Is this true?
From: http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...ne-tmobile-prepaid-you-need-data-roaming.html
6tr6tr wrote
I was having issues with poor latency/delays and slow connection speeds with TMobile. I called them and they said even though prepaid 4G doesn't have data roaming, if you have data roaming turned off on your phone, it won't get full 4G speeds. I didn't believe them but decided to try it. My speed went from 3mbps to 13mbps! I then had a friend (on an HTC One S) do the same (he also had data roaming off) and he saw the same boost in speed!
** IMPORTANT: for this to work properly with the network, you need to reset the APN to default after turning on data roaming.
(They assured me that we won't get charged for data roaming because the account doesn't have that enabled for other providers)
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I tried it, but didn't notice any difference. Why don't you give it a try?
Just did it... not sure if placebo or not but I seem to be getting a *tad* bit better signal in my office (which is usually a blackhole)
yeah.... placebo.
If anything, resetting the APN would impact things as traffic for various APNs gets handled differently and may result in lower pings or higher speeds.
For the most part though, the only thing that affects pings on a handset that you have any control over is the radio firmware being used or the handset reception due to how you hold the phone. The rest is regulated by the load on the cell (tower) you're attached to, backhaul supporting the tower, and the APN you're using which directs traffic appropriately through the network.
converge12 said:
Just did it... not sure if placebo or not but I seem to be getting a *tad* bit better signal in my office (which is usually a blackhole)
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reuthermonkey said:
yeah.... placebo.
If anything, resetting the APN would impact things as traffic for various APNs gets handled differently.
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You got handed a sugar pill..
Data roaming, affects "data"... It wouldn't make the difference to your signal bars. Signal fluctuates way too much to even compare, even standing in the "same" spot, holding the phone with the same hand facing the same direction...
Thanks for posting this. Normally my speeds were 0-1.xMbps but after trying this I've gotten 6.87Mbps down on my 1st test.
clockcycle said:
You got handed a sugar pill..
Data roaming, affects "data"... It wouldn't make the difference to your signal bars. Signal fluctuates way too much to even compare, even standing in the "same" spot, holding the phone with the same hand facing the same direction...
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getting H instead of 3g affects data, no?
Related
Is there a way to force HSDPA? I have it enabled (using advance config) & rarely does it connect to it, uses Edge majority of the time.
if the place you are present have poor hsdpa support it
roam to other network types
would you rather have it loose connection ?
+1 on what Rudegar sad, also its BTS who decide for you when HSDPA should kick in. If you are in area you will recieve.
So theres no way to force the connection?
I had three bars earlier when connection & worked awsome, now Im on edge & fights to get 10kbps down. Ive noticed this in the cities Im in often like Roanoke,VA, Atlanta, Montgomery,AL, Virginia Beach, Detroit.
cptnslow said:
So theres no way to force the connection?
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It's just like if you have a 56 kbps modem - remember those antiques from only 10 years ago - there's no way to force a higher connection speed without unreliability and connection drops coming into the equation. Maybe it's time to trial another network (perhaps with a pay as you go sim) and see how their offerings compare.
Where in Va Beach? I live in Va Beach and get HSDPA pretty much everywhere i go.
ProudPop83 said:
Where in Va Beach? I live in Va Beach and get HSDPA pretty much everywhere i go.
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Like I stated above its the base station who opens up for you when you download or stream. You are not in HSDPA constantly as it does not enable until you do the above.
raiisak said:
Like I stated above its the base station who opens up for you when you download or stream. You are not in HSDPA constantly as it does not enable until you do the above.
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]I think that'll be very network provider dependent because where I live its always HSDPA irrespective of whether a data connection is present. Depending where I travel to, I have had cases where the connection drops to 3G but then as soon as I initiate a data connection it jumps up to H and I've had further cases where it's E or G and a data connection makes no difference.
Flying Kiwi said:
]I think that'll be very network provider dependent because where I live its always HSDPA irrespective of whether a data connection is present. Depending where I travel to, I have had cases where the connection drops to 3G but then as soon as I initiate a data connection it jumps up to H and I've had further cases where it's E or G and a data connection makes no difference.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSDPA
Fast packet scheduling
The HS-DSCH downlink channel is shared between users using channel-dependent scheduling to make the best use of available radio conditions. Each user device periodically transmits an indication of the downlink signal quality, as often as 500 times per second. Using this information from all devices, the base station decides which users will be sent data on the next 2 ms frame and how much data should be sent for each user. More data can be sent to users which report high downlink signal quality.
The amount of the channelisation code tree, and thus network bandwidth, allocated to HSDPA users is determined by the network. The allocation is "semi-static" in that it can be modified while the network is operating, but not on a frame-by-frame basis. This allocation represents a trade-off between bandwidth allocated for HSDPA users, versus that for voice and non-HSDPA data users. The allocation is in units of channelisation codes for Spreading Factor 16, of which 16 exist and up to 15 can be allocated to HSDPA. When the base station decides which users will receive data on the next frame, it also decides which channelisation codes will be used for each user. This information is sent to the user devices over one or more HSDPA "scheduling channels"; these channels are not part of the HSDPA allocation previously mentioned, but are allocated separately. Thus, for a given 2 ms frame, data may be sent to a number of users simultaneously, using different channelisation codes. The maximum number of users to receive data on a given 2 ms frame is determined by the number of allocated channelisation codes. By contrast, in CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, data is sent to only one user at a time.
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raiisak said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSDPA
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I was actually looking at that page a few days ago with regards to speeds but it doesn't change the fact that in some locations my phone shows the H icon when there isn't even a hint of a data connection present and no voice call taking place at the time either. Under such circumstances, it could have quite easily dropped back to a 3G icon until HSDPA is needed but it nearly always doesn't. The only place I've found it does work like this, interestingly enough, is when I'm going past the O2 UK HQ beside Slough train station where it will drop back to 3 G unless a data connection is in place.
When I was using Vodafone UK, this did not happen in the same loacation (never tested for this near their HQ out at Newbury) but again I experienced many cases where the H icon was shown on the phone but not needed. Thats why I've mentioned it's network dependant. I take your point that the specs dictate it should work otherwise but in my case thats not played out to be how it's gone.
If you want I can make your icon show a Q or Z for that matter, 3G as ONE a connection is a misleading term as it describes many technologies. Normal HSDPA suppose to show H when used and 3G idling. Remember the 6.1 ROM`s who displayed H all the time HSDPA or not? If you read up on wiki you will understand what I sad about HSDPA in earlier post. You cant draw conclusions based on what icon your phone is showing as the HSDPA technology will work as it always has.
So as long you do not stream/call of use for HSDPA you will not stay in it. So if you going to force it to stay in HSDPA you need to constant stream, an idle HSDPA connection swich over to 3g and back once called upon. So correct me if I am wrong here ... And I preferred documented. The only thing that is provider dependent here are if they support it and the coverage of it. The technology which I was talking about has nothing to do whit just that.
Flying Kiwi said:
I was actually looking at that page a few days ago with regards to speeds but it doesn't change the fact that in some locations my phone shows the H icon when there isn't even a hint of a data connection present and no voice call taking place at the time either. Under such circumstances, it could have quite easily dropped back to a 3G icon until HSDPA is needed but it nearly always doesn't. The only place I've found it does work like this, interestingly enough, is when I'm going past the O2 UK HQ beside Slough train station where it will drop back to 3 G unless a data connection is in place.
When I was using Vodafone UK, this did not happen in the same loacation (never tested for this near their HQ out at Newbury) but again I experienced many cases where the H icon was shown on the phone but not needed. Thats why I've mentioned it's network dependant. I take your point that the specs dictate it should work otherwise but in my case thats not played out to be how it's gone.
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raiisak said:
You cant draw conclusions based on what icon your phone is showing as the HSDPA technology will work as it always has.
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Why would my phone lie to me like that given (in the same locations) it reliably and correctly detects that it is in 3G and then when a data connection is initiated bumps up to H. There is no doubt to me that it is reliably detecting the connection type as it does this every time I travel through Slough on the train if I initiate a data connection. Similarly it seems as if the H, 3G, G and even E, do correctly display under the right circumstances. Again, I've no dobt about the HSDPA specs and how it should work, I'm just saying in reality with my HTC Official ROM'd phone (both using my current setup and previously WM 6.1), it's behaved that way in practice.
I think the OP wants the same sort of performance and indications from his phone that I'm getting from mine and I know no way to 'force' an HSDPA connection and get appropriate speeds if the network infrastructure and signal strenth aren't up to the task. On the other hand there maybe another network that operates much better in a given area which will provide whats required and there's little cost in doing some 'trialling' of competing networks in the areas involved.
Raiisak said:
You cant draw conclusions based on what icon your phone is showing as the HSDPA technology will work as it always has.
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Flying Kiwi said:
Why would my phone lie to me like that given.........
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Listen mate, I dont know why you want to argue or what you want to argue about???? Twisting and turning my answers are not going to do the trick here, OP asked about forcing he`s device in HSDPA, I answered that it would not work cause HSDPA does not work like that. Then you come in and start talking about something completely else and nagging on my answer?? I do not care what your phone shows and how it work in local area`s nearby you as it has nothing whit my answer or on topic IMO to do.
Raiisak said:
Like I stated above its the base station who opens up for you when you download or stream. You are not in HSDPA constantly as it does not enable until you do the above.
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Flying Kiwi said:
]I think that'll be very network provider dependent because where I live its always HSDPA irrespective of whether a data connection is present. Depending where I travel to, I have had cases where the connection drops to 3G but then as soon as I initiate a data connection it jumps up to H and I've had further cases where it's E or G and a data connection makes no difference.
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This comment triggered it all, if I had knew that you would not be interested in my answers on your comment I would not have taken the time to explain about HSDPA.
Flying Kiwi said:
I know no way to 'force' an HSDPA connection
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Then what do you argue about here? I am not going to comment this further as what ever I say does not get to you and there is nothing to more discuss.
Nothing personal
raiisak said:
Listen mate, I dont know why you want to argue or what you want to argue about???? Twisting and turning my answers are not going to do the trick here, OP asked about forcing he`s device in HSDPA, I answered that it would not work cause HSDPA does not work like that.
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There's no need to bring out the 'listen mate' with multiple questionmarks on the end. I do listen where I think something is clear and correct. If I think there's more to an issue, I chime in. In response to your link to that wikipedia page which outlines how it should work (in an ideal world), I'm telling you that some networks do not appear to implement things according to the official specs so it won't necessarily behave that way. My examples based from usage/observations in many different locations around the UK prove that point and as I mentioned that was also the case when I was with Vodafone here so that's all, no more, no less and no intention to offend.
Then you come in and start talking about something completely else and nagging on my answer?? I do not care what your phone shows and how it work in local area`s nearby you as it has nothing whit my answer or on topic IMO to do.
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There's those multiple questionmarks again, calm down, I'm not having a go at you. I think it's best for the OP to make that determination whether my comments are relevant as we both replied in order to try and help that person out. You with some might say the 'official' line and me with the 'in practice' line. In the end we agree the answer as to what can be done to force HSDPA is the same ie nothing. I added the possibility that if better performance is saught, a network change may provide this.
This comment triggered it all, if I had knew that you would not be interested in my answers on your comment I would not have taken the time to explain about HSDPA.
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I was interested all right, I felt your original answer and the subsequent wikipedia link didn't paint the whole picture so that's why I came in. I trust that you will eventually understand and accept that. Remember, I'm not having a go at you
Was just messing around with my Nexus One, I have used the *#*#4636#*#* trick to turn on GSM Auto (PRL) Which greatly improved battery life but didn't do much for signal so just now I was messing around went back into the phone info section turned on GSM Auto (PRL) then went down to OEM-Specific Info/Settings and turned off ciphering and wow my dbm went from -101 down to -87 and I seem to be able to hold a 3g signal reliably. If I grasp the phone tightly and intentionaly try to make it lose 3g I still can but holding the phone normally it seems to stay on 3g and doesn't fluctuate nearly as much as before.
Can anyone else give this a try and let me know if it's just a fluke? Never seen my DBM's so low before in front of my computer so seems like something is up here.
I don't see any difference, but I am on 2G right now.
Meh, don't read it if you don't like. It is the first ever thing i've tried that actually noticeably improved my 3g reception so thought i'd share it. If enough people notice simliar increases in 3g reception perhaps it will lead to an official fix from Google. If everyone remains quiet on the subject we will never get anywhere.
Cheers
What's the difference between gsm (prl ) and wcdma that it was naturally set to?
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Jrbourque said:
What's the difference between gsm (prl ) and wcdma that it was naturally set to?
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=682662
Jrbourque said:
What's the difference between gsm (prl ) and wcdma that it was naturally set to?
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It doesn't search as much when on wcdma. GSM auto(prl) is basically a file that contains a lists of towers in your area that you have access to. So your phone uses that instead of searching all the time.
Here is some more info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preferred_Roaming_List
and I'm sure there is others.
thanks for the tip. I tired it and my dbm went from -102 to -87 to -93 range.
does having a lower dbm means better signal? I have a place where my 3gs gets 2-3 bars, and my nexus has 0 bars. Kind of disappointing, the the cell radio in the nexus 1 is not as strrong as the iphone 3gs. I'll test the phone later there, and let you know.
Yea, lower the dbm the better the signal, it definitely helps but doesn't alleviate the problem with holding the phone from the bottom. I have since switched to WCDMA Only to help combat that problem. It seems I am able to stay on 3g pretty reliably this way even though I sometimes lose all bars when holding the phone from the bottom it still stays connected to 3g and I am able to surf the web and make calls with no bars showing, it's rather peculiar but it's working for now so I won't complain. If this doesn't work out I think I will end up switching to Sprint and going with the EVO on June 4.
Definitely that's one thing I noticed is with zero bars my phone still makes clear calls and fast data, so I just figure the signal meter is just more conservative than other phones.
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So what exactly does turning off ciphering do? Is it worth it for the signal boost?
Ciphering is to keep other people from hearing your conversations, it's like encryption...not a big deal for me as I've nothing to hide and never give out credit card numbers over the phone or anything like that but it might be an issue for some.
ssj4vegita2002 said:
So what exactly does turning off ciphering do? Is it worth it for the signal boost?
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http://www.hackcanada.com/blackcrawl/cell/gsm/gsm-secur/gsm-secur.html
I am assuming that Ciphering is purely the encryption aspect ...
Does anyone have some major data speed issues with this phone?
I live in Boston and most days I can't get higher than 0.05-0.1 Mbp/s download... sometimes it'll kick up to 1.5 or 2Mbp/s, which is still significantly lower than T-Mobile's theoretical HSPA+ speeds.
I just don't get it. I've had the phone swapped, new SIM card, factory reset. Cannot figure it out. My roommate has a G2 and his phone works fine, could it be that WP7 has a poor wireless stack or something?
Iridox said:
Does anyone have some major data speed issues with this phone?
I live in Boston and most days I can't get higher than 0.05-0.1 Mbp/s download... sometimes it'll kick up to 1.5 or 2Mbp/s, which is still significantly lower than T-Mobile's theoretical HSPA+ speeds.
I just don't get it. I've had the phone swapped, new SIM card, factory reset. Cannot figure it out. My roommate has a G2 and his phone works fine, could it be that WP7 has a poor wireless stack or something?
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I live in India and here its because of poor data connections that the speed fluctuates...but that said, in one particular place the connection is pretty fast...i was on Vodafone website and I checked if the phone is 3G enabled..it is but they had a small footnote about the speed...if u can, go to the Vodafone India website, select your state as Mumbai and check for device compatibility, u might find something worthwhile...hope that helped...
how do you check your data speed?
NinaMyers_TW said:
how do you check your data speed?
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I usually use 2 speed tests, DSLReport's one and the Bandwidth app.
You can tell it's going really slow though because it takes 15-20 seconds to load Google occasionally.
Oddly enough, I've disabled 3G before and the EDGE data was actually faster. Scary.
i recently unlocked, rooted and s-off my htc one, on stock i used to get around 5/4 signal bars and now i only get two/three.
im currently running trickdroid 7.5 rom 4.2.2.
so im looking for a radio which would work for orange/EE in the UK.
please can someone help, or point me into the right direction
this is the one for the 4.2.2 firmware
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42139108&postcount=18404
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
fixed
okk i just flashed 1.29.401.12 Radio and it's back to normal.
i found it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2245615
Lennyuk said:
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
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thanks for the input but!
i never said i was using my data connection,
Same principle applies even with data off.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Lennyuk said:
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
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So if I have 5 bars when set to "GSM" only but 2-3 when set to "GSM/CDMA" .. that's as good?
I'm being serious btw, I normally set mine to just GSM as I seemed to have more signal but if there isn't any point then I won't bother lol ..I'm in the UK btw and on a network that doesn't support LTE (I think)
AllAboutTheCore said:
So if I have 5 bars when set to "GSM" only but 2-3 when set to "GSM/CDMA" .. that's as good?
I'm being serious btw, I normally set mine to just GSM as I seemed to have more signal but if there isn't any point then I won't bother lol ..I'm in the UK btw and on a network that doesn't support LTE (I think)
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You can confirm the 'type' of signal you are getting at any time in the menu > settings > about part of the phone.
Your phone will automatically switch to whatever the best signal is available at any time, you don't really need to change your GSM/WCDMA settings, unless you really want to force it away from 3G connections (again this does not mean you have to have data turned on).
Cool, I'm not too fussed about what data type it uses as I rarely have data turned on, I just naturally assumed that by switching it from GSM'CDMA Auto to just GSM, meant that I'd have better reception, being that the signal bars went from 2/5 to 5/5 ... You learn something new everyday lol
EDIT: I checked my signal, and I mean my reception, not the data connection type, when switched between GSM/WCDMA Auto and GSM Only and there is a huge difference. I found this guide:
dB Signal - A basic guide
-50 to -60 (very strong, near a cell tower)
-60 to -70 (extremely good, rare)
-80 to -85 (normal downtown)
-90 to -95 (getting on the weak side)
-95 to -98 (weak, dropping calls)
-98 to -100 (bad, hard to stay connected)
-100+ (basically no usable signal)
When I set my phone to GSM Only I hover around -70, which is good, when I switch to GSM/WCDMA Auto it is a different story. I know it changes and finds the best signal, which I might add drains more battery on an already power hungry beast, but I was hovering at -100 which is terrible and often calls were dropping or people were saying it was engaged when infact I hadn't used it.
It's clear to me that in my case, GSM Only is the far better option if I actually want to use my phone to make calls ... Data speeds I'm not arsed about so EDGE is just fine with me.
I just recently switched from H2O to Red Pocket and I have the correct apn settings as everything is working correct, but the question I have is on the link provided in the bottom, it says to uncheck data roaming. You would imagine this should be checked to get the best coverage no? Also, does this affect the speed of the data? Although AT&T is fast with contract, for some odd reason nor H2O or Red Pocket gets fast internet speeds.
http://help.goredpocket.com/index.p...e-samsung-galaxy-s3-android-411412-jelly-bean
m_reyna_16 said:
I just recently switched from H2O to Red Pocket and I have the correct apn settings as everything is working correct, but the question I have is on the link provided in the bottom, it says to uncheck data roaming. You would imagine this should be checked to get the best coverage no? Also, does this affect the speed of the data? Although AT&T is fast with contract, for some odd reason nor H2O or Red Pocket gets fast internet speeds.
http://help.goredpocket.com/index.p...e-samsung-galaxy-s3-android-411412-jelly-bean
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This will just prevent the connection to be active when you leave your home code.
They may charge you higher for using data outside your area code.
This shouldn't affect coverage if you don't travel around, and most definitely won't reduce your speed.
projeto56 said:
This will just prevent the connection to be active when you leave your home code.
They may charge you higher for using data outside your area code.
This shouldn't affect coverage if you don't travel around, and most definitely won't reduce your speed.
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thanks, i didnt think so, but thought id ask just in case since this is a new company that i try out