Metro Just pushed a firmware ans OS update

[MrHerbDaily]

I received the update yesterday. I can confirm the Metro Easy Wi-Fi app has been removed, along with the notification icon that appears on the left side of the status bar.

But there was a BIG CHANGE in the 4G speeds! The usual speeds were 4-5Mbps download and 5Mbps upload. Now they are 45Mbps download and 20Mbps upload. It was a trip to watch the Speedtest needle slam against the end of the 20Mbps dial, when download speed was 45Mbps!

Metro possibly made the switch to the T-Mobile 4G network.

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That's interesting. I'm also in LA and my 4G speeds are the same as before the update. 16-17Mbps DL and 10-11Mbps UL.

 

[LRichards]

That's interesting. I'm also in LA and my 4G speeds are the same as before the update. 16-17Mbps DL and 10-11Mbps UL.

Maybe they haven't reached your area yet. It isn't necessary to update large areas at once. The switchover to 4G LTE service can be implemented in pieces as small as one cell tower at a time.

We can now see that the radio in the phone obviously has the ability to switch between various 4G protocols.

I checked the speeds with Speedtest (that's the Ookla product) several more times at what I imagined to be peak times. 8-10am and 5-7pm

Still downloading at 45Mbps!

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[drobotclone]

Has it always been like that in the about phone settings mobile network type lte 14 ?

OK so Im back on f and its exactly the same

 

[LRichards]

Has it always been like that in the about phone settings mobile network type LTE: 14 ?

Yes that box currently shows LTE: 14

I do not remember with certainty what that box said originally. I took screen captures of all that when I first got the phone. The images are not in the phone, I'll see if I can find them.

In their marketing materials and website Metro distinguishes between phones having 4G or 4G LTE capability. As I recall, the 4G Motion was not advertised as a 4G LTE phone, though now the menu box on the phone shows LTE.

I do remember that there were some parts of the two Hidden Service Menus that alluded to the broader capabilities of the radio.

The two Hidden Service Menus are accessed by entering either of these codes into the dialpad, followed by a 6 digit number for your phone.
##626*
##LGSERVICEMENU

.

 

[Rodman]

What is 3G, 4G, and LTE - and Why Should I Care? - iAnswerGuy

http//www.ianswerguy.com/what-is-3g-4g-lte/

 

[Rodman]

So one can get the LTE to display by doing this?

 

[sammyz]

So one can get the LTE to display by doing this?

Doing what?

 

[sammyz]

Yes that box currently shows LTE: 14

I do not remember with certainty what that box said originally. I took screen captures of all that when I first got the phone. The images are not in the phone, I'll see if I can find them.

In their marketing materials and website Metro distinguishes between phones having 4G or 4G LTE capability. As I recall, the 4G Motion was not advertised as a 4G LTE phone, though now the menu box on the phone shows LTE.

I do remember that there were some parts of the two Hidden Service Menus that alluded to the broader capabilities of the radio.

The two Hidden Service Menus are accessed by entering either of these codes into the dialpad, followed by a 6 digit number for your phone.
##626*
##LGSERVICEMENU

.

It was always using 4G LTE, it seems that this update switched it to T-Mobiles speeds...I'm not sure what is going on, but it was always using LTE because that is the only radio it has for 4G.

 

[Rodman]

what 6 digit number are you referring to? and where do I locate it?

Yes that box currently shows LTE: 14

I do not remember with certainty what that box said originally. I took screen captures of all that when I first got the phone. The images are not in the phone, I'll see if I can find them.

In their marketing materials and website Metro distinguishes between phones having 4G or 4G LTE capability. As I recall, the 4G Motion was not advertised as a 4G LTE phone, though now the menu box on the phone shows LTE.

I do remember that there were some parts of the two Hidden Service Menus that alluded to the broader capabilities of the radio.

The two Hidden Service Menus are accessed by entering either of these codes into the dialpad, followed by a 6 digit number for your phone.
##626*
##LGSERVICEMENU

 

[sammyz]

Just seen a update on lg .com for a update on the 15th- april-2014

LG Help: Product Support and Troubleshooting | LG USA

Check out this thread: http://androidforums.com/lg-motion-4g/841376-metro-just-pushed-firmware-ans-os-update.html

Merged the threads.

 

[Mikestony]

Yes that box currently shows LTE: 14

I do not remember with certainty what that box said originally. I took screen captures of all that when I first got the phone. The images are not in the phone, I'll see if I can find them.

In their marketing materials and website Metro distinguishes between phones having 4G or 4G LTE capability. As I recall, the 4G Motion was not advertised as a 4G LTE phone, though now the menu box on the phone shows LTE.

I do remember that there were some parts of the two Hidden Service Menus that alluded to the broader capabilities of the radio.

The two Hidden Service Menus are accessed by entering either of these codes into the dialpad, followed by a 6 digit number for your phone.
##626*
##LGSERVICEMENU

Yes that box currently shows LTE: 14

I do not remember with certainty what that box said originally. I took screen captures of all that when I first got the phone. The images are not in the phone, I'll see if I can find them.

In their marketing materials and website Metro distinguishes between phones having 4G or 4G LTE capability. As I recall, the 4G Motion was not advertised as a 4G LTE phone, though now the menu box on the phone shows LTE.

I do remember that there were some parts of the two Hidden Service Menus that alluded to the broader capabilities of the radio.

The two Hidden Service Menus are accessed by entering either of these codes into the dialpad, followed by a 6 digit number for your phone.
##626*
##LGSERVICEMENU

.

@Rodman, are you trying to quote LRichards post along with information of your own also?


EDIT: Fixed

 

[BRAINZ2013]

But if it isn't a LTE it wouldn't take the update . so if it updated it maybe the correct phone . plus the drivers wouldn't allow another phone to take control of the update .

 

[Rodman]

Im only downloading 0.20 today and upload 0.19 when it was a lot higher yesterday using the speedtest app.

 

[TJayDroid]

Hmmm... I seem to be screwed now. Starting 2 hours ago, my phone has gone into roaming mode with no bars. I'm not getting an update pushed and don't know why (stock, unrooted.. a few apps disabled). How do I get the update and do any of you think it might be critical to tower reception?

 

[DirtyDee]

Im only downloading 0.20 today and upload 0.19 when it was a lot higher yesterday using the speedtest app.

Maybe you hit your cap

 

[Rodman]

I checked and I did reach my cap. But weird thing is the status bar still displays 4G. In the past before the SW update, once I hit my cap the 4G would go to EV or 1x.

 

[alfick3]

But if it isn't a LTE it wouldn't take the update . so if it updated it maybe the correct phone . plus the drivers wouldn't allow another phone to take control of the update .

what are you taking about?

 

[sammyz]

I checked and I did reach my cap. But weird thing is the status bar still displays 4G. In the past before the SW update, once I hit my cap the 4G would go to EV or 1x.

Never did that to me.

 

[Zokula]

Yay! They still care about little old us...

 

[Spec2nirvash]

I don't know if this is sheer coincidence but after this update, today, for the first time ever, I am able to get a signal and connection on the Boston subway system while on a train in a tunnel. I never had a signal, even when standing on platforms underground never mind a train. So I'm happy, coincidence or not.

Did this update assign a new PRL to your phone? I'm curious. I use the Orange Line from Sullivan to Downtown X-ing for work and have nothing until either out of the tunnel or on street level.

 

[LRichards]

It was always using 4G LTE, it seems that this update switched it to T-Mobiles speeds...I'm not sure what is going on [with the new higher speeds], but it was always using LTE because that is the only radio it has for 4G.

I could not remember what that menu said, thanks for that.

Regarding the new higher 4G speeds, it might be that in some markets (locations) that Metro never had their own 4G tower hardware, and instead leased 4G bandwidth and resold it to their customers. Post-merger with T-Mobile that arrangement may have changed.

Regarding the 4G radio, even though we can rely on manufacturer-published information and FCC certification documents, that still may not provide the whole picture regarding 4G radio capability. The radio hardware in the phone may have more capacity than the manufacturer sought approval for from the US FCC.

As we've seen, 4G comes in many flavors, and each variant needs to be certified as a separate item on an FCC application. What that means is the manufacturer can build radio hardware into a phone, but not certify all of the radio capacity for use in any particular country. And that does not mean they cannot amend the application at some future date to include the formerly unapproved radio capacity.

Regarding the paragraph above; The same phone, I mean the identical piece of hardware, can be approved for two different carriers, under two different FCC applications, each with different features of the radios switched on. Which in that case is a firmware difference, not a hardware difference.

Carriers then lobby for FCC regulations that disallow a phone sold though one carrier, to have its radios activated to operate with the other carrier.

Do you ever wonder why in the US that tablets don't have 4G telephone capacity? You know, so you could buy a tablet and use it as your phone as well?

Plenty goes on behind the curtain in the telecom industry, heck in every industry, and we sleep right through it. Then we wake up and complain after it already happened.

.

 

[sammyz]

Question to the ones getting 45MB/s:
What PRL are you on? Still getting 10-11MB/s on my Motion (yea I switched because I want 45 too )

 

[sammyz]

Well, the same phone on a different carrier gets a different update or even no update. It's completely based on the phone itself, not the carrier. If you have a T-Mobile phone on MetroPCS, it will still receive the T-Mobile branded update. If you have a phone that only exists for one carrier, but you put it on another carrier, it will still receive the update via data/WiFi.
Just pretend your phone is a Windows computer. A Windows computer will only install updates for that version of Windows. Windows XP will only install XP updates, Vista will only install Vista updates, etc. It doesn't matter who provides the internet connection, you get the same updates for each version of Windows on every computer running that version of Windows.

Just to add a little to what I said:

its based on model number, if you had a tmobile note 3 with no service and just kept it on wifi it would still have gotten the update

 

[alfick3]

Question to the ones getting 45MB/s:
What PRL are you on? Still getting 10-11MB/s on my Motion (yea I switched because I want 45 too )

Sammy, depending on where I was, I would get between 8 and 30 download. It varied depending where I was. 'Course, I'm not getting anything now, since my Motion decided to go for a swim yesterday. I've got it in rice trying to dry it out. Using a Galaxy Tab 2 only on Wi-Fi right now. I'm getting an el-cheapo Evolve since they are only $19 right now, as an interim phone until I can get something else.

 

[DirtyDee]

Sammy, depending on where I was, I would get between 8 and 30 download. It varied depending where I was. 'Course, I'm not getting anything now, since my Motion decided to go for a swim yesterday. I've got it in rice trying to dry it out. Using a Galaxy Tab 2 only on Wi-Fi right now. I'm getting an el-cheapo Evolve since they are only $19 right now, as an interim phone until I can get something else.

Thoes feels... I was able to buy a droid 3 for pretty cheap, needed to unlock it fastboot flash radio radio.img all in all it took about a half hour, my main issue any custom cm camera didn't work and locked bootloader.