Okay, so I've got a Sprint M9, and it gets terrible signal. I had them swap it out back when I first got it thinking it was a defect, but the second and third have the same issue. I recently drove almost the entire east coast and very rarely did it go above two bars in LTE.
Now, with previous phones I'd just flash a new radio until I find one that gives me the best signal where I am. Doing that worked great on my AT&T HTC Vivid, Samsung Galaxy S3, and on Sprint, LG G2, Nexus 5, and a Moto X. All of the other Sprint phones get 3-4 bars of LTE (the actual numbers of the signal strength supported that as well, so it wasn't just that LG and Motorola report signal differently and require less signal per bar than HTC)
Does anyone know of any radios available for the Sprint m9? Having hardly any signal at all in one of the biggest wireless markets in the US makes little sense.
agentfusion said:
Okay, so I've got a Sprint M9, and it gets terrible signal. I had them swap it out back when I first got it thinking it was a defect, but the second and third have the same issue. I recently drove almost the entire east coast and very rarely did it go above two bars in LTE.
Now, with previous phones I'd just flash a new radio until I find one that gives me the best signal where I am. Doing that worked great on my AT&T HTC Vivid, Samsung Galaxy S3, and on Sprint, LG G2, Nexus 5, and a Moto X. All of the other Sprint phones get 3-4 bars of LTE (the actual numbers of the signal strength supported that as well, so it wasn't just that LG and Motorola report signal differently and require less signal per bar than HTC)
Does anyone know of any radios available for the Sprint m9? Having hardly any signal at all in one of the biggest wireless markets in the US makes little sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why in the world would you swap out the phone 3 times for the same issue? Common sense would have told you after the second phone, the phone wasn't the problem. Is there a hot girl working at the Sprint store? (just kidding).
Are you on the latest radios? I live on the East Coast (NJ, Drive to work in NY. ) I hardly see the 3G icon anymore. Now as far as signal, are you relying on the 2 bars or the actual signal strength of LTE. Because LTE was 2 bars really isn't that bad. Is the data speed slow?
I swapped it twice. I am on my third m9. That was just one of the issues, but it was a big one. The first two also overheated so badly that they left a blister. I was past my 14 day return/exchange which sucks, because the m9 is reminding me of the vivid/holiday in that it's a flagship that's supposed to be amazing but it's really pretty disappointing.
My data speed is kind of garbage. I think the highest I've ever seen it go is 10mbit when I would usually pull 25mbit and up with my G2.
As for the newer radio, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm using the most recent TWRP and Bad Boyz rom, but aside from that everything else is stock. I'd love to upgrade my radio, and bring the firmware up to 1.40 so I can use 5.1 roms. The only problem is, all the 1.32 to 1.40 info I can find is specific to international m9 models or GSM.
agentfusion said:
I swapped it twice. I am on my third m9. That was just one of the issues, but it was a big one. The first two also overheated so badly that they left a blister. I was past my 14 day return/exchange which sucks, because the m9 is reminding me of the vivid/holiday in that it's a flagship that's supposed to be amazing but it's really pretty disappointing.
My data speed is kind of garbage. I think the highest I've ever seen it go is 10mbit when I would usually pull 25mbit and up with my G2.
As for the newer radio, that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm using the most recent TWRP and Bad Boyz rom, but aside from that everything else is stock. I'd love to upgrade my radio, and bring the firmware up to 1.40 so I can use 5.1 roms. The only problem is, all the 1.32 to 1.40 info I can find is specific to international m9 models or GSM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
look here? http://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-one-m9/development/ruu-sprint-htc-one-m9-1-32-651-17-t3073355
flash this one: 2.6.651.11 Modified Firmware from OTA, removed recovery (fastboot flashable): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24052804347770518
you'll want to update to 5.1 right after...
*edit...I also have a radio only zip....2.6.651.11 Radio only from OTA (fastboot flashable): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24052804347767491
OMJ said:
look here? http://forum.xda-developers.com/sprint-one-m9/development/ruu-sprint-htc-one-m9-1-32-651-17-t3073355
flash this one: 2.6.651.11 Modified Firmware from OTA, removed recovery (fastboot flashable): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24052804347770518
you'll want to update to 5.1 right after...
*edit...I also have a radio only zip....2.6.651.11 Radio only from OTA (fastboot flashable): https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=24052804347767491
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had to give you a +thanks for that. For some reason when I use the search feature on the website and the premium app, I get connection refused errors so I have to find everything manually, which is a total drag. I don't like making q&a threads because that feels like asking people to hold my hand or spoon feed me information. I'm a bloody Linux developer and rom modder, so this is all stuff I know how to do, I just have a hard time finding the resources I need, so I greatly appreciate the links.
I never like to go by bars but the actual dBm reading instead. Sadly a lot of it is just Sprint's network. I really thought once LTE 800 was rolled out that would cure most signal issues but one "bar" is pretty much the norm for me. Even right next to a tower if your not positioned right I can't get a full signal. While my HTC phones have never had the strongest signal to begin with, I think most of it is just the network. At home my LTE strength is usually -110 dBm to -115 which on average I pull maybe 3 megabits. Since I'm on wi-fi a lot, I like to keep my phone on CDMA only not only does this save a ton of battery but I can get great signal -85 in the same spot I'm getting -115 on LTE. I have pulled great speeds on 1 "bar" before depending on the band but Sprint's LTE signal just sucks almost everyone unless I'm by a tower. I wish there was a widget to jump from CDMA to LTE since staying on LTE while connected to wi-fi is pointless. Low LTE makes CSFB not work very well can cause the phone not to ring or just go right to voicemail. The phone has to switch back to 1X anyway to take a call and if you can pipe your data over wi-fi keep it on CDMA. You would want to consider switching to Big Red if you want to solve your signal issues.
Sim-X said:
I never like to go by bars but the actual dBm reading instead. Sadly a lot of it is just Sprint's network. I really thought once LTE 800 was rolled out that would cure most signal issues but one "bar" is pretty much the norm for me. Even right next to a tower if your not positioned right I can't get a full signal. While my HTC phones have never had the strongest signal to begin with, I think most of it is just the network. At home my LTE strength is usually -110 dBm to -115 which on average I pull maybe 3 megabits. Since I'm on wi-fi a lot, I like to keep my phone on CDMA only not only does this save a ton of battery but I can get great signal -85 in the same spot I'm getting -115 on LTE. I have pulled great speeds on 1 "bar" before depending on the band but Sprint's LTE signal just sucks almost everyone unless I'm by a tower. I wish there was a widget to jump from CDMA to LTE since staying on LTE while connected to wi-fi is pointless. Low LTE makes CSFB not work very well can cause the phone not to ring or just go right to voicemail. The phone has to switch back to 1X anyway to take a call and if you can pipe your data over wi-fi keep it on CDMA. You would want to consider switching to Big Red if you want to solve your signal issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I noticed 1 bar alot more recently. I live close to a tower, I used to get 4-5 consistently, but it seems after 800 came it's usually 1 bar.
But, I'm still getting great speeds, so I can't complain ?
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Sim-X said:
I never like to go by bars but the actual dBm reading instead. Sadly a lot of it is just Sprint's network. I really thought once LTE 800 was rolled out that would cure most signal issues but one "bar" is pretty much the norm for me. Even right next to a tower if your not positioned right I can't get a full signal. While my HTC phones have never had the strongest signal to begin with, I think most of it is just the network. At home my LTE strength is usually -110 dBm to -115 which on average I pull maybe 3 megabits. Since I'm on wi-fi a lot, I like to keep my phone on CDMA only not only does this save a ton of battery but I can get great signal -85 in the same spot I'm getting -115 on LTE. I have pulled great speeds on 1 "bar" before depending on the band but Sprint's LTE signal just sucks almost everyone unless I'm by a tower. I wish there was a widget to jump from CDMA to LTE since staying on LTE while connected to wi-fi is pointless. Low LTE makes CSFB not work very well can cause the phone not to ring or just go right to voicemail. The phone has to switch back to 1X anyway to take a call and if you can pipe your data over wi-fi keep it on CDMA. You would want to consider switching to Big Red if you want to solve your signal issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't go by just bars. The dBm readings between devices reflected the same thing the bars did: the Nexus 5, Moto X, and LG G2 all got drastically better signal than my m9.
That's even after cycling airplane mode on then off again to make sure none of them were holding onto bad signal from another nearby tower instead of the nearest one.
OMJ said:
Yeah, I noticed 1 bar alot more recently. I live close to a tower, I used to get 4-5 consistently, but it seems after 800 came it's usually 1 bar.
But, I'm still getting great speeds, so I can't complain ?
View attachment 3441118
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Sent from my 0PJA2 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is that in Brooklyn Park? I was in Champlin the other day was getting like 19 down on band 25. Band 41 outside was getting 35+ on a weak 1 bar signal. My home tower there is a few spots I can get-95 or better and lucky to pull 10 on band 25 with that reading. Spots in Brooklyn Center or Plymouth I have pulled 60+ on band 41. Band 41 where I can pick it up has been pretty solid but band 25 or 26 I have pulled decent speeds on some towers and awful speeds on others with the same signal reading. Then you take a few more steps it dumps to 3G. I really thought 800 LTE would be a lot better than it is considering how well Verizon works on 700.
Sim-X said:
Is that in Brooklyn Park? I was in Champlin the other day was getting like 19 down on band 25. Band 41 outside was getting 35+ on a weak 1 bar signal. My home tower there is a few spots I can get-95 or better and lucky to pull 10 on band 25 with that reading. Spots in Brooklyn Center or Plymouth I have pulled 60+ on band 41. Band 41 where I can pick it up has been pretty solid but band 25 or 26 I have pulled decent speeds on some towers and awful speeds on others with the same signal reading. Then you take a few more steps it dumps to 3G. I really thought 800 LTE would be a lot better than it is considering how well Verizon works on 700.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope...Hastings
OMJ said:
nope...Hastings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't been down to TI in forever, it's a haul from the north side. Band 41 in Hastings, nice to see them rolling it out further outside the metro. I remember when they started building out wimax the coverage was terrible although they did stop the build out in favor of LTE.
Sim-X said:
I haven't been down to TI in forever, it's a haul from the north side. Band 41 in Hastings, nice to see them rolling it out further outside the metro. I remember when they started building out wimax the coverage was terrible although they did stop the build out in favor of LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we've had band 41 for several months, been enjoying the speeds ?
Sent from my 0PJA2 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Related
So I know alot of us are having issues with data speed on our Evo 4G LTE's
Im doing a comparison test using speedtest.net. Because I dont have both devices activated at the same time, I had to do it on one then activate the other and do it on that as well. The phones were placed in the exact same location using the exact same tower, which I am about 1000 feet from.
Evo 4g LTE
- signal strength 3 bars -94 dBm
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Evo 4g
- signal strength 4 bars -88 dBm
Now I know this information is slightly off because of the time difference but as you can see the speeds vary greatly. I am going to keep my Evo 4g LTE for a few more days to see if sprint does anything about this.
Things I have done to try and fix the speed issues:
-reset the phone
-reprovision the phone using my MSL
-update PRL
-update profile
-I tested another Evo 4g LTE and got the same dismal results
Sorry I forgot to mention the Sprint rep told me those speeds on the EVO 4g LTE are normal -_-
Wow that was sure "In depth"
In one of the posts on here, there's reference to some optimized network settings. I wonder if that will help.
I don't have the link handy, nor do I recall book marking/subscribing to it. Effectively, it optimizes tcp/ip settings, similar to what was done when going from dialup to dsl/cable; larger receive window buffers and a few other changes.
Sorry I started this thread comparing both phones from 4 different locations on different towers at the same time but for whatever reason none of the screen shots saved on my EVO 4G LTE and I had already switched phones out 4 times and was getting tired of it. But in 3 of the 4 locations the original EVO out shined the 4G LTE. Only in a parking lot with blue skys were the 2 devices similar in speed.
THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS! 3G IS USELESS FOR ME!
Ping 622 Download 89kbps
Returning this POS if sprint doesn't fix soon.
Sent from my EVO using XDA
Poor Connections - hardware or software?
Massiveian-
Thanks a ton for doing that. I've been keeping a running log of my speed tests on the LTE and was planning to re-initialize the OG 4G to make a similar comparison. You saved me the effort.
Basically your data is pretty clear that the LTE is running approximately 5X fslower than the old 4G on the same exact network setup.
This in my view brings the problem squarely bacj to the phone.
Do you think its fixable? H/W (antenna etc. ) or a S/W problem?
I'm kind thinking that the device and radio are designed for the supposed LTE network and that it's simply suboptimal running on the 3G network and the only thing that's going top work is emergence of LTE network, but based on the "4G" i'm not going to hold my breath.
I'm seeing that this is a real dealbreaker for a lot of users. I'v had the phone since pre-order so its now probably like 2 weks and basically I can't get alot of use out of it.
I'm dialing *2 for sprint in the am and going back to the evo 4g until this is resolved.
I'm frustrated because I got a galaxy [email protected] and it also had really bad connections, now I thought lte would be the one, but looks like I'm going to wait longer.
Mike
I have ****ty data speeds too. I dont ha r data to back it up but my phone sucks add if I am not on WiFi.
Sent from my New School EVO LTE
That ping seems long even for the OG EVO getting 1+ MB/s. Is your GPS picking a server close to you?
For all the people with data connection problems, where are you located? There's been talk about 1st stage LTE rollout cities having their towers heavily worked on to push out LTE which I'm assuming which will affect our data connectivity.
I'm in San Francisco and have noticed horrible speeds in pockets of the city, but will be perfectly normal a few blocks over after switching towers. This makes me fairly certain it's a network issue and not phone issue.
Also, I work in San Jose which is a 2nd stage LTE city (weird how they split the Bay Area into 2 regions) and I've never seen data connectivity issues around there.
Damn those speeds suck, I switched my galaxy nexus for this phone cause I ended up getting better speeds, right now is late in Las Vegas so I'm getting almost 2mbps
This is what I got earlier in the morning
And this is my peak hour
If this speeds go lower I'm changing carriers I like this phone so I do want to keep it but I want to have the same speeds
Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2
Although the phone itself is fantastic I really cant recommend it based on the data/network performance... and its really unsettling because the build quality is fantastic and I wanted them to really outshine the competition. I bought a case for it, stuck a screen protector on it, made sure it was all good and ready for the long haul and now I'm thinking of returning it.
Here in Dallas with a 3G speed of 157kbps, you just cant do anything with it. I have to feed off my local wi-fi in order to do anything data related with my phone (thankfully that signal is amazing, 12Mbps).
But now after trying multiple roms, multiple settings, different PRL's I have ran out of options and my 14 days are almost up, I guess the only thing I can do is return it and get my NS4G back until I can test other phones.
It's a ****ing shame, I love the capabilities of this phone, but the speed I'm getting is horrendous.
Here is my speeds from numerous days worth of testing.
My speeds were approximately 1/4 of what I was getting on my OG Evo until yesterday afternoon when I went into settings and manually updated my PRL. Now my speeds are comparable to my OG Evo.
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
My speeds were also like most of you are reporting, 200k or so. Since having the "software reinstalled and phone re-activated" at the Sprint store this is what I get, same exact place I took prior tests.
Traceamount said:
My speeds were also like most of you are reporting, 200k or so. Since having the "software reinstalled and phone re-activated" at the Sprint store this is what I get, same exact place I took prior tests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for letting us know. There is a bunch of us ready to jump the gun and return the phone -I do not really want to, but we can't get locked on contract with this going on.-
Can you please provide us with updates on how it works on different locations?
Also, do you have any idea what kind of "reinstall" they did at the store? What if the ones of us who activated the phone by ourselves are the ones having the issue?
Thanks a lot,
fosormic said:
Thank you for letting us know. There is a bunch of us ready to jump the gun and return the phone -I do not really want to, but we can't get locked on contract with this going on.-
Can you please provide us with updates on how it works on different locations?
Also, do you have any idea what kind of "reinstall" they did at the store? What if the ones of us who activated the phone by ourselves are the ones having the issue?
Thanks a lot,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All they do is use your MSL TO GET into the phone to provision it.
They did for me as well and did not work. I have also tried dojng this myself with no change
My speeds are so bad I hardly even do anything that requires data unless I'm connected to wifi.
Data seems much faster on the EVO LTE vs my photon and og EVO. Also, the ability to use 3G data while on the phone on the LTE is a HUGE benefit. Wait for the upgrades, speeds will increase for everyone on 3G as well as LTE.
Also, EVERY new phone has the same exact threads and discussions about how oh my god data is so much slower on this new phone -I'm gonna return it!! Well put the same phone on Verizon's PRL and it works just fine for data speeds. Point being, it's not the phone it's the network-WHICH IS BEING UPGRADED. wait for the upgrades or jump to Verizon.
My speeds are way faster than my OG and my 3D. But have only been so on PRL 24003. I know it's not supposed to work that way, but as soon as I change PRLs, my speed drop.
My speeds at home are the same or faster than I was getting on og EVO, however, the signal is worse. I might try roam control and force my phone on vzw network at work, then if sprint doesn't like it they can cancel my plan
Sent from my LTEvo using the XDA app
Same here in downtown Philly; 3G speeds were abysmal -- when it even connected to a network at all. Between this issue, the issue of WiFi not handing off to 3G (or going to/from roaming -- basically hand-offs were a coin-toss as to whether they'd work), and the random modem-crash reboots, I threw in the towel. The EVO LTE is back at Sprint and I've sadly gone back to my OG EVO. I suspect others will do the same.
I currently have the GS2E4gT and since this phone has come out I have had a lot of issues with signal strength and signal penetration in buildings. I have a lot of dropped calls and although I love the phone for everything else, the reception is killing me and I was hoping that even though the GS3 has the same hardware baseband, I was hoping maybe something in it was helping with signals.
Anyone with a GS3 having better signal strength when compared side by side with a GS2?? I do have a rooted phone but even when brought back to stock the reception is still horrible. The area I live in in Mass doesnt have the best of coverage but even going into Boston where I should get 4G Wimax on the Gs2, it still horrible, Providence also. IMO I dont really feel the need to go to the GS3 because I feel its more of just an upgrade, but if the phone is getting better reception I would surely grab one. Thx
M2Iceman said:
I currently have the GS2E4gT and since this phone has come out I have had a lot of issues with signal strength and signal penetration in buildings. I have a lot of dropped calls and although I love the phone for everything else, the reception is killing me and I was hoping that even though the GS3 has the same hardware baseband, I was hoping maybe something in it was helping with signals.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best hope is probably with Sprint's planned LTE network upgrades, which haven't been launched yet anywhere. Dunno when it will come to New England markets. Bear in mind that if you buy this phone now, it will work on 3G service. But you will lose whatever Wimax coverage you now get in Boston. After the LTE-based 4G network lights up, it should outperform Wimax by a lot, with better 3G service too.
boomerbubba said:
Your best hope is probably with Sprint's planned LTE network upgrades, which haven't been launched yet anywhere. Dunno when it will come to New England markets. Bear in mind that if you buy this phone now, it will work on 3G service. But you will lose whatever Wimax coverage you now get in Boston. After the LTE-based 4G network lights up, it should outperform Wimax by a lot, with better 3G service too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the LTE roll out is anything like Wimax in this area I will be right in the middle to not receive the service. My question was geared more towrds the 3G reception anyway. Since Wimax sucks here I dont even think about using it. I was just hoping there is some improvement with Sammys phones. I did have the Evo 4G and Evo 3D and never had an issue with those phones with 3G. I love the GS2 but yeah, 3G here is painful. Im hoping my local store gets them in so I can see for myself if there is any improvements with the reception. I know the stores have the Airraves running but I got the hook up to take it for a bit to test.
FYI, the unofficial but generally knowledgeable site S4GRU has a recent article indicating that the Sprint LTE rollout in the Boston market is two months or more away. That would be for an initial launch, with full buildout still to come in the next few months.
If I were you -- especially since you basically like your current handset -- before making a jump to any new Sprint contract I would wait and see how the new Sprint network performs. Then you could test the new LTE-based phone within your 14-day return period. When the new LTE network is complete, even locations that now get about 1 bar of 3G service -- roughly -100 dBm in signal strength -- should get quite acceptable 4G coverage. Almost all Sprint's current CDMA towers will be converted to LTE 3G/4G by the time the buildout is complete.
The Boston rollout is going to blanket most of Massachusetts east of Worcester. I also have some issues with coverage but not really in Boston.
I had an Sg2 and now the s3. I'm actually roaming in my house where sprint has always had an excellent signal even earlier today prior to switching to this phone. I will be calling sprint tomorrow. I'm very unhappy
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
It seems most of the responses in this thread pertain to sprints network when the real question is does the sgs2 suffer from the radio issues that has plagued so many Samsung phones for years. I'd like to know this too my NS4G has terrible Wi-Fi and data strength and seems to drop calls more often. The radios are my biggest concern about the galaxy.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk 2
mlin said:
It seems most of the responses in this thread pertain to sprints network when the real question is does the sgs2 suffer from the radio issues that has plagued so many Samsung phones for years. I'd like to know this too my NS4G has terrible Wi-Fi and data strength and seems to drop calls more often. The radios are my biggest concern about the galaxy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. The hard thing about making sense of anecdotal reports is that there are so many variables. I do find the experience of shades333 reported above to be troubling.
My girlfriend also got an s 3 yesterday as well and is having the same signal issues as I am. While using her old phone htc evo her signal strength was double what she now gets on the s 3
There are no other explanations other then there is already an issue with the radio in the s 3. Otherwise the phone is definitely sweet however without a working phone it is pretty much useless. I will definitely be calling sprint today see if there are other issues as well with other users.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
shades333 said:
My girlfriend also got an s 3 yesterday as well and is having the same signal issues as I am. While using her old phone htc evo her signal strength was double what she now gets on the s 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How is she measuring that? If she is just looking at "bars," they are not comparable across devices. What about the performance on the phone at the same location? Is she also being kicked into roaming status like you reported?
boomerbubba said:
How is she measuring that? If she is just looking at "bars," they are not comparable across devices. What about the performance on the phone at the same location? Is she also being kicked into roaming status like you reported?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess my question to start this all out wasnt one about getting too scientific about measuring the devices. It was more of just real world usage and how the phones reception was working.
If I had a S3 and was sitting in my house with my S2 along side and and did see that both phones have the same bars, then along comes my step son with his Evo 3D and he has fulls bars, I would be pissed, AGAIN!..
I really have a love hate relationship with Sammy phones, they look great, perform well but reception is a huge issue. For me its not so much WiFi, although dont ask my wife about hers, LOL, but its coverage. I constantly get a roaming signal and dropped calls. I know to some degree its the network but I also know its the phone. When I went to the Sprint event in Boston and spoke to Sammy supposed tech guy Chris, I asked him why the company chose to use the same baseband when they knew they had issues with it on other phones. I got the company tow line and just left frustrated because most of the people there that were suppose to know about the phone didnt know squat. They only knew what they were highlighting about the phone. I guess for some of the guests this was fine but for a person a little more interested in the function of the specs it was a very frustrating night, couldnt wait to leave.
I had hoped Sammy would have adjusted things and Im still holding out hope that the S3 doesnt run into the same issues with reception that the S2 did. Maybe its just my area.
boomerbubba said:
How is she measuring that? If she is just looking at "bars," they are not comparable across devices. What about the performance on the phone at the same location? Is she also being kicked into roaming status like you reported?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im having reception issues at home... besides bar issues, my phone has gone into roaming with the sgs3, while with my evo 3D just earlier that same day, no roaming... im getting -100 through -102 dbm on the sgs3 at home... not sure exactly what it was with the 3vo but never had to check... though it was never real good at home, but never lost coverage or had to roam...
at work and everywhere else i'm fine...
boomerbubba said:
How is she measuring that? If she is just looking at "bars," they are not comparable across devices. What about the performance on the phone at the same location? Is she also being kicked into roaming status like you reported?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes we were basically doing unofficial side by side comparisons. In fact she pointed out the signal bars to me first complaing she didn't have any when the other phone showed 4 bars. I do understand that they can be misleading but she to is being pushed into roaming. Thinking about trying Sprint only and checking if it's a false reading.
Very discouraging because I always root and tether, but with no signal or roaming signal it will be pointless. This certainly needs to be addressed
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
shades333 said:
Thinking about trying Sprint only and checking if it's a false reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wouldn't hurt to update your PRL, too. Maybe they botched it in the version that shipped.
I have updated both profile and prl several times. Same crappy signal.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
I have a crappy signal at work 1 bar.
I just did a another prl update followed by profile update and sudenly got 3 bars in exactly same spot on the desk.
Before now, they were updated last night when i was activating them... not sure if it made a difference, but i will take what i can.
I am getting the exact same signal strength as my BB but showing fewer bars. If you look at the numbers in ABOUT PHONE however, they are nearly identical.
I am getting a little better data speeds than my Evo 4g, but not by much, the major difference in voice quality for me.
Jeffbucc said:
I am getting a little better data speeds than my Evo 4g, but not by much, the major difference in voice quality for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about reception?
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Other phones I get two three bars consistently in this area of my house. Reception sucks. As you can see below, no bars and terrible signal strength. This is ridiculous. Had to shut roaming off because it would continue to go into roaming otherwise.
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Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda premium
Hello,
I'm new to this thread as I've been a HTC user forever.
I just got my first of many N3's last week and it seems that I have very low signal in a lot of places where I typically get strong signal.
For example on my HTC Evo 4G LTE I always get 5 bars and there was rarely any dropped calls at my home and office.
On the N3 I now typically only have 1-3 bars.
I'm sure its NOT a SPRINT network issue but a phone issue. Does any one else experience this issue? Is there a fix to get better signal?
Here is what I did with the sprint and verizon N3.
Sprint:
Purchased at Best Buy and had low signal issue and returned it.
Purchased at Sprint Store had low signal issue and I still have this phone.
Verizon:
Purchased at Verizon store and had low signal issue . They suggested exchanging the SIM card which I did but didnt change the signal strength.
Exchanged it for a different N3 and still had the same issue so I've returned it.
djscissorhands said:
Hello,
I'm new to this thread as I've been a HTC user forever.
I just got my first of many N3's last week and it seems that I have very low signal in a lot of places where I typically get strong signal.
For example on my HTC Evo 4G LTE I always get 5 bars and there was rarely any dropped calls at my home and office.
On the N3 I now typically only have 1-3 bars.
I'm sure its NOT a SPRINT network issue but a phone issue. Does any one else experience this issue? Is there a fix to get better signal?
Here is what I did with the sprint and verizon N3.
Sprint:
Purchased at Best Buy and had low signal issue and returned it.
Purchased at Sprint Store had low signal issue and I still have this phone.
Verizon:
Purchased at Verizon store and had low signal issue . They suggested exchanging the SIM card which I did but didnt change the signal strength.
Exchanged it for a different N3 and still had the same issue so I've returned it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it actual signal strength your concerned about or is it bar strength in the notification area? Also you can't compare verizon to sprint signal as a fair comparison as they will be different in different areas. Go into your settings and look at the actual signal strength of both phones. They will be measured in dbm.
i'm concerned with the amount of bars in the notification area which has a direct correlation to the amount of dbm in the settings. the sprint phone fluctuates between -91 dbm and -100 dbm.
I was testing a theory that the lte radio had something to do with it so I just went into settings/mobile network/perferred network mode and switched from "LTE/CDMA" to "CDMA" and the phone rebooted and wham , now i have 5 bars and -69 dbm. Something with the lte is messing with the phone. WTH!!!
That means to get a good signal i have to be in CDMA and only get 3g service. Why is this?
I'm out have no explanation. I have/had that problem too, people at the sprint store tells me its a issue of where the software in the phone isn't recognizing the lte the way it should and that a software fix is coming but no one know when. I was dropping so many calls (89% of them per sprint) on the stock rom I was ready to go back to my note 2, but after flashing a different rom I have only dropped one call since rooting and switching roms .
Bump
Sent from my SM-N900P using xda app-developers app
I don't know if LTE functions on the same frequency as 3g. As a rule from amateur radio, the higher the frequency the transmitter operates on, the shorter distance it travels. 800mhz usually has better penetration of buildings than 3g or 4g if they are on the 1.2ghz+ range. You will need more towers closer together to get better signal overall in the GHz range. Because of cost, I don't think anyone is going to put up more towers in the beginning. Years ago, the guesstimate of putting up a single tower was a million dollars. This is accounting for all costs to go from nothing to a fully functional self standing tower. Costs might be different now but I would say that it's safe to assume that they are putting LTE on existing towers. This is why LTE signal doesn't seem as far reaching as lower frequency technologies. This is as simple of an explanation as I can think of. Until they start widespread rolling out LTE on nextel's 800-900mhz range, and they release phones that take advantage of those bands, you're just going to have to deal with it with what you have as a phone. Spark and ex-nextel LTE transmitters "should" help throughput tremendously once they have the bugs ironed out.
I have a $70 unlimited prepaid sim from T-Mobile The service is good. I've only used my unlocked iPhone 5S with T-Mobile. LTE reception always seems 2-3 bars. Much weaker than AT&T's, and slower (in my area). I am wondering how those of you with the S5 rate their service. I'm assuming the Galaxy phones work better than the iPhone. I do not travel so T-Mobile may be an option for me coming from AT&T.
1. How is WiFi calling on the S5? I read it was bad on the Note 3 initially. Does this work over every WiFi network?
2. Due to the high frequencies, do you T-Mobile users find your service cutting out? Is HSPA+ improved?
Really depends on where you are.
It works great where I am as far as signal is concerned.
I don't have any problems with speed and get around 20+mbps when on LTE
And wifi calling works well on this phone.
As said above it does depend a lot on where you are. Generally speaking in major urban areas T-Mobile has very fast LTE but their data coverage gets spotty in rural areas. Road tripping is always a problem but my girlfriend with At&t would always have at least a 3G connection.
CitrixLemon said:
As said above it does depend a lot on where you are. Generally speaking in major urban areas T-Mobile has very fast LTE but their data coverage gets spotty in rural areas. Road tripping is always a problem but my girlfriend with At&t would always have at least a 3G connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well what do you think... this is where I mostly travel within my area.
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That doesn't look too bad.
I would say find the adresses of where you will be mostly and zoom in street level though to get more detailed to make sure.
It is hard to get enough granularity with a far out zoom like that.
TheArtiszan said:
That doesn't look too bad.
I would say find the adresses of where you will be mostly and zoom in street level though to get more detailed to make sure.
It is hard to get enough granularity with a far out zoom like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well this entire area by my house is suppose to be good LTE, but its nothing but EDGE. Very strong EDGE I might add.
Anyone else? T-Mobile's HSPA network is definitely more reliable than their LTE network. A few times the HSPA signal switched to E.
MattMJB0188 said:
Well this entire area by my house is suppose to be good LTE, but its nothing but EDGE. Very strong EDGE I might add.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I found in the past 2 weeks I was using an Unlocked Galaxy S4 that I brought from AT&T is that even when you can get LTE with it (and your iphone) it seems that not all antennas are carrying same frequencies, so your phone will change to Edge a lot easier and frequent, I'm saying that the only one in my family with an AT&T service was me, my 2 daughters and wife are on a T-mobile Family Plan, on the past 2 weeks that I switched to T-Mobile and was using the S4 until I could get the S5, all of them were on 4g LTE while me was sometimes but most of the time it changed to Edge, again, just in certain areas (Antennas).
Since I got the S5 on Thursday I can finally say that I get the service I was expecting.
I live in chicago and go all over....north west south su urbs and always have great service. I think your att .s4 may be missing some antennas
MattMJB0188 said:
Well what do you think... this is where I mostly travel within my area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks ok, a little spotty in areas. I'd recommend finding a friend who lives in your area with T-Mobile and ask them how it is.
CitrixLemon said:
It looks ok, a little spotty in areas. I'd recommend finding a friend who lives in your area with T-Mobile and ask them how it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I currently have a $70 prepaid from T-Mobile. I am using it in the iPhone 5S. The iPhone does not seem to play nicely with T-Mobile's bands (despite supporting all of them). That is why I was asking how the S5 performs with T-Mobile service. Does the phone really hold onto HSPA+/LTE signals or does it drop to EDGE often? Using my T-Mobile today, I had no problem streaming spotify on the way to work. AT&T signal is still a lot stronger, but T-Mobile got the job done.
MattMJB0188 said:
Well what do you think... this is where I mostly travel within my area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I live just NorthWest of you, up in Woodridge, and I work in Oak Brook. I have nearly full bars all of the time with terrific speeds. I travel around chi-land and in the city for work and it is just as great all around that area. I seem to only have issues once I get North of Vernon Hills, West of Aurora, and South of i-55. And by issues I mean 1 to 3 bars and not a full signal.
I have family that are in Indiana and I have to go near Muncie Indiana. I take i-65 South and i can tell you once I get past Merriville, the signal is spotty, until I eventually lose it for a bit. Where you are, I'd say 2-3 bars on the LTE is likely the norm, at least for now. Seems like every trip I make into Indiana it keeps improving so I'm sure before too long you will have a terrific connection most of the time.
Gerr1985 said:
I live just NorthWest of you, up in Woodridge, and I work in Oak Brook. I have nearly full bars all of the time with terrific speeds. I travel around chi-land and in the city for work and it is just as great all around that area. I seem to only have issues once I get North of Vernon Hills, West of Aurora, and South of i-55. And by issues I mean 1 to 3 bars and not a full signal.
I have family that are in Indiana and I have to go near Muncie Indiana. I take i-65 South and i can tell you once I get past Merriville, the signal is spotty, until I eventually lose it for a bit. Where you are, I'd say 2-3 bars on the LTE is likely the norm, at least for now. Seems like every trip I make into Indiana it keeps improving so I'm sure before too long you will have a terrific connection most of the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your input. My biggest problem is the constant switching from LTE to HSPA+. I do not know if Samsung phones handle that better than the iPhones but my god is it horrible. My battery on my 5S decreased 25% this morning when with my ATT sim it only decreases 2 percent streaming spotify. I'm not in IL often but T-Mobile is a lot better there. In northwest Indiana it's Swiss cheese coverage (at least now).
People like me are screwed because AT&T is the only carrier that works well. Of course what's the point when they lock down their phones and eliminate features off flagship devices. But I should not have to change my smartphone habits to accommodate another carrier.
Does anyone else notice that the LTE signal on this phone always seems on the weak end? For example, with the T-Mobile cell site about 10 yards away, my LTE reception is -90-95dbm. When sitting that close with my AT&T iPhone 5 (work phone) the signal is about -75-80dbm. What gives? I also notice that the phone does hold onto weak LTE signals, but I am seeing weak LTE signal more often than not. I have seen a -115dbm-120dbm LTE signal. Yes, data still works, my only concern though is that the battery life is getting sucked out of my phone?
Running stock, T-Mobile also likes to show 5 bars for a -109dbm LTE signal. That couldn't be more of an exaggeration could it? Also in my tests, I have noticed if you set the phone to WCDMA only, the signal is a lot stronger.
Anyone care to comment on this?
No issues for me. Even in the factory that i work at i am getting 4G LTE over people with ATT and its quite strong. LTE Tower is a good distance away.
Have you rooted or flashed anything? If its 100 percent pure stock, ask for a replacement. Or even re-flash the latest update to see if that helps.
The only issue i have and others have is where the outgoing data arrow constantly lights up but no data is coming in. I think its a T-Mobile programming bug in 4.4.2 as the issue didn't exist in 4.3 on my S4.
elesbb said:
No issues for me. Even in the factory that i work at i am getting 4G LTE over people with ATT and its quite strong. LTE Tower is a good distance away.
Have you rooted or flashed anything? If its 100 percent pure stock, ask for a replacement. Or even re-flash the latest update to see if that helps.
The only issue i have and others have is where the outgoing data arrow constantly lights up but no data is coming in. I think its a T-Mobile programming bug in 4.4.2 as the issue didn't exist in 4.3 on my S4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but on average what is your dbm? Not going by bars.
T-Mobile also does not have a dense cell grid in my area which could be why. Already past the 14 day return window. Absolutely no device modification has even done.
I'm at full 5 bars on LTE 4G signal strength @ - 97 dBm
Biker1 said:
I'm at full 5 bars on LTE 4G signal strength @ - 97 dBm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Appreciate the response. Been doing some research lately, and I think its because t-mobile doesn't have many sites in my area. I don't think their frequencies travel far either. Maybe I am wrong, but wouldn't this cause very low LTE signal?
BlockEight88 said:
Appreciate the response. Been doing some research lately, and I think its because t-mobile doesn't have many sites in my area. I don't think their frequencies travel far either. Maybe I am wrong, but wouldn't this cause very low LTE signal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the towers are far from you, I would think that would cause a weak signal.
You can try this app.
It may help to see where the issue may be regarding towers, etc
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.android.telnet
Biker1 said:
If the towers are far from you, I would think that would cause a weak signal.
You can try this app.
It may help to see where the issue may be regarding towers, etc
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.android.telnet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That app just shows the -dBm as a widget. Anyone else notice a -109 or less signal showing 5 bars?
BlockEight88 said:
That app just shows the -dBm as a widget. Anyone else notice a -109 or less signal showing 5 bars?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does give you a more accurate signal bar strength indicator consisting of 14 bars and not 5 bars, as the stock indicator does. I'm at 11 bars.
BlockEight88 said:
Yes, but on average what is your dbm? Not going by bars.
T-Mobile also does not have a dense cell grid in my area which could be why. Already past the 14 day return window. Absolutely no device modification has even done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh. I will have to check the dbm. I don't get full signal but i get like 2 bars. Sometimes four depending where i sit. Then outside, i get full bars. I'll double check the dbm outside with full bars. It should be in and around the -90s.