Database Users

manual network selection still switches to other networks

Hello all,
I've tried searching for this, but didn't find anything about it, so I hope that's not due to me having bad searching skills :?.
I have an MDA Vario from T-mobile (dutch), and am using it without letting the preloaded software run (by softresetting right after initial WM5 setup). It works perfectly fine, but I have one problem with it, being that even though I manually set the phone's network to T-mobile, when I go into Belgium it still switches to another network.
Since I have an unlimited GPRS plan, I just leave msn on all the time, but I don't want it to be causing any GPRS traffic while roaming on another network (which would be expensive), and since internet is the only thing I use the phone for (I have another phone I use for general voice calls), I would like it to just not register to any network at all when it can't find my home network.
Oddly enough, my motorola MPX200 (running windows mobile 2003) seems to be having the exact same problem (which is why I was surprised to not find any topics discussing this before). My colleague who has the same phones (MPX200 and Vario) also has the same issue.
Since I live really close to the border, I have to be very vigilant about this to avoid high roaming costs... If I can't fix this on the phone side, I guess I'll have to ask T-mobile if they can place a roaming bar for me.
Does anyone have any idea how to fix this? Or, in some odd MS logic, is it supposed to behave like that??

Have you tried going to "Phone > Menu > Options > Network >Set Networks" checking only your network, unchecking the rest, and setting "Network Selection" to "Manual" ?

Ahh, actually I hadn't. I tried to go to that screen earlier, but it wouldn't open. I guess I had my eyes in my backpocket since it clearly says to terminate the active connection and try again .
Thanks for the suggestion, I'll see if it helps next time I head into belgium far enough to lose T-mobile coverage .

Good luck !

Well took me til now before I could test it, went into belgium to go to the cinema (saw chronicles of narnia... don't bother unless you enjoy childish disney flicks...) but it still switched over to another network...
Guess I'll just get a roaming bar on it, until I get smart enough to code something up to disconnect GPRS on other networks (pah right ).
Unless anyone else got any ideas?

Hi!
Well, I have the same problem.
I selected "manual network" and erased all preferred networks but my own.
Still t switches to the network with stronger signal.
T-mobile-Germany hotline said that this is the normal (??crazy??) functionality of the phone. Stunned.

Hello!
I have exactly the same problem with my Qtek 9100, I live in France and work in Switzerland. 2 or 3 times a day I have to check if the selected network is still the good one if I don't want to pay the roaming cost.
I've contacted a french developper to see if he is interested in the development of a little software that could help us... I will keep you informed!!!!
Thierry from France.

Mobile Data, not as easy as you'd think.

This is an interesting subject to me as the company I work for is acutally in the business of providing a service just as being discussed.
I'm not going to turn this into an advert, but let me give you a quick overview of our service. We run a fully mananged network which connects to a customers office network and to the 4 major MNO's in the UK (plus a few outside the UK, and were expanding). We have at least two private AP's on each MNO plus terminals can connect via a VPN over the internet. We support a number of terminals (mainly from HTC from the Wallaby to the Prophet, but also some from Panasonic, Symbol and Intermec) that connect VIA GPRS but also through GSM DUN as a fallback.
I've worked on the terminal side for about 7 years, I've been involved in development of most areas of the code at one time or another, but for a long time I was responsible for the module that is responsible for connecting to and maintaining the connection to either the MNO network (our AP's or the Public AP) or our own network (via GSM).
The one thing I've learned while doing this is that you can't rely on the MNO for anything. We've had MNO's disconnect us from AP's without warning, we've had IP connections stop passing data again without warning, we've had AP's reject a connection when out auth server told the AP to accept it.
This being true, if your claiming your software is reliable and expecting someone to bet their business on using it, you'd better make sure that it can handle all these issue. Theres nothing worse than trying to explain to a customer why his message didn't go through when both the back-end office and mobile device claim their connected.
And one last thing, and its a big one, Cost. Its easy to make a system that costs so much to run that its economically unviable. Remember every GPRS byte or GSM second costs money, so polling for messages every few seconds may not be a great idea.

Hurm....
This was supposed to be a reply to this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=43426
I have no idea how it got into its own thread...
Appologies.

That is exactly my point of veiw. Why have to be constantly connected? Its a dirty solution. The only ones who benifit from a middle man are the service providers. Thats why I have put all my effort into using what is reliable. A normal phone call.
I have spent the last 9 months creating something that can reliably transfer data over calls. When I say reliable I mean when data is sent the user will get a confirmation for each packet sent an can be 100% certain it arrived intact when with the confirmation.
Depending on the phone plan it can be cheaper than other means of communication like gprs and mms on phones. When there is no flag fall I can transfer the same data as an mms (on my account anyway) for about half the cost. In free times transmition can be free. What makes the technology usefull is the price. In Australia all forms of data transfer are VERY high, but that is not the case in other countries.

You miss my point somewhat. I don't know about Australia but here in the UK your not actually charged for having a GPRS connection up and running just for the data you transfer over it and so our GPRS connections are up all the time assuming you have coverage. Its how you manage the connection (detecting the IP layer stopping working for example) and the data that flows over it thats important.
When it comes to GSM though your right, there is no way you want to have a permanent connection up, it has to be on-demand based. That in itself leads to problems, the main being that you have to handle charging your customer for the data calls you make to the terminal. Or if you don't connect to the terminal, and it only connects to you, how does the terminal know when messages are waiting.
For us, GSM us a last-ditch solution when GPRS isn't available. However in the UK we've generally found that if you can make a GSM call you can connect to GPRS, and if GPRS is down for some reason, the whole cell is generally not available (so GSM doesn't work either). There are occasions where a hardware failure on a MNO (not at the cell but in the rest of the network) may cause GPRS to stop working but allow GSM to work but situations like that are rare and generally quickly rectified by the MNO.

can I force roaming in my 8525?

ATT 8525. Is there a tweak in which I can force roaming?
Perhaps a registry edit?
There are no software choices as these have been elimibated by ATT/Cingular.
Thanks
Ray

just wondering... why would you want to force roaming?
-Nstefanelli-

Why force roaming?
I'm in an area where I pop in and out of roaming areas. What happens is that I will get what ATT calls "dead spots" where the call is not dropped but sometimes will resume after about a minute or two of silence. Sometimes it will drop. I think that this is ATT's way of tallying minutes. They refuse to call themn dropped calls. When I had Verizon not only did I have perfect reception on the same route (noe I lose the call 3-4 times) but if a call dropped it dropped immediately, not after 2 minutes. In any case, force roaming may get me to drop (or get dead zones) on fewer calls. Also, they don't like roamers, if I eventually want to drop the service they are more likely going to make an exception when I have been freely roaming (which costs them money).
NOW I wonder who can tell me how to do this?

My suggestion would be to not chat constantly while driving.
Also note that roaming will cost you money, not just AT&T. Truth be told, it likely won't cost AT&T anything at all (providers have agreements on this sort of thing) but will certainly end up costing you a lot in roaming charges.
In any case, it seems unlikely to me that you are saying anything important enough to where you need to be use the phone while driving 100% of the time.
If you're looking for other suggestions, try a booster antenna for your car. There's a nice little antenna port on the back of the 8525 just for this purpose.

I don't understand the response?
My question was "How do you force roaming?" What I got was a commentary on when I should use my phone and what it will cost.
Can anyone who is capable please answer the question? I really don't need to be coached on the appropriate time to use the phone.
An answer confined to the parameters of the question would be appreciated.
Thank you
Ray

try changing radio versions
I've had great success with different radio ROMs as far as getting coverage in an area that I previously had none.
I tried the 1.48 radio rom and it made things worse (no coverage inside buildings) but went back to 1.47 and all is golden...
No sure about forcing a roam but this might be better

Doesn't help you much, but the guy talking about roaming charges is off by 100%. I have spent days roaming on other carriers networks where ATT had no service and it didn't cost me a cent. Don't all ATT plans come with no roaming charges these days?

radio ROM?
Batster,
Please forgive my ignorance. Tell me about radio ROM and how to change/obtain it. (I guess I should have searched before replying...perhaps it's on here)
Thanks
Ray

Updating your radio isn't withinin the confines of your question, though.

Perhaps not...but it IS constructive

nitecapt said:
An answer confined to the parameters of the question would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..........

I may be wrong, but I think you can just change the order of preferred providers.
-Nstefanelli-

Nitecap;
Different radio ROMs have different effects on the phone; usually a trade off between reception and battery life; in other words, 1 ROM may get you a stronger signal but shorter battery life, while another may do the opposite. It's all a matter of trial and error--try a few and see which works best for you in that area that you're driving in.
Radio ROMs HERE
Hope this helps.

Nitecap;
Sorry, also wanted to list this thread on Cingular Radio ROM's

check out the Upgrading forums for Radio information... various radio versions seem to do better with different providers and also the area you're in. They also affect battery life to a degree. Since you're AT&T I'd start with 1.48, or 1.40
Also check out MrVanx's guides on how to do upgrades SAFELY!

You are the best!
You guys are great. Thank you for contributing your valuable time to my problem. It is much appreciated.

Cingular network (enforced by the SIM) does not allow manual network selection. When you are actually roaming, as in a foreign country, the manual network search will appear in the phone settings. I feel your pain with this. Also I like flaming people just as much as the next guy but you are right the commentaries on don’t drive and talk or just don’t roam it costs money was uncalled for!

I did find an option in some versions of the "advance settings" (kaiser tweaks) that is titled:
CPHS override (specifies whether the CPHS operator name (the operator name stored in the SIM) overrides all other stored operator names.)
by deafult with my current ROM it was disabled. I enabled it and then disabled it and I tried forcing my phone to connect to AT&T's freqencies instead of T-Mobile's. No luck.
maybe the solution is/can be related to this feature or a combination of this feature and something else?

sync ppc time to cellular network?

Hi,
I have a XV6900 and I do a lot of traveling in different time zones around the US. When I turn on the phone after I landed, I want the phone to indicate the correct local time, no matter what time zone I'm in. Is there a way to have the phone read the correct local time off Verizon's cellular network and display it on the phone? My old phone did this, and I don't understand why the XV6900 can't do this. I tried the time zone tab in Adv Conf Tool, but I can't get the tab to appear. Any ideas? Thanks!

I can't necessarily explain how to fix this, but I do know why this happens. Because smartphones, especially the touch like HTC are also meant to double as PDA it merely syncs the clock to what ever time zone you prescribed. This is especially useful when people turn off the cell phone radio and the PDA portion of the phone still keeps track of time. Whereas mobile phones that sync directly off of service tend to have no recollection of time when there is no service is available, in airplane mode, or in the wrong type of signal area (ex. CDMA phone in the GSM dominated Europe). Because of that imperfection, your phone is programed to keep track of its own time and syced to 1, 2, 3 hours off from the NIST lab in Boulder, CO. Thus, your only built in solution that I'm aware of is to program multible time zones in your phone under "additional clocks" then just switch the clock when you arrive.

Open the phone app. Go to menu/options/services and scroll down to time syncronization. Click get settings and set it to sync with the network. That will do it for you.

What's causing internet connections while roaming?

Hi folks,
Just back from my first holiday in France with my HD2 and, despite setting weather, Facebook, Twitter and email not to automatically download while roaming, something seemed to be establishing a GPRS/EDGE connection occasionally.
Any suggestions on what this could be or how to identify it?
Thanks,
Kris

stocks? weather? time sync?

If you dont want to have any data charges then I strongly recomend NoDatainRoaming by Dynamic+. It automatically switches off data connection (same as modoco no data) when you leave your home area but when you get back to your home area it turns it back on. No more forgeting to turn it off.

irishkris said:
Hi folks,
Just back from my first holiday in France with my HD2 and, despite setting weather, Facebook, Twitter and email not to automatically download while roaming, something seemed to be establishing a GPRS/EDGE connection occasionally.
Any suggestions on what this could be or how to identify it?
Thanks,
Kris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here .
i just returned from the USA .
before i walked on the plane i turned off all data connections .
i turned on my phone to take some pictures with it while in the USA . came home to find out i have about 120$ of fee's .
:/

you guys are lucky
I took a trip up to Gunma prefecture in Japan for new year. I came back to Taiwan and I had 800 us dollars phone charge... I didn't even take pictures with the phone I just brought it with me!

Had a similar issue in Greece. Footprints and google maps both seem to automatically start the data connection when they start. I have a feeling that the compass may do as well. Could be something to do with quick GPS trying to download updates?
I've been using modoco no data to good effect. May give NoDatainRoaming a go if it's automatic

same thing on mu dubai trip.. .These connections turn on automatically .

NoData works for me, just configure before you power down the phone to fly

RSS Reader has no Roaming setting so if you've got it on AUTO, best switch that off.

A quick search would certainly have brought the answer to all of you!
Don't be lazy!
Anyway, here's the solution: Go to "All Settings" --> Connections --> Connections --> Advanced --> Select Networks
There, simply select "My Work Network" everywhere.
With that setting, your phone is only allowed to use WiFi. There's no need for third party tools or anything, it's that simple.

My Location?
I think it is more important to find out what is making data connection and how to disable it, rather than using nodata to suppress everything. What if you really need to use HSPA/GRPS during roaming? You need to know how to enable data connection and do your thing without the HD2 automatically doing a lot of other data traffic in the background.

Alex,
That's exactly my concern - I'd like to be able to use the net knowing the HD2 isn't going to pull down a load of other stuff as well.
The weather tab is set not to connect while roaming, stocks are the same and RSS is configured not to automatically update at all.
The only two other things people mentioned are time sync and my location - how can I tell if those are connecting while roaming.
Kris

does anyone know how my location actually works?... cell broadcasting, gps, or how?... i set up the send no location info in settings and automaticly decline htc location service and the phone still knows were i am....

irishkris said:
The only two other things people mentioned are time sync and my location - how can I tell if those are connecting while roaming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea HD2 is doing timesync, or how I can disable it. As for my location, disable it in the Settings tab.
ccezar2004 said:
does anyone know how my location actually works?... cell broadcasting, gps, or how?... i set up the send no location info in settings and automaticly decline htc location service and the phone still knows were i am....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe phone gets cell tower ID via normal handshake operation. Then it asks Google to translate it to a city name. It is the second part that consumes internet data traffic.
There is yet another possibility of hidden data traffic. I think HD2 has AGPS, but there is not interface to enable/disable it. Similar to My Location, AGPS translates cell tower ID to location, and triangulates to pin point where you are. Much quicker than GPS, but not as precise. If it is so, then it explains why taking pictures leads to data traffic.