I was wondering if there is a way to use another carrier to get 4G for my tablet? I want 4G for my tablet but Sprint is not in my area. I would have to use US Celluar or Verizon. I checked Verizon and it would be $35ish a month. How do I change set it up for another carrier? Hoping I don't have to go as far as rooting it. Thanks!
love_my_htc said:
I was wondering if there is a way to use another carrier to get 4G for my tablet? I want 4G for my tablet but Sprint is not in my area. I would have to use US Celluar or Verizon. I checked Verizon and it would be $35ish a month. How do I change set it up for another carrier? Hoping I don't have to go as far as rooting it. Thanks!
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Unfortunately you can't, even with rooting. That's because 4G isn't a wireless protocol, but rather a standard that defines minimum speeds for protocols that wish to call themselves 4G (or something like that). Different carriers achieve 4G through different communications protocols. Verizon and AT&T use LTE. T-Mobile uses HSPA+. Sprint uses WiMAX. Currently Sprint is the only carrier to use WiMAX, and the only other WiMAX provider is Clearwire. But since Sprint uses Clearwire for its WiMAX, if you had Clearwire available in your are you'd have Sprint 4G, too. (Also, Sprint is abandoning WiMAX in favor of LTE in the coming years, so WiMAX is pretty much dead).
Your best bet is to find a carrier that offers 4G service in your area and buy a wireless hotspot and a plan from them. The advantage is that you can also use that plan for other devices such as laptops and WiFi capable phones.
Thanks for the reply.. That sounds like a good idea!!
Related
Hi, I'm in California and I have an Motorola Atrix with AT&T and I just unlocked my phone because I'm about to switch to T-mobile...
However, my friend told me that AT&T and T-Mobile has different 4G networks. He said the AT&T Atrix can not use 3G or 4G speed on a T-Mobile network, It can only go up to Edge speed.... Is that true? Does anyone know about this?
Hope some people can help me here ...
Thank you
tomcklam said:
Hi, I'm in California and I have an Motorola Atrix with AT&T and I just unlocked my phone because I'm about to switch to T-mobile...
However, my friend told me that AT&T and T-Mobile has different 4G networks. He said the AT&T Atrix can not use 3G or 4G speed on a T-Mobile network, It can only go up to Edge speed.... Is that true? Does anyone know about this?
Hope some people can help me here ...
Thank you
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From everything I have read that is correct, but also know that it won't be much longer till you are back as an AT&T customer since they are acquiring T-Mobile.
tomcklam said:
Hi, I'm in California and I have an Motorola Atrix with AT&T and I just unlocked my phone because I'm about to switch to T-mobile...
However, my friend told me that AT&T and T-Mobile has different 4G networks. He said the AT&T Atrix can not use 3G or 4G speed on a T-Mobile network, It can only go up to Edge speed.... Is that true? Does anyone know about this?
Hope some people can help me here ...
Thank you
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Its true. While both AT&T and T-Mobile use HSPA+ for their "4G" speeds, they run on different bands. If you want 3G/4G, use a T-Mobile phone. Otherwise, enjoy EDGE. Opera Mini with images set to low will be a big help.
T-Mobile leases cellular space from AT&T which is why unlocked AT&T phones can use T-Mobile service. Not sure if it is the phone's software issue that is causing the 4G/3Gnot working. It's possible that T-mobile implemented their so called 4G first but it's still AT&T equipment.....I work for AT&T. Also 4G, is just higher speed 3G, 4G LTE won't be rolling out until next year.
Thank you for the quick reply... I need to get a T-Mobile phone then.
ernestdefoe said:
From everything I have read that is correct, but also know that it won't be much longer till you are back as an AT&T customer since they are acquiring T-Mobile.
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Yep, but sucks that they still charge minutes when I call a T-Mobile number. I'm switching it for my girlfriend, so I can get Unlimited mobile to mobile minutes... I might get a sensation when I switch to T-Mobile
Phoneguy589 said:
T-Mobile leases cellular space from AT&T which is why unlocked AT&T phones can use T-Mobile service. Not sure if it is the phone's software issue that is causing the 4G/3Gnot working. It's possible that T-mobile implemented their so called 4G first but it's still AT&T equipment.....I work for AT&T. Also 4G, is just higher speed 3G, 4G LTE won't be rolling out until next year.
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Good job on the misinformation front.
And also not being helpful, I'm going to assume your in sales and don't actually know anything.
Now on to the OP's question.
T-Mobile uses the same type of technology as AT&T however they operate on different bands. As such most devices that are sold on AT&T will be able work on T-Mobile for phone and edge but don't get 3g or hspa+ due to the radio in the device only supporting some of the bands. Which is why as a general rule AT&T phones such as the iphone, will work on T-Mobile if unlocked but can't use 3g because it doesn't have the ability to operate in the correct MHZ range. Its the same going from T-Mobile to AT&T. My HD2 was awesome, other then the slow data. *Not that my atrix or inspire are much better.
There are exceptions to the rule though. You'll have to check to see which bands the Atrix is capable of using. I know some of the Samsung devices had all the GSM bands so they worked fine on all networks.
the answer is NO the atrix will not work on tmobile USA 3G or 4G network. there, done!
tomcklam said:
Thank you for the quick reply... I need to get a T-Mobile phone then.
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Problem is that if/when the AT&T/T-mobile merger goes through, AT&T will likely flip Tmobile's 3g towers to 4g. All tmobile 3G phones...sorry no more 3g unless you buy a new phone. yay....
linky
AT&T said Monday that it planned to convert T-Mobile's 3G towers to 4G service and move T-Mobile 3G subscribers to AT&T 3G phones.
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gnahc79 said:
Problem is that if/when the AT&T/T-mobile merger goes through, AT&T will likely flip Tmobile's 3g towers to 4g. All tmobile 3G phones...sorry no more 3g unless you buy a new phone. yay....
linky
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They won't just flip a switch and everyone has to buy new phones. They will be phased out as people finish contracts and begin new ones. If they don't, they'll be buying T-Mobile customers all new phones or paying fatcat lawyers to defend them from all the lawsuits.
CaelanT said:
They won't just flip a switch and everyone has to buy new phones. They will be phased out as people finish contracts and begin new ones. If they don't, they'll be buying T-Mobile customers all new phones or paying fatcat lawyers to defend them from all the lawsuits.
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Agreed, sorry I used the term 'flip', never meant to say it would happen instantly . The article I linked stated the switch would take several years. That's not written in stone though, AT&T could move up the timeline if they are losing too many customers to Verizon and Sprint.
This is only an issue if you plan on keeping your tmobile 3g phone for YEARS, which is not likely for anyone that frequents xda .
My girlfriend wants to include me on her new Sprint account. Sprint doesn't have an equal to my Amaze. Is this possible? Will everything be functional (except T-Mo's add-ons, of course)? Please shed some light. Thanks!
How do you plan to connect a GSM phone to Sprint's CDMA network?
no not possible, 2 different technologies. Sprint uses cdma and tmobile uses gsm.
ronzkie21 said:
My girlfriend wants to include me on her new Sprint account. Sprint doesn't have an equal to my Amaze. Is this possible? Will everything be functional (except T-Mo's add-ons, of course)? Please shed some light. Thanks!
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The Amaze is GSM meaning it REQUIRES a sim card as do all T-Mobile and AT&T phones in the US. Sprint is on a CDMA network which works with the antenna inside the device, an internal "sim"card if you will. There is NO WAY to use a GSM device on a CDMA network. There are ways to flash Verizon, Metro, Alltel and other CDMA device to Sprint's network but not any GSM phones. Take a look into flashing the HTC rezound from Verizon to Sprint's network. That device has essentially the same specs but is CDMA. Hope this helps.
Why not ad her to yours? it will be way cheaper than Sprint.
Id be glad to do it for ya
Howdy all,
I bought the VZW S4 when it was brand new and am lucky enough to still have an mdk bootloader. But wow vzw is expensive and living in Denver and being a world traveler for work, T-Mobile has peaked my interest with their prices and the international data usage...
I am running hyperdrive 17.1 and the phone is great and running like butter. From what I've read I can get a T-Mobile Sim card, change the APN and voilà. But T-Mobile employees say my 4G LTE will go in and out and only work where T-Mobile has certain bands of 4G. The coverage map looks good but I have no idea what band of 4G LTE it is.
My question is if I can flash the T-Mobile version of hyperdrive or another T-Mobile rom onto my mdk vzw s4, change the APN and have a fully functioning T-Mobile S4? Or will it lack certain frequencies and drop 4G often? Anyone who has attempted the switch please feel free to comment on your experience so far. Thank you XDA!
ElBow513 said:
Howdy all,
I bought the VZW S4 when it was brand new and am lucky enough to still have an mdk bootloader. But wow vzw is expensive and living in Denver and being a world traveler for work, T-Mobile has peaked my interest with their prices and the international data usage...
I am running hyperdrive 17.1 and the phone is great and running like butter. From what I've read I can get a T-Mobile Sim card, change the APN and voilà. But T-Mobile employees say my 4G LTE will go in and out and only work where T-Mobile has certain bands of 4G. The coverage map looks good but I have no idea what band of 4G LTE it is.
My question is if I can flash the T-Mobile version of hyperdrive or another T-Mobile rom onto my mdk vzw s4, change the APN and have a fully functioning T-Mobile S4? Or will it lack certain frequencies and drop 4G often? Anyone who has attempted the switch please feel free to comment on your experience so far. Thank you XDA!
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Nothing you flash will add more bands than this phone has, it's a hardware issue, it only has AWS (which T-Mobile uses) and 700c (band13) which (I think only) Verizon uses.
I'm not sure exactly what other (if any) bands T-Mobile uses for LTE
I've got the sane setup in Chicago. I'm not a world traveler but while your her you can expect anywhere from 20 to 33 mbps. You should tell your job to get you a dedicated line w/ tmo.
kyedmipy said:
I've got the sane setup in Chicago. I'm not a world traveler but while your her you can expect anywhere from 20 to 33 mbps. You should tell your job to get you a dedicated line w/ tmo.
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That's great to hear! Did you flash a T-Mobile rom or just use the vzw rom with T-Mobile APN?
I just want to make sure that I still get a decent connection in most cities, not slugging along at 2g, 90% of the time because its not a T-Mobile phone. If that's the case, I might consider buying a T-Mobile phone, but that hurts the whole argument of ditching vzw to save $$
changed mine to metroPCS...
ElBow513 said:
That's great to hear! Did you flash a T-Mobile rom or just use the vzw rom with T-Mobile APN?
I just want to make sure that I still get a decent connection in most cities, not slugging along at 2g, 90% of the time because its not a T-Mobile phone. If that's the case, I might consider buying a T-Mobile phone, but that hurts the whole argument of ditching vzw to save $$
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I changed mine to MetroPCS which runs on the T-Mobile network. the guy at the store did the swap and it runs on the network and 4G/LTE in most metro areas very well, but loses any data connection in remote areas (I live in east-central Wyoming and it only works data in the larger towns here but still gets calls and texts anywhere you get a signal. It will at times toggle between 3G to 4G in some areas. and foxfi will run on it too if you hide the data usage when tethering. hope it helps.
Groupon has a deal for the S5 that says it's for "Verizon and GSM Unlocked":
https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-samsung-galaxy-s5-smartphones
Is there any way to tell what model # this is? I'm guessing that it is a generic S5 and not the T-Mobile specific SM-G900T. If that's true, then it likely doesn't have the TMo specific LTE frequencies needed for full service (I'm in the Chicago area), correct?
I really hate having to find special versions of GSM devices to make full use of T-Mobile's network...
<TAP><TAP> Is this thing on???
Unlocked for all Verizon and GSM carriers.
On the same page --> https://www.groupon.com/pages/groupon-deal-images-gg-gsm-providers
Only thing is that it probably will not be compatible with WiFi calling features, but I could be wrong.
I know it would work but I was curious about whether it was the same model they sell via T-Mobile that has their unique frequency bands (1900/2100 I believe). Groupon responded to an inquiry and said it was a Verizon model so while I can't confirm it, I'm guessing it doesn't have the extra bands needed to fully make use of T-Mobile's LTE network so it would likely drop down to HPDPA+ in many locations.
According to the reviews, its a Verizon branded phone. A couple of the reviews are from T-mo users and they claimed to have issues with the sim/network not going to LTE, instead it uses their HSPA network.
If it was me, I would not buy this. It is cheap yea, but remember that the S5 is not compatible with the new band 12.
-edit-
The Chicago area isn't getting band 12 anyways, not anytime soon that is.
I'm using a Verizon S5 with a T-mobile rom and it works perfect 4g lte and all If you end up getting it just root it then look at my view forum posts.
Sick of paying an arm and leg with Sprint for their crappy data service and even crappier customer service. Was wondering what you guys thought about these 2 "budget" alternatives to big 4 companies. I live in NYC if that is important. I'm leaning towards Simple Mobile because it's a little cheaper.
Also, a very inportant point for me is being able to ROOT my phone. How does it work when you are one of these providers? For example if I had a S6 connected to Simple Mobile can i just use the Tmobile or ATT root method for the S6? This is a point that I don't know anything about.
Do you mean Simple Choice?
The nice thing with Simple Choice is that you can choose which provider to use; with an unlocked GSM phone you can go with either AT&T or T-Mobile. T-Mo has rolled out band 12 700MHz in NYC, so you should get good service through them, and of course AT&T is going to be pretty good too.
Cricket is owned by AT&T. MetroPCS is T-Mobile's. Both will likely give you better data plan options than Simple Choice, but will likely cost more as well. If you need truly unlimited high-speed, MetroPCS is the way to go. Cricket as "unlimited" as well, but after you reach a point (depends on your plan) they drop you to 2G speeds. MetroPCS does the same with their lower plans, but they do have the unlimited high-speed one.
I can't speak as to rooting a Galaxy S6, but it won't matter with the providers. As long as it's carrier unlocked, GSM, and has the appropriate LTE bands (an S6 from either AT&T or T-Mobile will have both companies' bands). Both will have plenty of bloat, AT&T probably moreso. Root has no bearing on functionality, and as long as you don't tell them you're rooted, they won't know (or likely care). Take for example the Nexus 4. It has band 4 LTE built-in, but it's disabled. There's a hack to enable it though, and we've been using it for years. If ever there was a "red flag" that their customers were using rooted phones, the Nexus 4 would be it, yet nobody's ever had their service cut off for using a rooted device (technically you don't have to root to do this hack, but those that know of it are the ones that root regardless). Just don't mention that you're rooted if you have to call customer service or something.