Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix?

sabrelime

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Jun 18, 2011
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Suffice to say that my 3G coverage at my house is spotty, and my old Blackberry used to allow me to switch between 2g/3g. I haven't been able to force this phone to use EDGE after downloading a couple of apps and checking settings menus. Does anyone know how this can be done?

I can barely make calls, and I would appreciate the battery savings that using EDGE could give me.
 
On most android phones, the 2g/3g switching options are in this menu:

screenshot_1.png


Does anybody have a clue why we can't choose the network on this phone?
 
Suffice to say that my 3G coverage at my house is spotty, and my old Blackberry used to allow me to switch between 2g/3g. I haven't been able to force this phone to use EDGE after downloading a couple of apps and checking settings menus. Does anyone know how this can be done?

I can barely make calls, and I would appreciate the battery savings that using EDGE could give me.

Mine switches automagically. At my house there is only EDGE and where I work there is 3G service. Somewhere between here and there it switches over. I've tried to discover where the switch takes place and have it narrowed down to within a road segment about 0.5 km. long. When I start at home in EDGE, it switches over at the 3G end of the road segment and when I start at work in 3G it switches to EDGE at the other end of the segment. But since I have wireless at both locations, it usually takes over.

I have found that if I leave WiFi on when in motion, the battery seems to drop off faster and the Settings | Phone | Battery Use menu item shows WiFi standby to be consuming a lot of power. So I turn WiFi off when hitting the road and only turn it back on when I'm someplace that might have it available.
 
After trying to get access to this by unlocking my phone, as well as talking to a number of support personnel between AT&T and LG, this AT&T version of the operating system has this option intentionally locked out of the phone.

What I'm looking for resides within these two menu options:

screenshot.png



Nothing is going to allow me this capability unless A later update enables it or XDA can adapt a custom ROM to our phones. I'm basically screwed till then. :'(
 
Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

After trying to get access to this by unlocking my phone, as well as talking to a number of support personnel between AT&T and LG, this AT&T version of the operating system has this option intentionally locked out of the phone.


Nothing is going to allow me this capability unless A later update enables it or XDA can adapt a custom ROM to our phones. I'm basically screwed till then. :'(

A silver lining is that the phone's hardware is intact. On another brand of Go-phone, they physically disabled the WLAN/WiFi functions.

I haven't found a parallel in the Thrive yet, but I'm puzzled as to why ATT would disable those options on a Phoenix.

There are users on Straight Talk that are using a Thrive, but I'm not familiar with their specs yet. Either they have found a way or the Straight Talk service uses ATT cell networks. That's on my "to-do-list" here. :)
 
Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

In case anybody actually gives a crap, I have found an answer to my dilemma.

You can force 2g/3g transmitter usage though the hidden menu on your phones.

First, dial: 3845#*505# (Phoenix) 3845#*506# (Thrive)

Scroll down to the "Network Mode" selection and enter.

Automatic is the first selection in that menu. This is what are phones are set to by default. This allows the phone to switch between whatever it thinks is the best wireless network to use. Unfortunately, I can barely talk to people when I have 1 bar of signal in my house, and very often the phone won't switch over to 2g when 3g signal is very weak. 2g also saves A LOT on battery power.

If you want to choose the wireless mode your phone, scroll down to the bottom of that menu and you will find the following options:

screenshot_4.png


- If you choose WCDMA Only, you will connect to the 3G network

- If you choose GSM Only, you will connect to the 2G/EDGE network


I hope this is helpful to somebody other than just me. :D
 
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Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

Hi Sabrelime- I was looking to do this also. Thanks for your post. Do you know of anyway to make a toggle for easier switching back and forth?? This is a start for me. I used to have a shortcut on my blackjack. Would love to put this shortcut on the screen.
 
Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

Hi Sabrelime- I was looking to do this also. Thanks for your post. Do you know of anyway to make a toggle for easier switching back and forth?? This is a start for me. I used to have a shortcut on my blackjack. Would love to put this shortcut on the screen.

I can't figure out any way to circumvent the dialer to pull up that menu. Most of what is out there is what amounts to a shortcut program that opens menus quickly. None of them interface with the dialer.

I'm sorry. Trust me, I wish it were easier. :(

Hopefully they won't cripple it on the Gingerbread release.
 
Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

Hey Sabrelime- after much research I found info on another site!!! :D I adapted it and it works great! It puts a shortcut on the homescreen. Hope this is what you were looking for. It's perfect for me. However, I have found that shutting down 3g with the built in app gives me a 3 day battery with mostly standby use. Phone and text still work. I turn on 3g when I need it.


A way to make a shortcut for hidden menu on Thrive

I found this on another site and adapted it to work on the LG Thrive. Originally written up by Gadget Man for Unlocked Cellular Phones. Adapted by me.

This is how to use a launcher to make a shortcut on the homepage for launching the hidden menu on the lg Thrive.
Example using ADW (others will use a similar method):

1. Long press on home screen
2. Select Custom Shortcut
3. Click on pick your activitiy
4. Pick ADW activities
5. scroll down to com.lge.Internal and select it
6. scroll down again till Hidden Menu(.HiddenMenu) and select
7. You can hit the ugly green icon and replace it if you wish, if not, click OK and you will now have this shortcut on your homepage.

You can put it on your icon bar down below. Or leave it on your homescreen as a big icon. Now it's easy to change 2g/3g and stretch your battery life. Just hit your shortcut, go to network mode, and select GSM only for 2g, or WCDMA only for 3g, or Automatic to let the phone chose. If you need to do browsing, switch over to 3g, then back to 2g when you are done.
 
Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

That's nice to know but I am on the stock 2.2.2. Actually just came across your Kernel/ rom choices now available last nite and looks very interesting. I might be tempted to flash. I'd hate to screw up my phone though. When I did play, I tried to flash the CWM and it really messed it up. Was able to get back to a functioning phone and was able to update to 2.2.2. It's working fine for me as is but I will definitely look into your kernel and roms. I flip between my thrive and iphone on ATT.

When I first got this phone 6 weeks ago there was not a rom available to switch to, so I thank you for your persistance! ;)
 
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Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

Well Joban, you peaked my interest and I tried again with the CWM install. It seems I was correct all along, even when I thought I messed it up. I have never had an android phone before, just tablets. It seems I didn't know the menu button was the selection button when in recovery. Duh....I was trying to use the power button and it got me nowhere. Important thing to know that the button furthest to the left is the selection button when in recovery.

Flashed CWM with the optimus one selection. Was able to BU my 2.2.2 stock rom. Have your kernel ready to load.

Just looking for the best rom to flash.

Thanks for replying Joban. Otherwise I never would have went back to looking into flashing a custom rom. :)
 
Re: Force 2g/EDGE on LG Phoenix???

Cool! umm go on my kernel main page and i have a few recommended! i really liked sonygenmod 1.2! so try that to start off!
 
Thanks- I'll start with that. Sorry I'm joining your party so late! Read all your threads and pages last nite and you have done some really good work with this phone. 6 weeks ago there was hardly nothing available outside of gingerbreak. I have a Thrive. Actually I have 2. One I got off Craigslist for $40. But it was pretty beat up cosmetically. I take really good care of my phones and such, so it was annoying. Really liked the phone and bought a brand new one. (I started with the optimus V, then sold it and the VM contract for what I paid for it. We decided to stick with ATT)

Point is, the beat up one can be used to test development! No fear of breakage. I hope to get it working to the point that I will move whatever I find to work well to the new one.;)

My tablet is honeycomb so I don't have anything to compare Froyo to gingerbread. I have been reading that for this phone, Froyo is best. I'll have to find out! I'll put Gingerbread on the old one and leave the new one stock 2.2.2, rooted with CWM.

Sorry Sabrelime- I hijacked your thread a little!:p
 
yea i recommend u look at the steps on my thread and go from there and you would be good to go
 
I flashed the CM7 rom a while back, and the com.lge.internal isn't there. Even so, I know it should be easier to force 2g/3g with CM7, but when I try to select the option, it doesn't change anything.

In fact, If I select "USE ONLY 2G NETWORKS" under mobile network settings, the check box un-checks itself and then turns gray, and I can no longer select it.

I try to select "GSM ONLY" from the network mode drop down on that screen, but it immediately switches back to GSM/WCDMA.


I'm really at a loss as to why it does this. :(