Network connection priority 2G/3G/4G
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Ive been conducting some experiments on O2 as they have recently upgraded a local mast about 4 miles away to 4G. Im using a Samsung Galaxy S4 with an O2 pay as you go 4G sim card on the £15 per month Big Bundles tarrif. (I have a contract on Three).
While doing a network search at my house I can pick up O2 - 2G, 3G and 4G when I have the phone up at the window. The phone (including my S2) will stick with 2G (GPRS) as the local mast is only a mile away and O2 have never botherd to upgrade it since it was installed 15 or more years ago.
I decided to do some expermients today to see how well the 4G coverage was. The phone stuck to GPRS a lot of the time with EDGE showing up briefly. In town the phone went over to HSPA+ (normal for in town) although I did manage to force the phone on to 4G for a short while via network setting and did a speed test (16.24Mbps Up and 2.29Mbps Down). Even doing a network search which showed 2G 3G and 4G available the phone would seem to default to 2G probably due to there being a better signal strenght on 2G. Now on Three the phone will tend to go for the highest speed network and will go onto 4G even if a stronger 3G signal is available.
My question is have O2 setup their network to ensure the phone gives priority to best signal strenght rather than highest data speed available?
While doing a network search at my house I can pick up O2 - 2G, 3G and 4G when I have the phone up at the window. The phone (including my S2) will stick with 2G (GPRS) as the local mast is only a mile away and O2 have never botherd to upgrade it since it was installed 15 or more years ago.
I decided to do some expermients today to see how well the 4G coverage was. The phone stuck to GPRS a lot of the time with EDGE showing up briefly. In town the phone went over to HSPA+ (normal for in town) although I did manage to force the phone on to 4G for a short while via network setting and did a speed test (16.24Mbps Up and 2.29Mbps Down). Even doing a network search which showed 2G 3G and 4G available the phone would seem to default to 2G probably due to there being a better signal strenght on 2G. Now on Three the phone will tend to go for the highest speed network and will go onto 4G even if a stronger 3G signal is available.
My question is have O2 setup their network to ensure the phone gives priority to best signal strenght rather than highest data speed available?
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Can't answer for O2, but I have a work Vodafone (2G and 3G only) and personal EE (2G/3G/4G).
I notice that I get 2G (EDGE) on the Vodafone handset all the time when I should get 3G, and my EE phone gets 3G or 4G. All I have to do is power cycle the phone and I get 3G. I'm fairly convinced Vodafone set the SIM to prefer 2G over 3G, and can only assume its to ensure you can always make voice calls.
I have colleagues on Vodafone 4G (personal) and they get EDGE when they expect 4G, and have to toggle airplane mode.
Yes, I've seen similar with Vodafone !
I assume O2 and Voda are still selling more voice minutes than data, unlike the rest of the world ;-)
Yes get similar thing in my house. Can get a weak 3G signal then its back to GPRS.
Looks like data is set as low priority on O2 and Vodafone.
So bloody frustrating.
My Three phone (Xperia Z3) likes to use 4G with just one bar, over 3G that's usually 3 or 4 bars in most of the house. Far more preferable, although obviously there's no 2G to get stuck on.
Thing is O2 has 3G around me too, yet that doesn't even get a look in most of the time.
Is this typical?
If so does it act in the same way when you have EE 4g contact?
As there's little point me switching to EE because of poor 3g speeds and lack of 4g only to have access to it all and never get to use it as my phone prefers to sit on the nice safe strong 2g signal when I'm paying lots for a data contract and a smart phone..
So in my case the phone chooses lower signal strength 4G over stronger 2 or 3G. I assume as voice can't be 4G then the phone switches to 2/3G if a call comes in?
I'm fairly sure that my T-Mobile SIM a couple of years ago would start calls on 3G but fall back to 2G not long after the call is established, and eventually kick up to 3G when it has ended.
Seems like the sensible approach for O2/VF to implement? (or the ultimate - make it user configurable - but I have no idea how feasible that is)
It isn't necessary, and also that means that you can't use 3G data while on a call. My LG G3 lets me take hands free calls in the car and keep displaying maps for the satnav, I want this to retain a reliable data connection. Also you might want to look something up while taking to a friend, it shouldn't be necessary to drop down to 2G sounds frustrating as you would also lose HD voice, not that O2 support that anyway.
It can be necessary if you feel that you'd rather have a reliable, consistent 2G signal then have to worry about handoffs between 3G and 2G. It isn't always seamless.
You want data in a call, others don't - that's why a user-settable priority would be nice.