No 3G icon or data connection

Search This thread

arwalker

New member
Jul 21, 2010
4
0
Hello everyone,

I got my Captivate yesterday shipped from letstalk.com. Everything with it has been working well, except I don't get a data connection with it at all, except WiFi.

As instructed by the sticker on the box the sim I am using is from my old phone, a Samsung SGH-A707 flip phone. The sim is a little over two years old. When the sim is in that phone, I get a 3G icon immediately.

I have tried turning the phone off, leaving it for several minutes, turning it back on again. Also removing the battery.

When I go to Settings, Wireless and Networks, Mobile Networks, Access Point Names, I see ATT WAP listed. I have tried adding another Access Point Network based on settings seen elsewhere in this forum which differed slightly by specifying a username and password, and not having the proxy and port set. But selecting this other APN has no change.

When I go to Network Operators all I see is an unselectable 'Default Setup' item. Others have reported seeing network connection information there, can anyone confirm on their Captivate?

Checking or unchecking 'Data roaming' does not seem to have any effect.

Under Settings, About Phone, Status the Mobile Network Type is listed as 'HSDPA' but Mobile Network State is 'Disconnected'.

LetsTalk are sending me a new SIM to try, but since I get a 3G connection on my old phone my suspicion is that this is a phone problem.

Does anyone have any other ideas though? Any help would be much appreciated.
 

radi0chik

Senior Member
Nov 12, 2007
251
13
Dallas, TX
www.radi0chik.com
Wow well you found something I hadn't yet. There was some talk about whether the captivate did hsdpa or not.. and according to the setting you looked at, it does. In that setting does it show your network is on aT&T? You shouldn't have to create a new APN, the default one should work. Sure you don't have the phone in airplane mode? I'm sure that's a stupid question, just asking.
 

YellowGTO

Senior Member
Jul 3, 2007
750
241
39
PA
Samsung Galaxy Z Phone 4
If you don't have a 3G sim card I hear 3G wont work. You can get a new sim from ATT for free. Oh and about hsdpa ATT disables that Icon and uses a 3G one. I seen a test somewhere with two dif phones one with a 3G icon and one with the H getting the same speeds.
 

arwalker

New member
Jul 21, 2010
4
0
Wow well you found something I hadn't yet. There was some talk about whether the captivate did hsdpa or not.. and according to the setting you looked at, it does. In that setting does it show your network is on aT&T? You shouldn't have to create a new APN, the default one should work. Sure you don't have the phone in airplane mode? I'm sure that's a stupid question, just asking.

Yeah it shows AT&T under Network.

Nope, not in airplane mode, but thanks for checking, I'd rather you'd assume I was stupid than not ask me the question!

If you don't have a 3G sim card I hear 3G wont work. You can get a new sim from ATT for free. Oh and about hsdpa ATT disables that Icon and uses a 3G one. I seen a test somewhere with two dif phones one with a 3G icon and one with the H getting the same speeds.

It is a 3G sim, at least that's what it is labeled as. Like I said I (apparently) got a 3G signal on my old phone. And a new sim is on the way.
 
Last edited:

jiayi345

Member
Jun 23, 2010
22
0
I went to the ATT store to get my captivate. I had an old sim ATT logo with flames that worked in a N1, N97, Bold 9700 and iPhone. I too showed no 3G. They had to replace my sim and it started working. They couldn't explain it.

-JChao
 

arwalker

New member
Jul 21, 2010
4
0
on the sim does it say 3G with flames around it lol (thats how my last sim was and it was 3G)

That's the one, flames and 3G.

I went to the ATT store to get my captivate. I had an old sim ATT logo with flames that worked in a N1, N97, Bold 9700 and iPhone. I too showed no 3G. They had to replace my sim and it started working. They couldn't explain it.

-JChao

Great, that gives me some hope the new sim that is on the way could fix it, thanks!
 

scottlinux

Member
Aug 9, 2010
17
3
I had this problem as well. This fix worked for me:

Settings > Wireless and network > Mobile Networks

Check both boxes

- Use packet data
- Data roaming


ATT / Captivate Android 2.2

Hope this helps,
 

javonaso

Member
Nov 16, 2010
5
0
Montevideo
Did you find a solution for this? I'm having the exact same problem with my Captivate. No 3G icon and no packet data connection or mms. When I try to go to a page it immediately gives me the "not found: check your data connection" page, and when I try to send a mms, the 3G icon appears like if it was trying to connect and send it and then disappears when the message fails to send.
 

bames

Senior Member
Oct 24, 2010
989
83
just an FYI as long as wifi is turned on you will not see the 3g icon.

I have noticed that when you turn wifi off you generally will not see the 3g icon until you do something with the phone that requires data connections

Turn off wifi and try opening a website via browser...the 3G icon should pop-up automatically at that point
 

Brockg

Senior Member
Dec 10, 2010
118
3
I had this problem as well. This fix worked for me:

Settings > Wireless and network > Mobile Networks

Check both boxes

- Use packet data
- Data roaming


ATT / Captivate Android 2.2

Hope this helps,

Hello sir, I tried this and now i have 3G(icon popped up and internet/mms works) but am i incurring roaming charges?
 

GAMacky

Senior Member
Nov 11, 2010
82
0
Seattle, WA
When I got a refub'ed Captivate for my partner via AT&T online store since it was only $49, I followed the instructions that came on the box, and everything worked except no 3G/data. So thinking that it might be because of a refurb'ed unit, I called AT&T. They told me to bring it into a corp office store. Fortunately, there's one right down the street from me. I took it in, they fiddled with it for about an hour, including swapping 3 different SIMs, and told me that it was a defective phone. I asked then how do I get a replacement. The rep told me to contact cust service for them to ship a replacement out and it'll include instruction to ship the defective one back since they can't replace refurb unit there at the store. So I went out to my car, called the cust service. The cust service rep told me that I have to send the defective one in first before they'll send me a replacement. I got angry and I went right back in the store, grabbed the rep that was helping me out and told him to please talk to the cust service rep to work things out because I'm not leaving the store until it's resolved. So they talked on the phone for about another 30 min. Then they hung up. The rep fiddled with it for another min, then handed me the phone and the 3G/data was working. Appearantly it was the way that the phone was registered with the system, something was out of whack and 3G/data was not available for that phone line. I then recalled that when I ordered the phone from AT&T, I got an email with instructions that I had to follow, which I did, then I followed the instructions that came with the box. I didn't think much at the time, but it seems like the instruction was telling to do the same thing as the email's instruction was except it was via a slightly different way. So I think I might have inadvertly register the phone twice. In any case, when that happens, 3G/data is not available and yet, the reps checking in the system found the account was setup correctly with the proper plans, changed plans, swapped SIMs, and came to the conclusion of defective phone when the phone was perfectly fine. I don't know if this will help any one. But if your phone is not flashed or rooted, you might want to have AT&T check your account and phone registration.
 

Sreenadh

Member
Jan 27, 2009
23
1
Go to Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Access Point Names. Inside that option go to Menu -> Reset to default. (Reboot your phone)

Worked for me, i have a samsung captivate thats rooted running on 2.2 froyo and i was deleting some user data,believe it was dialer data (do not delete that, it also deletes your texts) and i all of a sudden my internet stopped working,i tried every setting and i even think there weren't any APN in the list of APNs because of deleting rampage, so i reset my phone and after that i reset the APN back to default settings and rebooted my phone and it worked. For some of you guys, if it still has an APN(the cingular one) in the list of APNs then all you have to do is reset it back to default by clicking menu with the menu button on your phone and click reset. It should work.
 

TRusselo

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 20, 2011
4,736
2,931
Edmonton
Go to Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Access Point Names. Inside that option go to Menu -> Reset to default. (Reboot your phone)

Worked for me, i have a samsung captivate thats rooted running on 2.2 froyo and i was deleting some user data,believe it was dialer data (do not delete that, it also deletes your texts) and i all of a sudden my internet stopped working,i tried every setting and i even think there weren't any APN in the list of APNs because of deleting rampage, so i reset my phone and after that i reset the APN back to default settings and rebooted my phone and it worked. For some of you guys, if it still has an APN(the cingular one) in the list of APNs then all you have to do is reset it back to default by clicking menu with the menu button on your phone and click reset. It should work.
you just replied to a thread 5 months dead..
 

roguegrl

New member
May 13, 2011
1
0
Thank you for updating.

Go to Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Access Point Names. Inside that option go to Menu -> Reset to default. (Reboot your phone)

Worked like a charm on my Samsung Vibrant S on Virigin ... this gem of a tip shall be remembered. This started yesterday on the road when data was needed for a work emergency. If only I'd known it then. :-(

Now to fix the Wi-fi from turning itself on and off of it's own free will. *sigh*

Thanks for posting on an old post Sreenadh. You saved the day!
 

mostyle

Senior Member
Nov 13, 2006
491
237
Langley, SC
you just replied to a thread 5 months dead..

...and, it looks like someone found it useful.. Five months, or five days, or five minutes.. If it isn't helping, why say anything at all?

Worked like a charm on my Samsung Vibrant S on Virigin ... this gem of a tip shall be remembered. This started yesterday on the road when data was needed for a work emergency. If only I'd known it then. :-(

Now to fix the Wi-fi from turning itself on and off of it's own free will. *sigh*

Thanks for posting on an old post Sreenadh. You saved the day!
 

rheanjd

Senior Member
Apr 11, 2011
54
0
Hey Guys ok so i am with Rogers in Toronto...I flashed it to stock but have flashed it using AT&T stock (Dont ask why) and now i am unable to use my data... Any help would be greatly appreciated...i am able to use my phone with no issues....
 

ptera

New member
Oct 21, 2011
3
0
Got my 3G back.

Go to Settings -> Wireless and network -> Mobile networks -> Access Point Names. Inside that option go to Menu -> Reset to default. (Reboot your phone)

Worked for me, i have a samsung captivate thats rooted running on 2.2 froyo and i was deleting some user data,believe it was dialer data (do not delete that, it also deletes your texts) and i all of a sudden my internet stopped working,i tried every setting and i even think there weren't any APN in the list of APNs because of deleting rampage, so i reset my phone and after that i reset the APN back to default settings and rebooted my phone and it worked. For some of you guys, if it still has an APN(the cingular one) in the list of APNs then all you have to do is reset it back to default by clicking menu with the menu button on your phone and click reset. It should work.

Dude, thank you so much !