Network Vision/LTE - West Michigan Market (Grand Rapids/Lansing/Kalamazoo)

[jefbal99]

Hey, it seems like you guys are the local Sprint experts. I recently moved to SW Michigan in-between Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Lansing. We currently have Verizon but we are looking to switch to sprint. I'm wondering how much the Sprint Vision upgrade will improve coverage. It looks like Sprint is working on network upgrades in my area, there is LTE service within a mile of my house (we're rural) so I assume towers on our north east near Lansing have been upgraded and towers on our South West have yet to be upgraded. We don't know anyone with Sprint so current actual coverage is a guess. Thanks for any information you have.

 

So with the maps... if the site is not "in progress" are they not going to upgrade or not upgrading at this time? Is sprint going to add 800 to all their sites?

 

I guess I'm confused by the maps, can anyone give a better description of the sponsor maps and what Sprint is doing, or is a more detailed description already posted somewhere?

What city/town/village/township/burg are you actually living in? That will be the most helpful info.

 

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[cdk]

Hey, it seems like you guys are the local Sprint experts. I recently moved to SW Michigan in-between Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek and Lansing. We currently have Verizon  but we are looking to switch to sprint. I'm wondering how much the Sprint Vision upgrade will improve coverage. It looks like Sprint is working on network upgrades in my area, there is LTE service within a mile of my house (we're rural) so I assume towers on our north east near Lansing have been upgraded and towers on our South West have yet to be upgraded. We don't know anyone with Sprint so current actual coverage is a guess. Thanks for any information you have.

 

So with the maps... if the site is not "in progress" are they not going to upgrade or not upgrading at this time? Is sprint going to add 800 to all their sites?

 

I guess I'm confused by the maps, can anyone give a better description of the sponsor maps and what Sprint is doing, or is a more detailed description already posted somewhere?

 

There is a separate map (actually several) with all the Sprint Towers in the sponsor' section (that you can see). The main map only shows sites that have been accepted or marked in progress. Sites marked in progress come from member reporting that work is going on. All 38 thousand sites will be receiving NV upgrades. There are around 100 won't be receiving LTE upgrades, there is a thread in the sponsor's section that discusses them, but they should be receiving all the other upgrades.

 

As for the sites not completed around you, work may have already started. If not they should probably start soon since Michigan was one of the earlier markets.

 

Sensorly may help you determine what coverage looks like in your area but since you are rural it may only give a partial idea.

[gifters]

What city/town/village/township/burg are you actually living in? That will be the most helpful info.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4

 

I'm in Hope Twnshp, a couple miles away from Cloverdale

[gifters]

I got a couple pictures of towers... so exciting... really the kid just needed a nap so I took him for a drive.

 

This tower is labeled as a 3G/800 and is closest to my house, it also is pretty far back from the road with no public access, and I couldn't get a picture of the full tower

 

This tower is labeled as 3G and is the second closest tower to my house

 

super exciting... I take it both these towers have yet to be upgraded fully.

[cdk]

I got a couple pictures of towers... so exciting... really the kid just needed a nap so I took him for a drive.

 

This tower is labeled as a 3G/800 and is closest to my house, it also is pretty far back from the road with no public access, and I couldn't get a picture of the full tower

 

This tower is labeled as 3G and is the second closest tower to my house

super exciting... I take it both these towers have yet to be upgraded fully.

 

The first appears to have NV equipment up and all its legacy equipment removed. I would say the only thing that needs to be completed is the backhaul before this site is 4G accepted.

 

The second looks like Sprint is on the second rack and again has NV equipment and no legacy equipment. Notice what appears to be a microwave dish is also present. Therefore the fiber connection maybe at another tower (that will have a similar dish pointing at this one).

[gifters]

So most all towers will be upgraded to 3G/800/4G, there are quite a few towers labeled as 4G only...

[cdk]

So most all towers will be upgraded to 3G/800/4G, there are quite a few towers labeled as 4G only...

 

Yes.

[Shima]

Hi does anyone know the progress of the LTE 800 deployment?  I live in Byron Center and the coverage in spots is pretty poor.  I picked up an Airrave for $40 bux on Ebay and Sprint added it for no monthly fee, but I would like to remove it from in front of my Asus router when I don't need it. I've heard that the 800 band is a work in progress, but don't know how far along things are.  So far the LTE 1900 has been really nice around GR. We have GS4's and one iphone 5 in the house, so hopefully they work with the 800 band. 

[koiulpoi]

Hi does anyone know the progress of the LTE 800 deployment?  I live in Byron Center and the coverage in spots is pretty poor.  I picked up an Airrave for $40 bux on Ebay and Sprint added it for no monthly fee, but I would like to remove it from in front of my Asus router when I don't need it. I've heard that the 800 band is a work in progress, but don't know how far along things are.  So far the LTE 1900 has been really nice around GR. We have GS4's and one iphone 5 in the house, so hopefully they work with the 800 band.

800 LTE hasn't been spotted anywhere yet AFAIK. It (should) be starting to pop up over the next few months.

 

800 for Voice is already rolling out in many places in West Michigan, not sure about Byron Center, however. If you become a sponsor (donate a few bucks to help keep the site going), you can see the sites that have been accepted by Sprint for certain technologies.

 

The phones you have now will not work for LTE on 800, but they will work for Voice/Texting (aka 1X) on 800.

 

Your data should work fine at home, however. If you have an Airave, you've got WiFi, right?

[DanMacMan]

iPhone 5 does not have a Band 26 capable radio, however, the just-announced-today iPhone 5c and 5s models do.

 

From Gigaom:

Apple threw Sprint a big bone in this latest refresh. Its variant will support the new LTE network Sprint is launching over its old Nextel iDEN spectrum later this year. That means Sprint iPhone users will be able to tap into two of its three LTE networks, though they’ll have to wait to get access to the enormous potential capacity of Sprint’s planned TD-LTE network.

[maxsilver]

iPhone 5 does not have a Band 26 capable radio, however, the just-announced-today iPhone 5c and 5s models do.

 

From Gigaom:

 

Apple threw Sprint a big bone in this latest refresh. Its variant will support the new LTE network Sprint is launching over its old Nextel iDEN spectrum later this year. That means Sprint iPhone users will be able to tap into two of its three LTE networks, though they’ll have to wait to get access to the enormous potential capacity of Sprint’s planned TD-LTE network.

 

Their definition of 'big bone' doesn't quite match mine.

 

For all the cash Sprint paid, you would expect it would support EBS/BRS, even if it meant Apple had to make a special model just for Sprint.

 

If I were Dan Hesse, I'd be *really* angry right now. It puts them at a big competitive disadvantage, especially in the major markets in IBEZ zones that can't use 800.  

 

*everyone's* going to rub this in their face. (I can already imagine the advertisements they'll air in Detroit / Ann Arbor about this).

[Shima]

800 LTE hasn't been spotted anywhere yet AFAIK. It (should) be starting to pop up over the next few months.

 

800 for Voice is already rolling out in many places in West Michigan, not sure about Byron Center, however. If you become a sponsor (donate a few bucks to help keep the site going), you can see the sites that have been accepted by Sprint for certain technologies.

 

The phones you have now will not work for LTE on 800, but they will work for Voice/Texting (aka 1X) on 800.

 

Your data should work fine at home, however. If you have an Airave, you've got WiFi, right?

Thanks for all the tips.  I will have to look at adding some $$ for sponsorship.  I do have wifi through Comcast, so before getting the Air Rave we were using Talktone/Google Voice for a couple weeks.  My wife was having one hell of a time trying to get used to it, so the Air Rave is a huge help. I am wondering how far the 800 Voice will cover for calls once they get it turned up. 

[BRUCEinGR]

Hi all,

 

I've been stopping by to read a bit little now and then around here, but haven't posted much, just been really busy with a few things lately.  Tonight something happened that I thought I should quickly share.  Just past 23:00 last night, I noticed my EVO was roaming on "Big Red"!  That's never happened here in my home before, but there it was...

 

 

I was able to get LTE from Sprint, which isn't easy in my home, but it does happen in a couple spots, but the 1XRTT was on VZW.

 

The good news is, Sprint came back in about an hour, but this time it was on 1X800!  And the location info is correct now too!

 

 

This is just a heads up, if they are turning 800 on in "clusters", there may be others out there.

 

[danny1st]

This is just a heads up, if they are turning 800 on in "clusters", there may be others out there.

Same thing here near the armory, was roaming on Verizon half the night. looks like 800 is live in south GR. However, with my stock S3 I have to do a manual update on my PRL to connect. Hoping a fix is on the way for that.

[natelangel]

According the Sprint Coverage Map, I should have "best" LTE coverage here in NE GR (Creston Neighborhood), but I rarely have LTE service. When I do it stays on for a few minutes before cutting out. The 3G is so slow its unusable. I am wondering if my coverage issues could be device related.

 

HTC Evo 4G LTE. CyanogenMod 10.2 

 

Settings:

Preferred Network Mode: LTE/CDMA/EvDo

System Select: Automatic

CDMA Subscription: NV

 

Thanks.

Edited September 11, 2013 by natelangel

[maxsilver]

According the Sprint Coverage Map, I should have "best" LTE coverage here in NE GR (Creston Neighborhood), but I rarely have LTE service. When I do it stays on for a few minutes before cutting out. The 3G is so slow its unusable.

I would put zero stock in Sprint's maps, as they are mostly meaningless in Grand Rapids.

 

The two closest Sprint towers to Creston are on the far opposite ends of the neighborhood:

 

The West tower has been upgraded, and runs 3G EVDO and LTE (site by the Alpine Meijer).

The East tower has not had any upgrades (Fuller and Knapp Water Tower), and still runs 2G EVDO only.

 

When your in Creston, your service quality will depend heavily on which tower you connect to. (It sounds like you are somewhere between the two, but closer to the East tower. When your phone can grab a weak-but-usable LTE signal from the West tower, it does. But when it can't, it falls to the closer tower, which has not yet been touched)

 

I am wondering if my coverage issues could be device related.

While your device can have an impact on network performance, I've been through that neighborhood just a few weeks ago, and had similar behaviour you describe.

 

You might get some benefit out of a different device, but I wouldn't expect good LTE performance until the Water Tower gets upgraded, regardless of what device you use.

 

(No matter what phone you have, your probably going to have some coverage issues until the Water Tower gets upgraded -- that site happens to handle a majority of the network traffic for Creston and a lot of North East Citizens Action as well.).

[natelangel]

I would put zero stock in Sprint's maps, as they are mostly meaningless in Grand Rapids.

 

The two closest Sprint towers to Creston are on the far opposite ends of the neighborhood:

 

The West tower has been upgraded, and runs 3G EVDO and LTE (site by the Alpine Meijer).

The East tower has not had any upgrades (Fuller and Knapp Water Tower), and still runs 2G EVDO only.

 

When your in Creston, your service quality will depend heavily on which tower you connect to. (It sounds like you are somewhere between the two, but closer to the East tower. When your phone can grab a weak-but-usable LTE signal from the West tower, it does. But when it can't, it falls to the closer tower, which has not yet been touched)

 

 

While your device can have an impact on network performance, I've been through that neighborhood just a few weeks ago, and had similar behaviour you describe.

 

You might get some benefit out of a different device, but I wouldn't expect good LTE performance until the Water Tower gets upgraded, regardless of what device you use.

 

(No matter what phone you have, your probably going to have some coverage issues until the Water Tower gets upgraded -- that site happens to handle a majority of the network traffic for Creston and a lot of North East Citizens Action as well.).

 Thanks for the info. I flashed back to stock ROM and updated my profile and prl, but no improvements. Any idea when the water tower gets update? I looked at the tower map, and I live closer to  the tower by Leonard and Division. Does this one have LTE?

[maxsilver]

Any idea when the water tower gets update?

No idea. I would imagine it would take longer than the others (that water tower serves 6-7 different cellular providers all of the same racks, it can be tricky to get people up there safely, while ensuring they don't step on other carrier's service and gear)

 

I looked at the tower map, and I live closer to the tower by Leonard and Division. Does this one have LTE?

I don't remember offhand. I think it does, but I might be mixing it up with Alpine. (I know the last time I was around Brassworks there was spotty LTE, but I don't remember if it was from Leonard/Division or Alpine/Deltaplex).

 

If you pay for a sponsorship to S4GRU, you can get access to the acceptance maps. (Although you have to be careful with those, as '4G Accepted' does *not* necessarily mean LTE is actually running on a given tower). You can become a sponsor by clicking the "PayPal Donate" button in the upper-right corner of the site at http://s4gru.com/index.php?/index and donating a few dollars to the guys for their hard work.

 

Also note that the tower your closest to isn't necessarily always the one with the best signal at your house. (Especially if you live on or over the hill there, you might be getting signals from the water tower further away if it's got better line-of-sight to you than the closer tower).

 

If you buy 'Signal Check Pro' in the Android Market / Google Play store, it will tell you what 1X tower your connected to (although be aware, *all* of our legacy sites are mis-configured, so the address you see in Signal Check Pro is often wrong -- offset by random amounts in random directions).

[Shima]

 

Hi all,

 

I've been stopping by to read a bit little now and then around here, but haven't posted much, just been really busy with a few things lately.  Tonight something happened that I thought I should quickly share.  Just past 23:00 last night, I noticed my EVO was roaming on "Big Red"!  That's never happened here in my home before, but there it was...

 

 

I was able to get LTE from Sprint, which isn't easy in my home, but it does happen in a couple spots, but the 1XRTT was on VZW.

 

The good news is, Sprint came back in about an hour, but this time it was on 1X800!  And the location info is correct now too!

 

 

This is just a heads up, if they are turning 800 on in "clusters", there may be others out there.

 

I was picking up 1X800 on my GS4 last night, and it was even over riding the Air Rave I was asking questions about in this thread. It was a surprise to see.  I even turned off the Air Rave and went in the basement and still was able to hold a call with no drops. I am hoping it's not just a testing phase, and they leave it up and running, so I can move away from the AR.  I have to place the AR in front of my router for the time being, as it's not happy behind it.  I've read many mixed reviews about opening ports and setting a static ip to get it working.  Anyway, I am hoping 1X800 is here to stay. 

[koiulpoi]

I was picking up 1X800 on my GS4 last night, and it was even over riding the Air Rave I was asking questions about in this thread. It was a surprise to see.  I even turned off the Air Rave and went in the basement and still was able to hold a call with no drops. I am hoping it's not just a testing phase, and they leave it up and running, so I can move away from the AR.  I have to place the AR in front of my router for the time being, as it's not happy behind it.  I've read many mixed reviews about opening ports and setting a static ip to get it working.  Anyway, I am hoping 1X800 is here to stay.

There were a couple new "clusters" of Network Vision 3G, which included a ton of 1X800, that came up in the greater Grand Rapids area this week. It's almost certainly here to stay.

[jefbal99]

There were a couple new "clusters" of Network Vision 3G, which included a ton of 1X800, that came up in the greater Grand Rapids area this week. It's almost certainly here to stay.

Any word on the Portland/Knox Rd site for 800 1x or LTE?

 

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[koiulpoi]

Any word on the Portland/Knox Rd site for 800 1x or LTE?

 

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*shrug*

You're asking the wrong fellow, in the wrong section of the forums

 

I don't have access to what technologies are accepted on what specific site, any more than you do. I just get emails warning me about things I need to tell the public; a few sites in Greater GR didn't exactly... work... after last night's switchover, so we saw a lot of complaints today.

[jefbal99]

*shrug*

You're asking the wrong fellow, in the wrong section of the forums

 

I don't have access to what technologies are accepted on what specific site, any more than you do. I just get emails warning me about things I need to tell the public; a few sites in Greater GR didn't exactly... work... after last night's switchover, so we saw a lot of complaints today.

Shit, thought I was in the sponsor forum...

 

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[BRUCEinGR]

Just curious if anyone is experiencing the the same thing. As I reported last Wednesday Night I started getting 1x800. It was everywhere I went in GR on Thursday, then sometime on Friday I lost it, and can't get it back. I must still be getting signal from the new NV equipment, since all the geo. info shows the correct address, but no 800. What are others seeing around GR?

 

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[MattVeltkamp]

Just curious if anyone is experiencing the the same thing. As I reported last Wednesday Night I started getting 1x800. It was everywhere I went in GR on Thursday, then sometime on Friday I lost it, and can't get it back. I must still be getting signal from the new NV equipment, since all the geo. info shows the correct address, but no 800. What are others seeing around GR?

 

 

I haven't gotten any 800 yet. Been keeping an eye on the phone since you mentioned it, but when I drive by the area I get nothing...

 

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