jadedchameleon

Well, it appears these are my two choices, if going with an Italian carrier SIM.

  Vodafone  band 3 @1800MHz & band 7 @2600MHz; they have band 20, but no band 20 on our 6P.

  TIM           band 3 @1800MHz & band 7 @2600MHz; again, no band 20

 

Here is what I found on our version of the Nexus 6P:

GSM/EDGE:  850/900/1800/1900 MHz

UMTS/WCDMA:  B1/2/4/5/8

CDMA:  BC0/1/10

LTE (FDD): B2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/30  LTE (TDD): B41

CA DL:  doesn't matter since band 3 & 7 aren't supported

 

I sure could use you antenna/radio experts to chime in here.  Would either of these Italian carrier SIMs work to get LTE in my 6P?

 

Appreciate the time and advice

 

I've roamed using Fi in Rome on the 6P on band 3 and 7 (vodaphone).  

 

It worked fine for me (I might have had to use the *#*#FIROAM#*#* code initially)... 256k is actually good enough for most anything IMO when paired with WiFi.

 

I personally wouldn't pay for a local SIM.  It's not particularly cheap, and it is a bit of a pain to set up (I spent 45 minutes in a vodaphone store in Italy a couple years back).  You'll pay like 40ish bucks after taxes to get something like 2GB of data... which isn't enough to upload lots of photos anyways. 

 

JMO, but just use Fi and stay in places with good Wi-Fi.

Yes, I already have done that. The issue is MMS is very low quality (resolution).

No, what he is saying is you can port your GV number to Sprint, and Sprint has special integration that allows you to use GV while still letting your phone have the actual number (no other carrier besides Fi has this). This means using Google Messenger or Textra still works and sends from the right number. And messages still show up on your computer, etc (albeit outgoing messages sent via textra would not).

 

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Did you choose the CANCEL SERVICE button on the phone in the Fi App before switching?  I was hoping that, if I do that, the switch will work.  Thanks for the info.  I sure hope I don't have to go through all that!

 

I did not.  I removed the device from the account but left the line active for a different device.  Hopefully cancelling the entire account will do the right thing.  I guess you'll find out--good luck, but you might be in for some work.

 

see the following for a similar experience:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProjectFi/comments/3df3sz/moving_nexus_6_to_sprint_after_leaving_project_fi/ct4kv9a

 

It would be nice if at some point Sprint stopped delineating devices between Sprint proper, Boost/Virgin, and other wholesale vendors but I'm sure this is one of those corner cases that the vast majority of folks never run into.

Here are my opinions of the 6P after having it for a few days that might not have been covered yet:

 

* Size: if the width of the phone could be 2-3 millimeters smaller, the phone would fit more easily into cup holders.  While the phone does fit in my car's cup holder, it does so only at a certain angle and sometimes power button gets pressed turning it off.  On the train, the phone is also a very tight fit.  Maybe next year the screen bezel can be narrowed a tiny bit.

 

* Headphone jack should be at the bottom.  After coming from iPod Nanos, HTC M8 and iPhones, I'm convinced that headphone jack should be at the bottom.  In the cases where the phone is charging and playing music, it's less cluttered when all cables come out from the same end.  

 

* Wish phone had Optical Image Stabilizer for videos.

 

Just as a counterpoint:  The 6P fits in my cupholder just fine (Toyota 4Runner), and I love the headphone jack on the top for two reasons:  when in a cupholder, I can actually attach a minijack or headphones and it works without it being awkward, and similarly, when in the phone is in a pocket, the headphones come out naturally when the port is at the top.  

 

That said, I do think the ideal size for me is slightly smaller than the 6P, but coming from the 6, I much prefer the 6P.  There's almost nothing else I can find to complain about this phone.

It's going to be difficult to switch back and forth.  I don't know about the SIM situation (I'm dubious they actually knew what they are talking about), but Sprint still classifies device MEIDs as either "wholesale" or Sprint proper in their whitelisting system.  It is a total pain in the ass to get someone at Sprint (or Google) who knows enough to be able to switch your device between the two classifications.  I just went through this with my old N6 which was on Fi, and I gave to my wife and wanted to put it on Sprint.  Eventually I had to get someone at Google contact someone high up at Sprint to get this done--it took a week of persistent work. 

 

I don't think you'll be doing this regularly unless the process improves greatly.

I'm impressed with the real world RF performance of the 6p.  At home, on B41, the 6p is consistently about 3-4dBm better than my old Nexus 6 (literally side by side, same GCI/PCI).  And I can get B41 in my basement now.  

 

At work, instead of constantly flipping between eHRPD and B25 LTE (the nearest tower has unoptimized B26), I've been on B25 LTE the entire morning (between -99 and -104dBm).  Awesome.

Regarding the broken 1x/LTE on the Nexus 6 post Marshmallow, it seems LTE Discovery is able to consistently work. It shows the correct info even when the LTE engineering screen is missing the PLMN and Serving Cell (which triggers the bug in SCP). I tested it on known sites and it has the correct GCI.

 

So LTE Discovery must be reading the information differently than SCP or the engineering screen.

 

Sent from my Nexus 6

lordsutch's Signal Detector (http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/3153-cheesy-esmrlte-base-station-tracker)

is also working correctly for me in places that SCP does not work. It seems to reliably detect the band/gci. It does unfortunately show both 1x and LTE active, but maybe an option to not display 1x when LTE is active would make sense.

Has anyone else noticed with the android m preview the battery lasts a lot longer? I forgot to plug in my phone last night and it was around 92% I woke up with it at 89%

 

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

http://m.androidcentral.com/checking-out-doze-android-m-developer-preview

Cancel DSL, I'm getting fiber in a couple months. Any who do 911 calls go through any service provider tower?

 

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

 

That's a federal regulation (see http://www.fcc.gov/guides/emergency-communications) so it would have to.

Sure but I bet the average user is probably at like 2-3GB which probably puts it at $40ish which is $960. Even if they are between your estimates and my estimates then Google does alright. They don't have any physical network to support or huge outlays of capital here and if we are honest this doesn't appear to be something Google is super heavily invested in going forward. 

 

They're not going to offer something which is going to let you effectively get free service in any possible combination where service+phone is less than just buying the unlocked phone, period.  And I have to believe G wants a true contract-free option here, so options are limited.  So I have no problem with them offering the device at full unlocked price (it would be nice if the device itself would be cheaper, but that is orthogonal).  My only problem is the data pricing.  I'd like to see $10 for first GB, and $5 thereafter.  But it's pretty clear this is a "beta" (if that, maybe an "alpha"), so we'll see how it evolves.

EDIT:  I see now that you mentioned it is fully bootloader locked.  

 

I don't see anyone claiming to have a successful exploit yet, but these folks seem like the most likely to develop one.

 

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2792487

Thanks for the response lilotimz,

 

I called Ting and nothing is holding it back according to them. The Sprint store was using the hex version of the MEID/IMEI to try and activate, but they may have had to use the dec version of the number for it to work. I'm going to have them try both tonight after work. 

 

If it doesn't work this time, don't call, open a ticket with Ting online. lilotimz is right, I had to do this procedure with one of my in-law's phone.  MEIDs in Sprint's system are either locked to "wholesale" (i.e. MVNO) or "corporate" (Sprint itself).  For whatever reason, no one at Sprint seems to know how to switch between them and Ting doesn't remove it from the wholesale list unless you specifically ask them to. 

Thank you David, I just saw another e-mail from earlier today reporting that as well. It's not my fault, contact Google and tell them to fix whatever they broke! 

 

I'm traveling quite a bit until after the 4th (I'm actually on an airplane 30,000 feet over Wisconsin at the moment.. yay for inflight Wi-Fi), but I will look into it as soon as I can. I have not received any automated crash reports, so it might be tricky to troubleshoot until I get a chance to put L on my N5.

 

If anyone sees anything that might be useful or captures a logcat that shows what is going on, please feel free to pass it along to me. In the meantime, I'll try to make it known:

 

** SignalCheck is not compatible with Android L yet! **

 

-Mike

 

I've seen a few times right before SignalCheck Pro reboots on startup on L, it says "Waiting for Update..." in a dialog box. 

 

I did find an exception right before the reboot:

 

 E/AndroidRuntime(25785): FATAL EXCEPTION: main

that doesnt seem to get it to rerun hands free act.  the phone has a box showing it is rebooting but underneath that I can see another box waiting for user input but i cant get to it to accept.  grrr.

No idea.  Try rebooting and try again.  It works for me (tried a couple times).

what is the dialer code to force the phone to reinitiate hands free activation or does the update profile toggle do the same thing?

*#*#72786#*#*

 

Not the same as a profile update. Worth trying if you aren't seeing any non band 25 LTE.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

It does use your data connection to translate 1X site coordinates into street addresses, but that's only if those coordinates haven't already been cached by the app yet. As far as I'm aware, that connection is properly closed when it finishes. Other than that, there isn't any data usage by the version of the app out there now (4.22), other than the minimal traffic which obviously happens when you switch sectors/sites/technologies/networks, but that is all managed directly by Android.

 

You could have been experiencing the VERY annoying freezing/crashing/lagging bug that is hampering 4.22. Did you notice if your built-in system icon was reporting 3G or LTE? Your phone might have already switched over, but the app was frozen and didn't update the display. Or the app had choked your device to the point where it couldn't handoff or update the system icon until you killed the SignalCheck process(es).

 

I'm doing everything I can to get a new update out that resolves this, as I realize it is a major issue.. the rest of my life just keeps getting in the way!

 

-Mike

 

I was going by the system's signal type icon, but it seemed like the app was still operating correctly from what I could tell (the signal strength measurements were actively fluctuating).  I have definitely seen situations where the background process has frozen up (and has to be killed manually), but this seemed different--the phone seemed to be acting normally other than it was "stuck" on 3G.   It has only happened two times that I've noticed so far--but it may have happened more than this, because I have to honestly realize that I "should" be getting LTE when I'm not.

I've been using SignalCheck Pro for 6 months and haven't observed this, and I know there hasn't been an update in while, however....

 

I have had two incidents on my Nexus 5 this week where I have been stuck on eHRPD while I've been right next to LTE towers.  I have background data turned off to facilitate faster switching to LTE, but I sat for several minutes right next to towers, stuck on 3G.  SignalCheck Pro reported an active data connection which I'm sure is why I'm not switching to LTE.  So I looked through my list of processes and there was literally nothing running besides Google Services.  In both cases, I used app manager to kill the SignalCheck Pro processes, and within two seconds I immediately switched to LTE.

 

I know SignalCheck uses the network to look up 1xRTT site names.  Does it use it for anything else?  Any chance there is some place in the code where a network connection is inadvertently left open?

If I may ask, why didn't you/why aren't you ever going to get your PHD? I was planning on going after one myself.

 

It doesn't hold a lot of value in the Computer Science area unless you intend to teach, or you're looking to go into an area of pure theory or research where the Ph.D. is basically an entry requirement.  Although I taught some classes while I was getting my Masters, and I actually enjoyed teaching quite a bit, I found I'm most content digging in and solving practical problems and building things.  There are folks that I work with that have Ph.D.'s in my group, and I do the exact same work they do.

I have a Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science (and part way to a Ph.D. that I'll never finish) and work as a software developer for a company that is widely regarded as one of the best employers in the US.  I love my job and working for my employer, but the degrees aren't what got me there (at least not alone).  The passion for technology and problem solving is (plus a little natural aptitude and some luck).   Figure out what you're most excited about and do that.  The rest will fall into place.

Band 5 cellular 850mhz actually.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5

 

Well, that would even strengthen the appeal of US Cellular it seems to me, since some existing Sprint handsets even have Band 5.

 

Of course you could argue that US Cellular hasn't made any money recently so why try to inherit their mess, but at least an acquisition of USCC would be largely complementary instead of roughly the same coverage area of T-Mobile.

 

Oh well, it appears this T-Mobile thing is going to happen whether we like it or not, unless it gets stopped by the regulators.

Sprint just got rid of the mess of having an incompatible network (Nextel) as part of their network wouldn't purple T be even more of a mess to merge into a NVish coherent network?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

Sadly this.  I would have loved to see Sprint fully execute NV, and once complete try to pick up some regional CDMA carriers (I know there aren't too many options here) that have complementary technologies.   Perhaps even US Cellular would make a lot more sense.  Hell, on day 1 you could just (ignoring handoffs, etc) update the PRLs of Sprint devices and suddenly have native coverage in a huge swath of the midwest (minus LTE, which is largely on 700mhz).  So much easier than trying to figure out how to run two totally separate networks with completely different technologies for an extended period of time.  Even if Sprint starts putting T-Mobile AWS LTE capability in their handsets, they would have to solve the ecsfb/ehrpd issues to allow Sprint customers to be able to use existing T-Mobile LTE towers--which seems like the very first logical step in integration.

Tmob is GSM. The worldwisde standard is GSM. It would not surprise me if the Tmob purchase is to get Softbank a GSM foothold in the US then he can merge Sprint and his other holding's into a truly worldwide network. Sprint will go GSM instead of staying CDMA. I think this might be a good idea. That would leave VZ as the only CDMA carrier and would crater their revenues in terms of roaming. Sprint is in a superior spectrum position in the US. This could actually work out very well.

I don't think so. Sprint's ace in the hole so to speak is 1x800 voice. This will help them level the voice coverage playing field. There are no smr gsm voice phones on the market or in development. The only way to do voice and take advantage of smr in the short term is volte. The combined network will not be good enough to do reliable volte for some time. The smart convergence point is LTE down the road, not gsm/cdma. Both legacy networks are going to have to exist in some capacity for a while even after a merger due to contracts and outstanding devices. And it would be easier to turn down gsm in the short term if one network goes away in the meantime.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

Seems like tmo would be the one to block these phones more than sprint. Like Robert said, maybe, maybe tmo is the problem here.

 

If a merger is near, then this could be mute point.

 

Jim, Sent from my Photon 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

There is no "block".  Sprint just doesn't have the IMEI/MEIDs in their system.  The data is out there, Sprint just hasn't imported it into their system for whatever reason.  If you go to: http://imei-number.com/imei-number-lookup/  they have access to GSMA data, and it will tell you straight up that your device is a Nexus 5 if you plug in your IMEI--and it will do this for EVERY Nexus 5.  There is no technical reason why Sprint cannot do the same lookup, either by batch import or individual query.

This is one of the few areas where AJ and I do not agree.  I completely accept his basic tenet that we aren't exactly sure of why the Tmo purchased N5's are not in the system.  It may even be that Tmo requested that the MEID's not be released to other carriers.  We should not immediately assume this is a failing by Sprint to this point.  And we don't even know if Sprint is aware of this issue or only recently became aware of this issue.

 

However, where I probably divert with AJ is that I believe Sprint should allow Nexus 5 MEID's to be manually added to the database.  If a customer can come to a store with the device and it can be verified as not stolen, Sprint should add the MEID and make the device usable on the Sprint network.  It's possible that Sprint is planning to do this, but trying to determine the best way to do that.  Because it is probably not a good idea just to allow it to be done on the basic call center level.

 

If Sprint is going to go through all this trouble to allow an open device on their network and then to draw an artificial line in the sand that prevents new customers from coming into your sandbox is not very wise.  It goes against the very nature of the intent of Framily.  To get new customers from other providers and the ability to BYOD off contract.  Especially when you consider the opposite is not true with other providers.  

 

Sprint is setting up a bad scenario where a Sprint customer leaves and goes to Tmo.  Purchases a Tmo N5.  Hates Tmo spotty coverage and non existent rural coverage and decides to go back to Sprint with the N5.  Sprint tells him to pound sand.  He then goes to AT&T.  This is an awful scenario for Sprint.  And Sprint can do something about it.  It may take some time to implement it, but it is in their best interest to do it.

 

And beyond even Sprint's best interest, the only entity that not allowing Tmo N5's on the Sprint network hurts is Sprint.  It helps Tmo.  And it even helps AT&T.  By allowing Tmo N5's to grace the Sprint network, it sends a big middle finger toward Bellevue and Master Legere.  And it removes an advantage for Tmo that they do not deserve.

 

Robert

 

I agree with absolutely everything you say here--except I can say with relative certainty that regardless of what the original cause is, Sprint is the one who can solve it.  Every Nexus 5 ever produced has an IMEI (and therefore MEID) in the range allocated by GSMA.  This includes the T-Mobile devices--this is a 3GPP requirement.  These device ranges are available in the database to all GSMA subscribers.  Sprint can solve the problem by adding the MEIDs of all of the registered ranges for the Nexus 5 and then there is no need to implement one-off MEID adding, or training CSRs, etc, etc.  Alternatively, they could just do one-off checks of the MEID against the database to see if it is a Nexus 5--although that would be a software change.

 

AT&T uses this database all the time to try to identify customers who try to use smart phone devices on basic phone plans.  Creative folks often try to buy unusual chinese GSM devices to get around this, but it never works for very long (unless they completely spoof a valid IMEI).

How?  You need to substantiate this with solid evidence before you make such an assertion.

 

AJ

 

Well, I had another mechanism in mind... but there's also this:

http://www.gsma.com/technicalprojects/fraud-security/imei-database

 

And Sprint is a GSMA member... they already share bad IMEIs on the blacklist.