Hi everyone,
I was looking around and I read that the Nexus is suppose to fallback to HSPA when the LTE signal is weak or non-existent.
I was curious as to when the phone actually considers the LTE signal weak. In my room, I only get 1 bar on LTE (~115 dBm), sometimes losing the signal completely, however I have never actually seen it fallback to HSPA.
So my question is, when does the phone automatically switch from LTE to HSPA?
Thanks in advance!
Current setting on my phone:
LTE (Recommended) is selected as the "Preferred network type"
[LTE/GSM auto (PRL) in the hidden menu]
Yes it will automatically switch when you not in a LTE area.. Its not based on signal strength.. Its based on your area and the area without Lte must have hspa to work or it will switch to 3g or Edge if hspa is unavailable...
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium HD app
As in previous reply, it only falls back if there is no signal. Sometimes signals are weak and connection drop. Your phone tries to connect back to LTE. Since LTE signals are still in the air, it wouldn't switch to HSPA. If you think you will benefit from HSPA compared to LTE, you can manually change it.
areazus said:
As in previous reply, it only falls back if there is no signal. Sometimes signals are weak and connection drop. Your phone tries to connect back to LTE. Since LTE signals are still in the air, it wouldn't switch to HSPA. If you think you will benefit from HSPA compared to LTE, you can manually change it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, thanks for the quick reply.
I guess now my question is, how long will the phone wait before it gives up on looking for a LTE signal and switch to HSPA?
I initially thought that the phone would fall back to HSPA if the LTE signal is too weak.
Thanks in advance!
Related
Is it normal for the phone to go straight from "4G" to "2G"? Should the phone ever show "3G" or anything of the like? I was in an area on the coverage map that said "3G" but the phone was hunting between "4G" and "2G" where "2G" will absolutely access NO DATA... Is it also normal for "2G" to be useless..
Dial *#*#4636#*#*
Then "phone settings"
Then change "wcdma preferred" to "wcdma only"
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Just did that, seemed to show 0-1 bars of 4G and it was still enough to get data to load, so I guess that works.
Is there just no 3G that will ever display on this phone? I know there is a mix of HSDPA and HSPA+ in my area, but it's only ever said 4G.
chrisizzle492 said:
Dial #*#*4636*#*#
Then "phone settings"
Then change "wcdma preferred" to "wcdma only"
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
-Go into the dialer and dial *#*#4636#*#*
Wait what? Doing that is going to make it so that you will only ever be able to use data if you are in a 4G/3G data area.
T-Mobile does not have a very big 3G coverage map, so doing this essentially makes it so that you have to stay within a known 3G area. 2G, IE EDGE will get you around 150kBps on T-Mobile which isn't really all that bad all things considered.
I would definately switch back to the Auto setting.
The problem is, even with 4 bars of 2g, the phone literally cannot browse the internet at all... almost as if I were connected to GPRS.
mbaran said:
Is it normal for the phone to go straight from "4G" to "2G"? Should the phone ever show "3G" or anything of the like? I was in an area on the coverage map that said "3G" but the phone was hunting between "4G" and "2G" where "2G" will absolutely access NO DATA... Is it also normal for "2G" to be useless..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. 4G (HSPA) doesn't really require better signal strength than 3G (UMTS) - so an area is either 3G or 4G capable depending on if T-Mobile has upgraded the tower or not.
2G (EDGE) can work on a much weaker signal so your phone will drop back to it from 4G.
Please correct me if I'm wrong
this is what i put in a similar thread:
I'm guessing the reason you won't see 3G is because Tmobile has upgraded most of their 3G network to HSPA+ so it'll show the 4G unless you actually go to a place that still has just 3G versus the HSPA+
Herro! first time poster, long time lurker! i searched around, and couldn't really find a similar problem.
I got an HTC one S from Fido, unlocked it, and i've been trying to use it on Bell. I tried several different APN's until one finally worked...but only EDGE speeds! It's also draining my battery extremely quickly. also, when i put my bell sim card inside, preferred network mode changes to WCDMA instead of HSPA (like on the fido sim).
why is this happening? i was told a fido phone would work on bell with no problem. why no 4g speeds?
thank you and i appreciate the responses in advance
HSPA uses WCDMA, so that makes no sense... Under preferred network you should have WCDMA only, 2G only, or WCDMA preferred if I recall correctly as I'm not on stock HTC rom atm so can't check. Are you getting an "E" signal indicator or are you just getting a slow connection? What does it say under About phone>Status>Mobile Network Type?
Set it to Auto mode in the network settings.
frdd said:
HSPA uses WCDMA, so that makes no sense... Under preferred network you should have WCDMA only, 2G only, or WCDMA preferred if I recall correctly as I'm not on stock HTC rom atm so can't check. Are you getting an "E" signal indicator or are you just getting a slow connection? What does it say under About phone>Status>Mobile Network Type?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, all the tech support i've talked to said it makes no sense either . i get the same outcome whether i put it on WCDMA only or GSM/WCDMA auto. when i do the speed test, it always comes out under 1 mb/s. it actually has the 4G symbol up, but the speed isn't there.
mhmm, it switches between UMTS and HSDPA.
If you have UMTS and HSPDA under status its working, and those are also what connection you're really on. If you always have a 4g icon on status bar it seems like your carrier has modded the software like T-Mobile USA does so it always shows 4g no matter what's up in the real world.
Maybe you're not in a good location and that's why you get slow data. Also I have no idea how Canadian carriers work but I'd guess if you're connected to a 850 MHz cell you'll get worse speeds than on a 1700/1900 one. Don't you guys have insane data caps everywhere, perhaps you hit yours when speedtesting?
did you try a new sim from bell
Hello guys
In 3G Networking on Galaxy Note 10.1 one can force either connectivity on 3G (WCDMA) or 2G (GSM). But as long as I want to use the tablet on 3G being forced on WCDMA, the network keeps changing between 3G, H and H+. I know that making calls forces the network to 3G mode. However, internet can be surfed on all 3G, H and H+ networks.
My question: is there any method available to force the Note 10.1 to connect on H+?
Thank you ^_^
tweetatoo said:
But as long as I want to use the tablet on 3G being forced on WCDMA, the network keeps changing between 3G, H and H+. ... My question: is there any method available to force the Note 10.1 to connect on H+?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You almost certainly don't want that- as you'd lose connectivity outright all those times you're not showing "H+" on your service display.
The radio isn't just switching between modes for no reason- it's doing its best to retain connectivity depending on signal conditions.
kcrudup said:
You almost certainly don't want that- as you'd lose connectivity outright all those times you're not showing "H+" on your service display.
The radio isn't just switching between modes for no reason- it's doing its best to retain connectivity depending on signal conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know
Just like forcing 3G in an area with weak 3G coverage. But at the end, 3G is forced so that a download does not get interrupted in case of auto-switching.
BTW, I want to force H+ in an area with strong H+ coverage. What happens is that it keeps switching to H and sometimes to 3G just because it is a bit stronger
Though H+ has a very strong coverage in the area.
This is my first time with LTE phone and it seems like at times I have to go into mobile networks and select 3g then select LTE again for the LTE symbol to pop up? I'm on straight talk and just didn't know if this was normal or if the phone will select hspa signal if its better than the LTE signal ?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
i think by default it will when idle fall back to the strongest network cause it saves battery.
but when you need data it will attempt to switch to the fastest available.
cant say for sure but this is what appears to happen on all my phones falls back to 3g and when data is needed it shifts to HSPA+
newtonfb said:
This is my first time with LTE phone and it seems like at times I have to go into mobile networks and select 3g then select LTE again for the LTE symbol to pop up? I'm on straight talk and just didn't know if this was normal or if the phone will select hspa signal if its better than the LTE signal ?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting the same behavior on T-Mobile. My Nexus 4, which was never intended to have its LTE radio used, would stay on LTE, come hell or high water, while I'm in the city and fight to keep it as I left. The Nexus 5 seems picky about it's LTE and only uses it if it deems it good enough. If LTE gets 2 bars or lower, it goes back to HSPA. If you force "LTE only" under the secret dialer menu, it will use its LTE, but when you switch it back to LTE/GSM (PRL), it drops LTE and uses HSPA+. I'm like, "The hell is your problem, your highness?"
I had high hopes driving into work today. I was expecting it to get on LTE much sooner, but it didn't switch until I was deep within the city until I entered the parking structure (which my N4 would still have LTE). While I sit here at work, it refuses to switch to LTE while in the building where my N4, in the same spot, would be happily on LTE.
I just don't get it. I thought LTE would be much better on this device, instead it is worse. I feel like this is a bug of some sort. We are in an age where carriers will begin shutting down their legacy networks (of course, T-Mo is nowhere near as ready), and this phone treats LTE like Sprint WiMax!
Not sure about straight talk but I'm in lte with att if I'm in a lte area.
Sent from the jaws of my Hammerhead!
Just took mine right out the box and as it booted it went right into LTE.
On tmboile.
---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------
Just took mine right out the box and as it booted it went right into LTE.
On tmboile.
AndroidKills said:
Just took mine right out the box and as it booted it went right into LTE.
On tmboile.
---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------
Just took mine right out the box and as it booted it went right into LTE.
On tmboile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suppose I should re-flash my phone then. It's just silly how my phone keeps preferring HSPA+ over LTE. When I had LTE enabled on my Nexus 4, my battery life really didn't change. I suppose it had, but it wasn't perceptible to me.
I've had really good luck with it connecting to an LTE network when inside of a LTE area.
However this morning I was streaming from soundcloud while driving and I was 10 minutes into the city with LTE coverage and it would switch. As soon as I ran speedtest it switched. So I believe what was said up above to be true. It needs a good reason probably too switch if your current network mode is doing fine for your current data needs/battery.
I did read this phone is using Qualcomm s news LTE chip which saves power. That could probably play a role.
Either way I'm totally fine with it because it responded to my need of a lot of data instantly by switching to LTE when I ran speed test.
So hey if it saves me battery and h+ is enough for streaming from soundcloud I'm not going to argue with it.
Hold this helps.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Couple of things to keep in mind.
One, your phone will say 3g when not using LTE or HSPA+. This is to save battery, it only shows LTE or H when you are downloading something, or loading a webpage.
Secondly, I have noticed my phone will choose a strong HSPA+ signal over a weak LTE signal. At home, I have a solid LTE connection, so it always says LTE, but at work it switches back and forth from 1 bar of LTE to full bars of HSPA+. Speed wise, they are still comparable, at around 5-6mb/s. At home though, my LTE is around 40mb/s.
Hope this helps.
ArkAngel06 said:
Couple of things to keep in mind.
One, your phone will say 3g when not using LTE or HSPA+. This is to save battery, it only shows LTE or H when you are downloading something, or loading a webpage.
Secondly, I have noticed my phone will choose a strong HSPA+ signal over a weak LTE signal. At home, I have a solid LTE connection, so it always says LTE, but at work it switches back and forth from 1 bar of LTE to full bars of HSPA+. Speed wise, they are still comparable, at around 5-6mb/s. At home though, my LTE is around 40mb/s.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, my Nexus 4 keeping its LTE active all the time except for when making/receiving calls was a "bug" of the hacked radio then? I'm not being sarcastic, I just never owned a true LTE phone before, but my friend who has a Nexus 5 says his LTE has been staying on. It really doesn't make sense for LTE to behave this way as it will replace the legacy networks at some point in the future in which you won't have anything else to fall back to.
Oddly, I haven't noticed this at all. I'm on t-mobile, and my nexus 5 defaults to LTE when I have LTE selected as preferred connection. It doesn't switch to 3g during dormancy as far as I can tell (when I turn the screen back on, its already on LTE).
dijit4l said:
I'm getting the same behavior on T-Mobile. My Nexus 4, which was never intended to have its LTE radio used, would stay on LTE, come hell or high water, while I'm in the city and fight to keep it as I left. The Nexus 5 seems picky about it's LTE and only uses it if it deems it good enough. If LTE gets 2 bars or lower, it goes back to HSPA. If you force "LTE only" under the secret dialer menu, it will use its LTE, but when you switch it back to LTE/GSM (PRL), it drops LTE and uses HSPA+. I'm like, "The hell is your problem, your highness?"
I had high hopes driving into work today. I was expecting it to get on LTE much sooner, but it didn't switch until I was deep within the city until I entered the parking structure (which my N4 would still have LTE). While I sit here at work, it refuses to switch to LTE while in the building where my N4, in the same spot, would be happily on LTE.
I just don't get it. I thought LTE would be much better on this device, instead it is worse. I feel like this is a bug of some sort. We are in an age where carriers will begin shutting down their legacy networks (of course, T-Mo is nowhere near as ready), and this phone treats LTE like Sprint WiMax!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind, would you share how to force LTE only under the secret dialer menu?
Thanks.
[EDIT]
I think I found it with the code *#*#4636*#*# -> phone information -> set preferred network type: LTE only
When I do this and reboot, my bars just disappear, and my APN in my mobile network settings disappears too. I'm using net10.
Anybody know a fix to this?
Megiddo2000 said:
If you don't mind, would you share how to force LTE only under the secret dialer menu?
Thanks.
[EDIT]
I think I found it with the code *#*#4636*#*# -> phone information -> set preferred network type: LTE only
When I do this and reboot, my bars just disappear, and my APN in my mobile network settings disappears too. I'm using net10.
Anybody know a fix to this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have to reboot, myself. When I force LTE only, the phone drops HSPA and goes to LTE.
I'd say put it back to GSM/LTE Only (PRL) and then reset your APN settings.
dijit4l said:
I don't have to reboot, myself. When I force LTE only, the phone drops HSPA and goes to LTE.
I'd say put it back to GSM/LTE Only (PRL) and then reset your APN settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i try dialing that number it says "Connection problem or invalid MMI code."
What's wrong?
_untitled_ said:
when i try dialing that number it says "Connection problem or invalid MMI code."
What's wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
woops, my bad. the code is:
*#*#4636#*#*
(forgot to flip the hashtag asterik in the back)
The 4G service at work between 8:30am to 5:30pm is literally unusable. I have 3 bars but as soon as everyone shows up, the data literally slows to a trickle. This wasn't always the case and I'd like to test the modem in 3G mode. My theory is that the 4G uplink is saturated but possibly not the 3G pipe. I don't believe the software provides this functionality to the user normally but since my device is rooted, is there a way to temporarily tell the modem to switch to 3G? I'm proficient in linux/unix and comfortable in a shell environment so a solution along those lines is fine for now.
Running android 4.4.2 w/ baseband i535OYUDNE1 (most recent OTA update from verizon), towelroot and supersu.
-Kevin
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cc.signalinfo
Use the additional info button a the bottom of the main screen.
bobloblaw1 said:
Use the additional info button a the bottom of the main screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion. I iterated through all of the options under "preferred network type" e.g. WDMA, CDMA, EVDO, GSM, etc. Changing the mode would remove the LTE symbol from the phone (and disable data) but I could never get the 3G symbol to show up. Is there another option I might be missing?
That's odd. I'm on 4.3TW and the CDMA (prl) option works.
Are you sure 3g data is present at your location.?
bobloblaw1 said:
That's odd. I'm on 4.3TW and the CDMA (prl) option works.
Are you sure 3g data is present at your location.?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can remember having 3g at one time here but I'll wait to answer that until I get home where I frequently get dropped to 3g.
But, I noticed something interesting in looking at the power metrics. As I said I have 3 signal strength bars and the 4G LTE symbol. But this app says I have -61 db(71%) LTE RSSI signal and 2db(44%) LTE SNR. Doing some google searches I found a verizon document that says that RSSI should be greater than -58db and SNR should be greater than 12.5db for LTE to work correctly on their network. So that would seem to indicate why my data performance is bad and not necessarily a saturated uplink to the tower. So, is the signal strength meter actual reporting CDMA (voice) RSSI?
smalco44 said:
I can remember having 3g at one time here but I'll wait to answer that until I get home where I frequently get dropped to 3g.
But, I noticed something interesting in looking at the power metrics. As I said I have 3 signal strength bars and the 4G LTE symbol. But this app says I have -61 db(71%) LTE RSSI signal and 2db(44%) LTE SNR. Doing some google searches I found a verizon document that says that RSSI should be greater than -58db and SNR should be greater than 12.5db for LTE to work correctly on their network. So that would seem to indicate why my data performance is bad and not necessarily a saturated uplink to the tower. So, is the signal strength meter actual reporting CDMA (voice) RSSI?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I confirmed that the app won't push me to 3g at home either and I am frequently on 3g there.
smalco44 said:
I confirmed that the app won't push me to 3g at home either and I am frequently on 3g there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hah, and now I'm at work and realized, my work phone is 3G (verizon) only and its got 5 bars. Any ideas what's going on?