How do I specify my device to connect to a 3G network instead of Wi-Fi or 4G?

[Android Question]

I have two different Android devices with data plans that are both compatible for 4G networks (HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S3). We're developing an Android application and wanted to test it on a 3G network but both devices automatically connect to a 4G network when they're not on wi-fi. Is there any way to change the settings of these devices so they ignore the 4G network and connect to 3G instead?

Thank you!

 

[Rukbat]

Not on a standard Android phone. You'd have to develop a phone on which you can switch the radios manually. It would probably be a lot cheaper (I'm talking 6 figures or more cheaper) to set up a temporary office in an area that has only 3G coverage by that carrier.

 

[Mr. Lucky]

There used to be an Android Activity you could access (seems to have gone away with the 4.3 "update") that allowed you to select the frequency bands the phone would search for. On AT&T's GSM network, the default was LTE/GSM auto (PRL). It allowed a graceful fallback to 2G/Edge, with priority to 4G/LTE. If you change the setting to WCDMA only, it will only access 3G/HSPA.