[Q] Straight Talk, MicroCell, and (possibly) inaccurate coverage map - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshootin

So I have no coverage at home. I am 0.1 miles from coverage. The coverage map shows my whole area as full 2G coverage. However from appx my location to the end of the road (not to mention many more areas) I have zero reception. Again, these are all areas that show good coverage.
I have talked at length with AT&T and StraightTalk and made no progress towards a positive resolution. I have even installed an app that is supposed to boost signal in hopes to squeeze out just enough juice to bust through the small dead area between myself and signal range with no success.
I have also purchased a MicroCell after AT&T said my ST phone should be able to ride off the MicroCell. The catch is I have to activate it on an AT&T post paid account. I have no friends who have AT&T as Verizon has pretty much cornered the market in my area.
I do, however, remember a friend whom I've since lost contact with being able to access the Internet at my house. I am almost certain they had an AT&T phone.
Does anyone have any experience with similar StraightTalk issues and have suggestions? I am not the expert so I will not bother with speculation. I am using CM 10.1 however I had the same issue on stock OS. I am using a StraightTalk SIM in case anyone might want to travel down that road. I have tinkered with the APN settings however I do not think that path will work because I went to detect networks and I see nothing, not even foreign networks.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

If you don't have a signal you don't have a signal, no app or software tweak is going to get you access.
If it was no internet or MMS the APN might be the issue, signal is very basic it either works or it doesn't and it's not the straight talk Sim if you get access down the street.
Getting your microcell activated is your best bet, maybe an at&t store could help?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

Are there hills around you? Lots of trees? How far away are the towers? Those coverage maps are always estimates. YMMV.
Sent from my TARDIS

0p3nsrc said:
Are there hills around you? Lots of trees? How far away are the towers? Those coverage maps are always estimates. YMMV.
Sent from my TARDIS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the mountains. I know that begs the response "well duh!" I was just hoping something I could try...
As far as the MicroCell goes: been there, done that. I would need someone who has AT&T to log into their account, add my MicroCell serial number and add my cell phone to the access list. If someone wants to work with me on that by all means let me know. I will thank you warmly and up your thanks meter if you post something to the ring of "I'm on it" as a reply.
Thanks guys 'n' gals.

Truthfully, activating your microcell on someone else's account would only cause problems in the long run. As a tech support rep of ATT myself, if you don't have the coverage your best bet is to just go with Verizon if you do have coverage with them. Would save you a headache, hours of phonecalls potentially troubleshooting the failure that is a microcell, and probably lots of wasted money you could've put forth towards something that does work.

Related

T-Mobile Coverage

Does anyone know of T-Mobile plans to expand cell coverage in the near future?
I love this phone, but I get almost no service at home, and only edge in town. I am approaching the end of my 14 day trial and need to make a decision soon. If they are planning on expanding in the near future, I will probably stick it out.
ummmm you can call T-Mobile and ask them or check the coverage map on their site.
Mikey1022 said:
ummmm you can call T-Mobile and ask them or check the coverage map on their site.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ummmm. I did the obvious things, and got the obvious answers. I just thought maybe someone here could give some insight to the situation. T-Mobile engineers are working on a service request now, have been for several days.
The coverage map, as you probably know, only shows existing coverage.
thewayne01 said:
ummmm. I did the obvious things, and got the obvious answers. I just thought maybe someone here could give some insight to the situation. T-Mobile engineers are working on a service request now, have been for several days.
The coverage map, as you probably know, only shows existing coverage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are expanding 3g coverage in existing markets, but I have not heard anything about voice.
Well I finally spoke to T-Mobile again. My area has been flagged for needing service improvements. It should be completed in 120 days.
I don't want to return my phone, but I need service at home.
Is anyone working on a true voip solution?
I would probably just go with a Blackberry Curve for right now, since you dont have coverage at home. Get the Unlimited Hotspot calling, and you will be able to have coverage at home, too (assuming you have wifi at home).

Vibrant signal strength -110 :((

I do not know why but i get extremely poor signal with my new vibrant and T-mobile at my house. Outside the house and inside it is averaging - 110 db. My work is 1.5 miles away and I get 4-5 bars and excellent signal and 3G. T-mobile store is 1 mile away and i get excellent service there... Even 4G is offered in my area.
I called tech support, first they told me i had an old sim card, so today I changed the sim, but that did not help. I called them again, all they did is take me off the system and add me back on, did a test call, i received the call and that was it. Am I stuck with poor service or it is the the vibrant that is too sensitive.
I am looking at the signal strength at work now, and again, I work 1.5 miles away from my house, literary straight down the road.. I am getting -65 to -75 db with full 5 bars. When I hold it with my left hand supposedly blocking the antenna, I get a drop of -5 db, but it still stray very strong..
So I guess, it is not a phone issue. It is definitely Tmobile and their crappy signal!
azsamsancho said:
I do not know why but i get extremely poor signal with my new vibrant and T-mobile at my house. Outside the house and inside it is averaging - 110 db. My work is 1.5 miles away and I get 4-5 bars and excellent signal and 3G. T-mobile store is 1 mile away and i get excellent service there... Even 4G is offered in my area.
I called tech support, first they told me i had an old sim card, so today I changed the sim, but that did not help. I called them again, all they did is take me off the system and add me back on, did a test call, i received the call and that was it. Am I stuck with poor service or it is the the vibrant that is too sensitive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
azsamsancho said:
I am looking at the signal strength at work now, and again, I work 1.5 miles away from my house, literary straight down the road.. I am getting -65 to -75 db with full 5 bars. When I hold it with my left hand supposedly blocking the antenna, I get a drop of -5 db, but it still stray very strong..
So I guess, it is not a phone issue. It is definitely Tmobile and their crappy signal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you want XDA crew come and hug you?
Which baseband are you running? JFD, JI2 or JI6?
azsamsancho said:
I am looking at the signal strength at work now, and again, I work 1.5 miles away from my house, literary straight down the road.. I am getting -65 to -75 db with full 5 bars. When I hold it with my left hand supposedly blocking the antenna, I get a drop of -5 db, but it still stray very strong..
So I guess, it is not a phone issue. It is definitely Tmobile and their crappy signal!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what rom are you running? What you're describing seems to be similar to what happened with the original vibrant radio.
Group hug aside
The above comments are excellent. Check what radio you are running. Then, check your tower locations
I am on an Island and there are places that every carrier has problems covering here. Not sure why it is that way but, that is the way it is. T mobile is pretty good on a whole compared to ATT and the others.
lqaddict said:
Which baseband are you running? JFD, JI2 or JI6?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was running stock at first, and then I upgraded to JI6 as it supposedly improves the signal.. i seem to have had some improvement but still extremely poor service at or around my house. last night as a test, I called my work and left a voicemail. When I got to work, I saw a missed call, but no voicemail!
The scary part is reliability, not being able to rely on important calls/voicemails to my phone. I tried to use google voice at least the voicemails to be covered, but I found out that google voice is not reliable either, a couple of times already it tells 'Cannot leave a voicemail servers are busy" something like that.. It is insane, and I have 4G in my area!
Have you tried another phone?
lqaddict said:
Have you tried another phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not because I do not have another T-mobile phone. I used to be with AT&T for years and I never ever had a an issue with reception.
azsamsancho said:
I have not because I do not have another T-mobile phone. I used to be with AT&T for years and I never ever had a an issue with reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it could be that your place is under a sub-optimal coverage for TMO.
Without a second phone to try there is little you can do to confirm or deny it.
azsamsancho said:
I have not because I do not have another T-mobile phone. I used to be with AT&T for years and I never ever had a an issue with reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol isn't obvious to you yet that AT&T network has wider coverage than T-Mobile? T-Mobile is still building out their 3G network, they still don't have the type of coverage AT&T have. I suggest you unlock you Vibrant and go back to AT&T if your not on a contract. Otherwise you will just have hope T-Mobile cares about coverage than SPEED.
I love T-Mobile but their coverage have me on the edge at times.
ram130 said:
lol isn't obvious to you yet that AT&T network has wider coverage than T-Mobile? T-Mobile is still building out their 3G network, they still don't have the type of coverage AT&T have. I suggest you unlock you Vibrant and go back to AT&T if your not on a contract. Otherwise you will just have hope T-Mobile cares about coverage than SPEED.
I love T-Mobile but their coverage have me on the edge at times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I unlocked the phone, but I can't go back to AT&T right, I will have to cancel the 2-year Tmobile contract and return the phone as well..
azsamsancho said:
I unlocked the phone, but I can't go back to AT&T right, I will have to cancel the 2-year Tmobile contract and return the phone as well..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess you have some bad luck. Looks like your stuck until T-Mobile does something, which can take upto two years either way...I wish you luck.
Have tried switching to EDGE?
I had the same signal quality problems and switched to att as a result. Problems resolved and I still have my beloved Vibrant.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
ram130 said:
lol isn't obvious to you yet that AT&T network has wider coverage than T-Mobile? T-Mobile is still building out their 3G network, they still don't have the type of coverage AT&T have. I suggest you unlock you Vibrant and go back to AT&T if your not on a contract. Otherwise you will just have hope T-Mobile cares about coverage than SPEED.
I love T-Mobile but their coverage have me on the edge at times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry, but that's the stupidest generalization i've seen here in a long time.
While T-Mobile is building out coverage, there are many areas that they serve and ATT doesn't (cheyenne, wyoming), and where TMO brought 3g first (peoria, IL; manhattan, ks).
If you don't like their coverage, then switch. But don't make silly generalizations based upon talking points from 5 years ago. Coverage is ALWAYS subjective.
I usually sit around -105dBm and I'm in Sacramento where supposedly HSPA+ was just rolled out (I know I can't get HSPA+, but I thought it was supposed to improve the network here )
So I feel your pain...
reuthermonkey said:
I'm sorry, but that's the stupidest generalization i've seen here in a long time.
While T-Mobile is building out coverage, there are many areas that they serve and ATT doesn't (cheyenne, wyoming), and where TMO brought 3g first (peoria, IL; manhattan, ks).
If you don't like their coverage, then switch. But don't make silly generalizations based upon talking points from 5 years ago. Coverage is ALWAYS subjective.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey it's the facts..t-mobile network is still "spotty"...stop making them seem like god, they cover 96% while AT&T has 97%,,We don't even want to mention Verizon..but hey, nothing is perfect, it's just what's best in your area.
ram130 said:
Have tried switching to EDGE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did experiment with EDGE (GSM only) setting. It seems to be a bit better -100 dB (compared to the -110 dB I get on 3G).
I know Tmobile has less than perfect coverage, but I think it is extremely unfortunate that a mile from my house networks are blazing fast. My 3G is super fast and internet pages load very, very quickly. I do not live in a mountain area either..
I guess I will have to live with it. Use hands free to talk when I am at home so antenna is not blocked.. and use google voice for voicemail so important calls are not lost. if gogole voice fails, at least ppl won't be able to leave voicemail, and thus forcing them to call me back..
azsamsancho said:
Yes, I did experiment with EDGE (GSM only) setting. It seems to be a bit better -100 dB (compared to the -110 dB I get on 3G).
I know Tmobile has less than perfect coverage, but I think it is extremely unfortunate that a mile from my house networks are blazing fast. My 3G is super fast and internet pages load very, very quickly. I do not live in a mountain area either..
I guess I will have to live with it. Use hands free to talk when I am at home so antenna is not blocked.. and use google voice for voicemail so important calls are not lost. if gogole voice fails, at least ppl won't be able to leave voicemail, and thus forcing them to call me back..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny, I use Google Voice for all my voicemails and never got the error you had..oh well..i wish you luck
You may try returning it for a G2. TMo is supposed to release Wifi calling for it soon. It's probably coming to the Vibrant too, but I doubt before 2.2 is released.
Kubernetes said:
You may try returning it for a G2. TMo is supposed to release Wifi calling for it soon. It's probably coming to the Vibrant too, but I doubt before 2.2 is released.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am still within my 14-days (until tomorrow), but the problem is I did not buy directly from Tmobile. I bought from online retailer so I cannot just go and swap phones I think. I think if I can back out of the contract and keep the phone and go to AT&T might be a good option (not sure how good the 2 GB data limit is)..

[Q] The moment I get to my door... NO SIGNAL

So I got the Nexus S yesterday and LOVE everything about it.
I'm unable to get any acceptable reception inside my apartment (on the lowest level of a three story complex thats surrounded by other apartments).
I live in Hermosa Beach, CA and TMO says I have good coverage here... and they're right... because once i walk outside I'm blazing... like literally once I'm outside my door... what gives??? How can I go from 3G 4 bars lit up in green to that stupid EDGE with one bar... lucky to be green... or no reception at all.
Will I be stuck with not being able to use my phone inside my apartment? I called TMO and they are sending someone out here to check the reception I guess... but I'm stuck using WiFi inside my apartment without being able to use the phone.
Anyone else experience similar issues like that? My sprint phone never did this.
look into getting a signal repeater or something
T-Mobile definitely has issues penetrating buildings, in my opinion. Both my home and one of the two work-sites I frequent are almost dead-zones on T-Mo.
I purchased one of those zBoost cell repeaters for my home, which greatly improves reception, but you need to be able to run a cable to an outside antenna for best results.
Here's an Amazon link for a starting point to different models: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=mobile&field-keywords=zboost+tmobile&x=0&y=0
That said, it's ridiculous to have to pay $250 to get your cell signal. I only did it because the one I got does both AT&T and T-Mo frequencies (not T-Mo 3G, though) and my AT&T phones can get signal inside the house, but just barely.
I too have issues in buildings not necessarily my house but businesses
This is a T-Mobile issue. Not a nexus issue. Also is not a new issue.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
cpcrazyfly said:
This is a T-Mobile issue. Not a nexus issue. Also is not a new issue.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically correct, but if the Nexus S is your first T-Mobile phone, you might not know this. It would be easy to think the NS has a poor antenna. It's a valid question to ask, in my opinion.
redhatyellow said:
So I got the Nexus S yesterday and LOVE everything about it.
I'm unable to get any acceptable reception inside my apartment (on the lowest level of a three story complex thats surrounded by other apartments).
I live in Hermosa Beach, CA and TMO says I have good coverage here... and they're right... because once i walk outside I'm blazing... like literally once I'm outside my door... what gives??? How can I go from 3G 4 bars lit up in green to that stupid EDGE with one bar... lucky to be green... or no reception at all.
Will I be stuck with not being able to use my phone inside my apartment? I called TMO and they are sending someone out here to check the reception I guess... but I'm stuck using WiFi inside my apartment without being able to use the phone.
Anyone else experience similar issues like that? My sprint phone never did this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just a fundamental issue with the frequencies t-mobile uses for their 3g network, 1700 and 2100mHz. Those have poor building penetration vs for example lower bands like the 850mHz on ATT which penetrates buildings much stronger. It requires them to build towers closer together but that isn't always possible, its hard enough to get towers up as it is.
This is one reason I've tried to stay on ATT 3g as their 3g band performs much better in these situations, when its available.
distortedloop said:
T-Mobile definitely has issues penetrating buildings, in my opinion. Both my home and one of the two work-sites I frequent are almost dead-zones on T-Mo.
I purchased one of those zBoost cell repeaters for my home, which greatly improves reception, but you need to be able to run a cable to an outside antenna for best results.
Here's an Amazon link for a starting point to different models:
That said, it's ridiculous to have to pay $250 to get your cell signal. I only did it because the one I got does both AT&T and T-Mo frequencies (not T-Mo 3G, though) and my AT&T phones can get signal inside the house, but just barely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think TMO will provide this for me? Have people got TMO to do this before?
And yeah, I know this isn't a NS issue... I LOVE THE NS -- MY FAV PHONE OF ALL TIME!!, but i am new to TMO and love them as well EXCEPT for inside my house !!
Has anyone ever got TMO to provide better reception inside their home?? You would think they would provide people with like wireless routers for their homes!
I had the G1, Nexus One, G2, and MT4G before the Nexus S and have to say that the Nexus S gets hands down the best reception in my apartment.
The G1 was worthless, the N1, G2, and MT4G were pretty much on par but only got reception in certain parts of the apartment which means I couldn't move very much when on the phone (unless when on wifi calling of course).
The Nexus S has reception everywhere in my apartment with superior call quality throughout. Very impressed with it so far. T-mobile still sucks inside buildings but you're better off with the Nexus S than other T-mobile devices.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
find another place lol
why you are living deep down under. afraid of nuke or something ?
Also, I live in Los Angeles and we've been having lots of rain here... will that affect reception at all?
And what about femtocell technology? Does TMO use it??
redhatyellow said:
Also, I live in Los Angeles and we've been having lots of rain here... will that affect reception at all?
And what about femtocell technology? Does TMO use it??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im about an hour away from you and the rain is horrible but i havent had any issues...
and I dont think they do
LOL! I cannot stop laughing reading this comment
ll_l_x_l_ll said:
find another place lol
why you are living deep down under. afraid of nuke or something ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rain seems to be affecting my T mobile service, I'm in the valley and areas I normally get 3g on have been edge or no service since the rain storms began.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Hopefully someone will port the tmobile wifi app to the nexus s. I may return mine and wait for it because I don't want to keep switching phones at home because one has the ability for wifi calling and the other doesnt.
Also I have tried sip calling to no avail on both nexuses.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Rain is known to sometimes cause interference with reception; I notice this as well in NYC. I have noticed that the Nexus S is pretty good at keeping the signal alive, certainly better than my N1 or Vibrant.
To improve your reception, set the phone to airplane mode and then turn it off a few seconds later to get the closest towers. Also call 611 and ask them to reset your phone on the network from their end. Surprisingly, this sometimes does help. As someone said previously, the higher the band (2100 mhz for Tmo 3G), the worse penetration is unfortunately. I think Tmo stopped selling their repeaters earlier this year or last year (hotspot @ home).
I tweeted on Sunday my dissatisfaction with T-Mobile service. I was 75' outside one of their own stores in an area marked as 3G on their maps, couldn't get data at all inside another store, couldn't get better than EDGE outside in the parking lot.
Their reply was to try a new SIM. The SIM I have is from my N1 original, it's not even a year old. Anyone think it's worth the effort swapping? Do SIMS actually "wear out" that fast?
I suspect that's one of those "we don't really have an answer or fix, but give the customer something to try so we look proactive" kind of answers. LOL
have you tried setting up SIP + GVoice over Wifi?
This doesn't resolve the tmobile issue, but at least you can make and receive calls on wifi without eating up your minutes...
It's not ideal, but it works.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=877879
My friend had this problem with his ATT phones. He contacted them, *****ed, and they set up one of those repeaters in his apartment. He's the only one that could log into it and set up a filter to use only phones he registers. Maybe you can talk to Tmobile about this, though I'm not sure if they're eager to give everyone these things (or if Tmobile even gives them).

sprint down again?

i live and work in Delphi Indiana, about 30 mind north east of Purdue and i have noticed today that i do not have any data and i am roaming in my city. normally i have excellant 3g speeds and good voice.
I havent called anyone due to not wanting to talk to "bob" over in india, inuit has been having issues today as well so i just gt off the phone with "amy", from india as well, so i have my crappy tech support quota in the the day.
i figured there is some kind of outage, i skimmed the first 2 pages of topics and i didnt see anything so here we are.
potna said:
i live and work in Delphi Indiana, about 30 mind north east of Purdue and i have noticed today that i do not have any data and i am roaming in my city. normally i have excellant 3g speeds and good voice.
I havent called anyone due to not wanting to talk to "bob" over in india, inuit has been having issues today as well so i just gt off the phone with "amy", from india as well, so i have my crappy tech support quota in the the day.
i figured there is some kind of outage, i skimmed the first 2 pages of topics and i didnt see anything so here we are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was having 3g drop out for me before. Not total data coverage, but 3g. However, it seems to be back now. I'm in SW Ohio.
the only way to find out if there is an outage is to call sprint and ask
I am just out side of dallas texas and a few poeple are having issues around here as well.
I called sprint twice, they said its not their fault and here is the list of excuses in the order in which they gave them to me:
1 my phone is the problem, or something i did to it
2 interference from my building (despite no change when i step outside)
3 other carriers interference
4 user error
the tech person had me open my browser and try to load a page and of course it didnt load, then she had me turn on wifi and try the same page and of course it worked and she tried to say "its fixed now" "is there anything else i can do for you?" i laughed and said my wlan is not the issue i am calling about! what a joke!!
but they assured me nothing is wrong with their network and that i need to take my phone to a sprint store to have it checked out
interesting details:
1 other people with sprint in my area are having issues too, but most people dont care enough to call
2 when i drive away from my small town i start to get signal, i stop roaming, i can make and receive calls, i have good 3g.
3 when i drive back into my small city i start roaming and i loose all data
4 i always have had excellent voice and data in my small town
i believe there is a problem with the tower in my area but they want me to to drive 30 mins to have someone look at my phone. i can drive 5 mins out of my town hop on the next tower and my phone is fine.the badd thing is as soon as i get on a working tower its fine, so when i drive to the sprint store they are going to realize my phone is fine.
apparently the issue is limited to the tower in my area and apparently no one else has bothered to complain about it so i get to just deal with with.
i post in this thread to maybe help someone in the future and personal log sheet.
Actually I get about 3 to 4 bars in my house normally and lately i was having issues of getting no 3g or data and loosing all bars but still registering and not giving me the x of no signal. My phone has also been switching to roaming all lot (roaming btw gives me like 1x speeds never 3g speeds even though it says i have it on my mikG rom)
So I think the issue is in a few small towns and that they are fiddling with something.
Probbaly updating the tower .
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
i don't want to keep this thread alive but i thought i should say that i called sprint back today and i told the tech if they expected me to leave my work to go have some one look at my phone i will instead travel to a store to cancel my service. i hate being a hard a$$ but i dont have time for other peoples problems when i pay them to deliver.
anyways, this tech was cool, nice, and helpful. he sent something to my phone and it fixed it!! i asked him what he did and he didnt seem to really know precisely what he was doing either. im guessing he was just following a flow chart but he did share some inside info about towers with me.
bottom line is my service is working so i will stop crying now!!
today has been nothing but terrible. im from florida

Radio Bands

Just got 2 s4's and signal strength lower in house than my htc one s
i checked default bands and set to lte/gsm
changed to lte/gsm/cdma preferred and better dl speeds
is there a best setting
i obviously need to do more testing in other locations, just curious
It all depends on where you are and what equipment is on the towers you happen to be around at any given time. Also, like you just found out, some devices will get better reception than others. It's just something that you have to play around with on your own to see what works best for you.
I'm with Sprint, which in my area completely SUCKS. I hate Sprint and am seriously considering paying the etf to switch to AT&T (which in my area gets LTE almost everywhere). What I'm getting at is when I'm around my home I turn 4G off. When I get a couple of miles out I'll turn it back on if I need to, then when getting around our downtown area when going to work I'll turn it back off.
well i put it back to default. will recheck coverage maps. tmo was bad here too, in valley. but, i think they were improving cells getting ready for lte here. that was when my signal got better. before that it was bad also.
really need to check work and the real bad areas I had were tmo's coverage was real bad even on map.
Where is this setting? I'm getting no signal indoors unlike my previous phone which got near-full signal. Weird thing is that I kind of remember getting a better signal when I first got the phone. Seems to have gotten worse.
yeahmann said:
Where is this setting? I'm getting no signal indoors unlike my previous phone which got near-full signal. Weird thing is that I kind of remember getting a better signal when I first got the phone. Seems to have gotten worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*#*#4636#*#*
Tao on Device Info
scroll down to Set Preferred Network
let us know what works best for you
rugmankc said:
Just got 2 s4's and signal strength lower in house than my htc one s
i checked default bands and set to lte/gsm
changed to lte/gsm/cdma preferred and better dl speeds
is there a best setting
i obviously need to do more testing in other locations, just curious
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Setting it to that is NOT improving anything...... do you even know what CDMA is? This phone does not have any CDMA bands.... CDMA is what sprint, Verizon, and us cellular run on setting it yk that won't improve anything...
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
hyelton said:
Setting it to that is NOT improving anything...... do you even know what CDMA is? This phone does not have any CDMA bands.... CDMA is what sprint, Verizon, and us cellular run on setting it yk that won't improve anything...
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know what cdma is and who has it--
Just saying when changing bands it improved quite a bit, could be many reasons. Also, I am comparing signal strength in same spot with tmo and att. Two different carriers. I am sure they can have different readings in same area. So, until I test the areas were I really need the better coverage and att map says it should be there in those areas, I won't know if it the radio or not. The only reason I swithched was to get better coverage in my business appt areas. Where I live and am currently testing att shows solid 4g.
Actually today no real difference, I seem to do a little better at first. But, it is defaulting back to lte/gsm. So, will just give it some time and see how other areas do. Was just curious if anyone had tried other bands. I may do great where I need it.
Thanks,
Mod can close this thread--
I actually have to force WCDMA only in one area constantly get between no service and service if I don't.
hyelton said:
I actually have to force WCDMA only in one area constantly get between no service and service if I don't.
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Yeah, it can make a diff. But, shouldn't have to do it. I will report how i do in other areas of Dayton over the next few days. Haven't left house today. Yard work.
I hope as lte rolls out here, things will improve like tmo did.
Doesn't make a difference. I have to swap phones or something. Signal is so weak, it's unusable. Most of the time I'm getting no signal at all. I haven't had full bars yet anywhere!
That doesn't sound good. Today I went to store we shop at about 20 miles away in Springboro. I could not make calls from inside with tmo. Also, could not with att. It was just a tad better toward front of store. Tried a couple other highway locations and speedtests were always lower than tmo. Son's phone the same. This week I will appts north and see how it compares. I can't believe att is not outperforming tmo here. I know one day is no test. But, their maps show much wider coverage than tmo.
I will call them and have them reconnect me. Also, check apn's. Can't find a good apn list yet. But, also can't edit them. When I go to check networks, it just says default setting and doesn't list att or anyone. Never saw that before.
I think it is what it is since both phones run the same on the network--
Hurry up lte
Educate me if I am wrong. But, my slower than tmo speeds may be due to lack of 21mb network on att in Dayton.
tmo had that here, i don't think att does EDIT: Acording to sales rep we do--just never see it on phone--more research needed
i only get hspa 11 or 15. assume that is 11mb and 15mb
so, until i get lte am stuck with these speeds, which are 3g, NOT 4g att
Actually, looking at map and reading their Legend, I should get HSPA+ here. Haven't seen it. It is not listed on gsmarena phone specs
May try a different sim and not sure what my exact apn's should be here. Anyone have them?
Any Dayton S4 users here???

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