Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Vodacom LTE Network tips
Vodacom LTE Network tips
I recently activated a Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE to try out Vodacoms next generation LTE data network - Here are a few hints and tips I picked up along the way:
- LTE is not available on prepaid - You need to have a Vodacom contract to activate LTE.
- You can activate LTE on your contract yourself by logging in to vodacom.co.za or calling 111, but...
- You cant activate LTE on a 32K SIM card (this is not a problem on micro SIMs)
- You can activate LTE on a data SIM that is linked to a primary Vodacom contract as long as your primary number is on a 64K SIM card (or higher). I had to do a SIM swap on my primary 32K SIM at a cost of R63 (and activation of the linked data SIM cost R90).
- It may be helpful to set the Network mode to WCDMA or GSM only and then manually select a network operator while you are trying to get set up. My test phone could not locate a data signal for the first time while it was in Auto mode. I think its because I didnt have LTE coverage at the time, you can check Vodacom LTE coverage here.
- There is a glitch with a batch of the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 where the phone will prompt your for a network unlock code at first boot (unfortunately I got one of the bad batch). You need to phone Samsung SA (08607267864) and have your IMEI number handy to get this problem sorted.
- LTE is fast, 46% faster than HSDPA in my initial speed tests, so you might like to set your device to only update apps over WiFi if you can (under Settings in the Play Store) - Otherwise your updates could run while you are out (and all your data will be gone) before you have a chance to realise whats happened. Alternatively you can control Automatic updating at an individual app level in the Play Store as well. Id recommend a fairly strict approach as Vodacom LTE really tears through data.
- You can extend your battery life (and manage your data consumption quite well) by setting your Network mode to GSM only for day to day use as this setting is fine for most web browsing and email type tasks. Only switch over to WCDMA or LTE for specific data hungry tasks like downloads and watching YouTube, then switch back to GSM when you are done.
Available link for download
