Poor Android phone signal - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Ok, I'll try to get to the point as simply as I can...
I live on the moors, signal is awful, o2 (UK) is the ONLY network to have any reception at home, yes we have tried others, nothing else works!
Now, over the past 3+ years we've discovered a pattern, all android phones have had unbelievably bad reception. My cousin has just bought a new Moto X force (droid turbo 2 in us) and seeing as the antenna is on the outside like the s6, HTC etc we had hoped for the signal to be good (and that Motorola have been playing with aerial tech longer than most) but it is almost unusable.
The annoying thing is that my uncle's iPhone 4s is brilliant, almost as good as some of the old "dumb" phones, it just works, OK no way does it get full signal, but by far enough to make calls and text, where as 90% of the time the other android phones have nothing. I'm NOT comparing "bars" here, I'm comparing one having signal, and one not.
Now, we have tried this list of phones, and they're all pretty much the same
HTC wildfire
HTC Desire
HTC Desire HD
Nexus S
Nexus 4
Nexus 5
Nexus 6
LG G3 < the worst signal by far
Moto g (2013) < best out of the list
Moto X Force
I have before now tried different basbands on a couple, phone cases off, cases on etc but cannnot figure for the life of me why the iPhone just works so much better than everything else. Any suggestions? What android phone has the best radio? I'm just lost and need answers :/
And just to point out, I am not biased toward IPhone, never personally owned one, and never will.
Inb4:
Why don't you get a signal booster
Why don't you use WiFi calling - we live on a huge farm, wouldn't work
It's just a placebo - No, it really isn't, next to each other in a weak area, one has signal and can make calls, one cannot.
Dave

Related

Signal speculation

Hope it has improved signal over the S3 and no dreaded Message Not Sent when I in full 3g/4g coverage..
I'm hoping the global radio in the Note 2 is outstanding... as this maybe my next phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD
Its Samsung so I'm sure the signal will still be lacking compared to moto and HTC. I hope they figured it out as this looks like an awesome phone. Going to wait and see how it ends up before buying.
It probably won't be as good as a Moto phone, however, it may be similar to HTC phones and other Samsung phones. And for anyone saying HTC has a much better signal than Samsung, I've had 3 Samsung phones now, and I have had service places that a DInc2 showed service but couldn't do anything, and have also had reported signal as good as other HTC phones in the same location. I would imagine that the service on the Note 2 would be similar to the SGS3 on VZW.
Agreed hope its improved over the S3
imnuts said:
It probably won't be as good as a Moto phone, however, it may be similar to HTC phones and other Samsung phones. And for anyone saying HTC has a much better signal than Samsung, I've had 3 Samsung phones now, and I have had service places that a DInc2 showed service but couldn't do anything, and have also had reported signal as good as other HTC phones in the same location. I would imagine that the service on the Note 2 would be similar to the SGS3 on VZW.
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You're all over the note 2 forums imnuts! Does this mean you will be picking one up? :thumbup:
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
magneticzero said:
Hope it has improved signal over the S3 and no dreaded Message Not Sent when I in full 3g/4g coverage..
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I've never had a problem with by reception at all. I usually always have full bars on 4g if not 3 bars
Tap'n
techgov8 said:
I've never had a problem with by reception at all. I usually always have full bars on 4g if not 3 bars
Tap'n
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Same here. I've been incredibly surprised by the good reception I've had with the S3. It's not quite up to Motorola standards, but it's pretty close to HTC and much better than any other Samsung phone I've had on Verizon. My only complaint has been that it tends to stick with 3G in weak 4G areas more than my recent devices from Motorola and HTC. But I'm guessing that was done on purpose in an attempt to avoid drops when switching back and forth.
I'm always hoping for an improvement, but if the reception is as good as the reception on the S3 has been for me, I'll be happy.
mypantsaretorn said:
You're all over the note 2 forums imnuts! Does this mean you will be picking one up? :thumbup:
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Click to collapse
I have three stipulations, but it pretty much all hinges on one, and that is the phone must be unlocked. Without that, I don't really care about to much else.
imnuts said:
I have three stipulations, but it pretty much all hinges on one, and that is the phone must be unlocked. Without that, I don't really care about to much else.
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All other Verizon LTE devices with global capabilities have been unlocked for GSM use, as well as for LTE use (although Verizon's LTE bands aren't widely used). I'd expect the Note 2 will be the same.
Anyone knows of a review or reviews comparing Samsung radio receiver sensitivity?
I had never found one, it seems like reviews are written by by newbie reviewers with master degree in English, Communication, or Comp-sci. None of them ever worked with front end radio receivers even just for once in their whole life and completely ignorant of them.
This is a huge problem that I have with my GSIII, I get terrible reception, I'm currently living in the country and my friends with the RAZR Maxx get 4g while I can barely hold onto 3g and going into the basement is absolutely zero service. It's terrible. I had better reception with my Galaxy Nexus than I do with the GSIII. I wish something could be done.
AndrewH05 said:
This is a huge problem that I have with my GSIII, I get terrible reception, I'm currently living in the country and my friends with the RAZR Maxx get 4g while I can barely hold onto 3g and going into the basement is absolutely zero service. It's terrible. I had better reception with my Galaxy Nexus than I do with the GSIII. I wish something could be done.
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Click to collapse
Sounds like you have a defective unit as I haven't heard of anyone that got worse reception with the SGS3 than they did with the Galaxy Nexus.
imnuts said:
Sounds like you have a defective unit as I haven't heard of anyone that got worse reception with the SGS3 than they did with the Galaxy Nexus.
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Unfortunately, I bought the phone from a friend, he bought it and decided he preferred Motorola phones, so I got it cheap. Not sure if Samsung would still honor the warranty or not? And yes, I got way better signal with the Nexus in generally every place I frequently go, much more consistent. That's my ultimate worry about the Note II, if it's just like the GSIII then I'm not sure I want it.
AndrewH05 said:
Unfortunately, I bought the phone from a friend, he bought it and decided he preferred Motorola phones, so I got it cheap. Not sure if Samsung would still honor the warranty or not? And yes, I got way better signal with the Nexus in generally every place I frequently go, much more consistent. That's my ultimate worry about the Note II, if it's just like the GSIII then I'm not sure I want it.
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Why do you think your friend sold it cheap..ha ha jk. Sounds like a defective one. Or you may need a new SIM card. Sg3 signal is much better than gnex. Good luck
AndrewH05 said:
Unfortunately, I bought the phone from a friend, he bought it and decided he preferred Motorola phones, so I got it cheap. Not sure if Samsung would still honor the warranty or not? And yes, I got way better signal with the Nexus in generally every place I frequently go, much more consistent. That's my ultimate worry about the Note II, if it's just like the GSIII then I'm not sure I want it.
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I also wanted the new Samsung note mainly for the screensize and I also noted the problems you encountered which is very common with Samsung phones.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4686/samsung-galaxy-s-2-international-review-the-best-redefined/11
"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."
The quoted note above meant the the reviewer had little experience with signal processing and didn't know typical "compressed dynamic range" signal processing usage.
In the last 30+ years "compressed dynamic range" signal processing is use to bring actual usable dynamic range above spurious background noise for processing. ie, typical hacks avoiding the problematic spurious background noise instead of fixing unwanted spurious background noise problems causing lack of sufficient signal sensitivity.

Galaxy S III vs the Droid RAZR MAXX (only reception matters)

Alright so I'm purchasing a device for my uncle. If I was purchasing it for myself, the answer would be simple if it were for myself (Motorola can go **** itself after the way they treated my Bionic and my Droid 3) but he lives in the middle of no where and I mean the middle of no where. They only offer dial-up at his house and basically this phone is his only connection to the world and I'm certainly worried about radios and reception. I know that it all depends on the area overall but I'm hoping to get a general consensus of what will receive better reception.
I know that Motorola locks down their phones and I know that they are known for good reception but in my experience, a open phone means a better experience all-around but this really isn't a trade-off situation. I need a phone that will receive 3G, he'll never receive 4 bars or anything like that but even 1 or 2 would be a much needed improvement.
If any of you guys live out in the boonies or anything like that, please let me know what your experience is. Here is a somewhat general area of where he lives. Just look at the map and you'll see what I mean.
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=ashf...chrome,mod=15&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl
MAXX, 1: moto radios will always be top in my book htc being a close second(in the days of the wide open radios maybe tied but i digress) and for a phone that will be light on signal you will need the battery to withstand the beating of a phone looking for a signal, standard batteries do not apply in bad signal zones lol as battery-life is first to take a toll

coming from gnexus how is the signal?

I have an upgrade starting today, have original gnexus that came out almost 2 years ago. I love the phone but the signal is horrendous 3g/4g doesn't matter.
This phone looks great, to be honest not sure what phone to get, I don't care about rooting or upgrading rom's just don't have time for that need a phone that works.
Between the ones I have.. Ive got a 515.09 and .10 and both on LTE here average around -86-90 dbm , 3-4 bars all day
Sitting at -89 on my Note 3 right now, in my area I don't really notice a difference in signal
NeoMagus said:
Between the ones I have.. Ive got a 515.09 and .10 and both on LTE here average around -86-90 dbm , 3-4 bars all day
Sitting at -89 on my Note 3 right now, in my area I don't really notice a difference in signal
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so not major differences? Maybe i just got a bad gnexus, but I did exchange a few times right now sitting at -93 to -103 in 3g with 2 bars
with 4G I have one bar with -111
I just know compared to my daughters iphone she has much better signal then my gnexus, so I know something is up with this phone.
How is the camera on the note3 compared to gnexus? Is it better at least? I know it a cell phone, but gnexus camera was hit and miss.
I've never had an issue with the signal on either of mine .. might be a fringe area as well .. chances are though if its bad with the 515 it'll be bad with the Note.
Camera wise, jmo but I dont really like the Note 3's camera. Shots dont turn out well on mine often I liked how fast the GNex instantly snapped shots and I do prefer AOSP over TW
NeoMagus said:
I've never had an issue with the signal on either of mine .. might be a fringe area as well .. chances are though if its bad with the 515 it'll be bad with the Note.
Camera wise, jmo but I dont really like the Note 3's camera. Shots dont turn out well on mine often I liked how fast the GNex instantly snapped shots and I do prefer AOSP over TW
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Thanks really torn, would have liked to just go to nexus 5 but I am stuck with verizon.
Choices really s4, note3, LG G2, or htc one or i guess that new htc max
Out of those any idea which has the best signals? I know this might be wrong forum to ask about other phones but not sure where to ask
Motorola phones are generally regarded as having good radios, but I personally haven't used one since the Bionic
The note 3 is the greatest phone on the market.
Signals are amazing.
Camera is amazing.
Battery is amazing.
Screen is amazing.
Speed is amazing.
It's only flaw is the lack of AOSP.
And if you ask most of us here, you will find that many of us agree AOSP on this device is a Downgrade.
You lose out on so many features.
With that being said.
You'd be a fool to buy any other current phone for Verizon.
(Maybe the exception for the LG G2)
I just got the note 3 and had come from the thunderbolt. Signal was better on the bolt unfortunately but when the signal is good man does the note fly.
Edit: 3g is always strong but when you get stuck on 1 to 2 bars on 4g the phone will just sit there sometimes.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
barrackOBAMA said:
The note 3 is the greatest phone on the market.
Signals are amazing.
Camera is amazing.
Battery is amazing.
Screen is amazing.
Speed is amazing.
It's only flaw is the lack of AOSP.
And if you ask most of us here, you will find that many of us agree AOSP on this device is a Downgrade.
You lose out on so many features.
With that being said.
You'd be a fool to buy any other current phone for Verizon.
(Maybe the exception for the LG G2)
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Click to collapse
After several devices, and trying CM variants since I dunno.... CM8 or CM9, I am worm out on AOSP. The signal specifically is always worse on AOSP than stock Touch wiz.
OP, I've been through the Fascinate, Charge, GS3 and now the Note 3. It seems to me (at least in terms of Samsung radios) that they finally got it right. I get better signal with the N3 than the GS3 which wasn't very old really. Both wifi and 4G. In places where I used to barely get any signal or the sporadic 1xRtt data I get a marginal 3G signal. That's good for the place I test it weekly which is like a Faraday cage. Most people in class with me have zero signal. For reference on AOSP on my GS3 I would have nothing there, zero, even texts fail there.
Last night I did a test with the wifi radio. I walked outside my place nearly 100 ft and was STILL getting usable signal using the 5ghz band of my router (Netgear WNDR3700) which to be fair has a lot to do with that test. I could have switched to the 2.4ghz band for improved range but in between these two apartment buildings I am probably picking up on 30 routers at once so 5ghz gives me much better SNR. It's noticeably improved over the GS3 as far as wifi.
All in all I am very happy with reception considering it's a Samsung. I put it nearly on par with coworkers Motorola Razr Maxx and similar handsets. Keep in mind I am in a very well established heavily covered LTE market metro area. You I think you still have a 14 day trial period with Verizon, why not give it a try.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
I was in a similar situation - loved the GNexus, other than poor signal as well as battery life. Stock ROM, also no time/interest in flashing ROM's, or even rooting.
The GN3 is a breath of fresh air. The battery life is incredible. I've only had it a month, and haven't done significant traveling, but the signal has just never been a problem. When I've tested it, it's been as good as my wife's Galaxy S4, which was clearly better than my GNexus.
The browsing experience with Chrome is also incredible - it seems as fast as my desktop loading pages and responsiveness (the GNexus wasn't bad, but this is dramatically faster). The display is gorgeous, and I love the size.
By a stroke of good fortune, it seems to work better with my BlueAnt S4 (visor-mounted bluetooth speaker device). It also works quite well with S-Voice, for truly hands-free operation when driving (I use Car Home Ultra with it).
So yes, for me at least, it simply works without me having to do much other than customizing appearance and apps. I have no regrets at all in going to the GN3 from the GNexus.
Probably best for the sticky here ...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2466108

How's The Signal Strength?

I really want to get this phone, but my main concern would be the signal strength. I have very poor cell signal where I work. Only the iPhone 4s and Galaxy S4 maintained an acceptable signal at work. Other phones seem to constantly switch between 4G-LTE, 4G, G, and even E. Anything below 4G being unusable.
So how is this phone when it comes to the signal strength? Anyone else out there have a similar issue as me, and found the HTC One (M8) to show great reception?
xT29c said:
I really want to get this phone, but my main concern would be the signal strength. I have very poor cell signal where I work. Only the iPhone 4s and Galaxy S4 maintained an acceptable signal at work. Other phones seem to constantly switch between 4G-LTE, 4G, G, and even E. Anything below 4G being unusable.
So how is this phone when it comes to the signal strength? Anyone else out there have a similar issue as me, and found the HTC One (M8) to show great reception?
Click to expand...
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I live in a dead spot for ATT coverage. My GS4 would only show 1-3 bars but the G4 LTE worked all the time. So far (one day) the One M8 shows about the same number of bars, and I've had no trouble with the connection. So bottom line (at least so far) I'd say it is equal in performance to the GS4.
HTH
Imo about the same as gs4, better than m7, WAY better than nexus 5. M8 WiFi better than any phone I have ever had.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

RF performance / antenna quality

Update: so I've had the phone for about a week now. All I have to say is that this phone has blown my expectations. I'm getting service in places my Nexus 5 never did. The phone always prefers LTE which is awesome. The nexus 5 always drops down to 3G and doesn't connect back LTE automatically. The oneplus X always stays on LTE and if drops to 3G, it switches back to LTE as soon as it picks it up again.
I guess it really has to do with antennas being integrated onto the metal frame. I would say reception is on par with the Galaxy S6 or LGG4 or a little better.
I'm considering getting this phone, however, I've never used a oneplus phone before. Can anyone comment on their RF performance in comparison to other phones. For example, G4 & S6 have really good RF performance, the iPhone 6 not so much. Where does oneplus fall?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
mawells787 said:
Hello,
I'm considering getting this phone, however, I've never used a oneplus phone before. Can anyone comment on their RF performance in comparison to other phones. For example, G4 & S6 have really good RF performance, the iPhone 6 not so much. Where does oneplus fall?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
It's really great, i always got 4G and every bars in France
mawells787 said:
Hello,
I'm considering getting this phone, however, I've never used a oneplus phone before. Can anyone comment on their RF performance in comparison to other phones. For example, G4 & S6 have really good RF performance, the iPhone 6 not so much. Where does oneplus fall?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's Snapdragon not MTK Gps is also working fine according a reply on OnePlus.net
Poor Reception
Hi,
today i got my X: great built quality so far, but it lacks reception.
On my HTC One M8 i got nearly double reception then with the 1+ X.
Anyone here could confirm that the reception is that poor?
Thank you
Chris
bytemission said:
Hi,
today i got my X: great built quality so far, but it lacks reception.
On my HTC One M8 i got nearly double reception then with the 1+ X.
Anyone here could confirm that the reception is that poor?
Thank you
Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it just the mobile network?
Could you look up the signal strength?
It is displayed under settings -> about the phone -> status -> Signal strength (in my Xperia S)
There is a dBm and an ASU value.
Could you compare them to your HTC One M8 and post them here?
I will check this also when my device arrives in the next days...

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