avb

 

My only reason for even mentioning this thread in the beginning was I was imagining 5-7 years down the line, how useful is EV-DO/x1 going to be vs HSPA+ 21/42, and I am sure they are going to have to keep the network running for a very long time much like Verizon. I would hate to see Sprint get boondoggled with another ancient network and keep delaying the inevitable death that we are seeing with iDEN.

Why are you comparing EVDO/1x to HSPA+? In 5-7 years time the network will have LTE everywhere that EVDO is available.

So regarding why CDMA & W-CDMA got their respective market shares, is CDMA more expensive equipment wise? It seems if it gives better signal and range and requires a lot less spectrum wouldn't more countries want that? I mean had more gone that route Rev C would have made more sense so its not just a strait speed problem. What was the crippling blow to CDMA that it ended up being used less, I was reading about UMB and it seemed pretty cool. I wonder what a Sprint/Verizon network on that would have been like?

GSM became the standard in Europe because it was decided by the legislators over there. GSM was a Nokia technology, versus CDMA which was Qualcomm (American). That's why GSM took off.

When Tmobile announces a launched market, how much of the market do they actually cover? Reading user impressions from Tmobile users, it seems they're excited when they can pick up an LTE signal, but it doesn't seem like there's solid coverage in any of the launched cities yet.

That's an unfair statement to make bro. I know a lot of good credit upper and middle class people with T-Mobile. Their data just can't penetrate a wet paper bag lol. In my area at least.

 

Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus rockin 4.2.2 using Tapatalk 2

But that is what TMobile is aiming for. Their business model and plan options resemble Cricket Wireless more than the other big 3 carriers.

 

 

Obnoxious, ain't it? It was driving me bonkers too until I activated my new Optimus G this evening.

 

Robert via LG Optimus G using Tapatalk

I'm pretty sure if I root the phone it'll be no big deal - I'm just too lazy. Let me know your impressions of the Optimus G after a few days.

Is there any way to make the update message go away? I received the update, but don't want to lose the prl writing ability. It's annoying to get the update message so many times during the day.

If I'm on 800 should I still get 1900 EVDO for data.

I think I remember reading Sprint won't be using 800 for EVDO, just 1xadvance for voice and eventually LTE for data.

I've seen some speedtests on Youtube in their LTE areas - seems like they speeds typically range from 3-8 mb/s. Not as fast as the other carriers, but fast enough for real world usage. I'm guessing they use smaller channels than the 5x5 that Sprint is using?

Getting back to Cricket - aren't they financially in trouble/almost bankrupt? I thought I remembered reading about Cricket/Leap not being able to make a payment to Sprint for roaming agreements.

I'm in Houston but have not had any slow 4g issues. The only time its slow for me is when Im indoors in a weak signal area. Overall the LTE network has really improved in the last month and a half or so as far as signal strength goes, and I'm on LTE the majority of the time.

I get better battery life when connected to LTE versus EVDO. This has been the case with both the Galaxy S3 and the EVO LTE.

Phones older than these two had a separate radio for LTE, so I could see that as being an additional power draw.

With all due respect to digiblur, I addressed that weeks ago. He does not have the frame of reference to know what he is talking about. He was in Houston months ago. Houston was not a mature market then, is still probably not a mature market now.

 

AJ

With all due respect, I live in Houston and can compare the EVO and Galaxy S3 daily. I can see which towers are turned on, and there are several places where going in doors the EVO has issues with LTE and the Galaxy S3 does not. Switching the EVO to LTE only mode isn't a fix - the phone will stay connected to LTE but the connection still drops in and out or doesn't connect half the time. The Galaxy S3 will maintain that signal and complete the Speedtest reliably but at lower speeds, typically 1.5mb/s-3mb/s. I've been in areas where I've seen -78db/m RSRP outside, a very strong signal which gives speed tests over 30mb/s, but going into a restaurant on the same block the phone will switch back and forth between 3g and LTE. The S3 doesn't have that issue in my experience.

Any ways I'm done discussing this with you. You can accuse me of whining, but all I did was post facts about my connectivity at different signal strengths. I only started posting frequently in this thread once you started complaining and going off topic. You don't have to quit participating in these forums, but it would be nice if you quit posting in threads that you don't contribute to. This last page of back and forth ISN'T GOING TO HELP THE EVO MAINTAIN A WEAKER LTE SIGNAL.

You contribute A LOT to this forum, but it's ok to be wrong every once in a while.

As much as I love the EVO LTE, after using it many times in Houston in several well covered areas, it just downright sucks for LTE. The toying with the airplane made is dumb. The only time I ever used airplane mode on previous phones is....yep..you guessed it, when I got on an airplane!

 

When I used the S3 in Houston I though it the LTE was great! In many markets even if you have 100% LTE coverage on the towers the EVO LTE would be using you would still run into toggling airplane mode if this doesn't ever get fixed. Just the nature of the beast with the tower spacing in many areas.

 

This issue right here and the way HTC has handled it has turned me off from ever buying another HTC product. Luckily my market has been delayed by about 2 months on the NV upgrades so far, otherwise this phone would probably be in a million pieces on the interstate by now.

 

So I'll continue to spread the hate on the EVO LTE until Sprint or HTC do something about the issue...and AJ can reverse the heat on me all he wants.

Here's an example of someone who might have thought Sprint's LTE network is terrible in Houston, but after using a different phone realizes it ain't the network. That's why this topic is useful.

If someone wants to start an EVO LTE and Galaxy S3 comparison thread, I have no problem with that. But it should provide full disclosure. The EVO LTE has connectivity weaknesses, while the Galaxy S3 is stronger in connectivity but has build quality deficiencies.

 

 

 

Re-read the thread title. Unless you are kvetching for an exchange, contacting Sprint does nothing -- in which case, get on the phone or go to a store and get it done. Sprint is already well aware of the connectivity issues of the EVO LTE. At this point, Sprint and HTC likely cannot do anything to solve the problem or will not do anything to solve the problem because the solution would not be cost effective.

 

 

 

Yes, I am a voice of reason. I have greater, more relevant experience than most do. And I have said, time and again, that the EVO LTE can function acceptably in a well deployed LTE market. If you expect strong LTE connectivity from the EVO LTE, you expect too much. If you expect better LTE connectivity, then switch to another handset.

 

Regardless, complaining here accomplishes nothing. The general sentiment makes the Galaxy S3 out to be the handset of choice. However, I am not interested in plastic, AMOLED, and PenTile. So, I am just providing my counterpoint that the EVO LTE is not perfect, but the Galaxy S3 is an even less attractive alternative for some. And I am certain that at least a few others share that opinion...

 

AJ

Read everything you just typed, and tell me you can read that with a straight face.

Samsung Galaxy S3 build quality deficiencies? Apparently not enough for people to start a thread and complain about it. I also haven't seen any pics of a bent Galaxy S3, but there are some of the EVO. I have an Otterbox Commuter case because I don't want to have my phone accidentally bend. And the EVO has issues with a weak LTE signal.

Re-read the thread title? "EVO LTE 4G connection issues - contact Sprint. Looks like people want to discuss the EVO's LTE connection issues in THIS thread. We're not here to discuss the AMOLED, plastic, or PenTile. And the EVO has issues with a weak LTE signal.

Voice of reason? You certainly seem educated on wireless network technology, but going into threads which you don't like and you have nothing to contribute does not help. Get off your high horse and get out of this thread if you don't like reading about the LTE connectivity issues. Because the EVO still has issues with a weak LTE signal.

And the EVO still has issues with a weak LTE signal. (I've repeated this many times because this is actually on topic - you're posts have not)

 

What service does incessant complaining provide?

 

AJ

Many people on this forum have thought that Sprint's LTE coverage sucks until they switched from the EVO LTE to another phone. If I didn't have my brother's Galaxy S3 to compare I would think Houston's coverage sucks as well, but it's actually pretty decent now a days.

Also, how does coming into a thread and complaining about the topic at hand help? Do you think you're a voice of reason and now that you have spoken, I should smile and forget about the connectivity issues because you say so?

People, I am so sick and tired of the bitching and moaning about the EVO LTE and its LTE connectivity issues. Most of you have never used the EVO LTE in a mature LTE market, so you do not understand that it works reasonably well. No, it is not the equal of the Galaxy S3, but the Galaxy S3 is not the equal of the EVO LTE in other regards. The Galaxy S3 is more cheap Samsung plastic, burn in prone AMOLED, and resolution challenged PenTile.

 

So, do you want better build quality or better LTE connectivity? Pick your poison. If you want both on Sprint right now, you basically have to follow the sheep and go with the iPhone 5.

 

AJ

I appreciate all of the knowledge you bring to this forum, but why are you in this thread complaining about reading complaints?

I'm in Houston which is about as mature of an LTE market that Sprint has, and the connectivity with a weak LTE signal is very real. if every one stays quiet about the issue then i think we would be doing a disservice to Sprint customers.

Bottom line is the EVO LTE cannot maintain a weak signal. I'm in Houston, and LTE coverage is now at the point where I get it almost everywhere on the main freeways. My phone switches to LTE on its own just fine, sometimes faster than my brother's Galaxy S3.

The problem is with a weaker signal, about 112dbm RSRP, sometimes the phone can pick up LTE and sometimes it can't. That means right now, when I go indoors in many places the EVO can't maintain/connect to that signal where the Galaxy S3 can. At my house I can pick up LTE outside (the tower nearest to me hasn't been upgraded, but a tower further away has) but when I walk in it can't connect. The signal usually fluctuates between 108-114dbm RSRP when I'm outside, and when I go inside that signal isn't strong enough to connect. The Galaxy S3 on the other hand can still maintain LTE inside my house (although LTE speeds at that point are only 1.5mb/s - 3mb/s, but still better than evdo). At my office the signal usually is 110dbm -113dbm RSRP, so it bounces back and forth between LTE and evdo. I've noticed this in several places in Houston. With a decent or strong signal both phones get about the download speeds.

So that makes me wonder, is the antenna/reception on the EVO LTE just bad compared to other phones? If so I would think that with a decent signal, the Galaxy S3 would still have faster download speeds because signal strength plays a large part in LTE speeds. Another possibility I'm thinking, the phone has to also transmit to the tower, so a weaker signal usually means worse battery life than when in an area with good battery life. The phone uses more power to transmit a signal back to the tower when the signal is weak. The EVO LTE has great battery life, so maybe there's something in the firmware that tells the phone to use less power and when trying to connect to the weak LTE signal, and instead just pick up the stronger EVDO signal. If that's the case, HTC needs to update the firmware because I'm willing to sacrifice a little battery life to stay connected to LTE. (actually the constant switching back and forth between LTE and evdo is causing worse battery drain.) Any ways this is just a thought and I have no idea how a mobile phone actually works.

I'm probably going to buy the Optimus G at full price and sell the EVO on craigslist when it becomes available.

Yeah, I have some too at home but don't have one in my new phone yet. I'm working out of town this week and didn't have time or really want to buy a new one when I've got some. And didn't want to wait until I got back to do the update.

 

When I booted to the software update menu the only choices were either the SD card or the cache or fota (?) folders where you could install the update from. Couldn't figure out how to copy the zip to either of those other places, or if it would even work.

 

I guess the update can wait for now.

I manually updated my brother's S3 last night. Had the file downloaded to my desktop, and just moved the file over to the external sd card on the S3. From there I booted into recovery, cleared my cache, then updated from the external sd. 10 minutes later everything was good to go.

What I found that helped me out was when I was in a LTE area north of Laurel, Md last week. I updated my profile while on LTE in which now when I go thru a LTE area, I have no problems with the phone finding and getting on 4G.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

I'm in Houston, and my EVO picks up LTE on its own on a regular basis. The EVO has a file in its engineering screen called LTE Record, which looks like a list of towers that has connected to LTE previously. This might be the reason why it switches to LTE in areas where it has previously connected to LTE.

The issue with the lower threshold it would seem, is the EVO switches back to 3g too soon even when the 4g signal is still usable. This will have more of an effect indoors. Where a weak 4g signal might only get you 2-4mb/s download, that still blows away a strong 3g signal.

welp i got kicked outta the store for calling the tech and manager morons but with a choice word before it lol.

 

these jokers tryed telling me the evo cant connect to lte because........................wait...........................wait......................its not an lte capable phone only the ip5, s3, and viper are lte phones in sprints line up. i had to laugh but then i guess i got a little too agressive with my wording when telling them they were morons and that even the name of the phone is the evo 4glte.

The Evo 4g LTE isn't an LTE phone? I should have known better.

Makes you wonder if that LTE list in ##DATA# is some poorly implemented method of the phone to know if it should scan for LTE or not in the area based on the 1X BSID it is hooked to....hmmmm....

I wonder if that's the case. My white EVO picks up LTE on its own here in Houston, but I'm usually in the same areas. If the EVO LTE has a lower threshold for switching back to ehrpd then it will definitely affect indoor coverage.

I have a white EVO LTE, and before that used a Galaxy S3 for a month before giving it to my brother. Reading the forums I'm concerned, but I've seen instances where my Evo picks up LTE before the Galaxy, and sometimes the reverse where the Galaxy picks it up first. In my usage it hasnt' been a noticeable problem. I've also glanced at my phone while driving on the freeways in Houston and sometimes I see it on LTE, same as the Galaxy. I also have been to San Antonio and saw the EVO switch to LTE for a decent amount of time driving on the free ways (leaving downtown on I-37, and hitting I-10 to go back to Houston).

I haven't done extensive testing between the two phones, but I haven't noticed a problem either. Having said that, I am concerned that so many people have tested the EVO side by side with other phones and are running into issues.

Ain't that the truth, if the Sprint Known Issues Database is any indication. Naturally, I can't tell you anything about it without losing my job, but the fact that it exists... well, that should tell you something.

What can you tell us about the sprint known issues database? Does Sprint acknowledge the LTE connection issues people are talking about with the EVO LTE?

Your RSRP (signal strength) is not "very weak." That is just a moderate signal. You have at least a 10 dB margin before reselection to eHRPD. However, your RSRQ (signal quality) is not great.

 

What is considered good signal quality as far as RSRQ goes?

When using the stock Sense launcher, hitting the menu button does nothing. When I use Apex launcher I can bring up settings.