Database Users

4G and WiFi Not Compatible?

I had been having problems getting 4G at home and just noticed that if I turn off WiFi, 4G pops right up and as soon as I re-enable WiFi (which connects to my home network) 4G disconnects. Has anyone seen this behavior? When you think about it, it makes perfect sense, and since both are enabled to connect when the other one isn't, the flip-flop is automatic. But it surprised me.

its probably because sprints 4G is based on WIFI. or it just cuts off 4G cus you dont need it anymore

I believe it works the same way as WiFi and EVDO works on older phones. When you turn on WiFi it will use that as your data connection instead of EVDO regardless if it is a crappy WiFi connection.
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Sent via the Sprint HTC EVO

Yeah, it's actually pretty cool, but if you don't know about it, it gets frustrating. I called Sprint customer service and he had me go through the battery out/in routine and go outside and try, etc. So maybe they don't know about it either!
But it makes sense for Sprint, since their data plan is unlimited and they want to avoid network overloading (are you listening AT&T? LOL). The only thing you miss on WiFi are location-based sevices that rely on GPS (navigation, some weather products, etc.).

dkdontforget said:
its probably because sprints 4G is based on WIFI. or it just cuts off 4G cus you dont need it anymore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WiFi and 802.16e aren't all that similar. LOTS of differences between the protocols.
Maybe there's some isolation problems on your device as Sprint is using their 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings for their 4G network.

4g network and 3g network both will shut off when enabling wifi. Why have 2 forms of data going at the same time? Its not gunna use both to double your speeds.
You wont lose any GPS features. Turn on wifi and load up Google Maps, it will find your location exact.
When making calls and sending text it uses 1x so you will still receive everything except for MMS. Maybe they fixed it to where you can receive them even when on wifi with the Evo, not 100% sure.

4g and WiFi are both data only connections. You don't need two data connections simultaneously so it is smart enough to auto disable one to save battery. It would also cause routing problems.

Every phone does this LOL When you switch on Wifi they turn off 2g,3g,4g etc because you can't use 2 data connections at the same time.
I'm curious why you would want 4g and wifi on at the same time?

I thought this was pretty common knowledge (on any Android phone)... And I also thought it was done for battery conservation reasons as much as anything else. WiFi's a simpler point to point connection and from what I understand it sucks less power than 3G or 4G which is constantly checking for additional cell towers in case you've moved, etc.
If you're at home or at work w/a stable WiFi connection you should be able to preserve more battery power by using it, within the settings you can even set it so the phone doesn't revert to 3G when it goes to sleep (the default setting IIRC), otherwise it does this and only jumps back to WiFi when you wake it ('till you're out of range anyway).

I agree with all the comments. And if the Sprint Customer Service guys had said, "Hey, you idiot...it's supposed to do that," then I wouldn't have posted. But the fact that he was as stumped as I was prompted me to post (we all know that Sprint gets all it's info from reading these forums...LOL).

WiFi vs. 4G and 3G

Sorry if this is common knowledge and I'm just sllloooowww....but I have discovered something with my EVO that was driving me nuts!
When you connect to a WiFi network the phone will automatically drop your other data connections (3G or 4G). If you are connected to WiFi and turn on 4G the phone will not connect to 4G and instead will show a status similar to this:
turning on->scanning->disconnected
or
turning on->scanning->connecting to spring ->getting IP address -> connected ->disconnected
All of this was quite irritating when I was assuming that my 4G wasn't working properly. It was pretty embarrassing to learn (through many trials and errors) that I hadn't correctly associated the 4G connection 'issues' with the presence of a WiFi connection.
Hopefully some of you who are experiencing 4G 'issues' are just suffering from this same ignorance.
P.S Please don't take this as an opportunity to rip on myself or others for being ignorant, thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to right this up. I would have thought this to be common knowledge, but I can see how the cycling of 4g connect disconnect could be confusing.

It will always drop the current connection if you switch it, doesn't matter which carrier you're on. reason you can't connect to 4g (aka WiMax) while on wifi is because they are using the same frequency 802.11. the only difference is that wimax is on 802.11E where as the wifi on the evo can go 802.11B,G,N

ilikepu said:
It will always drop the current connection if you switch it, doesn't matter which carrier you're on. reason you can't connect to 4g (aka WiMax) while on wifi is because they are using the same frequency 802.11. the only difference is that wimax is on 802.11E where as the wifi on the evo can go 802.11B,G,N
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wimax uses the 802.16 protocol which is seperate completely from wifi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WiMAX
I'm not sure why they are disabled when wifi is on but my guess is to conserve battery or avoid confusion with data connectivity such as flipping back and forth between radios. Who knows why heh
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

whoops my mistake i read/wrote it wrong

Conservation is Key
slater! said:
I'm not sure why they are disabled when wifi is on but my guess is to conserve battery or avoid confusion with data connectivity such as flipping back and forth between radios. Who knows why heh
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heh, well once I realized what it was doing it became pretty obvious why they were doing it.
There's no need to keep more than one data connection up on the phone, and obviously the less data that flows over sprint's (or any carrier) airwaves the better for them. When WiFi is connected, it makes sense for the phone to shut down the cellular data to reduce network load. Also, I am not positive about 3G vs. WiFi but I am pretty sure WiFi uses considerably less power than WiMax, so it makes sense from a battery conservation perspective too.
This is actually a common practice on smart phones it seems. I confirmed with my brother that this same thing happens on his Moto Droid with Verizon (when WiFi connects, 3G disconnects).

Babble0n said:
Heh, well once I realized what it was doing it became pretty obvious why they were doing it.
There's no need to keep more than one data connection up on the phone, and obviously the less data that flows over sprint's (or any carrier) airwaves the better for them. When WiFi is connected, it makes sense for the phone to shut down the cellular data to reduce network load. Also, I am not positive about 3G vs. WiFi but I am pretty sure WiFi uses considerably less power than WiMax, so it makes sense from a battery conservation perspective too.
This is actually a common practice on smart phones it seems. I confirmed with my brother that this same thing happens on his Moto Droid with Verizon (when WiFi connects, 3G disconnects).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has more to do with conserving battery life than taking a load off of Sprint's network. BTW, WiFi tends to use a lot less battery than 3G.

Does an unlocked 4g phone work in Italy(on 3g at least)? Wath the difference between protocols(wikipedia is not clear enough)?

lennynero7 said:
Does an unlocked 4g phone work in Italy(on 3g at least)? Wath the difference between protocols(wikipedia is not clear enough)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might want to check this:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7675053_tell-cell-phone-work-worldwide.html
Does not provide too much info as far as carriers, but does explain how it works outside of U.S.

Data usage going through wifi or carrier/network?

Just a quick question.
When wifi is turned on and the H/G/3G icon disappears, all data/internet/services are going through wifi rather than the carrier network?
am I correct in saying that.
Thanks, it's for when I go on holiday and for a friend who's on holiday atm.

I think it uses wifi and when that is weak or absent it switches to 3G.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

If you want to be sure turn data off with something like APnOnOff.
jje

daivik said:
Just a quick question.
When wifi is turned on and the H/G/3G icon disappears, all data/internet/services are going through wifi rather than the carrier network?
am I correct in saying that.
Thanks, it's for when I go on holiday and for a friend who's on holiday atm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you're correct.
But if you pay per megabyte you should install some kind of monitor application, like 3G watchdog to keep track of your 3G usage.
And when abroad you can easily turn off 3G data from the power button menu.

Wifi Only version coming to USA?

Is there any evidence that the USA is getting a Wifi-only version of the 7.7?
I find it ludacris Verizon wants 699.99 for theirs.. I have no need for the radio built in and the extreme premium they are asking.. I'm itching to have this tablet and don't really want to order it online..
Unless T-mobile is getting the 7.7 with their HSPA+ network support built (I have a T-mobile unlimited data sim dying to get inside a nice tablet).
Any ideas?

Why not order the wifi version from negri? They are a us retailer and very reputable and you can have it in less than a week.
They have it at a very good price
https://negrielectronics.com/samsung-p6810-galaxy-tab-7-7-16gb-wifi-only-white.html
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium

Diversion said:
Is there any evidence that the USA is getting a Wifi-only version of the 7.7?
I find it ludacris Verizon wants 699.99 for theirs.. I have no need for the radio built in and the extreme premium they are asking.. I'm itching to have this tablet and don't really want to order it online..
Unless T-mobile is getting the 7.7 with their HSPA+ network support built (I have a T-mobile unlimited data sim dying to get inside a nice tablet).
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The majority of posters in the 7.7 forum bought their 6800/6810 online. I bought two with no problems. I presume we'll see a small influx of Verizon customers in the coming weeks, though.
But, I mean...what are you going to do? Buy it online or don't get one are your two options if you don't want Verizon's version.

Do any of the 3G versions work on T-mobile's network?

The P6800 does not work on the AWS frequency that T-mobile uses. If T-mobile ever converts its network to use the 1900MHz frequency nationwide it will work but there is no time table released to show if or when that might happen.

Diversion said:
Do any of the 3G versions work on T-mobile's network?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be clear, it will work, but you will only get EDGE (2G) speeds in most of the country. I understand that AWS isn't required in some areas for T-Mobile, but you should expect to surf at EDGE speeds with the P6800.

What he said. Will it work on T-Mobile? Yes. Will the 3G work and be fast? Depending on where you are, probably not...
---------- Post added at 10:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:00 PM ----------
If the 7.7 does come to the US in any form other than the LTE version, then it will likely ONLY be the wifi version. Carriers don't like all-in-one devices you see... That's why the LTE version doesn't double as a phone.

I'm assuming the LTE version can fall back onto Verizon's 3g network when 4g is not available, and or has a toggle (I would hope) to force 3g instead of 4g?

Diversion said:
I'm assuming the LTE version can fall back onto Verizon's 3g network when 4g is not available, and or has a toggle (I would hope) to force 3g instead of 4g?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know about the toggle, but I would assume that, yes, assuming there's no LTE coverage, it will fall back to CDMA2000 or 1xRTT, whichever is available.

Jade Eyed Wolf said:
Don't know about the toggle, but I would assume that, yes, assuming there's no LTE coverage, it will fall back to CDMA2000 or 1xRTT, whichever is available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct, the device switches between CDMA and LTE coverage depending on what is available, and there is the ability to force it to CDMA only.

What i'm concerned about though, is that there's no way to turn off the cellular modem and only use Wifi. I'm assuming that when Wifi is on, the cellular radio is also turned on (even if you don't have a data plan activated on the device) causing it to use more battery by continuously checking for a signal.
Can someone confirm if you can power down the modem seperately from Wifi? I don't see the point in needing a radio always on if you're not even paying for a Verizon plan.

Diversion said:
What i'm concerned about though, is that there's no way to turn off the cellular modem and only use Wifi. I'm assuming that when Wifi is on, the cellular radio is also turned on (even if you don't have a data plan activated on the device) causing it to use more battery by continuously checking for a signal.
Can someone confirm if you can power down the modem seperately from Wifi? I don't see the point in needing a radio always on if you're not even paying for a Verizon plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't every 3G/4G/LTE android device have a setting to turn off the mobile network? I have it on my phone and I have it on my original Galaxy Tab. Why do you think it would be different on this device?

Diversion said:
What i'm concerned about though, is that there's no way to turn off the cellular modem and only use Wifi. I'm assuming that when Wifi is on, the cellular radio is also turned on (even if you don't have a data plan activated on the device) causing it to use more battery by continuously checking for a signal.
Can someone confirm if you can power down the modem seperately from Wifi? I don't see the point in needing a radio always on if you're not even paying for a Verizon plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Droid X turns off the 3g radio when wifi is connected. It would make sense that it worked the same way on the LTE 7.7.

murmur70 said:
My Droid X turns off the 3g radio when wifi is connected. It would make sense that it worked the same way on the LTE 7.7.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your phone is still reporting signal bars when connected to Wifi, the radio is still turned on and using juice.

Paten said:
Doesn't every 3G/4G/LTE android device have a setting to turn off the mobile network? I have it on my phone and I have it on my original Galaxy Tab. Why do you think it would be different on this device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess i'll have to go back into verizon and check the settings and see if they are treated seperately. Usually all wireless (cellular and wifi) are treated as a singular on/off switch. Can't usually literally power down the cell chip and keep the Wifi chip on.
Some devices can - but I want to make sure if this one can.

Diversion said:
What i'm concerned about though, is that there's no way to turn off the cellular modem and only use Wifi. I'm assuming that when Wifi is on, the cellular radio is also turned on (even if you don't have a data plan activated on the device) causing it to use more battery by continuously checking for a signal.
Can someone confirm if you can power down the modem seperately from Wifi? I don't see the point in needing a radio always on if you're not even paying for a Verizon plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(I wish XDA would move the Thanks button away from the Quote!)
Disabling Packet data will work fine. You can also put it in Airplane mode then just enable the radios you need.

burhanistan said:
(I wish XDA would move the Thanks button away from the Quote!)
Disabling Packet data will work fine. You can also put it in Airplane mode then just enable the radios you need.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, disabling packet data works, but it's still not disabling the radio or tower hunting. I'll have to try the airplane mode thing, usually you can't have airplane mode ON and turn on other radios on without it pulling it out of airplane mode.

On my LTE version, On the Quick Settings bar there is a Mobile Data button you can select to toggle the mobile data on and off. It is independent of the Wifi.
Also, a nice touch, when you're not connected to WiFi and you go to access a data application such as the browser, it pops up a reminder along with the list of any in range wifi hot spots. You can disable this reminder, but it's a nice to have.

MileHighAko said:
On my LTE version, On the Quick Settings bar there is a Mobile Data button you can select to toggle the mobile data on and off. It is independent of the Wifi.
Also, a nice touch, when you're not connected to WiFi and you go to access a data application such as the browser, it pops up a reminder along with the list of any in range wifi hot spots. You can disable this reminder, but it's a nice to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you still see signal bars even when "mobile data" is turned off?

Diversion said:
Do you still see signal bars even when "mobile data" is turned off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi signal bars, yes. The same signal bars are used for wifi and 4G/3G. When you're in 4G or 3G it has a secondary indicator next to the signal bar.

[Q] any way to kill the gsm radio, but keep data?

I don't call, and when I do, I voip. Is there any way to leave the HSPA/EDGE on while killing the battery consuming radios that take cellular calls? I wondered this while looking at the *#*#4636#*#* menu.

oldarney said:
I don't call, and when I do, I voip. Is there any way to leave the HSPA/EDGE on while killing the battery consuming radios that take cellular calls? I wondered this while looking at the *#*#4636#*#* menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the same radio so no you can't save power by disabling it.

I'm not sure how cellular works, but I can imagine that having push call notifications would require my phone to scream to the towers often. I wonder then, could we make a program that enables radio only when programs try to connect, like airplane mode on sleep.

If you need battery life, look for it elsewhere. The solution you are looking for isn't possible
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

zephiK said:
If you need battery life, look for it elsewhere. The solution you are looking for isn't possible
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't the nexus 7 3G already do something nifty to cut the power consumption of data? It has the same battery and it lasts just as long as the WiFi model.

oldarney said:
I'm not sure how cellular works, but I can imagine that having push call notifications would require my phone to scream to the towers often. I wonder then, could we make a program that enables radio only when programs try to connect, like airplane mode on sleep.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used it in a while, but I think juice defender ultimate is able to do that. It is a couple dollars from the Play Store for the ultimate version.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

oldarney said:
I don't call, and when I do, I voip. Is there any way to leave the HSPA/EDGE on while killing the battery consuming radios that take cellular calls? I wondered this while looking at the *#*#4636#*#* menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both data and voice use the 2G radio and/or the 3G radio. (LTE is data only.) So, you can't just "shut off" voice and keep data (unless you use LTE).
The N4 essentially has 3 radios: a 2G radio (GSM/GPRS), a 3G radio (WCDMA), and an LTE radio. What you can do, is turn 1 or 2 of them off so that you are using only 2G or only 3G, or only LTE (if you are in an area where your service provider uses LTE on the AWS band). Turning off the LTE radio (off by default) certainly saves battery, but I don't think you will get that much more savings by turning off the 2G radio.

As mentioned before, it's all the same. That's like wanting to save gas by turning off the engine but still get where you are going. There's no seperate radio for data/voice. Basically WIFI is your "turn off voice but still have data" only option.