Database Info

HSDPA - How often do you hit it?

I'm just wondering, how often do you guys hit HSDPA (or have it display HSDPA in the status or H icon if ROM'd)?
I feel like my phone never hits HSDPA and is always on UMTS. I am on CM7 so I can easily see when my phone is on H and sometimes I see it hit H when it's not even downloading anything and idling. And when I do download something, it's usually always 3G. What is up with that? And I'm in North Dallas if anyone on here has the Nexus S too with the same issue.

always have it on. it never labels itself as "3G" (UMTS) in my area (new york). It depends on your area, if your area has HSDPA support then you should try updating your radio if you haven't already.

aw mine has the new I9020XXKB3 radio with Netarchy 1.2.5-cfs. It rarely ever goes HSDPA. I see my friends Galaxy S Captivate and his always says H.

Aria807 said:
aw mine has the new I9020XXKB3 radio with Netarchy 1.2.5-cfs. It rarely ever goes HSDPA. I see my friends Galaxy S Captivate and his always says H.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock Captivate doesn't have H, it appears as "3G" it is possibly he could of applied a hack that replaces 3G whether it is on UMTS or HSDPA as "H"

I have it on all the time I live in Tampa,FL
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

lorijuan1024 said:
I have it on all the time I live in Tampa,FL
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in hernando county it's like 3 counties north of tampa. I get it all the time with the latest CM7

I'm in Washington State (not DC) and I get the H pretty regularly however my speeds never seem "HSPA"-like, they're usually max out at maybe 1MBps whereas I can usually hit 5ish on 3G. Never

Aria807 said:
aw mine has the new I9020XXKB3 radio with Netarchy 1.2.5-cfs. It rarely ever goes HSDPA. I see my friends Galaxy S Captivate and his always says H.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, isn't the Captivate on AT&T and you're on TMo with an NS? You can't compare two phones on two different networks like that.
AT&T has a much better network, in my opinion. I very frequently see H speeds on my AT&T Galaxy S phone in places where I can't even get plain 3G on the Nexus S TMo.

distortedloop said:
AT&T has a much better network, in my opinion. I very frequently see H speeds on my AT&T Galaxy S phone in places where I can't even get plain 3G on the Nexus S TMo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I laughed a little bit on the inside.

distortedloop said:
Well, isn't the Captivate on AT&T and you're on TMo with an NS? You can't compare two phones on two different networks like that.
AT&T has a much better network, in my opinion. I very frequently see H speeds on my AT&T Galaxy S phone in places where I can't even get plain 3G on the Nexus S TMo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better in that it has the highest rate of dropped calls?

Aria807 said:
I'm just wondering, how often do you guys hit HSDPA (or have it display HSDPA in the status or H icon if ROM'd)?
I feel like my phone never hits HSDPA and is always on UMTS. I am on CM7 so I can easily see when my phone is on H and sometimes I see it hit H when it's not even downloading anything and idling. And when I do download something, it's usually always 3G. What is up with that? And I'm in North Dallas if anyone on here has the Nexus S too with the same issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im also in Dallas, was wondering what your download and upload speeds were. I was getting close to 5/mbs down last month but now i get around 3/mbs. Have you noticed a difference?

deleted comment reposted the same thing

zephiK said:
I laughed a little bit on the inside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kenvan19 said:
Better in that it has the highest rate of dropped calls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whatever dudes...
Point was the OP is trying to figure out why his friends modded Captivate gets an H signal on AT&T and his unmodded NS doesn't in the same location with TMobile - you can't compare two phones on two networks and derive anything meaningful about the proper functioning of one of them in regards to gettting HSPA or not.
As to the snide AT&T bashing, again, whatever... In the areas of Los Angeles, Southern California, Arizona and Nevada that I personally frequent, AT&T provides much better service. YMMV may vary, obviously. It's all about where you're at for all of the networks.
For me, if I'm going someplace and I know I HAVE TO have a signal to make a call, you can bet I'm taking my AT&T phone with me because I am certain to find more dead zones with TMo than I do on AT&T. AT&T may drop calls, but at least it can make them in places TMo can't, like inside a building.
But you didn't really want to turn this into a back and forth on AT&T vs TMo did you?

Get it all the time .. ...when its turned on
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

distortedloop said:
Whatever dudes...
Point was the OP is trying to figure out why his friends modded Captivate gets an H signal on AT&T and his unmodded NS doesn't in the same location with TMobile - you can't compare two phones on two networks and derive anything meaningful about the proper functioning of one of them in regards to gettting HSPA or not.
As to the snide AT&T bashing, again, whatever... In the areas of Los Angeles, Southern California, Arizona and Nevada that I personally frequent, AT&T provides much better service. YMMV may vary, obviously. It's all about where you're at for all of the networks.
For me, if I'm going someplace and I know I HAVE TO have a signal to make a call, you can bet I'm taking my AT&T phone with me because I am certain to find more dead zones with TMo than I do on AT&T. AT&T may drop calls, but at least it can make them in places TMo can't, like inside a building.
But you didn't really want to turn this into a back and forth on AT&T vs TMo did you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
keyword modded. the OP didn't specify what ROM the person was using because I know for the SGS based phones there is a mod available that replaces the 3G icon (regardless of UMTS or HSDPA) to 4G or H depending on the mod.
its easy to fake something on Android, its just as easy as manipulating your Android version or making 2.2.X looking like Gingerbread.
And hell.. look on Engadget on the Inspire 4G review. This supposedly AT&T 4G phone's speeds compared to T-Mobile's HSDPA (3.5G) are just a joke.
Especially when HSUPA is disabled on the Inspire 4G. AT&T just doesn't respect the Android OS, all they simply do is cripple the phone.
- Disabling "unknown source" apps from being installed. Yeah, yeah.. we can hack it and enable it again. But for the average user, it isn't happening.
- Now.. HSUPA
http://www.engadget.com/motorola/atrix-4g-review/
Scroll down to data
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
This is supposedly AT&T's "4G" Network.
http://www.att.com/network/?wtSlotClick=1-004P16!CIHPM01V1-1-1&rel=nofollow#fbid=_Fse7JSTH-U
Not all 4G is created equal. AT&T is the only carrier that will offer two layers of network technology that deliver 4G speeds: HSPA+ and LTE. Our HSPA+ network, combined with enhanced backhaul, is capable of speeds up to 4x faster than AT&T's already fast mobile broadband speeds. And we'll be evolving to even higher speeds with the rollout of our LTE network.
Why does that matter? You'll enjoy fast 4G speeds both with the HSPA+ network and where LTE is available. That means a smoother, more consistent mobile broadband experience overall.
-From AT&T's 4G page
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vs. Nexus S' 3.5G (HSDPA)
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4059/nexus-s-and-android-23-review-gingerbread-for-the-holidays/6
Repeated again...
Why does that matter? You'll enjoy fast 4G speeds both with the HSPA+ network and where LTE is available. That means a smoother, more consistent mobile broadband experience overall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

zephiK said:
keyword modded. the OP didn't specify what ROM the person was using because I know for the SGS based phones there is a mod available that replaces the 3G icon (regardless of UMTS or HSDPA) to 4G or H depending on the mod.
its easy to fake something on Android, its just as easy as manipulating your Android version or making 2.2.X looking like Gingerbread.
And hell.. look on Engadget on the Inspire 4G review. This supposedly AT&T 4G phone's speeds compared to T-Mobile's HSDPA (3.5G) are just a joke.
Especially when HSUPA is disabled on the Inspire 4G. AT&T just doesn't respect the Android OS, all they simply do is cripple the phone.
<snip>
This is supposedly AT&T's "4G" Network.
vs. Nexus S' 3.5G (HSDPA)
<snip>
Repeated again...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh?
What does the Inspire have to do with this? What does AT&T's "4G" network have to do with it? We're talking about the current HSPA network because that's all either the Captivate or Nexus S which were being compared support. I'm also confused about why you posted a comparison of two different TMobile phones, one a "4G" phone and the other not a "4g" phone and their speedtest results.
The comment I responded to said his Nexus S doesn't get HSPA in Dallas when his friend's Captivate does. It's very plausible to me that his friend's getting HSPA service and he's not. In my experience, with my AT&T Galaxy S phone sitting next to my TMo Nexus S, the AT&T phone will routinely be on 5 bars of voice signal and have a full speed (4Mb/s) data connection available to me while the Nexus S on TMo is 0 bars of voice and EDGE data if anything at all. Even when on HSPA connection, the Nexus S can't pull more than 3Mb/s around here, so AT&T beats them in speed as well as coverage. I have active SIMS in both phones and often have them side by side. Based on my experience it seems perfectly reasonable to believe that other areas are the same.
The Galaxy S phones support HSPA up to 7.2mb/s...same as the Nexus S. Whatever a modded phone displays for that connection is irrelevant to what I said, which was, in my opinion, that AT&T has a better network. Here in Los Angeles, it covers more square miles than TMo, it penetrates buildings with full bars and 3G/HSPA speeds when TMo can't even push GSM voice or EDGE data into the same building and it doesn't drop calls any more frequently than TMo does.
Which brings me back to my original point to the author of that comment: I'm not sure what he thinks comparing the signal indicator on his NS to his friend's Captivate is actually revealing. He's got two different phones on two different networks and both are obviously modded in some manner; the only clear conclusion to me is that unless he's screwed up his NS somehow, his friend's got better reception because it's a better network in their area. I suspect this is commonplace across the major metros around the country.

N5 chooses hspa+ over LTE ??

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)

T-Mobile bad LTE signal and data speeds

I live in dallas,Texas and I get 15mbps average and 35 max....I've seen higher than that. Could it be my Sim card? And also I get 3g or hspa+ at home with two bars and LTE no bars with 119dbm... Its decent speeds but I see people in Dallas getting 70 Mbps in my area and just 5 miles north with 20+20mhz LTE they get like 100+
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

DyslexicTurtle said:
I live in dallas,Texas and I get 15mbps average and 35 max....I've seen higher than that. Could it be my Sim card? And also I get 3g or hspa+ at home with two bars and LTE no bars with 119dbm... Its decent speeds but I see people in Dallas getting 70 Mbps in my area and just 5 miles north with 20+20mhz LTE they get like 100+
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your lte speeds are very normal. just because a very few are around towers that have higher speeds doesnt mean that your towers are the same. most tmobile towers produce a theoretical speeds of up to 42mbps, and a very few produce higher speeds.yours are where the speeds should be.

OK what about my house I have pretty bad signal...also when my friend on an lg g2 on tmobile will have five bars and I will have 2 weird right @simms22
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

DyslexicTurtle said:
I live in dallas,Texas and I get 15mbps average and 35 max....I've seen higher than that. Could it be my Sim card? And also I get 3g or hspa+ at home with two bars and LTE no bars with 119dbm... Its decent speeds but I see people in Dallas getting 70 Mbps in my area and just 5 miles north with 20+20mhz LTE they get like 100+
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's far from terrible, and pretty typical for many areas. All carriers have spots where the coverage is spotty, and that's not even spotty since you still get good 3G reception. A few miles can make a big difference.

simms22 said:
your lte speeds are very normal. just because a very few are around towers that have higher speeds doesnt mean that your towers are the same. most tmobile towers produce a theoretical speeds of up to 42mbps, and a very few produce higher speeds.yours are where the speeds should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simms, correct me if I'm wrong, but 42mbps would apply to HSPA+, not LTE, right? You're talking about theoretical max, and LTE is WAY higher than 42mbps max. LTE has a theoretical 100mbit down, 50mbps up max. And that's just your standard 20mhz, plain LTE, non-enhanced.

DyslexicTurtle said:
OK what about my house I have pretty bad signal...also when my friend on an lg g2 on tmobile will have five bars and I will have 2 weird right @simms22
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
na, not weird. those bars are far from accurate when it comes to data speed. i can have 0 bars and get 30mbps downloads or i can have 4 bars while only getting 10mbps download speeds. those bars arent for data anyways, they are for your phone reception. and the antenna on the n5 is smaller than on the g2.
---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
nickmv said:
Simms, correct me if I'm wrong, but 42mbps would apply to HSPA+, not LTE, right? You're talking about theoretical max, and LTE is WAY higher than 42mbps max. LTE has a theoretical 100mbit down, 50mbps up max. And that's just your standard 20mhz, plain LTE, non-enhanced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tmobile lte is at 42mbps, except those few places that are testing the next phase of tmobile lte, which is 72mbps(i believe). and i know they are testing in parts of dallas.

simms22 said:
your lte speeds are very normal. just because a very few are around towers that have higher speeds doesnt mean that your towers are the same. most tmobile towers produce a theoretical speeds of up to 42mbps, and a very few produce higher speeds.yours are where the speeds should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
simms22 said:
na, not weird. those bars are far from accurate when it comes to data speed. i can have 0 bars and get 30mbps downloads or i can have 4 bars while only getting 10mbps download speeds. those bars arent for data anyways, they are for your phone reception. and the antenna on the n5 is smaller than on the g2.
---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
tmobile lte is at 42mbps, except those few places that are testing the next phase of tmobile lte, which is 72mbps(i believe). and i know they are testing in parts of dallas.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have some documentation on that? Not saying I don't believe you (and I've never gotten 42mbps), but I'm just curious. Because from what I've seen, even the most basic 4G LTE is supposed to be capable of 100mbps theoretically (though usually they wont let it).
Thanks. Also good to see you're still around here. I remember you and m0rfic from back in the Nexus S days. I still have mine, sitting in a drawer. It's a POS now compared to current phones. But those were the days....

nickmv said:
Do you have some documentation on that? Not saying I don't believe you (and I've never gotten 42mbps), but I'm just curious. Because from what I've seen, even the most basic 4G LTE is supposed to be capable of 100mbps theoretically (though usually they wont let it).
Thanks. Also good to see you're still around here. I remember you and m0rfic from back in the Nexus S days. I still have mine, sitting in a drawer. It's a POS now compared to current phones. But those were the days....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, i dont have documentation, but im sure a simple google search can find the info. of course 42mbps is theory, but ive hit 38mbps before. there is one tower in manhattan(since i live in nyc) where people regularly report speeds around 70mbps, one of the newer towers/technology being tested. and ive seen speed tests from it posted on xda.
yea, those were the days. i loved my ns!
even though it would never compare to my nexus 5. it was hurricane sandy that took it from me, washed it out to sea.
---------- Post added at 04:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:38 PM ----------
nickmv said:
Do you have some documentation on that? Not saying I don't believe you (and I've never gotten 42mbps), but I'm just curious. Because from what I've seen, even the most basic 4G LTE is supposed to be capable of 100mbps theoretically (though usually they wont let it).
Thanks. Also good to see you're still around here. I remember you and m0rfic from back in the Nexus S days. I still have mine, sitting in a drawer. It's a POS now compared to current phones. But those were the days....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i did just find this while doing a quick search.. http://www.tmonews.com/2013/12/t-mo...ot-to-be-coverage-coverage-and-more-coverage/
10+10 is the lte we are used to, where 20+20 would be the faster lte, like they said its being tested in dallas.
"If Tmo really wants to compete with the likes of AT&T and Verizon, it has to expand its LTE coverage. Now, we know it’s already in the works. T-Mobile’s 10+10 LTE network has reached almost all the major cities in the States. We heard that in the last conference call. T-Mobile is proud of its quick coverage rollout from 0 to over 205 million people in less than a year. 20+20 is starting to light up in a couple of locations (mainly Dallas, TX), making it even quicker. In those areas that have it, Tmo’s LTE is stupendously fast."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

simms22 said:
...there is one tower in manhattan... where people regularly report speeds around 70mbps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where? I'd like to check it out.

PhilipTD said:
Where? I'd like to check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ive heard where, but dont remember. its around 72th street, i dont know which block.

Why does LTE connection seem weaker than other sprint LTE phones?

My GS5 seems to have a very weak LTE signal. I disabled all bands except for band 25 because the phone was trying to signal hop killing the battery. My girlfriend has the Note 3 which can only pick up band 25. When my phone is right next to hers, she can have a very strong LTE signal and my GS5 will either have a very weak signal or drop down to 3G. The only LTE band in my area that's currently pretty strong is the 1900mhz band. I can barely connect to that. Anyone else having weak signal or connection issues?
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app

Eckono said:
My GS5 seems to have a very weak LTE signal. I disabled all bands except for band 25 because the phone was trying to signal hop killing the battery. My girlfriend has the Note 3 which can only pick up band 25. When my phone is right next to hers, she can have a very strong LTE signal and my GS5 will either have a very weak signal or drop down to 3G. The only LTE band in my area that's currently pretty strong is the 1900mhz band. I can barely connect to that. Anyone else having weak signal or connection issues?
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've noticed the same thing.... my girlfriend has the Galaxy S3 and has better signal then me all the time... WTF?!?!?!?!?!

I'm tempted to go to the Note 3. I can deal with alot of things, but signal issues isn't 1 of them.
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app

s13silviaguy said:
I've noticed the same thing.... my girlfriend has the Galaxy S3 and has better signal then me all the time... WTF?!?!?!?!?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your phone is showing data signal hers is showing cdma 1x voice. .. please download signal check app and you will see true db of 1x 3g lte signal. .. so you can compare
Sent from my SM-G900P using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

Eckono said:
My GS5 seems to have a very weak LTE signal. I disabled all bands except for band 25 because the phone was trying to signal hop killing the battery. My girlfriend has the Note 3 which can only pick up band 25. When my phone is right next to hers, she can have a very strong LTE signal and my GS5 will either have a very weak signal or drop down to 3G. The only LTE band in my area that's currently pretty strong is the 1900mhz band. I can barely connect to that. Anyone else having weak signal or connection issues?
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Signal bars lie. Do this on both of your samsung phones:
Go in to your phone app, and dial ##DEBUG#
Enter 777468 for your lock code
Select LTE Engineering
Go down to RSRP. The number next to RSRP shown in dBm is your LTE signal strength.
Compare numbers.
I did this vs my wife's iPhone 5 and found that although her signal indicator was showing 3-4 more bars than my s5 we both actually had the same signal strength.

Thanks I'll do that asap. The only reason I'm thinking something is wrong is because in areas I had 4G all the time on my Note 3 and S4 I'm barely get 4G or I'll drop to 3G. Then when I'm watching YouTube, if I stop a video , fast forward, or rewind, if I'm on cellular I can never get the video to play back. I get the error tap to retry. But when on WiFi I can I can.
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app

Eckono said:
Thanks I'll do that asap. The only reason I'm thinking something is wrong is because in areas I had 4G all the time on my Note 3 and S4 I'm barely get 4G or I'll drop to 3G. Then when I'm watching YouTube, if I stop a video , fast forward, or rewind, if I'm on cellular I can never get the video to play back. I get the error tap to retry. But when on WiFi I can I can.
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You also have to read about cfbs and triband phones ... which can cause the data issues
Sent from my SM-N900P using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

well if i dont remember note 3 and s3 dont use the spark network and the s5 does soo,.,.its prob a bad spark connection they are still upgrading the towers ..

The s5 signal bar shows data strength instead of voice strength
When you make a phone call, it switches to the voice signal strength, which is why it seems to get higher all of a sudden
-Sent from Tapatalk

Eckono said:
My GS5 seems to have a very weak LTE signal. I disabled all bands except for band 25 because the phone was trying to signal hop killing the battery. My girlfriend has the Note 3 which can only pick up band 25. When my phone is right next to hers, she can have a very strong LTE signal and my GS5 will either have a very weak signal or drop down to 3G. The only LTE band in my area that's currently pretty strong is the 1900mhz band. I can barely connect to that. Anyone else having weak signal or connection issues?
Sent from my SM-G900P using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you disable certain bands? I want to try it as well as something seems to be killing my battery. Thanks

Yea, in the last year I have had an iphone 5, Note2, and Note3. New Orleans is newly upgraded to LTE (not yet Spark), and coverage was great on those three phones. This S5, however, constantly switches from LTE to 3G in areas where the other three phones stayed on LTE. It also drops to no data at all way too often in areas where data is fine. (I play Ingress, so I am VERY familiar with the signal capabilities all over town)
Is there any hope of this phone's signal strength being improved with software updates? Will Spark make a difference when it hits New Orleans?
This piece of garbage is pretty pathetic signal-wise compared to my other devices I've recently used. I've got Sprint to agree to a phone swap, but if that's not going to make a difference, perhaps I should just go back to my Note3.

I have this phone it does drop lte alot plus I have spark. But I have an offer to trade for a note 3 idk if I want ..I like yhe fingerprint scanner but this signal is boo boo ....

gregg37 said:
Yea, in the last year I have had an iphone 5, Note2, and Note3. New Orleans is newly upgraded to LTE (not yet Spark), and coverage was great on those three phones. This S5, however, constantly switches from LTE to 3G in areas where the other three phones stayed on LTE. It also drops to no data at all way too often in areas where data is fine. (I play Ingress, so I am VERY familiar with the signal capabilities all over town)
Is there any hope of this phone's signal strength being improved with software updates? Will Spark make a difference when it hits New Orleans?
This piece of garbage is pretty pathetic signal-wise compared to my other devices I've recently used. I've got Sprint to agree to a phone swap, but if that's not going to make a difference, perhaps I should just go back to my Note3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldnt worry about the phone swap. I skeptically did it to see if it would work and ended up wasting an hour in ths store. between my friends and family we have 4 GS5s that all have the same issues.
None of your previous phones were triband. They only could connect to 1900mhz LTE. The GS5 is a triband phone, aka spark, that can connect to 800/1900/2600mhz LTE. Unfortunately there are issues with the software on the towers (search eCSFB) that changes you between bands. I have turned off band 41 and it has helped a lot even tho my area is a "spark" area. I turn it back on once in a while to see if things are fixed.
There have been complaints that the GS5 has worse connectivity because of the water resistant design compared to phones such as the GS4. its really only a couple dbm from what i have seen when looking at actual signal values from engineering screens and when comparing the same band of LTE.
As far as shutting off bands, you will need your MSL code. you can either get it from a sprint rep (all i did was ask) or you can use the MSL reader here
tools.flashingtools.com
use dialer code ##3282# and go to edit. enter your MSL code and go to LTE. turn off B41 and restart your phone.

Shiftlock said:
As far as shutting off bands, you will need your MSL code. you can either get it from a sprint rep (all i did was ask) or you can use the MSL reader here
tools.flashingtools.com
use dialer code ##3282# and go to edit. enter your MSL code and go to LTE. turn off B41 and restart your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, Shiftlock! This is the kind of help I was hoping for. I'll give that a try!
:good:

Shiftlock said:
use dialer code ##3282# and go to edit. enter your MSL code and go to LTE. turn off B41 and restart your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok I've got this turned off. Will it persist through resets and restarts? Or will I have to keep turning it off?
(have to remember to bookmark this so I remember how to turn it back on when Spark hits New Orleans, which I think is somewhat soon)

gregg37 said:
Ok I've got this turned off. Will it persist through resets and restarts? Or will I have to keep turning it off?
(have to remember to bookmark this so I remember how to turn it back on when Spark hits New Orleans, which I think is somewhat soon)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this will stay until you either change it back or do a system update. I noticed that nd2 changed it back. You may want to check it after clearing data/cache if you flash any mods or roms. Luckily the msl won't change so it's easy enough to fix if needed

I'm getting LTE coverage in places I wouldn't with my s4. The data is definitely better
-Sent from Tapatalk

eyecon82 said:
I'm getting LTE coverage in places I wouldn't with my s4. The data is definitely better
-Sent from Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better because of turning off band 41 or just comparing the S5 to the S4?

CCallahan said:
Better because of turning off band 41 or just comparing the S5 to the S4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess we'll never know....
(mine still sucks after trying that, btw)

No 3G/4G Just 2G Edge network !?

Hello folks,
I have an unlocked At&t LG G3 but I have a problem with internet data, most of the time I can get only 2G (Edge) speed, which is extremly slow. And rarley I get 4G network, I don't know how this is happening but the thing I'm sure about is when I restart the phone.. it goes back to 2G network.
My APN data is correct, and Network Mode in phone's settings has GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto. I tried to dial the USSD code 3845*#850# however it says "connection problem or invalid mmi code".
I want 3G and 4G networks, what do you suggest me to do?

AminhoVic said:
Hello folks,
I have an unlocked At&t LG G3 but I have a problem with internet data, most of the time I can get only 2G (Edge) speed, which is extremly slow. And rarley I get 4G network, I don't know how this is happening but the thing I'm sure about is when I restart the phone.. it goes back to 2G network.
My APN data is correct, and Network Mode in phone's settings has GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto. I tried to dial the USSD code 3845*#850# however it says "connection problem or invalid mmi code".
I want 3G and 4G networks, what do you suggest me to do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You never said what your carrier is, that would be the big factor in this. Maybe the phone doesn't support the bands that your carrier is using?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hyelton said:
You never said what your carrier is, that would be the big factor in this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
hyelton said:
Maybe the phone doesn't support the bands that your carrier is using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it doesn't support the bands, Why I was someimes able to get 4G network?

AminhoVic said:
If it doesn't support the bands, Why I was someimes able to get 4G network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you where in a different area when it worked? Remember 1 area may have that band while another has 4G in a different band.
Also when you had 4G what did it say at the top of your phone? Did it say 4G or 4G LTE? If it just said 4G and your running stock rom that's actually HSPA/3G
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hyelton said:
Maybe you where in a different area when it worked? Remember 1 area may have that band while another has 4G in a different band.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm living at the center of a city where I'm surronded by network antennas.. I don't think that my issue has something to do with the carrier bands because I'm sitting at the moment at a place where 4G worked for me once.
hyelton said:
Also when you had 4G what did it say at the top of your phone? Did it say 4G or 4G LTE? If it just said 4G and your running stock rom that's actually HSPA/3G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running Fulmics ROM, it said 4G at the top.

AminhoVic said:
I'm living at the center of a city where I'm surronded by network antennas.. I don't think that my issue has something to do with the carrier bands because I'm sitting at the moment at a place where 4G worked for me once.
I'm running Fulmics ROM, it said 4G at the top.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you confirm it was either 3G or 4G/LTE under status? Cause since that was an AT&T phone in America they call 3G 4G that's why I was asking. Not sure what fulmics is based on. Also several other sites indicate that phone doesn't support your current carriers LTE band. And it supports half of a different carriers LTE band there.
Your current carrier is says no for LTE. And another carrier like Maroc Telecom it supports "some" of 4G bands.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hyelton said:
Did you confirm it was either 3G or 4G/LTE under status? Cause since that was an AT&T phone in America they call 3G 4G that's why I was asking. Not sure what fulmics is based on. Also several other sites indicate that phone doesn't support your current carriers LTE band. And it supports half of a different carriers LTE band there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Under status? Where?
At the status bar it said 4G. And I remember that one day I was running a different ROM or maybe the stock ROM and it said LTE on the status bar
hyelton said:
Your current carrier is says no for LTE. And another carrier like Maroc Telecom it supports "some" of 4G bands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually my current carrier is Maroc Telecom. But just today I bought an Orange sim card (Formerly Meditel) to test if 4G will work with this carrier but unfortunately it doesn't.. Maybe it will one day as I experienced with Maroc Telecom.

AminhoVic said:
Under status? Where?
At the status bar it said 4G. And I remember that one day I was running a different ROM or maybe the stock ROM and it said LTE on the status bar
Actually my current carrier is Maroc Telecom. But just today I bought an Orange sim card (Formerly Meditel) to test if 4G will work with this carrier but unfortunately it doesn't.. Maybe it will one day as I experienced with Maroc Telecom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock rom would say 4G and have LTE in small letters below it.
The D850 only supports 1 4G band with Maroc Telecom and they have at least 2.
And the D850 seems to support no 4G bands with Meditel
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hyelton said:
Stock rom would say 4G and have LTE in small letters below it.
The D850 only supports 1 4G band with Maroc Telecom and they have at least 2.
And the D850 seems to support no 4G bands with Meditel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just have went outside and it looks like I'm getting 4G with Orange(Meditel). When I went back home, it switched back to 2G network, I think that was due to the signal being weak.

hyelton said:
Stock rom would say 4G and have LTE in small letters below it.
The D850 only supports 1 4G band with Maroc Telecom and they have at least 2.
And the D850 seems to support no 4G bands with Meditel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So yesterday, as I said in the previous post that I got 4G with Orange(Meditel). I took screenshots:
Here as you can see, I made a test internet and it's indeed 4G
Then, I changed Network Mode in phone's settings from "GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto" to "WCDMA only" and it looks like 3G(H) is also working fine. I made a test speed as you can see.
And then I thought I should restart the phone and see if I can still get 4G network. When the phone restarted I got at the begining Edge network but after a couple minutes it switched to 4G.
However, the next day which is Today, I was in another area with 5-bar signal.. I turned on internet data and I unfortunately I got only Edge network.. then I went back to the exact area where I got 4G yesterday.. but it never switched to 4G as you can see here:
And when I changed Network Mode in phone's settings to "WCDMA only" I got no signal, service disabled.

AminhoVic said:
So yesterday, as I said in the previous post that I got 4G with Orange(Meditel). I took screenshots:
Here as you can see, I made a test internet and it's indeed 4G
Then, I changed Network Mode in phone's settings from "GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto" to "WCDMA only" and it looks like 3G(H) is also working fine. I made a test speed as you can see.
And then I thought I should restart the phone and see if I can still get 4G network. When the phone restarted I got at the begining Edge network but after a couple minutes it switched to 4G.
However, the next day which is Today, I was in another area with 5-bar signal.. I turned on internet data and I unfortunately I got only Edge network.. then I went back to the exact area where I got 4G yesterday.. but it never switched to 4G as you can see here:
And when I changed Network Mode in phone's settings to "WCDMA only" I got no signal, service disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what your describing. Id say its a mix of alot of things. One problem could be that the closest tower does not run your carrier. Thats why they always talk about network coverage. Not all towers serve every carrier. Especially carrier owned towers. The next thing is if your city is more like an actual city. Tall building can be a big problem for cell signals. Also if there are alot of cell towers close, you could be catchinf interference. Then theres also a secondary problem. If one or more of the cases i listed are taking place, your phone prioritizes you connection. If the for example 4G network is to congested or you have a weak signal to what ever is hosting that network, your phone will switch, and in your in a place with a bunch of networks being served and they are all interfering with each other causing bad reception, then that could definitely cause your problem.
Whats your area like as far as buildings and cell tower locations and about how many are there. Depending on your answer, i may have a solution.
---------- Post added at 06:43 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 AM ----------
AminhoVic said:
So yesterday, as I said in the previous post that I got 4G with Orange(Meditel). I took screenshots:
Here as you can see, I made a test internet and it's indeed 4G
Then, I changed Network Mode in phone's settings from "GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto" to "WCDMA only" and it looks like 3G(H) is also working fine. I made a test speed as you can see.
And then I thought I should restart the phone and see if I can still get 4G network. When the phone restarted I got at the begining Edge network but after a couple minutes it switched to 4G.
However, the next day which is Today, I was in another area with 5-bar signal.. I turned on internet data and I unfortunately I got only Edge network.. then I went back to the exact area where I got 4G yesterday.. but it never switched to 4G as you can see here:
And when I changed Network Mode in phone's settings to "WCDMA only" I got no signal, service disabled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Btw, idk about your 4g since the pic showed 16 down. Im on at&t and when im not throttled i get a max of 50mbps download and 10 to 15 up. And my verizon jetpack is around 25 to 35 down, 5 to 10 up. And both have 4G LTE.
Also, one thing i forgot to mention is that both the carriers you mention could have choppy networks running in your area or just in general.
Also, how many bars you have mean nothing. 5 bars on one carrier can be 2 on another be cause the reception level displayed is not standardized. If you want to accurately read your cell strength, you need to have it read out in its numbered form, idk what the standard measurement is called for cell signal strength but there is one. But there is no standard for how its displayed.

Remember this person is not in the USA speeds vary depending on county.. he's not using the phone on AT&T he's using an att phone in another country that doesn't fully support the bands 100%
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

hyelton said:
Remember this person is not in the USA speeds vary depending on county.. he's not using the phone on AT&T he's using an att phone in another country that doesn't fully support the bands 100%
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was aware of where and want carriers hes on now the speeds I wasnt thinkng about.