Database Users

Can you prevent switching to UTMS?

Hi,
I've found that the switch between GPRS and UTMS can be a bit of a PITA. It causes TomTom to drop it's traffic connection, and makes web browsing in a marginal 3G area practically unusable as it's chops and changes between GPRS and UTMS (3G).
I've tried to create a new "Cellular Line" connection with the *99# dialup settings, in a hope that this would connect me to GPRS without switching to UTMS if available, but I can't get it to work - it just says "No modem at above number".
Has anybody got a solution to this?
Cheers,
Steve.

If you select Settings -> Phone -> Band and choose GSM (instead of Auto), what happens? Does it stick to GSM? I think it should do.
EDIT: Jus ttried it on mine. Had full UMTS signal and forced GSM and it worked!

I'm not in a position to test that at the moment (no 3G signal), however, doesn't that prevent all 3G facilities of the phone (i.e. video calls) from working?
Having said that, I can't think why I would want a video call, and I can always switch it back should I need to.
Cheers,
Steve.

Yes it does prevent all 3G features (and therefore extends battery life). Sorry, I didn't realise that this was not what you wanted to do. From your original post I thought you didn't want it to use UMTS at all.

Ideally, it was just the web browsing/internet access that I wanted to prevent switching to UTMS, but to be honest, I'm not sure I would miss video phoning - is there anything else I'm getting on 3G that I'll not get after making that change?
Cheers,
Steve.

As far as I'm aware, making voice calls on 3G is a little bit clearer than on GSM, but consumes more battery. So if you are unable to tell the difference between the two then you could fix it to GSM and save battery life.
However, don't forget that UMTS is vaunted as being 3 times faster than GPRS for internet use, so your browsing etc will slow down if you lock it into GSM/GPRS only mode. I bet this doesn't matter much for TomTom traffic though as I am sure it only uses small amounts of data. If you're happy with GPRS then go for it.

Yes, I'm aware of the speed difference between GPRS and UTMS. My main problem is that I use my Exec to update the football scores on my football club's website, but the home ground is in a marginal UTMS area, so it keeps switching on/off, and consequently takes much longer to update the score than if it just connected via GPRS.
I'll give these new settings a go, and if there are any unwanted side effects, I'll switch back.
Cheers,
Steve.

Having being in the know about 3G for some time now I'm saying that its virtually impossible to only use GSM for internet, but stay with 3G for vid calling.
Your best bet would be some 3rd party software for this as I don't think any 3G phone lets you do this.

Yes I agree Biohead. I don't even think third party software would help as the radio has to disconnect and then reconnect. So you can't do some stuff on GSM (like GPRS) and then some on UMTS (like Video calling) without disconnecting and reconnecting. Luckily for Mr Pritchard, he is not too bothered about video calling and so, hopefully, this will solve his problem.

GPRS / Incoming call

Hello everybody!
I know this looks like it belongs in the networking forum, but I'd like an answer specific to the Jamin.
The problem is this:
If I am downloading a page with IE it blocks incoming calls. If the GPRS connection is active but no data is transferring calls go through.
I found an old thread on this and it seems to be a phone specific problem (some models do this and others don't).
So am I missing something?
Is this a ROM / hardware thing, or is there a setting some ware, or maybe this is dependent on the cellular provider?
Does anyone else here experience this? Please let me know and if my question is stupid don't hesitate to point it out.
P.S. I am using latest official i-mate ROM 2.13.9.23 WWE and 1_02.20.21 radio.

Sounds quite strange, if I remember well and from experience in low-coverage areas the GPRS signal is dropped first if calls are made on the handset and there is not enough bandwith for both. But I am sure we find a GSM network expert here that can enlighten us. Interesting question.

Hi,
I have aone xda Atom.
Have the same problem.
For example media player streaming internet radio , phone calls don´t came through. Or 1 in 10 came through.
If I´m connect without streaming or downloading then the call came through
Regards
Josef

As far as i remember you can't recieve any calls exactly when downloading. When GPRS is simply on it's ok. Don't really remember why...

As far as i remember you can't recieve any calls exactly when downloading. When GPRS is simply on it's ok. Don't really remember why...

The phone and GPRS are mutually exclusive.
We have a GPRS application that needs the connection to be alive as much as possible to receive incoming data. Phone calls get in the way of this, which is why I know the problem exists.
I do not have a validated reason for the problem (I believe they use the same transmission streams over the network, which means the network needs to know whether it is transmitting data or voice. Data needs to be reliable, with no dropped packets, while voice needs to be quick, with dropped packets being ignored, or something similar anyway).
Graham.

Hi,
Will like to add. Have one Universal too.
With the Universal if I ´m downloading or listen internet radio, when a call cames the downloading is suspend. Allways.
Regards
JoseF

Seems like it depends on service provider not on the device... I remembere the time when GPRS have just been started on NW Megafone - GPRS traffic lived like poor homie with the voice transmissions so when many peoples speaks - gprs is dead. Nowdays we got edge and gprs works fine. But still we got subj

Well, at least now I know it's not a matter of settings or ROM version.
Still not sure if it's the phone or the provider, but since I don't fell like switching either of them (specially the phone ) I guess I'll have to live with it.
Just to clarify: I don't expect simultaneous voice and data, but it would have been nice if incoming calls killed GPRS to get through even if I am in the middle of a download.
P.S.
Thanks every one for your prompt responses!

Not much help, but this is among the reasons I use a multicard - maybe you want to consider it. A multicard is two SIM cards with the same number, but one card is activated for GPRS/UMTS and SMS, and the other one for voice traffic and SMS. Especially with a flat data rate, GPRS is always on, and one does not have to use the Prophet as a phone all day. It means you have to carry two phones, but for a heavy user working with these tools all day it makes perfect sense. Just my five cents...

Just to clarify: I don't expect simultaneous voice and data, but it would have been nice if incoming calls killed GPRS to get through even if I am in the middle of a download.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm... Let me think... I remember there was such a nice setting on my Panasonic GD87, called "Wait for incoming call" or smt like this. Nice feature. Gives the ability of cellular phone disconnect from gprs and recive incoming call. Seems like I'll be missing it

Are there any news on this?
I have the same problem, that incoming calls are blocked when using GPRS.

Hi yoda_143.
I recently got to do some testing at work with phones from different manufacturers (MIO, HP, ASUS) and my SIM.
The conclusion: It is not the Jamin!
On all phones incoming call was blocked while data was transferred.
I haven't had the chance to test it with different providers, but I suspect this will not make a difference.
It would be nice though if there was a way to give voice calls priority even if it meant starting the download over from the beginning after the call ends.

Guys this might help
http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/gprs/class.shtml
Class A, Class B & Class C?
The class indicates the mobile phone capabilities.
Class A
Class A mobile phones can be connected to both GPRS and GSM services simultaneously.
Class B
Class B mobile phones can be attached to both GPRS and GSM services, using one service at a time. Class B enables making or receiving a voice call, or sending/receiving an SMS during a GPRS connection. During voice calls or SMS, GPRS services are suspended and then resumed automatically after the call or SMS session has ended.
Class C
Class C mobile phones are attached to either GPRS or GSM voice service. You need to switch manually between services.
BUT; even my Wizard claims that it's Class B, does the same thing and blocks incoming calls while downloading. So what does it mean?? Maybe a network provider issue :?:

From my use of XDA2i it appeared that phone can transfer GPRS data or phone call not both at the same time.
If you want both then you will need 3G/UMST
The Universal will happily allow phone calls whilst surfing over a 3G connection. Even on Universal you lose the ability for data&phone if you are using GPRS.

I see but it says everywhere that Class B phones has to stop data transfer and accept incoming calls. My old Sonyericsson T630 was doing the job! BTW my network provider claims in their website FAQ like this..
Q- During download with GPRS, if an incoming call occurs, do my GPRS connection stops?
A- During download with GPRS, if an incoming call occurs, you can easily accept the call. During call, your data transfer suspends and after call ends, goes on where it was suspended.
EDIT: I talked with network operator today and they changed their web site saying after a few tests that "u can't suspend and resume GPRS data flow, while data flow incoming calls are blocked!!"
While Wizard is Class B and the operator uses NOMII , all architectural must be wrong.
Really WEIRD, isn't it?
This article is also interesting (don't look "symbian" thing, it is a general article about GPRS/NOM)
http://www.symbian.com/symbianos/standards/symbianongprs.html
Network operation mode and phone classes
The Network Operation Mode, or NOM, is responsible for the capabilities of a GPRS network, while the class indicates the mobile phone capabilities. On NOM 1 networks, mobile phones with the right capabilities can have simultaneous circuit- and packet-switched connections. On NOM 2 networks, mobile phones can remain attached to the GPRS networks when in a voice call but they can't transmit data at the same time. On NOM 3 networks, mobile phones can either establish a packet-switched data connection or a circuit-switched voice one but they need to disconnect from one to establish another.
Class A phones can make full use of NOM 1 networks: they can use circuit-switched voice and GPRS data services at the same time. Class B phones can register circuit-switched voice and packet-switched data services at the same time but may only use one at a time. Should the user receive a call while on the internet, they can take the call and GPRS service will be suspended, resuming once the voice call is ended. Resuming GPRS service is much faster than re-establishing a data call. Class C phones can only register for packet-switched data or for circuit-switched voice services; if the user chooses GPRS, then they will be totally unavailable for GSM calls and reciprocally.
End-users will initially have access to Class B mobile phones, which are able to make and receive calls while simultaneously being registered with GPRS services - GPRS services will automatically be suspended and resumed at the end of the call. Class B phones only support one active service at a time - GSM (voice, fax or data) or GPRS (data) - though both services can be registered with the network and the phone can switch automatically back and forth. However, should the user roam to a network area that is NOM III, their Class B phone will effectively be working as a Class C phone.
New applications designed to run in an online environment will be developed to take advantage of GPRS and 3G networks. The user may well experience a 'blurring' of applications whereby they won't need to switch task nearly at all.

my universal (t-mobile) on 3g in australia is quite fine i tested the situation you guys are talking about and itl mmove he program to background and take the call (both do run simultaniously (internet might slow down alittle by about 3 Kb/s so hope this helps someone... byebye (GREAAT WEBSITE!)

Problem with HD2, anyone else had this issue

This morning my phone stopped working. Screen went off, couldn't wake it up and couldn't charge it. None of the buttons did anything. I decided to try a soft reset as a last resort and it's working again now. HAs anyone else had this issue, and is it something that occurs a lot? I'm not happy about this

Morning,
Search is your friend. Look on here for a thread started by Beards. Has all the info and solutions you need for this.
Use this to search as XDA search is a bit hit and miss..http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=+site:http://forum.xda-developers.com&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all
WB

wacky.banana said:
Morning,
Search is your friend. Look on here for a thread started by Beards. Has all the info and solutions you need for this.
Use this to search as XDA search is a bit hit and miss..http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=+site:http://forum.xda-developers.com&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find anything on XDA search to be honest. I tried that link you sent, but I can't find it on that either, any hints as to what keywords I should be using?
I also tried searching by members list, and finding all posts by beards, but I just get this long list, any idea which one he/she is?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/memberlist.php?&order=asc&sort=username&ausername=beard

try searching the site for standy screen of death.
Its a problem that has afflicted many HTC devices and seems somehow related to the phone moving between 2G and 3G in areas of poor 3G signal

rumpleforeskin said:
try searching the site for standy screen of death.
Its a problem that has afflicted many HTC devices and seems somehow related to the phone moving between 2G and 3G in areas of poor 3G signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that hint, found lots of info on it now. This is going to show how really clueless I am, but apart from 3G being a lot faster I'm not sure what the difference is between 2G and 3G. Also, is the 2G and 3G just related to data usage/transfer, or is it calls as well?
If it's just data transfer then I may as well set it to 3G only as I'm too impatient to wait for the internet etc on 2G. If it responsible for the connection of calls as well I'm going to have to leave it on both as I quite frequently go from3G to 2G areas, and I don't want to keep losing signal for my phone.

Snerkler,
Take a look at this thread...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=596484
WB

> If it's just data transfer then I may as well set it to 3G only as I'm too impatient to wait for the internet etc on 2G. If it responsible for the connection of calls as well I'm going to have to leave it on both as I quite frequently go from3G to 2G areas, and I don't want to keep losing signal for my phone.
GSM (2G) handles all the voice traffic and SMS in UK, plus basic GPRS speed at up to 56Kbps. Where available it also includes (E)dge connections for data up to about 100Kbps (technically can go much higher, but this is the practical limit)
3G and HSDPA (Also termed UMTS and WCDMA) are data only and can allow 330Kbps and up to 7.2Mbps respectively though you'll generally see around 200Kbps and 1-1.5Mbps as usable maxima. These protocols are also used for video calling and MMS media content. However if a device is set for WCDMA only, it can still make/receive voice and SMS services.
If all you do is use email, voice, SMS and basic web page browsing, there is an advantage in constraining the connection to GSM only, as the battery life will improve by up to 25%. For occasional higher volume web browsing it may still be worth staying on GSM, but switching to Auto or WCDMA when needed.
For frequent web use, then it's best to stay on Auto and take the battery hit. Don't select WCDMA only- the 3G service in UK is still patchy and if you go out of a 3G area, you;ll get no signal at all with this selection.
You may also see a few posts on here relating to auto-disconnecting the data signal after a timeout. In general this is not a good idea with current 'connected' devices as it prevents all the 'push' updating of email, Facebook etc. The programs to allow this were originally produced to prevent unwanted data charges when data was expensive, or when roaming. A lot of users are now utilising this in an effort to improve battery life- this is a little futile as the data connection itself uses the normal phone signal service channels and therefore negligible battery power, unless the 3G service is switched off at the same time.

wacky.banana said:
Snerkler,
Take a look at this thread...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=596484
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers for this, read through to page 8 so far, will read the rest later. WHy can't I find the threads I want when I search?
I may as well just PM you everytime WB lol

NeilM said:
> If it's just data transfer then I may as well set it to 3G only as I'm too impatient to wait for the internet etc on 2G. If it responsible for the connection of calls as well I'm going to have to leave it on both as I quite frequently go from3G to 2G areas, and I don't want to keep losing signal for my phone.
GSM (2G) handles all the voice traffic and SMS in UK, plus basic GPRS speed at up to 56Kbps. Where available it also includes (E)dge connections for data up to about 100Kbps (technically can go much higher, but this is the practical limit)
3G and HSDPA (Also termed UMTS and WCDMA) are data only and can allow 330Kbps and up to 7.2Mbps respectively though you'll generally see around 200Kbps and 1-1.5Mbps as usable maxima. These protocols are also used for video calling and MMS media content. However if a device is set for WCDMA only, it can still make/receive voice and SMS services.
If all you do is use email, voice, SMS and basic web page browsing, there is an advantage in constraining the connection to GSM only, as the battery life will improve by up to 25%. For occasional higher volume web browsing it may still be worth staying on GSM, but switching to Auto or WCDMA when needed.
For frequent web use, then it's best to stay on Auto and take the battery hit. Don't select WCDMA only- the 3G service in UK is still patchy and if you go out of a 3G area, you;ll get no signal at all with this selection.
You may also see a few posts on here relating to auto-disconnecting the data signal after a timeout. In general this is not a good idea with current 'connected' devices as it prevents all the 'push' updating of email, Facebook etc. The programs to allow this were originally produced to prevent unwanted data charges when data was expensive, or when roaming. A lot of users are now utilising this in an effort to improve battery life- this is a little futile as the data connection itself uses the normal phone signal service channels and therefore negligible battery power, unless the 3G service is switched off at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fI'm reading this right, you need 2G to make and receive calls, therefore if you select 3G only then you can't make and receive calls?

snerkler said:
I fI'm reading this right, you need 2G to make and receive calls, therefore if you select 3G only then you can't make and receive calls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No- if you select 3G only you can make/receive calls and exchange fast data- but only if you are in a 3G coverage area. Out of 3G coverage and there's nothing
GSM only: Voice, SMS, Data wherever theres a signal. Good battery life. Slow data
3G only: Voice, SMS, fast Data, but nothing at all out of 3G coverage. Higher battery drain
Auto: Switches between the 2 above, but favours 3G where available so again, higher battery drain especially in marginal 3G signals where it will continually switch between protocols, potentially using a lot of battery power.

NeilM said:
No- if you select 3G only you can make/receive calls and exchange fast data- but only if you are in a 3G coverage area. Out of 3G coverage and there's nothing
GSM only: Voice, SMS, Data wherever theres a signal. Good battery life. Slow data
3G only: Voice, SMS, fast Data, but nothing at all out of 3G coverage. Higher battery drain
Auto: Switches between the 2 above, but favours 3G where available so again, higher battery drain especially in marginal 3G signals where it will continually switch between protocols, potentially using a lot of battery power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks for clearing this up. If I want to improve battery life, am I best to have it set to 2G, unless I want to use internet/email, and if I want to do that then swap it to 3G for this (assuming I don't want push mail)?
Also, most of the time I'm hooked up to wifi, so I'm assuming in this case I don't need 3G at all?

snerkler said:
Ok, thanks for clearing this up. If I want to improve battery life, am I best to have it set to 2G, unless I want to use internet/email, and if I want to do that then swap it to 3G for this (assuming I don't want push mail)?
Also, most of the time I'm hooked up to wifi, so I'm assuming in this case I don't need 3G at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even email (polled or push) is fine over 2G unless you are receiving large attachments.
When you are on WiFi, data should take that path so you are correct- 3G won't be needed.

Browsing with a 'G' signal and incoming calls

I read in one of the threads (can't remember where) that someone mentioned you can't receive a call if you are 'ACTIVELY' web browsing over a 'G' signal. I've tested this today and found it to be true as that is the signal I have in this office. If you come out of Opera (with it still in the background) it will connect but when you go back in and open a new link you again will not be able to recieve calls.
Anyone Know the reasons behind this, bit of a pain if you ask me.

its the nature of GPRS i am afraid... its the same on any mobile if you are actively browing using GPRS.
GPRs is only capable of making one connection at a time.
You dont get this issue if you are say browsing with 3G or HSPA.

question
Hi, I have a question regarding this. If you use GPRs and enable push email, automatic frequent weather update, twitter update etc, does that mean you won't have much chance to receive any phone calls/text messages?

luffyp said:
Hi, I have a question regarding this. If you use GPRs and enable push email, automatic frequent weather update, twitter update etc, does that mean you won't have much chance to receive any phone calls/text messages?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
was just thinking about that myself... im not 100% sure as it would depend upon the amount of time your GPRS data connection is active.

As a matter of fact, GPRS as a standard is perfectly capable of handling simultaneous voice and data calls. There are different classes of GPRS devices varying from doing only one thing at a time to simultaneous voice and data. Most phones, including HD2, are, IIRC, Class B devices, meaning that they will pause data transfer during voice calls. Whether this will actually work or not, however, depends on your network - your operator may not provide enough slots for this. If this is the case, you will lose incoming calls occasionally during active data transfer, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from not using data or switching to another provider.

vangrieg said:
As a matter of fact, GPRS as a standard is perfectly capable of handling simultaneous voice and data calls. There are different classes of GPRS devices varying from doing only one thing at a time to simultaneous voice and data. Most phones, including HD2, are, IIRC, Class B devices, meaning that they will pause data transfer during voice calls. Whether this will actually work or not, however, depends on your network - your operator may not provide enough slots for this. If this is the case, you will lose incoming calls occasionally during active data transfer, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from not using data or switching to another provider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, i can confirm that it does not work with o2 tried and tested

With 3G connected and while in a phone call I can't update the weather during the phonecall. Vodafone.

Voice AND data at the same time on the tmobile network?

I got an email while on a call without wifi. I'm in dallas. Anyone else getting data and voice now?

Has been possible since the beginning of time as long as you are on 3G

I concur. ↑
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Really? I've never been able to do that until recently.
Usually when I'd start a call I'd lose the 3G icon and if I received email while in call it wouldn't show up until after I hung up.
Couldn't mess with data without wifi.
Used to do this on my cliq and G1 as well...
Odd.

Also been doing both (on TMob 3G) since February...

Any gsm phone can do that, but it is impossible for cdma

Your phone may have been set to WCDMA only up until now.

chalk that up as a win for GSM and a lose for CDMA

JCopernicus said:
Your phone may have been set to WCDMA only up until now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WCDMA is 3G, it has nothing to do with CDMA

In a weak 3G signal area, the phone usually does a handover and transfers the call to the GSM network when the 3G signal falls under some threshold, and GSM doesn't support simultaneous voice and data (icon disappears while on a call)
maybe you have better 3G coverage now and your nexus doesn't need to go the GSM route

I've noticed problems with using data and voice together too. What seems to happen is that it works ok at first, but the instant you lose 3G it never comes back until the call is over, no matter how good your signal. Very frustrating when trying to use your data while on a long call.

Both AT&T and T-Mobile (as can any GSM carrier worldwide) can do voice and data at the same time as long as your phone has a "3G" connection visible while on the phone call. This has always been possible.
What you may see happen is that if you wrap your hands around the bottom of the phone during a call, the signal may drop to "E" or Edge. You can't use data and voice at the same time if your phone is on Edge.
To alleviate this, use a wired or Bluetooth headset, or hold the phone with your fingers rather than your whole palm.

Paul22000 said:
What you may see happen is that if you wrap your hands around the bottom of the phone during a call, the signal may drop to "E" or Edge. You can't use data and voice at the same time if your phone is on Edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you ever seen my problem where once the signal drops to Edge it will never go back to 3G? It doesn't seem like normal behavior to me but it seems to always happen when I need my data during the call. I've been stuck on multi-hour calls where my phone refused to go back to 3G almost from the beginning, and then the second I hang up the phone goes right back to a 3G signal with full bars again. Very frustrating!

pfmiller said:
I've noticed problems with using data and voice together too. What seems to happen is that it works ok at first, but the instant you lose 3G it never comes back until the call is over, no matter how good your signal. Very frustrating when trying to use your data while on a long call.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the ATT 3G network is not setup to do handoffs from gsm back to 3g. it currently will ONLY handoff from 3G to gsm during a call, and if you are still on your call, it will not switch back until you hang up. in the future this can be enabled both ways. tmobile apparently is setup the same way for now. so you're experience is normal until they reconfigure their network.

Actually it depends on the phone hardware. It IS possible to use GPRS and voice as well if the hardware supports it, its not only something available on 3G/UMTS/WCDMA. There is a pretty even split between class A and class B phones these days, you should look up the specs of the phone you're using.
Nearly all 3G devices allow you to use data and voice together since it isnt timeslot based and so voice and data is logically split and not time divided. This means you dont need specially designed hardware to do it, just the processing power to do it.
Class A
Can be connected to GPRS service and GSM service (voice, SMS), using both at the same time.
Class B
Can be connected to GPRS service and GSM service (voice, SMS), but using only one or the other at a given time. During GSM service (voice call or SMS), GPRS service is suspended, and then resumed automatically after the GSM service (voice call or SMS) has concluded.
Class C
Are connected to either GPRS service or GSM service (voice, SMS). Must be switched manually between one or the other service.

@kam187, thanks for that. I've been with T-Mobile since they were Voicestream, about 10 years now. And I thought I was making voice and data connections with my Nokia phone years ago, before their 3G rollout.
Here is the last phone I used before going the G1 route.
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61-1322.php

Yep E61 is on nokia's list of Class A devices:
http://wiki.forum.nokia.com/index.p...s_supporting_GPRS_Class_A_(Dual_Transfer_Mode)