Anybody see this? It sounds like another way to update your PRL.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5959192_update-cell-phone-local-towers.html
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Xparent SkyBlue Tapatalk 2
yeah I knew about this before but I never noticed it helping at all.
Ten kinds of wrong with that article. HA!
No PRL upgrade is necessary to use a new site.
Sent from my little Note2
digiblur said:
Ten kinds of wrong with that article. HA!
No PRL upgrade is necessary to use a new site.
Sent from my little Note2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldnt find a date on the article....but that trick is ancient. I remember using it 10 years ago.
Everything works differently now
Most fail to realize it isnt updating the prl and profile that improve their connection..it is more so simply the disconnect and reconnect to the network that happens afterwards that fixes connectivity issues.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
^Except that "trick" didn't even work 10 years ago.
Let's clear this up, because I'm sick of people acting like they know what they are talking about:
PRL = Preferred Roaming List. It just speeds up the amount of time it takes to connect to the network by having a tiered table and a list of frequencies. This way the phone doesn't need to scan the entire spectrum every time it can't connect to the home network.
It's been a while since I took cellular networking, but basically the nation is split into regions and based upon that region, you get a different PRL. Within each PRL, you have geographic IDs (general geographic area), carrier IDs (which network to connect to first), and network IDs (which towers to try first). It's like a large hash map; the phone starts at the top and works its way down the list. If connection in that list fails, the phone will continue to move down the list, saving time, since the list has already been organized by priority.
New cells are authorized with the with the same network IDs and configurations as neighboring cells. Logically, this make sense since towers ideally each cover a specific area (with slight overlap for handoffs/handovers). This way, a subscriber can maintain coverage while moving through cells without having to hunt for a new signal every time.
These PRLs also restrict which towers you can connect to (why people use "hacked PRLs"), for obvious cost reasons, which is why your phone will aggressively try to stay on the home network (the carrier ID for Sprint is higher on the list than say Verizon). I think the only exception is a 911 call, in which case the phone will connect to the strongest tower, regardless of carrier. If you've ever dialed 911 from a mobile phone, this is part of the "emergency mode" that you phone goes into lockdown after.
Now, I'd don't promise this information is 100% accurate or up-to-date, but at least I'm not talking out of my ass; we had to study this stuff.
So, a PRL isn't about giving you the best coverage, but rather mitigating roaming charges incurred by your service provider first, and ensuring that you can able to connect to new networks quickly when you lose an existing connection second.
I think the confusion lies here...
*18 was never a PRL update. The OP made that association.
10+ years ago on analog phones it did work, as it was a connection reset of sorts. All it does is disconnect and reconnect. It had nothing to do with the PRL.
The only reason PRL updates can be handy today is to add new sites as they come up...which with network vision can be handy but other than that ....what people experince is the reconnect that takes place. You get the same result by restarting the phone or turning data off then back on.
Quit being so defensive :]
It's pretty rare that I don't agree with you
-Mr. Ed
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Airplane mode cycle is much easier. No need to update a PRL unless 800smr add is in their. Other than that i stick with the 3g roaming enabled ones.
Sent from my little Note2
TBH, IDK much about analog phones. That was before my time. Post was directed to refute the ehow article. It's so hard to easily good information in the "information age" because every time you do a search for this type of stuff, crappy sites like ehow dominate the top results because of SEO gaming.
hmm. I have this problem :C
Related
Just what the title says. There is a new prl. Dial *228 option 2
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA Premium App
For those who inevitably will ask without doing a search first, the PRL is stored on your phone and is used to determine which tower your phone should be using based on your location. Translation: Potential signal strength gain, particularly in roaming situations. I just did the update, it takes like ten seconds, your phone reboots, and you profit.
It probably won't provide strength gains. It's a database of tower information. If your area has been experiencing growth in terms of new towers going up, signal expansion, etc, this will help you avoid capacity issues and valleys (drops in signal coverage). If your area isn't seeing this growth, you likely won't benefit from the update.
I'm not saying don't do it, just explaining what it is. Always a good idea to check it periodically and take new updates.
finally have stable two bars where I live after the update and increased my signal by 4dBm
Not sure if that included every one but I dialed *228 option 2 and now my 3g is worse than ever constant drop out already talked to Verizon couple days ago and said they'd put a trouble ticket in for my area. Still no luck.
aerdely said:
Not sure if that included every one but I dialed *228 option 2 and now my 3g is worse than ever constant drop out already talked to Verizon couple days ago and said they'd put a trouble ticket in for my area. Still no luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you reboot? I had that problem when I was at fort sill...u just had to wait and it was better in about a week
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA Premium App
I brought my phone to the Sprint repair store to have it looked at. I was having crappy data speeds and poor phone signal.
The tech took it and ran some tests, he said it failed the data speed test.
After 45 min he said he changed and separated the voice and data profiles. I asked if I was to reset the phone would the changes be gone. He said no it's done server side to the account. He said the only thing I might notice is a little lag when I push emails to the phone.
My phone signal does seem a little better and data seems a bit faster. My question is what he said make sense? Or did he just blow smoke up my ass to get me out of the store.
i would like to know this too...
updated PRL and Profile maybe? Settings/about phone/ system updates
Some things have to be done by Sprint on the server side.
check your underwear for smoke stains, bro...
Can resetting the data profile and so forth on their end improve/fix some provisioning/data issues?
Yes.
Is it going to fix the current problem with Sprint's data speeds and/or LOS?
Absolutely not.
LOS is a problem with the firmware on your phone.
Data speeds are a result of an aging network that cannot support the amount of data users are using. [Although with Sprint Network Vision that is changing]
mattykinsx said:
Can resetting the data profile and so forth on their end improve/fix some provisioning/data issues?
Yes.
Is it going to fix the current problem with Sprint's data speeds and/or LOS?
Absolutely not.
LOS is a problem with the firmware on your phone.
Data speeds are a result of an aging network that cannot support the amount of data users are using. [Although with Sprint Network Vision that is changing]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wasn't having LOS, it's was more crappy data speeds and low call signal strength. In my case I came from using the Epic 4g and where I lived I was getting 3-4 bars compared to none to 1 with the ET4G.
With my old phone my upload/download speed was twice of what I'm getting now.
Dvin211 said:
I wasn't having LOS, it's was more crappy data speeds and low call signal strength. In my case I came from using the Epic 4g and where I lived I was getting 3-4 bars compared to none to 1 with the ET4G.
With my old phone my upload/download speed was twice of what I'm getting now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that, I only mentioned it so everyone was clear on that.
It's possible that a re-provisioning could improve your situation but it pretty much just sounds like your reception is just Samsung's crappy radio firmware.
You may want to take the device back to Sprint if the low radio reception continues and maybe they can swap it out.
The data end of it is just what I said above.
I know there are quite a few things that they can do server side (for example, your voicemail can become corrupted on their servers, which only they can reset. Long freaking process.) but this seems to just be a load of smoke.
Bars don't mean much from phone to phone, I've made calls and sent texts with no bars. I've also seen my phone side by side with other Sprint phones with mine showing 1-2 less bars but having the same dbm. Data speeds HOWEVER have just sucked since day 1, sometimes I'm lucky to be faster than dialup.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
Dvin211 said:
I brought my phone to the Sprint repair store to have it looked at. I was having crappy data speeds and poor phone signal.
The tech took it and ran some tests, he said it failed the data speed test.
After 45 min he said he changed and separated the voice and data profiles. I asked if I was to reset the phone would the changes be gone. He said no it's done server side to the account. He said the only thing I might notice is a little lag when I push emails to the phone.
My phone signal does seem a little better and data seems a bit faster. My question is what he said make sense? Or did he just blow smoke up my ass to get me out of the store.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm...I've been a sprint tech since June when I got hired, and I haven't heard of something like this yet. AFAIK, voice and data provisioning are already separate, using two independent programming menus. I'll ask my fellow techs tomorrow when I'm in if this is indeed something possible.
Keep in mind though, there are A LOT of internal tools/sites at our disposal, so many that even experienced techs are discovering them for the first time occasionally. They only cover so much in our training. Many are redundant (old tools that instead of being revamped with new features a new tool was released), but a lot of times they have one or two unique pieces of functionality that still make them useful.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium
So when I got my Nexus I had great 4G at work, i'd use wifi tether and tether my tablet all day with no issues, although I never did anything that required much data.
These last few days I can only get 3G at work, but I can get 4G in the parking lot. I don't understand why all of a sudden my signal has deteriorated. I don't know if VZW is able to see I used a large amount of data in one location and force 3G to that particular area? I've tried flashing new roms etc but nothing works, I had 4G today up until I entered the building, but just last week I could sit at my desk all day with full 4G
My first guess would be that it is an issue with the Verizon tower you were getting 4G from before. You could call them and ask if they are having any problems in your area. You might be getting a 4G signal from a tower further away when you go outside.
I know you can force 3G to save battery, but is it possible to force 4G and no CDMA? Im wondering if I can force it to connect to a tower.
Or is it possible to rescan for towers or something? I always download new roms and stuff and it sucks on 3G =\
Call Verizon and ask? Or maybe they have like a service-status homepage you can check.
Like maybe that is better than asking here, since this place is like about the Nexus and not a telecom provider.
Or should all people across the world SPAM this place with new threads every time their thousands of different cell-service providers have random local outages? Would that be tolerated?
Why should Verizon-customers be excempt?
Pull the battery, take the SIM card out, and then power up the phone. It should ask you for a SIM. Now power off and insert the SIM and power back up. See if it helps!!
DroidHam said:
I know you can force 3G to save battery, but is it possible to force 4G and no CDMA? Im wondering if I can force it to connect to a tower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you did that, you'd get no voice, just data. Wouldn't want that.
Or is it possible to rescan for towers or something? I always download new roms and stuff and it sucks on 3G =\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can update your PRL.
Seriously though, call in and ask if they're having network issues in your area. If you've done nothing to your phone and it had 4G in an area consistently before and it doesn't now, the problem probably isn't on your end. It'll take 5min to call in and ask. Hell of a lot quicker than troubleshooting problems on your phone that might not exist.
Try updating to the latest bootloader and radio for 4.03
Verizon is the largest carrier in the United States, not just one of millions of carriers across the globe. A lot of topics here correspond to the LTE version so you should expect topics about what is going on with them. Besides, this is GENERAL forum. Can post and ask about anything remotely related to the Galaxy Nexus, GSM or LTE version.
Seriously, if you aren't a moderator, you shouldn't be trying to police the forum. Keep your day job.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I've cleaned this thread also.
Once again, consider this a fair warning. If you have nothing to say relative to the question asked, move along and stop the childish bickering.
If you lost service only in your building it most likely has nothing to do with your phone and is cell-tower related.
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.
I bought a Tmobile Galaxy S3 on new years from staples, and since ive got the phone ive been experiencing strange 4g speeds. While im in my house, I always have full signal strength, and it always says 4G. I live in the Bronx in New York City, and when the 4g is working properly, I get upwards of 20 megabits down, and 1-2 up. Now I could literally be sitting in the exact same spot, and later ill test the phone and it says 0.2 - 0.3 megabits, and like over 1000 ping and the up is so slow it doesnt even measure it. It usually comes back after waiting, turning airplane mode off and on multiple times or doing a battery pull. I find it strange that I can get either 21 mbps or 0.3 in the same house, while always having full bars. In the phone status sometimes it would say UTMS or HSPA, so it does switch from 3g to 4g sometimes. The thing is my previous phone was Nexus S with 3g and im pretty sure I never had a problem loading a simple image in my house because the internet was so slow. I consistently pulled 3-6 mbps on that phone. I tried calling t-mobile 3 times and they give me the same basic crap, like clear your cache, make sure airplane mode is off (really?) make sure youre network mode is on auto (i tried auto and wcdma only and it still gets slow) and all that other stuff. Is there anything else I could try to see if its a network or phone issue?
It sounds like it might be something with your local tower. I would call Tmobile and put in a repair ticket.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Thanks, I just did that. Called t-mobile and just directly asked them to check for tower issues, and they filed a complaint. They said to check back in 3 days, hopefully this gets fixed, or else it might be the phone. Do you think flashing different modems would change anything?
tigim101 said:
Thanks, I just did that. Called t-mobile and just directly asked them to check for tower issues, and they filed a complaint. They said to check back in 3 days, hopefully this gets fixed, or else it might be the phone. Do you think flashing different modems would change anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It wouldn't hurt to try. What are you currently running? (rom/kernel/modem)
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Completely stock 4.1.1, with UVDLJA modem, which is the latest I believe. The phone is relatively new so I wanted to try touchwiz before I rooted. Does installing something like cm10 change the modem? Or is it independent of rom/kernel. I saw an application for tmo that can change between multiple modems pretty quickly, I might give it a try.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
My opinion
tigim101 said:
Thanks, I just did that. Called t-mobile and just directly asked them to check for tower issues, and they filed a complaint. They said to check back in 3 days, hopefully this gets fixed, or else it might be the phone. Do you think flashing different modems would change anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work for T-Mo,
If I may lend my opinion,
To me, it definitely sounds like the tower. If you go from 20Mbit down to 0.2, and with 1000ms latency, it's super obvious there is something
wrong with the tower, or there is significant demand on the tower from other users, hey its NYC population density is insane.
Something to note as well, New York City is "in progress" for "network modernization" where they are switching to 1900Mhz.
This is why some people who have iPhones are now getting 3G in certain areas, unlocked devices, as well as AT&T phones can have 3G down there.
Due to this, since there is quite a lot of switching around going on down there, that's probably what's going on.
Example:
http://www.tmonews.com/2013/01/t-mobiles-network-modernization-what-is-it-where-can-i-get-coverage/
Hope it helps.
I see, well that makes sense. I dont really mind if its a tower issue because thatll be fixed eventually, I just would of hated if I had to replace the phone, it would of been such a hassle because I didnt buy it direct from t-mo. Thanks to both of you!
Also, since t-mobile seems to be using multiple bands for 4g, I guess it would be better to leave it on auto in network settings?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
tigim101 said:
I see, well that makes sense. I dont really mind if its a tower issue because thatll be fixed eventually, I just would of hated if I had to replace the phone, it would of been such a hassle because I didnt buy it direct from t-mo. Thanks to both of you!
Also, since t-mobile seems to be using multiple bands for 4g, I guess it would be better to leave it on auto in network settings?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it helps you at all to see if you are on a different band than 1700/2100mhz
You can go into the dialer and do:
*#0011#
Up top mine says band 4
Which is for 1700mhz AWS
BAND 2
which is for 1900mhz PCS.
You might be on band 4 or 2 on a tower by tower basis, or if they are making adjustments
You might be switched but that is above my pay grade lol