[Q] Should data always be 4G? - T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-T989

Reception is weak in my office at work. On my previous phone, Motorola Defy, I noticed my data would go back and forth between 'H' and '3G'.
With my GS2, data is stuck on 4G. I have watched it for hours now and even though I have no bars it does not change. Am I missing something? Is my device defective?
I appreciate your help with this.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

There might not be a 3G (icon) for the phone which is why it stays on 4G rather than drop to 3G.
At least that is the case with my G2X, it is either 4G or 2G but never 3G.
Not sure why, but that's how they made it.
Have you done a speed test to see if you are on 4G or not?
This phone also might have better connectivity to the network.
....

I can at least confirm there is an E for edge Found out today at my apartment in Boston (normally I have 4G with great speeds in Boston, but I guess the bathroom doesn't get good reception)

Thanks for the replies. Yes I ran 4 speed tests this morning in 4G and my max was 1490 Mbps so I think it's working well.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA App

There actually is a 3g icon. It is only displayed for Umts networks. The reason it was done that way is because there is no way to differentiate hspa from hspa+. Two network technologies for 3g were in use anyways and so it was easier to display all hspa and hspa+ networks as 4g and all umts as 3g.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Edit due to phone auto correct fail.

Related

HSPA+

I was just wondering if there was an app that showed when I was actully on HSPA+ or just 3G cause as far as I can tell its either H, E or G. I've yet to see 3G. Id like to be able to see without going to settings, about phone, status. Cause I want to run speed tests on HSPA+.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I think if you go to phone status. You would be connected under umts which would be 3g or hspa as hspa+ but hspa n umts its technically the same thing. It never shows hspa+ even though I live within the coverage with hspa+
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
That would explain why my speed test have been the same on umts and hspad on the status section =( thx mate
Sent from my G2, XDA app =)
When in a HSPA+ area your phone should show HSDPA under About Phone>Status>Mobile Network Type. The 'H' indicator will show no matter what 3G network you're connected to. I'm assuming T-Mobile did this to avoid confusion between 3G and HSPA+ which is technically still 3G.
Yea I know I was just looking for like a widget that told me constantly so I know when I can speed test
fRom Snugs G2 ^.^
Snuggl3s said:
Yea I know I was just looking for like a widget that told me constantly so I know when I can speed test
fRom Snugs G2 ^.^
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I was just going to post this. Would be a great widget to have.
mark925 said:
I was just going to post this. Would be a great widget to have.
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Click to collapse
Yes it would. I'd give it a try but I'm clueless on how to make an app =(
fRom Snugs G2 ^.^
I have been using Netswidget. It seems to do the job, possibly a little buggy still at times. But it does show edge, umts and hsdpa on it. I even saw gprs the other day for a brief moment out in the sticks. But it seems to work fine for me.
I have mobile signal widget. Changes icon for edge, 3g, and hspa.
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Max download 0.89!
Hello,
I am new to Android - do I have to turn on something to get higher speeds?
I consitently get 0.89 no matter where I am.
In fact, our region is listed as 4G speeds on TMobile website... McLean VA.
I am thinking a bad phone, maybe? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Mobile Signal Widget for me also
http://www.appbrain.com/app/mobile-signal-widget/com.empirical.widget.signal
Just because you are listed on the coverage map as being in the HSPA+ area the towers might not be actally all set up for the top speeds. I live in Massachusetts in a suburb of Boston where we are on the coverage map as being in HSPA+ area but the next town over is ony getting top speeds of around 950 kbps download. The network has not been stretched out to it's maximum yet, you will be getting your speed probably very soon. It is still very spotty. This has been my findings in the Boston area. One town in HSPA+ will get 750 MBPS download (very fast) and just a short distance away will only get top speeds of only 950 kbps (not bad) It will get better soon.
pateltjp said:
Hello,
I am new to Android - do I have to turn on something to get higher speeds?
I consitently get 0.89 no matter where I am.
In fact, our region is listed as 4G speeds on TMobile website... McLean VA.
I am thinking a bad phone, maybe? Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im also in VA and dont see "4g speeds" but it depends on certain areas just because your in "4g" area doesnt mean your going to see it, like if your inside in a building, or just in a bad coverage area. Ive actually did a speedtest under 2 different cell towers and the most I ever got was 5down. They say the g2 is capable of doing like 14, but I dont think anyone is ever going to get that I would say 10 the most.
In the phone manual it shows the different types of networks the phone would show. This G, E, H, and H+. It wont show 3g because H is the same as 3g and H+ is "4g".
agsr4ever said:
In the phone manual it shows the different types of networks the phone would show. This G, E, H, and H+. It wont show 3g because H is the same as 3g and H+ is "4g".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've not heard of anyone seeing an 'H+' on the phone... *going to read manual*

No 3g on sgh-t989?

Can someone let me know why my phone never shows 3g? Either it is showing 'E' or 4G. My nexus used to show 3G.
I am under the assumption that this sgh-t989 can connect to all those networks t-mobile has....
Thanks
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
It might be because of the fact that everything being advertised now as '4G' is technically '3G.
8Fishes said:
It might be because of the fact that everything being advertised now as '4G' is technically '3G.
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Thats not true anymore.. the T-Mobile 4G network has been officially recognized as 4G along with WiMax and LTE. Happened a few months ago.
The reason your only seeing either E or 4G is because those are the networks you are near. And many people believe that T-Mo sets the software to show 4G in the 3G area to "lie".. personally depending where i am, I see 3G or 4G we dont have any edge left in my area any longer..
Either way does it really matter? I mean as long as you have a solid connection..
PJcastaldo said:
...The reason your only seeing either E or 4G is because those are the networks you are near...
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My friend's Nexus S shows 3G or H -depending on which tower it connects to? I don't know but it does show them at different times. we are still living in the same area. So, I am not so sure that they might have "phased out" the 3G. Confusing..
PJcastaldo said:
Either way does it really matter? I mean as long as you have a solid connection..
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Click to collapse
Suppose it doesn't matter but, I'd rather get 4G > 3G > E, and in that order. As you know, 3G is definitely faster than E and not all markets/areas have been upgraded to 4G...
T-Mobiles "4G" is a boosted UMTS (3G) band per say which is HSDPA. As long as the market you live in supports HSPDA you will see a "4G". If not then you will see a "3G". If none of those you will see "E" for EDGE or "G" for GSM. To say that T-Mobile's "4G" is actually 4G is ridiculous.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
iLeopard said:
T-Mobiles "4G" is a boosted UMTS (3G) band per say which is HSDPA. As long as the market you live in supports HSPDA you will see a "4G". If not then you will see a "3G". If none of those you will see "E" for EDGE or "G" for GSM. To say that T-Mobile's "4G" is actually 4G is ridiculous.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
But T-Mobile's 4G is really fast. Lets not start bad mouthing here.
I get on average 18-20mbps on T-Mobiles "4G" here in South Florida. These speeds are absolutely horrible! Youtube videos are fully cached in seconds and i don't even get the buffering icon so I can sneeze or make sure my car is even being driven in the right direction! Someone should report them to the BBB!
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
iLeopard said:
T-Mobiles "4G" is a boosted UMTS (3G) band per say which is HSDPA. As long as the market you live in supports HSPDA you will see a "4G". If not then you will see a "3G". If none of those you will see "E" for EDGE or "G" for GSM. To say that T-Mobile's "4G" is actually 4G is ridiculous.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
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Then call it ridiculous because as of the end of last year the hspa + network was accepted as 4G. As well as wimax and LTE. Since previous non of these where "real " 4G.. 100mbps.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
tester420 said:
Can someone let me know why my phone never shows 3g? Either it is showing 'E' or 4G. My nexus used to show 3G.
I am under the assumption that this sgh-t989 can connect to all those networks t-mobile has....
Thanks
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
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Basically, if you live in an area with mixed coverage where there are 3g bands in addition to hspa plus (a form of 4g), you will see a mixture between 3g and 4g. However, in most areas the 3g bands have been upgraded to support 4g so the 4g > 3g > edge map has the 4g and 3g combined into 4g so you're not losing out on 3g time but rather are gaining 4g time.
Another explanation involves TMobile showing all 3g as 4g regardless of whether it is actually hspa plus or not. This would explain your friend's nexus s coverage changing. Personally, I only see a difference between 3g and 4g on specific roms which would indicate that TMobile does code their roms to label everything above edge as 4g.
Side note: H is the same as 4g as far as we are concerned. H means hspa plus whereas 4g if the more broad category that also includes lte and Wimax. It's like calling my car a ford fusion versus just a Ford. Neither is wrong.
Bottom line: you are not losing out on 3g coverage. At best, you are getting 4g in place of the 3g even when you should be getting 3g. At worst, you are getting both 4g and 3g but your phone is always telling you that you're on 4g

3g/4g question

Hi every body
i seem when my note display 3g the internet dosnt work i need to wait for couple of seconds to display h or h+ and then works. Is that normal? Why i cant use the 3g regular network?
Sent from my SGH-I317 using hixda app-developers app
Yes thats normal. Its to preserve bettery the signal will regilary drop down into 3g when idle
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2
Bestplayer55 said:
Hi every body
i seem when my note display 3g the internet dosnt work i need to wait for couple of seconds to display h or h+ and then works. Is that normal? Why i cant use the 3g regular network?
Sent from my SGH-I317 using hixda app-developers app
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I'm on the same boat homie. Can't figure it out. I guess it's just another amazing T-Mobile limitation.
Tmobiles 3g and 4g network are the same the 4g is actually just 3g with better antenna technology and I think a power boost. The 3g network is called hspa and 4g is hspa+. That is why att had 3g 3.5g and 4g att considered the hspa+ 3.5g because they launched their lte network as 4g. So technically when tmo launches lte it will be tmos 5g. They changed the definition of the whole thing a while ago. G stands for generation. So that is why tmobile is allowed to call it 4g because it is their 4 generation of high speed internet. There is no actually standard. like edge being 2g hspa being 3g lte 4g the way it should be.
For the roms that use the h, h+, 3g format usually 3g actually EDGE or 2g. H is 3g and h+ is 4g So the net is probally not broken it is just ridiculously slow. I hope I explained that right. That is what it seems like to me from GOOGLEING it.
mojorisin7178 said:
Tmobiles 3g and 4g network are the same the 4g is actually just 3g with better antenna technology and I think a power boost. The 3g network is called hspa and 4g is hspa+. That is why att had 3g 3.5g and 4g att considered the hspa+ 3.5g because they launched their lte network as 4g. So technically when tmo launches lte it will be tmos 5g. They changed the definition of the whole thing a while ago. G stands for generation. So that is why tmobile is allowed to call it 4g because it is their 4 generation of high speed internet. There is no actually standard. like edge being 2g hspa being 3g lte 4g the way it should be.
For the roms that use the h, h+, 3g format usually 3g actually EDGE or 2g. H is 3g and h+ is 4g So the net is probally not broken it is just ridiculously slow. I hope I explained that right. That is what it seems like to me from GOOGLEING it.
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Hey thanks for that info. I tested out all networks again...
4G = Fast Data.
3G = No Data AT ALL.
Edge = Slow Data.
If T-Mobile's 4G and 3G networks are the same thing, why don't I get data when the phone says it's connected to a 3G tower? I had 3G service with my previous phone and it had decent data speed. I could stream music and browse the web easily. Now... 3G just doesn't work at all.
acideater said:
Hey thanks for that info. I tested out all networks again...
4G = Fast Data.
3G = No Data AT ALL.
Edge = Slow Data.
If T-Mobile's 4G and 3G networks are the same thing, why don't I get data when the phone says it's connected to a 3G tower? I had 3G service with my previous phone and it had decent data speed. I could stream music and browse the web easily. Now... 3G just doesn't work at all.
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Thanks fo that. Thats what im talking about. I have my other phone (nexus s) and works with 3g tower. Note 2 dosent works. Im going to call tmobile customer service to complain lol
Sent from my SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
I called tmobile today and the technical support told me they are going refering this issue to the engeniere to look forward what can be happening with this problem, bcse is not normal. We supposed to use tge 3g network too. Sorry my english is bad.
Sent from my SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
Bestplayer55 said:
I called tmobile today and the technical support told me they are going refering this issue to the engeniere to look forward what can be happening with this problem, bcse is not normal. We supposed to use tge 3g network too. Sorry my english is bad.
Sent from my SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
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Cool man keep us updated!!

Can this phone connect to 3G

I've notice that my phone either connects to 4g or edge. So whenever I'm not in the 4g area, I will be stuck with edge. Is it possible to connect to the 3g network to get a better speed?
This phone doesn't have 4G. "4G" = 3G/HSPA. So, there is no problem.
Look all over the forum for further explanation, this has been covered since the phone came out.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda premium

[Q] Lte - anyone slow/idle 3g speed?

got the nexus 7 lte and with my 3g sim card, it has problem sending data even with full reception. For instance, at 3g /h, its does not switch to h+ immediately . When it changes to h+ it loads for a few seconds and goes back to h where the connection will just idle
But when I put in my 4g sim card, iit's fast and responsive.. Instant loading for all and no such idling..
No problems with wifi.
Anyone having problems with hsdpa? Running 36c version and changed to custom rom and i changed to a new 3g sim card butProblems still persist.
(no response from Q&A so had to post here)
I'm getting much better speeds with the LTE tablet on T-Mobile than my GNex phone on Tmobile. Maybe you don't have good coverage in your area?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Actually it's fine on 4g. Just 3g even with full reception..
Deleted weird double post (how does something like this happen 30 minutes after I exited the app?!?)
It's with full reception.. I tried the same 3g sim on 2012 nexus, it seems fine..
I got a feeling it's a bug or my unit is faulty
Remember on 4g it's fine.. Just hsdpa/3g
Mine has never shown LTE symbols, but it's faster than my non LTE phone. I don't know if that's because it's capable of faster HSPA or it just doesn't show LTE. Anyway, the speeds I posted are using HSPA not LTE as far as I can tell. Ignore the wifi speed test, I was testing a poor wifi repeater.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I dunno if it's my service provider sux or my tablet is faulty

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