Develop Bugs

Strange 4G behavior - beyond speed tests

I have been feeling out my 4G connection for awhile now, and I am still having a strange experience with it. Speed tests always give good results, but actually using 4G for daily tasks is not working out well so far. Often times it loads pages and market or maps slower than with 4G...
I had been having this off and on all week, but I thought it was just my poor 4g connection at home. Anyway, now I'm writing from a mall with a very strong connection. Now I'm noticing when I load a page or open maps/market, it actually disconnects from 4G and loads with 3G for a second or two then switches back..
I've been using fresh, dc, and bugless ROMs, and always with the latest radio. I've had to apply the 4G patch a few times to get 4G working, but once it's up, it behaves the same...
Is it the ROM, my phone, or the nature of 4G in philadelphia?

I'd guess it's the nature of the 4g. It's still a new market. One thing, the bars on your phone only show the connection to the tower, not the connection to the internet. My 4g has been like that in places around Dallas, but closer to the heart of Dallas, I get more consistent connection. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but that just seems to be the nature of technology here on the bleeding edge.
I might add, that for whatever reason, I cannot load my XDA bookmark to the evo 4g page on 4g at all, but it loads fine on 3g or wifi. I have yet to understand that one. Other pages seem to load ok though.

I've also noticed issues on xda, I think it's related to flash. I noticed if I load flash only sites on 4G it never loads or takes a stupid long time... If I cut to 3G it loads fine... On xda, it's the flash ads..

Having the phone process information and display it is much different then just doing a speed test. I'm in Philly also - but only use the 4G for tethering.

rutter9 said:
Having the phone process information and display it is much different then just doing a speed test. I'm in Philly also - but only use the 4G for tethering.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree completely, but the issue is that, on some pages (usually with flash) It loads and displays the information faster on 3G than on 4G... I'm not sure what would cause that. I'll try tethering and see if it's the same... I'll also try 4G when I'm in central philly...

I wonder if flash determines what quality to stream the content at? Like if you use sprint tv on 4g you will get higher quality video but it can be laggy trying to catch up to the stream. When on 3g the quality is a little less but doesn't skip around at all.

I'm having similar issues with my 4G connection. Some pages won't come up. The progress bar loads up to about 50% then either takes a really long time to bring up the page or not at all. All I get is a blank page. The xda forums are one of the sites I'm having problems with also. It loads up fine over 3G and WiFi. I'm currently running the OMJ rom, latest Radio, and the Fresh 4G fix. I'm not sure if the problem lies with my rooted Evo or the 4G network.

rutter9 said:
I wonder if flash determines what quality to stream the content at? Like if you use sprint tv on 4g you will get higher quality video but it can be laggy trying to catch up to the stream. When on 3g the quality is a little less but doesn't skip around at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense to me. Still, it seems strange that the network or phone one struggles to keep up like that. Ah well, like I said, the nature of things out here on the bleeding edge.

i have experienced similar 4g/3g flipflopping behavior and pisspoor wifi. its like the radio is very slow to get a connection as coming out of the pocket and then while in use it will go to 3g then say it's found a 4g and get on that and back to 3g. sometimes i'll see 4g w/ full strength but am unable to do any internet functions (web browser, pandora, meebo, appbrain all fail indicating no network). by putting it into Airplane mode...count to 3...take it out of airplane mode the radio reconnects and is able to pass data as expected.
i have done full cache, delvikcache, (and the other whatchamacallit) formatting between builds. and cleared the cache after updating the radio (even tho i shouldn't need to for Fresh .3)
i have not fussed with App2SD nor anything Flash related.
not sure if i live/work on the "edge" of coverage or if it's EVO (software or hardware) related. I"m leaning more to the coverage at this point. between testing it more as i move around town and next weeks froyo builds maybe the 4g gods will shine down upon me.

Increase WiMAX_Idle_Sleep(s) setting
I had the same issue and found these instructions which show how to increase WiMAX_Idle_Sleep(s) setting.
hit ##DATA# > Edit mode.
Put in your msl code
Chose WIMAX
Scroll down to Wimax_Idle_Sleep
Change the value from 10 to 300.
Click menu, commit changes and restart the phone.
See ' [GUIDE] Easy way to get MSL without calling Sprint or using CMDA Workshop' to get MSL Code, or just call Sprint and ask for it.

mgshultz said:
I had the same issue and found these instructions which show how to increase WiMAX_Idle_Sleep(s) setting.
hit ##DATA# > Edit mode.
Put in your msl code
Chose WIMAX
Scroll down to Wimax_Idle_Sleep
Change the value from 10 to 300.
Click menu, commit changes and restart the phone.
See ' [GUIDE] Easy way to get MSL without calling Sprint or using CMDA Workshop' to get MSL Code, or just call Sprint and ask for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work in Philly and have the 3g 4g connection problems too. Your fix did not work for me. No matter what Rom or fix I've tried I can't keep a stable 4g connection without the stock Rom flashed. Sometimes WiFi tether will work on 4g with a custom Rom but anything else and I have all kinds of connection issues. I don't think its the network because 4g connection cards work just fine.
Edit: my main cause of concern is that simultaneous talk and data. I like to be able to talk and still follow sports scores while working. Sticking to stock for now.

Please help, EVO 4G connectivity goes in and out after rooting

Hi guys,
Please help me out here:
After I rooted and unlocked NAND on my EVO by following the guides on this forum (part 1 and part 2), my 4g connectivity is totally unreliable.
The connection switches between 4g and 3g a couple of times a minute. Sometimes the EVO will have a full 4g signal and an ip address (according to the settings app), but when I open the browser it says that there is no network connection. Switching the phone to 3g fixes the connectivity issue.
I live on the 14th floor of a high-rise and had full 4g signal before rooting. I have tried the stock ROM as well as the Bugless Beast ROM and I get the same results.
Does rooting and unlocking NAND somehow mess with the 4g radio in the EVO, anyone have this issue in the past? Please help, I don't want to take this thing back to Sprint and go for the iPhone

Have you updated the radio? Go to settings and see if you baseband is 1.39.00.05.31

4G Radio
What is your current baseband at?
you should be at 1.39.00.05.31 or higher. If you look for the Fresh .2 Rom, they have the Radio zip. reboot into recovery and flash with the new Zip it will update your Baseband radio will be updated.
I had issues with 4G connectivity I updated my radio and I am all set.
-Joshonekenobi

Yes, I just updated to the latest baseband and it's still doing the same thing.
The phone shows full signal on 4g and all of the sudden switches to 3g and back to 4g again. This occurs several times a minute.
Is there some way I can flash it back to completely stock ROM?
Thanks,
Rayden1000

i'm rooted via unrevoked and my 4g is spotty. rooted or not. for me I think its 4g not set up yet. It is a work in progress. I'm in St. Louis. Speeds suck as well.
Avg. 1.2 download 4g
Avg. 0.5 download 3g

I am in Baltimore, the first 4G market. I really don't think it has to do with coverage....before rooting (and even after rooting, when on 4G), I get about 3.6 down and 1 up (upload is capped at 1 by Sprint).
I also live in a high rise that's half a mile from Clearwire's 4G tower........my issue is that after rooting, the EVO is not locking to 4g, it keeps switching back and forth between 3g and 4g.
Rayden1000

rayden1000 said:
Yes, I just updated to the latest baseband and it's still doing the same thing.
The phone shows full signal on 4g and all of the sudden switches to 3g and back to 4g again. This occurs several times a minute.
Is there some way I can flash it back to completely stock ROM?
Thanks,
Rayden1000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here... Try this: go to settings and disable mobile networks (i.e. turn 3G off). When I do this, speed test works fine, but as soon as I try to do something real it disconnects and says there is no connection, even if it had a strong signal... not terribly useful!

L_Mo said:
Same issue here... Try this: go to settings and disable mobile networks (i.e. turn 3G off). When I do this, speed test works fine, but as soon as I try to do something real it disconnects and says there is no connection, even if it had a strong signal... not terribly useful!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
L_Mo,
Were you having this issue before rooting (I am just assuming that you did root)? I swear that I did not have this issue before doing the full root and Nand unlock. When I just had Unrevoked root, I was using my Evo as my internet connection for my laptops for a full week with no issues and as a result I disconnected my Comcast cable internet.
I am just at a loss here, if I can't get this fixed, I will have to either flash the phone back to stock or take it back to Sprint for an exchange.
Rayden1000

I had the same problem after rooting. I am having better luck with Flipz stock rooted rom. I am using Flipz ota 1.32.651.6 rooted rom with the 1.39.00.05.31 radio. I wiped cache and delvic before flashing.
If this doesn't work for you you can get the stock RUU and reflash to unrooted stock.

jgarozzo said:
i'm rooted via unrevoked and my 4g is spotty. rooted or not. for me I think its 4g not set up yet. It is a work in progress. I'm in St. Louis. Speeds suck as well.
Avg. 1.2 download 4g
Avg. 0.5 download 3g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unrevoked is a ***** root and couldn't possibly mess with your 4G, sorry to say!
And, to the rest of you, rooting would not mess with your signal at all unless you dropped your phone or some ****. Installing the newest radio would be my only recommendation. Or you can unroot it and try to exchange it for a different EVO.

erikjonpeterson said:
I had the same problem after rooting. I am having better luck with Flipz stock rooted rom. I am using Flipz ota 1.32.651.6 rooted rom with the 1.39.00.05.31 radio. I wiped cache and delvic before flashing.
If this doesn't work for you you can get the stock RUU and reflash to unrooted stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks erikjonpeterson,
I am going to to download that ROM now.... I knew I wasn't crazy when I said that 4G worked fine before rooting. I am finding more and more info online about many people having the same issue
Rayden1000

rayden1000 said:
Thanks erikjonpeterson,
I am going to to download that ROM now.... I knew I wasn't crazy when I said that 4G worked fine before rooting. I am finding more and more info online about many people having the same issue
Rayden1000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue. Reflashed the RUU and still had connection problems (good 4g signal, but use the internet and it drops and switches to 3g). Didn't have problems with my 4g data card though.
edit: I actually thought I messed something up myself before I even rooted. I was in a bad area and kept roaming even though I could get a weak Sprint signal so I switched it to Sprint only and I think I mightve messed with some other settings under that mobile network tab. What are the default settings?

So basically, something in the full rooting process (not the unrevoked one), f's up the baseband or access to the baseband? I am not an electronic engineer, but it's obvious that doing the full root messes up 4G.
Any senior members in the know have a fix for this? I already exchanged my Evo once because of several stuck pixels, it would look suspicious if I went back to the store again...
Rayden1000

rquinn19 said:
I had the same issue. Reflashed the RUU and still had connection problems (good 4g signal, but use the internet and it drops and switches to 3g). Didn't have problems with my 4g data card though.
edit: I actually thought I messed something up myself before I even rooted. I was in a bad area and kept roaming even though I could get a weak Sprint signal so I switched it to Sprint only and I think I mightve messed with some other settings under that mobile network tab. What are the default settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Default settings under Mobile Networks: Every option is checked.
Rayden1000

rayden1000 said:
So basically, something in the full rooting process (not the unrevoked one), f's up the baseband or access to the baseband? I am not an electronic engineer, but it's obvious that doing the full root messes up 4G.
Any senior members in the know have a fix for this? I already exchanged my Evo once because of several stuck pixels, it would look suspicious if I went back to the store again...
Rayden1000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't take what I said as a definite Evo or root problem. I'm curious as to if it's a 4g here in Philly problem. When I first bought the 4g card it was great, but wasn't using it so I returned it. Bought it again 4 months later and I returned that one because the 4g was terrible. I'm thinking 4g where I'm at sucks and is getting worse with more and more people jumping on it. I was a 3g early adopter so I'm not worried yet.
edit: I'm gonna go down to an area that's known to have a good 4g signal after work and sit around and do some "testing".

Which market are you in? Sprint has been doing a ton of testing in markets that aren't officially live yet.

I don't think it has anything to do with the ROM.
If when you are connected to 4G you can access the internet, only suddenly 4G it drops for no reason and switch to 3G and then reconnects to 4G and goes on and on, below is the solution. if when you are connected to 4G you can not access the internet at all, the below wont fix it for you and it is probably a problem with your rom.
You will need your msl code to fix this, loop up in the forums to to obtain your msl code from Sprint:
hit ##DATA# > Edit mode.
Put in your msl code
Chose WIMAX
Scroll down to Wimax_Idle_Sleep
Change the value from 10 to 300.
Click menu, commit changes and restart the phone.
This fixed it for me and i never drop 4g (when in good coverage) again.
Basically Sprint has some STUPID setting that tells 4g to go into "sleep mode" of no data is passed on the 4g connection after 10 seconds which is essentially disconnecting 4g.
The problem is it goes into sleep mode (disconnecting), but then rescans and look for a 4G signal > reconnects to 4g and if no data will be passed in 10sec it will do the same again in an endless loop.
10sec to put a connection into sleep mode is really low so change it to 300sec.
The odd thing is that this is only happening in certain locations and with certain towers.
I tried to call Sprint and explain about this issue but my attempts fell on death ears.
Go ahead and try the above. if it helps you please someone make this a sticky as you are not the first i see having the issue.

Valicore said:
Which market are you in? Sprint has been doing a ton of testing in markets that aren't officially live yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in baltimore, the first 4G market.

I have to tend to agree that something in "Part 2" is messing up something with 4G. I've done Part 1 and successfully "upped" the radio with no 4G loss. Living in $G Vegas, I would get solid 2 bars inside my office. Once I did Part 2 and redid the phone, I would get "jumping" from 3G to 4G...
I still have to wonder, when flashing the new radio, why (after Part 2) it gets "stuck" in formatting cache and you get no "confirmation" of an upgrade. I am an AnooBroid...but this just doesn't seem right to me.

(Edited) - This post is now obsolete... Teaches me to refresh the page on the Evo before posting!

[SOLVED] 4g/3g randomly disconnecting and reconnecting

I know there are a lot of posts about internet connection problems, but I couldn't find anything exactly like my issue.
If I only have 3g on, my Evo will connect and stay connected for a few minutes, then it will disconnect for about 20 seconds, and reconnect agaoin for another few minutes... and the cycle continues.
If I turn 4g on and 3g off, the same thing happens with the 4g.
If I have 3g and 4g on, the same things happens except sometimes 3g will be the one to connect and sometimes 4g.
Wifi works great.
My Evo is brand new and recently rooted, running Myn's Rom RLS4.
anyone had similar situation or resolutions?
THnkas!

there are only pockets of 4G so far. dont expect there to be 4G around like 3G is. as it is, 3G still isnt dat big/nation wide, but 4G is like rare. its like a needle in a haystack. the needle is 4G surrounded by the Hay/3G

Thanks,
the thing though is that my wife's unrooted Evo always maintains a strong 4g connection.
It wouldn't bother me too much the same thing happens when I use 3g. it reconnects every 5 minutes or so. Maybe rooting it caused damage?

Could flashing a different radio or wimax help?
Sent from my Evo using XDA App

Don't flash radios... that is all

For anyone with similar problem, I found my answer here and fixed my connectivity issueshttp://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-704845.html.
clubtech said:
I don't think it has anything to do with the ROM.
If when you are connected to 4G you can access the internet, only suddenly 4G it drops for no reason and switch to 3G and then reconnects to 4G and goes on and on, below is the solution. if when you are connected to 4G you can not access the internet at all, the below wont fix it for you and it is probably a problem with your rom.
You will need your msl code to fix this, loop up in the forums to to obtain your msl code from Sprint:
hit ##DATA# > Edit mode.
Put in your msl code
Chose WIMAX
Scroll down to Wimax_Idle_Sleep
Change the value from 10 to 300.
Click menu, commit changes and restart the phone.
This fixed it for me and i never drop 4g (when in good coverage) again.
Basically Sprint has some STUPID setting that tells 4g to go into "sleep mode" of no data is passed on the 4g connection after 10 seconds which is essentially disconnecting 4g.
The problem is it goes into sleep mode (disconnecting), but then rescans and look for a 4G signal > reconnects to 4g and if no data will be passed in 10sec it will do the same again in an endless loop.
10sec to put a connection into sleep mode is really low so change it to 300sec.
The odd thing is that this is only happening in certain locations and with certain towers.
I tried to call Sprint and explain about this issue but my attempts fell on death ears.
Go ahead and try the above. if it helps you please someone make this a sticky as you are not the first i see having the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll need your msl number to do this. SImply download msl reader from the market.

Can you change any of the other settings that would make it work better?
Scan attempt
Scan retry
Thanks for this info, I gave it a try but I still cannot connect without doing a profile update and or PRL update.
Todd
chasehearn said:
For anyone with similar problem, I found my answer here and fixed my connectivity issueshttp://forum.xda-developers.com/archive/index.php/t-704845.html.
You'll need your msl number to do this. SImply download msl reader from the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

4G Constant Scan - connect/disconnect

I have tried to search but it doesn't like to include 4G (to short to be included) in the search box so forgive me if I wasn't bright enough to find this somewhere else.
My EVO will scan for 4G service. It then says connecting to Sprint, then flashes disconnected and scans again only to say connecting to sprint. Rinse and Repeat this process over and over. I have had this issue both on clean installs of fresh rom and currently on Koni's elite series rom. Anyone have this issue as well/and or know of a solution.
I do have a 4G MAC address so I would think that I should be able to connect.
Thanks in advance for the help

wvjw said:
I have tried to search but it doesn't like to include 4G (to short to be included) in the search box so forgive me if I wasn't bright enough to find this somewhere else.
My EVO will scan for 4G service. It then says connecting to Sprint, then flashes disconnected and scans again only to say connecting to sprint. Rinse and Repeat this process over and over. I have had this issue both on clean installs of fresh rom and currently on Koni's elite series rom. Anyone have this issue as well/and or know of a solution.
I do have a 4G MAC address so I would think that I should be able to connect.
Thanks in advance for the help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for one are you in a strong 4G coverage area?
Try shutting off your phone, pull the battery for a minute or two and restart your phone. (If you call Sprint and tell them this issue - this step will be the first one they tell you to execute)
Also you can try updating your profile and PRL, When I am having weak signals under 4G/3G - I update my profile & PRL and it always seems to fix the signal issue...
hope this helps
JS3

this happens to me when trying to connect to a 4g signal from my apartment. it will say "scanning... connecting... obtaining IP address/disconnected/scanning...connecting..." (sometimes the "obtaining ip address" does not appear) yet if i try to connect in other parts of town it connects fine. wimax sucks as far as connectivity, so until more towers appear and the signal is better there's probably no way to fix your issue. ive tried every inch of my house, and of course by the windows is slightly better. if you can manage to get a "poor" or "fair" 4g connection you'll probably end up with slower speeds than 3g anyway. it's really misleading because the software indicates the phone is trying to connect even though the signal isn't good enough to maintain a connection. clear and sprint coverage maps indicate my address and neighborhood as "best" 4g coverage too, so i have little hope of this ever improving. there is a thread for updating your ##data# values to get the phone to connect sooner and stay connected longer which i think probably helps, but not enough for me (nothing you do on your end can improve the tower signal) and even if it did, like i said you're connecting at "poor" or "fair" signal and your data speeds will often remain slower than 3g.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I am good coverage areas, my work where I am now can get it in buildings and comically my home is exactly on the line of in-home/on-street. Tried pulling the battery to same results, I think I have current PRL 60675 PRI 1.90_003. Not sure what you mean for the profile though.
Thanks for the tips.

I can connect to 4g with a poor/fair signal now, and heres how I did it if anyone cares:
flashed joeykrim's rooted stock sprint rom (5.1 I think)
updated prl through settings menu
updated profile through settings menu
use msl reader app from market to get msl code
go to dialer and type (NOT call) ##DATA#
enter MSL, go to edit mode, tap the first out of the 5 or so menu items
press menu, choose "restore" (phone will reboot or power off)
turn phone back on and enable 4g with phone on window ledge.
somewhere along the line (flashing many many different roms and wiping a lot, trying various kernels and tweaks) I had gotten stuck in the seemingly irreversible 4g/wimax connection/disconnection loop. Now I can at least connect!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] HELP!!!!! 3G no good!

my phone has been rooted for 1 year now and so far have had no problems what so ever, but just recently i flashed synergy rom and all hell broke loose. my phones 4g works fine and so does wifi but my 3G would not start, it would turn on for about 1 second then go straight to 1x.
things i have tried......
update my profile and prl...nothing
##data##, menu, restore....nothing
pulled the battery like about 155752 times....nothing
nandroid restore to a time where it was working...thing
flashed like 6 different roms and still nothing works.
flashed new radios and still a no go..
i tried to do the whole metro pcs flash but then changed my mind not to go to metro as its network is crapy. i went to qpst and cdma and reverted everything back to how it was, so i dont see why it would mess up my 3G
i have no idea what else to do, any help will be greatly appreciated.

If it is 1x, that shows the true data strength. You may have excellent connection, but poor data in that area, or the server is just temporarily overloaded. It'll correct itself. Previously, sense roms would always show 3G even if it was a 1x connection, but most developers put in that fix to show the true strength, like in aosp.

Thanks for the reply. the thing is that my wife has an evo as well and shes right next to me and gets perfect 3g data connections, and i was getting error 67 upon trying to update prl and profile. as soon as i did the reset on the ##data## it went away, and now it wont even connect to 1x at all...man its so frustrating, ive searched and search but nothing.

same thing has happened to me, tried chatting 3 times, and called tech support once, so far no data.

try this...i did not work for me at all but it might work for you...good luck buddy you'll need it lol...this crap is frustrating as hell.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1045629

ive had similar problems... just flashed a rom,, 3g working but hotspot isnt.... i need help too

Sense ROM's show 3G to identify a data connection, while the bars are actually displaying the voice connection. I believe aosp ROM's strickly display the data speed since voice reception is generally good. This may just be a placebo affect and you think you have poor 3G. I would suggest running a speed test on both ROM's (your current one and the one you found "good" data speeds on) to ensure that it's not the ROM itself.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I've got the same exact issue, but I've been on Synergy for a while now. As of last night though, no 3g... My France's unrooted EVO works just fine, and I've been in a few different areas, so I know it's not the tower. I've done the same things the OP has done and still nothing... Is it possible for the Rom to fry out the 3g??
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Ok ive got mines working. However its still a little sketchy but atleast 3g doesnt go away. After going tjrough the steps in my last post, I did ##786# and resetted everything. Then reflashed my rom and walah!

This worked for me.
Step 1: Open dial pad , ##3282# enter
Step 2: Select "Edit Mode", then input your MSL number
Step 3: Select "Data Profile", then press menu button
Step 4: Select "Restore", then press ok. Should reboot on it's own. If not reboot.
You said you did something similar but figured it wouldn't hurt.

I did that, but didnt work for me. However every phone is different and every little bit helps.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App