Hi, Just got my awesome (normal) ring - amazing build quality, but it is a no go with my Galaxy S4.
Unfortunately I did not see this thread before ordering.... only looked up as part of my troubleshooting.

It seems that the antenna on the ring is just not strong enough to pick up the signal on my phone.

I started trying to use with my Lloyd Flex case on the phone (http://www.androidcentral.com/deal-day-lloyd-flex-case-samsung-galaxy-s4) with ZERO luck in activating NFC. It just cannot penetrate the case.

I then moved to trying without the case (bare S4). Even then i have around 50% or maybe less luck in activating NFC. I also have a hard time consistently finding the best activation (sweet) spot. it is super tricky as it seems that the ring is just not strong enough.

I took one step further and removed the back cover of the phone. Then i had a bit more luck, but still far from perfect. Obviously though i cannot use the phone without a back cover.

I have just read that there were issues in the past but have been resolved. This post points to using the Alpha ring versus the normal.

I am very excited at using the ring, but am obviously looking for a solution that works.

I am will to try out things as you may advise.
Hoping you can solve the issues.... David