ooowhat2do

I'd like to know what about the speeds residents in the Los Angeles, CA area are getting. My UPLOAD speed is around 3mbps while the DOWNLOAD is only 0.22-0.43! I've called several times today and updated my PRL and reset the phone etc. etc. I was told that since a LOT of ppl bought phones over Black Friday and Cyber Monday ... AND since I live in a metropolitan area that the towers are congested. Before I was throttled I'd only checked my speed once using speedtest in September. My Download was 1.5mbps and upload 3mbps. I just prepaid my bill and 0.22 is for 4G service is not acceptable. I remember when I got the service it was really fast probably around 6-8mbps as it didnt take any time to load pages and Netflix full length movies (in HD) streamed in seconds.

So, since I can't buy a phone right now and get Straight Talk I'm stuck with a substandard service that is NOT what I paid for. Is there anyone at Metropcs that will listen to customers? What can we do about improving awareness about their false advertising?

2GigayteSD

TBH, it really isn't false advertising. The 4G LTE network isn't fully developed yet. 4G Service will be very crappy in some areas until Metro finishes up with the spectrum refarming. Once done refarming, MetroPCS' 4G LTE will average around 6-12 Mbps. Also depending on what plan you're on and if you stream alot, then you may have been reduced to 3G speeds. Speed tests can take a huge chunk of your 4G/3G data, about 10 - 125 Mbps per test depending on the app. Hope I helped somewhat (Welcome to the forums btw )

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redhook

Metro's LTE network will never be fast. You can get much better speeds by returning the phone for a refund and buying one off-contract with T-Mobile. I average around 20Mbps with them. Their prepaid plans include tethering too.

Gman9831

No No No don't spread false info around go down a little in that thread & you'll see my posts about future speeds Spectrum Refarming Has Started
Metro/Tmobiles future network will be getting at least 40mbps

Last edited by Gman9831; December 3rd, 2012 at 05:47 PM.

2GigayteSD

Took the words right outta my mouth

ooowhat2do

No these are my speeds AFTER my data was reset. I have the unlimited $55 a month plan. My billing cycle just started yesterday my data shows 0% on the Metropcs site. Do you know when the "spectrum refarming" is scheduled to be finished? Thanks for the info and welcome.


"TBH, it really isn't false advertising. The 4G LTE network isn't fully developed yet. 4G Service will be very crappy in some areas until Metro finishes up with the spectrum refarming. Once done refarming, MetroPCS' 4G LTE will average around 6-12 Mbps. Also depending on what plan you're on and if you stream alot, then you may have been reduced to 3G speeds. Speed tests can take a huge chunk of your 4G/3G data, about 10 - 125 Mbps per test depending on the app. Hope I helped somewhat (Welcome to the forums btw )"

ooowhat2do

I checked and my Bandwidth is 3mhz.

Gman9831

Give it till march 2013

super squirrel

Yeah there are some areas in LA where it is spotty. I'm on 3G inside my school but almost everywhere else I get 4G.

Screenshot_2012-12-03-20-25-11.png

I ran the speed test at home in Boyle Heights (Los Angeles)

MyUsernameRox

If you think L.A. is bad, haha-try Long Beach. Absolutely atrocious! Ranks right up there with Santa Maria among the most awful Metro/4g areas. Download speeds are consistently less than 1 mbps!

Gman9831

There's a area like that down here in South Florida I get 9mbps but go not even 3 miles west and you can't even get 1mb barely even half a mb

Gman9831

Might be why santa maria is so bad
For example, AWS-1 block E (1740-1745, 2140-2145) Western Region is owned by AT&T, however they let MetroPCS use this spectrum in Santa Barbara County, CA Map Notes | Spectrum Omega

MyUsernameRox

I've been holding my tongue about the speeds in my area, hoping to see some improvement but that has not been the case.

Aparently it's not just Long Beach either its Orange County as well.

Look at these are absolutely abysmal speeds. This is ******* bullshit. If this keeps up, the next time I get paid I'm jumping ship to another carrier. I will happily go to Verizon and deal with double my monthly bill than put up with this crap.

This is a screenshot of my speed tests on my LG Motion Over the past week

http://imgur.com/lIu9l.jpg

2GigayteSD

Hope the 4G in Sacramento and Auburn, CA are better. Guess I'll find out on Christmas day

MyUsernameRox

I don't know if it has anything to do with a lot more people being on the LTE Network-and thus more congestion.

Gman9831

If you do end up switching I recommend Solavei $49 or Straight Talk with a Tmobile SIM $45, I heard Solavei has a higher cap(5GB)

THE W

i get good speeds where i live but metro just sucks out west..period.

you should look elsewhere for service.

__________________
when it comes to choosing the best service one must remember: location location location!!!

TheGoodMan

I was in auburn ca a few weeks ago and the speeds there are really good compared to so cal. Inland emote isn't that great either where i live. Constant 255kbs

Joshb101

Get roughly 2-4 mbps in various areas of NorCal.

MyUsernameRox

After weeks of eating shiet, wow! First time cracking 6 mbps OR 7!

Look at the bottom two results to see how crappy I'd been getting.

Last edited by MyUsernameRox; December 23rd, 2012 at 09:18 PM.

MyUsernameRox

The pic isn't showing-at least not for me.

So here's the link:

http://imgur.com/kvCJq.jpg

trim81

How's it like on 3g

MyUsernameRox

The highest I've ever gotten on 3g was 1.5 mbps down, but that was a total fluke.

Usually when I'm in L.A. I get 500-600 kbps down.

Gman9831

Must of been upgraded to the 5mhz of spectrum

MyUsernameRox

How do I check?

Gman9831

Spectrum Refarming Has Started

MyUsernameRox

I just checked and I'm still on 3MHZ.

Gman9831

Highest speeds ive ever seen on 3mhz

robertkoa

Interesting.

Is there an easy way on a non rooted device to switch to 3 G temporarily to check the slower speed ?

Gman9831

If you want to go down to 3G:
You should really put your phone under your profile
If you have the LG motion http://androidforums.com/lg-motion-4g/638374-how-access-hidden-menus.html

If you have the S3 download an app called phone info

If you have any other phone put *#*#4636#*#* or ##626*

OcalaFlGuy

I can beat that.

I live Very Close to "The Big Road" that goes thru Ocala, FL. The other day coming back here from Gainesville after getting my Motion I was constantly looking for towers and watching my signal bars. I saw those PEG at 4 bars at a tower about 3/4 of a mile from where I live. (flat terrain, no larger buildings than 2 stories) In that 3/4 of a mile, when I turned Onto My street I dropped to 2 bars. (Again, Right At the Interstate!)

I do get a drop down to EV every now and then but usually, I'm around 2-4 MPS which though not Dullest/FutWuth numbers, is Still about double what I get on Verizon 3G so right now anyway, I'm not bitching. Especially for $55 a month.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Gman9831

441?

OcalaFlGuy

In the vicinity of I-75/Silver Springs Blvd.

The tower is just South of US-27 alongside The Big Road and there's 1 mile between those 2 exits.

(The road you are referring to is called <U.S.> 301 by the Slocala locals as what we consider to be 441 merges into 301 just North of Ocala. <Even though yes, the maps will show the road as Both 441/301/Pine St. thru Ocala.> 301/441 is about 3 miles or so East of 75.)

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Last edited by OcalaFlGuy; January 3rd, 2013 at 10:32 AM.

Gman9831

I asked 441 because I know most a lot of towns in central florida like orlando had there downtown on 441 before the interstate
441 is like the 3rd biggest south-north road down here in palm beach county but anything west of there most times I consider it the boonies even though thats changing fast. That's actually the road that borderlines the speed decrease. Im about to head over to a Wendy's over there and i'll do a speed test

Gman9831

Top is a mile west of 441
Every thing else is 3 miles east of 441 the 3 around 1400kbps is 3G @my house uploadfromtaptalk1357254504149.jpg

OcalaFlGuy

Wow. I'm only getting 2-5 Mps on 4G at my place with 2 bars. GMan, did you do the update? OTA or from the LG site if you did?

Thanks,

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Gman9831

When I had the motion I did the update but my speeds went from 9mbps to 7mbps so i did the unbrick guide to go back down to c from d to get the speed back up

OTA

OcalaFlGuy

You should have seen the look on my face last Saturday at Best Buy when I looked down in the phone wenches hand and saw The Freekin' Download Bar blazing away that she'd started.

I almost went rabid on her.

That of course, sealed the deal on me returning it the same day I'd bought it.


Bruce in Ocala, FL

ryanms3030

I have had my Motion 4G for a week now and I have never seen it connected to a 4g network in Los Angeles. I live in Glendale and work in Hollywood both well within the 4g coverage and I have been in Pasadena and downtown with the phone and all I get is usually 1x and occasionally EV. I have had the phone reprogrammed on the phone with Metro support and in a Metro store by an employee and still the same. Is 4g a myth in LA or is this phone broken? Of course nobody in the 10 calls to support or 2 store visits will admit anything is wrong with the phone and therefore they don't want to replace it

2GigayteSD

Make sure you ask if the UICC card is activated. You don't get 4G if it isn't . . .

ryanms3030

Thanks. That is the sim card and the number shows up under ICCID in my phone status and the number is the same that is printed on the sim card but i will call and make sure.

The funny thing is that I had 4g on sprint for 2 years and 95% of the time I left it turned off because it at my battery and wasn't worth any speed increase most of the time. But I just want to make sure I am getting everything I paid for with this phone

ryanms3030

Well I just called MetroPCS for about the 12th time on this issue. This time the guy I spoke to said that the EV network is the same as the 4G and some phones say EV in the network bar and some say 4G but it's the same thing. Ok....problem solved I guess.

Can anyone that has Metro 4G confirm that there network type says EVDO A when they are using 4G? With that said the fastest speeds I have been able to get on EV are 1.27 down and 0.85 up

2GigayteSD

Dear God, those people are idiots... 3G/EV is NOT 4G in any way whatsoever.


3G = EVDO = CDMA = no UICC/SIM card needed.

4G = LTE = Related to GSM = not CDMA = needs a UICC/SIM card.

If you want real help, go to their Facebook page, you'll get someone who works there that really knows what they are talking about..... Just give them the name on the account and the last 3 of your phone number and they'll be able to do stuff on their end.

ryanms3030

Thanks for the tip about the Facebook page. Who would have guessed that was where the real support is? I left a post there and got a call back about an hour later and after 2 minutes on the phone with the person that called me back my phone was reactivated and 4G instantly lit up! They said that the over the air activation never completed the first time...as the smart people here suggested.

Now I have it rooted and removed the safe to remove apps/bloatware and hopefully the rest of my experience in the new to me world of budget phones and budget carries goes moderately smoothly. I am coming from Sprint service where I would drop calls 2-3 times per 15 minute phone call and regularly not receive texts sent from people and had dial up data speed on the 3g network all for $120/month so as long as Metro lives up to that experience I'll be happy for $70/month savings

2GigayteSD

Welcome to the prepaid side Any questions, we are here to help!

Gman9831

I really think metro should just do a simple test before hiring employees. If they do they need a more extensive training program

ryanms3030

I really think they should just offer on line chat on their website like every other company on earth. It's 2013! get with the program. Although it would probably be the same useless people on chat

Gman9831

They do but it only pops up at certain times

OcalaFlGuy

They may very well BE useful for all I know.

I can't determine that because unfortunately, I am not conversationally proficient in Klingon nor they in Engleese.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

2GigayteSD

^^^ Lol this guy