Cell Phone Bands, Any Experts Out There

[AAArdvark]

I'll  try to make this as concise as possible.  I had a US Google Pixel 2 which I just replaced with a Pixel 3.  The Pixel 2 worked fine but my mobile data seemed slow but I never measured it.  I took my AIS sim out of the 2 and put it in the 3.  Both wifi and mobile went crazy.  They would both drop out and reset every minute or so.  Three sims, troubleshooting with AIS support as well as Google support didn't help.  If I turned off the mobile data, Wifi was solid.  Google authorized a replacement.  I had the phone packed up to go back but I continued my search.  I ran across someone with a Samsung that had almost the same problem.  That person lived in a fringe area and what he had to do was to manually set his speed down to LTE and his problem went away.  My phone was set to LTE (both the 2 and 3) but I lowered it to 3G and the phone is happy.  There is always confusion with the speed naming conventions being different in the US than everywhere else.  I measured my 3G at 32gps down.  Anyway, I found a site that gives a compatibility check.  The site says that my P2 had the 900mhz frequency but not the B8 band while the P3 added the B8 band plus the B66 band if I recall correctly. 

So my theory is that the P3 is attempting to use the AIS 4G maxx and can't do it causing issues while the P2 didn't the correct bands so it never tried. AIS has a 3G only sim available.  My P2 never showed LTE but the P3 would sometimes.  So a few questions:

1  Does what I say fixed my issue sound plausible?

2  Would changing to a 3G sim help, hurt or do nothing more than me turning off LTE?

3  Would turning LTE back on and turning off carrier aggregation mode off help?

[mtls2005]

 

 

2 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

So my theory is that the P3 is attempting to use the AIS 4G maxx and can't do it causing issues while the P2 didn't the correct bands so it never tried. AIS has a 3G only sim available.  My P2 never showed LTE but the P3 would sometimes.

 

Good working theory.

 

 

I mean, the obvious solution is to move around a bit - assuming you are in a rural area maybe head into the Amphur Muang for a day - and see if constant renegotiation is happening, perhaps as a result of your location.

 

Did your Pixel 2 also "go crazy"?

 

Do others in your home or nearby have similar issues?

 

Could you borrow a TrueMove H or DTAC SIM and try one of those? Can you put your AIS SIM in another phone and see if you have issues?

 

AIS uses Bands 1,3 & 8, your Pixel 3 supports these.

 

1.) Sure.

2.) No, Yes.

3.) Yes, Yes.

 

Have you updated your Pixel 3 recently?  Carrier Services, a hidden app, has a recent update (April 29).

 

Is VoLTE enabled? Active as shown on the top-most display area?

 

Apps like Google Fi could also be causing issues? I'm guessing you are not a Google Fi subscriber?

 

AIS still has a roaming agreement with TOT (2100) I think, this might be causing an issue based on location?

 

Probably should have waited for the 3A?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by mtls2005

[AAArdvark]

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

 

 

Good working theory.

 

 

I mean, the obvious solution is to move around a bit - assuming you are in a rural area maybe head into the Amphur Muang for a day - and see if constant renegotiation is happening, perhaps as a result of your location.

 

Did your Pixel 2 also "go crazy"?

 

Do others in your home or nearby have similar issues?

 

Could you borrow a TrueMove H or DTAC SIM and try one of those? Can you put your AIS SIM in another phone and see if you have issues?

 

AIS uses Bands 1,3 & 8, your Pixel 3 supports these.

 

1.) Sure.

2.) No, Yes.

3.) Yes, Yes.

 

Have you updated your Pixel 3 recently?  Carrier Services, a hidden app, has a recent update (April 29).

 

Is VoLTE enabled? Active as shown on the top-most display area?

 

Apps like Google Fi could also be causing issues? I'm guessing you are not a Google Fi subscriber?

 

AIS still has a roaming agreement with TOT (2100) I think, this might be causing an issue based on location?

 

Probably should have waited for the 3A?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pixel 2 had no issues.  Moving around has nothing to do with it.  The Pixel 2 supports less bands than the Pixel 3.  Turning off LTE fixes the issue.  The Pixel 2 had LTE enabled but it never connected to LTE.  I truly believe that the issue is that the US Pixel 3 has a Carrier Aggregation Mode which uses band combintions that is not supported by AIS and this is turned on by using LTE.  I have seen the setting for turning this off but the problem is that I have to have LTE on to see that setting and I can't keep the LTE stable long enough to get to see it.

[mtls2005]

AIS supports CA, but...

 

Found on reddit...

 

The north american version will not support CA in europe or elsewhere and viceversa. It is defined in the nvram (firmware) and it is one of the only differences between the eu and na versions.

 

Am guessing you bought the phone from Google in the U.S.?

 

*#*#4636#*#* gets you into the testing menu, select phone info, this might reveal something. Maybe CA can be toggled here?

 

If you are in a grey zone between two or three towers then you may see some renegotiation. Moving to a more densely populated area for testing is not unheard of. Nor is trying a different SIM, etc.

 

A quick read does indicate a lot of issues with 3xCA on the P3, some carriers disable it in firmware.

 

There may some firmware or flashable modem SW which might address your issue. Look an XDA.

 

 

 

[AAArdvark]

7 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

AIS supports CA, but...

 

Found on reddit...

 

The north american version will not support CA in europe or elsewhere and viceversa. It is defined in the nvram (firmware) and it is one of the only differences between the eu and na versions.

 

Am guessing you bought the phone from Google in the U.S.?

 

*#*#4636#*#* gets you into the testing menu, select phone info, this might reveal something. Maybe CA can be toggled here?

 

If you are in a grey zone between two or three towers then you may see some renegotiation. Moving to a more densely populated area for testing is not unheard of. Nor is trying a different SIM, etc.

 

A quick read does indicate a lot of issues with 3xCA on the P3, some carriers disable it in firmware.

 

There may some firmware or flashable modem SW which might address your issue. Look an XDA.

 

 

 

I know that moving around can sometimes be useful.  I said that it had nothing to do with it because I live in heavily populated area of Chiang Mai and I moved miles around. None of that helped. 

I know about the non-supported CA in Thailand.  I just thought that my old phone didn't have the issue.  The only software fix, for me, is to Root my phone and add a piece of software that can turn off a channel at a time.  By finding the right channel, it would effectively turn off CA.  But I am not wiling to Root.  Google support looked at their own phone and found the setting I was looking for but their's was grayed.  They are still investigating.

The diagnostic number that you gave e was informative but if looks like it just gives information and no way to turn off or on anything of value.

Thanks for your efforts. 

[mtls2005]

11 hours ago, AAArdvark said:

The diagnostic number that you gave e was informative but if looks like it just gives information and no way to turn off or on anything of value.

 

Scroll down, you can toggle some settings: VoLTE and WiFi Calling for example.

 

I'd try a SIM from DTAC or TrueMove H, see if you have the same problem. 

 

Not seeing how this is related to a specific band? But maybe you've done more research?

 

According to some sources, AIS is running DL 3xCA on 900, 1800 and 2100, but obviously not system-wide.

 

Maybe Google will give you a EU variant which might address your issues? Or they can push a Carrier Services update to you?

 

Or just return it and get a known good working Android One phone here? Quite a few decent options? Or try a 3A.

 

There's always 3G, should be fast enough for most apps.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AAArdvark]

It is not a single band that is the problem.  But, by turning off the correct band, whatever that might be, it can prevent aggregation.   My Pixel 2, did not use 900 while the 3 does, at least that's what one compatibility site says. 

I will try a sim from another carrier and see what happens.  I am only 3 months into an AIS package of TV, Internet and Mobile and I am not sure what my obligations are with them.

[mtls2005]

You can try one of the LTE apps, might give you feel for what's going on?

 

LTE Discovery will at least show you the band, as will NEtwork Cell Info Lite

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery&hl=en

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wilysis.cellinfolite

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AAArdvark]

6 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

You can try one of the LTE apps, might give you feel for what's going on?

 

LTE Discovery will at least show you the band, as will NEtwork Cell Info Lite

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.simplyadvanced.ltediscovery&hl=en

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wilysis.cellinfolite

 

 

 

 

 

 

The only apps that I could find that would allow changing anything required root.

In any event, I'm tired of screwing around.  I am returning the phone for a refund.  I'll get a full refund including shipping and customs.

 

As for the earlier comment about waiting for the 3A.  I considered that.  I  could have gotten the 3a XL for what I paid for the 3.  The 3A has the same great camera but it also has a much slower processor, no water protection, cheaper glass and not as nice a display.  I won't do it now because if my issue is normal for the 3, it probably would be normal for the 3a.  My 2 will work fine for me for 2 more years of updates. storage and support.  Then, maybe a mid range Thai (Chinese) phone.

[mtls2005]

Like I said...

 

23 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Or just return it and get a known good working Android One phone here?

 

While I still have my Nexus 6 - backup for trips to the U.S. - after having a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 5, I'm running two Android One phones now. Same stock, and up-to-date, experience; many models to choose from.

 

Several Nokia models to choose from, while the Xiaomi Mi A2 (4/64) can be found for 5,500. TrueMove H has the Moto One for 7,990.

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by mtls2005

[AAArdvark]

56 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Like I said...

 

 

While I still have my Nexus 6 - backup for trips to the U.S. - after having a Nexus 4 and a Nexus 5, I'm running two Android One phones now. Same stock, and up-to-date, experience; many models to choose from.

 

Several Nokia models to choose from, while the Xiaomi Mi A2 (4/64) can be found for 5,500. TrueMove H has the Moto One for 7,990.

 

 

 

What I want is rapid android updates, monthly patches and as near stock android as there is.  The Huawei have terrific hardware and cameras but the overlay that they put on top ofandroid and the lack of updates, eliminates that phone.  Although more than I wanted to spend, the new OnePlus 7 is now getting android updates at the same time as the Pixels.

[mtls2005]

1 hour ago, AAArdvark said:

What I want is rapid android updates, monthly patches and as near stock android as there is. 

 

This is the very definition of Android One. https://www.android.com/one/

 

And why I recommended it. Just assumed you knew what I was talking about.

 

100% Stock, no skin/bloatware, full GAPPS/Play Store, Android Updates for 2 years, monthly security patches (often within a few days of Google patch release)

 

 

 

 

 

[2008bangkok]

4 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Several Nokia models to choose from, while the Xiaomi Mi A2 (4/64) can be found for 5,500. TrueMove H has the Moto One for 7,990.

 

 

 

Would of got one of the A2's myself apart from they put a small battery in but then put a much one bigger in the A2 lite.

I wont touch a phone unless its got 4-5000 mah battery in to last me through the day easily.

Would rather have a bit mor thickness on the phone and bigger battery rather than thinner and smaller.