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Ok so this has happened every night I have had the Captivate (3 nights), I go to bed at night and in the morning where my signal bar should be I have a circle with a slash through it (no network). When I go to bed I will have like 2-4 bars of service but something must happen and I lose all network functionality. I have to restart the phone which solves the problem but is a serious pain. This also happens sometimes randomly throughout the day.
Any ideas if this is a common problem with all Captivates or if it is a hardware or software issue?
I like this phone and if I can get it to work properly I love it more than my iphone but not getting service is a buzz kill and I will return it. (Bought it unsubsidized for $500 because I couldn't deal with my iphone anymore)
Note: I live in Tampa which generally has good AT&T service and have had no other problems with other phones
Did you turn off the phone and remove the sim card for a few minutes?? According to an at&t rep doing that solves network issues.
The problem I had today was that the phone showed full bars, but I couldn't send a text or make calls. I took the reps advice and it's fine for now.
Well I will give that a try tonight and see how it goes and post back tomorrow with my results. I really love everything. Else about this phone and would be a shame of I had to get rid of it because of silly antenna issues. Thanks for the advice!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Are you sure you don't have any power saving apps on that are turning off the radio after a few hours? Did it happen when it was stock with no programs installed? Might try and flash it back to stock and see if that solves the problem.
Otherwise you could always walk into an AT&T store and ask for another one and see if it still happens.
Well last night it did the same thing after removing the sim for about 10 minutes before bed.
And as far as knowing if it did this before I rooted it.....well...I owned the phone for maybe 10 minutes after unboxing it before I rooted it. So I have no idea if it is because it is rooted. I don't have any apps on it for power saving purposes and nothing should be killing the radio. Problem is that it isn't like airport mode is on...its completely out of service and the only way to get service back is to reboot. Turning the radios on and then off again while the phone is on won't work...it must be a reboot.
I will probably end up returning it and trying one more Captivate before I look else where for a new phone. But after seeing this screen it would be hard to look at any other phone twice.
iphone4 would be a good screen alternative
ur antenna issue is unique and a new phone will probably fix it. id get that sim replaced too.
The new iPhone would be ok...but I can't go back to an iPhone. I have had 4 of them (2 first gens) and I am so bored of them. And I know people rave about the iPhones new screen but side by side with this phone I would take the extra screen real estate anyway.
And I did consider getting a new sim card too. I think I will wait until towards the end of my 30 day return policy and trade in for a new one.
Thanks for all the help guys
koppelmanwj said:
Ok so this has happened every night I have had the Captivate (3 nights), I go to bed at night and in the morning where my signal bar should be I have a circle with a slash through it (no network). When I go to bed I will have like 2-4 bars of service but something must happen and I lose all network functionality. I have to restart the phone which solves the problem but is a serious pain. This also happens sometimes randomly throughout the day.
Any ideas if this is a common problem with all Captivates or if it is a hardware or software issue?
I like this phone and if I can get it to work properly I love it more than my iphone but not getting service is a buzz kill and I will return it. (Bought it unsubsidized for $500 because I couldn't deal with my iphone anymore)
Note: I live in Tampa which generally has good AT&T service and have had no other problems with other phones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had mine since July 18th and had never have this happen...till this morning. When I pulled it off charger I noticed the signal meter what a circle with a slash. Well, I dont get great reception in my apartment so it didnt phase me until I was on my way to work and still didnt have a signal. So, I turned it off and back on and then it had a signal. So I dont know what was up with that. I'll keep an eye on it tomorrow to see if its something thats going to happen regularly.
Hmmm...so I'm not the only one having this problem. Yeah I don't get superb service in my apartment but I have also never really had any other network problems with other phones.
Wonder if there is something that kills the network if you don't have a decent signal for a certain period of time. I just wish it wasn't everyday. On the brightside nobody will wake me up with emails or texts or calls.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Post all your nag/complaints/evidence of GPS problems here.
All investigation works goes here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=789383
I just finished doing a one hour GPS test drive with the new OTA JH7 and guess what!!
The GPS is still unreliable.
I did a 30 minute drive before the JH7 OTA fix and it was terrible. It would lose GPS signal easily. The GPS would rarely get a fix and when it did, it wouldn't refresh for another 20-30 seconds.
With the new JH7 OTA, positioning while stationary is quick. You can get indoor GPS (probably from AGPS). Now, I was using it and I'm starting to believe we will NEVER see a real fix.
My reasons:
The hardware GPS has an accuracy of ~10 meters (~30 feet).
The hardware GPS has slow processing speed.
I believe this "fix" is just software code trying compensate for the poor hardware. It seems to take the bearing and speed to estimate where you will be. This won't work all the time but it gives the illusion of a reliable signal. You can see the device doing this when you make a quick change in speed or direction.
For example:
If you break quickly, the GPS will tend to position you further than your actual position. You might see GPS position "travel backwards" after you do.
If you accelerate quickly, from rest/full stop, the GPS will lag completely. It might lose the signal or not update until it gets a new "position" later (probably an amalgamation of speed, bearing, and [inaccurate] position).
If you make a sharp turn, the GPS will keep traveling that path and then slowly work it's way back to where you are. For example, if you make a 90 degree right turn, you'll see the GPS plots a semi circle arc to your new position.
I currently recorded my data with a custom written application I wrote but I had the logs set to write every 30 seconds and I didn't have a reference GPS unit to compare.
The next time, I'm going to drop it 1 second frequency and run the application on my G1 and Rhodium (TouchPro/Tilt 2).
What are you experiences with this new GPS "fix"?
I completely agree.
I just came into this forum to post the same thing.
I have some terrible My Tracks screenshots to take, but now my Captivate isn't detected when I try to plug it into my computer
This is using Cognition v2.1. The GPS locked very quickly right after flashing, but just tonight, it wouldn't get a lock to save my life. After repeatedly entering the LbsTestMode and changing settings, it went to getting a lock again... but had me ~100 feet off.
I do not think the GPS will ever work as good as any other modern smartphone. The GPS in this device just sucks, and no software will save it.
I agree with pretty much all that you wrote. It is very "laggy" and I too can see it estimate your path. Re-routing also takes very long and sometimes may not be in time.
I tested it with my Garmin side-by-side and there is no doubt the Cappy is worse. I know it's a phone and not a fair comparison with a "real" GPS, but it is a letdown.
FYI, Cognition improves the GPS significantly from my stock version (JP6)
Same here. I would not consider this as a fix for GPS.
The captivate is my first android phone. Im stuck with att so i made the switch from iphone to the captivate because it was thr first phone that was not crippled. I love android. Period. Im never going back. With voodoo and oc this phone beats the crap out of an iphone.
But today is the last day i can return it to best buy. I was waiting for a gps fix/improvement. But it didnt help. So im returning it. Im going to buy my friends aria for $100. Once samsung fixes thr gps i will buy this phone again.
Ps. Android. My new best friend.
is this the first Samsung android phone? Im pretty disappointed. Their other products are top notch
I have the opportunity to swap out my cappy for an HTC Aria phone but it's my last opportunity to exchange it because they're extending my 30 day warranty. I had to talk Wirefly into letting me because of the bad GPS in the phone. They can either give me another Cappy which would be a brand new (but another defective GPS phone no doubt) or they'll just give me the Aria which has a decent working GPS but not anywhere near as nice as the Captivate in every other way.
What would some of you suggest? I'm leaning toward just getting the Aria and maybe upgrading to a better phone later on.
galaxyjeff said:
I have the opportunity to swap out my cappy for an HTC Aria phone but it's my last opportunity to exchange it because they're extending my 30 day warranty. I had to talk Wirefly into letting me because of the bad GPS in the phone. They can either give me another Cappy which would be a brand new (but another defective GPS phone no doubt) or they'll just give me the Aria which has a decent working GPS but not anywhere near as nice as the Captivate in every other way.
What would some of you suggest? I'm leaning toward just getting the Aria and maybe upgrading to a better phone later on.
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Click to collapse
My wife has an Aria, pretty good phone, verry poor battery life. Great GPS lock in 10 sec no matter where are you. Small screen but perfect size for holding.
I would have to disagree. No it's definately not as good as my garmin. However compared to stock...lol.. Its no contest. The Ota update is definately an improvement. It makes it at least usable. Before it would take anywhere from 10 min or more to lock. On several occasions i got half way to home before it would lock. Tonight i tested it and got a lock within 10 secs.
Thats not to say this update is without its issues. You can definately tell there is some anticipation of where you are going by about 10 to 20 feet. However rerouting happens quicker for me than it did before.
There is also the issue of wifi and 3g being on at the same time. Of course ill have to reenable tethering too if possible. Other that that though it is more positive than negative for me. At at least i can bring up bars and restaurants without waiting 20 minutes.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
kaczu said:
I would have to disagree. No it's definately not as good as my garmin. However compared to stock...lol.. Its no contest. The Ota update is definately an improvement. It makes it at least usable. Before it would take anywhere from 10 min or more to lock. On several occasions i got half way to home before it would lock. Tonight i tested it and got a lock within 10 secs.
Thats not to say this update is without its issues. You can definately tell there is some anticipation of where you are going by about 10 to 20 feet. However rerouting happens quicker for me than it did before.
There is also the issue of wifi and 3g being on at the same time. Of course ill have to reenable tethering too if possible. Other that that though it is more positive than negative for me. At at least i can bring up bars and restaurants without waiting 20 minutes.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with comparing the Captivate's GPS performance to stock is that stock was just garbage. Almost anything is an improvement from a stock Captivate's GPS.
We need to compare the Captivate's GPS performance to other phones -- the Aria, Droid, iPhone etc. The Captivate's GPS just simply sucks compared to these phones, even after Samsung's "fix".
I wish I could return it, but there are no other decent options with AT&T
I have to disagree also. I just drove from Illinois to Texas and my captivate got me to my destination with only a couple dropped GPS signals. Was a 12 hour drive and it did what it needed to. Just saying this was a "real world" test and it passes in my book.
Dropped w/ my Captivate XDA App
My captivate is every bit as good as my aria was and better than my iphone 3g was. I'll agree its not the best. But this fix is working and if that's the best it can do I'm satisfied. I took a 6 hour trip the other weekend and it did loose signal in cloudy conditions, but when the sky was clear it never steered me wrong it even redirected me quickly, my friends vibrant also got him to where we were meeting. Now with the new firmware it gets a fix in overcast conditions. It may not be perfect but its what we have to live with. And I don't think I'd give up my samoled screen and good graphics processor for a better gps.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using Tapatalk
johnyhoffman said:
I have to disagree also. I just drove from Illinois to Texas and my captivate got me to my destination with only a couple dropped GPS signals. Was a 12 hour drive and it did what it needed to. Just saying this was a "real world" test and it passes in my book.
Dropped w/ my Captivate XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It boils down to how much you expect the GPS to work.
If you expect it to work with a few dropped signals, a few random wanders, but still generally get you to your destination -- then it is OK.
If you expect it to work as good as other modern phones, it sucks.
phr00t said:
The problem with comparing the Captivate's GPS performance to stock is that stock was just garbage. Almost anything is an improvement from a stock Captivate's GPS.
We need to compare the Captivate's GPS performance to other phones -- the Aria, Droid, iPhone etc. The Captivate's GPS just simply sucks compared to these phones, even after Samsung's "fix".
I wish I could return it, but there are no other decent options with AT&T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try the Sony Xperia 10a. I have one and it's a nice phone. Lot's going on in that forum also. GPS works nicely and it's an 8Mb phone. Only A-droid 1.6 w/2.1 coming.
Unfortunate for me, I had a deal with AT&T to sell 50 of these devices ($15,000 down payment) with a custom app I wrote for this company. It's not going to happen now because the GPS is borked. Highway driving is one thing, but in the city, where you would be making turns left and right, it's counter productive. The GPS will be misleading you.
My project hasn't completely fallen through, but I would have to resort to the much smaller HTC Aria. I would say the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 but their OS is a joke. It runs 1.6 and has no Exchange support. SE said they'll make 2.1 (seriously!?) available end of october (meaning November). By then Gingerbread (2.5 or 3.0) will be out.
I just don't want to return this Captivate I got for free to develop the application...
Yea here's mine... Thx samsung, GREAT FIX!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
CLShortFuse said:
The GPS is still unreliable.
...
What are you experiences with this new GPS "fix"?
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Click to collapse
I've gotten what I would call good performance from the GPS today, but I only use it for driving and I probably don't need better than 10m precision. Prior to updating today to JH7, my phone would take 3-5 minutes for an initial lock (which usually required prepping with the Ulysse Gizmos' GPS app), after which it would stay relatively on-point. Today, post-JH7, my phone gets a spot-on lock with 5+ satellites within 10-15 seconds.
Pre-JH7, Google Navigation would trail my actual position slightly, as determined by the very unscientific method of glancing over at the phone while driving and noting that I would be passing a street intersection and Google Nav would still have that street roughly 10-20 feet forward of my position.
Post-JH7, again very unscientifically, the map would have me passing intersections at the exact moment I was actually passing through those intersections. Your comment about it estimating your next position rings a bell, but I could just be "remembering" a non-existent hiccup during one of my rides. Of course, I could also have missed a few dozen hiccups, because I was keeping my eyes on the road. =)
I live in the 'burbs north of NYC and, although I have no immediate plans to head into Manhattan, I will install MyTracks tomorrow and do some more testing along curvy suburban roads with and without extensive tree cover (I'd also be happy to use your custom application, if those logs would be more helpful to you).
Can you give me some specific ideas of what scenarios would help you get more useful test data? Things like:
1) Proceed straight at 30mph. Take 90 degree right turn at 20mph. Expectation would be that MyTracks would continue straight for at least a few feet before correcting itself.
2) Proceed straight at 30mph. Come to abrupt and complete stop. Expectation would match above.
I have a GPS in my car and use it for road trips. The Captivate GPS works well NOW for what I want to use it for, location based services like gowalla and such. It also works well for me using Google Nav's Walking feature.
The update is definitely an improvement for me. Before the update, unless I had wireless network assist turned on, my GPS would NOT get a lock. Now it does in under 20 seconds.
I too just joined the android community after having an iphone for 3+ years now... captivate being the first powerful hardware based phone that i saw (and that ATT had).I'm probably never going back to the iphone even if i never get gps working cause it is still so much better imho.
But the only thing that makes this so dang frustrating is the fact that... was there ANY product testing!?. I mean i can understand if it was a bad "batch" of phones that made it out. Or even if gps was "subpar", and had an OCCASIONAL incident of what we are experiencing (Like once every 15-20 min, then would reset and work fine). But the fact that it has not worked since product launch on EVERY phone (captivate, fascinate, vibrant, epic 4g, i9000) Even the ones that claim to unaffected still have accuracy/lag issues. I mean how did this get past field testing? I just hate the negligence .
I mean atleast the iphone 4 reception issue was only conditional to how you were holding the device. But no one GPS has correctly worked -_- just frustrating
I agree with this thread so far. It's insanely frustrating.
Just my observations, take it for what it is.
We all know that GPS is hit or miss on these phones. Many people have exchanged their older build phones for newer builds and have exalted the GPS function as incredible. Coming into the last few weeks before my one year goes by I wanted to do some testing on my 1007 build. I've been lucky so far, GPS works for me.
I have tried all the newer built roms for both Froyo and Gingerbread. While I did see a little improvement in the lock times I do believe this is minimal. I went back to stock yesterday, KB1. A friend wanted me to go on a drive about an hour and a half away so I thought this would be a good chance to actually test the GPS function where I could give it my full on attention.
What I found:
Lock times w/ supl.google.com, port 7276 - bad as always
Lock times w/ h-slp.mnc410.mcc310.pub.3gpnetw, port 7275 - better
Lock times w/ either and gpsjm9.zip - 10 - 15 seconds with 10 - 15m lock initially, 8 - 11 satellites used
Not so interesting so far...but I did find when I removed my Body Glove case the SNRs, using GPS Test by Chartcross or LBSTestMode, for all the satellites increased slightly. I thought that was strange but what I saw next was stranger. If I held the phone with my hand covering the top half of the back of phone, the area where the antennas make contact with the battery cover, the signals would go away. Not completely, it would still show however many satellites it had locked before place my hand in this position but all the SNRs would drop by half or more and the satellites would show as not being used.
I removed the battery cover and repeated, same results.
Tried this with Maps, Navigation, My Tracks anything that would have to use this signal. When blocked, I would get the searching for signal status bar icon but a few seconds after removing the block it would come right back.
I was thinking it may be interesting to go to my local AT&T store to show this in action. Not sure if I would accept a refurbished phone or even a new one as the GPS will work if I hold it or place it in a holder so the antennas aren't covered. I do love my 1007 build and it's only another 53 weeks until my upgrade.
I traded two 1008 build phones with horrible gps in both. I got back a 1008 and an 1102 and both of them work very well now. It is honestly like night and day difference for me. Doesn't matter if I am on stock software or custom roms. Right now I have mosaic v and can get 11 locks and it never once lost tracking. Seems pretty rock solid for me far. I do think the 1008 build I have is better than the 1102.
thats the same configuration I am using, have you tried this fix?
http://www.darkyrom.com/community/index.php?threads/guide-gps-quickest-fix-solution.2022/
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Just to further muddy the waters.
My phone is rooted 2.2, but other than that stock. I exchanged my original phone for the shut down problem (hoping to get a better GPS, actually). Build number is worn. Might be 1007.
Internal GPS works OK, but not nearly as good as my tiny Bluetooth dongle GPS. I have the extended battery with the plastic door so the little contacts inside the battery compartment don't touch metal. Didn't really notice much GPS difference from stock battery and metal back.
When outside by my pool I get a certain level of SNR with the Chartcross GPStest, say about 38 +/- on a clear summer night in north Texas. When I set the phone down on a metal mesh poolside table the SNR jumps up about 2-3 ticks, say 40 to 41 for the best satellites, well into the green.
Acquisition times seem better on the table too, less than 10s. Ground plane I guess for the antenna? All my antenna theory has faded over the last 35 years of disuse.
=================================================
Tested tonight with original battery and metal back on the same metal mesh table. Similar results.
To add another anecdote.
Originally got a 1007 build phone in August 2010. GPS under eclair was marginal. Didn't get better under froyo (cognition flavors). Exchanged the phone at an ATT service center. The unit received was a refurb 1010 build.
GPS on this unit so far has been about 98% as good as my Garmin.
It came with Froyo, but only had that long enough to get home and put Cognition 5 beta x on it. First fix is Fast, Tracks well. notices that I didn't follow directions, quickly.
Even played with it the other day with Google Earth zoomed way in. It literally was tracking where I was walking.
I do believe the Captivates are random with reference to GPS, especially the early builds.
Stop pulling your hair out over this issue. Exchange it for a refurbishment unit that is fixed and make sure you test it while at the device center.
Dont be scared of a refurbished phone. Trust me it will come in better condition cosmetically then the one you probably have.
I wanted to see if you guys could report how accurate your GPS is. It seems as though my phone will NEVER get a lock below 5 meters. My Thunderbolt on the other hand will get a lock of around 1-2 meters in the same exact position.
Some of you might think it's not a big of a deal, but for me it's the difference between my Google Maps telling me I'm at my neighbors house VS it knowing I'm at mine.
I went into the GPS configuration file under data/gps and changed my server address to supl.google.com, changed to port 7276, and I also switched mode to MSBASED. Now my GPS picks up a lock really quickly but I still can't get it lower than 5 . I noticed when I was originally on ED1, it wouldn't go past 10 for me , EE4 got it lower to 5. Does anyone have any tips?
I'm using GPS Status and Toolbox .
I've tested this and get same results on Gummy, Humble, and Eclipse 1.2
I'm currently on Humble 1.3 with PBJ nonOC kernel
Unfortunately. I think it comes down to the aGPS antenna in the handset. Not sure i've ever known a smartphone gps to be more accurate then 3-5 meters if it gets that close. Try using Angrygps to test and see how close you can get it.
HTC Phones seems to be really good on GPS or something because both my HTC Aria and Thunderbolt lock on at 1-2 meters outside of my home. I used to have a Samsung Epic a while back and that thing never got a lock below 30 meters until it got Froyo
Yeah im an avid HTC lover myself as you can tell. But Verizon unfortunately is sucking on the LTE Department when it comes to HTC Smartphones. I wasn't going to put up with the 1300mah battery in the Thunderbolt just to keep up with HTC.
dragonstalker said:
Yeah im an avid HTC lover myself as you can tell. But Verizon unfortunately is sucking on the LTE Department when it comes to HTC Smartphones. I wasn't going to put up with the 1300mah battery in the Thunderbolt just to keep up with HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For me it was a combination of battery life and the screen. When I owned an Epic I told myself I would never buy a samsung again due to its GPS woes, lack of timely updates ,etc, but those LCD screens on HTC are GARBAGE. You can't see a damn thing in the Texas sun with that. However, I am more comfortable with RUU's and stuff like that on HTC.
Anways, would it be possible for someone to go outside and see what's the best GPS lock you can get. It'd be even great if people who also own Thunderbolts can test both devices like I did
My old Droid X was the best device I've ever used for GPS or navigation purposes. It would lock on to my position in less than 10 seconds and have a triangulation of about 3 meters.
Anyone? I still can't get it past 5, now I'm on Humble 1.33
I don't have a Charge(yet) but when my Fascinate's GPS wants to work, it locks onto me within 6 meters.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
I had an LG Revolution. the GPS on that was amazing. It locked on immediately and was accurate to about 3 - 6 feet. It could place me inside my house and watch move as I moved from room to room.
My Charge on the other hand sucks at GPS. It takes quite a while to lock on and i never get better than 15ft accuracy. Plus it does not update all that frequently. Like once every 10 seconds or so.
I bought my 8X on Nov. 30th 2012, and immediately after purchasing noticed the camera would not autofocus. Out of fear of looking like a dumbass, I figured I was doing something wrong and didn't get an exchange at that point. The problem kind of took a back seat in my mind until Christmas day when I wanted to take some pictures...
By this time the phone was past the 14 day return policy, so I had to send the phone in for repair. On new years eve, I took it to my carrier who sent it to an HTC repair center. It returned to the store on January 15th. The good news is the camera was working, the bad news is that something was now wrong with the cellular radio.. I couldn't get on the network, and the network selection menu only showed one carrier (not mine) as on option. So I sent it back for a second time. It returned to the store on January 28th, they claimed the mainboard and sim tray had been replaced, but the same issue with service still existed! However this time, I could get connected to the Bell network for about 30 seconds before it returned to the same issue of just showing one carrier. I was furious and argued with my carrier for a good hour over what could be done. In the end, it was sent away again.
To say the least, I'm doubtful that it will be working when it comes back this time. Should I contact HTC directly and see if it can be shipped elsewhere? I'm sure where it's going (some place in Markham, Ontario) is a crappy third-party authorized HTC service centre.
Any advice is welcomed at this point. And oh HTC, this is the first and last device I will buy from you. Sorry bro.:good:
On my 3rd RMA..
Phone#1 (I paid $250 for from ATT&T store, WITH 2 year contact):
• Couldn't call contacts, no caller id, no mail launching, live tiles froze, no text messages, no Bluetooth syncing on my car, had to reformat and filter contacts.
• Bluetooth does not read texts on car anymore
• Bluetooth does not work with calls until I call back or use speaker phone
• Battery was 100% at night and phone was dead at 0% by morning
• Fully charged phone lasts under a day with little use
Phone #2 (first RMA): The one after that had a HUGE eraser type mark on the screen from something. Returned
Phone #3 (second RMA): The phone I have currently.
STILL HAVE ISSUES: My mic sucks and people say it sounds like im in a tunnel. Speaker phone is slightly better.... POS...
ATT&T told me to call HTC and try to beg for a new phone instead of these RMA POS