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Do cases with magnets damage the GPS of a Nexus?

This may be a stupid question but do cases with magnetic closures mess up the GPS of a nexus one in anyway? I remember reading something to that effect with the G1 a few years ago but am unsure if it's true or not.

It shouldn't affect the GPS itself... It will (obviously) affect the compass though, so perhaps the orientation may be misreported. GPS works on satellite signals, not geomagnetic forces.

Thanks for the answer.

it might effect the camera, i do not have a case for my Nexus (use holster) but I had a case with a magnet clasp on the cover that effected the camera on my Nokia N97, but with the fone in a case how are you going to use the GPS ?

arimus said:
it might effect the camera, i do not have a case for my Nexus (use holster) but I had a case with a magnet clasp on the cover that effected the camera on my Nokia N97, but with the fone in a case how are you going to use the GPS ?
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Good point. I didn't think of that. The camera in the nexus one, as in most modern phones, uses a piezo ceramic motor for its autofocus mechanism. While not exactly working in a similar manner to standard electromagnetic motors, they are still influenced by the magnetic field. That said, you're not going to use the GPS or camera while the phone is in the holster, and the effects should be limited to that situation.
Oh, and if it's any comfort, I work with fMRI using moderately high field strength (3T). I have walked in the room with my phone before, and even though it is tugging to the scanner in my pocket, it still works completely fine today. A typical pocket magnet is 2-4 orders of magnitude weaker (1/100 - 1/10000 the strength). It will not damage anything in the phone permanently. Either that, or I have been extremely lucky.

Thanks for the answers. I ended up going with this Seidio Innocase Case and I couldn't be happier. No magnets to ruin your phone in this case

magnets can also screw with the capacitive touch screen.

Search for my post where I made a desk and a car mount using super strong hard drive magnets. I've been using it all day every day, no effects on anything except the compass when attach to the mount. Screen, touchscreen, camera, gps, totally unaffected. Compass still works fine when not mounted.

Why Certain Cases Of Case Mate And Otterbox Degrade Wi-Fi Signal?

I ordered Case Mate Tough for my smartphone and signal degrades by 5 to 10 dBm (2 bars) when in this case. Many people reported such problem and what is interesting, it does not happen with every HTC smartphone.
One person reported that the smartphones this happens with have software or firmware issue/glitch and that HTC are aware of it and working on a fix.
Does somebody here have Wi-Fi signal issues with Case Mate or Otterbox or even other brands' cases?

I do have a case-mate barely there for my DS but not noticed any drop off in anything. Used a case-mate pop (at least i think thats what they're called) for my DHD and wifi dropped by around 50%. My worst one is with a cheapo silicone off feebay. My wifi signal goes so low it disconnects. Take off the case and its full. Annoys the hell out of me but then i prefer any phone without a case anyway so dont mind taking it off just wish i didnt have to put it back on again!
Si

i'm use otterbox for my DS, and didn't face this problem...

I use a rubber case, and yes, the signal for both WIFI and the network drops. I think the reason behind this is that the only parts of the phone which can act as an antenna are the soft rubber parts, as the phone is unibody. WIFI signal has the worst drop though, and sometimes I cannot get a signal at all.

spagmuff said:
I use a rubber case, and yes, the signal for both WIFI and the network drops. I think the reason behind this is that the only parts of the phone which can act as an antenna are the soft rubber parts, as the phone is unibody. WIFI signal has the worst drop though, and sometimes I cannot get a signal at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by "network drops"? Cellular signal?
I have only problem with Wi-Fi signal. I have noticed that when i move away only top half of silicone, signal improves a lot. I have spotted 2 holes on top - left and right (looking from back). When i cover left, right or both with finger or silicone, signal drops, but silicone has 2 appropriate holes that allow signal to pass through which don't work right.

Hi, I don't know if my point is relevant to this post. If you hold the top part of the phone, the signal will degrade. It is true for my phone and I don't have a casing.

Your point is relevant, this is why i don't hold phone by the top when using internet.
Hold top = degrade/lose Wi-Fi
Hold bottom = degrade cellular signal

wow, HTC didnt think through the DS very well did they
Im not certain but i dont think my cell signal has ever degraded as a result of holding (always hold the bottom of the phone) but im not certain, but my wifi signal definately degrades when i hold at the top or put a silicone case on. It was only a dirt cheap case from feebay but im looking for another that wont degrade it, any recommendations?
Si

Boris_yo said:
Your point is relevant, this is why i don't hold phone by the top when using internet.
Hold top = degrade/lose Wi-Fi
Hold bottom = degrade cellular signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same behaviour for me.

Something tells me that degradation of Wi-Fi is a cost for using silicone/cases. For some yes, for some no.

i got a silicone tpu 2$ case, and the signal drops 5dbm

[Q] Looking for good case w/ low signal interference

After a lot of testing, the four different types of cases I bought (cheapos on Amazon) have horrible degradation of signal.
GPS signal is almost entirely wiped out by all cases. Tower signal has a small, yet identifiable, loss as well. I tested both signals with Marketplace apps: "GPS Stats" and with "OpenSignal".
Any cases out there that don't have interference or are very minimalist in doing so?
Two cases that I've tried and have GPS signal loss to the maximum are:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PNAXXW/ref=wms_ohs_product_T2
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004PN7DRG/ref=wms_ohs_product_T2

How exactly do you quantify signal strength for GPS?
Sent from my Inspire 4G using the power of the dark side

Well, that's a fair point. I've based it on how many satellites I lock onto both indoors and outdoors. I let it "lock" and then wait a couple of minutes to see the number that actually stayed locked.
For example, without the case I can lock onto 7 sat's indoors, but with the case I'm currently only getting 1 sat. Outdoors, I can get 5-6 with the case and 9 constant without.

With my Otterbox Defender I see no difference in GPS or cell signal. I lock 9 says inside on or off as well as get the same signal strength for cell.
The first two shots are naked. The last two are in the Defender. That's actually the first time I ever saw double digit sats.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using the power of the dark side

The Otterbox Commuter is another good case. It might have a small amount of attenuation - a couple of months ago I did some testing and I got a lock on 8 satellites with the case on, and 9 satellites with the case off. Not enough difference to worry about, and my results may have been within the margin of error.

Thanks for the input. There are a lot of factors for GPS issues....

The Seidio innocase II works well for me...
I tried the casemate tough and it def degraded my gps signal..

Seidio case I'm in love with. My sis ran over my phone and it's fine! I've haven't had problem with the signal.
It's always good to have a good radio flashed in too.

Yeah, this ****ty case has definite issues with GPS. With the patch I provide in the Android Development, I can only get 4 sats with it maximum and it takes forever to get past 1. But, I get instant 7 with it off and gain a few more seconds later.
Now, there are two cases that look to be the same
http://www.amazon.com/Seidio-Innoca...PTB0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1316740449&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/Seidio-SURFAC...RWU2/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1316740449&sr=8-9
It's as if they are calling them two separate things even though they appear to be the same?
In looking at those cases, the design may be why some say it's fine with GPS. The GPS spring-connected antenna is on the backplate that holds the LED. If it's opened nicely, you get a clear shot. If it's covered with crap (as mine only has a hole for the led), it sucks. Just an assumption until I figure out which to buy.

I personally have the S-wave black case. If I need the navigation on my phone, I just take the case off. Problem solved

popupstoppa said:
I personally have the S-wave black case. If I need the navigation on my phone, I just take the case off. Problem solved
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Yeah, I'm tired of taking this case off every time I need to test my patch!

tell me about this device

singforpain said:
tell me about this device
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Click to collapse
What about it?
FYI: The innocase is awesome!

I use the Speck Candy and have zero issue w/ either GPS or Cellular signals. My only complaint is the thin piece(specifically the plastic portion, the rubber stays in tact) at the bottom below the front bezel tends to crack, but the case is warranted for a yr. I've replaced mine for this piece breaking w/out issue at the ATT store.
The piece I'm referring to is the thin section that's against my leg in the photo.
Here's with the case on.

concerning the bt and wifi death grip

forgive me if it has been posted over and over again, but after some time now, has any1 actually found a real fix? from last year's thread till now, some say it's software some say hardware, some say hard case solves it but some says aluminium foil does it. some even say by simply turning on best wifi performance, it will solve it.
some others say flashing a custom rom fixes it. so what is the actual fix? tomoro im going to buy aluminium foils and run it all over the antennaes behind my back cover and see if it helps..
i've tested my sensation, yes death grip is there, but not as terrible as people had it before.
here's my test results :
ROUTER : ASUS N53SV (use connectify)
OS : WIN7 HP
distance from router, 2metres, but blocked with a wooden door (those thick and hard type).
normal holding position : full bar
cover the antennae : 4 bars (- 1 bar)
cover the antennae with 2 hands : 3~4 bar
scenario 2 : distance : 10 metres (blocked by walls and doors) (went to different room on the same floor
normal holding position : 4 bar
cover with 1 hand : 2 bar
cover with 2 hand : 1 bar
considering the fact that im using my laptop to emit wireless signal, this is not bad at all. but im still trying the aluminium foil fix tomoro. will report back
do post your methods of fixing here if you have it thx

Every smartphone has a deathgrip issue and to be honest, it doesnt affect me so much. When i cover with my hand the antenna positions, signal drops 1 line, maximum 2, but like i said, that's normal. Had this problem with 3 different phones, and i think its a general smartphone issue. In many cases people like overreacting.
But hey, thats my opinion!

i've tried my damndest to find this death grip and i just cannot...i run a speedtest and completely cover every single part of the phone with both hands and i still manage to get a 10Mb throughput...so i just don't get it

Have you got a dual band router, if so that's probably why you cant find it.

Death grip affect all of the Sensation phones whether people admit it or not. The back cover is part of the antenna, so covering it with your hand WILL drop the signal. I find it is worse with wifi. No software will fix it, no tinfoil will fix it, no ROM will fix it. Just don't clasp your hands fully around the back cover and its not a big problem.

the_scotsman said:
Death grip affect all of the Sensation phones whether people admit it or not. The back cover is part of the antenna, so covering it with your hand WILL drop the signal. I find it is worse with wifi. No software will fix it, no tinfoil will fix it, no ROM will fix it. Just don't clasp your hands fully around the back cover and its not a big problem.
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Click to collapse
that said, some people dont experience it at all. there's a couple of youtube videos proving that. they cover the entire backside of their phone and there's no signal loss..

[Q] Aluminum Battery/Sim/Camera Cover

Hello Guys,
I was loking for hours to find Aluminum Covers for the DHD to replace the plastic parts but wasn't able to find them (if they even exist).
I only know that HTC never officially released them.
But since I saw the MAO Method they used on the One S I wanted the same for my DHD
Does anyone know a shop where I can find these covers made of aluminum?
Thanks
MiXed

MiXed92 said:
Hello Guys,
I was loking for hours to find Aluminum Covers for the DHD to replace the plastic parts but wasn't able to find them (if they even exist).
I only know that HTC never officially released them.
But since I saw the MAO Method they used on the One S I wanted the same for my DHD
Does anyone know a shop where I can find these covers made of aluminum?
Thanks
MiXed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean the doors? Won't find them because the clips to hold them in place wont function being made out of aluminum. Thus why only the immobile parts are made of it. If that is not what you are talking about, ignore me Not to mention the signal loss of grounded aluminum over the antennas would be crazy.

Darunion said:
You mean the doors? Won't find them because the clips to hold them in place wont function being made out of aluminum. Thus why only the immobile parts are made of it. If that is not what you are talking about, ignore me Not to mention the signal loss of grounded aluminum over the antennas would be crazy.
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Click to collapse
But would't it be possible to make the outer part of aluminum and just the clips of plastic?
But ok seems to be impossible sad to hear

MiXed92 said:
But would't it be possible to make the outer part of aluminum and just the clips of plastic?
But ok seems to be impossible sad to hear
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Click to collapse
possible yes, but the biggest factor would be that each plastic door covers an antenna. the led flash covers the gps, the battery covers the wifi, and the bottom door covers your cellular antennas. So replacing those with any kind of metal would connect them to the outer shell and ground them, almost completely shielding your phone from signal.

I just looked at the antenna except of gps (didnt want to open it all up). Wifi is just simply spaned mabe same with GPS. Only antenna that runs a bit through the door is the Sim/SD Door Antenna but if you would take a pretty flat and small cable you could run it through the left hole beside the two connectors. I dont know much about antennas but this could even make a stronger signal doesnt it?
p.s. The hole i mean is a bit upper left the two connectors (phone up side down)

MiXed92 said:
I just looked at the antenna except of gps (didnt want to open it all up). Wifi is just simply spaned mabe same with GPS. Only antenna that runs a bit through the door is the Sim/SD Door Antenna but if you would take a pretty flat and small cable you could run it through the left hole beside the two connectors. I dont know much about antennas but this could even make a stronger signal doesnt it?
p.s. The hole i mean is a bit upper left the two connectors (phone up side down)
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Click to collapse
the simple answer is no. antenna length is specific to the frequency it uses.

I understand you need a specific lenght of the antenna for certain frequenzies. So the cable that would be needed to connect the two connectors should have around the same lenght as the the Antenna in the plastic door.
Do you know how accurate this would have to be and how do they realize to use different frequenzies with one antenna GSM around 900 MHZ and WCDMA around 2,1 GHZ?

Anything can be done the real question is how much are you willing to spend?

And is it really worth the trouble to go through trying to fix it?

You should just get a new phone instead of changing the parts.