Related
Was wondering if it is at all customizable in the phone connection settings itself, or if it is only do-able through calling up customer support and asking to be able to pick up signals through ATT/Sprint/Verizon towers. Just upgraded from a steep monthly bill through Cingular, and went to T-Mobile, and now cell service at my house sucks horribly - 1 or 2 bars, with an occasional spike to 3/4 bars and I haven't seen it hit 5 bars yet at all even when I was in town.
I've seen the Radio ROM posts, but am not sure if thats what is needed to fix the issue of being able to pick up the other cell towers.
Since I am fairly new to the Smart Phone scene - feel more then welcome to guide me where its needed - I am very high on techy garble, so I can get my hands dirty when needed.
Thanks ahead of time!
Not possible you are stuck with the signal you have. You can only get an att signal with a att sim card.
WowMike2002 said:
Was wondering if it is at all customizable in the phone connection settings itself, or if it is only do-able through calling up customer support and asking to be able to pick up signals through ATT/Sprint/Verizon towers. Just upgraded from a steep monthly bill through Cingular, and went to T-Mobile, and now cell service at my house sucks horribly - 1 or 2 bars, with an occasional spike to 3/4 bars and I haven't seen it hit 5 bars yet at all even when I was in town.
I've seen the Radio ROM posts, but am not sure if thats what is needed to fix the issue of being able to pick up the other cell towers.
Since I am fairly new to the Smart Phone scene - feel more then welcome to guide me where its needed - I am very high on techy garble, so I can get my hands dirty when needed.
Thanks ahead of time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well 4 bars is max you can get. the phone only displays only 4 bars. wich is maximum signal
a radio will most likely give you beter signal. i went from 1-2 bars in my room to 4 bars all the time it rarely drops below 3 in my room. but also remember. u cant get signal where it dont exist.
you cant use sprint or verizon towers period. and u only pic up att signals for emergancy calls if u dont have signal. or ur roaming
Hmm - yeah.. thats what I was curious about - in the Manual Networks settings, I can pick up ATT towers all the time, and finally after 10-15 seconds a TMobile tower pops up - as the default in the phone (Was told through Customer Care) that if any TMobile tower is in range, it has to be selected. I'm curious if there is a way to edit the registry on the pickups for the tower and make it so it doesn't have to be the default as TMobile.
But, other then that I am currently looking at the Radio's are doing some searching to find the better one to use...
Thanks again!
just because it picks up att towers dont mean that you can actually register on the network. the phone will default to any carriers sim card so if the phone is unlocked and you put in a att sim it will default to att.
u can force it to use att but i wouldnt recomend it because 1 tmobile only has roaming agreements with att in certain spots and once your out of that spot no signal. and 2 you can only use atts network for so long before tmobile vuts your service.
so best bet just keep it on auto
I have no issue making calls or using the internet with 1-2 bars with my tp2. I prefer more, but if i am somewhere with less, as long as i have any signal, it works fine. Only place i have issues with signal is in the red line subway in chicago. Edge only and the signal between the stations gets really low and strong a lot. Makes like hell with my phones.
I am on att wireless
I have noticed that in a low service area i get none at all.
However my wife on her iphone has 1/2 bars and my bro on his atrix also has 1/2 bars.
Anyone else having similar issues?
12/7 Update - More information on what I have attempted
Setting APNS for 4g on ATT
getting correct 4g data plan on account
New Sim cards
Replacement Galaxy Nexus
Different Roms
Stock Restore Rom
restore to default and install nothing
different radio
update to 4.0.1
Once the signal drops to almost unusable levels , the only way to get it back is either reboot the phone or toggle airplane mode. After that the signal returns to a solid 89-93 DBM. After roughly 30-60min it will then drop and I have to toggle it again. All other phones in my location have no problem including my iphone 4s with the exact same sim card.
I am in a decent location for signal. On the nexus reboot its at -89 dbm , my iphone 4s is at -87. The iphone stays that way and the galaxy nexus over time drops to -105 to -111.
Still no conclusion.
I only have problem with Wi-Fi where the reception is considerably weaker than any other device just around it.
aimetti said:
I am on att wireless
I have noticed that in a low service area i get none at all.
However my wife on her iphone has 1/2 bars and my bro on his atrix also has 1/2 bars.
Anyone else having similar issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bars mean very little, as devices have their indicators calibrated differently. You should be comparing signals, in dBm for a meaningful comparison.
The acid test, of course, is whether you can make and hold a call, and or send/receive data.
aimetti said:
I am on att wireless
I have noticed that in a low service area i get none at all.
However my wife on her iphone has 1/2 bars and my bro on his atrix also has 1/2 bars.
Anyone else having similar issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah kind of hard to gauge from bars. Nokia and motorola are known for excellent reception. Samsung not so much. They do seem to be improving on all fronts though, including wifi and gps.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.
I havent got too in depth with testing but its simple to see there is an issue. Everyone around me can make calls and i cant. Cell standbye taking up battery life as well and has been out of signal for a while
I'm seeing a similar issue.
When I have 2g only selected, I get 2 bars -98 asu 7. When I have it deselected I have no bars and signal is -111 asu 1.
Well ive had similar issues
Today I wiped phone and came back to initially 4/5 bars and download speeds of 4 down 1 up.
Then after about 10 min , right back down to 1/0 bars and 800 kbps down 200 up.
popped off back cover and then pulled sim , reset sim and then reboot. Again it initially came back with 4/5 bars with hsdpa. Again about 10 min later back down to 1/0 bars and a -113 dbm reading,
Then oddly enough i was in the status screen just watching it hover around -113 to -105 , it clicked to edge full 5 bars , then came back to 3G 4 bars and now at -93 dbm.
Does this sound at all normal? I havent changed location more than a few feet through all this. My wifes Iphone seems to be having 0 issues right next to me.
just watched it do it again.
Was at 1 bar went to 0 , got stuck on -113 dbm for about a minute or 2 clicked over to edge-2 -87 dbm then back to hsdpa -93 dbm
:/ i got no clue at this point
there is a video showing some of the issue
http://youtu.be/dbSAEHVcosI
aimetti said:
just watched it do it again.
Was at 1 bar went to 0 , got stuck on -113 dbm for about a minute or 2 clicked over to edge-2 -87 dbm then back to hsdpa -93 dbm
:/ i got no clue at this point
there is a video showing some of the issue
http://youtu.be/dbSAEHVcosI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this at home or a place where you frequently are? If so, I would do one of two things (provided you want to keep the device):
Write an NFC tag that you can tap on your way in (and presumably on on the way out as well) that would switch you over to "2G only" (which it seems gives you a better signal), and back to 3G/3.5G on your way out the door. or...
Either write yourself, or wait for one to be written, a kernel that will throw more power to the radio (at the expense of battery life however- but if you are constantly searching for signal your phone is probably wasting a ton of battery right now anyways)...
ya i am at home.
My wife consistently gets 3 down 1 up on her 4s.
No one else seems to be having issues , perhaps mine is just defective?
this is what happens when i lightly grip phone
http://youtu.be/-eqlMUoeq_I
aimetti said:
ya i am at home.
My wife consistently gets 3 down 1 up on her 4s.
No one else seems to be having issues , perhaps mine is just defective?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, but I can't think of a way to reliably test whether it is defective or not. My Samsung phones have always had lightly weaker radios than my HTC and Moto phones, and my sister's iPhone, so I will wager that it is just that in the name of battery life the radio is under-powered, which can be changed in the kernel. I was in a similar boat back when I was on T-mobile (right on the edge of service), and luckily someone had posted a custom ROM for the G1 that routed more power to the radios, and gave me just enough to hold a signal and use my wifi for data. Whatever that kernel in that ROM did, it gave me about 10 dbm difference. You might want to throw a request in the development section.
you can also try exchanging the device (if ever unhappy at all you should try to), but I am wondering if it will actually make a difference. Do you know someone with a recent Samsung phone like a SG2 (not LTE/Skyrocket) or maybe one of their Windows phones (I don't know what radios/speeds they use), to see if it gives similar results?
s.m.knipe said:
Maybe, but I can't think of a way to reliably test whether it is defective or not. My Samsung phones have always had lightly weaker radios than my HTC and Moto phones, and my sister's iPhone, so I will wager that it is just that in the name of battery life the radio is under-powered, which can be changed in the kernel. I was in a similar boat back when I was on T-mobile (right on the edge of service), and luckily someone had posted a custom ROM for the G1 that routed more power to the radios, and gave me just enough to hold a signal and use my wifi for data. Whatever that kernel in that ROM did, it gave me about 10 dbm difference. You might want to throw a request in the development section.
you can also try exchanging the device (if ever unhappy at all you should try to), but I am wondering if it will actually make a difference. Do you know someone with a recent Samsung phone like a SG2 (not LTE/Skyrocket) or maybe one of their Windows phones (I don't know what radios/speeds they use), to see if it gives similar results?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya , i was at my brothers house yesterday with no service at all.
My bro had an atrix with 1/2 bars and service.
my wife had an iphone 4 with 1/2 bars and service
and my sister in law had a galaxy s2 with 1/2 bars and service as well.
I had 0 at all.
The odd thing is , every time I reboot my phone it holds on to 4/5 bars at the location im at right now for a good 10 minutes , then flatlines.
aimetti said:
Ya , i was at my brothers house yesterday with no service at all.
My bro had an atrix with 1/2 bars and service.
my wife had an iphone 4 with 1/2 bars and service
and my sister in law had a galaxy s2 with 1/2 bars and service as well.
I had 0 at all.
The odd thing is , every time I reboot my phone it holds on to 4/5 bars at the location im at right now for a good 10 minutes , then flatlines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what APN are you using? Use the same APN settings as your Sis-in-law's GS2- when my Nexus first came I noticed the APN did not match my Atrix and it would not hold an HSPA+ signal for long; I changed it to match the Atrix and speeds/holding towers has been much better. Try the APN thing.
The GN and GS2 would have the same radio chip (I would imagine), and be set to draw the same amount of power by the kernel. If the APN thing doesn't work then you might want to consider an exchange I guess, maybe it is defective
The fact that it flatlines AFTER 10 minutes (presumably after all the syncing is finished for the various apps and services) is suggestive of a sort of "demand" model- like maybe the device amps up the radio when it knows there will be a lot of need, then scales back when demand is less- or over compensates at first, then under compensates later after some sort of calibration? The ten minute thing sounds odd, but sounds like something software/firmware/kernel-based...
[Keep in mind that there is much speculation contained in that advice, the true test for defective or not would simply be another GN at the same location- as that is unreasonable we'll have to speculate. Also, if your sis-in-law comes back over, check her phone status for her signal strength (not bars but dbm and asu) and see if it matches yours. The bars that you see are a software representation of those two numbers, and can be modified to under represent the actual signal.]
I am using the default cingular 410 apn
ive been reading that if support put a 4g data plan on my phone that it could potentially cause data loss. Is that correct?
also changed to 2g only for now and have 5bars -81 dbm constant.
aimetti said:
I am using the default cingular 410 apn
ive been reading that if support put a 4g data plan on my phone that it could potentially cause data loss. Is that correct?
also changed to 2g only for now and have 5bars -81 dbm constant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I follow, if AT&T made your data plan a 4G data plan, it would interrupt your service?
I think you are asking if changing these APN settings will trigger something at AT&T, and they will "bump" you to a 4G plan- in which case I don't really know, I had to jump onto a "4G" plan when I got my Atrix. I think it would never reach that point though, when you set up the new APNs, that step where you touch the dot to select the HSDPA APN, it would default back to your cingular 410 apn if it were not able to connect (via SIM provisioning or whatever). If unavailable it wouldn't be connected at that rate to begin with.
How old is the data plan you are on (is it prior to the tiered plans)? If you are worried about the connection (APN) not matching the SIM, you could request a new (4G) SIM. Maybe stop in your local store, or call customer service and tell them you are thinking about buying a 4G phone, your friend's brother's uncle' pizza delivery boy's nephew has an unlocked phone you could test speeds with, could they switch out your old SIM for a newer 4G one to see if it will be worth your while at your house, then just pop in that new SIM, change the APN and away you go? (Or to be even less complicated take your old phone in with your old SIM, and just ask for a new SIM card, that yours isn't working right, and it should be a new 4G (not LTE) card...
Well, at least the phone is usable on the 2G band for you, and will save a lot of battery. Meanwhile we'll try to get you connected to an HSPA+ tower.
s.m.knipe said:
Not sure I follow, if AT&T made your data plan a 4G data plan, it would interrupt your service?
I think you are asking if changing these APN settings will trigger something at AT&T, and they will "bump" you to a 4G plan- in which case I don't really know, I had to jump onto a "4G" plan when I got my Atrix. I think it would never reach that point though, when you set up the new APNs, that step where you touch the dot to select the HSDPA APN, it would default back to your cingular 410 apn if it were not able to connect (via SIM provisioning or whatever). If unavailable it wouldn't be connected at that rate to begin with.
How old is the data plan you are on (is it prior to the tiered plans)? If you are worried about the connection (APN) not matching the SIM, you could request a new (4G) SIM. Maybe stop in your local store, or call customer service and tell them you are thinking about buying a 4G phone, your friend's brother's uncle' pizza delivery boy's nephew has an unlocked phone you could test speeds with, could they switch out your old SIM for a newer 4G one to see if it will be worth your while at your house, then just pop in that new SIM, change the APN and away you go? (Or to be even less complicated take your old phone in with your old SIM, and just ask for a new SIM card, that yours isn't working right, and it should be a new 4G (not LTE) card...
Well, at least the phone is usable on the 2G band for you, and will save a lot of battery. Meanwhile we'll try to get you connected to an HSPA+ tower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for all the help really appreciate it.
Anyways a few things have happened since I last posted.
I had an iphone for the last 3 years. I went into ATT last week and got a normal 4g sim card in advance. Today I called my buddy who is a manager at a corporate store and he checked my account. Found that the lady had the wrong data on it. He ended up setting the sim to the 4g plan etc (which is unlimited)
I was able to add the ATT HSDPA apn and successfully connected to it. Prior to this I actually installed modaco's rom and restored everything.
At this point I am getting consistently 3 bars in my house (which is more than my wifes iphone 4s) on 4g.
Seems to be working much better now. The only other issue that remains is when I turn on WIFI. If i turn it on the cell reception goes to 1 bar or sometimes 0. I dont have the exact dbm values right now unfortunately. Calls and text still seem to go through however. Is it possible the wifi is drawing power designated for the radio?
Thanks again !
aimetti said:
thanks for all the help really appreciate it.
Anyways a few things have happened since I last posted.
I had an iphone for the last 3 years. I went into ATT last week and got a normal 4g sim card in advance. Today I called my buddy who is a manager at a corporate store and he checked my account. Found that the lady had the wrong data on it. He ended up setting the sim to the 4g plan etc (which is unlimited)
I was able to add the ATT HSDPA apn and successfully connected to it. Prior to this I actually installed modaco's rom and restored everything.
At this point I am getting consistently 3 bars in my house (which is more than my wifes iphone 4s) on 4g.
Seems to be working much better now. The only other issue that remains is when I turn on WIFI. If i turn it on the cell reception goes to 1 bar or sometimes 0. I dont have the exact dbm values right now unfortunately. Calls and text still seem to go through however. Is it possible the wifi is drawing power designated for the radio?
Thanks again !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, glad it worked out.
And possibly yes, depending on how the kernel relegates power wifi could "commandeer" a little from the cell radio, and reduce the dbm just enough to reflect in the "bars" algorithm.
perhaps a new radio will eventually come out that I can test.
either way seems to be at least in service now , signal definitely drops when i hold the phone but as long as I can make calls it should be fine.
aimetti said:
perhaps a new radio will eventually come out that I can test.
either way seems to be at least in service now , signal definitely drops when i hold the phone but as long as I can make calls it should be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in the meantime i'll suggest using the open signal widget https://market.android.com/details?id=com.staircase3.opensignal&hl=en
which will tell you the real reception in the phone, and see what you are getting behind those bars
don't expect to make a good call when the signal drops to -90 dbm and above
and if you have multiple phones like i do, then you can compare if other phone in the same spot, connected to the same tower, is having higher or lower dbm than SGN
for example my Nexus S had worse reception than my Milestone XT720.... go figure
AllGamer said:
in the meantime i'll suggest using the open signal widget https://market.android.com/details?id=com.staircase3.opensignal&hl=en
which will tell you the real reception in the phone, and see what you are getting behind those bars
don't expect to make a good call when the signal drops to -90 dbm and above
and if you have multiple phones like i do, then you can compare if other phone in the same spot, connected to the same tower, is having higher or lower dbm than SGN
for example my Nexus S had worse reception than my Milestone XT720.... go figure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I will try it out,
Overall i dont think the issue is fixed at all now. Went to bad and signal dropped all the way again. Stuck at -111 dbm. I held the phone i saw it switch to edge 5 bars and then click over to H 4 bars.
I really believe its some kind of software thing. If I cycle airplane mode on / off I get 4 bars (unknown dbm but its working) of 4g service. I know the service is here and working as my wifes iphone is fine but something is causing it to not hold the signal and eventually drop and not recover.
Makes no sense
Downloaded the app ,
Was at 42% signal strengh, I noticed when I picked up phone and lightly held it , it dropped right on down to 5% and got stuck there. This wasnt death gripping it either , barely holding it. Does anyone else have this issue or is it just mine? I know all cell phones have this issue but this seems excessive , worse than my iphone 4 ever was. I then cycled airplane mode again and signal strength went right up to 65% again -89 dbm
Hey guys,
I was just told that tmobile has launched lte in our area, Dallas tx(not sure). At the time I was trying to flash the latest custom roms, I got a problem.
My case is on modem UVBMD1 rom Jedi x14, I have 4g 15mps down and 3mps up, but only 2 bar signal
Modem UVBMD1 rom Jedi master 14, I have 4glte 22mps down and 3mps up, still 2 bar signal
Modem UVBMD1 rom original odexed-rooted, I have 4g 8mps down and 1mps up, full bar signal.
I do not understand why it has so many different speeds on the same modem and same android 4.1.2. Still not sure if anyone in Dallas has real LTE already.
Thanks guys.
Update,
Trying several different setting, realized that when the network option set to automatic 2g/3g/4g, it has full bar signal and 8mps down. When it was set to automatic 2g/3G/4g/lte, it has only two bars and 23mps down. Does it mean there is something wrong with the modem?
bloodloon said:
Update,
Trying several different setting, realized that when the network option set to automatic 2g/3g/4g, it has full bar signal and 8mps down. When it was set to automatic 2g/3G/4g/lte, it has only two bars and 23mps down. Does it mean there is something wrong with the modem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im in Dallas, Have a Nexus 4, Note 2, HTC One.
I can tell you that on my stock Note 2 LTE will give me a solid connection but a low signal strength indication. So 1-3 bars. But i can still pull down 20-30 megs down. Since im on stock its 4G LTE icon and not just 4G.
When your getting the full bars at 8 megs your on the HSDPA+ network. When your getting 23 down with 1-2 bars your on LTE.
Id suggest getting the app SignalCheck Pro.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalcheck&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5ibHVlbGluZS5zaWduYWxjaGVjayJd
I have used this app many times to check my signal strength and to also let me know when im connected to LTE while im driving around.
IAmSixNine said:
Im in Dallas, Have a Nexus 4, Note 2, HTC One.
I can tell you that on my stock Note 2 LTE will give me a solid connection but a low signal strength indication. So 1-3 bars. But i can still pull down 20-30 megs down. Since im on stock its 4G LTE icon and not just 4G.
When your getting the full bars at 8 megs your on the HSDPA+ network. When your getting 23 down with 1-2 bars your on LTE.
Id suggest getting the app SignalCheck Pro.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalcheck&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5ibHVlbGluZS5zaWduYWxjaGVjayJd
I have used this app many times to check my signal strength and to also let me know when im connected to LTE while im driving around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess tmobile should release a new version of modem to fix this problem. So sad that you have the same issue. But still enjoy the 22mps down. Thanks dude.
I think we can all expect signal-strength fluctuations, changing availability in types of service, and general wonkiness for at least the next month or so while TM finishes rolling out LTE in the various markets. It's not like they just flip the switch and it's all set - they have to test and tweak.
bloodloon said:
I guess tmobile should release a new version of modem to fix this problem. So sad that you have the same issue. But still enjoy the 22mps down. Thanks dude.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software updates take time.
Problems have to be reported by the masses, then the manufacturer has to try to fix, then it goes to the carrier for approval and small groups of beta testers, then out to the masses.
The good news is, with small system updates like radio firmware, modems and stuff, those do push out much faster then major updates. BUT sometimes they want to put them in with major updates.
bloodloon said:
Hey guys,
I do not understand why it has so many different speeds on the same modem and same android 4.1.2. Still not sure if anyone in Dallas has real LTE already.
Thanks guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tweaks, init.d mods, etc.... also varies from interference, congestion. Not sure what your entire claim is that tmobile needs to fix but its seems to make little sense as there is no REAL issue just different speeds based on tests that have multiple variables.
Im in Dallas, as i stated in my other post. Ive been getting solid LTE at Home, Old East Dallas and at work. NE Dallas near NW HWY and Skillman.
Ive had solid LTE since they flipped the switch the night of the 16th of June.
Thats on my Note 2, Nexus 4, HTC One.
I have also driven thru parts of Dallas that still give me 4G which is HSDPA+. While they are still working on it i can tell you from first hand experience this is going way better then the Sprint roll out of LTE. I was with Sprint for 11 years and left them in January for T-Mobile. What a nightmare that was.
Anyway, to answer your question about LTE in Dallas its a Yes for me.
I'm in Columbus Ohio and I had to remove the automatic lte/4g/3g/e they seem to be testing lte here. When data is accessed it works breiefly then drops all the way down to no signal. ...then sits at E...then to 4G...then if I don't use my phone....it goes up.....to lte...so I just removed it from searching for lte....now my 4g speed is consistant...until lte is stagnant stable and live...im good
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
IAmSixNine said:
Im in Dallas, Have a Nexus 4, Note 2, HTC One.
I can tell you that on my stock Note 2 LTE will give me a solid connection but a low signal strength indication. So 1-3 bars. But i can still pull down 20-30 megs down. Since im on stock its 4G LTE icon and not just 4G.
When your getting the full bars at 8 megs your on the HSDPA+ network. When your getting 23 down with 1-2 bars your on LTE.
Id suggest getting the app SignalCheck Pro.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.blueline.signalcheck&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5ibHVlbGluZS5zaWduYWxjaGVjayJd
I have used this app many times to check my signal strength and to also let me know when im connected to LTE while im driving around.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this information, I thought it was only me. Good to see that there's nothing to worry about!
Has anyone else been having a problem with their newly purchased Sprint S6 where the signal shows as 1 bar LTE on the s6 while other phones activated on sprint show better LTE signal at the same location? Even though the s6 and other phone's downloads speeds are the same, it always shows as 1, max 2 bars lte on the S6, although when placing a call the LTE indicator shows more bars for some reason. My family has two new S6's on our plan, and their both experiencing this issue. That and a few calls that didn't go through are making my dad freak out and wanna go back to his GS4.
pearsonpsh said:
Has anyone else been having a problem with their newly purchased Sprint S6 where the signal shows as 1 bar LTE on the s6 while other phones activated on sprint show better LTE signal at the same location? Even though the s6 and other phone's downloads speeds are the same, it always shows as 1, max 2 bars lte on the S6, although when placing a call the LTE indicator shows more bars for some reason. My family has two new S6's on our plan, and their both experiencing this issue. That and a few calls that didn't go through are making my dad freak out and wanna go back to his GS4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bars don't matter, what matters is Settings-->About Device-->Status--->Signal Strength.
I know, but I think there may be an error with the LTE indicator in the notification bar, and my dad says its driving him crazy.
pearsonpsh said:
I know, but I think there may be an error with the LTE indicator in the notification bar, and my dad says its driving him crazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is the same.
i have the same problem. i updated my prl and profile to see if it would help and it didn't. then contacted sprint and they did a manual provision refresh. that seemed to solve the problem for now.
Mine is at one damn bar of LTE everywhere... doesnt seem to affect my speed of data usage... its fast... but it does have to search for that signal allot...
OK I think I see what ya'll are saying now. Just curious, what's your software version, OCF?? Also, anyone got a good fix?
Same here, on OCF
I noticed that as soon as the call connects, the bars shoot up.
I also have this issue on OCF. Question, has anyone rooted OCF yet? If so, which method did you use?
I am in exactly the same boat. I just changed from the S4, and at work we tested our phones side by side an S4, S5, and S6 and mine was the worst. I had to turn my LTE totally off in order to do anything. Please tell me this is something that Samsung can fix because I love this phone and don't know what to do.
Ya know,, 2 days ago I did changed my mobile network settings from Automatic to lte/CDMA. ALSO DID run an PRL update a d such but my signal had great actually, and my battery actually has improved alot since the change. Very well could be an Radio issue. That's what I'm guessing it is
Is it me or does this phone have a issue with making calls example tons of dropped calls, or do I need to get another phone
Guys, Samsung knows about this.... Supposedly will be rolling out an OTA soon to fix it,
Lets hope so. I'm convinced all of this poor battery life is from the modem / signal.
JoeFCaputo113 said:
Guys, Samsung knows about this.... Supposedly will be rolling out an OTA soon to fix it,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was messing around if you just select CDMA you will not drop calls until a fix if you guys want to do that
The signal display mainly looks bad because it's a Tri Band phone. On your s4 it would display the voice strength even though you were connected to LTE. On the tri band phones it only connects to LTE, and the switches to voice when making or receiving calls that's why you see the signal jump up when making a call. LTE does not travel/penetrate as well as voice and CDMA, but good news is that it does not have too to get good speeds.
Check out an app called Signal Check. It's cool to actually see your real signal and it just some bars. It will also tell you what band of LTE you are on.
sethmcmichael said:
The signal display mainly looks bad because it's a Tri Band phone. On your s4 it would display the voice strength even though you were connected to LTE. On the tri band phones it only connects to LTE, and the switches to voice when making or receiving calls that's why you see the signal jump up when making a call. LTE does not travel/penetrate as well as voice and CDMA, but good news is that it does not have too to get good speeds.
Check out an app called Signal Check. It's cool to actually see your real signal and it just some bars. It will also tell you what band of LTE you are on.
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I understand that but doesn't help the people that are getting tons of dropped calls like myself
JoeFCaputo113 said:
Guys, Samsung knows about this.... Supposedly will be rolling out an OTA soon to fix it,
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Any info on a update I can't take all the dropped calls driving me crazy now
Even on OC9, we were experiencing the dropped calls. Finally, updated to OCF today, to see if it helped, but actually feel it may have gotten worse, seem to be experiencing more dropped calls.
Seeing 4 bars of LTE signal strength on my phone is like seeing a unicorn.
I live in Upstate NY and I have the A705MN phone.
I have tried three different sim cards, all of them of course GSM compatible. The result is exactly the same among all three. I typically get 1 or 2 bars LTE.
My previous phones under the same carrier and same sim card were typically 4-5 bars. (The Wifi strength, BTW, is equal to what I've seen from my other phones.)
What can I do to improve the signal strength?
I've seen posts by those with S10's where they do something to disable specific bands. But I'm not sure how to do that on the A70 phone. I've tried the specific codes that were mentioned in threads for the S10, but those codes do not work on the A70.
Please help. As much as I like the Samsung otherwise, this factor might be the reason I return the phone.
Yes same problem here
106IFA said:
Seeing 4 or 5 bars of LTE signal strength on my phone is like seeing a unicorn.
I live in Upstate NY and I have the A705MN phone.
I have tried three different sim cards, all of them of course GSM compatible. The result is exactly the same among all three. I typically get 1-3 bars LTE.
My previous phones under the same carrier and same sim card were typically 4-5 bars. (The Wifi strength, BTW, is equal to what I've seen from my other phones.)
What can I do to improve the signal strength?
I've seen posts by those with S10's where they do something to disable specific bands. But I'm not sure how to do that on the A70 phone. I've tried the specific codes that were mentioned in threads for the S10, but those codes do not work on the A70.
Please help. As much as I like the Samsung otherwise, this factor might be the reason I return the phone.
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Try LTE only settings in settings>connections.
senseijtitus said:
Try LTE only settings in settings>connections.
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Thank you for the screenshots.
I edited the access point that I'm using and changed it to LTE. But then when I go to select network mode, I cannot chose LTE Only. That option does not show up. I have tried rebooting after editing and selecting the Access Point, and I still do not see that option.
I have tried using apps such as 4g Network Only and have switched to LTE only, but that change does not seem to make a difference or the network goes down altogether.
Any suggestions?
senseijtitus said:
Try LTE only settings in set5ings>connections.
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There was a post in the forum for using settings editor app to enable LTE only option. It will enable this option for both sims.
senseijtitus said:
There was a post in the forum for using settings editor app to enable LTE only option. It will enable this option for both sims.
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I haven't been able to do this or find what it is you're referring to. I've tried adding a few values through Settings editor apps. Values such as "hw_networkmode_preference" etc.
Doesn't work.
But besides, why would setting the connection to LTE only fix this problem? I don't see how this is not a herring.
Most of the times I am see 2 bars of strength. Every now and then I get 3 bars, and more frequently than that I get only 1 bar. 4 bars is quite rare.
The real problem with this antenna is that if I step inside a supermarket or bathroom then my connection is gone. If I'm traveling around the state of NY, in more remote areas, I'm sure I will not have a chance of any connection.
I would LOVE this phone if it had a better antenna. I can deal with the subpar fingerprint reader. Just give me a strong antenna like all of my previous phones and then I'd be a happy camper!
I decided not to return the phone so I am stuck with this phone.
106IFA said:
I haven't been able to do this or find what it is you're referring to. I've tried adding a few values through Settings editor apps. Values such as "hw_networkmode_preference" etc.
Doesn't work.
But besides, why would setting the connection to LTE only fix this problem? I don't see how this is not a herring.
Most of the times I am see 2 bars of strength. Every now and then I get 3 bars, and more frequently than that I get only 1 bar. 4 bars is quite rare.
The real problem with this antenna is that if I step inside a supermarket or bathroom then my connection is gone. If I'm traveling around the state of NY, in more remote areas, I'm sure I will not have a chance of any connection.
I would LOVE this phone if it had a better antenna. I can deal with the subpar fingerprint reader. Just give me a strong antenna like all of my previous phones and then I'd be a happy camper!
I decided not to return the phone so I am stuck with this phone.
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Setting the band to lte only would help in better reception even at low signal strength. One thing I had noticed in lte band is its consistency in connection speeds and call quality even with low signal. I think this is because of the high bandwidth of the lte signals. But I'm not an expert in it. Try changing the band to lte only. It should work better.
senseijtitus said:
Try LTE only settings in settings>connections.
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Where did get this theme and icons in screen shots ?
Maystro said:
Where did get this theme and icons in screen shots ?
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Bodhosativa theme from xda apps section.
senseijtitus said:
Setting the band to lte only would help in better reception even at low signal strength. One thing I had noticed in lte band is its consistency in connection speeds and call quality even with low signal. I think this is because of the high bandwidth of the lte signals. But I'm not an expert in it. Try changing the band to lte only. It should work better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I'm trying to get better signal, rather than better reception with low signal.
There's got to be something wrong with my phone. It blacks out if I step inside a bathroom in a building and such and it's very rarely at 4 bars.
A thing I noticed. If I go and select 2g/3g only (switch off 4g lte) my signal reception instantly switches to full (4 bars) Usually I get around 2 bars with LTE active.
The strange part is that even with lte off I can still receive an lte 4g signal when outside..this is perfect for me as it means i have a really strong signal (reception) indoors but still have the benefit of 4G outside. I don't quite understand it tbh. I mean i have switched to "2g/3g only" yet i still see 4G pop up in the status bar on my commute, and it definitely receiving 4G speeds. I'm not sure if it's a bug or not but I kinda like it.
Con500 said:
A thing I noticed. If I go and select 2g/3g only (switch off 4g lte) my signal reception instantly switches to full (4 bars) Usually I get around 2 bars with LTE active.
The strange part is that even with lte off I can still receive an lte 4g signal when outside..this is perfect for me as it means i have a really strong signal (reception) indoors but still have the benefit of 4G outside. I don't quite understand it tbh. I mean i have switched to "2g/3g only" yet i still see 4G pop up in the status bar on my commute, and it definitely receiving 4G speeds. I'm not sure if it's a bug or not but I kinda like it.
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That's a terrific idea. Thank you for bringing that up.
I am implementing your suggesteion and it's nice to see 3-4 bars of strength again.
I don't need the fastest data connection. I just need a strong or secure basic data connection, since most of the time I'm not doing anything data intensive with my phone anyway when I"m away from a wifi connection.
But I'm not sure if my phone hops up to LTE at anytime.. I wish had the same "bug" that you do. I just started testing with your settings so I'll see if I can get it so that 3g is the preferred and basic network and 4g is the optional...
After another day, I'm back to LTE/3g/2g auto.
The general reception even for 3g or 2g is lower overall than what I saw from every other phone I have used. So in areas where I can expect to have a relatively low signal I get a particularly low signal for all bands, 4g, 3g, and 2g. That being the case, there's no practical difference if I cap my connection or not.
Samsung better warranty this phone. Does anyone know who I should call?
Since I bought my phone through an Ebay seller and the phone is West Carribean stock, not USA stock, which is where I am, I have no warranty on this phone.