Has anyone gotten reliable 4G coverage?

[Darth Mo]

Now, before anyone gets in a tizzy, this isn't a post complaining about lack of 4G coverage that wasn't promised.

I'm just wondering if there are areas where people are using 4G daily with few drops or dark areas.

When I activate 4G, I usually pick it up with two "arches" and get pretty good speeds. However, it almost always drops out within 10 minutes or so and goes back to 3G. That wouldn't be a big deal, but you end up with a 30 second gap in data coverage that disrupts anything you're trying to do at the time.

So, for now I just check occasionally to get any better and don't try to use 4G for any actual data intensive apps. My 3G speeds are fine so it's not like I'm stuck in the mud.

So, who out there gets reliable coverage?

 

[mozartkc]

I guess I am a lucky user. I live on Oahu and my 4g stays on. It is kinda odd that an island in the middle of the ocean has such good 4g right? Anyhow....Aloha!

 

[nickneagle]

I have gotten it when I am in DC or Northern VA. I get great speeds and coverage is good where they say it is. Wish it was farther out to me, but ya know. Hopefully I will move closer, or it will come out farther SOON.

 

[bender1077]

I am in the NW burbsies of Chi and get exceptional 4g coverage. Even inside my home I am getting around 4mbps down, outside around 6-7 mbps.

Anyone ever get 8 or over down?

 

[PM-Performance]

I dont stick on the internet all day on my phone as I am an IT guy and just do this from my desk computer in my office. lol
Only time I use my phone for Inet is if I am on the run or Websense is blocking something I want to see.

This being said, I had a low signal onstreet 4G at my day job. I need to be outside to get it and get 1 bar which equates to like 2-2.5down. I never stick on it much, but connects fine and seems to do ok.

At my night job, the mall nextdoor must have an inbuilding antenna or something cuz I get full 4G and speeds of almost 6MB. Seems to be pretty consistant and get it in building. I dont stick on it long though to see if it stays connected. Just connect and sit on the crapper and browse and then go up to the counter and browse when its slow.

I have found some shotty areas though and think its more as you get to the outskirts of the signal area.

 

[stevehsteveh]

Great 4g in Phila and southern NJ. Up to 12kbps down, 0.97 up. Very happy.

 

[Darth Mo]

I am in the NW burbsies of Chi and get exceptional 4g coverage. Even inside my home I am getting around 4mbps down, outside around 6-7 mbps.

Anyone ever get 8 or over down?

I was downtown for the Hawks rally back in June, corner of Wacker and Michigan. I assumed this was some sort of fluke but I got a similar speed a couple times. Never seen anywhere near it anywhere else though. I have no idea if it was legitimate or there was some caching going on.

 

[PM-Performance]

Great 4g in Phila and southern NJ. Up to 12kbps down, 0.97 up. Very happy.

I hope you are joking or misstyped?
In Phila I saw some good 4G when i was out there. I was on South street though.

 

[TWC_SouthPhilly]

I get great 4g coverage where I live. Granted I live in center city Philadelphia Pa. I haven't really had the chance to travel outside of the city since I got my EVO so I can't really say anything for the burbs or surrounding edges of the city.

West Phila near all of the hospitals and Penn has great full bar and full speed service, same with center city. I haven't dropped service ever in those areas. South Phila has some dead spots when you start getting a little deeper in but picks up again once you get closer to the stadiums and the airport.

Most of the river front area has good coverage, till you start going north past the Ben Franklin bridge and south past say Washington Ave. And North Phila area is spotty at best.

 

[Steve66]

Great 4g in Phila and southern NJ. Up to 12kbps down, 0.97 up. Very happy.

I hope you mean 12Mbps

 

[jeffreykime]

I live in a valley in the Harrisburg area. I can get it outside but not inside. My 3g is pretty consistent but would love 4g in my house.

 

[drnez]

I get nice 4G coverage north of Atlanta in Alpharetta, GA. (about 7mbit down last I checked)

 

[vnmous1]

Now, before anyone gets in a tizzy, this isn't a post complaining about lack of 4G coverage that wasn't promised.

I'm just wondering if there are areas where people are using 4G daily with few drops or dark areas.

When I activate 4G, I usually pick it up with two "arches" and get pretty good speeds. However, it almost always drops out within 10 minutes or so and goes back to 3G. That wouldn't be a big deal, but you end up with a 30 second gap in data coverage that disrupts anything you're trying to do at the time.

So, for now I just check occasionally to get any better and don't try to use 4G for any actual data intensive apps. My 3G speeds are fine so it's not like I'm stuck in the mud.

So, who out there gets reliable coverage?

You think yours is "so so"? I'm in the Prudential Building downtown and am apparently in a freaking vault (although I'm 2 ft from two really large windows with a SW view that's unobstructed for quite a distance). Just ran mine for grins: 1.89 down, 0.37 up. Sometimes 3G is faster. No biggie because I can hit our wi-fi and all is well.

That said, I live over on the lake and my 4G is so good that I almost cancelled my Comcast internet and used the phone for my hotspot! I'm around 5 down over there, which is more than enough to do almost anything.

bj

 

[boggs3010#AC]

I am in the NW burbsies of Chi and get exceptional 4g coverage. Even inside my home I am getting around 4mbps down, outside around 6-7 mbps.

Anyone ever get 8 or over down?

I too Live in the NW Burbs and have never had over 4.52 Mbps. And I avg about 3.00 between home in BLoomingdale and work in Hanover Park. Sometimes I have to restart my phone to get 4g to return to the handset.

 

[Quizshow]

Good coverage everywhere in Houston except inside my office builidng :/

 

[roothog]

You think yours is "so so"? I'm in the Prudential Building downtown and am apparently in a freaking vault (although I'm 2 ft from two really large windows with a SW view that's unobstructed for quite a distance). Just ran mine for grins: 1.89 down, 0.37 up. Sometimes 3G is faster.

I'm amazed you can get a 4G signal at all inside your office building. I lose my 4G immediately when I step inside a building. I actually tested it inside next to a window. Open the window: pick up the signal. Close the window: lose the signal. It was ridiculous.

Midtown Atlanta. I can't pick up a 4G signal indoors. Outdoors, I get 2M down, 1M up. My 3G signal gets 200k-300k down, 60k-200k up. I've had wifi as high as 12M down, 3M up.

 

[bender1077]

I too Live in the NW Burbs and have never had over 4.52 Mbps. And I avg about 3.00 between home in BLoomingdale and work in Hanover Park. Sometimes I have to restart my phone to get 4g to return to the handset.

I work in Lake Forest and just got 4.93down, .46up inside my office building. Results from Speakeasy. To be fair, I do have a sweet window spot on the 4th floor!

 

[digmys]

Raleigh NC is virtually covered, with great signal and speeds. The only problem I have had so far is when I am in the VERY CENTER of a huge building, or in an elevator, I drop 4G, otherwise I have coverage constantly.

 

[Burt Reynolds]

4G dropping issues

Darth, there is a thread on xda developers addressing this issue...

4G reconnecting issue? - xda-developers

I too have trouble keeping a reliable 4G connection, both pre and post root. You may want to check out the thread & perhaps contribute.

 

[wgregory]

I live in Kansas City and can get good 4G coverage when I am stationary in one spot for a prolonged time (like at work, home or out to eat.) Unfortunately, whenever I am in such places, I frequently have access to wifi coverage also, so it's not a real big deal that I can maintain a 4G signal.

However, when I'm a passenger in a car and we drive around town (though areas that show full coverage on both the Sprint and Clear coverage maps) I've found that my phone does not maintain a consistent 4G signal. It seems as soon as I leave the coverage area for the tower to which I was initially connected, the 4G signal drops and will not reconnect until I reach my destination. Then, after being in that general area for a few minutes, I am able to get a 4G signal again.

After talking with Sprint technical support personnel, I swapped out my phone, but still have the same results. So back to the Sprint store and further conversations with the techs in the repair center indicated that even though the network is "live" it is still being built out and more towers are still being added. They also said since this is the first 4G phone, it is possible that future software updates could be made so the radio is more effiecient in moving between 3G and 4G coverage areas as well as improved hand-off between 4G towers.

As an early adopter of new technology, I understand that there are sometime "glitches" that have to be worked out. I just hope that updates will be able to improve the ability to stay connected to 4G service while being mobile around town.

And, for what it's worth, I've NOT rooted my phone at all.