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How is your 3G reception on the Vibrant? I just purchased a Vibrant as a replacement for my aging and bluetooth handicapped G1 and I am disappointed with the 3G reception.
T-Mobile's coverage in my area is moderate, and the G1 has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors, and may even flop back to 2G. It is fairly consistently on 2G in my home at 2 bars and at work I can only get 1 bar of 2G with this phone and spend the majority of the time with no signal at all.
I sat down and did some comparison between the Vibrant and the G1 and have found the following:
1. *#*#4636#*#* menu shows significantly worse signal levels on the Vibrant than on the G1, often times showing 0db and 0asu in the same location I am seeing -89db to -101db 3G on the G1.
2. The service menu on the Vibrant indicates a signal level which on 3G is fairly consistently 8db better than the one shown on the info menu. Interestingly, 2G signal levels as shown on the service menu seem fairly spot on with those shown from the info menu in Android.
3. The service menu 3G signal levels on the Vibrant seem consistent with those that I see on the G1 with a variation of perhaps only a couple of decibels.
That said, it seems interesting that battery usage on the Vibrant seems to indicate nearly 60% of its time with no service under cell standby when I get 0% in the same location with the G1. I am wondering if the time being recorded here is in fact the time spent with 0 bars being displayed even if the phone does, in fact, have a signal.
It is apparent that there is at least a software issue with the display here, as has been concluded in prior threads. However, ignoring the bar display I am wondering what others feel of the signal coverage with their Vibrant versus their old phone?
Does anyone have any experience with any of Samsung's other phone offerings? Do you think Samsung will post a radio update for this phone or possibly release one along with the GPS Fix/Froyo update in September?
I work in a position which requires me to be on-call a certain times during the year, and I can't really afford to have a phone that camps out at 60% no signal. I am really looking for reasons to keep this phone, as I like it otherwise, but practically, I need a phone that is going to receive phone calls. Any objective indications anyone can give that Samsung will continue to support this device may help sway my decision to keep it. My 14 days will be up on Thursday, so I need to make a final decision about keeping this phone before then.
Also, do any developers think that modifying the handling of the signal display in Android will cause a change in the amount of time the phone spends acquiring signal between 3G and 2G, or is this something that is purely handled within the radio firmware? If this is changeable, is this something that can be included in a future custom rom?
No coverage issues with mine.matches my mt3g in pretty much every location.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I made a call in the BOONDOCKS of NC, in an old river mill with 22 inch brick walls... NOBODY else was able to place a call other than me (all the big networks and nice phones).
I have pretty crappy 3g service here in new rochelle when at home the phone keeps fluctuating between 0-4 bars for 3G and the data speeds very inconsistent. Sometimes it even falls back to EDGE! This is pretty lame, i called t-mobile about it and they said there nothing they can do! If i am unhappy i should return the phone.
I live in NYC...
That is really all I have to say.
3-5 up speeds
constant 3g connection
The bars on the phone are funky though they look like there are none but you can still make calls. Its just the software is off just like the battery percentage.
Rishikesh said:
I have pretty crappy 3g service here in new rochelle when at home the phone keeps fluctuating between 0-4 bars for 3G and the data speeds very inconsistent. Sometimes it even falls back to EDGE! This is pretty lame, i called t-mobile about it and they said there nothing they can do! If i am unhappy i should return the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're at home why aren't you on WiFi?
Seriously it's the most puzzling thing ever. 3G or not, I wouldn't be using it at home. Are you trying to replace your ISP with your phone or something?
You should do a search. Are you aware of the fact that -0dBm is impossible? The bars are off on this phone and the G1 is mediocre overall. It can hold on to a 3G signal for longer because your hand isn't blocking the antenna but the antenna itself is truly mediocre in fringe areas. Move your hand away from the bottom hump on the Vibrant. A lot of questions you're asking.. you're answering yourself.
I am not all too impressed with 3G coverage here at my home, but I mostly blame the network at my location and not necessarily the phone. TMO has spotty coverage near my house....period, and I live less than a mile from the tower. I have a Blackberry 9700 and it has similar issues with 3G. I've called and complained and they give me the usual "you're green on the map...return the phone....blah blah". I was closer to downtown Dallas yesterday and the phone had full bars and never got higher than -80dbm. Speedtest app showed about 3mbps downloads on average. I wouldn't say it was stellar but it's nothing like at home either. Only thing is my phone never automatically drops from 3G to E unless I am making calls. Once again the Blackberry 9700 does the same thing.
However, I am not completely convinced the phone isn't to blame either. I had a week with the new Motorola XT720, aka AWS Motoroi/Milestone that Magenta is/was rumored (who knows?) to get, and if Moto hadn't skimped on the CPU/RAM/screen/app memory of that phone I would have kept it instead of this Vibrant. That phone seemed to get much better 3G signal and HSPA was excellent compared to the Vibrant. I'm lucky if the Vibrant gets HSPA here at all. Overall network performance just seemed faster. It was quite obvious when I powered up the Vibrant the first time that 3G coverage is going to be an issue at my home with this phone.
FWIW my wife has an iPhone 3G which gets great 3G coverage here at the house on ATT. So I borrowed her SIM to test after I unlocked the Vibrant and it didn't make much difference. It did get 3G which I didn't think was technically possible until I saw that this phone has 1900 3G support as well as AWS. I do think the bars and definitely the battery indicators are not accurate whatsoever. I use Battery Indicator Pro and it's definitely obvious Samsung needs a software re-work.
Just because you live within 1 mile of a tower doesn't mean it's 3G or that there isn't something in the way of it's signal and your house.. I live within 1 mile of a tower and it's not 3G. It's supposed to get 3G soon.
heygrl said:
If you're at home why aren't you on WiFi?
Seriously it's the most puzzling thing ever. 3G or not, I wouldn't be using it at home. Are you trying to replace your ISP with your phone or something?
You should do a search. Are you aware of the fact that -0dBm is impossible? The bars are off on this phone and the G1 is mediocre overall. It can hold on to a 3G signal for longer because your hand isn't blocking the antenna but the antenna itself is truly mediocre in fringe areas. Move your hand away from the bottom hump on the Vibrant. A lot of questions you're asking.. you're answering yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I don't have WiFi in my house?
Maybe I would love to reduce my monthly expenditures by the $60 I throw away to Comcast?
I am well aware of the fact that -0dbm is impossible. This is simply what the phone is displaying. I also agree that the G1's reception is mediocre, but this phone seems worse than the G1. Blocking the antenna with my hand doesn't seem to make much difference on either the Vibrant or the G1.
I asked for objective answers to my questions which basically boil down to the following:
1. Do you think Samsung will provide support for the software on this phone (including the radio) over the long term ie. do you think there will be upgrades in this department?
2. Do you think this is something custom rom developers can address purely via modifying the OS?
Thanks for your snarky comments, but if you haven't got any objective input into the situation maybe this thread is not for you.
equid0x said:
Maybe I don't have WiFi in my house?
Maybe I would love to reduce my monthly expenditures by the $60 I throw away to Comcast?
I am well aware of the fact that -0dbm is impossible. This is simply what the phone is displaying. I also agree that the G1's reception is mediocre, but this phone seems worse than the G1. Blocking the antenna with my hand doesn't seem to make much difference on either the Vibrant or the G1.
I asked for objective answers to my questions which basically boil down to the following:
1. Do you think Samsung will provide support for the software on this phone (including the radio) over the long term ie. do you think there will be upgrades in this department?
2. Do you think this is something custom rom developers can address purely via modifying the OS?
Thanks for your snarky comments, but if you haven't got any objective input into the situation maybe this thread is not for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're asking questions that we can't answer. Do we work at Samsung? No. Would stock Android fix this? Maybe.
It seems worse than the G1 because based on your comments the bars are having an affect on what you deem to be "worse". I've had tons of T-Mobile phones including the G1 and the Vibrant is not considerably worse than any. INFACT it will hold on to a 3G signal for longer than most. My CLIQ displayed 3 bars as -105dBm. Accurate? NO.
has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having any disconcernable change you're not doing it right
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
heygrl said:
You're asking questions that we can't answer. Do we work at Samsung? No.
It seems worse than the G1 because based on your comments the bars are having an affect on what you deem to be "worse". I've had tons of T-Mobile phones including the G1 and the Vibrant is not considerably worse than any. INFACT it will hold on to a 3G signal for longer than most. My CLIQ displayed 3 bars as -105dBm. Accurate? NO.
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having much of a change at all you're lying or not doing it right.
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that nobody here is working for Samsung but there are plenty of people here who have developed for Android, and the question I am posing is if this is something that can be addressed in a custom rom.
I think my original post makes it clear that there is obviously a software issue with bar display, but I am wondering if this software issue is also causing the Android OS to force a switch to 2G in an instance where the G1 with a properly functioning display would keep 3G. ie, the phone is switching to 2G early because it thinks it only has -111dbm when it in fact still has -103dbm. I am not clear on whether this functionality is performed within the OS itself or purely within the radio firmware.
My hands are rather large, so holding the G1 basically covers the entire rear of the phone. The antenna is near the top of the phone whereas the antenna on the Vibrant seems to be on the bottom. Though holding both phones in various positions seems to have little effect on the received signal strength so far as I can tell.
The time spent without signal in cell standby I believe to be erroneous. I think it is tallying up that time any time there are zero bars, even if the phone still has a signal. This makes it very difficult to objectively compare the 2 phones. If the OS is in fact driving the switch from 3G to 2G this may explain my poor access in fringe areas as the phone will be constantly flapping between the two. If the functions that drive this behavior are within the AOSP source this could easily be something we can fix in a custom rom even without Samsung's help, even if a radio update would be ideal.
heygrl said:
Where is the antenna on the G1? If you're telling me you're putting your hand over it and not having any disconcernable change you're not doing it right
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can wrap my hand around the phone (Vibrant), either top, center or bottom and I do not see any change in either reception, call quality, network throughput or number of bars.
heygrl said:
If you don't have WiFi at your house you need to get some.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is perfectly understandable that if he has good reception with a G1, an older phone, he expects at least a similar level or reception with a newer, higher end phone. WiFi would be considered a workaround.
I just received my Vibrant on Monday and it's sadly replacing my amazing Nexus One. I've noticed that the Vibrant antenna is AWFUL. Where I received 4-5 bars on the N1, I'm getting 1-3 bars now and it even goes down to Edge once every few hours.
Like the OP, I've been monitoring the db levels and they're frequently around -95 through -107. While my calls don't actually drop, the quality does get worse. I'm also getting many 3G connection errors when trying to browser or download apps from the Market. It's quite disappointing. The phone is made of plastic as well, so I'd imagine that the antenna reception should be better.
Being that there are only 2 pages on this particular thread, does this mean it's a fluke and others' phones are ok?
allen099 said:
I just received my Vibrant on Monday and it's sadly replacing my amazing Nexus One. I've noticed that the Vibrant antenna is AWFUL. Where I received 4-5 bars on the N1, I'm getting 1-3 bars now and it even goes down to Edge once every few hours.
Like the OP, I've been monitoring the db levels and they're frequently around -95 through -107. While my calls don't actually drop, the quality does get worse. I'm also getting many 3G connection errors when trying to browser or download apps from the Market. It's quite disappointing. The phone is made of plastic as well, so I'd imagine that the antenna reception should be better.
Being that there are only 2 pages on this particular thread, does this mean it's a fluke and others' phones are ok?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4-5 bars on a phone with a 4 bar scale?
Stop looking at -dBm on the Vibrant, it's not accurate.
If you don't want the phone to switch to EDGE lock it on 3G.
heygrl said:
4-5 bars on a phone with a 4 bar scale?
Stop looking at -dBm on the Vibrant, it's not accurate.
If you don't want the phone to switch to EDGE lock it on 3G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you lock it on 3G?
javacody said:
How do you lock it on 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked for me (copy/paste and remove spaces in http):
h t t p://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7438987&postcount=7
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=7438987&postcount=7
Thanks. 3G is spotty at best in the Des Moines Area, so I'll leave well enough alone.
So, in follow up to this, I had downloaded and installed RF signal tracker from the market and went driving around until I found a tower. It seems that via Android OS the best signal strength received was -81dbm and that was sitting right next to the tower. The phone stayed locked at -81dbm for a few miles down the road so I suspect this is peak signal on this phone which should really be something like -65dbm. I think this pretty much confirms that there is indeed a software issue with the signal display.
I also took some time looking at Android code and found that the bars are driven on GSM/UMTS by asu as follows:
if (asu <= 2 || asu == 99) iconLevel = 0;
else if (asu >= 12) iconLevel = 4;
else if (asu >= 8) iconLevel = 3;
else if (asu >= 5) iconLevel = 2;
else iconLevel = 1;
So figuring up the dbm values from these, I went ahead and created a new asu scale which is adjusted -8dbm from "normal" since this seems to be the worst case of the mismatch between the phone firmware and what Android is reporting and applied that within the market app Real Signal to try and get an apples to apples comparison of signal bars between this phone and the old G1. Unfortunately, the degree if miscalibration means we can't set a negative ASU so we don't get any meaningful display on Real Signal until we hit the 3rd bar. In doing this if I go to a moderate overage area I am seeing the bars I would expect.
After my little drive with RF Signal Tracker its actually pretty clear that discrepancy is really more like -15dbm, which adjusting the figures should mean that this phone in reality gets slightly better reception than the old G1.
It seems we should be able to workaround this in a custom ROM by doing one of the following:
1. Modify getGsmSignalStrength() to add the -15dbm to the returned signal strength value(hackish).
2. Modify the vendor RIL to compensate for the -15dbm offset when on UMTS. (Probably the proper solution).
I'm not clear on whether the vendor RIL code gets posted to AOSP...
equid0x said:
How is your 3G reception on the Vibrant? I just purchased a Vibrant as a replacement for my aging and bluetooth handicapped G1 and I am disappointed with the 3G reception.
T-Mobile's coverage in my area is moderate, and the G1 has been able to hold on to a 3G signal in most locations. Typically, at home the G1 will hold on to 2-3 bars of 3G, and at work I am lucky to get 1 -- usually camps out on 2G with 4 or 5 bars.
The Vibrant pretty much always shows 0 bars of 3G while indoors, and may even flop back to 2G. It is fairly consistently on 2G in my home at 2 bars and at work I can only get 1 bar of 2G with this phone and spend the majority of the time with no signal at all.
I sat down and did some comparison between the Vibrant and the G1 and have found the following:
1. *#*#4636#*#* menu shows significantly worse signal levels on the Vibrant than on the G1, often times showing 0db and 0asu in the same location I am seeing -89db to -101db 3G on the G1.
2. The service menu on the Vibrant indicates a signal level which on 3G is fairly consistently 8db better than the one shown on the info menu. Interestingly, 2G signal levels as shown on the service menu seem fairly spot on with those shown from the info menu in Android.
3. The service menu 3G signal levels on the Vibrant seem consistent with those that I see on the G1 with a variation of perhaps only a couple of decibels.
That said, it seems interesting that battery usage on the Vibrant seems to indicate nearly 60% of its time with no service under cell standby when I get 0% in the same location with the G1. I am wondering if the time being recorded here is in fact the time spent with 0 bars being displayed even if the phone does, in fact, have a signal.
It is apparent that there is at least a software issue with the display here, as has been concluded in prior threads. However, ignoring the bar display I am wondering what others feel of the signal coverage with their Vibrant versus their old phone?
Does anyone have any experience with any of Samsung's other phone offerings? Do you think Samsung will post a radio update for this phone or possibly release one along with the GPS Fix/Froyo update in September?
I work in a position which requires me to be on-call a certain times during the year, and I can't really afford to have a phone that camps out at 60% no signal. I am really looking for reasons to keep this phone, as I like it otherwise, but practically, I need a phone that is going to receive phone calls. Any objective indications anyone can give that Samsung will continue to support this device may help sway my decision to keep it. My 14 days will be up on Thursday, so I need to make a final decision about keeping this phone before then.
Also, do any developers think that modifying the handling of the signal display in Android will cause a change in the amount of time the phone spends acquiring signal between 3G and 2G, or is this something that is purely handled within the radio firmware? If this is changeable, is this something that can be included in a future custom rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't done any detailed tests but I can state that in real world use, I am not happy with my Vibrant's reception. My G1 was very noticeably better at getting and holding 3G and Edge connections in the same locations where my new Vibrant won't.
Next to a tower on GSM(GSM/GPRS/EDGE) you should see -51dBm at the most with Android. W-CDMA is different because they really don't use -dBm to determine signal quality. They use power/noise.
I've been having this problem probably once a day since I've gotten the phone where my phone will lose data signal while switching between 3G and LTE and the only way to get data back is to restart the phone. Turning airplane mode on and off won't work either.
Ive had that issue too..but most of the time it switches back n forth no problem
bik2101 said:
I've been having this problem probably once a day since I've gotten the phone where my phone will lose data signal while switching between 3G and LTE and the only way to get data back is to restart the phone. Turning airplane mode on and off won't work either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
I haven't noticed any data problems until today. I am unable to connect to 3G. We do not have 4G in my area.
These problems are probably bugs in the LTE System.
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1
jbh00jh said:
These problems are probably bugs in the LTE System.
Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why should bugs in the LTE system affect 3G?
the 3G our phones use is not exactly the same as standard 3G unless you force your phone into EVDO 3G via the ##778 menu. which if you are not in a 4g zone I would recommend simply for stability. The 3G our phones use is basically a layer between 3G and LTE as I've had it explained to me.. I really don't know much else about it though, sorry. I'm sure someone else here can shine more light on it however.
racingtiger03 said:
the 3G our phones use is not exactly the same as standard 3G unless you force your phone into EVDO 3G via the ##778 menu. which if you are not in a 4g zone I would recommend simply for stability. The 3G our phones use is basically a layer between 3G and LTE as I've had it explained to me.. I really don't know much else about it though, sorry. I'm sure someone else here can shine more light on it however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh that's really interesting. thanks for that little bit of info. had no idea.
Same problem with it dropping data signal and never coming back without restart. At least now i know its not a hardware issue
I've had the same problem lately
~John
damn.. i was actually hoping this was a small problem with a simple solution... everything else about the phone is perfect except for this one problem.
Having the same issue here....when switching to cdma I get no 3G just 1X.....hope they find a fix soon
Sent from my HTC Rezound
same here guys. call Verizon and let them know. I think it helps if a bunch of us make them aware.
I've had a ton of weird data issues with the Rezound. I get 1x where i should get 3g, i get 3g where i should get 4g and i get nothing way too often.
I've only had this happen once with the rezound. Shows nothing but bars, no data can be used. Sometimes switching to 3g or 4g in lte on/off helps.
Had this problem intermittently on both my wife's and my bolts, completely agree its just a lte being a new tech issue.
I've listened to a podcast on how the handoff works and its definitely not fool proof.
racingtiger03 said:
the 3G our phones use is not exactly the same as standard 3G unless you force your phone into EVDO 3G via the ##778 menu. which if you are not in a 4g zone I would recommend simply for stability. The 3G our phones use is basically a layer between 3G and LTE as I've had it explained to me.. I really don't know much else about it though, sorry. I'm sure someone else here can shine more light on it however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im in Lawton Oklahoma and I'm not gonna c 4G till 2013 and I'll be pcs before that.
Now I access the ##778 menu in edit mode and what do I do to force EVDO 3G?
Rocking and Loving My Unbelievable Crazy ReZound
Dial ##778#, call
edit mode
password is 000000
modem settings
Rev. A
select "enable"
menu > commit
phone will reboot and you should get 3G back
This changes your network from eHRPD back to EVDO Rev.A. For LTE phone owners, eHRPD causes 3G to die (most of the time anyway) when the LTE network has problems. Get back on normal EVDO and you're good to go.
^ from Jntdroid on another forum (not sure if we're allowed to post to other forums here) I'm not positive on where he got it from, but this is a capability of all HTC 4G phones
I've had occasional issues with being down to 1X, but even that was only during nationwide 4G network issues, definitely get in touch with VZW about that... not that they have enough sense to fix anything *sigh*
Data Connection slow to Acquire (3G/LTE)
If I'm on the subway, or somewhere with no service, then come above ground, I get voice (full bars) but no data -- it could take upwards of 3 minutes+ for data to come back up. Any thoughts?
I've been losing my 3G service throughout my city, being restricted to 1x so many times lately where I SHOULD be getting 3G!(4G isnt available in my area yet). It's really annoying...perhaps nexus isnt theeee only one...
^should I try calling and programing what the user implied? Again, I am not in a 4G area...
not2gutta said:
I've been losing my 3G service throughout my city, being restricted to 1x so many times lately where I SHOULD be getting 3G!(4G isnt available in my area yet). It's really annoying...perhaps nexus isnt theeee only one...
^should I try calling and programing what the user implied? Again, I am not in a 4G area...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue as you. I live in a 3G area only and my 3G drops out a lot. Even a reboot doesn't get it back. Not sure what to do :/
At first I thought maybe my area just had issues with the towers, I've only had the phone for about a month, but my data will regularly drop to 1X, and even on 3G, I will often get really low speeds.
I'm beginning to think my phone might be defective because with the EVO4G prior to it, I would get solid data for the most part all around town, and yet everyone says the MoPho's radios are better than the EVO and most other Sprint phones.
I feel like I've tried almost everything.Turning on airplane mode and re-using data doesn't seem to help. Rebooting doesn't help. Switching from home to automatic or vice versa doesn't help. Removing Sprint proxies didn't help. Using the different settings in the V6 3G script didn't help.
I don't always have bad speeds though, sometimes I've gotten up to 1.4 mbs (good for my area), I just seem to have a lot of drops and very inconsistent speeds for the most part.
I've been using CM7 but going back to Stock doesn't help. I'm using SBF 198.6 which I updated to from the phone itself. Would flashing SBF 198.7 perhaps help?
Anyone have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.
I doubt the phone would be defective! I think you may need to flash back to stock to test a little more. When you do, go to mobile networks and set it to automatic instead of cdma only see if that helps. I stay in a ****ty service area and I haven't seen a 1x since I've owned my photon (best radio in any phone ive owned). My GF has an epic touch 4G if I unplug the airave her phone will go to 1x and mine will not. I'm willing to bet sprint's towers are just jacked up in your area...
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk
Sorry if this has been asked before, I could not find it anywhere...
With my Evo LTE, if I have no 3G signal, I get no data at all (not using wifi). Is there supposed to be 1x data? With my Epic, I would bounce between 3G and 1x while at work, getting about 60 Kbps (horrible I know, but at least it worked). Now with my Evo, I either get 3G or nothing. Most of the time I get an error that there is no network connectivity, where with my Epic I never got that, it just worked slower at times.
So, is it a configuration issue, does the Evo not support 1x, or could I possibly have a hardware issue? I have domestic data and voice checked.
Well, this EVO does not want you to know whether you are connected with 1x vs 3g. So, on stock it will ALWAYS show as 3g. This is why you are going from 3g to no connection whatsoever.
If you are rooted, install a custom ROM as they all have the option of including this modification. If you would like to keep your current set-up, there is a thread to walk you through the necessary changes.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688413
On a side note, the EVO also gets horrible reception in general. So although you will have a better idea of what your connection is, the fact of the matter is that your reception is probably not as good as it was with a previous phone.
gdrocks said:
Well, this EVO does not want you to know whether you are connected with 1x vs 3g. So, on stock it will ALWAYS show as 3g. This is why you are going from 3g to no connection whatsoever.
If you are rooted, install a custom ROM as they all have the option of including this modification. If you would like to keep your current set-up, there is a thread to walk you through the necessary changes.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1688413
On a side note, the EVO also gets horrible reception in general. So although you will have a better idea of what your connection is, the fact of the matter is that your reception is probably not as good as it was with a previous phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, at least it makes me feel better knowing that it isn't a hardware issue. My voice reception seems better with this phone than my Epic, but data, not so much. Maybe LTE will magically fix all my issues? Other than a dead pixel, screen being a little washed out compared to SAMOLED, and reception issues, I still like my phone. Not sure if the SGIII would have better data reception where I'm at. Sucks that I have unlimited data, but just can't get at it.
I'm not convinced.
the first day our two after I got my phone, I had the same problem.
I tried changing from CDMA & LTE to CDMA only. That didn't help.
I then rebooted my phone. After that, data seems to work fine. My display sometimes shows bars with 3G, and sometimes simply bars only.
Before I rebooted, it never showed 3G.
I had even started a thread about it. But it seems to work fine now.
Sent from my EVO using XDA
So I might possibly have a fix for the continual dropping of the LTE connection, this is what I did
Enter the menu through the dialer via ##3282#
Select Edit Menu, enter your MSL number (You can get it from MSL Reader in the play store - requires root)
Select LTE Record
Change LTE scan Timer from 30 to 5
Select Menu and select commit changes, reboot and check LTE connection
I don't know if this is actually a good fix or just a coincidence that mine started working right after I made the change, I did this in an attempt to make my phone scan for LTE more frequently in hopes that it would stay connected, right after I made the change i have had absolutely no problem staying connected to the LTE network.
I would appreciate it if other people can change this and reply with their results so we can see if it actually makes a difference or not
Keep in mind that this will impact your battery life. You are forcing your phone to constantly search for a signal when you are in an area where there is none. Prl updates are now being used to update LTE info on the phone so try updating your prl
om4 said:
Keep in mind that this will impact your battery life. You are forcing your phone to constantly search for a signal when you are in an area where there is none. Prl updates are now being used to update LTE info on the phone so try updating your prl
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Updated prl many times only to be connected to LTE for a very short time and then kicked back to 3G, and i have not had any noticeable impact on battery life. As of right now I am at 4 hours on battery, 95% remaining, and 57% of that battery usage is from the screen
When you get to an area without LTE, the phone will constantly search for signal, that's when battery life will be impacted. This radio design is pretty low power though.
I might have to try this but I definitely do not want my battery life to go down.
Thanks
well in my case and I imagine with most other people who are having LTE connection issues, I live and travel within the coverage area and when I do travel outside the area I have a car charger with me or something of that nature, and on the other hand my battery life with the EVO LTE is so excellent with MeanROM I never have really had to worry about it
om4 said:
When you get to an area without LTE, the phone will constantly search for signal, that's when battery life will be impacted. This radio design is pretty low power though.
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Isn't this a case with all LTE phones?
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
No, LTE does drain power but its set to only scan after a set time, this workaround lowers the time between scans significantly and will use more power. Some LTE phones have a separate chipset solely for LTE. They waste much more power then the integrated setup our phones use. Thunderbolt is a good example of that. Separate radios and terrible battery life
om4 said:
No, LTE does drain power but its set to only scan after a set time, this workaround lowers the time between scans significantly and will use more power. Some LTE phones have a separate chipset solely for LTE. They waste much more power then the integrated setup our phones use. Thunderbolt is a good example of that. Separate radios and terrible battery life
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Click to collapse
Ur also talking about chipsets that are 45nm process ones in regards to the phones with separate LTE modem chip like the thunderbolt... We are at 28nm process now with the current Qualcomm SoC....
Sent from my Wolfpack EVO
True, our phones are very efficient in comparison
om4 said:
Keep in mind that this will impact your battery life. You are forcing your phone to constantly search for a signal when you are in an area where there is none. Prl updates are now being used to update LTE info on the phone so try updating your prl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really. Although the correct records have to be in the Prl for LTE to work they are not pushing updates to make lte work in new markets. Also the prl is not going to fix this connection issue.
Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge
Will changing the LTE scan timer actually fix the threshold issue though?
I've found by doing *#*#4636#*#* and change the setting from CDMA +LTE/EVDO Auto to LTE,CDMA you can hold the LTE connection much longer. All the way up to -130 dBm RSRP. Even an LTE connection at -120 dBm should yield better results than 3G.
You'll still need to change it back once you are out of LTE though as you'll be left on 1X.
leerage said:
Will changing the LTE scan timer actually fix the threshold issue though?
I've found by doing *#*#4636#*#* and change the setting from CDMA +LTE/EVDO Auto to LTE,CDMA you can hold the LTE connection much longer. All the way up to -130 dBm RSRP. Even an LTE connection at -120 dBm should yield better results than 3G.
You'll still need to change it back once you are out of LTE though as you'll be left on 1X.
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It does not, it just allows for the phone to reconnect faster.
digiblur said:
Not really. Although the correct records have to be in the Prl for LTE to work they are not pushing updates to make lte work in new markets. Also the prl is not going to fix this connection issue.
Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge
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Click to collapse
Some people have not updated prl at all, they could benefit from an update.
I wonder if this is related to the wifi disconnecting in order to save battery life. Does it only drop LTE when the screen is off or does it also disconnect when it's being used?
If it's disconnecting on purpose shortening the reconnect time shouldn't harm battery life too much as long as you're in an area with LTE.
It won't if you are in a reliable area, in a fringe area you may connect. When the connection weakens, it will default to 3g and the phone will search again. If you make this change and live in an area without, it will continue to scan until signal is found
Ok, so I was skeptical about the LTE issues of this phone. Because of this I grabbed my wife's LG Viper to see if she had 4G. She didn't, then I remembered I switched her phone to 3G only when she first got it to save battery life since her battery life sucks. When I switched back on get 4G, her viper connected to 4G right away. After playing around with her viper for a while and pulling in some good speed tests, I went back to my Evo, which was still sporting only 3G.
After cycling to airplane mode and back, my Evo showed 4G just long enough for me to get a signal reading of -113db. After playing around with my Evo for a while, I was able to hold a signal long enough to get a couple of speed tests in before it would switch back to 3G.
After playing with both phones for a while, I was able to observe that even though we are on the edge of a 4G tower, the viper did not switch over to 3G. It stayed on 4G even though the signals for 4G were pretty equal for the two phones. One thing I did find in the viper's ##data# menu is an option of "LTE, EVDO, 1X". Basically it looks like an order option for which the phone to look for service. I did not see this option on my Evo.
From what I've experienced, it seems that the Evo switches back to 3G a little too soon. Is there a way for us to make it hold on to the signal a little longer or with less db?
I will be playing around some more with the two phones. Right now, I switched my scan timer to 5. The only way my Evo is holding onto 4G right now is because I switched the data option to LTE only. The funny thing is that its been working great and holding onto 4G perfectly. I've seen it dip down to -118db and still function fine.
Sorry for the long post. I will have to agree that the Evo seeks to have a software issue.
Sent from my EVO LTE using xda app
xHausx said:
I wonder if this is related to the wifi disconnecting in order to save battery life. Does it only drop LTE when the screen is off or does it also disconnect when it's being used?
If it's disconnecting on purpose shortening the reconnect time shouldn't harm battery life too much as long as you're in an area with LTE.
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Click to collapse
Na this issue is more of a threshold issue I believe they are talking about. Ie seeing an EVO and an sgs3 side by side with only the sgs3 connecting to LTE... I can understand on weak signal areas as the sgs3 is supposed to have a tad better antennae and other things related to that area and such given the FCC docs results discussed at s4gru by AJ...
But in a fairly good area signal wise on both phones they both should get LTE which isn't the case at times it seems.... Hence the thought HTC needs to tweak the threshold here for us...I remember on WiMAX it was an easy edit, but haven't even looked once on our phone since I don't get lte here anyway. Lol
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
It is most likely a threshold issue. Too bad I can't seem to find anything either to fix it either, not in a reliable area to really justify mucking about with my phone. WiMAX was so much easier, then again just as easy to screw up. Could be one of the reasons this phone is locked down so tight
hey, im hoping to get some help.
I type in ##3282# and nothing happens on my dialer, am i suppose to hit something?
I am on aokp build 3, does that even matter?
I have had 4g in allston for a few weeks now, and for some reason i can not get a hold on that signal anymore. My phone says i have lte 13 connection, but i can not get a 4g internet signal.
Hoping getting into the phone debug menu or lte menu i can manual lock in on the tower better, but i can not get to the menu to edit those settings.
Ive updated to the 2.13.651.1 ota and PRI 2.45_003.
om4 said:
It does not, it just allows for the phone to reconnect faster.
Some people have not updated prl at all, they could benefit from an update.
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Click to collapse
Nothing has really changed and the phone updates itself.
Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge