Develop Bugs

[Q] International roaming block

Sprint service is crap where I work (outer areas of Detroit), so I am using Roam Control for when I get near work. Most of the time I get a tower in the US, but every once in a while a Canadian Tower appears.
Sprint has told me to update the PRL (done 01115) and has tried to block the international roaming (didn't work), so now I am here to ask the experts.
Is there someway to prevent locking onto an International Tower?
I am running Syndicate Frozen ROM with Emotionless Beast Theme (which deserves more thanks than I could give, since this is how I figured out I was on international tower).

notmyepic said:
Sprint service is crap where I work (outer areas of Detroit), so I am using Roam Control for when I get near work. Most of the time I get a tower in the US, but every once in a while a Canadian Tower appears.
Sprint has told me to update the PRL (done 01115) and has tried to block the international roaming (didn't work), so now I am here to ask the experts.
Is there someway to prevent locking onto an International Tower?
I am running Syndicate Frozen ROM with Emotionless Beast Theme (which deserves more thanks than I could give, since this is how I figured out I was on international tower).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that your best bet is to enable the Roaming Guard.
Now I would advise you download ROAM CONTROL (http://www.appbrain.com/app/roam-control/com.vuvuzela.roamcontrol) and force the network to HOME ONLY and that might work out for you
Let us know.

megabiteg said:
I think that your best bet is to enable the Roaming Guard.
Now I would advise you download ROAM CONTROL (http://www.appbrain.com/app/roam-control/com.vuvuzela.roamcontrol) and force the network to HOME ONLY and that might work out for you
Let us know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have and use Roam Control so that my phone will work at/near work which I want. I would say 95% of the time at work, I am on a US tower. I am just looking to prevent the other 5% from charging me International roaming charges.

notmyepic said:
I have and use Roam Control so that my phone will work at/near work which I want. I would say 95% of the time at work, I am on a US tower. I am just looking to prevent the other 5% from charging me International roaming charges.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To what setting you have it? Home Network or Automatic?

megabiteg said:
To what setting you have it? Home Network or Automatic?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I am using it, it is on Roam Only.
When Emotionless Beast said "International" instead of its usual "Emotionless Beast" on the lock screen, I would think that somewhere in the programming it the phone knows where it is at, and am simply wondering if there is a way to block data while on international.

notmyepic said:
(done 01115).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what a weird prl number. ive seen others talking about getting a 01xxx prl lately too. whats up with that? mine is still 60676.

austin420 said:
what a weird prl number. ive seen others talking about getting a 01xxx prl lately too. whats up with that? mine is still 60676.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what it is all about. The last link in this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13153111 talked about this PRL, so I manually loaded it.

Bumping, since my phone is seems to go into International roaming anytime I am at work now.
Staying on Sprint Network only is not something that I want to do. After paying a lot for the 4 phones I have with Sprint (and the fact I do not leave the US) I do not think I should have to pay for the Canada Roaming addon.
Sprint told me update the PRL ("to one that is greater then 64" was actual quote from the rep) and this will end me getting an International tower.
My PRL does not update automatically (don't know why, maybe due to Syndicate Frozen rom), so I manually updated to 60676 and still get the international tower.
Does anyone have any other ideas on what I can do?

If it is only at work you are concerned about maybe you can talk your boss and Sprint into setting up an Airave there so you won't roam at all.
Do you BONSAI?

Didn't think about that. I will have to talk to them about it.

So after many conversations with Sprint and many bill adjustments, we came up with the solution of turning off Data while roaming on my phone. This still allows me to be contacted by texting and voice.
Allthough still not happy that International towers cannot be turned off completely, at least my kids are able to get a hold of me.

Rooted and CWM my epic 4gt, now how do I flash to straight talk and activate?

My ep4gt is rooted and CWM, but where do I find the rom for straight talk? I assume I need a rom to make this work on the ST unlimited plan.
Once flashed, how do I activate on ST?
Sorry searched couldn't find this answered.

You can't. Straight Talk uses T-Mobile's network which is GSM/AWS, and requires a sim card. This phone is CDMA only.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA App

Straight Talk is CDMA (through Verizon) And no it hasn't been/ cannot be done as far as I know.

ST uses ATT, Verizon, and t mobile afaik.
There are mulitiple services on ebay offering to flash your cdma phone over to ST on the verizon network.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/130619122331?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
a member on this forum pitchristian has had this done also.
"Originally Posted by pitchristian View Post
I couldnt update my profile or Prl as of a week ago, I did some digging and...
It looks like sprint changed some 3g passwords after the iphone release. thats why my speeds reverted to 1X. You can update the passwords but if you didnt flash the phone yourself then you need to get it back to whomever did it and they can update it. I actually just took my eg4t and flashed it to straight talk wireless instead. $45 unlimited everything(although they are supposedly cutting people off that use more than 3-5g per month) It runs off Verizons towers so my speeds quadrupled over sprints crappy 3g speeds."
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=19443407&highlight=straight+talk#post19443407
Post #29
I PM'ed him,no reply yet as to if there is a way to do this without paying to have this done.

Id save over a 100 a month if I could switch my lines to straight talk. Im kind of interested in this also, but its something ill want to do myself and not through ebay.

For Android phones, Straight Talk uses Sprint. They signed a contract back some months ago. They are not ties to a specific provider and will use what makes sense for them, so it could change over time.

Well these phones when flashed use the verizon network. There are lots of youtube videos where they call some number and it tells you the provider.
So i'm seeing that this is a paid for service only (to have phone flashed to ST)

Interesting. 2 people I know with ST, and both phones have SIM cards. Granted, both are clamshells, but good to know.

bondosho said:
Interesting. 2 people I know with ST, and both phones have SIM cards. Granted, both are clamshells, but good to know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought two ST phones last year, the Samsung qwerty slider, and the one that looks like a blackberry. They were both cdma and ran off the Verizon network. They had bars where my sprint phone did not. I guess different regions use different carriers to piggy back on. There is no T-Mobile coverage in a 10 mile radius where I live.

Here you go:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/story...id-phones-will-use-sprints-network/2011-09-09
I'm sure Straight Talk is willing to use whatever makes the most sense for them so I wouldn't be surprised if they switch stuff around over time.

Maybe this process goes around that? But I have confirmed that these phones do work on the vrz network.

superhard1 said:
Maybe this process goes around that? But I have confirmed that these phones do work on the vrz network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed they do...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1267893

I switched mine to Alltel $45/month unlimited talk text and web but it roams does anybody else who flashed their epic touch always have a roaming indicator? Also my sprint 4g still works
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

snoopy1e11 said:
I switched mine to Alltel $45/month unlimited talk text and web but it roams does anybody else who flashed their epic touch always have a roaming indicator? Also my sprint 4g still works
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how did you flash yours?

I have my ET4G running on prepaid Platinumtel. You can take any Sprint (Android is easiest) phone and "hack" it to run on any Sprint MNVO network easy (with some diligent research on the web) such as Platinumtel, Virgin etc. I can't say how here, only that it can be done
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Do all the Sprint prepaid spinoffs (Boost/Virgin et. al.) offer unlimited data, or is it capped/throttled?
Sent from an Android-powered HP Touchpad.

Update:
You have to start the port process 24 hours before the idiot starts the flash process. It's not really a flash though.
It uses the verizon towers, no question. You can change around your prl's to determine which towers you wish to use.
So far, very happy with this

[Q] How to manually update PRL on LTE G Nexus

Something I'm used to doing with previous smart phones that I haven't been able to do with the G Nexus LTE, is maunally update the PRL. So with that being said does anyone know how to do this or know of a program or app that can do this because I live in a rural area outside of 4g coverage, 3g works just fine, but I figure that me updating the prl would help me get back to full coverage as with my previous 3g smartphones without being in a 4g area, and yes I am aware that 3g and 4g refer to data, but as stated all my previous phones have been 3g phones so that may actually be a small factor. Any knowledge or assistance will be greatly appreciated.

Flash a radio in CWM if you are rooted. LTE phones do not use the *228 update as you have already noticed.. so this is the only way I believe
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Thanks and I'll do that if I decide to go ahead and root my phone but I haven't done so yet because this is the first android in a long time that I haven't rooted lol and I know the benefits but the stock rom, to me so far, is better than what im used too, atleast for the moment.

Hmm, there seems to be some disagreement, saving *22899 as a contact and dialing does 'change' the PRL, it isn't clear from the comments I've read that it is updating correctly, although this number does seem to be autodialed by the phone in roaming situations. Some have said this will damage the SIM which I find a bit unlikely. Others have said that rebooting the phone without the SIM (turn off first) then rebooting again with the SIM will, and some say that the PRL is updated every time you reboot... Since I haven't had roaming issues yet, I've not tried any of them...

*228 does damage the SIM.. that's why it's blocked from an LTE phone.

joshnichols189 said:
*228 does damage the SIM.. that's why it's blocked from an LTE phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are you basing this comment on? Speculation? Rumors other people posted online?
The mere fact that many GN users (myself included) have had their phones auto-dial *22899 is pretty clear evidence that it isn't "bad" for your phone. At worst it may be unnecessary as the phones are capable of auto updating, but clearly its not "bad". My phone has been running 52642 for several weeks now and runs very well.

Pull battery, pull sim card, leave out for 90 seconds, re-insert both and reboot. This forces the phone to check/update the PRL.

tim k said:
What are you basing this comment on? Speculation? Rumors other people posted online?
The mere fact that many GN users (myself included) have had their phones auto-dial *22899 is pretty clear evidence that it isn't "bad" for your phone. At worst it may be unnecessary as the phones are capable of auto updating, but clearly its not "bad". My phone has been running 52642 for several weeks now and runs very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We had a lot of people do it on Thunderbolt launch day and fry their sims. It was blocked shortly after by Verizon.

tim k said:
What are you basing this comment on? Speculation? Rumors other people posted online?
The mere fact that many GN users (myself included) have had their phones auto-dial *22899 is pretty clear evidence that it isn't "bad" for your phone. At worst it may be unnecessary as the phones are capable of auto updating, but clearly its not "bad". My phone has been running 52642 for several weeks now and runs very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As above ^
Otherwise, feel free to dial *228 and tell me why it doesn't work.

Adding *22899 to contacts and dialing out updated my PRL as well. We'll see if it helps with signal out on the farm.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I just tried the *28899 seems to work? Although I'm still not sure how you get a keypad to show up to hit option 2 . But after I added it to contacts and told it to skip activation it programmed. Wish I would of checked my PRL version prior to updating so I'd know if it worked or not.

Works for me
sammyboy405 said:
I just tried the *28899 seems to work? Although I'm still not sure how you get a keypad to show up to hit option 2 . But after I added it to contacts and told it to skip activation it programmed. Wish I would of checked my PRL version prior to updating so I'd know if it worked or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok So I know there is alot of Speculation about this..
So I live in an Area where US Cellular and Verizon use each others towers. And my phone used to bounce back and forth between Extended Area (US Cellular) and Verizon.
After doing the *22899 while in a US Cellular area it updated my PRL my Radio reset and I Haven't Bounced back to US Cellular Yet.
I also for whatever reason am Now able to get 4G in our basement of where I work. Before I was lucky to get 3G But Now I get full 3G and when 4G pops up I get 1 Bar.
So I dont know how all this stuff works.. but I went ahead and did the *22899 knowing it could pop my SIM Card (I Used to have a Thunderbolt and Yep It broke the SIM on it when I first got it) But I was prepared to go get another SIM. You never know till you try it, is my Theory.
But Im happy to say, I have Full 4G at my Home. And I have 3G/4G in areas I used to never be able to get it.
BTW- the *22899 from talking to a Guy at the Verizon store said it forces the phone to Update/Activate Even if your in extended area. Thats the difference between *228 and *22899 I tried it out on my Dads old POS phone, its been in extended area since the day I got it for him.. Its just a Cheap Flip Phone. And now he gets 3G.
But yea Id only do this at your own Risk.. I maybe just one of the Lucky ones it works on.. Who knows.

I think as long as you do *22899, it will force the PRL change if there is one. Otherwise it will do it automatically.
*228 does not work though.

[Q] Roaming Penalty

so I see that excessive roaming will prompt sprint to give you the boot with no warning but how does it work with family plans. if one person on the plan roams too much does the entire account get canceled or just that one phone number?

Just the line that abused it. Also the send you a letter telling you to stop first
Sent from my BAD A$$ EPIC TOUCH 4G

I got a letter from Sprint myself after I messed with my RTSP and HTTPD server settings. I read an article about speeding up network access like at my desk at work on an AT&T (roaming) network. After about 2 weeks of enjoying better coverage and speeds, I got a love letter from Sprint.
At first I had no clue, then I remembered I had messed with those settings. Turns out I was ONLY roaming with them. So now I put them back to stock and no issues with Sprint.
Actually, on Calkulins latest v1.2 ICS Rom, with the FC18 modem, I get 3G at my work where I only had a 1X network data connection before!

thanks for the info

So do I have to use calks rom plus fc18 modem for it to work
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium

ScubaSteev said:
So do I have to use calks rom plus fc18 modem for it to work
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different devices, different areas, and different radios all play a part in your signal strength. There is not a one-size-fits-all, so try different modems, using each one a couple of days, and keep an eye on your signal strength.

ScubaSteev said:
So do I have to use calks rom plus fc18 modem for it to work
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what you mean by "it"

Wait...what does roaming mean in this case? I am going to get this phone soon, and I have been out of the loop for this community for a few months now. Is roaming a term for something mod related or does it just mean being in a roaming area.
My concern is that when I had the Epic, I rode the subway everyday and every 3 seconds my phone says "You are roaming" and does the annoying sound and screen, have they disabled this?

iball8888 said:
Wait...what does roaming mean in this case? I am going to get this phone soon, and I have been out of the loop for this community for a few months now. Is roaming a term for something mod related or does it just mean being in a roaming area.
My concern is that when I had the Epic, I rode the subway everyday and every 3 seconds my phone says "You are roaming" and does the annoying sound and screen, have they disabled this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It just means you are using another carrier's tower, not Sprint's... The default Sprint proxy settings on the phone are fine, but you can hack them and get into trouble if you do this.

I know this thread is somewhat old, but I wanted to share that the second letter I recently received from Sprint was one informing me that my account WILL be terminated as of July 17th.
I tried numerous times to explain that when I am at work, I am ALWAYS on roaming data. I use WiFi at home, so the only time I typically user Sprint 3G is during my commute. They said there were NO exceptions and the decision comes from Corporate and is FINAL. 18 years with my company and 8 in good standing with Sprint on different phones... And they axed me! My Epic 4G Touch apparently is rather data hungry...
So beware, peeps...
Sent from somewhere in Galaxy SII...

You have be roaming at least 75% of the time (not an exact number, just ballpark) in order for Sprint to boot you.
Basically, while you're roaming, Sprint is having to pay the other carrier for your usage. If you're using the other network more than Sprint, it's not profitable to keep you.

Sunsparc said:
You have be roaming at least 75% of the time (not an exact number, just ballpark) in order for Sprint to boot you.
Basically, while you're roaming, Sprint is having to pay the other carrier for your usage. If you're using the other network more than Sprint, it's not profitable to keep you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last I heard it was 300MB of roaming then they send the letter. Do it again over that limit and you get the boot.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

peanut1596 said:
Last I heard it was 300MB of roaming then they send the letter. Do it again over that limit and you get the boot.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the letter says 300MB or the majority of 3G data. There were 2 months since November 2011 where
My roaming data % was more than non-roaming.
The thing that kills me is that my usage pattern hadn't changed across the last 3 phones I've had with them. The Google Play Store and all the apps connecting in the background had changed my consumption no doubt...
My E4GT is my first Android phone though, and they even made me pay an extra $10 per month for "premium data" with this phone because it is a "smartphone" (just like my previous Blackberry Curve)!
Wtf? Faaaaaaaq Sprint
Sent from somewhere in Galaxy SII...

Do they make you pay an ETF when they do this? I know for most, roaming isn't an issue but some are on the edge of the network and are more likely to roam. Would kind of suck if they had to pay an ETF.

I'm expecting a letter reeeeeeeeeeaaaally soon. I used 2.5GB of roaming last month so I imagine they are a little pissy about that.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

KCRic said:
Do they make you pay an ETF when they do this? I know for most, roaming isn't an issue but some are on the edge of the network and are more likely to roam. Would kind of suck if they had to pay an ETF.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprint did offer to waive the ETFs (2 off them) AND any recurring charges for the last month of service... Actually, on AT&T, I'm now getting better coverage and speed, both in and out of my workplace, and with the wife's employee discount we are paying less overall.
3GB data plan on each phone... Most I've ever used on Sprint is like 1.2GB.
One of the best things about the AT&T data plan is that if you go over the limit, for $10 they automatically add another GB, not cancel your account. And roaming data only applies to international data usage.
peanut1596 said:
I'm expecting a letter reeeeeeeeeeaaaally soon. I used 2.5GB of roaming last month so I imagine they are a little pissy about that.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your Sprint 3G data is more than your Sprint 3G roaming data, then they won't usually take any action other than maybe warning letters.
I'm sure my usage was costing them money, but my usage was costing ME plenty of money too!
I was happy about no ETFs and the free last month... but there should be legal implications for them since they don't report any of this on your invoice OR USAGE DETAILS. When I asked why there was no mention of the roaming data issue on my bill, they said that some things changed earlier this year, and their Marketing and Billing departments weren't on the same page yet.
This a$$ reaming was brought to you by Sprint... Bringing a whole new meaning to the term "Unlimited"...
GFY, Sprint. I hope you face legal action for screwing your customers over like this
Sent from somewhere in Galaxy SII...

The problem is, there is no way to tell from your bill whether you are roaming on Sprint's network (as in, out of your home calling area) or roaming OFF of Sprint's network.
"Changes earlier this year" is BS. Their bill has stated "Sprint 3G Roaming - Unlimited" forever.

Dalmus said:
The problem is, there is no way to tell from your bill whether you are roaming on Sprint's network (as in, out of your home calling area) or roaming OFF of Sprint's network.
"Changes earlier this year" is BS. Their bill has stated "Sprint 3G Roaming - Unlimited" forever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their lack of reporting is BS too...
Sent from somewhere in Galaxy SII...

10 plus year Sprint customer checking in here!
I've been using the EK02 modem combo'ed with PRL 11115 and Mr. Greg's ROAM Control for almost 3 months now, set to roam only and I haven't gotten a single letter, threat or anything!
I'm actually hoping to get one, I want out of my Sprint contract without paying the ETF, I'm sick of the slow 3G data speeds. Now before someone says well you've been a customer for over 10 years and you have resigned the contracts so you have no one else to blame but yourself, blah blah blah, back before the HTC EVO 4G, I didn't have these issues.
Over the past 3 years Sprints network has done to hell. My Samsung Instinct and my Palm Pre were FAST. I used them as modems for my laptop and everything else, NO problems. Browsing on them was FAST, no problems. Apps online on them, no problems. I get my EVO and its SLOW! That was about when 4G was coming so I waited it out and yep we finally GET 4G locally but only downtown. I keep hearing promisses of expansion blah blah blah so I renew picking up the Epic 4G Touch, oh, no more 4G expansion blah blah, LTE is the next big thing.
Well my Epic Touch is even slower then my EVO was.
Sprint got too big and there network just cant handle it.
My friends ATT Skyrocket blows my phone out of the water speed wise. Hell, just roaming to Verizon I get upward of a meg a second but on Sprint I'm luck to get 100 kbps. Sometimes it bursts to 600+ but it doesnt hold. Sometimes its as low as 20 kbps. Most webpages don't load.
I'm burned out.

they haven't sent me one yet..... crossing fingures

Sprint to partner and use/share Verizon LTE??

I've heard this from 2 different CS reps at two differnet places but, I can't find anything specific on the net. Has anyone else heard the rumor that Sprint and Verizon might partner up and share LTE towers/service?
I'm thinking about going to ATT since my Sprint (No Verizon in my area yet either) data is terrible in my area but, if there was a chance this might happen, I might stay with Sprint.
habe

Doubtful, those CS reps don't know anything that hasn't been announced. If one of them told me it was Friday I'd verify it on my calendar.

that's funny, when i talked to sprint on the phone i threw that same question at them and they said " oh no no, we will run our own system, should be complete by end 2013"
didn't they say something like that about the wimax BS??

popper668 said:
that's funny, when i talked to sprint on the phone i threw that same question at them and they said " oh no no, we will run our own system, should be complete by end 2013"
didn't they say something like that about the wimax BS??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Sprint doesn't know wtf is going on. I do know that they will not use Verizon's towers due to the fact that Verizon wouldn't let anymore ppl than they have to have unlimited data on their network. Especially since a lot of grandfathered ppl are getting the finger now too
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

I highly doubt it, but there might be a chance of sprint using Verizon 4g towers when roaming. thats just a guess though.

evodev said:
I highly doubt it, but there might be a chance of sprint using Verizon 4g towers when roaming. thats just a guess though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As of right now, that won't happen. Verizon's LTE is run on different frequencies than sprint's phones can handle.

There would have to be something big in it for Verizon .
Sent from my Team D.I.R.T.-ified, CM9-ized OG using XDA

I was actually on the phone with one of the M.I.T. graduates a.k.a. Sprint reps and when I pressed the issue that my brand-new, sexy-looking Galaxy Nexus was slow as hell and couldn't get ANY 4G even though I was told I would they said that they are using Verizon's towers/LTE until the Sprint network is "up & running totally"...funny I still have no 4g/LTE and only 3G and WiFi...then again most reps, regardless of where they work, are never in-the-know...that's the reason they shuffle you around to "someone who is better suited to answer that question" when you ask a simple question...they pass the buck to the next guy/girl who in turn does the same...no wonder why it takes for ever to speak with someone when you call [those people]....

They better not use Verizon's LTE. I left sprint because the crapple losers all came over and clogged up the network worse than it already was. I know they won't though
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2