With all these radios with increasing version numbers ( presumably updates) and comments about not working on some networks which can be a problem for international travellers.
I have a few questions.
- Do these radios all work well on the 2G (GSM, GPRS Edge networks)
- Is the problem of compatibility only on the 3G networks ?
- Do other manufacturer 3G world phones work well in all countries or is this specific to the Hermes platform radios?
nzoka said:
With all these radios with increasing version numbers ( presumably updates) and comments about not working on some networks which can be a problem for international travellers.
I have a few questions.
- Do these radios all work well on the 2G (GSM, GPRS Edge networks)
- Is the problem of compatibility only on the 3G networks ?
- Do other manufacturer 3G world phones work well in all countries or is this specific to the Hermes platform radios?
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Click to collapse
Typically when I travel I'll try to find a radio which works well in the country I'm visiting, but this can be time consuming. I've so far found that by forcing my phone to GSM only I will often get better phone reception, but obviously at the expense of data - so you may be right that the main problem is with the 3G side of things.
I've found that the best rom so far is 1.38.00.10. I've used it in North/South America, Europe, Asia and Asia Pacific and don't recall any specific problems. 1.50.00.00 also seems promising but I always travel with a copy of 1.38 just in case.
My phone is the Vodafone VPA Compact III using with a UK O2 contract SIM. I also travel with an unmodified Nokia N80 on my Vodafone SIM. Often the Nokia will have a signal when my Hermes won't. This is usually because the Nokia has logged onto a different network and when I force the Hermes to that network (from auto) everything is fine again.
well through testing almost all of the roms here in this section i have found out that every rom does have 3g but if you select HSDPA/HSUPA you will lose your 3G connection and can only have it again if you disable HSDPA/HSUPA. This seems very odd because the hermes and kaiser would switch between the two depending on which one had the stronger connection. i welcome others to test this as i think it is interesting and should be looked into.
HackMimic said:
well through testing almost all of the roms here in this section i have found out that every rom does have 3g but if you select HSDPA/HSUPA you will lose your 3G connection and can only have it again if you disable HSDPA/HSUPA. This seems very odd because the hermes and kaiser would switch between the two depending on which one had the stronger connection. i welcome others to test this as i think it is interesting and should be looked into.
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Hmmm Curious..
I am currently running RomeOS 1.21 and am about to update to 1.51.
mine switches no problem between the two.
If i can't get a HSDPA signal then it auto switches to 3G..
will see if the new rom changes anything.
Dean
let me know because i have been observing and have only seen it auto change from H to E or G whichs sucks when it use to go from H to 3G. travel the entire bay area for my job and both phones side by side with me act different. so wierd.
HackMimic said:
let me know because i have been observing and have only seen it auto change from H to E or G whichs sucks when it use to go from H to 3G. travel the entire bay area for my job and both phones side by side with me act different. so wierd.
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I Thought H was the same as 3g. Isn't Att's 3G network run on HSDPA?
HackMimic said:
well through testing almost all of the roms here in this section i have found out that every rom does have 3g but if you select HSDPA/HSUPA you will lose your 3G connection and can only have it again if you disable HSDPA/HSUPA. This seems very odd because the hermes and kaiser would switch between the two depending on which one had the stronger connection. i welcome others to test this as i think it is interesting and should be looked into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HSDPA/HSUPS is 3G. If you are referring to WCDMA vs HSPA there would not be a stronger connection for either because they are on the same frequency.
Fact is on the Hermes/Kaiser the HSPA was downstream only (HSDPA) , on the raph its has bi-directional HSPA (HSDPA and HSUPA) therefor the towers you are broadcasting to with the device will have HSPA mode on continuously as apposed to only when you are receiving from them since the device is receiving and transmitting using HSPA.....which is why the HSDPA mode "H" symbol only appeared during data transfer on the older devices, there was normally a short delay (when using the device as a modem for example) before the "H" appeared and the data began coming in.
Notice how you need to reboot if you choose to deactive HSPA alltogether? The radio stack probably needs to start a new session on the network to change from HSPA back to UMTS only. Indeed when you set standard 3G mode you should get the "3G" symbol rather than "H".
The service rep at ATT told me the other day that HSDPA is actually different then 3G. THe HSDPA is typically meant for the Laptop Connect cards. Since the inception of the iPhone on 3G if you haven't noticed your speeds have dropped significantly.
How true is this I don't know...but when I am using a ROM like RRE that has HSDPA my speeds are much faster then with 3G.
ryncppr said:
The service rep at ATT told me the other day that HSDPA is actually different then 3G. THe HSDPA is typically meant for the Laptop Connect cards. Since the inception of the iPhone on 3G if you haven't noticed your speeds have dropped significantly.
How true is this I don't know...but when I am using a ROM like RRE that has HSDPA my speeds are much faster then with 3G.
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Click to collapse
HSPA (3.5G) is just another coding method, it still uses the 3G frequencies as with UMTS (aka normal 3G). The theoretical bandwidth due to the more complex an efficient coding method means you can get ALOT more bandwidth down the same frequency than with UMTS. So technically UMTS and HSPA can both be encompassed into the "3G" terminology although they use different coding techniques, the video calling and voice stuff are handled identically afaik, data transmission is where they differ.
This kind of improvement can be seen in the 2G technologies with GSM/GPRS/EDGE.
HSDPA is a "higher speed" data connection than 3G... but its still a "3G" frequency data connection. So on-the-face-of-it, they are one and same, just one is faster than the other.
thank you so much. i am a very visual and analytical person. love to compare behavour. glad i got a real answer about this as i have been reading for days on this and it seems kind of cloudy with the fuze on information. thank you again for the replys.
Wow, there's quite a bit of information, some conflicting, about the various 3G-related terminologies here. So I might as well add my take on it all
Let's compare 2G terminologies to 3G ones, as that should make it easier for some to understand.
GSM - the very basic 2G standard
UMTS - the very basic 3G standard
GPRS - upgraded GSM to packet switching - faster data access - dubbed 2.5G
HSDPA - upgraded UMTS to faster downlink speeds - dubbed 3.5G
EDGE - upgraded GPRS to faster data access - dubbed 2.75G
HSUPA - upgraded UMTS to faster uplink speeds - dubbed 3.75G (occasionally)
Finally, HSPA is simply a term encompassing HSDPA and HSUPA.
I hope this helps more than it hurts
Trancecoder said:
GSM - the very basic 2G standard
UMTS - the very basic 3G standard
GPRS - upgraded GSM to packet switching - faster data access - dubbed 2.5G
HSDPA - upgraded UMTS to faster downlink speeds - dubbed 3.5G
EDGE - upgraded GPRS to faster data access - dubbed 2.75G
HSUPA - upgraded UMTS to faster uplink speeds - dubbed 3.75G (occasionally)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There i fixed it for you
shotta35 said:
There i fixed it for you
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Click to collapse
WCDMA is the air interface for UMTS as
TDMA is the air interface for GSM.
At the same time, GSM is used to describe a phone system that uses GSM/TDMA and UMTS/WCDMA versus the CDMA phone system used by Sprint/Verizon/Qualcomm.
Confused yet?
NuShrike said:
WCDMA is the air interface for UMTS as
TDMA is the air interface for GSM.
At the same time, GSM is used to describe a phone system that uses GSM/TDMA and UMTS/WCDMA versus the CDMA phone system used by Sprint/Verizon/Qualcomm.
Confused yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PLEAAAASEEE can we go into how OFDM and QPSK work?? i want to see some heads explode...scanners style.
NuShrike said:
WCDMA is the air interface for UMTS as
TDMA is the air interface for GSM.
At the same time, GSM is used to describe a phone system that uses GSM/TDMA and UMTS/WCDMA versus the CDMA phone system used by Sprint/Verizon/Qualcomm.
Confused yet?
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Click to collapse
LOL, newbs reading this will and should be confused. I only edited it to make his comparisons between GSM and UMTS which is should be, not GSM and WCDMA which aren't in the same "group"
shotta35 said:
LOL, newbs reading this will and should be confused. I only edited it to make his comparisons between GSM and UMTS which is should be, not GSM and WCDMA which aren't in the same "group"
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*head explode*
what are decent speeds for HSPA connections?
shotta35 said:
There i fixed it for you
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I really shouldn't post anything when it's late, especially when my head feels twice its size due to a particularly annoying cold
NuShrike and Mr. Vanx has explained it.
These jargons always confusing for us, laymans. Easiest term is i think CDMA (2000,1X, EVDO) is used almost exclusively in US, while GSM and WCDMA (UMTS) is in almost everywhere else of the world (around 3.5 billon users as of now - open www.gsmworld.com). Except Japan, they have their own customized system.
Reasons of difference? Matter of choice, more like when you decide using VHS instead of BetaMax. I think part of the reason why US choose CDMA instead of GSM you may ask Qualcomm's technical people, as they hold majority of the copyrights and licenses in CDMA technology. Not only in driverless chipsets... LoL.
Actually, we in Indonesia also adopt CDMA in smaller and narrower market. But the gov limit them to be Fixed Wireless. Now, what does the jargon: Fixed Wireless means?? Another head exploded... LoL =D
3G icon shows when the phone's sitting idle, H shows when data's being transferred.
My phone shows H all the time now because this market has moved on from UMTS + HSPDA to a HSPA market now. This is ONLY as a result of using the non-AT&T ROM, if you use that it will say 3G because AT&T has disabled it (the icon, not speeds) to cause less confusion.
As for what's typical HSPA speeds? Well on the AT&T network i've seen as high as 2Mbps (on a 3.6Mbps HSPA network) but there are places in Europe that are deploying 7.2Mbps and in Australia they are launching 21Mbps!!!
Does anyone know if Nokia Siemens downlink dual carrier software be used in a radio rom to make faster data available to those of us who only get 2G with our Fuze/ TP on T-mobile US?
If the answer is yes, that would be awesome. My Edge connection seems a bit slow for stuff like youtube in high quality.
Hello All,
Has anyone had any luck getting a Huawei U8860 to work on T-Mobile in the US?
Here are the details on the phone:
It was a Chinese model that I upgraded to the worldwide Android 2.3 ROM from the huawei site.
I have voice and 2G Edge Data working, but I can't get 3G.
It is a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) device.
The phone says it supports 3GGPRS, HSPA and WCDMA. I also read a CNET review where they were unable to get 3G and were limited to 2G Edge.
Has anyone had any luck with this device in the US? T-Mobile or AT&T?
Thanks
3g connectivity
I am in South America, and I am experiencing the same problem. No 3G connection! Please help!!
So far I've tried two officicial ROMs (2.3 and 4.0) withou luck. In fact, I was hoping that the problem was fixed with the new official ROM released today, but I am still getting just EDGE connectivity.
Help!!
I think the problem is the radios on the phone. I did more reading, and it appears that it does not support the HSPA frequencies, so it cannot do 3G in the US. Apparently, the only penta-band phone that does 3G world wide is the Galaxy Nexus. Oh well, the phone is still usable, I just have to suffer through 2G speeds.
Hello All,
I have just purchased a Lumia 920 RED. On the box it says Nokia 920.1 CV FR Rouge.
It then says GSM & WCDMA and a load of frequencies.
Will this support LTE for internet (if my provider supports LTE of course).
Thanks for your comments.
Nicholas Cross
Since no-one has answered, I sent an e-mail directly to Nokia. Here is the response that they sent. It answers the question very nicely.
Thank you for contacting us with your concern.
This is in reference to your email to us asking about the support of the Nokia Lumia 920 to LTE (Long-Term Evolution or 4G network). We are more than happy to assist you on this.
In response to your concern, please be advised that all Nokia Lumia 920s support 2G, 3G and 4G network/LTE. This means that the phone can be used with the fastest network connection yet. This, however, will depend on the network provider you will be using your phone with. For example, if your current network provider do not support 4G network, the device's LTE capability will not be utilised and 3G network will be used.
To confirm this issue, we suggest that you contact your network provider and ask them if they do offer 4G network as the phone supports it indeed.
Looks like you got the European model.
The EU model has different LTE frequencies than the American one.
So depending in what country you will be using this device and what provider, the phone may support or not 3G and/or 4GLTE.
nMIK-3 said:
Looks like you got the European model.
The EU model has different LTE frequencies than the American one.
So depending in what country you will be using this device and what provider, the phone may support or not 3G and/or 4GLTE.
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Yes, I have the European version (since I live in Luxembourg). My question wasn't really whether it would get 3G here because of maybe not being on the right frequency, but whether it would get LTE since it didn't mention LTE on the box at all.
I have updated the rom a new version that the Nokia Care Suite found, and now it seems to have changed something because now it often shows that it is connecting as H+. I also asked my phone provider if they offer LTE on standard contracts, and they told me that they don't (for the moment) offer LTE on voice contracts. They only offer it on data ONLY contracts, so for the moment this means that H+ is the best that I can get.
So far, I am impressed with the device, but I am slightly concerned with the battery life. It doesn't seem to be as good as the HTC 7 Pro that I had before, and my wife's Lumia 900 also seems to get better battery life.
The device is new, so it could be that the battery needs "conditioning". Will see how things go.
Have a good weekend!!
nebc100 said:
Thanks for the response. Yes, I have the European version (since I live in Luxembourg).
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CV FR means Country Variant France, so you got the french version. german, french an belgium version should all support LTE 800/900/1800/2100/2600 so you will be fine (luxembourg uses 900/1800). i don't think there exists a version of the NL920 without LTE, but you can easily check it. go to settings -> mobile network and see what you can choose for highest connection speed. there should be 3 options, 2G/3G/4G (with the old Firmware it was LTE instead of 4G)
nebc100 said:
I also asked my phone provider if they offer LTE on standard contracts, and they told me that they don't (for the moment) offer LTE on voice contracts. They only offer it on data ONLY contracts, so for the moment this means that H+ is the best that I can get.
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Click to collapse
Orange? They will offer LTE for voice contracts as soon as they get VoLTE ready. sometime in Q1 2013 if i remember correctly.
Thanks for the info regarding VoLTE!!
I had already checked the network settings, and that was why I was concerned. On my phone, it only offered 2G and 3G!!
I have since updated (using the Nokia Suite) the rom, and now the 4G option is there, and I have also seen the H+ symbol show on my data connection.
my only concern now is the battery life, and that seems to be MUCH better with the new rom.
have a great weekend.
I have a Lumia 920 unlocked German version which brought support for the 4G setting from release. I recently flashed it to the Austrian ROM given that I live in Austria. That removed the 4G option. Last friday I then decided to flash the phone to Portico as I hadn't had that much data added to it and that restored the 4G option.
This is in line with what Nokia had been communicating for some time: all Lumia 920 devices have LTE hardware on board but it is not enabled on all pending a future software update. With Portico this now seems to be the case. H+ has been working nicely for me even with the 3G only ROMs which makes sense given that it is just a faster transfer mode on top of UMTS.
I couldn't try out LTE yet as my carrier only has it operational in some locations quite some distance from my home. Therefore I currently have limited it to 3G to avoid the phone looking for an LTE network all the time.