Help Phone gets 4G signal, yet 3G signal is horrible - same location

[MonkeyBoy2000]

I can get a few minutes of 4G signal at my home per day, but when it drops out and 3G takes over, the signal will flatline and boot me offline.
My 3G speeds are usually around 56-150Kbps or less, and my 4G speeds are around 2.5 Mbps
What would cause this ? According to WiMax location sites online, my nearest 4G tower is .52 mile away.
I would think that if I actually get 4G signal, then 3G would be constant.


Turning off 4G doesn't help either.

Is there some setting that I could have turned off that would cause this ?

Running stock EVO on 2.2
all the latest updates

 

[MonkeyBoy2000]

So anyone care to guess what I could have done to my phones to have the 3g signal be so poor ?
This is my second Evo, and the first one had the exact same problem since day one.

I am assuming that to use 3g only, you simply have to uncheck the 4g tab right ?

Sprint is saying the problem is with the phones, but I can understand what I could have done to get such crappy speed.

 

[eieio]

Do you have any tethering software installed on the phone?

are you rooted?

is the phone actually running slow data wise or is the slow down from running speed tests results?

 

[MonkeyBoy2000]

Do you have any tethering software installed on the phone?

are you rooted?

is the phone actually running slow data wise or is the slow down from running speed tests results?

Thanks for the reply.

The phone ( s ) are completely stock. 2.2 on the latest phone.
Both phones have had slow data speeds, but mainly when jumping from 4G to 3G.
The signal will usually flatline and go to -0 Kbps, which boots me offline and slows everything to a crawl.

Sprint had me convinced that I was in a 'dead zone' but I am only .52 mile from a 4G tower

( see my other thread )http://androidforums.com/evo-4g-sup...nal-dead-despite-all-bars-4g.html#post1533186

Also, when I tested my EVO side by side another EVO, the other EVO was twice as fast as mine. This seems to indicate that something is wrong with the phone and I'm not in a dead zone.
Somehow I doubt I could get two brand new EVOs with the identical problem, but I just cant understand what i could have done to 'break' them.

 

[MonkeyBoy2000]

How would you guys explain this : Currently my phone shows three bars of 3G, but when I try to connect, I get the Android version of a 404 error. I'm not getting any signal what so ever.
This has been like this for over half an hour, yet I when I turn on 4G, I can connect to 4G just fine ... till it putters out and goes back to 3G, and then I get booted offline.

I'm writing this on the laptop because I wrote this very same thing moments ago, only to lose it once the phone went to 3G.

( I tested the 4G and the readings were 1158/866/3381/3247/568 down and its showing one ring of 4G )

Any ideas ?
Thanks

 

[eieio]

It is probably the tower, there a quite a few bad ones that are being replaced in a few states, Texas is one of them.

They are scheduled to up date them before the year is out and add back haul were necessary.

Until then the speeds will continue to be crappy.

Does the speed issue happen everywhere or just in a certain area?

4g has a bit of a tower memory, it initially latches on to a tower and holds on to it, it may not be picking up the tower closes to you.

I would turn off the mobile network (3g) power off the phone then power it back on and leave 4g on only for a few hours.. turn on your GPS as well.

Make sure your PRL is up to date as well, go into the phone and manually try to update it.. The latest one is 60670

 

[bigddybn]

4G and 3G have nothing to do with one another. The presence of one is not an indicator of another. 4G is the clearwire network that Sprint has an ownership stake in. They are two completely seperate and independent networks that your phone happens to have radios for both.

Your problem is your phone's 3G connection is borked for some reason. This is what Sprint needs to fix. Don't let the fact that you also have 4G coverage (lucky bastard) mask that fact.

I've bolded the only relevant fact.

 

[eieio]

4G and 3G have nothing to do with one another. The presence of one is not an indicator of another. 4G is the clearwire network that Sprint has an ownership stake in. They are two completely seperate and independent networks that your phone happens to have radios for both.

Your problem is your phone's 3G connection is borked for some reason. This is what Sprint needs to fix. Don't let the fact that you also have 4G coverage (lucky bastard) mask that fact.

I've bolded the only relevant fact.

That is slightly incorrect..

The antennas can cause problems for each other.. This is why I suggested he turn off 3g and allow the 4g side to run by itself along with the gps on..

The explanation is longer than I am willing to type out..

 

[MonkeyBoy2000]

It is probably the tower, there a quite a few bad ones that are being replaced in a few states, Texas is one of them.

They are scheduled to up date them before the year is out and add back haul were necessary.

Until then the speeds will continue to be crappy.

Does the speed issue happen everywhere or just in a certain area?

4g has a bit of a tower memory, it initially latches on to a tower and holds on to it, it may not be picking up the tower closes to you.

I would turn off the mobile network (3g) power off the phone then power it back on and leave 4g on only for a few hours.. turn on your GPS as well.

Make sure your PRL is up to date as well, go into the phone and manually try to update it.. The latest one is 60670

Thanks to both of you for the replies.

Sprint says the towers in my area are fine. I'm surrounded on all sides by towers, each no farther than 3/4 mile, and the nearest at .52 mile. All three give poor 4G speed at the base of the towers ( less than 3 Mbps average speed ) But I have yet to test the 3G speeds at the towers.
I'll try concentrating more on testing the 3G, since this is where the problem comes from.

I did notice that my 3G speed increases a bit in other areas, but it still drops down more than normal. ( like 55 Kbps ) Curiously, I was able to play a YouTube video without any buffering just across the highway which is even farther from the tower. I think I was at around 200 Mbps then.

I'll try turning off the network, turning off the phone etc. like you suggested.
I'm confused as to how that will help my 3G speed though.

I tried what you said just now, and now I'm getting the 4G notification, but the phone isn't seeing the 4G signal. Oddly, it's not seeing the 3G either. The data connection is totally dead, but I can still call.
Weird isn't it ?
I'll continue to try it though.
( And yes Juice Defender is off and Mobile Network is on ) This thing is just really buggy isn't it ?

BTW My PRL is current ( 60670 )

I spoke to a tech guy that was actually helpful. He said I can back out of the contract since I have had so many problems and it is a reoccurring problem.
He also suggested that I get another replacement Evo .( Third times a charm ? )
I'm reluctant to do this all over again, but i really like the phone,.... I just wish the signal wasn't so lousy.

I'm also looking at a T-Mobile branded Galaxy S, but ideally I'd like to just fix the problems i'm having with the Evo.