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[Q] Does Nexus S Wifi and GPS have issues?

So there I was, happily reading reviews about Google's/Samsumg Nexus S building my judgement whether to buy it or not after my Nexus 1 got stolen. Happily enough there were very few posts on issues with the phone and most reviews would state quite triumph for Samsumg for it's gorgeous screen and for finally getting rid of it's dreaded GPS bummer.
Decision made and finally got my own brand new NS. In general terms, the phone is pretty smooth, very responsive - haven't seem an android phone this smooth in a while. In general lines I'm pretty happy with it. However, there are two issues which are bugging a lot: the WiFi and the GPS. Since I've read these reviews I mention in the beginning I'm not too sure whether they design flaws or just I got (un)lucky with this one.
My GPS is definitely crap. I have that "GPS test app" and even when it has like 7 satellites in sight it still wont manage to get a lock as quick (if any) as other phones I've been comparing it. E.g. And old HTC Magic sitting next to my NS got a lock in like, 5 seconds while mine took almost 20 - then lost it. Also, after acquiring the lock, it has an average of 20-30 meters error while the HTCs and Nokias are like pin-point 5m<.
As for the WiFi, I'm not sure if is just a display issue or if the reception is really bad, but being in the same room as the router, about 4 meters away, the phone shows two strength bars only. I figure that the reception could be just fine and the display could be just bad parametrized so I've got the "WiFi Analyser" app it says my signal is at -78dBm (which with a little googling apparently means pretty weak).
What do you guys say? Are those known issues? Are there Fixes? Should I send it back?
I just reaaaaly don't want to root it get custom Roms and try and try.. This thing is brand new, should work as it is.

Compared to my HTC Desire the NS GPS takes quite a long time to establish lock - the desire is within a couple of seconds - the NS takes 30-60 seconds.
The NS compass is terrible - there are quite a few posts on this.
All of this on stock 2.3.3 - haven't tried any custom roms or kernels yet.

NS GPS & WiFi are fine. Never had any problems... even on stock.

Nope, don't have problems. When I first got it, it took about 30 seconds to get a lock inside my house (w/ wifi off) from a cold start. Ever since, it took less than 10 seconds.
Wifi also isn't an issue with me. Although the amount of bars it shows is weird, but when I get in my car (signal going through multiple walls), I still get one bar left and works fine (not fast connection, but still get some).

No problems with mine, works just as well as my wife's MT4G
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Nexus S GPS problem?

I bought a T-Mobile nexus s to try out at best buy before committing to dish out 600$ on the att version and noticing that my GPS is having a difficult time locking a signal. Could this be because I'm on edge signal or it shouldn't matter?
I had that captivate before and I had the same issue, does this problem also exist on the nexus s also? It's a great device but I don't think its worth it to me if the GPS isn't reliable
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

If the GPS is having trouble finding your location, then it's not your network's fault. It's your GPS's. Anyway, 2.3.4 should fix that, so just manual install 2.3.4 and you should be good to go.

i do note though, i have problems around areas densely populated with buildings and trees.

Not trying to be an ass, but do you even know how gps works? There's nothing to do with edge cellphone towers or anything... The phone receives signals from satellites that orbit earth and by comparing the time delay it takes to receive the signal from at least 3 different satellites it locks your location.
Now, because the signal is very weak you need to have a clear view of the sky. Buildings, trees, clouds, anything aside a blue clear sky can prevent your phone from getting a gps signal.
So every phone first use radio strength from cellphone towers to triangulate your position faster, but again it has nothing to do with 3g or edge stuff since it just compare the strength of radio signals from differents cellphone towers that have know locations.
So try out getting a gps fix in a clear day, if even in perfect conditions you don't get squat than replace the phone.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Well I was trying to use the gps on the express way with nothing but blue sits and I wasn't able to achieve a lock until half way to my destination. As much as I like the nexus s if I have to update my rom to get the gps to work then im thinking about returning it. Plus I bought the attic 4g and the gps works wonderfully!! And even though its not as open to run the latest roms I find it far smoother then the nexus s aside from the screen im really impressed with the phone.

gratti said:
Not trying to be an ass, but do you even know how gps works? ...anything aside a blue clear sky can prevent your phone from getting a gps signal.
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Click to collapse
Not trying to be an ass, but do you even know how gps works? it also works if the sky is black.

doug0365 said:
Well I was trying to use the gps on the express way with nothing but blue sits and I wasn't able to achieve a lock until half way to my destination. As much as I like the nexus s if I have to update my rom to get the gps to work then im thinking about returning it. Plus I bought the attic 4g and the gps works wonderfully!! And even though its not as open to run the latest roms I find it far smoother then the nexus s aside from the screen im really impressed with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the GPS lock time is decreased when you try to get it whilst moving. So if you were on express way, then that explains it. Just try to get a GPS lock in the park or standing still in an open environment. See if that helps.

MarkusPO said:
Not trying to be an ass, but do you even know how gps works? it also works if the sky is black.
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Click to collapse
You had to try hard to make that joke, eh?
There are 21 satellites up there sending signals at any giving moment, and yeah, that includes night time
Now back to topic, I don't think that you speed effect lock time since no matter how fast you are moving in your car it won't make a difference since area covered by a satellite is huge and the time stamp on those signals are in the order of 1x10^-6 seconds. And ofc a electro magnetic wave move practically at the speed of light.
There's always a visible delay when you are moving, like the position on the map is always a bit behind of where you really are, but that's because the phone only reflash your position each 2 to 4 seconds to save some battery.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Oh, ok gratti, thanks for the input. It was just a thought. So then what would be his problem ?

i'm gonna recommend you download gps status, go to the menu / tools / manage gps, and download the gps data - which is the location of the satellites. and this will help you get lock faster.
you're welcome.

lambda30 said:
Oh, ok gratti, thanks for the input. It was just a thought. So then what would be his problem ?
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Click to collapse
Well, hard to say. Most likely it's software related. He can try download "gps status" from market and use it's tool clear and redownload gps data. That seems to work most of the times... even tho I'm not sure it actually do something or if it's more like a placebo effect. If his phone can never get a location than better replace it and be done with it.
I had gps issues with all my phones at one point or another and most of the time it resolved by itself. One day it didn't worked the next worked like a charm.
As an electrical engineer it piss me off when my phone's gps simply can't locate me even with ideal conditions. It should work. Period. But like Lewis CK says "the ****tier cellphone is a god damn miracle" sooo...... yeah
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Please, watch here : http://forum.frandroid.com/topic/52821-fix-gps-full-speed/
It's my topic (in french :/) but it's a fix full speed gps.
8/8 satelites in 15s !

[Q] To return or not to return (GPS problems)

As you may know by now I've been having problems with GPS on my Nexus S (i9023, bought factory unlocked from Amazon Germany, carrier code EUR, running rooted stock 2.3.4 AKA GRJ22). A quick search of the Nexus S forums will tell you that I'm not the only one who complains about GPS issues - I always assumed that the GPS was just sub-par on the model and I'd have to live with it.
Only now a few helpful souls over in the accessories section said it was probably defective and I should exchange it. (I've already exchanged it once for this and the new unit I got performed exactly the same.) So I'm just going to tell you the current situation and I'm hoping you'll tell me if that's within the normal tolerances for the model: [All tests done outside in suburbia]
"Network location" (geolocation, wifi / cell triangulation) is fine since 2.3.4 [just to get that out of the way]
Time to First Fix (TtFF) is decent now, usually 15-30 s cold and < 15 s hot. I've seen much better (yes, on a phone), but that doesn't bother me.
Accuracy however, is still bad. GPS Status shows 20-10 m mostly, but it fluctuates wildly going from 5 to 30 in a heartbeat even when it's just stationary. Other phones don't show this behavior. This translates into real-world problems in Maps (checked via sat view): The blue circle goes from large to enormous and back and while my true position is somewhere within the circle most of the time, the center dot is way off. Most other implementations manage to guess the location correctly even when the accuracy is bad (as tested side-by-side).
Stability is my biggest concern. The lock'll be fine for a few minutes, especially if the phone was just rebooted, but then the GPS will lose it every few (say 5-10) seconds and take time to reacquire it. Additionally, it doesn't pick up movement very well. I did a few tests watching my position in Maps while on the tram (in a window seat) and basically it would register an (approximately correct) location every now and then but then just hang there for a while. Usually it wouldn't register that the tram had left a stop before it had arrived at the next one or even just left it again. All other phones trace the tracks almost perfectly and in real time. There goes any kind of usable navigation and - in concert with the compass issues - all augmented reality apps.
Again, this isn't meant as a complaint or even a request for a fix (though if you have one I'll gladly take it) - I'd only like to gauge if my particular phone's have been bad or if "that just how it is".
Thanks for listening.

I have a nexus s4g from sprint and my gps was working great and then one day it just stopped. I can never pick up a signal and if out does it takes about five minutes our more. I have a gps radar app that shows me signal strengths and stuff and our barely picks up give signals and they are always really weak I have to refresh the agps status all the time to even get a lock and like I said it still takes about gives minutes or more if it even locks at all. I am looking for a fix my epic had the same problems and then with the latest update for it, it was amazing and fast accurate locks. And help with the nexus s4g would be great
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Get your msl, go to your dialer and dial *#*#gpsclrx#*#*, then put in msl and it will clear gps for you. It will reboot on its own

snandlal said:
Get your msl, go to your dialer and dial *#*#gpsclrx#*#*, then put in msl and it will clear gps for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's an msl and what does "clear gps" mean? Also, way to derail a thread ...

I tried that before on my epic and it messed up my gps but I will give it a shot
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

nice post. finally some oen who get it.that there are just failts in phones and thats just how it is.
thougfh.yes try returning it in the hope to get a proper nexus s xp

I did the clear gps code and it seemed to fix mine so thanks I would recommend people try it.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

whats an msl? can't find that on google so what is it? would like to try out that code...really have problems with GPS on my nexus s

floomat said:
my GPS does just not work at all, it can't get a fix for hours even if there are 10 sats.
but sometimes I'm lucky (really rare) and it gets a fix but the longest time it hold it was 5minutes, then lose GPS fix can't get one again. it's even not while i'm moving, phone lays on the table and outside to test.
really disappointing for me, second thing is my compass does not work after reboot and is really inaccurate and unstable (jumping around)
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Click to collapse
Your GPS sounds even worse than that on my NSs, the compass doesn't work for anyone. Out of curiosity - where did you get yours?

for msl: http://goo.gl/x3IKR
i'd like to ask if this code is good for Nexus gsm or cdma??

freakness51 said:
for msl: http://goo.gl/x3IKR
i'd like to ask if this code is good for Nexus gsm or cdma??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to the article you linked: "This program reads your Master Subsidy Lock (MSL) code for your CDMA Android phone."
In other news, I'd really appreciate some on-topic replys

fallenguru said:
Your GPS sounds even worse than that on my NSs, the compass doesn't work for anyone. Out of curiosity - where did you get yours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I even think my GPS is the worst of all the Nexus S.
Mine was bought from Ebay-UK and since it was on a repairing-tour to samsung germany i know its from CPW. Its a I9020 not I9023. BTW there was nothing repaired because they said "The discribed issue cannot be found" or something like that..
what do you mean with compass does not work for anyone?? does it really not work on any nexus? thats interesting, isn't it a little bit illegal to sell a device and say it has compass and than compass does not work at all?
freakness51 said:
for msl: http://goo.gl/x3IKR
i'd like to ask if this code is good for Nexus gsm or cdma??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mh sounds like this will not work for GSM-Nexus

the GPS on my NS behaves similar (but better) to what you describe in the first post but overall it seems to have better accuracy and stability.
Have you tried recording a track while in a car? The results should be better. At least with mine it's mostly accurate and rarely looses signal (unless you go under a bridge/tunnel)

abrcrmdl23 said:
I have a nexus s4g from sprint and my gps was working great and then one day it just stopped. I can never pick up a signal and if out does it takes about five minutes our more. I have a gps radar app that shows me signal strengths and stuff and our barely picks up give signals and they are always really weak I have to refresh the agps status all the time to even get a lock and like I said it still takes about gives minutes or more if it even locks at all. I am looking for a fix my epic had the same problems and then with the latest update for it, it was amazing and fast accurate locks. And help with the nexus s4g would be great
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
I have the same phone, NS4G from Sprint, and the same symptoms. The GPS worked fine for a week or so, and now I'm lucky to get it to work at all. Sometimes I can get a lock after 5+ minutes (while not moving), but other times it never occurs.
I just tried resetting the GPS as is described in the post above. It says "it will reboot automatically" - does that mean the phone or the radio?
In any case I just pulled my device battery after GPS reset - I'll post back with results in a few minutes. In the meantime can you explain what you did after following the reset with dialpad/MSL?

Also attempted return...had to send in for repair
I also got a bad GPS Nexus S i9020 from Amazon.com USA site. The GPS would not lock without a wifi signal. I eventually caved in trying to get it working with rom flashes, drove me nutz, but tried to return for cash and missed the date. Had to send in to Samsung then and get the repair. I have been somewhat satisfied, having gone from no GPS to finally getting it to lock, but its a poor excuse for a gps chipset. The SiRFSTAR from my old WinMo days kicks this gps in the arse.
I also get the bouncing sensitivity and wandering location circle, but accuracy hovers around 5-10m now, but the location is never fixed solid, its wobbly, even outside with clear skies above. The compass is another huge weak spot. Samsung dropped the ball on this device, I wish I could return mine and grab an HTC unit. Google should learn from this and drop them for the Nexus Prime. I think this is unacceptable as location services are whats hot now and this device fails as a flagship product.

I like the gps on my sgs2 more (it has a sirfstar IV) but, i have to say, it's not that much better.
What i gained in stability i lost in TTL. Sometimes you need one more than the other.
The SGS2 has taken me up to 10 minutes to get a lock and if conditions aren't good (cloudy sky, tall buildings) it can easily take 5 minutes. Sometimes you just want to get some signal to get you going.
I did a trip of more than 2000 miles with my Nexus S, using the GPS most of the time, and it worked ok enough for navigation for most of the time. The only times it failed me were, as i mentioned earlier, in old parts of cities with narrow streets.
You are right when you mention HTC, because usually their devices have better working GPS.
Overall i wouldn't say it's a bad device, you have to keep in mind this is not a dedicated GPS device, it's a smartphone that does a lot of things, some better than others, it's still a good developer phone, which i think was the main goal of the Nexus.
After upgrading to the SGS2, the main differences i noticed were not the GPS but the speed and extra memory! The Nexus S is not slow and has average memory (512mb but with only around 380 free) but if you have a lot of apps running (and it's easy for this to happen) it will get sluggish and begin to close the launcher when you start a heavier app. I found this had a lot more impact on usability than the GPS weakness.

Poor GPS?

Does anyone find this phone has poor GPS reception? I have been on many ROMS since i've had my phone and the GPS locking is not good compared to an iPhone. Inside my house my iPhone 4 can lock on and get a perfect signal where as my desire can only lock onto like 3 sats and cant pinpoint me.
Venturing outside I can get a lock but it sometimes takes a while, compared to my iPhone 4 which is instant. When trying to lock on in a moving car also causes difficulty.
Is this normal for this phone? Its becoming quite frustrating now - When I just want to go on maps in the street and instantly know where I am I end up standing there trying to get a lock. I'm wondering if my phone has been damaged due to dropping it or something?

I agree, I have found the GPS on this phone to be terrible - I get faster and more accurate results just by having wifi enabled.
I have changed radios and ROMS and used different apps (actually, try Google Navigation - for some reason that seems to get a lock when maps or any other app can't). I have used the app FasterFix to make sure the phone is searching for the right satellites. Nothing makes any difference. Thankfully I'm in a city and wifi location is accurate enough for me.

1. update radio
2. use faster fix to change the area to where you are
3. use gpsfix to find your location
= no more then 5-10 sec to fix outside

INDEED ! it sucks.
This Desire S which so many people love (why??) has really dissapointed me and this GPS reception is one of the poor criteria. Coming from a HTC Diamond I have so say that the GPS reception and battery consumption was waaaaay much better,
My next phone will not be HTC anymore, too much trouble with the damn thing.
bongo1 said:
Does anyone find this phone has poor GPS reception?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Tik_Tak said:
1. update radio
2. use faster fix to change the area to where you are
3. use gpsfix to find your location
= no more then 5-10 sec to fix outside
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've done each of those steps multiple times in lots of ROMS, and it rarely gets a lock at all, even after minutes of waiting.
I have tried to make the excuse that in the UK the weather and cloud cover is often responsible, and GPS does connect faster on the rare sunny days but like the OP said, other phones work. To be honest the GPS on my old Huawei Pulse was better than I get from the Desire S.

I'll have to agree with OP is well. GPS reception is realy bad on DS. Nothing to compare to my previous phone - Galaxy S 2.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

4myphone said:
I've done each of those steps multiple times in lots of ROMS, and it rarely gets a lock at all, even after minutes of waiting.
I have tried to make the excuse that in the UK the weather and cloud cover is often responsible, and GPS does connect faster on the rare sunny days but like the OP said, other phones work. To be honest the GPS on my old Huawei Pulse was better than I get from the Desire S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also tried different roms, steps and apps, GPS status is a good app as it shows you the sats locking on etc. Generally i can only get about 2-3 sats between tall buildings which is not enough for a accurate lock on where as other phones can get an instant lock fine. Also shouldnt be required to have to take steps and use apps to get a lock every time. I think its hardware and not software related.

Ingress and GPS lag/uncertainty

Has anyone experienced very bad Ingress performance while using this tablet?
On top of that, has anyone experienced incredibly bad GPS lag and/or position uncertainty? I've had times where it stops moving for a minute or more, even when I end up being a block or more away (in my small city, so no sky scrappers or any large buildings blocking the GPS signal either). It's getting to the point where Ingress is a lost hope for the tablet, which it wasn't when I was using my Nexus 7. It actually ran it much better than the TF700, surprisingly.
I've noticed the same problems in google maps and other various GPS programs as well.
Help?

No, I haven't noticed GPS issues. In fact I use my tab to navigate across Europe. Never had an issue. (other than the usual 'below ground or not enough satellites in range')
Then again I haven't tried Ingress. And I disabled Google Maps on day 1. It eats battery even when asleep! Also, that thing won't even work properly on a PC these days, my SGS3 can't find my position at all (let alone load the map itself) and frankly there are much better navigation apps available. (I highly reccomend NavFree.)
Are you sure it's not just a lack of signal strength?

ShadowLea said:
No, I haven't noticed GPS issues. In fact I use my tab to navigate across Europe. Never had an issue. (other than the usual 'below ground or not enough satellites in range')
Then again I haven't tried Ingress. And I disabled Google Maps on day 1. It eats battery even when asleep! Also, that thing won't even work properly on a PC these days, my SGS3 can't find my position at all (let alone load the map itself) and frankly there are much better navigation apps available. (I highly reccomend NavFree.)
Are you sure it's not just a lack of signal strength?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could very well be a lack of signal strength, but how would I even begin to know that? There's not really an indication in any application what the signal strength is for the GPS.

try gps test plus app
Sent from my LG-E610 using xda premium

TF700 and GPS
darkhawkff said:
Has anyone experienced very bad Ingress performance while using this tablet?
On top of that, has anyone experienced incredibly bad GPS lag and/or position uncertainty? I've had times where it stops moving for a minute or more, even when I end up being a block or more away (in my small city, so no sky scrappers or any large buildings blocking the GPS signal either). It's getting to the point where Ingress is a lost hope for the tablet, which it wasn't when I was using my Nexus 7. It actually ran it much better than the TF700, surprisingly.
I've noticed the same problems in google maps and other various GPS programs as well.
Help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am having trouble with the GPS in the TF700. This morning it spent the whole time I was driving around (even tried tethering it to the iPhone) searching for a route.
It seems to me that it was sharper before this latest CleanRom update (CROMI-X 4.6.4 - 10.6.1.15.3/US DEODEXED).
Anyone have some insight? #GPS

Alexcwb said:
I am having trouble with the GPS in the TF700. This morning it spent the whole time I was driving around (even tried tethering it to the iPhone) searching for a route.
It seems to me that it was sharper before this latest CleanRom update (CROMI-X 4.6.4 - 10.6.1.15.3/US DEODEXED).
Anyone have some insight? #GPS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why the hashtag? This isn't Twitter.
It has recently been taking ever longer to find my location. Used to be it could do it in about a minute, now it takes almost 30. I didn't change a thing on my system, not even an update.
There has been an increase in solar activity and geomagnetic interference over the last few months.
Phones and 3G enabled tablets do not have this issue, because the Internet signal is already tracking your position, making it easier to triangulate. (Try turning off 3G on your phone, it'll take equally long.)

Thanks - Understood
ShadowLea said:
Why the hashtag? This isn't Twitter.
It has recently been taking ever longer to find my location. Used to be it could do it in about a minute, now it takes almost 30. I didn't change a thing on my system, not even an update.
There has been an increase in solar activity and geomagnetic interference over the last few months.
Phones and 3G enabled tablets do not have this issue, because the Internet signal is already tracking your position, making it easier to triangulate. (Try turning off 3G on your phone, it'll take equally long.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HASHTAG from copy G+
Thanks for help.

Honestly, I gave up on it.
MY TF700 isn't really good for Ingress anyway. There's way too much lag involved, and for whatever reason every now and then the GPS just seems to stop functioning. I don't really know why, it just stops at one location for about 2 or 3 minutes. I won't even bother getting into how inaccurate it is.
And just to note, this was before the increase in solar activity.....the solar activity just makes it even worse now.