Hi, does anyone know why on earth did HTC disable the 3G Switch for HTC Surround?? I have this phone, updated to Mango and the 3G Switch is missing from the Network Settings. I cannot understand this stupid idea of not letting the user decide what band to use his phone on.
RE: Solved
I have solved this.
This is available for every HTC Device which does not have the 3G Switch available:
Enter the Field Test Menu by dialing ##3282#, on the lower right side there are three dots: ... , enter that menu and there you can choose the band to work on: Automatic, 2G only, 3G only.
Sounds like a solution, but each time I change the setting from 3G to 2G or Automatic, and then go back into settings, it reverts back to 3G only. And the 3G icon remains at the top of the screen. So is your experience different. Been trying to disable 3G since December.
jimski said:
Sounds like a solution, but each time I change the setting from 3G to 2G or Automatic, and then go back into settings, it reverts back to 3G only. And the 3G icon remains at the top of the screen. So is your experience different. Been trying to disable 3G since December.
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Click to collapse
Do not set to auto,
Set it only to 2G, go back in the field test main menu with the back arrow <-, and then again in the ... menu, 2g should be still selected, and then <- twice to exit.
mmuntean2 said:
Do not set to auto,
Set it only to 2G, go back in the field test main menu with the back arrow <-, and then again in the ... menu, 2g should be still selected, and then <- twice to exit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gave it another try, but not so sure.
Went in to menu, set to 2G and then back arrow <-. Went back in ... and 2G was still selected, but after exiting <- <-, and going back in, 3G is selected again. Also my phone still shows 3G at the top of the screen, but I will admit that the signal strength appears to maybe be 1 bar higher. So, am I on 2G although the 3G icon still shows?
Guess I will know tomorrow after a full day of use hopefully at 2G, with reduced battery drain. I have a great WiFi signal at home and at work, so basically 90% of my day. The only thing data does is load email in the background and the occasional need for a connection if I stop somewhere on the way home. My 3G signal is typically 1 to 3 bars, averaging 2. And almost never higher than 3.
I have an unlimited data plan, but my WiFi speeds are generally 3 to 4 times better, and my experience has show very little difference in battery drain with WiFi on/off. No idea why AT&T would prevent me from using 2G, especially with Unlimited. iPhone users should be thanking me for the extra bandwidth I am offering.
Btw, I will absolutely NOT purchase a new phone with 4G/LTE whatever, unless I can turn it off.
Related
Symptoms
- You cannot maintain a constant data connection. The connection is often lost or dropped.
- HD2 reception indicator dances between G to 3G to H despite showing good reception, and user remaining stationary.
Counter measures - No cabs or registry tweaks needed.
Presented in the order I would try them. If the lower number levels don't work, then move up a level. These are offerred as advice from a UK based HD2 user, though may work for you elsewhere.
LEVEL 1
- Go to Comm Manager > Wireless Controls
- Turn the Data connection Off then On again.
This will usually get you back and running again faster than waiting for the HD2 to sort itself out.
LEVEL 2
- Go to Settings > All Settings > Connections > Advanced Network
- Disable HSDPA/HSUPA
This will stop your phone attempting to use '3.5G' and will mean that you only use 3G.
Remember to re-enable HSDPA/HSUPA when you are in an area with better reception.
LEVEL 3
- Go to Settings > Wireless Controls > Phone - Change phone settings
- Move down to Other Options > Band - Change baseband
- Change Network Type from Auto to GSM
- Change Band frequency from Auto to either GSM (900+1800)+UMTS or GSM (1900+850) . To make the decision, you need to know the GSM frequency your operator uses. If you don't know, you can just try both of the GSM options and see which works. No damage will be done by using the wrong frequency first time, and you can change back.
This will disable 3G and force your phone to use 2G. Most operators have decent 2G networks, so you shouldn't have the disconnects anymore, but you will have slower than 3G potential speeds.
Remember to change your phone back to Auto for both Network Type and Band Frequency when you are in an area with better reception.
Thanks for the heads up... will have to try some of these. I find it most annoying at times...!
Thanks for the advice, I do find those issues annoying. What are the benefits of using 3.5G? If they're aren't any major advantages and turning this off helps then I may as well leave it off.
CHIP STAXMAN said:
LEVEL 1
- Go to Comm Manager > Wireless Controls
- Turn the Data connection Off then On again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with this is that it b*llockses up your push email settings, if you use the phone to get email from an Exchange server. The better approach (assuming standard configuration) is to press and hold the power/end-call hard-button. That brings up a menu of four choices. The last of those is "terminate data connection". Click it. Anything the phone does which requires the data connection after that will automatically reactivate it.
3G 2100
These tricks may solve the issue for many but not for me because I'm in a 3G 2100 only network so I cannot switch to GSM. I will try to disable HSDPA/HSUPA to see if that works though.
The weird thing is that the issue occurs almost exclusively when I'm logged on an IM client and the phone stays in sleep mode a few minutes (say 15 min or so). After I wake up the phone the signal seems ok but the data connection is lost (IM, browsing, mail, weather update, etc.). It doesn't happen every time but very often, several times a day.
If I don't log on any instant messenger app the data connection is stable, especially with the new 1.66 ROM (I tried both Duttty's custom and official). In this case I lose data connection very rarely, in fact I din't even remember the last time I did.
Can anybody provide an explanation for this, what is happening with the connection between the IM server and the phone during sleep?
snerkler said:
Thanks for the advice, I do find those issues annoying. What are the benefits of using 3.5G? If they're aren't any major advantages and turning this off helps then I may as well leave it off.
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Click to collapse
If your network supports it, you should have higher potential data upload and download speeds through using 3.5G (HSDPA/HSUPA).
In reality and every day use, on many networks you probably wouldn't notice the difference between 3G and 3.5G.
I'm on Virgin Mobile, which piggybacks on T-Mobile's network here in the UK. My speedtests in central London, show virtually no difference between me using 2G, 3G and 3.5G!!!! Which is ridiculous. The main difference I get as a HD2 user is much more stable data connection on 2G vs 3G/3.5G.
I was wondering if there is a way to lock onto ONLY umts and not hsdpa? It can sometimes take forever to load web pages because it is constantly searching for hsdpa. I am also wondering if you might be able to get better battery life this way as well?
I don't think battery life is going to be different since it's still technically a 3G connection. But if it is really searching for HSDPA a lot then it -may- make a difference.
Are you on T-Mobile? It seems that I'm on HSDPA at all the times, pretty much.
switching between 3g and HSDPA is not the same as switching between EDGE and 3G
As the poster above says 3G and HSDPA are basically the same technology using the same frequencies so would not make much difference to battery life.
Dont forget that on the stock rom it always displays 3g anyway so you cant see if you are using HSDPA or not.
Also this phenomenon seems to vary as to what network you are on, mine mostly stays on H anyway.
From memory the early 3g handsets that did not support HSDPA topped out at about 300kbps, not sure if that translates to the 3g symbol not the n1 though. not sure if thats what you would want, as its not much faster than EDGE anyway? so you might as well force EDGE only and save battery life
changing bands 3g only
yes this is possible. Go to your phone dialer and enter the following: *#*#4636#*# .you will go to another screen, select phone, scroll down and there is a drop down box that shoud say wcdma preferred. Select wcdma only and that should give you 3g connectivity only. You can change back or select other settings from this screen. You can choose what works best for you in your area. It should slightly improve battery life, since it is no longer looking for other connections. If you have poor 3g service in your area, then you probably do not want to select wcdma only. I hope this helps. I have done this on my rooted n1 and a non rooted n1. As long as you only change this one one setting it shoud not harm your phone.
Gonz7711 said:
yes this is possible. Go to your phone dialer and enter the following: *#*#4636#*# .you will go to another screen, select phone, scroll down and there is a drop down box that shoud say wcdma preferred. Select wcdma only and that should give you 3g connectivity only. You can change back or select other settings from this screen. You can choose what works best for you in your area. It should slightly improve battery life, since it is no longer looking for other connections. If you have poor 3g service in your area, then you probably do not want to select wcdma only. I hope this helps. I have done this on my rooted n1 and a non rooted n1. As long as you only change this one one setting it shoud not harm your phone.
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Click to collapse
Good answer, but totally NOT what the OP was asking. He wants to know if there's a way to lock the phone to UMTS and not HSDPA... the answer to that is NO... because both are 3G, as someone else already alluded to.
I generally have excellent 3G signal around my home but find that within the house it seems to flit between 2 bars of "H" to full-bars "G" to no reception [all in the same room/part of the room!]
At home I would generally have wifi on anyway so want to have better/consistent phone reception esp when on-call.
Someone suggested I could disable 3G/HSDPA at home and use GSM only and this will give me better reception.
I don't understand why this would be?
Is this feasible and is it simple to keep switching back and forth between 2G and 3G or will it require softboots etc?
Thanks
You could call Vodafone and let them talk you into giving them £50 for them to use your internet connection for their traffic?
oh.....kay......[backs slowly out of the room]....
wigwam12 said:
oh.....kay......[backs slowly out of the room]....
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Click to collapse
I take it you've not heard about Vodafone's Sure Signal?
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/suresignal
Anyway, with regards to your question about why using GSM gives a better signal.
If you have it set to auto, and your in a low 3G signal area, the phone will be on GSM, see 3G & switch to it. Then it will lose signal, go back to GSM, and the whole thing repeats over and over.
Setting it to GSM will stop this from happening, and as a result you get a better signal.
hollinshead said:
I take it you've not heard about Vodafone's Sure Signal?
http://www.vodafone.co.uk/suresignal
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Click to collapse
I have one sat next to me. Really good piece of kit. Without it, I have no signal at all
I went to an Voda store today and he [also] recommended the 2G method. I live in the centre of Manchester so not a mobile blackspot so Voda guy said SurSignal was not really intended for me [but thanks - I didn't know how it works or the cost]
hollinshead said:
Anyway, with regards to your question about why using GSM gives a better signal.
If you have it set to auto, and your in a low 3G signal area, the phone will be on GSM, see 3G & switch to it. Then it will lose signal, go back to GSM, and the whole thing repeats over and over.
Setting it to GSM will stop this from happening, and as a result you get a better signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Is band swithcin straight forward [esp if I want to do it lots - probably mainly for nights I am on call]?
Do I have to restart or softreset everytime or is it just a cae of switching back and forth from within setup?
wigwam12 said:
Thanks.
Is band swithcin straight forward [esp if I want to do it lots - probably mainly for nights I am on call]?
Do I have to restart or softreset everytime or is it just a cae of switching back and forth from within setup?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to reset the device, quickest way to do it is:
Press network icon on top bar so the menu comes up
Press mobile network icon on right of list (will be either a 3G or G icon with a signal bar)
This brings up Wireless controls menu, press Phone (not the on off on the right, but the actual name)
Scroll right down to the bottom it says Band, press that.
Network Type, change it from Auto to GSM.
Or look for that cab to add band switching to the communications manager.
hollinshead said:
You don't need to reset the device, quickest way to do it is:
Press network icon on top bar so the menu comes up
Press mobile network icon on right of list (will be either a 3G or G icon with a signal bar)
This brings up Wireless controls menu, press Phone (not the on off on the right, but the actual name)
Scroll right down to the bottom it says Band, press that.
Network Type, change it from Auto to GSM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kilrah said:
Or look for that cab to add band switching to the communications manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks guys.
Will try it out and see the effects.
No need for a cab if it as straightforward as hollinshead is describing
Another way to speed this up is to add a start-menu shortcut to a programme in your Windows folder called CMBandswitching.exe.
So when I got my Mytouch 4g I realized the default radio is set to GSM only, however with my stock Nexus One it is set to WCDMA preferred.
I've been using my MT4G for about a month now, two weeks with it on GSM Only and another two weeks with it on WCDMA preferred.
I've noticed that while on GSM only it tends to prefer edge instead of 3g or HSDPA+ and find it very annoying because it does it in places where I know i hit HSDPA+.
When I set it to WCDMA preferred i've noticed that it sticks to 3g/hsdpa+ a lot more often and it's stable, except for in the market. A lot of the times when i go into the market while in wcdma preferred it times out and tells me theres no connection or something like that.
Can anyone tell me which network type is best for this phone? Or maybe explain them a little bit? I just find it odd that my Nexus One and my Mytouch 4g have different defaults if they're both on the same carrier
its prob just the setting it was on when the phone was out the box. when i got mine, it was set on auto. "gsm only" will NOT allow you to connect to 3G or hsdpa+! gsm is edge and gprs! if you want it to chose between the two then AUTO is the way to go. it will prob pick wcdma first and then only jump down to gsm when the wcdma signal is weak or non-existent. i prefer mine on wcdma all the time too. i havent had any issues with the market as of yet. you might want to try to clear the data and cache in market and see if that helps. when mine is on auto it 99% of the time stays on wcdma until the signal gets weak and then auto switches to gsm/edge. the only reason i dont keep mine on auto is because when its on auto and i receive a phone call, i dont get data(the H or E disappears while on call, then pick back up when i end the call) and i need to have data going in and out while on the phone to get emails from school and my job so therefore i leave it on wcdma only
Thats pretty much correct. GSM only means 2g only. Wcdma only means 3g only. So if you dont have a 3g sig. You have no sig. Wcdma prefered/auto means that it will stay on 3g untill the signal becomes low and switches to 2g. When it finds a good 3g signal again it will switch back to 3g.
If you hav it on auto, when your on a call it stays on 3g until it gets low then switches to 2g to keep the call alive. But it does NOT switch back to 3G untill you hang up.
I usually keep mine on wcdma only because i have good 3g where i live and i hate when it switches to 2g during a call because i personally can notice a sound quality difference and i alao like to be able to use internet in call if i need it
Well after many searches and a lot of trial and error, I think ive finally solved my problem of dropped/no phone signal for NAND builds, which in turn has also made my battery life way better since the phone is no longer constantly searching for signal Basically its 4 steps, ive tried each individually with no changes but for some reason when applied all together it works wonders. They are as follows:
1: dial *#*#4636#*#* and go to phone information and choose 'gsm auto PRL'
2: go to settings>mobile networks and check 'use only 2g networks'
3: go to settings>wireless networks>wifi>advanced and change wifi sleep policy to 'never'
4: go to app store and download "wifi keep alive" (free). choose wifi behavior 'always on' and advanced options 'enable workaround 2'
using these 4 steps i reduced my time without signal from 74% to 12% in 16 hours, and im getting 4-5 green bars all the time, at home and work hope this helps
I'm not an expert, but doesn't that mean you are stuck in 2G-Mode for Data Transfer? I believe 3G if available would be faster..... or am i wrong?
loekis said:
I'm not an expert, but doesn't that mean you are stuck in 2G-Mode for Data Transfer? I believe 3G if available would be faster..... or am i wrong?
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Click to collapse
yeah, it stays in 2g for data but for me its an acceptable trade off to actually be able to recieve calls. plus you can always switch 3g back on if you plan on doing something that uses a lot of data and switch it back off when youre done
damm i was excited until i saw that you have to disable 3G
Is this a common problem?
or... you could just go to settings/wireless&networks/mobile networks and change the network mode to gsm only (which is 2g) so, same thing.. and you know what? i still have signal issues, just not as bad..
pyrorob said:
or... you could just go to settings/wireless&networks/mobile networks and change the network mode to gsm only (which is 2g) so, same thing.. and you know what? i still have signal issues, just not as bad..
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Click to collapse
yea i think that option is only on Desire or froyo builds, on all of the GB's ive used it says 2G. i suppose its not gonna work for everyone, it probably still depends on your coverage area, but it definately helped me A LOT. ive been using these settings for the past 3 days and my time without signal has dropped down to 0-5% from the 55-75% it was before, and im no longer missing calls
very useful tips
I ticked the "Use 2G only" checkbox in my wireless settings and all connection problems seem to be gone! (for now)... My data connection used to be terrible... voice connection shaky.
Thanks a lot!