Hi Guys,
Got myself a Casemate Tough. Brilliant case & I love the feel of it. Makes holding the phone so much more easier. I always felt without the case I was going to let the HD slip
Anyways, as with some people I have noticed a real drop in GPS signal with the silicone part on. The hard back makes no difference. Without case I have maybe 20ft error, with the case this can rise to over 200ft error & it maybe loses half the sats.
I have read the reviews on the Tough & Pop, but must say I prefer my Tough.
My question is, does anyone know where the GPS antenna is situated in the phone. I am just going to take a stanley blade & trim some silicone out around the affected area. It appears to be mid to low down, but I want to remove as little as possible from my case.
Any gurus out there had one of these in pieces yet.
Cheers guys, Shane
I don't know where the GPS part is located but I have also a case-mate case and I have no problems to get GPS signal.
But I read that some people have the same problem with the metalic case.
Hi lilil
It is strange.
How long have you had your case. I wonder if it is a manufacturing date change or something equally weird.
Cheers, Shane
I have a case mate pop on my DHD since 3 months and no problems with gps signal strong and fast as ever...really weird problem!
Hi Guys,
I have just ordered a case mate Pop tonight, so I will see what that is like when it arrives.
Cheers, Shane
my casemate pop doesnt seem to have issues though.. I read that the gps is at the top of the phone too!
Glad you like the Tough case its my favourite case also.
Can't say I have noticed any issues with location, its dead on where I am and the case mate Tough is always on my phone.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
I was using this case before switching to the Otterbox commuter. As far as I remember I did not have any GPS problems with the Tough. I read that the GPS receiver is behind the rubbery part around the flash LED.
This is very weird. I have the Tough and I also have a great drop in signal with it on. Is it possible that the firmware version of the phone might have something to do with it?
Removing my case increases a faster gps fix.
Although the newest leaked radio does a great job too.
The gps antenna is situated at the bottom, I read somewhere
Doctor.Who said:
Although the newest leaked radio does a great job too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you be a bit more specific, please - a link would be even better Also, how's the battery life on that radio? Any difference?
el_commandante said:
Could you be a bit more specific, please - a link would be even better Also, how's the battery life on that radio? Any difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
04th April 2011: Radio_12.48.60.23U_26.08.04.07_M3
http://www.multiupload.com/LMGHQ26L1R
batterylife is a bit better in my experience
For info......
The GPS antenna is on the back of the SIM/Sdcard cover, remove the cover and you'll see it.
As for the radio, I agree with the above, Radio 12.48.60.23U_26.08.04.07_M3 is for me the best radio I've tested both for signal and battery life. Be aware though that different radios perform differently for different people and is dependant on location (country), carrier, etc. Try different radios to see which works best for you.
Hello,
just for infomration a solve doubts the GPS is in the backside of the Flash Leds.
Look this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfatoeWbMRk
Thanks
Gps antenna is under the flash cover.
I have a tough case, and yeah i realise that in certain places, my positioning is way off. But here in Trinidad GPS has no real functionality (sucky EDGE network), so not a big deal for me.
Related
I gave up using my Alu case because of drop in power. I had seen another post from someone that changed their case but this one is really nice.
If there are any of the case makers that look at this forum then take this as a wish list of what I (we?) would like to see in the future.
http://www.pda4thai.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=22
This looks really cool! Thumbs up!
The only drawback seems to be the gap between the custom case and the hardware buttons, it seems you have to put your finger (or thumb ) deep into the holes of the case to reach the buttons...
This is the first time I heard of casemodding a PocketPC I am curious if there are any other contributions!
but that case is not really going to protect the screen also i doubt it would inc the signal strength all that much more then the std alu one
As the XDAII has no antenna, are there signal problem with this case ?
Drop in Power with XDAII and alloy case
I would have to confirm that there is most definitely a drop in signal strength when using an alloy case and the XDAII. This will be usually at least one bar on the signal meter, and can be verified by just inserting the thing and watching.
Given the lack of an external antenna, this is not surprising. I just wish I'd thought about it before lashing out 50 bucks!!!
The Thai casemod would help with the caller ID problem, but unless someone has delved inside the case of one of these to find the antenna then I would say that an alloy case is near useless unless you live next to a base station.
I would have thought that a well designed alloy case could include a connection to the external aerial socket on the back of the XDA with a flip up aerial on the case.....
Cheers
Funny, I don't seem to have the same problem. Full signal, and still full bars after putting it in the case. But i'll try checking with Phone Dashboard as it has a percentage of the signal displayed.
In the event that there's no loss, either the new radio-stack COULD actually affect the signal performance, or you were just in a borderline signal area when you put the jacket on.
In any case, i think it's still worth it as it really protects the PDA. I mean take the free the leather case: it falls on any of it's corners, and you'll have cosmetic issues immediately.
The Alu case however, i only spotted one weak angle of falling, and its like a 1/100 chance to fall exactly like that (assuming you drop it in flat surfaces) that would have to be TOP first, and a little tilted to the back (where the SD card /antenna cover is exposed)
So overall, I think dropping a bar is worth it (if you are one of those who actually suffer from this) as you can always take out the XDAII when in critical need of signal.
Guys,
I am in the market for an alu case for the XDAII. Are you talking about this one ?
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=109749
Thanks,
Rob.
yes, that's excactly it :wink:
Other ally case issues
The modification looks good - where can I get a Cover Pack for iPAQ 3870 ?
Another thing that would help would be to use voice dialling - because the modification still doesn't help for making a call, unless you have dialled it before closing the case. However, I can't seem to find a voice dialling setting. Is there one?
The other problem with the case is it taking two hands to open. Please let me know if you find one that has a nice swish press-catch that can be operated with one hand... Also one that you can put in the cradle while in its case
There is also a strand about the case in 'Using it'. W were talking about how slippery the case is, and raises the likelihood of dropping it in the first place. Someone suggests something from Egrips.com that will help...
Incidentally, I don't lose any signal bars with it in the case.
cathy
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=249707-B21
you mean this one ?
if not or you want to get it more local then expansys
look for yourself
http://www.google.dk/search?q=+Cover+Pack+for+iPAQ+3870&hl=da&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=10&sa=N
Alu Case
I Have got the alu case for my XDAII there id definatley a signal drop when i put it into the case but it still looks good i guess
It not only cut radio signal, it kills the bluetooth connections too. Good looking but not too functional.
If you are going nuts because of a problem with your GPS signal, make sure you remove the candyshell case because it masks the antenna. Inside with no case when I try to get the first fix, I can get 8 satellites in view with GPS test. It isn't enough that AT&T has to throttle your speed; they also have to kill your GPS.
Wow, I have a hard rubber /placstic two piece case from best buy and I have had the hardest time locking into GPS. In the car it can be very glitchy at times. Inside no signal at all. I started the gps test app and had case off and got perfect gps signal. Keeping phone in the exact same location I slowly slid on the case without touching the phone and it indeed killed my gps to no signal at all and did not recover. This was inside also. With the case on it must be perfectly placed in the window to get decent reception. That sucks. I hate taking my case on and off
I was wondering what the deal was. My buddy has a moto droid of some type from verizon. He was in the back seat of the car today and he has some case from verizon, I want to say its rubber or silicone and he was getting instant perfect gps fix while mine was struggling.
I have speck candyshell case and do not have this problem. takes at most 5 seconds to get signal.
This seems to be a problem after you flash a rom and are trying to get the first fix after reboot. Once you get the first fix, it works ok with the case on. So my advice is: for the first fix, take the case off. And if you have a case and you feel like you are getting substandard gps signal, try it with the case off and see.
simulatordos said:
This seems to be a problem after you flash a rom and are trying to get the first fix after reboot. Once you get the first fix, it works ok with the case on. So my advice is: for the first fix, take the case off. And if you have a case and you feel like you are getting substandard gps signal, try it with the case off and see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it lasts after the first fix. Even after it has built a cache of all the satellites it stil give issues with the case on trying to get a fix in the car sometimes.
Same here. This is starting to feel like the Captivate. GPS on this phone is definitely flakey with or without a case, though that Speck case seems to make the issue worse.
I've already exchanged the original. The second one worked flawlessly for about a week and now rarely locks on straight away and usually with 30m accuracy.
OTOH, the Atrix would lock on instantly, indoors and accurate to 3m.
Strange things, these devices...
Wow. Thanks for the case tips. Took mine off and so far so good.
Fix for Speck GPS Problem
My HTC Desire HD GPS quit working when I installed a CandyShell case. The GPS signals virtually disappeared (using GPS Test app) when the case was on (or even partially on) but worked just fine with the case off. I only paid $5 for the case, so I thought I would have a stab at fixing the problem. I peeled off the rubber liner behind where the GPS antenna is located on the phone. That resulted in only a very sleight degradation of the signals!
I have always looked at Zagg invisibleSheild style cases... Now i know they dont have one for the DHD but i did buy an off brand one that i do like. The less bulk you add to the phone the better imo.
I've never had a reliable GPS signal on the two years of ownership of this phone.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium
Good to know, I wonder if this will be the same problem with the Otterbox Defender case
dfmalone said:
Good to know, I wonder if this will be the same problem with the Otterbox Defender case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely not. I can not see any difference in signal strength between Defender on or off. I posted pics in a thread in accessories section. I still have pics but don't remember which is which.
Sent using the power of the dark side
Desire HD's GPS antenna is okay, the connection from the antenna to the motherboard is a piece of **** that is terrible.
Any case that covers up the plastic LED flash cover will degrade GPS signal.
This is pretty unrelated to cases, but I highly recommend this GPS fix. Worked like magic on my Inspire and now I get a lock in less than 30 seconds with or without my Otterbox.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1442032
Hi there,
some time ago I compared some cases for the Desire HD and focused on the GPS signal. I uploaded a video to youtube.
Just search for 'HTC Desire HD case GPS test ' on youtube.
Comments are welcome!
Nice video,
Keep in mind the Case-mate Barely There Mirrored Silver case blocks the signal. This video and other people have noticed GPS does indeed work with the black case, but the silver case is bad news.
I've contacted case-mate about the mirrored silver model, and I'm hoping they send me a matte black version to compare. If they do, I'll be sure to post my findings!
interesting... I have a CaseMate Tough (silicone plus hard matt plastic)
I was sat in the attic of my house, underneath a skylight winidow.
I did get more satellites visible and locked without the case. I got 8 on average (max 10), whilst without the case I got mostly 4 (max 6).
The silicone skin did not make any difference.
Still acceptable, in an area of good-poor visibility of the satellites.
But should this really be a surprise since the GPS signal is very weak anyway, and it has difficulty passing though material?
The strange thing for me is the fact, that some cases do not block the signal, but others do. There are reports that not all silicone cases block.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium App
GerdJ said:
The strange thing for me is the fact, that some cases do not block the signal, but others do. There are reports that not all silicone cases block.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot I had a Barely There which I don't use (since as cases go, it doesn't offer much protection )
Took the CaseMate Tough off, the signal went from 6 to 9 satellites locked.
Put on the Barely There - the signal dropped to JUST ONE in view/use (average 2).
So, this Barely There case doesn't offer protection, and stops the GPS function!
Sorry, black or silver bt?
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium App
good point - silver for the barely there case
paul c said:
good point - silver for the barely there case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for grabbing the old case and testing it. I hope we can get some more input from people with the other color variations to see if it's something to do with the paint/material/finish...
Good idea. I will get some other cases for testing maybe. If so I will post the results.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using XDA Premium App
A quick update with another case...
This case purchased off ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260746755524
It does block GPS, not as much as the case-mate mirrored silver, but enough that I won't be using it whenever I try to use GPS function.
paul c said:
interesting... I have a CaseMate Tough (silicone plus hard matt plastic)
I was sat in the attic of my house, underneath a skylight winidow.
I did get more satellites visible and locked without the case. I got 8 on average (max 10), whilst without the case I got mostly 4 (max 6).
The silicone skin did not make any difference.
Still acceptable, in an area of good-poor visibility of the satellites.
But should this really be a surprise since the GPS signal is very weak anyway, and it has difficulty passing though material?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting. I also have the Case-Mate Tough and it seems to block a great amount of signal. While having it on and sitting inside a tram I can't get a fix at all. After taking it off and waiting a minute I do a decent signal. Same happens while using it inside a car. Sometimes I do get a signal with the case on, but very slowly and the signal is much weaker than with the case off. What ROM are you using?
very nice video
White Barely There Case
Hello,
Does anybody know if the white Barely there case causes the same reception problems as the silver one? I was just going to buy it when I've stumbled on this topic.
very nice vid i like it
internet4o said:
Hello,
Does anybody know if the white Barely there case causes the same reception problems as the silver one? I was just going to buy it when I've stumbled on this topic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, case-mate doesn't even officially offer the mirrored silver anymore, so that might suggest the white one is ok.
**** i have the silver one XD
totaly agree, had a white rubbery silicone case and GPS was virtually disabled.
SensationStyler said:
**** i have the silver one XD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep in mind, you can visit case-mate's website and contact them. They allowed me to RMA my mirrored silver case, and promptly shipped me a matte black case as replacement.
Case-Mate Pop case
Hello,
my black Pop case reduces the GPS signal of my Desire HD: the Error in the "Gps Status" app come from 3m (DHD naked) to 41m (DHD with Pop case) ..
I've also found this video, that exactly prove my test:
search for "Case-Mate Pop significantly degrades HTC Desire HD GPS performance"
Incredible!!!
I got a Case-Mate Barely There" for my Desire S.
I recently noticed that my GPS reception is very poor when this case is on the DS. Blinking icon, not getting any location in Navigation etc.
When I remove the case, after a few seconds the reception is stable and I get a proper location.
Is this something I can fix with a radio update? Or should I just not use that case anymore?
PS Wifi + 3G seem fine all the time.
Quark^2 said:
I got a Case-Mate Barely There" for my Desire S.
I recently noticed that my GPS reception is very poor when this case is on the DS. Blinking icon, not getting any location in Navigation etc.
When I remove the case, after a few seconds the reception is stable and I get a proper location.
Is this something I can fix with a radio update? Or should I just not use that case anymore?
PS Wifi + 3G seem fine all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you answered your own question....
I'm not good at how these things work, but when you take you phone's case off you holding the phone in your hand could mean that your body is acting as an additional antenna?
Although have you seen this GPS related thread
My investigations of similar GPS case-related issues may be of interest :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1229660
I would NOT expect to see any significant improvement by software or firmware change. When the incoming signal is degraded, there's little that can be done to improve matters.
The GPS and WiFi antennas of the DS are built into the plastic cover around the camera lens and are limited in performance.
I bet that your case is either black rubber gel or metallic - In either instance, I expect that it is absorbing the GPS signal.
Not all types of case will have the same bad effect.
- Steve
Thanks for your link. Interesting and it does confirm my findings.
I've decided to not use the Barely There Case anymore, I've ordered a small but good looking pouch to protect my DS.
I don't use GPS very often, but I do use Wifi a lot and that seems a little better now too (especially for already poor wifi connection).
I also have the Barely There case, but have not noticed any significant difference. The Cygnett case however really blocks out my wifi. Strange isn't it?
My current case (purchased from the T-Mobile store no less) blocks the GPS satellite signals from reaching my phone. That's not that bad when I'm driving because I can just take it out of the case, but if I need an app like Where's My Droid to work then I need a case that doesn't block signals. Any suggestions? Do all/most cases do this?
bump..........
ishould said:
bump..........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope it's just you lol...
I have many cases and none have blocked my gps signal. Do you get a signal upon taking out the phone from the case? Thats really weird. If you can replicate it each time, I would go to the tmo store and demand a refund and a better case if there is one.
I have used cases from mobi hard clip cases, barely there cases, as well as the Seidio Active cases with kickstand and others. All varied from sizes and thickness and not a single time my gps not worked. Kinda weird.
Currently using an aprolink hybrid tpu/plastic case. No issues there either.