Xperia Z5 on T-Mobile (with Band 12?) - Xperia Z5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Thinking about importing Xperia Z5 to use on T-Mobile, however I'm not sure which model to use. Also does the Z5 support Band 12?

http://www.xperiablog.net/2015/10/07/usa-buyers-guide-sony-xperia-z5/
The Z5 supports Band 12 LTE. E6653 is the recommended model for US use.

Don't too sure. T-Mobile is asking OEMs to disable Band 12 on unbranded devices in the US because of the lack of VoLTE on non T-Mobile certified devices, because in some areas where band 12 is the only band available and you don't have VoLTE there is no fallback to 3G so you would have full signal but no calls and in emergencies in these rare cases/places it would be bad. Unless TMO certifies the device you will have issues.
I'm sure you can work around it but you won't have VoLTE, which is not too bad I guess.

abhinav.tella said:
Don't too sure. T-Mobile is asking OEMs to disable Band 12 on unbranded devices in the US because of the lack of VoLTE on non T-Mobile certified devices, because in some areas where band 12 is the only band available and you don't have VoLTE there is no fallback to 3G so you would have full signal but no calls and in emergencies in these rare cases/places it would be bad. Unless TMO certifies the device you will have issues.
I'm sure you can work around it but you won't have VoLTE, which is not too bad I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not likely to happen because the device isn't sold in the US (and Sony hasn't announced any plans to do so).
Sony is not going to disable bands on international devices because a US carrier asks them to.

I was only speaking of local sales in the future as I did say in the US. Having Band 12 but not being able to make calls when on that band is an issue regardless, for international models on TMO.

I'm kinda confused on this issue as well. Xperia Z5 is supposed to support VoLTE (which is the main reason certain lte band 12 phones wouldn't work on T-mobile) but as the Z5 is unlikely to come to T-mobile US, it's not likely to have undergone T-Mobile's specific certification. We'd have to check with someone who has the phone and lives in an area serviced by T-mobile US band 12 (ideally with no 2g/3g backup) and see if they can A) access data and/or B) make voice calls. The technology is there for it to be able to work, I just don't know if the real world case would match the theoretical.

shizenyasuya said:
I'm kinda confused on this issue as well. Xperia Z5 is supposed to support VoLTE (which is the main reason certain lte band 12 phones wouldn't work on T-mobile) but as the Z5 is unlikely to come to T-mobile US, it's not likely to have undergone T-Mobile's specific certification. We'd have to check with someone who has the phone and lives in an area serviced by T-mobile US band 12 (ideally with no 2g/3g backup) and see if they can A) access data and/or B) make voice calls. The technology is there for it to be able to work, I just don't know if the real world case would match the theoretical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what areas are going to have no 2g AND no 3g...that seems a bit extreme. are 2g and 3g networks on the same tower?

crazeazn said:
what areas are going to have no 2g AND no 3g...that seems a bit extreme. are 2g and 3g networks on the same tower?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't band 12 LTE take over for previous EDGE on band 12? There are many areas (well mostly rural) where this could occur

sovanyio said:
Doesn't band 12 LTE take over for previous EDGE on band 12? There are many areas (well mostly rural) where this could occur
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are but there are still many many rural areas where a 2G/3G tower will have larger coverage than its LTE equivalent (I think). While I understand that the 2G is morphing over to Band 12 LTE, I don't think this includes all the 3G/HSPA/HSPA+. I'm still under the impression that you will have LTE/3G coverage somewhere....
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/t-mobile-upgrade-2g-edge-network-lte-coverage-push/2014-03-13

I have had the Xperia Z5 (E6653) for a week and I'd like to say a little about my experience in case it may help out anyone here.
1. The phone has all the T-Mobile bands except for one in the 3G/HSPA range.
2. It DOES connect to band 12 LTE. However, when a call is coming in, it will move down to a different band to allow you to pick up the call.
3. I've noticed that when I'm playing some games (PVZ2), if a call comes in, I press 'Answer' on the pop up notification but it does nothing. This also seems to freeze the phone app for a little while.
4. There is actually a mobile network setting for "Enable VoLTE" and you can enable/disable it. However, I guess this doesn't really do anything on the T-Mobile network and it will never pick up a call while on LTE.
Other than talking about bands and calling, the phone is basically a Z3 with a fingerprint scanner and a much better camera. However, the battery doesn't last as long as the one of the Z3 and if you are gaming, it will last MUCH less than the Z3 while getting much hotter. I love not having to take a flap out to access the USB port. One interesting thing I've noticed is that with the Z3 I used to get a lot of static when I connected an AUX cable to the headphone jack and was charging at the same time, and would hear a humming noise on every touch of the screen, probably because the two ports are next to each other on the Z3. I haven't experienced that on the Z5 and suspect it's because they are on opposite ends of the phone.

GersonT1000 said:
I have had the Xperia Z5 (E6653) for a week and I'd like to say a little about my experience in case it may help out anyone here.
1. The phone has all the T-Mobile bands except for one in the 3G/HSPA range.
2. It DOES connect to band 12 LTE. However, when a call is coming in, it will move down to a different band to allow you to pick up the call.
3. I've noticed that when I'm playing some games (PVZ2), if a call comes in, I press 'Answer' on the pop up notification but it does nothing. This also seems to freeze the phone app for a little while.
4. There is actually a mobile network setting for "Enable VoLTE" and you can enable/disable it. However, I guess this doesn't really do anything on the T-Mobile network and it will never pick up a call while on LTE.
Other than talking about bands and calling, the phone is basically a Z3 with a fingerprint scanner and a much better camera. However, the battery doesn't last as long as the one of the Z3 and if you are gaming, it will last MUCH less than the Z3 while getting much hotter. I love not having to take a flap out to access the USB port. One interesting thing I've noticed is that with the Z3 I used to get a lot of static when I connected an AUX cable to the headphone jack and was charging at the same time, and would hear a humming noise on every touch of the screen, probably because the two ports are next to each other on the Z3. I haven't experienced that on the Z5 and suspect it's because they are on opposite ends of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your feedback! If you don't mind sharing, what part of the US are you in covered by T-Mobile and Band 12 LTE? I'm in Chicago (no B12 for them here), but there's swaths of Michigan that T-Mo has B12 spectrum to provide coverage. If you're saying the Z5 somehow auto drops back down to non-LTE for calls, that's very interesting and encouraging since it didn't sound like other phones like Moto's were capable of that.

doclloyd said:
Thanks for your feedback! If you don't mind sharing, what part of the US are you in covered by T-Mobile and Band 12 LTE? I'm in Chicago (no B12 for them here), but there's swaths of Michigan that T-Mo has B12 spectrum to provide coverage. If you're saying the Z5 somehow auto drops back down to non-LTE for calls, that's very interesting and encouraging since it didn't sound like other phones like Moto's were capable of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live in NYC and there's band 12 in most places now. My Z5 is usually connected to band 4 LTE and band 12 LTE now. I've noticed all kinds of bands connecting though (Edge, 3G, H, LTE). I don't know if the H is HSPA or HSPA+.

doclloyd said:
If you're saying the Z5 somehow auto drops back down to non-LTE for calls, that's very interesting and encouraging since it didn't sound like other phones like Moto's were capable of that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All phones do this, unless they have VoLTE enabled. The issue was with CDMA phones, they would only have 1 LTE/3G antenna path, so it would drop down to 1X instead for casks, making no Internet while on a call.
Only time they won't is if LTE signal is availible but 3G/2G isn't obviously. This is why T-Mobile was/is limiting band 12 in phones. Their band 12 network in some places extends outside the range of their 2G network, giving no phone service even though you had 'signal' unless you have VoLTE, and the phone has to be a T-Mobile phone to be approved for VoLTE (with a few exceptions like the nexus).
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

This was very helpful, thank you.
Sent from my SM-N920C using Tapatalk

I've got the Z5 Premium and I live in the US. Band 12 works just fine. I did some testing and I've seen 2g/3g/hspa/4g/4g lte. I have also traveled a bit for the holidays and the phone has been perfect.

GersonT1000 said:
I have had the Xperia Z5 (E6653) for a week and I'd like to say a little about my experience in case it may help out anyone here.
1. The phone has all the T-Mobile bands except for one in the 3G/HSPA range.
2. It DOES connect to band 12 LTE. However, when a call is coming in, it will move down to a different band to allow you to pick up the call.
3. I've noticed that when I'm playing some games (PVZ2), if a call comes in, I press 'Answer' on the pop up notification but it does nothing. This also seems to freeze the phone app for a little while.
4. There is actually a mobile network setting for "Enable VoLTE" and you can enable/disable it. However, I guess this doesn't really do anything on the T-Mobile network and it will never pick up a call while on LTE.
Other than talking about bands and calling, the phone is basically a Z3 with a fingerprint scanner and a much better camera. However, the battery doesn't last as long as the one of the Z3 and if you are gaming, it will last MUCH less than the Z3 while getting much hotter. I love not having to take a flap out to access the USB port. One interesting thing I've noticed is that with the Z3 I used to get a lot of static when I connected an AUX cable to the headphone jack and was charging at the same time, and would hear a humming noise on every touch of the screen, probably because the two ports are next to each other on the Z3. I haven't experienced that on the Z5 and suspect it's because they are on opposite ends of the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, your post is very informative. Thank you for sharing.
I have a question though.
I live in US (Seattle) and have just received the exact same phone (E6653).
My T-mobile connection keep dropping on my phone.
Watching youtube over mobile data has become so choppy even my crappy old LG Optimus F3Q wouldn't do that.
Is there any settings I need to deal with to get this phone to work well with T-Mobile?
Thanks.

misbehave said:
Hi, your post is very informative. Thank you for sharing.
I have a question though.
I live in US (Seattle) and have just received the exact same phone (E6653).
My T-mobile connection keep dropping on my phone.
Watching youtube over mobile data has become so choppy even my crappy old LG Optimus F3Q wouldn't do that.
Is there any settings I need to deal with to get this phone to work well with T-Mobile?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if there are any settings that will help you. Maybe if you go to network settings and set it to LTE preferred, or play around with the other options if you're in areas with spotty or no LTE. Besides that, maybe you could just turn on the BingeOn option on your T-Mobile account so that it streams faster (at 480 resolution).

Related

Poor signal reception

Just got mine today, and unlike my Hermes & Kaiser it's unable to hold on to a T-Mobile signal in my lounge.
I wonder if it's faulty.
ROM version: 1.90.405.1 WWE
ROM date: 08/01/08
Radio version: 1.02.25.19
Protocol version: 52.33.25.17U
It's a possibility... I know I'm from the states, so different ballpark altogether, but mine has had much better reception (especially with holding 3G) than other phones I've used.
I would say after reading round the forums that the poor signal complaints all one one thing in common. T-Mobile UK.
I have the TYTN II as well on T-Mobile and it always has a good solid signal round my house with the 'H' showing all the time.
I got my Raphael today and reached the conclusion that T-Mobile must be having problems because the signal has been ropey to say the least plus it has been a struggle to get the 'G' to turn to a 'H'.
After reading the various discussions on here I can only put it down to the phone being a bit deaf. Lets hope HTC address this
Right two things.
a) I am on T-Mobile and have experienced the same thing. Slightly lower but not drastic reductions.
b) I spoke with T-Mobile yesterday and they said they were having some intermittent issues with their 3G network.
I've been having all sorts of trouble with web browsing on my Vario II over the last few months. The Touch Pro seems to be better but still not perfect, I'm probably going to change networks soon though.
I have a friend at work with an iphone 3G on O2 and he doesn't get very good 3G coverage in the office, but says it's fine at home. I think I'll move to Vodafone and see what they're like!
I aint too sure where we are at the moment with SPLs so not sure if it is wise to flash a different radio version yet, however it might be worth seeing if a radio update emerges to address these issues, gotta say where i am on vacation at the mo (Norfolk) has jack **** reception for TmobileUK.
Its full 5 Bars HSDPA back in York so when i get hold of my Raph i'll post some findings alongside my Hermes (TyTN) for comparison.
Is reception in Norfolk really that bad?
My brother can get a good enough reception to talk on his phone with Tmobile at our place there... While my phone on orange cant get anything at all...
I was told Tmobiles reception was better than oranges... :/
I was hoping i could get some sort for data connection working there.
Also has the Touch Pro got an Antenna plug inside it? So you could hook it up to a more powerful antenna?
Antenna location
Well I don't have Raph yet however I've seen a Manual.
It says that antenna o Raph is placed at the bottom of Raph's back. I think this is pretty idiotic because everytime you grab your phone you automatically cover the antenna.
I don't think that the poor reception is related to the T-Mobile network itself. I think the problem is the device.
If you read the other threads it's quite obvious that T-Mobile works better/fine with other devices (same SIM) as compared to the Touch Pro.
I'm quite sure we will get similar bad reception reports from other network users as well as soon as the devices gets available in other countries.
As the Diamond has similar problems I do not think it's a software issue, I think the problem is related to the slim housing (antenna setup) of the Diamond and as the Touch Pro is a takeover in lots of parts it might suffer the same problems.
Ok this doesnt sound good :/
Does the touch pro have an external antenna plug hidden inside the battery compartment?
Im not planning on carrying an antenna about with me all the time. But wouldnt mind one attached to my house in norfolk. Just so i can get some sort of data network.
So is there an antenna socket?
Most phones hide theres with a rubber plug.
foo said:
I'm quite sure we will get similar bad reception reports from other network users as well as soon as the devices gets available in other countries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be so sure... With my Pantech Duo I would hardly ever touch a 3G signal down in my basement, with the Touch Pro I get HSDPA most of the time I'm down here. Best phone I've ever used when it comes to reception...
NutsyUK said:
Ok this doesnt sound good :/
Does the touch pro have an external antenna plug hidden inside the battery compartment?
Im not planning on carrying an antenna about with me all the time. But wouldnt mind one attached to my house in norfolk. Just so i can get some sort of data network.
So is there an antenna socket?
Most phones hide theres with a rubber plug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I BELIEVE I've heard of things you can get hooked up in a building where it receives signal at the top of the building (via an antenna) and amplifies it throughout (working similarly to a wireless router)... I think they use them in office buildings, to prevent loss of reception due to the sheer size of the structure. May be very expensive, but I haven't really looked into it. Anyone else heard of such things?
foo said:
I don't think that the poor reception is related to the T-Mobile network itself. I think the problem is the device.
If you read the other threads it's quite obvious that T-Mobile works better/fine with other devices (same SIM) as compared to the Touch Pro.
I'm quite sure we will get similar bad reception reports from other network users as well as soon as the devices gets available in other countries.
As the Diamond has similar problems I do not think it's a software issue, I think the problem is related to the slim housing (antenna setup) of the Diamond and as the Touch Pro is a takeover in lots of parts it might suffer the same problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Id wait to see if a Radio update eliviates some of the issues, remember we are on a fledgling STOCK device at the moment, same thing happened with the Hermes and it was remedied quickly once a radio update was released (with the 0107 radio bootloader in it).
@NutsyUK
Well we stayed in Hickling last year and I got full HSDPA around there which was a surprise, where we are im in a fringe area methinks since all 4 networks are crap here (Horning)......depends where you are going?
krabicka3 said:
Well I don't have Raph yet however I've seen a Manual.
It says that antenna o Raph is placed at the bottom of Raph's back. I think this is pretty idiotic because everytime you grab your phone you automatically cover the antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually think this is quite a sensible location for it...
Yes, you would be covering the antenna if you are holding it "normally" i.e. browse web pages etc, but when you are on a call and you are holding it up to your ear you wouldn't be covering it at all because it's at the same end as the microphone! So at least having the antenna down there maximises your signal strength when you need it most!
After reading many posts saying that the Pro is weaker on TMobile I must ask which 3G band does TMobile operate on? Is it 2100?
I'm in Australia on Three's network and I must say the reception is very poor.
To the point I lose connection at times and have calls fade in/out.
This is coming from a P3600 which it replaced. That had better reception with one of the proven upgraded radio ROMs.
So I hope a future radio ROM upgrade addresses this, as I'm starting to really like this device.
My internet key for Three's mobile broadband which uses the same network can be right next to the Pro and have 4 bars (out of 4 or 5) while the Pro only shows 1 (P3600 generally has 1 bar less than internet key)
Mrjasjam said:
After reading many posts saying that the Pro is weaker on TMobile I must ask which 3G band does TMobile operate on? Is it 2100?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use this site to check your local cell information (UK).
http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/
THis is what i have found in my area
3G Network 2100MHz (umts)
TMob 1800MHz (GSM)
O2 900/1800MHz (GSM), 2100MHz (umts)
Voda 900/1800MHz (GSM), 2100MHz (umts)
Orange 1800MHz (GSM), 2100MHz (umts)
Tmobile must piggyback other networks umts as i am unable to find a Tmob cell with umts!!! If thats the case, its not the phone at fault. Maybe someone can check in their area that receives 3g on Tmobile.
Doing a quick search, it appears That Tmobile piggyback the 3G network in the uk, yet there are no reports of poor coverage on the 3G network.
The 3 an t-mobile HSDPA networks merged a while ago. So it would be interesting to know if the poor reception occurs with a 3 SIM. I would imagine that is shouldn't make any difference if they operate on the same band.
ardsar said:
Use this site to check your local cell information (UK).
http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/
THis is what i have found in my area
3G Network 2100MHz (umts)
TMob 1800MHz (GSM)
O2 900/1800MHz (GSM), 2100MHz (umts)
Voda 900/1800MHz (GSM), 2100MHz (umts)
Orange 1800MHz (GSM), 2100MHz (umts)
Tmobile must piggyback other networks umts as i am unable to find a Tmob cell with umts!!! If thats the case, its not the phone at fault. Maybe someone can check in their area that receives 3g on Tmobile.
Doing a quick search, it appears That Tmobile piggyback the 3G network in the uk, yet there are no reports of poor coverage on the 3G network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its been the following for a fair while:
O2 and Vodaphone : GSM900
Orange and Tmobile: GSM1800
AFAIK all four use UMTS2100 for thier 3G services.
Virgin mobile uses the tmobile network also.
Three: UMTS2100
However Three works on the same network ID as the O2 3G service which seems to take priority, however that might be an old story now?? Al i can remember is that several colleagues were told this by Three when they complained about calls cutting off many times.
Never been aware of tMobile "piggybacking" the 3G network since they were the first to offer 3G with the other networks following suit? It wouldnt make sence by looking at the data rate tarriffs each network offers since Tmobile is the only one to offer unlimited HSDPA, which surely would suggest the intrastructure is thiers out of majority??
My info was from this article originally:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile#United_Kingdom
It would definitely be interesting to know if the same problems occur with O2 etc...

What's the reported signal strength of the One S compared to other phones?

There have been a few reports that the One series has poor reception.
For example my HTC Desire constantly has about 7-9dB** lower signal than my old Nokia N79 - I was hoping that the new One S would have better reception, but the forums are complaining about fewer "bars" of signal strength. Unfortunately the latter is meaningless because "bars" are uncalibrated and signal level is highly dependent on exact position and whether the unit is held in the hand or not.
Rather than hearsay, I would like to know if One S owners could do a comparison with their old phone to see if it is much worse.
Using the *#*#4636#*#* code if you could report the signal level (dBm) and the connection mode (3G, 2G, GSM whatever) between your One S and old phone when lying in the same position on the desk*
*holding it in your hand, or putting it somewhere else in the room or changing the connection type or changing the carrier will all invalidate any meaningful comparison.
**
+3dB is a doubling in received power and +10dB is a 10x increase in received power, likewise -3dB and -10dB are halving and one tenth the power, so it's a significant difference.
OK, here's some evidence for you. HTC One S with Three UK monthly contract sim inserted and Motorola Defy+ with Three UK PAYG sim in. Both phones laid on desk in similar position with nothing to interfere with them.
HTC One S -105dBm (4ASU)
Motorola Defy+ -89dBm (12ASU)
This is pretty much what I've been getting with Network Signal app.
Incidentally, if I put the sim out the One S into the Defy+ then I still get -89dBm as you would expect as both sims use Three UK network. I can't put the PAYG sim into the One S as it's not a micro sim.
Pretty much damning evidence. Does mean the One S loses signal a lot faster when signal is marginal. Doesn't seem to be a great difference when signal is strong between the 2 which is a PITA when trying to show the problem in the Three shop If I go to York later I'll re run the test's and report back. I'm not sure where to go from here. I'll contact HTC support and see if they show any interest. Not overly hopeful of getting any where with Three customer support?
Richy101 said:
Pretty much damning evidence. Does mean the One S loses signal a lot faster when signal is marginal. Doesn't seem to be a great difference when signal is strong between the 2 which is a PITA when trying to show the problem in the Three shop If I go to York later I'll re run the test's and report back. I'm not sure where to go from here. I'll contact HTC support and see if they show any interest. Not overly hopeful of getting any where with Three customer support?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the data point. I'd say it's valid to take them to the Three shop, put them side by side and say look, there's a 16dB difference. (strictly speaking the noise figure of the receiver should also be known, but this is set in the GSM/UMTS specs and should be less than a dB or two difference).
It's been my belief that Nokia and Motorola have the best antenna engineers - all the Nokias I've owned have had great signal reception, despite the fact that the number of base stations was much lower in the late 90s early 2000s.
I cannot compare to old one, I got micro sim and dont have adapter yet (comming from ebay).
I found that I got alot lower signal, thought as I mvoed to micro sim I changed carrier...
Question - how much signal is needed for "OK", and at which point its to weak?
Stiflerlv said:
Question - how much signal is needed for "OK", and at which point its to weak?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to OFCOM the mimum signal level is -110dBm (including some fading margin).
At that level you will get very slow data speeds - I consider anything less than -90dBm as pretty low.
I was in the Vodaphone store and they had SIMs in a One X, One S and Wildfire S - all of these were within a few dB of eachother - unfortunately my (roaming) HTC Desire would not connect to Vodaphone.de, so I couldn't get a 4th reference point.
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/3g_rollout/statement/statement.pdf
Currently I'm mostly interested in 3G reception - if this is poor then the phone will spend a lot of time (and battery) looking for signal, loosing contact, toggling back and forth between 2G and 3G etc. However, need to consider that 3G can exist on both 900 and 1800MHz in Europe. If poor antenna design is the culprit then this may only effect one of the bands, meaning that certain users have great signal, whereas others report poor reception.
aza314 said:
According to OFCOM the mimum signal level is -110dBm (including some fading margin).
At that level you will get very slow data speeds - I consider anything less than -90dBm as pretty low.
I was in the Vodaphone store and they had SIMs in a One X, One S and Wildfire S - all of these were within a few dB of eachother - unfortunately my (roaming) HTC Desire would not connect to Vodaphone.de, so I couldn't get a 4th reference point.
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/consultations/3g_rollout/statement/statement.pdf
Currently I'm mostly interested in 3G reception - if this is poor then the phone will spend a lot of time (and battery) looking for signal, loosing contact, toggling back and forth between 2G and 3G etc. However, need to consider that 3G can exist on both 900 and 1800MHz in Europe. If poor antenna design is the culprit then this may only effect one of the bands, meaning that certain users have great signal, whereas others report poor reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mainly need this for calls (not so much data) so till 110 Im still ok?
I often get 100+ :/ Lowest I have seen is 90. Returning the phone hoping its glitch
Stiflerlv said:
I mainly need this for calls (not so much data) so till 110 Im still ok?
I often get 100+ :/ Lowest I have seen is 90. Returning the phone hoping its glitch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At -110dBm you have very little margin. As long as you aren't walking around the house it should be ok.
But it really depends on the coverage in your area.
NB: the numbers are dBm and negative i.e. a -90dBm signal has a hundred times more power than a -110dBm signal:
10^((-90dBm-(-110dBm))/10) = 100
aza314 said:
At -110dBm you have very little margin. As long as you aren't walking around the house it should be ok.
But it really depends on the coverage in your area.
NB: the numbers are dBm and negative i.e. a -90dBm signal has a hundred times more power than a -110dBm signal:
10^((-90dBm-(-110dBm))/10) = 100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice, comparing to my old HTC Tattoo and test simcard I got from carrier, Its around 15-20 dBm better signal for Tattoo...
Im gonna go for warranty I guess
Bump. Like to hear how it compares with other phones on the T-Mobile USA network.
Thanks in advance.
I was just going to create a new thread on this topic until I found this. I would have to say the reception on the one s is considerably worse than other tmobile phones. Today I traveled to an area with generally poor reception and my wife's blackberry bold 9900 had 1 bar of 4g while my one s had an "x" for not signal at all.
When I used my galaxy s2 in the same exact area i used to get at least 2 bars of 4g. It actually worries me that i get zero reception while our other phones were still on 4g, not even edge.
Can this be fixed with a radio software fix or is this a hardware issue? Im pretty pissed because I want to like this phone so much.
What are the experiences of others?
On tmo us, I'd have to say that my signal is the same as it was on my g2x. I'm either in an area with awesome signal (work), or an area with practically no signal (my 100 year old house).
I wouldn't call either situation dramatically different than the last few phones I've had.
Mike,
On one hand, I did some testing with a galaxy s2 and found ours to be comparable usually, but on the other, there are signal drops issues and the days switching so there still is something odd here.
I also hope to have it fixed by a radio update than a hardware one...
I also like this phone much except for its network issues.
Sent from my HTC One S using XDA
Well, HTC wanted my phone back in for investigation. Duly sent it back and it was pretty much turned round within the day. All they have done is load the latest software version which in truth if I'd not packaged it up on Monday could have done myself. I believe Three UK released the update on Monday anyway?
Network connection seems to be slightly better but not by a great deal. I'm not sure what I expected from HTC. If it's hardware there seems to be little knowledge of a problem with them and firmware/software they'll only have the latest versions and hope for the best. I'll just have to see how it goes for the time being. I always have the option to sell it and look for something else.
Not right impressed with HTC's packaging back of phone. I stupidly wrapped it in bubble wrap and put it in a box to dispatch. They simply found a box and chucked it in it so it was free to rattle about all the way home. As a result it has picked up a chip of the coating on it's top edge - unless it was done on the work bench. Certainly wasn't like that when it went as use a Case-Mate Tough cover. Not overly upset about that but should I mention this to HTC? Seems a bit of a poor do
I finally get my HTC One S TODAY! As soon as I do, I will do a comparison. I work for T-Mobile (until my call center closes), so I have a bunch of phones to compare with and test against.
I don't have another (working) phone to compare, but my circumstances make that moot anyway. I have the international One S on AT&T, and since the phone lacks the UMTS 1900 I expected to get lower than usual signal compared to my Desire (A8182, RIP), but hoped that most areas have been upgraded to 850 by now.
Anyway, at work (inside concrete block building with metal structure roof) I am getting between -107 and -88db, (with 10 asu?) depending on where in the building I am. In a larger city I usually get between -30 to -18db, But I do not live or work in a large city.
Even so, so far battery life is way over expectations. currently on 53 hours on a single charge, with 23% battery remaining.
I always get 3/4 bars like my Amaze.
mmceorange said:
I don't have another (working) phone to compare, but my circumstances make that moot anyway. I have the international One S on AT&T, and since the phone lacks the UMTS 1900 I expected to get lower than usual signal compared to my Desire (A8182, RIP), but hoped that most areas have been upgraded to 850 by now.
Anyway, at work (inside concrete block building with metal structure roof) I am getting between -107 and -88db, (with 10 asu?) depending on where in the building I am. In a larger city I usually get between -30 to -18db, But I do not live or work in a large city.
Even so, so far battery life is way over expectations. currently on 53 hours on a single charge, with 23% battery remaining.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In another thread the box of the tmobile version says it has the 1900 UMTS band. You may be better of with an unlocked tmobile version.
Just tried at a TmoUS store. My HD2 had about -63dB, HOS on display had only -75~-79dB. Disappointed.
motionUS said:
In another thread the box of the tmobile version says it has the 1900 UMTS band. You may be better of with an unlocked tmobile version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sure you're right, but I like the look and feel of the "MAO" much much more than the gray/blue. If T-mobile (or better yet, Telus) gets the black version I will likely switch.
jjmai said:
Just tried at a TmoUS store. My HD2 had about -63dB, HOS on display had only -75~-79dB. Disappointed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means absolutely nothing. You don't even know if they are connecting to the same cell site.
Sent from my HTC One S using XDA

[Q] Edge and GPRS data connections abysmally slow on Moto G

I've been testing out the data speed connections with my Moto G on Tesco Mobile. When it is showing a HSDPA connection (H+) or UMTS (H, I think) or 3g (3G) data connection speeds are what I would expect.
But as soon as it drops to Edge (E) or GPRS (G) I get speeds so slow that practically no data is being passed - even with a full 4 bars of signal.
And I am well aware that Edge and GPRS are significantly slower than 3G and its superior data connections, but I'm talking less than 0.03Mbps speeds as measured by the Speedtest app. The speed is so slow that useful "out and about" apps like google maps refuse to recognise that there is an internet connection present.
I've raised this with the network and they say that for all of the cells that I've accessed data speeds shouldn't slow that much, and suggested it might be a faulty SIM (perhaps). But today on a different sim in another Moto G on a different network I experienced the same - Edge connection was connected, but practically non-existent.
Is this anyone else is experiencing, or am I just being really unlucky in the cells I am located in?
Thanks!
Matt
larkim said:
I've been testing out the data speed connections with my Moto G on Tesco Mobile. When it is showing a HSDPA connection (H+) or UMTS (H, I think) or 3g (3G) data connection speeds are what I would expect.
But as soon as it drops to Edge (E) or GPRS (G) I get speeds so slow that practically no data is being passed - even with a full 4 bars of signal.
And I am well aware that Edge and GPRS are significantly slower than 3G and its superior data connections, but I'm talking less than 0.03Mbps speeds as measured by the Speedtest app. The speed is so slow that useful "out and about" apps like google maps refuse to recognise that there is an internet connection present.
I've raised this with the network and they say that for all of the cells that I've accessed data speeds shouldn't slow that much, and suggested it might be a faulty SIM (perhaps). But today on a different sim in another Moto G on a different network I experienced the same - Edge connection was connected, but practically non-existent.
Is this anyone else is experiencing, or am I just being really unlucky in the cells I am located in?
Thanks!
Matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, slow edge nd gprs sppeds experienced by you is possibly due to ur location....coz i get a decent edge speed as well as my friends too who r also using moto g.....So nothing is wrong in the phone it just depends uoon location....
Akshay7273 said:
Yes, slow edge nd gprs sppeds experienced by you is possibly due to ur location....coz i get a decent edge speed as well as my friends too who r also using moto g.....So nothing is wrong in the phone it just depends uoon location....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I don't think it is location as the problem seems to be consistent in every cell I am in. I've obtained a fresh sim from the network to see if that was the problem. Will post back with any further info!
larkim said:
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I don't think it is location as the problem seems to be consistent in every cell I am in. I've obtained a fresh sim from the network to see if that was the problem. Will post back with any further info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well....do u have any friend who is using Moto G and getting same problem at that place??And by the way, Here in india some operators give faster 3g speeds but 2g speed sucks...So just like that it could be the operator's prblm too....First confirm if any of ur friends are getting better edge or gprs speeds.....Thanx
Thread subscribed.
On my old phones I was used to only use 2G (Edge or GPRS) networks in order to get one day of battery life. On my Windows Phone 7 device with an Edge connection it would sync emails, send and receive them and I could even browse (slowly) the internet.
On this one Edge is slow as ****. Furtunately H+ isnt that heavy on its battery as in order devices but when I get to places without a 3G connection the phone gets pretty much unusable, its a shame...
rmrbpt said:
Thread subscribed.
On my old phones I was used to only use 2G (Edge or GPRS) networks in order to get one day of battery life. On my Windows Phone 7 device with an Edge connection it would sync emails, send and receive them and I could even browse (slowly) the internet.
On this one Edge is slow as ****. Furtunately H+ isnt that heavy on its battery as in order devices but when I get to places without a 3G connection the phone gets pretty much unusable, its a shame...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. For the full story:-
I have a Moto G with Virgin (MVNO in the UK using the EE network), and have had for about 5 months. Love it. Never had an issue with data speed on any of the "flavours" (obviously GPRS and Edge are slower, but useable as you say). I've just persuaded my wife to take a Moto G too, but she is on the TescoMobile network (MVNO in the UK using the O2 network). I obviously don't expect our experience with data speed to be identical, but she has only had the phone for a week or so and she reported to me last week that it seemed that data was turned off so she couldn't use maps when she was driving to get some travel time updates. When I looked at the phone at home, it was all fine - and at home both of us get H+ signals throughout most of the house (when wifi turned off). On playing a little more, I noticed that in one room of the house the signal dropped consistently to Edge, and when testing data speed there I noticed the slow (unusable) speed. I swapped the sim into my phone (which was a sim free purchase, so unlocked) and got the same issue. I've then subsequently tested data speeds when we've been out and about in different cell locations, and consistently when she is on Edge or GPRS the data drops off a cliff. HSDPA is always fine.
Then yesterday I was out and about just with my own phone in an Edge area, and I also got the same experience - unusable Edge data speeds (bear in mind this is now on my network, Virgin). Now, I've only had this once, but I am wondering if the 4.4.4 update has slowed Edge / GPRS performance, as the common factor across both my phone and my wife's is that they have only just been updated to 4.4.4
If no-one else here is experiencing the same, then clearly it is just local signal issues, but it does seem peculiar that both phones, on different networks and in different physical locations (up to 30 miles away) appear to be experiencing something similar.
Both phones are on 210.12.40.falcon_umts / 4.4.4
I've just found something to try. Won't be for everyone, but using the "hidden" phone menu via *#*#4636#*#* > phone information and setting preferred network type to "WCDMA only" I can at least force the phone to ONLY use a 3G connection. Whether that will leave me with no signal in areas where I'd like to have a signal I'll wait and see, but I could at least switch manually back to 2G if I found myself down a dark country lane with no 3G signal. Perhaps an option only for the tech-enthusiast, wouldn't want my wife to be relying on this if her car broke down in the wrong end of town!!
It may be a work around, but I can't possibly rely on that since being unreachable isn't acceptable for me.
Let me add that I experience these "issue" since I can remember, so definitely 4.4.4 wasn't the culprit...
rmrbpt said:
It may be a work around, but I can't possibly rely on that since being unreachable isn't acceptable for me.
Let me add that I experience these "issue" since I can remember, so definitely 4.4.4 wasn't the culprit...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an option "WCDMA preferred" which may (I know nothing about this!) set a preference for a stronger reliance on 3G services rather than 2G. It's very easy to set up and switch, worth a little experiment if you get into an area where you are suffering with a slow 2G service.
Changed it right now.
If I feel any difference I will leave the proper feedback.
Thanks

LTE issues

Hey guys I dont see this issue anywhere so maybe i got a dud but basically my phone loves to sit on edge for really no reason. I have tried to restart it, toggle on and off airplane mode, switch between network modes, toggle on and off data, and none of it seesm to work. It seems fine most of the time but if I enter a area with edge and then leave it my phone will take a good 10 minutes to switch back to LTE. If I fiddle with it enough I can sometimes get it to switch back to LTE. Im on T-Mobile and for whatever reason it does NOT want to be on anything other than LTE or Edge. Ive never even seen the 3g or 4g icons. So any ideas?
It could be that the LTE coverage in the area you go to is spotty, which is why your device switches the EDGE. As it gets better reception via the EDGE band.
I remember reading in a review that this was a problem for one reviewer. Maybe it's the network bands used that your Honor dislikes or maybe it's just a software issue. If I were you I'd try with a different SIM card from a different carrier that does not use the same network (some carriers share their network).
I think the area you're in, isn't fully supported by honor 8 modem

Question Data connection very slow

Hello, i finally bought a ROG Phone ZS673KS WW from a big electronic store franchise in my country, and the phone is working like a charm, but since the first moments i booted it up, i noticed that the 4G connection works really slow.
I did some tests in places I know for sure that got good band coverage (like at home and at my workplace) using the ROG Phone, my latest phone (a OnePlus 6) and another old smartphone i had laying around at home, and i saw that all the smartphones connect to the same band, and get the same coverage, but the ROG Phone get the download speed decimated for whatever reason (literally, it gets barely 10mbps while the other 2 phones get 100-120mbps).
Online i couldn't find any solution about that beside the suggestion to try and swap the SIM slot, but that didn't help, same results.
What can I do to solve that deal breaking problem?
Thanks in advance for the help, have a nice weekend everyone!!
SottoSopra666 said:
Hello, i finally bought a ROG Phone ZS673KS WW from a big electronic store franchise in my country, and the phone is working like a charm, but since the first moments i booted it up, i noticed that the 4G connection works really slow.
I did some tests in places I know for sure that got good band coverage (like at home and at my workplace) using the ROG Phone, my latest phone (a OnePlus 6) and another old smartphone i had laying around at home, and i saw that all the smartphones connect to the same band, and get the same coverage, but the ROG Phone get the download speed decimated for whatever reason (literally, it gets barely 10mbps while the other 2 phones get 100-120mbps).
Online i couldn't find any solution about that beside the suggestion to try and swap the SIM slot, but that didn't help, same results.
What can I do to solve that deal breaking problem?
Thanks in advance for the help, have a nice weekend everyone!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you installed the Sim card, then turn off the phone for 1 minute then turn it back on?
Trash.umu said:
Have you installed the Sim card, then turn off the phone for 1 minute then turn it back on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, tried also that with no results
SottoSopra666 said:
Yeah, tried also that with no results
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what happens if you turn off 5G? Unless 5g is already disabled.
I'll look at more info on the hardware specs for the different phones you have. I am not sure if they cheaped out on the antenna or not for the ROG 5 phone or not.
I know if you cover the antenna it messes up the signal.
It could also be the mode you phone is on. If your phone is set to save battery, it might not be using as much power through the antenna. Try messing with the setting and checking to see if any setting or hand placements actually affect the signal strength and data capability of your phone.
I did some test and I think it has to do with how the phone determines which data connection to use, so it is most likely a software issue rather than a hardware one. It does not use the actual fastest connection but rather it uses the highest level of connection.
Ex. If 5g is available even though it is slower, it will choose to run on 5g. If 4g is the highest connection you have, it will attempt to run on 4g. I ran my phone on 3/ 2G and had faster connections than with 4g or 5g.
It could also be based on signal strength rather than signal level. That being said, if the 4g or 5g connection is over crowded by users, using 3g/2g will be faster and more reliable than using 4g or 5g, but due to the signal strength being so high makes the phone chose the slower 4g/5g connection.
Since the volume of phones they create aren't as large as many other companies, I have a feeling they did not put much effort into this area of the phones software as other, more commonly used brands have.
Trash.umu said:
I did some test and I think it has to do with how the phone determines which data connection to use, so it is most likely a software issue rather than a hardware one. It does not use the actual fastest connection but rather it uses the highest level of connection.
Ex. If 5g is available even though it is slower, it will choose to run on 5g. If 4g is the highest connection you have, it will attempt to run on 4g. I ran my phone on 3/ 2G and had faster connections than with 4g or 5g.
It could also be based on signal strength rather than signal level. That being said, if the 4g or 5g connection is over crowded by users, using 3g/2g will be faster and more reliable than using 4g or 5g, but due to the signal strength being so high makes the phone chose the slower 4g/5g connection.
Since the volume of phones they create aren't as large as many other companies, I have a feeling they did not put much effort into this area of the phones software as other, more commonly used brands have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, tried disabling 5G (since where I live 5G doesn't exist yet) and that didn't change anything. Mmmmh if it's a software problem, sounds like something that could be potentially solved, but how this, if i tested it, and different phones connect to the same 4G band, and give a different result?
SottoSopra666 said:
Yeah, tried disabling 5G (since where I live 5G doesn't exist yet) and that didn't change anything. Mmmmh if it's a software problem, sounds like something that could be potentially solved, but how this, if i tested it, and different phones connect to the same 4G band, and give a different result?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume that using a different phone using the same band and service indicates that either the antenna or the software is the issue.
It could be either the antenna or the software and I don't know a solution for either. It is possible if they did tune the software, they could potentially increase power to the antenna and increase it's output power at the cost of battery. I tried testing having my body close and far from the phone and it look like there wasn't much of a difference in signal strength.

Categories

Resources