Develop Bugs

[Q] Sprint 3G always really slow?

I'm coming from HSPA+ speeds on T-Mobile, so I was wondering if EVDO speeds on Sprint are supposed to be this slow? EVDO should be capable of at least 1 Mbps.
I'm consistently getting less than 300 kbps download, so are Sprint's EVDO speeds really closer to EDGE than 3G?
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etirkca said:
I'm coming from HSPA+ speeds on T-Mobile, so I was wondering if EVDO speeds on Sprint are supposed to be this slow? EVDO should be capable of at least 1 Mbps.
I'm consistently getting <300 kbps download, so are Sprint's EVDO speeds really closer to EDGE than 3G?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
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I would say it depends on the time + place your using 3G at. I sometimes get as low as your saying but sometimes can get over 1MB but only at certain times and certain places.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA

They are usually pretty good. Id suggest trying the 3g turbocharger. Its never disappointed me. I usually can only get around .60mbps.
This is with it :
This is with out it :
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

Honestly, sprint is just awful in some areas. I'm okay with it because I pay a lot less and usually have wifi anyway, but yea, the service is just pathetic.
In LA, I regularly get 5-50 kb/s download and upload with 3g. If I'm lucky, I'll get around 300--this happens maybe 1/10 days. This is in a flat, well populated area of Los Angeles, not a boonie by any means. It's really disappointing.
4g, when it (rarely) works, is also way slower than I had hoped for... maybe 1.8 down, 200 up.
Funny thing about unlimited data is that with crap speeds like this, I could probably download all month long and not reach the limit of other providers...

I am occasionally able to hit 1000 kbps up and down but at my house it's normally about 300 kbps each. I had 4G today and it was a pitiful 500 kbps down and 50 kbps up with a ping of 500. Be glad you have data at all...
Sent from My Phone with An App.

Xinlitik said:
Honestly, sprint is just awful in some areas. I'm okay with it because I pay a lot less and usually have wifi anyway, but yea, the service is just pathetic.
In LA, I regularly get 5-50 kb/s download and upload with 3g. If I'm lucky, I'll get around 300--this happens maybe 1/10 days. This is in a flat, well populated area of Los Angeles, not a boonie by any means. It's really disappointing.
4g, when it (rarely) works, is also way slower than I had hoped for... maybe 1.8 down, 200 up.
Funny thing about unlimited data is that with crap speeds like this, I could probably download all month long and not reach the limit of other providers...
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Click to collapse
You would think that in LA we'd get better service?! I usually get 0.5 mbs up and down on 3g and 4-5mbs down and 1-2 mbs up in my area though...

Sprint putting up lte... that's been the cause of all the crappy data... I'm almost certain somebody had a picture of them putting stuff up in los Angeles and their 3g was down and 4g was pitiful.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

IronReaver17 said:
You would think that in LA we'd get better service?! I usually get 0.5 mbs up and down on 3g and 4-5mbs down and 1-2 mbs up in my area though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No kidding. The population density here seems like it would be a good cost-value job to throw in more towers...

Network vision is underway in LA, which will affect certain areas and connectivity
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It's official. Sprint has the worst 3G and 4G speeds among major carriers. :thumbdown: I'm not surprised at all.
http://m.gizmodo.com/5902947/which-carriers-have-the-fastest-3g-and-4g-connections/gallery/
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Not compared to ****ty ATT Hspa! Absolute crap in Daytona area. Barely get Sprint 3G speeds out of it. ATT has barely started their LTE rollout.
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etirkca said:
I'm coming from HSPA+ speeds on T-Mobile, so I was wondering if EVDO speeds on Sprint are supposed to be this slow? EVDO should be capable of at least 1 Mbps.
I'm consistently getting <300 kbps download, so are Sprint's EVDO speeds really closer to EDGE than 3G?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
It's true. Sprint really is just that awful. Sprint's "3G" is slower than AT&T's 2G. I'm still happier than I was with AT&T, though, since I always have some kind of data signal on Sprint. I might be roaming, and I might get only 5kbps down, but at least I have something. On AT&T I would frequently have ZERO signal and my phone was a worthless oversized paperweight.
Sitting in my own living room, where I have 5 full bars of Sprint 3G signal, I have similar speed to what you posted. Yours might be a bit faster, actually. This is completely normal average speed -- I am fairly certain that Sprint is NOT doing these "network vision" upgrades in east Texas anytime soon, if ever. Contrast that with Verizon -- my buddy was sitting right next to me with maxed out LTE signal, pulling 30mbps on the same speed test. That's faster than my Roadrunner Elite. He then dropped to Verizon 3G and got about 5mbps down. On both tests, his ping was <100ms and mine was >500ms.
I firmly believe that the only reason Sprint still offers "unlimited" data is that there is no need for a cap -- you are limited directly by the speed of your connection and you cannot reasonably even come close to 5GB of data usage in a month. Unless you have consistent Wimax signal, which I estimate maybe 1% of their subscribers have.

etirkca said:
It's official. Sprint has the worst 3G and 4G speeds among major carriers. :thumbdown: I'm not surprised at all.
http://m.gizmodo.com/5902947/which-carriers-have-the-fastest-3g-and-4g-connections/gallery/
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
tmobile seems to want to have it both ways. they call their hspa+ 4g, but then throw it in to comparisons against other carriers 3g.
le boo.
from the article... T-Mobile's HSPA+ 21 service won in the 3G bracket of our study, and the company's high-end HSPA+ 42 service competed reasonably well with other providers' 4G service.

3g speeds are poor in some areas but recently have seen a slight improvement in my area. I'm hoping the network vision upgrades will help like they say it will.
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Obviously there is no credibility to that article. There are several places around Daytona that I get over 1Mbs on 3G. I can just as easily measure ATT's 4G in my area to show it slower than Sprint's 3G. Most of the time I have to toggle airplane mode on the stupid ATT phone from work just to get it to load my work screen.

Different areas have different speeds... I get 1.5-2 mbps on 3g.... of course about 2 months ago I was only getting .30 mbps on 3g... 4g is super fast though. Lol
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I had been using the EL30 modem for quite some time and 3G speeds were horrid around the Chicago suburbs. Like bad bad. If I wasn't on 4G, I didn't even want to use my phone for anything data related.
I know NV is being deployed around this area right now, but I recently switched to the FC09 modem, and it's a night and day difference. I used to get around 0.1Mbps if I was luckly. Lately, since the switch, I've been getting more closer to 0.8-1.0Mbps which I'm quite happy with considering it's 3G.
4G I usually pull around 5-7Mbps down (but have hit 10 a few times; that's a full 1MBps down) and I usually cap it at the 1.5MBps up. That's faster than my wifi at home through AT&T UVerse.

Average Sprint 3G data speeds decreased from 2011 to 2012. Maybe because of the influx of iPhone customers?
Welcome to Sprint. Where the 3G is 2G, and the 4G is 3G.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2538...peed_showdown_which_networks_are_fastest.html

So my question to you is; why'd you leave T-mobile? If they were so great for you, you should have stayed with Big Magenta.
I'm not being flippant here. Carriers are like organized religion. What works for one person offends someone else. In the end, all of us get through to The Supreme Being.
I, personally, always find myself on Wi-Fi so I don't give a crap.
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orlzzt said:
So my question to you is; why'd you leave T-mobile? If they were so great for you, you should have stayed with Big Magenta.
I'm not being flippant here. Carriers are like organized religion. What works for one person offends someone else. In the end, all of us get through to The Supreme Being.
I, personally, always find myself on Wi-Fi so I don't give a crap.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. I should have stayed.
With my corporate discount, my equivalent plan on Sprint is cheaper, so I switched. It's too bad that article showing crappy Sprint data speeds didn't come out earlier, I probably would have stuck with T.
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[INFO][Speedtest]AT&T Straight Talk vs T-Mobile Straight Talk

I made this thread to share my speed test results so people in my area can have a better idea on which Straight Talk sim card to order if they choose to go with ST. My results are that T-Mobile ST has really fast speeds but has more dead spots and vice versa with AT&T ST. Both speedtest were tested on my Galaxy Nexus and at the same spot. I used the T-Mobile sim for 2 weeks and the speeds were very consistent, before giving it to my brother. I been on AT&T ST sim for about 4 days now, and I have yet to go above 3mbps. YouTube videos constantly buffers when viewed in HD.
Well, here are the results in Southern California (Riverside county to be exact).
Left = T-Mobile Right = AT&T
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I really wanted to go with T-Mobile since it's $15 cheaper, but it was not to be. In both where I live and work, where my phone is going to be ~85% of the time, I got speeds with Straight Talk comparable to what you show in the picture above. With T-mobile, after a half hour of trying, both indoors and out, I was never even able to get a successful ping let alone a completed test. I live and work in Yorba Linda. I did a little better at my friend's house in Fullerton. she lives on a second floor apartment <100m from a cell tower with unobstructed line of sight. There, I was able to get a ping, but speeds were still <1Mbps for T-mobile.
But, that's what's so great about prepay. I'm not stuck with unusable reception for two years. I might try it again next year, and maybe it will have improved.

Thanks for posting your results. Now I hope T-Mobile in San Fernando Valley gets those sick speeds.

Archpope said:
I really wanted to go with T-Mobile since it's $15 cheaper, but it was not to be. In both where I live and work, where my phone is going to be ~85% of the time, I got speeds with Straight Talk comparable to what you show in the picture above. With T-mobile, after a half hour of trying, both indoors and out, I was never even able to get a successful ping let alone a completed test. I live and work in Yorba Linda. I did a little better at my friend's house in Fullerton. she lives on a second floor apartment <100m from a cell tower with unobstructed line of sight. There, I was able to get a ping, but speeds were still <1Mbps for T-mobile.
But, that's what's so great about prepay. I'm not stuck with unusable reception for two years. I might try it again next year, and maybe it will have improved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe T-Mobile has bad service in your area. This is the point of this thread. It's to help people decide which service to go with in their area.
I noticed that with T-Mobile, I drop to Edge in some places. But with AT&T, I'm constantly on H 99% of the time. But what's the point of getting HSPA connection when speeds are slow.

darkfire2024 said:
Thanks for posting your results. Now I hope T-Mobile in San Fernando Valley gets those sick speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Share your results when you do get it. And remember to leave the proxy line blank in your APN settings.

tmobile, queens ny..

I was in Jersey just over last weekend and speeds were fantastic at around 8mbps. Even in New York! Now I'm back in Kansas City, Missouri and speeds just suck. I mean average is always 2 or 3mbps throughout the city. It's ridiculous but ah well. Thankfully I'm almost never on YouTube to care. But 8 would be great!!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

T-mobile price difference?
Archpope said:
I really wanted to go with T-Mobile since it's $15 cheaper, but it was not to be. In both where I live and work, where my phone is going to be ~85% of the time, I got speeds with Straight Talk comparable to what you show in the picture above. With T-mobile, after a half hour of trying, both indoors and out, I was never even able to get a successful ping let alone a completed test. I live and work in Yorba Linda. I did a little better at my friend's house in Fullerton. she lives on a second floor apartment <100m from a cell tower with unobstructed line of sight. There, I was able to get a ping, but speeds were still <1Mbps for T-mobile.
But, that's what's so great about prepay. I'm not stuck with unusable reception for two years. I might try it again next year, and maybe it will have improved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you mean when you said T-Mobile was $15 cheaper? It is my understanding that Sim card plan costs $45 on Straight Talk does not matter what provider you choose. Please clarify. Thank you.

nzq579 said:
What did you mean when you said T-Mobile was $15 cheaper? It is my understanding that Sim card plan costs $45 on Straight Talk does not matter what provider you choose. Please clarify. Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he was referring to the T-Mobile $30 plan.

DOHCtor said:
I think he was referring to the T-Mobile $30 plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I was. I'm not sure why someone would choose $45 ST T-mobile over $30 direct T-mobile especially when, based on what I've heard about ST capping and throttling, you likely get more data from the cheaper plan.
And yes, I do wish I could partake of those faster T-mobile speeds, but for most of what I do, the 3Mbps I get from AT&T ST is adequate.

Archpope said:
Yes I was. I'm not sure why someone would choose $45 ST T-mobile over $30 direct T-mobile especially when, based on what I've heard about ST capping and throttling, you likely get more data from the cheaper plan.
And yes, I do wish I could partake of those faster T-mobile speeds, but for most of what I do, the 3Mbps I get from AT&T ST is adequate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that as long as you leave the proxy blank, they don't cap or throttle you. After using the ST T-Mobile for 2 weeks, I have consumed over 3.5GB of data before giving it to my brother. And he still has unthrottled internet which he uses to stream pandora and watch YouTube vids while he's at school. I'm pretty sure that sim card has gone over 5GB by now all without being one month yet.
However, if I do ever get throttled or capped, I'll be sure to let you guys know. I already hit 1.5GB on this AT&T ST sim. I couldn't stand the 100 minutes allowance on the $30 plan because I use my phone for business and the voip like talkatone and groove ip just wasn't cutting it for me. To each their own.

DOHCtor said:
I made this thread to share my speed test results so people in my area can have a better idea on which Straight Talk sim card to order if they choose to go with ST. My results are that T-Mobile ST has really fast speeds but has more dead spots and vice versa with AT&T ST. Both speedtest were tested on my Galaxy Nexus and at the same spot. I used the T-Mobile sim for 2 weeks and the speeds were very consistent, before giving it to my brother. I been on AT&T ST sim for about 4 days now, and I have yet to go above 3mbps. YouTube videos constantly buffers when viewed in HD.
Well, here are the results in Southern California (Riverside county to be exact).
Left = T-Mobile Right = AT&T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What part of Riverside county I live in indio
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

castro08 said:
What part of Riverside county I live in indio
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Corona area

My Straight Talk/AT&T experiences
For what it's worth, I thought I'd share my experiences with data speeds on Straight Talk with an AT&T Sim card. All the speed tests I list below were from my house in Los Angeles, where I get a strong signal.
When I was on AT&T postpaid, I consistently got data speeds of 5-7 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, sometimes almost 10 Mbps down. Mostly, that was on my old Samsung Infuse, but when I first got my G Nex, I tried a few speed tests and they were in that same ballpark.
Now, with Straight Talk, in the same locations, I almost always get data speeds of 2.5-3 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up. Occasionally, I get a speed test in the 5-7 Mbps range, but that usually happens only right after I flash a new ROM. Soon, it settles back to around 3 Mbps. Ping times are close to 200 ms, when they used to be around 100 ms when I had postpaid.
I haven't noticed a meaningful difference in real-world use of the phone. Maybe maps load a little slower, but even then it's hard to know for sure. Voice service seems exactly the same as before, with the same weak spots and dead zones. I just drove to Northern California and if the phone ever lost service, I didn't notice.

dan in la said:
For what it's worth, I thought I'd share my experiences with data speeds on Straight Talk with an AT&T Sim card. All the speed tests I list below were from my house in Los Angeles, where I get a strong signal.
When I was on AT&T postpaid, I consistently got data speeds of 5-7 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, sometimes almost 10 Mbps down. Mostly, that was on my old Samsung Infuse, but when I first got my G Nex, I tried a few speed tests and they were in that same ballpark.
Now, with Straight Talk, in the same locations, I almost always get data speeds of 2.5-3 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up. Occasionally, I get a speed test in the 5-7 Mbps range, but that usually happens only right after I flash a new ROM. Soon, it settles back to around 3 Mbps. Ping times are close to 200 ms, when they used to be around 100 ms when I had postpaid.
I haven't noticed a meaningful difference in real-world use of the phone. Maybe maps load a little slower, but even then it's hard to know for sure. Voice service seems exactly the same as before, with the same weak spots and dead zones. I just drove to Northern California and if the phone ever lost service, I didn't notice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think AT&T ST caps the download at 3mbps while T-Mobile ST leaves it uncapped.

DOHCtor said:
I think AT&T ST caps the download at 3mbps while T-Mobile ST leaves it uncapped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not so certain about 3mbit, but I definitely think there is some QOS being applied to keep the mvno traffic behind the ATT traffic.
I'm in Anchorage Alaska, which is both remote and a small market (only 700k people in the STATE). Tmobile is not up here so I cannot test on that network.
I have tested my Gnex with three different sims:
1. GCI (local company)
2. ATT (sim from an AirCard, so data only)
3. straight talk ATT
I saw the best speeds with the GCI sim, peak test was about 7mbps but coverage left much to be desired.
My laptops internal HSPA+ card frequently gets 6-7mbps on ATT, however for some reason that same sim in the same location never seems to go above 4.5 in my Gnex. This might be due to the fact that the aircard is a 2x2 configuration.
I have on a few occasions tested at just over 4mbps with my straight talk sim in my Gnex, average is about 2.5. Popping the ATT sim in and re-testing the scores are the same but with ATT having a little bit lower latency.

I get between 3-7mbps down on ST Att between Western and Central NY. I haven't tried Tmobile yet as it lists my Tmo coverage area as Edge.

I did quite a lot of experimenting with ST (both operators), T-mobile and AT&T prepaid cards in San Jose, CA and around. Results are pretty consistent with what OP said.
AT&T prepaid and ST (AT&T)
- I didn't notice any difference between the two, the speeds are pretty similar and I hardly ever see anything over 2mbps downloads. Also ping often sucks.
- very good coverage in general, even in remote areas and surprisingly you can get at least voice even in Yosemite Valley
T-mobile ($30 plan) and ST (T-mobile)
- again, these two seem to be on par, with speed being usually around 6-7mbps downstream and over 2mbps upstream
- coverage often sucks if you go outside metropolitan areas and is worse even in them. And once you drop to the edge, AT&T is much faster. Don't even think about turning your phone on in Yosemite - it's good at most as hammer for tent poles.
AT&T vs. T-mobile Straight Talk
- on AT&T I believe redirects work (don't have SIM on me now) I had calls redirected to google voice mail. No such luck with T-mobile, it behaves as T-mobile prepaid, so redirect codes will just give you network error.
- there was some talk about ST roaming on other network. I am pretty sure T-mobile ST SIM will NOT roam on AT&T network. See above Yosemite test. I kind of hoped it would, because that way I could get best of the both worlds. Good speeds in metros and voice coverage only in rural areas. Doesn't work. As it is now, I will probably go back to AT&T based SIM because for me coverage is still more important then speed. I don't know if AT&T SIM will roam on T-mobile. I don't have any good spot to test it at.

Archpope said:
I'm not sure why someone would choose $45 ST T-mobile over $30 direct T-mobile especially when, based on what I've heard about ST capping and throttling, you likely get more data from the cheaper plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The T-Mobile plan is limited to 100 minutes where the ST plan is unlimited minutes—and some people don’t care for the voice workarounds for the 100-minute plan.

have you tried different apn settings? I do not know any off hand as IM tmobile's 30 dollar plan

Sprint data... worse lately?

Has anyone else noticed just how much slower sprint is lately? I mean, we all knew that they've began having major issues last year, but now, seems worse. I literally can't get above .15mbps on any of my three phones. That's in most of the Denver/Aurora area. Before it was slow, now it is just not usable.
The only excuse Sprint ever has is the network vision, but really? I'm pretty fed up with this dial up.
I'll atop ranting now, am still under contract with them .
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Same thing with me in metro Detroit
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Damn, I know in Atlanta it is rather bad as well.
Just hard to remain optimistic, specially knowing that the unlimited model, while nice, isn't going to help with speed. Just too many people can abuse the already suffering network. While limits suck, they really force people to watch their data use, or pay for higher usage.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

I live near la and they've been doing their network update here. I've been getting speeds around 1500 kbps but for the last couple weeks I'm only averaging at 300 kbps now
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Hero_Guy said:
I live near la and they've been doing their network update here. I've been getting speeds around 1500 kbps but for the last couple weeks I'm only averaging at 300 kbps now
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Click to collapse
Even at 1500, still pretty crappy when compared to ATT and TMO network speeds over hspa.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

It's like that in Jacksonville, FL too. Speeds have went down by nearly half.

To be honest I feel like there more consirend about virgin mobile and boost mobile than us ...since the fact people now a days don't want a contract and sprint keeps giving them phones that are similar to ours hence LG marquee and soon to be HTC evo design ...not to mention there both gonna have wimax ...aint that a slap in the face
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marksedge said:
To be honest I feel like there more consirend about virgin mobile and boost mobile than us ...since the fact people now a days don't want a contract and sprint keeps giving them phones that are similar to ours hence LG marquee and soon to be HTC evo design ...not to mention there both gonna have wimax ...aint that a slap in the face
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked out tmobile prepaid, and prepaid just makes more sense seems like. Yea, you pay full retail price if you want a nice phone, but you don't need to pay any hidden upgrade fees, or weird surcharges sprint has, nor is it as expensive. And I can't speak for everyone, but I honestly don't see network vision doing anything but allowing sprint catch up to the point where most others are already at, except for years later. And if they keep this unlimited model going, I only see the network continuing on suffering. Sure, Lte would be nice and the fact that all new high end sprint phones are lte capable. Unless you're in major 6 markets though, yore stuck on crawling 3g till at least 2014, that's when they plan to roll out lte here in Colorado, not to mention it will only be the initial roll out, only among major highways, even spottier than wimax.
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The thing I've noticed about CD a devices is that they don't drop calls nearly as often as GSM models do. I've noticed this with several devices amongst my family. I'm not saying cdma is immune to it, just that they tend to transfer from tower to tower better.
With that in mind, I'd probably go to Verizon if I switched... but I can't stand the amount of things they will charge you for. They charge to block numbers, GPS, etc. T-Mobile sounds ideal as far as pricing goes but if GSM drops calls often then I'm not too sure.

A few months ago i was on cricket with the og epic, i was tired of they crappy service so i was looking to switch. Sprint grabbed me with their truly unlimited data. Guess i should of researched speeds as well =/ but i have hopes for sprint, im stuck with them for 2 years and network vision should (hopefully) hit buffalo ny by then. if i dont get a significant increase in data quality i will most defiantly go with verizon. They may be a bit more expensive but hey, the phrase "you get what you pay for" may apply here

Ascertion said:
The thing I've noticed about CD a devices is that they don't drop calls nearly as often as GSM models do. I've noticed this with several devices amongst my family. I'm not saying cdma is immune to it, just that they tend to transfer from tower to tower better.
With that in mind, I'd probably go to Verizon if I switched... but I can't stand the amount of things they will charge you for. They charge to block numbers, GPS, etc. T-Mobile sounds ideal as far as pricing goes but if GSM drops calls often then I'm not too sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?! I prefer GSM over CDMA any day. Unless, we are talking about CDMA-Advanced. My reasoning is the whole data speed aspect. With GSM, your 3G speeds are much better due to HSPA and HSPA+ technology. On Sprint, have you ever seen speeds over 2.5mbps in an excellent coverage area with no network load? The max CDMA network that Sprint has can go is 3.2, which is theoretical. TMobile HSPA+21 network can reach 10-12mbps without many issues. HSPA+42, 19-25 in my area during off hours. Verizon CDMA, while much more consistent, isn't much faster than Sprint.
I understand your argument with dropped calls, but I actually have found the opposite to be true. I have less dropped calls while on the go on my T-Mo company phone (GNexus), vs any of the Sprint devices I have. And that is among same area. I am guessing our experiences differ due to coverage in respectable states.

Sprint was good here for a week or less when NV was apparently being worked on in my area.. now it is even worse than before! I'm not sure what they did to the nearest towers but everyone I know around complains lately that their signal inside their house is worse and not as reliable. I've been considering jumping ships to a different carrier, perhaps the T-Mobile prepaid plan... considering I only use like 40 mins a month and only need dependable fast data on the good. Sprint better hope LTE and NV starts working here in the L.A area

viper786 said:
Same thing with me in metro Detroit
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I'm in metro Detroit as well, and data was at least useable in the middle of the night. Now it is horrible all the time. It took me 5 hours to download most of a ROM yesterday, only to drop the download. Grrr

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I used to hit around 1 Meg in the morning. From this speed it drops into nearly single digits throughout the day.

My 3g speeds have gotten cut in half in San Diego this month. I don't even know what its like using the 4G option on this phone which leaves me a little bitter at this point. In fact, listening to others talk about 4G in their areas feels like a series of short stories, wise tales, and mere fables. I'm probably gonna switch to T-mobile once the GS3 drops next month since they are finally getting a decent phone line up. I'm getting tired of the emasculating feeling of begging my girlfriend for data as she hits the WIFI tether Icon of her Verizon unlimited droid all the while knowing that the 4G option in my notification bar is simply a useless battery draining light.

Ans I thought I had it bad lol. The funny thing is that I can take my tmobile phone ans my sprint phone to the sprint store ans tmo would test at least 2x faster vs sprint on wimax, that's with full bars since they have signal boosters at their stores.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

These are the fastest speeds in my area that I've gotten in a couple months. My upload is normally less than .10 Mbps.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Sprint is becoming a victim of the iPhone own success the way AT&T did when the iPhone first came out. Sprint went from being 4th place in the networks to 1st almost overnight due to having unlimited data and high quality phones. Unfortunately they weren't prepared for it network wise.
I keep getting emails about them building/buying/renting new towers here in Los Angeles, but thus far I haven't seen any quality updates.
My recommendation is to call and complain. Most of the time they'll give you an Airrave for free to keep you as a customer.

skylenorman said:
Sprint is becoming a victim of the iPhone own success the way AT&T did when the iPhone first came out. Sprint went from being 4th place in the networks to 1st almost overnight due to having unlimited data and high quality phones. Unfortunately they weren't prepared for it network wise.
I keep getting emails about them building/buying/renting new towers here in Los Angeles, but thus far I haven't seen any quality updates.
My recommendation is to call and complain. Most of the time they'll give you an Airrave for free to keep you as a customer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that sprint lineup is far from being the first.
A lot of people buy in the whole unlimited data thing, that's just how Americans are. Why have limits when you can have unlimited? Those people don't think about speeds, they think that all data is same lol. Sadly, they also usually don't even get close to 2gb, which is the lowest tier cap by competitors.
Yay, I have unlimited. What is it good for when everything takes ages to do? Videos aren't even worth the effort over sprint mobile data. Having a tmo ans a sprint phone side by side, I can buffer a YouTube in 720p on tmo and watch 2 minutes of video before sprint would load same video in sq.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Sprint speeds have been terrible in Houston TX for some time now. my contract is up in September, if LTE doesn't fix things I will be leaving. Been a sprint customer for 13 years!
Sent from my Nook Tablet using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Note II - 4G LTE Connectivity in DFW (10%) or Bad/Defective Phone

So I'm wondering if other Note II owners in the DFW area can chime in.
In the 4 days I've owned the phone, I have only been able to get 4G LTE coverage once. The Speedtest logged 14513 kbps down and 3992 kbps up. I was not far from home - and within a quarter mile of a reported Sprint cell tower. I have noticed though, that I do not get a 4G LTE signal at all at my home in east Richardson, nor at my work place in north Plano. For the most part, I have only been able to connect to 3G - and have gotten download speeds ranging from 16 kbps to 369 kbps.
I contacted Sprint Customer Service and told them I had updated the PRL and Profile - and that it had not made a difference. They suggested that I take it to the Sprint store to have it checked out - and that they would likely have to replace my phone.
My question to you other Sprint users in Dallas-Fort Worth - how consistent is your 4G LTE connection? Does this sound like my phone is bad, or are you experiencing bad connectivity as well? I found this interesting article about Sprint claims for connectivity in the Dallas area - it basically stated that coverage was actually 10% - which matches my experience so far:
http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/report-sprints-lte-coverage-far-less-advertised/2012-10-04#top_select
Any other anecdotes on Sprint 4G LTE connectivity on your Galaxy Note IIs?

I live in Valley Ranch and work near 635 and the North Tollway, so I'll be watching for replies to this too. I really want to jump on the Note 2, but not without consistent LTE.
I bought a used Sprint Nexus a few months ago, but resold it because of little to no 4G LTE. I get great 4G Wimax with my E4GT, so having the Nexus stuck on 3G was a bummer.

I don't have an lte device yet but I will soon. Although I live and work in north fort worth and can say that lte here it's not only good but fast. I have friends that have ltevo and notes and connection is good. The tests were pretty consistent 5-10d and around 16up.
Just for reference I live near 820 and 35w
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

I'm in the hurst area and I get lte all over the place around my house. I'm 3 minutes from NE Mall.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

No issues here in North D
I work at sprint...I am glad to check addresses.
Its not comunicated well at cust care that though LTE is launched it isnt complete. I can't comment on actual completion due to non disclosure but I know and see it isn't complete.
If you want me to check specific coverage pm me addresses
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

So I'm sure now that it isn't my device - unless the antenna is messed up and can't pick up weak signals. I'm fairly certain that Sprint's map of coverage is overestimating the actual LTE coverage area. Hopefully other people's experience here will verify that.
On the way back from work which is the NW corner of Plano near Frisco - I checked LTE coverage all the way across the middle of Plano from Preston - Springcreek Parkway across to 75 (middle of Plano). I found that the area near Preston and 121 (almost Frisco) is devoid of 4G LTE. As I neared the middle of Plano and on towards 75 - LTE sprang to life - I was getting readings of around 5-6000 kbps down. Going down 75 to George Bush the signal gets very strong around Renner and George Bush, then dies off about a mile in - and ironically is completely dead in my neighborhood.
Yesterday I was down by Parker and the Tollway - and there's no 4G LTE there either.
Apparently despite switching from 4G WI-MAX to 4G LTE - I am no better off then I was before - my work and home are in dead zones! I'm going to have strong words with Sprint - hopefully they'll give me some more credits.
Does anyone know of any third party sites that aggregate people's Speedtest readings and 4G LTE coverage - for a more accurate coverage map?

I live in Plano and get consistent 4G around most parts of the east side of town (Spring Creek/75, Park/Jupiter, and a few other places). At work, my EVO 3D would catch a weak WiMax signal, where my Note 2 gets a decent, very fast LTE signal that's much more consistent and usable than my WiMax connection was. I can't comment on coverage in Richardson, but I know the coverage in most parts of Plano is pretty decent.

I live in McKinney and work in Richardson. I have the original evo now and just ordered the note from wirefly. While I obviously can't speak of lte,I can say that my 3g and Wimax have recently gotten better, so hopefully I'll get lte as well. I'll report back in a few days when I get my note
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app

I live in Roanoke. Near the Speedway. I've had all the phones and by far, the Note 2 is the best one when it comes to LTE. Ive posted my results in several places too. Lots of info on S4GRU.com
But, the DFW area it sitting at about 22% complete. They are upgrading them all tho, soon. The site stated above has maps of the towers and what ones are done too. The best way to know is with an app called Sensorly. Its in the store. It will show you where real ppl have had 4G and you can compare your findings to see if its your phone. As for the phone compared to others. It connects, holds and finds the 4G lte better than any device that Sprints put out. Nexus and Evo LTE being the worst.
Heres an example... My dad works for American at Alliance Airport. He got the Note and has LTE in his shop now. The S3 would cut in and out. Note never drops. Laughs at all the Evo guys that can't. Now a lot of them have bought the note. Lol Its sad when other new smart phones tether to your internet. The shop is a steal box. EMP could go off, and they wouldn't know it.
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

The map online is planned coverage. As I mentioned above, DFW is not complete bit is higher than 22% completed
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

00mred00 said:
The map online is planned coverage. As I mentioned above, DFW is not complete
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sprints Coverage map?
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

a454nova said:
Sprints Coverage map?
Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is planned coverage.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

00mred00 said:
is planned coverage.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have found so far is that the Map is correct. Its just that our phone will not hold it. If you force your phone into LTE. So it will hold on to the lower signals, it will show up just as their map. I think they use an antenna on a truck, giving it more credit than we can see. Maybe a PC card would do better. But I've been all over the west DFW area and the same story hold true. If your in a area that Sprint says is covered, and your not picking it up. You will if you force it Lte. In a sense, the map is right. S3 or Note.
I also live right on the line of Lte. Very outside edge. Sprint Says I'm covered.... only if I force it tho. Now with the note, I'll actually pick it up after sunset.

a454nova said:
From what I have found so far is that the Map is correct. Its just that our phone will not hold it. If you force your phone into LTE. So it will hold on to the lower signals, it will show up just as their map. I think they use an antenna on a truck, giving it more credit than we can see. Maybe a PC card would do better. But I've been all over the west DFW area and the same story hold true. If your in a area that Sprint says is covered, and your not picking it up. You will if you force it Lte. In a sense, the map is right. S3 or Note.
I also live right on the line of Lte. Very outside edge. Sprint Says I'm covered.... only if I force it tho. Now with the note, I'll actually pick it up after sunset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can assure you...the map is planned coverage.
read back where I mention my employer
the map may accurately show your location...there may be live towers near you...but not all of dfw. this is fact...it is planned coverage.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

I live in Las Colinas/MacArthur area, this past Saturday 11/17 I was over my buddy's place on Luna RD/635 from 9:00-11:00 AM, looked at my phone and saw 4G icon and did a speed test to see what kinda of speed is around this area. I was surprise what I saw.
this one was around 09:00AM
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As I was leaving buddy's place I did another test

C63BS said:
I live in Las Colinas/MacArthur area, this past Saturday 11/17 I was over my buddy's place on Luna RD/635 from 9:00-11:00 AM, looked at my phone and saw 4G icon and did a speed test to see what kinda of speed is around this area. I was surprise what I saw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very close to where I live. What kind of speed test results do you get at your place?

JimSmith94 said:
You're very close to where I live. What kind of speed test results do you get at your place?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll add to this post for those still interested. I live in North Arlington and have an AT&T Note 2. Getting 4G LTE pretty solid with 12.5mbps/2.5mbps u/d. My wife has a Sprint Note 2, and even though Sprint claims they have solid LTE in Arlington, she barely gets 4G if LTE. Even the 4G is very weak. Only had it a week and haven't really got to work with hers much. May be the phone. Have to do a little more testing.

fuel451 said:
I'll add to this post for those still interested. I live in North Arlington and have an AT&T Note 2. Getting 4G LTE pretty solid with 12.5mbps/2.5mbps u/d. My wife has a Sprint Note 2, and even though Sprint claims they have solid LTE in Arlington, she barely gets 4G if LTE. Even the 4G is very weak. Only had it a week and haven't really got to work with hers much. May be the phone. Have to do a little more testing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DFW is nowhere near completion. where it works it works great...
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda app-developers app

Your agument is invalid. Lte is 4G (for the note 2) and right now it's not full deployed yet. If you read the site correctly, it says street coverage. They don't have all the towers upgraded yet. You can also use an app called Sensorly to find to true coverage.
Sent from my Note 2 using Tapatalk

Verizon to T-Mobile (Ohio)

so im thinking about changing from verizon to tmobile because i really want unlimited data back (nfl sunday ticket). was just wanting some opinions from anyone else that made this switch in the central ohio area or has been with tmobile in the central ohio area.. how's the coverage? you hear good and bad, sounds like it's on the up in the recent years and future but theres nothing like the actual customers opinions.

Powell730 said:
so im thinking about changing from verizon to tmobile because i really want unlimited data back (nfl sunday ticket). was just wanting some opinions from anyone else that made this switch in the central ohio area or has been with tmobile in the central ohio area.. how's the coverage? you hear good and bad, sounds like it's on the up in the recent years and future but theres nothing like the actual customers opinions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly don't have coverage in places that I had with Verizon. I think its the bandwidth difference. I do get data speeds about twice as fast maybe more on T-Mobile. 30MB down 12UP

zone23 said:
I certainly don't have coverage in places that I had with Verizon. I think its the bandwidth difference. I do get data speeds about twice as fast maybe more on T-Mobile. 30MB down 12UP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
see at my house on verizon i get 70-80 mbps sometimes... thats on my m8. i also keep seeing theyre going to improve "in-building" service... do you notice it going out inside houses, building, stores etc...?
i did the test drive w/ them.. i was just curious while i wait for that phone to be shipped.

Columbus here...
Pros: LTE coverage great around the 270 outerbelt and suburbs
Cons: Spotty data the further rural
Cons x2: Hit and miss data when traveling outside city limits (i.e. I-70, I-71)
Calls/texts still great when driving, and I've noticed more "E" coverage lately than complete drop-offs. Verizon wins @ the moment if you're looking for reliable data while traveling, but as far as city coverage is concerned, T-Mo is pretty awesome.
Personal history: 12 years w/ Sprint, 18mo w/ VZW. Currently 8mo into T-Mo contract, w/ unlimited data option. Haven't looked back once.

Springfield ohio here
Att was my old service going to tmobile was a it rough not going to lie but I get constant 4G no let unless I go north or south of my location but it's slowly working it's way to me
LGG3 and beyond

Powell730 said:
see at my house on verizon i get 70-80 mbps sometimes... thats on my m8. i also keep seeing theyre going to improve "in-building" service... do you notice it going out inside houses, building, stores etc...?
i did the test drive w/ them.. i was just curious while i wait for that phone to be shipped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes when I go inside some buildings I loose my signal.

Thanks for the replies! I don't travel much at all, especially now that I have a newborn son so as long as I can get coverage at my home and work I might pull the trigger. One thing that might hold me back is I am on edge with Verizon and I just found out you can't apply the etf payoff from tmo to help payoff your phone on the edge plan. So I'd have to payoff my phone in full ($550 still) and then switch.. Which kinda sucks.
Looking forward to the test drive to see what I'm able to get. Something that has been confusing me is when the coverage map says "service provider" what does that mean? Voice only? On something other than T-Mobile? Also.. That coverage map, is that data coverage or voice?
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app

Powell730 said:
Thanks for the replies! I don't travel much at all, especially now that I have a newborn son so as long as I can get coverage at my home and work I might pull the trigger. One thing that might hold me back is I am on edge with Verizon and I just found out you can't apply the etf payoff from tmo to help payoff your phone on the edge plan. So I'd have to payoff my phone in full ($550 still) and then switch.. Which kinda sucks.
Looking forward to the test drive to see what I'm able to get. Something that has been confusing me is when the coverage map says "service provider" what does that mean? Voice only? On something other than T-Mobile? Also.. That coverage map, is that data coverage or voice?
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sensorly and OpenSignal maps can give you a good idea of real user-generated signal maps in the areas you frequent, but they do work best in urban/sub-urban locations where more users map their travels.

Tmo in Columbus is great for me on the north side. If I go too far past Powell though I drop to 2g. I average 20-25+ on lte and even if I use hspa I still get 10. I find the signal bars with tmo seem to fluctuate a lot when I had my nexus and it would show I had 1 to 0 bars sometimes but I never had a problem making calls or using data. In my basement at home I used to get 0 bars of lte but still could pull 10mbps down. I would recommend the switch in Columbus if you don't travel a lot out in to the country.

abrcrmdl23 said:
Tmo in Columbus is great for me on the north side. If I go too far past Powell though I drop to 2g. I average 20-25+ on lte and even if I use hspa I still get 10. I find the signal bars with tmo seem to fluctuate a lot when I had my nexus and it would show I had 1 to 0 bars sometimes but I never had a problem making calls or using data. In my basement at home I used to get 0 bars of lte but still could pull 10mbps down. I would recommend the switch in Columbus if you don't travel a lot out in to the country.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I work in Powell so it's good to hear it works there. I do often have to travel north into Delaware or sometimes further north into the rural areas but not having 4g there wouldn't really bother me because it's never a long time I'm there.
When you say hspa, is that 2g?
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app

Hspa+ is their 4g but not the lte. It works way different than Verizon.
T-mo has the following.
1g gsm
2g edge = 1xrtt for Verizon
3g Hspa = cdma for Verizon
3.5g Hspa+42 (faux 4g) = comparable to Verizon lte in slower market.
4g lte = Verizon lte
Wideband lte (which Columbus has) is a 15x15 lte setup which is faster than standard lte.

abrcrmdl23 said:
Hspa+ is their 4g but not the lte. It works way different than Verizon.
T-mo has the following.
1g gsm
2g edge = 1xrtt for Verizon
3g Hspa = cdma for Verizon
3.5g Hspa+42 (faux 4g) = comparable to Verizon lte in slower market.
4g lte = Verizon lte
Wideband lte (which Columbus has) is a 15x15 lte setup which is faster than standard lte.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was true last year. Tmo now has LTE and some areas already have 20x20 service..sadly not mine..yet.
Sent from my amazing LGG3!

I recently made the switch from T-Mobile to Verizon due to poor signal areas in Western PA where I travel to from Eastern Ohio. In the city T-Mobile is amazing for me, 40mbs down and 15up. Same area on Verizon 8 and 2...., however I get 4G LTE most areas and sometimes 3G, but works well. T-Mobile I couldn't even place a call...
It's unfortunate as I'd rather rock T-Mobile. Their plans are head and shoulders better. Paying 81 bucks unlimited text and voice and 1 frigging gig of data, granted I can't use it much at work, then home on wifi.
Oh well, such is life...

Well my test drive will be here tomorrow! I'm just hoping it comes before 1pm when I have to leave for work, otherwise no one will be here to sign for it ?
I'm definitely very excited to give it a try, would love to be able to not worry about my data again.. If I make the switch I'm debating on selling the m8 that I have to pay off and get the nexus 5.. I've read some stuff that people were having issues with network speeds on the nexus 5.. Anyone know if there's a specific version or something to avoid on the nexus 5? Sorry for the noob questions, it's completely different from Verizon which is what I've been with my whole life. I'm used to only being able to get your phone from Verizon instead of using unlocked phones etc..
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app

Never had to be home for a signature for T-Mobile.

After 14 years with Sprint I switched to T-Mobile a little over a year ago. Sprint use to be good and T-Mobile sucked but now it's flipped. I drove from Columbus to Savannah GA 3 months ago and service was decent. Not sure if you have just one line but I just noticed T-Mobile dropped the family 10GB plan to $100 from $160. I have unlimited data and don't really need it but nice to have in case home internet goes down. I also have the original Jump which is nice. Only issue I had with T-Mobile is they took away my discount but I got a better one. lol Sean at the 5th Ave store is really good.
Areas where I have tested In Columbus, Ohio and should only get better with Wideband LTE. Go Buckeyes!
Upper Arlington - I live by Riverside Hospital and get great service. It's near Ohio State (the Shot and Shoe) University Square
Bethel / Sawmill Rd - Good
Hilliard / Fishinger - Great
Polaris area - Great
Dublin - I think good in most areas
Muirfield - Around Glick Rd / Jerome not so great. The low speeds on my screen shot.
Marysville - Spotty. No service at the golf clubs but that's a good thing. lol
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One considetation is TMO coverage is pretty thin on the highways so if data is a consideration while traveling...TMO certainly not up to par with Verizon...
blasted by TMO G3

Thanks for the tests!
It's not really... I'm not expecting it to be the same as Verizon, but as long as I can make calls and text.. And get 4g where I work/wife works and live then I'll prolly make the jump. I also just found out Verizon phones don't work on T-Mobile which I wasn't aware of, so I'll have to end up doing something for a phone cuz I don't want to pay monthly on T-Mobile.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using XDA Free mobile app

rsohne said:
Never had to be home for a signature for T-Mobile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they didn't make me sign either, but it said in the email from tmobile that i must sign for it.
from my testing so far, I'm pretty impressed... i don't get great service in my basement which is perfect from Verizon... same with in my house in general.. i get about 25 down and 1 up but Verizon phone next to it gets 55 down and 25 up(all inside)... but outside my home I've gotten 69 down which i can sometimes achieve on Verizon. it's spotty all over the city of Powell but in the southern part of the city its pretty strong and where i work its definitely strong enough (15-25 down).. as I said though, I'm not expecting it to be comparable to Verizon.. just as long as it's good enough to work for me. I haven't had any problems with calls or texts (other than iMessage but that's due to the stupid iPhone they sent me).
now I just have to decide if i want to up my bill to get slightly worse data coverage but unlimited data... i'm on a family plan w/ 5 smartphones on Verizon and we just split the bill 5 ways which ends up being ~59/phone. So this will increase my bill for sure (only bringing two of the 5 with me to t-mobile). decisions decisions.
Thanks for all the help/opinions!

I just switched and it's been good in the city with the exception of Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. I also switched becam because T-Mobile has a better international plan.