halcyoncmdr

 

Why not?

 

I mean, besides the whole "end user might brick their phone" problem, I've never seen any issues arise from Odin flashing, and have found it rather useful.

Because of the whole "end user might brick their phone" issue. Then they bring it into the store to get it fixed, angry that they messed it up in the first place and expecting Sprint to fix it... for free... without insurance. I see it at least every other day.

 

 

Nothing Odin and the stock Tar file can't fix though.

 

Sent from my little Note2

True. As a retail tech however, I can't recommend that route... :-P

It's possible it could be a software corruption, something a hard rest may not fix bit a software reflash would. The triage system in the service sites die not yet have the software loaded top reflash to devices. I do not know if Samsung KIES would work to reflash the software.

There was a ticket opened up overnight on the 20th for every tower homed to the Phoenix 2 Switch. It is dropping calls at a high rate. Every tower in the Tucson/Yuma, Phoenix, and at least part of San Diego markets are affected. So pretty much half of the Mexican border area is affected. I have no idea what caused it, the ticket didn't say.

ETR last I saw was some time on the 27th. Keep in mind, this is only that one ticket, I don't keep track of every ticket made on a daily basis around here, I only remember the big ones.

It's possible there is a provisioning issue, or your account network-side isn't setup properly. I'm not at work, so I can't check if there is/was an issue today.

Do you have any other phones on the account? Are they working properly? Have you tried calling into Care to see if there are any outages or anything wrong with your account?

Are you sure you paid your bill, or maybe you are over your spending limit? I think you'd be surprised how often this is the culprit. Even with customers that have always paid it on time in the past. We all forget things occasionally.

 

 

The one on la cholla?

Nope. Never mind. Haha

Wow.. for the last 4 days i haven't been able to make calls.. It will stay connected for a minute or two then say the signal has faded. I went down to sprint and they said that a bunch of towers went down, of course they didn't give me an explanation but instead deactivated my phone then reactivated it.. fun.

Might have been my store.

So... had a coworker show me a pic he took of the tower on Wilmot/Speedway today. Cherry Picker truck there with two tech up working on the top of the tower. New panels were being added.

Not 100% sure they were Sprint since there were other panels on the same tower, but the base cabinets had Sprint on them for that tower, and the panels look fairly similar to other NV equipment I've seen here. I don't have the picture (it was grainy, taken with an Optimus G through the side mirror of his car as he passed it, that camera is AMAZING!!!!!), but I'm gonna try and go by and get a good photo here soon.

I think you guys would be amazed the number of weird issues a software reflash will correct. It's why techs usually want to do that before replacing a phone. Weird issues no one has ever seen often go away into thin air.

I worked closely with a few Mac OS and iOS app developers a couple years past, and I know exactly what you mean. While it's gotten better, at the time there were several APIs that were completely undocumented, and many function calls that, officially, didn't exist.

 

What all does GSX expose that's not available to the end user, or to similar diagnostic programs on Android? My limited experience with it shows it reveals app crashes, battery health, etc. Nothing too dangerous.

 

Truly? That should be interesting. The iPhone was never one I found particularly fun to take apart on my spare time...

It's not that it exposes anything dangerous, just that Apple I think didn't want the exact means more publicly available. There are still many API calls that are undocumented. Apple is secretive about everything.

Yeah the iPhone is not fun to take apart. I think Apple is starting to see a ton of fixable phones be exchanged instead though because stores can't open them up. I can't even imagine the number of phones exchanged for a button not working that could be fixed if a store could open it up. Repairing a device costs a lot less than refurbishing one.

Oh come now, that sounds very much like a story. You simply must tell it!

 

(and the reason I asked was, yes, ASCs are delayed at getting GSX rolled out; we were "trained" on it about a month ago)

It's nothing special really. Apple doesn't like to share anything they use. They are extremely secretive. GSX allows a ton of diagnostic info, remotely. GSX operates using an Apple ID configured for it normally. None excerpt Apple have access for that reason.

To allow Sprint employees access while still keeping track of which users were doing what was a big hurdle, both for Sprint and Apple.

The trial occurred in October and then disappeared. And portions of the GSX instructions at first told techs to open the phone to diagnose issues more effectively, something Sprint couldn't do.

I think Apple is starting to realize that Apple stores can't be the only authorized locations to open iPhones, they simply don't have enough locations and Geniuses. I would put money on Sprint tech's being able to open iPhones in the next few months because of it.

Speaking of that, is GSX one of the tools you have access to, by chance?

Sprint corporate stores got GSX access yesterday. Authorized repair stores are delayed. I'm surprised Apple did it at all knowing the history behind the GSX trial program my store was a part of and Apple's tendencies.

Actually, there was an issue with the iPhone 5 and data services, which has since been resolved with a carrier settings update.

 

Edit: gah, beaten to a different issue description. That's what I get for leaving a tab open in the background.

Actually there was a carrier update that fixed some data connectivity issues as well. The iPhone has sort of plagued Sprint in regards to weird issues not found on other devices. Combine that with the initial rollout of LTE and an entirely different account authentication system and I'm sure the iPhone 5 has a ton of weird little bugs unique to itself that other devices and operating systems don't have.

People seem to assume that because it's an iPhone that it is perfect 100% of the time. More often than not, the iPhones are the ones we see most often in S&R because the users don't understand they have to do at least a little maintenance like turning it off/on once in a while. Try explaining to someone that the issue they've been getting progressively more annoyed at for 3 months would have been fixed if they power cycled their phone. More often than not they don't take kindly to that even though it's a simple fact.

or When having iPhone5 Data Problems, Told me "The Towers Are Weird Like that" when several coworkers have Sprint devices no 3g issues, had my tri-fi in 3g only mode and my moms android running data and the only device not connecting to 3g was the iPhone. Needless to say I returned it for that. But don't dare ask an entry level rep ANYTHING about Network Vision.

There actually is a known issue Apple and Sprint have verified about with some iPhone 5's losing data connectivity to the network. It is hardware, it is a small number of devices. Although with the number of iPhones sold, that number could be quite high while still being a small percentage. It is a hardware issue and cannot be repaired in the field, the phone has to go back to Apple. There is a specific set of steps for a tech to go through to identify the issue and it takes at least a half hour (it involves waiting for the device to de-authenticate with the network entirely via timeout (so it has to be off for 30 minutes at least). IF hte phone is affected, it is exchanged free of charge because it can't be repaired.

That also being said, the iPhone historically has performed the worst on Sprint's network of most of our devices from my experience. Even devices that aren't affected by this defect have weird habits staying connected and the retail stores, thanks to Apple's draconian ways, have virtually no way to work on or diagnose issues with iDevices. Androdi on the other hand, we have quite a few options officially, and the entire Play Store for other unofficial solutions.

I'm sure there's a joke about Antennagate in here somewhere.

In all likelihood, there is not outage. That rep is just trying to give you a reason to get you off the phone. I have said it a million times: do not call Sprint, talk to an entry level worker, and expect to get accurate information about the network or deployment.

 

Network Vision rollout is far along in Chicagoland, but it is not complete yet. So, your LTE coverage may still improve. However, LTE is a more fragile airlink than is CDMA1X or EV-DO. So, LTE coverage indoors will not likely be as good. But if you are at home, why do you need LTE? Why are your phones not on Wi-Fi?

 

AJ

Having access to the internal outage board, an outage on the legacy network is actually pretty likely. Especially in Network Vision markets. The fact the rep even gave a date suggests it is an outage, not NV-related. All NV-related towers have outage notifications listed stating they are being upgraded to Network Vision and that any ETR listed is unreliable, not to give any ETR for the tower because of that as it could potentially be more than a month away if issues arise.

Granted, there NV-related notices are probably put up for the towers a week or so in advance, and left until the tower is accepted by Sprint, which as we know can take a while if things aren't exactly perfect and to Sprint's liking.

Since he got a real ETR, it's likely a standard outage on that tower. That being said, without more info to go on like a zipcode or cross streets to narrow it down, I can't look it up personally.

Yes, charging when it's not plugged in is about 90% chance there is corrosion of some kind in the port, causing it to short the pins and think it is charging.

Sometimes, cleaning it with denatured alcohol can remedy the situation if it's just some kind of debris causing it, corrosion on the other hand is hit or miss.

On the plus side, if it is liquid damaged and you get a REALLY nice tech, they may replace the charging port for you. The Galaxy Nexus is one of the few devices I believe that have a replaceable charging port (not at work, don't quote me). This would be against policy however, DO NOT EXPECT OR DEMAND IT. That will just make them want to help you out less and probably just send you along to Asurion for a replacement through TEP (if you have it).

 

 

Would it take as long to upgrade the sites as the upgrades that are happening today? Or would it be a lot faster? Because I've read that on average it takes 2 weeks for 1 site to get everything upgraded. Would it take as long to upgrade it to 800mhz?

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

No, it would be faster. The main reason it takes so long is that everything is being replaced the first time around. It's not just an upgrade to start, it's a complete replacement.

It could have been caused by an issue with the new equipment, so they turned the old stuff back on in the meantime. This is one of the reasons they are leaving the old 3G equipment on the towers wherever possible. If something happens that requires an extended downtime on the new stuff, they can turn the old stuff back on temporarily to fill in the gap.

Hello Forum,

So my questions are:

 

Do current network vision panels support LTE at 800mhz?

If they do what is requiered to get them working?

And finally how long would each one of these sites take to upgrade?

 

Thanks in advance

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

I'm not sure if the panels being used in PR are any different, but the panels I've seen all support 800/1900 1xRTT Voice/3G EvDO/4G LTE.

That being said, I know each NV vendor is using different panels, but I am uder the assumption the requirements by Sprint are the same for each panel, they just don't have to come from the same vendor. For example, Samsung is using Samsung equipment, Alcatel-Lucent as well, etc.

As it would require to get 800MHz working on a panel that support it is hooking up a new RRU to the panel and card in the cabinet to control it. Things like downtilt probably would already be figured out beforehand, and from what I remember reading, at least some of the panels being used actually support controlling downtilt remotely.

 

 

Its not just voip. It's actually a VPN connection. Some routers do not allow VPN for obvious reasons.

 

Sent from my little Note2

Ah yes, I forgot about that part.

lol

I thought it was only just one upgrade(network vision) and done. I had no idea about NV2 lol.

Anything beyond the current deployment is not classified as Network Vision, technically. that doesn't mean that once NV is done that Sprint is just going to sit on its hands again. That's the reason we are where we are now. Network Vision is just the beginning to get Sprint's network back to a viable status.

All new phones will be able to take advantage of Network Vision, they may not be able to take advantage of future upgrades as part of NV2.

I thought the LTE devices were compatible with NV2

They will support 800MHz voice (not technically NV2 but it may seem that way since most towers aren't having it turned on yet, I'd assume due to spectrum limitations in areas).

No current Sprint device supports 800MHz LTE or LTE-Advanced at all. The majority of devices also only support 5x5MHz channels as well (not an issue currently since that's all Sprint is deploying right now). No phones support 2500MHz LTE either for Clearwire's urban deployments that are planned.

Depending on how exactly you classify "NV2" any one of these could fall under that category.

The American way is to enjoy being ignorant.

 

When you are afraid of change, you look for reasons why change is bad.

 

Confirmation bias + ignorance = America #1!!!!

'Murica! Frack Yeah!

in all probability the problem is entirely on their end. I've been dealing with the various iterations of Sprint's Airave for about three years now so I'm something of an expert in this field. as is the problem with all other areas of Sprint's employee base, the vast majority of Airave tech support know absolutely nothing about the devices they're paid to "support." if you're talking a with Sprint tech who are telling you that because you have no Sprint service in your area the Airave won't work, you're talking to a total moron. (And just so you know, I've spoken with people who think the Airave needs to get Sprint service OTA in order to work.) about the only thing you can do with Sprint is tolerate their seemingly limitless strata of ignorance and hope to get someone competent. more often than not if you've got everything hooked up properly (and no, you absolutely don't need to connect to the Airave ahead of the router) and you've got a solid GPS light, the problem is becaus one of their "techs" didn't do something right. the other possibility is that there's something wrong with the Airave itself but the chances of that are pretty slim - Sprint's favorite response when you say your service is lackluster is that your device is broken and should be replaced. One out of every 100 times is this actually the case, though. Instead it's down to poor service and outright incomptence from Sprint.

 

so yeah, either try to be patient or go to another carrier. Sprint's not really worth that much of your time, trust me.

Welcome to almost all tech support and customer support for US companies. The call centers are staffed at minimum wage with very little training. My roommates just got hired by a call center here taking calls for Comcrap (our ISP coincidently) and they had 2 weeks of training. Half of that was about up-selling and how to speak. The other half was learning the systems themselves. There was no training on products or anything like that. They are not in a dedicated sales dept, they work the standard Customer Service queue.

Turnover is 80+% within 6 months. It's the nature of a call center where people call in constantly yelling about things they likely broke themselves, but it's the company's fault. Keep in mind, I work in a corporate Sprint retail store as a technician, I see this all the time as well... in person. On a phone where you aren't staring at a person face-to-face people have less inhibitions about being d*****nozzles.

No DMZ is needed. No special configuration is needed in your router. Plug the Airave WAN port into a LAN port of your router.

 

Reset it like mentioned above.

 

If you are using your internet connection 100% by watching a video or bit torrent, the mobile light will go red.

This is not necessarily true. Some routers by default will block the ports required for the Airave (no idea why, it's just VoIP), others have weird compatibility issues. This is why a lot of the time it is recommended to put it in a DMZ, or not behind hte router at all. If it works with no router, and doesn't with the router, the router is the issue.

I always recommend putting a QoS on the router allowing VoIP traffic through the Airave to take up as much bandwidth as it wants, otherwise people complain about it going in/out "randomly". It is very highly dependent on your ISP connection and what else is on your network. It may even be another device trying to use the same ports, etc. causing some weird issue.