gof

Understood. But 1x data is only around 80-100 kbit/sec (on a good day) . Most people would get impatient and cancel their browser before it loads

Still, it's good for slooowly updating your email as long as there are no attachments.

Remember that CDMA voice is over a digital (aka data) channel. It's just not the same data channel that you use for Internet (which is the 'data' channel 99.9% people are interested in). So in layman's terms, 800Mhz is used only for voice.

I thought that Sprint only used 800Mhz for voice. Is it used for 3G as well?

Agreed. With GPS off (and no wifi in range) all the phone knows is the radii of the tower range. It might know the vector which narrows it down more, but it's still a huge swath.

With just wifi on, it can do a pretty good job... Assuming the wifi spot has been mapped.

That was it! You sir are a scholar and a gentleman. I am in Schererville IN today and getting 4G. Speeds are all over the place, but fast. THANK YOU.

Glad to help. I never really understood why Sprint was shipping phones with LTE disabled completely

I have an S3, and I regularly travel all over Chicagoland. I live in Naperville, work downtown, and am often in the northwest burbs, north burbs, south burbs, and northwest Indiana. Everywhere. And not even once have I noticed a 4G signal on my phone.

 

Even though there are huge areas that have yet to be addressed, I've gone through areas that are supposedly up.

 

I'm a bit worried.

Make sure your phone Network Mode is set to LTE, not just CDMA. Settings->More Settings -> Mobile Networks -> Network Mode assuming you're running the new Jelly Bean update. For a while sprint was shipping phones with only CDMA enabled.

 

Only 24009 and 25009 has them now.

 

Sent from my EVO sometimes-LTE

Is there a newer PRL than 24009 for the S3? I just tried a manual update and that's what it left me with.

Does the PRL impact accessing 4G? Or is that something that is auto negotiated with the tower?

Download sensorly from the play store real good at tracking lte

I use Sensorly quite a bit. I'm probably one of the big mappers in this area. Mapped a new area in Crystal Lake over the weekend too. I just want to map something a bit closer!

Not so patiently waiting for them to finish up along the Edens corridor. Old Orchard is still a slow 3G and so is Edens Plaza. There is one seemingly intermittent tower a bit further north but I don't always lock to it going by. And there is nothing really east of 94 north of Evanston.

Anyone have an idea when this area might get lit up with some 4G love

I picked up 4G yesterday at ohare terminal 1. Speeds were not great but it was a good sign that they are testing more urban sites.

More buildings and "stuff" in the way to block the signal. The platforms get you up to a better position (perhaps even line of sight) and you get a few more dBs of signal. Yesterday I was able to get 4G from the top of the O'hare parking structure (had to cycle airplane mode first since it was locked on 3G). But as soon as I drove down, back to 3G.

You can see that O'hare dot on Sensorly right on top . But it was a weak signal. Speedtest kept starting and stopping.

Looks like it's showing up now :-)

Just landed at O'hare and they had us all the way in the new NW corner. Turned on phone (as we left the runway, allowed by United) and picked up 4G coverage. Quickly started Sensorly so it should show up in awhile. Tower on the Hilton in the center of the airport still not upgraded, so dropped back to 3G as we came towards the terminal.

What tools are people using to monitor your connections? Speedtest and netmonitor are two obvious ones but are there *good* other ones?

Just picked up a 4G connection Dempster and Waukegan Rd. 20 meg up, 8 down. Net monitor ids the location as Morton Grove, School St.

4G continues up Waukegan going north. Tower location Morton Grove, N Waukegan Rd.

Is it just me or does the Chicago map seem to have a big vacant area in the main downtown area? It seems like the City of Chicago border has absolutely no tower updates. Does this mean that will the area completed last (since I would doubt they would light up LTE without downtown coverage)?

Or, have I missed something really simple?