Database Users

Phone keeps switching from 3G and HSPDA

I keep noticing the data status going from 3G and HSPDA every now and then even when I have full bars. This can't be good...
Anyone else experience this?
Is there a fix?

I also get the switching thing on my phone but only when the HSPA signal is weak and it's not that often. Is this affecting the battery life on your cell phone?

It's normal. If you have issues just set it to use 2g only mode as that saves a heap of power
Sent from my Apple Newton 2100

ickyboo said:
It's normal. If you have issues just set it to use 2g only mode as that saves a heap of power
Sent from my Apple Newton 2100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I set this? I checked in settings->wireless and network->mobile networks-> network mode, but see only an option for GSM only, WCDMA only.

If you're with Bell in Canada, there is no option for 2g only as there is no 2g network. Don't worry about the 3g/H switch, this is a common occurrence on most phones on most carriers. My GF's HTC Magic on Rogers did this too.

Gsm only is the 2g mode you want
Sent from my Apple Newton 2100

thanks! I see the option now.

GSM stands for 2G
HSPDA stands for 3G
when it changes between 2G/3G (G/H)[Automode] it's sort of Prefer 3G, fall back to 2G if 3G signal is weak.
you can easily change it off Settings > Wireless and Network > Mobile Network > Network Mode as you've said

actually my network doesnt support 2G (GSM). Like I said, it bounces between 3G and HSDPA (3.5G). Wonder what this does to battery life?

there is no problem, 3G is not as fast as HSPDA
in perfect reception you get 3.5G (HSPDA)
in not so good reception areas you get 3G
in very poor reception areas you are lucky to get 2G (EDGE)

ChiGGz said:
How do I set this? I checked in settings->wireless and network->mobile networks-> network mode, but see only an option for GSM only, WCDMA only.
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Click to collapse
wtf.. when i go to settings->wireless and network->mobile networks i see "data roaming" "access point names" and "network operators".
i have a bell vibrant unlocked and on rogers and id LOVE to force gsm only.. are you running the updated firmware or something?

Preferred Network Type?

I'm curious what everyones Preferred Network Type is on their G2.
You get there by...
Go to "Phone"
Type *#*#4636#*#* (Don't hit send, you will see a screen appear)
Click "Phone Information"
Scroll down until you see "Set Preferred Network Type" and post what it says
The reason I want to know is because I did this and my phone's preferred network type says "WCDMA perferred".
Does anyone know if changing this value to GSM Prl will be more suitable for this GSM phone or does it not matter?

I switched mine to GSM Preferred PRL and I seem to get better battery life. It has a higher threshold before it switches from E to H. In places with good H signal it doesn't seem to make a difference.
I'm happy with it this way.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

From the N1 thread I used to lurk in religiously.
WCDMA preferred - The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 3G is favored more.
GSM only - The GSM phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
WCDMA only - The GSM phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
GSM auto (PRL) - The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more. This one is a bit confusing to me since PRL is associated mostly with CDMA technology and not GSM technology.
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.
CDMA only - The CDMA phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
EvDo only - The CDMA phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) - Some phones are equipped with both GSM and CDMA capabilities. This setting appears to just have the phone attempt to stay connected to the data communication type that works the best. (Maybe the Samsung Galaxy S will take advantage of this???)
Unknown - If none of the above fit or the phone is acting weird as far as connecting to the carrier, you will see your preferred network type is set to this.
Also, WCDMA uses more power because it is constantly scanning for connections and will always prefer 3G connections; have a lower threshold to use 3G.
GSM AUTO PRL has a higher threshold for 3G, generally about 2 bars or slightly lower so far I've noticied.

i cannot change network type. default is wcdma preferred. i click gsm only or wcdma only and it defaults back to wcdma preferred. Help! I cannot save the setting. I have galaxy note i717.

[Q] Option to use only 3G NOT HSPDA

HI all!
Right now I am using [Build][10.12.2010][NexusHD2-FRG83D V1.8 PPP+RMNET][Kernel: hastarin r8.5.3_oldcam] and that is quite ok for me.
However I havent found anywhere on that build an option to disable HDSPA speed.
What I would like is accept 3G but disable HSPDA. Now I only have a change to disable 3G totally and only get 2G. Basicly area where I live is keeping me a situation that phone is very often trying to connect HSPDA but then changes is 3G speed. It causes me time&battery drain.
I have found a solution to force phone only use 3G but that is what I wanted. 2G and 3G are ok but I want to disable HSPDA.
Anybody could help me?

Up, Up... anybody have same kind of need?

i also need same help regarding this, reason is my data plan only use 3g (umts) and not 3.5g (hsdpa)... but my android always switch 3g to hsdpa back and forth and drain battery much faster
is there any tweak/program/widget/application that can enable 3g (umts) only?
windows doenst have this problem cause in winmo i can switch the option easily (enable/disable hspa)... but android dont have this kind of thing

I have the same problem. I don't even have HSPDA where I live, yet it tries to connect, fails, and then connects to 3G. It's a very time consuming processor to wait for the phone to do this when I am just trying to load a website.

Yes.. maybe it will not drain much memory but.. who wouldn't want a fast internet..

Afaik Hsdpa uses the same radio towers (or whatever the name is) as Umts... just different software. so there should be no battery drain caused by this.

This mite help you
1. Go to your dialer
2. Dial *#*#INFO#*#*
3. Click 'Phone information'
4. Scroll down to the first dropdown selection and set according to your preference below...
For simplicity, there are two main types of cell carriers, GSM and CDMA.
The following popular data communication technology is associated with each cell carrier type:
GSM = GPRS (2g), EDGE(2g), UMTS(3g), WCDMA(3g), HSDPA(3g) {Cell Carrier examples: AT&T and T-Mobile}
CDMA = CDMA*(2/3g) EV-DO(3g) WiMax(3/4g) {Cell Carrier examples: Verizon and Sprint}
Now that the general stuff is out of the way, here's my take on the Preferred Network types:
WCDMA preferred - The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 3G is favored more.
GSM only - The GSM phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
WCDMA only - The GSM phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
GSM auto (PRL) - The GSM phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more. This one is a bit confusing to me since PRL is associated mostly with CDMA technology and not GSM technology.
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.
CDMA only - The CDMA phone is capable of using only 2G data communication. When the 2G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
EvDo only - The CDMA phone is capable of using only 3G data communication. When the 3G signal is too low you get nothing at all.
GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) - Some phones are equipped with both GSM and CDMA capabilities. This setting appears to just have the phone attempt to stay connected to the data communication type that works the best. (Maybe the Samsung Galaxy S will take advantage of this???)
Unknown - If none of the above fit or the phone is acting weird as far as connecting to the carrier, you will see your preferred network type is set to this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source http://www.google.ie/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=6a327a95211ac789&hl=en

domenukk said:
Afaik Hsdpa uses the same radio towers (or whatever the name is) as Umts... just different software. so there should be no battery drain caused by this.
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Click to collapse
uhh... maybe you dont catch what us mean....
when umts change to hspda (icon change from 3g to H) then it use battery power.. in my case i use 3g (umts and not 3.5g or hspda )data plan only... but android keep searching hspda signal and THIS is when battery used the most (the process) and EVEN when my area have 3.5g covered but because i use 3g only data plan... then the back and forth process (3g<->H) will kep coming and rdrain my battery fast
so... we look for any kind of workaround so our android keep stay in 3g (umts) and not drain any unnecessary battery power searching for hspda
btw sorry for my english

agarp said:
This mite help you
1. Go to your dialer
2. Dial *#*#INFO#*#*
3. Click 'Phone information'
4. Scroll down to the first dropdown selection and set according to your preference below...
Source http://www.google.ie/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=6a327a95211ac789&hl=en
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i use this thing before and no luck
i use "wcdma only" as the option and android still process 3g and 3.5 back and forth, maybe android "thinks" 3g/umts and 3.5/hspda as the same?? android categorize umts and hspda as one big fat 3G network
i wonder why newer os like android doesnt have this kind of feature in winmo there is an option :
disable hspa = so hspda disabled.. AKA 2G or UMTS only
enable hspa = enabled hspda, hspa, hsupa etc.. AKA 2G, UMTS and HSPDA

try this settings
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.

agarp said:
try this settings
CDMA auto (PRL) - The CDMA phone is capable of using both 2G and 3G data communication and when signal strength is low 2G is favored more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
isnt cdma auto (prl) used exclusively for cdma phones? (those phones with evdo and wimax thing) and not used for our hd2 (GSM)???

C'mon how this is impossible with newer phone software??
This feature has been in WinMo and Symbian in many years!!
It is really frustrating that almost every time my phone is trying to make HSPDA connect and then decide 3G is enough and possible. It causes some delay and sometimes also timed out errors.

agreed
my android keep going back and forth between umts 3G and hspda 3.5G like some clueless kid while 2 experienced guy (symbian & winmo) laugh at him

i know this is a old topic
i have still this issue
my phone is switching to hsdpa an back to 3g after a few seconds
when the phone is connected to my slow wifi connection everything works fine and i can use it for 3 day's
when it is connected to hsdpa my battery is empty after 15 hours and the voip connection is not working properly (i need to start a ping to some server first to keep the connection alive so i can call with voip)

I just came upon this thread, but I don't have this problem, so I can't really test it out this theory. But my thought was, what if you just went into the build.prop file and edited the ro.ril.hsxpa.category settting from ro.ril.hsxpa.category=2 to ro.ril.hsxpa.category=0. I just tested it out and it never jumped from 3g to H. My only concern is that you wouln't get the fastest speed you could be getting. Test it out and let me know though.

at this moment it is not posible to root my phone (SE Xperia pro with latest firmware)
so i am afraid we need to wait to test this
but thanks for the hint

[Q] Bizarre signal issue (AT&T)

So my fiance's Nexus 4 is having a weird signal issue where she works. I have had her try different settings and this is what she's seeing:
WCDMA preferred: No signal at all
GSM auto (prl): No signal at all
GSM only: She gets Edge or "G" and 4 bars
So here's the thing - my understanding is that WCDMA preferred and GSM auto (PRL) will use both 2G and 3G with slight differences (WCDMA prefers 3G, GSM auto (PRL) prefers 2G). She is not getting 2G or 3G with either of these. If she uses GSM only she gets a 2G signal.
Anyone have any idea what's up? This doesn't seem normal to me. It was working correctly before, then when she had issues she called and they told her that they were doing some work on the tower near her - but they claim that it's been fixed.

kimboinatl said:
So my fiance's Nexus 4 is having a weird signal issue where she works. I have had her try different settings and this is what she's seeing:
WCDMA preferred: No signal at all
GSM auto (prl): No signal at all
GSM only: She gets Edge or "G" and 4 bars
So here's the thing - my understanding is that WCDMA preferred and GSM auto (PRL) will use both 2G and 3G with slight differences (WCDMA prefers 3G, GSM auto (PRL) prefers 2G). She is not getting 2G or 3G with either of these. If she uses GSM only she gets a 2G signal.
Anyone have any idea what's up? This doesn't seem normal to me. It was working correctly before, then when she had issues she called and they told her that they were doing some work on the tower near her - but they claim that it's been fixed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you have the correct apn for att? you would have to enter the apn in manually. main settings, more, mobile networks, access point names. by default, it comes ready for tmobiles network out of the box, but you would have to set up the apn for att(which is why you would get a 2g/g signal).

simms22 said:
do you have the correct apn for att? you would have to enter the apn in manually. main settings, more, mobile networks, access point names. by default, it comes ready for tmobiles network out of the box, but you would have to set up the apn for att(which is why you would get a 2g/g signal).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally didn't think about the APN settings - mostly because she's getting HSPA+ here at the house. I set it up using the new AT&T APN, we'll see how it goes. Thanks a bunch!

How to favor 3G over 4G when signal is weak?

I have discovered that my MXP consumes more battery than it needs to over night. This is because, on my night stand, I have strong 3G signal, but weak 4G signal and the phone hangs on to the weak 4G signal consuming unnecessary power, even though I have good WiFi too. If I manually select my 'Preferred network type' to 3G in settings at night, this works, but I can't automate the process of setting 3G or 4G modes.
I discovered the "test mode" (dial #*#*4636*#*# on the phone keypad) and the Phone information section allows you set many more options via the Set preferred network type drop down. I'm unclear what the different options option will achieve. I want the phone to prefer 3G over 4G when the signal is poor. Is there an option for this?
Phone is stock, unrooted, on the EE network in the UK

3G = WCDMA
WCDMA PREFERRED (prefer 3G)
WCDMA ONLY (it will turn off you 4G and 2G.)

thing is if the phone shows it is hanging on to a weak 4g signal you have to remember just because it is displaying a weak signal it is still connected to the stronger 3g signal, it has to be otherwise you wouldn't get calls and texts.

Will have to experiment, but
> WCDMA PREFERRED (prefer 3G)
Does this mean it won't connect to 4G at all if 3G is available?
> if the phone shows it is hanging on to a weak 4g signal you have to remember just because it is displaying a weak signal it is still connected to the stronger 3g signal
Maybe, but my issue is the power consumption when connected to a weak 4G signal
Silly thing is it's not necessary to maintain a connection to 4G at all when WiFi is active, when the only useful benefit of 4G is fast data

If a phone is connected to a weak signal, it will take greater toll on battery.

Try - settings, more, mobile networks and then preferred network type. You can then set 3g?

Richy101 said:
Try - settings, more, mobile networks and then preferred network type. You can then set 3g?
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Click to collapse
I want the phone to automatically prefer 3G over 4G when the 4G signal is poor. Doesn't look like this is possible, and I'm stuck with aggressive 'hanging on to' 4G despite heavy power consumption.