weak 3g reception? - myTouch 3G Slide General

especially from a g1 user's perspective, for me it seems the slide has noticably worse 3g reception; anyone else notice the same?

Yes it does, I'm sure t-mobile will send out radio firmware updates as they did for the g1. I know the last one gave me a big boost. For now you can choose for it to use 3g only and you'll see a lot less dropping to edge, I have mine set like this and sometimes have very low signal but haven't found a spot yet where it was completely dead.

Hmm, that's weird. I used to have the G1 and as soon as I clapped my hand due to my phone getting atleast 1bar of 3G signal it would drop to E. Which meant me not clapping anymore. But with this phone I am clapping once again.

turboyo said:
Yes it does, I'm sure t-mobile will send out radio firmware updates as they did for the g1. I know the last one gave me a big boost. For now you can choose for it to use 3g only and you'll see a lot less dropping to edge, I have mine set like this and sometimes have very low signal but haven't found a spot yet where it was completely dead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as I understood the g1 radio update mainly made the phone hold onto a weaker 3g signal longer rather than any substantial improvement in overall reception; where I work I get no signal at all if I lock 3g only whereas with my g1 I had nearly 100% 3g uptime, the g1 might not have been state of the art but it's cell radio sure was pretty impressive compared to every other phone I've owned

i get better reception than what i did with my mytouch 3g and way better uplaod and download speeds to

N1M1TZ said:
Hmm, that's weird. I used to have the G1 and as soon as I clapped my hand due to my phone getting atleast 1bar of 3G signal it would drop to E. Which meant me not clapping anymore. But with this phone I am clapping once again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I second this, my G1 gets crappy 3G reception even on the most recent radio. I'm picking up my MT3GS tomorrow.

My G1 was next to my old Razr in having near perfect signal. My slide drops out of 3G quite often, even at my house sitting right next to my wife with my old G1 that is still on 3G.

I've noticed this. It seems to have horrible horrible 3g reception. I was in a tiny guard shack, maybe 10'x10', walls were thin, and most of the side walls were made of glass patio doors. Inside the shack I would get E all the time, I could literally step 6" outside of the shack, right on the curb, and I'd get 4 bars of 3G.

in my building i get 3g in the elevator, must be practically living right under a tower!!
my AT&T phones used to drop the signal as soon as the elevator doors closed.

Upstate NY here and I'm getting the in/out 3G with Tmo, wish they would get their 3G working right before even trying to consider releasing 4G (as I was told by a rep)

My phone can drop in and out of 3G and 2G. If u put the phone on wcdma only it doesn't happen. Mine will hold 3G all day long without a problem and it downstairs burn as much battery either.
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App

Sorry double post

a few question:
Does anyone know when the radio update will be available?
How does one go about getting the radio update?
Will the radio update work on a rooted phone?
Thanks.

Really??
Are you kidding me??!! I am so surprised (and disappointed) to read this.
First, the Nexus One, then the HD2 (which I owned), and now the MyTouch Slide?? I think I even heard that the Incredible having these issues.
What is it with HTC phones losing reception?
It's one of the reasons (but not the only one) I returned the HD2. I've been strongly considering the MyTouch Slide, but after hearing this, I have to scratch it off the list until/if/when they fix it.
For those who already own this phone, I sincerely hope they fix it for you.

I've noticed weaker 3G speeds also while at work. I've just activated wcdma only it's a lot better now, but I'm at home right now, so I'll post an update tomorrow to see of it is better at work
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

I've noticed it really sucks. I'm sitting in my kitchen right now, where I always had a strong 3G signal on my G1, yet now I don't have one. If Tmobile doesn't fix this soon, I'm considering canceling my contract and going elsewhere.

Ive been having issues for the past 2 months or so (dating back to the G1 btw) where Id be on 3G with full service surfing the internet then everything would stop loading, Id drop down to GPRS and it would stay like that for a few minutes. Then 3G would pick back up again.
Ive been having that issue ever since they started rolling out HSPA+. The TMO reps keep saying that it shouldnt happen, but it is. And not just on my phone. My brothers G1 and now his slide did the same thing and my friends MT3G did it as well.
And this issue isnt in a localized area. Its happening all over VA. Im a roving technician and I get this issue wherever 3G is. If the area only offers Edge, I dont have any issues. When the 3G holds though, its decently quick (check signature).
/rant

Thongvilay said:
Upstate NY here and I'm getting the in/out 3G with Tmo, wish they would get their 3G working right before even trying to consider releasing 4G (as I was told by a rep)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tmobile isn't releasing 4g, is expanding its HSPA+ network, which is technically faster than 4g. Be careful when you ask the reps anything. I have had reps tell me things that I know for a fact weren't true but majority of them don't know any better.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

laphoneuser said:
It's one of the reasons (but not the only one) I returned the HD2. I've been strongly considering the MyTouch Slide, but after hearing this, I have to scratch it off the list until/if/when they fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take what you read here with a grain if salt. Yes some people experience some 3g coverage issues but that doesn't affect everyone and there are a lot of factors to consider. Nonetheless, if you scratch this phone off your list, you'd be missing out on a great device.
Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using XDA App

forgot about this thread... turns out due to some strange coincidence at the time I first bought my slide the cell tower where I worked went on the fritz and the tech people weren't updated on it yet. I have 3g again at work but still notice that I drop to edge a bit more often than with my old g1... and the data works absolutely horridly on edge with latency issues and timeouts that the g1 never did. oh well, still a solid device although I have my upgrade credit saved for whatever emerald/vision/vanguard madness TMO has planned for this fall

Related

Network issues?

Anyone else seeing the slide jumping from E to G to 3G consistently? This may be a local issue (hoping) though, I never had this issue with my Cliq in the same exact areas this is happening (ie; home, work etc)
Nothing debilitating, just weird seeing it jump around so often.
none of that on the 3g slide. 3g holds pretty damn strong here in hawaii.
Mine did, my solution: download anycut from the market, make new short cut activity phone info.. in there switch from wcdma prefered to wcdma only (or gsm only if you want edge instead of 3g) in there you can also turn off your radio there
ah hah! Awesome, thank you
So far so good here in Antioch, California. 3g is stable compared to other phone.
I too have actually seen this happen. All over the place from GPRS to EDGE to 3G then back to GPRS. I haven't seen it get fixed yet from my reboot. I also noticed it gets a little worse reception then I did one my G1.
hobbiteer said:
I too have actually seen this happen. All over the place from GPRS to EDGE to 3G then back to GPRS. I haven't seen it get fixed yet from my reboot. I also noticed it gets a little worse reception then I did one my G1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
May it is the place you live in and does not have good 3G coverage
vikramdhani said:
May it is the place you live in and does not have good 3G coverage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I won't deny that possibility. I live in NJ... it's not the best coverage to start. But my G1 was doing well enough. Still, I'm sure I could do with better coverage for the WCDMA/UMTS
hobbiteer said:
I won't deny that possibility. I live in NJ... it's not the best coverage to start. But my G1 was doing well enough. Still, I'm sure I could do with better coverage for the WCDMA/UMTS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G1 had a great radio. My Nexus One and my new MT3G Slide seem to be a notch below the G1 in terms of pulling in a weak signal. In my office in Cherry Hill, both phones will bounce from 3G to EDGE to "no signal", where the G1 always consistently held a 3G signal.

Sprint's 4g connection not stable...

Im in the northern chicago area and I'm able to connect to 4g but the connection is slow and unstable...(even with 4 bars). Ive extended the idle time using ##data# but still I have the same issues??? Anybody with a solid connection care to share their ##data# settings? Im thinking the issue might in the settings......
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I'm in Seattle and see similar 4G behavior. Usually 2 bars or so and not great performance (marginally better than 3G). I'd be interested to see if this can be improved by tweaking the settings also.
the 4G antenna in the EVO is half the size of the USB one, I don't even get signal at my house on my EVO, yet I get 1.5MBs on my USB stick. Size matters.
Idk about 4G but i just moved into a new house and i have TERRRIBLE reception no matter where i am. If im not outside, it sucks. Its funny though, as soon as i step out the door, 5-6 bars. Im keeping the phone in hopes that as soon as they get 4G around here (Elmont, NY... Long Island), things will change. =\
sprints 4g is in a horrible part of the spectrum. it's frequency is too high to pass through anything
This thread does not belong here. Take this drivel to the appropriate subforum.
unless you are a running a stock rom with the latest updates, i don't think you can make any of these complaints that you all are unless 4g isn't fully up and running in your city. My girlfriend just got the white evo and we installed the latest updates and she gets a very good 4g signal, i have the black evo running fresh 0.5.3 and i get a pretty good signal myself. Not to mention we live in mpls and 4g isn't even officially here yet. A lot of these problems people are having are user errors, flashing things with no knowledge of what they are doing. I would say go back to stock do to ota update with the new radio and wimax enhancements then tell me what type of 4g coverage you are getting. otherwise you are just trusting the chef that everything is set up right which i would take with a grain of salt because non of them seem to understand exactly how the wimax radio works as of yet. Proof of this is all the problems people are having after trying numerous roms
BB15 said:
I'm in Seattle and see similar 4G behavior. Usually 2 bars or so and not great performance (marginally better than 3G). I'd be interested to see if this can be improved by tweaking the settings also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not very encouraging, I am very disappointed by Sprint's 3g speeds. I have yet to see over 1mbs, and over the 4th of July weekended saw .2-.7 mbs. Yes, .2 as in 192kbs. This was in Miami.
vespoli said:
This thread does not belong here. Take this drivel to the appropriate subforum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started this thread with the intentions of looking into the settings of the wimax ##data# menu....not too rant about the service. I believe with the good signal I'm getting and the fact that I do connect shows that there's an issue with either the roms were flashing or the setting mentioned above. Anybody care to post their settings?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Changing the wimax idle sleep time from 10 secs to 300 secs could help. My 4G stays on pretty much constantly now instead of switching back and forth between 4G and 3G. You would need your MSL to edit the settings though.
I have similar issues in the chicago land area as well. Very frustrating. I am using a stock rooted rom, but I am using an older OTA update. When I'm outside I always have a strong 4G signal. However, as soon as I go in doors I either loose the signal or have a very weak one. Before you say anything about updating, my GF's EVO is completely stock with the newest OTA update and her 4G behaves very similarly. I actually pick up a better signal at times. It just sucks because if the signal was just a LITTLE bit stronger I would be really happy.
Thats just due to the spectrum used for wimax is at such a high frequency that it does not penetrate walls very well. I'm not sure how sprint will try to remedy this problem, I'm not sure but I get strong signals at my work office and thats inside a building. At home I can get 4G if I am outside once inside I cant seem to get it at all.
What's "##data#" ? I would search it but haven't quite figured it out yet on the app. Google didn't help either (surprisingly).
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
jrpointer said:
Im in the northern chicago area and I'm able to connect to 4g but the connection is slow and unstable...(even with 4 bars). Ive extended the idle time using ##data# but still I have the same issues??? Anybody with a solid connection care to share their ##data# settings? Im thinking the issue might in the settings......
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jr - I am in Gold Coast and recently noticed the 4G signal was junk. It used ot be great inside my 13th floor apartment. I went to the sprint store and they said one of the towers was being serviced (they called a tech. and he said this while I was there). They said end of this week it would be fixed. I was going to give them another week or so and see what the deal is then.
IMO it kind of defeats the purpose of having 4G then. 90% of the time that I want to surf the internet or use 4G I'm indoors, and I would imagine that goes for pretty much everybody. I know this isn't a problem for everybody so it seems, but I think for a lot of people it is.
interesting you say 4 bars of 4g. when i look at my phone i can get up to 6 vertical bars for 3g's signal strength, but with 4g on, and outside i can get 3 "bars" more like "upper wifi arcs" above the 4g signal. and inside my 4g doesn't even register anything, it just shows 4g with no arcs...
however my technique is to put the phone right next to the window and run my micro usb cable from there to my computer. and i then get great data connection...
still experimenting, (had the phone for less than a week) but i think it might work better to go to menu/settings/wirless&networks/ and uncheck mobile network so the phone doesn't use the 3g for data connection when 4g isn't there...
thus if the 4g signal is low, it doesn't drop it to grab the higher signal 3g...
lastly. i'm heading to the store to try to pick up a 2 buck plastic soap dish with a suction cup for the "high tech holding station" on my window. that and a 10 foot micro usb cable i think that will help even more...
best of luck.
I have figured out where in my neighborhood I can get a 4G signal (and I too keep my phone near the window when I want to use it at home). However since the OTA, I noticed that if my 4G signal drops it won't come back unless I toggle the 4G radio. It will just sit in "scanning" and use 3G.
Anyone else noticing this problem?
I would assume that one of the settings/timers need to be tweaked, but I have no idea what my those values were before the OTA.
oreoOozZz said:
Idk about 4G but i just moved into a new house and i have TERRRIBLE reception no matter where i am. If im not outside, it sucks. Its funny though, as soon as i step out the door, 5-6 bars. Im keeping the phone in hopes that as soon as they get 4G around here (Elmont, NY... Long Island), things will change. =\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4G has nothing to do with 3G. Clearwire maintains the 4G network and Ericsson maintains the 3G/1X network do if your 3G is bad now, it won't be any different when 4G launches unless Ericsson improves the situation.
If I'd got this device predominantly for 4G...Id've returned it in day one...(IN Chicago also). In fact wouldn't have bought it going in knowing what I knew about the spottiness of tapping into 4G frequency wirelessly.
that makes absolutely no sense.
per your words, 4G has nothing to do with 3G as in Clearwire has nothing to do with Ericsson so what would it matter if Ericsson decided to step its game up if Clearwire is the 4G company?
4G is on a whole different frequency not to mention a whole different tower technology and tower location possibly so there's definetly a good chance that I can maintain a great 4G signal once it arrives in my area compared to the terrible 3G coverage I get.
well see what happens... my luck they will never put 4G by me lol.

Getting fed up..

Not so much of a Samsung vibrant issue, I don't think at least, but hear me out.
Been with Tmobile for 6 years now. Always had a crappy flip phone, up until my touch 3g came out. I knew that back then Tmobile 3g coverage and speeds were lacking to say the least, they joined the game too late. Anyways, few months after that, things began getting way better. Speeds doubling, coverage getting better, I began to like it. Then, got me a nexus one, and I loved how much better Tmobile has got. I was getting amazing speeds with great coverage, 3g everywhere I went... here in Aurora, Tmobile is testing faster that other carriers via 3g, beats sprint by a long shot.
But lately... I am just wanting to sell my phone and switch carriers. My vibrant gets great speeds at home still, sometimes in the 599kbps range though, but usually over 1.2mbps. But, it constantly switches to edge, causing my data to be useless. Pages would halt, won't even load a thing until 3g is back. Coverage has gotten way worse too, half the places I go, 3g just always times out... at my girlfriends place, it literally switches to edge 1 minute after you begin using it, same with her my touch slide.
So, is there anything I could do? I understand that all this can be a result of a higher network load and towers in my area not being able.to handle it, but I really do love my phone, and Tmobile plans, anything?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Probably not what you want to hear, but I get crap 3G if at all in my apartment, and sometimes even drop EDGE, so I just always use wi-fi at home. Tmo's 3g is decent but not amazing in my neighborhood, but I think it's the construction of the building that kills it when I'm at home. Other than that, I don't know of anything you can do.
Vibrant just can't hold onto a 3G signal.
You know, I been saying this from day one, but everyone is so consumed over the GPS issue.
I have several T-mobile smartphones. They all get 3G in my home, except the vibrant is always on edge.
Simply put, it's the phone, not T-mobile. Vibrant can not hold onto a 3G signal, instead it drops down to Edge when the signal is not strong enough for 3G. Other phones will hold onto 3G.
I've switched to a new sim card, so thats not the issue either. It's the phone.
Hopefully They fix this issue also when they roll out the GPS fix.
Yes, it's the Vibrant.
3G stayed locked on my HD2, unless the signal really was low. The Vibrant switches to Edge, even with 4 bars of 3G.
This needs to be addressed ASAP.
aiwapro said:
Yes, it's the Vibrant.
3G stayed locked on my HD2, unless the signal really was low. The Vibrant switches to Edge, even with 4 bars of 3G.
This needs to be addressed ASAP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine don't. It'll hold on 3g with no bars , my phone hates edge...
smashpunks said:
Mine don't. It'll hold on 3g with no bars , my phone hates edge...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've seen that too on my phone. I have seen the phone go to Edge when it had 4 bars of 3G, and then I have seen it stay on 2 bars of 3G. Strange, it seems like the network would be the cause, but it is definitely the phone, because again, my HD2 did not perform this way.
SamsungGalaxySVibrant said:
You know, I been saying this from day one, but everyone is so consumed over the GPS issue.
I have several T-mobile smartphones. They all get 3G in my home, except the vibrant is always on edge.
Simply put, it's the phone, not T-mobile. Vibrant can not hold onto a 3G signal, instead it drops down to Edge when the signal is not strong enough for 3G. Other phones will hold onto 3G.
I've switched to a new sim card, so thats not the issue either. It's the phone.
Hopefully They fix this issue also when they roll out the GPS fix.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, I thought that it could he the phone, but Then my girlfriend got my touch slide just few days after I sold my nexus one, and she has been having identical issues as I. I figured that since her slide is the same way, it couldn't have been the phone. You're right though it seems, my nexus one has always been solid, it just started happening when I got my vibrant. I just figured that maybe with Tmobile finally getting a nice smart phone and getting busier it was the carrier, not the phone. It is kind of annoying, at my house, it always cycles between no bars and 4 bars, with no bars, my 3g speeds are high too, 1.5mbps down and 500-700up
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
My MT3G gets the same coverage at my apartment and my wifes MT3G gets the same coverage on the road as my Vibrant. Does that mean it's not the carrier, or the phone but it's Android?
If you don't like it return it, get a different carrier, and more than likely your problems will be solved.
Its T-Mobile. My g1 had the same issues. Switching between e and 3g, and lately I've just been staying on e because it saves the battery. T-Mobile has a **** network and I live in southern California, so its not like I'm in some podunk town. Web pages shouldn't be not loading and just hanging forever. Apps shouldn't just get stuck on refreshing. Like I said this happened all the time on my g1. Their network blows.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
I'm pretty sure it's the phone
I magically drift from 5 bars 3g in my house to like 1-2 bars edge just letting it sit on my desk
I don't think it's T-Mo, I live very near a tower and the wife's phone has no issue with it
If you're having problems with data sessions hanging for too long because the phone is cycling back and forth between 3G and EDGE you should lock the phone on 3G.
I have barely noticed any difference with my CLIQ and Vibrant. The only problem I do notice is when I'm at the edge of the 3G network and the phone wants to hold onto the weak, 2 mile away 3G signal when there is an EDGE tower within 1 mile away. My CLIQ simply switched to EDGE until 3G was deemed good enough.
You can solve this by either locking on 3G (not recommended if 3G is extremely poor) or locking it on EDGE if you're in a bad area for 3G.
Also I don't trust the speedtest.net app on the Vibrant. There is a serious problem with it, it's very inconsistent and inaccurate some of the time. Samsung will be pushing out the GPS fix bundled with other fixes and that could include a connectivity enhancement. One problem I know of for sure is that this phone reads WAY too low for it's received signal strength and it could be performing as such for others (underestimating 3G network coverage and switching to EDGE to maintain a signal)
It is the phone in as much as the Vibrant is just more accurately and quickly detecting the changes in signal strength. All phones experience this but many manufactures calibrate things differently so that users perceive a better signal when in fact the signal strength deviates greatly on all phones from all carriers.
There are many variables that effect signal strength including things around your home that can interfere. There are many things i like about T-Mobile and many i do not but right now and for a while they do have the fastest network. They do not have the best coverage in the most areas that title goes to verizon.
See if you have a friend on another network who can come to your place and you can compare actual call quality and data speeds. I suspect they will all work about the same.
Weird, I've been having the exact opposite situation, LOVE my N1 but it would drop to G in one spot on my way to work and not reconnect to 3G unless taken to Airplane mode or restarted, I would also completely loose all signal in some stores in town. So far the Vibrant hasn't done that and I've even managed to have a signal in places I didn't before
z0phi3l said:
Weird, I've been having the exact opposite situation, LOVE my N1 but it would drop to G in one spot on my way to work and not reconnect to 3G unless taken to Airplane mode or restarted, I would also completely loose all signal in some stores in town. So far the Vibrant hasn't done that and I've even managed to have a signal in places I didn't before
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the same as me. My n1 next to my vibrant the v will be on 3g and the n1 on edge. N1 had this switching to edge issue so funny people with the n1 aren't mentioning it... nexus one 3g issie
I have an N1 that usually shows 1 or 2 more bars of 3G than the Vibrant does in the same locations. However my Vibrant seems to hang on to 3G with more tenacity than the N1. Also the N1 shows more bars of E as a general rule then the Vibrant does, but as mentioned the N1 shifts to E much more frequently. I suspect that it is the phone and not the carrier.
z0phi3l said:
Weird, I've been having the exact opposite situation, LOVE my N1 but it would drop to G in one spot on my way to work and not reconnect to 3G unless taken to Airplane mode or restarted, I would also completely loose all signal in some stores in town. So far the Vibrant hasn't done that and I've even managed to have a signal in places I didn't before
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
N1 was way worse than vibrant to me for several reasons. Just like mt3g, it would constantly fail to send texts, so I'd either have to wait 5 minutes and try again, or restart. Overall, 3g is a little more concistent on the vibrant, just switching to edge a lot. On N1 I literally would get an up arrow on 3g icon stuck and data would be stuck as well, I would reboot it 2-3 times per my 3 hours of streaming Pandora...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

MT4G Reception...

Well i took the plunge and switched from ATT to tmobile for the MT4G...what i noticed is that the reception is really spotty here in LAs Vegas. It is mostly on E, and doesnt hold H that well...is this how Tmobile is? With my ATT N1 i had way better reception...did i make a mistake when i switched???
I'm in NYC and coming from a G2 where the phone would ALWAYS switch between H and E (very annoying), the MT4G is quite nice sitting on H. Now, there is an option where you can force HSPA, so you may want to try it by doing:
Settings > Wireless & Networks > Mobile Networks > Network Mode > WCDMA Only
That will not allow the phone to go to Edge at all. This obviously can be bad if TMo doesn't have good coverage in your area, so check their coverage viewer.
TMo pushed out an update to fix the G2 dropping data connection today. Heh!
RiNo808 said:
Well i took the plunge and switched from ATT to tmobile for the MT4G...what i noticed is that the reception is really spotty here in LAs Vegas. It is mostly on E, and doesnt hold H that well...is this how Tmobile is? With my ATT N1 i had way better reception...did i make a mistake when i switched???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wondering if you've had any more thoughts on this given a few more days with the phone... I also switched from ATT and experienced spotty coverage in the Kansas City area on the first day with the new phone (e.g., fluctuating between 2 bars on E to a total lack of a connection while sitting in one place where ATT would have never given me a problem).
my internet is really slow out here in cali. i get at the most 500kbps i cant even come close to 1mb per second and my "h" shows all the time even though i am not near 4g at all lol. but idk if it needs an update or not but my htc hd2 always said 3g and my internet was never slow like it is on the mytouch 4g. so im not sure if it needs an update or not but i still love my phone and im not gonna complain to much since this phone blows my hd2 out the water. it was nice selling my hd2 so it could pay for my mytouch 4g lol
I am having no issues staying on HSPA+ I am also in Las Vegas (Herderson Acutally, but close enough). I do notice in my house though I switch to Edge. No worries though cause inside there is WiFi
well, i have been using the phone for a few days now and it is an awesome phone, but T-mobiles reception is just killing me. Compaired next to my N1 on ATT, thats another story. ATT has better reception on my N1 then on MT4 on tmobile. i can only wait for tmobile to update their reception.
Its a double edged sword.
with Tmobile you have a great phone with an okay reception, and a phone that is not locked down...
with ATT you have crappy phones with better reception, but phones are locked down. And to get a better phone you have to wait and pry that there is an unlocked vanilly phone that has the ATT frequencies...
Where are you located?
The myTouch 4G doesn't have good reception. It drops over to EDGE next to my Vibrant on 3G, same for the G2. But T-Mobile's 3G network isn't fully developed in Las Vegas yet and that's part of the reason. Certain towers don't have 3G yet, apparently it's on track to fixed soon. AT&T's network quality is truly garbage here. You can have all of the bars in the world but the worst call quality out of all the carriers. This isn't universal as there are hotspots where this problem is exacerbated (ie the Strip) Latency over 3G is pretty bad too.
I'm noticing that my MT4G has really horrible reception here at home. I have it side by side with my G1 and the G1 has full bars Edge and the MT4G has nothing! Sometimes it'll go to 1 Edge bar, but that's it.
Now I know location-wise the house is bad and can only pick up Edge, but I would expect the MT4G to at least display the same amount of bars as the G1.
I'm glad I have wifi-calling capability on this thing, otherwise I would have a nice phone that can't make calls!
Man, bummer for you guys. I've had my mt4g here in New Orleans and all over NYC since it came out and reception and speeds have absolutely blown away my old iPhone 3gs on ATT in both areas.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
werk said:
Man, bummer for you guys. I've had my mt4g here in New Orleans and all over NYC since it came out and reception and speeds have absolutely blown away my old iPhone 3gs on ATT in both areas.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That speaks more of the T-Mobile network than anything else. The MT4G next to my Vibrant was dropping 3G. Happened often in the same place with the G2..
RiNo808 said:
Well i took the plunge and switched from ATT to tmobile for the MT4G...what i noticed is that the reception is really spotty here in LAs Vegas. It is mostly on E, and doesnt hold H that well...is this how Tmobile is? With my ATT N1 i had way better reception...did i make a mistake when i switched???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was also having problems. I went and got a 3G sim card and that fixed allot of problems I was having with reception. Not sure if it will work for you but worth a chance if you dont already have a 3G sim.
Chop.
you're holding it wrong
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
Please post questions in Q&A section.

[Q] The moment I get to my door... NO SIGNAL

So I got the Nexus S yesterday and LOVE everything about it.
I'm unable to get any acceptable reception inside my apartment (on the lowest level of a three story complex thats surrounded by other apartments).
I live in Hermosa Beach, CA and TMO says I have good coverage here... and they're right... because once i walk outside I'm blazing... like literally once I'm outside my door... what gives??? How can I go from 3G 4 bars lit up in green to that stupid EDGE with one bar... lucky to be green... or no reception at all.
Will I be stuck with not being able to use my phone inside my apartment? I called TMO and they are sending someone out here to check the reception I guess... but I'm stuck using WiFi inside my apartment without being able to use the phone.
Anyone else experience similar issues like that? My sprint phone never did this.
look into getting a signal repeater or something
T-Mobile definitely has issues penetrating buildings, in my opinion. Both my home and one of the two work-sites I frequent are almost dead-zones on T-Mo.
I purchased one of those zBoost cell repeaters for my home, which greatly improves reception, but you need to be able to run a cable to an outside antenna for best results.
Here's an Amazon link for a starting point to different models: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=mobile&field-keywords=zboost+tmobile&x=0&y=0
That said, it's ridiculous to have to pay $250 to get your cell signal. I only did it because the one I got does both AT&T and T-Mo frequencies (not T-Mo 3G, though) and my AT&T phones can get signal inside the house, but just barely.
I too have issues in buildings not necessarily my house but businesses
This is a T-Mobile issue. Not a nexus issue. Also is not a new issue.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
cpcrazyfly said:
This is a T-Mobile issue. Not a nexus issue. Also is not a new issue.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically correct, but if the Nexus S is your first T-Mobile phone, you might not know this. It would be easy to think the NS has a poor antenna. It's a valid question to ask, in my opinion.
redhatyellow said:
So I got the Nexus S yesterday and LOVE everything about it.
I'm unable to get any acceptable reception inside my apartment (on the lowest level of a three story complex thats surrounded by other apartments).
I live in Hermosa Beach, CA and TMO says I have good coverage here... and they're right... because once i walk outside I'm blazing... like literally once I'm outside my door... what gives??? How can I go from 3G 4 bars lit up in green to that stupid EDGE with one bar... lucky to be green... or no reception at all.
Will I be stuck with not being able to use my phone inside my apartment? I called TMO and they are sending someone out here to check the reception I guess... but I'm stuck using WiFi inside my apartment without being able to use the phone.
Anyone else experience similar issues like that? My sprint phone never did this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just a fundamental issue with the frequencies t-mobile uses for their 3g network, 1700 and 2100mHz. Those have poor building penetration vs for example lower bands like the 850mHz on ATT which penetrates buildings much stronger. It requires them to build towers closer together but that isn't always possible, its hard enough to get towers up as it is.
This is one reason I've tried to stay on ATT 3g as their 3g band performs much better in these situations, when its available.
distortedloop said:
T-Mobile definitely has issues penetrating buildings, in my opinion. Both my home and one of the two work-sites I frequent are almost dead-zones on T-Mo.
I purchased one of those zBoost cell repeaters for my home, which greatly improves reception, but you need to be able to run a cable to an outside antenna for best results.
Here's an Amazon link for a starting point to different models:
That said, it's ridiculous to have to pay $250 to get your cell signal. I only did it because the one I got does both AT&T and T-Mo frequencies (not T-Mo 3G, though) and my AT&T phones can get signal inside the house, but just barely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think TMO will provide this for me? Have people got TMO to do this before?
And yeah, I know this isn't a NS issue... I LOVE THE NS -- MY FAV PHONE OF ALL TIME!!, but i am new to TMO and love them as well EXCEPT for inside my house !!
Has anyone ever got TMO to provide better reception inside their home?? You would think they would provide people with like wireless routers for their homes!
I had the G1, Nexus One, G2, and MT4G before the Nexus S and have to say that the Nexus S gets hands down the best reception in my apartment.
The G1 was worthless, the N1, G2, and MT4G were pretty much on par but only got reception in certain parts of the apartment which means I couldn't move very much when on the phone (unless when on wifi calling of course).
The Nexus S has reception everywhere in my apartment with superior call quality throughout. Very impressed with it so far. T-mobile still sucks inside buildings but you're better off with the Nexus S than other T-mobile devices.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
find another place lol
why you are living deep down under. afraid of nuke or something ?
Also, I live in Los Angeles and we've been having lots of rain here... will that affect reception at all?
And what about femtocell technology? Does TMO use it??
redhatyellow said:
Also, I live in Los Angeles and we've been having lots of rain here... will that affect reception at all?
And what about femtocell technology? Does TMO use it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im about an hour away from you and the rain is horrible but i havent had any issues...
and I dont think they do
LOL! I cannot stop laughing reading this comment
ll_l_x_l_ll said:
find another place lol
why you are living deep down under. afraid of nuke or something ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rain seems to be affecting my T mobile service, I'm in the valley and areas I normally get 3g on have been edge or no service since the rain storms began.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Hopefully someone will port the tmobile wifi app to the nexus s. I may return mine and wait for it because I don't want to keep switching phones at home because one has the ability for wifi calling and the other doesnt.
Also I have tried sip calling to no avail on both nexuses.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Rain is known to sometimes cause interference with reception; I notice this as well in NYC. I have noticed that the Nexus S is pretty good at keeping the signal alive, certainly better than my N1 or Vibrant.
To improve your reception, set the phone to airplane mode and then turn it off a few seconds later to get the closest towers. Also call 611 and ask them to reset your phone on the network from their end. Surprisingly, this sometimes does help. As someone said previously, the higher the band (2100 mhz for Tmo 3G), the worse penetration is unfortunately. I think Tmo stopped selling their repeaters earlier this year or last year (hotspot @ home).
I tweeted on Sunday my dissatisfaction with T-Mobile service. I was 75' outside one of their own stores in an area marked as 3G on their maps, couldn't get data at all inside another store, couldn't get better than EDGE outside in the parking lot.
Their reply was to try a new SIM. The SIM I have is from my N1 original, it's not even a year old. Anyone think it's worth the effort swapping? Do SIMS actually "wear out" that fast?
I suspect that's one of those "we don't really have an answer or fix, but give the customer something to try so we look proactive" kind of answers. LOL
have you tried setting up SIP + GVoice over Wifi?
This doesn't resolve the tmobile issue, but at least you can make and receive calls on wifi without eating up your minutes...
It's not ideal, but it works.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=877879
My friend had this problem with his ATT phones. He contacted them, *****ed, and they set up one of those repeaters in his apartment. He's the only one that could log into it and set up a filter to use only phones he registers. Maybe you can talk to Tmobile about this, though I'm not sure if they're eager to give everyone these things (or if Tmobile even gives them).

Categories

Resources