Download speeds SUCK! What gives? - Samsung Galaxy A71 5G Questions & Answers

Anyone else having an issues with downloading updates for apps over network/cellular connection?
When I do it, it is painfully slow and in a side by side comparison with my Note 10 plus it gets smoked (5G vs 4G). The Note 10+ will have already downloaded the app, installed it and opened it while the A71 5G is still at 10% downloading.
The only way I can get the download speeds to increase is to turn on the WiFi and it definitely speeds up but still not as fast as the 4G on the Note 10+.
I also tried switch my network band from 5G to 4G but still having the same issue.
Am I missing something? Is the joke on me?
**edit**
On the line with T-Mobile support and they have me testing my download/upload speed with Internet Speed Test via Google. So far my results have been pretty consistent:
0.52 Mbps download
0.52 Mbps upload

quick update:
On the phone with Tmo tech support this morning. They're telling me that ALL A71 5G phones are experiencing this. That the ball was dropped on it. They are expecting the firmware update to fix the issue. The rub is if I want to return this phone today is my last day (14 days) or I can wait to see if the firmware update works. Double sucks because I traded in my Note 8 for this because the Tmo promo. T-Mobile tech support is well aware of this issue.
Currently basebands ending in TSV are getting the firmware update. I have TEL and they did not know when that was being pushed out.
If you are wanting to run the same speed test that I was instructed to run, on your A71 5G, go here and follow the instructions:
https://support.google.com/websearc...t&visit_id=637324165013460751-1430605442&rd=1
If it is like mine, you will get vastly different results compared to Speedtest by Ookla: www.speedtest.net
Side note: While talking to Tmo tech support they're also having issues with the Note 4 losing LTE abilities, just in case you know anyone using them still.

rosedog said:
quick update:
On the phone with Tmo tech support this morning. They're telling me that ALL A71 5G phones are experiencing this. That the ball was dropped on it. They are expecting the firmware update to fix the issue. The rub is if I want to return this phone today is my last day (14 days) or I can wait to see if the firmware update works. Double sucks because I traded in my Note 8 for this because the Tmo promo. T-Mobile tech support is well aware of this issue.
Currently basebands ending in TSV are getting the firmware update. I have TEL and they did not know when that was being pushed out.
If you are wanting to run the same speed test that I was instructed to run, on your A71 5G, go here and follow the instructions:
If it is like mine, you will get vastly different results compared to Speedtest by Ookla:
Side note: While talking to Tmo tech support they're also having issues with the Note 4 losing LTE abilities, just in case you know anyone using them still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Rosedog,
thanks for sharing this info. I just received my tmo A71 5G yesterday and while it shows full five bar reception and 5G connections, the data does not work at all for me. Disabling the 5G connection and the phone connects to 4G just fine. Re-enabling 5G and mobile data no longer works again.
I have contacted Tmo customer service and they also had a tech try a bunch of things, update my SIM card, check the tower my phone is pinging, I even factory defaulted my phone to no avail. They have escalated this to one of their "engineers" and I should get a call back on Monday.
Unfortunately, this being a fairly new phone, not much information that I could find but there was a support thread on TMO, I can't share the URL because I don't have any posts on XDA. lol =x
but the thread is titled: Samsung A71 5G Network Issues

rosedog said:
quick update:
On the phone with Tmo tech support this morning. They're telling me that ALL A71 5G phones are experiencing this. That the ball was dropped on it. They are expecting the firmware update to fix the issue. The rub is if I want to return this phone today is my last day (14 days) or I can wait to see if the firmware update works. Double sucks because I traded in my Note 8 for this because the Tmo promo. T-Mobile tech support is well aware of this issue.
Currently basebands ending in TSV are getting the firmware update. I have TEL and they did not know when that was being pushed out.
If you are wanting to run the same speed test that I was instructed to run, on your A71 5G, go here and follow the instructions:
https://support.google.com/websearc...t&visit_id=637324165013460751-1430605442&rd=1
If it is like mine, you will get vastly different results compared to Speedtest by Ookla: www.speedtest.net
Side note: While talking to Tmo tech support they're also having issues with the Note 4 losing LTE abilities, just in case you know anyone using them still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the TEL firmware on T-Mobile and I've been getting far better speeds than you on my A71 5G. Right now the tower I'm on is a bit congested, but I ran the speedtest you linked and it showed 5.76 Mbps download / 11.5 Mbps upload. (phone shows a 5G connection)
About a week ago, I was in Washington Square Park in NYC (also on 5G) and was stunned to get 674 Mbps down: https://imgur.com/54xDrOT

jumpah said:
Hi Rosedog,
thanks for sharing this info. I just received my tmo A71 5G yesterday and while it shows full five bar reception and 5G connections, the data does not work at all for me. Disabling the 5G connection and the phone connects to 4G just fine. Re-enabling 5G and mobile data no longer works again.
I have contacted Tmo customer service and they also had a tech try a bunch of things, update my SIM card, check the tower my phone is pinging, I even factory defaulted my phone to no avail. They have escalated this to one of their "engineers" and I should get a call back on Monday.
Unfortunately, this being a fairly new phone, not much information that I could find but there was a support thread on TMO, I can't share the URL because I don't have any posts on XDA. lol =x
but the thread is titled: Samsung A71 5G Network Issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Jumpah,
It sucks simply put. As I said earlier this morning T-Mobile is well aware of this. The rep told me that they cannot believe how the ball was dropped on this phone. They have been getting alot of complaints about it and I went through the same hoops except for the factory reset. We're stuck with a paper weight at the moment. It pisses me off because this was my intro to 5G before I made the jump to the Samsung Note 20 Ultra. I wanted to see the badass speeds when this opened up.
andrewNY said:
I have the TEL firmware on T-Mobile and I've been getting far better speeds than you on my A71 5G. Right now the tower I'm on is a bit congested, but I ran the speedtest you linked and it showed 5.76 Mbps download / 11.5 Mbps upload. (phone shows a 5G connection)
About a week ago, I was in Washington Square Park in NYC (also on 5G) and was stunned to get 674 Mbps down: https://imgur.com/54xDrOT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah your download speed on your current test is slower than my Note 10+ but definitely faster than my A71 5G. I would love to get first speed though.
**edit**
 @andrewNY after looking at your picture, that speed test looks like it was run using Ookla . I don't even bother looking at their speeds any longer. If I run their test I get 46.88 Mbps download right now. That is a difference of 9,015%, yours is 11,701%

Im On The latest ATG9 updated baseband so i assume i wont have this issue, my speed down seems fine my up seems a little low though but as long as my down is that fast im cool with it.
P.S.=Mine Was TEL when i got it.
SideNote =my update for ATG9 came in last night at midnight.

Mine has consistently gotten 25Mbps-30Mbps on "5G".
But I assumed TMo was pulling the same smoke and mirrors they usually do and park the 5G symbol on the display even when it isn't technically 5G.
They did the same during the transition from 3G to 4G and then from 4G to LTE.
I'll have to check it against my wife's Note 10.
On Wifi I show speeds off the scale on speedtest.net in excess of 100Mbps.
As this was one of the first 5G phones, and despite all the hype, TMo will still be rolling out 5G infrastructure for at least another 12mo, I wasn't expecting much except in major cities like NYC, LA, ATL, DAL, etc.
---------- Post added at 01:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:31 PM ----------
Just verified using my wife's Note 10 that we both are getting identical speeds on multiple tests.
My A71 5G shows a "5G" connection on the display.
Her Note 10 shows 4G LTE on the display.
TMo's coverage map claims I should have 5G coverage here.

Here in SC speeds have been up to par. 2nd 5g phone. Am getting better speeds on my a71 then my v60..

rosedog said:
@andrewNY after looking at your picture, that speed test looks like it was run using Ookla . I don't even bother looking at their speeds any longer. If I run their test I get 46.88 Mbps download right now. That is a difference of 9,015%, yours is 11,701%
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Ookla speed test I posted was run at a different time and location to the Google speed test I quoted, so it can't really be compared there. I actually ran another Ookla test at the same time and got roughly the exact same speeds as what Google was showing me though.
BTW: I got a OTA firmware update today to the latest firmware; maybe check your device and see if T-Mobile made the update available to you, and if it helps.

Mine is T-Mobile-labeled on the box, while my service is with Sprint.
My wife has the same device.
I don't have a strong 5G signal at home, and it usually comes in
between 5Mb/s and 20Mb/s when testing with Ookla.
It fluctuates quite a lot.
The 5G indicator reliably comes and goes, with signal strength indicator
acting accordingly. Simple LTE-only signal is always high, with 5G
coming in at a lower strength while at home.
At my workplace, it's a different show entirely.
I've gotten as fast as 273 Mb/s on a strong 5G signal,
which is over 5-times the rate I pay for on a cable modem at home.
My home and workplace are less than seven miles apart.
4G LTE signals can get me as much as 25 Mb/s at home,
but it, too, fluctuates a lot. Voice calls are a colossal improvement, however,
with audio quality reported as excellent on both ends.
5G is definitely for real, while the implementation is far from being
fully deployed yet. We'll need to give it time before the newer 5G
is deployed across the current infrastructure.

andrewNY said:
The Ookla speed test I posted was run at a different time and location to the Google speed test I quoted, so it can't really be compared there. I actually ran another Ookla test at the same time and got roughly the exact same speeds as what Google was showing me though.
BTW: I got a OTA firmware update today to the latest firmware; maybe check your device and see if T-Mobile made the update available to you, and if it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Saw your reply when you made it, just haven't had time to respond. I got the firmware update but that was not the fix, although I did get it fixed.
Last Friday being my last day to turn it in, I went to the store to turn it in. I explained everything to the associate (store manager) and while he was pulling up my account I started playing with the demo A71 (same base band) and it was getting fantastic speeds, mine was still getting 0.5 Mbps. The manager thought that it might be the sim card so he tried his in my phone and the speeds were drastically better. He got me a new sim and inserted it and the speeds were like his moments earlier. Getting the sim card exposed the real problem. It in fact was not the sim card but the service the associate had put my phone onto. Now my Note 10+ did not work
When I got the phone I had asked if there was a way I could have two phones ring at the same time when one phone number is called. I explained that I did not want to be sim swapping all the time from my daily driver (Note 10+) to my play/trial 5G phone (A71 5G). They told me digits could do that and it was only $10 a month. Sounded great to me... Technically it worked, both phones would ring, I could go to websites and it seemed to be as I was told. Unfortunately when the associate sold me the digits line he did not look at what type of account I have. I have an old account that has been grandfathered in (from 2010) and its a TAX EXCLUDED (TE) account vs. the newer kind of TAX INCLUDED (TI). Digits for a TE account gets you data and phone for $10 but NOT high speed data! That is only available for TI accounts and that cost $20/$25 a month. The only way I could get this to work was to do it the old fashion way of adding an additional line but that is $30 a month. So through ineptitude I was sold a plan that was not intended to do the things I was told it could do. We had to call into customer service (611) to see if they could do anything to help fix the issue at hand, like get me the high speed digits line. The system would not allow but what they did do was get me a new line that mimics my main line (all the bells and whistles) for $15 a month for my troubles. I took it and it works. I do not digits any longer but I did enjoy the fact that both devices could ring at the same time.
As for running the speed test, Ookla still gives me higher speeds on paper but only by 10 Mbps now.
What a stupid ordeal that took way too much time to figure out.

rosedog said:
Saw your reply when you made it, just haven't had time to respond. I got the firmware update but that was not the fix, although I did get it fixed.
Last Friday being my last day to turn it in, I went to the store to turn it in. I explained everything to the associate (store manager) and while he was pulling up my account I started playing with the demo A71 (same base band) and it was getting fantastic speeds, mine was still getting 0.5 Mbps. The manager thought that it might be the sim card so he tried his in my phone and the speeds were drastically better. He got me a new sim and inserted it and the speeds were like his moments earlier. Getting the sim card exposed the real problem. It in fact was not the sim card but the service the associate had put my phone onto. Now my Note 10+ did not work
When I got the phone I had asked if there was a way I could have two phones ring at the same time when one phone number is called. I explained that I did not want to be sim swapping all the time from my daily driver (Note 10+) to my play/trial 5G phone (A71 5G). They told me digits could do that and it was only $10 a month. Sounded great to me... Technically it worked, both phones would ring, I could go to websites and it seemed to be as I was told. Unfortunately when the associate sold me the digits line he did not look at what type of account I have. I have an old account that has been grandfathered in (from 2010) and its a TAX EXCLUDED (TE) account vs. the newer kind of TAX INCLUDED (TI). Digits for a TE account gets you data and phone for $10 but NOT high speed data! That is only available for TI accounts and that cost $20/$25 a month. The only way I could get this to work was to do it the old fashion way of adding an additional line but that is $30 a month. So through ineptitude I was sold a plan that was not intended to do the things I was told it could do. We had to call into customer service (611) to see if they could do anything to help fix the issue at hand, like get me the high speed digits line. The system would not allow but what they did do was get me a new line that mimics my main line (all the bells and whistles) for $15 a month for my troubles. I took it and it works. I do not digits any longer but I did enjoy the fact that both devices could ring at the same time.
As for running the speed test, Ookla still gives me higher speeds on paper but only by 10 Mbps now.
What a stupid ordeal that took way too much time to figure out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that's pretty crazy, but I'm glad you figured it out, and also that there isn't a critical issue with the A71 5G and speeds!

andrewNY said:
Wow, that's pretty crazy, but I'm glad you figured it out, and also that there isn't a critical issue with the A71 5G and speeds!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would say I spent 8+ hours trying to get this fixed between tech support and in store support. Nobody thought to look at the account type before hand.

So I had this issue on At&t, couldn't for the life of me figure out why my cell speeds were so bad. At&t variant defaults apn to ATT ENHANCED.
I decided to use the same Apn for my LG V40 apn: NXTGENPHONE
The speeds are night and day, and 5G still works on NXTGENPHONE
On 5g default apn 47mbps on NXTGEN 255mbps
I tested switching between apns for 4 hours (I was at the beach)
At home default 4mbps and NXTGEN 20mbps.
If your on AT&T try the NXTGENPHONE apn

I can confirm speedtest.net reached download speeds in excess of 175Mbps in Atlanta, GA on 5G with 4-bar signal. That was both indoors, and outside, repeated in multiple locations.
As before, even though TMo's coverage map claims my home is a 5G area, I only get LTE speeds of about 25Mbps there.

SkedAddled said:
Mine is T-Mobile-labeled on the box, while my service is with Sprint.
My wife has the same device.
I don't have a strong 5G signal at home, and it usually comes in
between 5Mb/s and 20Mb/s when testing with Ookla.
It fluctuates quite a lot.
The 5G indicator reliably comes and goes, with signal strength indicator
acting accordingly. Simple LTE-only signal is always high, with 5G
coming in at a lower strength while at home.
At my workplace, it's a different show entirely.
I've gotten as fast as 273 Mb/s on a strong 5G signal,
which is over 5-times the rate I pay for on a cable modem at home.
My home and workplace are less than seven miles apart.
4G LTE signals can get me as much as 25 Mb/s at home,
but it, too, fluctuates a lot. Voice calls are a colossal improvement, however,
with audio quality reported as excellent on both ends.
5G is definitely for real, while the implementation is far from being
fully deployed yet. We'll need to give it time before the newer 5G
is deployed across the current infrastructure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just adding my experience so far- I've been to several places around my home where i get 5 bars of "5G". Running any speed test on 5G is usually 20 mbits/sec slower than if I configure the network to 4G. It's so consistent that I don't bother to turn on the 5G network, as it will underperform.

steven.rn said:
Just adding my experience so far- I've been to several places around my home where i get 5 bars of "5G". Running any speed test on 5G is usually 20 mbits/sec slower than if I configure the network to 4G. It's so consistent that I don't bother to turn on the 5G network, as it will underperform.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I consistently get variable 5G results: At home, not so good. At work: VERY good.
I haven't tried setting to 4G-only yet, as VOLTE seems to be what enables 5G on my device.
Keep in mind also, that signal-strength bars are not neccessarily an indication of 4G or 5G signals.
My experience has shown that indicated signal-strength only applies to voice as on Sprint,
while 4G and 5G data throughput is typically lower-performance.

SkedAddled said:
I consistently get variable 5G results: At home, not so good. At work: VERY good.
I haven't tried setting to 4G-only yet, as VOLTE seems to be what enables 5G on my device.
Keep in mind also, that signal-strength bars are not neccessarily an indication of 4G or 5G signals.
My experience has shown that indicated signal-strength only applies to voice as on Sprint,
while 4G and 5G data throughput is typically lower-performance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much appreciated comment, bud, that would explain some things.
Still, it seems odd that when I enable 5G, even if the phone is actually getting 4g, it's still slower. Dunno if that's because the phone is still looking for 5g while it's downloading a test in 4G or what.... either way, I didn't really expect 5G to amount to much in Northeast ohio yet.
Cheers!
StevenRN

steven.rn said:
Much appreciated comment, bud, that would explain some things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've found that signal-strength indicator doesn't necessarily represent data-throughout rate,
or what one might expect if it shows a 'full' signal. I've seen tests fluctuate considerably
during the test itself when stationary.
I just did an Ookla speed test from home on 5G.
It wavered from around 6 or 7Mb/s to over 52Mb/s during the short time it took,
rising and falling repeatedly. When I'm at work, the throughput just continues to climb
during the test time until it tops out at whatever it can get: no fluctuation;
it just keeps increasing. It's topped-out at various maximums, but it ALWAYS just climbs to a max.
I had some sound-quality issues on 4G, in not being able to make out clear voice before,
while this new device is excellent, on both ends of a call.
steven.rn said:
Still, it seems odd that when I enable 5G, even if the phone is actually getting 4g, it's still slower. Dunno if that's because the phone is still looking for 5g while it's downloading a test in 4G or what.... either way, I didn't really expect 5G to amount to much in Northeast ohio yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably some bandwidth is being used, like you suspect, leeching some of it
away from your results.
My old HTC EVO 4G LTE went into a major battery drain when reliable data signals
weren't available, and I discovered that Airplane Mode would put a halt to that, lending
some credence to your suspicions. My takeaway has been that if the device is looking for a radio signal
it cannot find, it ramps-up the process, leading to processor use and battery drain, as well as
potential bandwidth usage due to signal-seeking.
As for deployment of 5G, you'd be surprised:
I live much closer to the population center of Grand Rapids, MI, than I do to my workplace
of a semi-rural community of Byron Center. The "Built-up-ness" of the immediate area
around my home has increased tremendously within the 8 or so years I've lived where I am,
while Byron Center remains much the same. Yet Byron Center has received the infrastructure
updates that my more population-centric home base has not, going back to 4G LTE.
There's just no figuring out when/why/how any given provider will roll out updates
to infrastructure, but it shows that some happen within very surprising places.

I have just got off phone with sprint. They refreshed my phone and I am getting better download speeds. They also said there upgrading my tower to 5G should be done in 5 to 7 days. Really don't know what the refreshing does.

Related

Data speeds vs sprint

For $35 a month for technically sprint i will plunk down $300 for this beauty but how fast are the downloads?
Seems faster than my tmobile vibrant 3g was.
Sent from my MOTWX435KT using XDA App
it all depends on service and tower loads.. like at around 6pm i get 300kbps and at 6am i get 1400-1500 kbps... right now its 8:30am and im getting 850kbps... so it all depends sometimes i get 100kbps all the way down to 30kbps.. but the triumph was faster than my Buddy droid x and he had two bars i only had one.. at least 3 times faster ( both on 3g)
I was on SERO 500, and my Sprint phone died, so I want to upgrade to SEROP, but calling Sprint (5 times, they know what is SEROP but would not give it to me), email ecare (3 times, then no one reply anymore). So I am now on VM $25 plan w/ Triumph.
The phone itself is just like any other Android phone. At home, I get almost no Data. Phone and SMS go thru no problem. Google Map, Browser, Youtube 90% of the time would not load, and complaint no connection. When I walk out of the apartment building Data works.
The problem is, my old Sprint phone is Touch Pro, and it got perfect Data.
So does Sprint has any special rule for VM phone? Since I am new to VM and Android, I am reading now how to update PRL.
the main difference is that sprint plans allow roaming on verizon towers. otherwise, the data speeds are the same. any speed difference you're seeing is likely caused by device differences (e.g. antenna, radio, ...)
VM doesn't roam, so it will never have as good reception as a sprint (or AT&T or Verizon) phone. Part of that $80-$100 a month you are paying them is for roaming access fees between the carriers.
Long and short of it is if you want the bet reception and data speeds, you need to pay for it. You aren't going to get top notch network performance for $25 a month.
emkorial said:
VM doesn't roam, so it will never have as good reception as a sprint (or AT&T or Verizon) phone. Part of that $80-$100 a month you are paying them is for roaming access fees between the carriers.
Long and short of it is if you want the bet reception and data speeds, you need to pay for it. You aren't going to get top notch network performance for $25 a month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, but you can get get top notch service for $35 a month. In some areas the best signal for a Sprint phone will be from Sprint towers; in that case, a Virgin phone (using only Sprint towers) will get the same service as a Sprint phone unless the actual phones are different.
I disagree. I have the phone and the web browsing speed was horrible as well as the download speed for apps. You guys may have towers closer to you. I stay in washington, dc. I did the prl swap, now i feel as though my data speeds are much faster, possible 300% more faster. I browse facebook, zoom! check out a youtube vid and no buffering on a 6minute video. If you have slow data speeds do the prl swap! You will appreciate the phone much more!
http://androidforums.com/triumph-all-things-root/395533-big-difference-data-speeds.html
Which PRL did you use, hitsndc? 01115? 01119? 01120? These are the 3 PRL's I've seen mentioned across the forums.
MarkMcCoskey said:
Which PRL did you use, hitsndc? 01115? 01119? 01120? These are the 3 PRL's I've seen mentioned across the forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used 01115
I just swapped to 01115; will advise if it makes a difference. I also attempted to force the phone into EvDO-only mode in the build.prop file - that MAY make a significant difference in places where the radio "hunts", which mine DOES when mobile.
If it works I'll post a "how to" which is more-or-less like what's been posted, with one exception - there's an easy way to get the phone to ALWAYS have the diag enabled using "anycut".
Update: EVDO-only lock is NOT effective, however with 01115 the phone re-selects to 3G much more reliably and quickly than with the base PRL and is also connecting to towers it never did before (as shown in "Open Signal"), so at least here it appears to be an improvement.
I swapped to 01115 myself.
Speed test are about the same, which I understood would be the case. As long as my connection is more consistent, I'd be happy. I've had a couple dropped calls. Will have to wait and see with this PRL.
I should check Google maps to see if it detects me closer/more accurately. I've had times where it was miles off, when I know there are towers closer. So hopefully I have better access to the closer towers.
Would still like to know the difference between the PRL's (01115, 01119, 01120, or any others that would work with the Triumph).
Genesis3 said:
I just swapped to 01115; will advise if it makes a difference. I also attempted to force the phone into EvDO-only mode in the build.prop file - that MAY make a significant difference in places where the radio "hunts", which mine DOES when mobile.
If it works I'll post a "how to" which is more-or-less like what's been posted, with one exception - there's an easy way to get the phone to ALWAYS have the diag enabled using "anycut".
Update: EVDO-only lock is NOT effective, however with 01115 the phone re-selects to 3G much more reliably and quickly than with the base PRL and is also connecting to towers it never did before (as shown in "Open Signal"), so at least here it appears to be an improvement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing, with regards to locking into 3G more reliably, do the phone signal decibel levels improve as well? And how about voice quality?
Voice quality was never an issue here - this phone is capable of holding a voice call and being stable when it shows ZERO bars, which none of my other handsets have ever done.
The big difference I see is that there are other towers that now appear in the neighbor list and the handset does connect to them where it didn't before, so I am definitely "seeing" connection sources that I didn't know existed in the past.
It hasn't made a material difference in data rate performance that I can see from my house - the real test will be whether it makes a difference of materiality when I'm in the car and such, which is where I've seen a lot of "hunting" down to 1x and "sticking" there. We'll see if that is gone or not.
I'm keeping 1115 for now but have the original PRL in the event I need to go back to it.
Once I swapped my prl and added the EvDo line my Data more than doubled in speed. Like hitsndc said I am now able to stream a whole 4 min video with no buffer. Once I removed that line it would stop every few seconds. Added the line, back to no Buffer. I tried this a few times before I came to the conclusion that it did make a difference.
Once I updated the PRL I used opensignal from the market to see my towers and now I was locked on to a tower close to me that wasnt even showing up on the map before.
Im alot happier with my phone now. Once we get 2.3 on here Ill be good
Where did you put the EVDO line? In build.prop? That's where I stuck it - it made no difference for me; I still occasionally "hunt" to 1x service, but the PRL change DID make a difference as I now "see" towers (and connect to them) that I wasn't before.
Look guys I only had one bar.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

LTE on T-mobile upload issues

I am on T-mobile 5GB/month prepaid plan and would like to know if any of you have the same issue. What I found out is that download speed using ookla's speedtest app will show at around 10 to 25 mbps but I never got upload speed to ant stable level and average around 2 mbps regardless of cell tower, reception, or time of the day! It also seems that upload speed starts at 10mbps and after 1 -2 seconds will just stop, and then do like 1 mbps. Sometimes, ookla speedtest will not be able to finish the test using LTE and report network problems. I tried using different bandwidth test apps with similar results. HSPA+ does as usual, around 10mbps down 3 to 4 mbps up, no interruptions. Something is not working right and I sure don't like it. Yesterday, while connected on LTE my music streaming got interrupted and buffered every 20 minutes or so, like I am on EDGE, LOL (no actually... it's not funny at all). Hangout video chat (while on LTE) interrupted few times as well.
Update: Switching SIM cards didn't help. Upload speed is still extremely slow or will show network error. There are at least 6 other members reporting this issue with T-mobile LTE.
T-Mobile LTE here in Houston, TX. I'm don't have any issues that you mentioned above. Had the phone for 2 days.
peteus said:
I am on T-mobile 5GB/month prepaid plan and would like to know if any of you have the same issue. What I found out is that download speed using ookla's speedtest app will show at around 10 to 25 mbps but I never got upload speed to ant stable level and average around 2 mbps regardless of cell tower, reception, or time of the day! It also seems that upload speed starts at 10mbps and after 1 -2 seconds will just stop, and then do like 1 mbps. Sometimes, ookla speedtest will not be able to finish the test using LTE and report network problems. I tried using different bandwidth test apps with similar results. HSPA+ does as usual, around 10mbps down 3 to 4 mbps up, no interruptions. Something is not working right and I sure don't like it. Yesterday, while connected on LTE my music streaming got interrupted and buffered every 20 minutes or so, like I am on EDGE, LOL (no actually... it's not funny at all). Hangout video chat (while on LTE) interrupted few times as well.
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you get throttled on prepaid to make way for the postpaid plans. its like this on every carrier.
Is this a new device / activation with a new(er) T-Mo micro-Sim card?
What device were you using before the N5? Try powering down the N5 and restarting it?
Reminds me of the old cable broadband days - turbo speed for that initial burst of extra speed, then it's back to same old, same old. Perhaps a lot of N5 on the special plan getting activated & seizing LTE's bandwidth ??
But, even HSPA+ speed is better than our soon-to-be history VZW 3G data with its lousy coverage at our home.
Zepius said:
you get throttled on prepaid to make way for the postpaid plans. its like this on every carrier.
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I don't have prepaid but $30 month to month.
Letitride said:
Is this a new device / activation with a new(er) T-Mo micro-Sim card?
What device were you using before the N5? Try powering down the N5 and restarting it?
Reminds me of the old cable broadband days - turbo speed for that initial burst of extra speed, then it's back to same old, same old. Perhaps a lot of N5 on the special plan getting activated & seizing LTE's bandwidth ??
But, even HSPA+ speed is better than our soon-to-be history VZW 3G data with its lousy coverage at our home.
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I used Galaxy Nexus and cut SIM card to micro size. Do you think it may make a difference if I replace it with new T-Mobile micro card? Why? What could be different? I would assume something like that may be the problem if I couldn't connect to LTE band- but N5 does connect with this (old customized) SIM when signal is available. I at first thought it was overloaded T-Mobile tower, but then I drove around and tested with the same results.
peteus said:
I used Galaxy Nexus and cut SIM card to micro size. Do you think it may make a difference if I replace it with new T-Mobile micro card? Why? What could be different? I would assume something like that may be the problem if I couldn't connect to LTE band- but N5 does connect with this (old customized) SIM when signal is available. I at first thought it was overloaded T-Mobile tower, but then I drove around and tested with the same results.
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I had a 3 years old PAYG T-Mo Sim card ("regular/standard sized) and it was getting worn out from being swapped around - just by looking at the metal contacts) so I grabbed extra ones for 99cents (or was it free, whatever last month) just in case - not feeling to make a run to a local T-Mo store to ask for one to be swapped out. T-Mo support site mentioned about Sim card exhausion after 2 years (that's a new one to me too, but whatever) & that a new one should be exchanged - I couldn't swap it out online by updating or changing the Sim card, so ended up calling 877-xxx-xxxx & got transferred to a live operator and was done in less than 10 minutes, no questions asked once I came up with the correct PIN (ended up changing it anyway) - CSR didn't even ask for device's IMEI #, just read those long digits to him.
Waited a few minutes, rebooted and received 2 SMS & made a quick test call confirming that everything seemed to be working. It's working for me as I only switched to the $3 per day plan to check out the speed & back on PAGO by the minutes plan now on this line - it's my emergency backup line for voice calls.
I thought about & was ready to cut down the Sim to micr-Sim size with a template, but realized that by matching it to other free micro-Sims that I might be damaging the contacts as they are oversized beyond the micro-sim's dimensions.
If you have a spare free unactivated T-mo sim around, call them to swap it out to see if it might be the root cause - supposingly, older Sims like yours (and mine) might not be properly "provisioned" for 4G/LTE and possibly max'd out at 3G/HSPA+ in those days in their system's profile.
My friendly UPS driver just dropped off another free/free micro-sim plus a data only micro-sim for the tablet, so I'm going to play with the tablet and see how lucky I can get with the "free" 200MB monthly data offer.
Letitride said:
I had a 3 years old PAYG T-Mo Sim card ("regular/standard sized) and it was getting worn out from being swapped around - just by looking at the metal contacts) so I grabbed extra ones for 99cents (or was it free, whatever last month) just in case - not feeling to make a run to a local T-Mo store to ask for one to be swapped out. T-Mo support site mentioned about Sim card exhausion after 2 years (that's a new one to me too, but whatever) & that a new one should be exchanged - I couldn't swap it out online by updating or changing the Sim card, so ended up calling 877-xxx-xxxx & got transferred to a live operator and was done in less than 10 minutes, no questions asked once I came up with the correct PIN (ended up changing it anyway) - CSR didn't even ask for device's IMEI #, just read those long digits to him.
Waited a few minutes, rebooted and received 2 SMS & made a quick test call confirming that everything seemed to be working. It's working for me as I only switched to the $3 per day plan to check out the speed & back on PAGO by the minutes plan now on this line - it's my emergency backup line for voice calls.
I thought about & was ready to cut down the Sim to micr-Sim size with a template, but realized that by matching it to other free micro-Sims that I might be damaging the contacts as they are oversized beyond the micro-sim's dimensions.
If you have a spare free unactivated T-mo sim around, call them to swap it out to see if it might be the root cause - supposingly, older Sims like yours (and mine) might not be properly "provisioned" for 4G/LTE and possibly max'd out at 3G/HSPA+ in those days in their system's profile.
My friendly UPS driver just dropped off another free/free micro-sim plus a data only micro-sim for the tablet, so I'm going to play with the tablet and see how lucky I can get with the "free" 200MB monthly data offer.
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Thanks. I'll get to T-Mobile store.
What does T-mobile say
There are at least 6 XDA members so far reporting issue with LTE upload speed on T-mobile. Switching SIM card to new one did not resolve the problem. One question for all with upload issues: Do you have 16 or 32GB version? I think it's vise to call T-mobile at this time in search for solution.
peteus said:
There are at least 6 XDA members so far reporting issue with LTE upload speed on T-mobile. Switching SIM card to new one did not resolve the problem. One question for all with upload issues: Do you have 16 or 32GB version? I think it's vise to call T-mobile at this time in search for solution.
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I have this same problem. Nexus 5 here, and upload tests are abysmal, usually ranking at about .5mbps, whereas download is 12+.
Using a legit T-Mo micro-SIM. HSPA+ does NOT have these issues at all.
At some point soon, I'm going to go down to the T-Mobile store, and hopefully run a side-by-side test between their T-Mo branded Galaxy S4 and other devices, to compare with mine. If theirs doesn't show this issue, I'm filing a support ticket, as well as contacting Google.
I'm on the same plan and hadn't tested until you posted this. For me the results did matter what server I was on. I got close to the same download speeds you posted somewhere between 25-30 mbps down and upload went from .5 up to 20mbps when I switched servers. I have definitely noticed this phone faster but my old galaxy never slowed down in the middle of a dl. Like you mentioned after a period of time on a download it gets throttled maybe upload to IDK (havnt experienced it yet) but for me on a big(er) app like dead trigger 2 or HD wigets I get a fast dl to about 30-50% of the app with it saying something like 3 min left, then once it hits the throttle point to something like 30 min for the remainder of the dl. forcing me to cancel or use wifi. So T-mo is def. capping or watching ea dl on an individual basis and deciding off ea request a certain (what they feel to be) acceptable size for that ping, most likely to try to get rid of leach tethering. not really why it effects the LTE more than hspa +42 data tho??

Data Connection Issues

Have anyone experienced data connection issues on the AT&T variant, some of my apps like Craigslist won't open, but it will on other devices?
same
alhadee12 said:
Have anyone experienced data connection issues on the AT&T variant, some of my apps like Craigslist won't open, but it will on other devices?
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Click to collapse
Yes. I am having issues on my Sprint Note EDGE. The signal goes up and down and the data is very spotty only giving me any data about 20% of the time. I am waiting on my replacement but I doubt the phone is faulty.
Sortilege said:
Yes. I am having issues on my Sprint Note EDGE. The signal goes up and down and the data is very spotty only giving me any data about 20% of the time. I am waiting on my replacement but I doubt the phone is faulty.
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My issue is now turning out to be one app, which is Craigslist. I can't connect via AT&T data, but I was able to use a Verizon Hotspot to connect.
I have noticed data & wifi connection dropping frequently. I have been blaming my mobile operator and internet service provider until I saw this thread.
On my T-mobile Edge i was getting Wifi drop outs every minute or so.
I am getting a replacement tomorrow and I will report back.
here is what my battery stats looked like
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28335306/tempFileForShare_2014-11-21-08-19-24.jpg
Firmware.....
Its a Firmware issue
Guys I am almost positive this issue is due to a glitch in Samsungs firmware. I tested the data and was able to download over 1 megabyte per second with only one bar on 4g Spark LTE.
According to the tech support person I talked to that would not be possible on only 1 bar. (btw I stopped the test after hitting 1 Megabyte per second for those that need help converting that equals 8mbps). I was in a saturated 4g Spark network with 5 towers within spitting distance from my location and it still only showed 1 bar. I'm thinking either how the tower reads the signal strength or a bad code line shows no more then 1 bar no matter what.
Now for those having dropped data. Check the Sprint {if you are on Sprint or your providers site for a similar coverage map) site to see the saturation for 4g Spark service, the phones are now setup to LOCK on and HOLD onto the FASTEST tower, which according to the tech who also filled me in on the way the new antennas work, can lead to what seems to be dropped service. She would recommend for individuals having this issue if Spark service is not fully activated in your area to switch over to CDMA only under settings to fix the LTE data dropping issue. BTW the Spark LTE service is apparently different then the old LTE service so those versions do not appear to work interchangeably (according to the Sprint service map). I'm assuming this new triband lte is new for all the carriers but maybe not...
I also noticed someone else got the new version of the firmware, which I also have and that did NOT fix anything for me. If anyone is struggling with this issue I would wait until the firmware is updated again. WHICH I hope by that point we can get flashable firmware for those of us that are rooted...???
Now for a VERY Important Fact: there will now be no way to use data while on a phone call. These phones are a single antenna model. You can either be on the phone or data... UNLESS you are making a WiFi call. That is why this is now a option. It will keep the antenna set to the data side of things and make it possible to use data for the internet at the same time.
I hope this helps.
Adan
alhadee12 said:
Have anyone experienced data connection issues on the AT&T variant, some of my apps like Craigslist won't open, but it will on other devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://blog.craigslist.org/2014/11/24/craigslist-dns-outage/
Thank you for the info. I agree it has to be a firmware issue. I am getting a replacement handset tomorrow to verify that but I can see all these hansets being bad. I am in areas all day long with strong lte/spark/and 3g but my data connection constantly drops. I do also see the cellular signal shooting up and down but have no issues with my call quality at least. Have to reboot...toggle airplane mode....or shut data off and on just to get a little bit of 3g service for a second or two. I really hope the firmware update comes soon. I also went under networks in setting and set it to CDMA only and it as at least seeming to give me a steady 3g connection for now...will reply if that changes
signal
I had the note 4 for 3 weeks before giving it to my wife and getting the edge....the note 4 in all my normal travel was perfect....now with the edge i have horrible data so its something i hope they update quickly
I don't rely on the stock signal bars, they are not really reliable in my opinion. Instead if you install SignalCheck Lte or SignalCheck Pro (for those that are rooted) from the play store. It accurately shows the true signal strength of your connection.
I like the Pro version since it allows to reset the connection quickly if need be.
TS

phone randomly alternating between 5G/LTE

I'm on T-Mobile and I've noticed my phone alternating between 5G and LTE at random intervals. Both 5G and LTE are at 4 bars and I'm stationary. It's not really an issue because I didn't get this phone for 5G and the connection isn't dropping when it switches. Is anyone else experiencing this?
wvufankevin1991 said:
I'm on T-Mobile and I've noticed my phone alternating between 5G and LTE at random intervals. Both 5G and LTE are at 4 bars and I'm stationary. It's not really an issue because I didn't get this phone for 5G and the connection isn't dropping when it switches. Is anyone else experiencing this?
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Actually mine has shown 5g constantly since I got it. Even though it's not using 5g. Mine is fully converted to TMobile
Mine is doing the same..... it must depend on signal strength or something. What concerns me about it is that 5g and 5g mwav is suppose to have less issues with walls, so why are the phones not staying on 5g? something is causing the 5g signal to go in and out.... I noticed less of an issue outside than inside which would be normal I guess, but should not be an issue for Tmobile's 5g service.
I live in NYC and don't have this issue with my phone. Could it be a problem with your location/city?
Have you called t-mobile about it yet?
Maybe do a speed test when it switches to see if you get lower speeds on LTE, maybe that would show if it is really actually switching or just an icon issue as both have the same amount of bars.
How are y'all determining that you are actually connected to a 5G carrier ? For AT&T, they have put the 5G icon on the man screen for awhile so I was looking at the Mobile data network setting under SIM card status but have only seen LTE. Having said that, I have done speed test where I am getting 20ms latency and 60Mbps download speeds.
Here is where the old Nokia Field Test Mode would be useful.
petraviva said:
How are y'all determining that you are actually connected to a 5G carrier ? For AT&T, they have put the 5G icon on the man screen for awhile so I was looking at the Mobile data network setting under SIM card status but have only seen LTE. Having said that, I have done speed test where I am getting 20ms latency and 60Mbps download speeds.
Here is where the old Nokia Field Test Mode would be useful.
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Because, up were you have the bars that show how strong your signal is, it actually tells me when I am on 4G, 4G LTE or 5G, and at least one Tmob, do don't need a 5G enabled SIM, it should "Just work" if you have 5G service in your area and you are within range of a 5G equipt tower..... I also checked with apps like Open Signal and others to see what towers I am connecting to, etc.
5G download and upload speeds are crappy though....lol..... Should be broadband speeds and it is no were near that...

Question Cellular network

How is your cellular network connection? I have noticed i miss connection some times.
Mine has been fine, same as my previous Pixel 5
johnny8910 said:
Mine has been fine, same as my previous Pixel 5
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Do you live in a larger City? No problems with my op6 here i live, somewhat spread 4g.
Concerned if i need to deliver it in, or if it can be fixed with an sw update.
No. I live on the edge of a large town.
My S21 on T-Mobile has been a damned disaster. Can't hold a 5G signal to save its life, and I have 4 other 5G phones next to it locked onto 5G, getting 4x faster speed tests. I'm hoping the Flip performs better.
I believe the S21 has the same modem as the Flip 3.
ken1337 said:
How is your cellular network connection? I have noticed i miss connection some times.
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Me too!!! I'm finding that I have no connection or I am roaming in places that I had coverage on my S9. My wife's iPhone SE was staying on Spectrum while I was roaming. Thinking about sending it back.
Yes i am going to deliver it in, cant check bank app when in stores. Only have edge coverage where i usually have 4g.

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