Just to dispel myths about OTA (*228) programming

[Spanky]

What does it do?  3 things, and 3 things ONLY.

1) Programs your phone, including your MTN, MIN, and Home SID (represents where you live, and what your home switch is)

2) Downloads Preferred Roaming List, so that your phone will automatically know what network to use when you are not using your home SID.

3) (newer option) you can change your own ESN... just call it from the phone you "want to use" and tell it your phone number... pretty slick!!

Things you should and should not do:

You SHOULD; occasionally update your Preferred Roaming list, From your HOME AREA or another VZW coverage area

You SHOULD NOT; dial *228 in an extended network area. (another carrier's towers)  It is totally unnecessary (and honestly a little dangerous) to do this when you reach your destination city. 

[nmchileman]

About option #1....doesn't it program the phone AND update the PRL?

I update my phone about once every month, or as needed, and my PRL date will change everytime.

[DarkCobra]

That is absolutely correct.   Option 1 does the programing as well as updates the PRL.

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[LukeTech]

This is the thread I've been waiting for my entire life!!

*228/OTA programming DOES NOT improve reception, "add towers," or any fluff like that beyond telling the phone which network to register on when you are out of the home SID. No matter what anyone, including Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny or VZW Customer Service, tells you. If a new VZW cell site is built in your back yard, the moment it is turned up, your phone will see it.

It CAN improve service if a roaming agreement is made and you are in the effected area. For example, a few years ago in SC, VZW began allowing roaming calls on Alltel's network. This only worked with the correct PRL and if the phone receives no VZW service. In a fringe area with very weak VZW service and an Alltel site nearby, the phone would still sit on VZW.

*22899, in some cases, will automatically program the NAM and update the PRL without any user interaction; basically the same as pressing 1, but you just dial and let it do its thing. Option 1 should work every time. 22899 works most if not all of the time.

[nmchileman]

It should be noted that *22899 should not be used for your cell phone as an alternative to Option 1. It was used as a means of programming a non-voice device only (it's what the BBA cards use when selecting Options-->Activation).  Doing it to a normal cell phone can have undesired effects on the device and I would not recommend it.

[DarkCobra]

Very true and well said.   A constantly updated PRL benefits you if you are in a fringe area where roaming is important.   Anything short of that and you really are wasting your time.   I think without a doubt the biggest pusher of this myth are a lot of the Verizon reps. themselves (well intentioned as they may be).    They almost always direct customers to resort to updating their roaming capability regardless of what's going on.   It is no where near the cure all that people have come to presume it is.   It can't hurt but it is not a magic pill for most problems in the least.

The other myth that kills me is "ONLY option 2 can update the PRL" . . . Wrong!    Option 1 does it as well.

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Message Edited by DarkCobra on 06-18-2009 03:22 PM

[LukeTech]

nmchileman, Thanks for the clarification on the 99 suffix. I have used it many times without issues. However if it can hose up a phone, finding out when in a roaming/extended area isn't going to make a happy user.

Stick with option 1 or 2.

[Carm]

I see a lot of people telling people to use *228 to fix things like glitches or software issues, and that is simply NOT TRUE. Its kind of aggravating actually since they are not clear on what it does, and simply pad their count by offering it up.

Firmware( phone flashes ) fixes are designed to resolve software related problems. With the newer phones you can do a FOTA ( Firmware Over The Air update ), phones older than 1 year most likely can't .

*228 is not a fix all as stated above and can't hurt to do it, but for certain things it is simply not applicable .

PEACE!

[thebeans]

I'm not that familiar with the ins and outs of cell phone programming but I can tell you this for sure.  *228 can, in effect, "add towers" and improve reception!! The town where I work just recently got a cell tower.  I was able to get 1 bar of signal from a tower in the next town and sometimes, maybe, if I held my mouth just right, be able to make a call from the parking lot.    After the new tower (which I can see from the building where I work) was activated, everyone started bringing their phones to work and getting new phones and talking about the new strong signal from the new tower.  Meanwhile, I still had 1 bar.  Inside I had no service while others had great service.  I did some poking around and stumbled across the *228 Option 2 thing.  So I go out in the parking lot and try it.  It goes through its thing and I restart my phone.  Voila, I now have full bars in the parking lot and 4-5 bars deep in the bowels of the building.  So, again, this is new to me but I can say that it can absolutely help in the case of a new tower being put up.  Even if Santa Clause did say so