koiulpoi

I have good signal strength in the locations that this happens. I have spoke with Sprint several times on it. Each time I call there is a different reason that it happens and usually starts with blaming the phone and they have to refresh or reset the devices.

Can you take your phone in to a Sprint repair center? They have access (same as over-the-phone Care) to a service called the Service Trender, which can give an overview of whether or not it is actually the device itself or the phone.

 

That being said, if when talking to Care, they don't actually file a ticket, they won't do anything for you. Insist on a ticket, or ask someone in a store to file a CTMS ticket for you.

Looks like you'd have been better off talking to a wall.

Yes, as I was afraid of.

 

My father, who was a car salesman for many years, put it like this once:

80% of people you meet are good people. They're fine people. They're nice. They care about others. They have the capability to love.

20% are a**holes.

 

Of that 20%, 80% of them you can turn around by being nice back to them. They're not angry at you, they're angry that they're going through a bad divorce. They're angry that they didn't get enough coffee that morning. If you're kind to them, they'll get over it, and come around and start smiling back at you. They'll laugh with you, and their day will be brighter thanks to your unconditional kindness.

 

But of that 20%, 20% of them (4% of the total population) you cannot please. They will be angry, unhappy, entitled, no matter what you do. They may just hate themselves, or they may be sociopaths. They may have some kind of vendetta, or may be unable to understand emotion. Whatever the issue, they cannot be reasoned with, and you should not take it personally.

 

I have found that the 2-4% of people who churn from a carrier to line up almost perfectly with this, and the general population tends to follow it as well.

Posts like these from XDA make me very, very sad.

 

http://forum.xda-dev....php?p=38928321

I hopped in and tried to be rational, but I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to regret it. XDA "Developers" is a great dev resource, but is also otherwise filled with imbeciles and fools.

The techs are paid based on their repair vs exchange rate and were more interested in their wallet than helping you.

While that's true,

They also could just be retarded.

This is more likely the root cause. Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity.

 

Part of the reason I mention this is, we actually get paid on the rate of "exchange" vs "everything else vaguely related to service work". Every time you have to explain to grandpa that he turned his ringer down and his phone isn't broken, that's one "not exchange". Any rep that can't keep their exchange numbers well under Sprint's goals is either not doing their job (aka not recording the work that's actually done), or is just really, really bad at their job (doesn't know how to fix things, refuses to follow all the steps to try and resolve issues, doesn't have parts or know how to use them, etc) and should find employment elsewhere.

I'm even considering a WP or BB device this year, if Sprint will carry a worthy unit.

We might be getting a pair of WP8 devices in the near future, but we're almost certainly not carrying the Z10.

The Victory is a solid little device. Best RF performer of any Sprint Android phone I've ever tested. Even better than the OG Photon.

 

Robert via LG Optimus G using Tapatalk

So, when's that phone comparison article coming up? *poke*

 

For the record, my sister has reported a marked improvement in usability in fringe areas after switching from the Photon to the Galaxy S III

I tried changing the resolution in the address of the graphic again and it seems the "fixed" that hole.

Looks like the size can be changed to a maximum of 800x600, maximum scale of 6.0 in order to still see the difference between "best", "good", and "fair". Above 6.0 it only shows roaming or not.

 

Here's the illustrious city of Lowell, Michigan.

http://coverage.spri...FFTFFFFFFFTTFFF

 

Tried to embed it as an image, but got the message "You are not allowed to use that image extension on this community." That's new.

Any issues or comments about the new features? Would always love some feedback.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

I'm having the same issue with the phone constantly notifying me of LTE found when set to "cycle only when not connected to LTE". A simple option to disable the notification (or notification sound) would solve this. Stock MA7, Galaxy Note II. Happened while driving around mapping with Sensorly at the same time.

 

That, and, I doubt I can recreate this, but it also stopped working and crashed on me today! Despite being on the "cycle when not connected" mode, it kept cycling over and over. When I went to check the app and hit "stop", it crashed. No idea if there are any logs I can send you.

 

Has anyone been able to give the 800smr detection a go?

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

This I will say, works great! Combined with digi's PRL, and I picked some up. However, it seems that the BSID, SID, and NID aren't recorded when an 800 MHz entry is added. It does work, though: I have a screenshot from CDMA Field Test I can post.

Wasn't it you who created a tool to view in a better res?

Oh yes, I remember seeing something like this. Would be interested in finding it again.

 

What I would love would be for Sprint to update their coverage maps to use something like the Google Maps API, or something similar. The tiny window that you can't zoom out without losing all your fidelity just isn't acceptable.

My least favorite TEP replacements were the ones that had scratched housings and scratched screens.

I've only been working with Sprint for a little over a year, but it appears that every replacement uses brand new housings and screens. I have yet to see a replacement device arrive with any kind of damage to it,

 

I picked-up my phone and everything seemed to be great & didn't have to pay out-of-pocket to Asurion to get it replaced. They did, however, notate on the account that the phone was rooted(according to the rep, they did me a "favor" by repairing the phone). I was unable to flash the phone back beforehand to a stock ROM since I couldn't see what's on the screen.

Yep, normally something like a bad LCD is completely covered under ESRP.

 

Now, I don't know if this has changed, but (and I can tell you this because the document has been leaked to the public) a phone being rooted or not has absolutely no bearing on what we can do to a phone. No idea what he was talking about.

 

Anyway, I thanked the rep and went home. Soon after arriving home, I realized that the entire lower right of the touch panel is unresponsive. Thus, I went back to the Sprint store the following day and asked them to switch out the assembly. Unfortunately, the LCD/Touch screen assembly was the only 'functioning' one they had.

And this is why Sprint has a thing called the "post repair quality product check". It's where, after you fix something, you test everything to make sure you didn't screw up. Helps stop issues like these. Bad parts happen. Mistakes happen. It's all in how you deal with it.

 

I asked if they can give me an replacement EVO, they declined.

 

The only other official Sprint repair center was pretty far away(and had no means to get there, at least via mass transit).

 

Thus, I was stuck with a partially-function EVO(but at least I could get back on a stock ROM, so there's that).

 

After a few days, I remembered reading about Sprint's Advanced Exchange program about a year back. Unfortunately, by the time I remembered, Advanced Exchange's web portal was discontinued due to abuse. However, the program is still available via calling CS directly.

 

Thus I did, and 24 hours later, a working, refurb EVO arrived at my doorstep & the defective EVO was sent back to Sprint. It didn't cost me a dime(but I do believe I had to pay a security deposit, which was refunded when they received the phone).

 

What surprises me is that the rep never mentioned this program to me, only offering the Asurion option. It was probably due to the fact that they didn't know of it, but if I didn't remember reading about Advance Exchange, I probably would've went to Asurion and paid for a refurb. In the end, bad TEP experiences do happen, they're just not common.

You see, this is what I find very strange. To my knowledge, repair centers have always been able to process Advanced Exchanges for customers. If a device issue cannot be resolved in-store, then an exchange is ordered (or, if they have seed stock, swapped out in-store). What should have been done was just what you had to do: order a replacement phone and that's that. That the rep refused over your phone being rooted/reflashed seems like he didn't know what he was talking about, or that isn't the whole story.

I find ESRP (the first $4/month part of TEP) to be a rather good idea for your average consumer. Covers all electrical and mechanical failure due to wear and tear or manufacturer's defects. Speaker goes out? Touchscreen stops working? Charging port cuts out? Well, if you don't have it, you can pay $50 a pop.

 

Many, many customers I've talked to have used this benefit of TEP many, many times and never knew it was saving them money. They feel it's no problem to cancel as they've "never used the insurance". While that may be true... this isn't insurance, it's an extended warranty. $96 over 2 years, probably worth it.

 

I have also found that it is rare to have issues with reconditioned phones shipped out through ESRP. While it does happen, there are also just as many "horror stories" that are, in reality, customer abuse, often to try and get a different model of phone.

Hm...

 

My issue is, unsustainable is a rather difficult thing to measure. Unsustainable on 1X/EV-DO is not the same as unsustainable on 4G LTE. Unsustainable during peak hours is not the same as unsustainable at 3 AM. Unsustainable at a low-population moderate-capacity site is not the same as unsustainable at a high-population high-capacity site. There must necessarily be a better solution than flat-rate data pricing, as not all data is created equal.

 

I for one have never thought that tethering was an issue; everything I can do on my computer that could overload on data, I can do on any Android 2.3+ smartphone. I would say, first and foremost, Bittorent traffic should be throttled moderately to severely, as I have watched it cripple networks.

 

As well, I've always liked the idea of incentivizing low data usage. "You have unlimited. But, if you use less than 2.5 GB of data a month, you'll see a $10 credit per line on your next bill." Watch data usage hit the floor.

 

The other thing is customer education. I've had people claim that the connections optimizer turning on 4G WiMAX and WiFi and scanning very, very occasionally is "killing" their battery (in non-WiMAX areas even), when everything points to not. Most still have no idea that WiFi is even a thing, and store reps are still telling people to turn it off, when uninstalling all their ad-filled "free" apps would help much, much more.

I guess its getting to a point where I will be forced to take a trip to the Sprint store...but im now worried about the binary counter after all the flashing.

Sprint doesn't care that your device is rooted/flashed. Really, we don't. (I'm a tech at a Preferred Retailer; halcyoncmdr is at a Corporate Retail store)

 

That being said, if it worries you,

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1494114

there are ways to reset your flash counter.

 

I cant believe Im going through this with a brand new phone.

 

Im very frustrated.

It's more than likely defective. There is a percentage of all electronics created that don't work right. You just got unlucky. It happens.

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.

And that right there is why I purchased a Samsung USB jig ($3 was easier than making one) to force 'em in to download mode. It's sitting right next to one of my screwdrivers.

 

That being said, I'd almost rather deal with that than the "I once had a Nextel" crowd's problem of "my phone's buttons don't do the things I want them to" or "I can't make a phone call if my phone has less than four bars. No, I haven't tried it, but I know that's how it is" or "I want all my money refunded and then some. This DuraXT isn't waterproof because there's no rubber seals. No, I haven't tried it, but I know that's how it is." That's my every other day

 

Anyways @OP, it really does sound like your device might be defective. You should still take it in to a store to have it looked at. And don't forget - some "refurbished" devices are ones that get opened in a store, never turned on, and people go "Oh, I actually wanted the other color." Open box, gotta get sent to Reverse Logistics...

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

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.

I've got one in my GNow as we speak, for a tracking number from NewEgg. Back around Christmas time, I had several of them from Amazon. It works, but I don't know if it recognizes all online retailers.

Posting this from the 4G LTE in Lowell!

I mean push home button has it reliability as well. At first I hate the push home button but I got use to it. I like it more than the regular home android button.

 

You really have to bear with it for a few weeks before you start liking it.

I'm probably an outlier (as I'm talking the Note II anyways aka the Big S3), but I changed my device to use the tablet UI along with a navbar. My home button is now a glorified power button.

How odd. The Galaxy Victory is now on Virgin, as well as Sprint As You Go. Virgin is $35 (ish), SAYG is $70. So, for an extra $35 a month, you get

+roaming

+real customer service

+option to additionally purchase Sprint's service and repair programs (and not just insurance)

+your phone is $50 cheaper ($299 on Virgin vs $249 on SAYG), saving you ~$2/month over 24 months

+you don't get throttled for your data

+you don't get relegated to "bottom tier" for capacity

 

hmm. not sure if it's worth $35 a month or not. I'd rather be on a contract plan than SAYG with that.

Definitely call Sprint (if you can!). *2 from your phone, or 888-211-4727. Option 4, 4, 1, 1 should get you talking to who you need to.

No menu key again I see.... smh

Hidden menus are a bad user experience. But I understand, it's much harder to reach to the top of the screen where the Action Overflow buttons go, than to mash it with the side of your thumb

Maybe Sprint might be able to get some tips from this site on how to fix their backhaul. Forget FOC, I get such lousy data service in Tampa I think they're using two cans and a string. This happens repeatedly, but especially every weekday between 4-6 P.M. They must be dumping data for voice because of QoS.

Yes, voice always takes priority over data.

 

That being said, my understanding is that voice on the 1x carriers takes up a pretty small amount of the total backhaul, and seeing as voice doesn't go over EVDO, it's likely the backhaul is simply overburdened for data. But, that's my understanding. I'm sure AJ or Rob will come in and correct me.

 

Also, Tampa is in active deployment, so it's likely only a (relatively) short period of time before your backhaul issues are fixed.

Nevertheless, the above actually furthers my point that shutting down Wi-Fi during long periods of hibernation is a power conservation measure because the handset continues to monitor to the mobile network regardless of Wi-Fi state.

 

AJ

This is super interesting to me, by the way. Sadly, I do not have LTE at our location (tower is in progress!), so I can't see if LTE shuts down EVDO on other devices.

 

Interestingly, the iPhone 4S and 5 appear to shut down EVDO completely while connected to WiFi. Engineering screens for EVDO are blank or zeroed out, while 1X stays connected.

 

Also, I had no idea that you used the EVO LTE. You apparently use a "N/A".

 

That being said, I suppose I cannot comment further, as I have no idea the average power usage of e.g. a low-signal active EV-DO data session, versus authenticating and connecting to WiFi. It does make sense to power as few radios as possible, and yet...

Odd, the EVO LTE I just checked is in "State 2 = Idle".

 

The Note II, SIII, Photon Q, and Optimus G all showed various non-zero connection numbers and non-disconnected states in the EVDO Engineering screens. All are connected to WiFi.

Ah, went back and glanced at that again. Yes, you did say mobile network.

 

What should one be looking for in the engineering screens to determine if EV-DO has been disconnected? I have access to an S3, a Note II, a Photon Q, an Optimus G, an iPhone 4S, and an iPhone 5. I'll check 'em all!

 

Edit: And, at any rate, the lack of "timely notifications" on the EVO LTE was actually one of the most annoying parts of it to me. While connected to WiFi, all notifications would be delayed by upwards of 10 minutes. As I use Google Voice for SMS, this got rather annoying quickly. The nice side was the great battery life due to the phone almost instantly dropping in to Deep Sleep...