LTE on T-mobile upload issues - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I am on T-mobile 5GB/month prepaid plan and would like to know if any of you have the same issue. What I found out is that download speed using ookla's speedtest app will show at around 10 to 25 mbps but I never got upload speed to ant stable level and average around 2 mbps regardless of cell tower, reception, or time of the day! It also seems that upload speed starts at 10mbps and after 1 -2 seconds will just stop, and then do like 1 mbps. Sometimes, ookla speedtest will not be able to finish the test using LTE and report network problems. I tried using different bandwidth test apps with similar results. HSPA+ does as usual, around 10mbps down 3 to 4 mbps up, no interruptions. Something is not working right and I sure don't like it. Yesterday, while connected on LTE my music streaming got interrupted and buffered every 20 minutes or so, like I am on EDGE, LOL (no actually... it's not funny at all). Hangout video chat (while on LTE) interrupted few times as well.
Update: Switching SIM cards didn't help. Upload speed is still extremely slow or will show network error. There are at least 6 other members reporting this issue with T-mobile LTE.

T-Mobile LTE here in Houston, TX. I'm don't have any issues that you mentioned above. Had the phone for 2 days.

peteus said:
I am on T-mobile 5GB/month prepaid plan and would like to know if any of you have the same issue. What I found out is that download speed using ookla's speedtest app will show at around 10 to 25 mbps but I never got upload speed to ant stable level and average around 2 mbps regardless of cell tower, reception, or time of the day! It also seems that upload speed starts at 10mbps and after 1 -2 seconds will just stop, and then do like 1 mbps. Sometimes, ookla speedtest will not be able to finish the test using LTE and report network problems. I tried using different bandwidth test apps with similar results. HSPA+ does as usual, around 10mbps down 3 to 4 mbps up, no interruptions. Something is not working right and I sure don't like it. Yesterday, while connected on LTE my music streaming got interrupted and buffered every 20 minutes or so, like I am on EDGE, LOL (no actually... it's not funny at all). Hangout video chat (while on LTE) interrupted few times as well.
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you get throttled on prepaid to make way for the postpaid plans. its like this on every carrier.

Is this a new device / activation with a new(er) T-Mo micro-Sim card?
What device were you using before the N5? Try powering down the N5 and restarting it?
Reminds me of the old cable broadband days - turbo speed for that initial burst of extra speed, then it's back to same old, same old. Perhaps a lot of N5 on the special plan getting activated & seizing LTE's bandwidth ??
But, even HSPA+ speed is better than our soon-to-be history VZW 3G data with its lousy coverage at our home.

Zepius said:
you get throttled on prepaid to make way for the postpaid plans. its like this on every carrier.
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I don't have prepaid but $30 month to month.

Letitride said:
Is this a new device / activation with a new(er) T-Mo micro-Sim card?
What device were you using before the N5? Try powering down the N5 and restarting it?
Reminds me of the old cable broadband days - turbo speed for that initial burst of extra speed, then it's back to same old, same old. Perhaps a lot of N5 on the special plan getting activated & seizing LTE's bandwidth ??
But, even HSPA+ speed is better than our soon-to-be history VZW 3G data with its lousy coverage at our home.
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I used Galaxy Nexus and cut SIM card to micro size. Do you think it may make a difference if I replace it with new T-Mobile micro card? Why? What could be different? I would assume something like that may be the problem if I couldn't connect to LTE band- but N5 does connect with this (old customized) SIM when signal is available. I at first thought it was overloaded T-Mobile tower, but then I drove around and tested with the same results.

peteus said:
I used Galaxy Nexus and cut SIM card to micro size. Do you think it may make a difference if I replace it with new T-Mobile micro card? Why? What could be different? I would assume something like that may be the problem if I couldn't connect to LTE band- but N5 does connect with this (old customized) SIM when signal is available. I at first thought it was overloaded T-Mobile tower, but then I drove around and tested with the same results.
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I had a 3 years old PAYG T-Mo Sim card ("regular/standard sized) and it was getting worn out from being swapped around - just by looking at the metal contacts) so I grabbed extra ones for 99cents (or was it free, whatever last month) just in case - not feeling to make a run to a local T-Mo store to ask for one to be swapped out. T-Mo support site mentioned about Sim card exhausion after 2 years (that's a new one to me too, but whatever) & that a new one should be exchanged - I couldn't swap it out online by updating or changing the Sim card, so ended up calling 877-xxx-xxxx & got transferred to a live operator and was done in less than 10 minutes, no questions asked once I came up with the correct PIN (ended up changing it anyway) - CSR didn't even ask for device's IMEI #, just read those long digits to him.
Waited a few minutes, rebooted and received 2 SMS & made a quick test call confirming that everything seemed to be working. It's working for me as I only switched to the $3 per day plan to check out the speed & back on PAGO by the minutes plan now on this line - it's my emergency backup line for voice calls.
I thought about & was ready to cut down the Sim to micr-Sim size with a template, but realized that by matching it to other free micro-Sims that I might be damaging the contacts as they are oversized beyond the micro-sim's dimensions.
If you have a spare free unactivated T-mo sim around, call them to swap it out to see if it might be the root cause - supposingly, older Sims like yours (and mine) might not be properly "provisioned" for 4G/LTE and possibly max'd out at 3G/HSPA+ in those days in their system's profile.
My friendly UPS driver just dropped off another free/free micro-sim plus a data only micro-sim for the tablet, so I'm going to play with the tablet and see how lucky I can get with the "free" 200MB monthly data offer.

Letitride said:
I had a 3 years old PAYG T-Mo Sim card ("regular/standard sized) and it was getting worn out from being swapped around - just by looking at the metal contacts) so I grabbed extra ones for 99cents (or was it free, whatever last month) just in case - not feeling to make a run to a local T-Mo store to ask for one to be swapped out. T-Mo support site mentioned about Sim card exhausion after 2 years (that's a new one to me too, but whatever) & that a new one should be exchanged - I couldn't swap it out online by updating or changing the Sim card, so ended up calling 877-xxx-xxxx & got transferred to a live operator and was done in less than 10 minutes, no questions asked once I came up with the correct PIN (ended up changing it anyway) - CSR didn't even ask for device's IMEI #, just read those long digits to him.
Waited a few minutes, rebooted and received 2 SMS & made a quick test call confirming that everything seemed to be working. It's working for me as I only switched to the $3 per day plan to check out the speed & back on PAGO by the minutes plan now on this line - it's my emergency backup line for voice calls.
I thought about & was ready to cut down the Sim to micr-Sim size with a template, but realized that by matching it to other free micro-Sims that I might be damaging the contacts as they are oversized beyond the micro-sim's dimensions.
If you have a spare free unactivated T-mo sim around, call them to swap it out to see if it might be the root cause - supposingly, older Sims like yours (and mine) might not be properly "provisioned" for 4G/LTE and possibly max'd out at 3G/HSPA+ in those days in their system's profile.
My friendly UPS driver just dropped off another free/free micro-sim plus a data only micro-sim for the tablet, so I'm going to play with the tablet and see how lucky I can get with the "free" 200MB monthly data offer.
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Thanks. I'll get to T-Mobile store.

What does T-mobile say
There are at least 6 XDA members so far reporting issue with LTE upload speed on T-mobile. Switching SIM card to new one did not resolve the problem. One question for all with upload issues: Do you have 16 or 32GB version? I think it's vise to call T-mobile at this time in search for solution.

peteus said:
There are at least 6 XDA members so far reporting issue with LTE upload speed on T-mobile. Switching SIM card to new one did not resolve the problem. One question for all with upload issues: Do you have 16 or 32GB version? I think it's vise to call T-mobile at this time in search for solution.
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Click to collapse
I have this same problem. Nexus 5 here, and upload tests are abysmal, usually ranking at about .5mbps, whereas download is 12+.
Using a legit T-Mo micro-SIM. HSPA+ does NOT have these issues at all.
At some point soon, I'm going to go down to the T-Mobile store, and hopefully run a side-by-side test between their T-Mo branded Galaxy S4 and other devices, to compare with mine. If theirs doesn't show this issue, I'm filing a support ticket, as well as contacting Google.

I'm on the same plan and hadn't tested until you posted this. For me the results did matter what server I was on. I got close to the same download speeds you posted somewhere between 25-30 mbps down and upload went from .5 up to 20mbps when I switched servers. I have definitely noticed this phone faster but my old galaxy never slowed down in the middle of a dl. Like you mentioned after a period of time on a download it gets throttled maybe upload to IDK (havnt experienced it yet) but for me on a big(er) app like dead trigger 2 or HD wigets I get a fast dl to about 30-50% of the app with it saying something like 3 min left, then once it hits the throttle point to something like 30 min for the remainder of the dl. forcing me to cancel or use wifi. So T-mo is def. capping or watching ea dl on an individual basis and deciding off ea request a certain (what they feel to be) acceptable size for that ping, most likely to try to get rid of leach tethering. not really why it effects the LTE more than hspa +42 data tho??

Related

People with G2X signal problems...

Hi all, Just wanted to contribute to this wonderful community as it has given me so much. I was having signal issues, very weak 4g...Constant switching from 4g to E. I read about people who didnt have the right 4g service applied to their contract from T-Mobile.
Mine was a $25 a month data service which did not benefit my phone like it should. The guy who helped from t-mobile showed me that indeed my phone should have been running the $30 4g service which replaces the one I had. Once I had the switch done my service went from E - four bars to 4g - three bars instantly.
Go check your contract and make sure you make the switch if you have a 4g phone. Good luck. I'm running the eagleblood 1.02 and its perfect, Never had any freezes, Reboots etc...A little screen bleeding but overall best phone I have had.
I have also removed the blue tape behind the cover for the heck of it. NOt sure if it has had any effect but definitely check your services.
I have the 4G Data on my plan, and I still have the same issue. Thanks Anyway
This is NOT true. My very good friend works in the tech support side for T-Mobile and he told me the only difference between the 4G plan and my plan is 5$. The 4G plan is only a computer code for pricing and does nothing for your service. I should know because I had it on my phone and after he took it off for me, guess what.....I still got the same service and download speeds.
The problem with this phone is low signal strength. It seems to have problems with low signals, 1-2 bars and then loses connection intermittantly. If your 4G keeps going down to 2G do a hard reset to clear the settings. It should keep the 4G regardless of the signal after. For me I lose the signal at home especially if I hold the phone from the bottom with my palm to the back, I can watch the bars go away then when I remove my hand it raises up. Antenna is in a bad place I think. LG messed up!
I'm still on the MT3G $24.99 a month unlimited data + 400 texts plan, my phone gets great 4G speeds, (at least as great as T-Mo's "4G" is capable of) definitely faster than the same plan on my N1.
ETA: I'm in Seattle, T-Mobiles U.S. base of operations. I dunno for sure, but it makes sense that the data coverage here would be a little better than in a lot of other areas.
ashton4life said:
The problem with this phone is low signal strength. It seems to have problems with low signals, 1-2 bars and then loses connection intermittantly. If your 4G keeps going down to 2G do a hard reset to clear the settings. It should keep the 4G regardless of the signal after. For me I lose the signal at home especially if I hold the phone from the bottom with my palm to the back, I can watch the bars go away then when I remove my hand it raises up. Antenna is in a bad place I think. LG messed up!
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I'm suddenly having IPhone 4 flash-backs!!! Sheesh.. For what its worth I was having the same issues with low to no signal, but I recently (last night) installed the 2.3.3 GB Rom and I must confess that I have all the bars and no WIFI sleeping issues.. YMMV..
They didn't change the radio firmware but apparently my phone likes the GB ROM better I guess.....
Good Luck
dlammons said:
I'm suddenly having IPhone 4 flash-backs!!! Sheesh.. For what its worth I was having the same issues with low to no signal, but I recently (last night) installed the 2.3.3 GB Rom and I must confess that I have all the bars and no WIFI sleeping issues.. YMMV..
They didn't change the radio firmware but apparently my phone likes the GB ROM better I guess.....
Good Luck
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Click to collapse
So do you think the Gingerbread update may help the low signal issues? I returned my phone today and now I have to wait for them to send me my deposit back. I may just wait a month or so and buy it again if others see a difference also. The Tmobile 2.3 update is suppose to happen some time this month.
I got my unlimited 4g with 5gb cap for $20/month,u got ripped off
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
bobthq said:
I got my unlimited 4g with 5gb cap for $20/month,u got ripped off
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
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It doesn't matter if you have the 4g plan or the regular plan. The speeds stay exactly the same. Anyone who thinks the 4G data plan has anything to do with your data speeds needs to delete there screen name and stop fallowing this website.
The plan doesn't affect the speed or the fluctuation issues of 4G/2G/EDGE. It basically just comes down to your coverage area.
I was having absolutely no issues with 4G signals since I bought the phone, but when I went to Dallas last weekend I was having weak signals, slow downloads, etc. Went back to Austin and signal was fine like before.
I'm still on the old G1 unlimited data plan and speeds are faster than when I was on my G1.
g2x signal weaker then g1 signal
My G2x gets a weaker signal then my G1 does in the exact same spots. My G1 can be 3g when my G2x is EDGE in the exact same spot. Walking from an EDGE spot to 3g/4g coverage area my G1 bumps up 100-500 feet sooner the the G2x. Nobody at LG or t-mobile would do anything about it. Returned the g2x on day 14 but they had to pry it out of my hands because other then having a sucky signal I loooooved the phone.
I was told by a customer service rep that works for sprint that 4G for Tmobile only works if you switch to Sprint and put the sim card in the Sprint phone. Then you will have to get some foil and wrap your phone in it and hold it 91 degree from the angle of the sun.
I got my G2x a few days ago and was having some serious signal issues. Half of the time it was on emergency calls only. T-mobile suggested I swap my SIM that I had for 3 years, saying they had reports of older sims not working with the upgraded HSPA+ 42 towers. It immediately fixed the issues everywhere except at home where they are having problems upgrading that tower.
If you have signal issues, try swapping out that old sim. Also check if you are in a market that is getting upgraded
lokibtm said:
I got my G2x a few days ago and was having some serious signal issues. Half of the time it was on emergency calls only. T-mobile suggested I swap my SIM that I had for 3 years, saying they had reports of older sims not working with the upgraded HSPA+ 42 towers. It immediately fixed the issues everywhere except at home where they are having problems upgrading that tower.
If you have signal issues, try swapping out that old sim. Also check if you are in a market that is getting upgraded
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Same here. Apparently my old SIM card was only good for Edge whereas I got a free 3G (works with 4G) sim card replacement at a T-Mobile store.
My observations....
When i was using my Nexus One as my main phone... i could tell the day hey turned on HDSPA+ in my area...i was getting about 5mb down and 1.5 - 2 MB up almost consistently for about a few weeks ...then it dropped down to regularly 2-3 down and about 1.5 up. Which is about what i was getting up until i ot my G2x. Now my top speeds are about 7MB down and if i am lucky i hit 1mb up otherwise it is almost always a hair below 1mb up. Yes i know the Nexus one was not 4g HSDPA+...but like i said i could tell they day they turned it on. When i got the Nexus One i switched from Blackberry and I never switched my actual plan until i got the G2x. So to me it seems there is some type of throttling involved somehow. Just think about it... if you go over your 5GB limit with the so called unlimited plan.... they throttle your speed right? hit has to be done automatically.... so why can't some type of computer coding error be wrong on someones phone/account an only giving them 3g or less speeds?
Also is anyone getting terrible upload speeds like me? Before you say upload speeds do not matter unless you are uploading... consider that even when you download...a data packet has to be sent back (Uploaded) to say give me the next set of data packets for download... and the faster your upload is...you would see increased/faster downloads also. Think T1 vs aDSL at the same speed. It seems that our data is not "unlimited" and it is aDSL as well. Sorry i am rambling LOL anyway i would much rather get steady 3MB down and 1.5 up if it got better battery life. I did notice when i had my nexus one it would only kick in the high data when you went online like opening a web browser etc.. otherwise it throttled it down. (yes i saw it change by quickly going back to the settings are for status and watched it change back and forth) which was done in a fix that helped battery life... by increasing the idle time.
As far as switching 2g (edge) to 4G and never showing 3g..i read a few posts that said that LG was aware of this and would be fixed in the next patch update or/ Gingerbread update. So perhaps this is also effecting people phones as well.
Sorry if i strayed from topic... i just tried to paint a bigger picture about throttling speeds based on plan or phone type. Maybe it does not happen to everyone...but it could happen to some.
In my home I get very weak signals with any phone, whether its GSM or CDMA but when I tried the G2x it continuesly disconnected and lost signal. This happened more on the G2x then any of my previus 5 phones. I was forced to return it. I would have kept it but this was a big problem. I believe that this phone does definetly have reception problems plus it loses the signal just holding the phone from the bottom with my palm to the back, basically just holding it normally. If I raised my hand to the top it got better.... I really liked it. I'm back with my old LG envy2 and it never loses signal any where in my home. I may just try the Sensation when it comes out and pass on the G2x getting fixed.

Data speeds vs sprint

For $35 a month for technically sprint i will plunk down $300 for this beauty but how fast are the downloads?
Seems faster than my tmobile vibrant 3g was.
Sent from my MOTWX435KT using XDA App
it all depends on service and tower loads.. like at around 6pm i get 300kbps and at 6am i get 1400-1500 kbps... right now its 8:30am and im getting 850kbps... so it all depends sometimes i get 100kbps all the way down to 30kbps.. but the triumph was faster than my Buddy droid x and he had two bars i only had one.. at least 3 times faster ( both on 3g)
I was on SERO 500, and my Sprint phone died, so I want to upgrade to SEROP, but calling Sprint (5 times, they know what is SEROP but would not give it to me), email ecare (3 times, then no one reply anymore). So I am now on VM $25 plan w/ Triumph.
The phone itself is just like any other Android phone. At home, I get almost no Data. Phone and SMS go thru no problem. Google Map, Browser, Youtube 90% of the time would not load, and complaint no connection. When I walk out of the apartment building Data works.
The problem is, my old Sprint phone is Touch Pro, and it got perfect Data.
So does Sprint has any special rule for VM phone? Since I am new to VM and Android, I am reading now how to update PRL.
the main difference is that sprint plans allow roaming on verizon towers. otherwise, the data speeds are the same. any speed difference you're seeing is likely caused by device differences (e.g. antenna, radio, ...)
VM doesn't roam, so it will never have as good reception as a sprint (or AT&T or Verizon) phone. Part of that $80-$100 a month you are paying them is for roaming access fees between the carriers.
Long and short of it is if you want the bet reception and data speeds, you need to pay for it. You aren't going to get top notch network performance for $25 a month.
emkorial said:
VM doesn't roam, so it will never have as good reception as a sprint (or AT&T or Verizon) phone. Part of that $80-$100 a month you are paying them is for roaming access fees between the carriers.
Long and short of it is if you want the bet reception and data speeds, you need to pay for it. You aren't going to get top notch network performance for $25 a month.
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Agreed, but you can get get top notch service for $35 a month. In some areas the best signal for a Sprint phone will be from Sprint towers; in that case, a Virgin phone (using only Sprint towers) will get the same service as a Sprint phone unless the actual phones are different.
I disagree. I have the phone and the web browsing speed was horrible as well as the download speed for apps. You guys may have towers closer to you. I stay in washington, dc. I did the prl swap, now i feel as though my data speeds are much faster, possible 300% more faster. I browse facebook, zoom! check out a youtube vid and no buffering on a 6minute video. If you have slow data speeds do the prl swap! You will appreciate the phone much more!
http://androidforums.com/triumph-all-things-root/395533-big-difference-data-speeds.html
Which PRL did you use, hitsndc? 01115? 01119? 01120? These are the 3 PRL's I've seen mentioned across the forums.
MarkMcCoskey said:
Which PRL did you use, hitsndc? 01115? 01119? 01120? These are the 3 PRL's I've seen mentioned across the forums.
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Click to collapse
I used 01115
I just swapped to 01115; will advise if it makes a difference. I also attempted to force the phone into EvDO-only mode in the build.prop file - that MAY make a significant difference in places where the radio "hunts", which mine DOES when mobile.
If it works I'll post a "how to" which is more-or-less like what's been posted, with one exception - there's an easy way to get the phone to ALWAYS have the diag enabled using "anycut".
Update: EVDO-only lock is NOT effective, however with 01115 the phone re-selects to 3G much more reliably and quickly than with the base PRL and is also connecting to towers it never did before (as shown in "Open Signal"), so at least here it appears to be an improvement.
I swapped to 01115 myself.
Speed test are about the same, which I understood would be the case. As long as my connection is more consistent, I'd be happy. I've had a couple dropped calls. Will have to wait and see with this PRL.
I should check Google maps to see if it detects me closer/more accurately. I've had times where it was miles off, when I know there are towers closer. So hopefully I have better access to the closer towers.
Would still like to know the difference between the PRL's (01115, 01119, 01120, or any others that would work with the Triumph).
Genesis3 said:
I just swapped to 01115; will advise if it makes a difference. I also attempted to force the phone into EvDO-only mode in the build.prop file - that MAY make a significant difference in places where the radio "hunts", which mine DOES when mobile.
If it works I'll post a "how to" which is more-or-less like what's been posted, with one exception - there's an easy way to get the phone to ALWAYS have the diag enabled using "anycut".
Update: EVDO-only lock is NOT effective, however with 01115 the phone re-selects to 3G much more reliably and quickly than with the base PRL and is also connecting to towers it never did before (as shown in "Open Signal"), so at least here it appears to be an improvement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing, with regards to locking into 3G more reliably, do the phone signal decibel levels improve as well? And how about voice quality?
Voice quality was never an issue here - this phone is capable of holding a voice call and being stable when it shows ZERO bars, which none of my other handsets have ever done.
The big difference I see is that there are other towers that now appear in the neighbor list and the handset does connect to them where it didn't before, so I am definitely "seeing" connection sources that I didn't know existed in the past.
It hasn't made a material difference in data rate performance that I can see from my house - the real test will be whether it makes a difference of materiality when I'm in the car and such, which is where I've seen a lot of "hunting" down to 1x and "sticking" there. We'll see if that is gone or not.
I'm keeping 1115 for now but have the original PRL in the event I need to go back to it.
Once I swapped my prl and added the EvDo line my Data more than doubled in speed. Like hitsndc said I am now able to stream a whole 4 min video with no buffer. Once I removed that line it would stop every few seconds. Added the line, back to no Buffer. I tried this a few times before I came to the conclusion that it did make a difference.
Once I updated the PRL I used opensignal from the market to see my towers and now I was locked on to a tower close to me that wasnt even showing up on the map before.
Im alot happier with my phone now. Once we get 2.3 on here Ill be good
Where did you put the EVDO line? In build.prop? That's where I stuck it - it made no difference for me; I still occasionally "hunt" to 1x service, but the PRL change DID make a difference as I now "see" towers (and connect to them) that I wasn't before.
Look guys I only had one bar.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

In store phone speeds vs Bought out of the box

So i was in a sprint store yesterday, upgrading my wife's phone to the S5. I was looking at the demo phones on display and i know those are on the new Spark Network.
So i did a speed test on both of the s5s and they were showing between 55 and 60mb down, and about 5-8 mb up
I went to the s3 that was on demo display and did a speed test on that phone, since they aren't on the spark network i would expect it to be lower.
It showed me 3-4 mb down and less than 1mb up
When my wife just bought her GS5, after all the activations and setup, we immediately did a speed test on the phone in the store, and it was abysmal
less than 1mb down, and even less than 1 mb up
So i am wondering, is there a difference in the Store phones Vs what's bought out of the box.
Were there any configuration changes done in the secret menus that aren't widely advertised? or am i missing something?
The phones are usually connected to a in-store wifi network, so the speed of the actual network is inaccurate. The main problem with Sprint's network is that they have the slowest internet speeds, thats the reason why they offer 100% unlimited data. If your not fortunate to live in a LTE market, your probably gonna be relying on open wifi networks to keep yourself sane. If you want fast and reliable, go with Verizon, but your gonna be paying a premium price. But, you might want to think about a prepaid phone, and use blank phone on wifi as a media device if you want to be cheap. The only guarantee you get with Sprint is unlimited everytthing, but speed is never promised.
JollyGrnReefer said:
The phones are usually connected to a in-store wifi network, so the speed of the actual network is inaccurate. The main problem with Sprint's network is that they have the slowest internet speeds, thats the reason why they offer 100% unlimited data. If your not fortunate to live in a LTE market, your probably gonna be relying on open wifi networks to keep yourself sane. If you want fast and reliable, go with Verizon, but your gonna be paying a premium price. But, you might want to think about a prepaid phone, and use blank phone on wifi as a media device if you want to be cheap. The only guarantee you get with Sprint is unlimited everytthing, but speed is never promised.
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Click to collapse
The phone he is displaying is not on WIFI. The Store could have it's own AIRAVE though.
The stores I've visited appear to be on the public cell network.

2 Questions about switch to MetroPCS

I did a search and couldn't find a good spot to ask about plans so hopefully this fits here.
Recently upgraded from N4 to N5, since I now have have access to LTE (and T-Mobile has recently rolled out Band 2 coverage just about state wide in my state) it has opened up my service provider options. Currently on ST (AT&T) $45 a month, was hoping to be able to switch to something else and gain LTE speed (I have an early sim card and no LTE speed) and maybe save $5 or so a month.
Came across an ad for MetroPCS (MVNO for T-Mobile) offering a free LTE phone with porting of a non T-Mobile # (since I'm on AT&T right now I should be eligible). Figured I could pick up a free phone, drop the sim card into my N5 and keep the phone has a spare/give it to my son/sell it.
I have 2 questions:
1. If I were to give it to my son, would I have to use MetroPCS for service or could I use it on T-Mobile or any of its MVNOs (eyeing the $30 text/data plan). From what I have read I think it would be stuck on MetroPCS unless I unlock it, which is apparently a little difficult for their GSM devices.
2. Not sure if anyone would know the answer for sure, but the large majority of my data is used streaming music on pandora to my car radio (Android headunit running pandora app that connects to my phone via wireless tether). The appeal of MetroPCS vs. other MVNOs was even tho I lose 2GB of data (3 vs. 5) I save $5 a month and if my pandora steaming doesn't count then my monthly usage goes from about 4.5GB down to 2GB. I assume that MetroPCS just looks at the servers on the web the data is coming from and then flags anything from Pandora has not to be against my quota, it doesn't care if my phone then shares that data via wifi to another Android device.
Anyway thanks for any answers or feedback.
Well I have working tether now, I'll report back about the answer to 2. And I will steal a t-mo sim from another phone and check 1. but I believe the answer is it will only work with metropcs sims and not any t-mobile mvno.
OK to answer #2 it appears that A. MetroPCS is lying just streaming pandora on my phone seems to eat up data (or something is eating it up at an alarming rate with my phone idle and just playing pandora) and it most certainly is counted towards my data cap when its on a tethered device, in fact their whole data usage seems to be a big scam. According to the MyMetro app I have used 800mb in 3 days, this is with playing about 2 hours of pandora (which shouldn't count) 3 short trips of navigation, about 20 emails (none with attachments, just short text only emails) and about 10 minutes of web browsing. On ST that wouldn't have been more than a few hundred MB.
And lastly their coverage map isn't even remotely close, 3 separate times I have been outdoors on a main road in an area that is solid dark purple even at the most zoomed in level and I can travel a good mile in every direction before I get any kind of signal, let alone a 4G LTE signal.
/Rant

Download speeds SUCK! What gives?

Anyone else having an issues with downloading updates for apps over network/cellular connection?
When I do it, it is painfully slow and in a side by side comparison with my Note 10 plus it gets smoked (5G vs 4G). The Note 10+ will have already downloaded the app, installed it and opened it while the A71 5G is still at 10% downloading.
The only way I can get the download speeds to increase is to turn on the WiFi and it definitely speeds up but still not as fast as the 4G on the Note 10+.
I also tried switch my network band from 5G to 4G but still having the same issue.
Am I missing something? Is the joke on me?
**edit**
On the line with T-Mobile support and they have me testing my download/upload speed with Internet Speed Test via Google. So far my results have been pretty consistent:
0.52 Mbps download
0.52 Mbps upload
quick update:
On the phone with Tmo tech support this morning. They're telling me that ALL A71 5G phones are experiencing this. That the ball was dropped on it. They are expecting the firmware update to fix the issue. The rub is if I want to return this phone today is my last day (14 days) or I can wait to see if the firmware update works. Double sucks because I traded in my Note 8 for this because the Tmo promo. T-Mobile tech support is well aware of this issue.
Currently basebands ending in TSV are getting the firmware update. I have TEL and they did not know when that was being pushed out.
If you are wanting to run the same speed test that I was instructed to run, on your A71 5G, go here and follow the instructions:
https://support.google.com/websearc...t&visit_id=637324165013460751-1430605442&rd=1
If it is like mine, you will get vastly different results compared to Speedtest by Ookla: www.speedtest.net
Side note: While talking to Tmo tech support they're also having issues with the Note 4 losing LTE abilities, just in case you know anyone using them still.
rosedog said:
quick update:
On the phone with Tmo tech support this morning. They're telling me that ALL A71 5G phones are experiencing this. That the ball was dropped on it. They are expecting the firmware update to fix the issue. The rub is if I want to return this phone today is my last day (14 days) or I can wait to see if the firmware update works. Double sucks because I traded in my Note 8 for this because the Tmo promo. T-Mobile tech support is well aware of this issue.
Currently basebands ending in TSV are getting the firmware update. I have TEL and they did not know when that was being pushed out.
If you are wanting to run the same speed test that I was instructed to run, on your A71 5G, go here and follow the instructions:
If it is like mine, you will get vastly different results compared to Speedtest by Ookla:
Side note: While talking to Tmo tech support they're also having issues with the Note 4 losing LTE abilities, just in case you know anyone using them still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rosedog,
thanks for sharing this info. I just received my tmo A71 5G yesterday and while it shows full five bar reception and 5G connections, the data does not work at all for me. Disabling the 5G connection and the phone connects to 4G just fine. Re-enabling 5G and mobile data no longer works again.
I have contacted Tmo customer service and they also had a tech try a bunch of things, update my SIM card, check the tower my phone is pinging, I even factory defaulted my phone to no avail. They have escalated this to one of their "engineers" and I should get a call back on Monday.
Unfortunately, this being a fairly new phone, not much information that I could find but there was a support thread on TMO, I can't share the URL because I don't have any posts on XDA. lol =x
but the thread is titled: Samsung A71 5G Network Issues
rosedog said:
quick update:
On the phone with Tmo tech support this morning. They're telling me that ALL A71 5G phones are experiencing this. That the ball was dropped on it. They are expecting the firmware update to fix the issue. The rub is if I want to return this phone today is my last day (14 days) or I can wait to see if the firmware update works. Double sucks because I traded in my Note 8 for this because the Tmo promo. T-Mobile tech support is well aware of this issue.
Currently basebands ending in TSV are getting the firmware update. I have TEL and they did not know when that was being pushed out.
If you are wanting to run the same speed test that I was instructed to run, on your A71 5G, go here and follow the instructions:
https://support.google.com/websearc...t&visit_id=637324165013460751-1430605442&rd=1
If it is like mine, you will get vastly different results compared to Speedtest by Ookla: www.speedtest.net
Side note: While talking to Tmo tech support they're also having issues with the Note 4 losing LTE abilities, just in case you know anyone using them still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the TEL firmware on T-Mobile and I've been getting far better speeds than you on my A71 5G. Right now the tower I'm on is a bit congested, but I ran the speedtest you linked and it showed 5.76 Mbps download / 11.5 Mbps upload. (phone shows a 5G connection)
About a week ago, I was in Washington Square Park in NYC (also on 5G) and was stunned to get 674 Mbps down: https://imgur.com/54xDrOT
jumpah said:
Hi Rosedog,
thanks for sharing this info. I just received my tmo A71 5G yesterday and while it shows full five bar reception and 5G connections, the data does not work at all for me. Disabling the 5G connection and the phone connects to 4G just fine. Re-enabling 5G and mobile data no longer works again.
I have contacted Tmo customer service and they also had a tech try a bunch of things, update my SIM card, check the tower my phone is pinging, I even factory defaulted my phone to no avail. They have escalated this to one of their "engineers" and I should get a call back on Monday.
Unfortunately, this being a fairly new phone, not much information that I could find but there was a support thread on TMO, I can't share the URL because I don't have any posts on XDA. lol =x
but the thread is titled: Samsung A71 5G Network Issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Jumpah,
It sucks simply put. As I said earlier this morning T-Mobile is well aware of this. The rep told me that they cannot believe how the ball was dropped on this phone. They have been getting alot of complaints about it and I went through the same hoops except for the factory reset. We're stuck with a paper weight at the moment. It pisses me off because this was my intro to 5G before I made the jump to the Samsung Note 20 Ultra. I wanted to see the badass speeds when this opened up.
andrewNY said:
I have the TEL firmware on T-Mobile and I've been getting far better speeds than you on my A71 5G. Right now the tower I'm on is a bit congested, but I ran the speedtest you linked and it showed 5.76 Mbps download / 11.5 Mbps upload. (phone shows a 5G connection)
About a week ago, I was in Washington Square Park in NYC (also on 5G) and was stunned to get 674 Mbps down: https://imgur.com/54xDrOT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah your download speed on your current test is slower than my Note 10+ but definitely faster than my A71 5G. I would love to get first speed though.
**edit**
 @andrewNY after looking at your picture, that speed test looks like it was run using Ookla . I don't even bother looking at their speeds any longer. If I run their test I get 46.88 Mbps download right now. That is a difference of 9,015%, yours is 11,701%
Im On The latest ATG9 updated baseband so i assume i wont have this issue, my speed down seems fine my up seems a little low though but as long as my down is that fast im cool with it.
P.S.=Mine Was TEL when i got it.
SideNote =my update for ATG9 came in last night at midnight.
Mine has consistently gotten 25Mbps-30Mbps on "5G".
But I assumed TMo was pulling the same smoke and mirrors they usually do and park the 5G symbol on the display even when it isn't technically 5G.
They did the same during the transition from 3G to 4G and then from 4G to LTE.
I'll have to check it against my wife's Note 10.
On Wifi I show speeds off the scale on speedtest.net in excess of 100Mbps.
As this was one of the first 5G phones, and despite all the hype, TMo will still be rolling out 5G infrastructure for at least another 12mo, I wasn't expecting much except in major cities like NYC, LA, ATL, DAL, etc.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------
Just verified using my wife's Note 10 that we both are getting identical speeds on multiple tests.
My A71 5G shows a "5G" connection on the display.
Her Note 10 shows 4G LTE on the display.
TMo's coverage map claims I should have 5G coverage here.
Here in SC speeds have been up to par. 2nd 5g phone. Am getting better speeds on my a71 then my v60..
rosedog said:
@andrewNY after looking at your picture, that speed test looks like it was run using Ookla . I don't even bother looking at their speeds any longer. If I run their test I get 46.88 Mbps download right now. That is a difference of 9,015%, yours is 11,701%
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Ookla speed test I posted was run at a different time and location to the Google speed test I quoted, so it can't really be compared there. I actually ran another Ookla test at the same time and got roughly the exact same speeds as what Google was showing me though.
BTW: I got a OTA firmware update today to the latest firmware; maybe check your device and see if T-Mobile made the update available to you, and if it helps.
Mine is T-Mobile-labeled on the box, while my service is with Sprint.
My wife has the same device.
I don't have a strong 5G signal at home, and it usually comes in
between 5Mb/s and 20Mb/s when testing with Ookla.
It fluctuates quite a lot.
The 5G indicator reliably comes and goes, with signal strength indicator
acting accordingly. Simple LTE-only signal is always high, with 5G
coming in at a lower strength while at home.
At my workplace, it's a different show entirely.
I've gotten as fast as 273 Mb/s on a strong 5G signal,
which is over 5-times the rate I pay for on a cable modem at home.
My home and workplace are less than seven miles apart.
4G LTE signals can get me as much as 25 Mb/s at home,
but it, too, fluctuates a lot. Voice calls are a colossal improvement, however,
with audio quality reported as excellent on both ends.
5G is definitely for real, while the implementation is far from being
fully deployed yet. We'll need to give it time before the newer 5G
is deployed across the current infrastructure.
andrewNY said:
The Ookla speed test I posted was run at a different time and location to the Google speed test I quoted, so it can't really be compared there. I actually ran another Ookla test at the same time and got roughly the exact same speeds as what Google was showing me though.
BTW: I got a OTA firmware update today to the latest firmware; maybe check your device and see if T-Mobile made the update available to you, and if it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw your reply when you made it, just haven't had time to respond. I got the firmware update but that was not the fix, although I did get it fixed.
Last Friday being my last day to turn it in, I went to the store to turn it in. I explained everything to the associate (store manager) and while he was pulling up my account I started playing with the demo A71 (same base band) and it was getting fantastic speeds, mine was still getting 0.5 Mbps. The manager thought that it might be the sim card so he tried his in my phone and the speeds were drastically better. He got me a new sim and inserted it and the speeds were like his moments earlier. Getting the sim card exposed the real problem. It in fact was not the sim card but the service the associate had put my phone onto. Now my Note 10+ did not work
When I got the phone I had asked if there was a way I could have two phones ring at the same time when one phone number is called. I explained that I did not want to be sim swapping all the time from my daily driver (Note 10+) to my play/trial 5G phone (A71 5G). They told me digits could do that and it was only $10 a month. Sounded great to me... Technically it worked, both phones would ring, I could go to websites and it seemed to be as I was told. Unfortunately when the associate sold me the digits line he did not look at what type of account I have. I have an old account that has been grandfathered in (from 2010) and its a TAX EXCLUDED (TE) account vs. the newer kind of TAX INCLUDED (TI). Digits for a TE account gets you data and phone for $10 but NOT high speed data! That is only available for TI accounts and that cost $20/$25 a month. The only way I could get this to work was to do it the old fashion way of adding an additional line but that is $30 a month. So through ineptitude I was sold a plan that was not intended to do the things I was told it could do. We had to call into customer service (611) to see if they could do anything to help fix the issue at hand, like get me the high speed digits line. The system would not allow but what they did do was get me a new line that mimics my main line (all the bells and whistles) for $15 a month for my troubles. I took it and it works. I do not digits any longer but I did enjoy the fact that both devices could ring at the same time.
As for running the speed test, Ookla still gives me higher speeds on paper but only by 10 Mbps now.
What a stupid ordeal that took way too much time to figure out.
rosedog said:
Saw your reply when you made it, just haven't had time to respond. I got the firmware update but that was not the fix, although I did get it fixed.
Last Friday being my last day to turn it in, I went to the store to turn it in. I explained everything to the associate (store manager) and while he was pulling up my account I started playing with the demo A71 (same base band) and it was getting fantastic speeds, mine was still getting 0.5 Mbps. The manager thought that it might be the sim card so he tried his in my phone and the speeds were drastically better. He got me a new sim and inserted it and the speeds were like his moments earlier. Getting the sim card exposed the real problem. It in fact was not the sim card but the service the associate had put my phone onto. Now my Note 10+ did not work
When I got the phone I had asked if there was a way I could have two phones ring at the same time when one phone number is called. I explained that I did not want to be sim swapping all the time from my daily driver (Note 10+) to my play/trial 5G phone (A71 5G). They told me digits could do that and it was only $10 a month. Sounded great to me... Technically it worked, both phones would ring, I could go to websites and it seemed to be as I was told. Unfortunately when the associate sold me the digits line he did not look at what type of account I have. I have an old account that has been grandfathered in (from 2010) and its a TAX EXCLUDED (TE) account vs. the newer kind of TAX INCLUDED (TI). Digits for a TE account gets you data and phone for $10 but NOT high speed data! That is only available for TI accounts and that cost $20/$25 a month. The only way I could get this to work was to do it the old fashion way of adding an additional line but that is $30 a month. So through ineptitude I was sold a plan that was not intended to do the things I was told it could do. We had to call into customer service (611) to see if they could do anything to help fix the issue at hand, like get me the high speed digits line. The system would not allow but what they did do was get me a new line that mimics my main line (all the bells and whistles) for $15 a month for my troubles. I took it and it works. I do not digits any longer but I did enjoy the fact that both devices could ring at the same time.
As for running the speed test, Ookla still gives me higher speeds on paper but only by 10 Mbps now.
What a stupid ordeal that took way too much time to figure out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's pretty crazy, but I'm glad you figured it out, and also that there isn't a critical issue with the A71 5G and speeds!
andrewNY said:
Wow, that's pretty crazy, but I'm glad you figured it out, and also that there isn't a critical issue with the A71 5G and speeds!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say I spent 8+ hours trying to get this fixed between tech support and in store support. Nobody thought to look at the account type before hand.
So I had this issue on At&t, couldn't for the life of me figure out why my cell speeds were so bad. At&t variant defaults apn to ATT ENHANCED.
I decided to use the same Apn for my LG V40 apn: NXTGENPHONE
The speeds are night and day, and 5G still works on NXTGENPHONE
On 5g default apn 47mbps on NXTGEN 255mbps
I tested switching between apns for 4 hours (I was at the beach)
At home default 4mbps and NXTGEN 20mbps.
If your on AT&T try the NXTGENPHONE apn
I can confirm speedtest.net reached download speeds in excess of 175Mbps in Atlanta, GA on 5G with 4-bar signal. That was both indoors, and outside, repeated in multiple locations.
As before, even though TMo's coverage map claims my home is a 5G area, I only get LTE speeds of about 25Mbps there.
SkedAddled said:
Mine is T-Mobile-labeled on the box, while my service is with Sprint.
My wife has the same device.
I don't have a strong 5G signal at home, and it usually comes in
between 5Mb/s and 20Mb/s when testing with Ookla.
It fluctuates quite a lot.
The 5G indicator reliably comes and goes, with signal strength indicator
acting accordingly. Simple LTE-only signal is always high, with 5G
coming in at a lower strength while at home.
At my workplace, it's a different show entirely.
I've gotten as fast as 273 Mb/s on a strong 5G signal,
which is over 5-times the rate I pay for on a cable modem at home.
My home and workplace are less than seven miles apart.
4G LTE signals can get me as much as 25 Mb/s at home,
but it, too, fluctuates a lot. Voice calls are a colossal improvement, however,
with audio quality reported as excellent on both ends.
5G is definitely for real, while the implementation is far from being
fully deployed yet. We'll need to give it time before the newer 5G
is deployed across the current infrastructure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just adding my experience so far- I've been to several places around my home where i get 5 bars of "5G". Running any speed test on 5G is usually 20 mbits/sec slower than if I configure the network to 4G. It's so consistent that I don't bother to turn on the 5G network, as it will underperform.
steven.rn said:
Just adding my experience so far- I've been to several places around my home where i get 5 bars of "5G". Running any speed test on 5G is usually 20 mbits/sec slower than if I configure the network to 4G. It's so consistent that I don't bother to turn on the 5G network, as it will underperform.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I consistently get variable 5G results: At home, not so good. At work: VERY good.
I haven't tried setting to 4G-only yet, as VOLTE seems to be what enables 5G on my device.
Keep in mind also, that signal-strength bars are not neccessarily an indication of 4G or 5G signals.
My experience has shown that indicated signal-strength only applies to voice as on Sprint,
while 4G and 5G data throughput is typically lower-performance.
SkedAddled said:
I consistently get variable 5G results: At home, not so good. At work: VERY good.
I haven't tried setting to 4G-only yet, as VOLTE seems to be what enables 5G on my device.
Keep in mind also, that signal-strength bars are not neccessarily an indication of 4G or 5G signals.
My experience has shown that indicated signal-strength only applies to voice as on Sprint,
while 4G and 5G data throughput is typically lower-performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much appreciated comment, bud, that would explain some things.
Still, it seems odd that when I enable 5G, even if the phone is actually getting 4g, it's still slower. Dunno if that's because the phone is still looking for 5g while it's downloading a test in 4G or what.... either way, I didn't really expect 5G to amount to much in Northeast ohio yet.
Cheers!
StevenRN
steven.rn said:
Much appreciated comment, bud, that would explain some things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've found that signal-strength indicator doesn't necessarily represent data-throughout rate,
or what one might expect if it shows a 'full' signal. I've seen tests fluctuate considerably
during the test itself when stationary.
I just did an Ookla speed test from home on 5G.
It wavered from around 6 or 7Mb/s to over 52Mb/s during the short time it took,
rising and falling repeatedly. When I'm at work, the throughput just continues to climb
during the test time until it tops out at whatever it can get: no fluctuation;
it just keeps increasing. It's topped-out at various maximums, but it ALWAYS just climbs to a max.
I had some sound-quality issues on 4G, in not being able to make out clear voice before,
while this new device is excellent, on both ends of a call.
steven.rn said:
Still, it seems odd that when I enable 5G, even if the phone is actually getting 4g, it's still slower. Dunno if that's because the phone is still looking for 5g while it's downloading a test in 4G or what.... either way, I didn't really expect 5G to amount to much in Northeast ohio yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably some bandwidth is being used, like you suspect, leeching some of it
away from your results.
My old HTC EVO 4G LTE went into a major battery drain when reliable data signals
weren't available, and I discovered that Airplane Mode would put a halt to that, lending
some credence to your suspicions. My takeaway has been that if the device is looking for a radio signal
it cannot find, it ramps-up the process, leading to processor use and battery drain, as well as
potential bandwidth usage due to signal-seeking.
As for deployment of 5G, you'd be surprised:
I live much closer to the population center of Grand Rapids, MI, than I do to my workplace
of a semi-rural community of Byron Center. The "Built-up-ness" of the immediate area
around my home has increased tremendously within the 8 or so years I've lived where I am,
while Byron Center remains much the same. Yet Byron Center has received the infrastructure
updates that my more population-centric home base has not, going back to 4G LTE.
There's just no figuring out when/why/how any given provider will roll out updates
to infrastructure, but it shows that some happen within very surprising places.
I have just got off phone with sprint. They refreshed my phone and I am getting better download speeds. They also said there upgrading my tower to 5G should be done in 5 to 7 days. Really don't know what the refreshing does.

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