My iPad can't connect on 4G in many locations where my iPhone 4 on 3G connects without a problem. My iPad does not "revert to 3G" it just continues to show 4G with no signal and I have to get out my iPhone to access data I need. I realize these are two distinct signals and wish I could turn 4G off or 3G on. I had my SIM card replaced just on the outside chance it was defective. What do you wise people think?
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Need ability to turn 4G off and use 3G
- Thread starter DctrJ
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If you have an AT&T iPad it denotes it's hspa+ as "4g" even though it is 3G. It is noted as LTE if you are on "true" 4g. Your iPad will never say 3G.
There is no LTE in my area on AT&T but the whole area is covered by 4G. I turned LTE off. If I don't I can't get any signal. You would think if I can't get a 4G signal it would revert to 3G (hspa+) and connect with a strong signal like my iPhone.
The previous poster just told you that 4G for AT&T is actually 3G. They renamed it (if you update your iPhone to 5.1, it will show 4G as well).
I'm in Canada and I have "Enable LTE" on, but revert to 3G just fine since I'm not in an LTE area 99% of the time. And it does say "3G" in the status bar.
Update your iPhone to 5.1 and it'll show 4G as well. Like others have said, AT&T brands HSPA+ as 4G when it's actually the top of the 3G spectrum. They did this because T-Mobile did theirs that way first. Your iPad and iPhone are using the exact same network so technically there shouldn't be a reason why your iPad isn't getting a signal while your iPhone does.
Edit: Actually come to think about it, if you have an iPhone 4 and below, it'll always say 3G. Only the iPhone 4S is HSPA+ ("4G") compatible.
Edit: Actually come to think about it, if you have an iPhone 4 and below, it'll always say 3G. Only the iPhone 4S is HSPA+ ("4G") compatible.
Your iPhone 4 is on hspa with no "+" which is what AT&T calls 3G. Your AT&T iPad will never say "3G".
If you get less bars on your iPad that means the radio on the iPad isn't as receptive as your iPhone's. Since its a new chip it is possible that your 3G/fake 4g is not as receptive on your new iPad as it was made to be more power saving and LTE. This is only theoretical though. I am not an engineer.
There is also the possibity that hspa and hspa+ aren't on the same frequency. I think this is what you're asking in which case I don't think the AT&T devices drop down to hspa. My iPhone 4S goes straight down to EDGE from 4G. Never 3G.