ingenium

Hence my quotation marks. I'm well aware that video above 1080p is overkill on a phone screen and the gaming and music caps are well more than enough for any usage. My only real concern is the restriction on using a vpn, but I don't use that enough alone to hit the 10GB cap. My question was if the switch is worth it. I went ahead and walked into a store today after work to have my plan switched over at the beginning of my next cycle.

Have we confirmed they're actually limiting VPN usage? I'm also curious how they identify it, if it's just to certain popular VPNs or if they do DPI or something.

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I have the option of using one of two windows. Neither gives me a real good signal level. If I have to choose should I go with the location with higher RSRP and a lower CINR or vice versa. 
As it stands now these are my choices. The values do vary slightly over time. 
1) RSRP -113 CINR 5.2
2) RSRP -111 CINR 2.2
Either location gives me approx 16/2 mbps down/up. 

I'd go with the higher CINR. That rsrp is pretty close.

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Yup, we've seen a lot of magic boxes change their GCIs in the last 24 hours. It first started within the past week. Airaves too. There was a magic box software update that came with it.

I think Sprint is consolidating their GCIs because they were hitting up against the end of what they allotted for these devices. I also suspect that multiple magic boxes (and Airaves) now share the same GCI base, but have different GCI endings.

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Why rare? 

I agree, I don't think they're that rare. There were a lot of promotions for existing customers going on in October/November/December. There was an LG promo for $5/month, along with the Essential promo for $5/month. That's usually when most of the Sprint promotions are I think, for all carriers.

There might be a promo for the S8 once the S9 is actually available.

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Could it be that clearwire to triband conversions are finally happening in NYC?!

Hopefully. It's odd that they're still using the Clear PLMN and GCI base though if that's the case. I wonder if they just swapped out part of the equipment rather than a full replacement. I guess we'll have to wait for pictures to find out.

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I found a site that utilized 3 Carrier band 41, located above 70-74 Bowery Street Building, GCI: 02F88201, 02F88204, 02F8820A.
EARFCN: 41078, 41474, 41278.  Provider on Signal Check Pro is Clearwire B41.

Hmm those GCI endings (and earfcn order) match Samsung markets' triband antenna sites. Second carrier has GCI endings of 09, 0A, 0B, and third carrier is 03, 04, 05. I wonder if they somehow found a way to make the Samsung Clear equipment do 3 carriers...

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That's really different... Sector 86?? 

Yeah my Airave changed sectors from 01 to 2E yesterday (and an earlier GCI). Maybe Sprint is doing some kind of shuffling/rearrangement.

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lol isnt that what wifi coverage is for??

Sure, but it helps save battery life. Coverage from the MB will exceed a single wifi access point. It has 2-3x the transmit power, so it'll reach outside the home a bit. It's also useful as a backup if your internet goes out for whatever reason, or if you have visitors who also have Sprint.

In addition, some people don't have home internet, especially if they only have phones (a large percentage of people surprisingly).

I have a MB installed at my parents'. They can only get 3 Mbps DSL for home internet (no cable available), and very very weak B26 without the MB. With the MB they get 30 Mbps, so they rarely use their WiFi anymore.

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Please add SCP.  New GCI

Already added to the beta of SCP today [emoji3]

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I pushed each of those 3 logos and nothing happens. I can only get those 2 screens to come up unless I am missing the magic key combo? I unplugged the unit and will plug it in again tomorrow and check it. Anything I need to do or press? Or just plug in and done?

It should work just pressing on them. Some units have bad touch screens that don't really respond well. Keep trying the same icon a few times and give it a couple seconds to respond. You'll want the "LTE Connected" button to see the broadcast frequency.

That's also an newer firmware version. The current one has different looking buttons. It's possible yours is just performing the updates in the background and that's why it's not responding.

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"Boosts data signals – get more bars"
To the the average user...that is all inclusive. To my roomate...data signal is just that. So she is upset that this isn't helping her when se reads that Sprint says it should in their adverts.
"Accelerates LTE data speeds from the nearest Sprint tower. Increases average upload and download speeds by more than 200 percent"
Again....average user...don't know the difference in the "G" vs LTE.  And it doesn't  say "4G" in those promotions.
Is there such a thing as 3G LTE? I don't think so...I keep trying to get her to switch..but $13 a month is all she is willing to pay and  "it just works"
I did read somewhere that Sprint has some other type of devices that hook up to your own network that supports the phone call signal (1x?) though I don't recall if those did anything for the CDMA 3G bands.
 
 
 

I think most users know the difference between LTE and 3G. The description makes it fairly clear in my opinion, plus the fact that non-LTE devices are increasingly rare. Sprint is starting to deploy LTE only sites as well, so she'd have the best network experience getting an LTE capable device.

You could ask for an Airave 3. It does LTE, 1x, and evdo. It needs to be plugged into your home router or another source of wired internet though, unlike the magic box, and it has a smaller range.

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Yes, I can have a great signal and this still happens.
Well thx for responding.  At least I know, but I hope they can then get VoLTE out sooner rather than later.

Yup, it's incredibly frustrating. Especially since my Pixel doesn't have wifi calling on Sprint. I have a great CDMA signal at home (-60 rssi), but I got an Airave just for voice because of this issue. The Airave has a dedicated 1x carrier that doesn't overlap with the macro (it actually overlaps slightly with B25...), and calls are crystal clear while I'm on it. If I get handed off to the macro though, the quality is unusable.

So requesting an Airave may be a solution for you.

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Do you have a strong signal while it's happening? If so, then it's due to 1x being overloaded. I've had the same issue in SF for probably the past 5 years, and Pittsburgh for the last several (it's usually OK outside the city). It got worse when they thinned CDMA to expand B25.

The only solution honestly is VoLTE. They won't deploy more CDMA macros at this point, so that's the only way to alleviate voice congestion.

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That was a map detailing the loss of a roaming partner years ago. Really no reason to bring it up now.

Off topic I guess, but do you remember who the roaming partner was? Just curious.

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I explained this process to @calyx, as they were unaware CS was an option. After emailing them, email trolling mobile citizen and then tweeting at Sprintcare I just called in. I just did not enjoy the idea of a battery powered standby plugged in all day per Note 7. Picked one up on Ebay, called in and got it swapped. Apparently no one ever tried this before. I just followed the instructions in the crappy aircard GUI to call x number for assistance. Nick and the Calyx crew were pretty excited about this news.

 

Who knew? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Do you know if this still works? I saw them stating when they were getting an influx of members from 4gcommunity that there's no way to use 4gcommunity devices and they had to get a calyx hotspot instead. Is it possible that the policy regarding this changed in the last several months?

Also, is the netgear 6100D still the best device for this? I have an existing router that can support a USB modem in theory, so I was going to go that route. But I've seen some reports that at least with the Franklin devices they're offering now, USB tethering only seems to work in Windows, but not Linux (ie not the router). The hypothesis is that a hybrid driver is needed and it sends some kind of firmware or initialization sequence to the hotspot, and without that the USB interface shuts down.

 

 

It will likely get better with the S9, which should support Project Treble. I believe Samsung didn't include it in Oreo for the S8 unfortunately.

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I hope this is a sign of the progress they are going to make by the fall in deployment and densification because as the network stands now in my area VoLTE would not be a good thing. 

You can always turn it off on your device if your area isn't ready yet. It's desperately needed in some markets though (which have the density to support it), as 1x is too congested as a result of thinning. It will be nice to be able to use my phone for calls again when I'm not on an Airave (dedicated 1x carrier), since currently I can't understand what people are saying most of the time because of such heavy compression.

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B41 includes 2496MHz - 2690MHz. Isn't that all the spectrum Sprint has in the 2.5+ GHz spectrum ? What other spectrum would it be using for 5g ?

Yes, but they aren't using all of their B41 spectrum for LTE. So they can deploy both in that frequency block.

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Ah. Thanks for that. Quite informative.
2nd gen had e-ink display....wish they had stuck with that. no need for a backlite to stay on. Glad i don't have to have this thing in a bedroom. its still kinda bright even when it dims.

If you put it on the lowest brightest setting it will turn off at 10pm and come back on at 6am. Helps I guess if it's in a bedroom where those are the hours that you sleep.

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I  guess i have the 544 model the box says:  P.Code: U544INU41A2DW5GA05SP So is this the newest model?  is there a gen 3?

 

 

 

That's technically gen 3, depending on if you consider the beta unit to be gen 1. There's the beta unit (540), then the first consumer unit (545 - gen 1), then the second consumer unit (544 - gen 2). The third consumer unit (546) is coming out soon-ish.   

 

 

The cellular internals (antenna, relay unit, radio, etc) are all the same on the 545, 544, and 546. The 540 has slightly inferior antannas comparatively, and has a lower transmit power.

 

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1 hour ago, speedingcheetah said:

Hello....I just got one of those Magic Box. model sku: ASPANMBGN2   Got some questions. I gather this in a "Gen 2" box. 

Does this have a built in UPS? (it will run on battery if power outage?)  

or do i need to get a normal UPS?   if so, how many Watts does this device use under load?

It came with a pathetic usb power bank to use for initial setup...but i didn't use it. I don't see a way that is used as a battery backup.

 

 

 

Yes that's gen 2

 

No it doesn't have a UPS. You'll need to get one. I measured the current draw at one point but I don't remember off hand (I want to say 10-20W?). Get something capable of supplying what the PSU is rated for to be safe. They seem to vary a bit between models, but mine can draw 60W (12V * 5A). The 540 and 545 have slightly different ones, but realistically they're over-rated and they prob just got the cheapest PSUs that met their requirements. I wouldn't be surprised if each batch (same model) has a different PSU.

 

The battery will not power it. It can tell it's on the battery because it only outputs 5V, versus the PSU's 12V. It will quickly power off if not in setup mode. It will only work with the battery during the initial setup, and is meant to allow you to move it to different locations to find the best signal. After that it's unused, and they say to use it as a portable phone charger. The slim profile is actually kind of nice and makes it easier fit in a jacket pocket.

 

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Once LTE is dense enough that should do it and people who don't have VOLTE capable devices should just upgrade. Devices have had 1x800 for a very long time even iPhone 5s has that. I also doubt anyone has a 3G only phone these days. If they do that's the own fault. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
 
 
 
 

There are people with flip phones. Also people with non B41 capable phones in areas serviced by Clearwire conversations that may drop to 3G. Inside buildings. Edge of cell. IOT type devices with service contracts that are 3G only.

Eventually 1x load will decrease with VoLTR, but Sprint has been very slow with the rollout. Not many devices support Calling+ yet. Actual VoLTE isn't finished. BYOD devices like the Pixel don't have support. I'd say we're at least 3-4 years before we can even begin considering shutting down the last CDMA in 1900 at the current pace. Realistically probably longer.

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Do we know that all of those spectrum swaps are actually finished?
Maybe they can just use the 800MHz CDMA channel as fall back and use all of the 1900Mhz spectrum for LTE and VOLTE.

There aren't plans to do this for many years. Too many legacy devices that don't support 1x800 or don't support LTE. You can't move evdo to 800.

Plus in many cities CDMA is congested to the point of dropping calls from being over capacity (Pittsburgh, SF, etc). It happens to me somewhat regularly with a signal in -60s. I can't even understand people 90% of the time because it's so compressed due to capacity problems. They've thinned to a single 1x1900 and 1x800 a while ago, at least a year now. They can't thin any more and reduce to a single 1x800 only, it's not enough capacity. I'd actually argue they thinned too much prematurely...

Pittsburgh, PA for example vacated the extra 5 MHz needed for 15x15 a while ago, it's been sitting empty next to the 10x10 carrier. So I assume in markets where they can do 15x15 they've already thinned the CDMA.

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The issue for me is that it happens to me regularly in SCP.  But never in NSG or Engineering Screen.  Just SCP.  And I monitor NSG a lot.  And I have never seen it do that once.  And NSG is rapidly updating on the fly.  It's not a slow data refresher.
Robert

NSG loads the Qualcomm debug interface and somehow tricks it into outputting locally instead of via USB (possibly some kind of kernel loopback device?). If you connect the phone to your computer and run software such as Actix or TEMS, then load NSG, the computer loses the connection. Likewise, if NSG is running, it prevents Qualcomm diagnostics over USB and the software can't find the phone. As soon as NSG exits, the phone appears.

So NSG is getting its data directly from the modem. The engineering screens may be similar and bypass the Android API? SCP has to wait for Android to refresh its modem data, which seemingly isn't an atomic operation. I'm curious if you see it in other apps that use the Android API, such as Cell Mapper or LTE Discovery?

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After reading through that, I still dont have an answer.
He has wifi. He doesnt want calls to drop. Airave has solved that issue. Is there any benefit to switching?
The biggest downside to Airave is the lack of HD voice. Does Magic Box fix that?

It might if he has a device that supports Calling+. I'm unsure if Sprint has deployed HD voice to it yet.

He might consider the Airave 3 otherwise. It'll play nicely with LTE now, which the 2 wouldn't do.

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