CriticalityEvent

Check your PN offsets. You sound like you may be idling on different CDMA1X and EV-DO sites.

 

AJ

Under 1X Engineering, I’m seeing something that just says “PN,” and under EVDO Engineering, I’m seeing “Active Set Pilot PN.” These are the only things I could find that refers to pseudo noise, and they both read 9.

On a side note, what does “RX Signal Strength” refer to under EVDO Engineering? It’s usually in the range of 90-100 with no unit, and there’s no negative sign in front of it. It seems to move independently of “Rx Power” (which sits at -0.50dBm when my 3G icon is inactive).

Wow, this is all great info, thanks! Using Netmonitor, my signal seems to be fluctuating between -88 and -96dBm while at work, which seems to be in-line with what "Rx Power" reads under "1X Engineering." However, my power under "EVDO Engineering" seems to be a little lower, more in the -91 to -97dBm range.

According to something else I read, it's not LTE itself that really drains battery power, it's switching back and forth from LTE to EV-DO. Given that -95dBm is likely where it will switch (from what I understand), wouldn't people who are operating in that area likely to see battery issues if they have their phone on LTE/CDMA mode?

There’s something that I’ve been curious about regarding a phone’s ability to run on LTE versus EV-DO.

That make me optimistic for LTE 800 in your area when it arrives in the future. LTE 800 should roughly be the same dBm signal strength as CDMA 800. However, it will start petering out between -90dBm and -95dBm RSSI. So anything in the 80's should be quite good.

 

So when LTE 1900 is deployed on your tower, it will not likely reach your house. But LTE 800 should. The only wild card are the devices.

 

Robert via CM9 Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

 

Yeah, I figured that much. I've gotten pretty good EVDO on 1900, over 2 meg, but from reading on here it sounds like LTE doesn't hold up quite as good on the fringe.

…

No, EV-DO tends to be the more robust airlink. So, all other factors being equal, LTE will likely have somewhat less range than will post Network Vision EV-DO. However, LTE coverage should be similar to pre Network Vision EV-DO coverage.AJ

I’ve been seeing posts like those I quoted above in various threads about how a phone will likely lose its LTE signal before its EV-DO signal. Since both EV-DO and LTE currently run on 1900MHz, why would LTE cut out before EV-DO? I read through the very informative article comparing RSSI and RSRP, but I may have failed to connect the dots.

I'm still irked that I can't latch onto this tower from my home a little over two miles away. But, with potential like this, I can wait.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

This could be because of two reason. It seems that the LTE Signal threshold, certain dBm where LTE would connect and disconnect, was set very very high, and the new android update on Sprint phones is supposed to address that. Also, they might just have the tower in some sort of "test mode" where the tower won't broadcast a full strength signal...therefore you wouldn't be albe to get a signal probably more than 1000 yards away.

 

(nothing I just said has been verified, its just my educated guess)

Could it have something to do with this? Granted, this threshold was probably set high because it was a test site, but it sounds like Sprint could theoretically set a less extreme threshold once LTE is fully deployed. The only other thing I could think of might have to do with how the data is handled. Would data transferred over LTE be more sensitive to some kind of packet loss?

…

We all have 4G WiMax phones right and have been surviving on WiMax, owned by Clearwire, for some time now while we wait for LTE from NV.

…

Correct, but many people bought LTE phones and no longer can access WiMax.

Believe me, I wish my EVO LTE had the WiMAX bolt-on that my OG EVO had to carry me over until LTE finishes rolling out, but we all don’t have access to it.

Yeah for sure, but I live/work in the city. This means I am a lot less concerned about the systematic NV problems that have been reported on this board when NV finally comes to the city proper. My phone is in 4G WiMax mode probably around 75% of the time so the NV upgrades shouldn't effect me and other WiMax users all that much.....thats awesome news.

Where around the city are you to get such great coverage? Are you able to maintain the connection fairly well while moving? What kind of speeds are you seeing? Sorry if I sound like I'm interrogating you; my OG EVO was terrible in the Loop, Lakeview, Andersonville, Lincoln Park... pretty much everywhere I went. With all of those buildings, I'm surprised I saw it at all considering it was on 2600MHz.

Work has started at the one and only tower in Glencoe

What is it with that area? I've been to the Botanic Gardens twice this summer (once just this past weekend) and the reception is pretty damn bad for being in a wide-open area. While there, I was either connected to the tower at Green Bay and Lake Cook or the one at Skokie and the Edens Spur. Is this the one at Hazel and Vernon?

As promised:

These pics are from like 3 weeks ago. I have gotten a consistent 4G signal in Matteson from the new rec center through Lincoln HWY. It flakes out when you turn onto Governer's HWY though...

 

 

I've gotten a signal inside of my house (last weekend to be exact) and when I got to test it the speeds were around the same as in the pics. But I've been trying to connect to it all night again and I can seem to. Usually I'll put the phone in CDMA mode and then go to LTE/CDMA and it'll pop up... hasn't been working lately.

 

It would have came in handy tonight too, because my Comcast service is out due to the storms from earlier. I'm tethering from the piss poor 3G speeds now.

There is s tower on Gaylord st in crest hill thats been active for 4 days. I'm averaging 20 - 30 mb. It's not even a mile from my house on cedarwood drive but I can't get a signal unless I go to the end of my block. I hope I am able to get a signal but I doubt it. I really don't need it at home anyways cause I'm on WiFi but it would be nice. How far does the 4g signal travel?

This is interesting because I noticed something similar- I was at the Fuddruckers when I first picked up the signal, which was on Cicero with only a Chipotle between it and Lincoln. Netmonitor showed the tower as being on top of a building right by Walmart, just south on Cicero. My speed moved up the closer I got, but as I was leaving, I passed Fuddruckers heading north, then when I hit Lincoln, 4G just disappeared and 3G wasn't coming on. Soon after, I was roaming. Isn't 4G on the same 1900MHz that 3G is on?

In Matteson right now at Cicero and Lincoln Highway and picked up my first 4G signal! Tests are averaging between 10-15Mb/s down with my highest so far at 19. Screenshots to come!

It had shut off by the time I left work yesterday (7PM). It was on by the time I got to work (devon/arlington heights rd) today. I'll check in a few hours when I'm back at office again. The lat/long should be on the image I posted if not I have more to post later. Hope this helps although the best speeds I saw were 12-14MBPS.

Oh crap, I'm blind. Yep, I was right at that intersection, just a few hours too late. Maybe I'll take the scenic route through that area to wherever I'm going tonight, if you wouldn't mind letting us know if it's still on?

4G all day in ITASCA/ELK GROVE. Have screenshots of opensignal app to pinpoint tower location and googlemaps also. Pulling down 8-13MBPS

During what hours are you seeing this? Around 10:30 last night, I got off 290 at Thorndale and wandered around the subdivision at the corner of 290 and Thorndale. After not picking anything up, I took Prospect to Devon, then drove north on Tonne, but still didn't get anything. Were you on the west side of 290?

Again I understand what Sprint is doing and that fact that its what Verizon did doesnt make right in my opinion either. I think its a poor strategy that's done more for competitive one ups-manship and carry's undertones of false advertising that the telcom's can essentially "get away with" by covering 30-40% of the market. Basically they are saying we are here Chicago come, join, buy, while knowing that a majority (at least initially) cant actually use the service. Not a big fan of that strategy, Verizon, Sprint, ATT, doesnt matter.

 

As for price I agree Sprint offers tremendous value over the Big Two (VZW and ATT). They have to, how else could they retain users or entice people to switch without offering a similar product at a cheaper price (or by staying unlimited data when the Big Two quit). That doesnt change my stance on poor market launch strategy, especially after significant network upgrade problems in the Chicago-land area. I dont think Sprint can afford a smoke and mirrors launch that will leave some consumers saying hey I waited out all the NV upgrade pains and resisted the urge to jump ship, now your live in Chicago and advertising your new LTE network like crazy....so I even go out and upgrade my device and I still dont get LTE/post NV network coverage. Thats going to be awfully hard for a lot of folks to swallow and very risky on Sprint's part. Im worried about consumer backlash/social media uproar, etc.

 

 

I thought this forum was trying to stay away from complaints. While complaints are warranted in Chicago-land, there are other forums that would be more appropriate.

All that I could picture while reading that post was this:

Does this mean the next iPhone will be the only Sprint LTE phone with a SIM card? Hmm.....

 

I still wonder if the commitment to a large purchase wasn't Sprint buying support for 800 SMR in a future product. I know Qualcomm said they are working on a new radio chip that will support some ridiculous number of bands in one package. Don't know when or if that includes SMR but it would be interesting.

 

Oh and software radio has just shrunk down again... It now occupies a single small PCI Express slot and cost about 700 bux. That's down from three external boxes and 1500 two years ago, which was down from 20 grand and half a room 15 years ago. At this scaling rate, I would expect cell phones to be using software radio within 10 years which combined with advanced antenna technology should completely eliminate the band support issue. I know the chip makers are looking at it due to the R&D and difficulties trying to support all the fragmented cellular bands (which will only get worse over time).

I can't find the Engadget article, but is this what you were talking about?

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=222377

I work all over northern DuPage county (mobile) and the system is often unusable. My reason for posting is when I call Sprint to ask for compensation they insist that I wait til the system is fully functional. When I tell them many people have informed me that they have received credit, Sprint tells me they are liars and NO ONE has recieved credit. The reps tell me that if I file for credit it will be refused. Are they lying to me?

Yep, I got a credit back for 2 weeks' worth of usage.

I don’t care so much about the pings, I just wish I could get speeds like this consistently (again):

CDMA workshop is the only way.

That...looks like an intense program. You're saying that I wouldn't be able to change it on the fly unless I'm willing to lug my laptop around and get my BK Stacker's sauce all over it? :-P

Download the Verizon PRL of choice, or edit one yourself. You will need a Verizon only PRL, not a Sprint PRL that allows Verizon 3G roaming. Because if you use a Sprint PRL, it will stay on Sprint and only allow Verizon roaming when there is no Sprint signal. I use this PRL as a Force Roam.

 

Once you have your Verizon PRL, rename it TEST.prl and place it in the root directory of your SD card. Go into your GS3 dialer, enter ##DATA#. Go into View mode. Oddly, it is not available in Edit mode. Select PRL write. Press the PRL write button. It now writes the TEST PRL to your device and reboots.

 

When you get back fully booted up, go into Settings > About Device > Status and verify the new PRL number is active. When you want to.return back to stock Sprint PRL...just do a PRL update and the newest stock Sprint PRL will be loaded. You can also keep several PRLs on your phone and just keep renaming the one you want to use TEST.prl and repeat the process outlined above.

 

This PRL Write seems to be accessible only in the GS3. Although it works with the Galaxy Nexus and some other devices using the Any Cut app.

 

One word of warning...when on a Verizon PRL, you wont see a roaming Icon. It can be easy to forget that you are off native and exceed 300MB in no time. I use NetMonitor so much that its not an issue for me. It will remind me. However, you can modify your PRL so that the Verizon PRL will always put a roaming Icon up. It just wont on its own.

 

Robert via Kindle Fire using Forum Runner

I searched around a bit, but I couldn’t find a link or walk-through on how to do this, just a guy on XDA who was looking for the same thing. I have an EVO LTE, is there a specific Verizon PRL I should use? Do you just edit it in any old text editor (probably in rich text)?

If it were me, I would force roam until they finish with the upgrades.

HOW?!?! God help me, I’ve searched.

I work in Gurnee, live in Arlington Heights, but spend a lot of time in Chicago. I have no issues when in Arlington Heights or most of Chicago, but in Gurnee, it’s a whole other story. My data connection is fine until late in the morning, but at that point, it stops connecting altogether and my call quality breaks up to the point where the other person can’t hear me and I frequently get disconnected. My one friend who also has Sprint but lives downtown reports similar issues with dropped calls, but not as frequently as me.

I called Sprint on this issue, and they said that there is work being done on some towers in my area at work which was supposed to be done by this weekend. As of today, the problems are still persisting. I used OpenSignal to gather the tower/connection information, but when I look at Sprint’s tower location map on their website, it doesn’t show up. I can confirm that there is actually a tower at the location through which OpenSignal says I’m connecting.

OpenSignal also says that I’m connecting at 1xRTT. Shouldn’t I have SOME (albeit slow) data connection? What could account for the horrible call quality if my signal strength is in the -92/-85dBm range? Is the tower just getting that overloaded as people pile into Six Flags? It didn’t do this last year…

That would be a very poor decision, Sprint is actively accelerating the NV deployment in Chicago due to these issues. Chicagoland will probably have the best Sprint experience for quite sometime when the upgrade is complete.

This is what I keep telling my friend, but I’m finding it harder to even convince myself of this sometimes. Fortunately, the novelty hasn’t yet worn off of my new E4GLTE.

That would be a very poor decision, Sprint is actively accelerating the NV deployment in Chicago due to these issues. Chicagoland will probably have the best Sprint experience for quite sometime when the upgrade is complete.

:-P