How do I get at&t to fix their tower? - Networking

When I first joined At&t I was pleasantly surprised at data speeds I got at my office and home. 120 - 200 KBps at work and 300 - 500 KBps at home.
However beginning in February network speeds have dropped to just 2 - 8 KBps at my office. Network speeds remain unchanged at home.
I have called At&t on numerous occasions requesting that they repair the local tower to no avail.
It will be one month since the tower stopped working on March 7th.
I am at the beginning of a 2 yr contract. What are my options.
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Are there any coworkers/colleagues with the sake problem, or just you? Because you can't do much on your own, but when there are others with the same problem you can call at&t again.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

My co-worker has an iPhone 4 with at&t and when I asked her to run speedtest.net she got the same results. But she doesn't use her phone for data so she isn't really affected.

keep calling!!!

keep on it then they will get it done

Well I suspect that at&t will never fix the tower. Regardless they have until 3/10/11 or i'll be leaving.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Climb the tower yourself. Fixit!

androidcues said:
Climb the tower yourself. Fixit!
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Very funny. I probably would if I could.
I decided to run speedtest while taking a walk near my job and I have discovered that the data dead zone covers most of little Italy in the Bronx.
Oh and i'll be joining you at Tmobile .
I don't like what I have been hearing about Verizons plans to arbitrarily throttle data speeds over it LTE network.

AT&T
I've yet to find a way to inspire AT&T to fix small problems. Good luck with a tower.

actually there is something you can do yourself. im actually an AT&T employee, i work in a rural area, so we get many complaints about signal strength, if you actually call the big office, and tell them your situation, they will send you a "micro cell". what that is, is basically a cellphone amplifier for your house, it will boost signal strength. were currently the only US company to offer this. i hope this helps
edit
feel free to check out more info here
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/

soraxd said:
actually there is something you can do yourself. im actually an AT&T employee, i work in a rural area, so we get many complaints about signal strength, if you actually call the big office, and tell them your situation, they will send you a "micro cell". what that is, is basically a cellphone amplifier for your house, it will boost signal strength. were currently the only US company to offer this. i hope this helps
edit
feel free to check out more info here
http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/
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Yea, that's cool, but what I suspect is happening in this guy's case is over-saturation of the AT&T network which is a common problem. I was with AT&T from like 1994 until 20010 when I finally ditched them for Verizon. (Funny how I as soon as I switched, 3G was turned on in my area) Where I live, I'm in a rural area and with 3G speeds under AT&T during off peak hours, I can see speeds up to 3Mbps and higher, but during the day you can just forget getting anything done. If I go into town, I'm hosed constantly.
I have family that works for AT&T as well as myself doing some consulting work for them, and their business plan in my area just sucks.

It appears that at&t has instituted a partial fix network speeds have increased from only 2 - 8 KB/s to 30 - 45 KB/s.
Which suggest that they have restored 3g but have yet to restore 4g.
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At&t let me walk from my contract by providing non existent service..There response where that they were installing new towers very close to my house and they wouldn't be functional for 9 months..

Nine months to install a tower??? What is at&t smoking?
I was on vacation a few years ago and I watched Sprint install a new tower in 3 days and initialize it a week later.
I would have stayed with Sprintpcs but there service is very weak where I work.
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speedy1979 said:
My co-worker has an iPhone 4 with at&t and when I asked her to run speedtest.net she got the same results. But she doesn't use her phone for data so she isn't really affected.
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more of this. iphones take screen shots when the power and home buttons are pressed at the same time. have a number of these people send you the screen shots and then send them all to at&t. its really the only way to do it. do it relentlessly. do not stop emailing them until they respond with a real answer and not an automated answer.
ps- i know you said it doesnt really effect her because she doesnt really use her phone for data. keep in mind that it doesnt really matter, and you can still use her screenshot as evidence that you are not receiving the full service you pay for every month.

Thanks for all your replies. The tower has apparently been fixed or a new one added. Network speeds have actually increased to 220 - 300 KB/s.
So i guess switching to tmobile wont be necessary after all.
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disreguard this , i didnt see the last post (xda should allow users to delete their posts within 5-10minutes imo)

speedy1979 said:
It appears that at&t has instituted a partial fix network speeds have increased from only 2 - 8 KB/s to 30 - 45 KB/s.
Which suggest that they have restored 3g but have yet to restore 4g.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
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4g is fast. thanks

Related

It pays to complain about poor 3g data speeds.

Been having horrable data speeds on 3g the past 3-4 months. And ive been calling and complaining everytime i have problems and making note of when i called sprint and what was done to the account. I have tried everything they asked including going to the store and getting a refurbed evo. But at the store when i got the refub i dled speedtest and got the same results...so i told them to keep it and give me my original phone back.
Point of this post is to DEFINATLY call and complain...dont let it go and look it over. Take notes on what they said and did to your account and spit it back at them the next time you call. They wanna charge me an etf for something that is not my fault since i want to cancel. I wont accept that...this is there problem...i shouldnt pay for full service if i aint getting it or be punished for cancelling when it is a problem on there end. Here is notes from todays convo with them as an example for others that should do the same. It may be the only way for them to fix there service or the only way they look at you and be like...hes to much of a pain in the ass to keep him so let him go. I will continue to call and complain until it is hopefully fixed or worst case they cancell my contract...todays notes.
Feb 15 spoke to 3 sprint reps and 1 supervisor in the cancellation dept..had my bill adusted to 101.09 dollars for poor service the past 3-4 months. So far total credits issued for poor data the past 4 months is $16 for invisable screen protecter..$20 for data booster at home...$30 for a credit issued for january for poor data speeds and $36 today for february's bill of poor data speeds. Total of $102.00
I've also noticed slower speeds for some time now, along with my home comcast internet. too many people online these days? (my internet used to be blaazzzing fast for 9 years!)
This has happened to me since November. I got my evo on launch day, and was getting great speeds, about 1500kbps down consistently. One day in November, my 3g crapped out. Since then, sprint has given me 6 phones, 3 refurbs and 3 brand new ones. All have the same problem. This leads me to believe its a network problem, I mean how could 7 phones have the same exact problem. But, my friend has an evo, and side by side his is normal, while I get less than 70kbps. And the evo's in the sprint store are fine as well, along with all the other phone models.
I have spent HOURS and HOURS on the phone trying to get this taken care of. I'm not trying to get anything from sprint, I just want my 3g to work. I love the evo, and I love sprint's coverage in my area.
They have given me 6 phones, and I haven't paid my bill in 3 months, since they keep giving me credits since they cant figure out the problem. I really could care less, I just want my 3g to work correctly.
So no, it really DOESN'T pay to complain. I have spent hours of my life complaining about this, and have gotten nowhere.
Same thing here. My 3G data speeds crapped out last November also. Sprint has no idea what the problem could be. I think everybody who is experiencing slower than normal data should raise serious hell with Sprint every single day. This is NOT a coincidence. I suspect something fishy is going on and I'm not going to pay these premium unlimited data fees for terrible 3G data speeds! I'm going to demand Sprint to credit my account 50% every month until they turn 3G back on like it used to be. If not I want out of my contract. Either way I can easily sell my two EVO's on Craigslist to cover the etf's.
I can't watch Sprint TV, YouTube, or stream any online video content. Web browsing is VERY slow. My data speeds have gone from 1.6mbps to .30kbps since last November and now I never get speed results faster than .76kbps on a good day. It seems like Sprint flipped a switch one day out of the blue and data speeds went to **** ever since.
tx_dbs_tx said:
Same thing here. My 3G data speeds crapped out last November also. Sprint has no idea what the problem could be. I think everybody who is experiencing slower than normal data should raise serious hell with Sprint every single day. This is NOT a coincidence. I suspect something fishy is going on and I'm not going to pay these premium unlimited data fees for terrible 3G data speeds! I'm going to demand Sprint to credit my account 50% every month until they turn 3G back on like it used to be. If not I want out of my contract. Either way I can easily sell my two EVO's on Craigslist to cover the etf's.
I can't watch Sprint TV, YouTube, or stream any online video content. Web browsing is VERY slow. My data speeds have gone from 1.6mbps to .30kbps since last November and now I never get speed results faster than .76kbps on a good day. It seems like Sprint flipped a switch one day out of the blue and data speeds went to **** ever since.
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What happened was more people got on the data network and Sprint hasn't invested in capacity like Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T has to support more 3G data traffic.
What's the best internetz speed tester?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Search tbe market for speed test
Sent from my RLS5 Sprint HTC Evo
Have you tried this?
Avalaunchmods said:
PLEASE READ L-E-T-T-E-R FOR L-E-T-T-E-R, W-O-R-D FOR W-O-R-D.
As we all know, HTC and Sprint borked downloads for apps like Rhapsody, Mog, Thumbplay.
I recently ran across the subject and i found a fix. It is very simple.
1. Get your MSL, There are many ways, call Sprint, Download the app MSL Reader from the market, CDMA workshop
2. After you have your MSL go to your phone and type ##3282#
3. Click Edit Mode
4. Click Advanced
5. Scroll down to HTTP PD Proxy Port & HTTP PD Proxy Address
6. Change HTTP PD Proxy Port to 0 (zero)
7. Change HTTP PD Proxy Address to 0.0.0.0
8. Go enjoy Downloads and a .20-.60 mbps increase in 3G speeds!
-All credit to original finder of this fix, i am just passing it along and found the speed increase. Also when you flash a new rom it will back to old settings so remember to re-apply and it wont make you more vulnerable to anything.
Click to expand...
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Sent from my RLS5 Sprint HTC Evo
The Proxy changes do indeed help. Be sure to give them a try. That being said. my 3G and 4G data speeds are roughly half of what they were four months ago (Baltimore market). The only thing that has not changed is my RSSI or signal strength which comes in at -62.00 dBm every day, all day. The Rx signal to noise ratio has been reading "Not ready" for the past couple of months. What happened to it? How do I calculate CINR without this part of the equation?
I've complained numerous times about my poor signal coverage and pour 3g and ay first they gave me a airvana airave unit which really doesn't work to well with the evo..... but at least they did something....
I have an Airwave on the way. Sprint has also credited a month's bill yet again. Let's hope Sprint/Clear can get their collective acts together soon.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
For slow 3G speed, an Airvana is not the answer for the simple fact that it hooks into your existing broadband connection.. you could just get a WiFi router.
That's what I told them. They said it was an "Airwave 2.0" and acts like a repeater of the 3G signal. Either way, it is of no cost to me. It does show a willingness of Sprint to work with me, even if the proposed solution is no solution.
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It's obvious the more people who start using smartphones will start to slow down the service, but its the same with Comcast internet as much as I hate it. The companies all get u with the little filler words "up to". The speeds are not and never will be garunteed, at least not in the near future. Let's just hope these clowns actually give us TRUE 4g speeds in the next few years(70-100Mbps) as the technology grows.
Not 100% true. My company says up to as well, but its only allowed to be 5-10 percent off that speed, otherwise they send someone out.
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aimbdd said:
Not 100% true. My company says up to as well, but its only allowed to be 5-10 percent off that speed, otherwise they send someone out.
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I mean there is wiggle room. But when a company says 20Mbps and u only get 13, u r within that range u are talking about. I know Comcast, if u pay for 20mbps service, u can be getting 12 and they can do nothing about it on their end. It's because some units share a single.signal, same with cell towers, the more people using , the slower it'll be. And grandma and grandpa are starting to get smartphones, so it'll keep getting slower unless sprint stays on top of their game.
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heygrl said:
For slow 3G speed, an Airvana is not the answer for the simple fact that it hooks into your existing broadband connection.. you could just get a WiFi router.
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Yeah pretty much if you have a WiFi capable device.
I've gone from amazing 3G reception to constant dropouts and I work downtown Chicago across from the Sears Tower...I have no idea what has happened but being connected to 3G is hit or miss.
They also sent me an airave, which did indeed help in my home. But that does nothing outside of my home. Also, if the 3g works with the airave, that should mean that there is no problem with the 3g radio, so its not a hardware problem, but a network problem.
It's obvious the more people who start using smartphones will start to slow down the service
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I dont think this is the problem. As I stated earlier, two of my friends have evo's, and side by side, their two get normal speeds, while mine gets crap. Also, in the sprint store, I tested their display evo, just fine, and a few other random phones, all were fine.
Tuffgong4 said:
I've gone from amazing 3G reception to constant dropouts and I work downtown Chicago across from the Sears Tower...I have no idea what has happened but being connected to 3G is hit or miss.
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I live in the north subs and my parents are downtown Lake n Deerborn, and my parents phones have been crap lately too. Maybe sprint is over emphasizing the 4G downtown(much faster there then where I'm at) and could be messing w 3G speeds. Probably not the exact case but I can see sprint concentrating highly on 4G where it is abundant and short changing 3G a little bit.
I'm no pro so don't take my theory to heart, just thoughts.
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My email about Sprint's degrading 3G speeds to Dan Hesse's Office

Below is my lengthy, but I think fair email about my past year with Sprint's nearly unusable 3G data network in my area.
To whom it may concern in Dan Hesse's office at Sprint:
Dear person reading this email, I have unfortunate news about how your network performance has been slowly degrading at the towers around the valley that I live in.
First off, here is the account info:
I live in in South East , which isn't the billing address (which is the office), but the home where I live when I'm not at the office.
When we signed up with Sprint last June, it was our first time using your network. You offered affordable family plans and had great service, according to your coverage maps and Consumer Reports ratings except that has ultimately not been the case the majority of the time.
As you can see for yourself, according to the coverage maps below (from sprint.com), there's perfect or nearly perfect voice and 3G data coverage at the billing address:
The first month or two that we had our EVO 4Gs, your network performed great and we were very happy with the service, but then in Sept. of last year, the 3G data completely stopped working/was slower than dial-up at the tower by the office. After calls to tech support, several techs claimed that the towers in the area had just been upgraded/updated...I asked: to what, dial-up?, since it wasn't just the tower by the office, it was the majority (and by majority, I mean 70%+ of the time) the 3G data barely worked or was slower than dial-up from the towers in and all around the Caldwell, ID area. Dropped calls were also a often occurrence.
When the Airvana Airave was released, I called in to tech support again, explained the situation and the tech found that we were experiencing upwards of 10% dropped calls, which is much higher than the avg. Also, tech support as never once admitted that it might possibly be the towers/network that's the problem; it's always: your phone must have issues, it mustn't be updated, ect., which I could see, except the same poor network performance was happening on all 3 of our EVOs, as well as all of my friend's EVOs in the areas. Several of them had also gotten the same story/runaround from tech support, too. Anyhow, relations sent us a free Airave, which was very nice of them, and that has made the phones work at the office/billing address, except the CSR in relations said that the coverage was 'very spotty' at that address, which I clearly don't see in your advertised coverage maps. With the Airave, 3G actually works and the calls are better, except the only reason for this is because it uses our ISP/internet to do so. The tower's 3G is still incredibly slow and much slower than advertised nearly a year later. I'm not at the office very often myself, so I can't provide you with speed test recent results, but I would suspect them to be in the 100-200k range.
Next, lets talk about the horrible service at the house. Home address is:
The service here (mainly data/3G speeds) haven't been any better than at the billing address; the sprint.com coverage maps also say that there is perfect or nearly perfect service here.
Surprise, surprise, it's also the tower that doesn't work in this case! By the way, there is an app called Antennas in the Android Market that locates which tower the phone is currently connected to, then plots it on a map - in case you were wondering.
I've called tech support and gotten the same story about how it must be the phone, not the tower...of course. Yes, my (previous) phone was rooted, but fully updated with the latest radios, PRI, NV and PRL), but other's EVOs on the plan are not rooted (but still fully updated) and they receive the exact same type of degraded service, therefore, it makes no difference to be rooted or not, even though the techs insist that it does. Finally, I gave up trying to communicate with tech support; retentions wouldn't send another Airave out for the house, either. The 3G data speeds have been hovering around 75 - 100kbps (1/6th of your lowest advertised 3G data speed, which is 600k) for almost a year - sometimes they reach upwards of 300kbps in the early hours of the mornings. For instants, one day I installed the latest Google Maps update which was about 5.75MBs; it took 28 minutes to download while I was out and about, but still in the radius/connected to the tower by my house...that's about 190kbps and probably a slightly more accurate speed test than using the Speed Test app since it was a larger file download.
Anyhow, I was in a 50MPH t-bone motorcycle wreck last week when a driver crossed the road directly in front of me when I was 10 feet from the intersection. In the wreck, my EVO was completely ruined and I was forced to get a new one. I just got home with a brand-new, fully updated, not even rootable (yet) EVO (I've been in recovery, without a phone, and haven't been home for 8 days) and guess what...the 3G data speeds have dropped even lower at the tower by my house since I was home last. Now, I can't provide a screen shot of the latest speed test results (because you have to be rooted for screen shot apps to work), but the results aren't good. The highest 3G data speed result is 23kbps, with the lowest being 4kbps; upload is slightly higher (typically is/has been) with 89kbps high and 37kbps low - that's out of 10 tests over 5 hours (every 30 minutes). Those speeds are completely unacceptable and less than half the speed of dial-up. Sprint's advertised 3G speeds are 600 to 1400...I'm getting 25.
And this continues, since its not just the towers by my house or the billing address, its about half of them, if not more. Like I said, I have several friends with EVOs who live in ; some of the EVOs are rooted, some are update, some aren't, ect. They're all experiencing the same lackluster service, even though they're in 'good' coverage - ALL depending on what tower their phone is currently connected too!
I finally stopped in to some of the local Sprint stores the other day and asked the employees there: What's up with the horrible 3G speeds? The guy at one store lied to me and showed me how he was getting perfect 1800kbps 3G speeds...of course the store had an Airave hooked up in the back, which the phone was connected to (when connected to an Airave, phones make beeps when initiating calls). The other 2 stores smugly agreed with me about how the speeds are super slow, even on their phones. On a side note, I really wonder how the hell you've been selling phones, except I know its most likely because 90+% of the customers don't know that its the crappy 3G speeds that make their email take forever to load, for Facebook to display a photo, ect.. One store did tell me that all they knew was that all of the towers from Portland, OR to SLC, UT were being updated and the ones here should have been fixed months ago.
Now, I know I'm not the only person experiencing these problems while also paying monthly for Sprint's completely and utterly unusable 3G data speeds, here, or in other parts of the nation. I know I'm not the first to email Dan's office about this problem with these same types of problems, too. I know what the replies from Dan's office have been about these types of network problems to other's. I don't expect a canned response. I don't except or want to get the runaround about the problems. I don't want to hear about how they'll be fixed by the 1st of some month in the near future, since that promise have always been broken when given to others. And I don't want a new phone because this one is the reason while I'm experiencing poor network performance.
What I expect is:
- A network/tower tech in my area to call and talk directly to me - I do do computer and tech work for a living and have read hours of information on forums and the internet; I know what I've been experiencing and I know what I'm talking about.
- Monthly discounts on all (3) lines until I receive your advertised 3G data speeds and service the majority of the time, not just when the phone is connected to an Airave our about 1 out of 7 towers.
In the end, I'm just your customer, asking for your advertised speeds and coverage, with no lies, runarounds or bull****. I'm not mad, just disappointed at how nothing has been resolved in almost a year. This is not how a business should be run.
Regards,
Man you sure do whine a lot. First about your bike accident, which I'm more than willing to bet was your fault and now about this.
Evo4eva said:
Man you sure do whine a lot. First about your bike accident, which I'm more than willing to bet was your fault and now about this.
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Not my fault; couldn't have been my fault, so STFU.
You try living with 3G speeds half the speed of dial up, in fact, cancel your home internet and sign up for Netzero's dialup because I'm sure it'll save you a few bucks a month; I hear they even have a free dial-up optimizer that gets you an extra kbps or two.
Hrshycro said:
Not my fault; couldn't have been my fault, so STFU.
You try living with 3G speeds half the speed of dial up, in fact, cancel your home internet and sign up for Netzero's dialup because I'm sure it'll save you a few bucks a month; I hear they even have a free dial-up optimizer that gets you an extra kbps or two.
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just ignore the troll dude he is a n00b hope they give you a response will watch for one from you to see what they say and sorry about the wreak man!
I'm actually curious as to what the response will be.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
Evo4eva said:
Man you sure do whine a lot. First about your bike accident, which I'm more than willing to bet was your fault and now about this.
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Wow. Lol. That's all the input you have to give back?
Anyway, I'd like to see what the response is also. I had problems for about 2 months and after about 20-30 phone calls they came out and fixed the towers and haven't had any problems anymore. Hope it works out for you!
Sent from the Evo using XDA Premium
Evo4eva said:
Man you sure do whine a lot. First about your bike accident, which I'm more than willing to bet was your fault and now about this.
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Troll of the day
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Hope you get a quick response. Please update us
Evo4eva said:
Man you sure do whine a lot. First about your bike accident, which I'm more than willing to bet was your fault and now about this.
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Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I hope your stay at xda is a short one.
Evo4eva said:
Man you sure do whine a lot. First about your bike accident, which I'm more than willing to bet was your fault and now about this.
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SMH!!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Color me unimpressed with 3G speeds, too. Though this is my first 3G capable phone, so I don't really have anything to compare it to.
dsf3g said:
Color me unimpressed with 3G speeds, too. Though this is my first 3G capable phone, so I don't really have anything to compare it to.
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i am shocked that its your first must have really liked the old one lol
ckoadiyn said:
i am shocked that its your first must have really liked the old one lol
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My old phone was a Chinese copy of an HTC Touch 3G... but without the 3G. It was a fairly decent phone as far as Windows Mobile 6.1 phones go. I still use it at the gym as an MP3 player with a set of Sennheiser MM100 bluetooth stereo headphones because its A2DP music quality is far superior to my Evo. Before that I only had flip phones. I was on T-Mobile then.
The Evo, of course, outshines the old phone in every other way. It's a bonafide, pocket-sized Android tablet.
I too, want to know what the response will be. Please update this thread when you receive a response.
my 3g speeds have sucked every from Sacremento in the north, san diego in the south, tucson in the east, and all along the western coast from San Diego to Monterrey.
WHere did I get a good speed? Anytime I roam on the verizon network, and anytime I am in Mexico......Yes, it works great in Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada...
This latest update seems like it helped fix my speed though. Its still not the best, but hey I last checked in Tucson (yuck) and will check several locations between here an Los Angeles as I drive towards home!
Ahh, I miss Ensanada....
Great town to party in.
Hrshycro said:
Not my fault; couldn't have been my fault, so STFU.
You try living with 3G speeds half the speed of dial up, in fact, cancel your home internet and sign up for Netzero's dialup because I'm sure it'll save you a few bucks a month; I hear they even have a free dial-up optimizer that gets you an extra kbps or two.
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Lmfao
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I'll keep y'all posted on any replies from Sprint!
As soon as you used the word "bull****", you invalidated the entire email.
IMHO, you will probably get a canned response with no followup. The wording and flow of your message was more akin to what a kid would send in. But good luck, I hope you do get a real response, along with some satisfaction.

Now an unpleasant surprise from Sprint

EDIT: Signal improvement went away... see followup post below.
Original posting:
---------
Meant to post about this two days ago, and got busy.
I've been one of those with near zero signal in my home neighborhood. I live in Scotts Valley, near Santa Cruz CA. Since I got my Epic last October, I have been extremely frustrated that I get 0/1 bars at home, the signal is too weak to be usable for phone calls (constant digital dropouts -- conversation is impossible), and of course pathetic data rates when I can actually get a connection, which ALSO is never reliable.
When I bought the phone, a tower within sight of my home on another ridge was scheduled to get a Sprint site before the end of the year (2010), according to their website map. Then, this upgrade disappeared. I called, and no one knew anything, of course.
I've been roaming on VZW, who have a 4/5 bar signal here, via Roam Control ever since I got the phone. Fine for calls and text, no data worth speaking about.
Woke up two days ago, and was at first mystified, then thrilled to see 5 solid bars on Sprint!!!! 3G data rates consistently 1100/750 down/up!!!
Apparently, they finally got around to upgrading their coverage in the area. 'bout time
4G? Don't even go there. Not yet, not expecting it... Ever.
Wow my 3g speeds are 200 down max and I have no 4g
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
In a way, I have Sprint's poor coverage in my hood to thank for me needing to root and get acquainted with XDA. Otherwise no Roam Control. But it would rock to get a similar upgrade around here. Zoning and landscape just make it really unlikely. If I go just half a mile north or west it's totally different, with 4G and all. Hell, I can watch Netflix over 4G at my office, just not where I stay. I hope your story is repeated far and wide.
I've had the same experience as you. I've been with sprint for 11 years now and my signal is now amazing at the house. 2600 kbps dl, 550 ul. On average, of course. They upgraded the tower nsar my house last year.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
My rwception got worse so to u took my tower I want it back
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
Network Vision...
Whosdaman said:
Network Vision...
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So this network vision thingy. Do they have a timeline on what cities get it first? Or am I just a needy young man? ahah
Congrats. Anybody else?
UPDATE: After some joy, Sprint decided to turn off whatever they did. Back to 0/1 bars here at home, inability to use voice without constant dropouts, no data to speak of...
Back to Roam Control and cursing Sprint. I am so close to walking away from my contract into VZW's arms. The SG2 could be enough...
Sent from my mind using telepathitalk
Someone with a car airave spent the nite? Lol...
Sent from my Epix 4G using XDA
I live in Missouri (right next to sprint hq), and my service is never steady, usually shabby. But with the new EG22plus modem I get 4 bars constant. U might want to look into updating/rollbacking ur prl and/modem?
Sent from a Random epic
dwallersv said:
Back to Roam Control and cursing Sprint. I am so close to walking away from my contract into VZW's arms. The SG2 could be enough...
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Click to collapse
Staying exclusively on roaming is the easiest way to break your contract; they'll show you the door, or so I've been told...
double-post - ignore
cresny said:
Staying exclusively on roaming is the easiest way to break your contract; they'll show you the door, or so I've been told...
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Click to collapse
that's more true if you use a load of data. I use roam control for voice and text constantly because my apartment is a dead zone, and I use my wireless router for data, never got anything about it from sprint
Wizard Knight said:
that's more true if you use a load of data. I use roam control for voice and text constantly because my apartment is a dead zone, and I use my wireless router for data, never got anything about it from sprint
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Click to collapse
That describes me. At home forced roaming so I can actually make and receive calls, data over wifi.
With the RC tasker plugin, phone automatically switches between forced roaming when in range of my home network, then back to "automatic" when out of range.
It's a workable solution, but not something I should have to do.
Sent from my mind using telepathitalk
You guys having problems in your house complain enough they will send you a Airrave for free.
Would that not be a Pleasant surprise instead of unpleasant? My signal seems to have gotten better lately as well
tazfanatic said:
You guys having problems in your house complain enough they will send you a Airrave for free.
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Click to collapse
Yep. The only reason I'm still with them is because of the free Airrave. Without it, signal in my home was unacceptable.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App in the DC metro area
This may be a bit off topic, but I roam ALLLLL day when I'm at work, it gets me quite angry, and I continue to use data and phone while I "roam" , and saw a charge for roaming one time but called sprint and asked them how the **** I am roaming within my coverage area. They fed me some BS but took the charge away. I've never seen a charge for roaming since. Do you guys get charges?
So far as I know, with my family 2 phone everything plan, roaming is included.
Edit:
I just looked, it doesnt say roaming anywhere, but when looking at changing my services, the only roaming option given is Canada Roaming.
Edit 2:
Found it.
lookpic. com/c1/i2/3841/jL9LKNCy.png

How long until sprint service gets better?

I'm wondering when does sprint 3g gets better? Someone said something will happen on October.
the service is so intermittent that when on 3g, I have to give up any kind of streaming.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
My 3G where I live has been great since I joined Sprint August of last year. I get close to 2 mbps on 3G. However in other areas, it can be a paltry 300 kbps.
I'm getting spotty service. Whenever I use the speedtest app, I get all spiky data pull.
I just want consistent download speed...
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
The best answer any of us can give you is, "When you wake up one day and the service if better, mark that date - that's when it will get better."
Also, when will Sprint customers and XDA members become clairvoyant?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
October 7 is when they are announcing their plans for the network. After that, we'll have a much better idea of what will be happening with network improvements, the LightSquared LTE build-out, and hopefully WiMax.
mtwow789 said:
I'm wondering when does sprint 3g gets better? Someone said something will happen on October.
the service is so intermittent that when on 3g, I have to give up any kind of streaming.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm an IT guy and any streaming of any kind is not deployed wirelessly so my advice to you as the same to my clients is do your streaming with wired internet and stop relying on a phone to complete your life
mtwow789 said:
I'm wondering when does sprint 3g gets better? Someone said something will happen on October.
the service is so intermittent that when on 3g, I have to give up any kind of streaming.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about first half of 2012?
http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/27/sprints-lte-build-out-already-underway-new-4g-network-to-launc/
Very excited that they may re-purpose the Nextel spectrum for LTE, since it will have much better building penetration.
I just did speed test when I am on downtown Greenville.
I cant do anything on 3g right now
the network vision will take a while to complete nationwide, however as they update the towers, 800 frequency will help with calls in your home, possibly evdo rev b could be announced in addition to lte (l-band) from lightsquared. It will not be pretty over the next year or so, hopefully with all the cuts they have made and service costs they've increased the money and deals that have been made will make for a truly different cellphone company.
Today's result... I going to try verizon PRL tomorrow
adelmundo said:
My 3G where I live has been great since I joined Sprint August of last year. I get close to 2 mbps on 3G. However in other areas, it can be a paltry 300 kbps.
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Click to collapse
I'd love to get 300kbps.
They will probably make it better when enough people buy that stupid ass iPhone they are going to start selling cause God forbid someone with an iPhone have ****ty service. LOL
I get better service than that in the middle of no where.
jbadboy2007 said:
I'm an IT guy and any streaming of any kind is not deployed wirelessly so my advice to you as the same to my clients is do your streaming with wired internet and stop relying on a phone to complete your life
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Click to collapse
I disagree and I will tell you why that is. If I am at home and using my phone to download from the market, I am lucky if I can download a 1MB app within a 3 to 4 MINUTE time frame. Completely unacceptable when I pay $140 a month for service.
**EDIT** Here is the difference between 3g where I live in Phoenix, and the 1 tiny square block of 4g that's several miles from me. Keep in mind that according to Sprint I "live in an excellent coverage area"
MikeyLee said:
I disagree and I will tell you why that is. If I am at home and using my phone to download from the market, I am lucky if I can download a 1MB app within a 3 to 4 MINUTE time frame. Completely unacceptable when I pay $140 a month for service.
**EDIT** Here is the difference between 3g where I live in Phoenix, and the 1 tiny square block of 4g that's several miles from me. Keep in mind that according to Sprint I "live in an excellent coverage area"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's your point to that I'm referring to land based internet dsl,cable, fiber optic. I listen to pandora everywhere I go with no issues. my wireless in my house is only for phone and laptop. I have 3 pc's and a ps3 all wired. When I stream blu ray movies I don't let my $800 cisco wifi access point do it. I get one gigabit of bandwidth wired so that's why I do it wired.
Its gonna be a time when you don't need wires. phones are getting faster and faster
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Faster Sprint speeds may be coming.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1282562
marioc21 said:
Faster Sprint speeds may be coming.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1282562
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the current problem with Sprint is their backbone, I think they lost tower sharing in many places due to an expired agreement with someone around March. I've had Sprint for nearly 10 years, my phones just don't have signal in many places that it used to and it hasn't gotten better 7 months later. If you have full bars, then the backbone upgrade will likely make things fly, if you have 1 bar or none, it isn't going to help you very much. I would love to know the percentage of complaints that are lack of signal based vs full bars and still slow throughput.
I'd also like to know when the new frequencies that Lightsquared has will begin to be added to the chipsets and implemented into the next gen phones 2012, 2013? Finally is anyone else curious to see what happens when I get a call and my Garmin GPS is on?
jbadboy2007 said:
What's your point to that I'm referring to land based internet dsl,cable, fiber optic. I listen to pandora everywhere I go with no issues. my wireless in my house is only for phone and laptop. I have 3 pc's and a ps3 all wired. When I stream blu ray movies I don't let my $800 cisco wifi access point do it. I get one gigabit of bandwidth wired so that's why I do it wired.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not an IT guy and I can tell you my $50 linksys router can stream simultaneously to a ps3 wii and 360 on seperate floors wirelessly so idk it seems like I'm definitely getting my moneys worth if you can't stream from a $800 cisco one
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App
MikeyLee said:
I disagree and I will tell you why that is. If I am at home and using my phone to download from the market, I am lucky if I can download a 1MB app within a 3 to 4 MINUTE time frame. Completely unacceptable when I pay $140 a month for service.
**EDIT** Here is the difference between 3g where I live in Phoenix, and the 1 tiny square block of 4g that's several miles from me. Keep in mind that according to Sprint I "live in an excellent coverage area"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where's this block of 4g at?
Sent from my SPH-D700

Switching to sprint.

I'll start off by saying I was an ex sprint customer after leaving due to the wimax mess and moving to Verizon with LTE. After Verizon and there nonsense moved to T-Mobile.
T-Mobile has been great, minus the fact that as of the past 2 months I can't get signal anywhere in doors anymore it seems even with new Sim and device and they tell me the network is fine. Been with them a hair under 2 years.
Anyway. I have really strong spark coverage at my work place. Just everyone with sprint has a non spark iPhone. They do get LTE but on the weaker side. I am well aware being a Samsung user for years, that our radios suck compared to iPhone radios and I am trying hard not to get an iPhone just so I can have signal at work.
So my question is, before I start the mess of getting a second phone and testing, does spark really work that much better in buildings? That is my trouble now. T-Mobile seems to be pushing everything on LTE and weakening the H+ network and so signal indoors is worthless.
We don't need to get into a debate on which carrier is better. I won't even try. I had a wimax phone and a bad experience and left, but that was back on the day the thunderbolt was released on verizon, day 1 of there LTE network. So has been a long time.
Seems to me they have improved greatly since then and I am actually kinda excited to possibly come back!
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Dont waste your time
Well I'm happy with Sprint, not sure about Tmo but Sprint offers WiFi calling at no extra charge which is great for indoors as long as you have a network available. At least with my plan there's no charge.
pbedard said:
Dont waste your time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Care to elaborate? Is either this. No signal at work or getting destroyed by verizon and att on dumb data fees.
schlepprock said:
Well I'm happy with Sprint, not sure about Tmo but Sprint offers WiFi calling at no extra charge which is great for indoors as long as you have a network available. At least with my plan there's no charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We have WiFi calling. I work in a very secure data center and WiFi is a non option. If it was I wouldn't even be looking.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
I have a Spark Note 4 but can't really speak to coverage indoors. Spark coverage is so sparse at the moment it's really hit or miss. If that is the one draw to bring you back I would suggest holding off at least for a few months to see if Sprint actually expands the Spark coverage as they keep promising to do (think wimax)
nosympathy said:
I'll start off by saying I was an ex sprint customer after leaving due to the wimax mess and moving to Verizon with LTE. After Verizon and there nonsense moved to T-Mobile.
T-Mobile has been great, minus the fact that as of the past 2 months I can't get signal anywhere in doors anymore it seems even with new Sim and device and they tell me the network is fine. Been with them a hair under 2 years.
Anyway. I have really strong spark coverage at my work place. Just everyone with sprint has a non spark iPhone. They do get LTE but on the weaker side. I am well aware being a Samsung user for years, that our radios suck compared to iPhone radios and I am trying hard not to get an iPhone just so I can have signal at work.
So my question is, before I start the mess of getting a second phone and testing, does spark really work that much better in buildings? That is my trouble now. T-Mobile seems to be pushing everything on LTE and weakening the H+ network and so signal indoors is worthless.
We don't need to get into a debate on which carrier is better. I won't even try. I had a wimax phone and a bad experience and left, but that was back on the day the thunderbolt was released on verizon, day 1 of there LTE network. So has been a long time.
Seems to me they have improved greatly since then and I am actually kinda excited to possibly come back!
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just ran a bunch of data speed tests for you. I have good Spark coverage and these were taken inside my house in my living room. I have (some) Spark coverage at work but only get speeds of around 10 mbps download plus or minus and I am on the top floor. All in all it smokes Sprint's basic LTE.
DreamingWolf said:
I have a Spark Note 4 but can't really speak to coverage indoors. Spark coverage is so sparse at the moment it's really hit or miss. If that is the one draw to bring you back I would suggest holding off at least for a few months to see if Sprint actually expands the Spark coverage as they keep promising to do (think wimax)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isnt spark so much, as getting data in my work building.
Wimax I couldn't get signal indoors to save my life and the signal was just strong enough to reach the end of my driveway at the time. Right now I spend 40-50 hours a week not even being able to call 911. That and unlimited data I'd why I am looking at sprint first.
I was really just curious how it was. We have exceptional spark coverage in Cincinnati right now along with where I work in northern KY(per the maps anyway)
xbmoyx said:
I just ran a bunch of data speed tests for you. I have good Spark coverage and these were taken inside my house in my living room. I have (some) Spark coverage at work but only get speeds of around 10 mbps download plus or minus and I am on the top floor. All in all it smokes Sprint's basic LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are very nice speeds! I've hit 60 down with T-Mobile on LTE outdoors at times. Far faster than I honestly need. I used to stream Netflix or Pandora at work, play clash of clans, browse web pages etc. Long as my connection is fast enough for that(tmo I was getting 4-5 down at the time and worked fine.)
I'd be happy with 10!
Tmo closed my ticket for their broken tower a 7th time, so I am just gonna give sprint a go. I'll wait to port my number and make sure I get signal in the usual places I ago.
I am more worried about a family member getting in an accident and not being able to get a hold of me because I have no signal.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
I am more worried about a family member getting in an accident and not being able to get a hold of me because I have no signal.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Smart way of thinking.
I been with sprint for awhile now and this is what i always get before and after spark really can't tell the difference thank god i don't use the sprint towers only for data. I'm not trying to bash sprint but this is what it is plain and simple where i live. I have a tower 3 blocks up the street from my house and i can Walk up the street and see the signal increase as i get closer. I was with tmobile before sprint and hspa and there 3g was faster than what i get with sprint. Must be nice to get fast speeds. With sprint it's hit or miss because some people get what i get and others get fast speeds . Hope your on the fast end because this 4glte spark in Rockford,Illinois is very slow 3g slow.
No go
bonebeatz1234 said:
I been with sprint for awhile now and this is what i always get before and after spark really can't tell the difference thank god i don't use the sprint towers only for data. I'm not trying to bash sprint but this is what it is plain and simple where i live. I have a tower 3 blocks up the street from my house and i can Walk up the street and see the signal increase as i get closer. I was with tmobile before sprint and hspa and there 3g was faster than what i get with sprint. Must be nice to get fast speeds. With sprint it's hit or miss because some people get what i get and others get fast speeds . Hope your on the fast end because this 4glte spark in Rockford,Illinois is very slow 3g slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I live right outside of DC is your 3G faster then that?
xbmoyx said:
I'm glad I live right outside of DC is your 3G faster then that?
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Click to collapse
This is my 3g unfortunately it's slower lol
Yeah that is what worries me. Speeds like that are terrible. Sadly outside around my work area those are the speeds I see over H+. So I do feel your pain to a degree.
I am definitely going to test this first. Hopefully the sprint network here is strong(maps look good but I've learned my lesson there). I looked and I'd pay $250 for data alone from Verizon/att to use the phone as I was using it.
I'd rather pay for an extra phone only line on my parents att family account for emergencies than get those speeds.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Dude. Check it out. I keep every variant. Sprint in my town of middle georgia area i have sprint working as only company next to limited data verizon that works indoors and out for me on lte. Period. Lte i do not think i get spark. Though it spins like i do i will leave a screeny. This is plenty for me. Not to mention 100 gigs a month. Easy. I have no wifi right now. Lol
Sent from my SM-N910P using XDA Free mobile app
Just check your coverage map. You have 14 days to test.
Sent from my SM-N910P using XDA Free mobile app
Droid2drummer said:
Just check your coverage map. You have 14 days to test.
Sent from my SM-N910P using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am picking up a phone tomorrow. I just figured if everyone said it wasnt good indoors if call it a day. Based on feedback so far I think I will have to test.
Really hoping for the best.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Take it everywhere you frequent. Then make your judgment. Many happy people. Many upset. Sadly verizon is still the best in my opinion. But like i said for me sprint has won. I tried 14 days and it worked great for me in work area and home. Not to mention unlimited lte. Happy.
Sent from my SM-N910P using XDA Free mobile app
nosympathy said:
I am picking up a phone tomorrow. I just figured if everyone said it wasnt good indoors if call it a day. Based on feedback so far I think I will have to test.
Really hoping for the best.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And do not take the OE1 update!
jhill110 said:
And do not take the OE1 update!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whys that?
xbmoyx said:
Whys that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it limits your options. I'm stick'n with @tx_dbs_tx 's OB7 based hyrid-x rom's. At this point had I gone flash junkie just to get the OE1 update that would no longer be possible... At this point. I'm pretty sure one of the brilliant devs around here will figure it out but until then... For me, No dice.

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