cingular since November on the many issues - the priority being keeping the carrier and getting an adaquite signal, I am switching at least temporarily to an old Nokia I got from a friend.

No, it doesn't have ANY of the bells and whistles of the 2125, but the signal is strong - EVERYWHERE, it doesn't loose the carrier and it just works.

I can't believe that more people aren't seeing the same issues as me. I'm on my 4th 2125 and frankly after the SMT5600 worked so well for me I'm surprised that the 2125 is such a dud.

The only hope I have of salvaging my $400 investment (yes, I actually paid full price, that's what happens when you order the phone the week it's released!) is that a future ROM update will fix the many problems I'm having.

There is much more I would love to say and share, but since everyone else is having such good experiences - why waste my breath. ;-)

-John

jfreiman

03-24-2006, 04:05 AM

Well, I changed the CID # on my phone using the SPV Developers tool and updated my ROM with the i-mate SP5 WWE (World Wide English) ROM.

Wow what a difference! I can now make and receive calls from my apartment, the vocal quality is much improved over the quality of call I could make before.

I've only had it installed for an hour but already I'm impressed and quite pleased that I can now make calls from my apartment.

The only thing I have noticed and let me remind you that I've only had it installed for an hour, but I don't see any Edge icon as of yet. Only a G... Hmmm.... Time will tell.

-John

BradleyH007

03-29-2006, 08:44 PM

The "Searching..." issue is a known 2125 problem (but unfortunately not widely-known within Cingular).

I have had this happen 3 times (on different phones). The current resolution from Cingular is to replace the 3G/64K SIM with a 2G or 32K card. This has solved the problem every time.

FYI - One time, I swapped the dead SIM with a new 64K SIM, and it worked for a little while, but it eventually "ate" that one, too.

Some stores will swap a SIM for you at no charge. Others try to charge for the new SIM.

Hope this helps.

Kris Kumar

03-30-2006, 02:50 AM

The current resolution from Cingular is to replace the 3G/64K SIM with a 2G or 32K card. This has solved the problem every time.

So you have to downgrade the SIM card? :?

Jerry Raia

03-30-2006, 05:04 AM

The current resolution from Cingular is to replace the 3G/64K SIM with a 2G or 32K card. This has solved the problem every time.

So you have to downgrade the SIM card? :?

Hmmm, sounds like a page out of Motorola's play book. :lol:

BradleyH007

03-30-2006, 05:09 PM

The current resolution from Cingular is to replace the 3G/64K SIM with a 2G or 32K card. This has solved the problem every time.

So you have to downgrade the SIM card? :?

That is the current solution, although I have heard that there will be a firmware/ROM update that will address this issue. I heard that it would be within the next month (but you know how estimated ship/delivery dates go).

yefm

04-11-2006, 08:07 PM

Have had the same problem with my 2125. After about 2 months, my SIM card corrupted and got constant searching for network. New SIM card (3G - 64k) fixed it, but only lasted 10 days. Just got a new 2G 64k SIM card yesterday. We'll see if it holds.

Any update on the flash/firmware update?

BradleyH007

04-11-2006, 09:13 PM

No news on the update yet, but I will check and let you know for sure.

Kris Kumar

04-12-2006, 12:54 AM

I am also eagerly looking forward to the update.

The Smartphone does act strange at times. The power off and power on does the trick.

BradleyH007

04-20-2006, 04:14 PM

BradleyH007

04-21-2006, 03:23 AM

I have now installed it on a 2125 that had the "searching" problem. It did fix that problem, even though the version of the ROM is listed as the same. The radio version did change.

Simple install, no issues, relatively quick (full process in less than 10 minutes).

There are no new features that I noticed, but it did resolve the problem without a SIM swap, so at least it was successful in that respect.

FYI - There is also an 8125 ROM listed for a similar reason.

Kris Kumar

04-21-2006, 03:37 AM

I will try it out this weekend. :) Too tired to check it out tonight. :(

daluder

05-10-2006, 08:18 PM

well this happened to me yesterday. I went to two stores and they both called and cingular said i had to replace the phone. I asked both stores to test my sim and they replyed that it isn't the problem. Well i got the new phone and still have the issue. Called cingular and they said to go to a store and have them test my sim card. So I will go back to the store and hopefully the same person is there. I won't get angry I just want to see his face when I ask to have my sim tested.

Fun stuff!!!!

BradleyH007

05-10-2006, 09:59 PM

I do not know if the SIM is technically "damaged", but the issue is related to the SIM and the known networks. It is possible that a SIM test would come back fine even though you are having the problem.

I would not mess with the stores or calling. Installing the new ROM on a phone that is having the problem DOES fix the issue (I have "fixed" 4 different phones this way).

The installation is a simple connect-point-click-done affair using the USB sync cable that you use to sync with your PC.

Let us know how it goes.

Kris Kumar

05-11-2006, 02:06 AM

Even with the new firmware, I get the "Searching..." message. :-(

BradleyH007

05-11-2006, 03:58 PM

I am very surprised (and disappointed) to hear that. I have talked to a few other people in my line of work, and the firmware update has fixed their issues, as well.

Did the upgrade complete successfessfully? Did it do the full hard reset after the install?

Have you tried a new 3G SIM after the upgrade (it is supposed to prevent the "searching" issue on phones/SIMs that do not have the issue yet)?

Kris Kumar

05-12-2006, 01:44 AM

Did the upgrade complete successfessfully? Did it do the full hard reset after the install?

The upgrade did complete successfully. It did do a full reset. I will try it once again this weekend. Also the version numbers are all updated.

Have you tried a new 3G SIM after the upgrade (it is supposed to prevent the "searching" issue on phones/SIMs that do not have the issue yet)?

I have the SIM card that says 64K Smart Chip and 3G on the side where the contacts are.

Does it help to go into Start->Settings->Phone->Network and Channels. I have never understood what purpose they serve.

Thanks for helping out.

BradleyH007

05-12-2006, 01:56 AM

When you did the upgrade, it says what firmware version you currently have and what version it is going to upgrade to. On the ones I have done, it said the same version on both of those lines (which I though was strange), but it worked.

Do you have access to a virgin SIM card?

I did not have to make changes to the "Networks" page. I did not have to make any changes to the phones once the firmware update was complete (other than resynching to the PC with ActiveSync). As soon as the hard reset completed, it came up with "Cingular".

The file I used was called "To_CWS_1090_184214_401321_SHIP_EngineerMode.exe" with a file datestamp of 4/12/06. Was that the same file you used?

Kris Kumar

05-12-2006, 02:05 AM

When you did the upgrade, it says what firmware version you currently have and what version it is going to upgrade to. On the ones I have done, it said the same version on both of those lines (which I though was strange), but it worked.

You are right, the version numbers were identical.

Do you have access to a virgin SIM card?

Nope.

The file I used was called "To_CWS_1090_184214_401321_SHIP_EngineerMode.exe" with a file datestamp of 4/12/06. Was that the same file you used?

Same here. Since you mentioned that others have had success, I will give it a try again this weekend. And see how it goes.

BradleyH007

05-12-2006, 02:07 AM

Okay. Please let me know what you find.

joe2125

05-16-2006, 07:10 AM

I went from my home in LA to Palm Springs this weekend for a little fun, and as soon as I tried to use my phone to connect to Google, it went into the "searching..." mode. I'd had zero problems for 3 months, but as soon as I left town without my laptop, it broke on me! At first I saw the G and thought it was just going to be slow. Then it bonked, and after that nothing worked. No phone, text, or 'net, no E, no G. It stayed that way thru the end of my vacation, no matter what I tried. i even tried calling Cingular and they couldn't help me over the phone (we tried the remove battery, remove sim card trick. Which of course I had tried already...).

When I got back home, I found this thread.

-cue the hallelujah chorus-

I upgraded the firmware to
To_CWS_1090_184214_401321_SHIP_EngineerMode.exe

I went from Radio Version
4.0.13.21_01.09
to
4.0.13.21_01.16

and all is well.

BUT!!! I have to emphasize, BACK UP EVERYTHING! When the firmware upgrade warned that it would clear all settings, I hoped for the best.... Well, if "the best" to you means, a fresh out of the box 2125 with zero installed software, zero contacts, and default ring tones set to hardly audible volumes, then you'll be fine.

You have been warned.

This was the first problem I've had with my 2125. If anything changes, I'll report back. Meanwhile, you guys keep the faith. Props to BradleyH007 and the others on the firmware tip. I LOVE my 2125!!!

Mike Temporale

05-16-2006, 11:36 AM

When the firmware upgrade warned that it would clear all settings, I hoped for the best.... Well, if "the best" to you means, a fresh out of the box 2125 with zero installed software, zero contacts, and default ring tones set to hardly audible volumes, then you'll be fine.

You have been warned.

Yeah, that's pretty much what you can expect. Sorry that it caught you by surprise. When the ROM is flashed with a new version the entire devices memory is wiped clean. It's unavoidable. :(

daluder

05-22-2006, 11:40 PM

well a couple of weeks later I got the same issue. Went to cingular store and they gave me another sim card. the employee swapped sims from mine and his phone. his didn't work and mine worked with his card. If it happens again i will try the firmware update.

sd4me2

06-12-2006, 08:41 AM

The firmware update has been released.

http://www.htcamerica.net/support/software_downloads.htm

I have not downloaded and installed it yet, and I do not know what other things it does, but it was references as being released to address the "searching" issue with 3G SIMs.

Hope this helps. I will let you know what I find when I get it.
[/url]

I just want to say thank you to everyone that wrote in this forum. I just got my 2125 a few months ago, but I am already on my second phone and fourth SIM card. I just got the phone replaced last week and it already went "searching..." today. I thought I was done with this phone until I read about the ROM update. I just downloaded it, but it says your phone must be fully charged, so I'll update the phone in the morning and let you know what happens. And thanks for warning about the entire phone being reset with the update. :P

sd4me2

06-12-2006, 07:03 PM

Okay, I just updated my phone with the firmware update. It got the Cingular signal back. Hopefully it lasts. I'll keep you posted.

One interesting note, the update told me I was going from the same version software. As long as it works, I don't care.

P.S. It does wipe the phone clean as promised.

daluder

07-03-2006, 09:34 PM

ok it happened a third time so i updated my software. it fixed the problem but now my signal sucks. My house has always had a weak signal but my phone always worked. now my phone drops calls and doesn't have a good signal. other cingular phones work fine at my house so i would have to blame it on the software update.

If anyone has any ideas to fix this please help.

Thanks in advance.