Coverage/Reception - AT&T, Rogers, Bell, Telus Samsung Galaxy S III

I am currently running Diet ICS from 8/8. I have just moved to a new house. The coverage here kinda sucks. However, I had some friends here this weekend with iphone's and my wife has a Motorola Atrix. Their bars appear to always be higher than mine. I have tested this throughout the weekend with data, calls and texting. Theirs all work better than my S3. Is this a function of the phone, the Rom, the radio? Is there anything I can do to the phone to improve it, ie:new ROM or radio? If so, which ones? BTW I am in the U.S., Wisconsin to be more accurate. Any advice would be appreciated.
edit: Running on AT&T...

Try the different radios. No one can tell you what works best where you are because we aren't there. Other than that, I can tell you that I get better reception when I don't hold the phone on the bottom. Just an FYI.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium

The best combo I have found so far is the LEM modem and Milestone 2 rom I get 1 bar more all of the time everywhere. The other modems for me even though they are newer it seems if you loose signal it takes 4-6 mins before it picks it back up LEM seems to get signal back in under a min. Knock on wood I think I have service everwhere now in my house. I have had the s3 for about a month and had issues with signal in my house where my iphone 4 has always has service.

Related

3G coverage

So I just came from AT&T and the first thing I notice was the lack of 3G at my house. Now with AT&T I had fine 3G but on Verizon, it seems that 3G is pretty sucks where I live.
Is this a phone issue or the network a problem?
I had a awesome Rom and modem on my captivate (giving me great connection) but do to things out of my control, we changed to Verizon. I hope that this phone will get rooted quick so a nicer Rom and maybe a modem to help my 3G reception.. One can only hope, right? After all we are pretty spoiled with what we can do to our phones thanks to the devs here lol
Sent from my ADR6350 using XDA App
I noticed that my Incredible 2 doesn't seem to have as good signal as the original. It maybe just my imagination or the fact that I was running CM7 for the past 4 months. Still some getting used to, especially not having my root apps and checking ROM Manager for a new ROM version.
I was reading the manual and it appears that the antenna is on the lower rear of the phone. Maybe that's why those contacts are on the inside of the back cover. As soon as you remove the cover with the phone powered on, it drops signal.
I had much better 3g on my droidx, but i like this phone better

Is it just me? (LTE GNex, terrible data.)

My Galaxy Nexus has the most unreliable, horrible, inconsistent data connection I have ever used on a phone.
I go from 4-->3--> No Gs all day long. I'm in Houston, which has a fantastic LTE network (when I'm using a different phone....)
I'm currently on CM9 with 4.0.3 leaked radios, the performance has been bad through stock as well though. Maybe I'll go back to stock and try it again or something.
Should I use the 4.0.2 radios again?
Has anyone else felt the same way?
Thanks.
I think you may be the first one to bring this up
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
In Charlotte,NC my phone has been nothing but outstanding. The only place I go to 3G is at my desk in the middle of a massive building with shielding. It's just awesome. 4 Bars 4G at my house down in South Carolina too.
I actually have had no such issue with stock or CM9. I'm in Dallas but live on the edge of the 4G area and my workplace has the amazing ability to shield LTE signal so I'm switching to 3G twice a day.
Is_907 said:
I actually have had no such issue with stock or CM9. I'm in Dallas but live on the edge of the 4G area and my workplace has the amazing ability to shield LTE signal so I'm switching to 3G twice a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love for it to just be verizon having problems here.
I'm not so sure that's the case though.
Just flashed a different rom, I guess i'll try the 4.0.2 radio again.
get off the leaked radios and go back to stock. goodness...
aohus said:
get off the leaked radios and go back to stock. goodness...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did that. It seems to be a bit better. Could be placebo though
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
eallan said:
My Galaxy Nexus has the most unreliable, horrible, inconsistent data connection I have ever used on a phone.
I go from 4-->3--> No Gs all day long. I'm in Houston, which has a fantastic LTE network (when I'm using a different phone....)
I'm currently on CM9 with 4.0.3 leaked radios, the performance has been bad through stock as well though. Maybe I'll go back to stock and try it again or something.
Should I use the 4.0.2 radios again?
Has anyone else felt the same way?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience is exactly the same. My Thunderbolt always had a solid, reliable and fast 4G connection in the same locations. My Galaxy Nexus is just like yours: "4-->3--> No Gs all day long". I'm on 3G at least 50% of the time. That never happened on the Thunderbolt.
I've tried the 4.0.3 radio too and it didn't help. It was no better and no worse for me.
MountainX said:
My experience is exactly the same. My Thunderbolt always had a solid, reliable and fast 4G connection in the same locations. My Galaxy Nexus is just like yours: "4-->3--> No Gs all day long". I'm on 3G at least 50% of the time. That never happened on the Thunderbolt.
I've tried the 4.0.3 radio too and it didn't help. It was no better and no worse for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I'm not alone, I remember reading something about verizon's authentication servers having issues, hopefully it's something on their end they're fixing. Maybe the "real" update will help us out.
eallan said:
I'm glad I'm not alone,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are not alone. Here is some stuff I collected from other threads:
Verizon claims Galaxy Nexus LTE signal is fine, update still coming to change meter
http://androidcommunity.com/verizon...update-still-coming-to-change-meter-20111221/
What do you guys think? Is there still a problem with the Galaxy Nexus and LTE. I personally think there is some sort of issue that will still probably be addressed in the update and Verizon just isn’t saying so. Here is a quick video I made showing my Galaxy Nexus stuck on 3G sitting next to my XYBOARD 8.2″ tablet with 4G LTE. The XyBoard constantly has not only more bars, but a better and faster connection. You tell me?
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Missed calls, text that wont send, 6 hour battery life… looks like i had better return the Nexus while i still can. Its a shame, i like the phone, i just wish i could make calls with it.
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I have noticed drops on the data side in places where i have a friend sitting next to me with full 3g signal on an incredible 2. My wifes nexus has dropped calls at least 15 times since she got it and data has been the same as mine
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Aaron Osler
My phone has serious call dropping/connection loss. I had the tech at my local Verizon store compare it to his Nexus which also had weak signal strength (about -96db). We also compared signal to other phones in the store and found the other phones to have around -84db which is much much better. That spread is the difference between barely hanging on to 1 bar and a solid 3 bars on my Nexus. I don’t think Verizon is being honest because my experience is that the signal is weaker on the Nexus, not just looking at the bars. I am also getting sudden disconnects going from any number of bars to dead instantly. Dropping calls is completely unacceptable. I can understand problems with the cutting edge 4G signal, but the phone call function is the same thing they have done for years. Oh, and don’t forget it’s A PHONE. I have until Jan 15th to return the phone so if they don’t have my phone working 100% of the time like all of my previous phones I will be returning it and reactivating my Envy3. My phone reports 10% time without signal. Cell Standby reports 10% of battery usage. I didn’t sign up for being tethered to a charger all day just to keep my phone from diving into cold brick mode while I sit at work less than 1/4 mile from the cell tower.
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C Dedi
As a current owner of all 3 of Verizons top tier Android phones (Razr / Rezound / G-Nexus), I can easily state that there exists a radio performance gap between two of my devices compared to the 3rd. My Razr & Rezound pull solid bar(s) status regularly, my G-Nexus on the other hand is much more temperamental with its signal strength. Of all 3 devices, the Rezound displays the best signal the most often (haven’t been disappointed yet), with the Razr usually pulling a close second. As an overall performer, I have to give it to the Rezound, even if its not my favorite of the three. Now listing them by personal preference (general feel), it goes something like this: Razr – G-Nexus – Rezound. The Rezound would score higher, if it didn’t ’feel’ like so many other HTC phones I’ve owned in the past.
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Is anyone actually looking at their signal strength reading in Settings/about phone/Signal ? I have compared my Nexus against my wife’s Samsung regular Galaxy , my original Droid, and even a 3 + year old laptop built in Verizon air card 3g signal and the Nexus has a noticeable worse signal reception(no 4G in my area yet). When the other devices are showing say -74-75dbm my Nexus is only receiving -93-100dbm. That is NOT a software fix issue. I am on my second Nexus after Verizon Tier2 techsupport did a signal survey in my area and confirmed a good 3G signal and had me exchange my phone. Same crappy reception numbers and I frequently get a Network Problem Check your internet connection message while using apps. I don’t see a software fix helping and will likely be exchanging my phone for a Rezound or returning alltogether and waiting it out.
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LT_Blondey1492
I’m a Samsung galaxy nexus user. I have had a problem with the signal of this phone. It has been a problem since I started using the phone. I’m in a 3G area. You would think since it’s a 3G and 4g phone. It should still work. I went to Verizon’s store once already, all they did was chAnge the sim card. That didn’t change the signal none. It worked when we were there. I think it’s funny how my husbands 4g droid bionic works while the Samsung galaxy nexus doesn’t. They are both 4g phones and the verizon helper said we didnt have 4g area where i lived. Like I said its funny how his 4g is able to work still. I really like the Samsung galaxy nexus phone but I need service. It didn’t even work at the Walmart I go to either. The only time it actually gave me signal was when I was in the verizon store. Why wouldn’t it work there it’s their phone. All their phones will work there, but once you leave they won’t work anymore.
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Tloomos
There’s more going on than just a dfferent representation of signal strength. I’ve run dozens of tests with my Verizon Galaxy Nexus side-by-side with a Verizon HTC Rezound and the Rezound blows the Nexus away every time. I expected the Rezound to perform better on tests like what Vellamo puts it through since the specs on the Rezound are a bit better, but I really wasn’t expecting much difference on the speedtest.net results. The Nexus consistently achieves half the bandwidth of the Rezound.
The more I use the Nexus, the more I like it, but this connection/performance issue doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not sure why Verizon would hide it if they thought that the update was going to improve actual performance and not just the bars, but I’m waiting and hoping. I have until Jan 15 to return it and pick up the Rezound instead. If they can address the connection issue before then, I’ll gladly stick with it.
And for what it’s worth, I would prefer that the bars be more accurate rather than giving me an inflated perception of my signal strength. As long as I know how to interpret the number of bars I have and the connectivity and performance is on par with other comparable devices, I really don’t care if their device shows 4 bars when mine only shows 1.
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Is it just me? (LTE GNex, terrible data.)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1440307
My Galaxy Nexus has the most unreliable, horrible, inconsistent data connection I have ever used on a phone.
I go from 4-->3--> No Gs all day long. I'm in Houston, which has a fantastic LTE network (when I'm using a different phone....)
I'm currently on CM9 with 4.0.3 leaked radios, the performance has been bad through stock as well though. Maybe I'll go back to stock and try it again or something.
Should I use the 4.0.2 radios again?
Has anyone else felt the same way?
Thanks.
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Dreaded signal issues and my in depth 3g testing. Is it hardware?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1441187
Thanks for posting this. I definitely think there is more going on here with the Verizon GNex's signal than just the way it is reported. It's not just 3G either. I had 2 Rezounds before I got my Galaxy Nexus, and actually have had two Galaxy Nexii. I am certain I got much faster 4G speeds, 3G speeds, and a stronger signal on the Rezounds than either Galaxy Nexus.
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I absolutely loved this phone also. but was VERY dissapointed after getting it home, it had a very weak signal and was dropping cals, something that ive never experienced with verizon. me and my wife have the razrs so i was able to do a side by side signal comparison here in dallas. my rersults were more dramatic than yours (OP), both razr's had about -85db and the GN was -104 in 4g. needless to say it was returned.
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New Leaked Radios CDMA, LTE
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1403133
...had more dropped calls with this phone than any other I have ever had on vzw.
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https://encrypted.google.com/search...issue+OR+problem&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&hl=en
The VZW Galaxy Nexus has signal issues. The constant bouncing from 4G to 3G to nothing and back is so annoying I have to just leave 4G off. I'm hoping it is an issue that can be addressed with a radio update at some point.
Raibyn said:
The VZW Galaxy Nexus has signal issues. The constant bouncing from 4G to 3G to nothing and back is so annoying I have to just leave 4G off. I'm hoping it is an issue that can be addressed with a radio update at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, here's to hoping.
same here
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Raibyn said:
The VZW Galaxy Nexus has signal issues. The constant bouncing from 4G to 3G to nothing and back is so annoying I have to just leave 4G off. I'm hoping it is an issue that can be addressed with a radio update at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
happens to me all day.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I flashed the 4.0.3 radios a week or two back and I noticed it being worse on my phone. Is it safe to just downgrade radios by flashing them?
Also where are the links for the 4.0.1 and 4.0.2 radios? I was on 4.0.1 radios when I first rooted and it worked fine. But when I flashed 4.0.3, then I started noticing issues :/
I bought my Galaxy Nexus in the Houston area over the holiday while staying with family. I had a very reliable 4G connection, even in the outskirts. My mother's Bionic was constantly bouncing between 3G and 4G, though. Out here in Los Angeles I get a full 4 bars of 4G and average above 20,000kbps.
I have the signal dropping/switching issues some days, some days not. It seems pretty split personality to me....same places, different times, different behaviors.
Mine works fine.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
xXJay_RXx said:
I flashed the 4.0.3 radios a week or two back and I noticed it being worse on my phone. Is it safe to just downgrade radios by flashing them?
Also where are the links for the 4.0.1 and 4.0.2 radios? I was on 4.0.1 radios when I first rooted and it worked fine. But when I flashed 4.0.3, then I started noticing issues :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed back to 4.0.2 with no problems.
Mine is working fine here.
The phone itself DOES have issues when the switchover MUST occur.....I have 4G all day until I walk into my kids school. Old concrete block building, etc.....drops down to 3G everytime. BUT on the Nexus it takes a while.....Ill have 30 seconds or so sometimes without any signal while it locks back onto 3G. I *think* that can be fixed via firmware/software (since I believe lots of other phones have had similar handover issues)
The biggest issues with 4G seem to be if you are in a fringe area where it can kinda get 4G but not great 4G. You arent in a fringe area though, so Im not quite sure.....try forcing it to CDMA only and see if the radio stays connected reliably. I know its not LTE, but its just a troubleshooting step. A friend of mine has "reception" handover issues on his Bionic, set it to CDMA only and hasnt had one issue for over a week. its not a fix, but it at least makes the phone useable.......or could signify some bigger issues with your phone if you still have trouble with CDMA only.

My take on Galaxy Nexus problems (VZW)

I've had this phone now for less than a month. I know it's not a long time, but I think I've got a pretty good idea of how this phone performs. I have not rooted this phone, I am on 4.02 and PRL 15119.
1. The signal problem:
Coming from a Droid2, the first thing I noticed was one or no bars where I used to have full! I was losing data all the time, until I switched to CDMA only. My phone kept switching to LTE and back again, I spent more time in hand offs than connected!
I had the opportunity to have my Nexus, a TBolt, and a Maxx all in my basement together and did a few tests. All three phones had trouble holding LTE here when I was able to run a speed test, they all performed similarly, between 1 and 2 Mbps. When all three switched to CDMA, they displayed one more bar on and off than my Nexus, but showed similar pings and speeds.
I spend a lot of time in my basement and have never had troubles losing data (CDMA only) even though it displays 0-1 bars all the time.
Now, I do occasionally have problems with data, but it's nothing new to me. My Droid2 would show full signal and just not load a page or drop to 1x in locations known to be strong service.
I have not had this problem with the WiFi hand off back to cellular data. This phone switches faster than my Droid2 ever did. Like, by a lot. I work in no service building. Every morning I turn my WiFi on and just turn it off when I get in my car to go home. Usually I have cellular service before I can even turn off the WiFi.
I read a lot of reports where someones Nexus would be outperformed in a 4G speed test by another Verizon 4G device. Not the case here. My tests were constantly the same when comparing between the Nexus, TBolt, and Maxx.
I stopped in the Verizon store and two of the sales dudes had 4G phones, a Razr and another Galaxy Nexus. The Nexus guy was rooted on 4.04 and couldn't break 10Mbps while Razer guy and myself were fighting for 40Mbps.. Maybe there are some lemons out there
All in all, I may have gotten a good device (made in China, go figure), but I do not believe there is a real problem here. If this is your first android on Verizon, I can see where you'd think there are problems. Whenever I pick up my phone, I just ignore the bars and use it. It always works. Even in 3G, this phone loads pages WAY faster than my Droid2.
2. Battery life: I am not a real heavy user. There are times when I'll spend 20 minutes in the bathroom playing angry birds or reading threads, but that's about it. I got the Verizon extended battery before leaving the store with my new phone. This battery has 200mah more juice than the extended battery in my old Droid2.
I think this phone get's great stand by time, I got it to go 3 days off charger with a few calls and texts every day and a little bit of angry birds
On a whole, I'd have to say it get's as good or better life than my last phone.
3. Random reboots: I was constantly pulling my phone out of my pocket to find that it was off. I had gotten quite concerned after reading all the posts about crash reboots. It wasn't until I set the phone down while booting it up that I saw the screen shut off. I knew something wasn't right here and reproduced the shut down by smacking the phone in my palm while it was booting it up.
After looking closely, I noticed the battery would move up and down in its compartment. I solved this by taking some folded paper and taping it to the bottom edge of the battery. Pushing the battery up into the contacts on the phone. I also added some tape/paper to the top of the battery so the cover is pushing it down into the compartment.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but I haven't had a single crash/reboot. Just this battery connection problem.
4. Slow screen rotation: I have noticed this, it is VERY annoying when you first get the phone. Habit is to flip it landscape BEFORE launching the app you want to use. This is why you think it's so slow, because the home screen will not flip, it just refuses to. In any app, it flips just like you're used to. A non problem that I'm sure will get fixed.
5. Screen banding: I tried looking at the blank grey screen on any brightness, I could not get the bands I kept reading about. I guess I got lucky!
6. Overheating: I read this phone will try to use 2.4 and 5GHz spectrum's while on WiFi. The first thing I did was set it to 2.4 only and have not had any issues. I use WiFi 8 hours a day every day with out the phone getting hot. I also use the hot spot almost every night, as I don't have a land line internet at home. Never an issue, once again, to the touch this phone was not as hot as my Droid2.
I really like ICS and this phone seems like a keeper. I hope this inspires someone to go out and buy the Nexus!!
Over the weekend I went to the Verizon store to compare the vz nexus signal. Turns out every device with lte read -60 and then nexus -80. But there was one lg phone that displayed both signals at the same time, 1x and lte read -60 and -80. So I wonder does Verizon lte phones actually never show lte signal and always show cdma even when connected to lte?
Just earlier today I compared my Galaxy Nexus at -110 to my dad's Rezound at -80. Side by side at the exact same time. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture.
I'm unrooted stock 4.0.2 right now.
Silly question but did the salesman with the Nexus have LTE on?
How in the world could you go 3 days on a 2100mah? The most i can get is maybe a day or day and a half. Usually its under a day as i use my phone alot.
Dan76 said:
Just earlier today I compared my Galaxy Nexus at -110 to my dad's Rezound at -80. Side by side at the exact same time. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture.
I'm unrooted stock 4.0.2 right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lost the link but basically non ics phones show 3g signal instead of 4g or something like that. Its a different signal type that's why the gnex always shows less because its showing its actual signal
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
i honestly think its a hardware issue, but i have read all the threads and there is nothing concrete... my phone works perfect on 3g but i switch it to 4g and it just looses signal i could have 3 bars and then all of sudden it just looses all signal, it does not switch to 3g..im in a good 4g coverage area as well. im really angry and i dont want any other phone but the one i have . I hate blur so forget motorola
davidadavila said:
i honestly think its a hardware issue, but i have read all the threads and there is nothing concrete... my phone works perfect on 3g but i switch it to 4g and it just looses signal i could have 3 bars and then all of sudden it just looses all signal, it does not switch to 3g..im in a good 4g coverage area as well. im really angry and i dont want any other phone but the one i have . I hate blur so forget motorola
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That shouldn't happen doesn't to me at all. Call Verizon. Get a new phone lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
RogerPodacter said:
Over the weekend I went to the Verizon store to compare the vz nexus signal. Turns out every device with lte read -60 and then nexus -80. But there was one lg phone that displayed both signals at the same time, 1x and lte read -60 and -80. So I wonder does Verizon lte phones actually never show lte signal and always show cdma even when connected to lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is generally the case.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
RogerPodacter said:
Over the weekend I went to the Verizon store to compare the vz nexus signal. Turns out every device with lte read -60 and then nexus -80. But there was one lg phone that displayed both signals at the same time, 1x and lte read -60 and -80. So I wonder does Verizon lte phones actually never show lte signal and always show cdma even when connected to lte?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they are not ICS devices, they do not show the LTE signal.
You have problems?
Cool story bro. This isn't a support site.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
fix-this! said:
How in the world could you go 3 days on a 2100mah? The most i can get is maybe a day or day and a half. Usually its under a day as i use my phone alot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was achieved over a weekend in a strong service area on cdma only. I was at a solid 3/⁴ bars the whole time. I was at a buddys house for a lan, so i was doing my surfing on the computer. I was doing most of my texting in google voice on my pc, so the only use the phone saw was calls and bathroom browsing lol.
Yes, the nexus measures signal differently and this is why it cant hold 4g, it thinks the signal is too weak and lets go before it should. If you had a vzw droid before and know where the strong 3g is, set it to cdma only and see how it performs compared to the old phone. If your getting data drops and dropped calls where you didnt before, then exchange your phone.
Ive read there is a way to force lte only, this would be the best test. But i cant remember how to do it.
Want to add, the ics keyboard is the best one ive ever used. Also, speaker volume on this phone is plenty loud. I have had problems with call quality when i have no bars. Just does not sound good and hard to unserstand people. When i have a bar or more, sounds great. Like theyre in the room.
chancy319 said:
Silly question but did the salesman with the Nexus have LTE on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely lte. I am not sure what vzws theoretical max speed is on 3g, but in our area, max is about 1.7Mbps. I know theoretical is no where near 10Mbps.
teeBOMB said:
Definitely lte. I am not sure what vzws theoretical max speed is on 3g, but in our area, max is about 1.7Mbps. I know theoretical is no where near 10Mbps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could the differences have been due to your radios? I'm on 4.0.4 with the new radios and I don't break 10Mpbs.
The speed is fast enough for me and I don't remember exactly the speeds I had on the earlier radios. I vaguely remember breaking 10Mpbs at times. I might reflash the older radios and do speed tests.
I'm happy to report I have zero problems with my VZW GNex since day 1
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
dynamicpda said:
Could the differences have been due to your radios? I'm on 4.0.4 with the new radios and I don't break 10Mpbs.
The speed is fast enough for me and I don't remember exactly the speeds I had on the earlier radios. I vaguely remember breaking 10Mpbs at times. I might reflash the older radios and do speed tests.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now i didnt see these guys screens, i dont know what they were using for testing or what server they were connecting to. He told me hes never been able to break 10 megs. For all i know he rooted and flashed on day one. I cant imagine the members of xda would overlook something so obvious, but who knows. Give it a try eh? For reference all my mentions have been using the official speedtest.net app and chicago servers. Im tempted to root, but im waiting for 4.05 ota and have no idea how to do it. Ill get there eventually
I've found that LTE can vary wildly in speeds. You really need multiple tests with multiple phones at the same location/time.
That said, I saw a huge difference between FC05 and FA02. I found that the best combination for my phone was FC04 on the CDMA radio and FA02 on the LTE radio. It's a good 2mbits faster and much more stable. Signal in my house is borderline, so you really see the difference.
tspderek said:
I've found that LTE can vary wildly in speeds. You really need multiple tests with multiple phones at the same location/time.
That said, I saw a huge difference between FC05 and FA02. I found that the best combination for my phone was FC04 on the CDMA radio and FA02 on the LTE radio. It's a good 2mbits faster and much more stable. Signal in my house is borderline, so you really see the difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion.
I flash the FC04/FA02 combo and in the spot near my house where I am disappointed, 4.5Mpbs down / 2.5 up, I got pretty much the same results. One difference I did notice is that the hybrid combo is slower to switch from 3G than FC05/FC05. I toggled LTE to force 4G connect.
I flashed back. Eager to see what 4.05 brings and also if the latest official IMM76K brings new radios.
Smokeey said:
You have problems?
Cool story bro. This isn't a support site.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, it kind of is since most of us come here for help.
Also, if your read the OP he was not complaining about issues as much as addressing them.

Anyone else considering switching to a different phone?

hi guys,
so i have an S3 and i LOVE it to death. i am running Task AOKP rom which makes the phone 100000 times better but even on stock TW, the phone was great. however, what i am noticing (and from doing some reading a lot of other people notice as well) is that the reception of the phone is really lacking. over the past few days, i have been doing some experimenting with my S3 and a few other phones that i have access to. almost in every single situation, the S3 reception was drastically worse than the other phones. here are a few examples:
1) yesterday me and the wife went to a friend's wedding. when we got there, i had zero reception (x on the reception bars) while my wife's iphone had 3 bars (both ATT).
2) at work, i always have 1-2 bars and not that great reception while my coworker with an HTC phone on ATT has full service.
3) at my house, i have a few areas that the phone just struggles to get even a single bar and both my wife's iphone as well as all my previous phones (galaxy s2, iphone 4, blackberry etc..) never had that issue.
this is my second S3 unit and the previous one was not that great reception wise as well. i tried every kernel and rom you can imagine and even reverted back to stock a few times just to make sure its not rom related.
at this point, i am actually considering selling the S3 and going with an HTC One X even though i prefer everything about the S3.
have you tried different modems...just a sugestion.....some people get better reception when they flash different modems
Plays2 said:
have you tried different modems...just a sugestion.....some people get better reception when they flash different modems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, tried every single one of the modems that has been released so far. at first i was sure that it is just my phone or my area but a google search shows that this is pretty known issue with the S3 which is not giving me too much hope. like i said, i LOVE the phone and love its features but this one is starting to get me down.
Are you using a protective case? I've read where some cases cause reception issues.
I am quite sure that the radio in the sgs3 is not as strong as many other phones I've had. Wifi and mobile connection are much weaker compared to other devices. I am also sure that its the hardware as no matter what modem or rom I'm running its low signal in areas where friends on the same carrier with different devices are fine. It's normally not a big deal in areas with a strong signal but in areas with a weaker signal its very noticeable when others with different hardware have a signal still.
redger725 said:
Are you using a protective case? I've read where some cases cause reception issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no case. i even tried it without the back cover and the results were the same
blue265 said:
I am quite sure that the radio in the sgs3 is not as strong as many other phones I've had. Wifi and mobile connection are much weaker compared to other devices. I am also sure that its the hardware as no matter what modem or rom I'm running its low signal in areas where friends on the same carrier with different devices are fine. It's normally not a big deal in areas with a strong signal but in areas with a weaker signal its very noticeable when others with different hardware have a signal still.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, that's what most posts are saying in random forums. if it is a hardware issue, no modem in the world will make it better. i also agree that it is not a big deal in areas with strong signal but yesterday i had zero service which meant no incoming or outgoing calls for 3-4 hours while my wife had no issues with her iPhone (made me look really bad especially after all the **** i give her about owning an iPhone )
Its weird because in places other people dont have reception (they have iphones and other android phones), such as elevators, basements, in sky scrapers, i have reception and they don't. Maybe the network i'm running on (rogers) is well implanted in the city but i honestly have not noticed any worse reception in my GS3 compared to my other phones like the GS2 or iPhone 4
I switched from an iPhone 4 and I have actually got better reception and call quality with my S3 than I ever did with my iPhone. I am on ATT too.
Have you tried disabling LTE to see if you can force it to HSPA?
also have you tried a new sim just for good measure?
I haven't had much issues with respects to service when comparing it to my Nokia Lumia 900 and iPhone 4
Drew
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I get better reception that my old iPhone 4 and my infuse... areas where I use to drop calls don't anymore. Example: an area up north where I go shoot firearms, I would lose service about 1 mile before heading up the mountain road, now, I have service the entire time except for about a mile up when I go between a sub station and a dam, but once I pass it, I'm good to go. Many parts of i5 I would drop service, now there is only 1 part where service gets spotty and I may drop the call. Several other places that I learned drop calls no longer do for me since getting the s3... not sure why our experiences are different, maybe you had bad luck and received 2 defective devices. I'm in California btw, splitting my time between sf bay area, Sacramento and Redding.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Yeah I can't wait to ditch my S3, looking to get a S4 when it comes out.
cheetablaze said:
Yeah I can't wait to ditch my S3, looking to get a S4 when it comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this to lol:thumbup:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
I get great reception as far as I can tell. At my friend's house, his iPhone gets awful, call-droppingly bad reception and I have no issues. Both AT&T.
*#*#4636#*#*
put that in your dialpad and than go to phone options and btu it to gsm/lte preffered. if you were like me the setting should be on wcdma originally in which case i had horrible reception like you
I notice no issues with stock.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
I'm pretty annoyed by the lack of OEM accessories that we were promised.
Also annoyed that JB hasn't been officially released yet by the four major USA carriers.
But I'll be darned if there is anything better to switch to.
Phone OR manufacturer. We complain a lot, but Samsung and the Galaxy series have always been the Android leaders.
I get great reception. Full 4g lte coverage in my area. S3 is a great device. No regrets. Best phone out there by far.
I am getting signal and "0" call drops when in lift too and in car parking lots... where all my previous phones used to drop signal crazy!!!
I get great reception. ATT, Miami. My old iPhone's couldn't compete.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda app-developers app
Rattles said:
hi guys,
so i have an S3 and i LOVE it to death. i am running Task AOKP rom which makes the phone 100000 times better but even on stock TW, the phone was great. however, what i am noticing (and from doing some reading a lot of other people notice as well) is that the reception of the phone is really lacking. over the past few days, i have been doing some experimenting with my S3 and a few other phones that i have access to. almost in every single situation, the S3 reception was drastically worse than the other phones. here are a few examples:
1) yesterday me and the wife went to a friend's wedding. when we got there, i had zero reception (x on the reception bars) while my wife's iphone had 3 bars (both ATT).
2) at work, i always have 1-2 bars and not that great reception while my coworker with an HTC phone on ATT has full service.
3) at my house, i have a few areas that the phone just struggles to get even a single bar and both my wife's iphone as well as all my previous phones (galaxy s2, iphone 4, blackberry etc..) never had that issue.
this is my second S3 unit and the previous one was not that great reception wise as well. i tried every kernel and rom you can imagine and even reverted back to stock a few times just to make sure its not rom related.
at this point, i am actually considering selling the S3 and going with an HTC One X even though i prefer everything about the S3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was it in San Antonio, tx
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

the T-mobile signal on s4

Seems the signal isn't good on the S4, flashed the base band ,an d the problem still exists...
Bad luck
karl_2000 said:
Seems the signal isn't good on the S4, flashed the base band ,an d the problem still exists...
Bad luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
might just be your area, i get full bars and kick a** data speeds all around my city
TheAtheistOtaku said:
might just be your area, i get full bars and kick a** data speeds all around my city
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 to this
karl_2000 said:
Seems the signal isn't good on the S4, flashed the base band ,an d the problem still exists...
Bad luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
do any of you have other tmobile phones to compare signals with? if so, do that and if there are major differences talk to a tmobile store about getting a replacement.
these might be isolated incidents, because the majority of people are getting fully functional units
Wavern said:
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im in SF bay area (mountain view)
my data speeds are *top notch*.
you are either in an area thats out of tmobiles footprint or have a defective unit.
best bet would be to wait till tmobile actually gets the GS4 on display in the store.
when they do, go to your nearest tmob, and do a speedtest.net comparison with the demo model, and yours. if they are similar, then your part of the bay is legacy; if there is a big difference; 3,4 5 etc megabit difference; your unit may be worth exchanging for a new unit.
Wavern said:
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What part of SF are you experiencing this? My GF lives by the ballpark & she won't switch with me if she gets ****ty service.
I have excellent reception (bars) on my S4.
Way better than my Note II.
I let you know. When I get my phone next week. I do a speedtest and a screenshot of the phone signal in the settings menu.
DEVICES:
NEXUS 7 32GB STOCK
(NO ROOT)
T-MOBIL LG G2X (LG-P999)
STOCK (ROOTED)
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium
Have S4 and One, both show identical signal and speeds are also same.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Im getting much improved signal compared to my Gnex and Atrix HD.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2
Still no signal inside my workplace. Will do more tests. It does seem the signal is more stable, but it's only been a couple days.
Also, 4G LTE flashed for a couple seconds at my house. I live in the D.C metro area. Nice.
I have the HTC One in the Phoenix market. LTE is difficult to find more than a few bars on. 4G HSPA+ has been very easy to get full bars on.
I'm somewhat convinced T-Mobile is still working on building out in even LTE and re-farmed markets.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk HD
Its funny how T-Mobile improves their network and yet many years later I still don't have service in places where I had no service maybe 5-6 years ago. And on top of this I noticed even more dead spots. I think T-Mobile should be working on that along with building penatration.....I would much rather have 3G everywhere then LTE almost nowhere.
Lately it became very frustrating since my wife has no service at work, i have no service at work, and i recently moved to different location and still no service....and God forbid I loose my wife in the mall, I have zero chances of finding her because no T-Mobile service inside.
Just got my S4 today and did not realize theres LTE where I work (fremont) which I never saw on my note 2. Even went out to lunch and was still getting LTE the next street over. So just to test I'm now back on my note 2 and it is not picking up LTE at my work. That tells me the radio on the s4 is much better.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2
Oops
Sent from my SGH-M919 using XDA
Wavern said:
I have the same issue. I'm in the SF Bay Area and even though TMobile's site has where I live and work as dark green (excellent 4g) I am lucky to get even one bar. Half the time I get network errors. Anyone else with TMobile experience anything like this? Any chance it's something that'll get resolved before my 30 day return period ends?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea its something with the S4's phone/modem. I get bars and shows signal strength of 3 to 4 bars and i can make call but no internet in certain areas all around Los Angeles County/Orange County/Las Vegas/NYC. To test it i had my buddy go with me with his LG L9 and my buddy with his LG L9 phone would work fine on the calls and data/internet meanwhile my S4 would only get calls but no data as if it was a deadspot. i would have to go around like 1/4 or so before it would work again. its really strange not to mention annoying. I noticed this started happening to me after i upgraded from MDB to the MDL baseband and after i unlocked the phone using the "debug service menu". i wish i knew someone else with a stock TMO S4 to test my findings out more. I also cant wait for more tmo S4 modems. ive been thinking of ODINing back to stock MDB to test my theory, but i have just been lazy.
---------- Post added at 08:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:24 PM ----------
XeoNoX said:
yea its something with the S4's phone/modem. I get bars and shows signal strength of 3 to 4 bars and i can make call but no internet in certain areas all around Los Angeles County/Orange County/Las Vegas/NYC. To test it i had my buddy go with me with his LG L9 and my buddy with his LG L9 phone would work fine on the calls and data/internet meanwhile my S4 would only get calls but no data as if it was a deadspot. i would have to go around like 1/4 or so before it would work again. its really strange not to mention annoying. I noticed this started happening to me after i upgraded from MDB to the MDL baseband and after i unlocked the phone using the "debug service menu". i wish i knew someone else with a stock TMO S4 to test my findings out more. I also cant wait for more tmo S4 modems. ive been thinking of ODINing back to stock MDB to test my theory, but i have just been lazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think it was a TMO LTE tower upgrade issues. after doing the Settings > More networks > Mobile networks > Network mode > and switching between the WCDMA and GSM one or the other now will work. better to have some internet than no internet, weird how the S4 just wont switch over to the working GSM internet if WCDMA fails....i guess when they coded it they figured if u have bars it "should work in theory" but they were wrong ...personally i think this should be considered a "bug"
I thought I was the only one. I found that if i keep my diztronic tpu case on while in my pocket it destroys all signal for some reason. I take it off and its fine.
layzer253 said:
I thought I was the only one. I found that if i keep my diztronic tpu case on while in my pocket it destroys all signal for some reason. I take it off and its fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I further tested my theory and went without my case all day. It didnt appear to do anything different at all. I am on CM10.1, I think I might go back to stock for awhile to see if it changes the fluctuating signal issue.
Just curious on how everyones signal is and which baseband they are on?
I'm on M919UVUAMDL and I have seen up to 15% of no signal while my S3 had 0 signal loss in a regular day.

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