Any way to increase LTE Spark signal strength? - Sprint Galaxy Note 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Is there anyway to increase the signal strength of the Note 4?
I have to put the phone up in my upstairs window to get the Spark icon to come on. When I do that, it sometimes switches back to 3g.
I know the Galaxy S3 had an external antenna test port near the battery when you removed the back cover. I don't see any similar ports on the Note 4. BTW, I never used the test antenna port on my Galaxy S3 since I heard it could damage the internal antenna.
There seems to be some electical contacts under the cover of the Note 4. Any ideas on what they are?
I contacted Wilson Electronics and a rep there told me that they aren't allowed to boost or amplify the Spark signal. The FCC won't allow it and Sprint in clamping down on this technology because they want to stay ahead of their competitors.
http://www.wilsonelectronics.com/
I remember people using Pringle cans in the old days with their wireless routers.
Is it possible to extend the Note 4 antenna with a wire? I'm just shooting in the dark.
Thanks.
Slash

I have an issue where I will be getting LTE when the phone is sleeping and as soon as I wake it, the phone will drop to 3G. As funny as it sounds I used a plastic ruler to wake up the phone so I my hands or arms would not interfere with the signal and it still does it. This must be some kind of software thing because I used Open Signal to monitor the bands and it legitimately connects to LTE while the phone is sleeping and then switches to 3G when it comes out of sleep. So if I am ever downloading big files or uploading files I usually do it overnight where I will not bother the phone.
I get 2 bars LTE at all times and full signal 3G.

Same problem here. Drops to 3g like hot potato...nexus 5 on my other line holds on to lte b41 like it's life depended on it....

I don't have the note 4 currently (Note 2).
However, with LTE or 3G a "corner reflector" works with the Note 2.
Basically, cut out a box so you're left with only 3 "sides" in a corner, and line it with foil. (Trial and error on the size, I think 12" would be overkill but should work, although a smaller one would as well).
Then, you use a block of foam or such to prop the device somewhere within the corner and also "aim" the corner reflector towards a tower. By trial and error, you can find the best position. It's helped if there's a dialing code (like ##DEBUG# on note 2) that lets you monitor signal strength while you move things around. The trial and error can take some effort...
Wikipedia page on corner reflectors
Example of DIY corner reflector instructions for WiFi antennas
Adding the corner reflector makes the omnidirectional antenna act more like a directional antenna.
If you knew exactly where in the Note 4 the antenna(s) are and what frequency(s), you could calculate out the ideal size of the reflector and position for the device inside the reflector, but I found it easy enough to just experimentally move things around with trial and error.

I've got the same issue. What sad is my area is spark enabled so I should be able to connect to Sprint's 800 mhz (or 850 mhz?) lte network or all. Three frequencies and be on spark. But nope, I'm on crappy 3g but my Note 3will connect to lte.
My Note 4 will connect to lte but it won't hold a connection as good as the Note 3.

Thanks for the reflector info. I will attempt this tonight.
Slash.

DarkManX4lf said:
I've got the same issue. What sad is my area is spark enabled so I should be able to connect to Sprint's 800 mhz (or 850 mhz?) lte network or all. Three frequencies and be on spark. But nope, I'm on crappy 3g but my Note 3will connect to lte.
My Note 4 will connect to lte but it won't hold a connection as good as the Note 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got your MSL? Go into ##DATA# navigate to LTE/Band Priority and set Band 41 as 1. reboot and see if LTE will hold..

jauger said:
Got your MSL? Go into ##DATA# navigate to LTE/Band Priority and set Band 41 as 1. reboot and see if LTE will hold..
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Click to collapse
I'll give that a shot but I'm not sure it makes sense.

DarkManX4lf said:
I'll give that a shot but I'm not sure it makes sense.
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Click to collapse
Most people confuse LTE with Spark, two totally different things. I see in your profile you are in NYC where Spark has rolled out. A lot of forums there's talk about the N4 having a problem switching bands, one work around is setting Band 41 to 1....

jauger said:
Most people confuse LTE with Spark, two totally different things. I see in your profile you are in NYC where Spark has rolled out. A lot of forums there's talk about the N4 having a problem switching bands, one work around is setting Band 41 to 1....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I meant was why make the 2.5ghz band the higher priority? Why not make band 26 (800mhz)the higher priority?
Since my issue is indoors and 800mhz penetrates walls better than 2.5ghz, I figure the priority should be band 26, 25 and Last would be 41?

DarkManX4lf said:
What I meant was why make the 2.5ghz band the higher priority? Why not make band 26 (800mhz)the higher priority?
Since my issue is indoors and 800mhz penetrates walls better than 2.5ghz, I figure the priority should be band 26, 25 and Last would be 41?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My thought as well, but seems to be the way to make the N4 switch bands like it should. Like I said I'm reading this in other forums so I figured it might help ya out....:good:

jauger said:
My thought as well, but seems to be the way to make the N4 switch bands like it should. Like I said I'm reading this in other forums so I figured it might help ya out....:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok cool. Thanks. I'll try out both configurations and see how it works out.

DarkManX4lf said:
What I meant was why make the 2.5ghz band the higher priority? Why not make band 26 (800mhz)the higher priority?
Since my issue is indoors and 800mhz penetrates walls better than 2.5ghz, I figure the priority should be band 26, 25 and Last would be 41?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Band 26 has not rolled out extensively as of yet, Go to antenna search and see what is rolled out in your area.
NEXTEL LICENSE HOLDINGS 4, INC. Towers are generally listed as such (Band 25 and 26) look at the operating frequency 1900 (Band 25) 860 (Band 26) (if live)
Clearwire Spectrum Holdings Iii, Llc Towers or Sprint Spectrum LLP is Band 41, if dual radios exist in your area or if you area is completely converted.
Change Band priorities is an excellent idea, especially if you are in a Spark area.

ninoriff said:
Because Band 26 has not rolled out extensively as of yet, Go to antenna search and see what is rolled out in your area.
NEXTEL LICENSE HOLDINGS 4, INC. Towers are generally listed as such (Band 25 and 26) look at the operating frequency 1900 (Band 25) 860 (Band 26) (if live)
Clearwire Spectrum Holdings Iii, Llc Towers or Sprint Spectrum LLP is Band 41, if dual radios exist in your area or if you area is completely converted.
Change Band priorities is an excellent idea, especially if you are in a Spark area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll take a look at antenna search but based on Sprint, my area is Spark enabled, which I thought means all 3 bands are available. Or am I wrong?

Changing band priority does not work..I've tried it..

Check out Signal Check in the play store too, will show you what you are on.... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalchecklite&hl=en

The network will ultimately decide where to put your device based on load balancing and bandwidth/airlink saturation. It typically goes B41,B25,B26. All that changing band priorities does is change what your phone scans for first. Once connected, it's up to the network what band you end up on.

I think something is wrong with the note 4. I am in downtown baltimore., which is supposed to have excellent SPARK coverage. I'm sitting here in my apartment and very very rarely the phone does somehow connect to LTE spark. When it is connected I get somewhere between 6mbps - 35mbps and the signal is -90 to -100 which is pretty good for LTE. As I'm flying along enjoying my 3 minutes of LTE spark, my phone just decides that LTE sucks and it should switch to the 3g signal which gives me 0.12 mbps (f***ing sprint). Then no matter what I do, how many times I do ##72786#, how many times I restart my phone, or turn mobile data on/off it still wont get LTE back..until randomly a couple hours later. Is my note 4 retarded?? The reason I don't think it's a signal issue is that I often get > 30mbps when I am connected. This has to be some software issue where the note 4 thinks that the 0.12mbps 3g signal is somehow "Stronger" than a 35mbps LTE signal.

ak2pacalypse said:
I think something is wrong with the note 4. I am in downtown baltimore., which is supposed to have excellent SPARK coverage. I'm sitting here in my apartment and very very rarely the phone does somehow connect to LTE spark. When it is connected I get somewhere between 6mbps - 35mbps and the signal is -90 to -100 which is pretty good for LTE. As I'm flying along enjoying my 3 minutes of LTE spark, my phone just decides that LTE sucks and it should switch to the 3g signal which gives me 0.12 mbps (f***ing sprint). Then no matter what I do, how many times I do ##72786#, how many times I restart my phone, or turn mobile data on/off it still wont get LTE back..until randomly a couple hours later. Is my note 4 retarded?? The reason I don't think it's a signal issue is that I often get > 30mbps when I am connected. This has to be some software issue where the note 4 thinks that the 0.12mbps 3g signal is somehow "Stronger" than a 35mbps LTE signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, I'm in Chicago-land and when i get Spark I always get 1 bar and than it switches to 3g

DarkManX4lf said:
What I meant was why make the 2.5ghz band the higher priority? Why not make band 26 (800mhz)the higher priority?
Since my issue is indoors and 800mhz penetrates walls better than 2.5ghz, I figure the priority should be band 26, 25 and Last would be 41?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By default the band priority is Band 25 - 1, Band 25 - 2, and Band 41 - 3. So the phone is already set up correctly as far as priority.
Also as has been stated LTE and Spark are not the same thing. They are two seperate bands. By default the phone tries to use Spark. If it can't it then switches to LTE and if it still has issues it switches to 3G..

Related

Is it possible Turn off 4G and use 3G?

I think the biggest battery drain for the phone is the 4G radio. Is it possible turns it off and use 3G?
you can't. you either have data on or data off. What drains the battery more is having your phone switch between edge/3g/H/H+ automatically.
Our phones are not like an lte phone. Our 4g is really just souped up 3g so you either get edge our 4g.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
jessejames111981 said:
you can't. you either have data on or data off. What drains the battery more is having your phone switch between edge/3g/H/H+ automatically.
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Click to collapse
When your phone is switching from 3G to H (which you don't see anymore, all you see now is E or 4G) your not switching technologies. Back when you saw 3G vs H it just ment your phone was idle and not transferring data. When H came on, you were doing data.
There is also no difference in switching from HSPA to HSPA+. It is the same data, just one is a little faster.
Now, before T-Mobile launched HSPA, yes, there was Rev99 data which was slow like Edge and your phone only displayed 3G. But that has been gone for a long time.
As far as switching from GSM to UMTS (Edge data to HSPA data) yes, that will cause battery drain if it is continuous. This is because the phone is trying to reestablish a data connection.
In summary, you no longer see 3G on your phone, only 4G which replaces the 3G/H icons. When you are connected to 3G you are NOT switching technologies when you use HSPA data, your just activating data thus you are NOT draining more than normal amounts of battery. When you switch from 2G to 3G you ARE switching technologies so if your continuously bouncing from 2G to 3G that can cause increase in battery drain.
---------- Post added at 07:04 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:02 PM ----------
thecalip said:
I think the biggest battery drain for the phone is the 4G radio. Is it possible turns it off and use 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, everyone is VERY confused with this. They are the same radio. HSPA+ is the data side of 3G. T-Mobile is just calling it 4G because Sprint got away with hit with their WiMax. EVER cell site on T-Mobile's network has HSPA activated. This means there is no longer 3G data.
---------- Post added at 07:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:04 PM ----------
xsteven77x said:
Our phones are not like an lte phone. Our 4g is really just souped up 3g so you either get edge our 4g.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, people do not know true definitions.
HSPA - 3.5G
WiMax - 3.5G
LTE - 3.5G
Ture 4G technologies are:
WiMax 2 and LTE Advanced.
NO CARRIER IN THIS NATION HAS EITHER OF THOSE TECHNOLOGIES ACTIVATED!!!
Sprint turned on WiMax (not 2nd generation) and called it 4G. So why not follow suit do the same thing. It's all marketing.
thecalip said:
I think the biggest battery drain for the phone is the 4G radio. Is it possible turns it off and use 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, the drain is likely due to dual cell usage. You can disable dual cell which will knock your top speed down to 21 (theoretical) Mbps. So get to service mode select Debug Screen - > Phone Control -> NAS Control -> RRC(HSPA) Control -> Change RRC Revision ->
DL speeds for items listed are as follows:
R99 = 384kbps
Rel 5 = 7.2
Rel 6 = 14.4
Rel 7 = 21
Rel 8 = 42
hope this helps
Couldn't you force your phone on the 850 UMTS frequency? I say this because I thought HSPA /+ran on the 1700 and 2100 bands so theoretically you could actually be on 3G. I know jugs rom allows you to switch the data icons displayed to 3G for UMTS and H/4G for HSPA /+
iLeopard said:
Couldn't you force your phone on the 850 UMTS frequency? I say this because I thought HSPA /+ran on the 1700 and 2100 bands so theoretically you could actually be on 3G. I know jugs rom allows you to switch the data icons displayed to 3G for UMTS and H/4G for HSPA /+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile doesn't use/have 850 range.
Let me see if I can explain this a little better. T-mobile launched their 3G network on a UMTS platform utilizing WCDMA technology. It's like Verizon and Sprints CDMA but with the W which stands for Wideband. CDMA stands for Code Devision Multiple Access. Wideband is what allows T-Mobile to have such high data rates. Standard CDMA has a 2.5MHz bandwidth while WCDMA has a 5MHz bandwidth for each carrier they are utilizing. Currently, most (not all) major cities have dual carrier launched so those sites are actually using 10MHz of bandwidth. This allows for 42Mbps speeds. 21 for each carrier. We are actually starting to deploy 3rd carrier which will allow 1 carrier just for voice so the full 42Mbps is use solely for data. 84 is a COMPLETELY different story and I will not bother with that for now.
Moving on. When T-Mobile built their network they built it with HSPA in mind. You see, HSPA and HSPA+ are add on data technologies that work on a WCDMA network. They are NOT a separate signal to your phone. Following? Hope so! So, with that said, when your device is connected to a 3G cell site, the data available is HSPA+ and the voice is over what you are calling 3G. They are, in fact, the same signal.
HSPA/HSPA+ data is on the same signal as your 3G voice. You are NOT receiving 2 signals. You CANNOT separate them.
Now, on to frequencies. There are 2 modes that you can run WCDMA in, full duplex and half duplex. T-Mobile decided to go with full duplex. I'm assuming (low man on the totem pole here so don't know for sure) this was to have greater data rates. This is why T-Mobile uses 2 frequencies. 1 in 1700 band for transmit, 1 in 2100 band for receive. This is also where T-Mobile differentiates from ATT (and exceeds! ) because ATT went with half duplex and only uses 1 frequency. So, T-Mobile phones have the ability to transmit and receive at the same time while ATT phones do not.
With all of that said, and hopefully understood, you should now know that it DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE FRIG ICON YOUR PHONE SHOWS!!!!. Sorry, been trying to get that point across. The firggin icon doesn't not mean ****. The fact that you can have a 3G icon and a separate H does not mean ****. If you do have separate 3G and H icons like older T-Mobile phones and you can see it switching that is because while your phone is idle (NO DATA) it will display 3G. While your phone is doing data (ON THE SAME CONNECTION) it will display H. It is a simple indicator to let you know you are using HSPA data.
T-Mobile did away with both icons and replaced them with the 4G icon when they went to the 4G ad campaign. Get it, got it, good!
---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 AM ----------
AUTX_buckeye said:
well, the drain is likely due to dual cell usage. You can disable dual cell which will knock your top speed down to 21 (theoretical) Mbps. So get to service mode select Debug Screen - > Phone Control -> NAS Control -> RRC(HSPA) Control -> Change RRC Revision ->
DL speeds for items listed are as follows:
R99 = 384kbps
Rel 5 = 7.2
Rel 6 = 14.4
Rel 7 = 21
Rel 8 = 42
hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think your actually disabling the 2nd carrier. I think your just limiting the max data rate your phone will do. As I previously stated, the phone will connect to what the cell site has. You will always be connected to a 10MHz bandwidth if the site is a dual carrier site.
setzer715 said:
T-Mobile doesn't use/have 850 range.
Let me see if I can explain this a little better. T-mobile launched their 3G network on a UMTS platform utilizing WCDMA technology. It's like Verizon and Sprints CDMA but with the W which stands for Wideband. CDMA stands for Code Devision Multiple Access. Wideband is what allows T-Mobile to have such high data rates. Standard CDMA has a 2.5MHz bandwidth while WCDMA has a 5MHz bandwidth for each carrier they are utilizing. Currently, most (not all) major cities have dual carrier launched so those sites are actually using 10MHz of bandwidth. This allows for 42Mbps speeds. 21 for each carrier. We are actually starting to deploy 3rd carrier which will allow 1 carrier just for voice so the full 42Mbps is use solely for data. 84 is a COMPLETELY different story and I will not bother with that for now.
Moving on. When T-Mobile built their network they built it with HSPA in mind. You see, HSPA and HSPA+ are add on data technologies that work on a WCDMA network. They are NOT a separate signal to your phone. Following? Hope so! So, with that said, when your device is connected to a 3G cell site, the data available is HSPA+ and the voice is over what you are calling 3G. They are, in fact, the same signal.
HSPA/HSPA+ data is on the same signal as your 3G voice. You are NOT receiving 2 signals. You CANNOT separate them.
Now, on to frequencies. There are 2 modes that you can run WCDMA in, full duplex and half duplex. T-Mobile decided to go with full duplex. I'm assuming (low man on the totem pole here so don't know for sure) this was to have greater data rates. This is why T-Mobile uses 2 frequencies. 1 in 1700 band for transmit, 1 in 2100 band for receive. This is also where T-Mobile differentiates from ATT (and exceeds! ) because ATT went with half duplex and only uses 1 frequency. So, T-Mobile phones have the ability to transmit and receive at the same time while ATT phones do not.
With all of that said, and hopefully understood, you should now know that it DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE FRIG ICON YOUR PHONE SHOWS!!!!. Sorry, been trying to get that point across. The firggin icon doesn't not mean ****. The fact that you can have a 3G icon and a separate H does not mean ****. If you do have separate 3G and H icons like older T-Mobile phones and you can see it switching that is because while your phone is idle (NO DATA) it will display 3G. While your phone is doing data (ON THE SAME CONNECTION) it will display H. It is a simple indicator to let you know you are using HSPA data.
T-Mobile did away with both icons and replaced them with the 4G icon when they went to the 4G ad campaign. Get it, got it, good!
---------- Post added at 09:49 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:40 AM ----------
I don't think your actually disabling the 2nd carrier. I think your just limiting the max data rate your phone will do. As I previously stated, the phone will connect to what the cell site has. You will always be connected to a 10MHz bandwidth if the site is a dual carrier site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couple things.
1.
You will always be connected to a 10MHz bandwidth if the site is a dual carrier site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- this statement is false. Your phone is only connected to one carrier at a time in idle mode which means only 5 Mhz
2.
Standard CDMA has a 2.5MHz bandwidth
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- wrong again CDMA is only 1.25 MHz
3.
ATT went with half duplex
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- wrong again please lookup FDD (Frequency division duplex) vs TDD (Time division duplex).
if you work for T-Mo and I really hope your not in the engineering department, because most of your technical information you present is incorrect
thecalip said:
I think the biggest battery drain for the phone is the 4G radio. Is it possible turns it off and use 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the 4G and 3G radio uses the same circuit
so if you disable 4G you will also need to disable 3G
so technically yes you can disable 3G and work 2G on to receive push data
AUTX_buckeye said:
Couple things.
1. - this statement is false. Your phone is only connected to one carrier at a time in idle mode which means only 5 Mhz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, in idle, but we're talking about limiting data here, not idle states. So therefore, if you are connected to a dual carrier site and in a data session you will be utilizing both carriers regardless of your data rate.
2. - wrong again CDMA is only 1.25 MHz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, my mistake, typo.
3. - wrong again please lookup FDD (Frequency division duplex) vs TDD (Time division duplex).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was trying to give a simplistic explanation. I guess next time I will just link wikipedia.
The whole point of the discussion was that you cannot turn off the HSPA on your phone and use just 3G. I have not messed with the settings you are suggesting and I don't know that I would as inexperienced users can mess their phones up in those menus. I suppose you could force your phone to R99 mode and that might work but forcing to 21Mbps only I still think you will be using both carriers when using data. Will do testing and report back.
setzer715 said:
Yes, in idle, but we're talking about limiting data here, not idle states. So therefore, if you are connected to a dual carrier site and in a data session you will be utilizing both carriers regardless of your data rate.
Yep, my mistake, typo.
Was trying to give a simplistic explanation. I guess next time I will just link wikipedia.
The whole point of the discussion was that you cannot turn off the HSPA on your phone and use just 3G. I have not messed with the settings you are suggesting and I don't know that I would as inexperienced users can mess their phones up in those menus. I suppose you could force your phone to R99 mode and that might work but forcing to 21Mbps only I still think you will be using both carriers when using data. Will do testing and report back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NP. shouldn't have fired back that hard. Technically you only get DC if their is enough capacity on the site so its not a given. You & Allgamer are correct there is no "4G" radio its all one radio on the chip, however changing that setting actually should affect the software which i'll give a brief primer on.
R99 = 1 code with a spreading factor of 16 (surprisingly probably the least power efficient of the group)
HSDPA (7.2) = 10 codes with spreading factor of 16 (in our case likely the most efficient power wise)
HSPA (14.4) = 15 codes with spreading factor of 16
HSPA+ (21) = 15 codes with spreading factor of 16 & 64QAM
HSPA+ (42) = HSPA+(21) * 2.
so with the phone not having to decode 64QAM + using less codes the CPU shouldn't have to ramp up as much to process the data.
AUTX_buckeye said:
so with the phone not having to decode 64QAM + using less codes the CPU shouldn't have to ramp up as much to process the data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with this. I'm still not convinced, though, that switching form single to dual carrier is doing much as far as battery drainage. It's not like switching modes between GSM and UMTS or LTE and CDMA (Verizon/ATT world) and trying to reestablish on the network. I mean I guess it could cause a little but something is my brain is just saying that the switching isn't doing that much. Now doubling the bandwidth and data rate, yeah, that is definitely increasing battery usage but the switching itself I just don't know.
Honestly I get mixed battery life depending on my daily usage so testing would be hard. That is unless it's huge differences. I set my phone to Revision 8 and see it its huge improvements.
On a side note, and could just be that phone, but 2 of my friends have Thunderbolts and they get like 2-4 hours of battery life. Something WILL have to be done to fix battery life on LTE.
Well, as somebody said i tried the service mode and got too excited and ****up alot of stuff, wiped and installed jug again but looks like the settings got saved . Anyway to reset all the settings there?
Husam2011 said:
Well, as somebody said i tried the service mode and got too excited and ****up alot of stuff, wiped and installed jug again but looks like the settings got saved . Anyway to reset all the settings there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly what settings did you touch and what is currently NOT working.
No, no master reset that I know of.
setzer715 said:
Exactly what settings did you touch and what is currently NOT working.
No, no master reset that I know of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically i touched alot of stuff. Wow i ****ed up!!!! no signal and nothing is showing, no dbm or carrier but when i go to settings/networks it shows up att and tmobile in carriers
It also says RRC: IDLE, BAND 5 in basic info
I messed up with Fake Security something, Antenna/adc, network control
Edit: Putting the sim that came with the phone in, it connected and showed dbm but then after 1min it just had an x on the network bars.
Husam2011 said:
Basically i touched alot of stuff. Wow i ****ed up!!!! no signal and nothing is showing, no dbm or carrier but when i go to settings/networks it shows up att and tmobile in carriers
It also says RRC: IDLE, BAND 5 in basic info
I messed up with Fake Security something, Antenna/adc, network control
Edit: Putting the sim that came with the phone in, it connected and showed dbm but then after 1min it just had an x on the network bars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel like mine said band 4 earlier today but I cant be for sure. I don't have 3G at my house so I can't test till tomorrow.
You could always try reflashing the phone with odin and stock to see if that fixes those defaults but I'm not sure where they are written. Definitely not in the ROM. Maybe the bootloader or radio image have this information stored so flashing stock oden .tar may fix it? Sorry, I really don't know and this is EXACTLY why I said people shouldn't be messing with these settings.
setzer715 said:
I feel like mine said band 4 earlier today but I cant be for sure. I don't have 3G at my house so I can't test till tomorrow.
You could always try reflashing the phone with odin and stock to see if that fixes those defaults but I'm not sure where they are written. Definitely not in the ROM. Maybe the bootloader or radio image have this information stored so flashing stock oden .tar may fix it? Sorry, I really don't know and this is EXACTLY why I said people shouldn't be messing with these settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing to stock seems to fix it, not flashing modem. Thank god it worked! thanks
setzer715 said:
I feel like mine said band 4 earlier today but I cant be for sure. I don't have 3G at my house so I can't test till tomorrow.
You could always try reflashing the phone with odin and stock to see if that fixes those defaults but I'm not sure where they are written. Definitely not in the ROM. Maybe the bootloader or radio image have this information stored so flashing stock oden .tar may fix it? Sorry, I really don't know and this is EXACTLY why I said people shouldn't be messing with these settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well... i guess in this case too much info is a bad thing. My suggestion was to TOUCH ONLY the RRC settings ... anything else is a crapshoot
yes T-MOs 3G/4G is "UMTS Band IV"
and for future note... if you don't know what your doing and your screwing around in service mode... take SCREENSHOTS before you mess with anything. Or have a buddy with a phone that is untouched.
AUTX_buckeye said:
well... i guess in this case too much info is a bad thing. My suggestion was to TOUCH ONLY the RRC settings ... anything else is a crapshoot
yes T-MOs 3G/4G is "UMTS Band IV"
and for future note... if you don't know what your doing and your screwing around in service mode... take SCREENSHOTS before you mess with anything. Or have a buddy with a phone that is untouched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reverting the setting back doesn't/didn't do anything for me. I had to flash stock odin rom+recovery
I know someone said previously that the "4G" icons don't mean much as it will usually show "E" or "4G". However, my phone showed "3G" the other day while I was at home and I only saw this once. Someone on another board said that means it was picking up 1900mhz WCDMA as supposedly T-Mobile is starting to use HSPA on 1900mhz in certain areas. Is that correct?

Ridiculous data speeds while on a call

Ok... I have gone round and round and round and round with AT&T on this issue. My data is nearly unusable while on a call. Most of the time it times out, and when it does work, it is ridiculously slow.
I have gone through the stores, technical support, wrote their corporate headquarters (which got no response whatsoever), Twitter, and finally I filed a complaint with the FCC.
The FCC complaint is where I am now, and they want to work with me on this issue. They keep focusing on the towers in my area (although it happens EVERYWHERE), and my phone (even though this is my second phone). Basically I am tired of wasting my time with this issue, and I want to point them to this thread to tell them this this is NOT just me. Maybe it is the Note 2, but I think it is their network. Hopefully this thread will tell me AND THEM.
So with that said, I would love for everyone to post their City/State, and 2 speed tests (one while on a call and one while not on a call). Not moving would be preferable.
I will post mine shortly.
Tampa Bay North
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Not sure why you so frustrated. But signal's are suppose to drop while on a call!! Your using data, and yes we can be on the web and be on a call at the same time. I've been doing it since I was first on AT&T. :thumbup:
But I'm thinking it's your area or the modem. Here's my results after reading your post. I decided to go out for breakfast and perform this test to see if it was that BAD! :what:
Here's my results:
NO CALL HERE
ON CALL NOW
Still above 10 mb down. BUT IT DID DROP DRASTICALLY BECAUSE I'M NO LONGER ON LTE CONNECTION.
Just my 2¢®
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To answer your question, I am upset because they advertise themselves as being able to use voice and data simultaneously and I can barely use my data while on a call. Most of the time it times out and I constantly have to redo my request. I think my problem is the ability to send data (which include acknowledgements and the request). I don't so much mind that it slows down, but being nearly unusable is a whole other story.
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Milkman00 said:
To answer your question, I am upset because they advertise themselves as being able to use voice and data simultaneously and I can barely use my data while on a call. Most of the time it times out and I constantly have to redo my request. I think my problem is the ability to send data (which include acknowledgements and the request). I don't so much mind that it slows down, but being nearly unusable is a whole other story.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And that I have been able to do always. Be on a call and the web. But I understand your frustration on it not writing when you want. And it being so slow.
Not sure what Rom, modem your using? But I don't really see that much of a problem. Unless I'm inside of a metal building!!
Lol
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Yeah look at my on call upload speed compared to you. Definitely a problem.
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Milkman00 said:
Yeah look at my on call upload speed compared to you. Definitely a problem.
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you completely. On that note! What modem are you using. Take a screen shot of your about phone. Just curious if that is what is causing your problem. Wondering if your on the latest modem release..
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I am rooted stock.
4.1.2
i317ucamc3
3.0.31-578342
As an RBS Engineer I can explain why this happens to you.
Its due to a few reasons
1. What frequency is 1st carrier in your market 1900mhz or 850mhz
2. How many carriers are in your particular area (the most i have seen is 5 in the major metro areas)
3. How far away the next tower is to you
4. How saturated each carrier is
Whwn testing a new LTE site i will get 30-50mbps download and 20mbps up
Thats cuz im the ONLY one on the carrier at the time.
So a tower is made up of carriers, each carrier has sectors with a corresponding antenna that face a different direction (Alpha Beta Gamma)
You have multiple carriers in areas where theres heavy traffic.
now back to your phone its multi banded 1900, 850, 700/2100(lte)
If your market is 850 first carrier and 850 second carrier your data while on the phone will be almost non existent becuase that band on your phone is in use with your call. But if you have 850 1st carrier then 1900 second carrier or vice versa then your speeds will be decent. For whatever reason when you place a call your data automatically switches to HSPA most likely due to the VOIP on the LTE band leaving only the 3g band for data. Now I dont engineer the network itself becuase I dont understand why LTE isnt left open for data while were on calls.
I dont know if i confused you more or if that helped.
Hope it helped though
Its like a highway
A carrier is a single highway with multiple lanes 850mhz 1900mhz 700mhz(for lte 1st carrier) and 2100 (for lte 2nd)
If your area has only 2 carriers 850mhz and 850mhz its like 2 lanes on a highway going in the same direction and the other side of the highway is blocked
If its 850mhz and 1900mhz but there is heavy traffic and not enough carriers its like bieng stuck in 5 o clock traffic and trying to turn around. Its busy on both lanes so everything is slow
Each carrier adds lanes for traffic in a typical metro area you will see someting like
1st carrier 850mhz
2nd 850mhz
3rd 1900mhz
4th 850 mhz
5th 1900 mhz
LTE 1st carrier 700mhz
LTE 2nd Carrier 2100mhz
Thats a lot of lanes for traffic
tramane said:
As an RBS Engineer I can explain why this happens to you.
Its due to a few reasons
1. What frequency is 1st carrier in your market 1900mhz or 850mhz
2. How many carriers are in your particular area (the most i have seen is 5 in the major metro areas)
3. How far away the next tower is to you
4. How saturated each carrier is
Whwn testing a new LTE site i will get 30-50mbps download and 20mbps up
Thats cuz im the ONLY one on the carrier at the time.
So a tower is made up of carriers, each carrier has sectors with a corresponding antenna that face a different direction (Alpha Beta Gamma)
You have multiple carriers in areas where theres heavy traffic.
now back to your phone its multi banded 1900, 850, 700/2100(lte)
If your market is 850 first carrier and 850 second carrier your data while on the phone will be almost non existent becuase that band on your phone is in use with your call. But if you have 850 1st carrier then 1900 second carrier or vice versa then your speeds will be decent. For whatever reason when you place a call your data automatically switches to HSPA most likely due to the VOIP on the LTE band leaving only the 3g band for data. Now I dont engineer the network itself becuase I dont understand why LTE isnt left open for data while were on calls.
I dont know if i confused you more or if that helped.
Hope it helped though
Its like a highway
A carrier is a single highway with multiple lanes 850mhz 1900mhz 700mhz(for lte 1st carrier) and 2100 (for lte 2nd)
If your area has only 2 carriers 850mhz and 850mhz its like 2 lanes on a highway going in the same direction and the other side of the highway is blocked
If its 850mhz and 1900mhz but there is heavy traffic and not enough carriers its like bieng stuck in 5 o clock traffic and trying to turn around. Its busy on both lanes so everything is slow
Each carrier adds lanes for traffic in a typical metro area you will see someting like
1st carrier 850mhz
2nd 850mhz
3rd 1900mhz
4th 850 mhz
5th 1900 mhz
LTE 1st carrier 700mhz
LTE 2nd Carrier 2100mhz
Thats a lot of lanes for traffic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well it seems to happen everywhere that I go which is as far as 70 miles in any direction. The big 3 are in my area (Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon) as well as T-Mobile and Metro (but I am not sure if Metro is their own or they use other carriers).
The major metro areas that I visit are Tampa and Orlando and they do the same thing. I live in a rural area (so the towers are not very saturated), and there is a tower about 1.5 miles (tops) in either direction of me.
I am not sure what frequency my area is. How can I tell?
This is expected. AT&T doesn't support voice over LTE yet, so when you place a phone call the modem needs to switch back to the 3G/Fake 4G HSPA+ network. I'm guessing you just have poor 4G reception. Can you disable LTE and then do a speedtest on the regular 4G network?
Prior to the LTE implementation I was getting far better speeds on the HSPA+ network..
How do I disable LTE to get a current HSPA+ test?
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Looks like this might be the easiest way: http://forums.androidcentral.com/t-...3-you-can-disable-hspa-too-2.html#post2551614
Edit: while on a call I get 1663Kbps down and just 93Kbps up, so this might not be unique to you.
saturnspike said:
This is expected. AT&T doesn't support voice over LTE yet, so when you place a phone call the modem needs to switch back to the 3G/Fake 4G HSPA+ network. I'm guessing you just have poor 4G reception. Can you disable LTE and then do a speedtest on the regular 4G network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On HSPA+ I get 2.2 meg down and almost 1 meg up (910k).
FAR better than what I get while on a call in an LTE area.
OK after reading this thread. Do y'all think this problem will be fixed for the Note 3 because I read the note 3 will have the strongest LTE chip available? Or will it be determined on how heavy data traffic is on your frequency?
At&t hasn't supported voice+LTE data. Its the original voice+3G data. Its not the phone.
A given market can be very large it can encompass a whole state. I work in the south texas market which is basically EVERYTHING south of killeen texas. I have driven as far as 6hrs to south padre from austin and I remain in the same market. That was almost 400 miles south. Houston is part of the same market as well as all the way to east to the border of lousiana.
rangercaptain said:
At&t hasn't supported voice+LTE data. Its the original voice+3G data. Its not the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ranger - thanks but that doesn't explain the problems I experienced.
tramane said:
A given market can be very large it can encompass a whole state. I work in the south texas market which is basically EVERYTHING south of killeen texas. I have driven as far as 6hrs to south padre from austin and I remain in the same market. That was almost 400 miles south. Houston is part of the same market as well as all the way to east to the border of lousiana.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how can I determine the frequency of my market to answer your original inquiry??

Signal fluctuation

Noticed this on my note 4 since I got it. I will be sitting on the couch and watch as the signal goes up and down. Bars go from 1-4-1-4 as well as both LTE signal going from mid-80s to -115. I had never noticed this living closer to city. Is this a tower or capacity issue? I have already called Verizon to report the issue and they seem aware of this areas coverage being moderate, even though their map says excellent coverage lol.
Instead of creating another thread I'll ask this too. I've noticed crsditatials for apps being forgotten randomly. I thought it was switching to ultra pwr mode and back but it's not. Any one else? Apps like Pandora, mint, etc.
kgeier82 said:
Noticed this on my note 4 since I got it. I will be sitting on the couch and watch as the signal goes up and down. Bars go from 1-4-1-4 as well as both LTE signal going from mid-80s to -115. I had never noticed this living closer to city. Is this a tower or capacity issue? I have already called Verizon to report the issue and they seem aware of this areas coverage being moderate, even though their map says excellent coverage lol.
Instead of creating another thread I'll ask this too. I've noticed crsditatials for apps being forgotten randomly. I thought it was switching to ultra pwr mode and back but it's not. Any one else? Apps like Pandora, mint, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was experiencing similar fluctuations, so I downloaded lte discovery app. Turns out, usually when I had 4 or 5 bars, I was on band 13, when it dropped down to 2 to 3 bars it'd switch to band 4 aws XLTE. The higher frequency of band 4 doesn't penetrate as well as band 13, providing me with the fluctuation of bars around my house anyways. It doesn't happen as much outside.
Justinphxaz said:
I was experiencing similar fluctuations, so I downloaded lte discovery app. Turns out, usually when I had 4 or 5 bars, I was on band 13, when it dropped down to 2 to 3 bars it'd switch to band 4 aws XLTE. The higher frequency of band 4 doesn't penetrate as well as band 13, providing me with the fluctuation of bars around my house anyways. It doesn't happen as much outside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exact same result here. Wonder if I can limit to band 13 as band 4 signal is damn near holding indoors at -118. Kills the battery. Band 13 has around -87db

sprint spark sprint galaxy note 4

how can i make spark faster on my sprint note 4? it says i am in a spark area and i am only getting 2mbps that is ridiculous
http://coverage.sprint.com/IMPACT.jsp?ECID=vanity:coverage#!/ it says my area has sprint spark and it is on the "best" coverage wise
Can't see your coverage without your zip code.
w7excursion said:
Can't see your coverage without your zip code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It says best and its still slow keeps saying i am on band 26 how do i switch to band 41
Is that exactly where you're at? Input an intersection closest to your home and see what it says. Does going outside make a difference? Update your profile lately followed by a long battery pull? If none of that helps then see what sprint says. I don't have spark where I'm at, just regular lte.
w7excursion said:
Is that exactly where you're at? Input an intersection closest to your home and see what it says. Does going outside make a difference? Update your profile lately followed by a long battery pull? If none of that helps then see what sprint says. I don't have spark where I'm at, just regular lte.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea i put an intersection and it is a spark area. the rest surrounding it is lte. i used signalcheck pro and it says i am on band 26. isnt 41 spark?
infamouzwt said:
yea i put an intersection and it is a spark area. the rest surrounding it is lte. i used signalcheck pro and it says i am on band 26. isnt 41 spark?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and i chatted with sprint and they told me this area has spark now. i think they are lying to me lol
Can't think of much except trying ##72786# and if that doesn't work call tech support and see if your SIM card was setup correctly in the system. Are you on the stock Rom? Factory reset?
infamouzwt said:
yea i put an intersection and it is a spark area. the rest surrounding it is lte. i used signalcheck pro and it says i am on band 26. isnt 41 spark?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm not mistaken, Spark adds bands 26 and 41 to the standard LTE band 25.
On a recent trip to Orlando/Disney World, I did some prioritizing on the bands and had success on first try. I was streaming Netflix via LTE to hotspot to roku 3 to TV- indoors. And had good coverage most of the trip. Plus downloading gigs of data.
Band 41- fast outdoors but not so penetrating for business structures
Band 26- lower frequency penetrating LTE
Band 25- not as penetrating as band 26 and also the common LTE band used by non-Spark LTE phones and towers. Potentially overcrowded.
I don't know why but Spark phones priority should be prioritized away from band 25 but currently default them as highest priority band. In theory, band 41 should be highest for outdoors, band 26 would be priority for indoors, if available and penetration hinders band 41. When higher priority bands unavailable reverting to band 25. By then you may prefer Wi-Fi to band 25. Apparently the same applies to band 26 in some locations. It's all about location and availability; home Wi-Fi would most likely be preferred over Spark but motel/resort low-valued-complimentary Wi-Fi with browser authorization/TOS may not.
Got your MSL code? Try this prioritizing below using ##3282# LTE/LTE priority. I did this rather blindly, not looking at connection speed or band utilized. I get LTE at home too. I don't think it's Spark but the settings are not interfering with LTE bands as far as I can tell.
You should at least see band 41 outside, if within range. Indoors, it may revert to band 26, if available.
samep said:
If I'm not mistaken, Spark adds bands 26 and 41 to the standard LTE band 25.
On a recent trip to Orlando/Disney World, I did some prioritizing on the bands and had success on first try. I was streaming Netflix via LTE to hotspot to roku 3 to TV- indoors. And had good coverage most of the trip. Plus downloading gigs of data.
Band 41- fast outdoors but not so penetrating for business structures
Band 26- lower frequency penetrating LTE
Band 25- not as penetrating as band 26 and also the common LTE band used by non-Spark phones and towers. overcrowded.
I don't know but Spark phones priority should be prioritized away from band 25 but use them as highest band by default. In theory, band 41 should be highest for outdoors, band 26 would be priority for indoors, as available. By then you may prefer Wi-Fi to band 25.
Got your MSL code? Try this prioritizing below using ##3282# LTE/LTE priority. I did this rather blindly, not looking at connection speed or band utilized. I get LTE at home too. I don't think it's Spark but the settings are not interfering with LTE bands as far as I can tell.
You should at least see band 41 outside, if within range. Indoors, it may revert to band 26, if available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. This is how I have it set up. I'm guessing its just the area is super slow or something.
samep said:
If I'm not mistaken, Spark adds bands 26 and 41 to the standard LTE band 25.
On a recent trip to Orlando/Disney World, I did some prioritizing on the bands and had success on first try. I was streaming Netflix via LTE to hotspot to roku 3 to TV- indoors. And had good coverage most of the trip. Plus downloading gigs of data.
Band 41- fast outdoors but not so penetrating for business structures
Band 26- lower frequency penetrating LTE
Band 25- not as penetrating as band 26 and also the common LTE band used by non-Spark LTE phones and towers. Potentially overcrowded.
I don't know why but Spark phones priority should be prioritized away from band 25 but currently default them as highest priority band. In theory, band 41 should be highest for outdoors, band 26 would be priority for indoors, if available and penetration hinders band 41. When higher priority bands unavailable reverting to band 25. By then you may prefer Wi-Fi to band 25. Apparently the same applies to band 26 in some locations. It's all about location and availability; home Wi-Fi would most likely be preferred over Spark but motel/resort low-valued-complimentary Wi-Fi with browser authorization/TOS may not.
Got your MSL code? Try this prioritizing below using ##3282# LTE/LTE priority. I did this rather blindly, not looking at connection speed or band utilized. I get LTE at home too. I don't think it's Spark but the settings are not interfering with LTE bands as far as I can tell.
You should at least see band 41 outside, if within range. Indoors, it may revert to band 26, if available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does anyone have proof changing these helps? I changed mine and forgot the screenshot how the default was setup does anyone know the default arrangement?
infamouzwt said:
yea i put an intersection and it is a spark area. the rest surrounding it is lte. i used signalcheck pro and it says i am on band 26. isnt 41 spark?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you see the band number?
xbmoyx said:
Does anyone have proof changing these helps? I changed mine and forgot the screenshot how the default was setup does anyone know the default arrangement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I was vacation, my indoor 4G data was sporadic. I was getting a lot reverting to 3G or a spinning effect like a loss of sync.
There was a persistent mod I tried in KitKat that didn't seem to work; a lot of waiting to sync. The settings I posted were very stable and quickly synced in the Orlando area. Very few dead data spots and most of those were underground attractions.
I do believe band 25 was highest by default. I think I switched bands 25 and 41 but not positive. I recall looking this up because that seems to be a non spark area setting. Ideally, refreshing the PRL/Profile would set the priority bands based on location/coverage but I don't think it does. Non spark as default on a spark enabled phone isn't ideal if the spark settings have no impact on non spark areas' reception. IMO, there is no impact so the default settings are incorrect; these are ideal. But slow data is slow data. I was able to hold a steady HD stream for my Roku, indoors with it.

Galaxt Note 4 Defaulting To XLTE Band

Note 4 LTE Bands
So I am at Ft.Bragg NC and have not been having the most stellar service with my new galaxy note 4. I began to look into this issue and do several tests. The note 4 seems to default to this new XLTE band 4 that verizon came out with regardless of signal strength or data speed. From what I have seen with my other coworkers phones that are on verizon, there phones do the same thing. Why is it that it defaults to a signal that is painfully slow and also a far weaker signal? Is there a way to change it back to the stronger LTE band? (Band 13) Also I know that band 13 is stronger because I can reset the data connection or cycle it on and off, it will then go to the standard band 13 then eventually default back to band 4 every once in a while heading back to 13.
Others phones I have observed this were, iPhone 6 and Droid turbo.
try a free app called 4G LTE Switch from the play store. It appears to be able to force certain connections. It looks like force 3g/4g but I dont know if you can pick between lte/xlte. Hope that helps some.

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