Hey folks,
I am currently using an unlocked S4 from Wind Mobile on the Virgin Mobile network. It is technically the T-Mobile variant - SGH-M919V.
In comparison, the Virgin/Bell S4 is the SGH-I337.
My phone usually stays on LTE but it tends to revert to 3G in some areas, but never on 4G or H+. I had thought that the bands were compatible on the virgin mobile network, which brings me to my question.
Does your S4 ever revert to 4G or H+ when not on LTE? If that is the case, I am thinking of trading my Wind S4 for the Virgin/Bell S4.
Appreciate your feedback.
Thank you.
I'm pretty sure the M919 should fully support the 850 and 1900 MHz UMTS/HSPA bands, also you'd never see 3G or be able to do voice calls and texts without them.
I just got my SGH-I337M from Virgin yesterday and it definitely reverts to H+. So far it seems that it reverts from LTE to H+ after the phone has been sitting a while, and then if I start using the data it will kick up to LTE (probably doing that to save battery instead of keeping LTE on all the time?).
Who knows what could be going on with your unit. That is a Wind unit right? Maybe the software is different. One thing I know is that ROMs can show 3G/4G/H/H+ differently. Have you done a speed test while it is showing 3G? If it is true that you are falling all the way down to basic 3G/UMTS and not getting HSPA/HSPA+ then your speeds should be limited to less than 0.5 Mbps I think.
Thanks for the quick reply.
I managed to run a couple of speedtests when not on LTE. And they were around 2 Mbps down and 1.5 Mbps up. I don't think those are necessarily H+ speeds. But it's decent enough. Maybe then the reason I am seeing 3G is because of the way the ROM chooses to display non-LTE connections.
I double checked the supported bands, and it is true that the Wind S4 (T-Mobile variant) not only supports all the bands that the Bell/Virgin S4 does but the additional AWS band as well.
Is there a way for me to force the H+ connection on the phone, just to see that it works? Or should I possibly flash the modem/radio from the virgin/bell ROM?
Open up the Testing Menu, go into Device Info and see what it says for Network Type.
Make sure your wifi is off and hit "Run ping test" as few times and look at what it changes to.
HSPAP:15
HSPA:11
HSUPA:10
If you see these then it's fine, just icons are different.
Solved!
Okay,
I did a few things to verify that despite the phone showing 3G, it is in fact on 4G or H+ when not on LTE.
I went into ServiceMode by entering *#2263# in the Phone Dialer.
I forced non-LTE connections by changing the automatic preference to WCDMA 850 and WCDMA 1900 respectively.
These are the 2 bands that are 4G or H+ for Bell and Virgin Mobile Canada.
Then I ran speedtests to a close by server and got around 7 Mbps down and 3 Mbps, which are definitely 4G/H+ speeds.
Also, following @ChronoReverse advice, I found that the network type was in fact HSPAP: 15 and HSPA: 11 (screenshots attached).
So, in conclusion I can rest my obsessive personality and accept the fact that the phone is in fact capable & is running on 4G networks. It's a ROM thing I suppose.
Or in other words, the Galaxy S4 from Wind Mobile (or T-Mobile) is completely capable of running on Virgin Mobile Canada, Bell Canada, Rogers networks with full support of LTE and 4G/H+.
Embarrassed to say what a small little 3G icon does to a person these days!
Thanks for all the help!
I have noticed in a couple of places my Nexus 6 on Verizon will drop its LTE connectivity briefly. For example, during 4-5 speedtest.net runs, it paused and eventually gave me the "network communication issues" message at least 2-3 times during those 4-5 attempts in one specific location where I know I've seen it have a weak band 4 signal but strong band 13 signal.
Then I read this article which talks about carrier aggregation, and noticed this paragraph:
Because it supports band 29, it has support for LTE-Advanced downlink carrier aggregation with bands 2 and 4 to improve downlink performance. It also supports downlink carrier aggregation with bands 2+13, 2+17, 4+5, 4+13, and 4+17. Curiously enough, none of these band combinations that aren’t associated with band 29 indicate “coverage bands” are supported as the primary component carrier (PCC). Instead, they are noted as secondary component carriers (SCC), as denoted in the format PCC+SCC. This means that in the event you move out of range of the PCC (which are bands 2 or 4 on this device), the network connection will drop and have to be re-acquired instead of seamlessly just switching off carrier aggregation. As long as the network re-acquisition is quick (less than one second), it isn’t a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Emphasis mine. I am coming from a Galaxy S4 which supports band 4 and band 13 but I'm not sure if it supported carrier aggregation or not. I know I never saw disconnects like this on it. Is this something that can/will be fixed? Or just something we have to live with if we're in an area with spotty band 4 but solid band 13 coverage? It would seem this would cause a disconnect EVERY time you enter a building since band 4 doesn't penetrate as well as band 13 and it'd flip over and cause a disconnect.
Hi Folks,
I thought I had found a gold-mine here in the United States in the H870DS because it has the quad-DAC and the bands look to be compatible with AT&T and T-mobile. The seller listed band 2 LTE and sadly, according to the box, it is not supported and this is one of AT&T's main bands in my area in California. It still has band 12/17, so, I figured I'd be okay. I cannot for the life of me get it to connect to any LTE though. I've checked and re-checked the APN settings, the network settings (4G preferred) and am out of ideas. Does anyone have this phone and have you successfully gotten it to connect to LTE in the United States? I don't have a T-mobile SIM anymore to try.
-Collin-
I believe AT&T SIMs have issues with LTE on non-AT&T devices until the device IMEI is added into their system.
I am not an AT&T user so I forget the specifics but people often have to call in and have the device IMEI added to their account.. or sometimes this happens automatically after a few hours.
What bands are listed on the box? The thread on XDA listing all the bands shows your model as having B2 LTE (Possible the thread is not correct though) https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g6/how-to/info-lg-g6-models-bands-t3571221
I have searched some of the AT&T user forums, it is because different areas have different coverage and certain bands are not licensed properly, so you might not get any LTE signals. I do not know if that is true. But my G6 sure does not have LTE whatsoever.
Thanks for the replies guys. Well, I managed to pick up Band 4 when I walked down the street. I still cannot get 17/12 which is weird because it's the primary LTE band for AT&T. The bummer is that now that I know LTE is working, I can 100% confirm that LTE Band 2 is missing. The eBay listings are wrong and the XDA listing is wrong. I've attached a photo of the box. Oh well
-Collin-
I was interested in picking up an 870DS unit myself. I noticed the discrepancy when it comes to band 2. That had me worried, so I did not pick it up. The 870 DS box shows that band 2 is missing. I have to assume that is correct, so I did not buy.
Sorry to hear that i was thinking of picking up the Korean version myself but if I can't get reliable LTE on att no thanks. I wonder if you could return it to the seller since its technically false advertisement
Well this is unfortunate. I just got mine from Ebay today and was wondering why I couldn't get an LTE signal. The seller did list Band 2 so I'm hoping they will refund my purchase or there is a way to edit the radio.
Sorry for the off-topic question but could anyone tell if the H870DS would support 3G simultaneously on both radios (or 4G on one and 3G on the other simultaneously)? If so it would be worth mentioning here as well.
inquisitor said:
Sorry for the off-topic question but could anyone tell if the H870DS would support 3G simultaneously on both radios (or 4G on one and 3G on the other simultaneously)? If so it would be worth mentioning here as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using T-Mobile SIM at SIM 1 and my home country carrier's SIM at SIM2.
It is getting LTE at SIM 1 and UMTS (roaming at AT&T network) at SIM 2.
Fi (T-mobile) is working perfectly for me, full LTE. Cricket (At&t) is hspa+ but no LTE.
For the price I am not unhappy even though I usually use cricket as my primary data sim. It's not what I expected but I knew going in I was shooting craps as there just wasn't a ton of information out for this H870DS variant. It's not a huge upgrade over 3t, just needed to switch it up for a while. I am quite enjoying the screen, camera, and HiFi dac without losing my 2 sim setup.
Edit: Sim one does have full LTE while Sim 2 does not.
The references definitely need to show that there is no B2, B17, or B30 for ATT users though, pretty much a let down there.
solver404 said:
Fi (T-mobile) is working perfectly for me, full LTE. Cricket (At&t) is hspa+ but no LTE.
For the price I am not unhappy even though I usually use cricket as my primary data sim. It's not what I expected but I knew going in I was shooting craps as there just wasn't a ton of information out for this H870DS variant. It's not a huge upgrade over 3t, just needed to switch it up for a while. I am quite enjoying the screen, camera, and HiFi dac without losing my 2 sim setup.
Edit: Sim one does have full LTE while Sim 2 does not.
The references definitely need to show that there is no B2, B17, or B30 for ATT users though, pretty much a let down there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually got Band 4 to connect on AT&T, but it's pretty sparse and not reliable. I switched that line over to T-Mobile and it works perfectly just as you describe.
I like the phone a lot more than I thought I would. It feels so solidly constructed and the camera I really missed from the V20. I prefer this camera to the one on my S8 9 times out of 10. It's a hair slower to focus, but everything else is better for me.
What's odd is that on AT&T Band 12 is supposed to be compatible with Band 17. On T-Mobile, I connect to Band 12 just fine, but not on Cricket. Oh well, my Cricket line has been canceled anyhow
-Collin-
I'm in San Francisco and unable to get LTE on AT&T or T-Mobile on the H870DS. These LTE bands are listed on the box: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41.
Hi there,
I'm in new Mexico on a at&t go phone plan and on a h870ds.
and I'm defenetly getting LTE.
Does the LG G6 actually reveal the used channel and so the frequency band?
On many Android phones this information will show up after dialing *#*#4636#*#* and tapping "Phone Information" - on the very bottom of this screen you will find a list of available cells including their channel number (called EARFCN for LTE/4G, UARFCN for UMTS/3G and ARFCN for GSM/2G). You can then lookup to which frequency band the EARFCN/UARFCN/ARFCN belongs, e.g. at http://niviuk.free.fr/lte_band.php
Take a look at the 'LTE Discovery' app. The free version will probably have what you need.
pocketfox said:
I'm in San Francisco and unable to get LTE on AT&T or T-Mobile on the H870DS. These LTE bands are listed on the box: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm the lack of LTE on T-Mobile in Southern California as well. Very odd as others are reporting success getting LTE on TMO in other geographic locations. :crying:
uid_0 said:
I can confirm the lack of LTE on T-Mobile in Southern California as well. Very odd as others are reporting success getting LTE on TMO in other geographic locations. :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't seem odd at all considering that according to frequencycheck.com, some key bands are missing:
T-Mobile LTE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B12 (700 ac)
B66
ATT LTE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B17 (700 bc)
B30 (2300 WCS)
kurtbird said:
Doesn't seem odd at all considering that according to frequencycheck.com, some key bands are missing:
T-Mobile LT seeE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B12 (700 ac)
B66
ATT LTE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B17 (700 bc)
B30 (2300 WCS)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As noted on the box as well as other first hand accounts, the H870DS does support both B4 and B12 required for T-Mobile. My G3 and my wife's previous 860N both connect(ed) with B4.
On top of this, I now have a solution to the problem via updating the APN settings. The magic change was simply adding ”xcap” to the APN Type setting and setting the Network Mode for SIM1 to GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto radio button.
uid_0 said:
As noted on the box as well as other first hand accounts, the H870DS does support both B4 and B12 required for T-Mobile. My G3 and my wife's previous 860N both connect(ed) with B4.
On top of this, I now have a solution to the problem via updating the APN settings. The magic change was simply adding ”xcap” to the APN Type setting and setting the Network Mode for SIM1 to GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto radio button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible that if you're in an area where only T-Mobile B2 or ATT B30 is available then you wouldn't have LTE.
Was finally able to get 4G LTE in AZ on Band 4. Create a new APN with these settings and make sure network is GSM/CDMA/LTE Auto.
Edit: Also, I had AT&T update their system with the IMEI number of this 870DS that I'm using. That might have something to do with it. It took a couple of weeks too.
Hi,
So, I'm interested in getting a cheap 4.7" Android phone to use in the United States and sometimes in Canada. I zeroed in on the Galaxy A3 2017. The model that works best in North America is the A320Y, but so far I've only been able to find it online at some store in New Zealand. Since finding the answer to the question, Will shipping the device from NZ to the United States cost customs fees (and if so, how much)? is a question harder to answer than the question, Where is Jimmy Hoffa?, I've begun considering getting one of the models listed in the title of this thread.
But there's a problem. Those models in the title don't work on US LTE. Actually, according to frequencycheck.com, the A320FL has one LTE band (Cricket/AT&T) and the other models have none of the LTE frequency bands. I wonder if frequencycheck.com is accurate. I'm also wondering if there are other differences between those models. I'm also wondering what happens if I put a Cricket SIM inside these phones. Even though frequencycheck.com says I will get no LTE bands, will putting a Cricket SIM inside suddenly activate an LTE band?
The other question I was wondering: Do I even need LTE if I don't care much about download speed? Maybe HSPA+ or whatever it is will be good enough? If I don't have LTE, will I get less reception indoors or outdoors, or will I get the same exact reception/coverage but just be relegated to 3G/4G/HSPA+ service? What is the benefit of LTE besides data speed?
Finally, which one of these models has the most ROM support? Can they all be bootloader unlocked?
I know I'm asking a whole bunch of questions at the same time. Sorry. I appreciate any help I can get with this!
To answer some:
That website appears to be accurate. Doesn't only list AT&T for a320fl once expanded.
As for SIMs activating bands, I haven't seen it on Samsung, only RRC Release, VoLTE, LTE CAT, maybe individual CA combos. The disabled bands are shown as CAL_DEFAULT vs CAL_PASS. Guess it's like Snapdragon.
HSPA+ vs LTE
The range of 3G/4G is close with the same frequency, but 4G performs better at cell edge (low signal).
Speed (anyway)
Well, 3G is usually given its own spectrum at first, then the 2G is refarmed into 3G. Today, 3G gets refarmed to 4G. This leaves 3G with a small amount of spectrum, it becomes prone to interference. It's bit like multiple tv/fm stations on the same channel number. Other 'tv/fm stations' have to be filtered out by the phone, this lowers the speed. 4G gets some too, along with echoed complex signals, but it gets less.
3G supports up to 5MHz per carrier, 4G up to 20MHz. 3G can have carrier aggregation, so 5+5+maybe 5. Expect up to 2 carriers (not every combo) on 4G, unless a specific SIM is detected in specific phone models. Along with that, 4G can have better spectral efficiency.
If you are going with 3G(HSPA, sometimes called '4G') anyway, you should know that there are these states (usually called fast dormancy) to save power.
DCH = Full speed.
FACH = Up to 32kbps. 4kB/s. Maybe RRC Release downgrade is visible (H+ to H).
PCH = No data.
Anything below is further away from data.
For high performance, keep the speed above 4kB/s, at the cost of battery. LTE has a faster start.
Sometimes, the speed is simply constrained by backhaul, the internet access that goes to the tower.
Thanks. So, to your knowledge, the F and F DS variants shouldn't work on LTE in the United States? I was in a live chat session with someone on Samsung's UK website and she said that the F variant would work on LTE in the United States. I then sent them an email to confirm and they replied with:
As per our resources from our technical review, the following Network is available in our Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017) for the US.
Network
Band: Quad
GSM 850: YES
GSM 900: YES
GSM 1800: YES
GSM 1900: YES
UMTS 2100: YES
GPRS: YES
4G: YES
HSDPA: YES
Works in the US: YES
I replied to ask them why frequencycheck.com lists no LTE frequencies in common for the F variant on AT&T. I'm so confused.
sm-a320f / sm-a320f/ds
According to every other (not alternating) source the LTE band 2 and band 5 is supported in the US (and the entire spectrum of these bands). So, it supports some bands. Check if the signal of those bands (for your mobile network operator) are available in your location. Ask again, specifically for band 2 LTE(4G).