Network Vision/LTE - Atlanta/Athens Market

[chong67]

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.

 

I am further away from this tower. I see 4G at 3 or 4 bar. Now I get good test speed.

 

Tomorrow I am going to be at that tower again about 4 blocks away and test it and I am also going to check out that Southlake mall tower when I go running.

Edited July 26, 2012 by chong67

[pyroscott]

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.

 

The tower is probably still blocked then...

[Proxcee]

I installed the LG8 update on my GS3 earlier today. I went out running errands and ended up back at the spot where I first got an LTE signal (before the launch)...and now I'm getting 5/6 bars...approx 26 megs down 9 up. Keep in mind this spot hasn't had LTE since before launch and its about a mile from my house. I'm wondering if it was the update or maybe they turned the tower back on? I'm sure once I leave this spot and go home I'll be back to 3G..we will see.

[themuffinman]

The tower is probably still blocked then...

 

This is something I was thinking about as well. Even though there are many sites that are confirmed complete sprint may still be blocking some sites even though they officially launched their lte service.

[Trice]

The tower is probably still blocked then...

 

 

Yea, that's what I thought until I picked up the brief signal a half mile up the road, maybe they were testing the tower.

[spacesurfer]

Omg omg omg. It's like opening a Christmas present. I'm getting 4 g at work. I've barely gotten 3g in the building. They must have turned on a tower. Maybe because I'm in a different part of building higher than usual. But still I've never gotten late here. I'm on peach tree dunwoody rd near northsode hospital.

[spacesurfer]

I did a quick test. Went down to the 2nd floor of building where I usually work and back to 3G. on 5th floor it's 4G. 3 flights makes a difference.

 

Apparently, 4G was available in this area, just dind't know cause it didn't penentrate well where I work. (Neither does 3G btw on 2nd floor.)

 

It also doesn't penetrate the parking deck since sometimes I sit in car before work and can't get 4G. But the 3G is good & stable in parking deck.

[LegenDerry_]

Im like 3 miles away from you Spacesurfer. I work off Peacthree Dunwoody and Central parkway lol...no 4g here tho

[Andr3w]

I've been complaining about not getting LTE when LTE first launched. But now this past week, I've been getting LTE everywhere I go in North Fulton. The problem is that it doesn't stay connected in buildings, which is strange to me since it's on the same frequency as 3G.

 

And my speeds are around 4-12Mbps.

[S4GRU]

You shouldn't depend on schedule maps to determine where signals are definitely going to be. There are sites on the schedule maps that get delayed all the time. Backhaul doesn't show up, another site is given priority, equipment problems, and now we hear about bird nests...LOL.

 

Schedule maps are a schedule in the future, not a definite completion list.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[spacesurfer]

Excuse my ignorance but is advanced LTE supposed to penetrate buildings better than the LTE we have today?

[pyroscott]

Excuse my ignorance but is advanced LTE supposed to penetrate buildings better than the LTE we have today?

 

Thats a tricky question. LTE advanced will not, but the 800 MHz spectrum that sprint will use will penetrate buildings better than 1900 MHz spectrum Sprint is using today. LTE advanced will arrive around the same time, and will be capable of aggregating the 800 and 1900 MHz spectrum.

 

From JBtoro on Forum Runner

[caleuche]

 

Thats a tricky question. LTE advanced will not, but the 800 MHz spectrum that sprint will use will penetrate buildings better than 1900 MHz spectrum Sprint is using today. LTE advanced will arrive around the same time, and will be capable of aggregating the 800 and 1900 MHz spectrum.

 

From JBtoro on Forum Runner

 

In a high rise the situation is somewhat complicated by LTE, no soft hand off and line of site to many cells. It might not be a penitration problem but rather a pilot pollution problem.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Crimson01]

My wife reports a 4G LTE signal in Braselton, GA, (West of Chateu Elan) and ran a speedtest with 12 UP & 8 down on her Gnex. Curiously, the 4G tower that feeds the Mall of GA I've been talking about, for some reason I can't connect to when I drive by it daily, using the toggle method I described last week. I'm working this weekend, so I hope to test this further on Monday or Tuesday.

 

That EVO OTA update can't get here soon enough, I hope if fixes the 3G/4G signal threshold issue we've all documented.

[Proxcee]

My wife reports a 4G LTE signal in Braselton, GA, (West of Chateu Elan) and ran a speedtest with 12 UP & 8 down on her Gnex. Curiously, the 4G tower that feeds the Mall of GA I've been talking about, for some reason I can't connect to when I drive by it daily, using the toggle method I described last week. I'm working this weekend, so I hope to test this further on Monday or Tuesday.

 

That EVO OTA update can't get here soon enough, I hope if fixes the 3G/4G signal threshold issue we've all documented.

 

If its anything like the GS3 update then you'll never have to toggle again to get an LTE signal.

[Crimson01]

If its anything like the GS3 update then you'll never have to toggle again to get an LTE signal.

 

I hope so. I just parked underneath a tower that I documented last week serving 4G to the mall area. Toggling again didn't let me connect from the same spot I got it last week. So I drove East, still couldn't connect. Rebooted my phone, and then toggled, and got it. That's just too much work in a car while you're driving to get 4G.

 

So I pose a question to those knowledgable regarding these NV towers. What kind of pattern should they be outputting? Would it be an omni directional pattern meaning North East South & West equally from the tower, or are they more focused and directional, meaning just East or just South? The tower I'm talking about serves an area about 1-2 miles East of the tower, but driving about 1/8 mile or less N of this tower, I lose 4G. What would be the reasoning behind that? I've got screenshots if anybody is that interested.

Edited July 29, 2012 by Crimson01

[Crimson01]

I hope so. I just parked underneath a tower that I documented last week serving 4G to the mall area. Toggling again didn't let me connect from the same spot I got it last week. So I drove East, still couldn't connect. Rebooted my phone, and then toggled, and got it. That's just too much work in a car while you're driving to get 4G.

 

So I pose a question to those knowledgable regarding these NV towers. What kind of pattern should they be outputting? Would it be an omni directional pattern meaning North East South & West equally from the tower, or are they more focused and directional, meaning just East or just South? The tower I'm talking about serves an area about 1-2 miles East of the tower, but driving about 1/8 mile or less N of this tower, I lose 4G. What would be the reasoning behind that? I've got screenshots if anybody is that interested.

 

This image to illustrate my point....(click to expand)

 

Edited July 30, 2012 by Crimson01

[S4GRU]

 

I hope so. I just parked underneath a tower that I documented last week serving 4G to the mall area. Toggling again didn't let me connect from the same spot I got it last week. So I drove East' date=' still couldn't connect. Rebooted my phone, and then toggled, and got it. That's just too much work in a car while you're driving to get 4G.

 

So I pose a question to those knowledgable regarding these NV towers. What kind of pattern should they be outputting? Would it be an omni directional pattern meaning North East South & West equally from the tower, or are they more focused and directional, meaning just East or just South? The tower I'm talking about serves an area about 1-2 miles East of the tower, but driving about 1/8 mile or less N of this tower, I lose 4G. What would be the reasoning behind that? I've got screenshots if anybody is that interested.[/quote']

 

Most towers have three sectors, which roughly cover 180 degrees around the tower.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

[Josh]

I hope so. I just parked underneath a tower that I documented last week serving 4G to the mall area. Toggling again didn't let me connect from the same spot I got it last week. So I drove East, still couldn't connect. Rebooted my phone, and then toggled, and got it. That's just too much work in a car while you're driving to get 4G. So I pose a question to those knowledgable regarding these NV towers. What kind of pattern should they be outputting? Would it be an omni directional pattern meaning North East South & West equally from the tower, or are they more focused and directional, meaning just East or just South? The tower I'm talking about serves an area about 1-2 miles East of the tower, but driving about 1/8 mile or less N of this tower, I lose 4G. What would be the reasoning behind that? I've got screenshots if anybody is that interested.

 

From what I have heard from other posts, the phones would connect to whatever signal was stronger, no matter if it is an old 3G tower or a brand new LTE NV tower. Now what that means if it is true, if you would be getting 4 bars on LTE from that tower that you described, and as you left that tower you connected to another tower that was an old 3G at 5 bars... it would prioritize the higher signal, even if you can only get 500k down on the old 3G tower and with a lower signal on 4G LTE you can still get 5Mb/s!

 

Once they have all their towers upgraded with NV and then tuned them to optimize the coverage, this will not be a problem. One other point I would like to make is that sprint would rather everyone be able to get their advertised 6-8Mb/s, even if you could get usable signal that would be a better experience than the current 3G, they would not want the negative PR of their brand new LTE network delivering 3G speeds.

[spacesurfer]

I finally got the nexus galaxy update. My experience is that it no longer connects to 4g even when I know I used to get a signal there. Eben if I toggle cdma back to lte/cdma its not connecting to lte. Are we regressing?

[chong67]

It has been a mystery to me too. I see 4G and when I try to do Speedtest app on it and do surfing, it hangs.

 

I didnt want to rebooot my phone or do any toggle.

 

I just dont know what is going on.

[Crimson01]

4G Speedtest in Braselton GA West of Chateau Elan. EVO, toggled to receive. Best speed yet, 2nd LTE area. (BTW, Braselton was once home to Kim Basinger, for you other creatures from the 80's)

 

Edited July 30, 2012 by Crimson01

[dpullen]

Btw, since I landed at the airport, I have gotten an LTE connection several times, but it keep dropping...

 

Sent from my EVOlte using tapatalk

[LegenDerry_]

Rookie question, how far does a signal go from a tower? 1-3 miles?

[S4GRU]

Rookie question, how far does a signal go from a tower? 1-3 miles?

 

It's highly variable. In dense urban situations, they may be designed to go blocks or a half mile. In suburban location, it may be 1-3 miles. In a rural location, 3 to 7 miles.

 

In remote places, on a 300' boomer in a wide open area without much ground clutter, CDMA signals can go 7-10 miles on PCS 1900. 800MHz will go even further than that.

 

Robert