What do you think so far - 8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam General

I love my TyTn no problems at all, very fast and HSPDA rocks, so does the scroll wheel one handed operation is now a reality
Chris

So far, I'm very impressed with the speed.
The one-handed aspects (like the scroll wheel) are tremendous.
HSPDA definitely rocks. Depending on where/when I try, I've seen download speeds between 600kbs and 1.2mbs. Not too shabby!
I'm having issues with "Internet passthrough" access while connected to ActiveSync, but otherwise, problem-free!

goestoeleven said:
So far, I'm very impressed with the speed.
The one-handed aspects (like the scroll wheel) are tremendous.
HSPDA definitely rocks. Depending on where/when I try, I've seen download speeds between 600kbs and 1.2mbs. Not too shabby!
I'm having issues with "Internet passthrough" access while connected to ActiveSync, but otherwise, problem-free!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK.
Then please tell me the following:
(a) How do you conclude you are on HSDPA ? I assume you are deducing that from the downlink speed you experience, ain't ya ? Acc. to my experience you can conclude you are on HSDPA if you get good continuous rates of well beyond 400kbit/s.
(b) Then which software (PDA or PC-based) are you using for checking the downlink data rate ?
(c) Can you disclose in which town in the US you are residing ? Afaik Cingular has only recently rolled out HSDPA. So I'd assume you live either in or slightly outside a larger town to have access to HSDPA.
Something else - regarding the scroll wheel:
I agree, this could be a great helper for a one-hand operation.
Unfortunately I think it could work more intuitively and is in some aspects even lacking functionality where functiuonality would really be needed.
E.g. when surfing in the internet.
You can invoke the IE using the scroll wheel; but how the hell can you then access your IE Bookmarks ??? :-(
As a resolution HTC could have programmed the first up-scrolling movement with the wheel after invoking the IE as a trigger for starting the Bookmarks. What do you think ?
Also when scrolling thru the Bookmarks the wheel opens every sub-folder when moving on it, thus it needs really very long for selecting any specific bookmark if you have accumulated a big collection.
Why is the wheel opening a sub-folder when only a click at a folder should open it ? A little bit of a bug. What do you think ?
My opinion is:
The wheel definitely is a step forward, but still needs development.
Regarding HSDPA: There is no way of finding out if the device is really on HSDPA (same applies to EDGE btw) other than by judging on the downlink data rate experienced (which tool ?).
As my operator offers HSDPA here (and I get tremendous downlink rates using one of these Vodafone Mobile Connect Cards) I somewhat doubt that the TyTN already offers HSDPA capability as the speeds I experience (both when using as a surf machine as well as a modem) are good UMTS speed but really not HSDPA !
Which brings me back to my mantra:
"Guys, we need a generic way for distinguishing between HSDPA/UMTS and EDGE/GPRS, like the registry tweak for the predecessor models !!!"

Oh the TyTN does indeed do HSDPA. I live in a Cingular HSDPA launch city, namely Salt Lake City.
I've teathered it to my laptop and have acheived speeds of over 860/kbit download via dslreports.com. I can also acheive nice low latency between 200-300ms.
I have seen the device drop to GSM/EDGE mode when I'm in a bad area and the speed immediately drops to 100kbit or less.
At least in Salt Lake City, wherever the phone shows a U icon, I'm getting increadible speeds.
I ran the dslreports mobile test on the device and it gets the same speeds as when teathered to the laptop. Also I ran dslreports speed test through my wireless internet connection at home which is teathered to an 8mbit cable modem account. On this connection the TyTN tops out at being able to measure around 1500/kbit through pocket IE, so the average 600-800kbit over HSDPA must be pretty accurate. Very rarely am I seeing less than 600kbit download.
-James

For Salt Lake City let me clarify. When I have a U, it's always getting HSDPA speeds, when it shows a G, I'm always getting EDGE or less speeds.
Around here I assume everywhere we have UTMS, we have HSDPA enabled, this is how cingular did it. This is the same for GSM, wherever Cingular has GPRS, they have EDGE so whenever I see a G icon, I'm getting edge speeds.... now wether it truely is EDGE, or regular GPRS I don't care, in fact who cares, it's so slow compared to HSDPA the difference is not important to me. As long as I got the U, I know I'm getting HSDPA.
I guess for networks in Europe that deployed UMTS before HSDPA this doesn't help you determine if you are getting HSDPA or not. However from what I understand, if the network has HSDPA, and your phone is capable of it, then you just automatically get it. You are not selectively being denied HSDPA or anything, it's more spectrally effecient for the operator to let you use it if it's available. It would simply decrease their cell capacity to somehow deny you use of it.
A good example is on Cingular, I have a data package, I popped my 3G sim into my phone, and the same data login settings still work, only it's a hell of a lot faster.
Can you determine if HSDPA is indeed availabel on the towers in your area?
-James

In Europe, as the operators started off with UMTS a couple of years ago, HSDPA is definitely something of an "upgrade", thus not seamlessly switched on.
Would suppose its to a large extent a question of licensing and licenses have a better payoff where the services offered thru them are actually taken up by the customers.
This is surely the reason why there is generally not (yet) HSDPA available in every cell which is offering UMTS. (Agreed there are other reasons for that as well, but this one is a very important reason.)
As I live in the capital of my country and the HSDPA coverage is very good here (also other populated places in the country are well covered with HSDPA already) I can get high data rates using one of these high-speed PCMCIA data cards for the PC (e.g. the Vodafone Mobile Connect Card).
In the same cells I get a much lower data rate when surfing with the TyTN.
This made me wonder whether the TyTN at all already supports HSDPA.

My only complaint so far is the A2DP. The headsets I have tried with it do not have great connection. In that I mean that it connects fine, but there is always these constant pauses within a song (i.e., when I'm listening to a song) that drives me nuts. My M600 from Sony Ericsson does not do this as the connection is problem free. Also, the whole phone seems to slow down when I'm using the bluetooth headset to listen to music.
That's it so far.

tkao2025 said:
My only complaint so far is the A2DP. The headsets I have tried with it do not have great connection. In that I mean that it connects fine, but there is always these constant pauses within a song (i.e., when I'm listening to a song) that drives me nuts. My M600 from Sony Ericsson does not do this as the connection is problem free. Also, the whole phone seems to slow down when I'm using the bluetooth headset to listen to music.
That's it so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the wiki:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_Registry
There are some registry hacks that help the AD2P performance

jmacdonald801,
Thanks for the post. I'm in Salt Lake City too using heavily hacked Wizard on T-mobile's network. I love the wizard but have been missiing the Evdo speeds of Verizon but I need a world phone for my business.
Where'd you order your TyTN from and what is your cingular plan costing you?
Thanks again.

rambo6 said:
jmacdonald801,
Thanks for the post. I'm in Salt Lake City too using heavily hacked Wizard on T-mobile's network. I love the wizard but have been missiing the Evdo speeds of Verizon but I need a world phone for my business.
Where'd you order your TyTN from and what is your cingular plan costing you?
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I created a big stink on ho-fo because my TyTN was defective and I tried to return it after the 7 day policy of the online reseller.
Listen, I would be neglectful if I didn't tell you you are taking a big risk by purchasing this device, regardless of where you buy it. As you may have read here, this device has a serious quality control issue. Even replacement units are not always bug free.
That being said here are some things you really need to consider when purchasing this phone.
HTC is not obligated to repair your phone outside of the countries where it is meant to be sold. The United States is not on this list. I read the warenty documentation carefully. This doesn't mean they won't repair it, it just means they can tell you to bug off at their leisure. You could end up shipping this thing back to Europe and who knows if you will ever see it again.
The phone will cost between $700 to $800. Now that's a lot given that HTC isn't obligated to fix it, and the retailers you will encounter online will only offer a 7 day "exchange" policy only. Not only that, this policy may not be made clear to you during the checkout procedure.
Now assuming the HTC didn't have the number of issues that have been reported here, I could recommend someone to buy it from, but I certainly don't want you to take the chance of ending up with a defunct device with no warranty and basically up **** creek without a paddle.
While the device is "fun" and "neat" I doubt it's really going to provide you with any more functionality than your current device.
Now onto some positive information...
I have an older $19.99 media net package. It has unlimited data. I get 1200 text messages and 200 MMS messages. This package will work fine on the TyTN regardless of what anyone at Cingular will tell you.
What they won't tell you is what the physical difference between MediaNet and the PDA/Laptop plan are.
Firstly, there is not speed difference, if you have HSDPA, then you get the speed, period.
Secondly, Media.Net uses a fake IP address, similar to what happens when you have a router at home. the PDA Plan will give you a real internet IP address that people can connect to from the internet. The operational difference is simple, Media.Net will not allow you to use Corporate VPN, I have tried. Skype, and about every other application will work fine on Media.Net.
I don't know why Cingular makes such a big Stink about this, I use Cingular video MobiTV and you can literally eat hundreds of megabytes of data using Cingular's very own Media.Net applications. It's really just a scam to get you to buy a more expensive plan, which is fine if you need VPN.
As for me, I'm in the process of returning my TyTN and I'll stick with the LG CU500. It's an excellent phone. I think I'll find a PDA with 640x480 and bluetooth and just get the internet via the phone over bluetooth. This way I only need to carry the bigger device around when I need it and the phone just works without any complication.
If you can accept all the complications and risks involved in buying an imported phone for that amount of money, then I can recommend a good person, however I didn't fair so well.
Wait for the Cingular version.
-James

James,
Thank you for the candid response. I was going to wait anyway. I get a new phone every 6 month now and I've only had the Wizard for 4. In browsing this forum, I see there's quite a few bug which need fixing. Your advice to wait a while is much appreciated.
My wizard is working so well that the only thing I miss is the 3G internet. T-Mobiles 2.5 G ain't bad for anything except streaming video.
You've made me very eager to try the device on the Cingular network.
Thanks again.

@rkorzuch
Thanks for the A2DP performance tip from the Wiki, works for me with ITech S35 - improved audio quality.

jmacdonald801 said:
For Salt Lake City let me clarify. When I have a U, it's always getting HSDPA speeds, when it shows a G, I'm always getting EDGE or less speeds.
Around here I assume everywhere we have UTMS, we have HSDPA enabled, this is how cingular did it. This is the same for GSM, wherever Cingular has GPRS, they have EDGE so whenever I see a G icon, I'm getting edge speeds.... now wether it truely is EDGE, or regular GPRS I don't care, in fact who cares, it's so slow compared to HSDPA the difference is not important to me. As long as I got the U, I know I'm getting HSDPA.
I guess for networks in Europe that deployed UMTS before HSDPA this doesn't help you determine if you are getting HSDPA or not. However from what I understand, if the network has HSDPA, and your phone is capable of it, then you just automatically get it. You are not selectively being denied HSDPA or anything, it's more spectrally effecient for the operator to let you use it if it's available. It would simply decrease their cell capacity to somehow deny you use of it.
A good example is on Cingular, I have a data package, I popped my 3G sim into my phone, and the same data login settings still work, only it's a hell of a lot faster.
Can you determine if HSDPA is indeed availabel on the towers in your area?
-James
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
out of curiosity, do you ever see an "E" when connected to edge networks? or does the TyTn handle "G" as either gprs or edge and "U" for UMTS?
edit: nvm...read the FAQ. that kinda sucks...i hope someone can figure out how to enable the "E" icon for the hermes.

Hi
I live in Austria - I am on T-Mobile and I just gut 664kbit/s using http://performance.chello.at:81/
So that seems to be HSDPA
BR
Daniel

@mdajax:
No "E" for edge on the TyTN unfortunately. The known reghacks don't work. Some are playing with the bitmaps that make up this display but so far I haven't heard of any success stories.

vodafone hspda
just measured 1100Kbps, so much for my monthly data allowance at this rate it'll last approximately 300 seconds ......

Related

Universal with HSDPA?

Thinking on getting an MDA pro with T-Mobile in the UK with the walk n web unlimited internet, only catch is that it is UMTS. With the news that T-Mobile are upgrading the network to HSDPA wondering if there is a HSDPA universal due to be released anytime soon? If not, the other option is to wait for the Hermes in June.
The UMTS Notebook Cards can be upgrade to HSDPA with a new firmware, but i think the Universal haven't the necesary hardware for that. Wait for the Hermes...
Forgive the ignorance but what exactly is HSDPA?
thegadgetman said:
Forgive the ignorance but what exactly is HSDPA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a quick web search would have brought a result...
anyway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hsdpa
lutzs said:
The UMTS Notebook Cards can be upgrade to HSDPA with a new firmware, but i think the Universal haven't the necesary hardware for that. Wait for the Hermes...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks lutzs, only prob I have with the hermes is the small screen 320x240.. the small screen is big minus Im not looking to use it as a phone, but more for PDA and internet access... also plan to use it as a gateway (over bluetooth) for my mac to get to the net... thought about the pcmcia card, but need to lug laptop everywhere for that, whereas the pda itself is much more portable...
i think the tradeoff of speed over the usablility (screen, keyboard etc) might just be worth it for my needs...
another question, has anyone used t-mobile uk's web n walk with the above scenario of using it as a bridge for internet access for a laptop? the small print says that you can't do that blah blah... but don't see how that can tell if you're browsing through the pda or your computer? http is http...?
haven't used tmobile, but the universal can be used as a modem. Via bluetooth should be fine (*99# etc.)
HSDPA is not part of the universal chipset. however I wouldn't get too excited. Mobile cells have to share bandwidth so the chance of anything fast is unlikely. Put it this way, by the time we actually get 384k sustained on any 3G network, that should be fine for web & email & online games.
I had an o2 xda mini s. but i gave it back. 320x240 is very limtied, adding that to the dismal 196 mhz omap was not usable.

3g Web Browsing

Quick question when using pie to surf the net does it hang for a while on locating the web page or does it work instantly.
I have just got the Tytn and looking at web pages using 3g is really slow and really not very usable
I am using tmobile uk 3g network
after inputting a web address it hangs on locating for up to 60 seconds then loads the page very wuickly after that
Anyone any ideas
Thanks
Chris
Very strange. I dont have this problem. The first time a UMTS connection must be established and it is 5 or 6 seconds. The next request are very fast. May be you have established the DNS servers manually?
I get that, browsing using GPRS is painful on t-mobile
how about using opera 8.6 http://opera.com
I too have this problem with T-Mobile, On connecting to the internet over GPRS or 3G GPRS it will hang for some time, wether its internet explorer or other internet services I have on the device (HTC Universal).
As I have web and walk I just leave it connected, but its not ideal. I wonder wether its the T-Mobile servers working slowly to authenticate the handset for internet use.
Its been fine upto the last month or so.
adam_beasley said:
I too have this problem with T-Mobile, On connecting to the internet over GPRS or 3G GPRS it will hang for some time, wether its internet explorer or other internet services I have on the device (HTC Universal).
As I have web and walk I just leave it connected, but its not ideal. I wonder wether its the T-Mobile servers working slowly to authenticate the handset for internet use.
Its been fine upto the last month or so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is weird .... Im using unlimited internet T-Mobile NL (UMTS 3G) without any problem ... never freezing and the speed is very stable...
cheers
indra9110
adam_beasley said:
I too have this problem with T-Mobile, On connecting to the internet over GPRS or 3G GPRS it will hang for some time, wether its internet explorer or other internet services I have on the device (HTC Universal).
As I have web and walk I just leave it connected, but its not ideal. I wonder wether its the T-Mobile servers working slowly to authenticate the handset for internet use.
Its been fine upto the last month or so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have exactly the same problem with an MDA Pro. Fine until a month ago now slow on 3g. GPRS though is fine.
I'm actually quite relieved to find that it isn't just me !
Stu
StuBFrost said:
I have exactly the same problem with an MDA Pro. Fine until a month ago now slow on 3g. GPRS though is fine.
I'm actually quite relieved to find that it isn't just me !
Stu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its also become random now, somtimes it connects and its instant, and actually fast even on normal GPRS, other times it can take over a couple of minutes to locate and open a page.
Doesnt seem to matter whether its a full signal or not, whether its after a reset or anything, totally depends on what T-Mobile feels like.
Maybe it cant cope with the number of web'n'walk use now.
Absolutely agree with you as you have described precisely what my symptoms are.
Hopefully if enough people complain to T-Mobile about it, they might actually admit there is a problem and fix it.
Maybe the delays are because http traffic is proxied
Maybe the delays are because http traffic is proxied....
It looks like Orange are operating a proxy or some other form of protection. A few weeks ago I discovered that they had something in place to restrict access to adult sites, wouldn't have bothered me other than the site I was trying to visit was xda-developers.com.
Even followed their link to get the site unblocked and got a nice little responce stating "Your request has been actioned and the content is confirmed as only suitable for customers over the age of 18." before getting their filtering disabled.
adam_beasley said:
StuBFrost said:
I have exactly the same problem with an MDA Pro. Fine until a month ago now slow on 3g. GPRS though is fine.
I'm actually quite relieved to find that it isn't just me !
Stu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its also become random now, somtimes it connects and its instant, and actually fast even on normal GPRS, other times it can take over a couple of minutes to locate and open a page.
Doesnt seem to matter whether its a full signal or not, whether its after a reset or anything, totally depends on what T-Mobile feels like.
Maybe it cant cope with the number of web'n'walk use now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how i seem to find it, either it works or doesnt. There seems to be nothing u can do either to make it work, reboot, change from UTMS to 2g ot what ever. Nothing has any bearing and its most annoying, tbh i wish id never got the universal now as its a huge piece of junk, or at least the t- mobile ones are. Ive used a 02 one and its just soooooooooooooo much faster in everything.
im using the latest rom and even after flashing its still sluggish before anything is installed.
adam_beasley said:
StuBFrost said:
I have exactly the same problem with an MDA Pro. Fine until a month ago now slow on 3g. GPRS though is fine.
I'm actually quite relieved to find that it isn't just me !
Stu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its also become random now, somtimes it connects and its instant, and actually fast even on normal GPRS, other times it can take over a couple of minutes to locate and open a page.
Doesnt seem to matter whether its a full signal or not, whether its after a reset or anything, totally depends on what T-Mobile feels like.
Maybe it cant cope with the number of web'n'walk use now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly how i seem to find it, either it works or doesnt. There seems to be nothing u can do either to make it work, reboot, change from UTMS to 2g ot what ever. Nothing has any bearing and its most annoying, tbh i wish id never got the universal now as its a huge piece of junk, or at least the t- mobile ones are. Ive used a 02 one and its just soooooooooooooo much faster in everything.
im using the latest rom and even after flashing its still sluggish before anything is installed.
Having been in a T-Mobile 3G area most of today (Loughborough, Leicestershire) the service itself has been as quick as ive ever used it, getting around 270k on a fairly medium signal.
The times it hasnt worked (long first time loading) it has returned to me with a server or IP error. I just assume that as web'n'walk is unlimited, but has restrictions on use, that the servers are overloaded trying to monitor or prevent certain services working.
Its been picking up a bit lately tho, im suffering the waiting times less and less each time I try. Tho 3G UMTS has really sucked the life out of my battery today, it may be best I keep it on 2G instead.
Haven't noticed any of these problems on T-Mobile in and around London. Have you all removed your "Content Lock"?
As mentioned earlier by Taz69, connection may be slowed down by the T-Mobile servers checking to see if you're 'allowed' to visit various sites?
I disabled my content lock ages ago using 'My T-Mobile' on www.t-mobile.co.uk - give it a go if you haven't already, it may make a difference?
My content is unlocked and always has been so it isn't that umfortunately.
PC_Arcade said:
I get that, browsing using GPRS is painful on t-mobile
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, Im not the only one :roll: Do you get the problem where it can take 30+ secs to switch between GRPS and 3G too?
Also, I spoke to T-Mobile about slow speeds and lack of connetivity - I can hardly get a signal in my office, although I am sat across road from a T-Mobile mast!!!
They said that as the mast across road was congested, my device was connecting via a mast further away (I like the idea of it not trying to get on a congested mast, but distance causes problems with connectivity too :roll: )
Other thing they pointed out was, if you call them with the postcode that has the problem, it gets logged...enough logs and they escalate it (I'm up to 6 logs in my postcode now lol)
How can I tell if it's switching? Mine says "Connected (GPRS, 3G)"
Since (re)removing the lock it does seem significantly faster though
If your connected via standard GPRS then the connected logo at the top of the screen will have a G on it, if your connected via 3G GPRS then it changes to a U (for UTMS).
Ive always had a delay swapping between the 2, yesterday my 3G signal kept dropping so it would switch back to 2G, and it kept doing this so much I couldnt get any internet for about 5 mins. I know you can turn the UMTS band off, but this makes buying a 3G phone pointless.
I have content lock off since day one, and its always been fast. Today theres been bo problems with the service at all, fast logon, good speed connections etc.
Seems a random thing lately, but its only been lately. Its been fine for a few months before, so hopefully its somthing there working on and it slowly getting sorted.
The problems could be down to the pay and go users Web and talk, for a max of £1 per day they get unlimited internet, see t-mobile for more info, this could be eating servers bandwith within certain areas, i was able to logon this morning, but after 9am i keep getting page cannot be found errors, The little u and the 2 arrows show me I'm conneted but i cant load any pages, I hope this is the case and t-mobile sort this out asap
I have had the same problem now for around a month. I am using Opera 8.60 and it takes around 1 minute to actually resolve the host name. Sites with adverts on take forever. I contacted T-Mobile and they said that the signal in my area is really good and there shouldn't be a problem. They told me to take the sim card out, wait 30 seconds and then reinsert it, and then try.
I have not yet had any luck, and it seems to be the same throughout the country, as I was in Cornwall over the weekend on holiday and it was just as bad.
P.S. I am in Liverpool, and I have a full 5 bar umts signal.

3G Coverage, hows yours?

Ive been a happy orange customer for years, their 3G service ive found to be great in my area.
However since joining tmobile (cannot fault the data charges and their web and walk plan, spot on) ive found that i got 3G prob once upstairs in my house but havent had it since then.
I can always access the internet with the G symbol but was just wondering how you guys are doing and what you have noticed? Good 3G coverage?
I have a SPV M3100 and thats on Orange and thats got 3G at my work and at home, full Signal. Went into the street check and that says i should have a decent 3G coverage at both work and home to.
Any suggestions? Ive checked in the Phone and Band settings and ive set it to auto or manually and its still the same.
Thanks
Ran some tests...
I thought id check to see if the G was perhaps not updating to 3G as it should do, being an owner of SPVs and other HTC phones in the past i know there can be issues with windows mobile updating things sometimes.
Determind to see the speed difference I used my Ameo I went onto www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest and entered Wireless 3G and this is the results i got.
187 kilobits per second
Communcations: 187 kilobits per second
Storage: 22.8 kilobits per second
1mb file download: 44.9 seconds
Subjective rating: Mediocre
Looks to me like its def GPRS rather than 3G.
Then i used my SPV M3100:
271.9 kilobits per second
Communcations: 271.9 kilobits per second
Storage: 33.2 kilobits per second
1mb file download: 30.9 seconds
Subjective rating: Mediocre
Its very strange as the SPV M3100 seemed to fly compared to the Ameo.
Its not a major speed difference and the fact im on the Web n Walk tariff is great as the costs are all inclusive in the montly charge but i do use my Ameo on my laptop as a modem and it can be painfully slow sometimes.
Will be interested to see what results other people get and also if i was to get the 3G icon at the top of my Ameo screen, what speed that would report back.
mmm!
tomchap said:
I thought id check to see if the G was perhaps not updating to 3G as it should do, being an owner of SPVs and other HTC phones in the past i know there can be issues with windows mobile updating things sometimes.
Determind to see the speed difference I used my Ameo I went onto www.bandwidthplace.com/speedtest and entered Wireless 3G and this is the results i got.
187 kilobits per second
Communcations: 187 kilobits per second
Storage: 22.8 kilobits per second
1mb file download: 44.9 seconds
Subjective rating: Mediocre
Looks to me like its def GPRS rather than 3G.
Then i used my SPV M3100:
271.9 kilobits per second
Communcations: 271.9 kilobits per second
Storage: 33.2 kilobits per second
1mb file download: 30.9 seconds
Subjective rating: Mediocre
Its very strange as the SPV M3100 seemed to fly compared to the Ameo.
Its not a major speed difference and the fact im on the Web n Walk tariff is great as the costs are all inclusive in the montly charge but i do use my Ameo on my laptop as a modem and it can be painfully slow sometimes.
Will be interested to see what results other people get and also if i was to get the 3G icon at the top of my Ameo screen, what speed that would report back.
mmm!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am also with T-mobile, and i got 1.2Mb per sec, that's 1200 kilobits per second, that is the speed you should get if you have HSDPA coverage.
Not sure where you are, but on Cingular USA. the phone switches to whichever signal is stronger. Well in reality, if 3g signal is weak and gprs/edge signal is real strong phone may switch to Gprs/edge.
You may want to set thephone setting network band to use only 3g (wcdma). I do that because in my house, sometimes the phone switches to edge, but if i force the network band to 3g it always stays on 3g and still works great. (again tho i have unlimited data)...
just a thought
eagle 1 said:
Not sure where you are, but on Cingular USA. the phone switches to whichever signal is stronger. Well in reality, if 3g signal is weak and gprs/edge signal is real strong phone may switch to Gprs/edge.
You may want to set thephone setting network band to use only 3g (wcdma). I do that because in my house, sometimes the phone switches to edge, but if i force the network band to 3g it always stays on 3g and still works great. (again tho i have unlimited data)...
just a thought
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, that's what i do, always on 3G, never go to GPRS
No WCDMA in the Ameo?
Im in the Uk and according to the Street Check postcode check i have great coverage at home and a good coverage at work but not according to my Ameo i dont!
I have checked in my Start...Settings...Phone...Band section and this is what i have:
Select your network type.
GSM or Auto (on my SPV M3100 i also have the option of WCDMA but i DONT have this on my Ameo??)
Select your GSM/UTMS band.
Auto or
GSM(900 + 1800) + UMTS(2100) or
GSM(1900 + 850) + UMTS(1900+850)
I have these both set onto Auto and still the G appears. Im aware that it will search and use the strongest band eg GPRS if the 3G signal is weak but im not getting 3G at all.
Any more ideas what it could be? Possibly a faulty phone? Ive emailed tmobile to see what they say, they have a 5 working day backlog of emails to respond to at the mo but they have been good at helping me out before.
Thanks for the info so far, appreciated.
You should also be able to set it to wcdma via a registry edit or an app that sets the band. Cingular in the US hides the network band on the hermes (8525), but a change to the registry makes it display.
Check the hermes forum for the registry or just go over to hermes forum and search for an app by Daniel Herro, he made two of them Bandswitch and Comm Mgr Pro. Comm Mgr pro is the newer app and you should be able to set it to AUto, Gprs or Wcdma..
Sorry I can't remember the exact reg key. But it should be easy to find over at the hermes forum.
Good Luck
Thanks for your help guys, got comm mgr pro and it seems to of done the trick.
Did the test again:
1.2 megabits per second
Communcations: 1.2 megabits per second
Storage: 149.5 kilobytes per second
1mb file download: 6.9 seconds
Subjective rating: Good
Alot lot better! Would also appear that tmobile have a faster 3G connection compared to orange.
All i would say is that is annoying that it seems like it doesnt auto switch like my SPV M3100 does.
Having to choose 3G and then 2G when i dont have a 3G signal may become quite tedious, but i suppose i will find out when im in areas that work and areas that dont and i will become accustomed to tweaking as appropriate.
Getting used to being without the luxory of autoswitching with my M3100 will take some getting used to.
Thanks again for your help, if anyone has any software where the Autoswitching of bands works then please let me know as mines not doing it.
Cheers
tomchap said:
Thanks for your help guys, got comm mgr pro and it seems to of done the trick.
Did the test again:
1.2 megabits per second
Communcations: 1.2 megabits per second
Storage: 149.5 kilobytes per second
1mb file download: 6.9 seconds
Subjective rating: Good
Alot lot better! Would also appear that tmobile have a faster 3G connection compared to orange.
All i would say is that is annoying that it seems like it doesnt auto switch like my SPV M3100 does.
Having to choose 3G and then 2G when i dont have a 3G signal may become quite tedious, but i suppose i will find out when im in areas that work and areas that dont and i will become accustomed to tweaking as appropriate.
Getting used to being without the luxory of autoswitching with my M3100 will take some getting used to.
Thanks again for your help, if anyone has any software where the Autoswitching of bands works then please let me know as mines not doing it.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have DOPOD U1000, and it does the auto switching for me, i can also set the WCDMA in my phone setting as well.
Just done that test and got 947kbps which isn't too bad really. I was going to say, when I joined t-mob, if the coverage map wasn't accurate and didn't live upto expectations, I had 14days to return the phone. But I'm chuffed with it. Shame they've not got many masts along the west-coast mainline - I had a right internmittent connection on the train yesterday. Still, the chap next to me was impressed when I downloaded the BBC News Video Headlines from their website and played in back, all in about 30secs!
wu5262 said:
I have DOPOD U1000, and it does the auto switching for me, i can also set the WCDMA in my phone setting as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im guessing that tmobile took it out then? mmm. Hopefully when Windows Mobile 6 is released as an upgrade for the Ameo then there may be some sort of fix in there.
For the moment itll have to do as it is.
Digital.Diablo said:
Just done that test and got 947kbps which isn't too bad really. I was going to say, when I joined t-mob, if the coverage map wasn't accurate and didn't live upto expectations, I had 14days to return the phone. But I'm chuffed with it. Shame they've not got many masts along the west-coast mainline - I had a right internmittent connection on the train yesterday. Still, the chap next to me was impressed when I downloaded the BBC News Video Headlines from their website and played in back, all in about 30secs!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with what your saying, the coverage could be better but what they do have is pretty good at the moment. Impressive stuff!
A few of my friends have used my Ameo as a modem and they are surpised at how easily it worked and the it didnt drop a connection, it just worked.
At least I can use the 3G aspect of it as well! Digital.Diablo have you got the Comm Mgr Plus software installed or does yours have the option to swtich in the phone settings?
You can also set comm mgr pro to Auto Select band as well. THen with the various dialogue's you can see the which signal's are available
tomchap,
I've got just standard comm manager installed, and not had problems with the 3G aspect of it so far. The only issues I've got are:-
When going from 3G to wireless lan it doesn't appear to update the default route on the phone, so I have to disable the phone, wait about 60secs, then reenable the phone. Disconnecting the 3G session doesn't seem to work so well, and the phone doesnt seem to be enableable for about 60secs afte disabling. I suspect the routing issue is a WM5 problem, rather than Ameo specific, but it does cause MMS receipt/sending to fail if I'm wifi'd rather than 3G'd to the internet (again, I'm guessing the T-Mobile MMS Servers are inaccesssible from the public 'net). Slightly annoying, but livable with. I may try commmanager+ tonight to see if its any better than the standard one.
HTC X7500 with vodafone ITA. Well with HTC P3600 I always had 3G connection at home even when it was weak, while with Advantage it seems to prefer strong gprs signal...so it switches to 3G signal rarely. I hope it is a SW metter so that with next radio upgrade, its sensibility could be improved...
asci said:
HTC X7500 with vodafone ITA. Well with HTC P3600 I always had 3G connection at home even when it was weak, while with Advantage it seems to prefer strong gprs signal...so it switches to 3G signal rarely. I hope it is a SW metter so that with next radio upgrade, its sensibility could be improved...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why don't you just force the connection to 3G all the time? that's what i do anyway.
ive been playin with comm mmgr plus and if its set to auto, 99% of the time the G is replaced by a cross n the signal strength indicator has a cross through it to.
to be honest, im not impressed with the intermittant some times it works n sometimes it doesnt mentality of the 3g. im hoping the next rom upgrade or major software update fixes it as im sure its a sofware issue. i have asked tmobile via email about it to so will see what they say.
thanks for your help so far.
I am most unfortunate, in that here in my town in Norfolk, (according to T-mobiles "Street Check") I don't have a 3G signal. So all of my data useage is through gprs. I have to say that I'm pleased with the speed that I do get for gprs.
Did u see Chris Moyles this morning?
I tried CommMgr+ last night but it just seemed to make Ameo REALLY unstable, and the program kept crashing out. I've uninstalled it!

HERMES WORST NIGHTMARE - "the cell phone death trap"

I recently moved into a new ‘cell phone death trap’ apartment (apt).
I’ve seen my phone connect, I’m guessing; connect to four different cell towers from my apt. I’ve sat and watched it go from 2 bar E, disconnect, to 1 bar G, disconnect, to no bars 3G, disconnect, and so on….
But here’s the clincher…
Sometimes it will also connect to a full strength edge network, but it indicates it’s roaming by the Triangle icon. Now if I’m on that ‘Triangle” network, my phone works great, meaning I actually can make and receive calls!
But, I’m guessing again, because it shows it is roaming; it also does not like to stay connected to this network. Actually it prefers to switch itself back onto a weak edge network without any signal.
My phone battery doesn’t last more than five hours, NOT TALKING, just in standby because it is constantly switching towers.
At this point I want to throw my Hermes out a window! But I know that wont do any good, because anyone else who come to my apt and has AT&T/Cingular gets the same results.
So here’s my question:
“Can I force my phone to stay on a particular cell tower?”
If so, I love you….
you should re-post over in this thread Daniel's software might be able to solve your problem (or Daniel might have other ideas).
thank you for the suggestion. i tried that and he said, "Sorry nop. It isnt the pourpose of cmp or bs...."
I don't think you can force to a specific tower but you can force to a particular provider:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/NETWORK/MANUAL
and also select whether you want to force GSM/WCDMA and the GSM/UNTS band:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/BAND
Maybe by going this route you can lock onto a reasonable signal.
2 other alternatives... Sell the appartment... Buy a landline and donate the Hermes to me
taze said:
I recently moved into a new ‘cell phone death trap’ apartment (apt).
I’ve seen my phone connect, I’m guessing; connect to four different cell towers from my apt. I’ve sat and watched it go from 2 bar E, disconnect, to 1 bar G, disconnect, to no bars 3G, disconnect, and so on….
But here’s the clincher…
Sometimes it will also connect to a full strength edge network, but it indicates it’s roaming by the Triangle icon. Now if I’m on that ‘Triangle” network, my phone works great, meaning I actually can make and receive calls!
But, I’m guessing again, because it shows it is roaming; it also does not like to stay connected to this network. Actually it prefers to switch itself back onto a weak edge network without any signal.
My phone battery doesn’t last more than five hours, NOT TALKING, just in standby because it is constantly switching towers.
At this point I want to throw my Hermes out a window! But I know that wont do any good, because anyone else who come to my apt and has AT&T/Cingular gets the same results.
So here’s my question:
“Can I force my phone to stay on a particular cell tower?”
If so, I love you….
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to change networks?
Are you able to ask your service provider the location of the towers and if they're planning either any upgrades or any more in the area?
If not you may wish to consider the first point, changing service providers.
I know what a pain it can be to have little or no service when needed. Personally, here in the UK, I'm on Orange. Where I lived in Wales it was either Orange or Vodafone that has a decent signal. When I'm out and about with work those are the two popular towers with o2 creeping up and some others too, but for the most part those are the strongest.
I don't, I'm sorry, have any better advice for you. Apart from leave your Hermes on charge when you're home near a window (safely) and carry a bluetooth earpeice around instead Good Luck with your Valiant Quest
ach2 said:
I don't think you can force to a specific tower but you can force to a particular provider:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/NETWORK/MANUAL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i went to that tab and all i have is a Find Network button, which does nothing...no manual option
ach2 said:
and also select whether you want to force GSM/WCDMA and the GSM/UNTS band:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/BAND
Maybe by going this route you can lock onto a reasonable signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried this method as well and it does not help. apparently both the good and the band networks all fall under GSM(900+1800)+UMTS(2100). The other two band options never find a network.
ach2 said:
2 other alternatives... Sell the apartment... Buy a landline and donate the Hermes to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll consider it....thank you for your suggestions, I REALLY APPERCIATE ANYONES (constructive) FEEDBACK.
Elwyn M3100 said:
Are you able to change networks?
Are you able to ask your service provider the location of the towers and if they're planning either any upgrades or any more in the area?
If not you may wish to consider the first point, changing service providers.
I know what a pain it can be to have little or no service when needed. Personally, here in the UK, I'm on Orange. Where I lived in Wales it was either Orange or Vodafone that has a decent signal. When I'm out and about with work those are the two popular towers with o2 creeping up and some others too, but for the most part those are the strongest.
I don't, I'm sorry, have any better advice for you. Apart from leave your Hermes on charge when you're home near a window (safely) and carry a bluetooth earpeice around instead. Good Luck with your Valiant Quest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your suggestions. Unfortuantly im locked in a 2yr contract, thats how ****ty american cell phone companies do things. Plus, the better providers in the area dont use SIM cards (ie. Sprint/Verizon), so that would mean bye bye Hermes.
Ill will go by the Cingular store and ask about the possible service upgrade, but those fools dont really know whats what, thats why im on xda-dev!
I like the bluetooth idea, ill try find a "sweet spot" in the apt and try that method. Thanks again!
"I have dream..."
My idea just seems possible, however i cant program so who am i too.....
The idea of having blocked cell id numbers. If i could FieldTest or somehow extract the cell ids from the towers i dont want, then create a file that the phone checks against before joining a tower.....
I dont know, just a dream i suppose...
In both cases (roaming and not) are you registered in same operator?
If you're having a difficult time maintaining solid cellular reception, you might want to consider buying an external antenna. Refer to my post here regarding an antenna that can be purchased from Radio Shack. The antenna is now on clearance for $20 and the pigtail is $10. This may or may not help depending upon your location in relation to the towers, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Cheers
Yeah, I'm on an 18 month contract... But I'm about 8 months in now
You might even be able to get bluetooth repeaters once you find your, ahem, sweet spot
danielherrero said:
In both cases (roaming and not) are you registered in same operator?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i believe so. the only reason i think it's roaming is because of the Triangle icon. But my SIM is only authorized for one operator, Cingular.
is there a better way to check?
Thank you very much Daniel!
Lancealot said:
If you're having a difficult time maintaining solid cellular reception, you might want to consider buying an external antenna. Refer to my post here regarding an antenna that can be purchased from Radio Shack. The antenna is now on clearance for $20 and the pigtail is $10. This may or may not help depending upon your location in relation to the towers, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would be willing to try those products but i believe they're now fully discontinued. Either of those item numbers from your post no longer exsist.
No problem
taze said:
i would be willing to try those products but i believe they're now fully discontinued. Either of those item numbers from your post no longer exsist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call your closest Radio Shack and ask if they have either of those catalog numbers in stock. Worst case scenario is that they won't, however they can check the districts perpetual stock and see how many are available, and if you ask nicely, they can have the antenna and pigtail shipped to their store so you don't have to run all over creation just to get it.
...An even worst case scenario would be if you didn't live in the US or didn't have any Radio Shacks close by.. however I might know of someone who could use their employee discount to cover shipping costs Let me know if you have any questions.
weinson said:
you should re-post over in this thread Daniel's software might be able to solve your problem (or Daniel might have other ideas).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taze,
I would also recommend that you try one of Daniel's applications - he is working on Comm Manager Pro but I think that Bandswitch will probably help you. I find similar problems to those you describe at work here in the UK with T-Mobile and my battery would often run low even during a day at work. The problem appears to have been caused by the Vario II (Hermes) spending all day jumping back and forward between networks whilst hunting for the best signal. Although the Bandswitch application (very small footprint) will not increase the signal you may find that forcing the phone to operate in a particular band helps - this is very easily achieved via the Bandswitch interface rather than going into settings each time. I now regularly switch to GSM each day when I get to work and it has solved my battery run-down issue completely!
Comm Manager Pro does much the same and more. It allows you to define a location (according to Cell ID and LAC Code) from which you can set the CMP application to (amongst other functions) switch to a particular band - or even turn the phone off).
Given what you have said this may not help but I would certainly give it a go. Good luck.
Regards
tony.wheeler said:
Taze,
I would also recommend that you try one of Daniel's applications - he is working on Comm Manager Pro but I think that Bandswitch will probably help you. I find similar problems to those you describe at work here in the UK with T-Mobile and my battery would often run low even during a day at work. The problem appears to have been caused by the Vario II (Hermes) spending all day jumping back and forward between networks whilst hunting for the best signal. Although the Bandswitch application (very small footprint) will not increase the signal you may find that forcing the phone to operate in a particular band helps - this is very easily achieved via the Bandswitch interface rather than going into settings each time. I now regularly switch to GSM each day when I get to work and it has solved my battery run-down issue completely!
Comm Manager Pro does much the same and more. It allows you to define a location (according to Cell ID and LAC Code) from which you can set the CMP application to (amongst other functions) switch to a particular band - or even turn the phone off).
Given what you have said this may not help but I would certainly give it a go. Good luck.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im going to try bandswitch today and see how it works. thank you for the suggestion!
i wish daniel could add the feature of blocked, preferred, of locked Cell ID's. that would be worth a good amount of money to me....
Hi.
I would like to help you.... I can detect cells and lac but I cant force radio hardware to attach on a particular cell. This a task for Radio ROM. The only posibility (maybe) would be if the operator names are diferent. Could you go to settings a search for operators? Maybe your operator has different name in roaming than non roaming. In that case It would be easy to help you....
Oooo if FieldTest were a controllable application....
Ok what I’ve discovered so far after watching FieldTest for about an hour.
The Good Connection -
LAC 0020
MNC/MCC 31017
NCELL INFO1 700-80 dbm <---- (at least four out of six NCELL maintain a steady 700-80dbm, often all six NCELL)
NCELL INFO2 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO3 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO4 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO5 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO6 700-80 dbm
BAND 2CS
CHANNEL 1:CCCH (stays, doesn’t change)
The Bad Connection
LAC d6ef
MNC/MCC 31380
NCELL INFO1 140-100 dbm
NCELL INFO2 140-100 dbm <---- (i get two NCELL at the most 140 each, rarely four NCELL, never more)
NCELL INFO3 0
NCELL INFO4 0
NCELL INFO5 0
NCELL INFO6 0
BAND 3:850 (once I saw it switch to PCS on this same MNC)
CHANNEL 1:CCCH/0:BCCH/255<UNKNOWN> (switches between these quite frequently)
So what I’ve interpreted from all that is.
Well I’ve confirmed my ****ty connection. Even though the phone often shows two bars, I can’t make or receive calls. Based on the NCELL db numbers and the constant channel changing, that **** just don’t work.
Most importantly, the phone is always trying to switch to the highest possible band. Because PCS is a lower band than GSM 850, my phone won’t stay on the PCS connection.
O yes, another discovery is, in WM6, if you are connected to a PCS band network, it displays the Triangle icon as if you are roaming but in fact it is not roaming.
So Daniel since you seem to be the best chance for a better life [for my Hermes]:
I need a way to force band selection beyond just GSM and UMTS.
I tried BandSwitch and it does not work for me because all my available connections fall under GSM.
And even beyond that I’d like to be able to force MNC’s, as I believe they are the specific network number.
Or can I block a LAC?
In settings, I only have one operator, Cingular, “Home of the most dropped calls.”
Hi.
I undestand perfectly your frustration and I will try to do what I can althought It doesnt seem easy thing because there isnt any(known) api to manage Radio Rom. Fieldtest is OEM dependent and I imagine It only works for only one manufacturer of radio hardware chip.
Ok, first try. If you start radio phone 10 times....
1) how many times your phone register to roaming (and wished) network?
2) If registed to roaming network, how much time (aprox) stays on it before register to bad cells?.
Why? well ,CMP executes actions when you enter on some place (compound by cells and lacs). You could create a place with your hated cells and then associate the action "reset radio" when registed to those cells (or lacs). In this way if your device falls into bad cells it would be resetted (only radio, not phone) until registed to good cells...
Only an idea....
Dani
If you can determine the direction of the "bad" towers, try lining your walls with lead sheets to block their signals and letting you connect to a prefered tower.

Poor/intermittent Signal - so far so good solution

There are a few thread's already on the site about signal problems with the X1 however many are quite old and I thought a specific one with a (so far so good) solution would be welcomed.
Many people have had problems with their signal being lost or being poor and there are posts on the Vodafone forums, here, as well as many other sites and many suggest they have contacted SE without much success. Mine got so bad I was ready to give up the phone and go to N97.
I had some advice from someone at a local friendly phone store about what may be the problem and he suggested (to stop me claiming on my insurance I'm sure) changing the connection settings so it only looks at GSM.....
.....I did this three days ago and since I have had no loss of signal and my signal strength has been better than ever.
To do this:
Start > settings > comm manager > settings > phone > band
Select your network type : GSM
Not sure of the significance of this change (from auto) but its worked wonders for me
Phone:
O2 UK, R3A, xperiatweak, mms changes, Dashwire, advanced config, spb galore
Good luck and I hope this works for you (let me know how it goes)
Found the same problem when I first received the phone, I too changed the band to GSM, mainly to save battery usage as 3G wasn't needed and noticed the signal is A LOT stronger...
Not noticed any downsides to disabling 3G either as my internet browsing is still very fast using Opera Mini.
maybe a stupid question: with 3g disabled, can the phone still lock in HSDPA?
i dont think so
in theory when its connected to 3g it should still have a gsm link as backup to switch to if there is a problem
still working
A week in now and the signal is still without problems and I've found the battery life of the phone is at its longest since I got the phone at the end of last year
In answer to other posts - I've remained connected to O2 UK Mobile WEb (GPRS, 3G) despite selecting GSM only
This is useful only if you don't need 3G or 3.5G... If your 3G coverage is ok, there is no trouble either... There is a huge change depending your operator and your location
i did this for a couple days and had to switch back. i've NEVER been able to connect to 3g (i have an X1i in america where the X1a is sold), but upon applying this change of setting i couldn't get HSDPA anymore and all my internet/data activities was like creeping death. i could only connect to Edge, which is practically unusable
asayamalaka said:
maybe a stupid question: with 3g disabled, can the phone still lock in HSDPA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope! but its going to use EDGE which is also pretty fast.u probably wont notice the difference on a smartphone anyway.
achmed20 said:
nope! but its going to use EDGE which is also pretty fast.u probably wont notice the difference on a smartphone anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol are you kidding? when i'm on edge i might as well be tapping morse code across two cans with a string between them. everytime i pull up google maps on edge i might as well pay a homeless guy to steal me map pages, it would take a lot less time..... HSDPA is the complete opposite for me, everything loads almost instantly

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