Q about cell phones

There is probably a big difference in the antennas in the 'phones.

The older phone is larger and has room inside for a larger, better antenna.

the smart phones have more 'circuits'/chips packed into a thinner space
the mfg changes antenna's and radio/transceiver chips

Maybe the new phones are trying to use the newer 4g lte network which has poor coverage where you live, and the older phones use the older 3g network which has good coverage?????

I'm also on Virgin and was having the same issue My old Brio phone worked perfect at my house and work but the new 4g smartphone had very poor reception. It's probably do to the 4g coverage area. I ended up going back to my old phone.

One thing with the smart phones.. I have *NOT* been able to verify this.

Your (And my) old phone voice and data were carried on a single carrier frequency, The new 4G devices however may use a different carrier (Channel if you wish) for data.. now they have the ability to use either channel for voice, but you may be seeing the weaker signal.

4G LTE is a different frequency. In the US, Virgin is a Sprint reseller. The Sprint 4G is in its infancy. Turn off the 4G. Some phones make this easy. Other phones require an app to turn off 4G. What is the power output of the older dumb phone? What is the actual signal level? The signal level bars displayed is not accurate. The signal level bars are a mathematical conversion. The actual signal level should be used for best comparison. A few years ago Apple had to admit to fudging the signal level bars. Apple devices mysteriously had better "signal" than others. I've found Motorola devices on average to have 2-3db actual signal level more than other devices.

On 3G, lower signal level is better. At -90db and lower expect good data and call ability. As signal level degrades from -95db to -100db expect intermittent calling and poor data. From -100db to -110db is texting only. No signal is -120db. Every cell tower is different when it comes to perfect signal. Some cell towers perfect 3G is -50db. I've also seen -70db as perfect signal level. Also, cell towers are not created equal. They have varying levels of data throughput speed. Data speed varies depending on how the tower receives its input copper vs fiber. Network congestion also determines data speed and dropped calls.

My daughter knows to text only if there's a widespread emergency like an Earthquake. The Network was never designed for everyone to call at once.

Thanks for the responses. IU had suspected it had something to do with 3G/4G issues, but I don't know enough about these phones. I am going to return this phone, and see if I can source a 3G unit somewhere.

Just turn off the 4g. Use the 4g when it's reliable. No idea what phone you have. If the setting is easy to find it might be under Settings> More Settings> 4g (or LTE). Slide to off. This will force the phone into 3g mode. You should also notice the battery life greatly improves. If the setting is not easy, report back with exact phone. Might be able to recommend an app to force 3g. I have seen Sprint phones with the easy way to turn off 4g. Verizon not so much.

The offending phone is a LG Optimus Net LG p690b, which doesn't seem to have any way to switch off the 4G, and I've tried a couple of apps to attempt to do that. No luck, so far.

Just looked up the specs on your phone. It's using HSDPA 3.6 for the "4G". This is n't true 4G. Not sure how to turn this off.