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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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)
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Click to collapse
There i fixed it for you
shotta35 said:
There i fixed it for you
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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?
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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!!!
For the life of me, I can't figure this one out. I've searched high and low but haven't found an answer.
How, on an Android (2.1) phone, can I detect what band am I currently using.
No, it doesn't support locking onto single band (choices are only 2G, 2G/3G, 3G).
No, I can't ask my provider, because they support BOTH bands simultaneously.
No, I can't figure it from a coverage map, since BOTH bands cover my location.
I'm using Samsung Galaxy S (and HTC Desire when it comes from service...), both European versions that support 900MHz and 2100MHz bands (for UMTS).
Is there a way/app/script/ANYTHING that can show me what band the phone is currently using?
The reason for this is that, as I said, in my location there are BOTH types of antennas and even though the coverage is marketed as good, I get very poor signals. I suspect that the phones locks onto just one of the bands (for any reason) and that the other one might be a better choice.
3G band reception is usually worse than 2G because it has a shorter range than 2G and it doesn't have so much building/wall penetration than 2G. I suggest you try setting your phone to use 2G only (in network settings) and try it out. The phones are made so they use the fastest network even if the signal strength is worse.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
peewo said:
3G band reception is usually worse than 2G because it has a shorter range than 2G and it doesn't have so much building/wall penetration than 2G. I suggest you try setting your phone to use 2G only (in network settings) and try it out. The phones are made so they use the fastest network even if the signal strength is worse.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
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Yeess...? And your point concerning my question was exactly what? How does that help me to detect which UMTS band my phone is operating on? By turning it OFF?
I'm sorry, but either you didn't read it at all, just completely missed my point, or are trying to piss me off. (sorry, I'm just sooooo tired that people don't read the posts they answer to, or just completely miss the point of the post.)
Sorry. But. UMTS = 3G. So turning 3G OFF does NOT, in the slightest, help me detect what I originally asked for.
Just to be PERFECTLY clear: YES, 3G/UMTS works on BOTH 900MHz AND 2100MHz channels here in Finland. Yes, 900MHz 3G. Not a typo.
I also want to know this question
Same here... No app... come onnnnnnn
Just type *#0011# in the dialer dude. It will tell you which band you're on.
Hi everyone,
I apologize in advance for the possibly n00b question. I am in Italy now with a T-Mobile USA G2 that I unlocked with GFree 0.5/adb/everything yesterday. I put in my TIM (Telecom Italia) SIM card and it finds the TIM network and connects me to normal phone service, but simply does not connect to 3G. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm assuming the G2 is capable of overseas data connectivity because T-Mobile advertised it as a "quad-band" phone -- am I wrong? Do I need to install a custom ROM to have international 3G?
Yeah, I think you are screwed. According to the t-mobile site here your quad band phone has the following freq specs:
850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS: Band IV (1700/2100)
The band IV is the t-mobile 3G band in the states that uses 1700Mhz uplink and 2100 downlink (also known as AWS). Unfortunately for you Italy uses the typical European freqs of 1900Mhz uplink and 2100 downlink. And no you can't just use the downlink!
On the bright side, EDGE should work.
Thank you very much. I think you are correct: it's shameful and pathetic that T-Mobile advertises the G2 as an "international" phone and then provides a phone with support only for a single UMTS data band (unlike the iPhone 4, for example, which has support for 900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA).
As per the suggestion that EDGE should work, that does not appear either. All that appears is the "cellular" network icon -- a.k.a., the one immediately to the right of the battery. There is no "E" data connection either as there would be in the U.S. when I am out of 3G range. Is that normal? Is EDGE simply the normal cellular network?
I feel your pain, having traveled internationally a lot
No, when you are connected to GPRS you should get a "G" symbol near the signal bars and when you are connected to EDGE there should be an "E." If you are not getting that then a couple of suggestions:
1) You have switched on the data connectivity on your phone, right!!? (duhh)
2) Did you buy this SIM card new? There are older SIM cards where I had a problem getting the data connectivity, though that should not be a real problem.
3) Did your phone get the right APN settings from the SIM? In most cases for TIM I think you want ibox.tim.it and you *might* have to set in manually
4) Is this a prepaid SIM and do you have a balance? The network will probably reject the connection if you have 0 balance
5) If you don't have a plan (even prepaid), your balance will go down VERY quickly. In fact, your phone may have actually connected when you were not looking, and run your balance to 0 just by syncing.
The best deal for TIM data packages are listed here. I use them all the time, however if you are in the big cities WIND is pretty good and MUCH cheaper.
Hope that helps
I just received a new Android phone from China that was advertised as having support for GSM 850/900/1800/1900 & WCDMA 850/2100 with GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA data capabilities. However I'm only connecting to AT&T on 2G GPRS data at around max 50 kbps. Occasionally I will see an EDGE "E" for a few seconds only to have it disappear. I have tried the phone in several locations where I know there is both good EDGE coverage as well as 850 MHz 3G/HSPA towers but the phone isn't seeing anything. I've tried every setting change as well as a new SIM to no avail.
Does anyone know if there is an app or potentially a dial command, terminal command line utility or external program that can query an android phone to see which GSM/WCDMA bands are supported in the chipset/baseband?
Thanks, Kav
Kavik said:
I just received a new Android phone from China that was advertised as having support for GSM 850/900/1800/1900 & WCDMA 850/2100 with GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA data capabilities. However I'm only connecting to AT&T on 2G GPRS data at around max 50 kbps. Occasionally I will see an EDGE "E" for a few seconds only to have it disappear. I have tried the phone in several locations where I know there is both good EDGE coverage as well as 850 MHz 3G/HSPA towers but the phone isn't seeing anything. I've tried every setting change as well as a new SIM to no avail.
Does anyone know if there is an app or potentially a dial command, terminal command line utility or external program that can query an android phone to see which GSM/WCDMA bands are supported in the chipset/baseband?
Thanks, Kav
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either misadvertised or you misunderstood the ad. If you do some research on those china knock off phones you'd know that they basically don't support any 3G or higher spectrum except the weird ass **** they use in china. I was tempted to buy one of those phones until I discovered that. If you don't like it I suggest returning it asap.
I have looked for days now across multiple forums to get some insight on this issue:
I want to use my Thunderbolt in Thailand. Haven't found any threads that speak of success, only conjecture that it won't work.
Homework I've done (unless i understand it incorrectly):
- Verizon 3G operates on the 850 / 1900 mhz cdma band. Radio Frequency Summary
" The following is a list of known frequencies which Verizon employs in the United States:
Frequencies used on the Verizon Network
Frequency Protocol Class
850 MHz 1xRTT/EV-DO/eHRPD 3G
1900 MHz 1xRTT/EV-DO/eHRPD 3G
700 MHz LTE 4G
1700/2100 MHz(AWS) LTE 4G"
- Truemove, a popular mobile company in Thailand has early links to Verizon and their 3G service operates on the 850mhz wcdma band
"What should I do if I want to use TrueMove 3G service but I don’t have a 3G 850 MHz mobile phone?
Basically, it’s not that all mobile phones work on any band. Each 3G compatible mobile phone supports different bands. For example, if you have a 3G 2.1 GHz or 900 MHz or 2G mobile phone, you will not be able to use TrueMove 3G service because TrueMove offers 3G service on 850 MHz band.
If you want to enjoy TrueMove 3G service, it is recommended that you buy a 3G WCDMA 850 MHz mobile phone or visit any True Shops and ask for a 3G compatible mobile phone. True Shops also sell different smartphones that support different mobile platforms e.g. iPhone 3G/3GS, BlackBerry Bold 900/Bold 9700 and Motorola Milestone."
- I spoke with verizon after reading other forums about 'unlocking' thunderbolts and was told that the thunderbolt comes unlocked, so unlocking wouldn't be necessary anyway.
- Lastly, it seems that many people have successfully put a 3G SIM into a 4G SIM slot on there phone and received 3G service.
....So what am I missing? What would prevent me from being able to use my Thunderbolt in Thailand for simple 3G service if the carrier (Truemove) works on cdma based bands? What extra might I have to do to get it to work?
PS: Sorry I can't insert the links directly in the post. Not allowed since this is my first post.
Thanks for any help