Location wrong without WiFi/GPS/Edge - HTC One X

Hey guys,
I tried searching on google but to no solution.
The problem is when I switch off all forms of data except cellular coverage, my location changes to a City where I'm not at. I went to that place maybe thrice since I got the phone.
My location in Maps, Weather or even location saved along when I take pictures will be that other/wrong location.
Its easily fixable by just starting one of the data services, but why should I even face it in the first place.
Its happened on all ROMs and wipes don't fix it. Done a full wipe twice from cwm.
My GPS works normally when I'm using maps, it takes about 30 seconds to get a lock on my location.
Any workaround or solution or fix? (except for not keeping data switched on all the time)
Thank You.
Cheers.

death__machine said:
Hey guys,
I tried searching on google but to no solution.
The problem is when I switch off all forms of data except cellular coverage, my location changes to a City where I'm not at. I went to that place maybe thrice since I got the phone.
My location in Maps, Weather or even location saved along when I take pictures will be that other/wrong location.
Its easily fixable by just starting one of the data services, but why should I even face it in the first place.
Its happened on all ROMs and wipes don't fix it. Done a full wipe twice from cwm.
My GPS works normally when I'm using maps, it takes about 30 seconds to get a lock on my location.
Any workaround or solution or fix? (except for not keeping data switched on all the time)
Thank You.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Location without GPS is online service. I hope that answers your question about "fixing" it.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

There's three things at play in plotting location: 1) GPS, 2), aGPS, and 3) Geo-location
GPS is the onboard chip functioning alone to pick up satellite signals and lock on them. You can test how well your GPS chip alone works by putting the phone in airplane mode and rebooting it.
All aGPS does is use a wireless signal (Wi-FI or cellular) to help the chip get its first lock faster. Once lock is established the chip is on its own.
From Wiki...
"Assisted GPS is a system which can, under certain conditions, improve the startup performance, or time-to-first-fix (TTFF) of a GPS satellite-based positioning system. It is used extensively with GPS-capable cellular phones as its development was accelerated by the U.S. FCC's 911 mandate making the location of a cell phone available to emergency call dispatchers."
Geo-location uses wireless signals alone to approximate position. Devices w/o a GPS rely on this for location based services.
From Wiki...
"Geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a radar, mobile phone or an Internet-connected computer terminal. Geolocation may refer to the practice of assessing the location, or to the actual assessed location."
Once the chip locks, it memorizes the position of the satellites. So if you had your wireless on to get first lock and then turned it off the chip is still using the satellite locations aGPS helped it find. If you want to test the performance of your chip itself reboot it in airplane mode. Download GPS Test from Play. It'll give you a much better picture of what's happening with your phone. I just tried it on mine and indoors it locked and got down to 15’ accuracy in less than a minute. Conditions affect performance but, at least outdoors, yours should do as well or better than mine. If it doesn’t, it’s a h/w problem.

tkolev said:
Location without GPS is online service. I hope that answers your question about "fixing" it.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BarryH_GEG said:
There's three things at play in plotting location: 1) GPS, 2), aGPS, and 3) Geo-location
GPS is the onboard chip functioning alone to pick up satellite signals and lock on them. You can test how well your GPS chip alone works by putting the phone in airplane mode and rebooting it.
All aGPS does is use a wireless signal (Wi-FI or cellular) to help the chip get its first lock faster. Once lock is established the chip is on its own.
From Wiki...
"Assisted GPS is a system which can, under certain conditions, improve the startup performance, or time-to-first-fix (TTFF) of a GPS satellite-based positioning system. It is used extensively with GPS-capable cellular phones as its development was accelerated by the U.S. FCC's 911 mandate making the location of a cell phone available to emergency call dispatchers."
Geo-location uses wireless signals alone to approximate position. Devices w/o a GPS rely on this for location based services.
From Wiki...
"Geolocation is the identification of the real-world geographic location of an object, such as a radar, mobile phone or an Internet-connected computer terminal. Geolocation may refer to the practice of assessing the location, or to the actual assessed location."
Once the chip locks, it memorizes the position of the satellites. So if you had your wireless on to get first lock and then turned it off the chip is still using the satellite locations aGPS helped it find. If you want to test the performance of your chip itself reboot it in airplane mode. Download GPS Test from Play. It'll give you a much better picture of what's happening with your phone. I just tried it on mine and indoors it locked and got down to 15’ accuracy in less than a minute. Conditions affect performance but, at least outdoors, yours should do as well or better than mine. If it doesn’t, it’s a h/w problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that was a very informative post.
Well I switched on GPS and put my phone in airplane mode and restarted. The Maps App keeps saying "Your current location is temporarily unavailable" and I can't figure how to use the GPS Test yet.

Okay, I did get a lock-on from the Maps and the GPS Test app. I went closer to my window lol . Now I'll see if my location comes up wrong.
Edit:Location came up accurate in weather.
Edit2:Location is accurate in a photo I clicked with everything off.
By accurate I hope you understand what I mean, when all the data goes off the phone should still think its in the place/location where it was when the data was on. Ii.e Surat in my case. But what used to happened before today(gps in airplane) was without data the phone will think its in Pune, which is a 12 hours drive from here.
I'm not the only one who's faced this, some say its a bug in sense :/
Anyways here's a thread I saw earlier
http://www.htconesource.com/forum/htc-one-x-discussion/1042-incorrect-location.html
The answers the guy gets are retarded.

To be sure, are you saying that when only on mobile data and relying upon that, you cannot get an accurate location down to 1 KM?
If so, this sounds like a software issue or a carrier issue.
If your GPS has poor reception then I would advise getting warranty repair. It might have the same issue as the Wifi antennas do.

Yeah just so you know pure GPS is line of sight, you have to have a clear view of the sky to work (no clouds either).
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

Hunt3r.j2 said:
To be sure, are you saying that when only on mobile data and relying upon that, you cannot get an accurate location down to 1 KM?
If so, this sounds like a software issue or a carrier issue.
If your GPS has poor reception then I would advise getting warranty repair. It might have the same issue as the Wifi antennas do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jonshipman said:
Yeah just so you know pure GPS is line of sight, you have to have a clear view of the sky to work (no clouds either).
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no.
My location when all services are on shows up fine. But say I have a weather widget and all my data services are off, instead of showing the location detected last when data services was on the widget and other settings will show another city.
I'll explain it with an example.
Lets have a hypothetical country with all the letters as its cities.
I stay in 'S' at present. I have visited 'P' and 'M' a couple of times but I'm back to 'S' now. On the occasion that my data services switch off, intentionally or because of weak coverage. Instead of showing 'S' as my location in the weather widget, app and geotag the phone will show 'P' which I had visited days ago.

Related

Google Maps 4.0 Unable to locate Satellites

I have downloaded the 4.0 update. Now I get a Weak GPS signal alert after it searches for roughly 10 minutes.
I have tried all Com0-9 ports, hard resets, and uninstalling/reinstalling Google Maps 4.0
I have the US Cellular HTC Touch Pro 2, WM 6.5 pro, running the standard ROM.
Is this a HTC hardware issue, Google Maps issue, or USCC tower issues??
I had no problem finding 8 - 10 satellites with the old version.
Using my Tilt2 with stock ROM, Google Maps 4.0 got a fix for me.
GPS is a piece of garbage for this phone, at least for me,
It just never worked again for me since the stock rom (always says seeking satellites 0)
Alos,
"My location" is always is in the same spot (I can be miles away and says i'm in the same place)
I haven't done any research on this two issues, maybe some has my problems too?
Well maybe you should try this.
After I flash a new rom to get gps to work I have to do this.
Run "htcGPStool"
Leave phone outside for about 3-5mins until it gets a lock. After that my gps locks in 30seconds or less
ps, the baud rate for the tilt 2 is 57600- com 4
try the link in my signature for the aGPS cab.
This enables aGPS and changes the servers from the public ones which are configured on HTC (and many other devices) by default to the nokia ones which are maintained better and lead to a faster lock.
After installing the cab, run and update/download QuickGPS and make sure you have a data connection enabled then either try google again or htcGPStool or any other gps utility and see how fast you get a lock then
initial lock might take up to a minute, but locks after that come almost instantly.
fone_fanatic said:
make sure you have a data connection enabled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why does one need a data connection for GPS? OK, for Google Maps, yes, but just getting a fix doesn't require one -- or does your CAB do something that /does/ require a data connection?
A while ago I read people enabling bluetooth to get GPS working. Yesterday I disabled the cellular phone and it looked like GPS was locking after this. Not a fix if you ask me anyways...
pistou said:
Why does one need a data connection for GPS? OK, for Google Maps, yes, but just getting a fix doesn't require one -- or does your CAB do something that /does/ require a data connection?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need a data connection for aGPS. GPS itself does not need one, but the a in aGPS stands for assisted where it uses your data connection to connect to a server to locate you more precisely.
(My understanding of this is that basically your device sends info to the server about which cell site towers are near you, the server uses this info to tell your device which satellites are best for your location, so your device isn't just looking for every sat. its looking for specific ones.)
Here's the wiki for aGPS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
Theres also a bunch of websites with more info regarding aGPS but its best to have your data connection enabled if you want to use aGPS.
gotwake424 said:
Well maybe you should try this.
After I flash a new rom to get gps to work I have to do this.
Run "htcGPStool"
Leave phone outside for about 3-5mins until it gets a lock. After that my gps locks in 30seconds or less
ps, the baud rate for the tilt 2 is 57600- com 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is "htcGPStool" QuickGPS on the programs list?? If not, explain thank you. As for the baud rate, etc... are you talking about the GPS hardware port? My settings say (none) and Baud rate: 4800???? This I have never messed with, could this be the problem??
ATT Tilt 2 w/ stock ROM...Loaded google 4.0 today with no connectivity issues. I normally able to locked my GPS signal in seconds.....
dataylor said:
Is "htcGPStool" QuickGPS on the programs list?? If not, explain thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, "HTC gps tool" is not the same as QuickGPS and it doesn't do the same thing.
AFAIK, QuickGPS talks to a server and gets info on where/what satellites should be visible for your location, your location determined from triangulation (or some kind of location) of nearby cell towers.
HTCGPStool uses the GPS functionality of your phone in some way that helps subsequent lock on satellites. Honestly, I don't know exactly what/how it does -- but it's not the same as Quick GPS.
MCbrian said:
No, "HTC gps tool" is not the same as QuickGPS and it doesn't do the same thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, where is htcGPStool??? Looked through the settings and have not found anything that directs me to HTC gps tool.
I have an "external GPS" icon that directs me to GPS settings allowing me to change GPS program ports, and the GPS hardware ports.
Brodie619 said:
ATT Tilt 2 w/ stock ROM...Loaded google 4.0 today with no connectivity issues. I normally able to locked my GPS signal in seconds.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awesome, It locates me just find just doesn't find any satellites. Then I get Weak GPS signal screen.
MCbrian said:
No, "HTC gps tool" is not the same as QuickGPS and it doesn't do the same thing.
AFAIK, QuickGPS talks to a server and gets info on where/what satellites should be visible for your location, your location determined from triangulation (or some kind of location) of nearby cell towers.
HTCGPStool uses the GPS functionality of your phone in some way that helps subsequent lock on satellites. Honestly, I don't know exactly what/how it does -- but it's not the same as Quick GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QuickGPS downloads the ephemeris data so that it can predict where the satelites are, which ones are visible, and which ones to use. From that data it is able to get a fix faster. There is no fix derived from ephemeris data, and any GPS will work without it. The GPS device in that case must basically just scan channels and listen for enough data to get a fix.
That all said; no problems here with Google Maps.. If I'm inside I'll often get a location approximation based on cell ID's and whatever goes on behind that location calculation and depending upon how the building is constructed I may or may not get a GPS signal eventually. For example my house, no problem, I might see the approximate location for 10s then the real GPS location. At work with heavy beamed roofs and several layers of metal between me and the sky I'll never get a signal inside except beside a window. If I'm outside, I nearly immediately get a GPS fix.
http://www.how-gps-works.com/glossary/ephemeris-data.shtml
As far as I know HTC GPS Tool does nothing except allow you to basically reset the GPS, ie: perform a warm or cold restart on it. Perhaps this will help, vs rebooting the phone, if GPS is not behaving. I very rarely will find the GPS is simply not functioning after a reboot.
This tool also might let you change the COM and BAUD but you would not likely need to do that on a phone with a built-in GPS. Even if you were using an external bluetooth GPS I'm not sure you'd want to change the COM/BAUD here, you'd simply use the COM port you set up with that bluetooth device.
That all said, the only time I don't get an immediate GPS fix in Google Maps is if I'm indoors. If I'm in a light structure, like my house, I'll get a cellular approximation for 10-20s. If I'm at work with many beams and much metal above me I'll never get a fix inside.
Let me try to be more specific.
1. When utilizing the app, it locates me within 3100 meters. (pressing the blue button, lower right hand corner)
2. After about 10 minutes of the upper right hand corner stating "seeking GPS satellites (0)" the screen gives me a Weak GPS signal message.
3. I have tried changing com 0-9 ports, with no luck.
4. GPS is enabled
5. I have hard reset the device and reloaded all my working apps.
6. I have uninstalled/reinstalled Google Maps 4.0
7. I have tried different locations throughout Northeast, WISCONSIN.
8. I have tried it while utilizing WIFI. No luck
9. I have tried the Bluetooth remedy. No luck
10. Waiting on replies from HTC, USCC, and GOOGLE.
11. XDA so far is the only place with anybody responding.
HTC Weather TAB
Just got done talking to a USCC tech rep.
He has stated that he is unable to give any technical help with the Google Map app. (no kidding sherlock) He was not even of any help when it comes to the GPS settings, but he did state I am the second person that he has talked to with the same problem.
Now to see how quickly HTC, or Google responds.
The only worry I have is not knowing if it is a hardware issue that should be corrected by HTC. I noticed the HTC WEATHER tab works fine. is this using the same GPS settings as the Google Map app??
also, I have been holding out on the aGPS cab posted earlier. If, and when, I use this fix I will post the results.
dataylor said:
Ok, where is htcGPStool??? Looked through the settings and have not found anything that directs me to HTC gps tool.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC GPS Tool is not a standard app. Some cooks include it in their custom roms. I don't have a link for it handy, but if you search on the forum boards for "HTC GPS Tool" you'll find it.
That said, I don't know how important it is anyway...
ok, talked to an HTC tech. We checked the settings and these where adjusted. Still nothing. Got rid of Google Maps and tryd BING, and still nothing. HTC TF3D Weather tab seemed to update just fine, this gave the tech a reason to dump me on MSN and Google. Do you really think BING and GOOGLE share some programming similiarities????
Did you run Quick gps? That did it for me when I first got my phone.
It is installed under the programs lists.
dataylor said:
ok, talked to an HTC tech. We checked the settings and these where adjusted. Still nothing. Got rid of Google Maps and tryd BING, and still nothing. HTC TF3D Weather tab seemed to update just fine, this gave the tech a reason to dump me on MSN and Google. Do you really think BING and GOOGLE share some programming similiarities????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think they both access GPS via WM. Maybe HTC Sense (Weather tab) directly access the GPS?

GPS is not Very good

The gps is not very good atleast it is not working very well in my phone.
I tried using cardio trainer. And the gps jumps about. Plus the gps signal shown is very low can anyone put their phone gps through the paces and then tell me should I ask for a replacement or its in all phones
Mines fine.
Mine works fine, GPS is actually pretty good as navigation tells you the road names..!
Dopedangel said:
The gps is not very good atleast it is not working very well in my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you clarify if you're talking about hardware or software?
And did you compare GS with other GPS at the very same time and place?
I too am seeing poor performance with the GPS. Seems to be a hardware issue.
I did a test over the weekend comparing my Galaxy S with a friend's HTC Desire. Using one of the many GPS utilities the Desire was consistently seeing and locking more satellites when stood in an open area outside. When running Google maps and showing the current location I found that the "accuracy circle" (for want of a better description) was growing and shrinking several times a minute causing the map to zoom in and out.
I've also noticed that the compass is almost unusable and showing a much lower signal compared to the Desire. I did perform the figure of 8 calibration several times.
Not tried the GPS yet, but I'm amazed how accurate network location is on this thing.
On my old G1 network location was laughable, but this thing knows pretty much exactly where it is without GPS.
MarvinTheAndroid said:
Not tried the GPS yet, but I'm amazed how accurate network location is on this thing.
On my old G1 network location was laughable, but this thing knows pretty much exactly where it is without GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably having wifi on? google can locate you more precise cause it has registered every wifi network during the streetview picture taking.
tommy34 said:
probably having wifi on? google can locate you more precise cause it has registered every wifi network during the streetview picture taking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, this is with wifi turned off.
tommy34 said:
probably having wifi on? google can locate you more precise cause it has registered every wifi network during the streetview picture taking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol what kind of anti-google propaganda have you been reading?
Google streetview cars collected data of open wifi networks.
Besides from the fact that google doesn't use the data (which it isn't allowed to have), there are by far not enough open wifi networks to find your location.
Also. You have to have at least 3 networks to be able to determine a location using wifi access points.
So the statement you just made is rubbish and ofcourse nonsense...
BasieP said:
Lol what kind of anti-google propaganda have you been reading?
Google streetview cars collected data of open wifi networks.
Besides from the fact that google doesn't use the data (which it isn't allowed to have), there are by far not enough open wifi networks to find your location.
Also. You have to have at least 3 networks to be able to determine a location using wifi access points.
So the statement you just made is rubbish and ofcourse nonsense...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont care about it, i like it.
hmm. just figured this because where i live there arent any open networks and with wifi on it knows my exact location. Without wifi it has a 1600 m radius.
The GPS seems to work flawlessly for me at least.
BasieP said:
Google streetview cars collected data of open wifi networks. Besides from the fact that google doesn't use the data (which it isn't allowed to have), there are by far not enough open wifi networks to find your location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google collected the SSID and MAC addresses for all of the wifi networks they found, with the explicit intention of using them as an additional source of location data. They also inadvertently collected more data from open networks, and that's what they're in trouble for.
googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/wifi-data-collection-update.html
yes and the new google navigation api in the i9000 and android appears to use this data as the damn thing turns on your wifi even when off when gps tries to get a fix!
lgkahn said:
yes and the new google navigation api in the i9000 and android appears to use this data as the damn thing turns on your wifi even when off when gps tries to get a fix!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can disable it in location settings then it wont look for wireless data
Dopedangel said:
you can disable it in location settings then it wont look for wireless data
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope it is disabled and try to get a gps fix.. wifi still comes on and then goes off.. not sure what it is doing.
I got mine and tested.
In the beginning I had a perfect fix on location. When I started moving, however, I experienced this "jumping around" issue with a huge loss of accuracy. The circle of accuracy was also changing constantly. I think I show something about the wifi seeing (or not being able to see - can't remember) some hotspots although my wi-fi was turned off.
Maybe indeed - the phone detects wifi networks even if the wifi as such is off and possibly compares it to an internal database (thus explaining the persistence of the problem even when the radio is off and the phone is not connected on the net).
Do you know any good free program that would allow me to get some test data - e.g. number of satellites / signal quality etc (unless there is already one somewhere in the interface - I am new to Android).
Can someone else run a test? Can some one run a test in an area where no wifi exists.
That's bad news,i'm really interested in this phone (money-forgiving for a while ),but i need great gps performances...
Evans_Prophet said:
Do you know any good free program that would allow me to get some test data - e.g. number of satellites / signal quality etc (unless there is already one somewhere in the interface - I am new to Android).
Can someone else run a test? Can some one run a test in an area where no wifi exists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try "GPS Test" its on the market for free. From my test the GPS is actually quite nice, several 18-25 SNR connections and a few 26-30 SNR ones ( When outside I even find one or two 31-40 SNR ones which is really great).
Anyway I notice that GPS had become far more accurate when I disabled the Wifi-location option. The only problem is that locking down takes some time ( about 10-20 seconds max) in my area.
kitsune223 said:
Try "GPS Test" its on the market for free. From my test the GPS is actually quite nice, several 18-25 SNR connections and a few 26-30 SNR ones ( When outside I even find one or two 31-40 SNR ones which is really great).
Anyway I notice that GPS had become far more accurate when I disabled the Wifi-location option. The only problem is that locking down takes some time ( about 10-20 seconds max) in my area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok - i will test with that and revert..
By the way, in my wm6 Touch HD there was a utility called quickgps which would download data from server instead of having them downloaded from a satellite with a low speed connection. This increased speed of cold lock. Furthermore there was also another option to enable assisted gps (not sure whether this was different from the quick gps application and what this did exactly). I wonder whether these application / features are automatically enabled in our case.
Evans_Prophet said:
I got mine and tested.
In the beginning I had a perfect fix on location. When I started moving, however, I experienced this "jumping around" issue with a huge loss of accuracy. The circle of accuracy was also changing constantly. I think I show something about the wifi seeing (or not being able to see - can't remember) some hotspots although my wi-fi was turned off.
Maybe indeed - the phone detects wifi networks even if the wifi as such is off and possibly compares it to an internal database (thus explaining the persistence of the problem even when the radio is off and the phone is not connected on the net).
Do you know any good free program that would allow me to get some test data - e.g. number of satellites / signal quality etc (unless there is already one somewhere in the interface - I am new to Android).
Can someone else run a test? Can some one run a test in an area where no wifi exists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can also be a problem of google navigation beta?? Did anyone try another gps navigator?
i felt the same thing about GPS, as it is not that good , as there's no wi-fi Google can detect hear. the performance was not that good at all!.
but tonight i used the GPS without the Wifi (i turned it off) and for a surprise the performance was amazing, I was with my friend in his car watching the road as he drive and watching the google map in my phone and was very good indeed.
that's strange!.

GPS receiver chip is not the cause of the problem

Guys,
According to this site, the problem with the GPS is the software Google Maps
Read this:
http://samsungi9000galaxys.com/galaxy-s-gps-review-sygic-gps-signal-and-gps-lock-times/
So it seems that using other Navigation software gives very good GPS performance.....
But how come using the GPS TEST software also shows that the GPS is loosing sattelites lock and erratic performance? I mean if the cause of the problem is the Google Map, testing the GPS receiver using GPS TEST should show good signal lock and stable reception isnt it?
widjaja74_us said:
Guys,
According to this site, the problem with the GPS is the software Google Maps
Read this:
http://samsungi9000galaxys.com/galaxy-s-gps-review-sygic-gps-signal-and-gps-lock-times/
So it seems that using other Navigation software gives very good GPS performance.....
But how come using the GPS TEST software also shows that the GPS is loosing sattelites lock and erratic performance? I mean if the cause of the problem is the Google Map, testing the GPS receiver using GPS TEST should show good signal lock and stable reception isnt it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a software setting: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=7281059
Other android devices have the same problem with a wrong setting.
Its not true, I tried google maps, co-pilot and NDrive and all gave really, really crappy gps performance. Upgrading to JG5 firmware has improved things a lot but its still pretty unusable for me.
You know I was just about to post that I think the issue is with google maps and not the phone. If I apply the ntp europe fix my gps locks very quickly and stays locked to within 16 feet in gps test when driving about.within google maps navigation the performance remains as shocking. Arrrggghhh!
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
I wish i could help testing the phone with different GPS/navigation software to validate the analysis, but I already sold my phone last week out of desperation due to the the GPS problem and lag problem and phone freeze problem and signal drop problem when you hold it a certain way....
but i love the design, size of the screen, the thinness of the phone and the super amoled display.....
Ouch...
Why did you not return your phone instead? I have never had my SGS freeze and I have never been able to drop a call by cupping the antenna, altough the signal strength does go down, wich it will on ALL phones with built in antennas since you are shilding the antenna... ( NOT SAME AS IPHONE4 design flaw where you shortcircuit 2 different antennas and that part seems particulary hard to grasp for some on this forum....)
But, to get on subject again, the GPS has been bad, that is for sure and I hope this is a step in the right direction.
Its clear that testing the gps is waaay too subjective and subject to too many factors. Applications have no effect on the gps performance.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
My gps has been working perfectly with 3 firmwares.. it's much faster then the one on my old iphone 3G
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
My GPS seems to be very hit and miss, but it has worked on the several occasions that I have really needed it (getting lost).
And widjaja why are you still shambling about this forum when you sold your phone? get back under your bridge.
Once again, another thread started because someone made one change, tested it and it worked, then posted how great it was. Trouble is since the GPS can work fine for days on end, and then not work for days on end, these supposed cures are pretty much all wrong.
The GPS doesnt work, and so far there hasnt been a public explaination as to why, just lots of guesswork, and no fix has been released (in any of the firmwares available today). It's coming, but its not here yet.
TravUK said:
Once again, another thread started because someone made one change, tested it and it worked, then posted how great it was. Trouble is since the GPS can work fine for days on end, and then not work for days on end, these supposed cures are pretty much all wrong.
The GPS doesnt work, and so far there hasnt been a public explaination as to why, just lots of guesswork, and no fix has been released (in any of the firmwares available today). It's coming, but its not here yet.
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Click to collapse
Seems some phones work some dont.On jf3 my gps was shocking but on jg5 it has always been spot on with google navigation and co pilot and ive tested it a lot in all weathers.It has never lost lock and is always bang on with position.I even tested google maps satalite view in the car parked next to a tree and it had me right next to the tree-within 10 feet accuracy.I dont change any settings just leave it on whatever settings jg5 uses.Im in england if that makes any difference
Found a fix on another forum and its been working pretty well for me.
Enter *#*#1472365#*#* in the dialer to enter GPS settings and change the following:
Application Settings:
Operation Mode - MS Based
Use SkyHook - ON
Accuracy - 30
SUPL/CP Settings :
Server - supl.google.com
Server Port - 7276
SUPL Secure Socket - OFF
I was having problems with 3G and WIFI with these settings at first, so I left Operation Mode on Standalone and Skyhook OFF. Works great now. Just tested it and got 9 satellite locks and 5 in use.
source: http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=568&t=1661500&r=2&last=21080924
I'm in Hong Kong btw running local JF7 firmware. Hope this helps.
I'm almost convinced that most of the problems people are having is down to google maps. I'm not saying that tweaking the settings as people have, inc me, doesn't improve maters, but I believe there is an underlying compatibility issue between google maps and the galaxy which is making the issue seem worse than it is.
If I leave gps test running while driving I get at worst a lock down to 32 feet, speed is accurate and never lose lock even when on roads totally covered with big wet trees. It looks spot on.
Google maps navigation can't even get me in an accurate position when stationary, start driving and its bloody awful jumps all over the place and sometimes doesn't even move for 30 seconds after I've pulled away from a junction.
I've updated my supl settings to use google (manually edited the conf file, I don't use the hidden menu screen because even if you change nothing it makes changes to the conf file on exit, delete the file and reboot to refresh it) and updated my ntp settings to use europe.
In the jg5 rom google maps is built in, so I can't reinstall it or seem to be able to clear the cache to see if that helps in anyway.
It wouldn't surprise me if any gps fixed rom released by samsung contains a tweaked version of google maps that works.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

A-GPS?

Hi,
is a-gps really working for you? Very inaccurate. Is it working only with wi-fi on? Is there any ROMs available that have this fixed?
Mine is working like charm... I do have to let it do its magic for 5 seconds though but that is logical
How accurate is it when you are inside of a building? With Google Maps for example...
Pretty good if I'm close to a window!
Otherwise how could it check for satellites?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS
No need to be close window...so I assume that it doesn't work for you either.
Here's my friends findings:
http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/jorimak/where_demo.htm
I assume that's problem of the network in finland. For me it's like this, in-car I get circle smaller then the car, so it actually points on my body. With wi-fi a-gps it does... the same.
At home with wi-fi only I get circle as big as my home or the village I am in. (smaller then the Nokia N95 circle on your friend's pic). With a-gps I get basically my room.
Or may it be the GPS chip in the phone has less satellites encoded in finland then CZE
GPS receivers rely on line of sight to get a lock on the satellites. So if its cloudy or you're in a building, the chances of getting an accurate lock are less and will take a lot longer. A-gps (assisted-gps) uses the wireless networks (wifi and mobile network) around it to help get a fix faster but with no real GPS lock it won't be accurate which is why you get the GPS circle to he the size of your village or room because that is the most accurate position that the GPS has managed to get via triangulation without a proper GPS lock.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
So why there's a huge difference between HTC and Nokia? Same network, same location, just different phone.
Page has been updated with static pictures: http://kotisivu.dnainternet.net/jorimak/where_demo.htm
oh I forgot, have you tried google earth? It does a lot better A-GPS for me
HTC support replied: "Our analysis shows that in certain situations, your phone will not be able to locate exactly the location from your friends. We will consider this function in future HTC phones".
So, the feature is just not there. Wonder how to use for example Footprints inside big mall? Or is this still software related problem and we should ask Goole to fix it...I will ask for HTC if they can tell.
Haven't tried GEarth yet.
try it, it's much more better.
Tried,makes no diffence here
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
well next time you'll be on vacation somewhere in asia HTC will own nokia, so ;-)
Are there any agps settings on the Desire? On my N96 and N97 I can setup AGPS-Servers. Getting a gps fix on Nokia usually takes me around max. 5 seconds. Using my Desire approx. 5 minutes. Can't believe the difference is that much.
Ok, Symbian is crap compared to Android, but really, gps rules on Symbian...
yeah there must be some settings but I dunno where...
I have owned the first N95 since 2006 and the 8GB I still own. The A-GPS is far superior on the Desire IME. I use it daily during driving, walking, running, with nru and it is just superior on multiple domains. It is the first mobile GPS that has been practically usable for me. However, I don't use Latitude and I think your problem is more with how the A-GPS functions with this app than the A-GPS itself.
I've just tried it indoors where I'm getting 1 bar network reception, HSPDA running, WiFi disabled and from enabling the GPS, it took 17 seconds on GMaps to get a fix on me ~8m outside from where I'm actually sitting. Pretty darn accurate, but obviously antipode to what you're experiencing.
-----------------------------------
- Sent via my HTC Desire -
Htc support told that the feature is missing from Android OS,so we should ask Google to add it.
I think there is something like SYSTEM/ETC/GPS.CFG where you can define servers,but that requires rooting I guess.
Not that big issue for me,but my friend is more upset.
Otherwise,gps is great,fast fix etc.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
how to use A-GPS on Laptop
Hi all,
In HTC desire built in A-GPS to know your position on maps. I have a situation if I want to use A-GPS on mobile to become positioning system like GPS on my laptop ???? help me, how to use
Ok, so if you go to your settings and go to locations there should be a setting that says use wireless networks (wifi or network access) pretty much assisted GPS right there. Don't get semantic on me here.
In my experience I've had no issues and get a very fast lock, better than my gf's Nokia N97 which can take upto and sometimes over 10 minutes to get a lock and that is with WiFi and network assistance
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App to locations

[Q] Difference Between VZW Location Services and Google Location Services

What is the difference between VZW Location Services and Google Location Services?
Thanks,
Jeff
Not to be a smart ass but ones from VZW and ones from Google. Lol, I'm pretty sure thats the only difference.
cmlusco said:
Not to be a smart ass but ones from VZW and ones from Google. Lol, I'm pretty sure thats the only difference.
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That was fairly obvious!
Been reading up on it myself and google brought me here. Thought I may learn something new. So Far I have learned:
VZW Location Services provides location data to phone/apps via Cell Towers (Useful if indoors), GPS location data when a clear line of sight to sky is available (Will use more battery power as it is a seperate chip/component) and Google Location services uses a Wifi Network "Guesstimate" (the least accurate of all three). What it comes down to is accuracy and battery life/usage.
Go with vzw services if you want accuracy and little battery usage, however if you keep wifi on allot (or have eg Juice Defender Installed) use Google. Most of time I use Google. I am however on the paranoid side as it is. I read where a Verizon Tech stated that you can be located within 2-10seconds with that enabled. However if I were up to no good I would simply remove battery, just bothers me my phone company knows where I am. They sell that data possibly more, yet do I get a discount for that?
I only use GPS when driving.
I think you've got it a bit mixed up. There's a few ways our phones can get location information.
Think of it this way.
--- satellite GPS = Your phone connects with satellites to determine the location. It can pinpoint your location within feet if it has a good enough lock. You can still get locks indoors, and yes it does use a considerable about of battery if you use it continually. If it only turns on for about a minute just to get a single lock on your location, it really has no impact on battery. If you run it for 20-30mins+ is when you start to notice. You have the option to completely turn this off if you want. Really it's best to keep it on, because your phone will not actually turn it on and use it unless an app tells it to (like navigation).
--- WIFI GPS = Your phone can determine your location by using the WiFi the same way you can go to http://www.geoiptool.com/ on your desktop and it can get a generic idea of where you're at (usually not more specific than the city you're in). Google likes to use this because it needs some sort of location information so it can best provide searches and advertisements. This is the least accurate. This also has an option to be turned off.
--- assisted GPS or aGPS = your phone uses the network you're on (in this case, Verizon) and it can give a rough estimate by triangulating your position through nearby cell towers.
It's called assisted GPS because it actually helps the 'satellite GPS' by letting the satellites know the general area of where you're at, so it can get a lock quicker and with less battery.
Assisted GPS does not require any additional battery or wait time because your phone is already connecting with those towers just by having a signal (the more towers in your area, the smaller area it can guess you're at)
When you first start up a GPS application (or if you disable the 'satellite GPS'), you'll see a circle around a very wide area. This is what the radio tower/VZW/assisted GPS is. Then after a minute or so, it'll lock on, this is the 'satellite GPS'.
Also there is a separate chip in all phones that determines your location if you dial 911. You can not turn it off, and I'd imagine that the government could use it with reason. If this is in use there should be an icon that pops up, you've probably never seen it.
If you're worried about your location, the only thing you can do is turn off your phone or remove your battery if you're really paranoid.
All this info is to the best of my understanding.
Hope this clears it up.
POQbum said:
I think you've got it a bit mixed up. There's a few ways our phones can get location information.
Think of it this way.
--- satellite GPS = Your phone connects with satellites to determine the location. It can pinpoint your location within feet if it has a good enough lock. You can still get locks indoors, and yes it does use a considerable about of battery if you use it continually. If it only turns on for about a minute just to get a single lock on your location, it really has no impact on battery. If you run it for 20-30mins+ is when you start to notice. You have the option to completely turn this off if you want. Really it's best to keep it on, because your phone will not actually turn it on and use it unless an app tells it to (like navigation).
--- WIFI GPS = Your phone can determine your location by using the WiFi the same way you can go to on your desktop and it can get a generic idea of where you're at (usually not more specific than the city you're in). Google likes to use this because it needs some sort of location information so it can best provide searches and advertisements. This is the least accurate. This also has an option to be turned off.
--- assisted GPS or aGPS = your phone uses the network you're on (in this case, Verizon) and it can give a rough estimate by triangulating your position through nearby cell towers.
It's called assisted GPS because it actually helps the 'satellite GPS' by letting the satellites know the general area of where you're at, so it can get a lock quicker and with less battery.
Assisted GPS does not require any additional battery or wait time because your phone is already connecting with those towers just by having a signal (the more towers in your area, the smaller area it can guess you're at)
When you first start up a GPS application (or if you disable the 'satellite GPS'), you'll see a circle around a very wide area. This is what the radio tower/VZW/assisted GPS is. Then after a minute or so, it'll lock on, this is the 'satellite GPS'.
Also there is a separate chip in all phones that determines your location if you dial 911. You can not turn it off, and I'd imagine that the government could use it with reason. If this is in use there should be an icon that pops up, you've probably never seen it.
If you're worried about your location, the only thing you can do is turn off your phone or remove your battery if you're really paranoid.
All this info is to the best of my understanding.
Hope this clears it up.
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I just joined to say thanks for this. I've been searching forums for this, and could only find half the info or smart @$$ responses on other sites. I've been searching for possible bugs and battery drains ever since the ics update and the media app smoked razr maxx battery and burned my phone to the point where the back turned brown.

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