EE 2G/3G/4G Discussion Thread (Part 2)

d123 · 16-10-2016, 22:16

Quote:

If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus then the old 'field test' no longer works. On the 6s and earlier you can use Field Test to show which band you are connected to. It is a bit unreliable on the 6 and 6s and might need you to toggle AirPlane mode a few times to get it to show information. The 5s was the best for this.

http://www.ubersignal.com/field-test-mode

FYI, I've never had an issue getting Field Test mode to open or work on either a 6, 6s or 6s Plus.

jchamier · 16-10-2016, 22:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by d123

FYI, I've never had an issue getting Field Test mode to open or work on either a 6, 6s or 6s Plus.

On the 6 and 6s the data fields may not populate - this never happened on the 5 or 5s.

It may depend on which network SIM is in the phone, which area you are in etc, but sometimes you get garbage in some of the fields.

jchamier · 16-10-2016, 22:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by heidtheba

Plus, the EE guy said when the 800 launched, my phone would connect automatically. Which youz guys are saying it won't.

Given the serious complexities of software, the normal EE customer services staff won't be able to help if you're using a phone they did not supply with their software. As such they will be guessing.

Heanor_Man31 · 17-10-2016, 04:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by jchamier

On the 6 and 6s the data fields may not populate - this never happened on the 5 or 5s.

It may depend on which network SIM is in the phone, which area you are in etc, but sometimes you get garbage in some of the fields.

This used to be the case with Vodafone on my 6s Plus. Can't remember which field it was but it was a random string of numbers.

At the moment I'm blaming a bug in iOS 10 that's preventing Field Test Mode from working altogether.

Broken Hope · 17-10-2016, 07:46

I doubt it's an iOS 10 bug, it's just not showing on the intel modems

Broken Hope · 17-10-2016, 09:50

What is annoying though is on my iPhone 7 sometimes when it switches between 4G and 3G I'll get a message pop up that states it's unable to activate mobile data.

I hope EE or Apple can fix these issues caused by the new modems.

packages · 17-10-2016, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

I'd call up and see if they'll let you upgrade early, as they're getting another 12 month commitment from you that way. They'd be silly not to.

My standard upgrade was due on the 15th October. Signed into my EE to upgrade and it allowed me to sign up to the sim only deal.

Bad thing was that it signed me up for 23 months??? Had to ring and get it sorted out but now I'm happy I've got the deal! I'm just hoping the deals on the 1st November aren't as good as now (I doubt they will be)

jonmorris · 17-10-2016, 12:16

The new SIM only plans are here:

https://jmcomms.com/2016/08/10/revea...sign-up-quick/

And the other new plans are here:

https://jmcomms.com/2016/10/15/ee-up...band-4g-plans/

Broken Hope · 17-10-2016, 13:06

I hope when my current contract comes to an end I can just continue to pay my current £19.99 for my SIM only that gives me unlimited mins/texts and 20GB of unlimited speed 4G data.

jonmorris · 17-10-2016, 13:33

I intend to keep my 16GB plan (21GB with EE home broadband) for as long as I can. Yes, I pay £3 a day for data abroad but it's costing me £16.49 a month and I have no speed cap, and come next summer I assume the charge will be dropped within EU member states.

That's when I fear EE may 'do a Three' and kick me off the plan by discontinuing it and giving me notice, forcing me to take on one of the new Max plans. I sincerely hope not.

Ed3925 · 17-10-2016, 13:51

Don't the 16 GB £19.99 plans increase back up to £34.99 after the one year minimum term has passed? Was under the impression that they did.

jonmorris · 17-10-2016, 14:41

No they don't, as it's an ongoing discount.

beans0ntoast · 17-10-2016, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

I intend to keep my 16GB plan (21GB with EE home broadband) for as long as I can. Yes, I pay £3 a day for data abroad but it's costing me £16.49 a month and I have no speed cap, and come next summer I assume the charge will be dropped within EU member states.

That's when I fear EE may 'do a Three' and kick me off the plan by discontinuing it and giving me notice, forcing me to take on one of the new Max plans. I sincerely hope not.

That's what I intend on doing as well; I don't like the sound of being forced to pay extra to have the unlimited speed and have BT Sport (which I don't need as I am not interested in sport). Having the option of something else, such as free Spotify instead (Vodafone did this in the past, I believe?) or a discounted rate would be much better.
Really don't like the idea of various different speeds (20Mbps, 60Mbps, unlimited) - you should be able to take what your phone can give you, whether it be 3G only, Cat4 4G, Cat6 4G, Cat9 4G etc... 4G capped at 20Mbps (which can easily be obtained on most 3G masts, that are performing with good backhaul and no cell breathing) is not good.

Hopefully the £19.99 stays at that price, and doesn't go up after the 12 months. If it stays at £19.99 then I shall stay on that plan until I am forced off.

jonmorris · 17-10-2016, 17:10

It won't go up.

bikerlad · 17-10-2016, 17:24

Would be nice to see a Vodafone World Passport type add-on with EE

packages · 17-10-2016, 17:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonmorris

The new SIM only plans are here:

https://jmcomms.com/2016/08/10/revea...sign-up-quick/

And the other new plans are here:

https://jmcomms.com/2016/10/15/ee-up...band-4g-plans/

Yea I'm happy with my choice of getting the 16GB deal now.

packages · 17-10-2016, 17:54

The ESN could be delayed by up to 5 months.

More here: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/mobi...delayed-199127

Broken Hope · 17-10-2016, 18:45

iOS 10.0.3 released for iPhone 7's, seems like it might fix the mobile data bugs.

bikerlad · 17-10-2016, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broken Hope

iOS 10.0.3 released for iPhone 7's, seems like it might fix the mobile data bugs.

(ok, I know it's on Vodafone)

Before update
http://www.nperf.com/r/74010291-8URXXBRr

After Update:
http://www.nperf.com/r/74029802-fyQPd62I

I'm sure the iOS update has nothing to do with it, but I'm happy!

Cloudane · 17-10-2016, 21:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broken Hope

I hope when my current contract comes to an end I can just continue to pay my current £19.99 for my SIM only that gives me unlimited mins/texts and 20GB of unlimited speed 4G data.

Can't see why not. My contract is up but I'm just continuing to pay ~£22/month for 10GB (good enough for me - worst case I used 8GB and that was because I was impatient and downloaded some ISOs over it!) and can't see myself ditching it any time soon. You do get the annual price rise around the new tax year, but it's just a quid or two.

Stereo Steve · 18-10-2016, 15:34

Just wanted to say how totally good wifi calling is on EE on my SE. Our ADSL is maybe 2meg if you are lucky and the DECT Phone is hampered by walls so has to be used in the hall or bedroom etc.

With EE Wifi calling I can call anywhere in the house and the quality and reliability is superb. I now use it as my main business phone as it just works and I can walk around / chat etc.

After years in a Devon bunker and still poor ADSL, it's a bit of a revelation. I can see the home phone going at some point.

d123 · 18-10-2016, 16:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stereo Steve

After years in a Devon bunker and still poor ADSL, it's a bit of a revelation. I can see the home phone going at some point.

for a moment I thought you were living in Devon's wine cellar...

Ed3925 · 18-10-2016, 19:44

So, EE have launched band 20 in my town centre, as mentioned above.

Some observations:

1. The power appears to be set so that the coverage does not exceed that of 2g/3g, presumably because it is not yet restricted to VoLTE devices. I haven't actually tested it on a non-VoLTE phone locally, but Pedro_C mentioned that EE's band 20 is currently accessible to non-VoLTE phones in most instances.

2. Near the mast, entering certain 'poor signal' buildings causes a very rapid shift from band 3 or 7 to band 20. Further inside the building, current coverage on band 20 is the same as 2g/Edge.

3. On leaving the building, there is a delay in switching back to higher bands, which EE do not appear to have resolved. My phone unexpectedly switched from band 20 4g to five bars of HSPA on leaving the building.... good coverage on band 3 and 7 is available outside, so I do not know the reason for switching to HSPA. The glitch didn't last, however, and I was soon back on 4g CA at the same location, with a good signal.

4. My phone sometimes switches to band 20 unnecessarily if there is a sudden decrease in signal strength on band 3 or 7, even when higher bands are available and usable. This can happen when getting in a car or moving around a corner.

5. The phone sometimes switches to band 20 at the cell edge, before moving to band 3 on the next mast.

I get the impression that the service needs some further configuration/calibration. I do not think EE will launch it officially until issues are ironed out. To be honest, I don't think they will 'launch' it until it is entirely restricted to VoLTE devices, unless they decide to restrict it to VoLTE devices on certain masts (eg. rural) but not others.

georgi_prodanov · 18-10-2016, 20:17

I dont get one thing. A lot of poles in Reading area are getting replaced with new ones. Why? The current ones give 4G signal. Why would EE replace them if they work good

Pedro_C · 18-10-2016, 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgi_prodanov

I dont get one thing. A lot of poles in Reading area are getting replaced with new ones. Why? The current ones give 4G signal. Why would EE replace them if they work good

Happens all the time to enable H3G to do 4G/additional bands like 800MHz. Check out the Monopoles/Streetworks video

16-10-2016, 22:16	#3051
d123 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,993	Quote: Originally Posted by jchamier If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus then the old 'field test' no longer works. On the 6s and earlier you can use Field Test to show which band you are connected to. It is a bit unreliable on the 6 and 6s and might need you to toggle AirPlane mode a few times to get it to show information. The 5s was the best for this. http://www.ubersignal.com/field-test-mode FYI, I've never had an issue getting Field Test mode to open or work on either a 6, 6s or 6s Plus.

17-10-2016, 17:54	#3067
packages Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 879	ESN Delayed The ESN could be delayed by up to 5 months. More here: http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/mobi...delayed-199127

18-10-2016, 19:44	#3073
Ed3925 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 97	Band 20 4g on EE - observations So, EE have launched band 20 in my town centre, as mentioned above. Some observations: 1. The power appears to be set so that the coverage does not exceed that of 2g/3g, presumably because it is not yet restricted to VoLTE devices. I haven't actually tested it on a non-VoLTE phone locally, but Pedro_C mentioned that EE's band 20 is currently accessible to non-VoLTE phones in most instances. 2. Near the mast, entering certain 'poor signal' buildings causes a very rapid shift from band 3 or 7 to band 20. Further inside the building, current coverage on band 20 is the same as 2g/Edge. 3. On leaving the building, there is a delay in switching back to higher bands, which EE do not appear to have resolved. My phone unexpectedly switched from band 20 4g to five bars of HSPA on leaving the building.... good coverage on band 3 and 7 is available outside, so I do not know the reason for switching to HSPA. The glitch didn't last, however, and I was soon back on 4g CA at the same location, with a good signal. 4. My phone sometimes switches to band 20 unnecessarily if there is a sudden decrease in signal strength on band 3 or 7, even when higher bands are available and usable. This can happen when getting in a car or moving around a corner. 5. The phone sometimes switches to band 20 at the cell edge, before moving to band 3 on the next mast. I get the impression that the service needs some further configuration/calibration. I do not think EE will launch it officially until issues are ironed out. To be honest, I don't think they will 'launch' it until it is entirely restricted to VoLTE devices, unless they decide to restrict it to VoLTE devices on certain masts (eg. rural) but not others.

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16-10-2016, 22:55	#3052
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,392	Quote: Originally Posted by d123 FYI, I've never had an issue getting Field Test mode to open or work on either a 6, 6s or 6s Plus. On the 6 and 6s the data fields may not populate - this never happened on the 5 or 5s. It may depend on which network SIM is in the phone, which area you are in etc, but sometimes you get garbage in some of the fields.

16-10-2016, 22:56	#3053
jchamier Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: This forum Posts: 3,392	Quote: Originally Posted by heidtheba Plus, the EE guy said when the 800 launched, my phone would connect automatically. Which youz guys are saying it won't. Given the serious complexities of software, the normal EE customer services staff won't be able to help if you're using a phone they did not supply with their software. As such they will be guessing.

17-10-2016, 04:41	#3054
Heanor_Man31 Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2016 Posts: 403	Quote: Originally Posted by jchamier On the 6 and 6s the data fields may not populate - this never happened on the 5 or 5s. It may depend on which network SIM is in the phone, which area you are in etc, but sometimes you get garbage in some of the fields. This used to be the case with Vodafone on my 6s Plus. Can't remember which field it was but it was a random string of numbers. At the moment I'm blaming a bug in iOS 10 that's preventing Field Test Mode from working altogether.

17-10-2016, 07:46	#3055
Broken Hope Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Nottingham Posts: 314	I doubt it's an iOS 10 bug, it's just not showing on the intel modems

17-10-2016, 09:50	#3056
Broken Hope Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Nottingham Posts: 314	What is annoying though is on my iPhone 7 sometimes when it switches between 4G and 3G I'll get a message pop up that states it's unable to activate mobile data. I hope EE or Apple can fix these issues caused by the new modems.

17-10-2016, 11:44	#3057
packages Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 879	Quote: Originally Posted by jonmorris I'd call up and see if they'll let you upgrade early, as they're getting another 12 month commitment from you that way. They'd be silly not to. My standard upgrade was due on the 15th October. Signed into my EE to upgrade and it allowed me to sign up to the sim only deal. Bad thing was that it signed me up for 23 months??? Had to ring and get it sorted out but now I'm happy I've got the deal! I'm just hoping the deals on the 1st November aren't as good as now (I doubt they will be)

17-10-2016, 12:16	#3058
jonmorris Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: a land filled with trolls Posts: 12,018	The new SIM only plans are here: https://jmcomms.com/2016/08/10/revea...sign-up-quick/ And the other new plans are here: https://jmcomms.com/2016/10/15/ee-up...band-4g-plans/

17-10-2016, 13:06	#3059
Broken Hope Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Nottingham Posts: 314	I hope when my current contract comes to an end I can just continue to pay my current £19.99 for my SIM only that gives me unlimited mins/texts and 20GB of unlimited speed 4G data.

17-10-2016, 13:33	#3060
jonmorris Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: a land filled with trolls Posts: 12,018	I intend to keep my 16GB plan (21GB with EE home broadband) for as long as I can. Yes, I pay £3 a day for data abroad but it's costing me £16.49 a month and I have no speed cap, and come next summer I assume the charge will be dropped within EU member states. That's when I fear EE may 'do a Three' and kick me off the plan by discontinuing it and giving me notice, forcing me to take on one of the new Max plans. I sincerely hope not.

17-10-2016, 13:51	#3061
Ed3925 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Posts: 97	Don't the 16 GB £19.99 plans increase back up to £34.99 after the one year minimum term has passed? Was under the impression that they did.

17-10-2016, 14:41	#3062
jonmorris Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: a land filled with trolls Posts: 12,018	No they don't, as it's an ongoing discount.

17-10-2016, 16:32	#3063
beans0ntoast Inactive Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 932	Quote: Originally Posted by jonmorris I intend to keep my 16GB plan (21GB with EE home broadband) for as long as I can. Yes, I pay £3 a day for data abroad but it's costing me £16.49 a month and I have no speed cap, and come next summer I assume the charge will be dropped within EU member states. That's when I fear EE may 'do a Three' and kick me off the plan by discontinuing it and giving me notice, forcing me to take on one of the new Max plans. I sincerely hope not. That's what I intend on doing as well; I don't like the sound of being forced to pay extra to have the unlimited speed and have BT Sport (which I don't need as I am not interested in sport). Having the option of something else, such as free Spotify instead (Vodafone did this in the past, I believe?) or a discounted rate would be much better. Really don't like the idea of various different speeds (20Mbps, 60Mbps, unlimited) - you should be able to take what your phone can give you, whether it be 3G only, Cat4 4G, Cat6 4G, Cat9 4G etc... 4G capped at 20Mbps (which can easily be obtained on most 3G masts, that are performing with good backhaul and no cell breathing) is not good. Hopefully the £19.99 stays at that price, and doesn't go up after the 12 months. If it stays at £19.99 then I shall stay on that plan until I am forced off.

17-10-2016, 17:10	#3064
jonmorris Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: a land filled with trolls Posts: 12,018	It won't go up.

17-10-2016, 17:24	#3065
bikerlad Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: London Posts: 391	Would be nice to see a Vodafone World Passport type add-on with EE

17-10-2016, 17:36	#3066
packages Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 879	Quote: Originally Posted by jonmorris The new SIM only plans are here: https://jmcomms.com/2016/08/10/revea...sign-up-quick/ And the other new plans are here: https://jmcomms.com/2016/10/15/ee-up...band-4g-plans/ Yea I'm happy with my choice of getting the 16GB deal now.

17-10-2016, 18:45	#3068
Broken Hope Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Nottingham Posts: 314	iOS 10.0.3 released for iPhone 7's, seems like it might fix the mobile data bugs.

17-10-2016, 19:16	#3069
bikerlad Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: London Posts: 391	Quote: Originally Posted by Broken Hope iOS 10.0.3 released for iPhone 7's, seems like it might fix the mobile data bugs. (ok, I know it's on Vodafone) Before update http://www.nperf.com/r/74010291-8URXXBRr After Update: http://www.nperf.com/r/74029802-fyQPd62I I'm sure the iOS update has nothing to do with it, but I'm happy!

17-10-2016, 21:52	#3070
Cloudane Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 870	Quote: Originally Posted by Broken Hope I hope when my current contract comes to an end I can just continue to pay my current £19.99 for my SIM only that gives me unlimited mins/texts and 20GB of unlimited speed 4G data. Can't see why not. My contract is up but I'm just continuing to pay ~£22/month for 10GB (good enough for me - worst case I used 8GB and that was because I was impatient and downloaded some ISOs over it!) and can't see myself ditching it any time soon. You do get the annual price rise around the new tax year, but it's just a quid or two.

18-10-2016, 15:34	#3071
Stereo Steve Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 1,378	Just wanted to say how totally good wifi calling is on EE on my SE. Our ADSL is maybe 2meg if you are lucky and the DECT Phone is hampered by walls so has to be used in the hall or bedroom etc. With EE Wifi calling I can call anywhere in the house and the quality and reliability is superb. I now use it as my main business phone as it just works and I can walk around / chat etc. After years in a Devon bunker and still poor ADSL, it's a bit of a revelation. I can see the home phone going at some point.

18-10-2016, 16:22	#3072
d123 Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 3,993	Quote: Originally Posted by Stereo Steve After years in a Devon bunker and still poor ADSL, it's a bit of a revelation. I can see the home phone going at some point. for a moment I thought you were living in Devon's wine cellar...

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EE 2G/3G/4G Discussion Thread (Part 2)

18-10-2016, 20:17	#3074
georgi_prodanov Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 316	I dont get one thing. A lot of poles in Reading area are getting replaced with new ones. Why? The current ones give 4G signal. Why would EE replace them if they work good

18-10-2016, 20:36	#3075
Pedro_C Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Surrey, UK Posts: 660	Quote: Originally Posted by georgi_prodanov I dont get one thing. A lot of poles in Reading area are getting replaced with new ones. Why? The current ones give 4G signal. Why would EE replace them if they work good Happens all the time to enable H3G to do 4G/additional bands like 800MHz. Check out the Monopoles/Streetworks video