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.

Switch between GPRS and UMTS network

Hello,
I know the place in the phone options (on the band page) where you can
change the network from GPRS to UMTS (3G).
But is this possible to do programmatically with RIL or TAPI or another API
on the pocket pc device?
Thanks for any suggestions.

I support this request; Many topics on the board cover erratic behaviour with JJ, and ppl return their device to no avail. Swopping to another operator often helps. The issues SEEMS to be a poor UMTS reception with a given SIM or location, and this results in JJ trying to connect to UMTS or even latching on to UMTS but with an abysmal signal. After more than 15mins (annecdotal) of this is fails to ever go back to GSM without a reboot.
Solution is to turn off UMTS, but that's darned inconvenient cos you OFTEN want 3G speed (mail, RSS, google/surf).
Here's a way forwards; can someone tell us what reg entry gets changed when we select GSM vs UMTS? I will then write a couple of .reg files that can be launched from iLauncher (or whatever). Buzz coule probably write a switching app like he did for BT.

i have the same problem
When i use my Universal at home, there is pretty low level of UMTS/WCDMA signal and full level of standard GSM signal. By default Universal changes between those two sources automaticaly. But in my case, the quality of WCDMA signal is often varying just around critical level. So the result is that Universal changes band to GSM and back. And then again. And again. And... Due this, there is sometimes not possible to make data connection, because Uni is so much occupied by changing bands back and forth...
I would like to find a better solution, than select only GSM manually in phone settings. Especially because i have to unselect it manually every time when leaving home :-(
Is there any way to set treshold value (i expect increase it) for automatic switching between WCDMA and GSM?

I still do not know how to switch from UMTS to GPRS and back
with some API function (or AT command) on the device.
If I get these Infos from someone that would be great.
Then I could write a tool that checks the signal quality
and the network status and if UMTS signal is too low
it will activate GPRS.
I think this can be done with RIL API but have not found
any infos.
Houser

Anything new aobut this umts switch problems??
I do have the same problems, often i am unable to make calls, always when umts is on...
would be happy to hear something,
thomas

craigiecraigie4 said:
I support this request; Many topics on the board cover erratic behaviour with JJ, and ppl return their device to no avail. Swopping to another operator often helps. The issues SEEMS to be a poor UMTS reception with a given SIM or location, and this results in JJ trying to connect to UMTS or even latching on to UMTS but with an abysmal signal. After more than 15mins (annecdotal) of this is fails to ever go back to GSM without a reboot.
Solution is to turn off UMTS, but that's darned inconvenient cos you OFTEN want 3G speed (mail, RSS, google/surf).
Here's a way forwards; can someone tell us what reg entry gets changed when we select GSM vs UMTS? I will then write a couple of .reg files that can be launched from iLauncher (or whatever). Buzz coule probably write a switching app like he did for BT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HKLM\SOFTWARE\OEM\UMTS
OPMODE=0/1/2 (AUTO/GSM/UMTS)

Any way to lock onto 3g only and not hsdpa

I was wondering if there is a way to lock onto ONLY umts and not hsdpa? It can sometimes take forever to load web pages because it is constantly searching for hsdpa. I am also wondering if you might be able to get better battery life this way as well?

I don't think battery life is going to be different since it's still technically a 3G connection. But if it is really searching for HSDPA a lot then it -may- make a difference.
Are you on T-Mobile? It seems that I'm on HSDPA at all the times, pretty much.

switching between 3g and HSDPA is not the same as switching between EDGE and 3G
As the poster above says 3G and HSDPA are basically the same technology using the same frequencies so would not make much difference to battery life.
Dont forget that on the stock rom it always displays 3g anyway so you cant see if you are using HSDPA or not.
Also this phenomenon seems to vary as to what network you are on, mine mostly stays on H anyway.
From memory the early 3g handsets that did not support HSDPA topped out at about 300kbps, not sure if that translates to the 3g symbol not the n1 though. not sure if thats what you would want, as its not much faster than EDGE anyway? so you might as well force EDGE only and save battery life

changing bands 3g only
yes this is possible. Go to your phone dialer and enter the following: *#*#4636#*# .you will go to another screen, select phone, scroll down and there is a drop down box that shoud say wcdma preferred. Select wcdma only and that should give you 3g connectivity only. You can change back or select other settings from this screen. You can choose what works best for you in your area. It should slightly improve battery life, since it is no longer looking for other connections. If you have poor 3g service in your area, then you probably do not want to select wcdma only. I hope this helps. I have done this on my rooted n1 and a non rooted n1. As long as you only change this one one setting it shoud not harm your phone.

Gonz7711 said:
yes this is possible. Go to your phone dialer and enter the following: *#*#4636#*# .you will go to another screen, select phone, scroll down and there is a drop down box that shoud say wcdma preferred. Select wcdma only and that should give you 3g connectivity only. You can change back or select other settings from this screen. You can choose what works best for you in your area. It should slightly improve battery life, since it is no longer looking for other connections. If you have poor 3g service in your area, then you probably do not want to select wcdma only. I hope this helps. I have done this on my rooted n1 and a non rooted n1. As long as you only change this one one setting it shoud not harm your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good answer, but totally NOT what the OP was asking. He wants to know if there's a way to lock the phone to UMTS and not HSDPA... the answer to that is NO... because both are 3G, as someone else already alluded to.

2g to 3g power usage

Ive seen some apps that switch from 2g to 3g and vice versa in different situations such as when the phone goes to standby or when certain applications are opened. However on my g1 (i know they are different hardware and os) switching from 2g to 3g and vice Versa used more energy than simply leaving it on one of them. Is this the case on the hd2?

yes it is still the case.
I live on the edge of my 3g area, ranging from 3 bar 2g up to 3 bar 3g, and normally keep my phone on 2g only, but if I forget I lose around an extra 25% battery thought the day, say... 12 hours.

samsamuel said:
yes it is still the case.
I live on the edge of my 3g area, ranging from 3 bar 2g up to 3 bar 3g, and normally keep my phone on 2g only, but if I forget I lose around an extra 25% battery thought the day, say... 12 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, i guess ill just have to stick to 2g.

i live in an area with great t-mobile coverage (both 2g and 3g) and i noticed 3g uses a lot more power than 2g, so what i do is i keep it on 2g most of the time and turn on 3g when i need it the most (gps, quick google searches etc) battery lasts a lot longer than leaving it on 3g all day.

guys.. this pertains to your discussion. there is an app developed called wmlonglife
which keeps your phone in 2g mode until you launch an app that requires 3g then it auto switches it on then off when your done. it does other stuff too like turn off 3g when your screen is off... or turn off 3g when ur using wifi... its perfect. i got at LEAST +25 % longer time between charges on ym HD2 because of this app.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=478519
so there. hope that helps you out some
below is a snippet from that page
Code:
About
WMLongLife is an automatic 2G/3G band-switching solution. It will keep your device in 2G when you do not need to use 3G, and will switch to 3G automatically when you do need it. For most users, having your device in 2G uses much less battery, and thus your phone lasts longer on a single charge. 2G also usually generates less radiation than 3G, so it will likely be better for your gonads (if you have them) as well (see this thread for a discussion about that) - think of your hypothetical future children!
Main features
* 2G/3G (auto)/3G (only) automatic band switching based on:
- Running programs and their needs
- Availability of Wi-Fi
- Availability of USB
- Roaming [note: most roaming options have been removed, use the RoamFreely (marketplace) tool instead]
* Idle data connections disconnect based on running programs (note that unlike the registry tweak this does not break simultaneous voice/data)
* Manual band switching
* Automatically disable data when roaming (including AGPS)
* Pauses applications while switching bands (so you don't get networking errors)
* Several predefined applications supported
* Support for HTC/MSM72xx GSM devices (GSM/EDGE vs UMTS/HSDPA)
* Support for HTC/MSM75xx CDMA devices (1xRTT vs EV-DO)
* Support for various Samsung GSM devices (GSM/EDGE vs UMTS/HSDPA)

[Q] Option to use only 3G NOT HSPDA

HI all!
Right now I am using [Build][10.12.2010][NexusHD2-FRG83D V1.8 PPP+RMNET][Kernel: hastarin r8.5.3_oldcam] and that is quite ok for me.
However I havent found anywhere on that build an option to disable HDSPA speed.
What I would like is accept 3G but disable HSPDA. Now I only have a change to disable 3G totally and only get 2G. Basicly area where I live is keeping me a situation that phone is very often trying to connect HSPDA but then changes is 3G speed. It causes me time&battery drain.
I have found a solution to force phone only use 3G but that is what I wanted. 2G and 3G are ok but I want to disable HSPDA.
Anybody could help me?

Up, Up... anybody have same kind of need?

i also need same help regarding this, reason is my data plan only use 3g (umts) and not 3.5g (hsdpa)... but my android always switch 3g to hsdpa back and forth and drain battery much faster
is there any tweak/program/widget/application that can enable 3g (umts) only?
windows doenst have this problem cause in winmo i can switch the option easily (enable/disable hspa)... but android dont have this kind of thing

I have the same problem. I don't even have HSPDA where I live, yet it tries to connect, fails, and then connects to 3G. It's a very time consuming processor to wait for the phone to do this when I am just trying to load a website.

Yes.. maybe it will not drain much memory but.. who wouldn't want a fast internet..

Afaik Hsdpa uses the same radio towers (or whatever the name is) as Umts... just different software. so there should be no battery drain caused by this.

This mite help you
1. Go to your dialer
2. Dial *#*#INFO#*#*
3. Click 'Phone information'
4. Scroll down to the first dropdown selection and set according to your preference below...
For simplicity, there are two main types of cell carriers, GSM and CDMA.
The following popular data communication technology is associated with each cell carrier type:
GSM = GPRS (2g), EDGE(2g), UMTS(3g), WCDMA(3g), HSDPA(3g) {Cell Carrier examples: AT&T and T-Mobile}
CDMA = CDMA*(2/3g) EV-DO(3g) WiMax(3/4g) {Cell Carrier examples: Verizon and Sprint}
Now that the general stuff is out of the way, here's my take on the Preferred Network types:
WCDMA preferred - The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 3G is favored more.
GSM only - The GSM phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
WCDMA only - The GSM phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
GSM auto (PRL) - The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more. This one is a bit confusing to me since PRL is associated mostly with CDMA technology and not GSM technology.
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.
CDMA only - The CDMA phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
EvDo only - The CDMA phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) - Some phones are equipped with both GSM and CDMA capabilities. This setting appears to just have the phone attempt to stay connected to the data communication type that works the best. (Maybe the Samsung Galaxy S will take advantage of this???)
Unknown - If none of the above fit or the phone is acting weird as far as connecting to the carrier, you will see your preferred network type is set to this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source http://www.google.ie/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=6a327a95211ac789&hl=en

domenukk said:
Afaik Hsdpa uses the same radio towers (or whatever the name is) as Umts... just different software. so there should be no battery drain caused by this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
uhh... maybe you dont catch what us mean....
when umts change to hspda (icon change from 3g to H) then it use battery power.. in my case i use 3g (umts and not 3.5g or hspda )data plan only... but android keep searching hspda signal and THIS is when battery used the most (the process) and EVEN when my area have 3.5g covered but because i use 3g only data plan... then the back and forth process (3g<->H) will kep coming and rdrain my battery fast
so... we look for any kind of workaround so our android keep stay in 3g (umts) and not drain any unnecessary battery power searching for hspda
btw sorry for my english

agarp said:
This mite help you
1. Go to your dialer
2. Dial *#*#INFO#*#*
3. Click 'Phone information'
4. Scroll down to the first dropdown selection and set according to your preference below...
Source http://www.google.ie/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=6a327a95211ac789&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use this thing before and no luck
i use "wcdma only" as the option and android still process 3g and 3.5 back and forth, maybe android "thinks" 3g/umts and 3.5/hspda as the same?? android categorize umts and hspda as one big fat 3G network
i wonder why newer os like android doesnt have this kind of feature in winmo there is an option :
disable hspa = so hspda disabled.. AKA 2G or UMTS only
enable hspa = enabled hspda, hspa, hsupa etc.. AKA 2G, UMTS and HSPDA

try this settings
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.

agarp said:
try this settings
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
isnt cdma auto (prl) used exclusively for cdma phones? (those phones with evdo and wimax thing) and not used for our hd2 (GSM)???

C'mon how this is impossible with newer phone software??
This feature has been in WinMo and Symbian in many years!!
It is really frustrating that almost every time my phone is trying to make HSPDA connect and then decide 3G is enough and possible. It causes some delay and sometimes also timed out errors.

agreed
my android keep going back and forth between umts 3G and hspda 3.5G like some clueless kid while 2 experienced guy (symbian & winmo) laugh at him

i know this is a old topic
i have still this issue
my phone is switching to hsdpa an back to 3g after a few seconds
when the phone is connected to my slow wifi connection everything works fine and i can use it for 3 day's
when it is connected to hsdpa my battery is empty after 15 hours and the voip connection is not working properly (i need to start a ping to some server first to keep the connection alive so i can call with voip)

I just came upon this thread, but I don't have this problem, so I can't really test it out this theory. But my thought was, what if you just went into the build.prop file and edited the ro.ril.hsxpa.category settting from ro.ril.hsxpa.category=2 to ro.ril.hsxpa.category=0. I just tested it out and it never jumped from 3g to H. My only concern is that you wouln't get the fastest speed you could be getting. Test it out and let me know though.

at this moment it is not posible to root my phone (SE Xperia pro with latest firmware)
so i am afraid we need to wait to test this
but thanks for the hint