[SOLVED] Wifi reception and cell signal reception sudden drop in strength? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717

I've noticed my wifi reception dropping greatly as well as my cellular signal strength. I reflashed different modems and even went back to my regular one. Many times it wouldn't even regain the cellular signal at all. When I choose to search for network, it gives me an error.
As for wifi, I normally get almost full signal in all rooms of my house. Now I find I barely get reception and it completely drops at times.
I'm on Flapjaxxx's Cm9 rom if that means anything.
SOLVED: wifi antenna making poor contact internally. Adjusted spring contacts inside. All is well.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app

madman604 said:
I've noticed my wifi reception dropping greatly as well as my cellular signal strength. I reflashed different modems and even went back to my regular one. Many times it wouldn't even regain the cellular signal at all. When I choose to search for network, it gives me an error.
As for wifi, I normally get almost full signal in all rooms of my house. Now I find I barely get reception and it completely drops at times.
I'm on Flapjaxxx's Cm9 rom if that means anything.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash a new modem that will boost signal in the carbon installer app
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

Sorry, what's carbon installer?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda app-developers app

so no one else has this issue?
I walk 5 feet from my router and the signal drops to 1 bar.

I have this same issues ever since moving to CM9. My 5GHz N network is unusable. I'm five feet from the router with direct line of site and it's seeing about 2 bars (fair) and -70db. Moving 10 feet away moves it down to -80 or -90 and 19Mbps before it ultimately disconnects. I've tried reverting back to modems that I was successfully using on stock ICS, including UCLC5, UCLF6, and UCLE2, but none of them have made a bit of difference. Is there some other component aside from the modem that governs wifi?
My laptop and HTPC which uses a USB WIFI adapter and is about 20 feet away from the router have no issues getting 5 bars, and inSSIDr shows that I'm the only 5GHz AP in the area.
Anyone have any ideas?

Antenna issue? Perhaps an unlucky drop caused the antenna to become unseated?
It is possible to open the phone and push in the antenna.

rangercaptain said:
Antenna issue? Perhaps an unlucky drop caused the antenna to become unseated?
It is possible to open the phone and push in the antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.....
We've seen at least two other users this week with a loose antenna seat, that required a repair to correct the lost signal issue..
this may not be the problem, but certainly something to consider....g

I neglected to mention that my 2.4GHz signal works great, 4 or 5 bars throughout the apartment. I'll take a look at the antenna. I don't supposed there's a less warranty-voiding way of doing it than pulling up the sticker?

I'm seeing the exact same thing. as soon as I rooted and flashed a custom rom my 5GHz has dropped to virtually nothing. my cell strength and 2.4GHz are weaker than they once were but 2.4GHz and cell is still very usable. my 2.4GHz drops to 19mbps constantly. I've bounced my phone back to completely stock ICS and that resolved the issue, though stock rom just isn't fast enough for me anymore so I'm back on Paranoid Android CM10 Aug27 release 1.992
A couple of other things, I use AT&T, my router is an ASUS RT-56U dual band wireless N, I live in an apartment complex where 2.4GHz is saturated, but 5GHz is clear and I live roughly 1 mile from the closest cell tower. I run my laptops in 5GHz and my streaming media in 2.4GHz. So for all intents and purposes my 5GHz should be much stronger.
Any thoughts on why the custom Rom is doing this?

If I have time today or tomorrow I'll do a backup and try out a stock ROM to see if the problem goes away.

Yes...It sounds rom related at this point...
A stock rom test, "With" a stock modem would be a good test....g

saturnspike said:
If I have time today or tomorrow I'll do a backup and try out a stock ROM to see if the problem goes away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update. Rolled back to OEM ICS 4.0.4 and my wifi reception is MUCH stronger. Guess I'll be staying with ICS.

madman604 said:
Update. Rolled back to OEM ICS 4.0.4 and my wifi reception is MUCH stronger. Guess I'll be staying with ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems I was wrong. I took my phone apart and checked out where the WiFi antenna contacts were. One of the springs was flat and barely making contact. I pried it up slightly and things seem better. I will update again if I am full of fail.

Just a tidbit:
On every one of my devices, with CM9/10 loaded, my 5Ghz signal strength is weak...
Sitting on stock, and my signal is fine for 5Ghz WiFi...
I said it back when CM9 was starting to become regular, it still hasnt changed...
Something changed in CM when CM9 and now CM10 came to be that 5Ghz WiFi now sucks very much badly!
The ONLY time I get full strength with 5Ghz is when my phone is sitting on my router, I sit maybe 3-4ft away (no walls, level, in-sight range), and it drops a bar sometimes two...
This happens on all my devices with 5Ghz WiFi and CM9/10, my HD2 (for example) on CM7.2 has matching 5Ghz performance with 2.4Ghz, but on CM9 its the craps :<

Update: yup. It worked. Full bars on WiFi in my house again. Even in areas where I had zero reception. Possibly a small drop caused the spring contact to be compressed.
Currently running. Flapjaxxx AOSPxXx ROM from Oct 23.
Sent from a phone that's Note-worthy, via XDA Premium HD app.

madman604 said:
Update: yup. It worked. Full bars on WiFi in my house again. Even in areas where I had zero reception. Possibly a small drop caused the spring contact to be compressed.
Currently running. Flapjaxxx AOSPxXx ROM from Oct 23.
Sent from a phone that's Note-worthy, via XDA Premium HD app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't by chance get any pictures did you?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using xda premium

Unfortunately no. But its fairly easy to see where the WiFi contacts are when you open the case. When you pull the battery cover off, there is a pad/ sticker on the upper left. That's the antenna, right next to the power button and SIM tray.
NOTE: DO NOT PEEL ANY STICKERS/PADS OFF
If you take the phone apart, the contact pads are right under it.
When the housing/is separated from the screen (snaps off) you can see two gold springy contacts that look like the ones in the SIM tray. Like this > . If its flat like this _ just pry it back open GENTLY. Only like 1mm.
Then reassemble phone and test in a recently known bad WiFi area.
Mine is finally awesome again.
AWS cellular reception is still mediocre since day one tho.
Sent from a phone that's Note-worthy, via XDA Premium HD app.

rangercaptain said:
Antenna issue? Perhaps an unlucky drop caused the antenna to become unseated?
It is possible to open the phone and push in the antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I quote myself.

Wasn't desperate enough to crack open the phone just yet, but thanks Rangercaptain, you were right in the money
Sent from a phone that's Note-worthy, via XDA Premium HD app.

Going out of the comfort zone usually has its rewards. Good job!

Related

*Method to IMPROVE Vibrant reception?

Hi everyone, I've had my Vibrant since mid-December and I love it except I get VERY spotty reception in my house.
I know it's not a carrier issue, as my mom and friends have the same carrier (Wind Mobile) and they seem to have decent/good reception at my place. My reception drops consistently in my main floor and is non-existent in my basement.
I'm running TW Bionix V with KA7.
Is anyone aware of a hardware fix (similar to the GPS fix) that might be do-able and works?
Thanks
Have you tried flashing different modems to see if any of them make a difference?
You may also be experiencing bad reception due to the fact that the antenna is located at the bottom of the phone so our hands block it when we hold the phone in portrait orientation. Why Samsung chose to be it there is beyond me.
I know what u r going thrugh, my 2 brothers have vibrants aswell and for some ****ing reason my vibrant has significantly worss signal then their vibrant. I already tryed opening it and puting an external antenna but it only helps if the antenna is going straight ought of the phone, as soon as I try to close the cover it losses its usfulness.
I've tried different modems in the past.
KA7 so far has been the best, but that isn't saying too much.
I have actually just opened up my phone and located the 2 copper connectors at the bottom right (when my phone is turned back-up). I read in the Correct GPS Fix thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=878970) that these are the cell reception connections.
I put a small piece of rubber underneath the connection and SO far it actually seems to have improved it.
I will report back throughout the day. Typically I lose reception while walking through my house so I'll see if that happens as well.
*Sigh*
I think it may have been a placebo effect. The reception is still dropping off on my phone while in the house.
Doesn't seem like bending the copper connection does very much.
I'd just try different modems. For me, KA6 < KA7 < KA5/JL5 and KB1 has been great for download speeds.
You're holding it wrong! Hold it the correct way (at the top).
Just kidding, but yeah, try different modems. KA5 and KB1 gave me the best reception. Or maybe Tmobile has poor coverage in your area.
Why dont you use wifi calling feature at home. Then you shouldnt have a problem unless you dont have internet at home.
I wish I could use wifi calling!
I'm actually in Canada using Wind Mobile (not T-Mobile), and it doesn't work unless you're on the T-Mobile network/using their SIM if I'm not mistaken.
The coverage in my area is decent (my mom and friends get steady reception, while I do not).
It seems to be specifically for my Vibrant.
I will try changing the modem to maybe KA6 (I can just flash with CW?) and see if that fixes anything.
My phone have a hardware defect when i'm holding the phone on it's bottom left.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
mattchew008 said:
I wish I could use wifi calling!
I'm actually in Canada using Wind Mobile (not T-Mobile), and it doesn't work unless you're on the T-Mobile network/using their SIM if I'm not mistaken.
The coverage in my area is decent (my mom and friends get steady reception, while I do not).
It seems to be specifically for my Vibrant.
I will try changing the modem to maybe KA6 (I can just flash with CW?) and see if that fixes anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say your mom and her friends have great reception, just curious, are they using Smartphone?
Because if they are using feature phone then the phone might be displaying 2g network strength oppose to 3g which your phone by default tries to get on.
PaiPiePia said:
When you say your mom and her friends have great reception, just curious, are they using Smartphone?
Because if they are using feature phone then the phone might be displaying 2g network strength oppose to 3g which your phone by default tries to get on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are on the same network (Wind), my mom is using a Blackberry Pearl 9100 and my friend is using a Moto XT720. Both are set to only use the WCDMA network. So it wouldn't be a problem with them on 2G.
I just find it odd, some people are reporting great reception with the phone, but my reception has been half a$$.
Moved of: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant General
To: Samsung Vibrant > Vibrant Q&A
Please put your questions to: Vibrant Q&A
**** I wish I knew what makes my vibrant reception worse then other vibrants. if it is the internal antenna then I might work something out but if it is a defective motherboard then I'll be waisting my time.
nuke777 said:
**** I wish I knew what makes my vibrant reception worse then other vibrants. if it is the internal antenna then I might work something out but if it is a defective motherboard then I'll be waisting my time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have noticed that my reception has improved when I started using a ruber/plastic case... somehow direct contact with my skin affected reception. I have an Otterbox Commuter.
muchelaguito said:
I have noticed that my reception has improved when I started using a ruber/plastic case... somehow direct contact with my skin affected reception. I have an Otterbox Commuter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I have noticed this also with my otterbox. Use to get 1 or 2 bars in parts of my house now i keep 3 or 4.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
The otter box lowers reception? What reception would you get with the back phone cover off?
rangercaptain said:
The otter box lowers reception? What reception would you get with the back phone cover off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, actually, the other way around. I have BETTER reception with the Otterbox, as weird as it may sound.
mattchew008 said:
I wish I could use wifi calling!
I'm actually in Canada using Wind Mobile (not T-Mobile), and it doesn't work unless you're on the T-Mobile network/using their SIM if I'm not mistaken.
The coverage in my area is decent (my mom and friends get steady reception, while I do not).
It seems to be specifically for my Vibrant.
I will try changing the modem to maybe KA6 (I can just flash with CW?) and see if that fixes anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I normally just load the modem into the internal sd card, then reboot into recovery and then install by "choose which to install> select it and say YES
That never has problems sometime CWM can hang it it is a hassle.
Also, there is a patch that allows to use wfi calling doesn't matter that carrier doesn't like it it works........
oka1 said:
Also, there is a patch that allows to use wfi calling doesn't matter that carrier doesn't like it it works........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you happen to know where to get this patch?
I'd love to give it a try, it would definitely make my life much easier

No service inside house?

Anyone ever have this issue? The minute I step into my house I start roaming and my text messages get delayed by a few hours. As soon as I walk outside everything is kosher. Frustrating!
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
I personally believe this will be resolved in a radio update later on down the road . I to have noticed I can stand in my driveway and get almost full signal yet step into my house and drop to nearly 2 or 3 bars of signal strength . Even at work I step into my office and occassionally jump to roaming from time to time . The most recent PRL update (21080) had a somewhat good impact on my signal when it was released . Its probably best to wait for a radio update to come down the line , I suspect that will be soon .
Scratch this. Found the fix being an airave device.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
SouthernEvo said:
I personally believe this will be resolved in a radio update later on down the road . I to have noticed I can stand in my driveway and get almost full signal yet step into my house and drop to nearly 2 or 3 bars of signal strength . Even at work I step into my office and occassionally jump to roaming from time to time . The most recent PRL update (21080) had a somewhat good impact on my signal when it was released . Its probably best to wait for a radio update to come down the line , I suspect that will be soon .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hope so. I live in the touristy part of orlando florida, and I spend more time roaming than anything.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
I know a co-worker of mine has this problem, however I get excellent reception even in the most remote areas. I only have bad reception in my break room at work (go figure).
Anyway, I heard by reading these forums that if you call Sprint and complain to them about the roaming problem they will give you a free Airave which should help with your problem.
Racer Of All said:
I know a co-worker of mine has this problem, however I get excellent reception even in the most remote areas. I only have bad reception in my break room at work (go figure).
Anyway, I heard by reading these forums that if you call Sprint and complain to them about the roaming problem they will give you a free Airave which should help with your problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah just saw that. Appreciate the help. Only been with sprint going on three weeks now.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
Airave aside, the loss of signal is likely caused by the material your house is built with. Stuco houses have chicken wire wrapped around them, which acts like a faraday cage. The same is true with houses built with metal studs, metal siding, metal roofs, etc. Masonry (brick, stone, cinder block) also decreases the signal drastically. Concrete homes (like ICF) amplify the issue with both the concrete blocking signal and the rebar acting as a faraday.
Night·Fire said:
Airave aside, the loss of signal is likely caused by the material your house is built with. Stuco houses have chicken wire wrapped around them, which acts like a faraday cage. The same is true with houses built with metal studs, metal siding, metal roofs, etc. Masonry (brick, stone, cinder block) also decreases the signal drastically. Concrete homes (like ICF) amplify the issue with both the concrete blocking signal and the rebar acting as a faraday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. It is a stucco house.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA Premium App
PRL 00001 will help you also...
yep, 00001 prl has solved my 3g signal issues........before my signal in the house was 10%, not it's 60% according to Elixir app......and 5 bars.

At my wit's end... do any of these phones actually work?

So I've had my new EVO 4G LTE all of about two weeks and have had nothing but troubles with it. I'm currently on the 5th phone (replaced 4 times since the first) and its still got the same wifi / 3g issues that caused me to replace it twice which have both the wifi and the 3g disconnecting for no reason whatsoever and when the 3g works, I get speeds slower than the oldest 14.4k modems unless I'm within about 100 yards of a cell tower. The other two times I had to exchange it because there was dust under the phone's screen.
Because of the connectivity issues, the phone is almost useless to me unless I don't plan on using data at all, or if I'm sitting by a wifi router and don't plan on using that connection for more than 10 minutes continuously. I've tried the 2.4GHz fix, the turning off LTE fix, and even given it a static IP at home.. all without any change in performance. I'm really at my wit's end and would have already exchanged it for a 6th phone if I thought there would be a reasonable expectation that the new one would work correctly.
Is there any other fixes out there that I have yet to try? Do any of the rooted OS's have a newer / better modem that will fix my problem? Should I just return the thing again and switch to a different manufacturer? I chose to get the Evo rather than wait for the Galaxy S3 because I never liked my old Epic, but I'm starting to think that this was a massive mistake...
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Are you sure your router isn't acting up? And where you live might be a testing area for LTE? That would cause network issues.
The last thing is-have you removed your back cover to install am SD Card? That cover needs to be on securely as I believe that is the antenna
Location.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Oh, I assume you have done PRL update and profile updates? There are 2 ways to do that. Settings/Updates/PRL and Profile.
Also dial *2 and you can do PRL and Profile updates there you. The *2 also runs a data and voice test, you will see green, or red, check marks.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
I haven't had any problems. I actually receive awesome 3g service (not so much indoors) the EVO connects to my wireless N router flawlessly. I think your automatic disconnection issues is due to htcsmartsync. It's designed to shut off services (like airplane mode) in order to keep the phone in a deep sleep.
I would suggest rooting your phone and deleting the code from your phone. Can work wonders ?
I wouldnt suggest unlocking your bootloader to flash Roms though..reason being, if htcsync isnt the culprit. I don't want you to have a tampered phone and not being able to return it....goodluck. ill post links in a bit
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
I feel your pain, I have two and both have similar issues. I have tried different roms and get the same issues. My EVO 3D was faster than this phone and I think it may be do to some issue in the firmware. I am just riding it out. I personally am surprised more users have not come forward. My biggest complaint is the lag on the device. I can flash a clean rom install, or flash over an existing base and it is faster, but then lags out and is dreadfully slow after just a few hours.
What type of encryption are you using on the router tkip, aes, wep? Is it wireless n or g?
Plenty of these phones work. My WiFi and 3G work flawlessly, and I haven't had to exchange once.
I was having similar issues with my 3G randomly dropping out, but never any problem with my wifi. I updated profile and PRL last week, flashed a ROM with SmartSync disabled, and haven't had a problem since.
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
when i first got my lte on the 2 i had wifi issues.. but about a week they went away.. phones been runnung perfect for a while now :good:
i've never had problems with the device and i find it very strange that you have had problems with 5 devices. perhaps its not the phone but you that is the issue, or your hardware at home or maybe your house in in a Faraday cage or something. either way..
No issues here.
3G speeds and coverage are awesome around my work, on the way to work and at home. Also the WiFi is faster than my darn desktop, with the wireless N.
mtg981 said:
Are you sure your router isn't acting up? And where you live might be a testing area for LTE? That would cause network issues.
The last thing is-have you removed your back cover to install am SD Card? That cover needs to be on securely as I believe that is the antenna
Location.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm fairly sure it isn't the router since the phone is behaving the same way on my school's wifi and the one at the starbucks near my house. Also, I have other devices connected to my router at the same time as the Evo and none of them are experiencing the same issues.
I am willing to accept that there is a possibility the some or all of my 3G issues are related to the network upgrade, but I'm experiencing the extremely slow speeds over most of the city of Denver, and I'm guessing it would be unlikely that they would be upgrading 75% of the towers in the city at the same time. It also doesn't really explain the 3G service just shutting off randomly and then popping back on a few seconds later. That all being said, even if it is network issues, it just serves to highlight the lack of a reliable wifi connection.
As far as the back panel is concerned, I did install a micro-sd card there, and, since reading your post, I have removed it, blown off and dust / debris that might have gotten in there, and reseated it as snugly as possible. This didn't generate any sort of fix for the 3G issues, though I've not had a chance to test if wifi is working any better now. I did notice however that some of the gold filaments were discolored, so perhaps there is a manufacturing defect, though I'm not sure how the color of the filament could affect its conductivity.
mtg981 said:
Oh, I assume you have done PRL update and profile updates? There are 2 ways to do that. Settings/Updates/PRL and Profile.
Also dial *2 and you can do PRL and Profile updates there you. The *2 also runs a data and voice test, you will see green, or red, check marks.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done about 7 PRL / profile updates on this particular phone. I have also done a couple factory data hard resets through the boot screen in the hopes that it was just "glitching". Though the resets seemed to help, the effect didn't last, and none of the PRL / profile updates did anything to improve performance.
I did have a look at the *2 screen you mentioned and found that both voice and data had green checks by them, but I think this is only a check to determine if the connection exists at all and has nothing to do with quality. I do remember hearing about another testing screen you can get to through the dialer by pressing a sequence of characters which gives you access to a much more in-depth set of tests, but searching hasn't produced anything on that, at least with my search terms. That being said, I took a previous phone with the same issues into the sprint store and they told me it passed all of their diagnostic tests, so I'm not sure it would tell me anything different.
Steven 1 said:
I haven't had any problems. I actually receive awesome 3g service (not so much indoors) the EVO connects to my wireless N router flawlessly. I think your automatic disconnection issues is due to htcsmartsync. It's designed to shut off services (like airplane mode) in order to keep the phone in a deep sleep.
I would suggest rooting your phone and deleting the code from your phone. Can work wonders ?
I wouldnt suggest unlocking your bootloader to flash Roms though..reason being, if htcsync isnt the culprit. I don't want you to have a tampered phone and not being able to return it....goodluck. ill post links in a bit
Sounds like an interesting possibility, though my wifi / 3g turn off while in direct, phone is awake and I'm using the program thats using the connection, use. I'll have to read about htcsync to see if its able to shut down connection while in use. While I'm not opposed to rooting my phone (I've resisted the urge to do it now because I really don't want to have troubles with returning it), I really don't like the idea that I might not be able to fix this problem without doing it...
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mikee4fun said:
I feel your pain, I have two and both have similar issues. I have tried different roms and get the same issues. My EVO 3D was faster than this phone and I think it may be do to some issue in the firmware. I am just riding it out. I personally am surprised more users have not come forward. My biggest complaint is the lag on the device. I can flash a clean rom install, or flash over an existing base and it is faster, but then lags out and is dreadfully slow after just a few hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily, mine doesn't seem to suffer from lag at all, just a really horrible connection. From what I've heard at best buy and sprint though, a huge number of people are having similar issues with this phone. The people at best buy even went so far as to try and tell me this was a "known issue" and therefore wouldn't be exchanging it again (this was the third time), to which I had to reply that I would then like a full refund and would be taking my business elsewhere. The way I see it, if a phone has a known issue, but not all of the phones are affected by it, you have to keep replacing it until I get one without the issue.
dmacias said:
What type of encryption are you using on the router tkip, aes, wep? Is it wireless n or g?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The encryption is WPA2 - AES and the router is running in "Mixed 802.11n, 802.11g, and 802.11b" mode.
Spyderekz said:
i've never had problems with the device and i find it very strange that you have had problems with 5 devices. perhaps its not the phone but you that is the issue, or your hardware at home or maybe your house in in a Faraday cage or something. either way..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've thought about that possibility for sure, but the slow speeds and intermittent connections for 3g and wifi go, and have gone for all of the devices with this problem (don't forget, two of them were returned because they had dust under the phone's screen), all over the city with me, so, unless I'm a walking cell disrupter, then I think the issue lies somewhere in the phone.
Could be, I know I mess up my tv reception when I'm near it, its like my super power
sent from my EVO LTE
Spyderekz said:
Could be, I know I mess up my tv reception when I'm near it, its like my super power
sent from my EVO LTE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would think that this would have surfaced a long time ago were it really the case though, as this is the first phone I've ever owned which has had this much trouble with connectivity.
1st thing....I havent checked but isn't the smith.apk still included? 2ndly I had issues with this phone dropping secured connections from afar and found it to be interference witht he witless signal so try changing your frequency....that solved my issues....no lags here. Remember these new phones are designed to drop 3g when possible to help conserve battery.:thumbup:
Sent from my htc_jewel using Tapatalk 2
neopolotin75 said:
1st thing....I havent checked but isn't the smith.apk still included? 2ndly I had issues with this phone dropping secured connections from afar and found it to be interference witht he witless signal so try changing your frequency....that solved my issues....no lags here. Remember these new phones are designed to drop 3g when possible to help conserve battery.:thumbup:
Sent from my htc_jewel using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I can tell, and I may be wrong on this of course, smith.apk is a logger and not a throttler as people initially thought. Its something I'd probably ensure was removed from any custom OS I install, but its apparently not something that would affect connections at all. That being said, I'm curious just how this "Mobile Network Director" is supposed to know when I need my data connection, but that seems to be on the network side and not on the phone.
I'll have to check into the frequency thing. I remember a long time ago I had to mess with my previous router's channel because it was interfering with my wireless mouse for some reason, but I've not had any similar problems with the new router in the last four years, until now potentially I guess.
As for the 3G turning off when possible to save battery or network bandwidth, I can understand that concept, but it would have to be very broken to shut off any network with a good signal while its actually in use.
treblesum81 said:
From what I can tell, and I may be wrong on this of course, smith.apk is a logger and not a throttler as people initially thought. Its something I'd probably ensure was removed from any custom OS I install, but its apparently not something that would affect connections at all. That being said, I'm curious just how this "Mobile Network Director" is supposed to know when I need my data connection, but that seems to be on the network side and not on the phone.
I'll have to check into the frequency thing. I remember a long time ago I had to mess with my previous router's channel because it was interfering with my wireless mouse for some reason, but I've not had any similar problems with the new router in the last four years, until now potentially I guess.
As for the 3G turning off when possible to save battery or network bandwidth, I can understand that concept, but it would have to be very broken to shut off any network with a good signal while its actually in use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought it was smith but maybe its the other thing you mentioned but they recently started adding that software to dump people from 3g to 1x to avoid congestion and it was actually installed on the phone itself. I had no issues with WiFi until the ICS stuff started coming out....I had the issue on the 3D and the LTE....the 2 phones didn't seem to like dual encryption especially from afar so I changed the encryption still had issues except for open then I tried changing the channel and that held.
Sent from my htc_jewel using Tapatalk 2
A lot of misconceptions about that smith apk here.....
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
I saw in another thread that you had your Epic replaced 5 times in 2 years. Now you are on your 5th Evo? So you have basically had 10 phones in the past 2 years? Have the last EVOs beet rooted at all, or are they completely untouched as far as things like the build.prop goes? Could there be a particular app that you are installing on all those phones that could be causing your issue? If you truly have had 10 bad phones in the past 2 years, then do not buy any lottery tickets!
My Evo doesn't drop Wifi at all. It does drop 3G, but only when I am in an area where I get one bar. Make sure Best Wi-fi performance is unchecked in the Advanced Wi-Fi settings, and in Wi-Fi frequency Band, try changing it to 2.4 only.
sgt. slaughter said:
A lot of misconceptions about that smith apk here.....
Sent from my EVO using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a misconception just had it confused with that new one they started using this year to manage the data connection
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

How to increase consistency/strength of the phone signal

My phone - I have ICS - S-OFF Amaze with Energy ROM and I had tried to apply blas0id tweaks.
The problem - In certain areas I don't have phone signal for a few minutes, then suddenly it will show 4 bars for a few minutes. In general the signal seems fickle.
Before ICS upgrade, when I had GB, I always had 4 bars in the same places. I *think* I had good signal with ICS before I did blat0id tweaks, but I am not certain of that. (ICS and the tweaks were within a few days)
My wife's Iphone still has excellent signal in those places. Tmobile Mytouch also has excellent signal in the same places. So something has changed on my amaze and not the cell towers.
What I have done so far -
1. went back to stock ICS by flashing the img file. That did not improve the signal. So then got back to energy
2. Tried another ROM - speedrom. No improvement in signal
3. Tried few apps like fresh network. They did not help
Please help me
What can/should I do? I love my amaze, but if I dont get consistent signal, I will have to replace it
Are there any tweaks that I can try?
How about the custom kernels that have been made for ICS recently, would those help?
Is there a way to increase the power to look for and catch on better signal? I can trade battery life for better signal
Thanks
I have same issue but with WiFi only. I never had GB I hope there is a work around
Sent from my Dark Unicorn Resurrected v.2.5 using xda premium
Found a workaround
This was dumb luck, but when I was trying to play around the app opensignal, it wanted me to set 2G for some of its functionality, since that functionality does not work over 3g. So I went to setup and set Network mode to "GSM Only" from "GSM/WCDMA Auto"
And walla! right after that my signal jumped from 1 bar to 4 bars and has stayed there. I went back to WCDMA and signal dropped, so now I change the network mode only when I need 4G. Its a pain, but at least, the signal is good when I need it.
So with that information, can someone help how I can tweak something to get my 4G and also good signal?
Thanks
try updating the radio if you have done so, even though you are going to have to go through the process of locking the device again and unlocking the bootloader again, that would be an idea to try, we still dont know what changes R2 radio update has done but its deff worth a shot
kenneth11414 said:
try updating the radio if you have done so, even though you are going to have to go through the process of locking the device again and unlocking the bootloader again, that would be an idea to try, we still dont know what changes R2 radio update has done but its deff worth a shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to kno also but let kno what radio u flash from the ruu
kenneth11414 said:
try updating the radio if you have done so, even though you are going to have to go through the process of locking the device again and unlocking the bootloader again, that would be an idea to try, we still dont know what changes R2 radio update has done but its deff worth a shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked the version of my software and I think I already have R2
Build number
2.14.531.3_R2 CL373265 release-keys
So not sure if that would change anything
I have always had this problem as well sometimes I have 4 bars of signal then it drops to the X as in no signal,can't make calls or sends texts until it picks up again, happens totally random don't think it has to do anything with tmobile coverage since I live in the center of Miami. Also most of the time I have 2 bars of signal in most places, I believe it's faulty hardware
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk 2
kenneth11414 said:
try updating the radio if you have done so, even though you are going to have to go through the process of locking the device again and unlocking the bootloader again, that would be an idea to try, we still dont know what changes R2 radio update has done but its deff worth a shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Krazex2005 said:
I have always had this problem as well sometimes I have 4 bars of signal then it drops to the X as in no signal,can't make calls or sends texts until it picks up again, happens totally random don't think it has to do anything with tmobile coverage since I live in the center of Miami. Also most of the time I have 2 bars of signal in most places, I believe it's faulty hardware
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Krazex .. did you try to set your network mode and see if that helps your signal stick around longer and get better signal? That is working well for me.
I've tried setting my network to GSA and my data speed dropped to 2G.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
soundping said:
I've tried setting my network to GSA and my data speed dropped to 2G.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup, that's what this setting is supposed to do, but it increased the quality of my phone signal, that is what I am trying to make better/consistent. Because even after all the bells and whistles, calling someone/receiving the calls is the primary purpose of the phone for me and if that doesn't work, the phone doesn't work for me
GSM = 2G
WCDMA = 3G/4G
Get a new SIM card.
My amaze won't get 4g in my house whatsoever, only switches to 2g when it feels like it.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
hasoon2000 said:
GSM = 2G
WCDMA = 3G/4G
Get a new SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A new sim card is a good idea.. so is removing the back cover and cleaning off the contacts with a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol. Taking something and SLIGHTLY bending out each of the gold contacts so they make better contact with the case, making sure there is no debris.
Another thing to look into- there is a TON of hacks for cellphone signal that can be done in build.prop.. playing with those settings is probably a good idea.
The last idea- the signal is actually NOT different. The number of bars it shows you is now just more ACCURATE. You still lose signal in ONLY the exact places you would have before.. but now when your phone would show you as having 1 or 2 bars(on gingerbread) right before you lose all signal, on ICS it shows you as having NO bars because you truly have almost lost the signal. It is VERY accurate, now that I am in an area with bad signal.. I have actually flashed gingerbread again and things did NOT get better, there was just fewer bars that weren't as accurate. But I lost signal in the same spots, and would lost 4g in the same exact spots..
hasoon2000 said:
GSM = 2G
WCDMA = 3G/4G
Get a new SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RZJZA80 said:
My amaze won't get 4g in my house whatsoever, only switches to 2g when it feels like it.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys, OP here. This question/workaround is not about getting 4G. I am getting 4G just fine. Its about the phone signal (the bars). My amaze does not get good phone signal in some areas and when I set the network mode to GSM only (2G), phone signal strength and stability increases. and now I want to figure out how I can keep the setting to 4G and get a good phone signal
Silentbtdeadly said:
A new sim card is a good idea.. so is removing the back cover and cleaning off the contacts with a q-tip and some rubbing alcohol. Taking something and SLIGHTLY bending out each of the gold contacts so they make better contact with the case, making sure there is no debris.
Another thing to look into- there is a TON of hacks for cellphone signal that can be done in build.prop.. playing with those settings is probably a good idea.
The last idea- the signal is actually NOT different. The number of bars it shows you is now just more ACCURATE. You still lose signal in ONLY the exact places you would have before.. but now when your phone would show you as having 1 or 2 bars(on gingerbread) right before you lose all signal, on ICS it shows you as having NO bars because you truly have almost lost the signal. It is VERY accurate, now that I am in an area with bad signal.. I have actually flashed gingerbread again and things did NOT get better, there was just fewer bars that weren't as accurate. But I lost signal in the same spots, and would lost 4g in the same exact spots..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi SBD, thanks for coming in. I will look into build.prop (ro.ril properties I think) I will also clean any dust inside the phone, may be that will help. The sim card was new when I got my amaze .. but no harm in trying. So I will ask for a new sim card too.
However, in my case, I have a different experience. This is what I did in a weak signal spot.
Have 4G on. I get 0 signal. Can't make a call
go to 2G at the same spot, I get 2-3 bars. I can make a call
I used opensignal app to check signal strength in both cases. with 4G it showed 0. With 2G it showed 42%
Another test. On my route to drop kids off for their day camp, I was on a call (with 4G on) and dropped the call twice (bad reception areas) while going. I switched it to 2G and while coming back did not drop the call.
Before I found this workaround .. people called me and complained that it directly went to voicemail and I never got the call. (no signal). Since I found the workaround, I haven't heard that from anyone.
So I am convinced that there are some real issues in catching the signal with 4G on that get resolved in "2G only" mode. (may be it has to do with the kind of cell towers we have in our area and nothing to do with the phone)
will update if I find more
tnkrer said:
Hi SBD, thanks for coming in. I will look into build.prop (ro.ril properties I think) I will also clean any dust inside the phone, may be that will help.
However, in my case, I have a different experience. This is what I did in a weak signal spot.
Have 4G on. I get 0 signal. Can't make a call
go to 2G at the same spot, I get 2-3 bars. I can make a call
I used opensignal app to check signal strength in both cases. with 4G it showed 0. With 2G it showed 42%
Another test. On my route to drop kids off for their day camp, I was on a call (with 4G on) and dropped the call twice (bad reception areas) while going. I switched it to 2G and while coming back did not drop the call.
Before I found this workaround .. people called me and complained that it directly went to voicemail and I never got the call. (no signal). Since I found the workaround, I haven't heard that from anyone.
So I am convinced that there are some real issues in catching the signal with 4G on that get resolved in "2G only" mode. (may be it has to do with the kind of cell towers we have in our area and nothing to do with the phone)
will update if I find more
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, it should be lines that have ro.ril that youd eant to change.. and fortunately one of those that you can add(it isn't included by default) will do exactly what you need, default to 2g signal when 4g is too weak. I actually need the same thing, in Jacksonville we have great signal.. except in this new place I moved into. It drains my battery by trying to stay with 4g.. but I don't have time before work to find it.
Look for a tthread by "master&slave" titled something like "super build.prop tweaks" in the vibrant forums, I THINK they had that line.. otherwise google around for something like "build.prop signal tweak" as if it isisn't in that thread, there's a really good one on some other forum.
Also, I remember there being some app that requires root that allows you to toggle between GSM preferred and 2g only.. it changes it at system level, and I don't think it was on the play store, I think it was on Xda.
But yea, I understand your dilemma, and until we get an alternative radio to flash(which I don't forsee), that is the kind of workarounds you need. If you find a reasonable solution make sure to post as it will help me too!
Sent from my nook color until my broke college students azz can afford the new nexus 7 tablet.. if my post from my nook color helped you, you COULD consider a donation..
Found that thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1151608
and a few others
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1227269
http://androinica.com/2009/12/hack-for-rooted-phones-promises-faster-2g3g-speeds/
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/9781-buildprop-roril-meanings/
I will try to figure out what these different ril properties control and which one to modify .. will report after my experimentation. I haven't found a good comprehensive explanation of all those properties yet.
Glad I'm not the only one...
hasoon2000 said:
GSM = 2G
WCDMA = 3G/4G
Get a new SIM card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had this problem ever since I got my phone in October (right after launch). Updating to ICS didn't help. i've been planning to root and try another ROM, but so far have been skittish as this is my only phone. hasoon, you say it's the SIM card? I am trying the switch to GSM only to see if it makes a difference. My problem is at home - I have terrible service and I live on a mountain with cell phone towers everywhere. My daughter's AT&T and my old AT&T Nokia E71x had excellent service there. I'll let you know if this helps. Maybe a trip to my local t-Mobile store is in order.
It's not the sim card. I noticed on google a lot of people have this problem with htc phones. It's just a bad radio.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
soundping said:
It's not the sim card. I noticed on google a lot of people have this problem with htc phones. It's just a bad radio.
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We know. If you wanna help read my post number 16 or try some of the links he posted in 17.. we just need a decent workaround.

how is the wifi on your ultra?

So i notice that my ultra usually shows 2 bars of wifi. it goes up to 3 and then drops down to 2, even though my router is in the same room.
My laptop has shows full wifi strength and even my wife's iPhone shows full wifi bars.
should i be concerned?
intolaomair said:
So i notice that my ultra usually shows 2 bars of wifi. it goes up to 3 and then drops down to 2, even though my router is in the same room.
My laptop has shows full wifi strength and even my wife's iPhone shows full wifi bars.
should i be concerned?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
download an app from the playstore, and see what signal strength you are actually getting. It may just not be displaying the two bars.
However I do find that my wifi only works 13-15m away Max. Disappointing as my old Galaxy Note has better reception.
Sadly Sony only included a/b/g/n **but not ac** with their wifi modem...
hamdogg said:
download an app from the playstore, and see what signal strength you are actually getting. It may just not be displaying the two bars.
However I do find that my wifi only works 13-15m away Max. Disappointing as my old Galaxy Note has better reception.
Sadly Sony only included a/b/g/n **but not ac** with their wifi modem...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i downloaded wifi analyser.
i am testing the signal strength on the app. the phone shows 3 bars of wifi and the app shows the signal in green (strong).
so not sure what this means lol
I don't like when I connect to my 5Ghz router speed. It's kind of weird guys...feels like delay/slow. And my regular 2.4Ghz is perfectly fast.
Are you using a CM/AOKP based Rom or stock?
I and others have noticed significantly worse wifi reception vs stock.
liqn7 said:
Are you using a CM/AOKP based Rom or stock?
I and others have noticed significantly worse wifi reception vs stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using stock. also my phone doesn't work on 5k frequency
liqn7 said:
Are you using a CM/AOKP based Rom or stock?
I and others have noticed significantly worse wifi reception vs stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM10 based ROM's for the Ultra have a problem reporting/ displaying signal status.
hamdogg said:
CM10 based ROM's for the Ultra have a problem reporting/ displaying signal status.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even for wifi signal? Thought it only affected cellular signal being stuck at 2 bars?
I found that it frequently disconnected and reconnected, with no reception in some areas that would be fine in stock and instead resorting to cellular data. Also when the screen was off it was frequently running off cellular data more often than not.
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra C6833
so do you guys get full signal bars for your wifi when near your router? maybe in the next room from the router?
i am thinking my ultra's wifi may be defective. my router is in the next room and all other devices show full wifi strength but the ultra shows 2 bars
Yes full bars usually in all parts of my house (up stairs and down stairs) for wifi (router upstairs)
Have you tried doing a phone repair through pc companion and updating the firmware?
i actually did repair the software and update.
Same results.
Can't say i've noticed any WiFi issues. I have full bars, and i live in a two story concrete apartment and i have a signal all over the place, and on top of that the router is quite ****ty. I'm on .257.
LordManhattan said:
Can't say i've noticed any WiFi issues. I have full bars, and i live in a two story concrete apartment and i have a signal all over the place, and on top of that the router is quite ****ty. I'm on .257.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well its not only the wifi. today i was out and tried using the navigation app for turn by turn directions. the gps picks up my location when standing still but while moving the gps doesn't keep up. it shows me at the same location i was 5 mins ago.
i think the radios are messed up on this phone.
My GPS was very accurate. google maps and 'backcountry navigator' worked very well. HSPA+ was pretty good. signal was strong (about the same as my Galaxy S4) wifi wasn't as good as my S4.
intolaomair said:
well its not only the wifi. today i was out and tried using the navigation app for turn by turn directions. the gps picks up my location when standing still but while moving the gps doesn't keep up. it shows me at the same location i was 5 mins ago.
i think the radios are messed up on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, have you tried doing a full factory reset, or any other things? If not, do that, and if it's still not working correctly then send it in to a service center. Also, do you have the chance to try a different router, or WiFi network? The thing is to see if it's a software issue or hardware.
Hmmm...you know what? Most times I really do not care how many bars of wifi signal is displayed, but how fast the connection is. Travelling through the different locations and using hotel wifis usualy shows me 2-3 bars, but speed is very appropriate and connection stable. So maybe just this perfectionist detail is awaring you. If connection and speed of wifi was poor or permanently on the way of disconnect, that would be a problem for me...
I've had no issues with Wifi performance on the Z Ultra, I'm in the room next to the router and currently showing full bars. (Draytek 2710n)
John
Same here, no issues with any radio signals on the phone. If I need Wi-Fi, I always connect to 2.4Ghz for added range since I rarely need to transfer large files. Otherwise with regards to transfer speeds and signal strength, it's easily on par with other wireless devices at any range.

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