Related
I recently received my Nexus 4 phone and went with a T-Mobile no contract plan. I noticed that I am only getting 2g service. Next to my connectivity bars it shows a G. My data reception is very slow. Is there a way to get faster data speeds by tweaking some settings or am I stuck with the slow 2G speeds? Where I live I am limited to Verizon or us cellular. In order to get a no contract with one of these companies I would have had to get one of their no contract phones. Had to travel about an hour to get to T-Mobile store. Is AT&T any better? Thanks.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Do you live in an area with T-Mobile 4g coverage? If not, you are borked. If you should have 4g coverage, make sure your APN settings are all entered correctly. They have to be exactly right.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
After doing some research I believe the data service is only going to be 2G. What a bummer! Such a great phone and I can't use it to it's full potential. Only had it a week and looks like I'm going to have to get rid of it already. Thanks for the the info. Guess I'll have to go back to the money sucking Verizon.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Sounds like you are out in the boonies so chances are tmo is not a good choice for you (ATT is probably lousy too) you don't necessarily have to go back to verizon proper though, pageplus is a viable option and could be much cheaper ($55/mo for unl talk/text + 1gb data) depending on your usage. You won't be able to use the n4 on pageplus but you could always "downgrade" to a galaxy nexus.
edit - Looks like pageplus has some updated plans, the $55 plan now has 2gb of data and they've added a $70 plan that has 5gb of data.
I don't really live in the boonies, but where I live there is basically verizon or us cellular to choose from. Can not use the nexus4 on their networks because they do not support the nexus 4 technology. I only get 2G with t mobile or att and the data speed is horrible. Believe I will be looking for a galaxy nexus 4g phone. At least I can use that on verizons network. Again, thanks for your info.
I received my Nexus 4 form T mobile and didn't really buy in to the whole death grip issue but noticed the cell antenna signal was really jumpy - i first thought it was software related. In my area i have my ime attached to my optimum wifi to pickup a signal which is heavily available on long island, ny. Switching form the iphone and sprint which i always put 3rd behind verizon, att. I assumed t mobile would be an issue but did not expect the poor coverage i got. The iphone on sprint never showed no signal, i actually cant remember one time with my evo 4g, nexus 3, iphone 4, 4s and 5 where i was anywhere saying dam no signal or dropped call while on sprint. tmobile on the nexus 4 would show an empty triangle as soon as i walked inside a building and was non existent in my home. I assumed software because with wifi off it would hold a signal longer, I'm ok with it dropping cell data on wifi and even tried to not use wifi on weak signal but still had issues.
The phone never went to edge, which i would have been ok with becasue it meant i could make a call, nothign worse than no signal at all. my friend had tmobile sg3 and in my house it would auto switch to full edge in my house, my nexus would show one H bar and then go empty until i switched to 2g or turned off wifie to kill my battery while struggling for one H bar.
I actually got tmobile to drop my contract becasue they could not supply a signal boost. i went to straight talk att sim and had issues, better but still issues. Moved on to gophone, while gophone att is the best signal i noticed since getting the phone i have an open support case with LG to send it in and but am waiting until i have my new nexus 4 form google play which is coming monday. I plan to test the new one, non tmobile while i send in the tmobile one to LG and will resell the LG resend if all goes well. im hoping i received a lemon and all my signal issues go away but have been really frustrated to date.
Especially with APN and prepaid settings, at least straightalk att sim had settigns included, the att gogphone is really secredt about what to give me, multiple reps give different info and advise i need different gophone plans.
Its killing the nexus 4, i even tried the t mobile $60 or $65 plan and could not get a signal in my home or get it to switch to 2g automatically.
Greetings fellow XDA'ers
I'll be writing breifly about my exprience with AIO using the XT1053. So first off, it's completely compatible and you probably knew that already if you're on XDA. All speeds work as advertised. then the prices you pay for AT&T service are amazing! but here's the thing.
I've been with them for 3-4 months. and the issues are constant and as follows:
MMS messaging constantly fails to send with correct APN settings input
several occassions of no service! (Emergency call only) while in places that I know have great coverage because I 've used my phone there before. like my college campus
Like most MNVO's they have bad customer service, didn't matter if I chatted or called in.
The ZTE prelude they advertised has Major MMS issues & runs super slow!
They also had an outage once for a whole night even though AT&T network was fine I have suspicions that they are having constant outages and not reporting this to users, which explains me having dropouts and no service!
Lastly I have had the issues, not using customs ROMS, across 3 phones, ZTE Prelude, Moto X XT1053, and the Samsung Skyrocket I727 which gives me very good credibility!
As a member of XDA, a believer in saving money and great quality service! I felt the need to report my issues to my friends and the great community that is XDA and the internet. AIO is not the way to go.
UPDATE!!!
:::Follow up report:::
1. The issue's I had existed for me with T-mobile as well. Therefore it certainly is a phone issue (I had 3 replacement phones is how I know it's a phone issue)
2. I have confirmed with Motorola Level 2 the stock messaging app has bugs in it [no ETA on a fix]. and I have confirmed thru reading a google plus thread that AIO APN settings were unsupported until recently, I think 4.4.2 supported it. idk and I can't find the post again lol.
consider yourself updated!
ANOTHER UPDATE!!! The signal loss was also a Moto X issue. There is a thread somewhere around here about it. I got a refund being that Motorola couldn't fix any of the above problems. They were fine to give it to me, you just have to push them a bit.
i live kinda remote. inside my house i get 1 bar from tmo at best. was with att but couldnt afford any more. my only question is does aio have the complete signal coverage as att does?
drago10029 said:
Greetings fellow XDA'ers
I'll be writing breifly about my exprience with AIO using the XT1053. So first off, it's completely compatible and you probably knew that already if you're on XDA. All speeds work as advertised. then the prices you pay for AT&T service are amazing! but here's the thing.
I've been with them for 3-4 months. and the issues are constant and as follows:
MMS messaging constantly fails to send with correct APN settings input
several occassions of no service! (Emergency call only) while in places that I know have great coverage because I 've used my phone there before. like my college campus
Like most MNVO's they have bad customer service, didn't matter if I chatted or called in.
The ZTE prelude they advertised has Major MMS issues & runs super slow!
They also had an outage once for a whole night even though AT&T network was fine I have suspicions that they are having constant outages and not reporting this to users, which explains me having dropouts and no service!
Lastly I have had the issues, not using customs ROMS, across 3 phones, ZTE Prelude, Moto X XT1053, and the Samsung Skyrocket I727 which gives me very good credibility!
As a member of XDA, a believer in saving money and great quality service! I felt the need to report my issues to my friends and the great community that is XDA and the internet. AIO is not the way to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have none of those issue. Motox works as expected
Sent from my XT1049 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
DrDecoy said:
i live kinda remote. inside my house i get 1 bar from tmo at best. was with att but couldnt afford any more. my only question is does aio have the complete signal coverage as att does?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, they use AT&T's network and the company is actually owned by AT&T. You could join straight talk, AIO, H20, net10, and there are more just google "AT&T mvno". Hope that helps.
krsmit0 said:
I have none of those issue. Motox works as expected
Sent from my XT1049 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe the issue is regional or sporatic, but still something I expreienced and being that thgey're are owned directly by AT&T I would'nt expect those kinds of issues. I'm in New York City.
krsmit0 said:
I have none of those issue. Motox works as expected
Sent from my XT1049 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I have experienced none of those issues either, the phone works great on (AIO) At&t. Consistent LTE connection, even 20 miles out of town.
Save yourself the hassle and just grab the $60 AT&T GoPhone plan, yea you get less data but you make up for it with being on pre-paid AT&T, as you get better support than an MVNO, plus the ability to go to any AT&T corporate store to get help.
Oh and you can get refills on callingmart for like $54ish.
I've had AIO for 4 months with NONE of the issues you mentioned. My MMS send fine every time and I get no dropped service unless there actually is no service.
Also, AIO is not an MVNO and is owned by AT&T and I have gotten great customer support. I'm paying $45/month for 2.5gigs of data which is less than half of what I was paying with Verizon. I save ~$650 a year now and the service is as good as Verizon's if not better.
---------- Post added at 08:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 AM ----------
mastarifla said:
Save yourself the hassle and just grab the $60 AT&T GoPhone plan, yea you get less data but you make up for it with being on pre-paid AT&T, as you get better support than an MVNO, plus the ability to go to any AT&T corporate store to get help.
Oh and you can get refills on callingmart for like $54ish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AIO is owned by AT&T and is not an MVNO.
I'm not using a Moto X, but wanted to mention my AIO experience. I moved from a $30/mo T-Mobile plan to AIO and found the signal and LTE amazingly better in the sense that I always maintain LTE (~5Mbps) vs going from LTE (>20Mpbs) to Edge as soon as I hit the highway/leave the city. Almost 0% without signal since moving to AIO.
AIO has been great for me so far. I don't use MMS as I rely on my Google Voice number, which doesn't support MMS, so I can't comment there.
bekyndnunwind said:
I've had AIO for 4 months with NONE of the issues you mentioned. My MMS send fine every time and I get no dropped service unless there actually is no service.
Also, AIO is not an MVNO and is owned by AT&T and I have gotten great customer support. I'm paying $45/month for 2.5gigs of data which is less than half of what I was paying with Verizon. I save ~$650 a year now and the service is as good as Verizon's if not better.
---------- Post added at 08:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:31 AM ----------
AIO is owned by AT&T and is not an MVNO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both AIO and GoPhone are subsidiaries of AT&T correct, but AIO is not considered a pre-paid plan of AT&T, thus it is an MVNO.
However we are just bickering about semantics at this point anyways, I didn't realize that they dropped their prices recently (like literally within the past few weeks). Also, since they don't use a proxy to filter all the data (like StraightTalk), I may have to actually give them a shot; as it seems like it would save me ~$10-15 a month. I would really like to perform a speed test though to see if there are ping related issues before switching though.
mastarifla said:
Both AIO and GoPhone are subsidiaries of AT&T correct, but AIO is not considered a pre-paid plan of AT&T, thus it is an MVNO.
However we are just bickering about semantics at this point anyways, I didn't realize that they dropped their prices recently (like literally within the past few weeks). Also, since they don't use a proxy to filter all the data (like StraightTalk), I may have to actually give them a shot; as it seems like it would save me ~$10-15 a month. I would really like to perform a speed test though to see if there are ping related issues before switching though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do use a Proxy for all data. Ping times are ~100-150 due to it. Never noticed an issue though. It's still about half of Straight Talk from what I have seen.
whitedragonz83 said:
They do use a Proxy for all data. Ping times are ~100-150 due to it. Never noticed an issue though. It's still about half of Straight Talk from what I have seen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The APN on the AIO website doesn't have any proxy information, well besides for the MMS. Kinda strange how they would leave that out, mainly since the GoPhone doesn't have such a proxy either, I tried my phone next to a carrier sim based phone and we were getting roughly the same ping times (~100ish).
Straight talk is really bad about it, but I also think it has to do with the number of customers going through the proxy itself. So if/when AIO gets more congested then it will be just as bad :/
If this is the case then maybe I'll just stick with GoPhone, I haven't really had any speed complaints and I seem to be getting really good LTE speeds. The reason the ping is so significant of an issue is because it effectively reduces your data throughput when loading videos/websites. So you may be registering ~8 Mbps on speedtest, but the effective speed is much much slower due to higher ping/latency.
I've been using the GoPhone sim in my Nexus and the T-Mobile sim in the Moto, the reception has been amazing in the Moto, I'm actually scared of how good the AT&T signal would be. However, the Nexus uses a micro and the Moto uses a nano. I don't want to jeopardize my phone with a sim adaptor, so I think I'll just keep using T-mobile for the time being
mastarifla said:
The APN on the AIO website doesn't have any proxy information, well besides for the MMS. Kinda strange how they would leave that out, mainly since the GoPhone doesn't have such a proxy either, I tried my phone next to a carrier sim based phone and we were getting roughly the same ping times (~100ish).
Straight talk is really bad about it, but I also think it has to do with the number of customers going through the proxy itself. So if/when AIO gets more congested then it will be just as bad :/
If this is the case then maybe I'll just stick with GoPhone, I haven't really had any speed complaints and I seem to be getting really good LTE speeds. The reason the ping is so significant of an issue is because it effectively reduces your data throughput when loading videos/websites. So you may be registering ~8 Mbps on speedtest, but the effective speed is much much slower due to higher ping/latency.
I don't know why, but everywhere I search, the APN has a Proxy address for AIO. It's what I use too.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-4/289568-nexus-4-aio-wireless-apn-settings.html
I've been using the GoPhone sim in my Nexus and the T-Mobile sim in the Moto, the reception has been amazing in the Moto, I'm actually scared of how good the AT&T signal would be. However, the Nexus uses a micro and the Moto uses a nano. I don't want to jeopardize my phone with a sim adaptor, so I think I'll just keep using T-mobile for the time being
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regardless of the effective speed, it is not noticeable in real-life usage. I'll keep an eye out if it gets a lot worse, like Straight Talk sounds.
GoPhone should be outstanding, as it is nearly the equivalent to post-paid AT&T.
Are you sure you are using "GoPhone" on T-Mobile networks? GoPhone is AT&T Prepaid.
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/gophone.html
whitedragonz83 said:
Regardless of the effective speed, it is not noticeable in real-life usage. I'll keep an eye out if it gets a lot worse, like Straight Talk sounds.
GoPhone should be outstanding, as it is nearly the equivalent to post-paid AT&T.
Are you sure you are using "GoPhone" on T-Mobile networks? GoPhone is AT&T Prepaid.
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/gophone.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just hope it doesn't eventually become a factor in real life usage like ST currently is
I am currently using 2 cell phone plans, one for work and one for personal use. Personal is T-Mobile (5GB of data for $30? yes please), while the work is AT&T (mainly because of the unlimited talk time and the coverage). I'm debating on just going down to one since I have Google Voice ringing both phones currently and I don't spend 7GB a month (especially since Xposed), but I love the speeds and data connection of T-Mobile here in Dallas.
mastarifla said:
Save yourself the hassle and just grab the $60 AT&T GoPhone plan, yea you get less data but you make up for it with being on pre-paid AT&T, as you get better support than an MVNO, plus the ability to go to any AT&T corporate store to get help.
Oh and you can get refills on callingmart for like $54ish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I did when I demoed AT&T for my Nexus 5 vs. Verizon. AT&T vs. Verizon aside, I was very happy with the GoPhone plan. I was hesitant to go with AIO because I had read from multiple sources that AIO is throttled to 8mbps. Yes, it's still AT&T LTE, but your priority on their network is lower than if you were on their network directly through AT&T or their official prepaid. See the following excerpt from this Droid-Life article (http://www.droid-life.com/2013/09/06/atts-aio-wireless-prepaid-service-now-available-nationwide/) "High-speed access with download speeds up to a maximum of 8 Mbps for compatible devices. Maximum data download speeds are reduced when usage exceeds high-speed access allowance."
That is why I chose GoPhone over AIO.
laur3n.newm4n said:
That's what I did when I demoed AT&T for my Nexus 5 vs. Verizon. AT&T vs. Verizon aside, I was very happy with the GoPhone plan. I was hesitant to go with AIO because I had read from multiple sources that AIO is throttled to 8mbps. Yes, it's still AT&T LTE, but your priority on their network is lower than if you were on their network directly through AT&T or their official prepaid. See the following excerpt from this Droid-Life article (http://www.droid-life.com/2013/09/06/atts-aio-wireless-prepaid-service-now-available-nationwide/) "High-speed access with download speeds up to a maximum of 8 Mbps for compatible devices. Maximum data download speeds are reduced when usage exceeds high-speed access allowance."
That is why I chose GoPhone over AIO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The benefits are both unique though, as follows:
ATT GOPHONE: You get to surf at that high speed the whole time. when it's done you have to pay up to keep it going.
AIO: You get the reduced speed, 8 mbps which is still fast and after you eat it up, you can still browse and check email, facebook. or any other light internet activities.
I've never had any use for super fast LTE on a mobile phone. Only on gaming consoles and a PC have I benefited from it.
laur3n.newm4n said:
That's what I did when I demoed AT&T for my Nexus 5 vs. Verizon. AT&T vs. Verizon aside, I was very happy with the GoPhone plan. I was hesitant to go with AIO because I had read from multiple sources that AIO is throttled to 8mbps. Yes, it's still AT&T LTE, but your priority on their network is lower than if you were on their network directly through AT&T or their official prepaid. See the following excerpt from this Droid-Life article (http://www.droid-life.com/2013/09/06/atts-aio-wireless-prepaid-service-now-available-nationwide/) "High-speed access with download speeds up to a maximum of 8 Mbps for compatible devices. Maximum data download speeds are reduced when usage exceeds high-speed access allowance."
That is why I chose GoPhone over AIO.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Price is something you can't ignore though in your comparison.
$45/mo (tax/fees included) for 2.5GB/unlimited text/unlimited minutes on AIO
$60/mo (tax fees extra?) for 2GB/unlimited text/unlimited minutes on GoPhone.
I've had AIO for a month or so now. Maybe occasionally I notice the slow speed. 95% of the time, I probably don't and just enjoy the benefits of AT&T LTE everywhere I go saving $15/mo or $180/yr(maybe more if GoPhone is also taxed). This is though $15/mo more than my previous $30/mo T-Mobile plan. I just needed better coverage for highway driving and AIO was the next best thing imo.
I've been using them since October with an XT1055, and haven't had the SMS issues many others have.
Biggest problem until this past weekend was getting the Auto Pay to stick.
But this weekend I started experiencing 3 days of loosing connection and falling into the Emergency Call Only bin. A reboot would bring me back to "4G LTE/4 Bars", which would gradually settle down to a plain 2 bars. This was similar to what I experienced with my Palm 3, which was apparently related to WiFi/Phone/Bluetooth mutual interference. But I didn't see any software changes this past week that would have kicked something like that off.
whitedragonz83 said:
Price is something you can't ignore though in your comparison.
$45/mo (tax/fees included) for 2.5GB/unlimited text/unlimited minutes on AIO
$60/mo (tax fees extra?) for 2GB/unlimited text/unlimited minutes on GoPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're willing to forego auto-refill on GoPhone (if there is such a thing), $60 GoPgon refills regularly available from Callingmart for $54 - making the difference only $9 per month.
I was on Straight Talk (AT&T) for over 1 year, but eventually moved to GoPhone due to a calling issue I was having, combined with Straight Talk's horrible support. Then when I was evaluating the Moto X and Nexus 5 as replacements for my Galaxy Nexus, I found the added cost of GoPhone to be well worth it, in that it allowed me to walk into a store and switch between mini SIM, micro SIM and nano SIM on the spot, at no charge.
UncleMike said:
If you're willing to forego auto-refill on GoPhone (if there is such a thing), $60 GoPgon refills regularly available from Callingmart for $54 - making the difference only $9 per month.
I was on Straight Talk (AT&T) for over 1 year, but eventually moved to GoPhone due to a calling issue I was having, combined with Straight Talk's horrible support. Then when I was evaluating the Moto X and Nexus 5 as replacements for my Galaxy Nexus, I found the added cost of GoPhone to be well worth it, in that it allowed me to walk into a store and switch between mini SIM, micro SIM and nano SIM on the spot, at no charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are they always 54 ?I seem to remember seeing it closer to 60.
Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
Please forgive me if my post is hard to understand, as I am on strong meds for my epilepsy.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am an avid supporter of Straight Talk, as I find it has the best overall bang for my buck at $45 a month. Now that ST is offering Verizon sim cards to be used on their network (unlimited talk, text, 3GB data, throttled after 3GB,) I have decided to jump onto their towers. Coming from a Oneplus One with an AT&T sim, needless to say, I was very used to flashing nightly CM builds. The OPO is a good phone, another bang for my buck purchase, but in my rural area Verizon seems to just have better service. I picked up a new in box VZW Note 4 from Swappa for $565 tax free, and have some impressions I'd like to share.
The service:
The service is superior on Verizon. At the VA hospital, at home, and at the mall, I get seamless simultaneous data and voice service. With the OPO on ATT, this was not the case. On the OPO, I would be stuck without the ability to load a web page in many areas, even though the phone stated that it had a 4g LTE connection. I have not run into this issue on the VZW note 4. Neither ATT nor Verizon offers roaming on straight talk, but the VZW towers are so extensive, that I have yet to run into an issue. On ATT, I was unable to get service in some of the more rural areas of my state (nevada.)
The hardware:
The hardware is far superior on the Note 4 than the OPO. It sports a higher res screen, IR blaster, Wacom stylus, and all the fun features that make a note 4 what it is.
The price:
The OPO had a much better price point, but I was satisfied with the increase in services for the note 4 that I got for $200 more than what the OPO costs.
The software:
The note 4 is capable of software that has good practical use, such as a universal remote and drawing software. The OPO is not capable of such things as the hardware does not support it, however, it does have root, and CM, so all the Titanium Backup and Wifi tethering you can handle (as long as you have good service.) The VZW Note 4 is capable of wifi tethering through PDA Net, which luckily I still had a key for from when I had PDA net on my T-Mobile G1 back in the day, but it is obnoxious and makes me utilize a lockscreen pin number which serves as an inhibitor of my device since I like to casually pick it up and turn it on.
The bloatware:
Oneplus One has no bloatware, and even if it did, you could remove it with Titanium Backup. VZW Note 4 has much bloatware, and a lot of it is incompatible with straight talk. Things that will not work on Straight Talk include Caller Name ID, My Verizon Mobile, stock wifi tethering, and visual voicemail. As most of these are premium services, I don't have a use for them and hide them from my menu. VZ Navigator does work on Straight talk, and I find it a very useful GPS software.
Overall, I am satisfied with the Note 4 on Verizon. I will not revert to the OPO and/or ATT ST, and I will not move to Verizon Wireless for prepaid service as it offers less data, and I will not pay for a post-paid Verizon Wireless subscription as it makes no sense now considering the cost and the fact that I own my late model phone outright. I am disappointed that it does not have root, and I should have certainly checked that with this specific device before purchasing, but I do not believe I would have purchased any differently in hindsight. The things I need like wifi tethering have work-arounds, and I surprisingly don't miss downloading new CM updates every night in hopes that it would squash bugs in my service.
Thank you for reading
So maybe I am missing something, but where do you get Verizon Sim cards for the Note 4 on StraightTalk?
Update: Now I see where Walmart is selling them, but can't find them on Straight Talks site. Interesting. Maybe I will try one.
just wondering not that I am planning to switch to ST but how are speed tests? I helped someone move from T-Mobile to ST but that was on AT&T tho. with Moto G LTE and speedtests were around 6-8 mbps usually.
dlang123 said:
So maybe I am missing something, but where do you get Verizon Sim cards for the Note 4 on StraightTalk?
Update: Now I see where Walmart is selling them, but can't find them on Straight Talks site. Interesting. Maybe I will try one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.straighttalkbyop.com/shop.php has sprint and vzw activation kits
patt2k said:
just wondering not that I am planning to switch to ST but how are speed tests? I helped someone move from T-Mobile to ST but that was on AT&T tho. with Moto G LTE and speedtests were around 6-8 mbps usually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got 6mb down 2mb up when I tried speedtest. I can't remember what the ATT ST was, but I am pretty sure it was significantly higher
One hiccup that I'm looking to fix is that I cannot receive MMS from my girlfriend who has ATT. I can receive MMS from myself, so perhaps verizon senders will work. VZWINTERNET APN settings are also grayed out, so I can't screw with APN settings. Any suggestions? I don't have developer edition so no root apn managers will work
I'm using mine on straight talk (tmobile) and I get download speeds of 25mbps in my area
Sent from my SM-N910V
dogredwing1 said:
I'm using mine on straight talk (tmobile) and I get download speeds of 25mbps in my area
Sent from my SM-N910V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TMO is very generous with their data, and there are even better priced TMO MVNOs than Straight Talk. I definitely wish they had the towers in my region to provide good service, but unfortunately they don't work in much of the state.
ST has instructions for creating a new APN network when you activate the phone, in order to receive MMS and have a solid connection for data to their network. If you go to ST's website, and log into your account, it should be under one of the tabs. Alternatively, you could Google the Verizon ST APN settings, or search ST's site for them.
Hope this helps!
Kelly
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Verizon)
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
rykatemom said:
ST has instructions for creating a new APN network when you activate the phone, in order to receive MMS and have a solid connection for data to their network. If you go to ST's website, and log into your account, it should be under one of the tabs. Alternatively, you could Google the Verizon ST APN settings, or search ST's site for them.
Hope this helps!
Kelly
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 (Verizon)
Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It started working yesterday, must have just been a network issue from the switchover
FYI Straight Talk is a MVNO utilzing Verizon's network...
FYI Straight Talk is a MVNO* utilizing Verizon's (for CDMA phones) or AT&T's and T-Mobile's network (when using GSM phones)... assuming Verizon doesn't throttle Straight Talk, you should get identical performance, range and results since you are on the same towers.
* MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) ... essentially they are a sophisticated reseller.
jmcturnan said:
FYI Straight Talk is a MVNO* utilizing Verizon's (for CDMA phones) or AT&T's and T-Mobile's network (when using GSM phones)... assuming Verizon doesn't throttle Straight Talk, you should get identical performance, range and results since you are on the same towers.
* MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) ... essentially they are a sophisticated reseller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it's an MVNO. Apparently Verizon throttles 4g to 5mbps on Straight Talk. I wish I knew that before hand, but 3 gigs of 5mbps is more important to me than 1 - 1.5 gigs of full speed LTE on the Verizon branded prepaid for the same price. It's an unnoticeable trade-off as I haven't found anything that won't stream through Straight Talk.
The higher-speed alternative with 3 gigs would be PagePlus at $55 a month. I'm saving the $10 with ST and am still satisfied.
http://www.bestmvno.com/verizon-mvnos.html
Thanks for posting this thread. I've been considering jumping over to Straight Talk with my Note 4, and your experience with the device and the service is helpful.
I'm also using a VZW Note 4 on ST VZW SIM and find it more than satisfactory. The process of getting it on the network was a bit convoluted but I got it working. I purchased my Certified Pre-Owned Note 4 through VZW's and didn't realize they start an activation process when they ship it. I was unable to immediately use it on ST because of this. I actually had to use a month of VZW prepaid before they'd let me off. Stupid stuff man...
rickyray9 said:
I know it's an MVNO. Apparently Verizon throttles 4g to 5mbps on Straight Talk. I wish I knew that before hand, but 3 gigs of 5mbps is more important to me than 1 - 1.5 gigs of full speed LTE on the Verizon branded prepaid for the same price. It's an unnoticeable trade-off as I haven't found anything that won't stream through Straight Talk.
The higher-speed alternative with 3 gigs would be PagePlus at $55 a month. I'm saving the $10 with ST and am still satisfied.
http://www.bestmvno.com/verizon-mvnos.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll stick with ST on AT&T. I just ran a test and got 23.96 Mbps down and 13.54 Mpbs up. And I live in mountainous WV.
Thanks for the info on this. I am going to buy out the rest of my contract with VZW as soon as I can and save over half on my monthly bill while getting 1 more gig of data. No ringbacks or VVM but it's a good tradeoff.
treyjazz said:
Thanks for the info on this. I am going to buy out the rest of my contract with VZW as soon as I can and save over half on my monthly bill while getting 1 more gig of data. No ringbacks or VVM but it's a good tradeoff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google Voice is a great alternative for VVM.
wesside123 said:
Google Voice is a great alternative for VVM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it but it really screwed up my VM and it ended up rejecting all VMs from missed calls. I tried at least 3 times to set it up and no dice. I just hope when I switch I have no problem.
patt2k said:
just wondering not that I am planning to switch to ST but how are speed tests? I helped someone move from T-Mobile to ST but that was on AT&T tho. with Moto G LTE and speedtests were around 6-8 mbps usually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have galaxy note 4 n910v The speed test are not that great on straight talk using Verizon towers like 5-7 download.. 1 our less upload and 90-150 on ping test I think Verizon keeps Straight talk throttled.. I put in a metro PC's sim and was getting 25 download 3-4 upload and 35 on ping test. I currently have a sim card on way from T-Mobile and will be switching to them because T-Mobile throttles metro PC's during heavy use times .
I use ST on my note 4, only gripe I have is no OTA's so I'll have to flash these updates myself.
LTE-Verizon internet is unlocked i don't why hence my phone does not support 4g even though it's note 4 SM-N910V
Litomaro said:
LTE-Verizon internet is unlocked i don't why hence my phone does not support 4g even though it's note 4 SM-N910V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who is your network provider? Your issue is probably just apn.
I am planing to switch carriers from Sprint to At&T or Verizon. I have three lines, big data user (~14-17Gb). I currently have unlimited data with sprint, but their data coverage is limited for me. I preordered the N6SP and wanted a know the communities opinion between the two. I know that my data will be limited and will be mindful.
goofydragon1 said:
I am planing to switch carriers from Sprint to At&T or Verizon. I have three lines, big data user (~14-17Gb). I currently have unlimited data with sprint, but their data coverage is limited for me. I preordered the N6SP and wanted a know the communities opinion between the two. I know that my data will be limited and will be mindful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go with cricket
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A
I guess it depends on the coverage each one provides in your area. If they're both reliable, AT&T plans seem a bit more $ friendly for multiple device users. Your call.
T-Mobile. Keep the unlimited data and get a better signal. I think they are still offering 14 day test drives so you and your family can check out out and see how it works in your area and areas you frequent. I moved from Verizon years ago and never looked back.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
SymbioticGenius said:
T-Mobile. Keep the unlimited data and get a better signal. I think they are still offering 14 day test drives so you and your family can check out out and see how it works in your area and areas you frequent. I moved from Verizon years ago and never looked back.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hard to believe that tmobile gets better signal...
Verizon has the best coverage, but is the most expensive. Also look into Google's Project Fi. It uses T-Mobile and Sprint networks as well as Wi-Fi calling and you only pay for the data you use ($10/GB).
Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk
In my experience I'll rank them as follows:
Verizon (best building penetration)
T-Mobile (best combination of coverage and speed)
ATT (slightly better coverage, speed sucks)
..... Anything else prepaid/whatever
Sprint (nothing good to say) *silence*
Most recently in the top floor of my house a visitor had no signal with sprint at all whereas I was fine on T-Mobile.
In my father's office in Manhattan he has no signal from T-Mobile on the first 4 floors but fine anywhere above, but Verizon works in the basement.
In my mother's office (in the middle of a brick college building) she had no signal on T-Mobile only in her office, but as soon as she stepped out of her office anywhere else in the building she's fine. Verizon works fine in her office.
However in a recent hospital visit neither of my parents phones worked on Verizon but I was fine on T-Mobile.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
I've had all of them except for Sprint. Verizon will find a way to screw you over and charge you more for nothing. AT&T is just expensive for marginal amounts of data. T-Mobile isn't the best but I have 2 lines with unlimited everything and pay $100 a month so for me that's the best compromise between everything. I get up to 80mb/s DL where I live which is better than At&t or VZW surprisingly. On the other hand their coverage in the middle of nowhere is nonexistent whereas the other two usually have something. It just depends on what your need and how the coverage is where you live.
Pilz said:
I've had all of them except for Sprint. Verizon will find a way to screw you over and charge you more for nothing. AT&T is just expensive for marginal amounts of data. T-Mobile isn't the best but I have 2 lines with unlimited everything and pay $100 a month so for me that's the best compromise between everything. I get up to 80mb/s DL where I live which is better than At&t or VZW surprisingly. On the other hand their coverage in the middle of nowhere is nonexistent whereas the other two usually have something. It just depends on what your need and how the coverage is where you live.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
T-Mobile is the best compromise.
Not saying they have the fastest network or signal everywhere, but their prices are pretty good and if you're in a pretty popular area - signal is actually pretty good too.
Check your coverage map?
A few years ago, I would NEVER have recommended At&t and I was about to switch to Verizon (as soon as my contract was up).....Then, in my area, At&t installed several new LTE towers and I have better reception than any of my Verizon friends. Even when camping in the middle of nowhere, I can get signal every now and again where they don't.
I also like the fact you can be on a call and use data at the same time...... Don't do it much, but sometimes it comes in handy. For example, my wife calls and asks "what time is the show tonight"? I can pull the phone away from my ear, pull up the website and find out and let her know. Verizon may have changed this in the past few years, but you couldn't do this with them last I knew? You would have had to say "I'll check and call/text you back".
But it basically comes down to checking your coverage map.... I manage a friends Verizon account that is very similar to my At&t account, and the prices are all about the same. At&t did recently have a "double your data for $0 extra" promotion that I got in on and I've seen Verizon run these from time to time as well.
So.....As I've said a few times, it just comes down to coverage.
I have Verizon now and had att at one point , they were both about the same price for me. att had better coverage at certain spots and same was true for Verizon. My verizon LTE service has been great in central NJ and i cant speak for att but a friend of mine has att and says the LTE is good. Now i can say i would stay away from sprint i have a few friends who have it and when we are all together they are always not able to use there phones cause there service is at one bar to nothing.
I think you cant go wrong with either ATT or Verizon they both have one of the best networks in the us in my experience. main thing to note is ATT isnt as locked down as verizon is. Verizon is not as easy to bring a unlocked phone into there network IE moto x pure, and nexus 6 (before they sold it) and the new 6P. they have gotten better but still a lot harder then it needs to be
just my 2 cents
I moved off AT&T to try Project Fi. Was perfectly happy with AT&T, but Fi was cheaper and seemed very interesting. Had a huge problem with their Hangouts calling feature - it kept my N6 from being able to make/receive calls. If I uninstalled Hangouts from all my devices/computers, including the N6, the phone would work fine. After 2 weeks of no Hangouts, I was about ready to put a nail into my head. So, I switched to Verizon.
Now, I have used Verizon on my work phone for years. The coverage they have helps ensure I can use the phone while on business travel. That's great for businesses, but honestly doesn't mean much for me when I'm at home and all the carriers give adequate service. Now that I think about the extra $ the Verizon plan costs me, the fact that I have to subscribe to visual voicemail for an extra $3 a month where I didn't have to before, and that it took an act of congress for them to issue me a SIM card for a "NON-VZW Device"... I'm kind of wondering why I just didn't go back to AT&T. Or even T-mobile. ... well, anyone but Sprint.
Yeah it was an act of congress to get my nano sim activated too , now they do offer a free version of the visual VM that im using now. I looked into project Fi but the cost wouldn't be much cheaper i use way too much data lol
If someone actually looked at the prices of the new plans you would see that ATT and Verizon are about the same and in some cases V$ is even cheaper...not by a lot....This is for a single phone..but I dont think its much different with multiples. Go with whoever has the best coverage..but even then its probably a wash at this point too.
I've been reading through the forum and the Project Fi waiting room thread kind of touches on my subject but there is some digging that has to be done to find post about how their experience has been so far now that they are on the Fi Network...
I've been activated for about a week now. So far the service has been pretty good. I spend most of my days on WIFI so it's a good fit for me. I've only had a few issues so far.
1. My office is really big with many APs, when on a call and walking through the building it gets confused on what it should do. As my phone switches between APs it will move the call over to cell towers and then back to wifi and the end user says that I am cutting out really bad...
2. When I don't have WIFI available and connected to the sprint network I cannot use data and talk on the phone at the same time.. I guess this is what all sprint users currently deal with and is a limitation of technology but I've been with ATT for a long time and am not used to this. I don't believe its just because they are CDMA. Verizon has been doing this for a while now, correct?
3. If I'm connected to the sprint network and on a call then move to an area where tmobile has better service, when I get off of the call my service will go unavailable for multiple seconds while it disconnects and reconnects to the tmobile network.
4. Slowness to send and receive sms/mms to other carriers. This is not recreateable and is random.. Maybe 5% of the time.
5. Reduced daily battery life. Maybe 15%ish.. I think I was able to correct a lot of this by limiting background data.
I don't think this thread is duplicated but if it is point me to the correct location.
I've been activated since May 26. The only difference I notice between Fi and my previous carrier AT&T is the $50 I'm saving every month.
There were some minor hiccups at various points along the way. I had intermittent mobile data for about 48 hours and the first week for a couple days only Hangouts would ring, not the phone. Those problems are long gone now, though. As far as I'm concerned this is the best thing Google has done since Search.
Project Fi user (4 months)
Project Fi is something I wish everybody had a chance to experience. Honestly it is one of the best cell providers in the US. Customer service is amazing, the cell service is great, maybe a few things here and there, but an overall really good experience for this being a beta. Google is doing a really good job! Keep it up
Ive had Fi for 4 months, I live in a very rural part of Illinois. Service is great. I have a lot of 3g, but I am ok with that. I would never switch back to big red. Ive heard things about T-Mobile expanding more in my area so.. that would make my service even better..
I activated Fi in June and have had only minor issues related to network switching. They seem to have been resolved over time and I can't really see any difference in service than when I had TMO or VZW. I live in Orlando and don't travel extensively any more but coverage is more than adequate. And the savings are incredible.
I've had it for a couple months, and I'm satisfied with the service. I noticed my data drops out in certain areas when I'm driving, but it works fine at places I spend most of my time at.
My signal at home is only so-so, as far as internet goes, but that doesn't matter much, as I'm on wi-fi at home, anyway. One minor annoyance I've run into, however, is that occasionally my Fi signal seems to die completely for a brief period of time, and when it does, it crashes whatever app I'm in. It's often during a game (and with my luck, it's usually when I'm doing well...). But it's not a huge deal or anything.
I've been on Fi since early August. Came from Sprint "unlimited" plan, which was not doing me much good because I can't get decent Sprint data coverage at my workplace. And of course I use WiFi at home. So the addition of T-Mobile made a much better network for me. In fact, the switching algorithm keeps me on T-Mobile most of the time as I am out and about town.
Overall, I doubt that the sum of the Sprint and TMO network footprints match the coverage of Verizon. The question is: Is it good enough for you for the price? With one big caveat (see below), for me the answer is yes.
The switching is not perfect, especially on roadtrips. I believe there is a learning algorithm baked in, which includes localized geofencing. But while this improves things over time in routine places, I don't think it works so well the first time you go elsewhere. Gratefully, at least for now, there are leaked -- and not officially supported -- dialer codes to force switching between Sprint and TMO when you must.
Coming from unlimited makes for a paradigm shift because now I pay for cell network data by the megabyte. This is very cost-effective for someone who can stay on WiFi most of the time. I do, so my bills are very low. But if you cannot do that, and you are a heavy data user, this plan is not for you.
The big caveat for me right now is that Marshmallow reportedly breaks data service on TMO Band 12, which is what reaches into my office building with Lollipop 5.1.1. That is why I am in no hurry to upgrade to 6.0 unless and until this gets fixed. B12 coverage is increasingly a big deal for TMO's network footprint. So without it, much of the benefit of a dual network would go away.
I switched from t mobile unlimited. Whenever I'm on sprint on a call, data doesn't work so I manually force the phone to be on t mobile literally all the time which kind of defeats the purpose of having another network. I honestly don't think project fi is a significant improvement over just having t mobile. Adding sprint to fi is kind of like giving a crutch for a dwarf to a normal sized person. The reason I will stay on fi is because I don't believe Google well stop at t mobile and sprint only.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Been on fi for a few months now and overall it's been great. My bill has been a couple of bucks less than my prepaid $30/mo tmobile plan. Even though sprint has fairly good coverage in my area, I mostly connect to tmobile networks.
I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be happy with just the sprint network. Even though sprint has about the same # of cell towers in my area, signal strength between sprint towers seems to drop off rapidly compared to tmobile's towers. To be competitive, sprint needs to have more than twice the cell tower density to compare to tmobile's coverage. But it's still good to know I have sprint as a backup.
darthmtb said:
Project Fi is something I wish everybody had a chance to experience. Honestly it is one of the best cell providers in the US. Customer service is amazing, the cell service is great, maybe a few things here and there, but an overall really good experience for this being a beta. Google is doing a really good job! Keep it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to join Fi but t-mobile gave me such a good plan (grandfather discount). It will be a big lost if I leave.
I've been on Fi for about 5 months and have used it all over the US, South America, Europe and India. When roaming outside the US, it works exactly like the T-Mobile service it replaced. When I'm home and it runs on Sprint, it sucks. Phone doesn't ring and I miss texts. My service is actually better when I put the SIM card in a T-Mobile phone that can't switch to Sprint.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
i did sign up to fi, and got invited. and i did tell them j wanted to use fi. so they sent me a sim, and the "gifts". but i have no wifi at home, and i average about 25-40gb a month in data usage(tmobile, unlimited). i did the math in my head and it just didnt make any sense to me to switch. i definitely would, but the data costs are just to high. so i wrote them explaining about my data use, and they thanked me. and i havent been bugged by them in the last 2 months at all.
I'm on Verizon unlimited old plan and with great regret decided to try out Fi since they are increasing the price. I don't think anyone can match Verizon's network and I'm paying a reasonable $55 incl taxes. I wish I used more data, I hear people use 6-10GB on average on these unlimited plans, I guess I don't travel as much.
I am sort of afraid what Fi will mean since its after all a beta service. As an MVNO it is not price competitive, $10/GB is a lot for an MVNO to charge, Cricket is much better pricing, but I dont have their signal at home.
I'm glad to see the positive experiences with Fi. I ordered my Nexus 6 and Fi SIM card at lunch today and will activate Fi in a couple weeks once I get a credit back from T-mobile and can properly close my account with them. I'm looking forward to saving about $60 a month with Fi.
I've been activated since June. I came from T-mobile, so the change was all benefit for me in terms of coverage. I came from a Nexus 5 which doesn't have band 12 support. It was nice to be able to use T-Mobiles band 12 once I was on fi with the Nexus 6.
I rarely see sprint in my area, since T-Mobile is much better, but when I get out into the country, I have been connected to sprint where I used to have nothing at all. That's a plus. Also, sprint service allows roaming on Verizon 1x towers, and I have been connected to Verizon a few times.
I got a Fi invite instantly yesterday.
My N6 is stock unrooted Lollipop LMY48T, and uses my Verizon unlimited data SIM, my T-Mobile "WalmartPlan" $30 5gig SIM, or my cricket/aio prepaid SIM, depending.
I only use Google Voice through Hangouts for all my calls, so unlimited talk is not important to me.
If I order a Fi SIM, will I still be able to switch Sims freely or does the phone get locked to Fi only ?
I have heard some rumor that if I accept a Marshmallow OTA or sideload the M images, I will lose T-Mobile band12 LTE. Hope that is not true, since T-Mobile seems to be moving from band4 to band12 everywhere now.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
I have heard some rumor that if I accept a Marshmallow OTA or sideload the M images, I will lose T-Mobile band LTE. Hope that is not true, since T-Mobile seems to be moving from band4 to band12 everywhere now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The loss of data on Band 12 has been reported by several users who flashed the Marshmallow build. Apparently the difference is in the radio module, because some of them have reported that Band 12 data service is restored by flashing back to one of the latest Lollipop radios on top of the new build.
We don't know if this is by design or a bug.
I have no personal experience myself because I remain on 5.1.1 build LYZ28M.
Seems like going to Marshmallow would be a huge problem for Fi users, then, unless Fi doesn't use band12 LTE?
For quite a while the Nexus6 was almost the only phone out that would support T-Mobile band12, except for a couple of Samsung's. Big part of why I bought mine.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
Seems like going to Marshmallow would be a huge problem for Fi users, then, unless Fi doesn't use band12 LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is a big open question right now. Google and Fi management have been silent about it. The issue may or may not be related to Google's need to certify the new Nexus devices for use on the TMO network directly (using T-Mobile SIMs). We don't know how these requirements relate to the Fi-TMO MVNO agreement, if at all.
It may be that there is just a bug in the Marshmallow 6.0 radio.
trent999 said:
If I order a Fi SIM, will I still be able to switch Sims freely or does the phone get locked to Fi only ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Several Verizon users have reported (a thread in Q&A section) difficulty returning to VZW from Fi.