I have ATT. Earlier this year I noticed that my service was pretty bad. At home I would not get service and if I did, it would go on/off. My wife has the Note 5 and she does not have that problem. At the time I had the LeeCo Le Pro 3 phone. I thought it was the phone because I dropped it a few times. So when the OP5 came out, I bought it on the first day. When I got it, I noticed that the problem was still there. I called att and the rep said it was because they turned off the 2g signal at the beginning of the year and the 3g/4g in my area was poor. The reason my wife's Note 5 don't have this issue was because her phone supports wifi calling and mine didn't. The only way to get a new phone.
So is there a way to test to see how good my reception is on the phone compared to my wife's phone?
The OnePlus 5 also supports WiFi calling. At least on T-Mobile, I have no problems. The options are in the SIM settings.
To test cell reception, you can download an app on the play store on both phones to give you a number. Just search "cell reception" or "signal strength". I have not personally use any app.
Try LTE Discovery on both phones.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
Devhux said:
Try LTE Discovery on both phones.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you help me figure out what it means?
OP5 :
LTE : N/A
HSPA+: -130.0 dBm
Att Note 5
LTE: -118.0 dBm
GSM: -113.0 dBm
Pretty much what the AT&T rep said. - 130dBm is a completely unusable 3G (HSPA) signal. The Note 5 has a barely adequate LTE signal, and the 2G (GSM) signal is very poor too.
In general, signals below - 115dBm or so will lead to dropped/choppy calls. The Note 5 might have a slightly better antenna (allowing for the weak LTE signal), but it's still very poor.
Unfortunately, I believe AT&T is similar to the Canadian carriers I use, in that VoLTE or WiFi calling is only available for some of the devices they sell. Sadly this doesn't help your case as you'd probably need Wi-Fi calling to have reliable service where you are
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
I had the same problem with Cricket (which uses the AT&T network). I wouldn't be able to make or receive calls in half the rooms in my apartment. I switched to Project Fi and then when I got the OnePlus to MintSim (which uses the T-Mobile network). WiFi calling does work on this phone with MintSim/TMobile although the cell signal is also very strong. You probably don't have any good options that involve staying on AT&T. If you have a contract and can't switch then you would need a phone that supports WiFi calling for AT&T.
Related
Just wondering if could be faulty unit or Sprint signal problems but i've been getting dropping signals randomly inside of my house, and also friend telling me that they called me but i never them calls, if more ppl like me?
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
I'm on Sprint JC and I've gotten slightly lower speeds in my living room than my Note 3 ,but still very solid 4G , But my city has strong Sprint LTE..
I've had no interruptions no sputters.
ttkyles said:
I'm on Sprint JC and I've gotten slightly lower speeds in my living room than my Note 3 ,but still very solid 4G , But my city has strong Sprint LTE..
I've had no interruptions no sputters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you think should I request an RMA for my phone? Or maybe is Sprint side
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
Just helped my girlfriend's mom with her new phone today (she's not had a smartphone before). I was very pleasantly surprised and happy for her that her phone registered 10-12 dBm better signal than my S6 (S6 and MXP both on Sprint right next to each other on the countertop).
Edit: I don't know that it would make a difference, but maybe just verify as an easy check, see if it is set to LTE. Her phone was initially set to Global, for some reason (it worked either way, but I didn't pay attention to signal before switching it to LTE).
I think Global is for aloud the phone to be selecting either LTE, 3G or 1x based on the signal, so if we switch to LTE only as soon I move to LTE ill be losing data
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
I have a love/hate relationship with Verizon . My Note 3 is soon to be long in the tooth when marshmallow is more imperative than it is now, i'll likely buy a 6P. So , I am planning for a few months in the future. I l,ike the idea of buying a 6P to see if the stronger radio end my problems with verizon at home-- and if not i will move to t-moble or Fi.
1. are there any major advances hi tech verizon service that do not easily function on the 6p?
2. t-mobile's band 12, wifi calling and hi def will they are ultimately work well on the 6p?
when everything is a fixed as it will get, i will figure out what to do
i would appreciate thoughts and suggestion from those more knowledgeable then i am.
I'm currently on T-Mobile and band 12, WiFi calling, and HD voice all work on my Nexus 6P after the most recent 6.0.1 update. I can't comment on Verizon though since I'm not on that network.
I'm on verizon. I don't use visual voicemail, but I've read that people have had trouble with it. So if you use it, you might want to look into that. Otherwise, VOLTE (having LTE active while on a call) works great. I used to have a Note 3 and hated the signal strength that i had. With the 6p, signal's been great. I used to switch to 3g all the time at work and even at home sometimes. With the 6p, i've not had a single instance of it switching to 3g.
pipnmike said:
I'm on verizon. I don't use visual voicemail, but I've read that people have had trouble with it. So if you use it, you might want to look into that. Otherwise, VOLTE (having LTE active while on a call) works great. I used to have a Note 3 and hated the signal strength that i had. With the 6p, signal's been great. I used to switch to 3g all the time at work and even at home sometimes. With the 6p, i've not had a single instance of it switching to 3g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using the 6P on Verizon for over a month now. Below are my thoughts:
1) Visual voicemail does not work, but you can use youmail or Google Voice without issues.
2) Signal has been outstanding. I came from the 6s plus which would drop to 3G all the time. This has not been an issue on the 6P.
3) VoLTE works flawlessly.
slimc84 said:
I have been using the 6P on Verizon for over a month now. Below are my thoughts:
1) Visual voicemail does not work, but you can use youmail or Google Voice without issues.
2) Signal has been outstanding. I came from the 6s plus which would drop to 3G all the time. This has not been an issue on the 6P.
3) VoLTE works flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a iPhone 6 Plus for work, also on Verizon. My 6p has been much better for signal strength.
Thanks.......
Bob in miami, fl
I have both a Verizon and T-Mobile SIM that I swap between my 6P and have no problems. I get band 13 and 4 on Verizon and bands 2, 4, and 12 on T-Mobile. I easily get around 100Mbps on both carriers. I don't use WiFi calling however.
does wifi calling on t-moble work with:
-t-mobile; or
-project Fi
----------------------------------
do t-mobile advanced features and band 12 work with project Fi?
i travel by car from miami, fl to orlando
-verizon has good coverage in the rural ares
-does t-mobile or project Fi have good coverage from pt st lucie to south of orlando eg yee haw junction[this is a real town]???
So far I have been using T-mobile and it has been outstanding (Actually T-mobile is better than AT&T's coverage) and when it hits, it switches to a different network with the roaming stuff. For the voicemail, there is an excellent app called youmail, which is better than the normal voice mail because you can customize a lot of stuff in it.
Hello,
I bought the unlocked Moto G4 from best buy last week to use with ATT. I started the phone initially without any sim card in it. Next time i restarted i put in the sim card and it detected as att sim card and everything seems to work until when I notice that when i am in my office building I only see H and not 4G LTE. I had Nokia 640 earlier which was ATT go phone and i was getting 4G LTE on it in my office building. And I have also got LTE earlier on other phone in same building. I checked the APN settings and they looked ok since I am getting 4G LTE at most of the places. chatted/talked to ATT and they are of no help, they are saying that since its not ATT and unlocked phone, there is no guarantee that you will get lte everywhere and may be the antenna could be weak on the phone. But I am just not sure if I got a faulty piece or what. Since even the lower end lumia 640 was giving me lte in my office building. I am not sure if I should just return and get another piece or just return it for this issue.
Any help is much appreciated..
There are several good apps on Play that show you cell signal strengths and such. Do a search in Play for "cell signal info" and try one of those apps. It will at least give you a place to start and a comparison tool to compare phones.
Sent from my SM-T530NU using XDA-Developers mobile app
I own a G3 and a Moto X Pure, I am on AT&T and have noticed the past few days LTE seems very... umm, weak I guess... at least in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, and my phone was falling back to HSPA+ way more often than "normal" this week (I travel here every week). I thought I was crazy but maybe there is more too it than that. I do know that AT&T has been doing lots of upgrades recently and rolling out LTE-A, or at least some kind of LTE upgrade, in some areas. Back home my LTE speeds consistenyl went from 20Mbps to 70Mbps down and 5Mbps to 25Mbps up in the last couple of weeks.
Best thing to do would be get a signal strength app, like LTE Discovery or Network Signal Info, and compare it to another phone on the same carrier in the same area and band (LTE Discovery will tell you the LTE Band you are using). Remember that not all phones report it the same, it can be wildly different, but it might give you some insight.
My point is, it may not be your hardware... and Moto's in general are known for really good signal reception. Just do some due diligence before returning it, but if you feel it is hardware, but all means exchange it.
thanks guys..will try it out..
Maybe I am being paranoid, but sometimes I wonder if cell carriers some how optimize their LTE signal to work better with their own phones. I have noticed this on T-Mobile when I always seem to get a stronger signal with a T-Mobile branded phone than with a third party unlocked device.
heap1 said:
Maybe I am being paranoid, but sometimes I wonder if cell carriers some how optimize their LTE signal to work better with their own phones. I have noticed this on T-Mobile when I always seem to get a stronger signal with a T-Mobile branded phone than with a third party unlocked device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL... No, carriers have the ROM modified to make the icon show more bars on their subsidized phones. They can't actually throttle 3rd party phones on the same plan as a carrier branded ones, legally at least.
Sent from my Motorola XT1575 using XDA Labs
acejavelin said:
LOL... No, carriers have the ROM modified to make the icon show more bars on their subsidized phones. They can't actually throttle 3rd party phones on the same plan as a carrier branded ones, legally at least.
Sent from my Motorola XT1575 using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought., although I still wonder why I usually get a better LTE signal with T-Mobile branded phones. This seems to be especially noticeable since I have upgraded to Marshmallow. Recently, I have or have owned a T-Mobile LG G4, an LG G3, an Axon Pro, and a Moto X Pure. As a rule I have noticed the signal strength being stronger on the T-Mobile branded phones.
heap1 said:
That's what I thought., although I still wonder why I usually get a better LTE signal with T-Mobile branded phones. This seems to be especially noticeable since I have upgraded to Marshmallow. Recently, I have or have owned a T-Mobile LG G4, an LG G3, an Axon Pro, and a Moto X Pure. As a rule I have noticed the signal strength being stronger on the T-Mobile branded phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actual signal strength or the icon? LTE Discovery usually shows the truth...
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk
This is based on readings from LTE Discovery, not the number of bars the phone is displaying. I suppose you could also come to the conclusion that LG phones have a stronger radio signal than other phones.
I'm having the same problem with both of my g4's in my area and seattle international airport... if it's not working there... then where will it work?
kevin347 said:
Hello,
I bought the unlocked Moto G4 from best buy last week to use with ATT. I started the phone initially without any sim card in it. Next time i restarted i put in the sim card and it detected as att sim card and everything seems to work until when I notice that when i am in my office building I only see H and not 4G LTE. I had Nokia 640 earlier which was ATT go phone and i was getting 4G LTE on it in my office building. And I have also got LTE earlier on other phone in same building. I checked the APN settings and they looked ok since I am getting 4G LTE at most of the places. chatted/talked to ATT and they are of no help, they are saying that since its not ATT and unlocked phone, there is no guarantee that you will get lte everywhere and may be the antenna could be weak on the phone. But I am just not sure if I got a faulty piece or what. Since even the lower end lumia 640 was giving me lte in my office building. I am not sure if I should just return and get another piece or just return it for this issue.
Any help is much appreciated..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AlexanderJohn said:
I'm having the same problem with both of my g4's in my area and seattle international airport... if it's not working there... then where will it work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah well I ended up keeping the phone. Someone else in the same building also reported lower quality signal with even Iphone and moto g4, all other areas we are getting lte so guess, i took my chances.
AlexanderJohn said:
I'm having the same problem with both of my g4's in my area and seattle international airport... if it's not working there... then where will it work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using "nxtgenphone" APN? Sometimes LTE doesn't work unless you do
Sent from my Motorola XT1575 using XDA Labs
I ended up calling att and they provisioned my line for lte. Fixed both phones.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
So maybe someone could give me some pointers. I recently switched to T-mobile and purchased an unlocked MOTO Z play. The battery life on that phone was amazing but I was getting zero reception in my office which is a major issue. So after talking with T-Mobile the tech guy told me my phone didn't support 700Mhz, 2100mhz and band 12. Now I might have some of that info confused, but his suggestion was to purchase a different device. SO I grabbed a V20. So far I like the phone, but the battery doesn't even compare to the Moto Z play, and I understand why. But my issue is, even with this phone I'm not getting better reception in my office. My only work around is wifi calling which this phone does have ( The Moto Z play does not have wifi calling for T-mobile, apparently T-mobile doesn't support wifi calling for phones they don't sell in their retail stores ).
Wifi Calling in my office is still hit more miss, but It works fine for receiving texts which is very important to me while at work. I'm in the Dayton, Ohio market and when I've searched for coverage maps showing band 12, I do see some kind of coverage in Dayton, but It's not clear if It's active or not. I guess this band 12 will make penetrating walls easier for office reception. So far, when I run Network Cell Info app, I never see band 12. Ever. Could someone shed some light on why I'm not picking this band up? When I go outside it's on band 4.. and I'm right downtown In Dayton near the Highway.
designinme said:
So maybe someone could give me some pointers. I recently switched to T-mobile and purchased an unlocked MOTO Z play. The battery life on that phone was amazing but I was getting zero reception in my office which is a major issue. So after talking with T-Mobile the tech guy told me my phone didn't support 700Mhz, 2100mhz and band 12. Now I might have some of that info confused, but his suggestion was to purchase a different device. SO I grabbed a V20. So far I like the phone, but the battery doesn't even compare to the Moto Z play, and I understand why. But my issue is, even with this phone I'm not getting better reception in my office. My only work around is wifi calling which this phone does have ( The Moto Z play does not have wifi calling for T-mobile, apparently T-mobile doesn't support wifi calling for phones they don't sell in their retail stores ).
Wifi Calling in my office is still hit more miss, but It works fine for receiving texts which is very important to me while at work. I'm in the Dayton, Ohio market and when I've searched for coverage maps showing band 12, I do see some kind of coverage in Dayton, but It's not clear if It's active or not. I guess this band 12 will make penetrating walls easier for office reception. So far, when I run Network Cell Info app, I never see band 12. Ever. Could someone shed some light on why I'm not picking this band up? When I go outside it's on band 4.. and I'm right downtown In Dayton near the Highway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some people reported an issue with getting on band 12. You can try this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=69836400
I'm in NE Ohio and switching to band 12 works automatically for me. I'm not sure why some have an issue and some don't.
Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk
I am one of the folks seeing terrible signal issues with my phone. It drop service in areas where no other TMobile phone has. I have an open ticket with essential and have not heard back.
Some folks seem to have no issues with TMobile and the phone. I am wondering if it is related to what TMobile bands they are using.
I am using band 4.
Are folks that are not having signal issues on different bands? I know it is a long shot but would be curious to know if those that don't have problems are on different frequencies.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
How do you check which band you're on?
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Download the LTE Discovery app from the Play Store. You will see your connected LTE band in the top left box. You can download it from here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery
Sent from my SM-G955U using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I'm on band 12. My TMobile LTE+ data connection throughput sucks.
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knome said:
I'm on band 12. My TMobile LTE+ data connection throughput sucks.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What phone are you coming from and how did it compare. I was really hoping that those on the lower mhz frequencies would be doing better than those on the higher frequencies.
This was based on the fact that folks on Verizon and ATT seem to have less signal issues and they generally use the lower frequencies where TMobile still has a ton of Band 4 higher frequency coverage.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
This phone doesn't work for $#1t on T-Mobile. I tried to cancel before they sent, they ignored me, and now trying to get anyone to respond to return the damn thing. They've been ignoring requests to communicate. I hate this company. Worse experience than buying a no name Chinese phone.
My phone is working perfectly on T-Mobile band 4, I have no problems with either data or signal. Phone calls, internet, display, everything is perfect. This phone is one of the best experiences I have so far this year, and believe me I got several phones during this year. One plus 3T, one plus 5, Huawei 9 Pro, Xiaomi Mi Mix, galaxy S8 Plus, HTC U11 international version, pixel XL, Huawei P10 plus, I have my note 8 still in the package because this phone is so good. And this phone is in my top 4 so far.
Sent from my PH-1 using XDA-Developers Legacy app
I'm on band 12 and have a slightly better connection than with my old HTC 10. And overall it's been a tiny bit better for me everywhere.
Lucky people on band 12, I'm rarely on that band. Always always on band 4 on Tmo even though the Cali bay area is supposed to be blanketed in band 12...
I'm in the Foothills area of North Carolina and almost always using Band 4. I have had terrible service with this phone similar to you. No other phone I have has struggled to connect to the cell towers like this one does. It either loses signal completely or the signal is so weak the phone doesn't work. This is happening in areas where my iPhone 7 Plus, Axon 7, and Pixel XL work fine. I've had to resort to WiFi calling for it to be reliable. I started a support ticket last week and after trading emails with them and waiting an average of 30 hours for each response after 3 days I got fed up and I filed a complaint with the BBB. The very next day I received an email stating they had "initiated your return request" claiming I will receive a package within 5-7 business days. They are exchanging it for a new one. We'll see. That was Friday 09/08/17 and so far I have not seen any kind of a shipping notice. I may not get one however so I'll just have to wait the number of days and see what happens. The email said I will receive a package from their partners at Asurion so they may not send tracking info. Essential the company is very hard to deal with. I was never able to talk to someone over the phone. When I called I basically was told by a voice message to send in an email "for faster service". Boy that's a joke. I'm hoping I will receive a new phone and not just a box and label to send the original one back in.
Anyway, my signal strength varies from 3 bars to no bars in the areas where other phones have 3-4 bars with reliable service.Using a signal strength app it reports an average of -10 dBm weaker signal than all those other phones.
I just got my phone today and it's working beautifully on TMO Band 2. Not having any issues at all!
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foopy said:
I'm in the Foothills area of North Carolina and almost always using Band 4. I have had terrible service with this phone similar to you. No other phone I have has struggled to connect to the cell towers like this one does. It either loses signal completely or the signal is so weak the phone doesn't work. This is happening in areas where my iPhone 7 Plus, Axon 7, and Pixel XL work fine. I've had to resort to WiFi calling for it to be reliable. I started a support ticket last week and after trading emails with them and waiting an average of 30 hours for each response after 3 days I got fed up and I filed a complaint with the BBB. The very next day I received an email stating they had "initiated your return request" claiming I will receive a package within 5-7 business days. They are exchanging it for a new one. We'll see. That was Friday 09/08/17 and so far I have not seen any kind of a shipping notice. I may not get one however so I'll just have to wait the number of days and see what happens. The email said I will receive a package from their partners at Asurion so they may not send tracking info. Essential the company is very hard to deal with. I was never able to talk to someone over the phone. When I called I basically was told by a voice message to send in an email "for faster service". Boy that's a joke. I'm hoping I will receive a new phone and not just a box and label to send the original one back in.
Anyway, my signal strength varies from 3 bars to no bars in the areas where other phones have 3-4 bars with reliable service.Using a signal strength app it reports an average of -10 dBm weaker signal than all those other phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in Raleigh NC and have mostly band 4 and connection issues. I still have not heard back from Essential service on a replacement.
It almost seems as if they are trying to wait me out for the return period and not respond.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
In West L.A. and currently on Band 2 and getting about 50Mbs down.
I know his might sound bad,but I had the same connection issues and tried to reach out to support with no luck. Ended up selling the device for more than I paid on a reputable site which I won’t name..... within about ten minutes also?
I've tried the phone all over LA and being on band 12 Tmobile, I've basically noticed that the phone really flies when the signal is good, but when the cell signal is slightly sub-optimal, the data throughput goes into the toilet. I don't know if the antennas just suck, if I'm holding it wrong, or if the design just hinders the performance, but compared to my pixel XL, the slower speed is extremely noticeable.
I have a guess as to why the antennas struggle though, they might just be too small or obstructed for anything but strong/clear signals because even though the back is ceramic, signals are not able to go through it. At the essential launch event in LA. they showed how the ceramic was laminated over a solid titanium backing on the frame. There aint no antennas under there
All I know is, this made the phone unusable for me, which sucked because I loved the design.
I finally got my replacement phone and the reception is no better. I have never had an issue with reception except for this phone. The essential phone is the first phone that can not hang onto a signal in my house.
I agree with the above this is an antenna issue and no software can fix it. The phone is unusable unless you have perfect signal.
Sent from my LON-L29 using Tapatalk
Yeah I gave up on using Tmo on this phone. Swapped it back to my Verizon sim and the service works well enough.
I live in Philadelphia northern suburbs and the PH-1 phone either hop on Band 12 (700 MHz) or Band 4 (1700/2100 MHz or AWS). When my phone is on Band 12, the speed test is in no more than 25 Mbps down/8 Mbps up at best. On Band 4, I get anywhere from 40-90 Mbps down/15-45 Mbps up. I thought that it was odd when I first got the Essential PH-1 phone but then I checked against "old" HTC 10, HTC A9 and Axon 7 mini. They all behaved the same, the signal strength was about the same and the same features, like VoLTE, HD Voice, etc. worked the same. The place where I work is a black hole for any mobile signal due to how the building is constructed so I have been relying on Wi-Fi Calling with all of my phones, including PH-1, for many years now. At home, the T-Mobile tower is about 500 ft. away but most of the time it is on Band 12 in my area so BW is no too high.
I read somewhere that in general T-Mobile only owns a small, 5x5 MHz chunk of bandwidth on Band 12 in most places in the US and probably cannot do 10x10, 15x15 or 20x20 MHz aggregations on Band 12. That is why T-Mobile went aggressively after Band 71 (600 MHz) and is doing Band 2 (1900 MHz or PCS) refarming and adding Band 66 (1700/2100 MHz or AWS-3) support. A lot of issues that I am experiencing with signal strength may be attributed to the T-Mobile tinkering with towers or doing some weird crap with their network. Simply not having enough bandwidth (i.e. 5x5 MHz vs. 15x15 MHz) could be a big factor. Here is the link to check how much bandwidth T-Mobile has in your corner of the US - http://www.spectrumgateway.com/t-mobile-spectrum-holdings. Pop your zip code in and you'll exactly what you have to play with.
Another factor that I can think of that separates this phone from the others is that it has 6 magnets crammed too close to other components and how they may affect an RF signal reception no one knows?
Hmm if it's all the Tmobile network shortcomings and them experimenting with weird configurations, I would assume that would affect my Pixel XL reception... but the pixel XL usually has 2x to 10x the speed of my PH-1. Maybe it's the magnets, or the titanium laminated ceramic back doesn't allow for enough antenna to be exposed to get a good signal when reception is not optimal...
How do you change lte bands on essential phone?