How is the reception on 3G/4G compared to other AT&T Phones? People on the Verizon forum are complaining about poor reception.
I believe my sgs2 skyrocket had better reception... Need to test a bit more though.
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I get as good of a signal, if not better then my galaxy note. Only HSDPA+ though as at&t is the only NON lte or equivalent carrier here in Hell Paso Tx
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My signal is ok but it always shows as yellow in battery screen. Very rarely ts green as One X was.
Reception has been great for me so far. I don't notice it being any different than my Atrix, which had fantastic reception.
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rickwood said:
Reception has been great for me so far. I don't notice it being any different than my Atrix, which had fantastic reception.
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Good to hear that the reception seems to be as good as the Atrix. IMO, Motorolas have the best Antennae. Must be some something specific to the radios for the Verizon network that causes the S3 to be seemingly having reception problem. Galaxy Nexus on Verizon was definitely subpar when it came to radio reception whereas the International GSM Nexus version seemed fine.
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It could be down to the phone, but I say its AT&T. I live in London, but when I was in Los Angeles a few weeks back, the house I was staying in Culvery City would get no coverage or it would come and go and would be on one bar of voice and not data before or sometimes edge, my aunt who lives in LA who I was staying with has an iPhone and she had the same problem. It wasn't until you went up the street I would get 2 - 3 bars of HSPA+ coverage. I think AT&T coverage nationwide is spotty, here in the UK its different we have 98% coverage, I have 4-5 bars of HSPA+ whereever I go. We don't have the big LTE 4G coverage here in the UK though on any of the networks. Couldnt of used T-Mobile as the frequencies they use for 3G aren't supported my International aka UK Samsung Galaxy S3 i9300, would only get voice and no data/edge data. Having AT&T go phone HSPA+ coverage was great and made my Holiday a lot easier and more enjoyable, however I have to say in Vegas the coverage was a lot better.
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Hey guys,
I just went from the skyrocket i727 to the galaxy nexus and noticed that the UCLA modem in the skyrocket provided phenomenonal reception. (on 3g not talking about LTE)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1509978
Would there be anyway to figure out why or how? or is it simple the skyrocket has a better antenna?
go here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1405345
and install UGLA4
king23adrianc said:
go here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1405345
and install UGLA4
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i'm on that one.. but the skyrocket still seems to be much better in reception
The Skyrocket does have better reception and data. My wife and daughter both have the skyrocket. Wish we could get there modem would be nice.
Chad
My coworker has the Skyrocket. (She got it for a penny 2 weeks before it launched.) She can't even get a reliable signal for calls in our room sometimes. Even though my Galaxy Nexus can be a real wingnut sometimes, I still find it more reliable than my coworker's phone. Still, she did get it for a penny and as a member of the family plan, her bill is $30 a month, data included. I think I wouldn't mind the tradeoff.
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3devious said:
My coworker has the Skyrocket. (She got it for a penny 2 weeks before it launched.) She can't even get a reliable signal for calls in our room sometimes. Even though my Galaxy Nexus can be a real wingnut sometimes, I still find it more reliable than my coworker's phone. Still, she did get it for a penny and as a member of the family plan, her bill is $30 a month, data included. I think I wouldn't mind the tradeoff.
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Is she on the super modem though?
I hate to break it to you guys, but you have too many variables in your methodology to draw any conclusion. You have not demonstrated that the Skyrocket has a better radio than the Nexus. Unless you're using unlocked phones that you can switch between networks with (which don't exist for LTE yet), you CANNOT compare models on two different networks. You just as likely suggested (not proven either) that AT&T has better LTE coverage in your area.
Here's how you test signal strength between phones: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5254/investigating-the-galaxy-nexus-lte-signal-issue
Note that they're all on the same network and are right next to each other during the test. Due to how radio waves can bounce around inside buildings, having to phones in different parts of the same room is NOT PROOF. They have to be as close as possible and even then they can end up getting different signal.
I'm talking about the GSM versions of both....both unlocked and running on the same network...
My unscientific test was simply..nexus doesn't work in basement but my skyrocket does with the new modem
Fyi I'm on telus Canada which supports 3g hspda and lte) but no LTE in my region yet
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
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erliban said:
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
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Each tower is different, also on TMo, it will say 4g, when it is on 3g.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using Tapatalk 2
erliban said:
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
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I have found that no matter if I get 1 bar or 4 bars that my upload and download are pretty much the same..? I get about 5mbps down in an HSPA+ area but our area is not the best...
erliban said:
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
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check out Settings->About Device->Status->Mobile network type
I'm in a "4G" area but I almost always see UMTS:3 there. I get 3-5 Mbps. Sometimes I see hspda:15, and I have seen 17Mbps.
My guess is you're on UMTS.
I'm sure it's all area driven. I'm considering switching to TMobile with this Note because the savings are incredible, but the coverage and speed compared to Verizon are absurd no matter where I go. Very disappointing.
guthrien said:
I'm sure it's all area driven. I'm considering switching to TMobile with this Note because the savings are incredible, but the coverage and speed compared to Verizon are absurd no matter where I go. Very disappointing.
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Depends where you live. I live in metropolitan CA and WA, so... 25mbps over 4G for me
You get what you pay for. In any case, you can always go pre-paid or month to month, just no subsidies.
erliban said:
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
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I have been in similar situations before. I get 4g full bar but less than 300kpbs near a local shopping plaza. Less than 1/8 mile away I get 12mbps speeds. Go figure. I was testing out on both my Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S3 same time so it is definitely not a phone problem.
I hate to say it, but this phone's speeds just aren't acceptable to me after using LTE. Sounds like a whiny sort of complaint, but spending this much on a superphone..I did about a billion speedtests around eastern MI and it was rare to catch a good 4G signal like they demoed in the store. They also seem to have issues with their signal penetrating buildings. I love the phone, and would love to get away from Verizon and maybe use the new Nexus device too but they aren't there yet for me.
MattZTexasu said:
check out Settings->About Device->Status->Mobile network type
I'm in a "4G" area but I almost always see UMTS:3 there. I get 3-5 Mbps. Sometimes I see hspda:15, and I have seen 17Mbps.
My guess is you're on UMTS.
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In Charlotte nc I regularly get 18-20 down
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guthrien said:
I hate to say it, but this phone's speeds just aren't acceptable to me after using LTE. Sounds like a whiny sort of complaint, but spending this much on a superphone..I did about a billion speedtests around eastern MI and it was rare to catch a good 4G signal like they demoed in the store. They also seem to have issues with their signal penetrating buildings. I love the phone, and would love to get away from Verizon and maybe use the new Nexus device too but they aren't there yet for me.
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I have a fine "4G" signal in Western Michigan but I never get over 6mbps down and 2mbps up with pretty terrible pings.... Decent coverage though...
shojus said:
I have a fine "4G" signal in Western Michigan but I never get over 6mbps down and 2mbps up with pretty terrible pings.... Decent coverage though...
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I'd think here it would be at least as stable. But even at best I got 7 down. For comparison in a old wood frame house downstairs I'd get 22 on Verizon where the Note pulls 2g. Maddening as the more I see what they do with their phones the less I want to stay with them.
guthrien said:
I'd think here it would be at least as stable. But even at best I got 7 down. For comparison in a old wood frame house downstairs I'd get 22 on Verizon where the Note pulls 2g. Maddening as the more I see what they do with their phones the less I want to stay with them.
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I hear ya! I get 50mbps down and 15-20mbps up on my Verizon S3 in a brick building.... I live right by the tower though... I have no problem with 5mbps down as long as it is consistent but it usually is not...
erliban said:
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
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A soft reset fixed my similar problem. With the phone on, take battery out and sim and then replace sim and battery back into phone. Worked for me..!
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Last night was averaging 29mbps and highest was 31.59mbps in the burbs of Chicago. Yet when I am in Downtown Chicago which supposedly has 42mbps, I only get 5-8mbps.
I travel all over the east coast for work, and know T-Mobiles network inside and out. I travel to small cities as much as big cities, so being able to connect to a network is important. If I were new to T-Mobile, and the Note 2 was my first phone, I'd think T-mobiles network sucked. I have 2 lines, a Sensation I use to mainly to tether with (10gb plan), and my main line the Galaxy Note 2 (unlimited 4g plan). I keep getting a message saying, "not connected to network" in areas where I should definitely be on the edge network, or roaming. The Sensation will be connected on a network when the Note will give the not connected message. My overall speeds in 4g areas are better with the Note than the Sensation, but not in secluded areas.
When the Sensation first came out, it wasn't connecting to T-Mobiles network correctly, then they sent out an update that fixed the problems. My first couple of weeks with the Sensation were hell because of that. Now I'm dealing with it again with the Note 2. I'm hoping that they fixed the data issues in the first ota update, which I hope happens soon.
Here are some speeds I've gotten in the past few days...
Dothan Al - 2.03 mbps
Jacksonville FL suburbs - 17.69
Harrisburg PA - 5.45
Chattanooga TN - 2.31
us231 on FL/AL border - .88
Atlanta 14.81
Jacksonville and Charlotte has better speeds than Philly. I've yet to find a place with over 20mbps
erliban said:
Just got my tmobile note 2. I have at least tested at 2 different locations where I see full 4 bars of 4g signal and my download speed is less than 500k!
Anyone saw similar issue?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2
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sounds like ur on a $50 dollar or cheaper prepaid plan. those only come with edge support (even tho it will say 4g). upgrade to a 60 or 70
Las Vegas/Henderson NV area has great speeds. My highest was over 28Mbps and average is between 18-20.
guthrien said:
I'm sure it's all area driven. I'm considering switching to TMobile with this Note because the savings are incredible, but the coverage and speed compared to Verizon are absurd no matter where I go. Very disappointing.
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Yeah i live in fort meyer and my coverage is pretty damn good...
My area is rated good to excellent according to T-Mobile, but that obviously is subjective. The step back from LTE just isn't doable for me on a premium device. I'm glad I learned that while i had time to back out. I understand better what a huge sacrifice of tech it is on the Nexus phone now. But I envy those it doesn't impact obviously.
It could always be worse op. I'm currently with sprint but will be switching to tmo in a little while so I've been lurking the forums. I have the nexus, a 4g lte phone and I pay for unlimited data, yet I only average 200kbps on 3g, and Saint Louis will be lucky to see sprint lte by the end of 2013.
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I am currently using the S III on Verizon and I am looking to switch to T-Mo soon to save money, as I would save about $60/month. I am wondering if anyone is in the Boston area (I'm in the suburbs) that can comment on the kind of reception they get. Sorry if this isn't the right place for this. I figured it was as good as any.
What town do you live in? I get great service in the Boston Area around 5-7 mbps at home and inside the city I get around 10-20 mbps.
Acton
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Amphibliam said:
Acton
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If I was you I would wait around until Tmobile's LTE launches and see what kind of reception people have with that and then get the GS4.
I can't switch till August. It worries me, as I have seen people with T-Mobile s3's at my HS holding them up to windows to get signal and my VZW s3 has like 4 bars of LTE. :/
Amphibliam said:
I can't switch till August. It worries me, as I have seen people with T-Mobile s3's at my HS holding them up to windows to get signal and my VZW s3 has like 4 bars of LTE. :/
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Its not bad everywhere (I'm in Springfield) it can be spotty at times but otherwise unless I'm under some bridge or on the basement of a building..things work just fine.
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Whole new england area is pretty good.. Gets choppy sometimes in SOME thickly settled areas. But not all Boston and surrounding Boston area is awesome. Hell I live in ri and I get 7-14 mb.
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their map is pretty accurate...I live in Auburn, near the "edge" of Edge and 4G. In home a bit spotty on Cellular, but TMobile has the wifi calling and that is great when you are near wifi.
But most places closer in are fully covered in 4G, and really LTE vs HSPA...who cares!...Both are plenty fast for most things...
Hey guys does the note 2 get better reception in fringe areas than the s3. Getting sick of my s3 dropping calls
Thanks
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Pretty good receptionwise and AFAIK it is marginally better. Not sure though. Never had any call drops even in areas with poor reception till now.
My coworker has an S3, and the building we work in has a tin roof that we figure must block reception. My old phone had trouble, his S3 won't get any internet connection at all, and hardly gets service. I'm on 3G all day, with a couple bars. The internet is painfully slow, but it connects. We're both on the same carrier. US Cellular.
So as I am sure many of you will be doing eventually. I and thinking about getting the S4. Only issue I am having is Sprints network. I am really debating in my mind if sprint is worth the cost considering they have one of the slowest networks. I have been thinking about going to t mobile since most of my phone use is in major cities in the US, with and occasional use in the Caribbean.
So will you be staying with Sprint or moving to a new network?
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I get good wimax and this phone does everything. S4 is S3 on steroids so I am thinking about passing for S5!
Mship said:
So as I am sure many of you will be doing eventually. I and thinking about getting the S4. Only issue I am having is Sprints network. I am really debating in my mind if sprint is worth the cost considering they have one of the slowest networks. I have been thinking about going to t mobile since most of my phone use is in major cities in the US, with and occasional use in the Caribbean.
So will you be staying with Sprint or moving to a new network?
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
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i've already moved from Sprint over to Verizon.. I live in nyc and for me Sprint just sucks out here, the 4g is like 3g and the 3g is like 1x. Lots of dropped calls too, so i flashed over to Verizon. Much better network IMO. T-mobile is good to my g/f has them, great 4G speeds.
It depends on where you spend most of your time. The Sprint network is great in some places and sub par in others. We dont have any official 4G service in KY and 3G is sometimes questionable, but I lived in TX last year and had great service. I occasionally get unofficial wimax here and have no interest in switching phones until LTE arrives. My wallet can't handle Verizon so if I switch service in the future it will probably be to prepaid or back to TMO.
I personally think you should drop sprint like a rock because I have sprint out here in Detroit and their empty promises of 4G for the last 2 years has been nothing shy of an insult, not to mention their signal sucks horribly out here and their 3G speeds rival that of Dial-Up, and that's if you're lucky enough to get data over the 3G connection at all...
T-Mobile also has one of the smallest 4G networks (from what I've heard, don't know how true that is), and I've heard of nothing but problems from the few people that I know that own a T-Mobile phone. My other friends with AT&T never have a single issue, and my other friend with Verizon also has absolutely no problems with them what-so-ever, so I'd say go with AT&T or Verizon - I know I will be as soon as my sprint contract is up in a year.
TMO's LTE network just launched I think so it's naturally almost nonexistent. Their HSPA+ network is more than enough though.
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For those with bad call & data connections, it'd probably be best to switch to a different carrier. As for me, I switched to Sprint from T-Mobile last year because T-Mobile had crappy call quality and connection problems. Fortunately, Orange County has really good 4G WiMax coverage and speeds (my 4G WiMax is faster than my friend's at&t LTE speed on his Note 2) and we're due for 4G LTE in a month or so.
New York City is an active Network Deployment market that is well under way by Alcatel-Lucent. The only places where I wouldn't upgrade to an LTE device on Sprint are in areas where NV has not yet begun and won't begun for an another few months (and then it'll take a month or two to get the stuff up and running after they begin).
Look here to see what other people reported..
http://www.sensorly.com/
and look here for more info about Network Vision.
http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1901-network-visionlte-new-york-city-market/
It depends on how strong the T-Mobile network is in your area. In mine, it isn't that good. I have this phone, s2, and I have a lte backup phone. My area does have lte coverage but it's not completely saturated yet. I have 4g lte at home and an area of one of my jobs. My best dl speed test with lte has been just shy of 4000 KB. There are a lot of if's to consider if switching to another carrier. Do your homework first before making a final decision. There's an app out there, I forgot the name, that shows the coverage area on a map with different carriers and modes. I'd suggest checking that out to gather more information. Here you go. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sensorly.viewer
Your question is very area dependent. I live in Pittsburgh PA there's no lte in my area yet but it's coming. My 3g/4g is awesome though, I rarely find myself running 4g because the 3g is so good. I will be getting the S4 but not right away, I'm gonna wait for the price to drop and development to pick up.
Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm going to stay with the S2 for at least 2 two 3 more months or so before making a switch. I want to see what sprint has to offer in my area of NYC.
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In my area Memphis, TN we have bad sprint coverage and i don't like it. Internet is very slow and sometimes calls don't come through
optimummind said:
For those with bad call & data connections, it'd probably be best to switch to a different carrier. As for me, I switched to Sprint from T-Mobile last year because T-Mobile had crappy call quality and connection problems. Fortunately, Orange County has really good 4G WiMax coverage and speeds (my 4G WiMax is faster than my friend's at&t LTE speed on his Note 2) and we're due for 4G LTE in a month or so.
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inland empire is terrible wish it was like orange county...
i travel to and from inland empire, orange county, SGV and Las vegas alot and inland empire is terrible which is were i am the most of the time...
was thinking of going to tmobile but worried about there coverage.. some people say its good but others have nothing but problems.. wonder how there service is away from the major cities.. Verizon is the best but too much .. thinking of flashing phone to verizon prepaid but would only get 2-3mb download but still alot better than sprint in the inland empire.