[Q] 4G Connects but "Service Not Available" ?? - EVO 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My home is well within the Sprint 4G coverage area shown on the coverage maps. When I turn on 4G (from the Settings screen) it connects to the "Sprint Network" and obtains an IP address (Signal strength = Good).
BUT:
None of the applications which require network access (browser, Market, email, YouTube, etc) can connect. They'll open up, but they can't access the network. If I uncheck Mobile networks in Settings > Wireless & Networks and then re-check it again, it reports "Service unavailable" despite the fact that the 4G Settings screen still reports Connected to Spring with "Good" signal strength and I still have an IP Address.
I should add that the phone has been doing this since I got the phone in November, but I figured it was due to the "unofficial/testing" status of the 4G coverage. I also installed the new 3.70.651.1 update hoping that it would fix the problem, but it had no effect.
After telephone support ran out of things to try they issued a Ticket # and sent me to a Sprint repair location this morning. That location couldn't test the phone on 4G because the store isn't in a 4G coverage area so they just replaced it with a brand new one (not a referb). So I get it home and try it on 4G before I make a single configuration change and the new phone does exactly the same thing as the old one: Good 4G connection but no service.
Has anyone else experienced this problem? Did you find an answer for it?
Thanks!
Pete
Note: All apps seem to work fine when I'm connected to 3G.

Additional info:
For the record, switching back to 3G after trying 4G results in the battery dropping like a stone. aLogcat reveals a flood of those damned <DC Connect> failures going on in the background. Thankfully, powering the phone off and on clears the problem until I try 4G again.
Two things of note:
It doesn't matter whether I use the 4G widget or the Wireless & networks screen.
Removing the 4G widget has no effect.
Pete

Related

Connecting to other signals?

Hi,
Tomorrow I'm going out of town for two weeks to florida, and ive checked the coverage map for tmobile, and it says there's no signal for tmobile where i'm going. How would I be able to connect to att's signal, or is that even possible? Thanks if You guys can help!
Ask your operator (-T-mobile) if he has roaming agreements with another operator in the area you will be. If so then the device will hook to the network there automatically. You will notice a new symbol on the status line at the top looking like a triangle - indicating that you are in a "foreign" network.
Mind that tarrifs are much higher if you are hooked to a "foreign" network. Usually also terminating calls cost you then.
I'm in the area now, and there's absolutely no signal whatsoever. Apparently there is roaming agreements here. My zip code where I'm at right now is 32346 (Panacea, FL). In network seletion it shows that AT&T is available as a network to select, but when I select it, it says "Cannot save settings, verify that You have network coverage or if the settings are available" Or simply, "No cell availabe''. Whats upi with this?
You say there is no signal but you can select a network?
I suspect that the default network for (T-Mobile) does not deliver a signal - which seems obvious as they do not supply coverage where you are.
When you go to select another network it usually shows you the available networks which HAVE a signal - otherwise they are not listed. You can however not tell how good the signal is (I suspect the best are listed at the top) and if you are at the edge your login may fail due to this.
I suggest you set the network selection to "automatic" and keep the device with you when you move around. It should login the network once the signal is strong enough. Be patient though - the retry to login is done in a minutes interval range to save battery. To check the network signal strength you could find people that have a phone and are logged in the AT&T network. Or go to an AT&T shop and ask there.
it doesn't matter which network your phone picks up here in florida, unless you have it unlocked and with an att simcard it won't matter, is not like when I went up north to canada with my dash, that even though it was roaming it picked up rogers , I live in a weak area for tmobile, I had to go outside my house when I had my dash , 'cause it wouldn't get a signal indoors, and it would show att indoors on my phone but it would never let me do anything , calls, text, or anything, I would have to go outside and let it find tmobile before I would be able to use it.

[Q] Network location determined by ...

I was hoping someone can confirm with me if their G2 is working 'properly' with this option enabled: Location & security settings \ Use wireless networks (checked)
Test would be to see if your Google Map (or other apps that needs your location like some weather apps) can find or track you rather than being fixated at your last known position.
Mine seems to only work when using a Wi-Fi network or when I switch to EDGE cell network (2G). Never have seen it work properly with WCDMA (which is HSDPA default) and I have been using Anycut to view the Phone's info to see this portion of tidbits. BTW, I don't have 4G in my area just yet.
Is this just my phone or something in common with all G2s. My G1 does not have this issue at all.
Thanks to anyone that can verify with me.
i can confirm that my g2 has the same issue
hey try using the app gps settings to download agps data. It worked for me in finding my location via the network so it should work for you as well.
icruisin said:
I was hoping someone can confirm with me if their G2 is working 'properly' with this option enabled: Location & security settings \ Use wireless networks (checked)
Test would be to see if your Google Map (or other apps that needs your location like some weather apps) can find or track you rather than being fixated at your last known position.
Mine seems to only work when using a Wi-Fi network or when I switch to EDGE cell network (2G). Never have seen it work properly with WCDMA (which is HSDPA default) and I have been using Anycut to view the Phone's info to see this portion of tidbits.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way it works is this; the tower ID numbers are sent from your phone to google. Google then looks up the coordinates of that tower in their tower database, and sends the coordinates back to you. You then have your approximate location. If the particular tower you are connected to is NOT LISTED within google's database, then they will be unable to determine your location.
BTW, I don't have 4G in my area just yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Congratulations, neither does anyone else since there is not a single service provider in north america that has begun rolling out 4G (despite lies to the contrary). You will be able to recognize 4G by the speed -- 100 Mb/s down, 50 Mb/s up. Your phone is NOT CAPABLE of anything even REMOTELY CLOSE to this.
Is this just my phone or something in common with all G2s. My G1 does not have this issue at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be a glitch in the software, I suppose, but more likely you are connected to a different tower.

4G Constant Scan - connect/disconnect

I have tried to search but it doesn't like to include 4G (to short to be included) in the search box so forgive me if I wasn't bright enough to find this somewhere else.
My EVO will scan for 4G service. It then says connecting to Sprint, then flashes disconnected and scans again only to say connecting to sprint. Rinse and Repeat this process over and over. I have had this issue both on clean installs of fresh rom and currently on Koni's elite series rom. Anyone have this issue as well/and or know of a solution.
I do have a 4G MAC address so I would think that I should be able to connect.
Thanks in advance for the help
wvjw said:
I have tried to search but it doesn't like to include 4G (to short to be included) in the search box so forgive me if I wasn't bright enough to find this somewhere else.
My EVO will scan for 4G service. It then says connecting to Sprint, then flashes disconnected and scans again only to say connecting to sprint. Rinse and Repeat this process over and over. I have had this issue both on clean installs of fresh rom and currently on Koni's elite series rom. Anyone have this issue as well/and or know of a solution.
I do have a 4G MAC address so I would think that I should be able to connect.
Thanks in advance for the help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for one are you in a strong 4G coverage area?
Try shutting off your phone, pull the battery for a minute or two and restart your phone. (If you call Sprint and tell them this issue - this step will be the first one they tell you to execute)
Also you can try updating your profile and PRL, When I am having weak signals under 4G/3G - I update my profile & PRL and it always seems to fix the signal issue...
hope this helps
JS3
this happens to me when trying to connect to a 4g signal from my apartment. it will say "scanning... connecting... obtaining IP address/disconnected/scanning...connecting..." (sometimes the "obtaining ip address" does not appear) yet if i try to connect in other parts of town it connects fine. wimax sucks as far as connectivity, so until more towers appear and the signal is better there's probably no way to fix your issue. ive tried every inch of my house, and of course by the windows is slightly better. if you can manage to get a "poor" or "fair" 4g connection you'll probably end up with slower speeds than 3g anyway. it's really misleading because the software indicates the phone is trying to connect even though the signal isn't good enough to maintain a connection. clear and sprint coverage maps indicate my address and neighborhood as "best" 4g coverage too, so i have little hope of this ever improving. there is a thread for updating your ##data# values to get the phone to connect sooner and stay connected longer which i think probably helps, but not enough for me (nothing you do on your end can improve the tower signal) and even if it did, like i said you're connecting at "poor" or "fair" signal and your data speeds will often remain slower than 3g.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I am good coverage areas, my work where I am now can get it in buildings and comically my home is exactly on the line of in-home/on-street. Tried pulling the battery to same results, I think I have current PRL 60675 PRI 1.90_003. Not sure what you mean for the profile though.
Thanks for the tips.
I can connect to 4g with a poor/fair signal now, and heres how I did it if anyone cares:
flashed joeykrim's rooted stock sprint rom (5.1 I think)
updated prl through settings menu
updated profile through settings menu
use msl reader app from market to get msl code
go to dialer and type (NOT call) ##DATA#
enter MSL, go to edit mode, tap the first out of the 5 or so menu items
press menu, choose "restore" (phone will reboot or power off)
turn phone back on and enable 4g with phone on window ledge.
somewhere along the line (flashing many many different roms and wiping a lot, trying various kernels and tweaks) I had gotten stuck in the seemingly irreversible 4g/wimax connection/disconnection loop. Now I can at least connect!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Note 2 not auto switching to 4G?

Hi guys, I'm plenty familiar with the Note II having had mine since October release. I'm having an issue where I will be in a solid 4G coverage area (at my home) and my phone will stay in 2G mode.
There is a problem with either the tower or the phone, I'm leaning toward tower because my wife has my old Sensation 4G which is also staying on 2G. Have any of you encountered/noticed that your phone stays in 2G even though you are in a 4G coverage area? For me either on the Sensation or Note II, I just pick WCDMA, 4G pops in and works great. The only problem is that I have to remember to put it back on auto when I leave the area. I looked up and attempted the cell codes for making the phone prefer 4G, but without success there. Also my phone picks up 4G automatically when I'm at work, so again leaning toward tower (but how and why the tower can control this I have no idea).
I also noticed some threads claiming wifi calling would detect wireless networks nearby and disable 4G. I'm leaning towards BS on that because 1. my wi-fi is almost always turned off (true unlimited 4G plan), and 2. when I disable wifi calling all together it still exhibits the same behavior.
I'm running out of ideas - any help is appreciated!
vinas1 said:
Hi guys, I'm plenty familiar with the Note II having had mine since October release. I'm having an issue where I will be in a solid 4G coverage area (at my home) and my phone will stay in 2G mode.
There is a problem with either the tower or the phone, I'm leaning toward tower because my wife has my old Sensation 4G which is also staying on 2G. Have any of you encountered/noticed that your phone stays in 2G even though you are in a 4G coverage area? For me either on the Sensation or Note II, I just pick WCDMA, 4G pops in and works great. The only problem is that I have to remember to put it back on auto when I leave the area. I looked up and attempted the cell codes for making the phone prefer 4G, but without success there. Also my phone picks up 4G automatically when I'm at work, so again leaning toward tower (but how and why the tower can control this I have no idea).
I also noticed some threads claiming wifi calling would detect wireless networks nearby and disable 4G. I'm leaning towards BS on that because 1. my wi-fi is almost always turned off (true unlimited 4G plan), and 2. when I disable wifi calling all together it still exhibits the same behavior.
I'm running out of ideas - any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In settings>more settings>mobile networks>network mode:
You should ALWAYS be set to GSM/WCDMA (Auto mode)
This will automatically get you the best data signal available at your location. If you only get 2G in some locations, that's normal. You can try calling TMO support and have them check your address to see if you SHOULD have 4G at that location. If you really want to try to see what is going on, install an app called Open Signal Maps form the Play store. Among other useful things, it will geolocate the towers you are connected to complete with distance and mapped street address.
Where I live I only ever get 2 or 3 bars of 2G data. I use the TMO wifi calling app for all my calls and texting. This is only way I can get reliable service at home.
vouty said:
In settings>more settings>mobile networks>network mode:
You should ALWAYS be set to GSM/WCDMA (Auto mode)
This will automatically get you the best data signal available at your location. If you only get 2G in some locations, that's normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying vouty. When I switch from auto mode to WCDMA I have 4 full bars. That's the funny part. Speedtest is giving me around 12Mbps down 3 up on average (I live right by the tower - like .5 mile), so there is for sure something strange happening. If I keep wifi on it really isn't an issue, but I prefer to not mess with wifi and just keep it in 4G while at home, but as frustrating as this problem is, the phone refuses to switch from 2G on it's own. Once I toggle from AUTO to WCDMA, and then back to auto - it will stay on 4G. It's almost as if I am waking it up and causing the phone to re-detect the signal.
vouty said:
In settings>more settings>mobile networks>network mode:
You should ALWAYS be set to GSM/WCDMA (Auto mode)
This will automatically get you the best data signal available at your location. If you only get 2G in some locations, that's normal. You can try calling TMO support and have them check your address to see if you SHOULD have 4G at that location. If you really want to try to see what is going on, install an app called Open Signal Maps form the Play store. Among other useful things, it will geolocate the towers you are connected to complete with distance and mapped street address.
Where I live I only ever get 2 or 3 bars of 2G data. I use the TMO wifi calling app for all my calls and texting. This is only way I can get reliable service at home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool app, very useful, appears I am on 3g at home. Turning off wifi to see if it changes to edge while using data.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

[Q] Sporadic Loss of Network

My Note II (Sprint PCS) has problems regaining network contact when it has been in a "dead zone". It will display the "no service" icon even when I know I'm in a area where I should have a voice and / or data connection. If I reboot the phone, I will regain service until I drive out of service range. Then, it will once again display the "no service" icon until I reboot the phone again. This only seems to happen in areas where there is a weak signal, like across much of Wyoming on Interstate 80, for example. Another thing this phone does that I find odd, is that it will occasionally display the "no service" icon, but yet at the same time indicate I have a 3G connection and actually allow data transfer. I've never before been a situation where I had 3G data capability but no voice service. I've thought about rooting the phone to see if it fixes the issue, but I travel for a living and cannot risk having a phone that is not dependable.

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