[Q] Time Without Signal Inaccurate? - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I'm not sure what other people have experienced, but I'm finding that my "Time Without Signal" % shown in the battery life breakdown seems to be wildly inaccurate.
To give some context, I sat with my phone in my hand and watched it sitting at "0 bars". I'm using quotes because while it was at 0 bars, it was a -109db signal. I confirmed I still had connectivity by placing a phone call to myself from my desk phone while monitoring the signal db strength. The call came through just fine, and without any delay either.
However, after refreshing the battery life screen, the Time Without Signal % had gone up directly related to the time it sat at 0 bars.
Yes, 0 bars is a pretty bad signal and a reality I've had to accept ever since I moved offices but it doesn't translate to no signal. There is a difference between the two, that's for sure.
Now, perhaps this is ROM-related? I am running bigxie's AOSP ROM, v5. (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1399238)
I'm also running franco's v7 kernel.
Anyone else with similar experiences?

Can you surf the web while at 0 bars? The 0 bars may be related to network bars and not cell signal.

miketoasty said:
Can you surf the web while at 0 bars? The 0 bars may be related to network bars and not cell signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried that yet, but it does show a data connection existing. I'll give it a try after lunch but regardless, doesn't that leave Time Without Signal as a relatively subjective measurement?

I was able to confirm that the data connection still works with 0 bars...

This is the case with other Samsung phones that I've owned. I've found that Samsung's reception quality is quite similar to Motorola's, but Samsung phones seem to be conservative when displaying signal bars.

I can confirm the same behaviour. Something isn't right.

Related

bad reception on sgn

I am on att wireless
I have noticed that in a low service area i get none at all.
However my wife on her iphone has 1/2 bars and my bro on his atrix also has 1/2 bars.
Anyone else having similar issues?
12/7 Update - More information on what I have attempted
Setting APNS for 4g on ATT
getting correct 4g data plan on account
New Sim cards
Replacement Galaxy Nexus
Different Roms
Stock Restore Rom
restore to default and install nothing
different radio
update to 4.0.1
Once the signal drops to almost unusable levels , the only way to get it back is either reboot the phone or toggle airplane mode. After that the signal returns to a solid 89-93 DBM. After roughly 30-60min it will then drop and I have to toggle it again. All other phones in my location have no problem including my iphone 4s with the exact same sim card.
I am in a decent location for signal. On the nexus reboot its at -89 dbm , my iphone 4s is at -87. The iphone stays that way and the galaxy nexus over time drops to -105 to -111.
Still no conclusion.
I only have problem with Wi-Fi where the reception is considerably weaker than any other device just around it.
aimetti said:
I am on att wireless
I have noticed that in a low service area i get none at all.
However my wife on her iphone has 1/2 bars and my bro on his atrix also has 1/2 bars.
Anyone else having similar issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bars mean very little, as devices have their indicators calibrated differently. You should be comparing signals, in dBm for a meaningful comparison.
The acid test, of course, is whether you can make and hold a call, and or send/receive data.
aimetti said:
I am on att wireless
I have noticed that in a low service area i get none at all.
However my wife on her iphone has 1/2 bars and my bro on his atrix also has 1/2 bars.
Anyone else having similar issues?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah kind of hard to gauge from bars. Nokia and motorola are known for excellent reception. Samsung not so much. They do seem to be improving on all fronts though, including wifi and gps.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.
I havent got too in depth with testing but its simple to see there is an issue. Everyone around me can make calls and i cant. Cell standbye taking up battery life as well and has been out of signal for a while
I'm seeing a similar issue.
When I have 2g only selected, I get 2 bars -98 asu 7. When I have it deselected I have no bars and signal is -111 asu 1.
Well ive had similar issues
Today I wiped phone and came back to initially 4/5 bars and download speeds of 4 down 1 up.
Then after about 10 min , right back down to 1/0 bars and 800 kbps down 200 up.
popped off back cover and then pulled sim , reset sim and then reboot. Again it initially came back with 4/5 bars with hsdpa. Again about 10 min later back down to 1/0 bars and a -113 dbm reading,
Then oddly enough i was in the status screen just watching it hover around -113 to -105 , it clicked to edge full 5 bars , then came back to 3G 4 bars and now at -93 dbm.
Does this sound at all normal? I havent changed location more than a few feet through all this. My wifes Iphone seems to be having 0 issues right next to me.
just watched it do it again.
Was at 1 bar went to 0 , got stuck on -113 dbm for about a minute or 2 clicked over to edge-2 -87 dbm then back to hsdpa -93 dbm
:/ i got no clue at this point
there is a video showing some of the issue
http://youtu.be/dbSAEHVcosI
aimetti said:
just watched it do it again.
Was at 1 bar went to 0 , got stuck on -113 dbm for about a minute or 2 clicked over to edge-2 -87 dbm then back to hsdpa -93 dbm
:/ i got no clue at this point
there is a video showing some of the issue
http://youtu.be/dbSAEHVcosI
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this at home or a place where you frequently are? If so, I would do one of two things (provided you want to keep the device):
Write an NFC tag that you can tap on your way in (and presumably on on the way out as well) that would switch you over to "2G only" (which it seems gives you a better signal), and back to 3G/3.5G on your way out the door. or...
Either write yourself, or wait for one to be written, a kernel that will throw more power to the radio (at the expense of battery life however- but if you are constantly searching for signal your phone is probably wasting a ton of battery right now anyways)...
ya i am at home.
My wife consistently gets 3 down 1 up on her 4s.
No one else seems to be having issues , perhaps mine is just defective?
this is what happens when i lightly grip phone
http://youtu.be/-eqlMUoeq_I
aimetti said:
ya i am at home.
My wife consistently gets 3 down 1 up on her 4s.
No one else seems to be having issues , perhaps mine is just defective?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe, but I can't think of a way to reliably test whether it is defective or not. My Samsung phones have always had lightly weaker radios than my HTC and Moto phones, and my sister's iPhone, so I will wager that it is just that in the name of battery life the radio is under-powered, which can be changed in the kernel. I was in a similar boat back when I was on T-mobile (right on the edge of service), and luckily someone had posted a custom ROM for the G1 that routed more power to the radios, and gave me just enough to hold a signal and use my wifi for data. Whatever that kernel in that ROM did, it gave me about 10 dbm difference. You might want to throw a request in the development section.
you can also try exchanging the device (if ever unhappy at all you should try to), but I am wondering if it will actually make a difference. Do you know someone with a recent Samsung phone like a SG2 (not LTE/Skyrocket) or maybe one of their Windows phones (I don't know what radios/speeds they use), to see if it gives similar results?
s.m.knipe said:
Maybe, but I can't think of a way to reliably test whether it is defective or not. My Samsung phones have always had lightly weaker radios than my HTC and Moto phones, and my sister's iPhone, so I will wager that it is just that in the name of battery life the radio is under-powered, which can be changed in the kernel. I was in a similar boat back when I was on T-mobile (right on the edge of service), and luckily someone had posted a custom ROM for the G1 that routed more power to the radios, and gave me just enough to hold a signal and use my wifi for data. Whatever that kernel in that ROM did, it gave me about 10 dbm difference. You might want to throw a request in the development section.
you can also try exchanging the device (if ever unhappy at all you should try to), but I am wondering if it will actually make a difference. Do you know someone with a recent Samsung phone like a SG2 (not LTE/Skyrocket) or maybe one of their Windows phones (I don't know what radios/speeds they use), to see if it gives similar results?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya , i was at my brothers house yesterday with no service at all.
My bro had an atrix with 1/2 bars and service.
my wife had an iphone 4 with 1/2 bars and service
and my sister in law had a galaxy s2 with 1/2 bars and service as well.
I had 0 at all.
The odd thing is , every time I reboot my phone it holds on to 4/5 bars at the location im at right now for a good 10 minutes , then flatlines.
aimetti said:
Ya , i was at my brothers house yesterday with no service at all.
My bro had an atrix with 1/2 bars and service.
my wife had an iphone 4 with 1/2 bars and service
and my sister in law had a galaxy s2 with 1/2 bars and service as well.
I had 0 at all.
The odd thing is , every time I reboot my phone it holds on to 4/5 bars at the location im at right now for a good 10 minutes , then flatlines.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what APN are you using? Use the same APN settings as your Sis-in-law's GS2- when my Nexus first came I noticed the APN did not match my Atrix and it would not hold an HSPA+ signal for long; I changed it to match the Atrix and speeds/holding towers has been much better. Try the APN thing.
The GN and GS2 would have the same radio chip (I would imagine), and be set to draw the same amount of power by the kernel. If the APN thing doesn't work then you might want to consider an exchange I guess, maybe it is defective
The fact that it flatlines AFTER 10 minutes (presumably after all the syncing is finished for the various apps and services) is suggestive of a sort of "demand" model- like maybe the device amps up the radio when it knows there will be a lot of need, then scales back when demand is less- or over compensates at first, then under compensates later after some sort of calibration? The ten minute thing sounds odd, but sounds like something software/firmware/kernel-based...
[Keep in mind that there is much speculation contained in that advice, the true test for defective or not would simply be another GN at the same location- as that is unreasonable we'll have to speculate. Also, if your sis-in-law comes back over, check her phone status for her signal strength (not bars but dbm and asu) and see if it matches yours. The bars that you see are a software representation of those two numbers, and can be modified to under represent the actual signal.]
I am using the default cingular 410 apn
ive been reading that if support put a 4g data plan on my phone that it could potentially cause data loss. Is that correct?
also changed to 2g only for now and have 5bars -81 dbm constant.
aimetti said:
I am using the default cingular 410 apn
ive been reading that if support put a 4g data plan on my phone that it could potentially cause data loss. Is that correct?
also changed to 2g only for now and have 5bars -81 dbm constant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I follow, if AT&T made your data plan a 4G data plan, it would interrupt your service?
I think you are asking if changing these APN settings will trigger something at AT&T, and they will "bump" you to a 4G plan- in which case I don't really know, I had to jump onto a "4G" plan when I got my Atrix. I think it would never reach that point though, when you set up the new APNs, that step where you touch the dot to select the HSDPA APN, it would default back to your cingular 410 apn if it were not able to connect (via SIM provisioning or whatever). If unavailable it wouldn't be connected at that rate to begin with.
How old is the data plan you are on (is it prior to the tiered plans)? If you are worried about the connection (APN) not matching the SIM, you could request a new (4G) SIM. Maybe stop in your local store, or call customer service and tell them you are thinking about buying a 4G phone, your friend's brother's uncle' pizza delivery boy's nephew has an unlocked phone you could test speeds with, could they switch out your old SIM for a newer 4G one to see if it will be worth your while at your house, then just pop in that new SIM, change the APN and away you go? (Or to be even less complicated take your old phone in with your old SIM, and just ask for a new SIM card, that yours isn't working right, and it should be a new 4G (not LTE) card...
Well, at least the phone is usable on the 2G band for you, and will save a lot of battery. Meanwhile we'll try to get you connected to an HSPA+ tower.
s.m.knipe said:
Not sure I follow, if AT&T made your data plan a 4G data plan, it would interrupt your service?
I think you are asking if changing these APN settings will trigger something at AT&T, and they will "bump" you to a 4G plan- in which case I don't really know, I had to jump onto a "4G" plan when I got my Atrix. I think it would never reach that point though, when you set up the new APNs, that step where you touch the dot to select the HSDPA APN, it would default back to your cingular 410 apn if it were not able to connect (via SIM provisioning or whatever). If unavailable it wouldn't be connected at that rate to begin with.
How old is the data plan you are on (is it prior to the tiered plans)? If you are worried about the connection (APN) not matching the SIM, you could request a new (4G) SIM. Maybe stop in your local store, or call customer service and tell them you are thinking about buying a 4G phone, your friend's brother's uncle' pizza delivery boy's nephew has an unlocked phone you could test speeds with, could they switch out your old SIM for a newer 4G one to see if it will be worth your while at your house, then just pop in that new SIM, change the APN and away you go? (Or to be even less complicated take your old phone in with your old SIM, and just ask for a new SIM card, that yours isn't working right, and it should be a new 4G (not LTE) card...
Well, at least the phone is usable on the 2G band for you, and will save a lot of battery. Meanwhile we'll try to get you connected to an HSPA+ tower.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for all the help really appreciate it.
Anyways a few things have happened since I last posted.
I had an iphone for the last 3 years. I went into ATT last week and got a normal 4g sim card in advance. Today I called my buddy who is a manager at a corporate store and he checked my account. Found that the lady had the wrong data on it. He ended up setting the sim to the 4g plan etc (which is unlimited)
I was able to add the ATT HSDPA apn and successfully connected to it. Prior to this I actually installed modaco's rom and restored everything.
At this point I am getting consistently 3 bars in my house (which is more than my wifes iphone 4s) on 4g.
Seems to be working much better now. The only other issue that remains is when I turn on WIFI. If i turn it on the cell reception goes to 1 bar or sometimes 0. I dont have the exact dbm values right now unfortunately. Calls and text still seem to go through however. Is it possible the wifi is drawing power designated for the radio?
Thanks again !
aimetti said:
thanks for all the help really appreciate it.
Anyways a few things have happened since I last posted.
I had an iphone for the last 3 years. I went into ATT last week and got a normal 4g sim card in advance. Today I called my buddy who is a manager at a corporate store and he checked my account. Found that the lady had the wrong data on it. He ended up setting the sim to the 4g plan etc (which is unlimited)
I was able to add the ATT HSDPA apn and successfully connected to it. Prior to this I actually installed modaco's rom and restored everything.
At this point I am getting consistently 3 bars in my house (which is more than my wifes iphone 4s) on 4g.
Seems to be working much better now. The only other issue that remains is when I turn on WIFI. If i turn it on the cell reception goes to 1 bar or sometimes 0. I dont have the exact dbm values right now unfortunately. Calls and text still seem to go through however. Is it possible the wifi is drawing power designated for the radio?
Thanks again !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, glad it worked out.
And possibly yes, depending on how the kernel relegates power wifi could "commandeer" a little from the cell radio, and reduce the dbm just enough to reflect in the "bars" algorithm.
perhaps a new radio will eventually come out that I can test.
either way seems to be at least in service now , signal definitely drops when i hold the phone but as long as I can make calls it should be fine.
aimetti said:
perhaps a new radio will eventually come out that I can test.
either way seems to be at least in service now , signal definitely drops when i hold the phone but as long as I can make calls it should be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in the meantime i'll suggest using the open signal widget https://market.android.com/details?id=com.staircase3.opensignal&hl=en
which will tell you the real reception in the phone, and see what you are getting behind those bars
don't expect to make a good call when the signal drops to -90 dbm and above
and if you have multiple phones like i do, then you can compare if other phone in the same spot, connected to the same tower, is having higher or lower dbm than SGN
for example my Nexus S had worse reception than my Milestone XT720.... go figure
AllGamer said:
in the meantime i'll suggest using the open signal widget https://market.android.com/details?id=com.staircase3.opensignal&hl=en
which will tell you the real reception in the phone, and see what you are getting behind those bars
don't expect to make a good call when the signal drops to -90 dbm and above
and if you have multiple phones like i do, then you can compare if other phone in the same spot, connected to the same tower, is having higher or lower dbm than SGN
for example my Nexus S had worse reception than my Milestone XT720.... go figure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I will try it out,
Overall i dont think the issue is fixed at all now. Went to bad and signal dropped all the way again. Stuck at -111 dbm. I held the phone i saw it switch to edge 5 bars and then click over to H 4 bars.
I really believe its some kind of software thing. If I cycle airplane mode on / off I get 4 bars (unknown dbm but its working) of 4g service. I know the service is here and working as my wifes iphone is fine but something is causing it to not hold the signal and eventually drop and not recover.
Makes no sense
Downloaded the app ,
Was at 42% signal strengh, I noticed when I picked up phone and lightly held it , it dropped right on down to 5% and got stuck there. This wasnt death gripping it either , barely holding it. Does anyone else have this issue or is it just mine? I know all cell phones have this issue but this seems excessive , worse than my iphone 4 ever was. I then cycled airplane mode again and signal strength went right up to 65% again -89 dbm

[Q] Low wifi signals

Has anyone noticed low wifi signal.
I tested standing next to my wifi router with my:
old HTC Desire: 100% wifi signal
new Galaxy Nexus: 70% wifi signal.
Walking a few steps back the Nexus drops to 50%, Desire stays at 100%.
Anyone else?
Same here, worst signal I've ever hand in a mobile for WiFi. Only really a problem when I'm quite far from the router with walls in between, still though, none of my other handsets had this problem.
neillh said:
Has anyone noticed low wifi signal.
I tested standing next to my wifi router with my:
old HTC Desire: 100% wifi signal
new Galaxy Nexus: 70% wifi signal.
Walking a few steps back the Nexus drops to 50%, Desire stays at 100%.
Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Was just searching for some update here from xda guys i'm sure i saw something in the past days.
me too, wonder if this is just a GN thing or affecting just some of the phones..... sigh.
cjeremy said:
me too, wonder if this is just a GN thing or affecting just some of the phones..... sigh.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think overall this is the worst reception I have ever had on a cell phone. Its really the first one thats ever given me a problem in my house. Constantly drops to 1 / 0 bars which is like -107 to -111 dbm but i pop in simcard into my 4s and its at -87 dbm. Same type of thing with wifi as well.
I have tried other radios and it seems that UGKK7 radio works best for me on ATT.
Ive tested the UGKL1 for just an hour or so and this one may be the best yet for me. TO early to tell though. I can say that im on full bars for both wifi and hspa for the first time at home with my GN. Just curious if it will hold though. Usually it ends up dropping and not recovering.

[Q] Random loss of T-Mobile network connection, not just data

Wondering if anyone else with a GSM GNex on T-Mobile is having random connectivity losses?
It's quite rare (that I see it at least) so it's hard to identify a source or pattern. It seems that at random, I'll turn on my phone and there will be NO phone connection. After the screen is on for 15 seconds, the connection restores with T-Mobile, followed by 3g etc. The signal is great in the same location, so I don't think it's poor network signal quality.
This is stock 4.0.1, rooted, but no other fancy stuff. I do have SetCPU with a conservative governor with screen off, 350-700 range.
Yes, although I am in the UK with TMo, I have seen signal strength fluctuate randomly on its own. I have also seen the signal strengths fluctuate when left overnight in the same place....
Sometimes I have only been able to get back the good signal only by rebooting the device, but yes, I have seen similar behaviour from this phone..
I can confirm this behaviour, however only with the combination of 4.0.3 and XXKK1. With XXKK6, this bug seems to be gone. Yet, the phone stays on H all the time and does not switch back to 3g when idling.
s1977 said:
Yes, although I am in the UK with TMo, I have seen signal strength fluctuate randomly on its own. I have also seen the signal strengths fluctuate when left overnight in the same place....
Sometimes I have only been able to get back the good signal only by rebooting the device, but yes, I have seen similar behaviour from this phone..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was wondering if anyone else had the "reboot to regain any signal" situation too.
I had recently done some Tmobile account changes to others in my family plan (not my own), so I was unsure if this was related.
GMH24 said:
I can confirm this behaviour, however only with the combination of 4.0.3 and XXKK1. With XXKK6, this bug seems to be gone. Yet, the phone stays on H all the time and does not switch back to 3g when idling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... continuous mobile signal = good. On H all the time = bad.
There's no way to win here! =P
waylo said:
Hmmm... continuous mobile signal = good. On H all the time = bad.
There's no way to win here! =P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Losing is not an option either!
We'll see how development progresses...
I get the same thing here also in canada on bell mobility, my signal will out of nowhere drop every bar.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
What radio are you on?
I get the same problem. The signal will just die and comes back a min or two later.
I flashed with the Baseband of I920XXKK1.
Franco kernal 3.0.8-franco.Kernel-4.0.3
Build IML74K.
GHM24 - are you saying I should update baseband to I9250XXKK6?
You are having good luck with that?

[Q] Question about signal and baseband

Hi all
I am in Germany Dresden.
I‘ve flash XXKL1 for two weeks, wifi works perfect but when I used 3G the signal sometimes drops and speed seems slow.
I find the signal strength in the setting, it is -101dBm 6asu. Does it means the signal isn't so good?
sorry for my bad English.
Is there anyone can help?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
-120 is the lowest signal the phone will display. It can still stay connected at values less than that, but it won't show you the reading. Voice will work great, but data will be intermittent and the data connection will drop often.
-60 or less is pretty much the strongest signal you're going to see in real life.
-100 is not great, but should still be useable. I'd expect data speed to be about 75% of what you'd get at full strength. The phone may keep switching from tower to tower every few minutes if you have several nearby.

[Q] LTE Signal improvements with 4.0.4?

LTE just when live in my town on Monday at for the past two days the bars fluctuated from 1-4 frequently when the phone was in the same location. Today I flashed AOKP B29 and have noticed my phone holding onto 4 bars without any drops all day even when I move around the office. Does this have to do with 4.0.4 or the fact they are probably still in the testing phase since it hasn't been officially announced
Ignore the bars, they're meaningless between OS versions. They can program the phone to give full bars in crappy signal, which is kind of what they did here, basically. You get more bars for the same level of signal. So you're not imagining things.
However, try not to use bars here. It's just not helpful, generally. Go into settings>about phone>status and give us the dbm readings from signal strength (you can ignore ASU, it's basically the same thing as dbm). That's far more relevant.
-92 dbm is what its showing right now. Doesn't seem to be moving from that number.
Now -88 is showing 2 bars
Does build 29 include new radios?

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