Related
I live in a city that is in the LTE extended coverage and have been bouncing in and out around my house, Its suppose to be solid coverage. But whatever. Does any one know what conditions would cause me not to pick it up? When I have the 4gs its full bars and good connection but Its in sporadic areas, Also will the new radios allow a better connection, I'm going to try and see but any advance knowledge would be great
Try putting your phone in LTE mode using the app Phone Info. I had the same issue and once I changed it picked up lte all the time.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
LTE on off from the market is just a tad quicker. I like it since I'm always switching between 4g and 3g only modes to save battery.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
So far that hasn't seemed to do the trick =(
Try this
Go into EPST and set your REV-A to enabled instead of the stock eHRPD, as the algorithm has trouble in some locations. I had the same and even somtimes could not lock to either 3 or 4g until i did, made me think the device was bad but is ok now.
How do u go into EPST
Dial ##778 and hit dial then select "Edit Mode" the password is 000000
That is 6 zero's
Then go to Modem Settings, and select Rev. A change to Enable then hit menu and commit modifications. Your phone will then reboot.
"** Access the 4G LTE network within the Extended Coverage Area; certain conditions may cause your service to connect to 3G in this Area."
kierandill said:
"** Access the 4G LTE network within the Extended Coverage Area; certain conditions may cause your service to connect to 3G in this Area."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know, do we know what those conditions are?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
kierandill said:
"** Access the 4G LTE network within the Extended Coverage Area; certain conditions may cause your service to connect to 3G in this Area."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. Thats the whole point of the extended coverage area.
-sent via 1.21 giggawatts of android.
kierandill said:
"** Access the 4G LTE network within the Extended Coverage Area; certain conditions may cause your service to connect to 3G in this Area."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems more like this means "there's no LTE coverage here!" than anything, to me at least. A lot of our city is covered under "Extended" and there's no coverage in any of that area, and a lot of areas marked "4G LTE" aren't even covered. It doesn't bounce between 4G and 3G either.
I'd like to know the conditions too. it's probably that they're still testing the towers often.
cell recepyion
Is there any disadvanatages to you cell reception, by doing this either on 4g or 3g ?
is there any disadvanatge by doing this to you're cell phone reception on 3g or 4g?
mariol90 said:
It seems more like this means "there's no LTE coverage here!" than anything, to me at least. A lot of our city is covered under "Extended" and there's no coverage in any of that area, and a lot of areas marked "4G LTE" aren't even covered. It doesn't bounce between 4G and 3G either.
I'd like to know the conditions too. it's probably that they're still testing the towers often.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are also not too accurate with their maps, one person posted that they weren't getting coverage where they were supposed to, even outdoors, called it in, and a day or 2 later the map was updated to show that there was no coverage there. If they have a down tower or something that's one thing, but if you are within extended coverage and clearly out in the open and can't get signal you should definitely call in and let them know.
will this change interfer with call quality going in or out ?
howard5674 said:
will this change interfer with call quality going in or out ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It shouldn't. AFAIK voice is still using CDMA.
I am in an extended area and my phone bounces in and out of 4G to 3G. Most of the time I am in 3G and for like 1 hour out the day I get 4G.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
ben7337 said:
They are also not too accurate with their maps, one person posted that they weren't getting coverage where they were supposed to, even outdoors, called it in, and a day or 2 later the map was updated to show that there was no coverage there. If they have a down tower or something that's one thing, but if you are within extended coverage and clearly out in the open and can't get signal you should definitely call in and let them know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sounds like sprints entire wimax network! thank god im not with them anymore.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
1234567188 said:
I know, do we know what those conditions are?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Condition A: Trees
Condition B: Hills
sc4fpse said:
Condition A: Trees
Condition B: Hills
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Condition C: Walls/Being indoors
I Live and work in areas that should be 4G according to T-Mobiles coverage map. At work, I'm lucking to even receive a 2g signal and never get a 4g signal at all. At home, I can only get 4g if I select WCDMA Only and don't touch my phone.
I've noticed that my 4g (WCDMA) signal seems to range from -70dBm to -109dBm. As far as GSM I don't know what a good signal is, but I know I loose my signal at about -98 dBm. Interestingly enough, it will go from -85 dBm to -101 dBm in GSM just from me picking it up.
I'm wondering if my phone is getting good reception and if exchanging it might help the problem, but I have no numbers to compare this to. Does anyone get a better WCDMA signal than -69 dBm or have a good signal strength over -109 dBm. Does anyone know what a good signal should be?
I have seen some threads on reception but there are never any numbers to quantify this. To see your signal strength go to phone settings; about phone; status; signal strength.
Any input is appreciated.
There is an app to test for towers and reception . I found I'm not close to one.
Figures.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Thanks,
I have Open Signal Maps installed. Lots of good info. According to the app, I'm a 217 meters from a tower. It actually shows 3 towers within a quarter of a mile. Maybe it's signal overload....
snake8b said:
Thanks,
I have Open Signal Maps installed. Lots of good info. According to the app, I'm a 217 meters from a tower. It actually shows 3 towers within a quarter of a mile. Maybe it's signal overload....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have to agree. This thing can get great to little signal. It seems to have trouble with the in between.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
I also have horrible reception with this phone.... my sga4g had a solid full bar 4g signal all the time.. I thought maybe having my g2x rooted and running a custom rom might have something to do with it so I unrooted and went back to stock... but still no good... my phone can sit in one spot and I watch the signal go up and down 4g 2g .... so I locked it to wcdma only .... It stayed on 4g bars still go up and down but now it will just lose network connection... I called Tmo support today and supposedly I'm in an area that has great 4g coverage .... so they say they put in a service order and to stay on 2g for 72 hours and then pull my battery, put it back in and see what happens... love the g2x but starting to regret giving the wife my sgs4g...
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
swuln said:
I also have horrible reception with this phone.... my sga4g had a solid full bar 4g signal all the time.. I thought maybe having my g2x rooted and running a custom rom might have something to do with it so I unrooted and went back to stock... but still no good... my phone can sit in one spot and I watch the signal go up and down 4g 2g .... so I locked it to wcdma only .... It stayed on 4g bars still go up and down but now it will just lose network connection... I called Tmo support today and supposedly I'm in an area that has great 4g coverage .... so they say they put in a service order and to stay on 2g for 72 hours and then pull my battery, put it back in and see what happens... love the g2x but starting to regret giving the wife my sgs4g...
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine does pretty much the exact same thing inside the house and I'm also in an area that should have good 4G coverage. I think the radio is just bugged and hopefully the update(s) will fix that. Good thing the phone has wifi calling.
Interesting. I was looking for a phone number today to call T-Mobile, but their site wasn't working (kept getting no connection). I wonder what staying on 2g is supposed to do. Let me know how it turns out.
I have the same issue! Constant switch between 4G, E and x!
I talked to T-Mobile and they worked on the towers or so they say! It's gotten a lil bit better signal, but not much and not sure if it's because a custom rom!
Thinking about doing an exchange!
Would an UPDATE FIX THE RADIO? Or is it faculty hardware?
.....
htc2364 said:
I have the same issue! Constant switch between 4G, E and x!
I talked to T-Mobile and they worked on the towers or so they say! It's gotten a lil bit better signal, but not much and not sure if it's because a custom rom!
Thinking about doing an exchange!
Would an UPDATE FIX THE RADIO? Or is it faculty hardware?
.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be faulty hardware, but it could just be a software glitch in the radio baseband/drivers. If a radio update doesn't come with the initial software fix, I'm pretty sure the Gingerbread update should include one.
I too have TERRIBLE reception with the G2x. I'm coming from the HTC G1 and in spots that I used to get great reception with that phone, my G2x bounces all over the place from 4G to NO signal. It's driving me insane that it doesn't stay constant. I thought maybe it was just the towers in my area so I put my SIM back in the G1 and it never lost signal. I put the SIM back in my G2x and set it in the same spot as the G1 and it lost signal twice and toggled back and forth from 2G to 4G within 5 minutes. Hopefully there will be a radio update to fix this issue and that it won't be faulty hardware.
I absolutely LOVE this phone even with the flaws.. i just hope they fix the flaws soon.
I get pretty good reception, though at work I tend to bounce back from 4g and E, but I'm in a building that kills reception. Personally, I think it's the modem. I bet once we start getting newer modems, it's will stop this, but probably at the cost of battery life. My old vibrant got about the same reception, so I don't think it's hardware.
The Tmo tech told me to stay on 2g because my phone seems to be keeping a good consistent 2g signal... its just in the 4g that it doesn't hold a good signal.... I also kept bringing up if she thought that maybe a software upgrade might fix the problem but she didn't even acknowledge that I said anything about it .... I also told her that I read somewhere that for some reason T-Mobile should have given me the sim card that came with the g2x and she said that wouldnt make a difference because i just switched sims when i bought the sgs4g a few months ago and she then gave me free wifi calling...
Sent from my LG-P999 "2G" using XDA Premium App
Replacement Phone
Just an update. I went ahead and got a replacement phone to see if it fixed the problem. The new phone behaves identically. Also, a Samsung 4G user just moved into my office building and he gets 3 bars, which is what i get till I pick the phone up. The thing that bothers me the most is that it will loose so many dBm (bars) when I pick it up.
Does anyone know if a phone cover will fix this issue.
I live in a really good LTE area, I almost always have 4 or 5 bars no matter where I go.
I've encountered a strange issue, however, in that sometimes I will have a very strong LTE signal-- but the phone will drop to 3G anyway. Restarting the phone will usually make 4G appear for a couple minutes, and I can speedtest at the usual LTE speeds, but then it will randomly drop back to 3G & speedtest at 3G speeds.
I should note that this doesn't happen in all areas, only a few around town where I'm at quite often. One is right by a Verizon store, and I know that there is strong 4G coverage in that area because all of the 4G phones in there have 5 bars.
Has this been happening to anyone else? Is there a way to switch to 4G-only like on the Thunderbolt? I've done some searching but have so far come up empty handed.
Edit: I should note that I'm using a rooted kernel, but this problem happened before I rooted in the exact same fashion.
I'm sorry to say that you probably have no idea what your 4G signal strength really is. You sure can't use the bars at the top of the screen - Those only show your phone call signal strength ... Not your 4G data signal strength.
There is an app out there that will show the different signal strengths available to your phone, but I can't remember the name right now (it's in the Market). If I think of it, I'll repost.
Cheers,
Oh I see... I had just assumed there was a correlation since my speed test results-- around 20mbps down and 6-10 up before switching back to 3G-- seemed to suggest I was getting fairly good reception.
¿GotJazz? said:
I'm sorry to say that you probably have no idea what your 4G signal strength really is. You sure can't use the bars at the top of the screen - Those only show your phone call signal strength ... Not your 4G data signal strength.
There is an app out there that will show the different signal strengths available to your phone, but I can't remember the name right now (it's in the Market). If I think of it, I'll repost.
Cheers,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mobile Signal Widget.
Sent from my Droid Charge running Humble 1.4
kvswim said:
Mobile Signal Widget.
Sent from my Droid Charge running Humble 1.4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I was thinking of: Network Signal Info
vash1053 said:
Oh I see... I had just assumed there was a correlation since my speed test results-- around 20mbps down and 6-10 up before switching back to 3G-- seemed to suggest I was getting fairly good reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to say about your 4G reception drop-outs.
As far as the signal strength indication in the status bar, I found out the hard way. There was a posting a few months ago, where somebody was asking if there was a way to force your Charge to use the LTE network all the time. I actually found a way to do it, but there was a hefty price to pay: You couldn't make phone calls or send text messages. When configured to force LTE only, you could get lots of that 4G love for internet browsing, and you could see the 4G icon in the status bar. However, you also saw a red slash for the signal strength icon, indicating there was no signal.
So, weak or no correlation between the signal strength display and actual 4G signal strength. Someone else confirmed this in that thread.
¿GotJazz? said:
Actually, I was thinking of: Network Signal Info
Hard to say about your 4G reception drop-outs.
As far as the signal strength indication in the status bar, I found out the hard way. There was a posting a few months ago, where somebody was asking if there was a way to force your Charge to use the LTE network all the time. I actually found a way to do it, but there was a hefty price to pay: You couldn't make phone calls or send text messages. When configured to force LTE only, you could get lots of that 4G love for internet browsing, and you could see the 4G icon in the status bar. However, you also saw a red slash for the signal strength icon, indicating there was no signal.
So, weak or no correlation between the signal strength display and actual 4G signal strength. Someone else confirmed this in that thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The signal strength in the notifications bar correlates to the quality of the calling/texting signal (evdo I think). Has nothing to do with the data signal strength.
Sent from my Droid Charge running Humble 1.42
So I've been monitoring things using the suggested apps for a couple weeks, and I'm getting -65dbm on LTE before it switches to 3G in these select areas... I'll post a screenie when I get home.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
This is happening here in Tampa a lot lately. Friends with tbolt are seeing same thing. Started three days ago or so.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
First ~1 - 10 minutes of being at one of these strange areas:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/vash1053/SC20110816-145555.png
After ~1 - 10 minutes:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v505/vash1053/SC20110816-150708.png
Is there, perhaps, a 3G tower nearby that's erroneously "weighted" heavier than the nearby 4G tower? I have no idea if it even works like that, heh.
Had an odd incident yesterday when my phone switched to 3G and wouldn't switch back to 4G until I rebooted the phone.
Rebooting cures a number of ills, apparently.
This happens to me occasionally, all I do is switch to airplane mode and then switch back.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
I use that method (restarting and the airplane mode trick) and sometimes it works, but never in the areas described in my OP. It might work for a minute or two but it always reverts...
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
Your phone is set to find and capture the strongest signal regardless of download speed... If 3g and 4g are both coming in at -65 dbm then its really a coin flip but your 3g is winning the consistency battle at holding at or below -65
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App
-55dbm is about the best you can do signal wise... 3g will always get closer than 4g so on fringe areas your 4g won't work
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App
I wish there was a way to lock the phone in 4G only, especially in a good LTE area.
I tired to love the sensation ..
Really do ..
Moved from ATT to tmobile two weeks ago and got me the sensation .
I am so disappointing on the reception level i get from this phone .
Wifi calling is worthless as no one can hear you .
Getting 4G is like winning the lottery , where most of the time i get Edge .
But the worst part is i get Edge at my Toilet in my house !!!
And wifi doesn't get any network , while my iphone 4 worked with wifi at the same location perffectly .
How can i guy take a dump with EDGE ? So slow .. so my wife get upset im stuck in the restroom so long ,,, i keep saying its because of the reception ..
Oh well off we go to ATT store this Sunday to get the Galaxy S II
Did you not think to check Tmobile's reception at your house/in your city before switching? Sadly there are cities that Tmobile hasn't fully developed yet.
No
yea i did checked their map .
And i "should" have reception but its very poor .
Even in Seattle where it`s Tmobile HQ reception sucks .
So disappointing to receive an EDGE reception on 2011 ...
And to see them going with ohh we have the new galaxy for HSPDA+ when even their 3g doesn't work is a joke
have you tried calling them & telling them that their reception sucks at your house?
I switched from Verizon about a month ago(to try and save some money), and also couldn't be more disappointed. I looked at the map online before I switched and it looked like I'd have decent coverage. I have one bar of 2g at home. This sucks. Wifi calling , like op said, sucks because no one can hear me at all. Honestly, I love the phone, but this whole experience has taught me that a phone is only as good as it's mobile connection. I'm lucky to have 2g unless I'm out near Boston. Coming from a thunderbolt with Verizon's solid network...I'm just so upset. Well, you live, you learn right?? Sorry about the rant folks...just wanted to share my story.....
Sent from my Sensation using xda premium
I dunno, I get great coverage. I'm in NYC so that probably helps a lot.
Return both of your phones.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
try switching roms, switch kernels, change radio, do some tweaking whatever.. these kind of threads are getting annoying as ****..everyone's phone runs and functions differently than others...nothing is perfect on this world dude..thats what xda is here for..
jiggaman508 said:
I switched from Verizon about a month ago(to try and save some money), and also couldn't be more disappointed. I looked at the map online before I switched and it looked like I'd have decent coverage. I have one bar of 2g at home. This sucks. Wifi calling , like op said, sucks because no one can hear me at all. Honestly, I love the phone, but this whole experience has taught me that a phone is only as good as it's mobile connection. I'm lucky to have 2g unless I'm out near Boston. Coming from a thunderbolt with Verizon's solid network...I'm just so upset. Well, you live, you learn right?? Sorry about the rant folks...just wanted to share my story.....
Sent from my Sensation using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Amen !!!!
If the carrier sucks the phone abilities doesn't matter . Nor does the rom and tweaking ( i tried that already ) .
I have full bars everywhere on charlotte NC
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App
google voice anyone? (while it's free)
No problems with the network getting good reception the sensation is starting to suck
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium
kwiggington said:
No problems with the network getting good reception the sensation is starting to suck
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"starting to suck" ?
Please explain ?
Full bars in Charlotte, NC also..
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using XDA App
Great service here in Jackson MS area, no problems with WiFi calling either. I always have between 3-4 bars for signal strength and call quality is superb.
Data speed is double that of our old carrier, much better than our old carrier "Cellular South".
My wife has a cleaning business, she travels all over our local area, and she had problems with call reception all the time with our old carrier, now she only has one customer where her signal is a little weak, but still usable.
This is my 3rd sensation after returning 2 within 1 week
They all have the same problem
My 3rd as well
If I'm at my house and I touch the bottom back of my phone, my t-mobile service cuts off immediately
Deathgrip
If I let go, service is back on
And that only happens at my house
But I have no issues while hooked to wifi
Go to your phone
Press *#*#4636#*#*
Go to phone information
Scroll to the bottom
Toggle ciphering off
Turn radio off
Turn radio on
Toggle ciphering on
Scroll up a little and change your settings from WCDMA preferred to WCDMA only
I do this and its stuck on 4g all the time
I'm getting between 2-5mbps at my house but 3-9mbps anywhere else
I have to do it after every rom I flash and want to keep
I live in NYC and the reception is spotty at best. I get from 10mbps to 1mbps depending where I am in the city
detroit2hi said:
This is my 3rd sensation after returning 2 within 1 week
They all have the same problem
My 3rd as well
If I'm at my house and I touch the bottom back of my phone, my t-mobile service cuts off immediately
Deathgrip
If I let go, service is back on
And that only happens at my house
But I have no issues while hooked to wifi
Go to your phone
Press *#*#4636#*#*
Go to phone information
Scroll to the bottom
Toggle ciphering off
Turn radio off
Turn radio on
Toggle ciphering on
Scroll up a little and change your settings from WCDMA preferred to WCDMA only
I do this and its stuck on 4g all the time
I'm getting between 2-5mbps at my house but 3-9mbps anywhere else
I have to do it after every rom I flash and want to keep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG. THANK YOU. no matter what i did, i could never get H or 4g in my house. now im on 4g thakns!
Edit: when I connect to data it says h or 4g, but the signal bars are so low now?
Great coverage in Sarasota,FL. Previously with AT&T on a galaxy that had horrible coverage.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using Tapatalk
I have been to:
Hawaii(Waikiki) 5Mbps
San Diego 2Mbps
NYC(Bronx/Grand Concourse) 1.5Mbps
Savannah 3Mbps
Charleston 3Mbps
Jacksonville 5Mbps
Fairfax 1.7Mbps
Virginia Beach 1.1Mbps
San Juan 2Mbps
Miami 5Mbps
and have descent coverage. Never had a problem with WIFI Calling, even while flying SouthWest...
Also, its being my experience that if AT&T has good coverage, TMobile has good coverage...So I find it a bit odd that AT&T works well but TMobile doesn't.
I was in a low service area and i noticed a difference between my reception and my friends. They all had one or two bars and I would have none. Then i placed my phone in the cupholder of my seat and in saw some bars of service popup. So I check it out and as soon as i did, no service. It became obvious that if i held my phone in my hand, my reception is affected.
Anyone confirm?
Sent from my One A0001 using XDA Free mobile app
This is normal for all cellphones. Your body will interfere with radio signals.
kokocabana said:
This is normal for all cellphones. Your body will interfere with radio signals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you notice this issue or not?
Sent from my One using XDA Free mobile app
could be a software bug.. CM11S (stock rom) has more bugs than my neighbors backyard but...I have bad signal too but could be my ****ty signal at home. Has your GPS not been working too ? mine cant lock on to any location when im out of my house, but in wifi it works perfect.
SystemErrorOne said:
could be a software bug.. CM11S (stock rom) has more bugs than my neighbors backyard but...I have bad signal too but could be my ****ty signal at home. Has your GPS not been working too ? mine cant lock on to any location when im out of my house, but in wifi it works perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS working fine here. regardless on Wifi/Data network.
SystemErrorOne said:
could be a software bug.. CM11S (stock rom) has more bugs than my neighbors backyard but...I have bad signal too but could be my ****ty signal at home. Has your GPS not been working too ? mine cant lock on to any location when im out of my house, but in wifi it works perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use GPS religiously, but seems to lock on when I need it, regardless the ROM. I did try other ROMs out to see what might happen, but didn't help. I tried gummy, mahdi and slim. I'm sure its the fact the Antenna is built into the rear cover.
I've ordered my case from diztronic, so I will test with a case too.
Thanks for the replies.
Sent from my One using XDA Free mobile app
rukusx7 said:
I was in a low service area and i noticed a difference between my reception and my friends. They all had one or two bars and I would have none. Then i placed my phone in the cupholder of my seat and in saw some bars of service popup. So I check it out and as soon as i did, no service. It became obvious that if i held my phone in my hand, my reception is affected.
Anyone confirm?
Sent from my One A0001 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People complaining about it from all over the world. Look for more on the official forum. Very poor signal reception on OPO. The signal strength is not quite as good as other phones in the same area. And signal strength goes up and down all the time and it does not matter hold you the phone in hands or it lies on the table. Data connection is inconsistent and often drops even though the phone shows that there is connection.
dainys said:
People complaining about it from all over the world. Look for more on the official forum. Very poor signal reception on OPO. The signal strength is not quite as good as other phones in the same area. And signal strength goes up and down all the time and it does not matter hold you the phone in hands or it lies on the table. Data connection is inconsistent and often drops even though the phone shows that there is connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm hoping a case will help me. I noticed some difference with the phone not in hand... I also experienced the data issue... Thanks for info, I don't spend much time at oneplus forums.
Sent from my One using XDA Free mobile app