Help Internet of Desire - Can only ever get GPRS, never 3G,EDGE,HSPDA??

[spenspuma]

Hi guys

I was just after some help really. Ive had the Desire a few weeks now and i love it. My problem is that when i surf the mobile internet im only getting a GPRS signal? ie , im only getting the 'G' symbol and the arrows in the notification bar when im surfing.

Ive been various parts of the country surfing the internet but never ever seem to be able to get anything other than GPRS? - I keep reading about 3G,EDGE and HSPDA but it just doesnt seem like my Desire will connect to these, just the bog standard GPRS?

Just wondering if theres anything i need to do...any settings i need to change? cos im thinking that my web pages could be loading a lot quicker.

Its just annoying because you read that 3G covers most of the UK, yet everywhere ive been going doesnt seem to show anything other than the single 'G' on the notification bar.

Help!!!

(one interesting thing to note is that i downloaded the 3G watchdog app and that app shows you a little 3G notification in the upper bar - strangely enough this shows i have a half decent 3G signal, yet whenever im surfing im only getting GPRS)

 

[Wardogz]

Are you with O2? If so don't expect much 3g coverage. Talking from experience here!

 

[Paranoid_Android101]

Theres is a setting you can check....

Goto Menu-> Settings -> Wireless & Networks -> Mobile Networks ..

In here the is a setting "Network Mode" with 3 options to select from "WCDMA only", "GSM only" and "GSM/WCDMA auto" ... For 3G/HSDPA to work it needs to be either set to the 1st or 3rd setting... If yours is set to "GSM only" you wont get anything better then the G symbol which is GPRS (2g). Its worth a check, if its set to anything other than "GSM only" then the issue must lie elsehwere..

 

[snowmobile]

The little 3G symbol put in your notification bar by 3G watchdog doesn't mean you have a 3G signal. It just shows that particular app is working.

As above check your network mode first.

You could try downloading an app called Antennas. This will show you on a map your nearest antennas and give you an idea what you should expect in that area.

You will be more likely to get 3G/H when in town and city centres.

 

[DjLukeW]

you might have an old simcard??

if so youd need a new one from your provider

 

[spenspuma]

Hi, thanks for the reply.

Ive just checked and the setting i have it on is 'GSM/WCDMA Auto' - which i assume is the correct one then??

Theres is a setting you can check....

Goto Menu-> Settings -> Wireless & Networks -> Mobile Networks ..

In here the is a setting "Network Mode" with 3 options to select from "WCDMA only", "GSM only" and "GSM/WCDMA auto" ... For 3G/HSDPA to work it needs to be either set to the 1st or 3rd setting... If yours is set to "GSM only" you wont get anything better then the G symbol which is GPRS (2g). Its worth a check, if its set to anything other than "GSM only" then the issue must lie elsehwere..

 

[spenspuma]

Its a new simcard actually.. so i dont think its that.

Im on the orange network (if that makes any odds) and funnily enough i have an orange mobile broadband dongle which i can pick up 3G no problem whatsoever?

Its all very strange!!! and disheartening as you pay

 

[snowmobile]

Yes that's the right setting. So if you can get mobile broadband on 3G then you should be getting the same signal on your phone. Perhaps contact Orange and see what they say.

 

[lspec]

Found this thread and being on orange with a3g sim thaught i would try the Network options, low and behold its the same for me, (debranded unlocked orange with offical Froyo plus my wife's Stock orange running 2.1)

I called orange and explained the problem and they say they have never heard off any problems and wanted to talk to there techie guys and call me back.

I told them that I had been through some android forums and this seemed not to be an isolated case, the first guy i spoke to suggested it was a software "degredation" glitch which was causing the "E" or "3g" symbols not to display (He could get a job with apple with a excuse like that, I called back a couple of hours later and explained the problem again and i now hold my breathe for a reply from the tech guys!!

Will keep you posted, have any o2, voda, t-mob, or 3 folks tried switching there mobile network to "WCDMA only" to see if they get connectivity to the network??

If Orange dont get a soloution to this it will be time for a refund!!

 

[master_yoda]

Are you on contract or pay as you go? Im sure orange only give gsm sim cards on pay as you go unless you ask for a 3g one. Your problem sounds sim card/account related.

 

[lspec]

I am on contract with orange with a 3g sim, was used in a iphone 3g/3gs and a N97 before that so i know its 3g as i used used 3g/edge on the iphone. Looking around some other threads i think this is a wider problem than just orange.

 

[TELREA]

Had mine a week,perfect,then suddenly whenever i roamed onto 3g,the mobile internet would stall,no downstream arrow,no web pages loading,nuthin,.A reboot and all seems ok,phoned Orange who did a sim update,have not had a chance to check this yet,as i dont live in a 3g area,but this problem seems to be widespread,out of curiosity anyone know the manual settings orange give you on the phone,as this is my next step,then the orange shop,anf then a possible return...not happy

 

[lspec]

Just thaught i should add, that my wife has a 3g card supplied from orange with her Desire and she has the same problem. I thaught it might have been a radio issue as i had Debranded and unlocked mine to update to 2.2 while she has not mod'ed her handset at all but still has only GSM coverage.

Think i will send HTC support an email to see if they have any answers as Orange have not got back to me....shocker

 

[Karlohumpy]

I actually changed from o2 to 3 yesterday because of this. I can now get full H signal most places. Totally worth the hassle.

 

[lspec]

Really wierd because I know i have Orange 3G or hi-speed networks in this part of the world (cornwall and in Plymouth)

@karlohumpy - were you on PAYG or Contract i am assuming PAYG if you switched so quickly....

I doubt orange would be happy to let us swap to another provider as we are 7 months into a 18 month buiseness contract

 

[weirdNumber]

I had problems with my debranded T-Mobile Desire a while back when I was running 2.1 where it would only display the G symbol. But after doing some download tests I found I was actually connecting to HSDPA but the handset was just reporting gprs.

 

[lspec]

@weirdnumber

Can you point me towards the tests/ how to run them and read the results

I have fired an email off to HTC support obviously not mentioning the debrand/unlock and the 2.2 install

I have a funny feeling both orange and HTC will say the problem will be resovled when 2.2 is installed.....guess not

 

[mikebell]

For those on Orange having this trouble, check your SIM. If the SIM does not have "3g" printed on it, you won't get a 3G signal.

I was sold a new phone with a new SIM but it turned out NOT to be a 3G SIM.

 

[lspec]

Well, i checked my 2 sims and as mikebell pointed out look for the 3g on the cards, sure enough no 3g...

Called orange and they looked into it and said no it was 2g...despite me phoning them 5 times and passing it to tech services they had not realised.

Long and the short off it....2 3G sims being sent out today, with the condition being we take oranges

 

[snowmobile]

That's the craziest thing I've heard! Surely orange should not be supplying smartphones and then reducing their capability to only 2g. What on earth do they think people are going to use them for?

I think its very cheeky of them to now charge you extra once they have admitted their mistakes.

 

[spenspuma]

I've found the problem!

As others have found, my sim DOESN'T say 3G on it!....I decided to ask a colleague if I could borrow his orange sim card...lo and behind HIS said 3G in it...i put it in my phone and voila - the 'G' symbol changed to 3G ! so there you have it.

My issue now is slightly different as I always buy my phones sim free and put my orange sim in. I've gotta ring orange and see if they will send me a payg 3G sim...if not then ill just have to buy one on ebay for a quid and have a new phone number

I wonder if the internet speed will be any different though? Maybe I was getting 3G speed but it was only showing G as that's what the sim was telling my phone was the max speed so took it as that?

 

[Anthony1]

My issue now is slightly different as I always buy my phones sim free and put my orange sim in. I've gotta ring orange and see if they will send me a payg 3G sim...if not then ill just have to buy one on ebay for a quid and have a new phone number

You should be able to just walk in to any Orange shop and pick up a PAYG sim free, or at least for a minimal charge.

I never knew about all this 2G/3G sim card stuff. I'm using the same sim that I've been using for years with old dumbphones and I got 3G no problem as soon as I stuck it in to my Desire, and my Hero before that.

 

[DavyPaul]

you might have an old simcard??

if so you'd need a new one from your provider

I was using an older sim card when I received a 3G handset.
Needed a later replacement sim before the handset would give me an 'H'.
odd...

 

[weirdNumber]

@weirdnumber

Can you point me towards the tests/ how to run them and read the results

I have fired an email off to HTC support obviously not mentioning the debrand/unlock and the 2.2 install

I have a funny feeling both orange and HTC will say the problem will be resovled when 2.2 is installed.....guess not

I just downloaded and ran the speedtest app and downloaded a few 1-2mb files off the internet. 3G or HSDPA would put you in the hundreds of kbps to a couple of mbps when using speedtest. GPRS would leave you somwhere between 32-48kbps.

 

[Deeco]

Hey people,

If your a T-Mobile customer and have this problem, all is not to worry as I will explain...
I had no problems surfing the internet until during September tome I realised that my data connection type had changed from HSPDA to GPRS for no apparent reason, but fixed it flawlessly just by switching from 'GSM/WCDMA only to WCDMA only then back to auto or you can simply reboot your handset. Android 2.1 has many bugs and that's just one of them.

Hope this helps.