Network Vision/LTE - Chicago Market

[Joeynach]

Oops, you got me!! Thank you for catching that. Sorry for my error on downtown geography.

 

But I stand by my statement that ChiWestLooper's iPhone 4s will not be able to take advantage of most current and future NV upgrades: First because his phone doesn't support 4G; Second because his phone doesn't support 800 SMR (when that comes into play); And, third because even with the 3G updates that have been installed in and near the Loop, bandwidth has not yet been expanded (waiting for USCC spectrum to free up) and at 1900 Mhz, building penetration has been improved only a small amount.  As the USCC spectrum does become available, and as Sprint subs move off of CDMA for LTE, his speeds will likely improve, but probably not as much as he might like.

 

Conclusion: Let's all go out and support the economy by buying NEW PHONES!

Either way though it is nice to see the same NV build out process we have seen in the burbs and city neighborhoods finally hit Downtown Chicago proper (the Loop). 

[nexgencpu]

Enough is enough.

 

I've been a Verizon customer for the past couple of years.  Since my contract expired last August, I've been wanting to switch to Sprint.  This forum has been giving people false hopes for a long time now.  I literally waiting from last August through this past weekend for things to settle down on Sprint.  I went to the Sprint store last weekend, and the guy is very up front with me.  He says, the network migration in the downtown area is just getting under-way and probably won't be done until August of this year in the best case.  Not only will that cause an unreliable LTE connection, but it also would mean dropped calls and so forth.  His honesty was very appreciated.  No doubt, setting up a new cellular network is no small feat.  At the back of my mind I knew this transition wouldn't reach a steady state for at least 2 years (based on my industry experience).

 

Anyway, enough is enough, so I just went out and bought two Galaxy S4s and stayed on Verizon.  Everything works great... the LTE coverage has been immaculate and I have nothing to complain about.  For almost the same price I'm on a shared data plan with unlimited talk and text.  Also, this includes mobile hotspot, which is an add-on with Sprint.  Data-wise, we average < 3GB month on our old phones.  Lets say that increases up to 4GB with new devices.  With a 4GB shared plan that's still cheaper than Sprint if you get the features I'm getting.  Not to mention a network that's mature.  Even if I up our plan to 6GB a month, that's only $10 more per month.  I know there are many Sprint fan-boys on this forum, but take a step back and get real.  You're paying good money for your service and you deserve service that actually works.  You're NOT paying for a promise for better service in the future.

 

That was my story and I'm sticking to it.

I use an avg of 25-30gigs a month after LTE was deployed im afraid im pretty happy with sprint..verizon network is nice and all..but is shitty in midtown manhattan with no promise of it getting any better anytime soon.

 

Good luck with Verizon, it sounds like it works for you..but if you notice, this thread has slowed down because alot of users are busy using there phones just fine..

[WiWavelength]

Enough is enough.

 

. . .

 

That was my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Okay, so you are selling out by continuing to give money and market power to a company that is trying to litigate Net Neutrality and open access requirements into oblivion.  Not to mention, VZ is doing its damnedest to make the US look like the broadband laughing stock of the developed world by halting fiber expansion and seeking to scrap its existing copper network -- all to serve its shareholders rather than the public interest.

 

Well, congratulations, you are just another small minded, short sighted consumer.

 

AJ

[mellimel2212]

 

 

Enough is enough.

 

. . .

 

That was my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

 

Okay, so you are selling out by continuing to give money and market power to a company that is trying to litigate Net Neutrality and open access requirements into oblivion. Not to mention, VZ is doing its damnedest to make the US look like the broadband laughing stock of the developed world by halting fiber expansion and seeking to scrap its existing copper network -- all to serve its shareholders rather than the public interest.

 

Well, congratulations, you are just another small minded, short sighted consumer.

 

AJ

 

Meanwhile I'm enjoying my LTE while I'm on Madison and Wabash as I type lol.

 

Sent from my Galaxy Victory LTE using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[Rawvega]

Enough is enough.

 

I've been a Verizon customer for the past couple of years.  Since my contract expired last August, I've been wanting to switch to Sprint.  This forum has been giving people false hopes for a long time now.  I literally waiting from last August through this past weekend for things to settle down on Sprint.  I went to the Sprint store last weekend, and the guy is very up front with me.  He says, the network migration in the downtown area is just getting under-way and probably won't be done until August of this year in the best case.  Not only will that cause an unreliable LTE connection, but it also would mean dropped calls and so forth.  His honesty was very appreciated.  No doubt, setting up a new cellular network is no small feat.  At the back of my mind I knew this transition wouldn't reach a steady state for at least 2 years (based on my industry experience).

 

Anyway, enough is enough, so I just went out and bought two Galaxy S4s and stayed on Verizon.  Everything works great... the LTE coverage has been immaculate and I have nothing to complain about.  For almost the same price I'm on a shared data plan with unlimited talk and text.  Also, this includes mobile hotspot, which is an add-on with Sprint.  Data-wise, we average < 3GB month on our old phones.  Lets say that increases up to 4GB with new devices.  With a 4GB shared plan that's still cheaper than Sprint if you get the features I'm getting.  Not to mention a network that's mature.  Even if I up our plan to 6GB a month, that's only $10 more per month.  I know there are many Sprint fan-boys on this forum, but take a step back and get real.  You're paying good money for your service and you deserve service that actually works.  You're NOT paying for a promise for better service in the future.

 

That was my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

Yep, because retail representatives at Sprint stores are always the most reliable source of network information. Anyways...

 

[ericdabbs]

Enough is enough.

 

I've been a Verizon customer for the past couple of years. Since my contract expired last August, I've been wanting to switch to Sprint. This forum has been giving people false hopes for a long time now. I literally waiting from last August through this past weekend for things to settle down on Sprint. I went to the Sprint store last weekend, and the guy is very up front with me. He says, the network migration in the downtown area is just getting under-way and probably won't be done until August of this year in the best case. Not only will that cause an unreliable LTE connection, but it also would mean dropped calls and so forth. His honesty was very appreciated. No doubt, setting up a new cellular network is no small feat. At the back of my mind I knew this transition wouldn't reach a steady state for at least 2 years (based on my industry experience).

 

Anyway, enough is enough, so I just went out and bought two Galaxy S4s and stayed on Verizon. Everything works great... the LTE coverage has been immaculate and I have nothing to complain about. For almost the same price I'm on a shared data plan with unlimited talk and text. Also, this includes mobile hotspot, which is an add-on with Sprint. Data-wise, we average

 

That was my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

*yawn*.....Well good for you. O RLY???? Wat u want..a cookie? Cool story bro. Ill be sure to put my 100% faith in sprint store reps for facts about network vision next time.

 

Sent from my Motorola Photon 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[tommym65]

Oops, looks like a Mod deleted one of the posts I was going to quote, the one from the Verizon troll.  I was going to suggest that we return the thread to a sense of decorum and good will -- This should be about how to help things get better, not about name calling and venom.

 

But, enough! Here's my real reason for posting:

 

Has anyone else in the Northwest Suburbs been having problems with apps stopping with error messages and with incorrect dates? Signal Check Pro has stopped on my GS3 numerous times since last Thursday, and at times my phone has firmly planted itself in March, 2013.  Other apps (mail, Google maps, etc.) have also stopped with error messages.

 

My local Best Buy (where I bought the phone, went there because I thought it might be a warranty issue) said that they had heard from "Sprint" that a tower in the area is down, and that they have been getting numerous complaints.

 

My question: Is this a likely explanation? It seems to have some merit, as the apps that have failed all seem to need network information to work properly.  Any ideas?

[tongboy]

Oops, looks like a Mod deleted one of the posts I was going to quote, the one from the Verizon troll. I was going to suggest that we return the thread to a sense of decorum and good will -- This should be about how to help things get better, not about name calling and venom.

 

But, enough! Here's my real reason for posting:

 

Has anyone else in the Northwest Suburbs been having problems with apps stopping with error messages and with incorrect dates? Signal Check Pro has stopped on my GS3 numerous times since last Thursday, and at times my phone has firmly planted itself in March, 2013. Other apps (mail, Google maps, etc.) have also stopped with error messages.

 

My local Best Buy (where I bought the phone, went there because I thought it might be a warranty issue) said that they had heard from "Sprint" that a tower in the area is down, and that they have been getting numerous complaints.

 

My question: Is this a likely explanation? It seems to have some merit, as the apps that have failed all seem to need network information to work properly. Any ideas?

 

My wife has an OG evo and has had the time shift on her phone in that area. I seems like it picks a different time zone. It seems like it messes with the course location in android and switches it to a different time zone.

 

I have never seen the time change that much though, usually it only is an hour or two off. If it is months off the apps are likely not able to communicate because of the ssl certs are not being validated due to the clock issues. You could try and turn off getting the time from the network. It is in the android settings under date and time.

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

 

[Joeynach]

My wife has an OG evo and has had the time shift on her phone in that area. I seems like it picks a different time zone. It seems like it messes with the course location in android and switches it to a different time zone.

 

I have never seen the time change that much though, usually it only is an hour or two off. If it is months off the apps are likely not able to communicate because of the ssl certs are not being validated due to the clock issues. You could try and turn off getting the time from the network. It is in the android settings under date and time.

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

If its symptomatic I would let Sprint know ASAP.  If they dont know how can they address the problem.

[tongboy]

" data-time="1369675435">

 

 

 

If its symptomatic I would let Sprint know ASAP. If they dont know how can they address the problem.

It happened a couple times two weeks ago and when network vision came though it was happening fairly frequently for a few weeks.

 

Both my wife and I run custom roms on our phones and it happened sporadically, for only a couple weeks or so. Not often enough for me to flash back to stock and call it in.

 

I was trying to tell the OP that I had seen something similar in the area he was having the issue and a work around that he could try using.

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

 

[mhammett]

NOTE: I removed the Site ID from your post. Information from the Sponsor section (including Site ID's) are to be kept in the Sponsor section of the site. Thanks!

What if we have the site IDs from elsewhere, like saw them written on the gear at the site? ;-)

 

On another note, did they ever do anything about the Evo 4G LTE signal problems? Half the time the phone is on 3G even though there are 4G towers around the area, and I still have to do the airplane mode flip to get the phone to switch to 4G. I tried setting the phone to LTE/CDMA only but being on 1X is painful and it still happens far too often for me to turn off 3G entirely. The other problem is that when the phone is in 3G mode (especially in the Winfield/Warrenville area and Winfield Road corridor), it's unusable and below dial-up speeds.

 

 

 

I'm wondering if I would solve so many problems if I just upgraded to a Galaxy S4? I am really unhappy with the Evo.

It gets better when you're in an area with solid LTE coverage. I was really disappointed with it, but I've softened that stance.

 

However, I'm happy with 3-6Mbps speeds when I have a mediocre signal. And most people will be too.

As a network operator, I *loathe* clients not at full modulation.

 

According to an interview with one of their engineers posted on youtube, getting leases in new locations can take 18-24 months.

Maybe it is for the cell guys, but if it takes more than two or three months for me to get on a site, I find a new one.

 

How come people are saying Chicago market deployment is a disaster? Aren't you guys almost complete?

It has been a disaster, but then again, so is most of the Sprint network.

 

Okay, so you are selling out by continuing to give money and market power to a company that is trying to litigate Net Neutrality and open access requirements into oblivion. Not to mention, VZ is doing its damnedest to make the US look like the broadband laughing stock of the developed world by halting fiber expansion and seeking to scrap its existing copper network -- all to serve its shareholders rather than the public interest.

 

Well, congratulations, you are just another small minded, short sighted consumer.

 

AJ

 

I actually support all of those things VZ has done. Most consumers are small minded, short sighted. I generally find the more they "know" about technology, the worse they are.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[ChiWestLooper]

Oops, you got me!! Thank you for catching that. Sorry for my error on downtown geography.

 

But I stand by my statement that ChiWestLooper's iPhone 4s will not be able to take advantage of most current and future NV upgrades: First because his phone doesn't support 4G; Second because his phone doesn't support 800 SMR (when that comes into play); And, third because even with the 3G updates that have been installed in and near the Loop, bandwidth has not yet been expanded (waiting for USCC spectrum to free up) and at 1900 Mhz, building penetration has been improved only a small amount.  As the USCC spectrum does become available, and as Sprint subs move off of CDMA for LTE, his speeds will likely improve, but probably not as much as he might like.

 

Conclusion: Let's all go out and support the economy by buying NEW PHONES!

Thank you for the network and frequency lesson. I honestly thought that the Sprint upgrade was going to benefit 3G customers as well as LTE customers. I guess I will have a crappy connection until September 1st when I will upgrade to iPhone 5. Does anyone live/work in the West Loop area? How is LTE over there?

 

Thanks!!!

[hayzooos]

Felt like I should come in here and give a little update. I live over in the West burbs, near Hoffman Estates/Elgin and work in Schaumburg. My wife and I were having MASSIVE issues a few weeks back with people not being able to hear us when we would answer the phone, and all sorts of other issues.

 

I wanted to write and update and let anyone know who may be having similar issues to ditch the Google Voice integration. I'm not 100% this was the sole culprit as it could've been the updates around us being completed, but I haven't had a single issue in the past 3-4 weeks or so. Not one. Not one dropped call, not one person not being able to hear me when I answer their call. Nothing.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the network around where I am is pretty solid. I have LTE probably 98% of the time and the last few times I have been on 3G, it's not only been usable, but fast (1.5Mbps, which I think is pretty darn good for Sprint 3G).

[tommym65]

I honestly thought that the Sprint upgrade was going to benefit 3G customers as well as LTE customers. I guess I will have a crappy connection until September 1st when I will upgrade to iPhone 5. Does anyone live/work in the West Loop area? How is LTE over there?

 

Thanks!!!

 

I didn't mean to be totally negative. Your 3G will improve somewhat with NV: The new 3G panels with RRU's yield up to a 15-20% improvement in signal strength at the phone, and 3G->4G offloading may yield 3G improvement due to less congestion.  But the real payoffs will come from 800 Mhz connections and from 4G LTE.  The iPhone 5 can do 1x800 (voice and text) and 4G LTE, but will not be able to do 800 LTE (no current Sprint phone can do 800 LTE).  Other threads suggest that the phone vendors will release "tri-band" Sprint phones in the fall, with 800, 1900, and 2500 Mhz LTE (as well as 800 Mhz 1x for voice and text).  Consider waiting until one of these new phones is available, as the iPhone 5 (and the Samsung GS4, and all other current phones) will become instantly obsolete the day the tri-band phones are announced.  If we are all lucky, that may happen before Sept 1, but knowledgeable people who have posted about them don't think they will be quite that early.

[jmafisher]

This happened to me several months ago in Mount Prospect.  It is a known issue with Sprint, and it seems to be happening where they are cutting over new towers with multiple vendor equipment.  I have not had the problem for a long time.  It would only happen when the phone (mine is a Samsung G3) went into LTE.  It would revert back to the right time when it went to 3G.  I would call Sprint and report the problem.

[tommym65]

Has anyone else in the Northwest Suburbs been having problems with apps stopping with error messages and with incorrect dates? Signal Check Pro has stopped on my GS3 numerous times since last Thursday, and at times my phone has firmly planted itself in March, 2013.  Other apps (mail, Google maps, etc.) have also stopped with error messages.

 

My local Best Buy said that they had heard from "Sprint" that a tower in the area is down, and that they have been getting numerous complaints.

 

My question: Is this a likely explanation? It seems to have some merit, as the apps that have failed all seem to need network information to work properly.  Any ideas?

 

I have never seen the time change that much though, usually it only is an hour or two off. If it is months off the apps are likely not able to communicate because of the ssl certs are not being validated due to the clock issues. You could try and turn off getting the time from the network. It is in the android settings under date and time.

 

If its symptomatic I would let Sprint know ASAP.  If they don't know how can they address the problem.

 

This happened to me several months ago in Mount Prospect.  It is a known issue with Sprint, and it seems to be happening where they are cutting over new towers with multiple vendor equipment.  I have not had the problem for a long time.  It would only happen when the phone (mine is a Samsung G3) went into LTE.  It would revert back to the right time when it went to 3G.  I would call Sprint and report the problem.

 

An update for those of us in the far, far, far Northwest: Sprint Customer Service confirms that CH73XCxxx at Cog Circle in Crystal Lake has 2 failed sectors, which could cause the errors that I am seeing (and more), and estimates correction by Thursday.  The nice Sprint lady was not able to tell me the exact issue causing the outage.

 

This outage concerns me, not so much because the sectors are having problems (stuff happens), but because the equipment on that site is nearly new, shiny, Samsung NV stuff.

 

The tower has been broadcasting 800 SMR for some time (even though it doesn't show 800 accepted on the sponsor map).  Because 800 Mhz has such a broad footprint compared to 1900, this seems to cause some interesting problems.  Using Signal Check (when I am able to), when I am driving around town and my GS3 is on 800SMR, I see the BSID jumping from site to site very often (normal behavior reported in several S4GRU threads), and the offending Cog Circle site is frequently part of the "rotation".  And, I get the app errors and clock/calendar issue quite frequently in this circumstance.  This doesn't happen when I am at home, as I have an Airave (1900 EV-DO) or I am usually connected to the one remaining local non-800 tower (eHRPD).

 

Therefore, I think the problem that I am seeing may be entirely a result of problems with the 800 Mhz equipment at the one site.  But that one 800 Mhz site seems to be affecting a much larger area than a 1900 Mhz site would affect.

 

Hopefully, this is not a harbinger of poor Samsung NV equipment reliability. But it is a concern that a single tower with 800Mhz capability may have a broader impact than a pre-NV tower with only 1900.

[Joeynach]

Thank you for the network and frequency lesson. I honestly thought that the Sprint upgrade was going to benefit 3G customers as well as LTE customers. I guess I will have a crappy connection until September 1st when I will upgrade to iPhone 5. Does anyone live/work in the West Loop area? How is LTE over there?

 

Thanks!!!

Looking at the variance between the NV Sites complete Map and Chicago NV Sites map there are four towers in the West Loop.  I am calling the West Loop the area between Ashland (West), Lake (north), i-290 (south), and Canal (east).  Of the four towers in this area, three show on the NV complete map, two of the three show 4G accepted and on.  So the short answer is it should be OK, but not great.  The tower on Washington and Loomis needs 4G acceptance, and the tower on Jackson/Clinton doesn't show anything as of yet.  So there u go.

[ChiWestLooper]

Looking at the variance between the NV Sites complete Map and Chicago NV Sites map there are four towers in the West Loop.  I am calling the West Loop the area between Ashland (West), Lake (north), i-290 (south), and Canal (east).  Of the four towers in this area, three show on the NV complete map, two of the three show 4G accepted and on.  So the short answer is it should be OK, but not great.  The tower on Washington and Loomis needs 4G acceptance, and the tower on Jackson/Clinton doesn't show anything as of yet.  So there u go.

Thank you for the info! I actually live in the Greektown are so the tower on Jackson/Clinton is precisely the one that will most likely serve my block.

[Joeynach]

Thank you for the info! I actually live in the Greektown are so the tower on Jackson/Clinton is precisely the one that will most likely serve my block.

Yeah man, same thing over and over again in regards to downtown.  The NV transformation is just starting to happen like right now. Its all about patience, downtown is obviously last and moves a lot slowly.  It's unfortunate we had to see it to believe it, or know it, but thats the way it is.  Im sure several months from now when its all behind us we won't even remember the bad times.....like Derrick Rose's eventual return.

[tongboy]

 

An update for those of us in the far, far, far Northwest: Sprint Customer Service confirms that CH73XCxxx at Cog Circle in Crystal Lake has 2 failed sectors, which could cause the errors that I am seeing (and more), and estimates correction by Thursday. The nice Sprint lady was not able to tell me the exact issue causing the outage.

Did she say what two sectors are failing?

 

That tower is garbage right now. Data speeds are horrible. Most of Crystal Lake is waiting for them to fire up the microwave backhaul. If you are at the Walmart on 31 you can't even get Google Nav to load up. The cog Circle tower feeds that area.

 

If that is your home tower I feel bad for you.

 

If you go to the tower by the Lake in the Hills airport data speeds are flying.

 

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

 

[Joeynach]

Thank you for the info! I actually live in the Greektown are so the tower on Jackson/Clinton is precisely the one that will most likely serve my block.

That Jackson/Clinton tower now shows up on the NV Sites complete map, not 4G yet though.

[S4GRU]

What if we have the site IDs from elsewhere, like saw them written on the gear at the site? ;-)

 

That is permissible. Just reference where you got the Site ID if posting it in a public place. That way our Mods don't think you are quoting it from Sponsor content.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

 

[tommym65]

Did she say what two sectors are failing?

 

That tower is garbage right now. Data speeds are horrible. Most of Crystal Lake is waiting for them to fire up the microwave backhaul. If you are at the Walmart on 31 you can't even get Google Nav to load up. The cog Circle tower feeds that area.

 

If that is your home tower I feel bad for you.

 

If you go to the tower by the Lake in the Hills airport data speeds are flying.

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

Nope, she didn't say which sectors, but one of them has to be BSID 21217, which is aimed to the southwest.  Again, I think the issue is with 800 SMR, because my GS3 goes nutty only when 1X is on 800.  Fortunately, it is not my home tower.  Unfortunately, my home tower has essentially no meaningful upgrades yet, other than pushing eHRPD.

 

And, you are right, the LITH Airport (Pyott Road) tower, which has all three 800 SMR, 1900 CDMA, and 1900 LTE upgrades, is FAST, and routinely gives 30-36 Mbps down, and 12-14 Mbps up.

 

I am waiting with decreasing patience for the backhaul upgrades that you mention.

[tongboy]

 

I am waiting with decreasing patience for the backhaul upgrades that you mention.

 

Maybe Robert knows why the mw backhaul seems to be lagging in the Chicago area (or if that is even a correct statement). Ethernet connected towers seem to have fired up much faster then mw towers. Large areas like Crystal Lake and Dekalb that have groups of interconnected towers with mw seem to be lagging. Crystal Lake is almost unusable for data.

 

I have seen some towers fire up with microwave, such as the one by 25 and 62, so progress is being made. They all seem to be a mw tower by themselves though and not a cluster.

 

My phone switches to 1x in that area so I imagine that is why SMR service makes that much difference with apps.

 

I understand the frustration. I hope one day you wake up and suddenly it's a different network.

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

 

[S4GRU]

 

 

 

I am waiting with decreasing patience for the backhaul upgrades that you mention.

 

 

 

Maybe Robert knows why the mw backhaul seems to be lagging in the Chicago area (or if that is even a correct statement). Ethernet connected towers seem to have fired up much faster then mw towers. Large areas like Crystal Lake and Dekalb that have groups of interconnected towers with mw seem to be lagging. Crystal Lake is almost unusable for data.

 

 

 

I have seen some towers fire up with microwave, such as the one by 25 and 62, so progress is being made. They all seem to be a mw tower by themselves though and not a cluster.

 

 

 

My phone switches to 1x in that area so I imagine that is why SMR service makes that much difference with apps.

 

 

 

I understand the frustration. I hope one day you wake up and suddenly it's a different network.

 

 

 

Sent from my EVO LTE

 

 

 

 

I do not the reason of the MW backhaul hold up in the Chicago market. I'm flabbergasted it's taken this long.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4 Beta