Preferred network mode?

[barberrider1]

Can someone explain the differences between Global, LTE/CDMA, and LTE/GSM/UMTS. And which one should I use? Thanks

 

[Rukbat]

re:

The one the phone comes with from the carrier is usually the best one for their towers.

LTE is 4G. UMTS is 3G. GSM is 2G. CDMA is a totally different technology, used by Sprint and Verizon in the US, and some carriers elsewhere in the world. It can refer to 1x, which is like 2G or CDMA 2000, which is like 3G.

 

[B. Diddy]

re:

So basically, I would just stick with Global. If you pick LTE/CDMA, and your carrier isn't a CDMA carrier, then you might have problems with voice calls (since that's what CDMA is used for). The converse probably applies--if you select LTE/GSM and your carrier is a CDMA carrier, then you'll probably have problems with calls.

 

[shaneontherocks]

Re:

I have sprint s6 edge. Is it better to just leave on automatic how it came? Or does it help battery when switching to LTE/CDMA?

 

[jcp007]

Re:

I have sprint s6 edge. Is it better to just leave on automatic how it came? Or does it help battery when switching to LTE/CDMA?

Might having one these modes drain the battery more quickly?

 

[PsychDoc]

Re:

Ineresting question and it seems one that has not been answered yet in this thread. Is one setting better than another re: battery usage?

I am on Verizon and I recently switched my setting from Global to LTE/CDMA. Still too early to tell if there's any effect on battery life from this switch but I was wondering if someone with more technical knowledge about these settings could weigh in here and give some advice on the effect (if any) these settings have on battery life.

 

[jcp007]

Re:

Ineresting question and it seems one that has not been answered yet in this thread. Is one setting better than another re: battery usage?

I am on Verizon and I recently switched my setting from Global to LTE/CDMA. Still too early to tell if there's any effect on battery life from this switch but I was wondering if someone with more technical knowledge about these settings could weigh in here and give some advice on the effect (if any) these settings have on battery life.

This is kind of the direction I was going with this question. Wouldn't it consume more power under Global as it would be seeking out signal bandwidths not common to a specific region?

 

[Gator352]

Re:

I have sprint s6 edge. Is it better to just leave on automatic how it came? Or does it help battery when switching to LTE/CDMA?

LTE/CDMA is a Sprint specific setting which only uses Sprint's LTE and CDMA bands. Automatic will use those bands AND use GSM when needed. I have used both and really find leaving it on Automatic is the best option (for me) as I'm out and about all day, but if your sitting next to a tower all day at work/school, then LTE/CDMA is best.

 

[PsychDoc]

Doesn't Verizon also exclusively use the LTE /CDMA bands? If so why set the preferred network mode to "Global?"

 

[dpham00]

If you have verizon and are in the usa exclusively, select lte/cdma. It can reduce battery drain.

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[dpham00]

Doesn't Verizon also exclusively use the LTE /CDMA bands? If so why set the preferred network mode to "Global?"

Global looks for network connectivity outside the usa on Verizon's partner networks.

Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[dpham00]

This is what it looks like when on one of Verizon's partner networks. Keep in mind that Verizon can charge in excess of $20,000 USD per GB used,so you might want to consider a local sim or Verizon international plan.



Sent from my Pearly White Verizon Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

 

[PsychDoc]

This is what it looks like when on one of Verizon's partner networks. Keep in mind that Verizon can charge in excess of $20,000 USD per GB used,so you might want to consider a local sim or Verizon international plan.

View attachment 173626

Thank goodness for their global plan. I was away recently in Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore and I signed up for a new Global plan they had that cost me $85 for 250 MB of data, 250 minutes of talk to or from the U.S. 250 outgoing texts and unlimited incoming texts. Each additional 100MB of data cost $25. It was a real life saver. I made tons of calls and texts and used 200MB of additional data over the initial 250MB included. So in total I spent $135 but I had complete use of my phone throughout the trip. Not bad really.

 

[kd0axs]

I live right on the very edge of Sprint's LTE coverage, so the signal is very weak. I've found when I'm at home I need to use CDMA Only mode so it stays on 3G. If I use Automatic or LTE/CDMA mode, it always tries to stay on LTE and it's very slow or won't work at all.

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

 

[Gator352]

I live right on the very edge of Sprint's LTE coverage, so the signal is very weak. I've found when I'm at home I need to use CDMA Only mode so it stays on 3G. If I use Automatic or LTE/CDMA mode, it always tries to stay on LTE and it's very slow or won't work at all.

Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk

Same here. The only difference though is that i have a decent lte/spark signal. It comes and goes. Really annoying.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[rharbinson]

Personally I can't believe anyone still uses CDMA, for those unsure of the difference our "cell" phones no longer use the cellular frequency. CDMA is a cellular frequency and while it can be reliable, for voice only, if your close enough to a tower, it would not be my first choice. It's similar to when trees blocked ur dish signal so ur TV went in and out. Lower frequencies used by CDMA don't have enough bandwidth to carry much signal either. While LTE is getting as high as 5GB, so u see theres a lot more than battery drain to think of. But if u want reliability, or speed, anything other than CDMA would me my choice, but I would leave it on auto, cuz LTE uses both 2.4 and 5GHz so it may not recognize the LTE esp if it's an older phone

 

[angietahoe]

Let me save you some time - don't bother reading any further in this thread... NO ONE IN THIS THREAD ACTUALLY HAS A CLUE WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT, aside from a few who are simply repeating the question. I'm not saying you shouldnt keep looking, the answer is out there, but I promise you the correct explanation is NOT anywhere in this particular thread - trust and believe!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Do you have anything constructive to add?

 

[Golfdriver97]

NO ONE IN THIS THREAD ACTUALLY HAS A CLUE WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT

Where are the errors? What are they? What are the corrections?