Hello guys, first of all. I apologize if this question was answered recently.
But Im looking for a phone susgestion.
Phones are released every 2 hours (sarcasm) therefore I wanted to ask the experts for some phone susgestions.
Currently I have an LG G2X with T-Mobile, the phone is great, fast and does anything I ever want to do on a phone without problems.
Getting custom ROMs however is not-so-friendly. Im stuck to 2.3.
Anyway, the reason why I want to get rid of this phone is because of my provider.
T-Mobile has about 5% signal at work and I cant even browse the internet with it.
I noticed that Verizon and Sprint has great reception though (specially Sprint).
And from my little research it seems that Verizon is faster than Sprint however.
Now, Which carrier has a better phone? And by better I mean: (Key things that Im looking for)
- internet speed and reliability
- call quality
- unlimited fast internet access?
- wifi
- good GPS (although I rarely use it)
- good Camera (flash not included)
- fast processor for games and multitasking
- root friendly - (able to get latest fimwares)
Thank you.
For your needs, I would go with Sprint. They are the only carrier with unlimited data (internet). There are some quality Android phones for sprint, such as the Evo 3d and they have the Iphone now as well if you are into that.
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A
After much reading, and stumbling over the same posts repeatedly, I must ask for help.
Heres the phone:
Gt-i9100
2.3.6
i9100NEKF2
2.6.35.7-i9100XWKK5-CL754841 [email protected] #2
Checkrom RevoHD V4
CriskeloROM Gingerbreak v32
Currently have a Optus sim loaded into it, staying in Melbourne Australia.
Optus seems to be lousy, I've talked to several people who seem to agree. Since public perception is far from accurate, I cant really blame optus entirely. I havent tried any other SIM cards yet since I need the optus number at the moment.
I've tried quite a few ROMS and quite a few different Kernels, not being able to tell much of a difference in signal strength. The phone will have the 3g icon lit up, but refuse to do almost any activity. Then five minutes later in the same location it is working perfectly, with a ping of 147ms and download rate of 327.7kB/s (using Speedtest.net)
Since I am using KitchenPro I am able to change the modem easily, some dont work, others do. How do I narrow down which ones are best for the phone? The answer of "use it for a little while and you'll know" cant be the best answer. Is the carrier-shipped modem the best that is available? I've read the modem ref guide and it doesnt offer anything other than a list of letters and numbers. Some people have reported things working well with telstra on particular modems, but nothing on Optus.
1) Is a baseband or modem something that will either work, or not work? Or there a signal difference from one to the next.
2) I almost always have 3+ bars of connectivity for the cell service, it works fine, all the time, even with the modems that did not allow data connectivity the phone always seems to work. Does a modem package effect both cell service and data?
3) What would be the most effective method of testing a new modem?
4) Is there a guide somewhere that lists the guts behind the modem packages, ie frequency ranges, so that I can look up the carrier, and match it manually with a modem?
Please Help! With spotty services available, and no means of telling if my problems are carrier related or phone software issues, I find this quite frustrating.
Thanks for reading
Hi everyone. Just to start out, I am completely new to the Android world – I’ve tried to read up on these forums and whatnot but I am definitely a noob. I am coming from Apple, and long story short, I’m tired of iPhones and got myself a Galaxy S3 via Swappa in order to keep my unlimited data plan. It was previously rooted, but I requested that it be restored to stock.
I have been unable to get to a Verizon corporate store to get a sim card and activate the phone, so I’ve been using it on wifi around the house. I am having signal issues with the wif – it works everywhere except in my room. The signal shows as weak and keeps dropping every few minutes. My other devices have a strong signal. I have downloaded various wifi analyzer apps from the Play store, and they all show the wifi signal as really weak.
I searched and found numerous threads that this is an issue with some of the phones. I tried messing with settings (factory reset the phone, the router, did the *#0011# and turned wifi power saving off, changed the "keep wifi on during sleep" from always to never, etc) and nothing fixes it.
I would like to know what you guys recommend. Should I go ahead get a sim, activate the phone, update to Jelly Bean and see if that fixes the issue? I am unable to get the update since I do not have service. I tried to update via Kies, but it says current firmware pda:lg1 phone: lg1 csc: lg1 (vzw) not supported.
Or should I tell Verizon about the problem and see if they will go ahead and replace the phone? I’m not sure how that works since I am not the original owner. I’ve read that they honor the warranty based on the purchase date which is tied to the IMEI number, and not the owner’s name. Not sure how true that is… Also on the box, it says Verizon 4G LTE Certified. Not sure if that means my phone is already a certified replacement or if all the boxes say that. I haven’t been able to find that out.
I’ve read the thread about resetting the phone to return to Verizon. The flash counter screen reads Odin mode, product name: SCH-I535, Custom Binary Download: No, Current Binary: Samsung Official, System Status: Official, Qualcomm Secureboot: Enable. The android version is 4.0.4 and the baseband is I535VRLG1. Does it matter what the kernel, build number and hardware version are? I’m not sure what they should be.
I just want to be prepared when I walk into the Verizon store (which is unfortunately over an hour away), so I’m hoping I can get some opinions and maybe save myself multiple trips. I’m not sure if Verizon will work with me or not, but I figured you guys are the experts and can help me out. Thank you!
It looks like the guy who sold you the phone did in fact fully return you to stock. But it is fully stock based on the oldest stock firmware (I535VRLG1). My advice to you would be to activate the phone, and grab the OTA updates all the way up until the current version (I535VRBLK3).
I used to have all kinds of WiFi connectivity issues with this phone, until I replaced my router. Now it works perfectly. There was no real explanation as to why that was, but this phone does seem to have WiFi connectivity issues, especially with older Routers.
Try updating your software first, and see if the problem resolves with the new firmware. I believe Verizon does base the warranty off of the phone activation date, at least they did years ago in the past, but that may have changed.
Thank you, I appreciate the reply. I read that there was an OTA update issued around October to fix some of the wifi issues, but I wasn't sure if I had it. Once I activate the phone with the sim, do you think there will be any issues receiving the updates? I know nothing about rooting and have been trying to read more about it, but I'm concerned I'll end up causing more problems with the phone before I even get to use it.
The router I have is a free one Verizon gives to use with their dsl service - a Westell Model 327w. It is pretty old, although I think the firmware is up to date. The phone works fine when it is closer to the router and everywhere else in my house, except my room which is upstairs and at the other end of the house. I just figured since my other devices work fine, the S3 should too.
Thanks again.
If you are fully stock, with the stock recovery (which it sounds like you probably are), you should have no problem downloading and installing the OTAs. I believe you will have to take a few them before you get up to the current version.
I can confirm that the stock Verizon GSIII has a few upgrades before you get to 4.1.1 (the latest version)
Thanks guys.
I just remembered that I have a newer router that Verizon sent me, but I never bothered with it because the current one was working. I'll try and set that up and see if the signal improves.
I am hoping to get to the Verizon store soon, but unfortunately things keep happening that prevent me from making the trip. Can't wait to get this phone working though. Just the little bit I've played with it makes it difficult for me to go back to my iPhone.
This is how a noob post should read. Nice job, OP -- very informative and you did some homework.
Other noobs take notice -- this is how you do it. Notice how much help he got?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
If its any consolation, I had wi-fi issues even with a newer Verizon router all the way up to the latest version of the the modem and rpm file (vblk3). With the last and latest (vblk3) update, those problems disappeared. So as stated, I would update the software to the latest and hopefully you should be good. Just to add, my wife had the same problems (same phone) as well so this validates for me that it was a software issue.
Few questions,
Is it possible to buy the following items and use them as a mobile hotspot boosting device?
- http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402900,00.asp
- http://www.verizonwireless.com/acce...ase-Affinity-Others__Also_Viewed-mls_acc40151
- http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/adapter-cable-for-usb-lte-modem/
- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005NGLTZQ/?tag=lifehackeramzn-20&ascsubtag=
I am grandfathered on verizon's unlimited data still and I am constantly traveling around California. Specifically my room and other remote areas I visit for work I can pull down decent 3g and sometimes 1 bar of LTE.
((( I purchased this item almost a year ago and used the SIM card in my phone to gain 4G signal then I connected to the network via WiFi. Everything worked fine but it was bothersome to continuously switch out my SIM card between devices so frequently whenever I couldn't take the hotspot with me. Seeing as the present situation I am involved with needs the older setup I had before; convenience is welcome.
- http://www.bestbuy.com/site/verizon...spot/8939305.p?id=1218956066940&skuId=8939305 )))
So here I am trying to build a badass device and mount/carry in my bag while on the go.
Will the first parts I have listed above work? I am worried the boost in signal might not warrant the setup I have planned. Then again if it works as intended it could be extremely useful. Any incite is appreciated!
Furthermore, I have a software related question that could be an alternative solution to my problem.
-The ROM I am currently running is Gummy-M3.0-07-21-14-NIGHTLY-d2lte
-The Baseband version is I535VRUCML1.
Is there anyway this is interfering with my reception?
The Gummy ROM is currently on Android 4.4.4. Is there a newer firmware I can flash to update the baseband to receive better signal?
Again thank you for reading and I hope to hear good advice! :fingers-crossed:
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Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Free mobile app
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Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA Free mobile app
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Hello everyone,
As the title suggest I have questions/issues with T-Mobile throttling my hotspot. I have a Google Pixel 3 purchased from google store. However I have had to get a new device from insurance due to an issue with the C port. When i had my old phone i did not notice any throttling when using my hotspot. However I have had this new device and cant seem to get a good speed out of it. have tried to connect to a VPN on my phone to mask the data still no luck. I am thinking that it is using T-Mobile's version of the OS and they have add some kind of program to detect hotspot. I have some experience with ROMing and have thought about flashing the stock OS on it. However I am looking for other solutions and advice on how to fixs this.
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