4G on the Epic 4G Touch

[zackmack7]

Hey everyone,

I recently switch from T-Mobile where I used the HTC Sensation. Now I am on Sprint and own a Samsung GS2 Epic 4G Touch. What is new to me that I need help understanding is using the 4G. On T-Mobile;'s Sensation, 4G was on all the time whenever I was in service area. With the Samsung, I have to manually turn this on. I live in Baltimore, so I know I am in a Sprint Wi-max/4G coverage area, but it still seems a lot slower. My questions are 1) Is there a way to keep 4G from "sleeping/going idle" when not in use (cause it seems to take forever to re-connect) and/or keep it on all the time? 2)What options should I set in the "Roaming" menu under mode, settings and guard (never had to deal with this on T-mobile)?

I also want to change around the bottom four icons on the homescreens for Phone, Contacts, Messaging, and Apps. Do I need to root to do so?

Any help/ input would be grealy appreciated.

 

[JayWill]

I'm afraid I can't be much help on the 4G issue, as I've barely used it on this device since we don't have WiMax where I live, and have only used it briefly while traveling. However, from my understanding, it's probably best to turn off 4G when you're not in a service area or when you're not using data anyways. 4G uses more battery than 3G, so it's generally best to keep it off unless you want to use you phone for something that operates better on a faster connection (internet browsing, video streaming, downloading files, etc.).

Regarding the dock, you do that from the App Drawer in Touchwiz. Open your App drawer, then hit the Menu button and select Edit. Hit the Switch button to accept the change to a customizable grid, then you can drag Apps from the drawer down to your dock. Hover over the one you want to replace and let go to swap them. Once done, hit Menu again from the App drawer and select View type to change back to Alphabetical grid (assuming you prefer that).

 

[oversteer325]

As long as you don't lose your 4g connection it will stay in an idle state that resumes instantly when you request data. If you happen to lose the connection it will start up 3g and put 4g in a deep sleep. At that point it basically won't connect to 4g again until it decides to check if 4g is available, or you toggle the 4g off and back on in the notification pane to manually restart it. I'm not sure how often it polls for a 4g signal when in deep sleep but it is long enough that I usually just toggle it off and on. The toggle only takes 10 seconds or so.

 

[srkmagnus]

I agree with the above regarding 4G. If you know the area has good 4G coverage and you want to stay on it just keep 4G on. If the area is spotty then turn it off to prevent battery drain while the phone searches for 4G signal. If you don't care about the drain and have regular access to a power source then by all means keep 4G on

 

[zackmack7]

Thanks for your input everyone! I live in suburban Baltimore, and the surrounding area is pretty much in the 4G/Wi-Max coverage area, so I know I have access to 4G speeds. It just seems like it takes forever to actually connect. As far as battery goes, I'm not too worried about draining it; there is always an outlet nearby. Great tips, thank you.