This thread is for pretty much anyone who has T-Mobile LTE in a market where they haven't announced it yet.
I live in Virginia Beach and saw today (surprised as hell) that I have LTE...
Cool, can you post a speed test.
4ktvs said:
Cool, can you post a speed test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm the Phoenix metro market got LTE on the turn-on date March 26th as expected. I went into the store on the 27th and ran a speedtest on one of the Note 2s in the store. I'll post a confirmation picture I took with my SGS2, but it came out to 33mbps down, 22-23mbps up on LTE. I'm waiting for the SGS3-LTE to come into my local store then I'm likely going to sell my SGS2 and take some money from my paycheck and buy the new T999L.
What's interesting is my Nexus 4 gets a drastically better LTE signal than my Note II. On average ~10dB better.
Dr. Hax said:
What's interesting is my Nexus 4 gets a drastically better LTE signal than my Note II. On average ~10dB better.
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That is interesting because the LTE radio in the N4 does not have an amplifier connected to it like the Note II. Every report of signal quality for LTE on the N4 I've seen has been poor levels, functioning but poor. The Note II at the store down the street from me was working fine with full signal, I didn't get the detailed dB on it though. I haven't seen what the N4s look like out here with service, but now I might need to look into picking up an N4 to get the LTE service.
Cynagen said:
That is interesting because the LTE radio in the N4 does not have an amplifier connected to it like the Note II. Every report of signal quality for LTE on the N4 I've seen has been poor levels, functioning but poor. The Note II at the store down the street from me was working fine with full signal, I didn't get the detailed dB on it though. I haven't seen what the N4s look like out here with service, but now I might need to look into picking up an N4 to get the LTE service.
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Click to collapse
My note II averages -105dBm at my house while my Nexus 4 averages -95dBm. That's pretty significant. Again, this is LTE.
Neither phone drops it or anything like that. How do we know for sure the Nexus doesn't have an amp?
Dr. Hax said:
My note II averages -105dBm at my house while my Nexus 4 averages -95dBm. That's pretty significant. Again, this is LTE.
Neither phone drops it or anything like that. How do we know for sure the Nexus doesn't have an amp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IGNORE ME I HAVE BEEN CORRECTED, THERE IS FULLY OPERATIONAL LTE HARDWARE IN THE N4! HOORAY!
There was a discussion after the phone was pulled apart XDA style and we first discovered that it even HAD an LTE radio (I remember the uproar when that was found, remember it's UNLICENSED (no FCC regulatory approval)). People noticed that there was no amplifier for the LTE radio but there were solder points for it. Based on this information plus the weak LTE signals people were getting on AT&T in most areas (-107dBm or less) everyone put two and two together to get that there was no amplifier built in. The amplifier is only really needed to enhance the reception to the tower, not from the tower (you can't boost a useless signal into a usable one if the antenna can't receive the signal already, it doesn't work like that), so as long as you're in the city, you'll have LTE without a problem as you're mentioning. The amplifier is enabled and used for transmissions when you're further away from the tower and the signal cannot carry as far from the chip's existing amp (typically weak) in order to maintain a two-way transmission. This would also account for the longer battery life that people are reporting on their N4s after they switch over to LTE primary. No amp means no extra draw against the battery as the GSM radio is only used as backup and for calls on T-Mobile (they don't do VoLTE). Typically a tower will not enable broadcast in a direction that there is no serviceable clients, hence the multiple vertical aerials facing 3 directions, and will cease to broadcast at full strength until it receives contact from a client device (power savings). Either your basic amp built into the chip is hitting the tower or there's other LTE users in your area and keeping the tower at full strength, either way, AWESOME.
Cynagen said:
There was a discussion after the phone was pulled apart XDA style and we first discovered that it even HAD an LTE radio (I remember the uproar when that was found, remember it's UNLICENSED (no FCC regulatory approval)). People noticed that there was no amplifier for the LTE radio but there were solder points for it. Based on this information plus the weak LTE signals people were getting on AT&T in most areas (-107dBm or less) everyone put two and two together to get that there was no amplifier built in. The amplifier is only really needed to enhance the reception to the tower, not from the tower (you can't boost a useless signal into a usable one if the antenna can't receive the signal already, it doesn't work like that), so as long as you're in the city, you'll have LTE without a problem as you're mentioning. The amplifier is enabled and used for transmissions when you're further away from the tower and the signal cannot carry as far from the chip's existing amp (typically weak) in order to maintain a two-way transmission. This would also account for the longer battery life that people are reporting on their N4s after they switch over to LTE primary. No amp means no extra draw against the battery as the GSM radio is only used as backup and for calls on T-Mobile (they don't do VoLTE). Typically a tower will not enable broadcast in a direction that there is no serviceable clients, hence the multiple vertical aerials facing 3 directions, and will cease to broadcast at full strength until it receives contact from a client device (power savings). Either your basic amp built into the chip is hitting the tower or there's other LTE users in your area and keeping the tower at full strength, either way, AWESOME.
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Click to collapse
Just to enlighten, the nexus 4 lacks no components to function properly on T-mobile's network, as a matter of fact it's fully functional on any band 4( 1700/2100mhz) LTE network. Check out this article and the Nexus 4 LTE Band Coverage table about half way down the page.
eservant said:
Just to enlighten, the nexus 4 lacks no components to function properly on T-mobile's network, as a matter of fact it's fully functional on any band 4( 1700/2100mhz) LTE network. Check out this article and the Nexus 4 LTE Band Coverage table about half way down the page.
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Click to collapse
That's awesome that it's confirmed all PAs are there! I stand corrected and have updated this information in my brain for future reference!
So basically all the surrounding cities such as Tempe,media,gilbert,etc should have lte as well. Thanks
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 02:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:25 AM ----------
Mesa not media sorry about that should have Lte. Thanks!!!
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Greg1964 said:
So basically all the surrounding cities such as Tempe,media,gilbert,etc should have lte as well. Thanks
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 02:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:25 AM ----------
Mesa not media sorry about that should have Lte. Thanks!!!
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, LTE 33mbps down, 23mbps up was tested at the T-Mobile store on Baseline & Rural in Tempe 2 days after launch of the LTE service in the valley on a Galaxy Note II in-store display model using Speedtest.net. Reports are mixed from the west valley that LTE is either not up or is spotty, and there is continuing tower maintenance to bring LTE online out there currently. (Lot of my friends are on T-Mo, we all love the service)
This is all great news I cant wait for the HTC one to be released.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
My brother got 47 down and 29 m.b.p.s. up in mesa,A.Z. on his n4 pretty good.tmobiles Lte service so far is really impressive.I'm sorry that I dont have a pic of the speed test.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
rp56 said:
My brother got 47 down and 29 m.b.p.s. up in mesa,A.Z. on his n4 pretty good.tmobiles Lte service so far is really impressive.I'm sorry that I dont have a pic of the speed test.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Upload of 29Mbps is impossible on 2x10Mhz LTE physical layer. Maximum is 26Mbps.
Speed test at i10 & Ray high 30s...
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
Speed test at i17 & union hills...
Mid to high 20s
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium
I cant wait to receive my HTC one for I can some speed tests.
Sent from my HTC Sensation using xda app-developers app
Any word when tmo will raise above 17 down and 6 up in northern va or dc?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
sgs22012 said:
Any word when tmo will raise above 17 down and 6 up in northern va or dc?
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a different cell site. DC area should max out at 73mbps. Baltimore is 37Mbps.
milan03 said:
Try a different cell site. DC area should max out at 73mbps. Baltimore is 37Mbps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thought I had please pm me with how to do so
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Related
Will Verizon Lte network have any effect on the Fascinate?
Nope. You would have to have a different radio to be able to pick up the signal. Sadly we can't do this through a software update.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
The effect it will have is sadness. That LTE is so fast and we are 3g!!!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
As long as the LTE network isn't hooked up at the same places the current network is and they don't have to share any bandwidth between them, there won't be a difference. If one cable is carrying all the traffic from the current 3G system and the upcoming 4G network, there could be some slight slow down in data speeds, but that would be the only way it would affect you.
I live in the middle of nowhere, so LTE won't have an effect on any phone I buy for years to come.
If Verizon follows Sprint's lead, the fascinate may actually gain an advantage by not incurring the extra fees associated with LTE access (e.g. the EVO 4G)
I don't expect to see LTE penetration beyond the biggest urban markets for quite some time (remember how slow 3g spread?)
This is me just thinking, but the LTE rollout may actually help us a bit. My reasoning in this is that some of the load will be lifted off of 3g when people start moving to LTE, giving us more bandwidth. Thats just me thinking though.
theraptscallion said:
I live in the middle of nowhere, so LTE won't have an effect on any phone I buy for years to come.
If Verizon follows Sprint's lead, the fascinate may actually gain an advantage by not incurring the extra fees associated with LTE access (e.g. the EVO 4G)
I don't expect to see LTE penetration beyond the biggest urban markets for quite some time (remember how slow 3g spread?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Negative on that. Actually LTE is to cover 110 million people by the end of the year alone, and full penetration (97% of territory) by 2013. I see their efforts ramped up much more this time around
I'm the primary on my families plan so I just have to wait a year and I get to upgrade so hopefully by them 4G well be in my area and there still be some legit 4G phones to choose from.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
This is true indeed...probably would take some time to lighten bw loads, but caps would be raised eventually and 3g speeds would increase some
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
phoenx06 said:
This is me just thinking, but the LTE rollout may actually help us a bit. My reasoning in this is that some of the load will be lifted off of 3g when people start moving to LTE, giving us more bandwidth. Thats just me thinking though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, however this depends on how quickly they get phones rolling out, but I think by then we will also want to be on lte phones.
RacerXFD said:
Agreed, however this depends on how quickly they get phones rolling out, but I think by then we will also want to be on lte phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE phones will appear at earliest Feb or March of next year, and thats a best case scenario....
The new LTE network is ran on a seperate fiber from the current 3g network. 3g is T1 based, LTE is ethernet. One will not affect the other.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
snapounds said:
The new LTE network is ran on a seperate fiber from the current 3g network. 3g is T1 based, LTE is ethernet. One will not affect the other.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is "somewhat" true. Yes, LTE is on the ethernet backhaul network (requirement for LTE). But a good portion of the country also has EVDO on ethernet as well.
Bummer... I was hoping that much like the Tmobile network it would help our phones... Thank you for the information.
Alright, XDA. I really need your expertise on this one. I am doing everything I can to keep my Nexus 4. Even with its issues and shortcomings, it's the best phone I ever used.
The one thing I need is cell service where I work for calls and SMS only. I have wifi for data. After some Googling, will this work?
http://www.wilsonamplifierstore.com/t-mobile
It says T-Mobile uses 1900MHz for voice calls, sms, and 2G data. This seems just perfect for me. Will this work with my Nexus 4? I don't see why not, but it doesn't hurt to come to you guys first. Obviously, there are other options as well. What makes one more power than another? Are these things as effective as they say? Reviews are good, but I'd like your input before I buy.
Should I go through with this, I'll post a FULL review here. It seems like a great product.
I just got a signal booster from T-Mobile itself (free, except you pay the shipping charge, about $6 IIRC). As I understand it, it wouldn't be suitable for you because it's only for home use, but I'm posting for the benefit of other folks who may see the title and read the thread.
I'm not sure what all the requirements are for getting this from T-Mo -- they reviewed my account information and said I qualified but didn't explain further -- but you do need to be in a detached single-family dwelling and have some point inside your house where you get at least one bar of signal.
The booster consists of two separate units, a receiver (which is placed wherever in your house you get the best signal) and a repeater, which should be placed near where you spend the majority of your time. (The instructions that came with the booster said to place the repeater unit in the farthest corner of the house diagonally opposite the receiver "for best coverage," but that makes no sense: the receiver doesn't transmit, only the repeater does, so the repeater ought to be centrally located or near where you spend your time; it's not a very powerful transmitter, and the signal falls off quite rapidly with distance from the repeater.) The receiver and the repeater are linked wirelessly.
I found that the receiver isn't as sensitive as my phone. I originally placed it where my phone showed two bars, but the receiver indicated no signal. I did find a place where it showed one bar, so it is working for me.
Apart from the issue I mentioned regarding the range of the repeater, the booster is working very well. I get very nice, clear voice connections and as good data rates as I get outside my house -- 6.7 Mbps down, 870 kbps up. Another significant impact is on the phone's battery life: I had 40% left when I went to bed last night, while before it was normally around 10%.
This essentially eliminates my need for wi-fi calling, since I now get sufficient signal at home to use the regular wireless connection.
This is excellent news! I heard of T-Mobile giving these away, but I am on a prepaid plan. Even still, I'll call them and see if I qualify, but probably not since I heard it extends your contract, but not your upgrade eligibility. Don't know how this will work next year when T-Mobile gets rid of contracts all together.
Any idea about this one in particular? Does it work with ALL cell signals from different carriers and repeat them? If so, which ones? Or just certain frequencies/carriers?
Thank you so much for replying!!!
I've been wondering about getting a signal extender as well. They are all extremely expensive though. I get 2 bars of HSPA in my room, but in my living room I get no signal. If T-Mobile sends out the extenders for free, that would be incredible! I really the hope it applies to the prepaid plans though.
mjnouri said:
This is excellent news! I heard of T-Mobile giving these away, but I am on a prepaid plan. Even still, I'll call them and see if I qualify, but probably not since I heard it extends your contract, but not your upgrade eligibility. Don't know how this will work next year when T-Mobile gets rid of contracts all together.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about prepaid plans; I'm on a Classic family plan. They didn't say anything about extending my contract, which I presume they would have if it did. I have three lines, one of which is out of contract, one expires in April, and one in December of next year.
mjnouri said:
Any idea about this one in particular? Does it work with ALL cell signals from different carriers and repeat them? If so, which ones? Or just certain frequencies/carriers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be leery of that unit, unless you know what frequencies T-Mobile is using in your area. In particular, it doesn't have the 1700 MHz band, which T-Mobile uses in many areas. I'm not an expert on that, though, and in your area the bands it does support might suffice.
It says it won't work on T-Mobile 1700MHz, which it also says is 3G. I have no problem with this. It also says it will work on 1900MHz, which it says is for T-Mobile voice/sms/2G data. This is perfect for me. Of course, this is what the website says. I have to confirm with other sources that 1900MHz is what I need. It's just voice and sms I need, which is hopefully 1900Mhz in North Jersey.
FYI, ebay sells the tmo cel fi boosters.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T-Mobile-Ce...062215?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item27cdc67e07
I'm on my phone so I don't have the link, but i put together a guide for the galaxy nexus on how to hack your own wifi calling.
Basically you use csipsimple, GV Callback, callcentric, and Google voice.
Works great.
Should solve your problem
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
---------- Post added at 02:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:39 PM ----------
Csipsimple connects to callcentric, which provides a free incoming number, which you connect to Google voice.
You use GV Callback to setup the outgoing calls. And then use Tasker to automate when to turn it on
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
kpjimmy said:
FYI, ebay sells the tmo cel fi boosters.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/T-Mobile-Ce...062215?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item27cdc67e07
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to confirm, yes, that's the equipment I have.
If anyone is looking to get a network extender from T-Mobile you should know they won't give you one if you live in an apartment.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Anyone have more details on this given away extenders?
Anyone got one who has a prepaid plan? What number did you call, who did you talk to?
joshnichols189 said:
If anyone is looking to get a network extender from T-Mobile you should know they won't give you one if you live in an apartment.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How will they know what type of house you live in? Do they really go on Google Earth? Lmao. I live in a townhouse complex but I realllllly need a signal booster. None of my neighbors have T-Mobile so I fine see how it would be an issue.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Ranguvar said:
Anyone have more details on this given away extenders?
Anyone got one who has a prepaid plan? What number did you call, who did you talk to?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC you can only get the tmo cel fi for free if you are currently on a specific plan tier and are willing to extend your contract for another two years. I did it because I just upgraded with my Sensation a couple of years ago.
I don't remember if there was a specific number to call, but I think I called the normal 611 from my cell.
You have to live in a single family house, without sharing a wall, and also you must have at least one bar of 3g right outside the house to bring the signal inside with the booster. I think there was a couple of other requirements best answered by the tmo reps when you call up.
GL
I don't know about the tmo sinal boosters but I bought this http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=9522493&pid=1218138268758 from best buy because my house had zero signal inside. I switched from sprint and they had given me an airrave. As another poster has already pointed out the range is somewhat limited however without it I had no signal, just the hollow signal bars. It does give me coverage in my house but there are still a couple spots where I'll drop a call. I do have a small house though. Overall I'm happy with my purchase but the unit is a little pricey and can be tricky to set up(mine is on the roof on an old antenna pole for broadcast TV). It does work though and I am on tmo monthly 4g. Hope that helps anyone considering this.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Just had a big long online chat session with a rep and she said the prepaid plans are NOT eligible for the booster. They are having someone come out and look at my reception problems though. So that's better than nothing.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk²
kcls said:
Just had a big long online chat session with a rep and she said the prepaid plans are NOT eligible for the booster. They are having someone come out and look at my reception problems though. So that's better than nothing.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk²
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its on the TMobile site that the boosters are only for contract plans and you have to sign a new 2 year agreement to get one. It's also not yours to keep, your just renting it and you have to give it back to TMo when your done with them. And at $500 these things ain't cheap. I went to Best Buy and the one they said that would work that they had was $300, Walmart has one for $200 with so so reviews, an xbooster, I'll just move on for that kind price. So I ordered a StraightTalk micro sim and I'm going to see if I can get a better signal using AT&T towers. I'm only getting one bar on a good day on TMo at home and most of the places I go I get no signal at all. This is the reason I dropped them 10 years ago and it hasn't gotten any better.
I own the T-mobile cel-fi unit and can tell you that the product works perfectly. A great device. It only supports the AWS spectrum (1700/2100) and does not support the new refarmed 1900 3/4G spectrum used for iPhone and AT&T phones.
Fortunately for N4 users, it supports the AWS spectrum so the repeater will provide boosted coverage.
It does not support the 2G spectrum... Just a point to make.
kevlarian said:
I own the T-mobile cel-fi unit and can tell you that the product works perfectly. A great device. It only supports the AWS spectrum (1700/2100) and does not support the new refarmed 1900 3/4G spectrum used for iPhone and AT&T phones.
Fortunately for N4 users, it supports the AWS spectrum so the repeater will provide boosted coverage.
It does not support the 2G spectrum... Just a point to make.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I need is voice coverage indoor. Do you know that T-Mobile is changing their voice band? Will this unit boost voice coverage for future phones?
After doing some research, it looks like the Cel-Fi RS1 Tmobile (~$130 only Ebay) only relays HSPA signal. Which I guess only devices with 1700 AWS band can get signal boosted.
I bought the RS1 T-Mobile from eBay and they work on Nexus 4 but not on my brothers' iPhone 4 and international Note 2.
For comparison, the Cel-Fi RS2 (~$550 retail) can boost many signals: 1900 PCS, 1700/2100 AWS.
I came over to the GS4 from a Motorola Photon 4G and the cellular signal antenna on the GS4 is nowhere even close to being as good as the Photon's. I am roaming almost all of the time at my house now where before with my Motorola I never had an issue. Is this a known problem with Samsung phones?? Is there anything that can be done about it?
Guess it all depends on perspective. I came from an Evo 3d, the S4 is hands down leaps and bounds better in reception than my 3d.
So from my perspective I have no gripes on the s4's reception.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
No issues here either. I came from the GS3 though. Maybe NV is in full effect in your area?
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
This phone has the best antennas on the market actually. Test the dbm levels not your signal bars. Signal bars show voice not data. Most likely your poor reception is the network not the phone although it could be a bad device but I doubt it. You could be getting a NV upgrade in your area which would be good. Update your prl and profile. Check out s4gru.com for network vision and lte info.
Brought to you by Sprint and the letters GS and the number 4
Same network, Sprint, that I was on a few weeks ago with the Photon. Nothing has changed but the device. Its clearly nowhere near as good as the Photon as far as signal reception goes. I love it though. Just wish the antenna was as good.
jbb2388 said:
Same network, Sprint, that I was on a few weeks ago with the Photon. Nothing has changed but the device. Its clearly nowhere near as good as the Photon as far as signal reception goes. I love it though. Just wish the antenna was as good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where do you live and do you know if Network Vision had been started in your area. If not it could very well have just started in the "few weeks" you claim you swapped from your other phone. In my area specifically Network Vision upgrades began literally overnight and signals dropped to zero for several days. Even more weeks after the upgrades began signal comes and goes as they turn towers on and off testing them.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
jbb2388 said:
Same network, Sprint, that I was on a few weeks ago with the Photon. Nothing has changed but the device. Its clearly nowhere near as good as the Photon as far as signal reception goes. I love it though. Just wish the antenna was as good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, not even close to the Photon. In fact, sometimes I get the "no connection retry" messages on the s4 at work and home in Omaha and the only time I got that on the Photon was in Backbone State Park, IA! love the phone though!
It will be hard to beat a Motorola phone for signal strength. I had a Photon as well and it always had signal in places other phones didn't. However, with the S3 and S4 I have not had any issues with dropped calls or bad signal. It has been about average.
The Photon is known to get really good cellular reception. That was the case for me, although wifi on that phone is terrible. In my experience, my GS4 gets better voice, data, and wifi reception than any other phone I've had on Sprint. I guess YMMV.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
I had the Photon as well until I upgraded to the S4. I haven't really noticed a difference, other than the S4>MoPho.
My wife and I both switched to the S4 from Photon 4Gs and we have both noticed how much better the RF reception was on the old Photons. The S4 is a great phone but it drops into roaming in areas that were never an issue for us before. I've heard a pot of anecdotal evidence, though, that Moto always makes strong RF phones.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Its the radio in these samsung phone u are right Motorola,iPhone have Better
radios
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
smoke423 said:
Its the radio in these samsung phone u are right Motorola,iPhone have Better
radios
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know about iPhones... My mom and bro both have the i5 and last week when we went to California (LA specifically) for a family trip, I had LTE in areas they didn't and every time they had LTE so did I. Same goes for areas of NYC, they will not have LTE in areas I do. And yes, all of us have Sprint.
My cellular signal is much better than the HTC One I traded for the S4, but my wifi signal is terrible. With my One, I was able to connect to both my 5GHz and 2.4GHz channels upstairs (although 5 had bad signal strength due to range), and 2.4GHz was pretty great.
On the S4, my 5GHz connection is about the same, but it barely registers the 2.4GHz at all. What's up with that?
I also came from the Photon to the G S4, it has huge difference in reception. I knew I would loose some signal when I decided never to buy another Moto again but this hurts! I can sit in my house in Lincoln NE and I'm lucky if I can keep a signal long enough for the phone to ring the other line. Most of the time I get the Sprint Error code.
Go back to the photon. Problem solved.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Had this phone for less than a month and I noticed that my signal is weaker than my previous phone (g2) and I almost never get hspa. It's mostly 3g now and like two bars. Before I had full bars and mostly hspa. Anyone else with this problem?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
konoplya said:
Had this phone for less than a month and I noticed that my signal is weaker than my previous phone (g2) and I almost never get hspa. It's mostly 3g now and like two bars. Before I had full bars and mostly hspa. Anyone else with this problem?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hspa is 3g, "4g" is lte.
how are the data speeds on both devices, have you compared? how about call quality? the signal meter will vary on different phone models, but could still be the same signal.
I have been swapping att and t-mobile sims in the Nexus 4 for the last few weeks. The displayed signal strength(bars) and the way it cycles through 3g/H on T-mobile is sort of weird. In areas with a good signal you sit in 3g then get bumped to H. The bars usually go up. I don't think the number of bars means much between different phones, different carriers and may mean nothing much at all. I use speed tests and test apps to rate carriers and phones. Using a signal app Cellular network widget all the carriers on my different phones get medicre at best signals..don't ask me. Verizon always gets 3-4 bars though.
simms22 said:
hspa is 3g, "4g" is lte.
how are the data speeds on both devices, have you compared? how about call quality? the signal meter will vary on different phone models, but could still be the same signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well there's a 3g display and then there's H displayed. I always thought that hspa was tmo's equivalent of 4g and lte is a separate animal. Anyway, I didn't test the speeds on g2 since its gone now. As for call quality it's good on the nexus, can't really complain.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Anybody get their rebate checks yet ?
clownberg said:
Anybody get their rebate checks yet ?
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Rebate check for what?
Nope ..I have 3 coming
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I have been watching to see if anyone has posted about getting theirs too. I am still waiting for my 2.
Rebate for what
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If you mean the buy out offer for your current provider to switch, yes I got my $350 gift card.
I am talking about the Samsung rebate
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randy021186 said:
I am talking about the Samsung rebate
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Oh good luck on that, they are only acknowledging the LTE problem on a 1 to 1 basis right now to avoid the backlash. Even then they give you the run around unless you stand firm and demand a solution.
None of these corporations believe in keeping customers happy anymore or that the customer is always right. Even if it is a $700 phone which is nothing to them they would still rather squabble and try to get out of it.
Solarenemy68 said:
Oh good luck on that, they are only acknowledging the LTE problem on a 1 to 1 basis right now to avoid the backlash. Even then they give you the run around unless you stand firm and demand a solution.
None of these corporations believe in keeping customers happy anymore or that the customer is always right. Even if it is a $700 phone which is nothing to them they would still rather squabble and try to get out of it.
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I was talking about the 200 trade in promo..I hope they deliver
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---------- Post added at 04:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 AM ----------
And what LTE problem
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randy021186 said:
I was talking about the 200 trade in promo..I hope they deliver
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---------- Post added at 04:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:57 AM ----------
And what LTE problem
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The LTE issue does not apply to you since it appears you are not a Sprint customer based on your avatar. This section of the forum is about the Sprint Version of the Note 4.
Never judge a phone based on the avatar.. Lol ...I have been a customer for about 8 years .. Since Sero time... Are you talking about the LTE bar never going up, but still plenty fast?
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randy021186 said:
Never judge a phone based on the avatar.. Lol ...I have been a customer for about 8 years .. Since Sero time... Are you talking about the LTE bar never going up, but still plenty fast?
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I know when I am inside a building or at work I only get 1 bar of LTE, but with that 1 bar I get about 8-9 Mbps down. I am totally fine with that, but still I would like to see the bars go up higher.
PeteSeiler2010 said:
I know when I am inside a building or at work I only get 1 bar of LTE, but with that 1 bar I get about 8-9 Mbps down. I am totally fine with that, but still I would like to see the bars go up higher.
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That's because the signal bar isn't showing your LTE signal strength, it's showing your CDMA (voice/text/3g) signal. Even then, the bars are arbitrary and don't correlate to a defined signal strength. It varies between device model and carrier wildly.
Attached are 2 screen shots I just took: one from my Note 4 at -103dBm and 1 bar, and one from my Note 3 at -108dBm and 3 bars. What this means is my Note 4 has a stronger signal than my Note 3, however the Note 3 shows more bars. There's no standard for signal strength and bar count. They can align it any way they want. The way to get an accurate read is from the "About Phone -> Status" menu, and even then it only shows the CDMA strength.
And, the final screenshot is a speed test I just did on LTE. My LTE signal is -95dBm where I am, so actually STRONGER than my voice connection. (Checked via debug menu)
I really wish there was some standard on this, and how carriers were required to show signal strength. Unfortunately there's not. Just remember: the bars lie.
xxbadsushixx said:
That's because the signal bar isn't showing your LTE signal strength, it's showing your CDMA (voice/text/3g) signal. Even then, the bars are arbitrary and don't correlate to a defined signal strength. It varies between device model and carrier wildly.
Attached are 2 screen shots I just took: one from my Note 4 at -103dBm and 1 bar, and one from my Note 3 at -108dBm and 3 bars. What this means is my Note 4 has a stronger signal than my Note 3, however the Note 3 shows more bars. There's no standard for signal strength and bar count. They can align it any way they want. The way to get an accurate read is from the "About Phone -> Status" menu, and even then it only shows the CDMA strength.
And, the final screenshot is a speed test I just did on LTE. My LTE signal is -95dBm where I am, so actually STRONGER than my voice connection. (Checked via debug menu)
I really wish there was some standard on this, and how carriers were required to show signal strength. Unfortunately there's not. Just remember: the bars lie.
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Stop giving wrong information. The bars are your lte signal.. Your note 3 is connected to band 25, as for your note 4 it's hard to say as it has two additional bands it connects to and only way to tell is to go into ##DEBUG# and look in the lte section. You want to see voice bars? Place a call and it'll switch to 1x and then show voice signal on the bars.
Ppl keep forgetting these spark phones use two more bands than the older lte devices. Most are probably connected to band 41 and that's why they get 1 bar in buildings but still getting good speeds. It is a higher frequency band..
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First photo at home connected to band 41 on my Edge. Second photo my Note 2 right next to my Edge on band 25 almost maxed out. Third pic Edge on a call and signal drops to show 1x and it's maxed out. Older lte devices showed active lte data bars at all times because it didn't lose 4g to make calls so even on calls you'd see lte bars. However triband devices drop lte altogether to place calls on 1x unlike my Note 2 that can use 1x while also being connected to lte.. Hope that clarifies a lot.
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How did this post go from rebate check info to signal bars and strength
When they made it into it. I just clarified the wrong information given..
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I received this in an email from Samsung on Dec. 8th - I'm guessing it'll be delivered late Jan. - early Feb.
View attachment 3086150
RayTrue04 said:
Stop giving wrong information. The bars are your lte signal.. Your note 3 is connected to band 25, as for your note 4 it's hard to say as it has two additional bands it connects to and only way to tell is to go into ##DEBUG# and look in the lte section. You want to see voice bars? Place a call and it'll switch to 1x and then show voice signal on the bars.
Ppl keep forgetting these spark phones use two more bands than the older lte devices. Most are probably connected to band 41 and that's why they get 1 bar in buildings but still getting good speeds. It is a higher frequency band..
Sent from my SM-N915P using XDA Free mobile app
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If you read the second part of my post, you'll see I had listed my LTE strength as well, which I had gotten from the debug menu.
As for bands, where I live we don't have Spark yet. Only band 25, which I saw via the LTE Engineering screen in debugging. The same screen that shows my LTE signal stronger than my 1x connection.
And, at the end of it, it doesn't change the fact the signal strength and bar count don't matter.
And the reason I'd posted that in the first place was because people posting about only having 1 bar of LTE, and was clearing up a common misconception.
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tat2me2 said:
I received this in an email from Samsung on Dec. 8th - I'm guessing it'll be delivered late Jan. - early Feb.
View attachment 3086150
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I also received this email, last week I believe. Hoping to receive it the end of January or middle of February.