Network Vision/LTE - Atlanta/Athens Market

[wjrandon]

I'm starting to detect more 4G signal in downtown Atlanta proper. It's fickel at best and all but disappears when pulling into a parking garage. I imagine this is all due to the Evo 4G LTE's inability to maintain a connection. Still, the fact is there's more signal in the air than there was last week.

 

Hopefully once more towers downtown start broadcasting LTE the service will be usable inside offices. Meanwhile, I pray for a OTA update.

[ballinjin2k]

Here is the scoop from Rick Azzi the Senior VP of Networks as to why the coverage is spotty. To me it doesn't address the connection then disconnect back to 3G but rate it for yourselves. Here it is http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Sprint-Explains-Spotty-LTE-in-Launch-Markets-120508?nocomment=1

[S4GRU]

Bob Azzi...you could have said that so much better. *sigh*

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[Crimson01]

This toggling thing is making me nuts, I just want it to detect when I'm near. I was just under my nearest LTE tower, and I had to toggle to get 4G. Robert, I sent pics to pyro with FCC details for this tower to be added to the maps. (Assuming I'm correct of course) From my testing in that area, seems this tower is firing mostly E & SE, cause a couple of blocks away North 4G drops. BTW, ESE is towards the Mall of GA & the Sprint Store. LOL...

[wjrandon]

I've been unscientifically testing my 4G connect downtown and have determined the Evo LTE disconnects at -126dBm. The data connection becomes unstable at -120dBm. I drove a circle around the tower BSID:4241 (33°45'46.27"N, 84°23'0.37"W) which I suppose is AT03XC265 on the map. My peek reception was -87dBM from approximately 200ft away from the tower base. It depreciated to -110dBM after driving approximately a quarter of a mile from the site and I lost signal before reaching a half mile. Inside my office building I was receiving anywhere between -100dBm to -126dBm depending on how deep into the structure I went.

 

This site just started broadcasting Monday -- is there any chance Sprint will boast power on the transmitter or is this the best it's going to get at this location? I'm contemplating purchasing some kind of signal boaster for the Evo LTE or swapping out this device for another; like the Nexus Galaxy which supposedly receives better reception. I hope it gets better since 3G connectivity is unbearable downtown and current lackluster 4G reception from the site closest to my office doesn't appear to offering any relief.

 

Comments? Suggestions? Calm my nerves please. :-)

[themuffinman]

I've been unscientifically testing my 4G connect downtown and have determined the Evo LTE disconnects at -126dBm. The data connection becomes unstable at -120dBm. I drove a circle around the tower BSID:4241 (33°45'46.27"N, 84°23'0.37"W) which I suppose is AT03XC265 on the map. My peek reception was -87dBM from approximately 200ft away from the tower base. It depreciated to -110dBM after driving approximately a quarter of a mile from the site and I lost signal before reaching a half mile. Inside my office building I was receiving anywhere between -100dBm to -126dBm depending on how deep into the structure I went.

 

This site just started broadcasting Monday -- is there any chance Sprint will boast power on the transmitter or is this the best it's going to get at this location? I'm contemplating purchasing some kind of signal boaster for the Evo LTE or swapping out this device for another; like the Nexus Galaxy which supposedly relieves better reception. I hope it gets better since 3G connectivity is unbearable downtown and current lackluster 4G reception from the site closest to my office doesn't appear to offering any relief.

 

Comments? Suggestions? Calm my nerves please. :-)

 

Like I have been saying religiously, my gnex holds an lte connection way better than my evo at this point in time, HOWEVER, there is no way I would swap an evo out to get a gnex, even with connection issues.

[troyd96]

Now I am having issues. I usually get 4-5 bars LTE in my house from what I believe is Tower: AT03XC365 at 33.46 and -84.69. I know that Robert's NV completed map doesn't show that one as completed but I am 99.9% sure that is where I am getting the LTE signal because no completed one on his map is within 5 miles of my house. The fact that I would get full bars LTE outside my house also makes me conclude along with NetMonitor's readings...

 

Now I can't get LTE to connect unless I toggle LTE only in the ##DATA## menu. When I do that, it shows me at almost no bars LTE also, but pulling a speed test I get still get good download speed like I did before when it showed me 4-5 bars. I am getting like 14-17 down and 3-6 up. So did something funky start happening with my modem? It seems to me that the bars on the phone aren't showing correctly anymore if I am still get that kind of speed on what supposedly is a 0-1 bar LTE signal.

[VW Maverick]

OTA software update starting 7/26:

 

http://www.technobuffalo.com/companies/google/android/sprint-galaxy-nexus-set-to-receive-software-update-sorry-it-isnt-jelly-bean/

 

Mav.

 

Sent with Apple's permission on my Galaxy Nexus.

[wjrandon]

My device shows full bars with -125dMb signal strength while in LTE only mode. I don't have a clue what's going on.

[troyd96]

Well I was flashing a few things today through CWM recovery. I am stock but rooted with CWM recovery instead of stock recovery. I think I might have flashed something that was meant to give me beats audio on the S3 that should have worked but instead I couldn't boot up at all past the "Samsung" screen. So since I always backup through recovery before I flash anything, I just restored, but that is when the issues started happening.

 

So I flashed the LG2 and LF9 baseband/modem back and forth a couple of times trying to see if that fixed it, which it did not, and I updated my profile/prl a few times, and suddenly when I was about to give up and flash the stock ROM image on the phone again a PRL update fixed it, and I am getting everything looking right again. I don't know what the heck happened though.

[hankbear]

Like I have been saying religiously, my gnex holds an lte connection way better than my evo at this point in time, HOWEVER, there is no way I would swap an evo out to get a gnex, even with connection issues.

 

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm curious what your reasons for preferring the Evo over the Galaxy are.

 

Back to the topic at hand, though, I'm certainly OK with forcing an LTE connection. I'm just frustrated that a supposedly updated tower isn't letting me connect. Am I reading the maps wrong? I was under the impression that the subsciber-only maps showed live towers. Do they also show ones that are scheduled to be upgraded, but have not yet been? If so, how can I tell which are upgraded and which are not?

[boomerbubba]

Back to the topic at hand, though, I'm certainly OK with forcing an LTE connection. I'm just frustrated that a supposedly updated tower isn't letting me connect. Am I reading the maps wrong? I was under the impression that the subsciber-only maps showed live towers. Do they also show ones that are scheduled to be upgraded, but have not yet been? If so, how can I tell which are upgraded and which are not?

 

That depends on which map you are looking at. There are some maps for each market showing all the towers that will be converted during the life of the project, which is essentially every Sprint tower. There is a separate map, updated periodically, showing "completed" towers. Not all completed towers everywhere are live to customers, but those in Atlanta presumably are because that market has been launched.

[boomerbubba]

My device shows full bars with -125dMb signal strength while in LTE only mode. I don't have a clue what's going on.

 

The signal strength metrics for LTE are different. Read this primer.

[hankbear]

That depends on which map you are looking at. There are some maps for each market showing all the towers that will be converted during the life of the project, which is essentially every Sprint tower. There is a separate map, updated periodically, showing "completed" towers. Not all completed towers everywhere are live to customers, but those in Atlanta presumably are because that market has been launched.

 

Thanks! I'll go back and look at those maps, again. Hopefully, I am just looking at the wrong one, then.

 

Edit: I was, darn it!! Well, it makes much more sense, now. There isn't a live tower anywhere near me at work in Norcross. The one in Lawrenceville is pretty far, but I'm up on a big hill, so it, naturally, is open-air line-of-sight. Well, that is still frustrating, but on a completely different level. At least I know to be patient, now, and it's not a tower problem or an unknown phone issue. And, it just shows how hopelessly inaccurate the Sprint coverage maps are!

[themuffinman]

Not to hijack this thread, but I'm curious what your reasons for preferring the Evo over the Galaxy are.

 

Back to the topic at hand, though, I'm certainly OK with forcing an LTE connection. I'm just frustrated that a supposedly updated tower isn't letting me connect. Am I reading the maps wrong? I was under the impression that the subsciber-only maps showed live towers. Do they also show ones that are scheduled to be upgraded, but have not yet been? If so, how can I tell which are upgraded and which are not?

 

The only advantage the gnex would have is if you are into the whole vanilla android experience and faster updates, other than that the evo has it beat in every single other category. As far as subscriber maps, I think they show all the towers that will be upgrades in total. There are other maps available that show what should be upgraded by month with june being the latest. There are also maps(available if you are a premier sponsor) that give specific schedule dates per tower.

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/907-sprint-lte-may-2012-schedule-map-for-sponsors/

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/1166-sprint-lte-june-2012-schedule-map-for-sponsors/

[wjrandon]

This morning I've decided to visit the tower downtown I suspected was BSID:4241 or AT03XC265. Turns out the tower at 33°45'46.27"N, 84°23'0.37"W was owned by AT&T. Standing underneath the platform my signal was 90dMb. Hopefully it was mistaken identity and BSID: 4241 is much further away meaning the closest tower, AT03XC265, hasn't been upgraded yet. In other words, this give me hope for better building penetration.

 

Does NetMonitor only show CDMA towers? As mentioned here, the applications tower location data appears to be really off.

[Proxcee]

This morning I've decided to visit the tower downtown I suspected was BSID:4241 or AT03XC265. Turns out the tower at 33°45'46.27"N, 84°23'0.37"W was owned by AT&T. Standing underneath the platform my signal was 90dMb. Hopefully it was mistaken identity and BSID: 4241 is much further away meaning the closest tower, AT03XC265, hasn't been upgraded yet. In other words, this give me hope for better building penetration.

 

Does NetMonitor only show CDMA towers? As mentioned here, the applications tower location data appears to be really off.

 

From what I've been told... apps like NetMonitor are not to be trusted when your trying to pin point the location of a tower.

[themuffinman]

This morning I've decided to visit the tower downtown I suspected was BSID:4241 or AT03XC265. Turns out the tower at 33°45'46.27"N, 84°23'0.37"W was owned by AT&T. Standing underneath the platform my signal was 90dMb. Hopefully it was mistaken identity and BSID: 4241 is much further away meaning the closest tower, AT03XC265, hasn't been upgraded yet. In other words, this give me hope for better building penetration.

 

Does NetMonitor only show CDMA towers? As mentioned here, the applications tower location data appears to be really off.

 

Yeah, don't trust those apps when it comes to tower location but the sprint tower in question was scheduled to go live on 7/20.

[wjrandon]

Yeah, don't trust those apps when it comes to tower location but the sprint tower in question was scheduled to go live on 7/20.

 

Yikes, that could mean I am doomed to have poor signal in my office. That's not what I wanted to hear.

[boomerbubba]

From what I've been told... apps like NetMonitor are not to be trusted when your trying to pin point the location of a tower.

 

It's a little complicated.

 

But then Albert Einstein reportedly said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."

[chong67]

themuffinman,

 

I was like 5 blocks from the Sprint tower behind the hooter restaurant ...

 

I see 5 out of 5 bars constantly and on LTE.

 

I did speedtest app on it. It was very very eratic. The meter pause alot. I could not get any good and complete speed test. It just hangs. I try to do 4 tests and all failed.

 

I just wonder what is going on.

[themuffinman]

themuffinman,

 

I was like 5 blocks from the Sprint tower behind the hooter restaurant ...

 

I see 5 out of 5 bars constantly and on LTE.

 

I did speedtest app on it. It was very very eratic. The meter pause alot. I could not get any good and complete speed test. It just hangs. I try to do 4 tests and all failed.

 

I just wonder what is going on.

 

I haven't had any recent issues with connecting to that tower at all. Speedtests are pretty consistent with both my gnex and my evo so I am not sure what may be going on. Not sure what area you are located in relation to the tower but there is another tower close by(on top of southlake mall) that is schedule to go live tomorrow so if you are in that direction then maybe your phone is trying to connect to that particular tower.

[Proxcee]

themuffinman,

 

I was like 5 blocks from the Sprint tower behind the hooter restaurant ...

 

I see 5 out of 5 bars constantly and on LTE.

 

I did speedtest app on it. It was very very eratic. The meter pause alot. I could not get any good and complete speed test. It just hangs. I try to do 4 tests and all failed.

 

I just wonder what is going on.

 

I have been having the exact same problem. Well not exactly 5 bars ...may be three but I've been having problems with strong signal and poor speed.

[NiteSnow]

This morning I've decided to visit the tower downtown I suspected was BSID:4241 or AT03XC265. Turns out the tower at 33°45'46.27"N, 84°23'0.37"W was owned by AT&T. Standing underneath the platform my signal was 90dMb. Hopefully it was mistaken identity and BSID: 4241 is much further away meaning the closest tower, AT03XC265, hasn't been upgraded yet. In other words, this give me hope for better building penetration.

 

Does NetMonitor only show CDMA towers? As mentioned here, the applications tower location data appears to be really off.

 

Net Monitor uses GPS coordinates provided by CDMA Towers and can be perfectly accurate provided that they're providing proper GPS coordinates. Net Monitor won't work with LTE at this current time as far as I know.

[Trice]

Hmmm, just flashed the LG8 radio(from XDA) and can't see a difference. I am right across the street from a tower that was supposed to have been finished or live in June(ATO3XC277) but still keep getting very slow 3G, even LTE only mode doesn't pick up a signal. Funny thing about it is at the gas station about a half mile up the street I had 4G kick in for the first time ever although it only lasted about a minute or two didn't even have a chance to run a speedtest, weird.