T-Mobile Signal - AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717

Hai! I just came from a GSM Galaxy Nexus to an AT&T Note and I love it. The screen size is much bigger...actually that's the only reason I came to this one. I just have a few questions.
1) For the T-Mobile users, is it just me, or does your signal bar have fewer blue bars than normal? (I'm on ICS). Like normally in places where I'd get a lot more bars, it shows one or sometimes none. Just wondering if that's me or....?
2) When flashing a new ROM, do I have to flash the T-Mobile modem or will it work fine?
Thanks!

Hey bud, we crossed paths in the marketplace while we were both looking for a Note. Glad to see you finally got one.
I get weaker signal on this than I did on my S2 and the speeds are certainly weaker. But its usable. Even though it doesn't show as strong a signal I've never had a call drop or any serious issue with data, just waiting longer than I'm used to for **** to load.
First thing I did was flash an ICS ROM and then a tmo 4G radio. I wasn't too impressed with the ROM I flashed so the next day I flashed Saurom, a GB ROM. Much to my surprise my tmo radio stuck even after a full wipe and fresh install of a new ROM. So I'd imagine you will be the same.
Sent from my SGH-I717R using XDA

Related

4g/LTE issues

So my phone will not connect to 4G at all anymore. I have wiped and flashed Virus rom, Bloatless rom, Mik Rom, etc, and it may show the 4G lte icon, and then kicks off and goes to 3G. Also if I tell it to go to LTE only, it won't even show an icon at all.
I might be exchanging my phone out tomorrow anyway for some nasty backlight bleeding mine is doing, but I just wondered if anyone had any ideas. At first I thought it was because I removed some stuff I shouldn't have, but that went out the door the moment I wiped and flashed a new rom.
*EDIT* guess I should go ahead and point out that when it does "pretend" to connecto to 4G I have 3 bars, and have had 3 bars in this location since I got the phone saturday. So it isn't a signal issue.
Are you in a stable 4g area? I flashed MikRom tonight, instant 4g, plus, download speeds were in the 12-14mb range, which is as good, if not better than stock rom.
fillyo said:
Are you in a stable 4g area? I flashed MikRom tonight, instant 4g, plus, download speeds were in the 12-14mb range, which is as good, if not better than stock rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I just corrected my post. I have seen speeds near 30 down in this location, and usually have 3 bars. At worst I was pulling 10-12 down. This just started happening today, but I am not sure when. I didn't notice the issue until I flashed the AOSP rom. But I also flashed the Gingerbread rom where nothing really works that was in the dev section.

[Q] Horrible signal

I get 1 to 3 bars of signal in my house (kinda in the country) with my T-Mobile prepaid SIM in an Optimus T... but with this Vibrant, I barely get a signal -- a phone call is nearly impossible. I have tried two different ROMs plus stock and all seem to have this problem... Is this phone (the Vibrant as a whole) that bad, or is my phone possibly bad... any fixes?
Thanks much, Aaron
Any idea? I can sit on my couch and talk/hear just fine on my Optimus T and on my Sprint BB Tour w/ the T-Mobile SIM card in it... 1, 2, 3 bars...
This Vibrant mostly shows no signal.... once and awhile it will show a bar or two but calls rarely go through and when they do the reception is horrible. Do I have a setting issue? Could this phone be defective? I am really at a loss here... I am about to put it on Ebay as I am lost...
Thanks for any advice..
Check out the super build prop tweaks in the dev section. Helps with signal quite a bit.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Hello,
If you have your phones rooted and have cwm (clockwork recovery) or know how to use odin, then I would recommend trying different modems and see which one works best in your area. You can download them here. Let us know if you have any questions.
corpsetomb said:
Hello,
If you have your phones rooted and have cwm (clockwork recovery) or know how to use odin, then I would recommend trying different modems and see which one works best in your area. You can download them here. Let us know if you have any questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted it... tried a few different ROMs... and around 3 or 4 modems... none mattered... I will look into the build prop from the previous post though...
nope...
I added the data mods to the build.prop on yet another custom ROM (I had to reroot, etc as I had returned it back to stock after giving up) and it is showing more bars -- but still can't make a call from my couch -- which I can do perfectly well on my Optimus T.... Unless I get another idea on here, I am going to Ebay this Vibrant (I got it for a good price on Craigslist) -- and probably try a Sensation off of craigslist (anyone know if their reception is better?)...
Thanks much everyone!!
I've noticed something similar, just recently with my vibrant around my house I jump between 0 bar (usually around -109 dbm and 1 asu) to full bars (-89 dbm and 9 asu). I've grabbed my wifes MT4G and compared while I have zero bars she will have full bars (usually around -9 dbm and 11 asu). Not sure what's going on but flashed a couple of roms, tired all the modems, and played with build.prob. I guess there are just some spots that are Vibrant dead zones.
totalfarkuser said:
I get 1 to 3 bars of signal in my house (kinda in the country) with my T-Mobile prepaid SIM in an Optimus T... but with this Vibrant, I barely get a signal -- a phone call is nearly impossible. I have tried two different ROMs plus stock and all seem to have this problem... Is this phone (the Vibrant as a whole) that bad, or is my phone possibly bad... any fixes?
Thanks much, Aaron
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dont know what causes it but i have four vibrants, mine wifes and two kids. they are all running current cm7 nightlies, and all perform pretty much the same, but two of them most of the time have edge and two have h quite often, thinking something went a-rye in the factory lol. as far as signal goes ive noticed that even when my wifes has full bars and sometimes mine may have 1 to none, they still seem to make calls the same. strange...sorry best i can do with my limited knowledge, i wish i knew half the stuff these devs know. id probably develop the best rom and also b divorced. good luck
Okay, so I went out and bought a Sensation from Craigslist today and it has the same signal issues... My Optimus T and my Sprint Tour (using GSM) have great signal in my house -- but this Vibrant and Sensation get little or no reception..... I am confused.
The Vibrant has poor wifi with my weak Belkin router (and it is a spendy one too, very frustrating) -- but the Sensation has nice wifi, so I guess I will keep it and use wifi calling cause I love the Sensation -- and I will resell the Vibrant.
Thanks for all the advice ya'll gave me -- or any more that you send my way
/Now to get to rootin' my Sensation, as I am sure I will do soon enough lol...
totalfarkuser said:
Any idea? I can sit on my couch and talk/hear just fine on my Optimus T and on my Sprint BB Tour w/ the T-Mobile SIM card in it... 1, 2, 3 bars...
This Vibrant mostly shows no signal.... once and awhile it will show a bar or two but calls rarely go through and when they do the reception is horrible. Do I have a setting issue? Could this phone be defective? I am really at a loss here... I am about to put it on Ebay as I am lost...
Thanks for any advice..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

[Q] Best Tmobile radio for stock rom? and cant install busybox

Hey,
It seems like most of you guys prefer updating the rom and all that, but I just needed the root for 4g radios on tmobile and for tethering. I am currently using the KID blaze and I'm only getting 1-2mb dl and .03-.6 ul. I used to get much better when I used a tmobile gs2 here in nyc. Which radio would work best on stock?
Also, I cant install busybox through the play store installer, I used the odin and cwm method. Could that possibly be the reason?
Honestly that is probably about what you can expect on a Note flashed with a hacked tmo radio. Mine gets WAY slower speeds than my GSII did. But I'm ok with it, everything else about the phone makes up for it, plus when tmo drops the note in July, we will probably see a huge increase in performance due to being able to flash actual radios designed for the Note on tmo. For now, if you want there is a thread here about increasing tmo speeds by adding a strip of foil under the battery cover on the lower left hand of the phone. Surprisingly a lot of people are reporting great results.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA
Haha. I just tried the foil trick. I got one 4mb result out of about 15-20 tests but rest were worse or equal than regular results. I was also noticing service dropping out randomly and having to reboot to get service back. I can't wait for Tmobile note radios.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA

AT&T users running ARHD or TrickDroid: Any signal issues?

Apparently some people are having signal issues (i.e., dropping between HSPA and LTE where other AT&T phones are rock solid LTE) with the Developer Edition. HTC has said the Developer Edition may have signal issues since it is not "optimized" for AT&T. A few people have commented that ROMs based on the international HTC One may also have signal issues while running on the AT&T HTC One.
So for those of you running international roms such as Android Revolution or TrickDroid -- are you having any signal issues? Is signal strength as good as it was on stock AT&T ROM? Any trouble holding on to an LTE signal?
Thanks.
phositadc said:
Apparently some people are having signal issues (i.e., dropping between HSPA and LTE where other AT&T phones are rock solid LTE) with the Developer Edition. HTC has said the Developer Edition may have signal issues since it is not "optimized" for AT&T. A few people have commented that ROMs based on the international HTC One may also have signal issues while running on the AT&T HTC One.
So for those of you running international roms such as Android Revolution or TrickDroid -- are you having any signal issues? Is signal strength as good as it was on stock AT&T ROM? Any trouble holding on to an LTE signal?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say that it's much an issue, but that the international roms show Att true signal strength. For example I have one bar of LTE in my house and my wife's iPhone 5 range from 2 or 3. My LTE speeds are almost double hers. The bars being shown whether on stock Att or international doesn't mean much. A good way to check signal strength would be to compare your db's.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
No issues here. DBM signal, speeds all awesome on the International Roms. AT&T likes to make you believe that your signal is better than it really is.
Signal bars are a lie.
I have -95db signal and decent LTE speed
gunnyman said:
Signal bars are a lie.
I have -95db signal and decent LTE speed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to all for the feedback.
Just a note though, that some aren't complaining about the bars, but about actually dropping LTE connections where other AT&T phones do not.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
phositadc said:
Thanks to all for the feedback.
Just a note though, that some aren't complaining about the bars, but about actually dropping LTE connections where other AT&T phones do not.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that happens with me in my house sometime (if in my pocket etc) . Somewhere in one of these threads someone mentions how the international will drop connection at about -115db or something and Att drops around -125db. So that could be the reason.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
I flashed my One to the Maximus 7 Rom and have noticed lower bars than usual. I live near a cell phone tower and all phones that I have had as well as others on ATT always have full bars while I can't seem to get more than 2-3. Today my phone started switching between H and LTE and acting weird while driving and it has never done that before. I'm on the latest 1.29 radio firmware and it hasn't helped...not sure how to fix it and for those saying this is just the true reading of signal, I doubt I would be getting such low signals when Im literally about 3 blocks away from a cell tower.
darus214 said:
I flashed my One to the Maximus 7 Rom and have noticed lower bars than usual. I live near a cell phone tower and all phones that I have had as well as others on ATT always have full bars while I can't seem to get more than 2-3. Today my phone started switching between H and LTE and acting weird while driving and it has never done that before. I'm on the latest 1.29 radio firmware and it hasn't helped...not sure how to fix it and for those saying this is just the true reading of signal, I doubt I would be getting such low signals when Im literally about 3 blocks away from a cell tower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did notice this too. I definitely have lower bars and lower speed as well....I have trickdroid 5.1 installed. I tried the ATT version before getting the dev version and I did not have this issue.
TrickDroid and ARHD both show true signal bars, but they will also switch to 3g from LTE sooner than the stock ATT load. they seem to switch at aound -120db where ATT will hold out until -130db. if you select att from the ARHD load, it hold on till about -125, still not the same but it works.
Like another person said, the stock ATT ROMs show a non real signal strength, where the Int'l ROMs do. It's all about your actual data speeds and the dB signal. I'm running ARHD 7.0 and have zero reception trouble. LTE speeds are fine.
Just replace /system/framework/ext.jar from an AT&T ROM and you'll get the "fake" AT&T signal icons...
Yup
phositadc said:
Apparently some people are having signal issues (i.e., dropping between HSPA and LTE where other AT&T phones are rock solid LTE) with the Developer Edition. HTC has said the Developer Edition may have signal issues since it is not "optimized" for AT&T. A few people have commented that ROMs based on the international HTC One may also have signal issues while running on the AT&T HTC One.
So for those of you running international roms such as Android Revolution or TrickDroid -- are you having any signal issues? Is signal strength as good as it was on stock AT&T ROM? Any trouble holding on to an LTE signal?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Co-worker cant keep the LTE signal for longer than 10 minutes.... and the phone gets hot as heck...is yours hot?
HTC One AT&T Variant TrickDroid 5.2.1 ROM with AT&T tweaks.
RSRP(dBm): -105 to -110 avg. RSRQ(dB): -10 to -12 avg.
No LTE troubles but I did notice during the ROM install before I picked AT&T as carrier it flaked out a few times saying something else besides LTE and H and kept going back and forth.
TrickDroid rom with AOSP icons are showing 1 to 2 bars. - At the bottom!! Whereas my stock rom was showing like 3-4 bars all of the time at the house.
SpeedTest with both roms at my house (not on wifi) = 15M down. 10-20 AVG. regardless of ROM.

[Q] New to the note - help with T-Mobile

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the Note, but definitely not new to Android or XDA.
I've got the phone "unlocked" via the radio trick here: http://str8pt.blogspot.com/2013/06/unlock-simfree-method-for-galaxy-note.html
I've rooted it, and have tried a few different ROMs with different radios.
The Blaze radio (and others) I mention are from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1679722
I am in Melbourne, FL in case location makes any difference.
Here's what I am seeing:
CyanogenMOD 10.1.3 - using Blaze ICS radio I am getting only EDGE speeds. Using "Official TMO ICS Radio" (I'm guessing it's the one from the TMO Note?) , I get NO connectivity.
Stock 4.1.2 - using Blaze ICS radio I am getting 4G, however the signal meter is totally empty as if there's just enough signal to register connectivity but not enough to register a single bar. Download speeds are abysmal in comparison to other TMO phones I've used here - I am seeing downloads at around 1.5MB - other phones are 6, 7, even 8 MB.
My question are as follows:
Using CyanogenMod, should I be using the i717 version? Or the TMO Note version? Is there anything I can do with ANY particular radio to get better than EDGE?
Using the Stock ROM (or a variant), is there are a way to get the signal cluster to function properly? Any way to get better download speeds?
I read that the TMO 4.0.4 stock ROM image can be installed via ODIN and apparently it works correctly (if I am reading correctly) - would the TMO 4.1.2 stock ROM image be installed via ODIN and work as well? (If I can even find a full download of it?)
Should I expect to have to re-flash the radio each time with each ROM? From what I've seen, if I don't, I lose any ability to get 4G until I flash it again. I'd be stuck on EDGE.
Thanks so much guys! I've searched and read till my eyes are crossing and not finding the answers I need. I hope that with the experience that can be found in this forum maybe I can get where I need to be!
Thanks again!
JWhipple said:
Hi everyone,
I'm new to the Note, but definitely not new to Android or XDA.
I've got the phone "unlocked" via the radio trick here: http://str8pt.blogspot.com/2013/06/unlock-simfree-method-for-galaxy-note.html
I've rooted it, and have tried a few different ROMs with different radios.
The Blaze radio (and others) I mention are from here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1679722
I am in Melbourne, FL in case location makes any difference.
Here's what I am seeing:
CyanogenMOD 10.1.3 - using Blaze ICS radio I am getting only EDGE speeds. Using "Official TMO ICS Radio" (I'm guessing it's the one from the TMO Note?) , I get NO connectivity.
Stock 4.1.2 - using Blaze ICS radio I am getting 4G, however the signal meter is totally empty as if there's just enough signal to register connectivity but not enough to register a single bar. Download speeds are abysmal in comparison to other TMO phones I've used here - I am seeing downloads at around 1.5MB - other phones are 6, 7, even 8 MB.
My question are as follows:
Using CyanogenMod, should I be using the i717 version? Or the TMO Note version? Is there anything I can do with ANY particular radio to get better than EDGE?
Using the Stock ROM (or a variant), is there are a way to get the signal cluster to function properly? Any way to get better download speeds?
I read that the TMO 4.0.4 stock ROM image can be installed via ODIN and apparently it works correctly (if I am reading correctly) - would the TMO 4.1.2 stock ROM image be installed via ODIN and work as well? (If I can even find a full download of it?)
Should I expect to have to re-flash the radio each time with each ROM? From what I've seen, if I don't, I lose any ability to get 4G until I flash it again. I'd be stuck on EDGE.
Thanks so much guys! I've searched and read till my eyes are crossing and not finding the answers I need. I hope that with the experience that can be found in this forum maybe I can get where I need to be!
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently obtained an I717 too, unlocked it, and got it functioning with my tmobile prepaid plan. I'm still on gingerbread rom and using KID radio with decent success. just 4G , using WCDMA band 1700 (*#2263#). I get consistent decent speeds but not LTE.
The hands down best modem to use is UCMB4 - Google it. But it can cause problems with some jelly bean ROMs.
If you want jb more than anything, play with modems. If you want speed AND stability, go jellybean sandwich or black star X with the aforementioned modem.
If you want WiFi calling download skeleton key.
Ucmb4 with any of those three and the proper APN will get you LTE as fast as it's offered in your area
Anthony820 said:
The hands down best modem to use is UCMB4 - Google it. But it can cause problems with some jelly bean ROMs.
If you want jb more than anything, play with modems. If you want speed AND stability, go jellybean sandwich or black star X with the aforementioned modem.
If you want WiFi calling download skeleton key.
Ucmb4 with any of those three and the proper APN will get you LTE as fast as it's offered in your area
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Anthony820,
I'm currently running your Skeleton Key ROM - not bad at all! But definitely want to try to get CyanogenMod or PACman JB running.
I'll give the UCMB4 radio a shot this evening !
When I had service with TMO (via Straight Talk) I had the best luck with UVLG3.
jman315 said:
When I had service with TMO (via Straight Talk) I had the best luck with UVLG3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using which ROM?
I've got CM 10.1.3 for i717 installed right now, going through and testing each and will post results.
JWhipple said:
Using which ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the time I was running CM 10.1 nightlies.
Uvlg3, if I recall, will get you good down speed, but mediocre up. Otherwise, it's a solid choice and may be more cooperative with jb builds.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Anthony820 said:
Uvlg3, if I recall, will get you good down speed, but mediocre up. Otherwise, it's a solid choice and may be more cooperative with jb builds.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like you're right - here's just 4 radios that I just tested:
UCMB4 - EDGE only
UVLG3 - 3G/DC(WTF??)/H+ 6.01Mbps up/1.07 Mbps down
UVLE1 - Phone freezes, locks on black screen, had to pull battery
ICSBLAZE - 3G/DC/H+ Network communication issues message when running speedtest.
By the way, what the heck is "DC" on the network indicator where 3G or H/H+ normally is? I've never seen that before!
JWhipple said:
Looks like you're right - here's just 4 radios that I just tested:
UCMB4 - EDGE only
UVLG3 - 3G/DC(WTF??)/H+ 6.01Mbps up/1.07 Mbps down
UVLE1 - Phone freezes, locks on black screen, had to pull battery
ICSBLAZE - 3G/DC/H+ Network communication issues message when running speedtest.
By the way, what the heck is "DC" on the network indicator where 3G or H/H+ normally is? I've never seen that before!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe It stands for dual channel.
By the way, just checked and CM's WiFi tethering is working as well - nice!
Not sure what I did differently this time but this evening the signal indicator is showing real signal strength, equivalent to what I was seeing on another phone on CM.
JWhipple said:
By the way, just checked and CM's WiFi tethering is working as well - nice!
Not sure what I did differently this time but this evening the signal indicator is showing real signal strength, equivalent to what I was seeing on another phone on CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear. I believe not seeing any signal strength is a known issue specifically with the Blaze modem.
Make sure you're changing your APN from epc.* to fast.t-mobile.com
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Anthony820 said:
Make sure you're changing your APN from epc.* to fast.t-mobile.com
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm guessing that would get me LTE if it's available in my area?
I just switched over to it and only got EDGE...
JWhipple said:
I'm guessing that would get me LTE if it's available in my area?
I just switched over to it and only got EDGE...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're on a modem that'll work with LTE, yep. Otherwise HSPA or Edge.
Make sure, I forget and my Note no longer has service, that the top option is set under Network Type or whatever it is. Network Mode? I don't know, you'll figure it out. The thing that lets you pick between GSM, WCDMA etc..etc..
Anthony820 said:
If you're on a modem that'll work with LTE, yep. Otherwise HSPA or Edge.
Make sure, I forget and my Note no longer has service, that the top option is set under Network Type or whatever it is. Network Mode? I don't know, you'll figure it out. The thing that lets you pick between GSM, WCDMA etc..etc..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I got it figured out. I am on the FAST APN and set to WCDMA/LTE . I'm on 3G/H+ here in the house now - will see how it goes when I head out tomorrow.
Either way, I think it's time to make a backup - it's running marvelously and doing everything I would expect it to!
NOTE: Newest PAC ROM (4.3) running smoothly with UVLG3 modem on T-Mobile without issue
[EDIT]
Scratch that - it worked great until I did the first reboot - then it wouldn't boot up again, even with a battery pull.
JWhipple said:
Ok, I got it figured out. I am on the FAST APN and set to WCDMA/LTE . I'm on 3G/H+ here in the house now - will see how it goes when I head out tomorrow.
Either way, I think it's time to make a backup - it's running marvelously and doing everything I would expect it to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went ahead and flashed UCMB4 and was showing 4g lte after reboot. my phone info setting says WCDMA preferred (it shows no LTE option at all ) and the *#2263# menu setting says "automatic". on the fast.t-mobile.com apn
I use UCMD3 and get LTE almost everywhere. Hellybean is a pretty good ROM, try it out!

Categories

Resources