So my work phone is a full unrestricted plan. Yes I know att doesn't theoretically have unlimited data. But my question is would that sim give me LTE connectivity in my tablet. Or is there a special tablet package that needs to be enabled on the sim that costs more?
TLDR; Can i use my att LTE sim that i use for my cell phone in my Nexus 7 tablet?
emerica243 said:
So my work phone is a full unrestricted plan. Yes I know att doesn't theoretically have unlimited data. But my question is would that sim give me LTE connectivity in my tablet. Or is there a special tablet package that needs to be enabled on the sim that costs more?
TLDR; Can i use my att LTE sim that i use for my cell phone in my Nexus 7 tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is how it works in Germany (and I assume that is how it works everywhere).
You have a SIM Card which is on a GPRS Plan (normal data connection) and if you buy a special option for LTE you account will be upgraded and the SIM-Card which was running on GPRS is now able to connect to an LTE Network.
So in essence, you need an special LTE Plan, which cost more money. AND you need to be in an area where LTE is available, otherwise you pay more but the data speed is as slow as without LTE.
And DO NOT BELIEVE that you are getting 100 or more MBit/s, that is the maximum speed for that LTE Channel in the optimum distance.
If there is another LTE User with you on that channel, the speed drops. Last seen here in Munich at the Octoberfest where 30 or more people tried to connect to one particular LTE Access-Point and the system slowed down to a crawl.
On the other hand, if you have an LTE enabled phone/pad, you are getting normally a better speed performance out of an GPRS connection.
And yes I can be wrong because I am human, laugh. But based on my experience I am not.
J. :good:
OldMessage said:
Here is how it works in Germany (and I assume that is how it works everywhere).
You have a SIM Card which is on a GPRS Plan (normal data connection) and if you buy a special option for LTE you account will be upgraded and the SIM-Card which was running on GPRS is now able to connect to an LTE Network.
So in essence, you need an special LTE Plan, which cost more money. AND you need to be in an area where LTE is available, otherwise you pay more but the data speed is as slow as without LTE.
And DO NOT BELIEVE that you are getting 100 or more MBit/s, that is the maximum speed for that LTE Channel in the optimum distance.
If there is another LTE User with you on that channel, the speed drops. Last seen here in Munich at the Octoberfest where 30 or more people tried to connect to one particular LTE Access-Point and the system slowed down to a crawl.
On the other hand, if you have an LTE enabled phone/pad, you are getting normally a better speed performance out of an GPRS connection.
And yes I can be wrong because I am human, laugh. But based on my experience I am not.
J. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phones Sim is a LTE enabled sim. What i need to know if theres a special TABLET option that needs to be enabled on the sim for it to work in the tablet. Theres mixed answers around the web.
Related
I have the stock Samsung Galaxy Nexus. AT&T Store put in a new Sim card. I kept my grandfathered data plan. I used Speedtest to check download speeds to confirm my observations.
Using wireless at home, I am getting about 11Mbps download speeds.
With cell phone connection at work or on the road or at the A&T Store - I am getting about 7kbps download speeds.
I went to the AT&T Store. They say there is nothing wrong with my data plan or AT&T linking. The APNs are right. I am on the high speed (HSPA+) network.
I am think that the wireless radio is different from the cell phone radio. If so, then the wireless radio is working right, and maybe the cell phone radio is not? Does this make sense? Is anyone else had this problem and found a solution?
Thanks in advance,
wrayrb said:
I have the stock Samsung Galaxy Nexus. AT&T Store put in a new Sim card. I kept my grandfathered data plan. I used Speedtest to check download speeds to confirm my observations.
Using wireless at home, I am getting about 11Mbps download speeds.
With cell phone connection at work or on the road or at the A&T Store - I am getting about 7kbps download speeds.
I went to the AT&T Store. They say there is nothing wrong with my data plan or AT&T linking. The APNs are right. I am on the high speed (HSPA+) network.
I am think that the wireless radio is different from the cell phone radio. If so, then the wireless radio is working right, and maybe the cell phone radio is not? Does this make sense? Is anyone else had this problem and found a solution?
Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless your wireless internet in your house is from a tethered/hotspot device or some sort of "mifi" (does AT&T have these yet?), it will certainly be faster than your cellular connection. That is a function of the backhaul behind your internet connection at home versus the backhaul to the towers your phone is connecting to outside of your home. And even with those towers, each one may have a different load and different server access, and so speed will vary between towers, or even the same tower throughout the day. The wifi radio and cellular radio are separate in the phone, and the difference in speed you are seeing is a difference in the signal delivered to the phone, not the phone's ability to receive signals.
I live in Shaker and i'm getting 5mb/1.5 most of the time. When i head downtown my speeds drop by 2/3.
I'm using the suggested APN settings from this forum.
Thanks for the info.
The rep at the AT&T Store using his iPhone had 8Mbps download speed. Many of the posts here on the forums are reporting cell radio download speeds of 3-8 Mbps.
I realize that download speeds over the cell radio can vary, but when they never go above 7kbps, that suggests the cell radio is defective.
I guess I have to try to exchange the phone, if Expansys will help me.
wrayrb said:
Thanks for the info.
The rep at the AT&T Store using his iPhone had 8Mbps download speed. Many of the posts here on the forums are reporting cell radio download speeds of 3-8 Mbps.
I realize that download speeds over the cell radio can vary, but when they never go above 7kbps, that suggests the cell radio is defective.
I guess I have to try to exchange the phone, if Expansys will help me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe it's defective. Try comparing it to AT&T's Galaxy S II (not the skyrocket!), or the Atrix, or any other HSPA+ Android (should have similar kernel when stock) device in the same location (the iPhone probably routs more power to its antennae since it has a battery-life surplus due to a smaller screen and lack of true multi-tasking/background processing).
My speeds have been dead on with what my Atrix got.
redo your apn's, make sure you're using auto or USA bands and try wcdma only temporarily. In the *#*#4636#*#* menu. The apns I think are under call settings.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Well I called AT&T Support. I finally got to 2nd level support. The tech their checked. He finally said there does not appear to be anything wrong with the phone. He said my unlimited data plan (grandfathered from 8 years ago) was the data plan for a feature phone. He asked what I had previous, and I told him an AT&T Tilt, which I ordered with the Media Max 200 Bundle.
He must have scratched his head, but said that the data plan I had did not support smartphones (huhh?), but he could upgrade my data plan to a smartphone plan for an extra $10. I asked about my grandfathered unlimited data, and he said the new smartphone plan would still be unlimited. (GREAT!) And no new contract!
He had me change the APN to the HSDPA one. Then he had me reboot the phone and check speedtest. My download speed was now up to an incredible 1.2Mbps, lots better than 7kbps. So I can live with that. I am not sure why i can't get the 3-5Mbps that others talk about, but this'll do.
Thanks for code reveal, very useful.
The reps are doing something weird trust me (At&t rep here). They're either putting the wrong plan or your device may be defective. If you have unlimited you got to have a 30$ feature called SMT PERSONAL. If its the 2gb plan it should be 2gb for smart phones.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
wrayrb said:
Well I called AT&T Support. I finally got to 2nd level support. The tech their checked. He finally said there does not appear to be anything wrong with the phone. He said my unlimited data plan (grandfathered from 8 years ago) was the data plan for a feature phone. He asked what I had previous, and I told him an AT&T Tilt, which I ordered with the Media Max 200 Bundle.
He must have scratched his head, but said that the data plan I had did not support smartphones (huhh?), but he could upgrade my data plan to a smartphone plan for an extra $10. I asked about my grandfathered unlimited data, and he said the new smartphone plan would still be unlimited. (GREAT!) And no new contract!
He had me change the APN to the HSDPA one. Then he had me reboot the phone and check speedtest. My download speed was now up to an incredible 1.2Mbps, lots better than 7kbps. So I can live with that. I am not sure why i can't get the 3-5Mbps that others talk about, but this'll do.
Thanks for code reveal, very useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol at incredible 1.2 mbps. Check your speed at 2am when its not peak and tell us. Either you're in congested area or something else is wrong.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Jesseownzzz said:
The reps are doing something weird trust me (At&t rep here). They're either putting the wrong plan or your device may be defective. If you have unlimited you got to have a 30$ feature called SMT PERSONAL. If its the 2gb plan it should be 2gb for smart phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did get an $30 smartphone unlimited plan (old one was $20.). Is "SMT PERSONAL" some add on feature in addition to Smartphone Unlimited Plan?
Thanks for all the feedback. I have a callback scheduled Mon at work when I'll have a better connection. Data from home generally sucks anyway
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I'm on att and my nexus constantly goes from h to e to 3g and all around. It pisses me off. I called att and had a case opened because my phone was on a 3g plan and they can't change it to a 4g hspa + plan because my device is unknown. Is anyone else on att and had this? What did you do?
The phone should always switch back to UMTS (3G) when the data connection is "idle", and only switch to HSPA+ (H) when data is actively transferring. This is a power-saving feature of GSM because UMTS has a much lower power draw than HSPA+. Your phone should not be switching down to EDGE unless you're in a bad coverage area (0-1 bars of 3G, for example).
As far as AT&T not provisioning the plan for HSPA+ "4G", how did you start the account? If it was started with any other non-LTE smartphone, you should be provisioned for HSPA+ already. AT&T does do some weird provisioning and uses APNs often to restrict speeds, but unless you were previously on an LTE plan you should be provisioned just fine for the full speeds.
If you're constantly switching between EDGE and 3G but you're in a good signal area, you may have problems with your SIM. It may be easiest to go into a store to get the SIM replaced, and talk to someone to make sure its provisioned properly for HSPA+. I really hate that AT&T messes with this stuff, it makes it hard to move around the SIM into different devices, a huge feature of being on a GSM carrier.
Try the scotch tape trick, put 1 layer of tape on the non contact side of sim card. There have been issues with sims being too thin by less than .5mm and not making good connection.
If that doesn't work, get a new sim from any att store, it's free.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
martonikaj said:
The phone should always switch back to UMTS (3G) when the data connection is "idle", and only switch to HSPA+ (H) when data is actively transferring. This is a power-saving feature of GSM because UMTS has a much lower power draw than HSPA+. Your phone should not be switching down to EDGE unless you're in a bad coverage area (0-1 bars of 3G, for example).
As far as AT&T not provisioning the plan for HSPA+ "4G", how did you start the account? If it was started with any other non-LTE smartphone, you should be provisioned for HSPA+ already. AT&T does do some weird provisioning and uses APNs often to restrict speeds, but unless you were previously on an LTE plan you should be provisioned just fine for the full speeds.
If you're constantly switching between EDGE and 3G but you're in a good signal area, you may have problems with your SIM. It may be easiest to go into a store to get the SIM replaced, and talk to someone to make sure its provisioned properly for HSPA+. I really hate that AT&T messes with this stuff, it makes it hard to move around the SIM into different devices, a huge feature of being on a GSM carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the help I'll head into a store and see what the issue really may be.
c5satellite2 said:
Try the scotch tape trick, put 1 layer of tape on the non contact side of sim card. There have been issues with sims being too thin by less than .5mm and not making good connection.
If that doesn't work, get a new sim from any att store, it's free.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny you said that its the first thing I tried
I just bought the tab 3 7" T217A from at&t and went to Mexico to use it in 3g but I don't get any data access.
The tab recognize the sim card company (telcel) and the APN values are correct, it's Sim unlocked I suppose.
Pretty much all carriers in the US are locked to their devices. However, that should not stop you from data connections unless the host carrier does not have data or the host carrier uses different frequencies for data. It is also possible you may have to use EDGE and not 3G for your data. My iPhone 3GS worked in Afghanistan on GSM but I was limited to EDGE as they had no 3G. Just a thought. You should go to a local cell phone store and ask about data on the T217a.
Caveat: I do not know the Mexican network nor the device you are using. My comments are just based off of assumptions.
Yes, you are right, I had few phones that appears in edge but can connect tod data but in this case the signal icon appears just the bars but no E icon or roaming.
I think I'll go to a store to check it
Im leaning towards the 8.4 version, since i think the 10.5 and 8.4 all have the same processors. Im trying to decide between lte and wifi only based on two factors : performance and lte usability.
i did some research but i cant seem to find a consensus on which processor is better, the wifi only exynos or the lte qualcomm.
I have at&t and i get free hotspot on my phone. I also have a big discount so an lte tablet would only be 5 dollars a month on my plan, but of course the lte tablet costs more. Will there be an internet speed performance difference in using a tablet with built in lte vs just using wifi off of my samsung note edge? I know lte gets up to 50mbps, so what quality connection do i get on wifi when using an lte smartphone as my source? Would both connections give me identical lte performance? Im just trying to figure out if there is a point at all in paying those 5 dollars a month.
thanks all for your help.
Well I do know that WiFi on the tab s can pick up WiFi signals that are very far. I have the wifi T800 and sometimes use my computer hotspot and it works fine. I haven't tryed it on a phone though but I have not seen any speed differences on my network and its always a steady 2mbps ( how fast my WiFi is lol). The exynos chipset on the WiFi tab s lags here and there but not much. I haven't seem much snapdragon or anything else but that might be better then exynos.
To answer your questions and make things easy here.
As from my experience there's no speed performance difference in using a tablet with late or WiFi coming from an hotspot. So what ever speed is putting out is mostly the same with the tab s.
Depending on lte speeds, it may be slow or fast depending on where you go. But 10 Mbps should be fine if the speeds are somewhat slow. But idk if your plan is unlimited data, so using hotspots will use a lot of data when using a hotspot.
You can try the WiFi one first and maybe (not sure) if of doesn't work out for you.
All the best!
my plan isnt unlimited. Are you saying that the tablet will use more data out of my plan while piggybacking off of a hotspot than having its own lte connection?
darkleafar said:
my plan isnt unlimited. Are you saying that the tablet will use more data out of my plan while piggybacking off of a hotspot than having its own lte connection?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my guess, I think hotspots will use more data since a device is connected and the phone is feeding out internet/WiFi to the tab s with it being connected. From what I heard hotspots use more data vs an lte itself. That's my best guess and hope this helps! How much data does 5 bucks a month get you?
^^^^ hes correct. Hotspots or any kind of tethering use a ton of data. More so then LTE. Without a unlimited plan I wouldn't recommend it as your going to hit your data cap quite fast.
I cancelled service with verizon, and put my att sim card into this phone.
But the best data connect I can get is edge (2g). I don't expect this phone to get ATT's lte network, but is there a way to get 3g data connection? Edge is just too slow.
Also, is voice quality tied with network type? I feel the voice quality was worse in comparison to my ATT phone. But the signal shows full bars.
Thanks.
Edit: today it magically worked. I don't know what happened, as I didn't do anything to it. It is now running on HSPA+, with very nice speed.
whatever100 said:
I cancelled service with verizon, and put my att sim card into this phone.
But the best data connect I can get is edge (2g). I don't expect this phone to get ATT's lte network, but is there a way to get 3g data connection? Edge is just too slow.
Also, is voice quality tied with network type? I feel the voice quality was worse in comparison to my ATT phone. But the signal shows full bars.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you configure the right APN settings for AT&T?
https://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB424489&cv=820
konradsa said:
Did you configure the right APN settings for AT&T?
https://www.att.com/esupport/article.jsp?sid=KB424489&cv=820
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, after setting it up I was able to connect to EDGE. But that is only 2g speed. I read online that many people were able to connect to 3g (HSPA+).
Some of them mentioned reporting IMEI to ATT. Would this matter?
whatever100 said:
Yes, after setting it up I was able to connect to EDGE. But that is only 2g speed. I read online that many people were able to connect to 3g (HSPA+).
Some of them mentioned reporting IMEI to ATT. Would this matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try to call ATT and make sure they provision your SIM card with 4G LTE service. (you might need an IMEI that is compatible with ATT LTE for them to activate that option)
sorry wrong post