Does the aluminum case affect your WiFi?
Here's a simple test. Run WiFi Analyzer.
1. Hold your Prime with the aluminum back towards the router. Take note of the WiFi Analyzer's meter reading.
2. Hold your Prime with the glass front facing the router. Take note of your reading.
My Prime consistently gets weaker signal with the aluminum back towards the router compared when the glass front is towards the router. (The Prime is about 10dBm weaker signal with the back pointing toward the router, compared to when the front is.)
Try this, what is your difference?
Unfortunately it does affect my WiFi. The range of my router reaches half way down my street. My M18x, iPad 2, Japanese PS Vita and iPhone 4S can reach my router 5 houses down at my friend's place. My TF201 can't even make it out of my living room.
skygunner27 said:
Unfortunately it does affect my WiFi. The range of my router reaches half way down my street. My M18x, iPad 2, Japanese PS Vita and iPhone 4S can reach my router 5 houses down at my friend's place. My TF201 can't even make it out of my living room.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but is that due to the metal back, or the pogo pins?
Do what the OP said to find out.
Col.Kernel said:
Yes, but is that due to the metal back, or the pogo pins?
Do what the OP said to find out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely a combination of both defects.
skygunner27 said:
Most likely a combination of both defects.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
<sigh> Look, I'm not trying to be a horses backside here, but you can't prove jack. The OP, if they are asking for anything, is asking for facts. You keep supplying opinions.
Do the test, or don't post. That's the only proof you have. Or propose a different test.
Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine, but when you ask they don't use it and haven't tested it.
Col.Kernel said:
<sigh> Look, I'm not trying to be a horses backside here, but you can't prove jack. The OP, if they are asking for anything, is asking for facts. You keep supplying opinions.
Do the test, or don't post. That's the only proof you have. Or propose a different test.
Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine, but when you ask they don't use it and haven't tested it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who are you to question me lol....First off my GPS is PERFECT! It even works from my bedroom. Of course I performed the test!! The OP mentioned his discovery in a different thread. Go troll somewhere else.
I'm starting to believe that you don't own a Prime. Post some pics along with both boxes and a piece of paper with your handle over the top of your Primes box. Make sure I can see the box. Hurry I don't have all nite.
Here it comes you are about to get owned...
skygunner27 said:
To be honest I have one of the best Primes. But it's still not good enough.
Here are some pics showing GPS from my bedroom and to validate that I actually own a Prime and am not trolling. My Prime has better GPS than WiFi!! Go Figure!! If I'm outside I have 13 satelites all in the green at the least.
WiFi Disabled
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WiFi Enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Col.Kernel said:
<sigh> Look, I'm not trying to be a horses backside here, but you can't prove jack. The OP, if they are asking for anything, is asking for facts. You keep supplying opinions.
Do the test, or don't post. That's the only proof you have. Or propose a different test.
Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine, but when you ask they don't use it and haven't tested it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He is right though. Proving that the aluminum back interferes with wifi does not disprove that the login pins are an issue with signal strength. Nor would this test provide enough quantitative data to compare potential problems. A single test without equipment or a control (basis for comparison) is not meaningful.
I do not believe it is in dispute that the aluminum back will to some degree interfere with wifi and GPS signal strength. Perhaps a better question is to what extent does the back interfere and to what extent does the pogo pin. Then you can combine the two to better understand where the faults in signal strength lie and why.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
JanetPanic said:
He is right though. Proving that the aluminum back interferes with wifi does not disprove that the login pins are an issue with signal strength. Nor would this test provide enough quantitative data to compare potential problems. A single test without equipment or a control (basis for comparison) is not meaningful.
I do not believe it is in dispute that the aluminum back will to some degree interfere with wifi and GPS signal strength. Perhaps a better question is to what extent does the back interfere and to what extent does the pogo pin. Then you can combine the two to better understand where the faults in signal strength lie and why.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Instead of talking about how to word the test. Lets get a standard agreed on and written in stone so we can move on. The sooner we understand what's really happening here the better off we'll be. Believe it or not we are all on the same team with the same common goals. Some people have problems with GPS, I have proven I do not. Even so, it still is a problem that needs to be addressed since it was deviously removed from Asus's website and continues to be printed on the box.
You forgot to mention that he got owned on the "Your posts in this thread so far are like all the Prime owners who swear their GPS is fine" post. and that I was right.
---------- Post added at 02:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:00 AM ----------
skygunner27 said:
Who are you to question me lol....First off my GPS is PERFECT! It even works from my bedroom. Of course I performed the test!! The OP mentioned his discovery in a different thread. Go troll somewhere else.
I'm starting to believe that you don't own a Prime. Post some pics along with both boxes and a piece of paper with your handle over the top of your Primes box. Make sure I can see the box. Hurry I don't have all nite.
Here it comes you are about to get owned...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's taking you so long to post a couple of pics proving you have a Prime? What are you doing? Are you out driving around trying to buy a Prime and dock? I see that your still on. Let's get this over with. You have problems with GPS, I have problems with BT/WiFi/Youtube Artifacts. I need you to be on the same team with the same common goal.
Yea, unfortunately the aluminum case is a real pain. If Asus just came out and told us the truth about all this might have been better. They are just going to fix the issues by taking all the hard work that we did and apply it to another version tablet or slider.
Try it, what are your results?
Edited my original post with.....
(The Prime is about 10dBm weaker signal with the back pointing toward the router, compared to when the front is.)
Try this, what is your difference?
OK. I tried this. For me, there is hardly a difference or improvement. With glass facing router I might see a 2-4dbm improvement. Which is nothing really that'll make or break wifi performance. Plus I've noticed also you could sit still with metal back or glass facing router n the signal will strength will fluctuate. So for me, it not affecting my performance. Don't think this is really a good way to tell if back is affecting strength to a noticeable point. Since signal strength is always constantly fluctuating. Even 10dbm difference could be accounted for normal varying in signal strength. 10dbm difference won't hardly affect performance at all really. Need a more controlled test method to where other factors won't influence strength. Just by the way u holding tablet or angle or whatever can make the strength dbm change.
10dbm difference won't hardly affect performance at all really.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Close to the router you are right. But further away, when reading say -60dBm, then another -10dBm is pretty significant for the Prime.
And someone else posted they saw 10 to 15 db difference.
Just curious what others might find. Does turning the back to the router give you a weaker signal, than when the glass is towards the router? By how much?
Ride525 said:
Close to the router you are right. But further away, when reading say -60dBm, then another -10dBm is pretty significant for the Prime.
And someone else posted they saw 10 to 15 db difference.
Just curious what others might find. Does turning the back to the router give you a weaker signal, than when the glass is towards the router? By how much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is about the differences I see, about 15-20 foot away. Up close, it does have less impact. Seems somewhat exponential, I may start doing proper method tests but so far I just check it when it kicks my curiosity.
Related
Guys i pre-ordered a TFPrime from amazon UK and will be getting it shortly (12-Jan). However after watching a few reviews, etc, I noticed the Wifi / GPS seems really buggy which could be a deal breaker for me. Can anyone share their experiences? Any workaround?
Wifi Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=nzCZc3pjtrA
GPS Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=YeiOh09v54I
dereking said:
Guys i pre-ordered a TFPrime from amazon UK and will be getting it shortly (12-Jan). However after watching a few reviews, etc, I noticed the Wifi / GPS seems really buggy which could be a deal breaker for me. Can anyone share their experiences? Any workaround?
Wifi Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=nzCZc3pjtrA
GPS Issues: youtube.com/watch?v=YeiOh09v54I
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
You can't spit in any direction on this forum without hitting a thread that talks about these issues...why do you need yet another thread? A solution to these, if they are deal breakers for you, is to not buy the Prime.
Yep i guess your post signature leaves it clear... "Asus Transformer Prime (Waiting on a replacement) "
Wifi seems to be fine GPS is wacky but will get fixed
Yes wifi and gps have issues. Be careful about saying anything bad about the Prime in these forums.
A lot of town criers...
The WiFi is working fine, at least with mine anyways. GPS is still broken, but I have faith in ASUS that they'll come up with a fix.
You guys are killing me with this. I was hell bent on purchasing a Prime & Keyboard as soon as stock arrived. I checked all the reviews. I knew about it's pros & it's cons. I was sold. It was just a fluke that I wound up searching about the Prime's GPS accuracy and all of the BS ASUS has been covering up surfaced.
I'm not going to drop nearly $700 on a fancy toy if:
1. WiFi sucks. Especially on a portable device. That simply makes no sense.
2. GPS doesn't work. --I go to UC, so this bad boy needs to be LoJacked. I've seen too many laptops & tablets "walk off and disappear" during lecture.
3. Paying $700 for anything that doesn't have all of it's features intact is a non-starter.
ASUS makes great video cards & motherboards. But they need to get their sh*t together on this device if they plan to stay in tablet game.
Not gonna lie. I got my prime last week thru BB pre order and my GPS and wifi are working great! Not sure why other people $are having issues with this.
Early models did have hardware issues. (especially with wifi)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1394611
This is one reason why you don't want to rush to get one.
A lot of people will state that their wifi and gps is working just fine, but they dont really know any better...
Wifi works but its got a very slow upload and download speed. They may be thinking GPS works but not realize they are using wifi location.
But yes on every unit regardless of what others may say. Wifi does not work as good as it should and GPS doesn't work at all.
And if it is any indication...
TF101 shipped with screen bleed & loose casing defects, to this very day Asus has not bothered to fix the issue.
jzen said:
A lot of people will state that their wifi and gps is working just fine, but they dont really know any better...
Wifi works but its got a very slow upload and download speed. They may be thinking GPS works but not realize they are using wifi location.
But yes on every unit regardless of what others may say. Wifi does not work as good as it should and GPS doesn't work at all.
And if it is any indication...
TF101 shipped with screen bleed & loose casing defects, to this very day Asus has not bothered to fix the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is with bad Internet aka not what I normally use. Through a few walls about 30 from the really crappy router at my mom's house.
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I would say my wifi is fine. GPS is useless though. Don't say people don't know what they are talking about when you don't know them.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
jzen said:
A lot of people will state that their wifi and gps is working just fine, but they dont really know any better...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With so many people reporting problems with GPS and WiFi strength it's become almost a complete certainty that these devices are suffering from some sort of severe design flaw.
I wasn't on the design team for this device, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, but I am quite savvy as an engineer so I'll drop my 2 cents on this issue.
From my standpoint it's appears to be DEFINITELY the aluminum chassis. Aluminum is quite good at reflecting/bouncing RF signals at a focal point (receiver). When crafted correctly, aluminum is great at bouncing rf signals. When used incorrectly, aluminum is great at dispersing and blocking rf signals.
However, as frequency increases, so does penetration. This is most likely why people have been able to notice relatively normal WiFi strengths. Even at wireless-g speeds they're operating at as low as 2.4GHz and up to 5GHz. However CIV GPS operate at around 1.1GHz. In this case, the aluminum shell has turned the GPS unit's "moderate voice" into a "whimper" when it attempts to lock & fix on satellites. -- Think tin foil hats, but for your GPS & WiFi
I also believe ASUS outfitted the Prime with 2 WiFi antennas whereas I believe the GPS only has a single antenna. I won't speak for ASUS's design decisions, but I wouldn't doubt they opted for 2 antennas to deal with the interference from the aluminum casing. However, that's simply my speculation. Why they botched this tablet so badly just to conform to a silly aesthetic design boggles my mind. As Spock would say, "their decisions were highly illogical."
jzen said:
And if it is any indication...
TF101 shipped with screen bleed & loose casing defects, to this very day Asus has not bothered to fix the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They'd be wise to rethink that choice.
I'm right now wondering if WiFi on my TF101 is OK, because it doesn't get a lock i a room adjacent to the one with the router while laptop in the same place has 3 to 4 bars! So if people say their WiFi and GPS are fine take it with a grain of sand. It's not easy to check them properly in a short time.
don_cheadle said:
With so many people reporting problems with GPS and WiFi strength it's become almost a complete certainty that these devices are suffering from some sort of severe design flaw.
I wasn't on the design team for this device, so take anything I say with a grain of salt, but I am quite savvy as an engineer so I'll drop my 2 cents on this issue.
From my standpoint it's appears to be DEFINITELY the aluminum chassis. Aluminum is quite good at reflecting/bouncing RF signals at a focal point (receiver). When crafted correctly, aluminum is great at bouncing rf signals. When used incorrectly, aluminum is great at dispersing and blocking rf signals.
However, as frequency increases, so does penetration. This is most likely why people have been able to notice relatively normal WiFi strengths. Even at wireless-g speeds they're operating at as low as 2.4GHz and up to 5GHz. However CIV GPS operate at around 1.1GHz. In this case, the aluminum shell has turned the GPS unit's "moderate voice" into a "whimper" when it attempts to lock & fix on satellites. -- Think tin foil hats, but for your GPS & WiFi
I also believe ASUS outfitted the Prime with 2 WiFi antennas whereas I believe the GPS only has a single antenna. I won't speak for ASUS's design decisions, but I wouldn't doubt they opted for 2 antennas to deal with the interference from the aluminum casing. However, that's simply my speculation. Why they botched this tablet so badly just to conform to a silly aesthetic design boggles my mind. As Spock would say, "their decisions were highly illogical."
They'd be wise to rethink that choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
An aluminium shell like on the Transformer can only distort the signals a bit but not completely block it (like many are experiencing with GPS). That is probably because of a manufacturing defect and not because of the aluminium shell.
WiFi on this device is fine. I get over 11 mbps speeds on a 15 mbps cable connection.
GPS also locks within a reasonable amount of time when view of sky is unobstructed.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
flight777 said:
An aluminium shell like on the Transformer can only distort the signals a bit but not completely block it (like many are experiencing with GPS). That is probably because of a manufacturing defect and not because of the aluminium shell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually aluminum can do quite a bit to obstruct an RF signal. Depending on thickness, resistance can be quite high. While I somewhat agree it shouldn't be able to block a strong signal, the major function of GPS is to "listen", not to "talk." What I'm trying to say, is it is not producing strong signals, it's trying to receive them, and it's ability to listen is only as good as the ability of such signals to penetrate whatever is obstructing them. In this case, it's Aluminum.. which has quite a high resistance to RF.
mrljt said:
WiFi on this device is fine. I get over 11 mbps speeds on a 15 mbps cable connection.
GPS also locks within a reasonable amount of time when view of sky is unobstructed.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YOUR GPS also locks....
If you look at the poll in the GPS Problems thread you'll see that it's about 80 working GPSs to 50 non-working.
Just because yours locks, don't assume everyone else's does. Especially when there is a large amount of evidence to the contrary.
Col.Kernel said:
YOUR GPS also locks....
If you look at the poll in the GPS Problems thread you'll see that it's about 80 working GPSs to 50 non-working.
Just because yours locks, don't assume everyone else's does. Especially when there is a large amount of evidence to the contrary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got those numbers switched. It's around 50 working, and 80 not.
>However, as frequency increases, so does penetration
Higher frequency = shorter wavelength = less penetration. 5GHz wifi has shorter range than 2.4GHz wifi because it can't penetrate as well. Public hot spots only use 2.4GHz. More articulate explanations here. That wifi in the Prime is more functional than GPS is probably because wifi signals have more energy than the weak GPS signal.
I do agree that the Al shell is the main culprit, probably exacerbated by mediocre antenna design. I generally see better wireless performance from phone vendors (Moto, Samsung, HTC) than non-phone vendors (Acer, Asus).
>I'm right now wondering if WiFi on my TF101 is OK
Wifi on most mobiles will be less than that on laptops, because their antenna is usually much smaller and lacks diversity. Size isn't the only determinant in antenna gain, but it's a big determinant. Here are the GPS and wifi antennae on the OG Transformer.
Here is one (of many possible) design for laptop dual diversity antenna
You're right. I got the 2 switched. I distinctly remember writing that on the top of my cheat sheet in Phys. I'm sorry it's 2 am, and I can't brain.
Anyway, as for the signal strength, that's what I was saying earlier. I assume when you take into account considerable distances, even though routers are usually only pumping out around 250ma per antenna, they probably still yield much better signal strength than GPS satellites after the signal has reached the ground.
However aside from ASUS simply not attaching an antenna to GPS mod, it really can only be the aluminum shell creating such resistance. And the fact it seems to affect WiFi as well, although to a lesser degree, means it's most likely not a symptom faulty workmanship on part of the internals.
But as mentioned in other threads, it would be nice if someone tore the aluminum backing off of their brand new Prime to see if it's the real culprit.
This came from the FCC teardown. I missed the antennae in my first look since they were only in the first pic, and pics are lo-res. But here you can see the wifi and GPS antennae mounted on the frontplate. These are located at the "top" of the Prime when held in landscape. (Pics have been sharpened.)
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The left PCB has two antennae, one is labeled GPS, and presumably the other is the main wifi ant.
The right PCB has the aux wifi (wlan) ant for spatial diversity.
Are we saying the GPS has TWO aluminum shields covering it?
Yep lmfao
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
PrimeTimeBro said:
Are we saying the GPS has TWO aluminum shields covering it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. The back cover is it.
Now we've confirmed the GPS antenna is on the front of the device, all this about the aluminium backplate killing GPS performance does surprise me. GPS signals, naturally, come from the sky. Assuming you're not holding the Prime upside-down, there's no aluminium between the satellites and the antenna?
I suppose it could inhibit picking up reflected signals, but would that be the difference between it working and not working? (It doesn't really seem to be in the spirit of GPS, either...)
Mithent said:
Now we've confirmed the GPS antenna is on the front of the device, all this about the aluminium backplate killing GPS performance does surprise me. GPS signals, naturally, come from the sky. Assuming you're not holding the Prime upside-down, there's no aluminium between the satellites and the antenna?
I suppose it could inhibit picking up reflected signals, but would that be the difference between it working and not working? (It doesn't really seem to be in the spirit of GPS, either...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pick up too much reflected noise and it will swamp out the signal gain.
Beards said:
Pick up too much reflected noise and it will swamp out the signal gain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't think it sounded desirable, no. So, if anything, having metal on the "wrong" side of the antenna could be beneficial, as far as GPS is concerned. Does make me wonder if the aluminium could be a red herring as regards to GPS performance (although it could be more of an issue for WiFi, since the access point could quite legitimately be below you).
Edit: Unless the aluminium back reflects signals back to the antenna and causes issues that way, of course. I don't know if that's likely.
Mithent said:
GPS signals, naturally, come from the sky. Assuming you're not holding the Prime upside-down, there's no aluminum between the satellites and the antenna?
I suppose it could inhibit picking up reflected signals, but would that be the difference between it working and not working? (It doesn't really seem to be in the spirit of GPS, either...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beards said:
Pick up too much reflected noise and it will swamp out the signal gain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The two smartest things ive heard on the prime threads about GPS this week.
A lot of people seem to have the impression that GPS uses an omni antenna.
Im no radiology expert but is there material that absorbs radiowaves to stop the bounceback from smothering the GPS antenna?
A film of lead stuck on the backplate behind the GPS antenna comes to mind.
Okay, so now we know the antenna is covered by plastic and glass only towards the frontside of the Prime. That's good news.
I am still of the opinion that ICS may solve many of our issue, not because it's ICS but because ASUS actually spent time testing ICS and optimizing it, which is - obviously - not the fact for our current Honeycomb versions
Sokonomi said:
The two smartest things ive heard on the prime threads about GPS this week.
A lot of people seem to have the impression that GPS uses an omni antenna.
Im no radiology expert but is there material that absorbs radiowaves to stop the bounceback from smothering the GPS antenna?
A film of lead stuck on the backplate behind the GPS antenna comes to mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't have to be lead. Radar dishes are made from aluminum.
Diamondback2009 said:
Okay, so now we know the antenna is covered by plastic and glass only towards the frontside of the Prime. That's good news.
I am still of the opinion that ICS may solve many of our issue, not because it's ICS but because ASUS actually spent time testing ICS and optimizing it, which is - obviously - not the fact for our current Honeycomb versions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact that a GPS antenna has a conical reception which is pointing up and away from the shield,
and the fact that people have indeed been reporting the clock behaving wonky leads me to believe the same.
GPS working sporadically and even getting a lock standing still does seem to prove it is indeed functioning.
Just a bit dodgy.
Nothing new, but another diagram from the FCC (WiFi SAR report 1 of 4, Report No. : FA182445-02)
robomo said:
Nothing new, but another diagram from the FCC (WiFi SAR report 1 of 4, Report No. : FA182445-02)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually this seems to be the best position to put any antennas in. The top bezel is hardly covered by hands or anything else.
I just did a short test of the Wifi antenna switching. It seems to work well for me:
Cover both WiFi antennas with your hands.
The Wifi reception should go lower
Now pull one hand away, the Wifi comes back to normal
Put the hand back on (both hands again) Wifi is worse again
Now pul lthe other hand away
Wifi signals are back to good levels again.
So at least for me the switching between the two Wifi antennas works.
Not entirely sure what the point is of installing wifi antenna diversity if both are in the exact same orientation.
To me it would make much more sense to put one at a 90' angle from the other,
so atleast one antenna polarity is in line with your router in both portrait and landscape mode.
Now it seems all or nothing?
Sokonomi said:
Not entirely sure what the point is of installing wifi antenna diversity if both are in the exact same orientation.
To me it would make much more sense to put one at a 90' angle from the other,
so atleast one antenna polarity is in line with your router in both portrait and landscape mode.
Now it seems all or nothing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out the FCC Wi-Fi report for a look at orientation: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1423559
---------- Post added at 05:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:20 AM ----------
The above chart shows emissions at the edge of a 802.11n channel. The "Antenna polarity" I believe is referring to the orientation of the calibrated test antenna.
You'll notice that for
2483.5Mhz Horizontal (average)- 39.93 level
2483.5Mhz Vertical (average) - 36.94 level
The difference between vertical and horizontal seems to only be a few dB. It appears they've compensated for orientation fairly well with their antenna design.
>wifi antenna diversity if both are in the exact same orientation
Spatial diversity is different from what you're talking about, which is polarization diversity.
Wifi signals tend to be vertically polarized, although antenna design can allow dual polarization, which is why recent routers w/ internal ants can be mounted either horiz or vertical. The same would apply for ants of mobile devices, which can be held in various orientation.
GPS sigs are circularly polarized.
Interesting stuff. The seemingly parallel antennas threw me off,
as im used to fiddling with polarity a lot on my video drones.
"At your own risk"
Although it would void the warranty, one could take a Dremel cutter to the aluminum plate that sits over the Wifi and GPS antennas. It would provide a window exactly where the antennas are, and keep the backplate mostly in tact. This would probably increase the WiFi signal range and allow better GPS reception.
Step 2: fill in the window spaces with the plastic stuff e.mote posted below thanks e.mote
Not something I'm desperate to do, but it's an option for those who have no qualms about voiding warranty
Cover the cut-outs with this
http://www.amazon.com/InstaMorph-Moldable-Plastic-12-oz/dp/B003QKLJKQ
robomo said:
Although it would void the warranty, one could take a Dremel cutter to the aluminum plate that sits over the Wifi and GPS antennas. It would provide a window exactly where the antennas are, and keep the backplate mostly in tact. This would probably increase the WiFi signal range and allow better GPS reception.
Step 2: fill in the window spaces with the plastic stuff e.mote posted below thanks e.mote
Not something I'm desperate to do, but it's an option for those who have no qualms about voiding warranty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can see it now: take a dremmel and you slip and now you have a complete see-through to the front panel. hole in the back and hole in the front make for a good place to tie string and use the Prime as a Christmas decoration.
I have had my Prime for a week now and it was working perfectly. I got the ICS update and everything was working even better. I never had any wifi connection issues. Today the prime will suddenly no longer connect to wifi. It appears to not be picking up the wifi signals anymore. When it does manage to pick up a signal it shows up as a small dot and still can't connect. It wouldn't connect at work this morning and when I came home it connected for about a minute and then dropped connection and would not connect again. I rebooted several times, tried a hard reset and then finally resorted to a factory reset. It still did no good. My unit was previously picking up my wifi signals with full strength usually and sometimes 3 bars. Not sure what happened but I guess I'll just take it back to Office Depot for a refund while I still have time. Not sure what I'll do now because i REALLY liked the prime during the time that it was working right.
If you're under warranty Asus will tell you to return it for a fix and hopefully their turnaround time is measured in days, not weeks or months. Sorry for you, it seems the Prime is not as durable as I thought, poor quality control is probably the culprit.
I would go the repair route but I'm kind of afraid that I'll then get stuck with it if they can't fix it and I've missed my return window at office depot. The bad thing is that there is no other tablet that I'd be satisfied with now that I've experienced how smoothly the quad core tegra 3 Prime runs. I had a Xoom before the Prime and I gave it to my fiancee after the Prime arrived. I really liked my Xoom too but the Prime is a MUCH BETTER device (when it worked).
fella1 said:
I have had my Prime for a week now and it was working perfectly. I got the ICS update and everything was working even better. I never had any wifi connection issues. Today the prime will suddenly no longer connect to wifi. It appears to not be picking up the wifi signals anymore. When it does manage to pick up a signal it shows up as a small dot and still can't connect. It wouldn't connect at work this morning and when I came home it connected for about a minute and then dropped connection and would not connect again. I rebooted several times, tried a hard reset and then finally resorted to a factory reset. It still did no good. My unit was previously picking up my wifi signals with full strength usually and sometimes 3 bars. Not sure what happened but I guess I'll just take it back to Office Depot for a refund while I still have time. Not sure what I'll do now because i REALLY liked the prime during the time that it was working right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't heard of this issue yet, that is a new one. If you are in warranty, take it back and get a full refund or a replacement. If not, contact Asus.
However, good luck with contacting Asus and getting a timely response. I am on day 3 of just waiting for a return email. I did it through their own messaging service on their site, not regular email. I would appreciate someone responding to my simple questions, but they must not have the time right now.
3rdamention said:
Haven't heard of this issue yet, that is a new one. If you are in warranty, take it back and get a full refund or a replacement. If not, contact Asus.
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that is why I was so shocked when it happened this morning at work. I was hoping that it was just something going on with the wifi connection at my office. I now that there are Primes with bad wifi out there but mine doesn't just have a bad connection now, it can't connect at all. I figured that I had been lucky enough to get one of the good units considering how incredibly well it had worked over the past week. At least I've only had it for seven days so I can still return it to Office Depot. I just hate the thought of being tabletless now. Guess I gave my Xoom to my fiancee a little too fast.
Well my prime got to the point where it would connect when I was next to the router but would either drop out or lose signal strength when I moved away. I have scheduled for a return to office depot. Yesterday I found another prime in stock at hh gregg so I picked it up. This one once again has excellent wifi service just like my first one did for awhile. I am hoping that this one keeps it. I still can't understand what happened to my first one. The only thing that I had done before the wifi crapped out was install a memory card and I don't see how that could have had anything to do with it. This experience has shown me though that the prime is definitely capable of giving good wifi service and that there is something going on other than the aluminum backplate. Having seen both sides of it I can see why no one would be satisfied with the wifi performance it had when it went bad on my first one. Maybe it is a mechanical issue with the wifi antenna connections coming loose in the system? I don't know how likely that is but it is the only thing I can think of based on my experiences with the issue
It very well could be the antenna wires are coming undone from the Wi-Fi adapter it would allow you to connect right next to a router but not much further away.
Sorry to ask the obvious, but did you power down your Prime before starting again to see if the problem was still there. I'm sure this was the first thing you did, but just checking.
The wifi on my Prime cut off last night but it came back after a quick reset (holding down the power button for 13 seconds or so).
Yes I powered down, tried a hard reset and finally tried a factory reset and none of that helped with the problem. It was a complete night and day difference in performance that was quite shocking. As I said if people are experiencing that kind of performance from the beginning then I can totally understand the complaints. So far the new unit is having the same great performance as my other one had at first.
From looking at the Prime teardown, your wifi loss may be due to a loose connection. Instead of running a pigtail directly from the chip lead-out to the antenna, the Prime uses spring-loaded pogo pins (1st pic) as intermediate connectors.
Second pic shows the pogo pins for the main wifi and GPS antennae. The spring-loaded pins are pressed against the copper pads of the respective antenna (3rd pic). Suffice it to say, this isn't the most secure way to connect the antennae.
Aside from possible broken or intermittent connection, it also looks like a high-loss connection, and could contribute to attenuated signal reception. My guess is that this may be the main culprit of wifi/GPS woes, with the metal shell being a contributing factor.
The 4th pic below is a U.FL connector that's normally used for antenna pigtails. The lip has an outer overhang for a secure connection.
My guess is that the tablet was bumped and something shifted a bit, breaking the antenna connection.
This is FYI only, as the unit isn't user-serviceable. It does look like a simple fix, but you'd have to open the unit. Edit: You can try smacking the top edge of the tablet a few times and see if it will jar back into place. Worth a try.
Pogo pins used as intermediate connectors for wifi & GPS antennae
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The two pogo pins for main wifi and GPS. The spring-loaded heads are pressed against the antennae's pads to make the connection.
The main wifi & GPS antenna, with copper pads to connect to the pins
U.FL connector, normally used for antenna connection
e.mote;21489600
My guess is that the tablet was bumped and something shifted a bit said:
NICE
Heck yea it's worth a try!
And to the OP - since it only just happened today, I think I would wait a day or two to see what else might develop. I know you've tested it out in two different places, but it came on so suddenly, maybe (hopefully ) it will go away?
Unless of course waiting a day or seeing what might be different tomorrow would interfere with an exchange or return policy. If you are still within a window and are out of time soon, then you gotta do what you gotta do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
e.mote said:
From looking at the Prime teardown, your wifi loss may be due to a loose connection. Instead of running a pigtail directly from the chip lead-out to the antenna, the Prime uses spring-loaded pogo pins (1st pic) as intermediate connectors.
Second pic shows the pogo pins for the main wifi and GPS antennae. The spring-loaded pins are pressed against the copper pads of the respective antenna (3rd pic). Suffice it to say, this isn't the most secure way to connect the antennae.
Aside from possible broken or intermittent connection, it also looks like a high-loss connection, and could contribute to attenuated signal reception. My guess is that this may be the main culprit of wifi/GPS woes, with the metal shell being a contributing factor.
The 4th pic below is a U.FL connector that's normally used for antenna pigtails. The lip has an outer overhang for a secure connection.
My guess is that the tablet was bumped and something shifted a bit, breaking the antenna connection.
This is FYI only, as the unit isn't user-serviceable. It does look like a simple fix, but you'd have to open the unit. Edit: You can try smacking the top edge of the tablet a few times and see if it will jar back into place. Worth a try.
Pogo pins used as intermediate connectors for wifi & GPS antennae
The two pogo pins for main wifi and GPS. The spring-loaded heads are pressed against the antennae's pads to make the connection.
The main wifi & GPS antenna, with copper pads to connect to the pins
U.FL connector, normally used for antenna connection
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very interesting info as some users have flexed device in that area n now supposedly have good wifi n GPS now. this will affect the signal strength more tthan the backplate.
e.mote said:
This is FYI only, as the unit isn't user-serviceable. It does look like a simple fix, but you'd have to open the unit. Edit: You can try smacking the top edge of the tablet a few times and see if it will jar back into place. Worth a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before packaging my Prime up to be sent to ASUS for RMA. I did exactly that, I did the black part of the screen at the top with my kunckles kind of hard a few times.
My signal went from 35-40% where I was sitting at to around almost 70%.
demandarin said:
very interesting info as some users have flexed device in that area n now supposedly have good wifi n GPS now. this will affect the signal strength more tthan the backplate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really can't use terms like "good" and "more" beacause they're all relative. "Good" compared to what Wi-Fi/GPS is with other devices or against other Prime's? And until it's known for sure that all devices are suffering some type of signal issue saying the unproven pogo pin expose is "more" or less an issue than anything else is premature. It's impossible to compare Wi-Fi performance on a forum because each testing condition is different and there's no baseline to have a common discussion around. To see if there's differences between Prime's a couple of them need to be tested side-by-side at the same time.
hang in there demadarin - I think Barry is weakening and we will eventually convince him there are potential issues beyond the back plate.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
clenz said:
hang in there demadarin - I think Barry is weakening and we will eventually convince him there are potential issues beyond the back plate.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm like Spock on Star Trek - it's all about logic. It seems more and more people are having their signal change when squeezing above where the antennas are. That certainly points to a common issue. But even the hand-picked Prime Asus sent to Anand to replace his defective sample still peformed poorly against the TF1. So the metal back cover's not an innocent victim (yet).
BarryH_GEG said:
I'm like Spock on Star Trek - it's all about logic. It seems more and more people are having their signal change when squeezing above where the antennas are. That certainly points to a common issue. But even the hand-picked Prime Asus sent to Anand to replace his defective sample still peformed poorly against the TF1. So the metal back cover's not an innocent victim (yet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With one minor difference, Anandtech never flexed his Prime. You couldn't blame the pogos so the backplate took the hit.
---------- Post added at 04:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:07 PM ----------
I mean he couldn't blame the ...
tedr44 said:
With one minor difference, Anandtech never flexed his Prime. You couldn't blame the pogos so the backplate took the hit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at it this way, when Apple move the antenna from behind a plastic disk on the iPad1 to behind a metal speaker grill on the iPad2, performance took a hit. The Prime has no opening at all for a signal to travel through and Asus makes less in a year than Apple spends on R&D. Ergo, the metal back cover is and will remain a factor.
BarryH_GEG said:
Look at it this way, when Apple move the antenna from behind a plastic disk on the iPad1 to behind a metal speaker grill on the iPad2, performance took a hit. The Prime has no opening at all for a signal to travel through and Asus makes less in a year than Apple spends on R&D. Ergo, the metal back cover is and will remain a factor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, but by how much in comparison to a tarnished pogo contact? And as time goes by, the influence of the latter will be increasingly pronounced. BTW, the TF101 does not use the pogos, the antennas are hardwired. I also noticed that the mainframe is made of solid aluminum and yet the 101 has never had any rf problems like the Prime.
With users experiencing sudden change in signal level after making good contact with the antenna, I'd say the evidence of inconsistency in performance is pretty convincing as to the real cause of the fault.
BarryH_GEG said:
You really can't use terms like "good" and "more" beacause they're all relative. "Good" compared to what Wi-Fi/GPS is with other devices or against other Prime's? And until it's known for sure that all devices are suffering some type of signal issue saying the unproven pogo pin expose is "more" or less an issue than anything else is premature. It's impossible to compare Wi-Fi performance on a forum because each testing condition is different and there's no baseline to have a common discussion around. To see if there's differences between Prime's a couple of them need to be tested side-by-side at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I understand what you saying
clenz said:
hang in there demadarin - I think Barry is weakening and we will eventually convince him there are potential issues beyond the back plate.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the other thread, I think GPS contacts thread n you will see him cracking under the pressure..lol. he finally said he is starting to agree.
BarryH_GEG said:
I'm like Spock on Star Trek - it's all about logic. It seems more and more people are having their signal change when squeezing above where the antennas are. That certainly points to a common issue. But even the hand-picked Prime Asus sent to Anand to replace his defective sample still peformed poorly against the TF1. So the metal back cover's not an innocent victim (yet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EVEN Spock went postal when he realized humans are a complex being n that not all things obvious are always the truth. That some things cant be explained by facts alone. As there could always be contributing factors. Spock was like Data, from the next generation. Even Data was Assimilated..lmfao. my father loved that show.
Off topic..but did you know the guy who played luetenant worf wanted to originally be the Captain? They denied him the part over Picard or whatever his real name was. I still laughed knowing the guy who played Jordi was the guy from reading rainbow.
---------- Post added at 08:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:26 PM ----------
BarryH_GEG said:
I'm like Spock on Star Trek - it's all about logic. It seems more and more people are having their signal change when squeezing above where the antennas are. That certainly points to a common issue. But even the hand-picked Prime Asus sent to Anand to replace his defective sample still peformed poorly against the TF1. So the metal back cover's not an innocent victim (yet).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correction needed here. Anandtech last tablet test held prime wifi on par with tf-101. Then he also said range "Might" be an issue. He never said Prime wifi performed badly after his last test.
Nice try trying to sneak that one past me we all guilty of loving to pick n choose info relevant to what we want to prove..lol
I’ve been struggling with why my GPS quit seeing any satellites after the 9.4.2.11 update when I realized something looking at Anand’s teardown:
AnandTech - ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Teardown
Perhaps the antenna connections are weak or have become slightly corroded. Based on his teardown the contacts are spring type “pogopins” which mate with the opposite face. With that thought in mind I decided to try and flex the tablet ever so slightly to clean the contacts. The idea being that the slight flex would cause the pins to scrape the contact surface rubbing a clean(er) spot.
Before the 9.4.2.11 update I had the typical poor performance from the GPS, getting locks but losing them on the move. I had given up on it [GPS] until this update which touted GPS improvements. After updating and wiping I tested the GPS again, but could not see even one satellite after letting it sit, more than once, for over an hour with Wi-Fi on and off.
I must stress I strongly suggest you do not try this on your tablet for fear of damaging it. I take no responsibly for damage to anyone’s tablet and am only reporting my actions.
After this procedure I am able to see several birds indoors, albeit with weak SNR. This has me convinced that part of the problem is related to these contacts, and may serve to explain some of the weak Wi-Fi reports. It may also help illustrate why only some users are seeing issues, and perhaps why some of the returns are functioning better. These contacts may be more robust in some units or possibly be able to be rectified via service.
I do understand there are other factors related to both the GPS and Wi-Fi, but this appears, at least to me, to be part of the bigger picture.
Please note that the amount of flex I’m talking about is next to nothing, enough to see a change in light bleed around the display, I was afraid to go too far.
*Mods, I'm not sure why this post was deleted before, please PM me if there is a problem with this post. I did not include the link.*
Hi jhovak,
that sounds very interesting and makes me nervous thinking of manipulating a new device. You are brave!
Do you have some pictures of your action?
Thanks.
Cheers,
René.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21489600&postcount=10
You can bypass the pogo pins by connecting a pigtail to the UF.L connector at the chip leadouts, then solder the other end to the antennae's copper pads. It should improve reception.
e.mote,
Looks like you beat me to this I never saw your post, but that's exactly my thoughts. I was able to torque it a bit to get it working again. That maye be what they are doing to get the RMAs reported to work better, "fixed".
motocamp,
Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the process, but you wouldn't be able to see much, I only deformed the case/screen very slightly. The problem is you may end up popping other solder joints in the process.
jhovak said:
I’ve been struggling with why my GPS quit seeing any satellites after the 9.4.2.11 update when I realized something looking at Anand’s teardown:
AnandTech - ASUS Eee Pad Transformer Prime Teardown
Perhaps the antenna connections are weak or have become slightly corroded. Based on his teardown the contacts are spring type “pogopins” which mate with the opposite face. With that thought in mind I decided to try and flex the tablet ever so slightly to clean the contacts. The idea being that the slight flex would cause the pins to scrape the contact surface rubbing a clean(er) spot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Makes perfect sense to me.
Everyone has the same aluminum back, so you would expect the same results across the board (barring weather and atmospheric conditions) for all Primes. There has to be another piece to the puzzle of bad GPS performance when some user's report GPS working and getting locks and other user's reports no GPS active with no satellites seen and no locks.
Thanks e.mote for your explanation of the antena contacts. I think you hit the cause of the GPS problem. Hopefully ASUS saw your post and address this prioblem so it does not occur on their the planned 700 series.
Cheers
I forwarded all this info to Gary in a pm just recently. including details, link to that thread e.mote posted in and that teardown showing pogo pins. hopefully he will get it soon and pass info to engineers.
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pardon my lack of GPS knowledge but what is considered good or bad when comparing GPS in general? This is my prime outside earlier but there were fluctuations
I am a bit more skeptical about the hardware pins as a sole cause. Reason:
I had pretty decent GPS performance until this last update which totally killed my GPS performance. This suggests to me that there is a firmware/driver type component to at least some people's problems. The same update did correct other people's problems. So perhaps there are some slight differences in the GPS chips that the firmware is not playing nice with or accounting for?
I can confirm this at least partially works. I tried to drive home using GPS test the other day from work and could hardly get a lock especially at high speeds. I saw this and did a number of squeezes aroung the area of the GPS connector and had a significant change.
Drove home with GPS test today and I hardly ever saw it not locked, even going at 70mph, though it would go between 2 and 8 locked sats or so. Halfway through the drive I opened google maps. It took 10-15 seconds to lock, but then I watched my blue arrow follow the road exactly almost the entire way home. It only lost lock when I was stopped under an overpass at a stop light.
To be clear the signal strength is not that of my phone, but at least it's working now.
Have you seen the new evidence found? It was found out that Original Transformer actually uses the soldered type connection E.mote described. I was gonna start a thread but no use as this one is perfect for the new info.
FIRST here is the quote n pics from e.mote of the current Prime type of connection
e.mote said:
From looking at the Prime teardown, your wifi loss may be due to a loose connection. Instead of running a pigtail directly from the chip lead-out to the antenna, the Prime uses spring-loaded pogo pins (1st pic) as intermediate connectors.
Second pic shows the pogo pins for the main wifi and GPS antennae. The spring-loaded pins are pressed against the copper pads of the respective antenna (3rd pic). Suffice it to say, this isn't the most secure way to connect the antennae.
Aside from possible broken or intermittent connection, it also looks like a high-loss connection, and could contribute to attenuated signal reception. My guess is that this may be the main culprit of wifi/GPS woes, with the metal shell being a contributing factor.
The 4th pic below is a U.FL connector that's normally used for antenna pigtails. The lip has an outer overhang for a secure connection.
My guess is that the tablet was bumped and something shifted a bit, breaking the antenna connection.
This is FYI only, as the unit isn't user-serviceable. It does look like a simple fix, but you'd have to open the unit. Edit: You can try smacking the top edge of the tablet a few times and see if it will jar back into place. Worth a try.
Pogo pins used as intermediate connectors for wifi & GPS antennae
The two pogo pins for main wifi and GPS. The spring-loaded heads are pressed against the antennae's pads to make the connection.
The main wifi & GPS antenna, with copper pads to connect to the pins
U.FL connector, normally used for antenna connection
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOW here is the Original Prime teardown and type of connection
http://m.techrepublic.com/photos/cr...-transformer-tf101/6270147?seq=53#photo-frame
OG Transformer teardown pix
NOW HERE IS THE KICKER
clenz said:
that GPS/Wifi connection looks like a soldered wire and not pogo pin to me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WHO said copy n paste n select text doesn't work well on the Prime? Lol I did this all from the Prime itself from various threads.
Extremely interesting. Im definitely returning my GPS-less prime now. Smh
G-Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi antenna connection...
The Wi-Fi chip's on the reverse side of the PCB.
Wi-Fi/BT/FM radio combo chip is in the upper right.
Damn, I thought they used pogopins for just the GPS. Now I just found out they use them for the Wifi too! OUCH! Bad idea. A soldered wire would have been %100 much better, but I'm so afraid now to return my tablet to Asus from hearing the horror stories.
opentoe said:
Damn, I thought they used pogopins for just the GPS. Now I just found out they use them for the Wifi too! OUCH! Bad idea. A soldered wire would have been %100 much better, but I'm so afraid now to return my tablet to Asus from hearing the horror stories.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know right...lol ya damned if you do, damned if you don't ...
Just got PM a lil while ago from Gary n response to the thread n possible pogo pin issue. He said this is something the Engineers are looking very closely at on units being returned to be looked at or repaired. SO things are moving right along. FOUND OUT ALSO my serial number that starts with BCOKA is actually from an early batch that I guess had the older hardware. Engineer or Service person supposed to call within next 48hrs. They are going down the list of people that Gary got serial number, email, and phone number info from. I guess it must be a big list...lmao
SO if I do have to send it in, then they will be adding the new hardware it and hopefully changing those pogo pin connections to soldered ones..lol
Ill know more details once I get their phone call. If I do have to send in, I hope they don't wipe everything as I have around 150-200 apps n games. Things customized n all that. Ill take the new hardware though n hopefully won't go thru the horror stories I've been hearing about on returns. OR ill like it better if they just sent me a brand new tablet with the latest n greatest hardware changes on it then I send mines to them. So it'll give me time to transfer things to new device if need be.
I HAVE AN APP on my Ipad called applist that will list every app you have installed and allow you to email the list to yourself. Does android have anything like this?
Wow. I think we can all agree that Asus dropped the ball in so many areas with the TF201. Who the hell wants to put up with this nonsense???
If only Motorola would build a tablet with a docking clamshell keyboard they could probably take 80% of would be Transformer customers. I'd be first in line.
But what could be the reason ASUS changed to use this pogo pin?
Weight? Cost? ... Sabotage? ... I simly dont understand the engineering thought of it.
racerex said:
Wow. I think we can all agree that Asus dropped the ball in so many areas with the TF201. Who the hell wants to put up with this nonsense???
If only Motorola would build a tablet with a docking clamshell keyboard they could probably take 80% of would be Transformer customers. I'd be first in line.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would take alot more than that for Motorola to come up n take Asus customers. The xoom, first HC tablet, was a complete flop. Plus Motorola known for locking their systems down, at least initially. MOTOROLA IS NOT too popular of a brand these days, at least tablet wise.
demandarin said:
Just got PM a lil while ago from Gary n response to the thread n possible pogo pin issue. He said this is something the Engineers are looking very closely at on units being returned to be looked at or repaired. SO things are moving right along. FOUND OUT ALSO my serial number that starts with BCOKA is actually from an early batch that I guess had the older hardware. Engineer or Service person supposed to call within next 48hrs. They are going down the list of people that Gary got serial number, email, and phone number info from. I guess it must be a big list...lmao
SO if I do have to send it in, then they will be adding the new hardware it and hopefully changing those pogo pin connections to soldered ones..lol
Ill know more details once I get their phone call. If I do have to send in, I hope they don't wipe everything as I have around 150-200 apps n games. Things customized n all that. Ill take the new hardware though n hopefully won't go thru the horror stories I've been hearing about on returns. OR ill like it better if they just sent me a brand new tablet with the latest n greatest hardware changes on it then I send mines to them. So it'll give me time to transfer things to new device if need be.
I HAVE AN APP on my Ipad called applist that will list every app you have installed and allow you to email the list to yourself. Does android have anything like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know BCOKA is from an older batch, have such a unit as well and very crappy GPS and also suffer from mediocre wifi combined with bluetooth degradation.
Also contacted Gary and will keep an eye out for any developments (live in EUrope though).
The majority of Prime users don't root or flash their tablets. Maybe the majority on this site but not the majority of the total users. So I doubt that will dictate the winners in this market.
Secondly, you can't debate that Motorola's hardware prowess is vastly superior to Asus. And definitely good enough not to pull these bone head mistakes that Asus keeps rolling out one after another.
The Xoom wasn't the sexiest by any means but it was solid as a rock functionality wise. Now with the Xyboard and their follow on products improving in the looks department I really do think they could take would-be Transformer customers if they would just offer a keyboard dock.
And if you're wondering the reason I'm not getting a Galaxy tablet, the reason is because their RF electronic know-how is not too much better that Asus's. I gotta say though that at least Samsung had the intelligence not to seal their RF electronics in a Faraday cage. LOL.
Before I begin, I would like to state that my prime's WiFi is very acceptable. The farther you get from the router, the more the signal drops in comparison to other devices, but until now (due to the layout of my apartment and everywhere else I have been) it has never affected my browsing/video-watching experience.
However, there are a lot of people out there who suffer a lot from this (maybe bigger house, or prime has below prime-average wifi performance). And I can't help but think that I have been very lucky with my prime, and would hate to be in their shoes...
So... to those not so fortunate (or those who want to have the best wifi signal they can possibly get, even if what they have is enough) I wanted to find a way to improve their prime's WIFI experience (and maybe GPS's and BT's as well).
So, after all the threads about wifi, bt, gps... the ones where they even open the prime and mod it drastically (like making antenas pop out of prime); I have been thinking about a simple way to block (or bypass) the backplate's signal jamming in an efficient, low profile way. Meaning, you would just need to focus on the part where the gps and wifi antenas are (top of prime), without having to open the prime.
There were threads where someone would place some stuff near them and it would affect the signal (for better or for worse). So, i have been trying different materials.
I have been testing a lot of things. The results varied, but no big improvements were seen. Until... a thought hit me.
The backplate is behind the prime, so... we have the front clear of signal shielding. So i thought: What if I place something where the antennas are, but on the front of the tablet (the black part). Something to 'attract' the wifi signal to the front, so it is channeled to the antennas without having to pass through the back plate (passing from the front instead).
I started trying with some high profile stuff, and when results came, I focused on reducing the size/thickness of what i used. The final thing that i need to do is to use something as close to the black color of the prime as I can. Maybe painting it with a black marker hehehe. We'll see...
These are the results of initial testings (with images):
3 walls away from my router (light blue in graphic) (Without stuff attached)
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3 walls away from my router (light blue/greenish one in graphic) (With stuff attached)
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1 wall away from my router (blue in graphic) (Without stuff attached)
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1 wall away from my router (blue in graphic) (With stuff attached)
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Then I placed thin metal pieces on yellow tape and placed it on prime:
1 wall away from my router (red in graphic) (With thinner stuff attached)
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jdudb said:
This has actually been gone over quite thoroughly before.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1509794 I have had aluminium foil, cut carefully to a size and placed to give the best signal boost, stuck to the inside of a leather case that covers the bezel for a couple of months now. The signal boost I get is about 10db and makes a very significant increase in speeds when far away from the router.
Trial and error will give you the best size as it has to act as a parasitic antenna. Mine is about 1.5 X 4 cm. It works by being outside of the electrically noisy and shielded interior of the TP and therefor picking up a stronger signal, and then relaying it to the interior antenna.
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Yes, that is exactly what I am doing. With trial and error I get better and better results. I also get at least a 10db increase which is a huge boost.
For the first tries I used one of those things that carry the pills of some medical products. The round things are the slots where the pills are initially. It has a very thin metallic cover on the other side of the plastic part. (It was the quickest thing I could find to start testing lol)
The other thing which I covered with yellow tape was small pieces of thin metallic parts from old floppy disks I had around...
Though I would like to know what would be the best material to 'capture' the wifi signal. Then we could use even smaller and thinner stuff. My goal is to have something that is almost invisible on the prime, yet would give me the 10+db increase.
About making a video: I would love to make one, but unfortunately the only thing I have that can record video is the prime itself lol...
lol
One more thing.
When I had no stuff attached and was 3 walls away, I had 1-3Mbps...
When I had stuff attached and was 3 walls away, I had 6-14Mbps...
My Wifi is WPA2 Personal (TKIP or AES); Wireless-N only; 40MHz only; channel 1...
Local maximum speed is 65Mbps... Internet maximum speed is 24Mbps.
Thanks for sharing. I myself is one of the fortunate ones with only the GPS issue, but have dongle if needed.
My question is What is the stuff your using on each one of the tests?
Sent from my PG86100 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2
interesting results and thanks for finding the time to help others find a solution. I'm also curious as to what are those 2 strips with those button looking things. New .28 beta build I've been testing, with new wifi firmware/improvements, has improved my wifi alot. I get stronger signals now, range increased, & the stability of signal is good(the prime holding the stronger signal). lets hope others will see same good results I've been seeing. once firmware releases, test it out by itself. then test it with your mod. make sure to post results in this thread.
do you plan to make a video showing you make this mod & of it in action?
demandarin said:
I'm also curious as to what are those 2 strips with those button looking things.
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I was wondering the same thing, looks like the things that click together and hold on the back of a hat?? Looks like it helped a little bit from the pics
This has actually been gone over quite thoroughly before.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1509794 I have had aluminium foil, cut carefully to a size and placed to give the best signal boost, stuck to the inside of a leather case that covers the bezel for a couple of months now. The signal boost I get is about 10db and makes a very significant increase in speeds when far away from the router.
Trial and error will give you the best size as it has to act as a parasitic antenna. Mine is about 1.5 X 4 cm. It works by being outside of the electrically noisy and shielded interior of the TP and therefor picking up a stronger signal, and then relaying it to the interior antenna.
Can't wait to do some experimenting with this information. Thanks OP and jdudb.
NeoMagus said:
I was wondering the same thing, looks like the things that click together and hold on the back of a hat?? Looks like it helped a little bit from the pics
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They seems pills blisters to me
Hmm, tried it with some copper tabe (should work right?) but no effect here...
thanks
jdudb said:
This has actually been gone over quite thoroughly before.http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1509794 I have had aluminium foil, cut carefully to a size and placed to give the best signal boost, stuck to the inside of a leather case that covers the bezel for a couple of months now. The signal boost I get is about 10db and makes a very significant increase in speeds when far away from the router.
Trial and error will give you the best size as it has to act as a parasitic antenna. Mine is about 1.5 X 4 cm. It works by being outside of the electrically noisy and shielded interior of the TP and therefor picking up a stronger signal, and then relaying it to the interior antenna.
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Thats actually genius if signal performance boost is worthwile.
I'd be willing to pay for a cheap cover that enchances the primes signals, hell, i reckon asus should provide these gratis, nothing flashy, just built to purpose.
This should really be merged with this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1509794 as it basically works on the same theory.
But I do thank the OP as this has renewed my interest. When the original thread was started I also messed around with various pieces of foil and had mixed results. This morning I tried again using aluminum tape used for hvac duct work and started sticking pieces on various spots. With some trial and error I came up with a design that gives me 10+ db pretty much consistently.
Sorry about the darkness from .20 to .59. as I dont have a tripod for my camera.
The video was taken in my detached garage which is the furthest location at home where I would use my Prime.
All hidden in my tfp case
I found that wrapping the aluminum around the back gave me a slightly better result.
I will ask a mod to merge this thread with the original.
http://www.pbpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/061209-1a-rabbitears-2.jpg
My grandmother could have fixed the primes wifi?
Edited my post above to add video.
Just wondering if someone with one of the so called "fine WiFi " TFP could try this to see if this would have the same effect. Demandarin?..with your originally great preforming wifi + the latest update that improves the wifi + this tape you may be able to have that needle pegged from miles away