Setting LG Esteem 3G for outside home network

[Kamelion86]

Hi all!

Theres no metro pcs service here in Pittsburgh but the phones still work here (roam on the Cricket towers, I believe). We just bought a Samsung Admire and REALLY hate it so are getting a LG Esteem instead.

Here's the problem: My inlaws bought themselves and my hubby an Admire... hooked his up, then shipped it up here to Pittsburgh. They know even less than I do about phones and I saw that it was running 1x instead of 3G. I looked it up and saw we just needed to dial *228 and push option 5 to force the 3G. My mother in law was able to do this just fine down there within the coverage area but up here it wasn't possible.

So on the LG Esteem, which is a 4G LTE, do I need to make sure the same thing is done BEFORE it gets shipped here? I see the different ways to switch it from 4G to 3G but I'm worried it won't work until the initial 3G setup is done first down there just like with the Admire.

I really appreciate the help. Thanks!

 

[HereticSins]

If there's no metro service I highly doubt there will be 4g there.

 

[Kamelion86]

If there's no metro service I highly doubt there will be 4g there.

You're right, there's no 4G for the metro pcs phones here, so that's why I'm asking about the 3G possibility here. The metro pcs phones work here fine, as the admire performs here... but badly. It was also never set for the 3G either since my inlaws got the same phone on the same day and theirs were also only running on 1x before I read here, to dial *228, option 5, and now theirs are at 3G. Any way I can push the Esteem to do the same? Thanks!

 

[HereticSins]

The prl is the same nationwide, if your admire is not getting 3g after updating to the newest prl than I doubt the esteem will have 3g.

 

[Kamelion86]

The prl is the same nationwide, if your admire is not getting 3g after updating to the newest prl than I doubt the esteem will have 3g.

Thanks for your help. But this is the problem. I could not update the admire to the newest prl from here, yet my inlaws could while down there. We called metro and they said we could not update it while outside the network. Any ideas?

 

[HereticSins]

Thanks for your help. But this is the problem. I could not update the admire to the newest prl from here, yet my inlaws could while down there. We called metro and they said we could not update it while outside the network. Any ideas?

Oh I see.
Go to this thread -> http://androidforums.com/showthread.php?t=433515

Download the newest prl and there's a link to a guide in the thread that guides you to manually update your prl.

If you have more questions feel free to pm me.
Welcome to Af by the way.

 

[Kamelion86]

Thank you so much!

 

[HereticSins]

No problem!
Where you able to get 3g?

 

[Kamelion86]

No problem!
Where you able to get 3g?

Well... the inlaws got tired of hubby complaining about trying to program his soon-to-be new phone to get 3G so they bought him one they could get brand new and pre-program it the best they could.

They bought him a Samsung Galaxy S Lightray 4G. So now I am trying to get that running at 3G instead. I suppose I should post this in the right forum now. Thanks for all of your help, HereticSins!