EXTRA SOFTWARE INSTALLED:

Maemo Extras Repository

3G/2G/Dual Mode Selection Applet
Extended Call Log
FM Radio player
FM Transmitter
GPXView
htop
location-test-gui
Maep
Wifi switcher

Those are the main ones that might affect it I think.





Also, a friend has an N900 and uses T-Mobile which offers both 2G and 3G
connectivity.  He has set is to use 3G only too, and has noticed that it can be
a bit slower to get a connection, which I know is a known difference between 3G
and 2G, but I am still not sure that all is well on the N900 as mine does seem
to lose 3G and not get it back for a while when I think it should get it ok.

I sometimes see the 3G and 5 bars there but the network provider name doesn't
appear immediately.  Not sure if this is just a GUI redraw issue or something
related to my slow 3G connection initiation issue.

Comment 2 Andre Klapper 2010-07-14 17:32:08 UTC

*** Bug 10907 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Hi again,

This is actually a really serious bug.

I have been sitting at my desk all morning and have not seen it connect to
Three.

So I just did another test:
I looked at 13:19 and I was NOT connected to Three (Hutchison Telecom)
I waited till 13:51  (32 minutes) and still no connection!

So I did the trick of using the little Dual/GSM/3G applet on the main screen
menu (click on the clock) and I manually changed it from 3G to Dual.
I then changed it from Dual back to 3G.
Within 10 seconds I was connected to the Three network and able to make and
receive calls.

So, clearly something is up with the 3G connection.  May be it falls back to 2G
only without telling me?  (Three only have a 3G network) But the applet did
show 3G so it can't be that.

Something is wrong with 3G-only mode (or with connections to a 3G phone
network) and my phone is often off air!

Can anyone at Nokia tell me if they have found any bugs in the N900 that cause
this and that need fixing?

Any feedback at all?

Thanks in advance

Comment 4 Andre Klapper 2010-07-21 19:34:31 UTC

Might be bug 9391.

When this happens again, can you please provide a syslog of that session and do
what you have described in the last comment, and mention the time doing this so
it can be found in the syslog? See
http://wiki.maemo.org/Documentation/devtools/maemo5/syslog and
http://wiki.maemo.org/Documentation/devtools/maemo5#Installation for more
information.
If you are not used to Linux, after creating the syslog file you can copy the
syslog file to those folders that are visible in the Maemo File Manager by:
  * Starting X Terminal
  * cp /var/log/syslog /home/user/MyDocs/.documents/
After that you can find the file in the Maemo File Manager by going to Nokia
N900 > Documents.

Two nights ago I installed the sysklogd application and it is logging to
/var/log/syslog now.

I have not see the phone lose and then not regain the 3G connection since I
installed it. Probably just a coincidence, but it is kind of frustrating.  

Anyway, I will keep the syslogd running till I see the 3G problem reoccur.

Thanks!

Hi,

Since installing sysklogd I have not noticed my phone be without it's 3G
cellular network connection whilst at my desk, but I can't say for sure that it
hasn't had the issue.

However, this morning I have at last noticed it being off air at my desk, and I
have been sitting here since 0849 (about 20 minutes so far)  So, for the
purpose of this test, I will see how long it remains in this state then I will
upload the /var/log/syslog file to here.

I'm thinking of giving it an hour or so by itself.  If still no signal by then,
I will do my trick of switching from 3G to Dual and back to 3G.  I will then
copy the log file.

Is there anything else you like me to try/test whilst my phone is in this
unhappy state and the syslog file is being written to?

Oh, and I do notice that the battery level is below the halfway mark and I have
wondered before if this has an influence on this issue.  (So far this week I
have charged by phone up every night, except for last night. Hmm.)

Created an attachment (id=3006) [details]
syslog during period of no 3G cellular connection

Today, Fri 2010-07-30
I noticed that from 08:49 to 10:02 British Summer Time that my N900 was NOT
connected to the 3G cellular network.  I was sitting at my desk the whole time
and I usually get a good signal here.  The phone was here all the time during
this test.
At 10:03 I used the Dual/GSM/3G switcher tool on the main applet thingy to
alter it from 3G to Dual, and then back to 3G again.
At 10:04 (i.e. within 30 seconds) I was connected to the celluar 3G network
again.  (I am with Three)
At 10.05 a couple of SMS texts came in.
At 10:06 I connected via USB cable to my laptop and uploaded this syslog file.
HTH

Any news on this one.  I will remove the syslog app now as I assume you have
all you need.  I'll make a copy of the log file as it is now, in case you need
that at a later date.

Comment 10 Andre Klapper 2010-08-30 18:01:25 UTC

To me the problem sounds like a mixture of bug 9391 and bug 9238.

Any updates on a fix for this?

I have one piece of information to add.
It appears that you have to switch from 3G to Dual to 3G to make it wake up
again.
I just tried switching from 3G to GSM to 3G and that did not wake it up.

So there is a difference there, if that helps you to narrow it down at all.

Comment 12 Andre Klapper 2010-10-11 16:31:51 UTC

(In reply to comment #8)
> syslog during period of no 3G cellular connection

Jul 29 10:02:43 Nokia-N900-51-1 cellular: csd[756]: ISI_SMS .122688>
incoming_sms(): New SMS received
Jul 29 10:03:35 Nokia-N900-51-1 cellular: csd[756]: ISI_SMS .341438>
ind_reg_status(): Net registration (ind) status:1 rc:0
Jul 29 10:03:35 Nokia-N900-51-1 cellular: csd[756]: ISI_SMS .343055>
set_timeout(): Timeout 2350 s event type:-1

I **assume** that this particular cellular connection breakdown is related to
receiving/sending an SMS, as I have also seen myself several times.

Has this also happened without SMS interaction?

No, that's not an assumption I would make.

I was purely showing that the cellular connection had obviously been down that
morning because as soon as it did come up, a load of SMS texts came in, texts
that would have been sent by my friends in the morning while my N900 was off
air, when it should not have been off air.

I've no idea why it fails to connect sometimes, I assume it just gives up too
often?

Yes, the cellular breakdown often happens without SMS interaction, I believe.  
I don't get that many texts.

I experience this, but I don't think it has anything to do with being in 3G
(instead of Dual) mode. I use Dual mode and frequently find that my N900 never
reconnects after losing the signal.

It took me a long time to understand what was happening because when there's no
2G/3G connection there's not even an icon (just an absence of bars) to show
that.

I've been on version PR1.3 for a few weeks now and I STILL have this 3G
problem.
I am with Three (Hutchison Telecom) so I can only connect to 3G of course, not
2G.

I often have very quiet days as my phone loses 3G signal and then never bothers
to get it again. I can be 'off air' for hours even though I am in a decent
location.  And if I simply switch from 3G to Dual back to 3G, this makes it
wake up and reconnect to 3G.

Is 3G difficult to reconnect to or something?  I would have thought Nokia would
have a good algorithm or whatever is needed here to make sure it finds the 3G
signal again as soon as it can, but mine doesn't, I have to prod it.

Please can this be fixed soon, it seems daft having a 3G phone that is off air
so much of the time.

Thanks.

Comment 17 Andre Klapper 2011-01-18 15:23:25 UTC

"Would it be possible to update the SIM card to new one, and see if the problem
still occurs?
I had bit similar problems with my N900, which were caused by broken SIM card.
Problem was seen also in N95, with same SIM card. So this is just a guess, but
it might be useful to try different SIM card in N900 or this SIM card in
another phone."

*** This bug has been confirmed by popular vote. ***