gridbug

Just noticed this over the past day or so... most times when I'm not near a WiFi source, my 3G kicks in but on occasion it suddenly cuts down to 1X. What causes this and are there any settings that I may want to consider to keep my speed up (without compromising battery power of course)?

bberryhill0

How long does it stay at 1X?

gridbug

Not very long, but I noticed it when I was listening to Pandora, and also when I was texting. Just seems to dip down for a couple minutes or so, then bounces back up to 3G.

NKT

It will switch to 1x for texting. Texts are sent via the 1x network.

gridbug

Ahhh... I'll monitor it for a bit, see if it switches when I'm doing "regular" internet access on the network as well.

Frisco

Well I'll be.. thanks for that, mine has been dropping to 1x on occasion as well as the OP.

I'll have to pay more attention to when it happens, what I'm doing with the device and where, etc. I'd been thinking it was just a temporary drop due to atmospheric conditions or maybe poltergeists.

gridbug

True, especially with the rain here over the past two days... granted, it's not a snowstorm freakout like most of the country at the moment, but it does beg the question: just how much can adverse weather/atmospheric conditions affect network signal?

Also re: poltergeists, I recommend the wacky weirdness of the Ghost Radar app.

Last edited by gridbug; 02-06-2010 at 06:30 AM.

bobbyjason

I dont even know what 1x is... never seen it. In the UK though, is that why? *shrug*

Frisco

lmao.. the best post in the forum over there, "I hope everyone knows this isn't real... oh for the sake of humanity."

NKT

Yea, I can see my 6800 flip to 1x when sending/receiving texts. Most time I don't notice unless I'm watching the phone as one comes in.

The reason it flips to 1x is, texts are sent via the control channel on the 1x side of the cell. Your phone favors 3G so it will flip back once the text is taken care of.

gridbug

Mine's been switching to 1X when I access Facebook as well. Curiouser and curiouser...

Bswartz95

As others have said, it has to change to 1x for voice/text. However, mine does switch more than it should have to. I'm sure it's a strain on the battery, especially, if you put your phone in sleep mode while in 1x. From my experience, it will stay in 1x until you wake it up.

Also, recently, I've been noticing my 3g just turning itself off. I have to go toggle it back on when I wake my phone up. Seems sporadic.

Fulltime Traveler

We have been using Verizon cellular Internet service with various devices since 2002. Since EVDO has been available, I have seen our phones and USB modems switch between 1x and EVDO many times. When I look at signal strength, the switch has always been related to the strength of the two signals. If the 1x signal is stronger, they flip to that.

We have started spending our summers on the Oregon coast at a location where the 1x signal is almost always better than the EVDO signal. With my USB modem I can force it to EVDO, which gives me much better service in that location.

There seems to be no mechanism for forcing the Droid to EVDO or 1x.

All that is not to say that other factors could be involved. I'm no telecom engineer, so I won't speculate on whether services such as texting force the switch. I know for a fact that relative signal strength does, though.

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Fulltime RVer

Frisco

That has always been my suspicion.. seems to make the most sense to keep it alive on the next lower tier if the upper tier is iffy or missing in signal at times.

NKT

I know for a fact that texting switches the phone to 1x. Again, texts are sent via the control channel on the 1x "Voice" portion of the cell site"

HowStuffWorks "How SMS Works"

Now, that's not to say that RF conditions can't force your phone to switch between 3G and 1x. The EVDO carriers may be programmed with different propagation parameters that can affect the actual coverage. So if you're on the border of coverage your phone will drop 3G first, go to 1x then drop completely.

NKT

Here's information on forcing your phone to either 1x or 3G:

1. dial ##778
2. Choose Edit mode
3. Enter 000000
4. Open Modem Settings
5. Open Preferred Mode
6. Select the mode to lock. HDR=3G/EVDO Rev A, Digital Only=3G/EVDO Rev. 0, CDMA Only=1x

Please be advised that you can seriously hose your phone if you mess with some of the settings in PST mode. But locking it to 3G or 1x isn't a big deal.

Fulltime Traveler

What phone does that work with?

NKT

Should work with all Droids. I just confirmed it on my wife's Eris.

Frisco

If you lock it to 3G what happens if the 3G signal is gone or too weak to be useful?

NKT

You will drop. That's the point of the "Automatic" setting. I will allow you to flow back and forth as RF conditions permit.

Frisco

So, the usefulness of locking into 3G is .... ?

Fulltime Traveler

The reason I asked is that ##778 doesn't do anything on my Eris.

Operator error?

NKT

Just because you can...

Really it would only be if you're on a border area and don't want your phone flipping back and forth all the time.

NKT

Me thinks so. Just pull up the dialer, dial ##778, hit call. It should pop up a window prompting you to View or Edit.

Fulltime Traveler

See my post earlier (post #13).

Fulltime Traveler

Sure enough. I didn't hit "Call".

I thought it worked like *#*#4636#*#*

Thanks. That will come in very handy when we are in Oregon next summer.

Frisco

Why?

I already read that post.

My question is, what is the benefit or usefulness of locking into 3G? 3G is not even mentioned in post #13.

Frisco

So if your device is in a marginal area and it's locked into 3G it'll not drop to 1x or drop calls or other communication at all? That's cool. If it's true. Maybe I'm misunderstanding.

I'll keep an eye on this thread as info unfolds about this. My phone does go to 1x during the day sometimes, too, and in the same location. If I can keep it at 3G, good.

NKT

Somewhat close...

If you lock it to 3G and you're in a marginal area, you're phone won't sit there flipping between 1x and 3G. This can cause battery drain and become annoying as you will continue to drop and connect your data session.

Your best bet would be to lock in 1x in that area to maintain a steadier connection. It may not be spectacular coverage, but it's coverage

NKT

Happy to help

Frisco

Excellent explanation, thank you, Sundedo.

As it is, the automatic way mine runs now seems to not affect battery drainage in the main location I use it. But it is great to know that tweak you offered up there in case I need it.

I think mine's just switching to 1x when texting.. I'll keep a closer watch.

NKT

For most people, Automatic will work just fine. That will allow the most freedom for the phone to connect to the best network available, maintaining maximum connectivity.

If you're constantly in a border area with degraded coverage, it may benefit the user to lock in 1x to maximize battery life and network stability. The service provider won't tell you about locking the service, for a variety of reasons. So a lot of people don't know about it.

Frisco

In your post #20 you say "you will drop" as answer to my question about locking into 3G if there is no 3G in the area (at least that's what my question meant, may have worded it poorly).

So if locked in to 3G and there's no 3G all communication will stop? Calls? Texts? etc.. ?

Mortgage_It

what is the difference between these two?

HDR=3G/EVDO Rev A

and

Digital Only=3G/EVDO Rev. 0


also, every time a change is made, you have to reboot the phone? no way to not reboot?

thanks.

NKT

Yes, if you lock the network to 3G and there's no 3G coverage available it will say "No service". I can confirm tomorrow. Unfortunately I have really good 3G coverage here so locking it in doesn't do much for me since I stay on it anyways...

I did just test locking the phone to HDR only (Rev. A). You can send texts but not receive them. It flipped over to 1x to send the text then back to 3G. It's weird that it's not doing the same to receive.

NKT

Rev A is higher down/up

What is EVDO? : EVDOinfo.com
And yes, you have to reboot for changes to take effect. If you didn't make any changes just hit home. That should exit out without rebooting.

Last edited by NKT; 02-06-2010 at 07:27 PM.

Fulltime Traveler

EVDO is Verizon's 3G service.

Frisco

Ok.

nateo200

never seen that happen on my droid....ive seen it happen on other phones during a call though.
we are talking about cdma2000 only not GSM.

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