I am a ATT user with a T-Mobile S5. I have the TMO NF6 Modem but the other day I was in a location with poor reception. My ATT S4 got better reception and I wondered if the ATT modem in the S4 was what gave me a better reception. I then thought would it be possible to flash a ATT S5 modem to my TMO S5 to potentially improve the reception. Is this possible without bricking the phone?
rfb813 said:
I am a ATT user with a T-Mobile S5. I have the TMO NF6 Modem but the other day I was in a location with poor reception. My ATT S4 got better reception and I wondered if the ATT modem in the S4 was what gave me a better reception. I then thought would it be possible to flash a ATT S5 modem to my TMO S5 to potentially improve the reception. Is this possible without bricking the phone?
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Click to collapse
Flashing a non-Tmobile modem to this phone WILL brick it. Even if it were possible, the modem would only be set to demodulate ATT signals, so you would likely not get reception at all.
Umm. sort of. The poster above represents the majority view. And encompasses a number of misconceptions at the same time.
Flashing a modem from another carrier is possible, but neither recommended, nor likely to work well. It may not necessarily brick your phone. But it could if the partition is overwritten. Being tailored for another varient model, it's not at all guaranteed to work as well in your phone. And you would probably find it difficult to get Odin to proceed with the flash. In short it's hard to imagine it worth the risk.
I doubt that the perceived difference between the modems is as large as you believe. And even if it is, your native carrier will update their modem in due course. Or you can try an alternate e.g. older modem in many cases.
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Related
Hey, I have the SGS2 HD LTE I757M and I was wondering if anyone knows what the substantial difference between the T989's kernel and the I757m's in terms of cellular reception/management as I am having issues getting AWS to work.
I have flashed the t989's radio and unlocked my phone so I can try my WIND sim in it. I had the t989, and on the t989 it worked flawlessy. I could send and receive messages, calls and I had internet speeds of up to 6 or 7 mbps (which is good for WIND ). On the I757M, I could send and receive texts and SOMETIMES they would go through, where other times they wouldn't. I could make calls after a short delay, but I could never receive them. I could also connect to data services and while Speedtest claims I had 3 or 4 mbps, it was slower than dialup.
I looked at dsixda's kernel at github.org/dsixda and noticed the binary blobs from Bell (a non-AWS network). I did some reading on RIL's I copied the equivalent radio files from a T-Mobile T989 kernel (TeamChopsticks I think?) but that didn't do a single thing haha.
Anyway, that was all I could really think of besides kernel source as the RIL and the modem were the same. Seeing as people here know their way around the kernel better than I do ( I know Java well and a fair bit of C but I never have time to muck around with kernels and when I do, it normally ends disastrously...), I was wondering if maybe any of you had some ideas on how to make AWS frequencies work better as I like the screen so much more than the blueish T989.
Obviously they have slightly different radios as one is capable of LTE while the other is not, but I've heard users of the I727 Skyrocket LTE have much more success with the T989 modem than I was (I also tried the T879 modem and the Blaze modem, but neither worked any better).
EDIT: Also, according to pdadb, they're all based on the MSM8660 chipset, so they should be able to work similarly
mangelok said:
Hey, I have the SGS2 HD LTE I757M and I was wondering if anyone knows what the substantial difference between the T989's kernel and the I757m's in terms of cellular reception/management as I am having issues getting AWS to work.
I have flashed the t989's radio and unlocked my phone so I can try my WIND sim in it. I had the t989, and on the t989 it worked flawlessy. I could send and receive messages, calls and I had internet speeds of up to 6 or 7 mbps (which is good for WIND ). On the I757M, I could send and receive texts and SOMETIMES they would go through, where other times they wouldn't. I could make calls after a short delay, but I could never receive them. I could also connect to data services and while Speedtest claims I had 3 or 4 mbps, it was slower than dialup.
I looked at dsixda's kernel at github.org/dsixda and noticed the binary blobs from Bell (a non-AWS network). I did some reading on RIL's I copied the equivalent radio files from a T-Mobile T989 kernel (TeamChopsticks I think?) but that didn't do a single thing haha.
Anyway, that was all I could really think of besides kernel source as the RIL and the modem were the same. Seeing as people here know their way around the kernel better than I do ( I know Java well and a fair bit of C but I never have time to muck around with kernels and when I do, it normally ends disastrously...), I was wondering if maybe any of you had some ideas on how to make AWS frequencies work better as I like the screen so much more than the blueish T989.
Obviously they have slightly different radios as one is capable of LTE while the other is not, but I've heard users of the I727 Skyrocket LTE have much more success with the T989 modem than I was (I also tried the T879 modem and the Blaze modem, but neither worked any better).
EDIT: Also, according to pdadb, they're all based on the MSM8660 chipset, so they should be able to work similarly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue !
I'm using mobilicity and I only have CDN Roaming.
i tried all the modems aswell but no luck.
Does anyone have a solution for this ?
mangelok said:
Hey, I have the SGS2 HD LTE I757M and I was wondering if anyone knows what the substantial difference between the T989's kernel and the I757m's in terms of cellular reception/management as I am having issues getting AWS to work.
I have flashed the t989's radio and unlocked my phone so I can try my WIND sim in it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the Bell SGS2 HD LTE i757m?
How do you unlock the phone?
proza said:
Do you have the Bell SGS2 HD LTE i757m?
How do you unlock the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked it by purchasing the code on ebay, placing another sim in it and then typing the code.
you may be able to use the free unlock method used by the skyrocket and the hercules though.
as for getting it to work on WIND, I was able to by copying the modem and modem related files from the system folder on the t989. it did not work well so I ended up selling it.
Hi,
I am using CM 10.1 M3. I haven't updated my modem in a long time. It is I717UCLF6. Is that the right one? How do I know which one to use?
andersco said:
Hi,
I am using CM 10.1 M3. I haven't updated my modem in a long time. It is I717UCLF6. Is that the right one? How do I know which one to use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's kinda hard to answer which modem you need without some more details. It's also a personal preference based on where you live. Some modems/radios work better in certain areas than others. What network are you on, AT&T? I'm on AT&T and heard the latest modem for our i717 is the i717UCMB4. You can flash that one in recovery. I used it and it works but for some reason the i717UCLD3 modem is working better for me. I got that modem when I used odin to install this rom, then flashing my favorite rom on top of it. Some people say the UCLF6 modem works better for them. You can get that one here and flash thru your recovery. Sorry I can't find the i717UCLD3 flashable zip. Maybe someone else has a link so you can flash between all 3 and see what works out best for ya.
No need to do any modem flashing. LF6 is the latest and greatest modem available.
Updating.....AT&T released 4.1.2 and a new baseband/modem which can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2261713 and is flashable from custom recovery.
I'm testing out a possible switch to T-Mobile. Had AT&T unlock my phone today and got a prepaid T-Mobile SIM in it. I'm getting H+ (LTE?) speeds while doing data transfer and then it drops back to 3G when data isn't being used heavily. I'm on UCLF6. Although I've had this phone for a year, installed tons of ROMs, compiled my own kernel, etc. I'm a noob when it comes to modems and have just used whatever worked. What's the advantage of using a "T-Mobile" modem if UCLF6 seems to be working on T-Mobile anyways? Do you get more speed out of it?
I don't want to lose AT&T compatibility yet as I just got the prepaid T-Mo to test out (been getting crappy reception with AT&T at work and tired of the expensive plan of minutes I don't use). If T-Mo improves my speeds at work I'll probably just pay to cancel my AT&T contract and transfer my number, but for now I'm just testing.
Well I am not sure about the baseband/modem issues on T-Mobile but most important would be the GSM Bands/LTE are compatible. As some AT&T phones don't support 3G/LTE frequencys T-Mobile use. If you are using a prepaid SIM it may not even support LTE for example Straight Talk on AT&T supposedly will only use HSPA+ .
I have an i777 that was unlocked with Siyah. It obviously was an old AT&T phone but I'm trying to use on T-Mobile.
I know that there are physical differences with the radio that won't allow it to get more than a 2G data signal in most areas on the EDGE network. That would be fine if I could get any signal for voice, texts and 2G data but I don't get anything.
The phone only wants to find AT&T towers and will not ever show T-Mobile signals.
I assume that I need to flash a T-Mobile modem but they are all for the T-9898 and not the i777 or i9100.
I would appreciate any advice.
Thank you,
Patt
I can't speak with first hand experience, but I can say that others report using the I777 on T-Mobile. The only modems that can be installed are the AT&T modems, so your problem appears to lie elsewhere.
I've been reading the I777 forums since the phone first came out, and I think if you search the forums, you will probably find a number of threads that discuss this issue, and that may give you an idea of what to do to get your phone to work on T-Mobile.
Pattonator said:
I have an i777 that was unlocked with Siyah. It obviously was an old AT&T phone but I'm trying to use on T-Mobile.
I know that there are physical differences with the radio that won't allow it to get more than a 2G data signal in most areas on the EDGE network. That would be fine if I could get any signal for voice, texts and 2G data but I don't get anything.
The phone only wants to find AT&T towers and will not ever show T-Mobile signals.
I assume that I need to flash a T-Mobile modem but they are all for the T-9898 and not the i777 or i9100.
I would appreciate any advice.
Thank you,
Patt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just FYI, you cannot carrier unlock a phone with a kernel.
You will need to do some research.
Can this be done? I ask because I am using the T-Mobile version on AT&T. LTE reception is not bad, it just can be better, especially in low signal areas? Does anyone have any information flashing the G900A modem for T-Mobile? I have searched and can't seem to find anything on this.
Radio and antenna wise, I believe they are the same device specs, so not like a number of years ago where there were antenna differences between them. T-Mobile radio supports all of T-Mobile and AT&T, AT&T radio however only partially supports T-Mobile (NO 4G AWS band, more limited LTE)
There are a number of people that have compared the two variants and no significant reception differences have been found
MattMJB0188 said:
Can this be done? I ask because I am using the T-Mobile version on AT&T. LTE reception is not bad, it just can be better, especially in low signal areas? Does anyone have any information flashing the G900A modem for T-Mobile? I have searched and can't seem to find anything on this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
risestar2 said:
Radio and antenna wise, I believe they are the same device specs, so not like a number of years ago where there were antenna differences between them. T-Mobile radio supports all of T-Mobile and AT&T, AT&T radio however only partially supports T-Mobile (NO 4G AWS band, more limited LTE)
There are a number of people that have compared the two variants and no significant reception differences have been found
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. I understand that. But what I was asking if we could extract the AT&T modem from the G900A (AT&T Branded S5) and flash it on the T-Mobile S5 (G900T). That way the frequencies would be better optimized.
Now my T-Mobile S5 did pick up Band 4 LTE on AT&T and reception was excellent. This is mostly due to the fact that T-Mobile natively uses band 4 for LTE.
MattMJB0188 said:
Right. I understand that. But what I was asking if we could extract the AT&T modem from the G900A (AT&T Branded S5) and flash it on the T-Mobile S5 (G900T). That way the frequencies would be better optimized.
Now my T-Mobile S5 did pick up Band 4 LTE on AT&T and reception was excellent. This is mostly due to the fact that T-Mobile natively uses band 4 for LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that has any effect at all. Frequencies don't get optimized at least not on your end. I think the phone does have a priority list for which bands to use but it automatically switches when one is better than the other.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
luigi311 said:
I doubt that has any effect at all. Frequencies don't get optimized at least not on your end. I think the phone does have a priority list for which bands to use but it automatically switches when one is better than the other.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about that. Perhaps it is not "optimizing" but carriers definitely do something to their modems on smartphones to make them work best with their networks. While the T-Mobile S5 works almost flawlessly on AT&T, the AT&T S5 still gets better reception. Perhaps the difference is negligible, but its there.
MattMJB0188 said:
I don't know about that. Perhaps it is not "optimizing" but carriers definitely do something to their modems on smartphones to make them work best with their networks. While the T-Mobile S5 works almost flawlessly on AT&T, the AT&T S5 still gets better reception. Perhaps the difference is negligible, but its there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you compared both side by side?
kawaiichi said:
have you compared both side by side?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am comparing my signal with the T-Mobile S5 from what I experienced on the AT&T S5. While signal difference in good reception areas is not noticeable, signal in lower reception areas is much weaker. The AT&T S5 would send texts messages almost 95% of the time at my work. With the T-Mobile S5, I am getting about a 10% success rate on text messages being sent.
slimc84 said:
I am comparing my signal with the T-Mobile S5 from what I experienced on the AT&T S5. While signal difference in good reception areas is not noticeable, signal in lower reception areas is much weaker. The AT&T S5 would send texts messages almost 95% of the time at my work. With the T-Mobile S5, I am getting about a 10% success rate on text messages being sent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what I mean. But nonetheless, I still love the phone and this really isn't an issue the majority of the time. Hopefully soon, we can flash an AT&T modem.
MattMJB0188 said:
Yeah that's what I mean. But nonetheless, I still love the phone and this really isn't an issue the majority of the time. Hopefully soon, we can flash an AT&T modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way I have been able to increase texts going through successfully is by toggling airplane mode. I guess we will have to use that as a work around.
Having an AT&T modem on the Tmobile variant will make the device better handle connecting to LTE/HSPA networks and the phone will switch between frequencies them more efficiently. Now, I don't know if that's possible without bricking the phone.
daraj said:
Having an AT&T modem on the Tmobile variant will make the device better handle connecting to LTE/HSPA networks and the phone will switch between frequencies them more efficiently. Now, I don't know if that's possible without bricking the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think some guy did it with the Note 3. But thing is, the AT&T modem on the S5 has not been extracted.
MattMJB0188 said:
I think some guy did it with the Note 3. But thing is, the AT&T modem on the S5 has not been extracted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Extracting the AT&T modem is not a problem I can get it quickly using the stock firmware file. But, still i think it will brick your tmobile s5.
daraj said:
Extracting the AT&T modem is not a problem I can get it quickly using the stock firmware file. But, still i think it will brick your tmobile s5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How so? Would it be the same as flashing a T-Mobile modem?
slimc84 said:
I am comparing my signal with the T-Mobile S5 from what I experienced on the AT&T S5. While signal difference in good reception areas is not noticeable, signal in lower reception areas is much weaker. The AT&T S5 would send texts messages almost 95% of the time at my work. With the T-Mobile S5, I am getting about a 10% success rate on text messages being sent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's your answer right there. T-Mobile released a patch today to deal with poor SMS/MMS or texting issues. Doubt it has anything to do with signal.
Flash the latest T-Mobile update and then see it perform as you'd expect.
SeaFractor said:
There's your answer right there. T-Mobile released a patch today to deal with poor SMS/MMS or texting issues. Doubt it has anything to do with signal.
Flash the latest T-Mobile update and then see it perform as you'd expect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MattMJB0188 said:
How so? Would it be the same as flashing a T-Mobile modem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i was looking to this this with my t mobile s5 with no luck. like another guy said, in good signal areas signal doesnt change but i am in a bad signal area a lot and my phone jst doesnt switch frequecies like it should. I been using att on t mobile phones for a while and installing the att modem but with this one im having some trouble. i have the att modem.bin but when flashing it i get a bootloader response error
You're lucky to get an error and the bin file didn't flash! Please read and search more. There are many threads on xda about similar attempt types. Device-specific modem files cannot and should not be flashed on other devices. They are hardware specific and will cause your phone to stop working if you manage to get it to flash.
Setting up ATT APN settings will suffice for those using att Sim in a sm-g900t.
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Commodore 64 said:
You're lucky to get an error and the bin file didn't flash! Please read and search more. There are many threads on xda about similar attempt types. Device-specific modem files cannot and should not be flashed on other devices. They are hardware specific and will cause your phone to stop working if you manage to get it to flash.
Setting up ATT APN settings will suffice for those using att Sim in a sm-g900t.
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i realize the risk, and I'm actually not too worried about them. I don't at all think the phone will stop working, however I still can't get the modem on here anyway. I have tried the tar, and bin with no luck. If anybody is willing to put something together I'm willing to test it out. Fortunately in my line of work, it wouldn't be a big deal to get another S5.
---------- Post added at 08:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 AM ----------
Jtrain88 said:
Yes i realize the risk, and I'm actually not too worried about them. I don't at all think the phone will stop working, however I still can't get the modem on here anyway. I have tried the tar, and bin with no luck. If anybody is willing to put something together I'm willing to test it out. Fortunately in my line of work, it wouldn't be a big deal to get another S5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Commodore 64 said:
You're lucky to get an error and the bin file didn't flash! Please read and search more. There are many threads on xda about similar attempt types. Device-specific modem files cannot and should not be flashed on other devices. They are hardware specific and will cause your phone to stop working if you manage to get it to flash.
Setting up ATT APN settings will suffice for those using att Sim in a sm-g900t.
Sent from my SM-G900T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have made all the proper backups. Not to mention I'm not a noob to this, having built a few Roms myself.
Jtrain88 said:
Yes i realize the risk, and I'm actually not too worried about them. I don't at all think the phone will stop working, however I still can't get the modem on here anyway. I have tried the tar, and bin with no luck. If anybody is willing to put something together I'm willing to test it out. Fortunately in my line of work, it wouldn't be a big deal to get another S5.
---------- Post added at 08:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:03 AM ----------
have made all the proper backups. Not to mention I'm not a noob to this, having built a few Roms myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's not taking in Odin, then I really don't think its going to work. Odin is like the master of all things Samsung for end users. The S5 has a lot of tampering prevention measurements made by Samsung. It wouldn't surprise me if the bootloader is doing a reference check with the modem to see if the modem matches the bootloader.
Also, I wouldn't go about flashing full ATT tar files to the T-Mobile S5. The partition tables are now different in the Galaxy S5 variants when in previous models they were the same. So flashing the ATT full tar could lead to your download mode being wiped.
What exactly is your problem? When you say "not switching frequencies" what exactly do you mean? Like going from LTE to HSPA+ or HSPA+ to LTE etc.
I have created an xposed module for myself that allows me to quickly switch my network preference at ease using a widget. I may share that once I tidy it up a bit. If your issue is being able to switch between HSPA+ LTE 2G etc then the widget should help you. I only use it to force 4G when in a low 4G environment or to force LTE when in low LTE environment.
BTW: What line of work do you do that you can simply get another S5? I'm jealous
elesbb said:
If it's not taking in Odin, then I really don't think its going to work. Odin is like the master of all things Samsung for end users. The S5 has a lot of tampering prevention measurements made by Samsung. It wouldn't surprise me if the bootloader is doing a reference check with the modem to see if the modem matches the bootloader.
Also, I wouldn't go about flashing full ATT tar files to the T-Mobile S5. The partition tables are now different in the Galaxy S5 variants when in previous models they were the same. So flashing the ATT full tar could lead to your download mode being wiped.
What exactly is your problem? When you say "not switching frequencies" what exactly do you mean? Like going from LTE to HSPA+ or HSPA+ to LTE etc.
I have created an xposed module for myself that allows me to quickly switch my network preference at ease using a widget. I may share that once I tidy it up a bit. If your issue is being able to switch between HSPA+ LTE 2G etc then the widget should help you. I only use it to force 4G when in a low 4G environment or to force LTE when in low LTE environment.
BTW: What line of work do you do that you can simply get another S5? I'm jealous
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I definitely wouldn't go as far as flashing att tar.... And sometimes when I lose signal it takes a heck of a lot longer to gain it back ad t mobile basebands as opposed to art ones. I get another phone about every month and a half to two months so I've definitely tested around on and and also yes when it switches from lte to hspa+ etc it doesn't switch it like any att phone I've had. Takes longer.
And as far as my line of work goes I just mean that I would be able to afford another one if this one broke.
Jtrain88 said:
Yes I definitely wouldn't go as far as flashing att tar.... And sometimes when I lose signal it takes a heck of a lot longer to gain it back ad t mobile basebands as opposed to art ones. I get another phone about every month and a half to two months so I've definitely tested around on and and also yes when it switches from lte to hspa+ etc it doesn't switch it like any att phone I've had. Takes longer.
And as far as my line of work goes I just mean that I would be able to afford another one if this one broke.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might be taking longer due to the different radios. Weird though cause if it has an ATT sim and ATT APN configuration, it shouldn't have any delay and function like an ATT phone.
And yeah I'm jealous you can afford a new one if you broke this one takes me a year to save up in order to buy my next upgrade.
Hi i have an Samsung Galaxy s2 and it has verry poor signal,if i go inside house i get no signal at all,only outside i have signal but is not full.Anyone can help me?
Are you sure your network provider provides good coverage in area? If yes, you can try flashing a different modem.
That's normal for any phone/dependent on what spectrum (frequencies) & equipment the carrier uses. I'm in the same situation at home in particular.
Its normal when i enter a building to get no service?
Sometimes. Depends on the building, depends on the topography of the area, depends on the frequencies your carrier is using, depends on the equipment your carrier is using in nearby cells (this can vary widely from area to area even with the same carrier).
Have you modded the phone at all - flashed custom roms/kernels/etc, specifically have you flashed different modems or RIL's ? If you're running the modem that was on the phone when you bought it (or a modem that came bundled with a stock rom released by your carrier if you've done OTA updates), it's either:-
A) One of those carrier-side issues or
B) A hardware problem.
And as Banjara said, the only thing you can do about A (the solution to B is obvious, take it to a mobile repair shop or Samsung service centre) is to try flashing different modems to see if that improves things. If you're already running a modem bundled with a stock rom released by your carrier however, trying modems released with stock roms released by other carriers/in other countries is unlikely to improve things much (if at all) for a very simple reason.
Modems bundled with stock roms released by your carrier have been (one would assume this is the case with all carriers at any rate) tested so they work for most people on your carrier's network most of the time. If you're getting poor connectivity with one of those, switching to a modem meant for another carrier's network probably won't make any difference.
So...Where you go from here depends on your answer to the question I posed in para 2.
Also imei is a generic one.
You didn't answer my question (IMEI's don't disappear all of a sudden on their own for no reason), so I'm going to leave it to other people to attempt to help you here. Nothing personal, but I have no desire to play 20 questions with you/'pull teeth' in order to get the info I need to help you.
Wait until someone else decides to help you.
MistahBungle said:
Sometimes. Depends on the building, depends on the topography of the area, depends on the frequencies your carrier is using, depends on the equipment your carrier is using in nearby cells (this can vary widely from area to area even with the same carrier).
Have you modded the phone at all - flashed custom roms/kernels/etc, specifically have you flashed different modems or RIL's ? If you're running the modem that was on the phone when you bought it (or a modem that came bundled with a stock rom released by your carrier if you've done OTA updates), it's either:-
A) One of those carrier-side issues or
B) A hardware problem.
And as Banjara said, the only thing you can do about A (the solution to B is obvious, take it to a mobile repair shop or Samsung service centre) is to try flashing different modems to see if that improves things. If you're already running a modem bundled with a stock rom released by your carrier however, trying modems released with stock roms released by other carriers/in other countries is unlikely to improve things much (if at all) for a very simple reason.
Modems bundled with stock roms released by your carrier have been (one would assume this is the case with all carriers at any rate) tested so they work for most people on your carrier's network most of the time. If you're getting poor connectivity with one of those, switching to a modem meant for another carrier's network probably won't make any difference.
So...Where you go from here depends on your answer to the question I posed in para 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didin't flash any roms,or modified the phone,its a second hand unit i bought from a guy.