Slower 4g speeds on cloudy days - Epic 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I realize that this may not be considered a "good" question since it's not hardware or software related, technically, but is there any truth behind this? This is not the urban legend that popped up at the office, I really feel that when it's overcast I get not only worse speeds but a less reliable connection. I'm in an area, Denver, that is supposed to have solid coverage.
Is there any correlation?
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I doubt it cause we connect to cell towers not satallites
Cell towers are pretty damn strong a few clouds wont stop them
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Lol i jus noticed that xda app picks up my phone as nexus s 4g

That's what I figured, but it sure seems to be the case sometimes. Let me ask you this, is there any suspicion of Sprint doing what AT&T and T-Mobile do and cutting data speeds after a certain amount of usage (I have read that T-Mobile cuts their HSPA speeds in half after 4 gb of data have been used, may be less, and that AT&T just cuts it period so people don't max out their limited plans)?

Related

3g speeds

I have an EVO, my dad has the epic and we have an aircard and lately we have all seen a major decline in 3g speeds. What would cause this. My radios are up to date is there anything we can do to fix them?
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Sprint's 3g speeds are crap, simple as that. I get 50kbps on my evo. Yes, that's dial-up speeds.
But they were fine its just recently we have noticed
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Sprint has been downgrading towers. Sure we can have unlimited data... *well, they lied about that. haha* but sadly, we get slower speeds therefore takes us longer and discourages us from using their network for data. in return allowing more customers to be on the same network at the same time.
OR
there are too many people in your area that have sprint and they are using up all the bandwidth.
PS.... THERE HAS BEEN NO MAJOR CHANGE IN THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE on their network... running speed tests and also just in the field use.. the speed has really dropped by half. used to get as close to the capable Sprint 3G speeds as possible. now getting 800-900 max during the complete off time of the network. 3-5am. upload speeds have also gone down. the simple fact is that they don't care about us anymore. haha.
just wait until LTE picks up. haha. all these worthless 4G phones they have will be a waste of money. they aren't going to keep wimax. they are liars if they say they will. my next phone WILL BE a LTE phone. NOT wimax!
OF COURSE STUPID ME. LOL. SO I JUST RESTARTED MY PHONE. AND THE SPEED WAS THERE AGAIN. I'M AN IDIOT! WENT FROM 900 to 2.3M on the 3G. so in other words. lol I think memory on our phones is a big part of why it is so slow.
Yeah i noticed slower speeds as well. Hell a friend had uscelluar and we was getting the same app off the market and they beat me out by like 8 seconds. its kinda sucks that I have to use 4g just to beat out everyones 3g speeds
Crap indeed they are. My Evo is like owning a Lamborghini with a boot on all 4 wheels.
Sent from hell.

Sprint throttles 4G

For some time now ive been doing some speedtest on Sprints 4G network and it seems that they throttle 4G because it seems consistent with standard ISP's who throttle also unless you pay for a higher speed. WiMAX is way much powerful and faster than LTE and it has been proven so why is it that sprint seems to only get 10mbps Download and ONLY 10mbps.could they be doing this for a reason ?? I want to know what you guys think ??
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fadimo305 said:
For some time now ive been doing some speedtest on Sprints 4G network and it seems that they throttle 4G because it seems consistent with standard ISP's who throttle also unless you pay for a higher speed. WiMAX is way much powerful and faster than LTE and it has been proven so why is it that sprint seems to only get 10mbps Download and ONLY 10mbps.could they be doing this for a reason ?? I want to know what you guys think ??
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There is people that pull over 10 mb/s
wimax is CAPABLE of much higher speeds, however it is dependant on soo many factors i.e. signal stregth, server loads, amount of users connected to the tower, etc, etc.
Just because your not getting the stated speeds (theoretical) does not mean they are throttling. this goes for any ISP bro
It all depends on how many people are connected at the same time. There's only so much bandwidth to go around. There are times when your speed will be slower because more people are connected to the same tower. Just like cable broadband... There are peak times when your speed will be slower
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Obviously i know that look at verizon they have more customers and their LTE can pull off 22mbps plus WIMAX (clearwire) has i believe the largest bandwidth/spectrum in the U.S.A
ISP do throttle if you didnt know that if they didnt all the basic data suscribers would be hitting 50mbps.
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Couldn't say myself, 4G keeps disconnecting for me constantly, not exactly thrilled with the 4G performance of Sprint at the moment .....
Where I live I get 2 bars of 4G. 2 out of 3. Wimax 4G sucks for me. I probably get around 1mb download.
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1mb is still way better than Sprint 3G!
I think it may have something to do with heat/power. I know wimax is capable of >10mbps but at what cost in terms of battery life? If there were low power cool running wimax chips im sure they could push the envelope.
masbret said:
1mb is still way better than Sprint 3G!
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But for 4G speed it's terrible. It's suppose to be 4G!! My brother has the Google Nexus S on T-Mobile and his 3G tops out around 3MB. Makes my 3G look like garbage lol. He's able to tether and the speeds are not bad at all. It's decent enough to tether. I can not tether on 3G because the speed is so slow. I have to be on 4G or else it's not even worth tethering. No internet at home so I rely on my phone.
fadimo305 said:
For some time now ive been doing some speedtest on Sprints 4G network and it seems that they throttle 4G because it seems consistent with standard ISP's who throttle also unless you pay for a higher speed. WiMAX is way much powerful and faster than LTE and it has been proven so why is it that sprint seems to only get 10mbps Download and ONLY 10mbps.could they be doing this for a reason ?? I want to know what you guys think ??
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Click to collapse
WiMAX is a lot larger frequency, as where LTE is short. It is a lot easier to push LTE than WiMAX because WiMAX requires thrice as many towers to keep the signal from fading.
At work, I pull anywhere from 4-6 down and 0.7-1.5 up. Out and about in the Orange/Santa Ana area, I've gotten as high as 16 down and 4 up. It really just depends like others said, on area and users.
sorry we don't throttle, now what the network can handle during peak hours may be when your affected, but overall we do not touch delivery speed, go talk to t mobile they will tell you we don't, they are the experts lol
gosueric said:
At work, I pull anywhere from 4-6 down and 0.7-1.5 up. Out and about in the Orange/Santa Ana area, I've gotten as high as 16 down and 4 up. It really just depends like others said, on area and users.
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From very close by and it depends on how busy network is and where you are. There are also "bursts" which is why you will get 4-6Mbps download then suddenly get @ 12 Mbps down score. My upload speed is consistently 1.4-1.45 Mbps up. The cap on upload is 1.5
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Wimax has a larger signal distance than LTE.lol
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I read that people pull 30mbps when next to WiMAX stations.
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fadimo305 said:
ISP do throttle if you didnt know that if they didnt all the basic data suscribers would be hitting 50mbps.
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That is a speed CAP not throttling. CAP is set top end limit and you won't go faster.
Throttling is when they gradually (or not so gradually) reduce your speeds after a certain period of time or data use.
ValentineDROID said:
WiMAX is a lot larger frequency, as where LTE is short. It is a lot easier to push LTE than WiMAX because WiMAX requires thrice as many towers to keep the signal from fading.
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Correct me if i'm wrong but I could've sworn that if Wimax was deployed at a lower frequency it can have just as good penetration as LTE. Its just Clearwire's Wimax is at 2.6GHz which sucks with penetration.
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Sprint 3G finally improving?

So I have been horribly frustrated with sprints 3G speeds since I got my epic. I live in metro Detroit. (Fairly large sprint market) and have averaged around 50-75kbps DL. With a 600ms+ ping. And there is ZERO wimax anywhere. I was getting fed up. Until over the last month or so I have seen 600%+ increase in speeds. I now average closer to 500kbps DL with a 111ping. And I have even had consistent tests of 1mb DL. Could this be the first fruits of network vision? Or other tower upgrades? Or somehow less traffic. I had considered it could be the newer ROM/modem. (CM10/FH13). Has anyone else seen recent speed increases?
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cknuth said:
So I have been horribly frustrated with sprints 3G speeds since I got my epic. I live in metro Detroit. (Fairly large sprint market) and have averaged around 50-75kbps DL. With a 600ms+ ping. And there is ZERO wimax anywhere. I was getting fed up. Until over the last month or so I have seen 600%+ increase in speeds. I now average closer to 500kbps DL with a 111ping. And I have even had consistent tests of 1mb DL. Could this be the first fruits of network vision? Or other tower upgrades? Or somehow less traffic. I had considered it could be the newer ROM/modem. (CM10/FH13). Has anyone else seen recent speed increases?
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yeah man here in st pete i finally saw a consistent 1 meg down and i was inside ( but near a window) the network map said theres about to be another speed increase here its usually a lie tho.... i doubt its anything permanent sprint fails im moving to straight talk once its all over but im supposed to have lte in my area at the end of my contract and i got employee plan pricing if i have lte at my house then ill keep them if not oh well. could network vision not just be a giant false marketing scheme?
edit well i just did a speed test and im back to the usual 300kbs lol lucky i pay a dial up price and get dial up service XD so i guess not. sprints the most useless unlimited ever. Even living in a wimax area the wimax sucks everywhere but the beach. ( where i dont even need wimax)
I have 5+ months horrible experience with Sprint 3G speed after last two days on roaming service came back this morning better than ever from 0.09Mbps download to 0.89Mbps download huge improvement sadly it last till this evening when service cut off came back horrible as always. :banghead:
At least I know they are working on it.
Arecibo, PR 00612
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Whatever spring says "network vision" is. Clearly they are trying to or want to improve their service. One area they are strong, customer service. But their tech(except phones) sucks. So the question for me is, just like the first guy who replied. Is if they can get LTE working by the time my contract is up. Or at least get 3g solidly above 1mb.. then I would stay no question.
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cknuth said:
Whatever spring says "network vision" is. Clearly they are trying to or want to improve their service. One area they are strong, customer service. But their tech(except phones) sucks. So the question for me is, just like the first guy who replied. Is if they can get LTE working by the time my contract is up. Or at least get 3g solidly above 1mb.. then I would stay no question.
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+1, I have 1 year left on my contract. Next July I will re-evaluate sprint and see how things are going. If sprint stepped up to the plate then bonus I will stay but if its the same ol song and dance crap I am gone. Maybe this xmas I will do that re-evaluate of sprint and see what is up and just maybe I might buy off the rest of my contract, pay a etf and jump ship. But having to pay a extra 10 bucks a month just because of a smart phone crap aka 4g is bull**** considering sprint does not have wimax, 4g, lte or what ever here where I live and 3g is absolutly slower than dial up modem speeds.
Well Sprint Vision says that in the next 6 months a tower will basically be put in my backyard, according to their map. My contract is up in 12 months, I'll make a decision then.
I get 8kb/s out here in Toledo....
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Mine has picked up in some areas the past few weeks but its still crap in other areas and at random times. Its also still much slower than 3G from any other carrier. My Sprint 3G speeds are often similar to Tmobile Edge speeds I had 4 years ago but Edge was more consistent.
Every week my 3G speed changes, today I am getting less than 100kbps when last week or so I was getting almost 600. I am hoping this is due to them upgrading the towers and that is causing the inconsistencies.
Are you using updated maps to see this info or are you just using the maps on Sprint's website?
cknuth said:
So I have been horribly frustrated with sprints 3G speeds since I got my epic. I live in metro Detroit. (Fairly large sprint market) and have averaged around 50-75kbps DL. With a 600ms+ ping. And there is ZERO wimax anywhere. I was getting fed up. Until over the last month or so I have seen 600%+ increase in speeds. I now average closer to 500kbps DL with a 111ping. And I have even had consistent tests of 1mb DL. Could this be the first fruits of network vision? Or other tower upgrades? Or somehow less traffic. I had considered it could be the newer ROM/modem. (CM10/FH13). Has anyone else seen recent speed increases?
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Click to collapse
Pretty sure they've actually, finally, started work on Network Vision for our area.
We're supposed to be apart of the network vision plan for the second half of 2012.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/212-network-visionlte-deployment-running-list/
mattykinsx said:
Pretty sure they've actually, finally, started work on Network Vision for our area.
We're supposed to be apart of the network vision plan for the second half of 2012.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/212-network-visionlte-deployment-running-list/
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If they do manage to get LTE going by next summer I'll for sure stick around. Prolly with the 2nd nexus device if possible.
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cknuth said:
If they do manage to get LTE going by next summer I'll for sure stick around. Prolly with the 2nd nexus device if possible.
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I practically guarantee they will by then.
Personally I'm more concerned about getting 3g speeds in the 1.5 - 3 mbps range and the improved service that comes with Network Vision.
Really couldn't care less for LTE/Wimax with that. :silly:
Same crappy speed here.
metro Detroit here too, and I haven't noticed any increase. For some reason my phone now roams constantly. Hopefully not so much that they terminate my contract and force me to jump on T-Mobiles new deal.
3G still sucks here ...
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Rob the plumber said:
metro Detroit here too, and I haven't noticed any increase. For some reason my phone now roams constantly. Hopefully not so much that they terminate my contract and force me to jump on T-Mobiles new deal.
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My friends from the bay area (California) started roaming when their towers were being upgraded so it could be a could sign. Here S4GRU website says you guys are should be upgraded soon:
S4GRU Detriot
I'm only with them for the price an unlimited...
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mrrogers12 said:
I'm only with them for the price an unlimited...
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That's what I'm saying. I'll stick it out for the prospect of unlimited 4g...
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Metro Detroit here as well... Get the FH13 modem, you won't be disappointed
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Speedtest

How are my results? My 3g here in Boston flat out sucks, so I know these results aren't going to be great
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?
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Sorry to see those numbers. I Get OK number sitting in my house.
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Those speeds are definitely slow. They're sufficient for browsing forums, but loading pictures and music will be a hassle. Completely forget about video.
Luckily, Boston LTE is being deployed now so it'll hit your neighborhood hopefully sooner than later.
My speeds
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It's not sufficient to do anything. All I get are "cannot load, tap to retry". I can not even text that's, how bad it is. When do you think lte will be here in Boston? A Sprint rep told me it was being turned on the day before hurricane Sandy, we had an outrage then... I think she was full of it but hey maybe?!
If I'm not on wifi, I can't use my phone... I'd this normal in such a main, big city?
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Dea30 said:
It's not sufficient to do anything. All I get are "cannot load, tap to retry". I can not even text that's, how bad it is. When do you think lte will be here in Boston? A Sprint rep told me it was being turned on the day before hurricane Sandy, we had an outrage then... I think she was full of it but hey maybe?!
If I'm not on wifi, I can't use my phone... I'd this normal in such a main, big city?
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3G and the 2G (1X network) are completely different. 2G is responsible for texting and talk. If you're having trouble making calls and texting then it is likely due to either;
An outage in your area.
Or,
Tower upgrades in your area.
My only guess is that since Boston is a live market, they're working on your towers and you'll probably experience much better 3g speeds aswel as 4g speeds when the upgrades are complete. I'd hold out and see how well Sprint does with the upgrades. Nearly 100% of people that had similar speeds to yours are now perfectly satisfied with Sprint's Network Vision platform.
~OS
I get LTE in Wellesley and Worcester now. I've been getting it most everywhere I go. I haven't been to downtown Boston, but pretty much everywhere else has it for me. I even get it indoors in most places.
I actually leave my phone on LTE/ CDMA and get similar battery life as on CDMA only.
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Reception In Fringe Areas

Does anybody else have horrible reception problems in week signal areas?
I know how that sounds... but, what I mean is in the city, with the corporate PRL (56xxx) and the LJ7 radio, I get better signals then I ever have with my Moment or S2, roaming or native.
However, when I go out of town into a Cellcom area, I drop to no signal unless I am practically on top of a tower.
My Sprint tablet and S2 get decent roaming signals ( 2-3 bars) while my S3 gets no service, despite multiple combinations of radios and PRL's.
Any ideas? Bad antenna connection? Bad phone?
Thanks!
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I've noticed the signal roams and just flat out drops in certsin areas. Maybe it's just the antenna? I'm in So Cal.
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xTMFxOffshore said:
I've noticed the signal roams and just flat out drops in certsin areas. Maybe it's just the antenna? I'm in So Cal.
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I'm in Wisconsin.
I have also noticed that my phone roams more often than any other Sprint device that I have.
The S2 and S3 should be identical as far which cellular frequencies they listen to... so there shouldn't be any reason that the S2 gets service in 90 percent of the places the S3 doesn't even get roaming service.
I wonder how likely it is that the antenna write somehow got disconnected when I dropped the phone at some point in the past?
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I live in an area that is rated as "Good / Best" for Voice, with solid 3G coverage (per their site map & past phone experience) but do not have LTE available here yet.
I've had the GS3 for < a day and was able to test side by side just moments apart from deactivating my old HTC phone.
I immediately went from a 3 year old phone getting -80dBm to -92dBm on the GS3. I have used the 3G on my HTC phone day in and out here for the entire 3 years of the phone, when suddenly, the GS3 was timing out while trying to download Google Chrome from the Play Store. Web page loads are bursty... hot/cold/hot/cold and SpeedTest.Net App seems to confirm the story...
I could not complete SpeedTest.Net due to "communication issues" nor download anything until I forced the phone to CDMA only. Unfortunately, even though I can now USE the phone, the speeds are still kinda rough:
Pings are ranging 800ms - 1300ms consistently ( I was used to 200ms or less )
Downloads are 30-80kbps, I was used to 350-500k.
Brief Real-world testing of moving through web pages, loading videos and browsing the playstore also lean towards the numbers I'm seeing.
Not sure about what to do. Maybe the HTC EVO 4G LTE would have better signal. It's hard to determine without personally testing, there's a LOT of complaints both ways, on both forums. I'll continue to evaluate and give it a chance to improve. Maybe it was a bad night last night.
The word thing is that I get better speeds and reception on Sprint's network in Milwaukee than I do with my S2.
As soon as I leave the city, or even leave Sprint's network, the S3 becomes prone to LOS while the S2 chugs along happily.
And, as I said before, this is with the same PRL.
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I've been noticing a lot more random LOS, and other signal issues in areas I've had signal before, and good signal at that on both my Photon and iphone. Is there a better PRL or Profile to use that will improve this or is it just something on Samsung's end that is gonna be what it is?

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