Need help inderstanding cell strength/mode indicator

maxq54

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Dec 10, 2013
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I looked, but didn't see any posts clearly on point... I'm new to the N5 (on AIO/Cricket) and am trying to figure out some of the basics, along with understanding the difference between LTE, H, etc.

At home and with wifi turned on, I usually see 2 bars on the cell strength indicator. There is no other indication of what it is (no H, no LTE, etc).

1) If I make a call with wifi on, I get 4 bars and still no H, LTE, etc.
2) If I turn wifi off, I get two or three bars and it says LTE; then, if I make a call with wifi off, it jumps to 4 bars and says H for the duration of the call. When I hang up, it returns to LTE within a few seconds with 2 or 3 bars

So, what the heck mode am I using if there is no indicator above the bars? And, why is it with H when wifi is off and no H when wifi is on? The reception on all the calls seems fine, but I'm curious......Thanks for all the great posts and help provided here!

[Tried to correct my typo in Subject, but I apparently can't. :-( ]
 
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N4Newbie

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Nov 15, 2012
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1) You will only see LTE, H, or E when you have a cellular data connection.
2) An active Wi-Fi connection automatically disables cellular data
3) Cellular data doesn't work while a call is in progress

Analyze these three statements and see if the answers to your questions lie within. :)
 

kd0h

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Nov 3, 2013
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I looked, but didn't see any posts clearly on point... I'm new to the N5 (on AIO/Cricket) and am trying to figure out some of the basics, along with understanding the difference between LTE, H, etc.

At home and with wifi turned on, I usually see 2 bars on the cell strength indicator. There is no other indication of what it is (no H, no LTE, etc).

1) If I make a call with wifi on, I get 4 bars and still no H, LTE, etc.
2) If I turn wifi off, I get two or three bars and it says LTE; then, if I make a call with wifi off, it jumps to 4 bars and says H for the duration of the call. When I hang up, it returns to LTE within a few seconds with 2 or 3 bars

So, what the heck mode am I using if there is no indicator above the bars? And, why is it with H when wifi is off and no H when wifi is on? The reception on all the calls seems fine, but I'm curious......Thanks for all the great posts and help provided here!

[Tried to correct my typo in Subject, but I apparently can't. :-( ]

From my understanding there is/are no letter(s) when Wi-Fi is on and connected because it's not using cell data.

Posted via Android Central App
 

kd0h

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Nov 3, 2013
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1) You will only see LTE, H, or E when you have a cellular data connection.
2) An active Wi-Fi connection automatically disables cellular data
3) Cellular data doesn't work while a call is in progress

Analyze these three statements and see if the answers to your questions lie within. :)

This

Posted via Android Central App
 

maxq54

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Dec 10, 2013
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1) You will only see LTE, H, or E when you have a cellular data connection.
2) An active Wi-Fi connection automatically disables cellular data
3) Cellular data doesn't work while a call is in progress

Analyze these three statements and see if the answers to your questions lie within. :)

Got it -- many thanks! I haven't seen an E yet, but at least what I'm seeing is normal. :)
 

gidgiddonihah

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Apr 3, 2011
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1) You will only see LTE, H, or E when you have a cellular data connection.
2) An active Wi-Fi connection automatically disables cellular data
3) Cellular data doesn't work while a call is in progress

Analyze these three statements and see if the answers to your questions lie within. :)

3. False, depending on your carrier :). I know AT&T, like many other cell carriers, shoves me to HSPA+ which shows up as an H (due to hardware limitations of both the phone and carrier - complicated stuff I won't get into in this post) and I can still use data. Once the call is ended LTE should pop up again. Most carriers have plans to move voice and texts to LTE within the next couple years meaning you will be able to do both on LTE.

The reason the signal changes when it moves from H to LTE and back is its connecting to different towers and/or different frequencies (different frequencies travel different). This is normal behavior.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 

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