Database Develop

Force WCDMA Only

Hi all,
Would like to check if anyone knows how could i set "WCDMA Only" (3G Only) on Galaxy S?
I can only Force 2G only via the settings menu, but not 3G only.
Managed to access the "Phone Info" menu via *#*#4636#*#*, selected "WCDMA Only" from the dropdown box.
However, nothing seemed to be set nor i see any button to save the choice?
Anyone happen to know how can i have it set? Or i could manually set it by applying some settings somewhere?
Thanks alot!

you cant force 3g... you would get no signal if you didnt have a 3g connection

boinger66 said:
you cant force 3g... you would get no signal if you didnt have a 3g connection
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that. However, such settings are available in Nexus One.

i2umi said:
I know that. However, such settings are available in Nexus One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is also available on the HTC Desire :
WCDMA only
GSM/WCDMA auto
GSM only

*#*#197328640#*#* > debug screen > phone control > network control > band selection
You need to do this after each reboot though as it does not stick.

Is there a way to shortcut this with anycut?

-Double Post-
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App (Which seems less than stable...)

The app Network simplifies the procedure quite a bit. Haven't actually gone into a low signal spot yet to see if it fully works as intended though.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

thank you very much..i have been searching this high and low...you save my day..

Thank you so much! This helped me diagnose the SGS and see if I have 1900 3G in my area (1 bar). here's a tip that I used for quick access to the debug screen just as a trial and it actually worked
Enter ONLY *#*#197328640#*# then hit add to contacts (notice there is no * at the end).
Give it a name (Samsung Debug Screen) and tap to edit the number and enter the final * at the end.
Save and exit. Now whenever u want to enter debug mode to change the network or other stuff just type *#*# and it should appear. Tap on the contact and voila!

clubtech said:
*#*#197328640#*#* > debug screen > phone control > network control > band selection
You need to do this after each reboot though as it does not stick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for this! Lots of fun debug info in there.
boinger66 said:
you cant force 3g... you would get no signal if you didnt have a 3g connection
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My operator doesn't have a 2G network... all they have is 3G. There's no point in my phone looking for anything other than a 3G network.

Solution added to FAQ

sorry to ask if this is already answered but how exactly to i get to CONFIRM my wcdma only selection? i check it and nothing happens, data connection stays on "G" symbol. I know for sure that at the place where i tested i get NO 3g signal. which means probably that i should be losing all signal after choosing wcdma only. that does not happen. also if i close the phone info app and reopen it, choice gets back to default (3g/gprs).
any help appreciated... I really need this.

forcing to only 3g is a bad move, i tested it on my n1 and i kept dropping calls once 3g lost signal.

raspdeep said:
forcing to only 3g is a bad move, i tested it on my n1 and i kept dropping calls once 3g lost signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know but i need it for the internet.. and i need it badly.. please help anyone as soon as possible. thank you guys

Its available in the new firmware I9000XWJM1
Hey, its there in I9000XWJM1 and tested working great as expected! However its a beta so you may see other issues. Not sure if its there in latest stable.

Just to confirm, i upgraded my firmware to XWJM5 today, and i noticed that in settings > wireless and network > mobile networks, there's a new menu 'network mode' in which there's 3 options - auto / gsm only / wcdma only. Nice touch!
In answer to the cynics, there are times when browsing, when the phone is borderline whether to give you 2g or 3g, it does come in handy, and it's safer too, as if i have to browse on 2g it makes me want to smash the phone up!!

spark001uk said:
Just to confirm, i upgraded my firmware to XWJM5 today, and i noticed that in settings > wireless and network > mobile networks, there's a new menu 'network mode' in which there's 3 options - auto / gsm only / wcdma only. Nice touch!
In answer to the cynics, there are times when browsing, when the phone is borderline whether to give you 2g or 3g, it does come in handy, and it's safer too, as if i have to browse on 2g it makes me want to smash the phone up!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL "safer"

@OP Although 'WCDMA only' mode may not be a good idea and hence not recommended but just to confirm
my current Build i9000XXJPH have following three modes
GSM/WCDMA (auto mode)
GSM only
WCDMA only

JM8 build also have this mode. I noticed that when I flash the i9000M (bell version) previously it didn't have these modes.

Does 2G work on Telus with Milestone?

I'm currently using CM 6.1.2 on my Milestone.
If I switch to 2G mode in the mobile network settings, I have no connection.
If I use the Toggle 2G app, it doesn't seem to really do anything. If I set 2G to use one of the options that don't disconnect me (WCDMA, CDMA or GSM 2g/3g) it still shows 3G in the status bar so I'm not sure what the point is in using the Toggle 2G app.

Wondering the same thing myself...
Does anyone knows the answer?

zeppelinrox said:
I'm currently using CM 6.1.2 on my Milestone.
If I switch to 2G mode in the mobile network settings, I have no connection.
If I use the Toggle 2G app, it doesn't seem to really do anything. If I set 2G to use one of the options that don't disconnect me (WCDMA, CDMA or GSM 2g/3g) it still shows 3G in the status bar so I'm not sure what the point is in using the Toggle 2G app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not certain about this (i use rogers), but i believe that telus has no 2G (edge) network. They built a 3G only network just in time for the olympics to replace their cdma network:
So the toggler probably cant find a valid connection and retries 3G.
Manual mode cant find a network at all.
On rogers, i can fallback to 2g. This is normal according to what i think i know.
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

thanks for the info.
That's what I thought so have given up on the idea of getting 2g to work
I guess when it comes to 3g and saving battery life, juice defender will have to do as it can turn off data when the screen is off but still have the phone working.

Well, I think I made some progress with this.
On my phone, I was also loosing the connection when switching from 3G to 2G but it's working now. I can get calls, it's only the data aver 2G that doesn't work now.
I have the Cronos rom on my phone, I can tell you what I did if you're interested.

Yes please do.
If it works on cm6 then at least I can also save juice by not using juice defender... oh the irony... lol
edit: hey look at all them Canadian flags, eh?!
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

Took me a lot of time to find the right switches combination.
Anyway, I have Toggle 2G auto managing the 2G/3G and for the bottom 2 options:
2G network: WCDMA preferred (3G/2G)
3G network: GSM auto (PRL)(2G/3G)
If I check under Setting/About/Phone/Status, I see written mobile network type UMTS.

Hmm... I had those 2 settings reversed when using toggly2g
I will try that.
Right now, my mobile network type shows up as HSPA.
Your post prompted me to find the difference and came up with these 2 useful pages just before my head exploded.
Awesome thread: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1600012-HSPA-vs.-UMTS
Handy chart at the bottom of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Mobile_Telecommunications_System

s0ulreaver said:
Well, I think I made some progress with this.
On my phone, I was also loosing the connection when switching from 3G to 2G but it's working now. I can get calls, it's only the data aver 2G that doesn't work now.
I have the Cronos rom on my phone, I can tell you what I did if you're interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this not the same then as just shutting off data?

Caz666 said:
Is this not the same then as just shutting off data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure but I don't think so. You can turn off the data but have the phone connected to the 3G network, right?
I think you could get data over 2G but it's just very slow, right?
With Telus I don't think they allow data over 2G.
zeppelinrox, I wonder why yours shows like this, what do you have active under those settings?
What ROMs are you guys using?

zeppelinrox said:
Hmm... I had those 2 settings reversed when using toggly2g
I will try that.
Right now, my mobile network type shows up as HSPA.
Your post prompted me to find the difference and came up with these 2 useful pages just before my head exploded.
Awesome thread: http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php/1600012-HSPA-vs.-UMTS
Handy chart at the bottom of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Mobile_Telecommunications_System
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I'm on 2G it shows as UMTS
With 3G (mobile data enabled) I see it alternating from 3G/UMTS to H/HSPA.

I'm on CM6.
My phone always shows HSPA except if I set it to use 2G then it shows GPRS - which is when I have no data and no phone signal.
I did use the Telus baseband file in AOR though... I wonder how it will behave if I use the Canada baseband....
Also, here's a neat trick....
dial *#*#4636#*#*
A Testing App will show up....
Select Phone Information and then goto the bottom.
You can set your preferred Network type.
Ok so that listbox shows all the different options.
The only options that will save are:
GSM only (2g - I get nothing - shows as GPRS)
WCDMA only (3g - shows as HSPA)
GSM auto (PRL) - (3g - shows as HSPA as well)
All the other options either are not selectable or just revert back to GSM auto (as is the case with WCDMA preferred)
I just did a few speed tests and I seem to get faster speeds with GSM auto than I do with WCDMA only
Gonna try that Canada baseband now....
Edit: Same thing. Except the speed test is slower for both WCDMA and GSM autio so best off using the Telus baseband.

The dial trick doesn't work. I dial the sequence as a phone number, right?
It disappears then nothing changes.

ah.. yeah sometimes it takes 2 or 3 tries...
do you use adw launcher?
If so, you can actually create a shortcut for it... I figured it out today.
1 Press and hold on homescreen and select Custom shortcut
2 Press "Pick your activity"
3 Select the second item on the list ie. Activities (with the ADW icon)
4 Wait for all stuff to load, scroll down to Settings, and press the arrow next to it to see the long list of activites that Settings.apk can do.
5 Scroll down near the end of the list, you will see Testing(.TestingSettings)
6. Select that and press OK on the next window.
I also made one for Battery History, which is actually part of the Testing app but is usually only accessible through Spare Parts.

I still can't get the trick to work... doesn't do anything on my phone
Right now I'm on the 2501 rom (latest 2.2.1 from Motorola) and I can say it's the best I've tested so far!
Outstanding battery life!

I found another way to run Testing App.
With Google gesture search you can set it to launch Settings actions
Let it scan and then write "testing" on the screen
Edit: oh crap I mistyped the code.
Its *#*#4636#*#*
I had 4536 before so I fixed it
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

zeppelinrox said:
I'm currently using CM 6.1.2 on my Milestone.
If I switch to 2G mode in the mobile network settings, I have no connection.
If I use the Toggle 2G app, it doesn't seem to really do anything. If I set 2G to use one of the options that don't disconnect me (WCDMA, CDMA or GSM 2g/3g) it still shows 3G in the status bar so I'm not sure what the point is in using the Toggle 2G app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, after doing some more tests and trying different apps (2G/3G switchers) I can say those apps work only if your cell phone company has both 2G/3G network.
In Montreal, only Rogers has both.
Easy to test (btw: I'm using the FroyoMOD rom): go in "Settings" -> "Wireless & Networks" -> "Mobile Network Settings" and check "Use only 2G networks".
See if your cell phone company is listed when you do a search under "Network Operators". If it's not, don't bother using a 2G/3G switcher.
When doing this, in Montreal I see only Rogers listed. If I uncheck "Use only 2G networks" I see all 3 of them: Bell, Telus and Rogers.
Hope this helps!

[Q] Change 3g to 3.5g

Does N1 have 3.5G capability?
If not, is it possible to add that capability via Android upgrade?
Sorry if my question is too noobishly.

l1k3m1k3 said:
Sorry if my question is too noobishly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is. Incredibly so.
3.5G = HSDPA
HSDPA is on pretty much any phone that's been released in the past few years.

>_>
Thanks.

Rusty! said:
It is. Incredibly so.
3.5G = HSDPA
HSDPA is on pretty much any phone that's been released in the past few years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can i get the H icon or HSDPA option in the the phone info but i dont wanna root my mobile nexus one

Change 3g to 3.5g, hello XDA, i know this is rooted world, but can i get the HSDPA option in my nexus one through *#*#info#*#* so i can set it to 3.5g as i cannot see any H icon or more i only see 3G always,
i only see the options WCDMA only WCDMA preferred and other CDMA etc...
can any one help me to change 3g to H or 3.5G please when i connect the same data line to computer its HSPA connection but on my nexus one its not.
hello i dont want to root my phone
thank you

Unfortunately, without rooting your phone, you can't get HSPA differentiation. That's actually a big draw for many people in order to root and load someone's ROM.
The reason for this is that the framework-res.apk file (the file that houses the actual pictures that make up your status bar, among other things, does not include an H icon. It only has 3G for both states. At least setting it to WCDMA preferred or WCDMA only (what I use), you know that you're most likely on 3.5G.
ruhismile said:
Change 3g to 3.5g, hello XDA, i know this is rooted world, but can i get the HSDPA option in my nexus one through *#*#info#*#* so i can set it to 3.5g as i cannot see any H icon or more i only see 3G always,
i only see the options WCDMA only WCDMA preferred and other CDMA etc...
can any one help me to change 3g to H or 3.5G please when i connect the same data line to computer its HSPA connection but on my nexus one its not.
hello i dont want to root my phone
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for your reply mate I hope we get some official update so we can get the hspa or atleast hspda
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Ok, I see some potential misunderstanding here.
Working on HSxPA isn't up to your phone - it's up to your cellular carrier. If you have HSxPA network capability - the phone will use it, because it's capable of using it. You can't make it use more or less of it, it's either used or not used.
On the other hand, the icons above may not show "H" for HSxPA, it depends on the ROM. AFAIK some European Vodafone ROMs show "H", but stock Google ROMs don't. If all you're looking for is "H" icon - then your best bet is to root and install custom ROM.

You need to root to get that icon.

Why I don't see hsdpa option while using #*#*4636#*#* only wcdma
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Thanks mate for your reply I will never root my Nexus one
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Why not its so easy? Warrenty?

Err sorry. I wasn't clear enough. What I meant was that you may be in HSPA but it won't say it unless you load a custom ROM.
Go to Settings -> About Phone -> Status Under network type, you should see HSDPA.

Threads Merged.
Two topics right next to each other asking the exact same question. Next time, please look for similar threads / use the search function.
Thank you.

I might if I had two phones but I don't and I can't afford
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

I was first and searched but no forums it say hsdpa in setting but its not its wcdma in *#*#4636#*#* I want to set there hsdpa thanks anyway
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

You can't lock the phone on HSDPA, and you don't want to even if you could.

ruhismile said:
I was first and searched but no forums it say hsdpa in setting but its not its wcdma in *#*#4636#*#* I want to set there hsdpa thanks anyway
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try going to Settings -> About Phone -> Status and then looking for Network Type? There is where you should see HSDPA if available. My Nexus One on Tmo US showed it even before I rooted and enabled HSPA differentiation (the icon showing H instead of 3G when on HSPA).

willverduzco said:
Err sorry. I wasn't clear enough. What I meant was that you may be in HSPA but it won't say it unless you load a custom ROM.
Go to Settings -> About Phone -> Status Under network type, you should see HSDPA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true, you just need a modified framework-res.apk

Yes. It shows hsdpa in settings but not info where we set the network thanks
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

[Q] is there any way to keep the phone from using LTE?

my phone is unlocked and i use tmobile service..
they just switched on LTE in my area.. and its working great.. i assigned a new APN (fast.t-mobile.com) and i get upwards of 18Mbps.. but..
in my house.. the LTE signal is 1 bar.. most of my calls go straight to VM and i sometimes dont get texts for hours..
in my house the 4g signal which was the default before is 3 to 4 bars.. i never had a problem receiving calls and texts when its on 4g.
so it seems now they have LTE service the phone favors that no matter what the signal is..
i cant find any options in the settings to turn off LTE and just use 4g.

i guess you can disregard this question.. i installed CM10.2 and it has the option to only use WCDMA instead of LTE..
this fixes my issue

aarons6 said:
i guess you can disregard this question.. i installed CM10.2 and it has the option to only use WCDMA instead of LTE..
this fixes my issue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On stock MR do :settings>more>mobile networks>network type

Mister_Simon said:
On stock MR do :settings>more>mobile networks>network type
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no the original firmware did not have the option to select GSM/WCMA/LTE only.
the CM10.2 has 3 options.
WCDMA/LTE
GSM/WCDMA/LTE
GSM/WCDMA only.
along with a use 2g network only check box..

aarons6 said:
no the original firmware did not have the option to select GSM/WCMA/LTE only.
the CM10.2 has 3 options.
WCDMA/LTE
GSM/WCDMA/LTE
GSM/WCDMA only.
along with a use 2g network only check box..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"On stock MR"

Where is network mode choice for 3g/2g auto switch

I use rom Pure Nexus rom and have only 2g 3g and Lte option in seperately. Pls someone advise wherever or any rom have option for auto switch network like 3g priotiy then weak signal will switch to 2g
Tks so much

tranphungan said:
I use rom Pure Nexus rom and have only 2g 3g and Lte option in seperately. Pls someone advise wherever or any rom have option for auto switch network like 3g priotiy then weak signal will switch to 2g
Tks so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
such an option does not exist

tranphungan said:
I use rom Pure Nexus rom and have only 2g 3g and Lte option in seperately. Pls someone advise wherever or any rom have option for auto switch network like 3g priotiy then weak signal will switch to 2g
Tks so much
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the phone will do this automatically in either setting, just leave it on lte and it will have the better tech whenever it finds it and if it looses it it will switch to the lower one within specified thresholds. i know it will switch to 3g from LTE at -120dbm but i dont know what the threshold is for 3g-2g