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LTE, roaming scan frequency - Moto X

pacmanfan

By pacmanfan
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pacmanfan Member Level: Digital

pacmanfan

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My new Moto X is the first LTE device I've used regularly, and I have noticed a pattern that seems odd, coming from 1X/EVDO devices. When driving through a fringe area that is mostly covered by LTE, my phone spends most of its time on 3G, or even roaming. Many mornings on my commute, I first get into LTE about 10 miles from my destination. My phone often, but not always, picks up the LTE as soon as I get into coverage. After a couple miles, I drop through a valley where my phone falls back onto shaky 3G signal, but 30 seconds later I'm back into good LTE coverage. Even though I remain in good LTE coverage for most of the remaining 7 miles or so, some days my phone stays on 3G the rest of the trip, but sometime it will pick up LTE again at a seemingly point.

 

This whole charade begins again on my evening commute--it may pick up LTE as soon as I get into coverage, or maybe a few miles down the road, or maybe after I've driven 10 miles and I'm about to exit LTE area... Or maybe it will even stay on 3G roaming the whole drive, not even switching to native 3G!

 

This is in sharp contrast to my older phones, which were typically very fast (10-15 seconds) to pick up EVDO when present. Why is LTE so different? Do all LTE phone behave this way, or do I have a lemon? Is this a function of radio behavior, and might it be patched in the future?

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S4GRU Member Level: LTE Advanced

S4GRU

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It's most likely the LTE scan settings of your device. Most Sprint LTE device it is 300 seconds (5 mins) by default. If you lose your connection, it probably will not scan again for 5 mins for LTE. I'm not sure of the settings in the Moto. But on most Android devices you can adjust this time amount to something lesser. This may help your situation.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

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ericdabbs Member Level: LTE Advanced

ericdabbs

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It's most likely the LTE scan settings of your device. Most Sprint LTE device it is 300 seconds (5 mins) by default. If you lose your connection, it probably will not scan again for 5 mins for LTE. I'm not sure of the settings in the Moto. But on most Android devices you can adjust this time amount to something lesser. This may help your situation.

 

Robert via Samsung Note 8.0 using Tapatalk Pro

Where do you change this setting on most Sprint LTE phones? I have only seen this option available on the htc one max.

 

Sent from my LG G2 LS980 using Tapatalk

 

 

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LoneSnark Member Level: Digital

LoneSnark

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I presume it is a perception issue for Sprint. If your phone is ever having trouble communicating, they don't want you to be able to look up and see 4G. 

 

A more generous reading is that EVDO coverage is literally more extensive on more towers and has more available channels to choose from, so theoretically if a phone is having connection issues, 3G should be more likely to achieve a reliable connection than LTE at this time. 

 

But my experience is exactly the opposite of what theory says it should be. On my EVO LTE, I'll be stationary at the office, LTE working just fine, although clearly at its extreme signal limits. Then, seemingly at random, it drops to EVDO and connectivity is effectively lost. Pages just spin, Skype begins toggling online/offline, and messages pile up (waiting to send, and come in all at once). I can force it back to LTE with airplane mode, which is annoying. 

 

I need to stay connected to CDMA for texting purposes, so setting the radio to LTE only is out. There is a CDMA, LTE radio option, but when I use it in this setting, LTE drops out all the same, just back to CDMA rather than EVDO. 

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ericdabbs Member Level: LTE Advanced

ericdabbs

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Battery life, I presume. I found the scan time setting in engineering, and I'm in the process of getting my MSL so I can try to set it lower. Hopefully I can report back how battery life is impacted.

 

Which menu did you find the scan time setting and what dialer code did you use?  I assume you are using the Moto X phone?

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ericdabbs Member Level: LTE Advanced

ericdabbs

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Mine says "Next LTE Scan(min)" = 5

 

Yeah same thing.  5 mins or 300 seconds.  I guess the Moto X uses minutes while HTC One Max uses seconds.  I wonder if there is a way to change it on LG phones.  Not sure if Samsung phones have this option.  I really hate that 5 minute interval.  I want to scale it down to 1 or 2 minutes scan intervals.

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ericdabbs Member Level: LTE Advanced

ericdabbs

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According to this post, the Galaxy S4 has input validation on the field, with a 5 minute minimum. Once I get my MSL, I will certainly try and set it lower, though :D

 

I think that is lame if you have to set a 5 minute minimum.  I think it should be at least a 1 minute minimum but if I would probably set it to every 2 minutes if I could change it.

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gnoj Member Level: eHRPD

gnoj

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What is this LTE available file you speak of? On my engineering screen I have LTE-Available, but when I go into it it just says "Reading"

 

The LTE_available file maintains a record of the CDMA 1X SID, NID, and BSID's that you were recently connected to when you were also connected to LTE. When you connect to that CDMA sector again, it will prompt the phone to rescan for LTE, since it remembers that you had LTE the last time you were there.

 

My s4 has a "nextLTEScan timer" I have it now set to 1 I normally leave it at 3 though.

 

Do you happen to know what the "BSR timer" and "BSR Max Timer" that are also in that menu are for?

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Flompholph Member Level: 4G WiMax

Flompholph

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Do you happen to know what the "BSR timer" and "BSR Max Timer" that are also in that menu are for?

I don't know what they are there is also a bsrehrpd under advanced. Do think it has to do with rescanning to find a better signal? If that was it I don't know why the menu item where all of that stuff in is called bsr instead of LTE.

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pacmanfan Member Level: Digital

pacmanfan

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Do you happen to know what the "BSR timer" and "BSR Max Timer" that are also in that menu are for?

 

From the reading I was doing, I think it has to do with the amount of time outgoing data is cached for resending, until it fails as a timeout? Not sure.

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  • 10 months later...
Maverick Member Level: 3G EVDO

Maverick

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:wavey: Hi all,

 

 

I picked up a Moto X this month and was looking for the ##number# to obtain the MSL code. Does anyone know that number?? :phone:

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WiWavelength Member Level: LTE Advanced

WiWavelength

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:wavey: Hi all,

 

 

I picked up a Moto X this month and was looking for the ##number# to obtain the MSL code. Does anyone know that number?? :phone:

 

No.  There is no such dialer code.  The MSL is essentially unique to each handset.

 

AJ

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Yuhfhrh Member Level: eHRPD

Yuhfhrh

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:wavey: Hi all,

 

 

I picked up a Moto X this month and was looking for the ##number# to obtain the MSL code. Does anyone know that number?? :phone:

 

Open a Sprint live chat and ask for the MSL of your phone. They've always given it to me.

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Maverick Member Level: 3G EVDO

Maverick

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No.  There is no such dialer code.  The MSL is essentially unique to each handset.

 

AJ

 

Oh, that's strange. I'm aware in regards to the MSL being unique per device but prior to this I had a G2 as my daily driver and got the MSL by dialing  ##443336772# and it popped up at the bottom for a few seconds. I was thinking it would be the same across all smartphones but wasn't sure if the dialing code would be the same. I did try the G2 dialing number (aforementioned) but it didn't work so I was thinking the Moto X perhaps has a unique dialing number for it to get the MSL number.

 

Make sense.....

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Maverick Member Level: 3G EVDO

Maverick

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Open a Sprint live chat and ask for the MSL of your phone. They've always given it to me.

 

I've been hesitant in doing that since I've heard tons of negative feedback from others that the reps either don't know or are hesitant in giving out or won't and very few others like yourself whom had luck getting it. 

 

What will I need to let them know in order to get it.

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