N9860 - Unlocking LTE band 17 in Canada? - Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Guides, News, & Discu

I'm thinking about getting an N9860 since it seems to be the cheapest Snapdragon option for a Note 20 Ultra.
This phone appears to support all the necessary bands for my carrier (Koodo) in Canada except LTE band 17. I live in a big city so this low-ish frequency band will be important for reception in areas with building density.
I've seen discussions around changing the CSC to potentially unlock additional bands, but I'm having trouble understanding whether that means all Snapdragon models support the same bands.
Could anyone provide clarification about this? Has anyone managed to unlock band 17 on this HK/CN model?

AFAIK, you can not unlock bands. I'm in Canada too but with Fido and Korean N986N. No band 17, but the reception has been fine so far aside from VOLTE and wifi calling not working.

Related

Band 12 - T-Mobile

So I'm not the brightest with the different frequencies etc... What I do know is that Band 12 on T-Mobile has greater building penetration, and that it's currently not supported on the Nexus 6P, despite the phone having the band. My question is, what functionality do I lose? Aside from having more penetrating power, which gives me better signal, do I lose anything else? Honestly, I'm pretty sure Band 12 isn't even in Columbus, Ohio (where I am) yet... but I don't wanna buy this phone and then Band 12 go live here and then I lose LTE, if that's even what happens... or would it just resort to the current band 4?
Band 12
Powell730 said:
So I'm not the brightest with the different frequencies etc... What I do know is that Band 12 on T-Mobile has greater building penetration, and that it's currently not supported on the Nexus 6P, despite the phone having the band. My question is, what functionality do I lose? Aside from having more penetrating power, which gives me better signal, do I lose anything else? Honestly, I'm pretty sure Band 12 isn't even in Columbus, Ohio (where I am) yet... but I don't wanna buy this phone and then Band 12 go live here and then I lose LTE, if that's even what happens... or would it just resort to the current band 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats trouble for you. From what I understand there is a long certification process to get the certification from T-Mobile, especially if they do not sell the phone. The Nexus 6 DOES support the T-Mobile band 12:
Unlocked devices
The following unlocked phones not only support LTE band 12 but all other bands required to be compatible with T-Mobile network (LTE bands 2, 4 and 12, HSPA+ on AWS and 1900 MHz, and GSM on 1900 MHz) however band support is not the only requirement. T-Mobile issued a statement regarding band 12 unlocked phones: All Band 12 LTE devices on our network must support VoLTE, E911. Currently only three unlocked phones supports VoLTE and band 12:
Nexus 6 XT1103 (US model)
iPhone 6s A1688 and A1633
iPhone 6s Plus A1689 and A1634
cc999 said:
Thats trouble for you. From what I understand there is a long certification process to get the certification from T-Mobile, especially if they do not sell the phone. The Nexus 6 DOES support the T-Mobile band 12:
Unlocked devices
The following unlocked phones not only support LTE band 12 but all other bands required to be compatible with T-Mobile network (LTE bands 2, 4 and 12, HSPA+ on AWS and 1900 MHz, and GSM on 1900 MHz) however band support is not the only requirement. T-Mobile issued a statement regarding band 12 unlocked phones: All Band 12 LTE devices on our network must support VoLTE, E911. Currently only three unlocked phones supports VoLTE and band 12:
Nexus 6 XT1103 (US model)
iPhone 6s A1688 and A1633
iPhone 6s Plus A1689 and A1634
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well tmobile has already confirm the 5x/6p will work on their network... im just wondering what the lack of band 12 support (for the time being), means for me. i assume i would continue to run on the band 4 that i do now.
Not sure if you've found the answer to your question or not. If you dont have Band 12 where you're located then its really a moot point. I'm in Phoenix and there is a TV station still operating on the 700Mhz Band 12 spectrum so I dont have it. However, if T-Mobile lights up Band 12 and these phones havent received their certification then they will not use Band 12 at all. That means you're limited to Band 2 and Band 4 LTE. Assuming you dont have Band 12 in your area (it appears you do not based on the de-facto map that most cite reference to is here http://www.tmonews.com/700mhz-lte-map/), your coverage will remain the same as it is now.
That being said, Google has stated that they are working with T-Mobile to have the 6p certified by the time the devices ship. So if that holds true, and T-Mobile rolls out Band 12 coverage in your area you should theoretically get better indoor LTE coverage since low-band spectrum travels farther and has an easier time passing through obstacles like block walls. Until then, you should have a similar coverage experience to what you have now. You're not "losing" anything to answer your question.

Lte bands at&t

Is there any way to switch the lte bands. Normally I would dial #*#*4636*#*# but the phone information is saying its not available on this device. Both my nexus 6p and my old note 7 got good signal but this phone is horrible as far as signal strength goes.
McQueefus said:
Is there any way to switch the lte bands. Normally I would dial #*#*4636*#*# but the phone information is saying its not available on this device. Both my nexus 6p and my old note 7 got good signal but this phone is horrible as far as signal strength goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is my question as well. AT&T page for V20 lists LTE bands and band 17 is NOT among them. band 17 is supposedly the main ATT LTE band, which basically means you will only be able to get LTE on V20 on ATT on the backup LTE bands where they are available ...
i'm looking for confirmation that this is true, because who knows - maybe some idiot just forgot to type in number 17 on that info page ...
Notes, iPhones and Pixel all have band 17 ...
obviously i won't be getting iPhone and i can't get the Note. i didn't really want to get the Pixel because i feel like it's overpriced ...
but if what you're saying about V20 getting bad signal is true then Pixel may be the only choice ...
i started having my suspicions about V20 when i heard it won't be coming out in UK, which i thought was very odd ... but apparently one difference between Snapdragon 821 in Pixel and 820 in V20 is that 821 has more LTE bands, which would make it better both for ATT and better as a global phone for travel ...
again, i'm looking for confirmation that this is true.
HELP ???
McQueefus said:
Is there any way to switch the lte bands. Normally I would dial #*#*4636*#*# but the phone information is saying its not available on this device. Both my nexus 6p and my old note 7 got good signal but this phone is horrible as far as signal strength goes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're talking about being able to choose specific LTE bands, I do that on my Tmobile handset using this dial code (use at your own risk)
*#546368#*918# - for AT&T you need to use 910 or 915 depending on your model # (not sure why AT&T has 2 different model #'s)
So it would be
*#546368#*910# or *#546368#*915#
Then
Go to Field Test
Modem Settings
LTE Band Selection
Choose band
To revert back to auto scanning
Go to Field Test
Modem Settings
Network Mode
Automatic
nest75068 said:
Go to Field Test
Modem Settings
LTE Band Selection
Choose band
To revert back to auto scanning
Go to Field Test
Modem Settings
Network Mode
Automatic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 910 doesn't have those options under modem settings.
g1981c said:
this is my question as well. AT&T page for V20 lists LTE bands and band 17 is NOT among them. band 17 is supposedly the main ATT LTE band, which basically means you will only be able to get LTE on V20 on ATT on the backup LTE bands where they are available ...
i'm looking for confirmation that this is true, because who knows - maybe some idiot just forgot to type in number 17 on that info page ...
Notes, iPhones and Pixel all have band 17 ...
obviously i won't be getting iPhone and i can't get the Note. i didn't really want to get the Pixel because i feel like it's overpriced ...
but if what you're saying about V20 getting bad signal is true then Pixel may be the only choice ...
i started having my suspicions about V20 when i heard it won't be coming out in UK, which i thought was very odd ... but apparently one difference between Snapdragon 821 in Pixel and 820 in V20 is that 821 has more LTE bands, which would make it better both for ATT and better as a global phone for travel ...
again, i'm looking for confirmation that this is true.
HELP ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THAT IS NOT THE DIFFERENCE. Modem and CPU part of the SOC are totally different things. The pixel is and unlocked and more likely to support more bands as unlocked phones tend to be more globally friendly. Chances are that certain bands are on there but T-Mobile has it disabled or LG. T-Mobile is usually more bands friendly but not always, as the HTC M8 was seriously gimped in the LTE bands, didn't even support T-Mobile's band 12. I would look at the unlocked version of the V20 to decipher more info.
And you're welcome for the undeserved thanks. Your comment made no sense. Qualcomm modems for certain phones are usually about 2-5 different sets depending on markets a phone will serve. It is usually 2 or 3 when the phone is released worldwide basically and every carrier and market will have certain bands disabled for whatever reason. It also rare for developers to enable them as it takes specialized hardware or knowledge of the software. Another factor is if the antenna for certain bands are even in the phone. No antenna for a band then no firmware will ever be able to enable it, much less some hijinks tweaking.
@rbiter said:
THAT IS NOT THE DIFFERENCE. Modem and CPU part of the SOC are totally different things. The pixel is and unlocked and more likely to support more bands as unlocked phones tend to be more globally friendly. Chances are that certain bands are on there but T-Mobile has it disabled or LG. T-Mobile is usually more bands friendly but not always, as the HTC M8 was seriously gimped in the LTE bands, didn't even support T-Mobile's band 12. I would look at the unlocked version of the V20 to decipher more info.
And you're welcome for the undeserved thanks. Your comment made no sense. Qualcomm modems for certain phones are usually about 2-5 different sets depending on markets a phone will serve. It is usually 2 or 3 when the phone is released worldwide basically and every carrier and market will have certain bands disabled for whatever reason. It also rare for developers to enable them as it takes specialized hardware or knowledge of the software. Another factor is if the antenna for certain bands are even in the phone. No antenna for a band then no firmware will ever be able to enable it, much less some hijinks tweaking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK i followed your advice and looked up Unlocked V20. i'm not allowed to post links yet but from bhphotovideo page the unlocked US version has LTE bands: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25 which includes the band 17 ...
while the ATT page lists LTE bands: 1, 2 ,3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 20, 29, and 30 which does NOT include band 17 ...
now the question is, assuming that information is correct, why on earth would ATT chose the version of a phone that doesn't have the main ATT band ?
is there any way to find out whether the above information is accurate ?
as an ATT subscriber, would there be any advantage / disadvantage for getting unlocked phone from B&H versus ATT branded phone from ATT ?
should i try to contact some sort of ATT technical support to try and get an answer ?
EDIT:
according to article titled "LG V20 Model Numbers (F800, H910, H918, H990 DS Dual, H990N Dual, H990T, LS997, US996, VS995) Differences" from techwalls dot com the ATT version has bands: 1,2,3,4,5,7,12,17,20,30 which again has the band 17. it has same number of bands but compared to information on ATT page it subtracts band 29 and adds band 17 ...
frankly, this makes far more sense than ATT page info, but for 800 bucks i need to know for sure ...
EDIT:
according to frequencycheck website the ATT version of V20 ( H910 / H915 ) supports all ( 8 out of 8 ) bands used by ATT, all 4 LTE bands as well as both GSM and both UMTS bands used by ATT.
according to LG's own website H910 has: 2/4/5/12/29/30, Roaming 1/3/7/20, and CA ... which is the same was what ATT lists except for "CA" ...
Band 12 replaces band 17
The way I understand it, band 12 and band 17 covers the same frequency range. At&t has achieved (they were forced by FCC) interoperability between band 12 and 17 now. So band 17 is essentially obsolete and only useful if you are on the at&t network. If you have band 12 capability on your phone, you can use any 700mhz at&t tower that formerly may have only supported band 17. Now all those towers support both bands. And you can use smaller carrier towers too if you have band 12 capability.

Any H870DS users getting LTE?

Hi Folks,
I thought I had found a gold-mine here in the United States in the H870DS because it has the quad-DAC and the bands look to be compatible with AT&T and T-mobile. The seller listed band 2 LTE and sadly, according to the box, it is not supported and this is one of AT&T's main bands in my area in California. It still has band 12/17, so, I figured I'd be okay. I cannot for the life of me get it to connect to any LTE though. I've checked and re-checked the APN settings, the network settings (4G preferred) and am out of ideas. Does anyone have this phone and have you successfully gotten it to connect to LTE in the United States? I don't have a T-mobile SIM anymore to try.
-Collin-
I believe AT&T SIMs have issues with LTE on non-AT&T devices until the device IMEI is added into their system.
I am not an AT&T user so I forget the specifics but people often have to call in and have the device IMEI added to their account.. or sometimes this happens automatically after a few hours.
What bands are listed on the box? The thread on XDA listing all the bands shows your model as having B2 LTE (Possible the thread is not correct though) https://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g6/how-to/info-lg-g6-models-bands-t3571221
I have searched some of the AT&T user forums, it is because different areas have different coverage and certain bands are not licensed properly, so you might not get any LTE signals. I do not know if that is true. But my G6 sure does not have LTE whatsoever.
Thanks for the replies guys. Well, I managed to pick up Band 4 when I walked down the street. I still cannot get 17/12 which is weird because it's the primary LTE band for AT&T. The bummer is that now that I know LTE is working, I can 100% confirm that LTE Band 2 is missing. The eBay listings are wrong and the XDA listing is wrong. I've attached a photo of the box. Oh well
-Collin-
I was interested in picking up an 870DS unit myself. I noticed the discrepancy when it comes to band 2. That had me worried, so I did not pick it up. The 870 DS box shows that band 2 is missing. I have to assume that is correct, so I did not buy.
Sorry to hear that i was thinking of picking up the Korean version myself but if I can't get reliable LTE on att no thanks. I wonder if you could return it to the seller since its technically false advertisement
Well this is unfortunate. I just got mine from Ebay today and was wondering why I couldn't get an LTE signal. The seller did list Band 2 so I'm hoping they will refund my purchase or there is a way to edit the radio.
Sorry for the off-topic question but could anyone tell if the H870DS would support 3G simultaneously on both radios (or 4G on one and 3G on the other simultaneously)? If so it would be worth mentioning here as well.
inquisitor said:
Sorry for the off-topic question but could anyone tell if the H870DS would support 3G simultaneously on both radios (or 4G on one and 3G on the other simultaneously)? If so it would be worth mentioning here as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using T-Mobile SIM at SIM 1 and my home country carrier's SIM at SIM2.
It is getting LTE at SIM 1 and UMTS (roaming at AT&T network) at SIM 2.
Fi (T-mobile) is working perfectly for me, full LTE. Cricket (At&t) is hspa+ but no LTE.
For the price I am not unhappy even though I usually use cricket as my primary data sim. It's not what I expected but I knew going in I was shooting craps as there just wasn't a ton of information out for this H870DS variant. It's not a huge upgrade over 3t, just needed to switch it up for a while. I am quite enjoying the screen, camera, and HiFi dac without losing my 2 sim setup.
Edit: Sim one does have full LTE while Sim 2 does not.
The references definitely need to show that there is no B2, B17, or B30 for ATT users though, pretty much a let down there.
solver404 said:
Fi (T-mobile) is working perfectly for me, full LTE. Cricket (At&t) is hspa+ but no LTE.
For the price I am not unhappy even though I usually use cricket as my primary data sim. It's not what I expected but I knew going in I was shooting craps as there just wasn't a ton of information out for this H870DS variant. It's not a huge upgrade over 3t, just needed to switch it up for a while. I am quite enjoying the screen, camera, and HiFi dac without losing my 2 sim setup.
Edit: Sim one does have full LTE while Sim 2 does not.
The references definitely need to show that there is no B2, B17, or B30 for ATT users though, pretty much a let down there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually got Band 4 to connect on AT&T, but it's pretty sparse and not reliable. I switched that line over to T-Mobile and it works perfectly just as you describe.
I like the phone a lot more than I thought I would. It feels so solidly constructed and the camera I really missed from the V20. I prefer this camera to the one on my S8 9 times out of 10. It's a hair slower to focus, but everything else is better for me.
What's odd is that on AT&T Band 12 is supposed to be compatible with Band 17. On T-Mobile, I connect to Band 12 just fine, but not on Cricket. Oh well, my Cricket line has been canceled anyhow
-Collin-
I'm in San Francisco and unable to get LTE on AT&T or T-Mobile on the H870DS. These LTE bands are listed on the box: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41.
Hi there,
I'm in new Mexico on a at&t go phone plan and on a h870ds.
and I'm defenetly getting LTE.
Does the LG G6 actually reveal the used channel and so the frequency band?
On many Android phones this information will show up after dialing *#*#4636#*#* and tapping "Phone Information" - on the very bottom of this screen you will find a list of available cells including their channel number (called EARFCN for LTE/4G, UARFCN for UMTS/3G and ARFCN for GSM/2G). You can then lookup to which frequency band the EARFCN/UARFCN/ARFCN belongs, e.g. at http://niviuk.free.fr/lte_band.php
Take a look at the 'LTE Discovery' app. The free version will probably have what you need.
pocketfox said:
I'm in San Francisco and unable to get LTE on AT&T or T-Mobile on the H870DS. These LTE bands are listed on the box: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm the lack of LTE on T-Mobile in Southern California as well. Very odd as others are reporting success getting LTE on TMO in other geographic locations. :crying:
uid_0 said:
I can confirm the lack of LTE on T-Mobile in Southern California as well. Very odd as others are reporting success getting LTE on TMO in other geographic locations. :crying:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't seem odd at all considering that according to frequencycheck.com, some key bands are missing:
T-Mobile LTE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B12 (700 ac)
B66
ATT LTE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B17 (700 bc)
B30 (2300 WCS)
kurtbird said:
Doesn't seem odd at all considering that according to frequencycheck.com, some key bands are missing:
T-Mobile LT seeE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B12 (700 ac)
B66
ATT LTE Bands
B2 (1900 PCS)
B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1)
B17 (700 bc)
B30 (2300 WCS)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As noted on the box as well as other first hand accounts, the H870DS does support both B4 and B12 required for T-Mobile. My G3 and my wife's previous 860N both connect(ed) with B4.
On top of this, I now have a solution to the problem via updating the APN settings. The magic change was simply adding ”xcap” to the APN Type setting and setting the Network Mode for SIM1 to GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto radio button.
uid_0 said:
As noted on the box as well as other first hand accounts, the H870DS does support both B4 and B12 required for T-Mobile. My G3 and my wife's previous 860N both connect(ed) with B4.
On top of this, I now have a solution to the problem via updating the APN settings. The magic change was simply adding ”xcap” to the APN Type setting and setting the Network Mode for SIM1 to GSM/WCDMA/LTE auto radio button.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's possible that if you're in an area where only T-Mobile B2 or ATT B30 is available then you wouldn't have LTE.
Was finally able to get 4G LTE in AZ on Band 4. Create a new APN with these settings and make sure network is GSM/CDMA/LTE Auto.
Edit: Also, I had AT&T update their system with the IMEI number of this 870DS that I'm using. That might have something to do with it. It took a couple of weeks too.

Pro 3 x727 - UMTS B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1) Frequency?

I'm eyeing this phone to replace my well worn S5. Does anyone know for sure if the x727 variant has the UMTS B4 1700/2100Mhz? The listings on the various Chinese sites are hit and miss, that's why I'm looking for first hand info. Based on my research the x720 appears to have 3G band 4, but it is unclear if the x727 does.
Thanks!
x727 is the NA version, which launched alongside the US version of Le Eco's online store. It supports B2/4/12 and VoLTE + WiFi calling on T-Mobile.
I'm planning to use it on Freedom Mobile in Canada on their 3G network (not LTE), that's why AWS band 4 on 3G is a requirement.
Thanks.
paradoxum said:
I'm planning to use it on Freedom Mobile in Canada on their 3G network (not LTE), that's why AWS band 4 on 3G is a requirement.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile US also relies on 1700/2100 AWS B4 for HSPA/UMTS. LTE discovery shows the LTE band, so I'm not sure how to do the same for HSPA.
I found the FCC application for the x727 and the SAR exposure report lists WCDMA band 4 @ 1700Mhz, so I'm good to go. Coincidentally it appears the device has the highest radiation level on that band.
page 4:
https://apps.fcc.gov/eas/GetApplicationAttachment.html?id=3160895
The full FCC application can be found here:
https://apps.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas/repo...d=tRbB27x6FnmQ5/KxMnrdWw==&fcc_id=2AFWMLEX727
Thanks for you help.

Does SM-G950 / SM-G950U1 (US Unlocked) support TDD LTE Band 40 (2300MHz)?

I bought an SM-G950U1 (US Unlocked) from Best Buy. Does any one know if it supports TDD LTE Band 40 (2300 MHz)?
There is conflicting information on this! Answers given in various specs vary as follows:
YES (it supports LTE Band 40) --- according to specs given by sellers like Best Buy, B&H, and many online sites like gsmarena, phonearena, frequencycheck.com, etc.
NO (does not support LTE Band 40) --- according to the Samsung support person I talked to over the phone. Also, the FCC filings for SM-G950U do not list TDD LTE Band 40 (they have only one TDD band listed, Band 41, presumably for Sprint). On the other hand, although TDD LTE Band 41 is actually known to work with the SM-G950U1, the official Samsung SM-G950U webpage does not list any TDD band at all, not even Band 41 (it lists only FDD LTE bands).
https://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/phones/galaxy-s/galaxy-s8-64gb--unlocked--sm-g950uzkaxaa
Does anyone know the real answer here? Has anyone actually tested the SM-G950U1 for Band 40 support in a suitable country (Peru, South Africa, India, Australia)?
adg2012 said:
I bought an SM-G950U1 (US Unlocked) from Best Buy. Does any one know if it supports TDD LTE Band 40 (2300 MHz)?
There is conflicting information on this! Answers given in various specs vary as follows:
YES (it supports LTE Band 40) --- according to specs given by sellers like Best Buy, B&H, and many online sites like gsmarena, phonearena, frequencycheck.com, etc.
NO (does not support LTE Band 40) --- according to the Samsung support person I talked to over the phone. Also, the FCC filings for SM-G950U do not list TDD LTE Band 40 (they have only one TDD band listed, Band 41, presumably for Sprint). On the other hand, although TDD LTE Band 41 is actually known to work with the SM-G950U1, the official Samsung SM-G950U webpage does not list any TDD band at all, not even Band 41 (it lists only FDD LTE bands).
https://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/phones/galaxy-s/galaxy-s8-64gb--unlocked--sm-g950uzkaxaa
Does anyone know the real answer here? Has anyone actually tested the SM-G950U1 for Band 40 support in a suitable country (Peru, South Africa, India, Australia)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a carrier that would have Band 40, but here is the thread which lists all bands for different versions of S8. You can try asking there as well.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s8/how-to/samsung-galaxy-s8-compare-network-t3597705
Thanks. I have posted to the thread you mentioned. It is surprisingly hard to find the answer to such a simple question for such a flagship device!
adg2012 said:
Thanks. I have posted to the thread you mentioned. It is surprisingly hard to find the answer to such a simple question for such a flagship device!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Band 40 LTE is there. Open phone and dial *#2263# and it will list all bands active in the phone, including 40. It is in mine.
Thanks Danny Noman! The *#2263# code did work and showed Band 40. Wonderful!
One question: The *#*#4636#*#* info menu does not seem to work on the S8 (works on many other android phones). Any idea what might be an equivalent for the S8?

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