yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Kalm_Traveler:
I'm not sure if anyone else got into the CSCs further but i posted in another thread that with the CSC Features app from the Play Store you can see/export the currently-loaded CSC stuff, so I manually typed out the full 950U T-Mobile features, as well as my stock 950N SK Telecom ones as well, then compared each line by line with a stock S8+ from tkkg's S8 CSC Selection tool and found that the T-Mobile 950U and S8+ were almost identical, except for I believe a URL for the internet browser homepage... nothing functionally different at all.

For any T-Mobile users, my patch has gone through several more revisions as I am still trying to get it where it can be applied over top a stock 950N system and have properly working Wifi Calling, but I have not yet figured out the final holdup. [MENTION=2694397]masri1987[/MENTION] is running 950F-based ROMs though and seems to have no speed/LTE issues at all so if you are on an F or F-based ROM (which is all of them that I'm aware of, nobody is using the N as a base) you can use my current patch version and be fine AFAIK.

I have not found anywhere online that can decipher what the TMB_keystrings.dat file contains, and that is what was causing people to have LTE issues early on with my previous patches - something with the N950U version of that file (at least the one in the first firmware on Sammobile) was causing signal and data transfer issues, but when I switched to the S8+ file from TEKHD or a Note 5 version everything worked properly again.

If anyone can help me figure out how to decode that file, I would like to see what the differences are between the 950U version that causes issues and those other two that work properly for us.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shadym1lkman:
do i need to root for your patch

else if i only need to install the csc will that erase the device?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] EddiePR:
Me too. I compraded Snapdragon whit exynos "on tmobile" and snpadragon wins the test for a lot!. I sold the exynos... end of story. This is why samsung choose snapdragon on US market
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] sefrcoko:
Which test exactly? I don't think Sammy chose Snapdragon for North America because of performance...
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Techvir:
They choose for CDMA support
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] EddiePR:
Well, speed test in the same location, same device, same tmo plan etc.. on exynos i only get around 30- mb. On snapdragon the speed test shows 160+ mb. Maybe tmo fake the signal in work whit ookla????

Sorry if i write bad.. i dont know english at all
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] sefrcoko:
Ah no problem, your English is good :)
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Kalm_Traveler:
I don't have a Snapdragon Note 8 to test with, but my Exynos N950N with T-Mobile CSC patch gets about 30-40% faster download speeds than my old Exynos Note 5 T-mobile version in the same locations, even though LTE signal strength is 7-10 dBa lower on Note 8.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
That seems to be what other exynos users at some point were also complaining about. Comparing T Mobile , same location same sim but on Exynos was slower.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] TheUndertaker21:
do you plan to upload your patch to oreo?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] DeeXii:
Has this been fixed?

Has anyone tried to use TEKHD's Detonator pack thing?

http://tekhd.com/detonator/#tmodetonator
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
I stopped using TekHD's CSC. MMS issues with Detonator & stock Messages.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] chenxiaolong:
If anyone is interested, I made a script for decrypting the *_keystring.dat files. I see from earlier in this thread that using a specific version of TMB_keystrings.dat seemed to fix some issues. This tool should hopefully make it easy to see what was different between the various versions of the file.

https://github.com/chenxiaolong/keystrings-decrypter
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Interceptor777:
Hey there, Thank you so much for the decryptor, works perfectly.

Is there a way to re-encrypt the file again after you're done editing? I've tried using the decrypted file but my phone (G965F) won't accept it. Thank you.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] chenxiaolong:
Unfortunately, there is not, because only Samsung has the private key. The only way to modify the file is to also modify DRParser.apk to accept unencrypted XML files.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] pnjboyzz:
you need to install correct CSC files for your cell service.

I had the same problem and end up installing TEK CSC files for Tmobile USA.

works just awesome.

great XDA site.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] VICosPhi:
Guys, THANK YOU for the suggestion of factory resetting the phone then restoring data to enable carrier aggregation!! I could not get CA to activate even after flashing US TMB CSC (Thanks to TekHD for that detonator pack!). I tried everything and could not get my Exynos Note9 to have CA activated.... until I referred to this thread and saw you mentioning to factory reset the phone and restore TWRP data backup! Thanks a lot!!
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shiftr182:
Strange to hear this about the Note. I made the choice to go with the international S8, and initially thought it was a bad choice because the speeds were crap compared to my Pixel XL. I was only in the 2-4 MPS range consistantly, both at work and at home. After I did the aggregation mod, and changed the bands I was getting 30-50 up depending on where I'm at. Speeds are now similar to the Pixel.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
Wonder what the issue was , meaning apart from the obvious. Although I don't own an F variant or N. It would be nice to know issue, especially since you also mentioned you had some sort of issue with the Previous international model .
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
IMO if it's a hardware issue then you should always be receiving poor signal strength. Good signal strength doesn't always mean you'll get good LTE speeds & vise versa. I'm mean usually that's the case but there's always other factors.

By my work I get great signal strength, yesterday when I checked it was -63dBm but download speed around there sucks, like 10-15mps on average.

Today on my way to lunch I ran a test in an area where I know LTE speed is good (for my area). This is on a N950F from Clove on Tmobile USA.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] jooniloh:
Just thought I'd post this here in case it helps someone, but I noticed on my 950N that the speedtest website and the speedtest app give me completely different speedtest results. Consistently. Tested over 50 times. So try the site or another app.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
That's why I never take speed test results for granted. You can get different reults with different tests. Even with the Speed Test app, you can get much different results just by choosing different servers.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] DeeXii:
I did this same today however, I have the benefit of having two phones.

When I get speeds like yours (40-60mbps) I check my Note 5 and I pull 150-200mbps in the same spot.

Also the uploads sometimes are wonky.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
Yup I agree, speed results can be all over the place for me too in different areas. Like I just posted above, I can get totally different results just by choosing different nearby servers. But there are certain areas where I know I get better speeds than other areas.

Again I don't have a second SIM so I can't compare with my Note 5 side by side but looking at my Note 5 speed test results the fastest down I ever got was 69mbps but I remember that was not close to where I live & it was more than a year ago. So I'll have take my Note 5 out to that area where I got the results for my Note 8 above & test.

I can't speak for you & all the others but in my case I think the different results I get is just due to area cell density, network traffic, & signal strength. I have noticed that it seems like my Note 5 does seem to pull better signal strength in interference areas like in big buildings & stuff but I doubt that translates for better speed in my case.

I still don't think I'm having reception issues like the rest of you report.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] jooniloh:
Yes, but I was having specific issues with only the speedtest app. It's the only speedtest that would start fast 80+ and NOSEDIVE down to 1-5mbps within the first 2 seconds on every download test I ran from it.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
I see, yeah I never encountered that. I have had where upload would take for ever to start then just hover at 1-3mbps. Doesn't happen often though but if I change the server it will run fine.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
Post the menu screen on what bands the radio supports please. Here's my U version .
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Kalm_Traveler:
Which menu is that?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] xxx42069:
Same issue here guys. Clove note 8 on T-Mobile, crap LTE. Although I did see some initial improvement by doing 2 things. First I called TMobile to make sure they have my IMEI number in their system and properly provisioned. Second thing I did was put in proper TMobile APN info in settings. For some reason mine was missing that. Both things helped greatly initially but unfortunately would never last. Eventually LTE would suck again after a while. It's gotten so bad that I don't even use it anymore. I only use 3g now as it's stable and actually faster in real world use. Pretty pathetic. Sure hope we can get this figured out.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
*#2263#
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
Doesn't look like that on exynox variants. IIRC the codes & menus differ from exynos & sd.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
Ok, I see. What is the code to show bands on Exynos?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
I have no idea, I've never seen a menu that shows the bands on my Note 8. *#2263# does work on exynos but it only allows you to select band preference, it doesn't show what it shows in your screenshot.

Doesn't really matter much though, our exynos variants are compatible with bands 2, 4, 12, 66. All the other bands don't matter with tmobile. 71 won't be turned on until later this year but not even the US Note 8s will support it.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
What are the real LTE bands on the Exynos version compared to the Snapdragon version. That is what I wanted to see. Not by heresay from sam mobile as they have had it wrong in the past. Example, the Samsung SM-T819N compared to the SM-T819Y, they as well some other online band checking websites got it wrong.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] :
N950N reporting in. Exynos model. Exact same issue. Can't exceed 24Mbps on a network with all supported bands.

Will test in a bit on my N950U1. I have it all bundled up to sell so have to unbox.

Maybe it's me but I also find the install times longer on the Exynos versus the Snapdragon which shouldn't be happening either.

Update

Loaded stock firmware via Odin. Factory reset both devices.

The N950U1 is stock firmware; no updates.

The N950N is stock firmware; no updates but was rooted beforehand.

Tested both devices. Found that application install time and network speeds varied by seconds and a few Mbps in favor of the Snapdragon.

Thus I have poor reception/coverage and/or a poor choice in carriers (Koodo/Telus).
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
i was in the drive thru at chikfila earlier and ran speed test, got 60 something mbps on N model , using F-based ROM
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] iunlock:
Update: Clove UK (F Model) Note 8

My carrier: T-Mobile

Simply put, the Note 8 does show OEM unlock, that's good, however...

There is a major data issue where the speeds are very slow. On average 75% slower than my other devices listed below...

I've compared it next to my (live each with their own SIM) Note 5, Note 4, Note 3 and S5...

The ping on the Note 8 is on par with the rest of the phones.

The dBm and asu are also almost 1:1, the same.

Example of one of the runs.

At this particular location it was downstairs where I didn't want it to have full bars on purpose.

Download speed: ~4 Mbps vs ~28Mbps

Upload speed: ~1 Mbps vs ~7Mbps

I've tested using SpeedTest app at several different locations...

All APN's are exactly the same to T-Mobile.

Interesting Note:

When I had toggled off Data Roaming, the run after that was almost 1:1. However, when I ran the test again, the Note 8 dropped again to being about 75% slower than the rest of the devices.

This could perhaps be a modem (chip/region) issue I'm thinking, along with some elements of software, because if it was purely hardware then why is it that the F and N models work just fine in their respected regions right?

I've attached screen shots of some of the runs. There were more, but what shows on the screen should be good enough to get the gist of this issue.

-

I really hope this is a software issue. Those with the N (Korean model) could you please do some more tests and post up your screen shots?

.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] iunlock:
Could you post a screen shot of your APN settings?

I've also messed around with the APN settings on my Note 8, but that didn't do much of anything....

Just curious what settings you have to compare to my settings.

Thanks.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] xxx42069:
I just use the settings found here: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-30273
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] DeeXii:
Ya see that happened to me too so then I tested my Note 5 and it was going 200mbps while the note 8 was going 50mbps. :(
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
i've never experienced anything above 89mbps on t-mobile networks in phoenix area, even with T-Mo phones
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
They must all live in areas with really good coverage. I don't live in a rural area but I've never got anything over 70mbps in my area with my Tmobile Note 5. And at home I'm lucky when I get 30-40mpbs, it's usually 20-25mbps. Perhaps downtown the coverage might be better but that doesn't do me any good.

And with the speeds I get in my area, internet usage has never been a problem for me on my phone. Those high numbers are nice to see & hear but honestly for me I don't really care. Would only be for bragging rights in my case.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] DeeXii:
My point was.. that even if the Note 8 speeds increase to a decent speed, chances are that if you had a phone that was functioning normal the speeds would be higher in the same spot.

In other words, just because the speeds might go to an acceptable level, doesn't mean a problem doesn't exist.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
I agree.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
I also agree. Don't get me wrong by what I said, that's just in my case & I know it doesn't really help. But in my case I'm not seeing any huge difference between my Note 8 & Note 5 to make me think I have an issue. I mean there are slight differences but they are different phones & won't perform the same.

If I saw the differences that you guys are reporting, I would be concerned too. I don't know, I still don't think it's a hardware issue except for Kalm_Traveler's case. What are the chances that so many.of you guys are having the same problem due to a faulty board? Although it is absolutely possible.

Are all Note 8s made in Vietnam & in one same factory?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
Also heres something else i experiencing on my korean version.

I'll have -92db LTE , and facebook and other apps even speedtest would tell me "data network unresponsive"

only for it to work a minute later.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
Signal drops during download of speed test but not upload.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
No not you, was talking about a guy who posted in the Tmobile section with a U. Damn this is weird. A number of people having LTE issues, seems like all on Tmobile but the results are not the same. WTH!
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] iunlock:
I was curious about this too and think that the different variants each have their own assembly line...

The thing is, the F/N models work well in their respect regions, which rules out any faulty hardware related issue...

I really think this has something to do with software first...then maybe modem...

The Note 5 TM branded phone is also Exynos so there's no reason why Exynos shouldn't work fully with our network here...

My theory is that, it has to do something with the csc file, where even though we flash the T-Mobile csc on the phone, there's something in the firmware perhaps that is conflicting with the code that causes this hiccup.

Ex. Last night when I had toggled off 'data roaming,' and ran a speed test, whatever that did internally in the crazily mingled code of the software, caused the Note 8 to run petty much on par with the Note 5 I had right next to it. Then sure enough after that run, it went back down to being ~75% slower.

I really think it's a conflict within the code somewhere....
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
That's interesting about the data roaming thing. I think it was talked about already, I forget, but when the speed drops, is it still on band 4 or does it jump to 12 or 2?

I don't think it has to do with Exynos either, I think software too or maybe something even with tmobile but I don't know enough about all that to even have a clue as to what.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
Ok, tested 5 times each on my Note 8 & Note 5. Again this is at home where I don't get as good as speeds as down the hill. Note 5 is slighty slower again but not a great difference.

What else should I try besides testing in a better area later when I can? Maybe testing both on the same exact Speed Test server?

N950F showing 2 bars:
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
N920T showing almost full bars (which really doesn't mean much though).
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
LTE discovery shows -135db on LTE signal during pulldown of data.... we gotta figure this out.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] iunlock:
Thanks for the screen shots... hmmm.. that's odd.... In a good way that is....

Could you try testing using these steps:

1. Same server on both phones.

2. Making sure the phones have close to equal dBm and asu. (Might have to reposition the phones.)

3. Making sure the phones don't move at all from where it is as even a slight bump could throw it off signal wise (dBm/asu).

4. Run several runs on each phone.

Thanks...

---------- Post added at 10:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:52 PM ----------

Guys...so I think I'm going in....diving into it under the hood...

So check this out....

Possibly a....

Antenna Issue?

Another example...

I know right? Gotta be kidding me lol...

Well I'm diving in to do some tests... I'm aware that one of the members mentioned something about the signal not changing at all with the antenna cables unclipped vs on, but for the sake of gathering more data....here we go....

[MENTION=2996598]DeeXii[/MENTION], [MENTION=2694397]masri1987[/MENTION], [MENTION=5129886]shouren04[/MENTION]

We gotta get to the bottom of this indeed....
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] shouren04:
1. Ok I'll try, that's the only other thing I can think of.

2. That may not be so easy, my Note 5 generally gets better signal strength than my Note 8. I don't think that's due to being defective, I think the Note 5 is just better designed or just happens to perform better in terms of reception.

3. That's how I ran my tests, didn't move the phones at all during the tests, tested with the phones in the same exact location of my room. I'll check around the house to see if I can get a stronger signal.

4. Not sure if running 5 times or more is even worth it. I figure 3 times is good enough but I'll run 5 times again tomorrow night.

As for that first first video, wtf! Too bad I don't work in electronic repair anymore. I could of got you a bunch of those antennas with connectors to play with if the Note 8 even has those. I'm thinking it doesn't since the back cover is not intended to be removeable.

But my hat's off to ya. A brave soldier! :)

Hopefully you find something out if you do go through with it! I was dreading taking my Note 5 apart to change the USB board, USB port stopped working months ago. Requires the screen to come off too cause the nav touch buttons is connected to it. Luckily & funny, I just fixed it a few days ago so I don't need to anymore. Anyone need a spare USB board, back cover, & battery for a Note 5. :D

---------- Post added at 01:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 AM ----------

Forgot to mention, when I first got my Note 8 I noticed immediately how low the signal bars showed in my room compared to what I was used to seeing on my Note 5. I never tested with LTE Discovery in the past cause I never really had a reason to.

I was surprised to see that the dBm was not too far off between the 2 phones despite the difference in what the bars show. Around town while driving, the best I've noticed so far with the Note 8 showing full bars in -63dBm. Now I'm curious what kind of signal strength the Note 5 gets. I really need to take the Note 5 out one day to test it.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] iunlock:
Sounds great.

Yes indeed..the way the Note 5 shows its bars visually is different so it is a bit misleading if comparing signal strength just based off of the bars. It's good that you had the phones stationary while testing....

I too have noticed that the dBm and asu were literally almost equal between my N5 and N8...

Yup, I'm about to dive it and do this lol....looking forward to discovering something lol....wish me luck. :highfive:

Update: Oh btw, I have a ton of spare stuff laying around, along with all the tools for the job...
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
Maybe it's something on T Mobile end that sets priority to certain models or versions?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] DeeXii:
Hmmm,

Interesting.
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] Limeybastard:
I was just talking out aloud, just an avenue to investigate perhaps?
[Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Questions and Answers] masri1987:
so i activated a new sim today and escalated up to a supv in tech support, filed a ticket, with screenshot proof that the network is dropping band 4 completely when a big data download begins and then it jumps from 2 and 12.

7-10 business days, aka we'll never hear about it again from them

---------- Post added at 11:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 PM ----------

also, did s8 s8+ F\N versions on t-mobile have this problem?