Database Users

Nexus 6 signal strength testing

Im still waiting on my nexus 6 but I would like if some people could do a signal strength comparison to other phones. I currently have a nexus 5 and would like to know those mostly. Could everyone post results?

jokersax11 said:
Im still waiting on my nexus 6 but I would like if some people could do a signal strength comparison to other phones. I currently have a nexus 5 and would like to know those mostly. Could everyone post results?
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On Cricket Wireless (AT&T) I get 5-10 db higher signal on the N6 over the N5 in the exact same spot. I also get about 5 db better signal than my wife's G3. At work I cannot get an LTE signal with the N5, with the N6 I get an "ok" LTE signal.

^^ Nice!!

I can't give OP any numbers but I'm coming from a Nexus 5 also. Overall signal (data and voice) is stronger than the 5. The GPS locks on a lot quicker even when in the car, assuming you're in an area with LTE.

Im also about 5 to 10 db better woth my Nexus 6 compared to my OnePlus One.
WiFi at home has Nexus 6 at 60 Mbps and OnePlus One at 45 Mbps.
Call quality and overall reception is better and volume in ear is better on Nexus.

It's a Motorola.... it's gonna have probably the best overall performing radio around.

AT&T (ALL-Phones)
I have a 10-mile stretch where i cross into Illinois from Indiana going home from work
Nexus 5: Constantly Drops connection all the way to the house and doesn't keep data for more than a few seconds after that at the house will constantly drop connection (I think its trying to get onto the AT&T network in Indiana since its not roaming.
Note 3: Typically holds the data connection all the way till about the 9th mile marker but is completely useless all the way. At home it will stay on the OFF Network but rather useless signal.
Nexus 6: Holds data connection till the 8th mile point which completely usable data for browsing the web/facebook/sometimes youtube at 720p and at the 8th mile point promptly drops connection and connects to the Illinois OFF-Network Tower and holds a strong connection.

On a 300 mile trip from Chicago to Detroit I had LTE service at least 90%of the time.

Thinking about the N6, myself. I've heard Motorola holds patents on CDMA radios that make their reception better than others... Any truth to this?

Just like every other Moto device the reception is rock solid for me.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

nathanotis said:
Thinking about the N6, myself. I've heard Motorola holds patents on CDMA radios that make their reception better than others... Any truth to this?
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Not sure, but didn't Google buy Motorola just for their mobile patents? If so, they own it now, which means any OEM partner of Google would likely be able to utilize that. All speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.
Only phone I've compared the Nexus 6 to is my iPhone 6 on Verizon and T-Mobile. They seem, for all intents and purposes, to be completely equal. The 6 is known for good signal strength and measuring the db while in a few locations, they've been nearly identical. This is good news, though, I'm not sure a lot of people on XDA care about a comparison with the iPhone
As for tablets, my Nexus 6 is about 2-3 db higher in my house than my Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet on Verizon. Nothing major.
Cheers,
-Collin-

I have noticed in several places my N6 retains a LTE signal where my N5 would dump to HSPA or EDGE.
Several buildings on my college campus have under ground classrooms and labs, I have a LTE signal in some of those rooms now, where I never have before.
Another thing, the Nexus 6 swaps from HSPA to LTE after a call within two seconds... my N5 would sit and wait for about 20 seconds usually. It seems with Mtero PCS I am not able to make any VOTLE calls yet.... not sure when or how that will happen.

littlerm said:
On Cricket Wireless (AT&T) I get 5-10 db higher signal on the N6 over the N5 in the exact same spot.
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I found the same improvement: 5 to 10dB. The signal in my house varies quite a bit, I just walked around with both in hand.

CollinFX45 said:
Not sure, but didn't Google buy Motorola just for their mobile patents? If so, they own it now, which means any OEM partner of Google would likely be able to utilize that. All speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.
Only phone I've compared the Nexus 6 to is my iPhone 6 on Verizon and T-Mobile. They seem, for all intents and purposes, to be completely equal. The 6 is known for good signal strength and measuring the db while in a few locations, they've been nearly identical. This is good news, though, I'm not sure a lot of people on XDA care about a comparison with the iPhone
As for tablets, my Nexus 6 is about 2-3 db higher in my house than my Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet on Verizon. Nothing major.
Cheers,
-Collin-
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Click to collapse
Google now has a license to use Motorola's patents, just as Lenovo does. They don't own them, Motorola does.

Mine is about the same as my G3 and wife's S5. The death star is terrible where I live, in my home j get -109dBm in average. The best I have seen is on campus I get -70dBm both are for LTE.

My N6 has great connectivity. My "old phone" HTC M8 GPE wouldn't be able to connect in a certain parts of my office building. No issues on the N6. I'm very happy about this!
-Jason

ryude said:
Google now has a license to use Motorola's patents, just as Lenovo does. They don't own them, Motorola does.
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I'm not sure this is true.
https://gigaom.com/2014/01/30/google-paid-4b-for-patents-why-the-motorola-deal-worked-out-just-fine/
From what I've read, Google now owns those patents, not just licensed. I'm sure they will let leveno use them as part of the purchase deal, but I'm not sure. They got the company for a steal vs what Google paid for it.
On the subject, I can't give hard numbers but I have noticeably better service on at&t with the most recent 98R modem running the latest Chroma ROM.

My connection was bad when I first got the phone but like any phone I own it was rooted and flashed within mins of getting home I highly recommend updating the modem/ radio asap I get great signal and data connection with the 95r radio on att try em and see what works best for u but for most ppl 95r or 98r greatly improve reception
Also running chroma like the dev says who makes chroma its very stock like with a few tweaks that google should have in lp alrdy but don't I used to be a cm fanboy but rather enjoy chroma so if u get a n6 u won't be disappointed
Sent from my Nexus 6

My nexus constantly switches between 3g,H,&LTE... It's never consistent.... Some days I get LTE at the bank some days I don't.... Today I went into the secret menu to force LTE only. I've had a good signal and haven't lost data at all today. That tells me LTE is everywhere where I live. Whats up with all the switching? I've noticed much better battery life today also.

Verizon Wireless poor / trash LTE performance. What am I missing?(old s4 destroys it)

All,
This phone is perfect...... until depending on LTE...
I'm about to send my Nexus 6p back for a refund. I go to a few sports bars and whatever else around a decent sized metro area with excellent Verizon Wireless coverage. I have unlimited data on Verizon so I don't care about constantly switching over to whatever wireless is available.
Prior to the Nexus 6p I had/have a Samsung Galaxy s4 and it seems to be a coverage king (for a small phone).
Tonight was my breaking point. I did a fresh wipe/install of 6.0.1 build MMB29M based on this thread's data https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=197102 . I then ventured out on the town to see how things would react. The phone absolutely does a better job switching back and forth between wireless and LTE without needing to toggle airplane mode like I had to on MMB29Q .
However, the ultimate test was being in my favorite pub and trying to stream watchespn. This phone just utterly chokes when attempting to do this, hell even browsing the internet is painfully slow at times. I tried 2 additional places where my OLD Samsung Galaxy s4 would just roll through content like nothing, the nexus 6p continued to choke/stutter/stammer blah blah, just horrible.
The ultimate point where I am about 99% sure I'm returning this phone was when I picked up my partner's old iphone 5, fired up watchespn and it began streaming content instantly in fantastic fashion on the same Verizon network.
So to sum it up an iphone 5, or samsung galaxy s4 = perfection on Verizon LTE.... with the Nexus 6p chokes and has horrible signal apparently.
What exactly am I missing?

You're not exactly alone. I switched from AT&T to Verizon last week....same phone, same rom, but different carrier. Even though Verizon has much better coverage where I live (Maui, Hawaii) I get crap service on the my 6P. My wife has far better service and signal strength in her Droid Turbo. Heck, half the time my phone won't even ring... Just pops up and says "missed call".....it's really annoying.

I'm in SoCal and I'm getting the best LTE I've ever gotten. Other day I got 101MB DL from speed test. I'm pretty happy. I'm on the 2.15 Radio BTW.

I remember when I had my S4 and it was fast on Verizon and I do notice that the 6p is slower. Also I wish that we could just stay on band 4 only because sometime I get kicked to band 13 if I download giant files.

michaely123 said:
I remember when I had my S4 and it was fast on Verizon and I do notice that the 6p is slower. Also I wish that we could just stay on band 4 only because sometime I get kicked to band 13 if I download giant files.
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I really want to understand this as well. I finally pushed down the 2.15 radio via ADB in fastboot.
So now I'm on 6.0.1 build MMB29M with the 2.15 radio.
I will not be able to test the signal issues until I go back to my favorite pub in town tomorrow night.
I agree with your point about band 4, WHY does this phone lock onto XLTE band 4, full strength and then randomly decide to go over to some lesser band while sitting on my desk? Literally don't even move the phone and it bounces around bands like a jack russel fn terrier .
**Edit, phone has stuck on Band 4 for quite some time now sitting on my desk. Not sure what to attribute it to. (2.15 radio? MMB29M build?)
True test will come tomorrow evening. It'll be make or break, time to figure out if this thing goes back.

Are you guys saying the 2.15 radio is better than the 2.47 radio? I've had pretty good performance with the 2.47 on Verizon, but I'm curious if the 2.15 is better.

Where does it show the radio version?

tigercranestyle said:
op, thx for linking the bug thread. to add...
cut and paste from the many other lte threads:
this was a big introduced way back when the 6.0.1 update was released at the beginning of december and had yet to be fixed. the apn solution worked only sometimes after a reboot... for me anyway. not sure how the apn change will affect those on different carriers since folks all over the world have reported this.
see bug thread here:
https://code.google.com/p/android/is...tail?id=197102
if the op in that thread is only somewhat your issue, take a look at post #127 also.
star that thread, leave useful comments, AND create a bug report to help. after doing those three things call to let google know as this has been an issue since the beginning of december.
temporary fixes tried:
1. reseting network connections in backup/reset
2. the \*#\*#4636#\*#\* (star, pound, star pound, 4636, pound, star, pound, star), test info, blah blah, set to zero
3. including admin in the apn
4. using another apn
5. toggling data, airplane mode, or rebooting.
6. rma'ing
7. trying different radios
8. starting from scratch with factory image
9. uninstalling goole connectivity services updates "trick"
10. making sure to turn off WiFi before rebooting.
again STAR the issue in the top upper left corner of the link provided, leave a useful comment, and make a bug report. ALL the of these help.
probably missed a few others that i've tried.
the point is that all of the ten things mentioned about are NOT fixes if it continues to happen.
DO THIS: go to reddit and search the subreddit for "lte" (without the quotes of course). a lot of them, right? not sure there would be that many posts if there was a sure shot solution that was not recurring.
you should be able to see some of the reddit 6p lte posts here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/sea...restrict_sr=on
what's strange is that not a single tech blog has reported/linked the bug thread. i dunno. sigh. at the bug thread link i posted, there are 500 unique users that have identified this as a bug. huge number for that site. exactly three months that this problem has persisted.
end of cut and paste.
has anyone tried the security update today to see if it resolves the bug?
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Not a chance I "upgrade" to this release for at least a little while. Sure would be nice to see some traction from google on this first.

joeyac02 said:
Where does it show the radio version?
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Bootloader screen is the easiest way to see it. You will see boot version and radio version.

tigercranestyle said:
just a heads-up.... no, the march update does not fix the lte bug.
funny thing is (maybe not so funny) is that there's a chance that doesn't get fixed until the android N developer preview is released in two more months. it's been three months since this bug was introduced, so wouldn't be all that surprising if we have to wait another two. this is just plain sad.
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Click to collapse
It's a security patch, not a bug/issue fix. And yes, we may have to wait until N for the LTE fix, or it may never get fixed.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

So for me 2.15 and 2.47 work the same. All I've ever used is 6.0.1 with both radios. FWIW, the 6p performs just like an iPhone 6s and a Note 5 on VZW at my location.
I work in a very crappy signal area, only VZW gets service, and it's anywhere from 0-2 bars of 1x, 3g, and LTE rotating all day on all VZW phones.
Outside that area, my 6p performs as expected with VZW on the 2.47 radio.

farfromovin said:
So for me 2.15 and 2.47 work the same. All I've ever used is 6.0.1 with both radios. FWIW, the 6p performs just like an iPhone 6s and a Note 5 on VZW at my location.
I work in a very crappy signal area, only VZW gets service, and it's anywhere from 0-2 bars of 1x, 3g, and LTE rotating all day on all VZW phones.
Outside that area, my 6p performs as expected with VZW on the 2.47 radio.
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Click to collapse
2.47 radio works best for me also!! :good:

I have been bouncing back and forth between 2.15 and 2.47 and 2.15 is giving me better signal, i am in Richmond, VA and we have xlte and all that jazz and when i get a good connection speeds are phenomenal but i do have a lot of problems with it bouncing back and forth between 3g and 4g which i have never had happen before. on 2.47 i was stuck on 3g for some reason and whenever i reboot i end up on 3g which sucks

farfromovin said:
So for me 2.15 and 2.47 work the same. All I've ever used is 6.0.1 with both radios. FWIW, the 6p performs just like an iPhone 6s and a Note 5 on VZW at my location.
I work in a very crappy signal area, only VZW gets service, and it's anywhere from 0-2 bars of 1x, 3g, and LTE rotating all day on all VZW phones.
Outside that area, my 6p performs as expected with VZW on the 2.47 radio.
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For all of those who are running the 2.47 radio. 2 questions
1. What 6.0.1 revision level are you running? As stated in that google problem thread ( https://goo.gl/GROfr2 ), someone mentioned 6.0.1 build MMB29M is working well for them, but that ships with the 2.50 radio which is clearly problematic, so it makes me think I'd be ok to get the current 6.0.1 build and simply run the 2.15 or 2.47 radio.
2. What revision of Google Connectivity Services are you running? ( https://goo.gl/4X6FB4 ) Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate this is also causing issues. Even on the 2.15 radio, I had issues running the latest version. I did the "uninstall updates" and my phone seems to perform better, I'm hoping this isn't a placebo but it is another "fix" mentioned in the google thread: ( https://goo.gl/DbwuUy )

gts24 said:
For all of those who are running the 2.47 radio. 2 questions
1. What 6.0.1 revision level are you running? As stated in that google problem thread ( https://goo.gl/GROfr2 ), someone mentioned 6.0.1 build MMB29M is working well for them, but that ships with the 2.50 radio which is clearly problematic, so it makes me think I'd be ok to get the current 6.0.1 build and simply run the 2.15 or 2.47 radio.
2. What revision of Google Connectivity Services are you running? ( https://goo.gl/4X6FB4 ) Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate this is also causing issues. Even on the 2.15 radio, I had issues running the latest version. I did the "uninstall updates" and my phone seems to perform better, I'm hoping this isn't a placebo but it is another "fix" mentioned in the google thread: ( https://goo.gl/DbwuUy )
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Click to collapse
I'm on the March release of 6.0.1 but I always flash the 2.47 radio after I update. My Google Connectivity Services is C.1.6.7. I'm running a stock rom and Attached are screen shots. Are you doing clean installs or dirty flashing?

rsalas187 said:
I'm on the March release of 6.0.1 but I always flash the 2.47 radio after I update. My Google Connectivity Services is C.1.6.7. I'm running a stock rom and Attached are screen shots. Are you doing clean installs or dirty flashing?
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Click to collapse
When I rolled back I wiped everything and did a clean install via ADB. I'm also running the stock ROM. I'd like to stay with the stock OS for at least a little while because it seems solid otherwise.

Also, this is my first XLTE capable phone. This phone regardless of radio version installed will not stick to XLTE. Does that make sense? Is that how XLTE works? I'm confused greatly by that, if i have 5 bars of XLTE (verified great signal in LTE discovery) why would it not stay on that?

d08speed3 said:
I'm in SoCal and I'm getting the best LTE I've ever gotten. Other day I got 101MB DL from speed test. I'm pretty happy. I'm on the 2.15 Radio BTW.
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Same here. I live in New England, and I have the best service (speeds and dBm signal strength) on the 6P than I did on my previous G4, Note 5, Turbo, and more.

Well, I'm probably going to try this later today.......
Android N preview has been posted, and it has a new radio of course. radio-angler-angler-03.61.img
Download the entire thing here https://developer.android.com/preview/download.html#top , Or grab JUST the radio file I just uploaded to dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qiz3d26vsplx3ws/radio-angler-angler-03.61.img?dl=0

gts24 said:
Well, I'm probably going to try this later today.......
Android N preview has been posted, and it has a new radio of course. radio-angler-angler-03.61.img
Download the entire thing here https://developer.android.com/preview/download.html#top , Or grab JUST the radio file I just uploaded to dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qiz3d26vsplx3ws/radio-angler-angler-03.61.img?dl=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I probably -shouldn't- flash this radio on Marshmellow, right?
Or is that safe? (I'd be willing to try it, the constant 3G/HSPA hang I'm getting on T-Mobile is crazy, especially since I get 4-5 bars of LTE here after a reboot)

At&t reception, I still feel it's better than other phones?

Just spend the day at the lake yesterday, on a dock...Usually I'm lucky to get any reception at any place in that area, but I was able to walk up on the hill and get LTE where no other phone has ever gotten it, even just a few weeks ago and again 2 months ago.
I see a lot of people saying the reception isn't good, but I feel it's better than any other phone I've had to date? Regardless of what the signal bars show or the db shows, I can get signal where I never have before.
Just sayin'

[accidentally posted the reply, removing]

tele_jas said:
Just spend the day at the lake yesterday, on a dock...Usually I'm lucky to get any reception at any place in that area, but I was able to walk up on the hill and get LTE where no other phone has ever gotten it, even just a few weeks ago and again 2 months ago.
I see a lot of people saying the reception isn't good, but I feel it's better than any other phone I've had to date? Regardless of what the signal bars show or the db shows, I can get signal where I never have before.
Just sayin'
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I think the Wi-Fi and cellular reception problems are in the european model - I had great reception with B20 software and the B27 update made it even better

tabletalker7 said:
I think the Wi-Fi and cellular reception problems are in the european model - I had great reception with B20 software and the B27 update made it even better
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This is a good point. It might be helpful if people would include which specific region model they are using. My reception is definitely on par with my Note 3 on AT&T in the USA (USA model).

celticchrys said:
This is a good point. It might be helpful if people would include which specific region model they are using. My reception is definitely on par with my Note 3 on AT&T in the USA (USA model).
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My Axon 7 blows away my Zenfone 2.

My axon 7 beat the pants off my Nexus 6p when I tried using speedtest.net. Both wifi and lte were significantly faster. Also using the US model. B27 seems to have improved things even further. No complains at all!

I'm using A2017U in europe, LTE band 3. My previous phone was Xperia Z and comparing Axon 7 to it, cell and wifi reception is better in any way of using (2.4 and 5ghz, 3G and LTE). So no problem with wifi and cell reception on mine A2017U. Very satisfied.

Ditto
celticchrys said:
This is a good point. It might be helpful if people would include which specific region model they are using. My reception is definitely on par with my Note 3 on AT&T in the USA (USA model).
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Click to collapse
Ditto on both points. I also previously used the Note3 and I get a super signal with the Axon 7, even in places where the Note was hit/miss. Love the phone.

Troll thread. It's obvious that a sizeable minority of owner have reception problems and telling people that 'I'm alright Jack' is unhelpful at best and smug and weird at worst.
Idea for another thread:
Lots of smartphone owners complain of easily cracked screens. I threw mine under a bus and it's fine.

tele_jas said:
Just spend the day at the lake yesterday, on a dock...Usually I'm lucky to get any reception at any place in that area, but I was able to walk up on the hill and get LTE where no other phone has ever gotten it, even just a few weeks ago and again 2 months ago.
I see a lot of people saying the reception isn't good, but I feel it's better than any other phone I've had to date? Regardless of what the signal bars show or the db shows, I can get signal where I never have before.
Just sayin'
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Click to collapse
I don't agree, not as good as my Moto X or my Idol 3 on band 17 LTE or HSPA 850mhz. It's the lower bands it has an issue with.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

I have good reception for LTE in most places. WiFi is very good. However, when it comes to radio signal for LTE this is the worst phone of all that I have ever owned. I do not get involved in all sorts of tests but according to the Signal strength mine is usually about -5 higher than all the others. It is acceptable in most places as I live in a large city with good reception on AT&T. However, as I related on the ZTE forum I was at an assembly the other day and I was the only person with an Axon 7 in the whole place. Every other person had either an iPhone (most popular) or some other Android like a Samsung Galaxy. In the outer hallway I had a good signal, but when I went into the main auditorium all I got was a flashing red notification light letting me know that I had ZERO signal, while my wife's Moto X Pure and my daughters shattered iPhone 6 both had very good reception. The Moto is on T-Mobile and the iPhone is on Verizon. I do not think the carrier had anything to do with this issue. Clearly there is a problem with the Axon 7 when it comes the LTE signal strength. I am beginning to think it may be hardware related somehow and unable to be repaired with a software update ...unless they boost the signal strength through software which will also take a toll on battery longevity. Maybe they have the antennas positioned poorly inside the phone?? So I am trying to patiently wait to see what ZTE accomplished with their next update. But if they cannot fix the LTE signal strength then I will have no choice but to move on to another phone. Even though most of the time I am using WiFi, having a phone that cannot communicate in low signal areas when every other phone can, is not acceptable.

On TMO I'm getting a 2x stronger signal than my S7 Edge. Quite impressed. The Wi-Fi signal is much stronger also. I can stream music in my shed from the Wi-Fi ap in the house. The S7E couldn't even detect the signal.

Anyone with Axon 7 on T-Mobile and have LTE Speed issues?

I am embarrassed to say what my mobile speeds are. Notification area shows 4G LTE. T-Mobile blames it (of course...) on the fact that this is not a T-Mobile phone and a contributing factor is "network congestion in the Boston area" (about 15 miles west of Boston, around 128).
All other phones in the house are non-T-Mobile neither and all of them (One+ 1, Nexus 5, Nexus 5x, iPhone 7 Plus) show similar ludicrous speeds (below 2 Mbps download; highest was 11.48).
Any idea, similar experience?
Thanks.

Yeah I'm getting the same thing, mine is usually around 6-11 sometimes much lower. Same thing for my Nexus 6p
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Definitely not having that experience over here. Nothing changed when I got this device.

antpaige said:
Yeah I'm getting the same thing, mine is usually around 6-11 sometimes much lower. Same thing for my Nexus 6p
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
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warBeard_actual said:
Definitely not having that experience over here. Nothing changed when I got this device.
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May I ask which part of the US are both of you located?

sbi1 said:
May I ask which part of the US are both of you located?
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I'm located in Manchester Connecticut
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

Hi - I'm getting great speeds, even on band 12 indoors...so T-Mobile would seem to be full of crap in saying the Axon 7 is the issue, unless your handset has an issue? I'm using stock B25 Nougat.
Geographically I'm in the Rocky Mountains in Steamboat Springs, CO. I use MintSIM but it's the same as T-Mobile towers-wise.
One thought I had...maybe you're stuck on a congested band and are not getting carrier aggregation? I do have a sneaking suspicion that the Axon 7 isn't properly doing carrier aggregation...I'm not sure, but it does seem that I'm not getting band 2+12 aggregation though it's hard to say.

North of Stillwater, Oklahoma. No issues here.

It's been up and down for me.

warBeard_actual said:
Definitely not having that experience over here. Nothing changed when I got this device.
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Click to collapse
So jealous. You got some awesome throughput there.
I only did several tests over a one day period. Oh-dark-thirty is always the best time of course.
You could see how bad it is when everyone is online after 5pm.
I'm in Los Angeles County. T-Mobile.
ZTE Axon 7 A2017U, PureNexus ROM, Tapatalk 4.9.5

I have had lots of trouble the past couple of days. Super slow speeds and impossible to have lte in my office. Had to switch to 4g to get data. Not sure what's going on, but TMobile is doing something. My coworkers are having issues as well...

flyer_andy said:
Hi - I'm getting great speeds, even on band 12 indoors...so T-Mobile would seem to be full of crap in saying the Axon 7 is the issue, unless your handset has an issue? I'm using stock B25 Nougat.
Geographically I'm in the Rocky Mountains in Steamboat Springs, CO. I use MintSIM but it's the same as T-Mobile towers-wise.
One thought I had...maybe you're stuck on a congested band and are not getting carrier aggregation? I do have a sneaking suspicion that the Axon 7 isn't properly doing carrier aggregation...I'm not sure, but it does seem that I'm not getting band 2+12 aggregation though it's hard to say.
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Click to collapse
OK, so lets assume I am stuck on a congested band - how do 'release' it?
I am on B25 as well.

sbi1 said:
OK, so lets assume I am stuck on a congested band - how do 'release' it?
I am on B25 as well.
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately there isn't really a way to force a change LTE bands without physically moving yourself to a different geographic area, as far as I know (aside from some pretty deep hacking of the NV memory with QXDM...but I'm not sure if anyone's figured out how to get the Axon 7 into diagnostic mode and/or found the Windows drivers to make it connect...so even this might be impossible).
T-Mobile is in control of what band/cell ID your phone will use, in light of the various cells the phone can "see," I believe. Do you know what band your phone is using? If you're on band 12 in an urban area it's not uncommon for it to be pretty slow as T-Mo doesn't have a lot of spectrum in that range so it can be a bit congested. I've found that when in down in the city my phone can be a lot slower than it is here in the mountains just due (I think) to all the additional competing users.
I'd suggest downloading the app "LTE Discovery" and then checking what band you're on...then take your phone outside or somewhere else if necessary and see if you can get it to latch onto a different cell/band and see if there's any improvement in the Speed Tests. Obviously, this won't fix your core issue but at least you'd know if it's your handset at fault or simply T-Mobile's problem of too many users on too few airwaves.
Also, do you see better results at various times of the day or are the tests pretty much always abysmal?

flyer_andy said:
Unfortunately there isn't really a way to force a change LTE bands without physically moving yourself to a different geographic area, as far as I know (aside from some pretty deep hacking of the NV memory with QXDM...but I'm not sure if anyone's figured out how to get the Axon 7 into diagnostic mode and/or found the Windows drivers to make it connect...so even this might be impossible).
T-Mobile is in control of what band/cell ID your phone will use, in light of the various cells the phone can "see," I believe. Do you know what band your phone is using? If you're on band 12 in an urban area it's not uncommon for it to be pretty slow as T-Mo doesn't have a lot of spectrum in that range so it can be a bit congested. I've found that when in down in the city my phone can be a lot slower than it is here in the mountains just due (I think) to all the additional competing users.
I'd suggest downloading the app "LTE Discovery" and then checking what band you're on...then take your phone outside or somewhere else if necessary and see if you can get it to latch onto a different cell/band and see if there's any improvement in the Speed Tests. Obviously, this won't fix your core issue but at least you'd know if it's your handset at fault or simply T-Mobile's problem of too many users on too few airwaves.
Also, do you see better results at various times of the day or are the tests pretty much always abysmal?
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Thank you for your detailed response!
Indeed, band 12 based on LTE Discovery and unfortunately the slow speed is typical throughout the day, regardless of day/time.
I'll check again (speeds and bands) when I travel.
Thanks again.

in Oconee County SC, T-mobile data is either excellent or non-existent. Anywhere mountainous has virtually no signal. Salem SC, Mtn Rest, SC have zero service at all on Axon 7 on Tmobile. Looking at tower locations I can see why. There are only towers in the most populated areas. Its kind of a letdown to finally have service in my office, yet have nothing at all (no voice, no txt, no email/data) in 30% of my work area. Really hoping Tmob/Sprint deal happens and their networks are merged. mind you, axon 7 will still be useless in that case as well. i still love the axon 7 despite this. Anyone in Upstate SC have a better apn set than the defaults of RR?

kitcostantino said:
in Oconee County SC, T-mobile data is either excellent or non-existent. Anywhere mountainous has virtually no signal. Salem SC, Mtn Rest, SC have zero service at all on Axon 7 on Tmobile. Looking at tower locations I can see why. There are only towers in the most populated areas. Its kind of a letdown to finally have service in my office, yet have nothing at all (no voice, no txt, no email/data) in 30% of my work area. Really hoping Tmob/Sprint deal happens and their networks are merged. mind you, axon 7 will still be useless in that case as well. i still love the axon 7 despite this. Anyone in Upstate SC have a better apn set than the defaults of RR?
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Sounds like the problem is connectivity more than axon 7

Tmobile a2017u network changes

Okay. I switched to Tmob about 6 months ago. Service was awesome where i live. (Upstate SC). In the last month or two, areas i used to have service have nothing at all. Looking at the maps, my service on the Axon matches the 2014 map. My conclusion? Tmob has deployed newer spectrum in my area that Axon 7 doesnt support and turned off bands axon 7 does support. I have come to the conclusion i just need a new phone. (OP6t). or to switch back to verizon (nope). i was just wondering if it sounds logical for tmob to switch off older bands whilst turning on new ones. this area used to be primarily b2 and b4. now, i get nothing in that area. everywhere else is mostly b12 but also some b4 and some b2. is it plausible they switched off b2 when they replaced it with the 600mhz the chic at the store says we have now?

I'm not sure in your case, I had to update my sim card, the phone was ok for the network bands however the sim was an older sim and wasn't compatible with the network bands.
New sim fixed it for me, maybe in your case too.

Ditto. Call customer service and they can send you one for free (you'll have to wait 3-5 days though). If you go to a store you'll have to pay, but customer service can credit your account for the cost of the SIM if you ask nicely. If you're lucky, the store rep will give you one for free and you still keep the credit for your next bill.
Be careful since not all SIM cards are created equally. The Axon 7 Mini my kid uses had to have a very specific SIM in order to work (60.xx series). Anything else (M series, 50 series) and it would only connect to Bands 2 and 4. My Axon 7 seems to be a bit more forgiving (though 50 series was too old).

i will probably go back to the store tomorrow. i dont mind paying $10 if it fixes the issue instantly. then again, i only switched to Tmob in December, so i dont have what i would call an old sim card. something is awry, though. it was far better service initially. ive almost always been on variants of RR roms. currently b32 based with hellsgate kernel. the rep in the store when i went in last week told me she would have a network extender sent to my house. havent seen it yet. there was an implication that in switching on the new bands here, they were swutching off older bands. my area is mostly b12 with bands 2 and 4 where 12 is weak or not farmed in. heres hoping i dont have to wait until One Plus 6t comes out to have good reception again. would surely be a waste of my DD and my spare axon 7.

kitcostantino said:
i will probably go back to the store tomorrow. i dont mind paying $10 if it fixes the issue instantly. then again, i only switched to Tmob in December, so i dont have what i would call an old sim card. something is awry, though. it was far better service initially. ive almost always been on variants of RR roms. currently b32 based with hellsgate kernel. the rep in the store when i went in last week told me she would have a network extender sent to my house. havent seen it yet. there was an implication that in switching on the new bands here, they were swutching off older bands. my area is mostly b12 with bands 2 and 4 where 12 is weak or not farmed in. heres hoping i dont have to wait until One Plus 6t comes out to have good reception again. would surely be a waste of my DD and my spare axon 7.
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I have no issues with CRICKET/aka/ATT or HOME. They both work in my Axon 7 ( 7.1.1) okay.

Unfortunately, the issue is not my sim card. its actually weak signal in my area. its a shame, bc aside from that, i love tmob. but service ultimately has to be existent. looking at coverage maps, it should be awesome where i live and work, but the reality is their maps are a gross exaggeration. idk what fugazi they sprinkled on it by making it all pink, but where i live and work, the black holes outweigh the pink.
UPDATE: the fix was a verizon sim card. lol. no, really. permanent fix so long as i dont put a dumb pink one back in.