[GUIDE] Getting your unlocked Note fully functional on AT&T (including MMS)

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Jade Eyed Wolf

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2010
1,255
382
Arlington Virginia
Hi everyone! Just got my Note yesterday but didn't have time to play with it until last night. I have an iPhone 3gs from AT&T and this guide is great but does anyone have a IEMI we can use to call AT&T with? I'm not sure if asking/posting here is against forum rules. Will they give me any hassle when I give them the IEMI?

We can't post IMEI numbers up here (with the exception of a generic, publicly available example).

You can try to use the IMEI of your own Note and see if that works, but the AT&T might not be able to provision your account properly unless they have an actual AT&T IMEI.

No harm in trying though!
 
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jserio

Member
Jan 12, 2012
31
2
We can't post IMEI numbers up here (with the exception of a generic, publicly available example).

You can try to use the IMEI of your own Note and see if that works, but the AT&T might not be able to provision your account properly unless they have an actual AT&T IMEI.

No harm in trying though!

Thanks for the info. I've read almost every thread in this forum while waiting for my phone. I recall someone saying ATT is now allowing the Note to work. I'll stop by an ATT store today and copy an iemi.

One more question. Im on the grandfathered unlimited data plan. How should I reply if ATT tries to make me switch to a tired plan?

Thanks!
 

Jade Eyed Wolf

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2010
1,255
382
Arlington Virginia
Thanks for the info. I've read almost every thread in this forum while waiting for my phone. I recall someone saying ATT is now allowing the Note to work. I'll stop by an ATT store today and copy an iemi.

One more question. Im on the grandfathered unlimited data plan. How should I reply if ATT tries to make me switch to a tired plan?

Thanks!

Tell them they can take their tiered plans and cram 'em up their ass! Seriously. :p

And yeah, the Note not working on AT&T about a month ago was due to human error; someone at AT&T had mis-typed one or two digits for a range of IMEI's to be added to their database of tablet devices for tracking purposes, and that error just so happened to match up to a particular batch of unlocked Notes. Some were affected, others were not (like mine, which came from Germany, and was made in Korea). But that issue has been sorted now. :)
 

jserio

Member
Jan 12, 2012
31
2
Tell them they can take their tiered plans and cram 'em up their ass! Seriously. :p

And yeah, the Note not working on AT&T about a month ago was due to human error; someone at AT&T had mis-typed one or two digits for a range of IMEI's to be added to their database of tablet devices for tracking purposes, and that error just so happened to match up to a particular batch of unlocked Notes. Some were affected, others were not (like mine, which came from Germany, and was made in Korea). But that issue has been sorted now. :)

I have the German phone too. So are you saying I can just give them the Notes iemi and all will be good? Will I need a new sim?
 

Jade Eyed Wolf

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2010
1,255
382
Arlington Virginia
I have the German phone too. So are you saying I can just give them the Notes iemi and all will be good? Will I need a new sim?

Just give them the IMEI of an Infuse 4G or something that's "4G" but ISN'T LTE. This will get you onto the correct rate plan, and you should be able to carry over your unlimited data for $30 a month. (If you were/are on the $15/month unlimited medianet plan, you're screwed, sorry)

Once you're on the correct plan, you should be all set. You don't need to give them your Note's IMEI; the system will pick it up anyway when they do a random sweep. My account shows my Note IMEI now, but my rate plan has remained in tact.

You shouldn't run into any issues.

Oh yeah, and depending on how old your current SIM is, you may need a new one.
 

jserio

Member
Jan 12, 2012
31
2
Just give them the IMEI of an Infuse 4G or something that's "4G" but ISN'T LTE. This will get you onto the correct rate plan, and you should be able to carry over your unlimited data for $30 a month. (If you were/are on the $15/month unlimited medianet plan, you're screwed, sorry)

Once you're on the correct plan, you should be all set. You don't need to give them your Note's IMEI; the system will pick it up anyway when they do a random sweep. My account shows my Note IMEI now, but my rate plan has remained in tact.

You shouldn't run into any issues.

Oh yeah, and depending on how old your current SIM is, you may need a new one.

Thanks again! I appreciate your quick replies. :) My sim is about 3 years old. It's the old white Cingular sim. I can buy a new one at the AT&T store when I look for an eimi but I will have my iPhone with me (the Note is at home). What do I tell them if they ask why I need a new sim?
 

Jade Eyed Wolf

Senior Member
Nov 4, 2010
1,255
382
Arlington Virginia
Thanks again! I appreciate your quick replies. :) My sim is about 3 years old. It's the old white Cingular sim. I can buy a new one at the AT&T store when I look for an eimi but I will have my iPhone with me (the Note is at home). What do I tell them if they ask why I need a new sim?

You can probably just get your new SIM for free. Just tell them you have a really old one and you're upgrading your equipment. :)
 

bodhizafa

New member
Jan 5, 2012
1
0
I went into my local ATT with my iPhone asking to switch sims. They got me a new normal sim (rather than the iPhone micro sim), popped it in the Note, and changed a few settings, I was there for about 15 minutes total. I had to do the APN stuff myself because they didn't seem to know enough about it to change the settings themselves. Very helpful workers, they seemed really interested in the Note, they couldn't believe how big it was.
 

jserio

Member
Jan 12, 2012
31
2
Hey guys,

I went into the AT&T store (Surprise, AZ) with my Note and they were stoked to see one. They gave me a new sim and activated it no problem. Another Galaxy S2 user helped me with the APN settings.

Two problems:

1.) MMS is not working. We tried to both send and receive and he couldn't get it to work. I told him I'll play with it tonight and bring it in tomorrow if I can't get it to work.

2.) They dropped my 200 MMS plan! When the guy was switching me over, he said it may drop but after he said it let him make the change no problem. I come home and it shows me on the "Smartphone Bundle without Messaging" (Smartphone Personal) plan! I call them up and he says sorry about it.. I have to go back to the store and have them cal customer service to re-add them back. I'm a little concerned since he said before that f it's gone, I can't get it back. Any ideas/suggestions?

Could this be why MMS is not working??

Jim
 

tbong777

Senior Member
So what I am reading is those of us who are on the SGS II "Medianet plans" AFTER giving ATT our correct i9100 IMEIs (which apparently are not in their system) will with an N7000 have "recognizable" smart phones even though its an International Device?

Well that sucks for me because I would have to pay $120 more a year for about 600mb of data I use over the $15 200MB limit

I guess I had better rethink the bigger screen since I don't use enough carrier data to warrant a $300 a year Data bill.
 
Nov 7, 2011
48
2
I have a data only plan and using different APN settings. I don't feel that my speed is slow. Can someone tell me what speeds I should expect, roughly?

Thanks
 

dino024

Member
Jan 14, 2012
11
0
Note comming today!!!

My galaxy note should be arriving today!!!

A few questions I have:

My current device is an iPhone 4S and I have unlimited data on a family plan my SOC code is IHN1.

I have new sim card that came from AT&T and I also was able to get my hands on a 4G IMEI # (non LTE). should I give them my galaxy note IMEI or should I stick with the one I found from an ATT device? I've read diffrent post that say AT&T recognized their unlocked note IMEI # and some say they didn't recognize it.

My second noob questions: when entering the networks setting, do you enter a space between the setting? Example (mms port:80 or should there be a space between : and 80?

Any other helpful tips, would be great... Thanks a million for your help!
 

jserio

Member
Jan 12, 2012
31
2
My galaxy note should be arriving today!!!

A few questions I have:

My current device is an iPhone 4S and I have unlimited data on a family plan my SOC code is IHN1.

I have new sim card that came from AT&T and I also was able to get my hands on a 4G IMEI # (non LTE). should I give them my galaxy note IMEI or should I stick with the one I found from an ATT device? I've read diffrent post that say AT&T recognized their unlocked note IMEI # and some say they didn't recognize it.

My second noob questions: when entering the networks setting, do you enter a space between the setting? Example (mms port:80 or should there be a space between : and 80?

Any other helpful tips, would be great... Thanks a million for your help!

Dino... congrats! You'll love the phone. Since I just went through the same situation, here are my suggestions. I would just take the phone to the store and give them the Note's IMEI. The people at my AT&T store (Surprise, AZ) knew about the mix-up with the "old" Note phones and when they looked at my phone, they said all was good. No need for another IMEI.

If you are on the grandfathered data plan with separate messaging, tell them to make sure it's retained. Mine was removed and I had to go back to the store and wait while they called customer service to re-add it.

Here are the APN settings I used - I am on the grandfathered plan. (the ones on the front page didn't work for me):

Name: ATT PHONE
APN: Phone
MMSC: http://mmsc.mobile.att.net
MMS proxy: proxy.mobile.att.net
MMS port: 80
MCC: 310
MNC: 410
APN type: internet

Name: ATT WAP
APN: wap.cingular
Proxy: wireless.cingular.com
Port: 80
MMSC: http://mmsc.cingular.com
MMS proxy: wireless.cingular.com
MMS port: 80
CC: 310
MNC: 410
APN type: mms

Good luck!
 
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k1ng617

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2010
424
62
Thanks for the great info.

Quick question. If I change ROM's will I need to reset my APN settings & turn off fast dormancy everytime I do so, or is that information stored somewhere else that the ROM won't touch.

Thanks in advance
 

dino024

Member
Jan 14, 2012
11
0
Thanks for your help!!!! I used the settings from the first post and all was good.... Phone is great, but I love how I'm able to get rid of my ipad and iphone and use 1 device.
 

rquinn19

Senior Member
Feb 10, 2007
1,501
275
Phila
Thanks for the great info.

Quick question. If I change ROM's will I need to reset my APN settings & turn off fast dormancy everytime I do so, or is that information stored somewhere else that the ROM won't touch.

Thanks in advance

Yes. Use this to backup and restore the APN. Dormancy isn't hard to do and you'll remember after the 10th flash!
 
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AhmadAlmousa

Senior Member
Aug 24, 2010
123
14
34
Mubarraz
I just received my Note today. Afterwards, I called AT&T and had the "are sure it's a phone" issue after giving them the actual IMEI number. The rep activated the data plan and changed it to 4G.
My question is how would I know if I'm on 3 or 4 G plan ?! (I have an unlimited data plan)
 

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    I know I originally posted this in another thread as a response, but for the sake of making things easier to find for new folks coming here, I thought I'd consolidate your one-stop-shop for getting your unlocked, unbranded, Galaxy Note N7000 working properly on AT&T.

    To get your Note fully functional, and running optimally on AT&T, it's not quite as simple as just popping your SIM card in and off you go...

    The three basic things you need to do are as follows:
    1. Make sure you have the correct account provisioning.
    2. Configure and use the correct APN('s).
    3. Disable Fast Dormancy.*

    *Some people have been reporting better device performance (speed and battery life) with Fast Dormancy left turned on. This appears to be geographically significant. Since there currently isn't a way to see whether or not AT&T is using this feature in your area, it may be worth trying your device for a day with the feature disabled, and comparing the performance to what it's like enabled. Go with whatever seems to work best for you in your area.

    I'll cover these in more detail below, but first of all I need to clarify something: the Note supports 21mbit HSPA+, which if you want to call that 4G, OK fine. HSPA+ is an evolution of UMTS (a 3rd generation mobile technology) kinda like how EDGE is an evolution of GPRS (a 2nd generation mobile technology). LTE is a truly 4th generation mobile technology which is completely different from the previous generations from ground up. Even though HSPA+ is not truly a 4th generation technology like LTE, AT&T is still marketing it as "4G." Personally I try to avoid marketing catch-phrases like "3G" and "4G" altogether, so henceforth, and to avoid confusion, I shall refer to the Note's mobile connectivity by what it actually is: HSPA+

    Now, before you're able to fully take advantage of HSPA+, you'll need to make sure that your account is properly provisioned for that feature, otherwise you'll run into a virtual speed limit which will keep your device from reaching its full speed potential. So, in order to check that you have the correct provisioning on your account, you should call in to customer service and make sure you're on a proper 4G plan. Ask them if you have the correct SOC code. In my case (grandfathered unlimited data user), my SOC code should be "LTEDPPB." If you're on a tiered plan, it'll be something else. Either way, you need to be on a 4G plan of some sort.

    "Ok, how do I do that then?"

    Easy. Go to you local store and get the IMEI from a similar Samsung device (from a connectivity standpoint anyway), like an Infuse 4G, or a Galaxy S2, or even AT&T's own Note. From the dialer, enter in *#06#, and the IMEI should show up. Make a note of that number (hehehe). You can probably find another IMEI on the internet, too, but either way you need that. When you call in to AT&T customer support, just tell the rep that you've upgraded your device to a *insert name of device from which you got the IMEI* that you bought on eBay or something, and you want to make sure that you're on the correct plan. Provide them that IMEI, and now your account should be provisioned for HSPA+ (YAY! WOO!).

    <UPDATE> (for folks still on "unlimited" plans):
    Since AT&T has started throttling grandfathered "unlimited" data users, they have finally clarified at what threshold they would slow you down. If you're on an HSPA+ unlimited plan (SOC code HSDPPB), they will slow you down once you reach 3GB of data in a billing period. However, if you are provisioned for an LTE unlimited data plan (SOC code LTEDPPB), then they won't bother you until you hit 5GB instead of 3! You will still be able to connect to HSPA just fine. So if you want to take advantage of getting 5GB of unrestricted, un-throttled data instead of 3, then use the IMEI from an AT&T Note for the account provisioning process described above. Also, it should be noted that this only applies to people who are grandfathered into a $30/month smartphone data plan (or equivalent, such as iPhone unlimited, Blackberry unlimited, etc.); $15/month "feature phone" unlimited plans are not eligible for unlimited data if you want to upgrade to a proper 4G smartphone plan. However, the former should still be able retain their unlimited data if they stick to their current plan and use the wap.cingular APN settings below... at least until AT&T somehow figures out that you're using a smartphone...
    </UPDATE>

    Now that that's out of the way, you need to configure your APN or APN's if you're using more than one (this only usually applies if you're grandfathered into an older plan). Go to Settings => Wireless and network => Mobile networks => Access Point Names. From here, tap the menu button and select "New APN."
    Populate the fields as follows (Case sensitive!):


    Name: Doesn't matter, you can call this whatever you want.
    APN: Phone
    Proxy: <not set>
    Port: <not set>
    Username: <not set>
    Password: <not set>
    Server: <not set>
    MMSC: http://mmsc.mobile.att.net
    MMS Proxy: proxy.mobile.att.net
    MMS port: 80
    MCC: 310
    MNC: 410
    Authentication type: <none set>
    APN type: internet

    This next APN will only work if you are provisioned for LTE as described earlier:

    Name: Doesn't matter, you can call this whatever you want.
    APN: pta
    Proxy: <not set>
    Port: <not set>
    Username: <not set>
    Password: <not set>
    Server: <not set>
    MMSC: http://mmsc.mobile.att.net
    MMS Proxy: proxy.mobile.att.net
    MMS port: 80
    MCC: 310
    MNC: 410
    Authentication type: <none set>
    APN type: internet

    The APN info above is for achieving the highest possible speeds over HSPA+


    The next APN generally offers slower data speeds, but depending on your area may not be any different in terms of speed after all. This is the old legacy Cingular APN. GoPhone users should use these settings.

    Name: Doesn't matter, you can call this whatever you want.
    APN: wap.cingular
    Proxy: <not set>
    Port: <not set>
    Username: <not set>
    Password: <not set>
    Server: <not set>
    MMSC: http://mmsc.cingular.com
    MMS Proxy: wireless.cingular.com
    MMS port: 80
    MCC: 310
    MNC: 410
    Authentication type: <none set>
    APN type: internet


    So now you have your APN's set up for data, now you need to set them up for MMS. This is easy; just duplicate the APN's above, but under APN type, set it to MMS. Of course, if you know which MMS proxy works for you, you can just set your APN type to internet + MMS.

    <UPDATE>
    I have been seeing a lot of posts about people having trouble with MMS. If you're having MMS problems, first read the previous paragraph very carefully...
    Done?
    Good!
    Now you should have two identical APN's, with exception of the APN type being internet on one, and MMS on the other. If you are still having trouble sending and receiving MMS, try using the wap.cingular APN settings for your MMS APN instead, and set the APN type for that to MMS instead of internet. If you are already using the wap.cingular APN for data, then you can actually just use that APN for everything by setting it to internet + MMS under the APN type.
    </UPDATE>

    Congratulations! You should have now successfully set up both your account and your APN's properly for making your Note fully functional on AT&T! You should now at the very least be able to get onto the internet and browse etc. Pat yourself on the back!

    But wait! There's more!

    You still have to disable a feature on your Note called Fast Dormancy. Fortunately, this is really quick and easy to do. But first, what the hell is that, and why do I have to disable it? Well without getting all technical, simply put, it's a feature which allows a device to very quickly switch from an idle data state to UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ and back to idle again, and generally work more efficiently, thus improving performance, and saving battery life. Problem is, in order for this feature to work, BOTH the device and the network that device is on need to support it. Unfortunately, AT&T does not currently support Fast Dormancy. As a result, by having fast dormancy enabled on your device, it'll have the complete opposite effect than what it was intended to have. Basically, your battery life will suck more, data connections will be erratic, slow, and unreliable, and you're effectively wasting data overhead on a feature that, for AT&T, just doesn't exist. Disable it, and your Note will fly like it was intended.

    To disable Fast Dormancy, from your dialer, enter in *#*#9900#*#*
    This should pull up your SysDump menu. There, close to the bottom it should indicate your current Fast Dormancy state, enabled by default. Select that option, and it should indicate that Fast Dormancy is disabled. Exit and enjoy! Reboot the phone for good measure though. You generally don't have to, but sometimes it irons out any issues that may arise.

    Hope this all helps! Enjoy your Note on AT&T!!
    2
    Thread stuck

    Good information, thread stuck.
    2
    Awesome! wish this was as easily available before.

    Of note(no pun intended), I tried changing my wap.cingular APN to the suggested MMSC Proxy: mmsc.cingular.com and it broke my MMS. Mine only works with MMSC Proxy set to: wireless.cingular.com

    Grandfathered Unlimited Data
    2
    Thanks for this guide Jade Eyed Wolf.
    I have a question..
    Just got off the phone with 611 at$t and they said that my
    "provisioned" SOC code is HSSMT7....
    Now I am under the 2 gig plan @ HSPA+ 4g supposedly..
    On my icon on the Note and Atrix I do get the H+ with the arrows.. ABOUT 50% of the time..
    Then slips to 3G.. then back to H+..
    back and forth even within the same house or building..
    BUT mosttly... it's only 3g...
    Is there something I can do to make it more HSPA+ MOST of the time?
    thannk you

    Something that you need to understand is that 3G, H, and H+ are all forms of indicating connection levels of UMTS. UMTS is completely different from traditional GSM in the sense that it is not a TDMA based technology, rather it is a flavour of CDMA, specifically WCDMA (the W stands for wideband).

    So, HSPA, HSDPA, HSUPA, and HSPA+ all fall into the UMTS category of WCDMA.

    Now, most modern devices are smart enough to know when to dynamically scale up (or down) their available technology based on the user's demand and network availability. So, for instance, when your device is in an idle state, and you're not doing something requiring data usage, such as using the browser, the device will scale back to basic UMTS (3G). When you do start doing something data intensive, like streaming music or video, or loading a web page, the device will then scale up to the highest available technology depending on the network's capabilities. So if you're in a cell where the tower supports HSPA+, your Note should scale up to HSPA+ then (H+). However, sometimes the tower may not support this, and hence your device will only scale up to HSDPA or HSUPA instead (H).

    This is all normal.

    Basically, don't think of your signal indicator as a way of knowing what kind of technology is available, rather think about it as a way of telling what technology your device is actually using, in real-time. :)
    2
    I took my sim from my iPhone 4s with 4GB Enterprise + Tether...any thoughts? I get 3G/H+ on the data Icon...but I've been able to pull down 7mbps in Atlanta (College Park).

    I recommend changing your account's SOC code only for the sake of consistency, and because of the fact that AT&T can see that you're no longer using an iPhone with a plan specifically designed for that device. Thus, they may either change your plan automatically anyway, or you may run into service issues. By calling in to customer support, you're just being proactive in this process, and possibly avoiding headache down the road.

    Now, having said that, 7mbit down in the middle of an urban environment seems pretty normal to me actually. There are many factors to consider when it comes to the actual usable bandwidth you'll see, and it can vary quite a lot depending on those factors.

    For instance, something to consider is the difference between connection speed, and user throughput. Lemme explain:

    Connection speed simply indicates what the device is able to process in total at any given moment, including things like overhead. So, in other words, even though the Note has a maximum possible connection speed of 21mbit on the downlink, you're very unlikely to actually see 21mbit of usable bandwidth because that figure also accounts for the aforementioned overhead. Maybe, under the most ideal conditions, you could theoretically see a maximum of 18mbit of usable downlink (I'm just pulling this number out of thin air mind you) because the remaining 3mbit is reserved for things like protocol encapsulation, error correction, re-transmission attempts, etc.

    Another thing to consider is the difference between signal strength versus signal quality; they aren't the same! You could have a very strong, but also very poor quality signal in the middle of a city, and still get lower performance than, say, a very weak but very high quality signal out in a sparse rural area.
    Being in an urban environment, you'll likely have many more buildings which create echo's and reflections, and also you'll likely have many other devices nearby which are all broadcasting signals of their own, thus creating signal interference. Those all reduce the signal quality. Error correction kicks in more often, re-transmission attempts rise, your data overhead goes up, and thus your usable bandwidth goes down.

    Finally, for each cell tower, you are one out of possibly hundreds users all competing for the same connection. Imagine your home WiFi for a moment. Everyone connected to your WiFi in your home is sharing a single connection to the internet. Thus, there may be a noticeable dip in performance when someone starts playing an online game, or streaming a video, or downloading a really big file, etc. Each cell is kinda like that, but on a much larger scale. Basically, each cell has a limited amount of bandwidth it can use for providing service to the people connected to it. This is the network's backhaul. Some cells have more backhaul than others. Either way though, the more people connected to a particular cell, the less backhaul there is to go around. So, being in a city, where there are more users per cell than in a rural environment, the less backhaul there is for you to use.

    So, the next time you decide to watch YouTube on your Note, take a moment to imagine all the extremely complex things that are happening in the background to make sure you enjoy your video! It is a truly wonder piece of technology that you're holding in the palm of your hand!

    Hope this has been informative! :)