Develop Bugs

Help on fixing cell standby battery drain?

Hey yall, I've got a bit of a problem with cell standby and I know it's a reception issue, hopefully you guys can help me.
You see, I live in one of the outermost neighborhoods in Jerusalem in a big building made out of thick bricks and cement...as one could imagine, reception is really bad.
My problem stems from the fact that the only way I can get 3G service is by sticking my phone right at the window and forcing it to 3G by hitting WCDMA Only in the *#*#4636#*#* menu. then I just tether to my laptop and everything is all good. After I take it off the windowsill, once it is more than a foot away, I lose all service. I forget to put it back to WCDMA preffered and it just looks for 3G all day in my pocket and I get a battery drain.
anyway I guess my question is this... is there a program or setting I can use to force it to 3g when it knows there is a 3G connection possible? WCDMA Preferred doesn't work because the EDGE network overpowers the 3G network and it would never connect unless I completely disable EDGE.
TL;DR Is there a way to make the radio default to EDGE when it is completly impossible to find any trace of 3G?

Menu > Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile Networks > Use only 2G networks
That will force your phone to use only EDGE and will put less drain on your battery when it comes to cell network.

Personally, I would move out of jeruselum and go to a place that pumps out 4g. Or at least theoretical 4g. (Hspa+)
Sent from my G2 CM6.1.1, OC'd to 1.5ghz, using XDA App

Yeah...this june. I am going back to memphis TN with full tmo 4g....I am only here for a year
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

rhodes588 said:
Menu > Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile Networks > Use only 2G networks
That will force your phone to use only EDGE and will put less drain on your battery when it comes to cell network.
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Click to collapse
I always do that when I don't need a fast data connection, I have a widget to switch back quick when I need to do some surfing or tethering

Where did my 4G go!

I live in area that does not have 4 g so it stays off, however today at airport I tried and no 4G toggle anywhere! Where did it go, I swore when I got s3 I tested 4G but now it's gone? Thanks for help.
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BiggieD said:
I live in area that does not have 4 g so it stays off, however today at airport I tried and no 4G toggle anywhere! Where did it go, I swore when I got s3 I tested 4G but now it's gone? Thanks for help.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GS3 doent have a 4g "toggle" as you say...but you can make sure its enabled
settings-->more settings-->Mobile Network-->Network mode.
Preferred network mode should be set to "CDMA/LTE/EVDO"
If you have "CDMA/LTE/EVDO" enabled, anytime your in a Sprint LTE area your phone icon will switch from 3g to 4g.

n8te_1 said:
GS3 doent have a 4g "toggle" as you say...but you can make sure its enabled
settings-->more settings-->Mobile Network-->Network mode.
Preferred network mode should be set to "CDMA/LTE/EVDO"
If you have "CDMA/LTE/EVDO" enabled, anytime your in a Sprint LTE area your phone icon will switch from 3g to 4g.
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Click to collapse
doesn't it chew up more battery?

bigfamei said:
doesn't it chew up more battery?
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Click to collapse
it shouldnt chew up ure bttery at all, as all it does is search the network for 4gLTE and if it doesnt find it, it will automaticly go to sleep and try again like 2 or 3 hours later or periodically as it tells u. .however u do need to have sprint automatic connention left on in order for that work. atleast thats what i got from reading the sprint connection optimizer information it gave me.

Practitioner said:
it shouldnt chew up ure bttery at all, as all it does is search the network for 4gLTE and if it doesnt find it, it will automaticly go to sleep and try again like 2 or 3 hours later or periodically as it tells u. .however u do need to have sprint automatic connention left on in order for that work. atleast thats what i got from reading the sprint connection optimizer information it gave me.
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Click to collapse
The optimizer isn't for the LTE. I hate that garbage so I always leave it off. As long as your preferred network is set as stated above, it will automatically switch between them. Side note though, it may switch back to 3g if you don't have a very strong 4 g signal. It likes to be weird.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

Sounds like your thinking of a wimax phone. I I had a Motorola Photon and you had to physically turn 4g on and off on it.... I think most wimax 4g phones are that way.
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Do any of the custom ROMS have a toggle for 4g/3g? I live in a 4g area but sometimes the signal isn't strong enough so it goes to 3g. Quite annoying. It would be great to toggle 3g off and force 4g.

So I had s2 before s3, so I assume the s2 was a 4 -g wimax? It had a toggle widget.
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BiggieD said:
So I had s2 before s3, so I assume the s2 was a 4 -g wimax? It had a toggle widget.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Correct !:good:

sssqueue said:
Do any of the custom ROMS have a toggle for 4g/3g? I live in a 4g area but sometimes the signal isn't strong enough so it goes to 3g. Quite annoying. It would be great to toggle 3g off and force 4g.
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Have you tried updating to the new radio? I believe they boosted the power to give slightly better LTE connectivity in those kinds of environments.

There is a way to force LTE on the GS3. I did it with mine so that I could map out the LTE zones with sensorly a bit easier while I was driving over the weekend. The way I was able to do this is you need to have Nova Launcher downloaded and installed.
Once you do this, long press on the home screen and go to "Shortcuts".
Next click on "Activities"
Next scroll down to "IOTHiddenMenu"
Then scroll down and click on "IOTHiddenMenu : HDR1X_Selection"
Doing this will allow you to force LTE only mode. Keep in mind you WILL NOT be able to make any phone calls while doing this. For some reason the GS3 requires the phone to be in LTE + CDMA + EVDO Mode to make calls even if you have a very strong LTE signal.
Another app I would recommend downloading is called OpenSignalMaps. Once you have the LTE only mode turned on or even the normal LTE + CDMA mode, you can use this app to refresh your network by clicking the little refresh button at the bottom left of the app in the Overview tab. What this does is pretty much turn your phones mobile networks on and off and then scan for LTE first before scanning for EVDO. I have been able to connect to many more LTE sites by doing this. Even ones that are fairly far away.
Hope this all helps. Let me know if you have any extra questions.

No data connection at all
I have the settings on GSM/HSPA/LTE, but lost data connection completely. Tried to restart and turned on/off flight mode - still no data. Voice in and out is OK. I finally managed to reconnect by repeating the process. Is there a better way to reconnect?
Thanks.

Check out "Network"
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.mangelow.network
It takes you to the network screen as well
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with the latest l13 radio my phone will not stay on 4g it is heavily biased to 3g and I do not know how to fix it. I am right next to the 4g towers.. ... any thoughts? Thanks

Thanks
Thanks. Unfortunately, the "Network" app would not run. So I followed a similar line, and found "3G Reconnect". It does not fix the connection issue. Any other thoughts?

No data with 3G?

Anyone else have this problem with T-Mo Note2? I get no data with 3G and lower! 4G runs great... but 3G, 2G, Edge, ect acts as if no data is flowing. Normally I wouldn't care since 4G is super fast, but the towers are rare around here so I'm connected to a 3G tower more often.

Yeah that sucks lol!! Thats happend to me too and i don find a soluyion yet
Sent from my SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

Make sure your cell is set to auto in the *#2263# menu or whatever that code is. Youll have to ask around. I don't remember where to find that setting.
Guys where is that setting to set the cell mode?
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

exalgopana said:
Make sure your cell is set to auto in the *#2263# menu or whatever that code is. Youll have to ask around. I don't remember where to find that setting.
Guys where is that setting to set the cell mode?
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just go to settings > wireless and network > more settings > mobile networks > network mode ... auto

Network is set to auto. The phone connects to 3G towers (the statusbar 3G icon shows up with bars), and it does often, but there is no data flow. As soon as 4G (H+ icon) is available, the data sends/receives super fast.

acideater said:
Network is set to auto. The phone connects to 3G towers (the statusbar 3G icon shows up with bars), and it does often, but there is no data flow. As soon as 4G (H+ icon) is available, the data sends/receives super fast.
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Click to collapse
+1 same to me. Anyone happens the same?
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[Q] Any roms for gs3 that allow you to turn off lte?

Right now I'm just using the stock att rom, rooted. At home I'm on Hspa+ and get great battery life, but when I travel to cities LTE I get the worst battery life. I can't even go a full day without the battery dying. Do any roms exist that allow me to turn off the lte radio and just stick with Hspa+? Don't really need any extra functionality over the stock rom besides this. I'm fairly happy with the stock rom and nova launcher.

Change your apn to the H+ one
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jayRokk said:
Change your apn to the H+ one
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I thought I read that doesn't really work. Is that really all that's needed to get rid of lte?

thesuffering said:
I thought I read that doesn't really work. Is that really all that's needed to get rid of lte?
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Why do you want to turn it off ? If you are using data it doesn't matter the connection speed as far as usage goes (at least anything I use) as to how much data it consumes. I consume no more on LTE than I did on my 3G captivate with the same apps.

hednik said:
Why do you want to turn it off ? If you are using data it doesn't matter the connection speed as far as usage goes (at least anything I use) as to how much data it consumes. I consume no more on LTE than I did on my 3G captivate with the same apps.
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Plus I've never had bad battery with LTE on
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hednik said:
Why do you want to turn it off ? If you are using data it doesn't matter the connection speed as far as usage goes (at least anything I use) as to how much data it consumes. I consume no more on LTE than I did on my 3G captivate with the same apps.
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Click to collapse
Battery life. With Hspa+ I can go 1.5 days between charges. On lte I'm lucky if I get 8-10 hours before its needing to be charged.

thesuffering said:
Battery life. With Hspa+ I can go 1.5 days between charges. On lte I'm lucky if I get 8-10 hours before its needing to be charged.
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Hrmmm. LTE chews threw the battery faster but it downloads faster as well. There more involved in that drop than just LTE I doubt it the main culprit that and there are no know LTE off switches on any rom's.

jayRokk said:
Change your apn to the H+ one
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Click to collapse
thesuffering said:
I thought I read that doesn't really work. Is that really all that's needed to get rid of lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this has worked for me in the past (on aokp). switch to 3g/hspa (i believe the wap.cingular apn) and reboot. give it a test.

I travel for work a lot and I had the same problem, this is what I do to fix it:
Dial *#197328640#
Using the menu go to UMTS - > debug screen - > phone control - > network lock - > RAT_FREE_SUPPORTING ON
Dial *#2263#
Choose the band you want to use.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

hednik said:
Hrmmm. LTE chews threw the battery faster but it downloads faster as well. There more involved in that drop than just LTE I doubt it the main culprit that and there are no know LTE off switches on any rom's.
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Click to collapse
It only happens when I have lte. If I'm on anything lower battery life is wonderful. I'd think maybe its just poor reception and flip flopping between towers, but it drains no matter what part of town I'm in (Vegas) so that should rule that out.

May82 said:
I travel for work a lot and I had the same problem, this is what I do to fix it:
Dial *#197328640#
Using the menu go to UMTS - > debug screen - > phone control - > network lock - > RAT_FREE_SUPPORTING ON
Dial *#2263#
Choose the band you want to use.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
This only works until you restart, right?

xBeerdroiDx said:
this has worked for me in the past (on aokp). switch to 3g/hspa (i believe the wap.cingular apn) and reboot. give it a test.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll try this next time I'm out of town.

thesuffering said:
I thought I read that doesn't really work. Is that really all that's needed to get rid of lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May82 said:
I travel for work a lot and I had the same problem, this is what I do to fix it:
Dial *#197328640#
Using the menu go to UMTS - > debug screen - > phone control - > network lock - > RAT_FREE_SUPPORTING ON
Dial *#2263#
Choose the band you want to use.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thesuffering said:
This only works until you restart, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using the *#2263# method does work until you restart. However, if you restart you will remain on the band that was chosen prior to restart. If you are on automatic you will have "normal" operations. If you choose 3G or 2G only bands you will remain. In order to change it you will have to dial *#197328640# first to access the menu again.
In regards to the APN, I have had problems with it giving me random network drops...complete network drops. There is another way to achieve this goal, but you will have to do it over again every time you turn on airplane mode or reboot. Create a new APN. You can name it whatever you want and fill in the APN name with whatever you want and save it. Fill out nothing else. Select the new APN created and exit. You will lose data for the moment. Wait 20 seconds after selecting the new APN and go into dialer and type *#*#4636#*#* and select "Device Information". Under "Set Preferred Network type:" you should see "WCDMA only". Click on it and select "GSM/CDMA auto (PRL)" and exit. Go back to you APNs and select the original one named "ATT Phone". After a few seconds you will notice the data is 4G only and not 4G LTE.

hednik said:
Hrmmm. LTE chews threw the battery faster but it downloads faster as well. There more involved in that drop than just LTE I doubt it the main culprit that and there are no know LTE off switches on any rom's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The late antenna actually uses more power. So therefore yes. The main culprit is lte. At least until better antenna come out

How to Force Galaxy W (Android 4.2.2) to Use Only 3G?

I was testing this on my W cause it keeps going the H all the time and sick of it.
"It would be on 3G but as soon as I open say Google Play or the Browser it would go to H,H is HSDPA."
Access Android Testing Menu
Go to Galaxy W and type *#*#4636#*#*
It will open the Android testing menu.
There you have several category of information. Tap on phone information.
Scroll down there and you can find set preferred network type.
Set it to WCDMA only,
Now your Galaxy W is in force 3G mode. It will never switch to 2G.
The problem is solved and we just forced Android to use only 3G. But Remember, in a situation where you don’t have 3G signals at all, you will be totally cut off from data networks. In such case if you need to use 2G EDGE connectivity, set preferred network type back to “WCDMA preferred”. If you restart your Galaxy W this setting will go back to default.

Just a comment. I hope you know that High-Speed Downlink Pocket Acess (hsdpa) is an enhanced 3G protocol. So its faster than 3G. Another thing, no need to restart after changing the value. If you notice, right after changing it, the radio signal resets. Then it goes back on. Just a comment.
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But what about quick settings? There you have an option to set the network to 2G, 3G and both, no?
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When using a CyanogenMod-based ROM, one can create a Notification Drawer toggle which will shift between 2G-only, 3G-only, or 2G/3G.
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How come?? if the place has no 3g signals?