is there an app that can automatically switch you from 2g to 3g and vice versa based on your locale? i know there is an app called "locale" that does location based stuff but it doesnt have any settings for 2g-3g, onyl for bluetooth and wifi.
at home, i would rather just use 2g for voice and wifi for data, dont need 3g at home. but when i leave the house i dont get wifi for data so it would be better to switch to 3g when out.
thanks if there's an app or setting to do this!
Just a +1 to kick this thread and demonstrate some interest in the subject!
My network (Orange / T-Mobile in the UK) has a serious problem with some of its 3G cells —*three of the ones nearest my home have frequent data drop-outs and wildly varying signal strength to the point that calls often drop. The network have been telling me for a year that they know about it.
So, I'd like to be able to switch to 2G either at a known location, or when connected to certain known cells — or even, with a clever app, to be able to force 2G whenever 3G signal quality is varying beyond a certain threshold...
Related
I was wondering why someone would want to be connected to 3G all the time for talking. I could only guess that it is somewhat better quality. In my case I don't see it that much. I do however know that it waistes about double the battery using 3G all the time. If I am not using data is there any real advantages of it? and what if I am talking to someone who does not have a 3G phone.
Thank you,
Hmm, of course I could be wrong (but I doubt it), Data and voice are 2 different things. 3G is data, voice is voice.
Thats what I was thinking, but I dont understand why it would be connected via 3G all the time if im not even using the data. and 3G and EDGE connections seems to have different signal strengths. If it's only for data I guess I will leave 3G off all the time.
3G signal is emitted on a different frequency than GSM/Edge signal - it does drain the battery faster and is pretty useless if you are in a well covered GSM area and only using voice (phone) function. The quality gain isn't significant enough overall to make it worth battery drainage on a device like the Kaiser/Tilt.
The advantage of 3G is its data stream but it's also good with voice for hard to reach areas only reached by 3G signals - those are rare nowadays, especially in the US, but in some cities with landscape blocked coverage (like in some skyscrapers in Manhattan for example) you might not pick any GSM network at your work desk but might pick up 3G - in such places, using "bandswitch" regularly makes sense.
Lastly, 3G signal is slowly replacing GSM/CDMA (2G) as the broadcasting standard so I wouldn't be surprised that in the next 5 years, more and more GSM phone operators will stop mantaining there GSM frequency towers in favor of 3G.
Thanks jonas that's the answer I was looking for. I will use edge untill my signal gets low.
Jonasteddybear said:
Lastly, 3G signal is slowly replacing GSM/CDMA (2G) as the broadcasting standard so I wouldn't be surprised that in the next 5 years, more and more GSM phone operators will stop mantaining there GSM frequency towers in favor of 3G.
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Click to collapse
Interesting, since that means AT&T has a lot of work ahead of them and better get their butts in gear rolling out 3G. I live in the whatever-it-is, 90%, of the network area that does NOT have 3G.
Or I suppose I could be an optimist about what you say, and think that maybe it means AT&T really will be accelerating the rollout of 3G. That would be nice given the snail's pace of 3G expansion in the past couple of years.
Over in the UK 3G is the standard 2G is still available but the telecommunications offcom have required all UK operators to offer a minimum of 90% 3G coverage by 2010
I've always heard that Voice on 3G uses less power on standby and when talking, but I might be remembering it wrong.
Data on 3G uses significantly more juice than EDGE does (over double in my experience!) but I don't think you'll see a significant difference without data usage on 3G vs GSM but I could certainly be wrong.
I always have FlexMail and IM+ running, I haven't compared battery usage without them yet.
One big advantage that 3G has over EDGE is you can do voice and data at the same time. I've heard varying stories about some phones can do it on EDGE and some can't, but I know on my Tilt my connections die when I'm on a voice call and reconnect after but does not on 3G.
The biggest advantage of 3g besides the penetration is that you can talk and maintain a data connection. Edge gives you one or the other at a time--data or talk.
Hi there,
Can anyone please assist?
Whenever I select a phone Band of WCDMA and am operating on HSDPA [H], my Touch Diamond which is on Hutchison 3's Network, has very poor reception whenever indoors and has lots of call dropouts. The phone shows just the dot below the Antenna Icon or just one bar to the right, most of the time while on HSDPA.
Whenever I select a phone Band of GSM, and the phone switches to an Edge connection [E] then I have nearly full signal strength, but this is considered "Roaming" off my network service provider and therefore is much more expensive to use. (What a scam!).
I have tried installing several radio ROM's but it has not made any difference to the signal strength and dropout problems. The Radio ROMs tried so far:
1.09.25.23 Official (Quad Band)(52.51.25.26H)
1.08.25.20 Official (Quad Band)(52.44.25.24H)
1.08.25.08 Official (Quad Band)(52.44.25.24U)
1.00.25.BS14 Official (Quad Band)
1.00.25.06
The phone has had this problem with HSDPA signals since I purchased it.
My questions are:
1. Have other people experienced this kind of issue and is poor reception indoors normal when on HSDPA [H]?
2. Is there a way to force a Touch Diamond, say through a registry hack, to use a Band of WCDMA but stay on [3G] instead of using [H] ?
3. Is it more likely that my phone is a good candidate for a warranty return as perhaps the antenna is dodgy?
4. Are there any other suggestions I can try to fix this problem?
Any guidance here is appreciated.
Thanks,
nanohaxor
HTC Touch Diamond (Telstra branded phone)
ROM: 1.93.861.4 WWE
Radio: 1.05.25.BS14
Network: Hutchison 3 Australia
DIAM130 MFG 64M
SPL-1.40.OliNex
nanohaxor said:
My questions are:
1. Have other people experienced this kind of issue and is poor reception indoors normal when on HSDPA [H]?
2. Is there a way to force a Touch Diamond, say through a registry hack, to use a Band of WCDMA but stay on [3G] instead of using [H] ?
3. Is it more likely that my phone is a good candidate for a warranty return as perhaps the antenna is dodgy?
4. Are there any other suggestions I can try to fix this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love my Diamond and think that it is one of the best PDAs I have used. Its small size is just perfect for me, and I find other phones eg iPhone, Touch HD too big for me as a phone. I have customised it to the extent that I get no lag issues and it runs really fast.
The one flaw which I haven't been able to fix is its poor 3G/HSDPA reception compared to other phones like my previous Nokia. (The iPhone suffers from this problem also).
You obviously live or work in a poor 3G reception area for Three. When your phone switches from 3G to GSM, it will invariably drop the call if you are on a call. If the 3G reception is strong, indoors or outdoors, there will be no problems. 3G reception can fluctuate especially indoors. I dont think there is any fault with your phone.
Your options are to:
1) Change mobile phone provider
2) Force the phone to use GSM in low 3G signal areas and you will have no problems with call drop outs. There is no extra cost for roaming in GSM with Three for calls, only for data.
I use option 2, since I use WI-FI in the house for all my data needs. The easiest way to do this is to use Comm Manager, under Settings, Phone, Band, and then select GSM in 'Network Type' to force it to use GSM, or WCDMA to force it to use 3G/HSDPA. The other option is Auto, which is the cause of the problem. I use a hack which enables a '3G' toggle in Comm Manager so that I can change from 3G to GSM with the simple touch of a button.
You will also find that the battery life of the Diamond is really poor when it has to constantly change from 3G to GSM and vice versa. On the other hand, forcing it to use GSM and only switching on 3G when you use data, will actually prolong the battery life. I get up to 2+ days battery life when using GSM only.
Riker88 said:
I love my Diamond and think that it is one of the best PDAs I have used. Its small size is just perfect for me, and I find other phones eg iPhone, Touch HD too big for me as a phone. I have customised it to the extent that I get no lag issues and it runs really fast.
The one flaw which I haven't been able to fix is its poor 3G/HSDPA reception compared to other phones like my previous Nokia. (The iPhone suffers from this problem also).
You obviously live or work in a poor 3G reception area for Three. When your phone switches from 3G to GSM, it will invariably drop the call if you are on a call. If the 3G reception is strong, indoors or outdoors, there will be no problems. 3G reception can fluctuate especially indoors. I dont think there is any fault with your phone.
Your options are to:
1) Change mobile phone provider
2) Force the phone to use GSM in low 3G signal areas and you will have no problems with call drop outs. There is no extra cost for roaming in GSM with Three for calls, only for data.
I use option 2, since I use WI-FI in the house for all my data needs. The easiest way to do this is to use Comm Manager, under Settings, Phone, Band, and then select GSM in 'Network Type' to force it to use GSM, or WCDMA to force it to use 3G/HSDPA. The other option is Auto, which is the cause of the problem. I use a hack which enables a '3G' toggle in Comm Manager so that I can change from 3G to GSM with the simple touch of a button.
You will also find that the battery life of the Diamond is really poor when it has to constantly change from 3G to GSM and vice versa. On the other hand, forcing it to use GSM and only switching on 3G when you use data, will actually prolong the battery life. I get up to 2+ days battery life when using GSM only.
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Click to collapse
Riker88, appreciate your comments and feedback. Thanks.
I tried my 3 SIM in another Touch Diamond and found the problem with poor HSDPA reception on Hutchison 3 was exactly the same on the other phone. This likely means it's the provider, or phone + provider combination. In either case, darn it !!
I generally operate with the phone band selection on WCDMA, rather than GSM or Auto. I noticed yesterday while driving around the city that my phone switched from the HSDPA (ie. 3.5G) service with the [H] icon on the screen to the 3G (ie. 3.0G) service with the [3G] icon on the screen, and the [3G] service signal was stronger. What I'm wondering is this:
Is there a way to force the Touch Diamond to use [3G] all the time, instead of [H]?
nanohaxor
nanohaxor said:
Riker88, appreciate your comments and feedback. Thanks.
I tried my 3 SIM in another Touch Diamond and found the problem with poor HSDPA reception on Hutchison 3 was exactly the same on the other phone. This likely means it's the provider, or phone + provider combination. In either case, darn it !!
I generally operate with the phone band selection on WCDMA, rather than GSM or Auto. I noticed yesterday while driving around the city that my phone switched from the HSDPA (ie. 3.5G) service with the [H] icon on the screen to the 3G (ie. 3.0G) service with the [3G] icon on the screen, and the [3G] service signal was stronger. What I'm wondering is this:
Is there a way to force the Touch Diamond to use [3G] all the time, instead of [H]?
nanohaxor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my understanding, you should get same radio signal strength no matter it is 3G or HSDPA enabled. Your observation may be your original signal (with HSDPA) is too weak and hand-over to another radio station that have stronger signal but no hsdpa.
I also notice that the 3G reception capability of diamond is weak. But this is nothing dealing with hsdpa.
snufkin wrote:
"I also notice that the 3G reception capability of diamond is weak. But this is nothing dealing with hsdpa. "
From what i've seen - that's true. (i have the same problem).
Hi All,
I have a weird issue. My phone seems to be permantently stuck at "H" (HDSPA), it never switches back to 3G. Does anyone know what the problem could be?
It's sucking up my battery real fast.
I'm currently using a Generic Northamerican R3 rom. My phone is the X1a model.
Help would be much appreciated, thanks.
EDIT: I should also add that "Bands" option is set to Auto (both of them). If i play around i can get it to use Edge only, but thats not what i want. Id like it to work as it should, 3G when data is not being used, otherwise H.
download WMlonglife.cab n setting it..i forget the link..u can googling...
to the OP:
here's some info to let you figure out if you actually have a problem at all or not:
H(SDPA) is a data-extension of UMTS = 3G, E(DGE) is an extension of GSM/GPRS (always data, voice is either GSM or 3G). with band-setting, you just choose between gsm or 3g, if you get edge or hdspa for data depends on what your provider is delivering in that area.
standard behaviour with hdspa is to show the icon only if there's actually data transfered, if not it should show the 3g-icon. but some providers break that standard and will always let the phone show H.
so either you have one of those providers and are just complaining about the higher power-consumption of 3G compared to GSM. then normal power-saving measures come into play, search for them, there's a thread for it.
OR you don't have one of those providers, the symbol should fall back to 3G. this would mean you have constant data-transfer going on, causing higher power-consumption. if that's the case, remember what you installed and set to autostart (skype, irc-client, webradio... - web-stuff running in background)
Hi,
I once heard that some modems can change from 2G to 3G and vice versa, so that when you have data on, you'll be connected to 3G (or H, for that matter) and when you turn data off, it will automatically change into 2G.
I want such a modem since I get much better signal with 2G, so my device consumes much less power, but it would be nice if I can turn data on and have it change to 3G/H, without having to uncheck "use only 2g networks".
Is there such a thing?
Thanks.
Not that I have knowledge of and im almost certain that's controlled by the ROM it will only auto switch when 3g is out of range
Sent via that ninja standing right behind you
Do anyone know of a way to change the priority of which network to use.
I want VOICE - default to most reliable [2g] and only use something else if 2g unavailable [networks in UK are notoriously bad at cell tower hand off on 3g connections resulting is dropping calls while driving on motorways]
I want DATA - default to highest speed, fall back to lower speeds as normal.
My options are 3g only, 2g only, 3g preferred - not ideal
I was asking about something like this not long ago. I had idea to automatically turn on 3g when data is on and turn 2g when data is off but at this moment there is no way to do it on stock rom. Maybe when we gonna have working CM someone can add future like this.