Network Vision/LTE - Atlanta/Athens Market

[JonnygATL]

Come to think of it, the issue could also be that of capacity.  I have noticed some towers on my side of town will still give me 25 to 30meg down during the day but other towers in more conjested areas would barely get me to 2megs down during the day.

Yeah.  I live and work in Midtown and Buckhead and the towers here typically give between 2 and 4 down.  Just a lot of people on them.  Though my friends on other carriers in the exact same areas get about ten times faster DL speeds.  I dunno.  But the speeds I get are at least usable and far better than pre NV conditions.

[JonnygATL]

I'm tossing this out into the universe and hoping Robert or someone else can shed a little light on this for me.  I know that Atlanta is essentially complete and only the problem towers remain.  One of those is right across 

 

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Is there any way to find out why, exactly, this site has yet to be upgraded to LTE?  It is a problem for us in this area due to the sunken nature of the topography here which prevents those of us in this little depression from connecting to more elevated towers to our north, south and east. OF COURSE it's the tower closest to me!  lol

Edited April 30, 2014 by lilotimz
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[themuffinman]

Yeah.  I live and work in Midtown and Buckhead and the towers here typically give between 2 and 4 down.  Just a lot of people on them.  Though my friends on other carriers in the exact same areas get about ten times faster DL speeds.  I dunno.  But the speeds I get are at least usable and far better than pre NV conditions.

Currently the speeds I get when connected to band 25 lte at the tower closest to my house still comes in at sub 5mbps but luckily this tower is also transmitting band 26 and when I am connected to band 26 my speeds are a lot higher and more consistent.

[JonnygATL]

Currently the speeds I get when connected to band 25 lte at the tower closest to my house still comes in at sub 5mbps but luckily this tower is also transmitting band 26 and when I am connected to band 26 my speeds are a lot higher and more consistent.

Been meaning to ask you.. you have a N5 and are in the Atlanta area and have had other LTE phones before the N5, same story as me.  However my question to you is this:  Everyone says how great an RF performer this phone is but, in my experience, I do not get band 25 in all the places that my S4 did.  It seems my S4 always had a strong LTE signal (it was the single band version) everywhere I went and my N5 rarely wants to connect to band 25 at all.  Right now I am bouncing between 3G and band 26 LTE.  How has your N5 experience been?

[themuffinman]

Been meaning to ask you.. you have a N5 and are in the Atlanta area and have had other LTE phones before the N5, same story as me. However my question to you is this: Everyone says how great an RF performer this phone is but, in my experience, I do not get band 25 in all the places that my S4 did. It seems my S4 always had a strong LTE signal (it was the single band version) everywhere I went and my N5 rarely wants to connect to band 25 at all. Right now I am bouncing between 3G and band 26 LTE. How has your N5 experience been?

Well I currently carry the n5 and the m8 and haven't had any issues at all. Now specifically to the n5,it is easily the best RF performer when it comes to being able to pick up lte. I would even say that if the n5 doesn't pick up lte then there is no lte to be picked up. I haven't had any issues with band 25, 26 or 41. It could be possible you maybe experiencing ecsfb issues but here on the south side I haven't had any issues like that at all. If you can confirm that it's not ecsfb then I would definitely say that something may be wrong with your device.

[JonnygATL]

Well I currently carry the n5 and the m8 and haven't had any issues at all. Now specifically to the n5,it is easily the best RF performer when it comes to being able to pick up lte. I would even say that if the n5 doesn't pick up lte then there is no lte to be picked up. I haven't had any issues with band 25, 26 or 41. It could be possible you maybe experiencing ecsfb issues but here on the south side I haven't had any issues like that at all. If you can confirm that it's not ecsfb then I would definitely say that something may be wrong with your device.

Wow. You get band 41? Very nice indeed. but thank you for all of your input. I will definitely take all this into consideration when I talk to sprint tomorrow.

[themuffinman]

Wow. You get band 41? Very nice indeed. but thank you for all of your input. I will definitely take all this into consideration when I talk to sprint tomorrow.

How did things go at the sprint store?  As for band 41 I have only been able to connect to it around the airport for the most part, but been getting band 26 almost everywhere I have gone.

[JonnygATL]

How did things go at the sprint store?  As for band 41 I have only been able to connect to it around the airport for the most part, but been getting band 26 almost everywhere I have gone.

I was just discussing this a little bit in another forum.  It's crazy how everyone else says this phone is the best RF performer when for me it's been the worst RF performer of any phone I've ever owned.  For instance, other triband devices get LTE here at my house.  My single band GS4 did as well.  So triband and single band LTE phones on Sprint get 4G service at my house but not any Nexus 5s.  This seems to be a product issue inherent to all Nexus 5 devices.  Even at work this phone jumps off and on 4g all day where there is a Sprint 4g live tower less than 1000 feet away.  My GS4 would have a strong LTE signal there and so does everyone else on Sprint with whom I work.  It's absurd.  

 

At the store they were confused, as always and so I went home and called Asurion and ordered a new N5.  Which I got the next day.  Which has all of the exact same issues.  I swear I am going to explode from frustration!  

 

But like I said in the other post...the only 3G only tower inside of I-285 is the one right across from my house on the Northside Drive side of the Bobby Jones Golf Course.  It is 3G NV upgraded but no LTE yet.   So my single band GS4 would pick up LTE from more distant towers but the speeds were decent.  This phone won't even pick up LTE from those more distant towers so I really feel this phone has worse RF performance than the GS4.  At least my experience would seem to suggest that it is thus.

[LuisBOSS302]

I was just discussing this a little bit in another forum.  It's crazy how everyone else says this phone is the best RF performer when for me it's been the worst RF performer of any phone I've ever owned.  For instance, other triband devices get LTE here at my house.  My single band GS4 did as well.  So triband and single band LTE phones on Sprint get 4G service at my house but not any Nexus 5s.  This seems to be a product issue inherent to all Nexus 5 devices.  Even at work this phone jumps off and on 4g all day where there is a Sprint 4g live tower less than 1000 feet away.  My GS4 would have a strong LTE signal there and so does everyone else on Sprint with whom I work.  It's absurd.  

 

At the store they were confused, as always and so I went home and called Asurion and ordered a new N5.  Which I got the next day.  Which has all of the exact same issues.  I swear I am going to explode from frustration!  

 

But like I said in the other post...the only 3G only tower inside of I-285 is the one right across from my house on the Northside Drive side of the Bobby Jones Golf Course.  It is 3G NV upgraded but no LTE yet.   So my single band GS4 would pick up LTE from more distant towers but the speeds were decent.  This phone won't even pick up LTE from those more distant towers so I really feel this phone has worse RF performance than the GS4.  At least my experience would seem to suggest that it is thus.

Get yourself a HTC M8 or GS5 on ebay.

 

Had similar issues on my N5 but I switched it to a t mobile line since last year because I need LTE where I live.

[themuffinman]

I was just discussing this a little bit in another forum.  It's crazy how everyone else says this phone is the best RF performer when for me it's been the worst RF performer of any phone I've ever owned.  For instance, other triband devices get LTE here at my house.  My single band GS4 did as well.  So triband and single band LTE phones on Sprint get 4G service at my house but not any Nexus 5s.  This seems to be a product issue inherent to all Nexus 5 devices.  Even at work this phone jumps off and on 4g all day where there is a Sprint 4g live tower less than 1000 feet away.  My GS4 would have a strong LTE signal there and so does everyone else on Sprint with whom I work.  It's absurd.  

 

At the store they were confused, as always and so I went home and called Asurion and ordered a new N5.  Which I got the next day.  Which has all of the exact same issues.  I swear I am going to explode from frustration!  

 

But like I said in the other post...the only 3G only tower inside of I-285 is the one right across from my house on the Northside Drive side of the Bobby Jones Golf Course.  It is 3G NV upgraded but no LTE yet.   So my single band GS4 would pick up LTE from more distant towers but the speeds were decent.  This phone won't even pick up LTE from those more distant towers so I really feel this phone has worse RF performance than the GS4.  At least my experience would seem to suggest that it is thus.

Well damn, I don't even know what to say, this really doesn't make any sense.  If I had the time I pass by that area and see if I would have any issues.  What you can do though is you can sell you n5 for probably around $250 to $275 and you can get a g2 in mint condition for less than that.  

[derrph]

I am from Ohio and I will be visiting Atlanta over this upcoming weekend. How is Network vision in the Atlanta area honestly? Is there also spark service there too?

[VW Maverick]

I am connected to LTE nearly everywhere I go. Occasional spots where they are working on the towers, but not very many.

Not officially a Spark Market, but I am picking up Band 26 in alot of places.

Just my $.02

 

Mav.

 

Sent from my Sprint Tri-Band LG G2.

[derrph]

I am connected to LTE nearly everywhere I go. Occasional spots where they are working on the towers, but not very many.

Not officially a Spark Market, but I am picking up Band 26 in alot of places.

Just my $.02

 

Mav.

 

Sent from my Sprint Tri-Band LG G2.

Sounds good. So is the band 26 is the downtown area or is it kinda scatted around the city? With just the 1900 band what are the average speeds because I know in Columbus Ohio I get about 6mbps tops. 

[Dkoellerwx]

I was just discussing this a little bit in another forum. It's crazy how everyone else says this phone is the best RF performer when for me it's been the worst RF performer of any phone I've ever owned. For instance, other triband devices get LTE here at my house. My single band GS4 did as well. So triband and single band LTE phones on Sprint get 4G service at my house but not any Nexus 5s. This seems to be a product issue inherent to all Nexus 5 devices. Even at work this phone jumps off and on 4g all day where there is a Sprint 4g live tower less than 1000 feet away. My GS4 would have a strong LTE signal there and so does everyone else on Sprint with whom I work. It's absurd.

 

At the store they were confused, as always and so I went home and called Asurion and ordered a new N5. Which I got the next day. Which has all of the exact same issues. I swear I am going to explode from frustration!

 

But like I said in the other post...the only 3G only tower inside of I-285 is the one right across from my house on the Northside Drive side of the Bobby Jones Golf Course. It is 3G NV upgraded but no LTE yet. So my single band GS4 would pick up LTE from more distant towers but the speeds were decent. This phone won't even pick up LTE from those more distant towers so I really feel this phone has worse RF performance than the GS4. At least my experience would seem to suggest that it is thus.

To say it is an issue with all Nexus 5 phones is false. It is not. It is a problem with *your* Nexus 5. If there truly was a problem like this with all Nexus 5 phones, it would not get the kind of praise it does all over these forums from every other Nexus 5 owner. I don't know how you managed to get two faulty devices, but you did. Or there is something you are doing to your device that is breaking it.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

[JonnygATL]

To say it is an issue with all Nexus 5 phones is false. It is not. It is a problem with *your* Nexus 5. If there truly was a problem like this with all Nexus 5 phones, it would not get the kind of praise it does all over these forums from every other Nexus 5 owner. I don't know how you managed to get two faulty devices, but you did. Or there is something you are doing to your device that is breaking it.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

Yeah, you're right.  I'm breaking it.  You've solved the issue.  What would you imagine I'm doing to it, exactly? Beating it with a hammer?  Washing it in the washing machine?  Your implications are at once insulting, humorous and absurd.  

 

Frankly I'm done talking about it on here.  A relief to many of us, I'm sure.  But thanks for your useful input.

 

At this point, I'm just hoping the Spark update fixes it.  If not, I'll cross that bridge when I get there. 

[Dkoellerwx]

Yeah, you're right. I'm breaking it. You've solved the issue. What would you imagine I'm doing to it, exactly? Beating it with a hammer? Washing it in the washing machine? Your implications are at once insulting, humorous and absurd.

 

Frankly I'm done talking about it on here. A relief to many of us, I'm sure. But thanks for your useful input.

 

At this point, I'm just hoping the Spark update fixes it. If not, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

It's not inconceivable. I broke three consecutive OG EVOs with one of those apps that added toggles to the home screen before there were native widgets. The toggle turned off the data radio and never let it turn back on. No amount of restarting or battery pulls would fix it. Only a reset at the Sprint store would fix it. But then I'd get home, install apps again and it'd be broke again. The techs couldn't figure it out, so they just kept replacing it. It wasn't until I monitored each app I installed that I figured out what happened. I felt pretty stupid.

 

If you're still having problems, I highly doubt that the Spark update will fix anything, but we can hope. The only thing I can say for certain is that whatever the problem is, it is not a widespread issue at all.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

[VW Maverick]

Sounds good. So is the band 26 is the downtown area or is it kinda scatted around the city? With just the 1900 band what are the average speeds because I know in Columbus Ohio I get about 6mbps tops. 

Getting alot of B26 downtown and most, if not all of the surrounding suburbs.

When I am on B25, I am getting 8-10 up and 3-5 down.

On B26, getting 30-31 up and 10-12 down.

 

Fast enough for normal phone use.

 

Mav.  

[derrph]

Getting alot of B26 downtown and most, if not all of the surrounding suburbs.

When I am on B25, I am getting 8-10 up and 3-5 down.

On B26, getting 30-31 up and 10-12 down.

 

Fast enough for normal phone use.

 

Mav.

Nice. I can't wait to get a taste of B26. My first time visiting should be a blast especially with the LTE speeds.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VW Maverick]

Got this today on Band 26 near my office in Norcross;

Mav.

 

Sent from my Sprint Tri-Band LG G2.

[JonnygATL]

It's not inconceivable. I broke three consecutive OG EVOs with one of those apps that added toggles to the home screen before there were native widgets. The toggle turned off the data radio and never let it turn back on. No amount of restarting or battery pulls would fix it. Only a reset at the Sprint store would fix it. But then I'd get home, install apps again and it'd be broke again. The techs couldn't figure it out, so they just kept replacing it. It wasn't until I monitored each app I installed that I figured out what happened. I felt pretty stupid.

 

If you're still having problems, I highly doubt that the Spark update will fix anything, but we can hope. The only thing I can say for certain is that whatever the problem is, it is not a widespread issue at all.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

First..sorry, I was in a crappy mood last night.  Didn't mean to take it out on anyone else.  Just some work related stuff that didn't wind down until around 11 pm last night.  Nothing related to anything here at all.

 

Secondly...I really, really think (hope?) it's related to possible ecsfb issues as it related to band 26.  I don't even know if that's possible but here is why I think that.  I notice that I live very near the ONLY non 4G upgraded tower inside I-285 (the local beltway.).  It is 3G accepted but not 4G and remains an outlier as it has for nearly a year now.  Clearly there is some backhaul or permitting issue or something going on with this site.  But if it is 3G NV upgrade then it should have no ecsfb issues.  But, this little valley I live in is a fairly deep but highly isolated depression within the city of Atlanta and, as such, I likely have no line of sight to any other tower but this one, halfway completed tower.  If I drive up the hill and out of the valley, I immediately do connect to either band 25 or band 26.  However, if I put the phone in LTE only mode even at my house deep in the depression, I do immediately connect to band 26.  Which I guess would make sense as it carries much further on 800 mhz.  However, just this morning I was playing around with sensorly (nice upgrades to the app, btw) and I uploaded a speed test from my bed which showed me as being connected, shockingly, to band 25 (when checked via signal check pro).  And the speeds were over 15 mbps down.  That's the first time that has ever happened here in my own home, deep in this little valley in which my complex sits.  

But as soon as I put it back in LTE/CDMA auto PRL mode, it jumped right back to 3G.  So that's the latest update in this ridiculous saga.  I hear what you're saying but, still, I'm just going to wait to see what happens after the Spark rollout because, well, I think we're all fairly certain it's coming this week and I may as well go head and see what (if anything) happens.  

[JonnygATL]

Got this today on Band 26 near my office in Norcross;

Mav.

 

Sent from my Sprint Tri-Band LG G2.

Some nice band 41 love.  I wonder what the actual, current b26 and b41 live tower map would look like for metro ATL.  It's apparently becoming rather extensive.  The guys in Houston have done an excellent job in mapping NV2.0 progress.  I wish we had that here in Atlanta!

[JeremiahMcCurry]

My first taste of Band 26 at HWY 316 and Patrick Mill Rd. I've never had LTE in my work warehouse until now.

Edited June 5, 2014 by JeremiahMcCurry

[VW Maverick]

Picking up some great Band 26 in the tiny hamlet of Statham. This is from INSIDE my house.

Mav.

 

Sent from my Sprint Tri-Band LG G2.

[S4GRU]

First..sorry, I was in a crappy mood last night. Didn't mean to take it out on anyone else. Just some work related stuff that didn't wind down until around 11 pm last night. Nothing related to anything here at all.

 

Secondly...I really, really think (hope?) it's related to possible ecsfb issues as it related to band 26. I don't even know if that's possible but here is why I think that. I notice that I live very near the ONLY non 4G upgraded tower inside I-285 (the local beltway.). It is 3G accepted but not 4G and remains an outlier as it has for nearly a year now. Clearly there is some backhaul or permitting issue or something going on with this site. But if it is 3G NV upgrade then it should have no ecsfb issues. But, this little valley I live in is a fairly deep but highly isolated depression within the city of Atlanta and, as such, I likely have no line of sight to any other tower but this one, halfway completed tower. If I drive up the hill and out of the valley, I immediately do connect to either band 25 or band 26. However, if I put the phone in LTE only mode even at my house deep in the depression, I do immediately connect to band 26. Which I guess would make sense as it carries much further on 800 mhz. However, just this morning I was playing around with sensorly (nice upgrades to the app, btw) and I uploaded a speed test from my bed which showed me as being connected, shockingly, to band 25 (when checked via signal check pro). And the speeds were over 15 mbps down. That's the first time that has ever happened here in my own home, deep in this little valley in which my complex sits.

But as soon as I put it back in LTE/CDMA auto PRL mode, it jumped right back to 3G. So that's the latest update in this ridiculous saga. I hear what you're saying but, still, I'm just going to wait to see what happens after the Spark rollout because, well, I think we're all fairly certain it's coming this week and I may as well go head and see what (if anything) happens.

With this explanation, it sounds like your nearby tower is not CSFB compliant. Therefore, it shunts you back to 3G at your home, even if it can find LTE on other sites. That's why it works in LTE Only mode. This is a network/geography thing and not a device issue the best I can tell. I'm glad you've been able to find your device is working in other locations.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

[JonnygATL]

With this explanation, it sounds like your nearby tower is not CSFB compliant. Therefore, it shunts you back to 3G at your home, even if it can find LTE on other sites. That's why it works in LTE Only mode. This is a network/geography thing and not a device issue the best I can tell. I'm glad you've been able to find your device is working in other locations.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

My N5 after the update here in Atlanta is performing admirably well.  It very effectively switches between bands 25 and 26 as necessary and very rarely falls back to 3G.  I am happier with this phone now that I have ever been since purchasing it.

 

I have no experience with band 41 yet so I can't really comment on that though I know that there are many active band 41 (old Clear) sites within the city.  Once I have some experience with b41 on my N5 I will post comments on its performance here in Atlanta.

 

But my speeds are far more than adequate and my coverage has increased quite a bit due to the increasing prevalence of b26.