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I just helped my son install the hybrid modem for his Nexus 4 and set up the T-mobile APN for it. I was about to tell him that he would have to go somewhere else to test it since I never get LTE at home, and then boom, the 4G icon shows up on his phone! I checked Network Signal Info and sure enough, it's got an LTE connection with about 6Mbps transfer rate. Sitting right next to him my N5 has only 3G with occasional switches up to HSPA and back, and a very low transfer rate. What gives? I am able to get LTE on the N5 in other areas of town and it works wonderfully, but around my home it is very weak and almost never runs in LTE mode.
Could it be that the N4 is connecting on a different LTE band? If so, why is the N5 not using that band as well? Is there something that can be done for the N5 to tweak it to improve its LTE reception or how it chooses how to connect to available LTE signals?
Both N4 and N5 have 1700 band so it should get perfect HSDPA.
It might be the towers in your area are busy or the signal is weak.
I use straight talk t-mobil and I get HSDPA around 15Mbps and my friend get a little more on LTE here in chicagoland.
Also for people on Straight talk if you want to get LTE att version you need to get a new simcard and change APN and for t-mobil
just get a new simcard and boom you get LTE.
Idk if I'd worry about it. In most places the HSDPA speeds for T-Mobile are the same or better than the LTE speeds you would get. I'm in the far north chicago suburbs and I get LTE and HSDPA downloads at 25mbps. The LTE coverage is still a bit spotty. Its probably only worth it if I you're in a developed urban area. However it is a bit strange that you guys have the same hardware, service and location but different connections. The only thing I can think of is that I've seen some people instruct to setup the apn as fast.tmobile.com. however mine only worked with fast.T-Mobile.com (with the dash). I would also check to confirm that your phone is set to lte preferred (LTE/gsm) and not gsm priority. Those are the only things I can think that I can think of. Hope it helps.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
gorilla p said:
Idk if I'd worry about it. In most places the HSDPA speeds for T-Mobile are the same or better than the LTE speeds you would get. I'm in the far north chicago suburbs and I get LTE and HSDPA downloads at 25mbps. The LTE coverage is still a bit spotty. Its probably only worth it if I you're in a developed urban area. However it is a bit strange that you guys have the same hardware, service and location but different connections. The only thing I can think of is that I've seen some people instruct to setup the apn as fast.tmobile.com. however mine only worked with fast.T-Mobile.com (with the dash). I would also check to confirm that your phone is set to lte preferred (LTE/gsm) and not gsm priority. Those are the only things I can think that I can think of. Hope it helps.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile 4G LTE will properly works on fast.t-mobile.com, fast.tmobile.com is not the proper APN (the - matters)
There are just way too many variables. Maybe his modem has better reception, newer sim card, etc.
RobinD42 said:
I just helped my son install the hybrid modem for his Nexus 4 and set up the T-mobile APN for it. I was about to tell him that he would have to go somewhere else to test it since I never get LTE at home, and then boom, the 4G icon shows up on his phone! I checked Network Signal Info and sure enough, it's got an LTE connection with about 6Mbps transfer rate. Sitting right next to him my N5 has only 3G with occasional switches up to HSPA and back, and a very low transfer rate. What gives? I am able to get LTE on the N5 in other areas of town and it works wonderfully, but around my home it is very weak and almost never runs in LTE mode.
Could it be that the N4 is connecting on a different LTE band? If so, why is the N5 not using that band as well? Is there something that can be done for the N5 to tweak it to improve its LTE reception or how it chooses how to connect to available LTE signals?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fwiw there are other threads where people have reported that the N4 picks up LTE in the same place that an N5 does not. So you are not alone. N4 may have a stronger radio. That would be unfortunate... Never good to see a step backwards on something as important as that.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Good news everyone! I too has having this problem. My Nexus 4 was an LTE champ and then it was a huge let down that my Nexus 5 was treating LTE like it had cooties, but now my Nexus 5 works the way it should. What I did was go to my nearest T-Mobile store and told the representative what was happening. He called tech support and they ended up doing some sort of reset to my account. I also had questions about my SIM card and felt that it could have been at fault. He offered to switch it out to the new ISIS SIM and as soon as my phone booted up, it was on LTE. Since then, it has behaved like my Nexus 4. I am even in my office where the Nexus 5 wasn't picking up LTE, but my Nexus 4 was, and it is on LTE at the moment.
I am not sure if the reset that tech support did solved the problem or the new SIM, but I would definately give that a try--it didn't cost me anything and now I am happy with my Nexus 5. Good luck!
In my experience my N4 has slightly better signal pickup than my N5.
The real reason is probably differences in the radios' priority algorithms. Set your N5 to LTE-only and see what happens, I imagine you'll get LTE.
dijit4l said:
I am not sure if the reset that tech support did solved the problem or the new SIM, but I would definately give that a try--it didn't cost me anything and now I am happy with my Nexus 5. Good luck!
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Click to collapse
Did you not get LTE at all, or really poor LTE signal/speed?
tcristy said:
Did you not get LTE at all, or really poor LTE signal/speed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would get LTE eventually only to lose it when it reached 2 bars or lower. It was really weird. I would be in areas where one would get 5 bars of LTE and the phone would sit on HSPA until I would show the phone it was on LTE by switching to LTE Only under the secret dialer menu and then back to GSM/LTE (if you use LTE only, you will lose voice). Then it would hold LTE until it reached 1-2 bars and then go back to HSPA.
I hope this helps.
I am seeing strange readings of signal strength. I see a 10+ db difference between what is reported in the phone status and an app like rootmetrics.
I don't know which one is misrepresenting the signal strength but it seems the roometrics is more accurate because my nexus 4 the signal strength is roughly the same on lte.
Can anyone else confirm?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I have a T-Mobile CelFi booster because the way my house is built, which seems to block out signals to various carriers. The booster worked pretty well for Nexus 4 and HTC One. However, now that I have Nexus 5, I am getting consistently low bars of signal. People on other end of calls often tell me they can't hear me. I am not entirely sure if the booster just doesn't work with Nexus 5. Based on my observation, it seems to be trying to hang onto signals from the tower for longer before it switches to the booster, though I cannot say for sure because honestly I am not sure if that's how it works or not. Anyone have similar experience or might have a suggestion on I can fix this?
booster
What booster do you have?
koei7 said:
I have a T-Mobile CelFi booster because the way my house is built, which seems to block out signals to various carriers. The booster worked pretty well for Nexus 4 and HTC One. However, now that I have Nexus 5, I am getting consistently low bars of signal. People on other end of calls often tell me they can't hear me. I am not entirely sure if the booster just doesn't work with Nexus 5. Based on my observation, it seems to be trying to hang onto signals from the tower for longer before it switches to the booster, though I cannot say for sure because honestly I am not sure if that's how it works or not. Anyone have similar experience or might have a suggestion on I can fix this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theory:
Nexus 4 doesn't provide LTE, only HSPA+. Nexus 5 is LTE. LTE is preferred over HSPA+ when available. Your booster is likely an older unit that only supports HSPA+ and does not improve LTE. Therefore, your Nexus 5 is getting boosted HSPA+ but ignoring it in favor of a weak LTE signal.
Just a theory, though.
Pandages said:
Theory:
Nexus 4 doesn't provide LTE, only HSPA+. Nexus 5 is LTE. LTE is preferred over HSPA+ when available. Your booster is likely an older unit that only supports HSPA+ and does not improve LTE. Therefore, your Nexus 5 is getting boosted HSPA+ but ignoring it in favor of a weak LTE signal.
Just a theory, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that sounds correct to me.
Pandages said:
Theory:
Nexus 4 doesn't provide LTE, only HSPA+. Nexus 5 is LTE. LTE is preferred over HSPA+ when available. Your booster is likely an older unit that only supports HSPA+ and does not improve LTE. Therefore, your Nexus 5 is getting boosted HSPA+ but ignoring it in favor of a weak LTE signal.
Just a theory, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is certainly plausible -- however, it's puzzling as the OP indicated that s/he's having voice call issues. The old boosters only supported AWS, but I know of no T-Mobile area that would have LTE and PCS HSPA, but no AWS HSPA.
I have an old booster, and last I checked, it appeared that my N5 was using it just fine (I have no real coverage issues, but I stuck the repeater in my basement to improve signal there). However, I don't have LTE coverage at my house, so I'm unsure if there are any LTE->HSPA handover vagaries that the booster could be exposing.
There is a newer booster that supports LTE and PCS HSPA. According to a thread of Howard Forums, T-Mobile has them, but getting one appears to be a challenge. You may want to take a run at upgrading the booster by calling CC or retentions.
CommSoft8086 said:
This is certainly plausible -- however, it's puzzling as the OP indicated that s/he's having voice call issues. The old boosters only supported AWS, but I know of no T-Mobile area that would have LTE and PCS HSPA, but no AWS HSPA.
I have an old booster, and last I checked, it appeared that my N5 was using it just fine (I have no real coverage issues, but I stuck the repeater in my basement to improve signal there). However, I don't have LTE coverage at my house, so I'm unsure if there are any LTE->HSPA handover vagaries that the booster could be exposing.
There is a newer booster that supports LTE and PCS HSPA. According to a thread of Howard Forums, T-Mobile has them, but getting one appears to be a challenge. You may want to take a run at upgrading the booster by calling CC or retentions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my booster less than a month ago, older version. There are times where I get a faint LTE signal at my house, but the booster usually pushes HSPA+ over the LTE. Maybe the OP needs to position the booster and receiver in different spots? I had to do this as well. To the OP, do you suffer from poor call quality outside of your house in your travels, or just in your house?
As usual, a major phone maker from Asia is screwing over USA, by disabling US carrier compatible LTE bands in their flagship phone series. If anyone from US, or other parts of the world, left in the cold by Asus purchased this phone and would like to try this LTE unlock and report the results - that would be very much appreciated.
If anyone knows of an online store, which took the liberty of unlocking US compatible LTE bands (T-Mobile: 2,4,12, AT&T: 2,4,5,17) in Zenfone 3 Ultra - please post the link to the store.
Will Asus make a separate US version and sell it here, or will this phone be international only? I'm in the US on AT&T and would certainly like LTE capability, but I've been buying overseas phones for a while now and HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for my needs.
If Asus isn't planning on a US version i'll just get the international one...
omniphil said:
Will Asus make a separate US version and sell it here, or will this phone be international only? I'm in the US on AT&T and would certainly like LTE capability, but I've been buying overseas phones for a while now and HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for my needs.
If Asus isn't planning on a US version i'll just get the international one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get a Mi Max, it's cheaper. My friend picked me up a 4gb/128gb version when he was in China for $313. I don't see a reason to spend top dollar on the Zenfone 3 if it won't support LTE here. I'd love to see Asus support LTE here but it's a shame they always disable the US LTE bands.
ajsmsg78 said:
Just get a Mi Max, it's cheaper. My friend picked me up a 4gb/128gb version when he was in China for $313. I don't see a reason to spend top dollar on the Zenfone 3 if it won't support LTE here. I'd love to see Asus support LTE here but it's a shame they always disable the US LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want the larger screen of the Zenfone. Thats really the only reason im not picking up a Mi Max...
ajsmsg78 said:
Just get a Mi Max, it's cheaper. My friend picked me up a 4gb/128gb version when he was in China for $313. I don't see a reason to spend top dollar on the Zenfone 3 if it won't support LTE here. I'd love to see Asus support LTE here but it's a shame they always disable the US LTE bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I heard that the Mi Max only supports some of the T-Mobile bands so you won't get full LTE (only HSPA). Do you know what network your friend uses his on and if he gets full LTE?
Techngro said:
I heard that the Mi Max only supports some of the T-Mobile bands so you won't get full LTE (only HSPA). Do you know what network your friend uses his on and if he gets full LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of these phones support any LTE bands in the US. You'll only get HSPA+ or 3G. My thought is why pay 400+ for a phone with no LTE capabilities here. My friend picked up the Mi Max for me, I own it.
Techngro said:
I heard that the Mi Max only supports some of the T-Mobile bands so you won't get full LTE (only HSPA). Do you know what network your friend uses his on and if he gets full LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can consider huawei mate 8 for USA LTE support (ATT & T-Mo), it is however a 6 incher 'only' .. my only gripe is the kirin 950 SoC, while on par with other top-tier silicon in terms of performance, it is none the less huawei in house and they are not known for releasing source code, meaning no 3rd party roms and probably no upgrade beyond nougat ..
http://www.anandtech.com/show/9878/the-huawei-mate-8-review
omniphil said:
Will Asus make a separate US version and sell it here, or will this phone be international only? I'm in the US on AT&T and would certainly like LTE capability, but I've been buying overseas phones for a while now and HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for my needs.
If Asus isn't planning on a US version i'll just get the international one...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I purchased my Asus Zenfone 3 ultra (ZU680KL) from EBay (593.00 factory unlocked), thru Never -Msrp, out of Houston Texas, but I believe it's still the global version.
I purchased a Bring Your Own Phone Plan thru Cricket, which is owned by AT&T. So they use their towers. I have not notice any problems with getting 4g/Lte.
Getting very good call reception and internet download speeds thru Cricket. I have a HTC 10 that I gave to my wife. The download speeds are similiar on 4g with the HTC 10 and the Asus. Both phones have many of the same 4g/lte bands. Just a little faster with the HTC 10, which might be due to the HTC having a faster processor. Depending where I am at in my area, I can see the H+ changing to 4g up in the status bar of the Asus phone when driving. Consistent 4g speeds where I live here in WV. I am also not to far from an AT&T tower.
XDA has always helped me with valuable information over the years of many of my phone ownerships, so I hope this information helps.
Slbtrb79 said:
I purchased my Asus Zenfone 3 ultra (ZU680KL) from EBay (593.00 factory unlocked), thru Never -Msrp, out of Houston Texas, but I believe it's still the global version.
I purchased a Bring Your Own Phone Plan thru Cricket, which is owned by AT&T. So they use their towers. I have not notice any problems with getting 4g/Lte.
Getting very good call reception and internet download speeds thru Cricket. I have a HTC 10 that I gave to my wife. The download speeds are similiar on 4g with the HTC 10 and the Asus. Both phones have many of the same 4g/lte bands. Just a little faster with the HTC 10, which might be due to the HTC having a faster processor. Depending where I am at in my area, I can see the H+ changing to 4g up in the status bar of the Asus phone when driving. Consistent 4g speeds where I live here in WV. I am also not to far from an AT&T tower.
XDA has always helped me with valuable information over the years of many of my phone ownerships, so I hope this information helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so people aren't confused... 4G and LTE are 2 different things.
4G = HSPA+ and is around 5-10Mbps.
LTE can be 20-30Mbps and also has much less latency.
Most people are looking for LTE in the USA and these international phones only support 4G (Which is slower than LTE but works good enough for me)
omniphil said:
Just so people aren't confused... 4G and LTE are 2 different things.
4G = HSPA+ and is around 5-10Mbps.
LTE can be 20-30Mbps and also has much less latency.
Most people are looking for LTE in the USA and these international phones only support 4G (Which is slower than LTE but works good enough for me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comments. I accept mostly what you wrote for most companies definition of 4G and LTE. I was going by my carriers definition or interpretation of what they call 4G LTE and just 4G. The confusion is more from the caps on the data speeds various companies have. Because to me there is little difference between saying LTE and 4G LTE.
Cricket is the carrier owned by AT&T. They call their data speeds 4G and 4G LTE. AT&T caps Cricket download speeds at what they say is 4G LTE at 8Mbps and 4Mbps download speed cap for just 4G (Referenced from Crickets's website and from www.gottabemobile.com 6/21/2015 article on this topic).
However, my earlier remarks about my Asus phone was incorrect, due to Asus limitations on their 4G/LTE phones sold to individuals in the US, even though the carrier here might support some of the same 4G/LTE bands. It's an Asus thing and probably some others too. I'm probably only getting just 4G or less. My speed tests are only showing 3Mbps and a little better on download speeds on Cricket Wireless with the Asus Zenfone 3 ultra. But I was only getting on speed tests 4Mbps and a little better download speeds with my previous HTC 10 on Cricket Wireless. I have never even gotten close to Cricket's 8Mbps on my HTC 10.
At this point I'm ok with HSPA+ (It's what i've used for years now in the US with International phones)
I'm waiting for root to surface for this phone and then i'm jumping right in
omniphil said:
Just so people aren't confused... 4G and LTE are 2 different things.
4G = HSPA+ and is around 5-10Mbps.
LTE can be 20-30Mbps and also has much less latency.
Most people are looking for LTE in the USA and these international phones only support 4G (Which is slower than LTE but works good enough for me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do not confuse people with false information. HSPA+ is officially considered 3.5G connection type. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is defined as a 4th generation (4G) wireless connection standard. Those are official nominations, you can find through IEEE site, Wikipedia and many other reliable sources. LTE theoretical max speed are nowhere near 20-30Mbps figure you provided - they are *much* higher. There is also LTE-A (advanced), which is also 4G but doubles the LTE speeds, and the actual LTE speeds depend on the hardware and LTE category of the modem.
Apo11on said:
Please do not confuse people with false information. HSPA+ is officially considered 3.5G connection type. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is defined as a 4th generation (4G) wireless connection standard. Those are official nominations, you can find through IEEE site, Wikipedia and many other reliable sources. LTE theoretical max speed are nowhere near 20-30Mbps figure you provided - they are *much* higher. There is also LTE-A (advanced), which is also 4G but doubles the LTE speeds, and the actual LTE speeds depend on the hardware and LTE category of the modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple calls HSPA+ 4G, Yes i know its not technically correct, but that's what most people associate it with.
LTE can go much faster then 30Mbps for sure, I used to get 60. But nowadays with all the people using it 20-30 is a reasonable average for what most people actually see. (The point is its much faster than HSPA+)
I only bring this up because folks ask if they can get 4G on these international phones (As not everyone is a phone nerd like us) What they are really asking is if they can get LTE on these phones and most of the time that answer is no.
Basically I want people to understand that we are talking about HSPA+ vs 4G LTE and how that relates to international phones.
Is that good?
omniphil said:
Apple calls HSPA+ 4G, Yes i know its not technically correct, but that's what most people associate it with.
LTE can go much faster then 30Mbps for sure, I used to get 60. But nowadays with all the people using it 20-30 is a reasonable average for what most people actually see. (The point is its much faster than HSPA+)
I only bring this up because folks ask if they can get 4G on these international phones (As not everyone is a phone nerd like us) What they are really asking is if they can get LTE on these phones and most of the time that answer is no.
Basically I want people to understand that we are talking about HSPA+ vs 4G LTE and how that relates to international phones.
Is that good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apple or any other hardware manufacturers, as well as phone carriers can deploy any marketing schemes they like and call the lousy HSPA+ "4G" all they want, but it won't make it true. Neither of them gets to decide, and "most people" don't get to decide either. For the record, I disagree that most people think HSPA+ is 4G - most know better, in my opinion. The international governing body for wireless standards gets to name wireless technologies, protocols and classify by generation.
If you want people to understand that HSPA+ is different from LTE then saying "LTE can be 20-30Mbps" is not the way to go, because that would achieve the exact opposite. Theoretical max HSPA+ speeds achievable by this technology are 168 Mbps down and 22Mbps up, so defining LTE as 20-30Mbps connection makes your LTE no better than mediocre HSPA+ link. Some FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE links, based on the utilized spectrum, currently go up to 450Mbps down and 150Mbps up. Theoretical limits are much higher and LTE-A is twice faster.
While your intentions seem to be good, that still doesn't excuse providing inaccurate information, while also saying you dont want people to be confused. Confused is exactly what people would be, if they believe the info in your post. If you want to answer a question "will I get LTE in US with this phone?" - a simple "No" would be much better answer than inaccurate information you provided to "eliminate confusion". Or you could say something along those lines:
"ZenFone 3 Ultra is a GSM phone, so only AT&T or T-Mobile in US could be compatible, because Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology. AT&T's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,5,17 (recently forced to support band 12 as part of FCC roaming support requirement) and T-Mobile's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,12 (recently forced to support band 17 as part of FCC roaming support requirement). Asus ZenFone 3 international version on the other hand, support LTE bands 1,3,5,7,8,18,19,20,26,28,38,40,41 - do you see any overlapping bands besides B5? B5 is utilized by AT&T in limited number of US regions and even there you will get extremely spotty LTE coverage, because LTE bands operate in conjunction with each other and there are constant layovers and fallbacks between frequencies, based on towers proximity".
Slbtrb79 said:
I purchased my Asus Zenfone 3 ultra (ZU680KL) from EBay (593.00 factory unlocked), thru Never -Msrp, out of Houston Texas, but I believe it's still the global version.
I purchased a Bring Your Own Phone Plan thru Cricket, which is owned by AT&T. So they use their towers. I have not notice any problems with getting 4g/Lte.
Getting very good call reception and internet download speeds thru Cricket. I have a HTC 10 that I gave to my wife. The download speeds are similiar on 4g with the HTC 10 and the Asus. Both phones have many of the same 4g/lte bands. Just a little faster with the HTC 10, which might be due to the HTC having a faster processor. Depending where I am at in my area, I can see the H+ changing to 4g up in the status bar of the Asus phone when driving. Consistent 4g speeds where I live here in WV. I am also not to far from an AT&T tower.
XDA has always helped me with valuable information over the years of many of my phone ownerships, so I hope this information helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi!
I bought a Huawei Mediapad X2 7" display phablet last November. I used it for a month on Cricket and couldn't get good MMS service... I wouldn't get group texts or pictures... How is your Ultra doing in that regard (on Cricket)? No good MMS is a deal breaker for me... Also, the X2 came with Google and Google Play Store already installed. I am not a techie but asked a LOT of questions on xda and was walked through a successful setup (I learned a lot from other people's questions, too)... I don't root my phones... So I need good out of the box service. I have been looking for a 128GB Ultra just to compare prices to a 64GB Ultra. Have you seen any? I am waiting for the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro to be re-released but I really would love this Ultra, instead (if it works on Cricket the way I need it to)... Thanks for your time!
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
VillaRegina said:
Hi!
I bought a Huawei Mediapad X2 7" display phablet last November. I used it for a month on Cricket and couldn't get good MMS service... I wouldn't get group texts or pictures... How is your Ultra doing in that regard (on Cricket)? No good MMS is a deal breaker for me... Also, the X2 came with Google and Google Play Store already installed. I am not a techie but asked a LOT of questions on xda and was walked through a successful setup (I learned a lot from other people's questions, too)... I don't root my phones... So I need good out of the box service. I have been looking for a 128GB Ultra just to compare prices to a 64GB Ultra. Have you seen any? I am waiting for the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro to be re-released but I really would love this Ultra, instead (if it works on Cricket the way I need it to)... Thanks for your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had no problems with Cricket on my Zenfone Ultra. MMS, SMS, work just fine. No problem with sending group texts and pictures. However, you will not get LTE on the Ultra, in the US. For me, the 64gb on the internal side with a 64 GB SD card, gives me plenty of space. Google and Google play came pre-installed on my Ultra. So far, I have received great service from Cricket on my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra and my HTC 10. I love the music app, the audio wizard, and the stereo speakers. Takes great pictures. It's like having a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram and it's a phone. Due to the size, the music features, the picture features, the huge battery, I use this phone more than my HTC 10. The only down side that I have with this phone, is you can't get LTE here in the US and you can't unlock the bootloader yet. But personally, I was initially looking for a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram, stereo speakers, that also took good pictures and has a big battery. I ended up with the Ultra.
If screen size is important to you might look at the Xiaomi Mi-Max, it has 6.4 screen and nice specs. Also Huawei Mate 9 with a 5.9 inch screen with nice specs also.
Hope this helped some...
Slbtrb79 said:
I have had no problems with Cricket on my Zenfone Ultra. MMS, SMS, work just fine. No problem with sending group texts and pictures. However, you will not get LTE on the Ultra, in the US. For me, the 64gb on the internal side with a 64 GB SD card, gives me plenty of space. Google and Google play came pre-installed on my Ultra. So far, I have received great service from Cricket on my Asus Zenfone 3 Ultra and my HTC 10. I love the music app, the audio wizard, and the stereo speakers. Takes great pictures. It's like having a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram and it's a phone. Due to the size, the music features, the picture features, the huge battery, I use this phone more than my HTC 10. The only down side that I have with this phone, is you can't get LTE here in the US and you can't unlock the bootloader yet. But personally, I was initially looking for a 7 inch tablet with 4gb of ram, stereo speakers, that also took good pictures and has a big battery. I ended up with the Ultra.
If screen size is important to you might look at the Xiaomi Mi-Max, it has 6.4 screen and nice specs. Also Huawei Mate 9 with a 5.9 inch screen with nice specs also.
Hope this helped some...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for your time on the detailed answer!!!
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
Apo11on said:
Apple or any other hardware manufacturers, as well as phone carriers can deploy any marketing schemes they like and call the lousy HSPA+ "4G" all they want, but it won't make it true. Neither of them gets to decide, and "most people" don't get to decide either. For the record, I disagree that most people think HSPA+ is 4G - most know better, in my opinion. The international governing body for wireless standards gets to name wireless technologies, protocols and classify by generation.
If you want people to understand that HSPA+ is different from LTE then saying "LTE can be 20-30Mbps" is not the way to go, because that would achieve the exact opposite. Theoretical max HSPA+ speeds achievable by this technology are 168 Mbps down and 22Mbps up, so defining LTE as 20-30Mbps connection makes your LTE no better than mediocre HSPA+ link. Some FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE links, based on the utilized spectrum, currently go up to 450Mbps down and 150Mbps up. Theoretical limits are much higher and LTE-A is twice faster.
While your intentions seem to be good, that still doesn't excuse providing inaccurate information, while also saying you dont want people to be confused. Confused is exactly what people would be, if they believe the info in your post. If you want to answer a question "will I get LTE in US with this phone?" - a simple "No" would be much better answer than inaccurate information you provided to "eliminate confusion". Or you could say something along those lines:
"ZenFone 3 Ultra is a GSM phone, so only AT&T or T-Mobile in US could be compatible, because Verizon and Sprint use CDMA technology. AT&T's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,5,17 (recently forced to support band 12 as part of FCC roaming support requirement) and T-Mobile's LTE network operates on bands 2,4,12 (recently forced to support band 17 as part of FCC roaming support requirement). Asus ZenFone 3 international version on the other hand, support LTE bands 1,3,5,7,8,18,19,20,26,28,38,40,41 - do you see any overlapping bands besides B5? B5 is utilized by AT&T in limited number of US regions and even there you will get extremely spotty LTE coverage, because LTE bands operate in conjunction with each other and there are constant layovers and fallbacks between frequencies, based on towers proximity".
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I'm only a junior member with limited experience with these technologies, But I am just a little confused with these previous comments in regards to these discussions on HSPA+, LTE, and even Wimax for that matter. Believe me, when I say that I still have much to learn on this subject. Just because HSPA+ is different from 4G, I was always under the impression from everything I've read, that they are all still labeled as 4G technologies, as defined by the ITU. With all the above, having wide variations in consumer speeds. Also, whether a certain phone manufacturer supports a particular LTE band is just part of the whole part of the 4G technology. (Information taken from, in part, from Android Authority and Tech Radar)
Slbtrb79 said:
I'm only a junior member with limited experience with these technologies, But I am just a little confused with these previous comments in regards to these discussions on HSPA+, LTE, and even Wimax for that matter. Believe me, when I say that I still have much to learn on this subject. Just because HSPA+ is different from 4G, I was always under the impression from everything I've read, that they are all still labeled as 4G technologies, as defined by the ITU. With all the above, having wide variations in consumer speeds. Also, whether a certain phone manufacturer supports a particular LTE band is just part of the whole part of the 4G technology. (Information taken from, in part, from Android Authority and Tech Radar)
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Phrase "HSPA+ is different from 4G" has no meaning. Those are not comparible things "HSPA+" is an abbreviation for wireless protocol name, and "4G" is a generic reference to 4th generation of wireless technologies, which include several protocols. it's like comparing TV weight to picture brightness.
Judging from the phrase "whether a certain phone manufacturer supports a particular LTE band is just part of the whole part of the 4G technology" I'm not sure you understand how things work. Since approximately 4 years ago, ALL major SoCs (system on chip) support Worldwide Global LTE, all 41 bands. Here is an example of Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoCs, scroll down to "Global Mode": https://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon/modems/4g-lte . So, all major SoC manufacturers have been "supporting" ALL LTE bands for approximately 4 years now. Mobile device manufacturers, who partner with SoC makers like Qualcomm, or produce their own (i.e. Samsung: Exynos) control what LTE bands are actually enabled using modem's firmware, which is purely a software issue and can be changed at any time with NVRAM hack or firmware update. They decide what bands to enable based on the country the device is targeted for. Operating frequencies in each country are tightly regulated, because otherwise there are security issues, surveillance issues, interference issues (that's why they ask you to shut your phone down on a plane) and LTE frequency bands spectrum is divided to over 100 chunks, and each country/region are only allowed to operate on a specific, limited number of frequency bands. Therefore, any phone manufacturer, who wants to release wireless device with certain LTE bands enabled in a specific country, first must abide by the frequency bands international rules and then before they are allowed to sell and operate their device, their device must be approved by each country's wireless regulations governing body, which will thoroughly test the device, to make sure it meets all the required technical, safety and security standards. For example, that governing body in US is called FCC and in China it's TENAA. To sum up, what LTE bands each phone maker enables for which country, has nothing to do with being "part of the 4G technology".
Slbtrb79 said:
If screen size is important to you might look at the Xiaomi Mi-Max, it has 6.4 screen and nice specs. Also Huawei Mate 9 with a 5.9 inch screen with nice specs also.
Hope this helped some...
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Xiaomi Mi Max is a bit of an old news. This Xiaomi phone is the future. Same 6.4" screen size as Mi Max, but device size is comparable to 5.7" phone, not to mention numerous other innovations, such as ceramic body and audio transmissions via ultrasonic vibrations, instead of conventional speaker.
I have a Moto G 2015 running Android 6.0.1 and its rooted. Bootloader is Unlocked and I have TWRP Recovery installed. Carrier is Sprint under the Unlimited Data plan.
Here is the background of my story, starting about 3 to 6 weeks ago the Sprint towers that services my area has been malfunctioning, my 4G LTE download speed is 350 kbps and upload speed is 10 kbps my family all have Sprint, my Father and Mother both have a Samsung Galaxy S4, both of my sisters each have Samsung Galaxy S6 and the speedtest results were all comparable give or take about 10% (this rules out device defect, plus when I travel downtown in my area my phones hops to another Sprint tower that is working fine and I get speeds of 19mbps which is an acceptable LTE speeds, the problem is when I am in my house and the tower that services me when I am at home). We have made numerous calls to Sprint to complain about the speed performance and they wont do absolutely nothing. Now, my friend visits my house, he has Verizon Wireless and his speedtest clocks at roughly 35 MBPS/15 MBPS under Verizon 4G LTE. Now, what I would like to do is force my Sprint Moto G3 XT1548 to Roam only mode.
I know that the option to force a smartphone to roam only was taken out from the ROM a few years ago and that an app was created to counteract this called "Roam Control" which I was more than willing to buy in order to temporarily fix my problem except that the developer has disapeared, its no longer in the Google Play store and its official website was taken offline, so I have been searching for another .apk that does the same function and have not been able to find any. Knowing how there are many people like me that badly needs a solution to force our phones to roam only because Sprint wont do anything to fix their faulty towers it boggles me that since the disappearance of "Roam Control" no other apps that does similar functions has popped up, that there are absolutely no competitors offering similar apps and that the community seems to have completely abandoned the desire to offer a way to force roam, for me this is a functionality that is very necessary, as necessary as being able to root our phones and install custom ROMs, there is many use cases to being able to force ROAM.
So, I would like to know what changes "Roam Control" was doing when users where using that app so that I can effectuate such change(s) it manually to my phone, what configuration file am I supposed to edit in order to force roaming only on my phone under the Android 6.0.1 version. In case if its not possible under 6.0.1 I am prepared to downgrade to original 5.1.1 if for any reason such an edit would only work in Lollipop and not in Marshmallow.
So that's about it, I am desperate to roam on Verizon when i am in my house, well at least until Sprint fixes their crappy broken tower in my neighborhood.
FNetV1 said:
I have a Moto G 2015 running Android 6.0.1 and its rooted. Bootloader is Unlocked and I have TWRP Recovery installed. Carrier is Sprint under the Unlimited Data plan.
Here is the background of my story, starting about 3 to 6 weeks ago the Sprint towers that services my area has been malfunctioning, my 4G LTE download speed is 350 kbps and upload speed is 10 kbps my family all have Sprint, my Father and Mother both have a Samsung Galaxy S4, both of my sisters each have Samsung Galaxy S6 and the speedtest results were all comparable give or take about 10% (this rules out device defect, plus when I travel downtown in my area my phones hops to another Sprint tower that is working fine and I get speeds of 19mbps which is an acceptable LTE speeds, the problem is when I am in my house and the tower that services me when I am at home). We have made numerous calls to Sprint to complain about the speed performance and they wont do absolutely nothing. Now, my friend visits my house, he has Verizon Wireless and his speedtest clocks at roughly 35 MBPS/15 MBPS under Verizon 4G LTE. Now, what I would like to do is force my Sprint Moto G3 XT1548 to Roam only mode.
I know that the option to force a smartphone to roam only was taken out from the ROM a few years ago and that an app was created to counteract this called "Roam Control" which I was more than willing to buy in order to temporarily fix my problem except that the developer has disapeared, its no longer in the Google Play store and its official website was taken offline, so I have been searching for another .apk that does the same function and have not been able to find any. Knowing how there are many people like me that badly needs a solution to force our phones to roam only because Sprint wont do anything to fix their faulty towers it boggles me that since the disappearance of "Roam Control" no other apps that does similar functions has popped up, that there are absolutely no competitors offering similar apps and that the community seems to have completely abandoned the desire to offer a way to force roam, for me this is a functionality that is very necessary, as necessary as being able to root our phones and install custom ROMs, there is many use cases to being able to force ROAM.
So, I would like to know what changes "Roam Control" was doing when users where using that app so that I can effectuate such change(s) it manually to my phone, what configuration file am I supposed to edit in order to force roaming only on my phone under the Android 6.0.1 version. In case if its not possible under 6.0.1 I am prepared to downgrade to original 5.1.1 if for any reason such an edit would only work in Lollipop and not in Marshmallow.
So that's about it, I am desperate to roam on Verizon when i am in my house, well at least until Sprint fixes their crappy broken tower in my neighborhood.
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Here is an apk for a roaming control app that may be of help to you. I, too, use the Sprint network and have used this app to force roam from Verizon's towers.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7-zQU1VihD3LXdmZ0VDd2pyMEE/view?usp=drivesdk
And here is a copy of the apk I believe you were referring to in your post:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7-zQU1VihD3eWJXZmdINno2RTA/view?usp=drivesdk
MotoJunkie01 said:
Here is an apk for a roaming control app that may be of help to you. I, too, use the Sprint network and have used this app to force roam from Verizon's towers.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7-zQU1VihD3LXdmZ0VDd2pyMEE/view?usp=drivesdk
And here is a copy of the apk I believe you were referring to in your post:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7-zQU1VihD3eWJXZmdINno2RTA/view?usp=drivesdk
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Thanks for the info, I had already tried the 1.7.0 version of Roam Control and it didn't work, further research then revealed that the developer said that the app can only work with android versions up to 4.4.4 (Kitkat), so it wouldn't work with Lollipop and greater and I am running Marshmallow (6.0.1). The app would install just fine, I would pick Motorola from the menu, but when I click on Roam only nothing really happened.
In regards to that second app you gave me, I will be checking that one out and will let you know what was my experience with it.
Again, thank you so much for your reply.
FNetV1 said:
Thanks for the info, I had already tried the 1.7.0 version of Roam Control and it didn't work, further research then revealed that the developer said that the app can only work with android versions up to 4.4.4 (Kitkat), so it wouldn't work with Lollipop and greater and I am running Marshmallow (6.0.1). The app would install just fine, I would pick Motorola from the menu, but when I click on Roam only nothing really happened.
In regards to that second app you gave me, I will be checking that one out and will let you know what was my experience with it.
Again, thank you so much for your reply.
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Just for an update, did you have any luck with your force roaming issue? Were either one of those APKs beneficial or insightful regarding your inquiries?
MotoJunkie01 said:
Just for an update, did you have any luck with your force roaming issue? Were either one of those APKs beneficial or insightful regarding your inquiries?
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Click to collapse
Thanks for your help, but the first app, Roam Control version 1.7.0 did not work, I am running Android version 6.0.1 Marshmallow and the last version of android for the version 1.7.0 fo that app to work based on my google research and what other members where reporting was Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Android Version 4.0.4) to Possibly Android Jelly Bean (Android Version 4.1.2) as that version same in around mid 2013 where these version were at its epicenter, there were a user on another xda thread complaining tthat Roam Control V1.7.0 stopped working after upgrading to Android Jelly Bean, so not even in KitKat (v4.4.4) would this particular version work. However, the latest version to ever be released for Roam Control was v2.11.1 and this particular version is reported to said to work in Android v4.4.4 (KitKat) however KitKat was the latest version of android when that version of Roam Control was released before the Developer abandoned the project and the product became unavailable to purchase and its activation license server went offline potentially screwing customer who legitimately purchased this app, but there is a problem that prevents me from testing version 2.11.1 of Roam Control to see if it would work in Android 6.0.1, its License server shows code 9 (which in this context really means unable to reach license server) when you install that .apk so that very old version you posted here is actually the last version to work without any license key check, however it also requires a very very old version of android to make it work, once that is not available for the Moto G 2015.
Regarding the second app you linked, the Roaming Control Xposed module, well I think that app, with a little fiddling around with the radio band (*#*#4636*#*#) was able to keep the phone roaming for an extended period of time, however roaming is only limited at 1xRTT (2G speeds) and only works at that radio mode, if radio mode left at 4G/CDMA it would connect naturally to Sprint's non roaming native 4G LTE tower, but if I switched radio mode to CDMA (under settings where it says Sprint Only, 4G/CDMA, CDMA, 1x, and Automatic), normally under Sprint switching to CDMA gets you the EvDo tower connection (3G), but with roaming, and roaming has only been possible after changing the radio band to "Cellular 800 MHz", EvDo /eHRPD is ignored, Radio gets "breathed out" from the tower until zero bars, then it connects to 1xRTT in full bars and after about 10 seconds it connects, so roaming works only at 2G speeds. Well that sucks.
Further researching why I am only able to roaming 2G speeds I took it to more googling which revealed the answer why its working only in 1xRTT mode. The reason is Sprint's roaming agreement with Verizon which is 2G speeds so, this means that the vast majority of Sprint residential customers (with a very limiting exception of Corporate customers and a few who have a 3G roaming agreement and enforced by their PRL's first two integer segment) can only roam in 2G (1xRTT) mode, and the only "fix" for this is to manually change the phone's PRL to another one that actually gives you the "right" to roam in 3G/EvDo mode, however it may not be possible to actually roam on Verizon's 4G LTE tower for the reason that LTE is controlled entirely by a different technology, called GSM, where CDMA is only used for up to EvDo speeds so this limits "roaming" to a theoretical maximum of EvDo speeds, the highest level that CDMA technology offers..
Now, actually changing my phone's PRL manually has proven to be a problem, it is just not possible not at least without knowing the MSL code first and getting that code under my current circumstances might not be even possible.
Currently with Sprint I am getting faster speeds at Sprint's 3G towers than in Sprint's 4G LTE, as I said in the OP, My 4G LTE speeds is abysmally slow throught the grand part of the day, but if I force my phone to connect to EvDo mode, my speeds can be up to 2.5 MBPS which is a great improvement by a factor of multiples of the speeds that I can get in my house using LTE mode. My idea of wanting to roam in Verizon's tower was to be able to roam in LTE speeds at Verizon's tower, but knowing that its not even possible and Sprint's 3G tower being acceptable in terms of what a 3G connection should deliver in terms of speeds then I shall keep on using Sprint under 3G mode. It is a shame that Sprint's 4G LTE tower is either broken or over congested in my area.
FNetV1 said:
Thanks for your help, but the first app, Roam Control version 1.7.0 did not work, I am running Android version 6.0.1 Marshmallow and the last version of android for the version 1.7.0 fo that app to work based on my google research and what other members where reporting was Android Ice Cream Sandwich (Android Version 4.0.4) to Possibly Android Jelly Bean (Android Version 4.1.2) as that version same in around mid 2013 where these version were at its epicenter, there were a user on another xda thread complaining tthat Roam Control V1.7.0 stopped working after upgrading to Android Jelly Bean, so not even in KitKat (v4.4.4) would this particular version work. However, the latest version to ever be released for Roam Control was v2.11.1 and this particular version is reported to said to work in Android v4.4.4 (KitKat) however KitKat was the latest version of android when that version of Roam Control was released before the Developer abandoned the project and the product became unavailable to purchase and its activation license server went offline potentially screwing customer who legitimately purchased this app, but there is a problem that prevents me from testing version 2.11.1 of Roam Control to see if it would work in Android 6.0.1, its License server shows code 9 (which in this context really means unable to reach license server) when you install that .apk so that very old version you posted here is actually the last version to work without any license key check, however it also requires a very very old version of android to make it work, once that is not available for the Moto G 2015.
Regarding the second app you linked, the Roaming Control Xposed module, well I think that app, with a little fiddling around with the radio band (*#*#4636*#*#) was able to keep the phone roaming for an extended period of time, however roaming is only limited at 1xRTT (2G speeds) and only works at that radio mode, if radio mode left at 4G/CDMA it would connect naturally to Sprint's non roaming native 4G LTE tower, but if I switched radio mode to CDMA (under settings where it says Sprint Only, 4G/CDMA, CDMA, 1x, and Automatic), normally under Sprint switching to CDMA gets you the EvDo tower connection (3G), but with roaming, and roaming has only been possible after changing the radio band to "Cellular 800 MHz", EvDo /eHRPD is ignored, Radio gets "breathed out" from the tower until zero bars, then it connects to 1xRTT in full bars and after about 10 seconds it connects, so roaming works only at 2G speeds. Well that sucks.
Further researching why I am only able to roaming 2G speeds I took it to more googling which revealed the answer why its working only in 1xRTT mode. The reason is Sprint's roaming agreement with Verizon which is 2G speeds so, this means that the vast majority of Sprint residential customers (with a very limiting exception of Corporate customers and a few who have a 3G roaming agreement and enforced by their PRL's first two integer segment) can only roam in 2G (1xRTT) mode, and the only "fix" for this is to manually change the phone's PRL to another one that actually gives you the "right" to roam in 3G/EvDo mode, however it may not be possible to actually roam on Verizon's 4G LTE tower for the reason that LTE is controlled entirely by a different technology, called GSM, where CDMA is only used for up to EvDo speeds so this limits "roaming" to a theoretical maximum of EvDo speeds, the highest level that CDMA technology offers..
Now, actually changing my phone's PRL manually has proven to be a problem, it is just not possible not at least without knowing the MSL code first and getting that code under my current circumstances might not be even possible.
Currently with Sprint I am getting faster speeds at Sprint's 3G towers than in Sprint's 4G LTE, as I said in the OP, My 4G LTE speeds is abysmally slow throught the grand part of the day, but if I force my phone to connect to EvDo mode, my speeds can be up to 2.5 MBPS which is a great improvement by a factor of multiples of the speeds that I can get in my house using LTE mode. My idea of wanting to roam in Verizon's tower was to be able to roam in LTE speeds at Verizon's tower, but knowing that its not even possible and Sprint's 3G tower being acceptable in terms of what a 3G connection should deliver in terms of speeds then I shall keep on using Sprint under 3G mode. It is a shame that Sprint's 4G LTE tower is either broken or over congested in my area.
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The Moto G3 can roam on HSPA+, an enhanced version of the 3G standard of HSUPA and HSDPA. Current speeds of this standard are very comparable to LTE in some areas, with a theoretical download speed in excess of 110Mbps and an upload of approximately 22Mbps.
Editing your PRL without the MSL is a pain, but can be done using Qualcomm's leaked QPST tool or the CDMA Toolkit. Not too long back I lived in an area with little to no Sprint coverage (I have the Data Done Right network) and managed to force roaming off of a closer Verizon tower at HSPA+ speeds, using a custom CM based ROM which a colleague compiled with custom roaming controls baked in. Because 3G Bands on Sprint share one equal Band with Verizon, the 1900MHz frequency, our xt1548 basebands luckily need no major tweaking or overhauling for this type of roam. I am curious as to the possibility of 4G/LTE roaming capabilities on a Moto G3, since the device uses the Qualcomm MSM8916 and is CDMA and GSM capable.
Hi Members
I'm based in UK (North West London), my network is 3 uk, and my mobile 3 data is my only source for getting on the net I don't have home broadband.
I would like to buy the Asus ZenFone 7 Pro but have checked that it's missing one of the 4G frequency bands that 3 uses, it's band 32.
The phone does cover the rest of 3's frequency bands.
Are ther users or knowledgeable members here, who know if this phone will still work to it's full signal connection using the other frequency bands it has, or is it that the coverage of the phone could not be good in my area because it's missing the 4G band 32?
Thanks for any advice, or help.
Regards
I did s bit more searching, and for anyone out there with the same question, I think the answer is not good.
It appears that the 4G requency band 32 is essential for providing a good signal for 3's 4G data, as it seems it was especially acquired to resolve low data transmission in built up areas, see link below for details
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.p...nd-rollout-and-recycle-3g-spectrum-to-4g.html
So it's not an ideal phone to go with, given the missing frequency band coverage in the phone
And here's another link for useful related info...
https://kenstechtips.com/index.php/uk-network-frequency-bands
Mine seems fine.
I have a ZenFone 7, and am on the Smarty network, which I believe runs on the three network. Once not noticed any issues in my area (West Yorkshire), but I guess this may be an issue some places.