[Q] Help! Diagnose network connection issues - Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi guys
My n9005 has been having mobile connectivity issues for a while now. I'm not very knowledgeable about mobile networking and standards so I need some help diagnosing the problem before I either find a setting to alleviate the troubles or get some hardware replaced. For your reference i think has been caused by dropping my phone quite a few times so there is likely a hardware issue, i just want to better understand it to see if theres a workaround before i go spending money!
My phone works flawlessly when it displays its connect to 4G or H+ networks. However when it drops to 3G it usually does not send or receive any texts, calls, and I have no data connection.
I have fiddled around in the service menus and tried setting the band preferences to GWL, WCDMA & GSM, LTE Only, etc etc, with not much luck either having no connection or having the same issue. For reference I don't have 4G coverage at my home only H+, but when I was on holiday in the middle of no where at the National Park (I live in New Zealand) I had 4G connections the entire time with no dropping.
Now I have no idea what mobile networks use what standards/protocols so if you could recommend a setting change or identify what I should get replaced that would be great!
Cheers

Related

Hero, have to choose: Data/3G or voice calls, HTC reinvet the 90's!

Hi,
after having several missed calls going straight to my answering machine on my new HTC Hero. I was getting a bit paranoiac, so I've decided to test in/out calls.
Basically, 90 of my incoming calls were going straight to my answering machine. Out-call were about 30% KO
After several tests, to make sure there was a problem, I've decided to request for support from HTC.
Support told me that I should shut the 3g connection every time I would want to receive a call .
So I tried and Bingo, if 3G is activated, I get 10% of the calls, if I deactivate it 90% success.
So you'll say, I should be happy? Right? Wrong!
The main use of that kind of phone is to have a data integration, otherwise I would have kept my old nokia from 10 years ago..
Here basically, if I follow HTC idea, I should keep the 3g closed, sometime, I should switch it on to get my mails, thanks to the non true push capacities (ok this one is not htc) then wait for the sync, maybe force it , get my mails, and then, shut 3g back and pray that no Über important call would have been done.
Well that plain sucks!
Never had such a thing on my previous Data friendly mobiles, why should I accept it on the Hero?
If someone have come across this bug, cause it is a bug, how did he/she managed to fix it?
Thanks
works fine on mine....i suggest you are on a ****e network, or on only 2G where you are. that's what usually causes this.
I guess they suggested this because it sounds like your network hasn't figured out how to route calls properly on their network when data is active, and they dump it straight to voicemail when there is a data connection active.
not the phone's fault, the phone won't even know that the call has been missed, the network simply does not route the call through and sends it to voicemail instead.
i had this on O2 a while ago. went to t-mobile (who knew how to set up their network properly for data) and never had this issue since when i am on 3G coverage. if i'm on 2G signal and have active data then yes, i miss calls. but that's how 2G networks operate.
it's truly shocking how many networks out there have absolutely no idea how to set up their networks properly for data!
Well I wish it would be that, my signal goes from -63 dbm 25 asu(80% of the time) to -81 dbm 16 asu.
Just after my post, I called one of my friend working in carrier terminal validation.
What he told me was, 2 options:
- Same bug was on the htc cruise, bug got corrected after a fw update.
- Some of my carrier radio are buggy and 3g goes over gsm.(SFR/VOdaphone France)
I bet for the first option since I had the problem in various places since I didn't want to ask support for nothing and get busted for a " feeling and not facts" (did the test in 3 differend location 80 tests in total(I used to be a tester....).
I will update the topic if I get news about it
nmuncer said:
!
Never had such a thing on my previous Data friendly mobiles, why should I accept it on the Hero?
If someone have come across this bug, cause it is a bug, how did he/she managed to fix it?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't accept it - but most people don't have this issue!
It's unlikely to be a "bug" per se, because otherwise it would be endemic behaviour, so it's either:
1. Your physical device (get it changed!)
2. Your network.
In addition, just an FYI in case you've got the new Sprint Hero, but most CDMA networks (including Sprint) do not support simultaneous voice and data. I've no idea what happens in practice on Sprint, but I'd imagine if you were actively using data your voice calls would get diverted to voicemail unless Sprint automatically suspends data when a voice call is pending.
Regards,
Dave
You're on SFR?
OUCH!!!!
Sounds like you have a nice strong signal, but is it 2G or 3G? (do you see a G, E 3G or H at the top of the screen?
if you see G or E, it's cos you're on 2G, If you get 3G or H, it's on 3G.
And yes, there were a few issues with the P3300 and the cruise, but they were mainly on Bouygues, not so much on SFR.
There's nothing known of on the hero, and as SFR sell the Magic, i would have thought they would have ironed out any issues already...
Hi,
I'm mostly in HSDPA or 3G.
I still have contacts with people at SFR (used to work there till recently) they might share a bit of info.
Idk if yours is CDMA or the GSM one but on mine (CDMA) under the mobile network settings, I have the option to switch the mode of operation to ether Hybrid, EVDO only, and 1X only. Now, I know how Sprint's network works, not sure if it's the same for any other networks but if I set it to Evdo only (3g) I'll miss all my calls because Sprint does voice over 1X. Hybrid mode does EVDO when you're using data and switches to 1X when you're doing voice/sms.
rhedgehog said:
if you see G or E, it's cos you're on 2G, If you get 3G or H, it's on 3G.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding this and your suggestion that 2g and data will result in missed calls, Can you suggest how to avoid this happening? I live and work in the country and only have 2g, so have found quite often people have mentioned my phone not even ringing- straight to answer phone. This explains it.
Nice to know, but annoying if I can't solve it- I run a business and my phone is very important.
Cheers,
ajones7279 said:
Idk if yours is CDMA or the GSM one but on mine (CDMA) under the mobile network settings, I have the option to switch the mode of operation to ether Hybrid, EVDO only, and 1X only. Now, I know how Sprint's network works, not sure if it's the same for any other networks but if I set it to Evdo only (3g) I'll miss all my calls because Sprint does voice over 1X. Hybrid mode does EVDO when you're using data and switches to 1X when you're doing voice/sms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have sprint as well and when someone calls you when youre running hybrid, you should not miss calls. you will get disconnected from the internet when someone is calling though
ajones7279 said:
Idk if yours is CDMA or the GSM one but on mine (CDMA) under the mobile network settings, I have the option to switch the mode of operation to ether Hybrid, EVDO only, and 1X only. Now, I know how Sprint's network works, not sure if it's the same for any other networks but if I set it to Evdo only (3g) I'll miss all my calls because Sprint does voice over 1X. Hybrid mode does EVDO when you're using data and switches to 1X when you're doing voice/sms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I'm on hybrid
that is what i hate about hero, it is really great except for the fact that it switches from 2g to 3g without notice. i want it to be permanently stuck in 3g for faster downloads and mms, but when it uses 2g, i cant send and receive mms and surfing the web is slow as heck! im still looking for an app that would permanently put the device in 3g just like with winmo it which you can use wcdma ONLY.
cheers!
If you use AnyCut, you can create a short cut by selecting:
New Shortcut->Activity->Phone info
This will create a shortcut on your homescreen which beings up a hidden "engineering" screen on which you'll find an drop down for "Set preferred network type" where you can select WCDMA only.
Regards,
Dave
alternatively, open the phone app
dial *#*#4636#*#* and select phone info
scroll down and set it to WCDMA only.
does the same thing but saves installing an app.
rhedgehog said:
alternatively, open the phone app
dial *#*#4636#*#* and select phone info
scroll down and set it to WCDMA only.
does the same thing but saves installing an app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
holy monkey! im going to try this!!! do i have to di it everytime i turn the phone of or is it permanent?
orouborus said:
that is what i hate about hero, it is really great except for the fact that it switches from 2g to 3g without notice. i want it to be permanently stuck in 3g for faster downloads and mms, but when it uses 2g, i cant send and receive mms and surfing the web is slow as heck! im still looking for an app that would permanently put the device in 3g just like with winmo it which you can use wcdma ONLY.
cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is not specific to the Hero. The fact is, every carrier's 2G network has better coverage than their 3G network. When the phone cannot detect strong enough 3G signal, it jumps back to 2G network. The idea is that slow data transmission is better than no data transmission at all. Many smartphones have the option to lock the mobile network to 2G only. One advantage is that it gets better reception, and another advantage is longer battery life (the 3G chip eats battery much faster than 2G).
If you instead lock the phone to its 3G network. The first thing you will notice is that battery life is significantly shorter. And chance is that you may be getting very spotty reception, because you are not allowing to phone to switch to 2G when it gets no 3G signal. When there is no 3G signal, forcing the phone to "3G only" mode won't give you faster download, it gives you no download.
tsekh501 said:
That is not specific to the Hero. The fact is, every carrier's 2G network has better coverage than their 3G network. When the phone cannot detect strong enough 3G signal, it jumps back to 2G network. The idea is that slow data transmission is better than no data transmission at all. Many smartphones have the option to lock the mobile network to 2G only. One advantage is that it gets better reception, and another advantage is longer battery life (the 3G chip eats battery much faster than 2G).
If you instead lock the phone to its 3G network. The first thing you will notice is that battery life is significantly shorter. And chance is that you may be getting very spotty reception, because you are not allowing to phone to switch to 2G when it gets no 3G signal. When there is no 3G signal, forcing the phone to "3G only" mode won't give you faster download, it gives you no download.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true true. i usually charge my phone everynight though. problem that i have with 2g is that i cant send and recieve mms and yeah data connection is slow. in our place 3g signal is ok. i also lock my topaz for wcdma only. but it is ok that it switches to 2g in low signal areas.
Thanks!
You actually use mms?
Wow, they do exist.
barryallott said:
You actually use mms?
Wow, they do exist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah... mms is great. i use it to send items that i wish to purchase etc.
What NOM1 Networks are there in the UK? I only get 2g in my area (booo) and could do with an operator that works right. T-Mobile forums suggest they still have an issue
Hi
I've checked it with Hero running in PlusGSM in Poland.
Regardless if I select 2G/3G or even "WCDMA preffered/GSM Only/WCDMA only" setting the phone is not available for incoming voice calls during data transfer. Every time when I start internet connection (example: SSH session) I'm not available for incoming calls. At this site I do have both strong 2G and strong 3G networks.
I would like to mention that a few days ago I've swapped Samsung SGH-i600 (WinMo 6.0) for HTC Hero - so I'm using the same SIM card in the same network and the same place. SHG-I600 was able to perform both data transfer (on 2G) and voice (on 3G) on the same time. HTC Hero is not...
I wonder if this is 'feature by design' or a bug in software?

[Q] Poor 3G to 2G handover

Hey there, I enjoy reading this forum but I had little to contribute with as I am an android noob. So unfortunately my first post is a question forced by the fact that something is wrong with my DHD Thank you in advance for your advices!
The problem is - when in areas with low 3G coverage the phone keeps on searching for 3G for too long instant of seamlessly switching to 2G, which often has full signal bars. This way the phone acts as if there was no signal and sends incoming calls to the voicemail even though all it has to do is to switch to 2G as soon as 3G gets too weak.
My previous phones had no problem with this. In my city the 3G quality varies from area to area but the 2G coverage is perfect almost everywhere. So I used to be sure that my phone never really disconnects from the network, it only might have dropped the 3G signal in favor of 2G while keeping the calls and everything.
I know I can disable the 3G and stick to 2G and EDGE but this way using full data capabilities of the phone turns into pain instead of pleasure.
Just to make sure and to show I did my homework, this is NOT:
- the death grip case
- a network related problem /I suppose.../
- a problem with data connection /I have never run into any problems with this/
My questions are:
- is anyone of you experiencing this?
- is there a way to force the phone to hand over the connection from 3G to 2G quicker without "blind spots"?
- does any custom ROM improve this? /I am running the latest stock HTC DHD android 2.2 with Sense/
- is there any hint that android 2.3 gingerbread should fix this issue?
Thank you, hope to find a piece of good advice here!
I`ve found this service menu and I switched the preffered network from WCDMA preferred to GSM AUTO PRL. will see if it helps.
I havent noticed any more problems since I did the switch. I think it helped. I cannot be 100% sure but I think it did the thing for me. I forgot to mention that I also switched networks mode from Auto to European but I think this has nothing to do with the issue.
fortuneman had my answer. To access the service menu on the soft phone keypad enter *#*#4636#*#* and its under Phone Information.
Switching from 2g to 3g works seamlessly. But the other way around doesn't work that well. Nothing to do with the phone. Just the net tech that has its flaws. If your in a call and switch to 2g, the call will most certainly be disconnected.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

[Q] HSDPA Intermittent Connection

Hi,
Using a N910F with T-Mobile UK, default APN settings for EE. The phone was sold by O2.
I'm having a hard time maintaining a connection to the HSDPA network when out and about, far more so than with my previous phone with the same carrier in the same places. The signal will often show as full whereas the connection isn't established (based on having the 2 arrows highlighted) under the H icon. Once the connection is dropped it takes a long time to re-establish.
I've searched and read about other users having poor reception quality but this seems to be a different issue to the one I'm trying to resolve.
I haven't seen any alternative radios available for this phone yet so not sure if I just need to wait a while. If anyone has working APN settings for T-Mobile UK and can share them that would be really helpful.
Thanks for your advice!

Signal loss

Hi everyone,
I already looked for an answer in the forum but nothing conclusive.
My moto g4 play loses signal during calls. The sim card is 3G and so I changed the network manually to 3g on the phone. However the problem continues and I think it even got worse. It happens especially when I'm moving, in the car, etc.
Is there any real solution for this problem? I have seen many users complaining but I did not realize if there was a solution or not.
Can you help me?
Thank you
Since the SIM is 3G, I'm going to assume the network you're using is GSM (ATT/Tmo). It is possible that the cell towers in your area operate on a specific type of GSM frequency, and your signal loss is due to the phone trying to connect to towers not supported by your carrier. If a call drops again, check the Roaming status of your phone in Settings and see what turns up.
Also, it seems odd that you would have to change the network settings at all. Even if the phone is set to prioritize LTE, it should automatically detect the 3G signal and adjust accordingly.

H910 Access Point Issues?

Hey, guys. I'm new here, and definitely a noob.
Just a quick backstory, I live in a rural area with only satellite internet connection, aside from using my phone as a mobile hotspot. I do quite a bit of gaming when I'm at a place with low latency internet, and have recently started using my mobile hotspot for gaming (laugh all you want, it works out fine for the most part). Unfortunately, living in a rural area, there is very limited service. I'm not completely informed on the lingo, but out here, I've learned that I can only connect to two towers (?). One is HSPA+, and one is 4G LTE. Obviously, only the 4G LTE one is good for low latency connections. I know that carriers have certain towers that they try to connect to before others because the others can cost them more. My phone usually defaults to the HSPA+ network.
I have found a way to force it to the LTE signal. By going into the hidden menu > Field Test > Modem Settings > PDP Setting > APN Setting > ATTNextgenphone > Bearer - LTE, and then saving. Usually, after about 20 seconds, it will switch to LTE service. Recently, though, my phone will attempt to not use that access point, and then remain with no 4G or 4G LTE icon next to the signal strength graphic, and I cannot connect to the internet in any fashion. I'm not sure if AT&T has figured out what I'm doing (I doubt it), but I just want to know if there is any way to combat this or to go about connecting to that 4G LTE access point in an easier way? Maybe there is some sort of root (?) I can do?
Any help would be appreciated.
* (?) <-- meaning I'm not sure if I'm using the correct wording or phrasing.

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