Related
[Q] Do we know the extent of the AT&T-friendly UMTS hardware in the T-Mobile Vibrant?
So as a lot of you know, the T-Mobile U.S. version of the Samsung Vibrant turned out to have hardware support for AT&T's 3G. But from reading user comments, it sounds like the T-Mobile Vibrant only has UMTS 1900, and not UMTS 850 as well. Obviously this isn't a problem if you've only got 1900 in your area, but I'm pretty sure we do have UMTS on 850 in my city.
I'm wondering if anyone with the T-Mobile Vibrant has tried using the extra 3G band(s?) and can confirm which are present. Is it 1900 and 850, or just 1900? Further, does anyone know how can I check to see which frequency AT&T provides 3G on in my city (short of relying on the clueless CSRs at my local retail store)? I've got a buddy with a Nexus One on AT&T, is there a quick way for him to see what frequency the UMTS tower he's connected to is using?
In the interest of completeness, I'll cover the questions that I'm sure will get asked so that folks don't **** up the thread with them.
Why not just get an AT&T Captivate?
Handful of reasons. I prefer the Vibrant's aesthetic, but more importantly because AT&T doesn't have T-Mobile Vibrant IMEIs on file. This means you can add and drop data at your own discretion instead of being required to use it, and it also means that their system will treat it as a dumbphone. Definitely a perk.
Why not just get a Galaxy S Vibrant from Bell in Canada? It definitely has 850 and 1900.
This is what I'll end up doing if the T-Mobile one doesn't work out, but it's a pretty big pain in the ass to get Canadian phones shipped down here whereas the T-Mobile version is readily available. Also, no warranty!
Thanks guys.
From what Ive read, the Vibrant works on 850/1700/1900/2100. --See edits below--
~T.J.
EDIT: See this post: http://www.howardforums.com/showthr...too.-Works-on-ATT-3g.?p=13923098#post13923098
Picture
http://www.howardforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=67212&d=1280324484
EDIT AGAIN: Here was another list of frequencies, and a picture of the side of the box which lists them from a review site.
Band (frequency): 850 MHz;900 MHz;1800 MHz;1900 MHz;UMTS: Band I (2100);UMTS: Band IV (AWS);UMTS: Band IV (1700/2100)
Picture
http://rounduprussy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/IMG_7228.jpg
It doesn't work on WCDMA 850. Doesn't support it. Try selecting it only and put a AT&T sim in and see if you get 3G. Yea you won't, then try selecting 1900 only and what happens? Yea exactly.
Well, I dont have one in front of me to experiment with my AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs, Im just going off the side of the box and whats listed in the menu (both say 850). I currently have a Captivate and a Fascinate, but Im looking into getting the Vibrant instead for a number of reasons so I was just poking around. Sorry if I was passing on bad info.
~T.J.
EDIT: I thought I read of some people getting it to work on 850, but that could be wrong. Im looking again... Could it be there just isn't 850 coverage where you tried it and instead was 1900 coverage? These are OLD maps though...
http://www.cellularmaps.com/att_850_1900.shtml
Because the T-Mobile 3G network in the U.S. is listening for 3G data in the 1700MHz and 2100MHz bands, it’s the only U.S. network with which the Nexus One phone can communicate. AT&T’s 3G network listens for phones transmitting 3G traffic in the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands, which the Nexus One cannot do. All it can do is send 2G traffic in those bands, so it does, making a slower data experience for those using the Nexus One in Ma Bell’s mobile network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because the it's listed in software doesn't mean it can work. The Fascinate is a CDMA phone and your gonna tell me because you see the bands listed in software that it will work on a gsm network? Really? Either way I'm not trying to get you down. Just saying if that were possible, it would have been mention already. To conclude though, it all comes down to hardware support, the software is just mirrored on all galaxy s phones. The Vibrant only does 1700/1900/2100 for 3G. The 850 band would have benefit you better for in building support, but it's not supported.
ram130 said:
Just because the it's listed in software doesn't mean it can work. The Fascinate is a CDMA phone and your gonna tell me because you see the bands listed in software that it will work on a gsm network? Really? Either way I'm not trying to get you down. Just saying if that were possible, it would have been mention already. To conclude though, it all comes down to hardware support, the software is just mirrored on all galaxy s phones. The Vibrant only does 1700/1900/2100 for 3G. The 850 band would have benefit you better for in building support, but it's not supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That picture is from the screen of a Vibrant. Notice the T-Mobile branding at the ear speaker? But, I do understand about the listing in the software not necessarily having the hardware. Also, I edited my post above.
~T.J.
Dug this all up from the FCC fairly easily just to see for myself.
External photos:
http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/External.pdf
Internal photos:
http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/Internal.pdf
FCC ID label location:
http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/Label.pdf
Heres the test report from the FCC (showing 850 Mhz GSM):
http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/Measurement Report.pdf
Heres the rest results for the Specific Absorption Rate (showing 850 Mhz GSM around page 25):
http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/SAR Compliance.pdf
My conclusion? Id say its capable because it has all the hardware (since they were able to test it), but depends on the network around you. That, or they literally software blocked it for some reason.
~T.J.
EDIT: Ok, had to DL the PDF files and I temporarily uploaded them on my web site server for now. Dont know how long I will leave them there however.
850 gsm != 850 umts
D'oh! Talk about needing to sleep! As I said I'm just here to learn too as I want to pick up a vibrant, but apparently I need to sleep before thinking and posting. Sorry about that!
~T. J.
Thanks for all the responses, guys, I really appreciate the thorough feedback.
Sounds like 850 is a bust, which is really disheartening. There's loads of T-Mobile Vibrants on eBay in the $340-380 ballpark, but it's going to cost closer to $500 to get a Bell Vibrant down here.
yeah the phone supports 850GSM but not 850WCDMA/UMTS/3G
k
ty
lqaddict said:
850 gsm != 850 umts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are two different type of bands as outlined here: http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/Measurement Report.pdf
ram130 said:
They are two different type of bands as outlined here: http://www.nwallwheeldrive.com/misc/Measurement Report.pdf
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"!=" == "not equal"
lqaddict said:
"!=" == "not equal"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh! teaches me to multitask while in class
The reason is I ask is because when the 900 comes to the US im debating on getting an unlocked version on Tmobile or switching to AT&T for the Lumia 900. The reason for the switch to AT&T is because of the iphone 4S users at my job can pull 3G in areas where I dont get reception at all. What gives? A guy that I work with gave up his Titan that he loved for a 4S just because he can pull 3G in areas his Titan cant where I work. I feel thats fair enough. So im wondering why the iphone can pull 3G in areas the Titan cant on the same service and wondering will the Lumia 900 give me the same reception service as the iphone S? Not sure if anybody is in the position to test this out.
I found the reception to be great my wife has a Mozart on same network as my lumia and I still have a couple of bars of 3g when she has lost all signal, is in underground shops.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
that sounds good. hopefully when i get the lumia it works everywhere my co workers 4s works. I wonder why it varies between devices on the same network? KI hear that the 4s has a dual antenna and it depends on what material the phone is made out of. Is this true?
937dytboi said:
that sounds good. hopefully when i get the lumia it works everywhere my co workers 4s works. I wonder why it varies between devices on the same network? KI hear that the 4s has a dual antenna and it depends on what material the phone is made out of. Is this true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it's not true.
The fact is, Lumia 800 in theory supports 3g quad band (850,900,1900,2100 mhz) BUT only 900/1900/2100 are supported in current firmware releases.
You are getting signal from 1900 towers, an iphone 4s is getting signal also from 850 towers.
Titan, depending on version, may be in the same situation.
Lumia 900 will be, as HD7S, in an opposite situation: 850/900/1900, so it will work well in North and latin america and will not get good 3g signal in europe\asia\africa
You can get a good picture of the situation here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UMTS_networks
and here
http://www.cellularmaps.com/att_850_1900.shtml
Does the frequency determine if u can get reception in hard to get places such as all concrete/block building or in heavily insulated basements. At my job its hard for anybody to get a good reception but it's rare for anyone to get 3g besides these guys that have high end smartphones
Sent from my Venue Pro using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
937dytboi said:
Does the frequency determine if u can get reception in hard to get places such as all concrete/block building or in heavily insulated basements. At my job its hard for anybody to get a good reception but it's rare for anyone to get 3g besides these guys that have high end smartphones
Sent from my Venue Pro using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quality of reception is determined by several factors:
1) Build quality of phone antenna and radio software
2) Distance from signaling tower. Different frequencies usually have different towers. Different hardware\software on the phone support different frequencies.
Of course good phones have good antennas (and lumia for example has a very good one), but if you read my links you will discover that in US you have a real mess in 3g umts phone frequencies comparing to the rest of the world and even between companies.
For example:
- T-mobile: 1700+2100
- At&t: 850+1900
- Verizon: totally different technology until they migrate to lte, however 1700 (that's the reason of manufacturers releasing few phones on this network and usually long after initial availability).
Mexico: 850 only
Latin america: like at&t, 850+1900
Australia: 850+2100
Rest of the world (europe, asia, oceania, africa, brazil): mainly 2100
So, antenna is important, frequency (and distance from tower) is even more important.
fshqbizfs said:
Quality of reception is determined by several factors:
1) Build quality of phone antenna and radio software
2) Distance from signaling tower. Different frequencies usually have different towers. Different hardware\software on the phone support different frequencies.
Of course good phones have good antennas (and lumia for example has a very good one), but if you read my links you will discover that in US you have a real mess in 3g umts phone frequencies comparing to the rest of the world and even between companies.
For example:
- T-mobile: 1700+2100
- At&t: 850+1900
- Verizon: totally different technology until they migrate to lte, however 1700 (that's the reason of manufacturers releasing few phones on this network and usually long after initial availability).
Mexico: 850 only
Latin america: like at&t, 850+1900
Australia: 850+2100
Rest of the world (europe, asia, oceania, africa, brazil): mainly 2100
So, antenna is important, frequency (and distance from tower) is even more important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool thanks for the help, you really broke it down for me. As long as I hyave a good antenna in my phone, something better than this DVP on Tmobile in the Us, im good. Tmobile sucks in my area and im regretting getting their service. When I had ATT a few years back I didnt have much of a problem.
I just want something that can give me reception quality as close to the 4S in my area.
I live in the Chicago Suburbs, and I got my brand-spanking new International Galaxy S3 [GT I-9300] delivered by Expansys today ($778.97 plus taxes). Color is "marble white", and it's a thing of beauty; I just love the phone!
However, when I added the "Straight Talk" (AT&T) SIM card and completed the setup process as described, I wasn't even able to download Apps from the Play store... because my connection is too slow!
I verified twice that all my APN settings are correct, but all the speed I seem to get is "Edge" (phone is displaying a tiny 'E' in the status bar) with max speeds of 212 kbps UP, and 140 kbps DOWN... - WHAT A JOKE!!!
My question: what am I doing wrong?
I did my due diligence before buying the phone; making sure that AT&T delivers decent speeds on the frequencies that the I-9300 can pick up.
Just for comparison's sake, the GT I-9300 covers the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands for 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz for 3G UMTS/HSPA+.
According to AT&T's website, they primarily use the 850 and 1900 MHz bands here in the US - which means, I should be able to get HSPA/HSPA+ speeds around here.
No such thing, I'm afraid.
Any idea what the problem may be?? I have searched for answers in this Forum already, but came up empty...
Sounds like you could be in a 3G black area like where a few metres either way could give a 3G signal, so just try your network in another phone and you'll know.
Maybe you got the T-Mobile version of the sin card by mistake
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Thanks for the input!
I'm pretty sure it's an AT&T card, as all the APN setup instructions that came with it are for Cingular/AT&T..
Looks like I have to give Straight Talk a call tomorrow; hoping that this can be figured out...
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
The APN setting were correct, but -apparently- I wasn't familiar enough with the "Mobile Network" setting... since there was no indication of it in Straight Talk's setup instructions and I never had to mess with it before on my previous phones...
Anyways...
Go to SETTINGS > MORE SETTINGS > MOBILE NETWORKS > NETWORK MODE:
Select select "GSM/WCDMA (Auto mode)"
In "Network Operators" (right below) press "Select Automatically"
I also made another change that I read about when searching for a solution. And even though it is believed that it does not solve the problem, it helps to "speed up" things... by whatever margin that may be:
In "ACCESS POINT NAMES" (part of "MOBILE NETWORK" menu):
Change the "PROXY" from proxy.mvno.tracfone.com to 66.209.11.33
As a matter of fact, 66.209.11.33 is the same address as proxy.mvno.tracfone.com, but the phone/service does not have to resolve it anymore - as it already is 'translated'. This is believed to make things a bit snappier and get you better/faster service.
No idea if it really does anything at all... but since my phone is working just fine - and finally at HSPA and HSPA+ speeds(!!!) - I am not going to change it back anymore....
I have to say, the $45/month all-unlimited Straight Talk & Data SIM (AT&T service) really works well on my GT I-9300! It is not giving me LTE speeds, but it's just 35% of the price I used to pay Verizon before (month-to-month service w/ 450 talk minutes + 5 [upped to 10GB as part of their promo] Data plan) for LTE, which was sucking my REZOUND's battery dry in no time flat. And HSPA+ is certainly fast enough for what I need my phone for...
What's not to like??!
As for me, I like it much better now!!!
Glad you got it fixed quick.
androidarmin said:
I did my due diligence before buying the phone; making sure that AT&T delivers decent speeds on the frequencies that the I-9300 can pick up.
Just for comparison's sake, the GT I-9300 covers the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands for 2G GSM/GPRS/EDGE, and 850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz for 3G UMTS/HSPA+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just for clarification though, I see you mentioned the I9300 using 1700 and 2100Mhz. Where'd you get that info? Those are Tmobile HSPA+ bands. I'd love for the phone to support that, but don't think that's correct
farfromovin said:
Glad you got it fixed quick.
Just for clarification though, I see you mentioned the I9300 using 1700 and 2100Mhz. Where'd you get that info? Those are Tmobile HSPA+ bands. I'd love for the phone to support that, but don't think that's correct
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, farfromovin!
You may have a point there, buddy... Those are supposedly the bands that the International Galaxy S3 can pick up in general, according to Wikipedia. Here in the US, however, you're out of luck if picking T-mobile as your carrier for the I-9300, because they broadcast 3G on a different band, which the S3/I-9300 does not pick up by default... so I had verified by a bunch of folks in the Forums.
I was looking into exactly the same thing before I made the decision to go with a prepaid "Straight Talk" (AT&T) SIM card. ST also offers an T-mo version, but with that - as I had stated before - you'll only get 2G in the US; at least for now (note: this may change by end of the year/early in 2013, so I've read, as Tmo is making adjustments/improvements to their network and 3G/4G frequencies..).
Hope this helps.
If you happen to live in the US and haven't heard yet, all major carriers here will come out with the S3 in just a few weeks. Carrier-branded only, and "just" with the 2-core Snapdragon S4 CPU inside (due to LTE).
But, this phone is so awesome, I wouldn't even mind having only 2 cores if I were not able to run the International/Unlocked version on HSPA+ here in the US... But, 4 cores kick some serious butt, dude!!
Cheers,
Armin
androidarmin said:
Thanks, farfromovin!
You may have a point there, buddy... Those are supposedly the bands that the International Galaxy S3 can pick up in general, according to Wikipedia. Here in the US, however, you're out of luck if picking T-mobile as your carrier for the I-9300, because they broadcast 3G on a different band, which the S3/I-9300 does not pick up by default... so I had verified by a bunch of folks in the Forums.
I was looking into exactly the same thing before I made the decision to go with a prepaid "Straight Talk" (AT&T) SIM card. ST also offers an T-mo version, but with that - as I had stated before - you'll only get 2G in the US; at least for now (note: this may change by end of the year/early in 2013, so I've read, as Tmo is making adjustments/improvements to their network and 3G/4G frequencies..).
Hope this helps.
If you happen to live in the US and haven't heard yet, all major carriers here will come out with the S3 in just a few weeks. Carrier-branded only, and "just" with the 2-core Snapdragon S4 CPU inside (due to LTE).
But, this phone is so awesome, I wouldn't even mind having only 2 cores if I were not able to run the International/Unlocked version on HSPA+ here in the US... But, 4 cores kick some serious butt, dude!!
Cheers,
Armin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is wrong info..anyone can put info on wikipedia. It matters what's on the box and on the box it's the standard quad band for umts. There is no 1700 band on the box and so no hspa speed for tmobile.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Try leaving the Straight Talk Proxy setting blank. I think you will see much better data speeds.
I'm having the same problem, but your solution didn't work for me. I cant seem to shake edge connection. I had hspda last night
S_Dot said:
I'm having the same problem, but your solution didn't work for me. I cant seem to shake edge connection. I had hspda last night
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah same prob. GS2 GT-I9100T Only Edge network :/
SGS3 i9300
kirdroid said:
That is wrong info..anyone can put info on wikipedia. It matters what's on the box and on the box it's the standard quad band for umts. There is no 1700 band on the box and so no hspa speed for tmobile.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree kirdroid, you can't trust Wikipedia to be 100% truth. However, in this case the Wiki page is correct.
/wiki/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III
The page is for all models of the Galaxy SIII. There is a graphic on the right side with specs under it for ALL models. Then there is a table in the middle of the page that shows the specs for each model. If you look at the all models specs it looks like one hell of a phone. You have to look at the table with specs for each model to see that I9300 supports:
2G: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz GSM / GPRS / EDGE
3G: 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz UMTS / HSPA+
T-Mobile H+ (2.75G) not working for me in Salt Lake City, UT. Customer support said 1900 MHz is supported for H+, but I'm guessing she didn't check for Utah. As of December 20, 2012 it is not available in Utah. You can search Google to see what markets it's available in: "t-mobile-closes-the-year-by-enhancing-coverage-in-14-new-metro-areas"
I'd post links, but I'm not allowed.
Is there an app or command to log the different frequency bands available in an area? I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy Note 2, but the Note 2 doesn't support the 1700MHz frequency band, and I'm on T-mobile. Any way to figure out if the new phone will get reception, other than just plonking down ~$650 and hoping for the best?
TheEyes said:
Is there an app or command to log the different frequency bands available in an area? I'm thinking of getting a Galaxy Note 2, but the Note 2 doesn't support the 1700MHz frequency band, and I'm on T-mobile. Any way to figure out if the new phone will get reception, other than just plonking down ~$650 and hoping for the best?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will have EDGE coverage anywhere, but I wouldn't buy an expensive new phone that doesn't support 3G for your carrier.
Why aren't you buying via T-Mobile, that does support their speeds?
https://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phone...ll-phone=Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-Titanium-Gray
stevedebi said:
You will have EDGE coverage anywhere, but I wouldn't buy an expensive new phone that doesn't support 3G for your carrier.
Why aren't you buying via T-Mobile, that does support their speeds?
https://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phone...ll-phone=Samsung-Galaxy-Note-II-Titanium-Gray
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, because the phone is at least $70 more expensive on T-mobile's store.
Second, even that version of the phone does not do HSPA+ over 1700 MHz (it's actually the same N7100 you see everywhere). The trick is, T-mobile is supposedly switching all of their 1700-band HSPA+ towers to 1900 band, partly in preparation for their LTE rollout and partly because that's the only way they'll be able to get the iPhone to work with their network, but they haven't gotten it done everywhere and I'm concerned that I'll plop down ~$600 on a phone that only gets 2G speeds at work.
TheEyes said:
First, because the phone is at least $70 more expensive on T-mobile's store.
Second, even that version of the phone does not do HSPA+ over 1700 MHz (it's actually the same N7100 you see everywhere). The trick is, T-mobile is supposedly switching all of their 1700-band HSPA+ towers to 1900 band, partly in preparation for their LTE rollout and partly because that's the only way they'll be able to get the iPhone to work with their network, but they haven't gotten it done everywhere and I'm concerned that I'll plop down ~$600 on a phone that only gets 2G speeds at work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You had me worried so I looked it up. According to the news sources I found, T-Mobile is converting it's 1900 2g towers to support HSPA+. So for the present the current 3G network is not in danger. I suppose my Amaze will continue working for a while!
Where did you see a report that they are changing out the 1700 band HSPA+ towers?
-----
"In May, T-Mobile's chief technology officer Neville Ray said the company would be repurposing its existing 1900MHz 2G service with 4G HSPA+, in order to "provide customers with the ability to use a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, on T-Mobile's 4G network.""
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...nvert_its_4g_network_to_support_apples_iphone
stevedebi said:
You had me worried so I looked it up. According to the news sources I found, T-Mobile is converting it's 1900 2g towers to support HSPA+. So for the present the current 3G network is not in danger. I suppose my Amaze will continue working for a while!
Where did you see a report that they are changing out the 1700 band HSPA+ towers?
-----
"In May, T-Mobile's chief technology officer Neville Ray said the company would be repurposing its existing 1900MHz 2G service with 4G HSPA+, in order to "provide customers with the ability to use a broader range of devices, including the iPhone, on T-Mobile's 4G network.""
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...nvert_its_4g_network_to_support_apples_iphone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost every tech news site that discusses the 1900 band refarming mentions that the reason is to re-deploy 1700 for LTE (that, and to get the iPhone running on T-mobile because Apple outright refuses to make the iPhone pentaband for some reason). It's a fairly easy Google away.
TheEyes said:
Almost every tech news site that discusses the 1900 band refarming mentions that the reason is to re-deploy 1700 for LTE (that, and to get the iPhone running on T-mobile because Apple outright refuses to make the iPhone pentaband for some reason). It's a fairly easy Google away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link I provided quoted a t-mobile representative. And I got it from a Google search...
Sent from my IdeaTabA2109A using xda premium
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake. The issue is, that it doesnt have the right bands for hspa+ a lot of the time. It has the edge and the 1900 that was refarmed for hspa+. Granted, i live in NYC which was refarmed, and it my house i do have hspa+, but it was a mistake because a lot of places i go, i dont have service, or i only have edge. And i do wedding jobs all over the tri state area, and that is going to suck. To me, Tmo is awesome, they have 3g, hspa21, hspa42 and now also lte. I can do without the LTE but now i'm limiting myself to only one band of hspa.... Not the smartest idea.
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
mottyengel said:
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake. The issue is, that it doesnt have the right bands for hspa+ a lot of the time. It has the edge and the 1900 that was refarmed for hspa+. Granted, i live in NYC which was refarmed, and it my house i do have hspa+, but it was a mistake because a lot of places i go, i dont have service, or i only have edge. And i do wedding jobs all over the tri state area, and that is going to suck. To me, Tmo is awesome, they have 3g, hspa21, hspa42 and now also lte. I can do without the LTE but now i'm limiting myself to only one band of hspa.... Not the smartest idea.
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you buy this phone knowing you wouldn't get consistent HSPA? I would return it if I were you. Good luck.
mottyengel said:
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a link for this? I'm used to slow speeds where I am anyway, so edge to HSPA isnt a difference for me. The only places it gets faster is in the areas where they have the 1900 bands anyway...
mottyengel said:
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is me pretty much exactly.
It is not bad in Atlanta, I get H+ most of the time and my prior tablet (LG G Slate) wasn't really better coverage wise so I'm not unhappy, I just keep thinking I could be happier if I had that extra band of H+
If you find out something that improves TMo experience please note it here so others can benefit also.
damastah said:
Do you have a link for this? I'm used to slow speeds where I am anyway, so edge to HSPA isnt a difference for me. The only places it gets faster is in the areas where they have the 1900 bands anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think a modem has been ported yet. I don't think there is a compatible radio out there for this phone. AT&T MIGHT get a version of the Mega (the I-527). If so, someone might be able to port it's radio over to our device and we MIGHT get better signal. Until then, we will have spotty / inconsistent coverage. I get HSPA+, Edge, G, and complete loss of signal almost every day in New York (I drive around a quite a bit between Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in New York). AT&T and T-Mobile (refarmed), for the most part, use the same bands now.
I came from the AT&T original Galaxy Note (LTE) which I used on T-Mobile's network. I knew I would be taking a step back in terms of data speed by getting the Mega but figured I would at least get HSPA+ which is sufficient for what I do (email, internat and streaming video). When I have HSPA+ signal, I have no data lag even when streaming live tv so it's definitely fast enough (for me at least).
The only issue is, as I already said, the inconsistency. I like the device though and am trying to stick with it until the AT&T Mega comes out (no telling when that will happen - it has been rumored for this month but I'm not holding my breath).
I see the Mega as a mini tablet with GSM phone connectivity, mobile internet connectivity, bluetooth, wifi, nfc, gps, and infra-red (for infrared tv remote control capability). Looking at it from that perspective, I stick with it (because not many tablets have this much connectivity).
Plus, it fits in my pocket (a lot more portable than normal sized tablets).
curgervending said:
I don't think a modem has been ported yet. I don't think there is a compatible radio out there for this phone. AT&T MIGHT get a version of the Mega (the I-527). If so, someone might be able to port it's radio over to our device and we MIGHT get better signal. Until then, we will have spotty / inconsistent coverage. I get HSPA+, Edge, G, and complete loss of signal almost every day in New York (I drive around a quite a bit between Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan in New York). AT&T and T-Mobile (refarmed), for the most part, use the same bands now.
I came from the AT&T original Galaxy Note (LTE) which I used on T-Mobile's network. I knew I would be taking a step back in terms of data speed by getting the Mega but figured I would at least get HSPA+ which is sufficient for what I do (email, internat and streaming video). When I have HSPA+ signal, I have no data lag even when streaming live tv so it's definitely fast enough (for me at least).
The only issue is, as I already said, the inconsistency. I like the device though and am trying to stick with it until the AT&T Mega comes out (no telling when that will happen - it has been rumored for this month but I'm not holding my breath).
I see the Mega as a mini tablet with GSM phone connectivity, mobile internet connectivity, bluetooth, wifi, nfc, gps, and infra-red (for infrared tv remote control capability). Looking at it from that perspective, I stick with it (because not many tablets have this much connectivity).
Plus, it fits in my pocket (a lot more portable than normal sized tablets).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, I hear you. What will be the difference with the AT&T one? I'm really looking for a radio port like they did for the AT&T Note with the Galaxy Blaze and S II modems
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
damastah said:
Right, I hear you. What will be the difference with the AT&T one? I'm really looking for a radio port like they did for the AT&T Note with the Galaxy Blaze and S II modems
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T Mega will have LTE so the data speeds will be faster. However, if AT&T gets the Mega, it will be locked to their network and it's currently illegal to unlock your phone yourself (you're supposed to ask the carrier to unlock it for you). I would imagine that AT&T won't be so quick to unlock the phone for you since they wouldn't want to make it convenient for anyone to take the phone to another GSM carrier. Oh well...welcome to America. In Europe (and probably the rest of the world), when you get a phone (even if its carrier-branded and purchase directly from the carrier), it's unlocked. I usually only buy unlocked phones.
I want to wait for a radio port. If I get consistent HSPA+ connectivity, I'm fine. I got about 15mbps download and about 2mbps upload on an HSPA+ connection in Manhattan this morning. That's fast enough for my data needs. I WAS using a Galaxy Note on T-Mobile's LTE network and got up to 22mbps down and 11mbps up. To be honest though, I could only tell the difference between HSPA+ and LTE when downloading huge files (500MB and up). For web surfing, email, streaming video, and live tv, I saw no noticeable difference between LTE and HSPA+.
IF, at the end of the day, you get the data performance you need with HSPA+, having LTE won't really matter that much.
It's kinda like upgrading your car from one that has 160mph on the dash (current Mega with HSPA+) to the exact same car with 320mph on the dash (AT&T Mega with LTE) when the legal speed limit is 70mph (the data speed you need). You may be able to brag about it being faster but do you actually need the extra speed? Bottom line, you have to determine your data speed needs and then make a choice..
curgervending said:
The AT&T Mega will have LTE so the data speeds will be faster. However, if AT&T gets the Mega, it will be locked to their network and it's currently illegal to unlock your phone yourself (you're supposed to ask the carrier to unlock it for you). I would imagine that AT&T won't be so quick to unlock the phone for you since they wouldn't want to make it convenient for anyone to take the phone to another GSM carrier. Oh well...welcome to America. In Europe (and probably the rest of the world), when you get a phone (even if its carrier-branded and purchase directly from the carrier), it's unlocked. I usually only buy unlocked phones.
I want to wait for a radio port. If I get consistent HSPA+ connectivity, I'm fine. I got about 15mbps download and about 2mbps upload on an HSPA+ connection in Manhattan this morning. That's fast enough for my data needs. I WAS using a Galaxy Note on T-Mobile's LTE network and got up to 22mbps down and 11mbps up. To be honest though, I could only tell the difference between HSPA+ and LTE when downloading huge files (500MB and up). For web surfing, email, streaming video, and live tv, I saw no noticeable difference between LTE and HSPA+.
IF, at the end of the day, you get the data performance you need with HSPA+, having LTE won't really matter that much.
It's kinda like upgrading your car from one that has 160mph on the dash (current Mega with HSPA+) to the exact same car with 320mph on the dash (AT&T Mega with LTE) when the legal speed limit is 70mph (the data speed you need). You may be able to brag about it being faster but do you actually need the extra speed? Bottom line, you have to determine your data speed needs and then make a choice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. So the at&t one will have an extra T-Mobile compatible band in it? I thought the only one was the 1900 band getting converted into affect by T-Mobile
damastah said:
I see. So the at&t one will have an extra T-Mobile compatible band in it? I thought the only one was the 1900 band getting converted into affect by T-Mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AT&T Mega should have both the 1900 (the refarmed HSPA+ band on T-Mobile) and the LTE 1700/2100 band (which is the same frequency that both AT&T and T-Mobile use for LTE). The I-9200 version Mega only has the 1900 band and no LTE at all. The I-9205 version Mega has the 1900 band and LTE but not the 1700/2100 LTE band that works on T-Mobile and AT&T .
Radio Question
curgervending said:
The AT&T Mega should have both the 1900 (the refarmed HSPA+ band on T-Mobile) and the LTE 1700/2100 band (which is the same frequency that both AT&T and T-Mobile use for LTE). The I-9200 version Mega only has the 1900 band and no LTE at all. The I-9205 version Mega has the 1900 band and LTE but not the 1700/2100 LTE band that works on T-Mobile and AT&T .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, bit of radio ignorance here. So is this a physical hardware difference or could it be adjusted on an existing I-9205 to use the 1700/2100 LTE band by flashing a new radio/rom once TMo/AT&T have a specific version out?
I must admit, this is the only thing that is keeping me from getting the Mega. IF I knew with certainty that a version of this phone would work 100% with T-Mobile, I would jump on it. Unfortunately, i'll probably just have to wait for the Note III. I know there will be a version of that for T-mo.
Mega
Coming to the US carriers soon?
http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/17/galaxy-mega-6-3-press-render-surfaces-with-navy-blue-body-atandt/
I know I want the Mega so bad & I see them unlocked on Ebay. I've asked a couple of sellers if it will work for TMobile but they say either edge or 3g. I have the Note 2 now and I'm more into size wise so not really looking forward to the Note 3. I was wondering if the AT&T one would work unlocked but they don't want you to leave the store without activating it. So I just have to wait patiently like you friend.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda app-developers app
jminatl said:
Sorry, bit of radio ignorance here. So is this a physical hardware difference or could it be adjusted on an existing I-9205 to use the 1700/2100 LTE band by flashing a new radio/rom once TMo/AT&T have a specific version out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Physical hardware difference. The I-9205's LTE physical hardware is "tuned" (for lack of a better word) to bands LTE2100, LTE850, LTE1800, LTE2600, LTE800. AT&T / T-Mobile uses band LTE 1700/2100 frequency. Using a different radio in the I-9205 won't change the bands that the phone is tuned to. If anyone out there knows better please chime in. I certainly don't claim to know much. One thing I'm not clear on is whether LTE2100 band in the I-9205 will partially work on T-Mobile / AT&T. I think the phone specifically has to have LTE1700/2100 which is different from LTE2100. Again, someone with more knowledge, please chime in.
would the att version work on T-Mobile? Here are the specs on it;
GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900,
UMTS850 (B5), UMTS900 (B8), UMTS1900 (B2), UMTS2100 (B1)
LTE700 (B17), LTE850 (B5), LTE1700/2100 (B4), LTE1900 (B2)
I live in a refarmed area with LTE.
mottyengel said:
I went from a note 2 on T-mobile to the mega. (paid $515 us, no tax). I knew what i was getting into, about the bands, but i went for it anyway. I think in retrospect it may have been a mistake. The issue is, that it doesnt have the right bands for hspa+ a lot of the time. It has the edge and the 1900 that was refarmed for hspa+. Granted, i live in NYC which was refarmed, and it my house i do have hspa+, but it was a mistake because a lot of places i go, i dont have service, or i only have edge. And i do wedding jobs all over the tri state area, and that is going to suck. To me, Tmo is awesome, they have 3g, hspa21, hspa42 and now also lte. I can do without the LTE but now i'm limiting myself to only one band of hspa.... Not the smartest idea.
I've heard that a new ported radio may help this but....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By the way, what version of the Mega do you have (i9200 or i9205)? I have T-Mobile and live in a refarmed area (NYC). I've heard people say that the i9205 gives them H+ speeds here.
T-mob 4G with AT&T mega?
I have just bought an AT&T mega (SGH-I527) from a guy. It's 8 days old, unlocked and running T-mob 4GLTE no problem.
21940kbps dl with the 4GLTE icon.
Sweet!
Does it give you spurts of edge 3g and lte or is it steady lte. In other words does it work pretty good to get online or does it lag sometimes?
Sent from my SGH-T889
MR.MEMORYLANE said:
Does it give you spurts of edge 3g and lte or is it steady lte. In other words does it work pretty good to get online or does it lag sometimes?
Sent from my SGH-T889
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had it for only a few hours but when 4GLTE lights up and I stay in the same position then it holds the icon no problem. The area is patchy and not far away I loose 4G and it drops to 3G but it gets back the 4G where it can. In that regard it works like my previous phone but it didn't have the benefit of of LTE!
I went to the AT&T store today and I can buy it cash without contract but I just don't want it to be just edge service if you know what I mean.
Sent from my SGH-T889