Just picked up the HTC One Max from Verizon yesterday. I have not rooted it or done anything other than set up email. As soon as I brought it home I noticed that it was having trouble with my home's WiFi that my Gnex didn't have. I placed my Kindle, my Gnex, and the HTC One on the table next to each other. The router shows the signal from the Kindle as -35 dbm, the Gnex as -37 dbm and the HTC One Max as -60 dbm. Considering that it's 12 feet from the router with no walls in between, that's an awful signal. It causes the Max to be limited to about 11 Mbps. When I take the Max into another room it just drops the WiFi altogether.
Is there some setting I might be overlooking? I tried turning off WiFi optimization, but that didn't change anything.
Here's a picture of WiFi Analyzer running on the Gnex and the Max side by side to illustrate.
Nexus = cheap plastic frame while One Max = metal frame and dual stereo speakers (aka stereo interference that affects reception).
I still choose the Max.
GNRDuncan said:
Here's a picture of WiFi Analyzer running on the Gnex and the Max side by side to illustrate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What router ?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
Jiggity Janx said:
Nexus = cheap plastic frame while One Max = metal frame and dual stereo speakers (aka stereo interference that affects reception).
I still choose the Max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with your assessment of the build quality of Samsungs (I went from a Gnex to a Max for a reason), but working WiFi is a must. I can't get 4G or even 3G most of the time at home and I don't have unlimited data anyway. The Max won't even connect to the WiFi in the next room. I can't believe this is how all Maxs are, so I'll exchange it tomorrow and check it out.
dottat said:
What router ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 running Tomato, but I don't know what's running on the other routers the Gnex is picking up. The router model won't matter in a side-by-side comparison of signal strength anyway - the router only broadcasts one signal and each phone receives that signal. As long as they're in the same place, the power of the signal reaching them will be the same. You can see that in this example where the Gnex is picking up three other routers that are presumably different models than my own, and that don't even register on the Max. If WiFi analyzer is anything close to correct, the Gnex is 1,000 times more sensitive than the Max. The Gnex registers about the same as my Kindle and the wife's Droid X2, so I don't think Samsung has anything special going on. I can see having some difference between designs and WiFi chips, etc., but I really don't believe Samsung's WiFi circuit is 1,000X more powerful than HTC's. That's about what I'd expect to see if the antenna weren't connected or some such.
On the other hand, my cellular reception is phemomenal compared to the Gnex. I just hope it's this particular Max with a problem so I can just exchange it and use WiFi.
I don't have any issues with wifi connectivity on my Max. I haven't run any analyzers because I haven't had the need to. I would take it in.
GNRDuncan said:
Mine is a Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 running Tomato, but I don't know what's running on the other routers the Gnex is picking up. The router model won't matter in a side-by-side comparison of signal strength anyway - the router only broadcasts one signal and each phone receives that signal. As long as they're in the same place, the power of the signal reaching them will be the same. You can see that in this example where the Gnex is picking up three other routers that are presumably different models than my own, and that don't even register on the Max. If WiFi analyzer is anything close to correct, the Gnex is 1,000 times more sensitive than the Max. The Gnex registers about the same as my Kindle and the wife's Droid X2, so I don't think Samsung has anything special going on. I can see having some difference between designs and WiFi chips, etc., but I really don't believe Samsung's WiFi circuit is 1,000X more powerful than HTC's. That's about what I'd expect to see if the antenna weren't connected or some such.
On the other hand, my cellular reception is phemomenal compared to the Gnex. I just hope it's this particular Max with a problem so I can just exchange it and use WiFi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only reason I ask is there had been a couple model routers that have had issues with HTC ones. What you describe has not been my experience. Exchange it.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
GNRDuncan said:
I agree with your assessment of the build quality of Samsungs (I went from a Gnex to a Max for a reason), but working WiFi is a must. I can't get 4G or even 3G most of the time at home and I don't have unlimited data anyway. The Max won't even connect to the WiFi in the next room. I can't believe this is how all Maxs are, so I'll exchange it tomorrow and check it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am pretty sure you have an hardware issue on your phone. Please go and exchange it. i speak from my experience of my One MAX dis-assembly. i used to get stable/ Full WiFi signals when it was stock, but when i re-assembled it i noticed a drop in WiFi signal and it was also not stable. i opened it up again to tweak the WiFi antennas a bit and tightened the screws properly and then it was good again.
I would suggest you to slightly tap / press on the top left of the phone(the speaker area the light sensor & top LCD bezel) a little and see if you WiFi improves and that would help to confirm the issue. You could place the phone on a firm table and press the area with your thumb and look at the WiFi bar's to check if you notice a difference.
Either way, you need to get the phone exchanged.
pradeepvizz said:
Either way, you need to get the phone exchanged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks to everyone. I exchanged today and the WiFi reception is better than the Kindle and the Gnex. I hope that was an isolated issue and won't be something we see a lot of with the Max.
GNRDuncan said:
Thanks to everyone. I exchanged today and the WiFi reception is better than the Kindle and the Gnex. I hope that was an isolated issue and won't be something we see a lot of with the Max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know! :good::good:
Related
Was utilizing my home wifi signal to connect to a web site, but it would time out and not connect. Check and saw the wifi signal strength indicator with only the bottom dot illuminated. My laptop, right beside me, had all five bars illuminated. Switched the phone from wifi to data and it connected right away.
I ha e the same issue! But I am rooted. Is there any kind of a fix out there?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using xda premium
Same. It's weaker than the Infuse i have
The international SGS2 doesn't like D-Link routers. I don't know if the AT&T version's the same. There's less range with a D-Link for some reason and it wreaks havoc on the battery. It likes Netgear routers.
Wifi is weaker than my captivate was, but the GPS is really good. I got a solid lock in some pretty dense woods while on a hike. Whereas my captivate got awesome wifi but crap gps. I wonder if its a trade off with the antennas.
How's the signal on a 2Wire router from ATT for DSL service?
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using XDA app
Same issue here. My captivate had a much better reception. I checked at home and at school. Both places it had only one bar in the signal while being only 35 feet away from the router with only one wall in the way. It looses signal when further away while my laptop still has it. I'm connected on 802.11n in both places so maybe its something with that?
I also see lower wifi signals compared to iPhone 3gs.the difference isn't huge but definitely noticeable.
I noticed that too. It is weaker than my ex 3GS iPhone as well.
Weaker? Indicator?
Has there been any test on SIGNAL STRENGTH versus the number of bars? I don't mean to take a page out of ANTENNA GATE, but just having a fewer number on the display, doesn't actually indicate poorer reception.
For the guy with the 3gs, can you measure with something like speedtest.net? Since transfer speed descrease respective to signal strength, this seems like a good test.
I just bought a SGS II and would really like to know if the indicator is accurate and comparable to other devices and it does have a weaker antenna.
Thanks.
I didn't wanna make a new thread but same here. Wifi is pretty weak on this phone . Fairly disappointed at that.
To beat a dead horse, I am always at 1 or 2 wireless bars versus my IP4 being at full wifi bars. Not sure how its effecting the actual browsing though.
I will say that my GS2 consistently shows less bars than my iPad and previous iPhone 4(1 or 2 compared to full).... BUT I have yet to have a single issue browsing or accessing anything and speed is still excellent. So it could just be a display issue.
My only problem with that is that if I do really have a bad signal and have a crappy connection I'll never really know - because I'll aways asume the connection is good even though it's reporting low strength.
I've sometimes had my GS2 show extremely weak wifi signal even when sitting right next to my router - but the wifi still works just fine, inconsistently with the displayed signal strength.
So if it's showing weak but working fine, don't worry.
Entropy512 said:
I've sometimes had my GS2 show extremely weak wifi signal even when sitting right next to my router - but the wifi still works just fine, inconsistently with the displayed signal strength.
So if it's showing weak but working fine, don't worry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can agree with this. My router is located very close to my phone and sometimes my phone shows only 1 bar of signal but the overall performance is still snappy and quick. no worries
I'm coming from a iPhone 3G. While the SGSII displays less bars it also seems to pick up wireless signals that my iPhone never detected (free wireless downtown).
Also at home in some rooms it shows less than full while my iPhone always showed full but I never noticed it being slow. I think it just displays differently.
From AnandTech
Referring to Cellular connectivity:
"In addition, Samsung makes the mistake of going with a signal bar visualization with very compressed dynamic range. Since the whole iPhone 4 debacle, I’ve seen something of a trend towards a strict linear scale (which makes more sense), but SGS2 definitely doesn’t go that route. It’s not a huge deal however, just something to be aware of. I’m willing to overlook that issue considering that getting the real story on connectivity is no harder than dialing *#0011# and looking at the real number."
Referring to Wifi:
"As with every other radio, we have to do the receive sensitivity dance and make sure nothing is broken. I tested the SGS2 alongside an SGS 4G at my house with both an Airport Extreme (5th Gen) and WRT54G-TM boosted to 184 mW. SGS2 WiFi reception on 2.4 GHz is darn near identical to the previous generation.
There’s something deceptive about this however, and it’s that although Samsung has chosen to go the usual compressed-dynamic-range route with cellular bars, the WLAN bars seem to be more linearized. Thus where I’m used to seeing every other smartphone show max (until you’re right about to fall off), the SGS2 actually doesn’t lie to me and shows fewer bars. Until I ran around and looked at RSSI in dBm, I suspected SGS2 had WLAN sensitivity issues where there don’t appear to be any. One small thing I did notice is that SGS2 (and BCM4330) seems to only connect at long guard interval (eg 65 Mbps maximum for single stream, 20 MHz channels), where SGS1 and BCM4329 connected at 72 Mbps short guard interval."
My View's WIFI radio doesn't seem to be as strong as my GTab 10.1. I can put them side by side and using an app called WIFI Analyzer, the signal looks significantly stronger on the GTab. Upgraded the View to HC and it's pretty much the same.
Anyone else experience anything like this? Does the View just have a weak radio? Or is mine perhaps defective? And thoughts or advice is appreciated.
Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk
My wifi is upstairs and picks up good in the basement with my View and Flyer.
Bit more info...I'm sitting on the same floor as my wireless router, 2 rooms away. Neither of our laptops (in this same room) have any trouble picking up the wireless signal. On WIFI Analyzer, my Galaxy Tab 10.1 is consistently registering a signal strength anywhere from -70 dBm to -60 dBm...it does not lose connection.
My EVO View fluctuates anywhere from no signal to -80 dBm. My phone (a Samsung Galaxy S) is registering closer to the View than the Galaxy Tab.
If I take the View into the same room as the wireless router, it picks up a strong, solid connection and doesn't drop it.
I don't think its my wireless router...the View and GTab do the same thing at work...the signal is significantly stronger on my GTab.
Not noticed this on either device, but did with the Acer 500 and returned it. Worst wifi device I have owned.
I actually had a great signal with GB but now that i'm on hc it's off and on
Sent from my Evo View 4g
rjohmit said:
My View's WIFI radio doesn't seem to be as strong as my GTab 10.1. I can put them side by side and using an app called WIFI Analyzer, the signal looks significantly stronger on the GTab. Upgraded the View to HC and it's pretty much the same.
Anyone else experience anything like this? Does the View just have a weak radio? Or is mine perhaps defective? And thoughts or advice is appreciated.
Sent from my PG41200 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking the same thing today. I have another brand tablet that seems to have about 30-40% better reception. Also finds many more AP's than my View. I guess they want you to use their "Sprint" data.
Appreciate the responses. The weird thing is I took the View to my bedroom last night, which is upstairs and at the opposite end of the house from the router, and the signal was stronger and more consistent up there. Maybe I'm encountering some kind of interference in the living room... I don't know. Either way, I want a new wireless router.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
I have noticed the same thing with my view. Wifi signal is inconsistent. The only good thing is that the signal didn't drop and speed is pretty consistent. I am guessing its a software issue?
I have had both the Flyer and the View. The Flyer had about 30% better reception than the View in the exact same spot. Even my Droid X2 has better reception. I even tried turning on the wifi boost option under advanced settings in the wifi settings. Probably difference in the radio compared to the Flyer.
Kire1820 said:
I have noticed the same thing with my view. Wifi signal is inconsistent. The only good thing is that the signal didn't drop and speed is pretty consistent. I am guessing its a software issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I was thinking firmware... Tried to update mine but always get an error.
pakmonaco said:
I have had both the Flyer and the View. The Flyer had about 30% better reception than the View in the exact same spot. Even my Droid X2 has better reception. I even tried turning on the wifi boost option under advanced settings in the wifi settings. Probably difference in the radio compared to the Flyer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried the "Best wifi performance" setting as well... Didn't seem to make a difference. Mine does drop the connection regularly, at least in my living room. Still love the little thing. Guess when I'm sitting on my couch, I can just grab my GTab.
Will also look into upgrading (and possibly relocating) my wireless router soon. Again, thanks for the replies.
Wonder if it's a hardware issue. Are both radios on the same chip our share the same antenna? So that on the Flyer there's more power to pick up the wifi signal?
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk
bsoplinger said:
Wonder if it's a hardware issue. Are both radios on the same chip our share the same antenna? So that on the Flyer there's more power to pick up the wifi signal?
Sent from my HTC Flyer P512 using Xparent Purple Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know...but WIFI is pretty much always the only thing I have turned on.
I was just wondering if the device is defective...based on other people's comments, it doesn't sound like it.
I really like the View, but it's really annoying to have to be within 10' of a wireless router to get a solid, consistent connection.
rjohmit said:
I dont know...but WIFI is pretty much always the only thing I have turned on.
I was just wondering if the device is defective...based on other people's comments, it doesn't sound like it.
I really like the View, but it's really annoying to have to be within 10' of a wireless router to get a solid, consistent connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue and, though I don't know if this is specific to my unit, I can say it is the same trouble regardless the wifi situation and have compared it to my (and others') laptops, a Nook STR, and an HTC Espresso, all of which connect and show strong signals. I've checked this with 6 routers and it is the case every time.
Quite absurd. Since I gained the View from an eBay sale, I'll likely be selling it as a result.
The view does much better then my e4gt and better then my Att ipad2.
IF you have to be within 10 ft of a router, you have a defect or failure. Send it back for repair.
mitkaese said:
I have the same issue and, though I don't know if this is specific to my unit, I can say it is the same trouble regardless the wifi situation and have compared it to my (and others') laptops, a Nook STR, and an HTC Espresso, all of which connect and show strong signals. I've checked this with 6 routers and it is the case every time.
Quite absurd. Since I gained the View from an eBay sale, I'll likely be selling it as a result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure you already tried this but what happens when you enable "best wifi performance" in advanced wifi settings? It's supposed to increase signal range at the cost of battery consumption so who knows.. maybe it will increase your range to 15 feet
Yes, thanks for the note. I've tried the increased performance wifi setting, to which it is currently set. I've additionally tried changing the "home" and "outside" settings, which do not seem to stay set or, perhaps, are not even set in the first place (or at least this is not reflected in the GUI). I'm currently running HC, but this was true fro GB. Stupidly, I held out, hoping that the upgrade would cure my device.
With my Flyer I can get about 100 ft outside my house with Wifi.
i am having the same problem. Weak a signal at home a little better at other wifi locations. Can a router setting impact the quality or strength of a connection?
Hey there!
my wifi connection seems to be very bad, but I don't know if its normal :-/
When I'm up to 1m-2m next to my router, i have full connection (4 bars) after that only 3 bars. In my kitchen i have only 1 bar (~10 meters, 2 Firesafety doors).
A friend with an Sgs2 has 3 bars in my kitchen, same network.
Is it broken or a general Prime issue that can't be fixxed?
Bluetooth is turned off.
Co0n said:
Hey there!
my wifi connection seems to be very bad, but I don't know if its normal :-/
When I'm up to 1m-2m next to my router, i have full connection (4 bars) after that only 3 bars. In my kitchen i have only 1 bar (~10 meters, 2 Firesafety doors).
A friend with an Sgs2 has 3 bars in my kitchen, same network.
Is it broken or a general Prime issue that can't be fixxed?
Bluetooth is turned off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had similar results with mine. The device just seems to have bad wifi connectivity :/
Pretty sure I'm returning mine.
Here's a video comparing it to the original Transformer's wifi connectivity with similar results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzCZc3pjtrA
Nothing can be done to fix the WiFi issues, it comes down to a bad design. The outer case is causing the interference. Most people are just dealing with it because it still works its, just that the data speeds you get over WiFi are inconsistent. In my own testing , Usually once I am 10 ft or more away from my router my data speed drops from 25 megs down to 2 or 3 with occasional bursts. I do stay connected the time all around the house, its just that data speed are affected by the interference. I did get some improvement after switching my router to use wireless n over ch 1. Hope that helps
evegas316 said:
Nothing can be done to fix the WiFi issues, it comes down to a bad design. The outer case is causing the interference. Most people are just dealing with it because it still works its, just that the data speeds you get over WiFi are inconsistent. In my own testing , Usually once I am 10 ft or more away from my router my data speed drops from 25 megs down to 2 or 3 with occasional bursts. I do stay connected the time all around the house, its just that data speed are affected by the interference. I did get some improvement after switching my router to use wireless n over ch 1. Hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got some different info from Asus today. I too have similar wireless problems, but it seems that not every Prime does.
I got call from Asus today, and they asked me to return my Prime so they could take a look at the WiFi problems I was having. (I had written a couple of emails to folks at Asus.) Apparently some Primes have problems with "WiFi cards".
Ride525 said:
I got some different info from Asus today. I too have similar wireless problems, but it seems that not every Prime does.
I got call from Asus today, and they asked me to return my Prime so they could take a look at the WiFi problems I was having. (I had written a couple of emails to folks at Asus.) Apparently some Primes have problems with "WiFi cards".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW, that's some news. I will return mine and see if a new one is any better, I personally think that the symptoms are exactly what you should be experiencing based on the interference the case is causing.
thanks for the info.
Just received my TFP today. I get pretty much the same results with my phone as I do with the TFP. Also, I had just returned the Samsing Galaxy Tab but my results are pretty close to what I experienced with that as well.
I'm only basing my results using speedtest.net. Seemed like a pretty good tool for me to determine whether or not I'd be satisfied with the speed of the TFP. I did my tests in 3 different locations in my home...one just above my router which is in my basement the floor below (about 6 feet away) - 14mb...one in my bedroom which has a brick wall in the way (about 20 feet away) - 5mb...and one in my bathroom (30 feet away) - 4mb. Not too sure what type of speeds I should expect other than what my other devices get. I`m using a wireless G router at the moment but still have to set up my wireless N router soon..a Linksys E4200.
Upload speeds were all at the 1mb mark regardless of the location..I`m capped at 1mb down by my ISP.
One thing to note, I could care less about the number of bars on the wifi icon...I care about real world results.
Just my two cents...
senatorxmg said:
Just received my TFP today. I get pretty much the same results with my phone as I do with the TFP. Also, I had just returned the Samsing Galaxy Tab but my results are pretty close to what I experienced with that as well.
I'm only basing my results using speedtest.net. Seemed like a pretty good tool for me to determine whether or not I'd be satisfied with the speed of the TFP. I did my tests in 3 different locations in my home...one just above my router which is in my basement the floor below (about 6 feet away) - 14mb...one in my bedroom which has a brick wall in the way (about 20 feet away) - 5mb...and one in my bathroom (30 feet away) - 4mb. Not too sure what type of speeds I should expect other than what my other devices get. I`m using a wireless G router at the moment but still have to set up my wireless N router soon..a Linksys E4200.
Upload speeds were all at the 1mb mark regardless of the location..I`m capped at 1mb down by my ISP.
One thing to note, I could care less about the number of bars on the wifi icon...I care about real world results.
Just my two cents...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check to see what channel your router is set on. TPFs seem to like G band routers set on a low frequency..... your speeds dont seem that good try channel 1
That change made a big difference for me hope it helps
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
ilostmypistons said:
Check to see what channel your router is set on. TPFs seem to like G band routers set on a low frequency..... your speeds dont seem that good try channel 1
That change made a big difference for me hope it helps
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I defintely don't have the best set up in my house right now for wifi...when directly connected I can get around 25mbs down from my PC which is the reported speeds form my ISP...when using wifi, I seem to be capped to 15mbs regardless of the device.
I was waiting to switch routers to see what my new E4200 does. Will post those results once I make the change. For now, 14mbs down seems pretty decent to me considering all my wireless devices (PC included) get the same speeds.
i know this have been discussed before but there is still no solution.
here s my problem: wifi signal drops suddenly when i hold my phone. ive done sevral speed tests. These tests confirm that holding the phone results in a really bad wifi quality. I ve tried eveything.
does anyone have any ideas? even if its hardware moding
thx
+1
Sad to say, in my tests, by tightly holding the phone, especially at the bottom right, the signal strength reduced by about 20dBm.
Sent from my XT910 using XDA
this really sucks since this phone is pretty good and so far its the only BIG problem i found. and no solutions....
Must be a random problem. I have the RAZR and RAZR Maxx and neither has this problem.
For me, on 2.3.6 wifi signal was low, especially taking phone by bottom, but on ICS, both t-mobile ics and latest eu ics, wifi signal is very improved. Hand issue remains, but signal is for me stronger.
well i guess im just going to wait for stock ics update and hope it improves but im guessing the problem wont disappear since this is clearly a hardware issue. and if this is random then im very unlucky
When software fixes a radio that software usually just makes the signal-strength meter show signal that's not really there.
There are apps on Play that "fix" all kinds of radio problems by installing signal-strength icons with the low-strength indications set inaccurately. It *looks* like more signal, but it's the same low signal you had before.
Signal strength has almost nothing to do with reception anyway. Signal/Noise ratio is what's important, and there's no meter for that. One bar of signal in a very RF-quiet area, is much better than five bars in a computer data center.
"Caveet emter, I reckon!"
- Mark Twain
I have no wifi issues with this phone. The GNex however was unusable at 30 feet from a high-powered Hawking WAP, or an Apple Airport Extreme WAP.
If you have a plastic case, try removing it. Some cases are made with recycled plastic and are infused with conductive material that can act as a Faraday Shield, blocking part of the signal. Easy test, costs nothing but a few seconds...
yea i already knew about the plastic thats why i bought a rubber case. I have to say it helped a little but didnt fix it. the problem is still there.
thx
Haven't seen any problems with my wifi, although I mainly use the 3G simply because I have 4 GB of data a month and I will never use that much when I'm out around town.
If the problem occurs when holding it a certain way wouldn't the simplest solution be to not hold it that way, also be very aware of any metals between you and the router as metals block radio signals, how old is your house, if old enough maybe lead paint, unlikely but just throwing all possibilities out there.
thx for your help. i didnt only test this at home and as for holding the phone im used to hold it like i hold all phones and its pretty annoying if i always have to hold it differently if i want to use the internet
Have you tried the free Play Store app, WiFi Analyzer?
This will help you find out what works/doesn't as it provides more sensitive strength measurements from the chip. It's handy anyway, since it shows WAPs that you aren't connected to. yet.
It's quite possible that your antenna wire bounced off the connector. An insignificant drop of an inch could do that if it was never seated correctly. It would likely operate in a degraded capacity as a result. If you're OK with cracking the case open, that's something quick to check.
How long have you had this phone?
I have never heard anyone complain about the Razr's WiFi reception, so I suspect this is something unique to that phone right there. What is your idea of poor reception? 100 feet, inside, is the practical limit. 300 feet in an open field. Metal wall studs, sheet metal siding, all of these will stop radio waves dead.
marawan31 said:
thx for your help. i didnt only test this at home and as for holding the phone im used to hold it like i hold all phones and its pretty annoying if i always have to hold it differently if i want to use the internet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get that, just trying to "cover all the bases" as they say.
Giblet535 said:
I have never heard anyone complain about the Razr's WiFi reception,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you haven't been listening. The RAZR is universally acclaimed to have the worst WiFi reception of ANY device since 1999.
im ok with opening it... i actually opened it a couple of times and removed the battery but idk what to look for since nothing is labeled i dont even know where exactly is the wifi ship and antenna. i tested this as close as 6 feet from my router when i leave it on the table i get full wifi signal and speed test at max then i hold it and try... wifi signal goes down and speed test at 3/4 max speed...
thx
It's possible that I have an extraordinary phone then. I decided to compare.
My phone is seeing -60dbm from the Hawking extender that I'm closest to, which is about 20 meters away, behind three stick-frame (pine 2x4 studs, sheetrock) walls. The reading varies dramatically, depending on where I put it on my desk. So let's see what some other WiFi devices do...
My MacBook reads -58dbm. My iPad2 reads -59dbm. An HP Envy 15 reads -65dbm. And a Moto Atrix2 WCS (With Cracked Screen) reads -61dbm.
A transfer of 200MB ("random" data created via linux: 'dd if=/dev/random of=200mb.dat bs=1048576 count=200' so that compression algorithms don't skew the results):
Razr (6.12.79 ICS Black Widow): 9s
MacBook (Lion): 6.5s
iPad2: 10s
HP Envy 15 (Ubuntu 11.10): 7.5s
Moto Atrix2 WCS: 10s
I didn't repeat the test, and that is a busy WAP, but the results are what I expect for battery-operated devices. I also expected the ipad, atrix and razr to lose the race, since they have relatively slow storage systems, which have inherently poor write performance on files of this size (200MB won't buffer at all).
The WiFi cable will look like a white or black wire with a gold junction on the end where it meets the motherboard. I would expect that if you've had the phone open, you would definitely notice a wire hanging loose! I doubt that's the problem, but that wire is a coaxial shielded cable - like on cable TV only really tiny - and you can do all kinds of DIY replacement antenna stuff eg, adding an external jack so you can "beam" WiFi a mile away using a hacked Pringles potato chip can.
I actually think the problem might be RF noise in your environment. Florescent lights (CFLs), computing equipment, HVAC compressors, and motors can effectively "jam" WiFi signals, causing packet transmission failures to increase rapidly as the distance from the WAP increases.
We have a Fluke RF analyzer here, and our WiFi setup is quite good as a result.
Does anyone know if the Razr is unusually susceptible to RF noise? Maybe noise that the Razr generates from the motherboard/CPU/radios/BT? I'm not equipped to test that.
---------- Post added at 09:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:29 AM ----------
Do you have other devices to compare the Razr to?
Did you try pointing all the rubber duck antennas on the WAP straight up?
I just checked an iphone, another ipad, another Razr, and a Dell laptop, and my boss's Razr was technically the winner on signal strength and transfer speed, but let's call it even. There are too many variables, and statistically significant benchmarking is beyond the scope of a forum comment.
The Razr has typical WiFi performance in this environment.
Thank you very much for your post. I did try with the desire z and the evo 3d which are doing jist fine wheather i hold them or leave them on the table: both signal and speed test are amazing compared to the razr (if i hold it). If you could tell me where the wifi ship and antenna are located (a pic maybe) it would be great because when i open the razr all i can see are metal plates everywhere probably for cooling. I dont understand what you mean by pointing all the rubber duck antennas on the WAP...
Thx again
I haven't had a Razr open yet. Even after dropping mine from a motorcycle and watching it slide into a ditch with an inch of water in it. Tough li'l bastards...
The WiFi antenna cable and connector are probably under one of the metal shields.
Most WAPs have 1, 2, or 3 "rubber duck" antennas that you can move to maximize the signal lobe pattern. You can use the WiFi Analyzer app to adjust them, but be prepared to walk a lot...
Others are just a box. The only one of those that *I* know of that works well is the Apple Airport Extreme. The Netgear Wireless-N HD, which is very highly rated, is a P.O.S.: it has a narrow, elongated lobe pattern, and if you're in that narrow lobe, it works REALLY well. If not, you'll be lucky to connect to it. Two people standing 10 feet apart, and one can have great service while the other can't even get an IP address.
The fact that you have other devices working well, and you sound like you've done this quite a bit, I'm guessing you have a problem inside the phone itself.
I manage about 200 phones here, and I haven't heard one word of complaint about WiFi. 3G/4G service? Yeah, lots of complaints about 3G/4G from people out in the woods or working in a valley.
These also work well as a WAP (tethering). We have a few of the Personal WiFi devices - a handheld that converts 3G/4G to WiFi for up to five users - but most people prefer this phone for that.
My old DroidX has a better WiFi antenna, but that's an exceptional phone with only one core: I spit on it. Ptui.
Had my One X+ for about 6 days now. Noticed that in parts of my home, had network connection issues where I never had them with any other devices. Dowloaded Wi-Fi Analyzer and SpeedTest. Downloaded SpeedTest on my old iPhone 4. And I confirmed that my phone has many more issues connecting in parts of the home than the iPhone. It's VERY erratic. You can put it on the counter 6 inches below where you were holding it with your hand, and wala, better signal. Pick it up and signal goes to crap. It's mainly with the 5.6ghz signal but 2.4 is effected to. Enabling / Disabling the Wi-Fi Performance Enhancement setting in Setting > Wi-Fi > Settings makes no difference that I can see and I compared it on and off several times using Wi-Fi Analyzer. This may be a dealbreaker for me on this phone. Maybe have to exchange it for an S3.
At times it loses connection briefly, then when it re-connects, signal is much better but it's not consistent. When running Speedtest on iPhone gauge usually goes up fairly smoothly and stays there (not always). On One X+ gauge gets "stuck" a lot more often and/or goes down.
I run an ASUS RT-56U router with latest firmware. Works excellent. It has my same network SSID bound to both 2.4 and 5.6Ghz channels. It's almost as if the One X+ has trouble dealing with a drop in the 5.6 and seamlessly moving everything to only 2.4? I actually tried to lock the phone to 2.4 or 5.6 in settings, frequency. It went crazy, both settings, it can't connecting and disconnecting.
Wondering if it is a hardware fault that was found in original One X that may have not been fixed?
http://www.google.com/search?q=htc+...c+one+x++wifi+signal&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
jazee said:
Had my One X+ for about 6 days now. Noticed that in parts of my home, had network connection issues where I never had them with any other devices. Dowloaded Wi-Fi Analyzer and SpeedTest. Downloaded SpeedTest on my old iPhone 4. And I confirmed that my phone has many more issues connecting in parts of the home than the iPhone. It's VERY erratic. You can put it on the counter 6 inches below where you were holding it with your hand, and wala, better signal. Pick it up and signal goes to crap. It's mainly with the 5.6ghz signal but 2.4 is effected to. Enabling / Disabling the Wi-Fi Performance Enhancement setting in Setting > Wi-Fi > Settings makes no difference that I can see and I compared it on and off several times using Wi-Fi Analyzer. This may be a dealbreaker for me on this phone. Maybe have to exchange it for an S3.
At times it loses connection briefly, then when it re-connects, signal is much better but it's not consistent. When running Speedtest on iPhone gauge usually goes up fairly smoothly and stays there (not always). On One X+ gauge gets "stuck" a lot more often and/or goes down.
I run an ASUS RT-56U router with latest firmware. Works excellent. It has my same network SSID bound to both 2.4 and 5.6Ghz channels. It's almost as if the One X+ has trouble dealing with a drop in the 5.6 and seamlessly moving everything to only 2.4? I actually tried to lock the phone to 2.4 or 5.6 in settings, frequency. It went crazy, both settings, it can't connecting and disconnecting.
Wondering if it is a hardware fault that was found in original One X that may have not been fixed?
http://www.google.com/search?q=htc+...c+one+x++wifi+signal&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If u got a problem with WiFi in certain areas of Your HOME i dont think its hardware problem. If u have a hardware problem Your WiFi couldnt recive more than "dot" signal even near router. Its because hardware issue was about antennas of WiFi (they were f****) To test hardware issue on HTC ONE X after squeze certain area of phone (antennas connected) signal growed up after release signal went down...
Looks like my hunch may be correct in that it has something to do with the phone switching between the 2.4Ghz and 5.6Ghz bands. 2.4Ghz has much better range. But in the wi-fi settings it is set to Auto frequency. What appears to be happening is that the phone prefers 5.6 but when it loses it, it switched to 2.4. I have a "dual band" N router so the same SSID is bound to both frequencies. I think this improves bandwidth for devices that communicate on both at same time (or is that not possible?) But I can't seem to get it to work if I change the frequency setting to anything but Auto. It won't authenticate when not on Auto! Bug?
Related One X Thread here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1730383
I've been struggling with WiFi issues on my phone as well. Whether the phone is set to 2.4GHz, 5GHz or Auto, the connectivity is spotty at best.
With other devices in the house including my old Inspire 4g, a Kindle Fire and an iPhone I can get full reception but only 1 bar on the One X+ in spots. I have noticed that holding the phone upright in poor reception areas brings the connectivity up a bar or two usually but that's not optimal for usage... Same thing happened at the girlfriend's family's house yesterday and my connectivity was also progressively more spotty at work in the past week since getting the phone.
The screwy thing is it seems completely intermittent. It'll be fine for a few hours then suddenly the connectivity goes to crap. I'm pondering exchanging the phone for another just to see if the issues persist.
I spent much of Thanksgiving (sadly) testing the WiFi on this phone using WiFi Analyzer and speedtest at locations all over my house. I compared results with an iPhone 3GS Iphone 4 and Samsung Series 6 notebook. The One X (+) was terrible. At times it performed well but in the exact same location, the next time it would perform dismally. Very unpredictable and erratic and I found out why!
** THERE IS A 20+ dbm DROP IN SIGNAL WHEN HOLDING THE PHONE IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND! **
Now this may be common with a lot of phones, I don't know. But, the signal strength on this phone is already not what I would describe as "Best in Class" so this drop in many areas where the signal is moderately low to very low, holding the phone in the palm usually makes a difference as to if you have a usable connection or not!
I have a highly respected ASUS RT-56U router and made sure I had the latest firmware installed, but as I said, even the iPhone 3GS had more consistent, better, even results compared to this phone in many low signal areas when I held the One X in my hand. So it's not the router, it's the device.
Next step is to try to determine if it is this one phone, the One X+ AT&T model, and the One X AT&T model, or all One X models, including International? I will head to the store to see if they will let me run the test on another phone. I'm praying it is this particular phone but my gut tells me it is probably an issue in the design of the phone. I really like this phone but may have to go for the Samsung Galaxy SIII instead as this wifi issue is BAD, and unacceptable. Would get a Nexus 4 but I need more than 16GB of memory!!!!!
I shot a video about this showing the Wifi Analyzer running:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IUkbnj5pY0
Well, this morning I did similar testing and am seeing a 20-25 dBm drop whenever I pick the phone up...
Have you had a chance to check with your local AT&T store about testing other One X+ phones?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app
tier~ said:
Well, this morning I did similar testing and am seeing a 20-25 dBm drop whenever I pick the phone up...
Have you had a chance to check with your local AT&T store about testing other One X+ phones?
Sent from my HTC One X+ using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would seem pointless now, since you are having the same issue, it seems to be an issue with the any One X+ (and I would bet also any One X). Maybe there's always a drop on any phone (iPhone there's no analyzer to show you signal). But this large 20-25 dBm drop make a difference between fast/normal browsing and slow/no browsing on the Net when sitting in many areas of my house. I would expect using it at other locations (on trips, etc.) it will drive me nuts. I do A LOT of browsing, use the phone like a mini tablet. So fast WiFi connectivity is paramount! I get better 4G LTE range/speeds than wifi in those areas of my house, but don't have unlimited data!
Sounds pretty simple, either u need a better router or u have a bunk phone. I have WiFi all over my house, my parents house, my work, all with zero issues and all obviously different routers. I'd maybe try another device. You have 14 days in the state's no questions asked for a new phone exchange.
It's not router. I went to AT&T store. Rep had S3. He loaded Wifi analyzer. We monitored same wifi network next shop down. HTC, signal dropped almost 20 dBM when you put it in your palm. S3, not change or 5 dBm at most. Loaded WiFi analyzer on X+ on display, but palm around it best I could around the display mount, big signal drop.
I have a large home. The thing is, no other devices have issues. What I suspect is with my home, certain areas push the HTC One X+ to its limit as far as wifi range. Most users don't notice "issues" as they don't lose a connection. And I didn't lose connection either, or rarely, just got really slow. You have to walk all around and look at WiFi Analyzer and compare holding fold to setting phone on table. Then also compare Speedtest.net app results. With S3 and notebook computer I'm getting 20mbit speeds in most areas, difficult areas, still has a consistent 6-8mbit speed. HTC One X+ those problem areas, 1mbit speeds if lucky or loss of connection.
Since nothing is changing in the test environment besides the device, the HTC clearly has poor wifi reception *RELATIVE* to other devices when held in palm of your hand. I found though you can get around this if you hold lower half of phone no issues and if you turn phone on its side, not as bad of a drop either.
I made it up to the AT&T store yesterday afternoon just to compare to another HOX+. Same thing was happening with the floor model of the phone. The manager went ahead and replaced my phone with a new one regardless just to cover our bases but like you said jazee, it does appear to be the radio location in the phone causing the issue. Just have to be conscientious of how I hold the phone.
To compensate I cranked up the TX power on my router a little bit which has helped. I run dd-wrt on it though so I have that option. Not sure what your firmware gives you access to in your Asus router. I have heard Padavan's custom firmware is a good option if you want to do more than what the stock firmware gives you access to.
jazee said:
I spent much of Thanksgiving (sadly) testing the WiFi on this phone using WiFi Analyzer and speedtest at locations all over my house. I compared results with an iPhone 3GS Iphone 4 and Samsung Series 6 notebook. The One X (+) was terrible. At times it performed well but in the exact same location, the next time it would perform dismally. Very unpredictable and erratic and I found out why!
** THERE IS A 20+ dbm DROP IN SIGNAL WHEN HOLDING THE PHONE IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND! **
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get a similar drop, but more along the lines of 10 dbm.
Try keepalive from playstore
Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk 2
Same WiFi issue
I'm having the same issue as jazee (OP). I browse on my WiFi and then when I click on a link, I just hold the phone in my fingertips (not palm) and the signal jumps up and page loads.
Assuming olorolo's on to something here and there is an app to fix it... I'm heading to the play store to see what I can find like "Keepalive" as recommended. This is my first foray into Android though, so I can't help but wonder if you guys are already ahead of me. Any luck yet fellas?
Yes if you hold phone below volume rocker, or sideways, or even in palm with right instead of left hand, you can mostly mitigate the signal drop.
I'm happier on S3 except having to go back to ICS 4.0.4 and wait for JB 4.1. No wifi issues, much better battery usage, and no could pegged at times by Beats trying to scan my 2800 mp3 files in the background for some reason. Could tell as HTC gets HOT and then battery plummets. Brand new phone. Maybe some issues to work out?
Oh and I love having 2GB Ram for multitasking better. Would have hot S3 initially if I realized US ver had 2GB ram like new Nexus 4.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Looks like a case helps
jazee said:
Yes if you hold phone below volume rocker, or sideways, or even in palm with right instead of left hand, you can mostly mitigate the signal drop.
I'm happier on S3 except having to go back to ICS 4.0.4 and wait for JB 4.1. No wifi issues, much better battery usage, and no could pegged at times by Beats trying to scan my 2800 mp3 files in the background for some reason. Could tell as HTC gets HOT and then battery plummets. Brand new phone. Maybe some issues to work out?
Oh and I love having 2GB Ram for multitasking better. Would have hot S3 initially if I realized US ver had 2GB ram like new Nexus 4.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just so happened to have got my case in the mail today -- Ballistic SG -- and with it the WiFi drop is much less (more like 10dBm). I kept scanning with WiFi Analytics and no matter how I held it in my hands, I could never reproduce the -80dBm I was getting, no case, in the palm of my hand in the exact same spot.
For what it's worth anyway, it seems like the half centimeter of case is helping. I never would have noticed if I bought the case on day 1.