[Q] Unlocked D2G Working On TMobile US But Questions Remain

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Hi,

I'm actually not new to XDA, I 've been a member for about 3 years and used to screw with my old broken HTC G1 all kinds of ways. So ignore the newbie status, I forgot all the old login info and had to re-roll.

Anyway, so now I have a sweet shiny Droid 2 Global that I bought off a ebay for a very nice $149 buy it now in used but excellent condition.
It was listed as unlocked and obviously indeed is because I am running it on Tmobile with a tmob simcard in Dallas, tx. So, I can make calls, internet works and is ok but only on edge (2G), signal is generally pretty good overall.
My questions (after days of searching and reading up, don't tell me to search) Are these:

1. Am I already band unlocked? I can already use tmob's edge/2g, and I can see AT&T's 2g and 3g networks when I search but I can't connect to them or they don't work if I do i'm guessing because i'm on a tmobile sim and obviously can't logon to at&t.
2. If it isn't band unlocked, would doing so unlock tmobile's 3g or is that just straight up not compatible and never going to happen with or without a band unlock?
3. If not with tmobile np, can I get 3g with at&t? Especially since I already can see their 3g network when searching.
4. Wether or not I am running a custom rom or the stocker....
It says it's running 2.4.330 A956.verizon.en.us kernel android version 2.2 kernel version 2.6.32.9 build number VZW
Not sure if this is the stocker or a pre-installed XDA Rom. It boots to a clockwork recovery tool screen too before actually booting into android. Is that something added on or is it on the phone already?

Thanks in advance for any help, so happy to have a badass new phone to screw with.

1. Sure seems like it. You wouldn't be able to use the T-Mobile SIM at all otherwise.

2. T-Mobile uses 1700MHz. The D2G does not support 1700MHz. Period.

3. Yes.

4. 2.4.330 is stock Motorola Froyo firmware.

In your case it would probably be better to SBF your phone to 2.4.29 or 2.4.330, and follow the instructions in the band unlock thread to get you to Gingerbread with band unlock.

Originally Posted by Gasai Yuno

1. Sure seems like it. You wouldn't be able to use the T-Mobile SIM at all otherwise.

2. T-Mobile uses 1700MHz. The D2G does not support 1700MHz. Period.

3. Yes.

4. 2.4.330 is stock Motorola Froyo firmware.

In your case it would probably be better to SBF your phone to 2.4.29 or 2.4.330, and follow the instructions in the band unlock thread to get you to Gingerbread with band unlock.

I would be very careful with doing an SBF to an unlocked phone. An SBF would rewrite the radio firmware and very likely undo the unlocking that's in place.

The only way that it would be safe to do so is if he still had the unlock code, then he could just re-unlock and re-apply the band unlocker after SBF'ing.

Thanks for the replies. So I guess i'm looking at switching carriers at some point for the 3g. Honestly the 2g isn't that bad though. Plus I heard that since att failed to acquire tmobile, they ended up cutting some deal to share some att tech with tmobile. So some areas will get 1900 mhz 3g at some point. Probably won't happen to me but oh well.

As for the rom, I don't think I want to update just yet. I have no unlock code since it came that way already.
If I get a code though, since it's already unlocked and rooted (i'm assuming),
Do I just toss the sbf file on an sdcard and run the update? I've installed roms on my old G1 but I don't know the exact process on the D2G yet.

Originally Posted by benjmiester

If I get a code though, since it's already unlocked and rooted (i'm assuming)

Do I just toss the sbf file on an sdcard and run the update? I've installed roms on my old G1 but I don't know the exact process on the D2G yet.

SBF files are something else completely. SBF files contain images for every aspect of the phone, from Radios, to the operating system, kernel, and more. Think of an SBF file as a Windows CD. It helps to wipe the entire system clean and installs everything factory fresh.

SBF files reside on your hard drive, and they are flashed to the phone with a Windows app called RSD Lite. The current version is 5.6. There are links to it everywhere around the forums.

Originally Posted by projektorboy

I would be very careful with doing an SBF to an unlocked phone. An SBF would rewrite the radio firmware and very likely undo the unlocking that's in place.

The only way that it would be safe to do so is if he still had the unlock code, then he could just re-unlock and re-apply the band unlocker after SBF'ing.

Not sure if you read my post at all.

I stated that the safest bet is to perform everything from the start, including the band unlock process.

Why the hell would someone need the unlock code at all on a device that was already SIM unlocked?

I bought my phone off eBay, unlocked, and I have no SIM unlock code stored anywhere. I SBF'd it at least 20 times by now.

Originally Posted by Gasai Yuno

Not sure if you read my post at all.

I stated that the safest bet is to perform everything from the start, including the band unlock process.

Why the hell would someone need the unlock code at all on a device that was already SIM unlocked?

I bought my phone off eBay, unlocked, and I have no SIM unlock code stored anywhere. I SBF'd it at least 20 times by now.

Well in this case, this is good knowledge to have. I presumed that an SBF would essentially erase a SIM Unlock because it rewrites essentially every bit of data stored in the phone.

Looks like there's something else going on in these phones when they get SIM unlocked. It's nice to know that SIM unlocks are truly permanent.

I am getting a prompt now for the new OTA update. Will this be safe to do in my phone's current state then? I just keep putting it off for now because I don't want to lose any of the sim unlock or my data ability.
I know it doesn't do much, but I think it might help my battery life which drains 90% every day with only very light use and only 2g data.

It appears that I am going to be stuck on tmobile until 2013 but I can probably deal, or trade it... So I want it to be the best it can be without being fast on data obviously.

SIM lock state doesn't change.

If you're on T-Mobile USA, you definitely have the US band unlock hack performed and if you update you will lose it with no way to rollback to 2.4.x baseband.

90% battery spent per day is normal for Froyo. I get 26 to 32 hours with light use on 3G with WiFi and GPS enabled on stock 4.5.608, used to get 16 hours on 2.4.330.

Hmm, well can I flash the new one. I was reading this earlier:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1437177

Would that do the trick?

Otherwise, is there a way to stop it from promting me from updating?