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As soon as I received my AT&T S5, I wasn't happy to know that our dear carrier AT&T has disabled Download Booster. Having said that, I am really convinced to return the phone and switch over to T-mobile. Luckily, my area is pretty covered so coverage is not so much of an issue.
However, reading around the forum and chatting with Samsung Rep. It was confirmed that only AT&T features carrier aggregation. Although LTE-A is only in Chicago as of the writing, there are plans to roll it out in my area (SF).
As I'm not sure how much of an impact will this do to my service or over-all experience. Which would you rather have or be more beneficial -- given you can only pick one.
1. Carrier Aggregation -- stick with AT&T
2. Download Booster -- switch to Tmobile
gotnoypi said:
As soon as I received my AT&T S5, I wasn't happy to know that our dear carrier AT&T has disabled Download Booster. Having said that, I am really convinced to return the phone and switch over to T-mobile. Luckily, my area is pretty covered so coverage is not so much of an issue.
However, reading around the forum and chatting with Samsung Rep. It was confirmed that only AT&T features carrier aggregation. Although LTE-A is only in Chicago as of the writing, there are plans to roll it out in my area (SF).
As I'm not sure how much of an impact will this do to my service or over-all experience. Which would you rather have or be more beneficial -- given you can only pick one.
1. Carrier Aggregation -- stick with AT&T
2. Download Booster -- switch to Tmobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Man if you have the option, switch to Tmo. I'm not sure what would keep anyone from switching really. I would if I wasn't on a corporate plan. So I think a better question would be, what keeps you on AT&T?
I might switch in the end. I'm contemplating on either paying ETF and keeping my ATT phone which is cheaper option for me.
Thats why im figuring out which feature is more important to keep
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
gotnoypi said:
I might switch in the end. I'm contemplating on either paying ETF and keeping my ATT phone which is cheaper option for me.
Thats why im figuring out which feature is more important to keep
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know Tmo will pay your ETF if you switch right?
Why not buy a T-Mobile S5, unlock it and use it on AT&T's network. Best of both worlds?
The question is will tmobile S5 do carrier aggregation.
Is that actually a phone feature or a network feature?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
gotnoypi said:
The question is will tmobile S5 do carrier aggregation.
Is that actually a phone feature or a network feature?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread in the general section tells how to check the phone for it. If someone with a T-mobile S5 can see if the menu is available and what it says we will know.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2719022
As someone who is currently contemplating switching to TMO, I can tell you its easier said than done. Yes, they are paying ETFs but I'm not trading my iPhone to them and getting ripped off. The coverage is good, but not great. My entire neighborhood is EDGE for some reason. I also worry when traveling, especially on interstates. Now if the entire country was going to benefit from Verizon's 700mhz spectrum, then I would definitely switch, but that's not the case.
scott14719 said:
This thread in the general section tells how to check the phone for it. If someone with a T-mobile S5 can see if the menu is available and what it says we will know.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2719022
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on a T-Mobile phone and that code doesn't work for me. I'm on an international ROM though.
21cdb said:
I'm on a T-Mobile phone and that code doesn't work for me. I'm on an international ROM though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would probably need to be on the stock ROM to know for sure. It might also be tied to the radio / modem.
scott14719 said:
You would probably need to be on the stock ROM to know for sure. It might also be tied to the radio / modem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a T-Mobile S5 unlocked on AT&T. Here's my screen shot of the CA status with stock ROM.
Interesting...
having it disabled might mean there's a chance for it to be enabled.
For the ATT variant, I know there's a switch for the download booster using Nova launcher but it seems like its just a ui and not the actual switch.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
Someone posted asking if it would work on AT&T so I looked around to see if it would work on Verizon and saw that Verizon has one LTE band that's different (VZW uses band 13, TMO uses 12). Would that weaken my signal strength enough that I shouldn't do it? I primarily am asking because I'm assuming the TMO S6 would have an unlocked bootloader and all I really want is to be able to root.
allthemalarkey19 said:
Someone posted asking if it would work on AT&T so I looked around to see if it would work on Verizon and saw that Verizon has one LTE band that's different (VZW uses band 13, TMO uses 12). Would that weaken my signal strength enough that I shouldn't do it? I primarily am asking because I'm assuming the TMO S6 would have an unlocked bootloader and all I really want is to be able to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Verizon will NEVER activate a phone that they did not sell. Verizon, assholes that they are, won't even activate a Nexus 6 you purchased from the Play Store, even though it's 100% compatible. So the answer is, and always will be, NO.
entropism said:
Verizon will NEVER activate a phone that they did not sell. Verizon, assholes that they are, won't even activate a Nexus 6 you purchased from the Play Store, even though it's 100% compatible. So the answer is, and always will be, NO.
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Click to collapse
Well...that's not true from what I've heard. I read the issue is that most Verizon reps just don't know how, not that they won't.
allthemalarkey19 said:
Well...that's not true from what I've heard. I read the issue is that most Verizon reps just don't know how, not that they won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, I can say this with the utmost confidence, and all the willingness to put money behind my statement. Verizon will NOT activate a non-verizon phone.
entropism said:
Look, I can say this with the utmost confidence, and all the willingness to put money behind my statement. Verizon will NOT activate a non-verizon phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I worked for Verizon for 3 years. It depends on a lot on the rep you get and your attitude. For a while there were a lot of issues with the system not allowing certain IEMI numbers to activate on the network. Why? Cause Verizon didn't sell these devices to anyone. But this has since changed mainly due to Page Plus and the other prepay options. Your best choice is to have a device with a sim card already and simply test it yourself in your other device. You've been able to use the Nexus 6 this way for a while on Verizon. The system Verizon uses is a bit extreme for activation because they'd rather suck your pocket book dry before allowing an unbranded device onboard.
entropism said:
Look, I can say this with the utmost confidence, and all the willingness to put money behind my statement. Verizon will NOT activate a non-verizon phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter if Verizon will activate a phone or not. If you have an activated SIM and then phone has Verizon's bands, it'll work. It just shows non-VZN device on MyVerizon. I've used a T-Mobile iPhone and Google Play Nexus 6 on Verizon.
Sadly, the T-Mobile S6 doesn't support Band 13 (Verizon's primary LTE band).
allthemalarkey19 said:
Someone posted asking if it would work on AT&T so I looked around to see if it would work on Verizon and saw that Verizon has one LTE band that's different (VZW uses band 13, TMO uses 12). Would that weaken my signal strength enough that I shouldn't do it? I primarily am asking because I'm assuming the TMO S6 would have an unlocked bootloader and all I really want is to be able to root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung appears to be using different modems for different variants. The GSM models run one modem and the CDMA models run a Qualcomm.
Even if it was able to be activated on VZW I doubt it would run very well
As far as I'm aware, Verizon is still using CDMA for voice and SMS.
Does the T-Mobile S6 support CDMA bands that Verizon uses? 4G (data only, at the moment) uses GSM..
LOL
entropism said:
Look, I can say this with the utmost confidence, and all the willingness to put money behind my statement. Verizon will NOT activate a non-verizon phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes...it will activate on Verizon (Google Play Nexus 6)...however not in a store...you need to have an already active Verizon sim card. I've done it myself.
sd_N said:
Yes...it will activate on Verizon (Google Play Nexus 6)...however not in a store...you need to have an already active Verizon sim card. I've done it myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, but that's the Nexus, which has the radios available. We're talking about the S6, which won't have the CDMA radios required to actually WORK on verizon outside of LTE coverage.
Notice I only brought up the Nexus because of Verizon not activating it themselves AND it being 100% compatible, not that it couldn't. The S6 isn't 100% compatible by any means, and is a completely different animal.
entropism said:
Right, but that's the Nexus, which has the radios available. We're talking about the S6, which won't have the CDMA radios required to actually WORK on verizon outside of LTE coverage.
Notice I only brought up the Nexus because of Verizon not activating it themselves AND it being 100% compatible, not that it couldn't. The S6 isn't 100% compatible by any means, and is a completely different animal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True...some folks would take it as a literal NO though and think it not possible at all. I wish Samsung would make all their newer phones with unlocked cdma and gsm radios...and of course unlocked bootloaders. I guess pick your poison. Lol
sd_N said:
True...some folks would take it as a literal NO though and think it not possible at all. I wish Samsung would make all their newer phones with unlocked cdma and gsm radios...and of course unlocked bootloaders. I guess pick your poison. Lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it was a literal no. Verizon will not activate it for you. Literal no. It will not work properly. Literal no. It's just a bad idea in general, but so is giving Verizon your money. Just saying...
You could get it working yourself, but only barely, and with multiple issues. So why would you?
Hi Everyone,
I've been reading the reviews and specs for the MI5 Pro and am considering purchasing one. GSM/CDMA support, 128Gb Storage, etc. sounds great to me.
My plan is to have something with an unlocked BL so I can root, TWRP, and AOSP it just the way I want it.
Before I do how much of a pain will it be to getting working on Verizon's 4G/LTE networks? If I understand what I am reading correctly it supports all the frequency bands on Big Red. Any thoughts? Comments and suggestions are requested on this.
Thanks in Advance
I should also add this is not for the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program. I have a monthly plan and am up for a new device but don't want what they offer.
I highly doubt you'll be able to get it to work on Verizon. Even unlocking GSM bands is a pain.
Sent from my E6853 using Tapatalk
VZW is CDMA. The specs say it supports all the needed bands I just don't know if they are "active" out of the box.
FernBch said:
VZW is CDMA. The specs say it supports all the needed bands I just don't know if they are "active" out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't specifically know about verizon, but our local CDMA carriers do work with the Mi5.
Cdma carriers the us only allows approved devices.
No hope.
FernBch said:
VZW is CDMA. The specs say it supports all the needed bands I just don't know if they are "active" out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can be the guniea pig and try it out but your chances of getting it to work on Verizon are slim to none.
Sent from my MI 5 using Tapatalk
The more I research this the more dim the results look. It seems that the problem with bringing it to a CDMA network is lack of 4G functionality. Definitely a deal breaker for sure......
Verizon only allows approved devices on their network (read: their branded devices). So there's pretty much no chance of your Mi5 (an unapproved, semi-compatible, and untested device as far as they are concerned) getting on the network, as your MEID needs to be in their system for you to connect to their network.
Stick with an actual GSM carrier.
Duwenbasden said:
Verizon only allows approved devices on their network (read: their branded devices). So there's pretty much no chance of your Mi5 (an unapproved, semi-compatible, and untested device as far as they are concerned) getting on the network, as your MEID needs to be in their system for you to connect to their network.
Stick with an actual GSM carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I knew that was how they were in the past but I thought maybe they loosened up on it. They now have a Bring Your Own Device program. Still doesn't get past getting 4G working flawlessly on CDMA.
I need to look deeper at GSM carriers in the US. Coverage in my area is important for work.
I just saw you message and it is a bit late, but I have the Mi5 and use it on Verizon. It is only 3G on that. I can also use both my Verizon Sim card and my AT&T sim at the same time and have two carriers with two different numbers on the same phone. I had to do nothing to get it to work on Verizon other than pop in the sim card. I hope this helps.
Thanks DFSPCC, I was wondering the same thing and having it listed to work with VZN in the US on willmyphonework.net up to 3G speeds, which is fine by me. Considering the low price at the moment for the Mi5, I think is a great option.
Never to late
I'm considering on getting this phone... 5.7 inch with OK specs to work with Verizon only thing is you said 3g but that's OK its just to play and test hopefully I can root it... Don't knkw if they have any Roms for it..... Ive been HTC for over 10 yrs and they have let me down been waiting for a 5.7 or bigger... The max was nice but bad specs realy slow so.... I was going to do the s8 plus but now I see the U12 coming soon. But i don't know if Verizon will carry it... They don't carry the U11 don't know why.... What do you think? And thanks again for your time and help god bless....
DFSPCC said:
I just saw you message and it is a bit late, but I have the Mi5 and use it on Verizon. It is only 3G on that. I can also use both my Verizon Sim card and my AT&T sim at the same time and have two carriers with two different numbers on the same phone. I had to do nothing to get it to work on Verizon other than pop in the sim card. I hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey there fellas! I recently purchased an international Galaxy Note 8 to use on AT&T here in the U.S. Everything appears to work fine except the speed of my network. Normally in this area I would be getting LTE speeds around 30-40 up and down. With the Note 8 is displays H+ (which I understand to be LTE, but I may be wrong) and I get around 5-7 down and often less than 1mbps up. Some have suggested setting the preferred network time to LTE/UMTS auto (PRL) which was already selected on my device. Is there anything else I can do to get the proper speeds? Thanks!
SacrificedWalrus said:
Hey there fellas! I recently purchased an international Galaxy Note 8 to use on AT&T Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On all of my international versions H+ was 3G and 4G was LTE. Depending on the area with 4G I would get 20 - 50 megs down on AT&T. On my 950U1 my settings under #*#*4636*#*# I have TD-SCDMA/CDMA/UMTS selected by default and mine shows LTE and depending on the area up to 100 megs down.
H+ is 3G, or 3.5G for some carriers
CodeNameRedNeck said:
On all of my international versions H+ was 3G and 4G was LTE. Depending on the area with 4G I would get 20 - 50 megs down on AT&T. On my 950U1 my settings under #*#*4636*#*# I have TD-SCDMA/CDMA/UMTS selected by default and mine shows LTE and depending on the area up to 100 megs down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, that would explain why my speeds are so slow. Thank you for clearing that up. I attempted to select TD-SCDMA/CDMA/UMTS as my preferred network mode but for whatever reason it will not apply. When I reopen that settings menu it goes back to whatever option was selected prior to that. Do you think it could have something to do with the selected APN? I have ATT Phone as my current APN, but at the store they were trying to use ATT Nextgenphone, which didn't work.
SacrificedWalrus said:
but at the store they were trying to use ATT Nextgenphone, which didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would do all I could to get the Nextgenphone APN working. It is what I used on all my international phones.
Took the Note 8 into the AT&T store today and swapped out the sim card without any luck. As usual they couldn't provide any help beyond that. I also I can't select TD-SCDMA/CDMA/UMTS as my preferred network type for some reason. I contacted the person I bought the phone from and they claimed they used it on Verizon's LTE network without an issue. Very strange.
CodeNameRedNeck said:
I would do all I could to get the Nextgenphone APN working. It is what I used on all my international phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind sharing what your CSC on your Note 8 is? I might end up flashing whatever firmware your phone is using, as mine is currently running a firmware for French phones. Not sure if thats the issue, but its possible.
SacrificedWalrus said:
Would you mind sharing what your CSC on your Note 8 is?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When your look for the firmware look for 950U1 for AT&T. I would look around for a thread on flashing other regions first just to be safe.
CodeNameRedNeck said:
When your look for the firmware look for 950U1 for AT&T. I would look around for a thread on flashing other regions first just to be safe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may be totally off here, but wouldn't that be an issue as the AT&T variant uses a Snapdragon SoC, while my device uses Exynos? Another concern for me would the ability to root as well, which is one of the reasons I decided not to buy an AT&T branded phone. Thanks for your help so far man, I appreciate it!
SacrificedWalrus said:
I may be totally off here, but wouldn't that be an issue as the AT&T variant uses a Snapdragon SoC, while my device uses Exynos? Another concern for me would the ability to root as well, which is one of the reasons I decided not to buy an AT&T branded phone. Thanks for your help so far man, I appreciate it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right. There is no AT&T firmware for your phone. Unless they changed something with the Note8 you should still be able to get 4G. I did with my international Note4, Note5, and Xperia Z5 Premium models. My son is using the Note5 with an Exynos processor and gets 4G speeds comparable to LTE speeds in the area.
Had this problem as well way back when I first got my 950F.
There are solutions. But you would need one of 2 things.
1. Get At&t to add your IMEI# TO their database so that they can provision your phone correctly.
2. Get another At&t branded phone's IMEI# that is LTE COMPATIBLE. and call them to provision you phone with that #.
My phone is getting full LTE speeds and VOLTE.
But I had them put in the IMEI# of my older Note 5!( which my wife is currently using)...
Hope this helps.
LouK said:
Had this problem as well way back when I first got my 950F.
There are solutions. But you would need one of 2 things.
1. Get At&t to add your IMEI# TO their database so that they can provision your phone correctly.
2. Get another At&t branded phone's IMEI# that is LTE COMPATIBLE. and call them to provision you phone with that #.
My phone is getting full LTE speeds and VOLTE.
But I had them put in the IMEI# of my older Note 5!( which my wife is currently using)...
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. I called ATT and gave them your suggestion and they claimed that it would not work. They said provisioning my new phone with an IMEI of a different phone would be temporary up to 2-3 weeks. Have you encountered this issue? I'm assuming not, so I'm curious as to how long you've had this fixed. Thanks again man
LouK said:
Had this problem as well way back when I first got my 950F.
There are solutions. But you would need one of 2 things.
1. Get At&t to add your IMEI# TO their database so that they can provision your phone correctly.
2. Get another At&t branded phone's IMEI# that is LTE COMPATIBLE. and call them to provision you phone with that #.
My phone is getting full LTE speeds and VOLTE.
But I had them put in the IMEI# of my older Note 5!( which my wife is currently using)...
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
^^ this. ATT LTE won't work unless the IMEI is provisioned .
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
SacrificedWalrus said:
Thanks for the reply. I called ATT and gave them your suggestion and they claimed that it would not work. They said provisioning my new phone with an IMEI of a different phone would be temporary up to 2-3 weeks. Have you encountered this issue? I'm assuming not, so I'm curious as to how long you've had this fixed. Thanks again man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'v been using my N8 since it came out with my old N5 imei#
As I said be4 basically 4g LTE. &VoLTE Works.
Wifi calling etc.. no.
AND my wife is using the N5 so basically we have two phones on same account with same imei#!
ive been looking everywhere and im not 100% on this BUT will this model work on at&t? lte and everything? might trtade my unlocked note 9 for one
It will work on at&t but you might miss out on some network features like carrier aggregation which gives you faster download speeds. But other than that it would work fine on at&t.
Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk
blane3298 said:
ive been looking everywhere and im not 100% on this BUT will this model work on at&t? lte and everything? might trtade my unlocked note 9 for one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works fine. You're not going to have wifi calling, and there's a band or two we're don't have on the phone they ATT uses.
I have been using a 960f/ds on AT&T for a week or two now.
Megaflop666 said:
Works fine. You're not going to have wifi calling, and there's a band or two we're don't have on the phone they ATT uses.
I have been using a 960f/ds on AT&T for a week or two now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You run into any problems with it? Decent data speeds? I have at&t prepaid so I dont get wifi calling anyways lol
blane3298 said:
ive been looking everywhere and im not 100% on this BUT will this model work on at&t? lte and everything? might trtade my unlocked note 9 for one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will work but you will miss lots of AT&T Features and a few bands are missing, Also no wifi calling thats one of the features there's more features that wont work can't remember now, So if you care about your AT&T Features then it's really not worth getting theses International Phones, Also the Network is Slower Than the one Snapdragon AT&T Has on there phone, Cause of the Bands Missing.
I on att on 960F/DS. Works fine. Speed is the same where I am compared to my att note 8 but that could be because if where I am. If I'm missing a couple of options it's worth it for the flexibility. No issues.