Poor 3G/H signal? Very slow 2G? Not now! - Galaxy S II General

preamble *** My 3G/HSDPA signal has improved greatly by setting the 'phone to 'WCDMA Only ***
Hi!
It has been a while since I have posted on this forum, but I made a discovery today that I thought that some of you could probably gain from too.
Apologies if it's old news in a Tips and Tricks thread somewhere in the depths of the forum, but I thought the behaviour was a bit weird and deserved a mention.
I live about 6 miles from a city. My village has on the face of it, always had a rubbish 'data' signal. Every 'phone I have ever owned (that automatically hunted for 2G/3G etc) always failed to get a 3G signal here. Mostly, I'd even have trouble to get any sort of speed connection on 2G!
Whilst fiddling with my handset today, I noticed the 'Network Mode' in 'Mobile Network Settings' of my Gingerbread build. Understandably it was set to 'Auto' GSM/WCDMA so that if it can't find a 3G signal it'll just default to 2G instead.
In a moment of madness, I thought that there was no point in using data *unless* I was in a 3G area. I set the 'phone to 'WCDMA Only' thinking that it'd only bother to connect when I went in to the City. I.e, I'm not using my home WiFi instead. What's the point in it trying to get 2G in a rubbish area. I'd rather it gave up until a decent 3G signal was available when I was on the move.
So that's my logic.. but the biggest surprise came when I checked the 'phone after! It has been locked on to a 3G/HSDPA signal all day whilst at home! I even downloaded the SpeedTest.Net app to make sure it was actually connecting and I have recorded over 3Mb connection speeds today!

Interesting, I haven't tried it though (but I'm generally in areas with good 3g reception).
Just be aware that setting it to "WCDMA Only" is not just about data. It means that when no such network is available you also can't be reached by phone (or make a call) or even send/receive SMS. The phone will then constantly search for a network, often draining the battery rather quickly. So keep an eye on weather or not you are connected with reasonable network strength.

Oh right! Eeek, I just assumed it would be just the data side of things and that the usual mob signal for texts and voice wouldn't have been affected. Thanks! I'll be sure to keep an eye on it!

Wow, you just found that option? Anyway, good find, it'll help the others who haven't found it/know about it yet :thumbup:
Sent from my S II Monster

Ha ha! I know! - And usually I'm such a geek too! I guess it's one of those options you look at and don't bother to do anything about. I'd just assumed my 3G in this area was so rubbish, it wasn't anything I could do on the 'phone to improve it! Such is life eh!

Related

[Q] G2 High Cell Standby - Radio Issue?

So far I'm really happy with my G2!
I'm in Milwaukee where we have H+ coverage. I'm getting around 12hrs from the battery with moderate use. I don't think this is terrible, but the "cell standby" uses 40-60% of the battery!
I did some research and found the "WCDMA Only" setting. That brought the "time without signal" down to around 30% from around 60% but I don't like the idea that if I leave WCDMA coverage I'll miss calls etc...
So, my questions is - Is it possible that this is an issue with the radio firmware? It seems to be unnecessarily switching from EDGE to 3G/H+ since if I force WCDMA only, it maintains connection.
Any ideas?
I suggest you change your setting to WCDMA Preferred.
That, obviously, will cause the phone to connect to the faster network if it's available, and if it's not, will connect to the slower EDGE networks.
Having -50dB HSPA at school, and marginal HSPA at home, this works great for me.
Sometimes there will be a handover to 2G even if a 3G signal is reachable. Possible causes are sudden increases in utilization of the 3G by other users or attenuation for other reasons. Setting WCDMA-only prevents the radio from performing battery-draining tower searches, but like you said there is the problem of occasionally not having any coverage at all.
This is a problem with T-Mo US's network. You can see symptoms of it on other devices (particularly so with the Nexus One).
How do I find this setting and set it?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
SuperDave81 said:
How do I find this setting and set it?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open dialer and enter *#*#4636#*#*. It's in the first list item.
Edit: I see your location is Bay Area. I find that T-Mo 3.xG coverage is pretty lacking out on the edges of suburbia (think the hilly areas east of 680).
I have high Cell Standby as well. I checked it's details out and it claims that 50% of the time, my phone is without signal. Check this by going to:
Settings > About Phone > Battery Use > Cell Standby
It will tell me that 50% of the time, I do not have cell signal. I compared this to my brother's Vibrant and his is at 0% signal loss. Definitely something wrong here because my cell standby usage is twice as much as my brother's (we live in the same household so location shouldn't matter).
jashsu said:
Open dialer and enter *#*#4636#*#*. It's in the first list item.
Edit: I see your location is Bay Area. I find that T-Mo 3.xG coverage is pretty lacking out on the edges of suburbia (think the hilly areas east of 680).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And how do you un-do this if it does not work out?
NM! I figured it out~!
Edit: figured out how to change this setting. But when I set it to WCDMA at my office I get 1 to no bars And the internet is slow. I do have a H and it is using HSPA.
If I set it to GSM only I get 3 to 4 bars, mostly 4 bars max. And then I am on Edge, and the internet is a bit faster.
I am just wondering why the coverage sucks so bad for 3g? When the maps I can find seem to show good coverage. When I am out and about I get good bars on HSPA, but inside it just sucks.
I am in Houston, area code 77009 :/
jashsu said:
Open dialer and enter *#*#4636#*#*. It's in the first list item.
Edit: I see your location is Bay Area. I find that T-Mo 3.xG coverage is pretty lacking out on the edges of suburbia (think the hilly areas east of 680).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this info
Weird, I just checked my G2 and I have 0% time w/o signal.
I live in Houston, TX and this is a combo of downtown and my house.
Botched setting in the phone?
i got 14+ hours the other day, but did notice that my cell standby has been very high.. when i checked... 44% of the time is without a signal (not sure how that's calculated) as I rarely ever see signal loss.. except for an hour out of the day I go into airplane mode at the gym because i have 0 cell coverage there. But I just changed to GSM Auto (PRL), i'll see if anything changes tommorow.
SuperFly03 said:
Weird, I just checked my G2 and I have 0% time w/o signal.
I live in Houston, TX and this is a combo of downtown and my house.
Botched setting in the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you think this is a botched setting? This is exactly what it should be like. You don't want any signal loss.
jashsu said:
Open dialer and enter *#*#4636#*#*. It's in the first list item.
Edit: I see your location is Bay Area. I find that T-Mo 3.xG coverage is pretty lacking out on the edges of suburbia (think the hilly areas east of 680).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting trick. Changed my settings from GSM only to WCDMA only. My "time without signal" dropped from 50% to around 35% so it helped a bit, but not completely. On top of that, I noticed that my signal was a lot weaker and would drop more frequently so I had to switch back to GSM only.
Stryder5 said:
Why do you think this is a botched setting? This is exactly what it should be like. You don't want any signal loss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant on the OP's part.
I don't think it's a botched setting.
I just wonder if they have the phone is jumping between bands too frequently and unnecessarily. In my house the phone constantly jumps around from H-G-E suggesting that it's dropping signal and switching bands. However if I force it to WCDMA it never loses signal.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

[Q] Orange/t-mobile network sharing in the UK

Hi All,
Done a quick search on this and can't find anything relevent, but i apologise if a thread already exists.
Really a question for those in the UK on the t-mobile network. Have any of you attempted to sign up for the orange 2g roaming service yet? I signed up, recieved the confirmation text, replied to it, and received the final confirmation. However, I'm not sure it's working. The signal seems no stronger, and i still drop in my house.
Obviously i'm posting this in the android section because i'm running android myself and am wondering whether anyone in the same boat has managed to get roaming to work. Should the fact that we're on a non-official OS running off the sd card make a difference?
Oh and for completeness, i'm running shubcraft 1.5 rmnet.
Cheers fellas!
I'm quite happily flip flopping between Orange while at work and T-Mobile for everything else...
works like a charm for me though you do have to stick the phone into Airplane mode after selecting the different provider for the data to work ...
Jezwick said:
I'm quite happily flip flopping between Orange while at work and T-Mobile for everything else...
works like a charm for me though you do have to stick the phone into Airplane mode after selecting the different provider for the data to work ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for the reply Jezwick. So, just for clarity, you're manually selecting each provider as and when required? Because i can do that, i think. When i select orange though, whilst it registers with the network fine, i get a little "R" above the signal bar (any ideas what that means?) And the speed appears to be limited to Edge. Orange have a very strong signal round here, so i figure i should be getting GPRS really.
It's the auto-switching i'm not totally sure is working really. Is there any explicit indicator that it's flipping on it's own? Or do you just observe a generally better 2g signal, rather than say, a very weak 3g one? Round the house, my phone is still trying to make do with 1 or zero bars of 3g. I would have hoped it would flip over to orange more or less all the time under those circumstances. Nothing to stop me manually selecting it i guess though...
_tangent said:
Many thanks for the reply Jezwick. So, just for clarity, you're manually selecting each provider as and when required? Because i can do that, i think. When i select orange though, whilst it registers with the network fine, i get a little "R" above the signal bar (any ideas what that means?) And the speed appears to be limited to Edge. Orange have a very strong signal round here, so i figure i should be getting GPRS really.
It's the auto-switching i'm not totally sure is working really. Is there any explicit indicator that it's flipping on it's own? Or do you just observe a generally better 2g signal, rather than say, a very weak 3g one? Round the house, my phone is still trying to make do with 1 or zero bars of 3g. I would have hoped it would flip over to orange more or less all the time under those circumstances. Nothing to stop me manually selecting it i guess though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The R is indeed for roaming that's the way it works if your not on your 'own' network.. The 'flipped' service will currently only work at GRPS speeds at the moment but should be 3G by the new year
I have noticed mine flipping automatically but only once or twice in the last few weeks but only when I get NO signal from the current service.
Jezwick said:
The R is indeed for roaming that's the way it works if your not on your 'own' network.. The 'flipped' service will currently only work at GRPS speeds at the moment but should be 3G by the new year
I have noticed mine flipping automatically but only once or twice in the last few weeks but only when I get NO signal from the current service.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Understood - thanks for the info Just done some reading and apparently EDGE is faster than basic GPRS. For some reason, i'd always assumed the reverse. Looks like the best option is just to have it always on orange whilst at home and use wifi for data (which i do anyway to compensate for the poor signal). Cheers!

Poor internet on Telstra Australia

I have had my SGSII for about 6 weeks now. Running it on the Telstra Next G network.
The problem is I am having a shocking internet experience.
My experience is based after coming from the HD2 running Android.
I have had the network freeze a few times. This is identified by the traffic arrows stay stuck. Airplane mode and back resets.
Basically cloud based apps like Market, Maps etc takes ages (60s-5mins) to start up. Kill and re-launch is quick).
Lots of network errors in Google Market.
Lots of Server unreachable errors in Emails (Pointing to exchange 2007)
I have updated the APN details to use Telstra.internet.
Great reception at home and work.
Calls and SMS's are fine.
Ideas? Waiting to see the Cyanogen rom. Wondering if my experience is due to Kies or another program getting involved with internet.
Any ideas please. My HD2 ran with the same Sim and worked like a rocket. No such issues.
Have you tried turning fast dormancy off? I'm on the Optus network, but I found with fast dormancy on I was getting unreliable internet (market would timeout a lot, doing installs/updates would fail straight away, etc). When I turned it off, I got better speeds and the connections were reliable.
Turn fast dormancy off:
1. In dialer - *#9900#
2. Select Disable fast dormancy
no such issues for me, using a vodafone branded handset. The only thing is that it will occassionally use 3telstra instead of telstra, in which case i need to manually select the network. a bit of a pain but not 2 bad
flagger said:
Have you tried turning fast dormancy off? I'm on the Optus network, but I found with fast dormancy on I was getting unreliable internet (market would timeout a lot, doing installs/updates would fail straight away, etc). When I turned it off, I got better speeds and the connections were reliable.
Turn fast dormancy off:
1. In dialer - *#9900#
2. Select Disable fast dormancy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, will try. what does fast dormancy do?
Found this as well
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1713536
Looks like it speeds up connection ramp up and down.
Found this on
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1714413
****************** FIXED ******************
After contacting Samsung for an insane period of time (ended up on an international call to England i think... or now that i think about it could have just been some English guy in Aus lol) I have got an official explanation and confirmation that this issue is being looked into for KE8 (but it appears that KE8 has been launched in India already so it might be KE9).
*disclaimer*
I am no expert on mobile technology this in-depth however the (probably very) dumbed down version the Samsung guy told me was this;
*end disclaimer*
The problem stems from the fact that this phone has 3 forms of data connection, 3G, HSDPA, and HSPA+.
3G is what we have all had since 3/Telstra launch 10 years ago.
HSDPA is the 7.2mbps connections that we got after that.
HSPA+ is the full fledged 42mbps Next G stuff that only Telstra has.
The problem is, when you are just using the phone as "a phone" it idles on a 3G connection to save battery and when you initiate a data connection it flicks on to the higher connection protocols for better speed.
What is supposed to happen when you initiate the data connection is the phone checks for H+ connection, then for H and then finally 3G. For some reason if you arent with Telstra or are in an area without HSPA+ the phone gets hung up for too long attempting to initiate the H+ connection and refuses to drop back to H!
Also, even if it does give up on H+ it then has an issue with falling back to 3G. Resulting in the problem that if it cant get H+ or the tower is too flooded for a H connection you get absolutely nothing until you restart the data mode within the phone, renegotiates with the tower and BAM, you are back in business.
So... there are 5 fixes;
1. Wait for KE9 (or what ever firmware fixes the modem timings etc)
2. Get a Telstra sim and never leave an area that has H+
3. Turn off/on data mode whenever it happens
to which i told him they were stupid answers and completely unacceptable, but then he came out with this complete gem!
4. using service code *#301279# you can turn off HSPA+ completely forcing it to start the data connections on HSDPA
5. using *#301279# again you can just turn off HSPA+ and HSDPA meaning it instantly starts downloading the data on 3G without delay
Now yes, i thought... great... ive bought this $779 phone that has all the latest and greatest technology and I cant even use it! But, I did some testing!
First of all my normal sim is Vodafone so turning off HSPA+ is an obvious one for me, im never going to get it so why bother. So now that the phone only attempts to get a connection with HSDPA the need to turn off and on data connection was getting more and more rare but still having the problem (i have a feeling that is due to congestion?). So i bumped it down to 3G only and it works perfectly 100% of the time!
The point of these faster connection protocols is speed so i did testing.
Vodafone sim, 4 bars of signal in the middle of a shopping centre.
HPSA+ turned on = 4mbps down, 1mbps up
HSDPA turned on = 4mbps down, 1mbps up
3G only = 3.5mbps down, 1mbps up
did this over and over and over again and to be perfectly honest, im willing to lose 500kbps to make sure that data always works and if you are just doing general web browsing the time it takes to initiate the HSDPA connection wastes more time than the slightly slower speeds with 3G does.
Now obviously this only works fine in my situation, if you are with Telstra and going from HSPA+ down to 3G means going from 20mbps to 3... i would be pissed. But for the rest of the country you are talking about a loss of less than 1mbps so in real world situations with just small amounts of burst data its fine
TLDR; Try and go online and the 3G up arrow lights up but never actually downloads anything
Dial: *#301279# – Change HSPA revision – Release 5 HSPDA only
test, if still a problem
Dial: *#301279# – Change HSPA revision – Release R99 HSPA off
Your welcome, Peace out!
dusty_nz said:
Found this on
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1714413
****************** FIXED ******************
After contacting Samsung for an insane period of time (ended up on an international call to England i think... or now that i think about it could have just been some English guy in Aus lol) I have got an official explanation and confirmation that this issue is being looked into for KE8 (but it appears that KE8 has been launched in India already so it might be KE9).
*disclaimer*
I am no expert on mobile technology this in-depth however the (probably very) dumbed down version the Samsung guy told me was this;
*end disclaimer*
The problem stems from the fact that this phone has 3 forms of data connection, 3G, HSDPA, and HSPA+.
3G is what we have all had since 3/Telstra launch 10 years ago.
HSDPA is the 7.2mbps connections that we got after that.
HSPA+ is the full fledged 42mbps Next G stuff that only Telstra has.
The problem is, when you are just using the phone as "a phone" it idles on a 3G connection to save battery and when you initiate a data connection it flicks on to the higher connection protocols for better speed.
What is supposed to happen when you initiate the data connection is the phone checks for H+ connection, then for H and then finally 3G. For some reason if you arent with Telstra or are in an area without HSPA+ the phone gets hung up for too long attempting to initiate the H+ connection and refuses to drop back to H!
Also, even if it does give up on H+ it then has an issue with falling back to 3G. Resulting in the problem that if it cant get H+ or the tower is too flooded for a H connection you get absolutely nothing until you restart the data mode within the phone, renegotiates with the tower and BAM, you are back in business.
So... there are 5 fixes;
1. Wait for KE9 (or what ever firmware fixes the modem timings etc)
2. Get a Telstra sim and never leave an area that has H+
3. Turn off/on data mode whenever it happens
to which i told him they were stupid answers and completely unacceptable, but then he came out with this complete gem!
4. using service code *#301279# you can turn off HSPA+ completely forcing it to start the data connections on HSDPA
5. using *#301279# again you can just turn off HSPA+ and HSDPA meaning it instantly starts downloading the data on 3G without delay
Now yes, i thought... great... ive bought this $779 phone that has all the latest and greatest technology and I cant even use it! But, I did some testing!
First of all my normal sim is Vodafone so turning off HSPA+ is an obvious one for me, im never going to get it so why bother. So now that the phone only attempts to get a connection with HSDPA the need to turn off and on data connection was getting more and more rare but still having the problem (i have a feeling that is due to congestion?). So i bumped it down to 3G only and it works perfectly 100% of the time!
The point of these faster connection protocols is speed so i did testing.
Vodafone sim, 4 bars of signal in the middle of a shopping centre.
HPSA+ turned on = 4mbps down, 1mbps up
HSDPA turned on = 4mbps down, 1mbps up
3G only = 3.5mbps down, 1mbps up
did this over and over and over again and to be perfectly honest, im willing to lose 500kbps to make sure that data always works and if you are just doing general web browsing the time it takes to initiate the HSDPA connection wastes more time than the slightly slower speeds with 3G does.
Now obviously this only works fine in my situation, if you are with Telstra and going from HSPA+ down to 3G means going from 20mbps to 3... i would be pissed. But for the rest of the country you are talking about a loss of less than 1mbps so in real world situations with just small amounts of burst data its fine
TLDR; Try and go online and the 3G up arrow lights up but never actually downloads anything
Dial: *#301279# – Change HSPA revision – Release 5 HSPDA only
test, if still a problem
Dial: *#301279# – Change HSPA revision – Release R99 HSPA off
Your welcome, Peace out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS IS A GREAT POST (even if it is a repost from whirlpool)!
So many people appear to be having this issue (including myself on O2 UK) where the data connection is stalling.
That code (*#301279#) is a gem.
Whilst I am certainly not happy that Samsung have released this phone with such a massive issue (telling you to wait until KE9 for a fix is really quite terrible!), I would rather have this fix in the meantime whilst waiting for the new firmware.
I have just disabled H/H+ by selecting 'Release 99 HSPA off' and my stalling issues have disappeared. Furthermore, my down speed is still 1.5 Mbps and upload speed is also 1.5 Mbps. I am more than happy with that speed. As the quoted post states, if you want more than this speed, this solution will not be good for you.
Thanks for posting this dusty_nw, this has been bugging me for weeks.
dusty_nz said:
Thanks, will try. what does fast dormancy do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=14457802&postcount=8
If you have it enabled it will fall from H to 3G in 7 seconds when connection is idle, otherwise in 30 seconds. 7 seconds are to short it will lose time and battery renegotiating to H to often. Ex: when you read your rss feed it will renegtiate higher speed for every article you read, very annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this should be stickied, fixed my issues i had on optus the connection would continually change from H, and 3g and stall i just disabled all except 3g and now its perfect and very quick great post!
One thing i did on mine with Telstra is change the APN from Telstra.wap to Telstra.internet made the internet feel better. Also got much better upload and download speeds.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
May be a sillt question but.
I used the stock dialer and put *#301279# in
Menu popped up.
Used my finger to press "[2] Change HSPA Revision"
Pressed "[2] Release 5"
Goes to menu with two options of which none seem to do anything when pushed.
Went back to strat of menu and selected "[1] Release R99"
Same options and none can be clicked.
So am I not doing this right? Have the changes been made with no signs or message? If they have changed how do I get them back?
I expected the option to change to visually say its "off" or something.
Although no message came up it appears my phone is staying in 3g so maybe it worked... Although I am in low reception visiting the country side so maybe they don't have H or H+ anyway....
If I selected the first option does this restrict data to 3G?
Select 2nd option for H?
or Select 3rd option for H+ or unrestricted?
Is this how its works?
Edit: I have now found it works like I thought. The screen after I click either of the options then shows what is active and is the confirmation in a way. I jumped on the forum a little too quick......
Hi. I've book marked this because I get this issue thanks.
However it is worth noting that difference between 6 and 5 is only hsupa which is upload. So you wouldn't expect change in download speeds changing that going back to 3g of course affects both directions.
tjjensen23 said:
One thing i did on mine with Telstra is change the APN from Telstra.wap to Telstra.internet made the internet feel better. Also got much better upload and download speeds.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW!!!! I just switched over.. mine use to max out at about 8Mbps, but my last test before the swap was 6.7Mbps... switched over and i tested 10Mbps and then 11mpbs!!
gunigugu said:
WOW!!!! I just switched over.. mine use to max out at about 8Mbps, but my last test before the swap was 6.7Mbps... switched over and i tested 10Mbps and then 11mpbs!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Telstra.iph works best for me in Perth.
I use a SGS2 (bought in Europe through Expansys) on Telstra since 2 months now, without any issue. I used several firmwares and kernels since then (not to test, just to update: KE7, KG2, KG3), all behaved the same way.
I tried two different APN (telstra.iph and telstra.wap), both gave me the same kind of speeds (quite good, except some times in the middle of the day).
I never found the datas to create the telstra.internet APN (they do not seem to be on ausdroid). Could someone point me to them?
As an aside, I've just finished testing the I9000TDUKF4 modem (yes it works!), if Telstra did actually have tweaks made as they claim, there was no discernible difference on Telstra's NextG using their 'T' version KF4 modem and a stock KG3.
Any changes if any must be on the hardware level or via software set tweaks, the modem really didn't make any difference at all to my download speeds.
For those wanting to replicate the experiment or muck around I've uploaded the Telstra 'T' variant KF4 modem here: http://www.multiupload.com/VKPFYPURD5
asgard said:
As an aside, I've just finished testing the I9000TDUKF4 modem (yes it works!), if Telstra did actually have tweaks made as they claim, there was no discernible difference on Telstra's NextG using their 'T' version KF4 modem and a stock KG3.
Any changes if any must be on the hardware level or via software set tweaks, the modem really didn't make any difference at all to my download speeds.
For those wanting to replicate the experiment or muck around I've uploaded the Telstra 'T' variant KF4 modem here: http://www.multiupload.com/VKPFYPURD5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this, I just stumbled upon this thread, messed about with a few settings and getting much better use out of NEXT G
Cheers

Fix/Workaround for mobile data connectivity problems (3G/H/H+ dropping connection)

I've been following the mobile data connectivity issue that some users are experiencing (where data connection drops randomly, apparently coinciding with a lot of switching between 3G/H/H+).
Initially, people suggested disabling 'fast dormancy' using *#*#9900#*#*, however, this did not work for many, including myself.
In this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=15250511&postcount=6, there appears to be a solution, albeit a workaround.
I have started this thread, as there are so many separate threads about this issue, and only the Telstra Australia thread had this answer (as far as I've read). I have copied the post (a repost from whirlpool) by dusty_nz below. Basically, the problem is serious, the guys from Samsung have insisted this will be fixed in KE9, but there is a workaround in the mean time (disabling H+ and H, or just disabling H+ using *#301279#). This may seem drastic to speed freaks, but 3G connection alone should still give you 1.5 Mb up/down if you can put up with that. This has worked for me, no more data stalling, no more server errors etc. etc. I hope H/H+ will be fixed in future firmware.
Here is the post:
dusty_nz said:
Found this on
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1714413
****************** FIXED ******************
After contacting Samsung for an insane period of time (ended up on an international call to England i think... or now that i think about it could have just been some English guy in Aus lol) I have got an official explanation and confirmation that this issue is being looked into for KE8 (but it appears that KE8 has been launched in India already so it might be KE9).
*disclaimer*
I am no expert on mobile technology this in-depth however the (probably very) dumbed down version the Samsung guy told me was this;
*end disclaimer*
The problem stems from the fact that this phone has 3 forms of data connection, 3G, HSDPA, and HSPA+.
3G is what we have all had since 3/Telstra launch 10 years ago.
HSDPA is the 7.2mbps connections that we got after that.
HSPA+ is the full fledged 42mbps Next G stuff that only Telstra has.
The problem is, when you are just using the phone as "a phone" it idles on a 3G connection to save battery and when you initiate a data connection it flicks on to the higher connection protocols for better speed.
What is supposed to happen when you initiate the data connection is the phone checks for H+ connection, then for H and then finally 3G. For some reason if you arent with Telstra or are in an area without HSPA+ the phone gets hung up for too long attempting to initiate the H+ connection and refuses to drop back to H!
Also, even if it does give up on H+ it then has an issue with falling back to 3G. Resulting in the problem that if it cant get H+ or the tower is too flooded for a H connection you get absolutely nothing until you restart the data mode within the phone, renegotiates with the tower and BAM, you are back in business.
So... there are 5 fixes;
1. Wait for KE9 (or what ever firmware fixes the modem timings etc)
2. Get a Telstra sim and never leave an area that has H+
3. Turn off/on data mode whenever it happens
to which i told him they were stupid answers and completely unacceptable, but then he came out with this complete gem!
4. using service code *#301279# you can turn off HSPA+ completely forcing it to start the data connections on HSDPA
5. using *#301279# again you can just turn off HSPA+ and HSDPA meaning it instantly starts downloading the data on 3G without delay
Now yes, i thought... great... ive bought this $779 phone that has all the latest and greatest technology and I cant even use it! But, I did some testing!
First of all my normal sim is Vodafone so turning off HSPA+ is an obvious one for me, im never going to get it so why bother. So now that the phone only attempts to get a connection with HSDPA the need to turn off and on data connection was getting more and more rare but still having the problem (i have a feeling that is due to congestion?). So i bumped it down to 3G only and it works perfectly 100% of the time!
The point of these faster connection protocols is speed so i did testing.
Vodafone sim, 4 bars of signal in the middle of a shopping centre.
HPSA+ turned on = 4mbps down, 1mbps up
HSDPA turned on = 4mbps down, 1mbps up
3G only = 3.5mbps down, 1mbps up
did this over and over and over again and to be perfectly honest, im willing to lose 500kbps to make sure that data always works and if you are just doing general web browsing the time it takes to initiate the HSDPA connection wastes more time than the slightly slower speeds with 3G does.
Now obviously this only works fine in my situation, if you are with Telstra and going from HSPA+ down to 3G means going from 20mbps to 3... i would be pissed. But for the rest of the country you are talking about a loss of less than 1mbps so in real world situations with just small amounts of burst data its fine
TLDR; Try and go online and the 3G up arrow lights up but never actually downloads anything
Dial: *#301279# – Change HSPA revision – Release 5 HSPDA only
test, if still a problem
Dial: *#301279# – Change HSPA revision – Release R99 HSPA off
Your welcome, Peace out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this works! thanks!
Cheers!
Just tried this and I got 1800kbps on 3g!!
Hmm, i played around with those codes. If i choose to drop H+ and H, stays on 3G, but speed is crappy for me. So i want to drop only H+, but when i do that phone stays only on 3G too, not attempting to connect to H. Am i doing something wrong ?
Sp1tfire said:
Hmm, i played around with those codes. If i choose to drop H+ and H, stays on 3G, but speed is crappy for me. So i want to drop only H+, but when i do that phone stays only on 3G too, not attempting to connect to H. Am i doing something wrong ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*#301279#
Option [1] Release R99(HSPA OFF) - This should turn H+ and H off
Option [2] Release 5(HSDPA ONLY) - This should turn just H+ off (what you want)
Option [3] Release 6(HSDPA/HSUPA) - This should turn H+ and H on
To test this, you might want to make sure you are in an area that can pick up 3G, H and H+.
One week on since I selected Option [1] and I have not had any data stalling issues, before I was having data dropping every few minutes whilst browsing.
I tried Option [2] and still had the stalling issue.
Good luck.
tomelsmith said:
*#301279#
Option [1] Release R99(HSPA OFF) - This should turn H+ and H off
Option [2] Release 5(HSDPA ONLY) - This should turn just H+ off (what you want)
Option [3] Release 6(HSDPA/HSUPA) - This should turn H+ and H on
To test this, you might want to make sure you are in an area that can pick up 3G, H and H+.
One week on since I selected Option [1] and I have not had any data stalling issues, before I was having data dropping every few minutes whilst browsing.
I tried Option [2] and still had the stalling issue.
Good luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hardly ever get H+, which is why i want to turn it off, thing is if i choose option 2, i only get 3G, while with option 3 i get 3G and H (probably H+ too if i were in the right place). Option 1 works fine, doesn't seem to stall, but 3G speed is crap in my network, that's why i wanted option 2.
Tried all three settings and I am getting about the same speeds with all three settings, 3600-4200 down and 1550-1620 up. So will try setting 1 to see if my connection carries on dropping out.
Thanks
Wat is the code for miui
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
I actually tried this before on a few different radios and it didn't really work. The real problem I have is when I get in an elevator for a minute and get out shortly. It's not long enough in the elevator for the phone to say "No Signal" but it's still long enough for the data connection to hang and never bother hooking back up when I get off the elevator.
I'll try again though... will report back.
same here .... i tried the three options but problem persist
I have tried the codes above, including disabling dormancy but my internet still will not connect to the internet. Please help.
I'm with Optus (TPG) and I never really see H. It's either 3G, or H+.
I tried disabling H+ (option 2), and like the other guy now I only see 3G.
My Speedtest with only 3G was:
Down - 228.2kB/s
With H+ enabled (option 3), my Speedtest was:
Down - 482kB/s (but it's been as high as 1103.9kB/s in previous tests.
For now I'll just keep it as it is and put up with the occasional freezes. Hopefully it's fixed soon in a firmware release.
i cant seem to get the codes working.. after i dial *#301279# nothing happens, no menu nothing. tried on my wife's galaxy s 2 same thing.. is there an app to disable HSDPA?
\\Issue solved
Is this issue mainly due to the carrier?
I did not have this problem b4. Now I found that my phone might suffer from this.
Tried to disable the H+ or H & H+ at the same time, it seems the issue is still there.
I am on Vodafone Australia network. And I just raised this similar topic on Whirlpool, if you guys would like to discuss this network problem on an OZ forum, plz refer to the below
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1744684
Cheers
Updating to XXXKG2 fixed 90% of my problems, on vodafone au.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
MealsOnWheels said:
Updating to XXXKG2 fixed 90% of my problems, on vodafone au.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it's still the same, coming from KF2 to KG2. Will try KG3.
Any one with new modem firmware that 100% fixed the 3G drop/stuck connection(only see upload sign lit) bug? I am running KG1 modem(stock rom no root) and still experiencing this issue on ATT in Bloomington, Indiana USA.
I also realized S2 uses Infineon modem chip which is the same supplier for the iPhone3G that had the 3G slow down, drop call issue..
Could this issue be the chip at the end?? Why would Samsung taking forever to fix this critical flaw on I9100??
I'm on 3 UK. Had the cutout on KG1 and KG2. But it's definitely gone away in KG3.
I'm on Airtel India on KG3 and I still have the data stalling issue.
Seems to me like this issue surfaces more when I'm at home on wifi and then step out to data.
Trying out these service codes now to see if it helps to turn off high speed data.
It would make sense for Samsung to include these settings in the rom itself even for those without issues but want to save battery.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Wow, this is ridiculous and why is this happening?

Please help:
I'm on CM9 19 6 nightly. Using Semaphore kernel without any modifications to the scripts.
The problem: My signal keeps on going out at regular intervals.
I've used XXJVU, DDJV5, XXJVT, KF1(Nexus modem for ICS) and various more. I stay on the modems for a week and then change to another one. The latest one is DDJV5 which I have been using since the past 2 weeks.
Tried all of the modems I could lay my hands on. Nothing works.
But the moment I come to work, the signal keeps fluctuating over the day. Sometimes it would be out for 10-15 minutes. When it's back, it would get back to giving -65 .. -71 dBm. It would stay like that for a few minutes and then it would be gone again for another 10-15 minutes or so.
It has turned into an OCD where I keep checking my signal.
This does not happen when I'm back home and then I'm back to getting good signal.
Yes, this looks to you like a locational issue. I thought so too. BUT, how did I get so good signal till a week back at work?
Question: What could have made this mess to my signal reception? How can I solve this?
No, all my syncs are OFF. I keep my 3G turned off and only use it once an hour or so for a few minutes. I don't use any signal consuming apps.
Also, sometimes the 3G would work even without the signal.
Another thing, sometimes there's a (x) sign at the signal bar thing and sometimes there is no (x) without bars.
As a cure for the OCD, I've taken an off from work today just to get some rest from checking my signal every now and then. And maybe find a solution.
I'm on Vodafone India.
Indians, I am on Vodafone India in Pune, Hinjewadi Information Technology park. Maybe Pune guys can help me out too?
maybe the phone changes the network mode.. 2g 3g or i dont know , try to put in in 2g only mode , or gsm only mode.
When the signal bar shows with a "x" it means the network is not available...go to settings and change the Network mode to "GSM Only". It will solve the fluctuating issue but network speed will be limited to 2G only.
Sent from my GT-i9100 equipped with Grenade Launcher and Remote Explosives
Thanks, let me try it out.
Where is the network changing option to GSM only in ICS?
Okay, I guess it's the 2G mode.
DD-Ripper said:
When the signal bar shows with a "x" it means the network is not available...go to settings and change the Network mode to "GSM Only". It will solve the fluctuating issue but network speed will be limited to 2G only.
Sent from my GT-i9100 equipped with Grenade Launcher and Remote Explosives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is going to 2G mode my ONLY option?
How can I fix this and get back to using 3G?
Update:
Changing to 2G mode fixed the problem. BUT...
I have a few questions now:
I want to use 3G but at the same time I don't want the signal to fluctuate between 2G and 3G—want to get constant 3G connectivity without signal fluctuations. Is there any way I can fix that?
I remember reading somewhere that going to recovery and changing permission helps this.
Anyone knows how to change the permissions so the signal fluctuations stop?
I have done a lot of reading on XDA but I haven't noticed an issue like this.
CM9 guys, anything please...
TVwithParents said:
Update:
Changing to 2G mode fixed the problem. BUT...
I have a few questions now:
I want to use 3G but at the same time I don't want the signal to fluctuate between 2G and 3G—want to get constant 3G connectivity without signal fluctuations. Is there any way I can fix that?
I remember reading somewhere that going to recovery and changing permission helps this.
Anyone knows how to change the permissions so the signal fluctuations stop?
I have done a lot of reading on XDA but I haven't noticed an issue like this.
CM9 guys, anything please...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue mate...using 2G is the only option to get signal without any problem.
The problem doesnot lies on your phone but the problem is with the operator. The area where you live hardly 3G signal reaches there (same problem with me).
You got two options to fix this issue:
1. Change your Network Operator
Or
2. Settle to another location where 3G signal is fully available
Sent from my GT-i9100 equipped with Grenade Launcher and Remote Explosives
Both the options look impossible for me at the moment.
I will start living with the hope that the operator brings us some decent 3G signal here.
Thanks a lot anyways. It was helpful. Hope others facing the issue can learn from this thread. :good:
TVwithParents said:
Both the options look impossible for me at the moment.
I will start living with the hope that the operator brings us some decent 3G signal here.
Thanks a lot anyways. It was helpful. Hope others facing the issue can learn from this thread. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Complain to your provider, very loud!
:gooditto the same problem occured to me on Vodafone (Chennai) tried all modems listed above nothing worked ...Used to lose signals all the time with 2g data on especially at my workplace intermittently for 3-4 months ever since I upgraded to ICS..Sometimes used to lose signal even if data was off..multiple reboots/restarts gave no solution ..issue persisted across all the 15+ roms i might have flashed over the past 6 months..
Finally fed up I ported the number to AIrtel..everything works like a charm on JV9 I must say now..can vouch it's a network issue at the location
I am getting constant 5 bars on the 2G network. 3G gives me 2 bars at max.
Asked Vodafone about the future of 3G in my location and they said "We are spreading, sir. We will keep you informed".
I've had this problem too when the phone was constantly switching between 2G and 3G/3.5G. Try adding "Toggle 2G/3G" to notification drawer, set the "Network modes" for it to 2G/3G Only or 2G/3G Only/3G+2G. Switching between modes can take 10-20 seconds, but you should be able to test if you can get good enough 3G only connectivity (in case it is just a network switching problem like for me).
If you want 3G only, Dial *#*#4636#*#* - Phone information - WCDMA only.

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