Database Info

MTS: GSM + GPS real time tracking and messaging

I am not sure if this is the right section where to post this, but I didn't find any general software dedicated sections.
Mobile Tracking System is a complete solution for GSM and GPS tracking and for SMS or e-mail (push) messaging.
Some of the Mobile Tracking System features:
- displays on the mobile phone the current location (like Celltrack and the rest)
- displays on the mobile phone the information from the GPS receiver (geographical coordinates, speed)
- access the live reporting tools through a simple web page
- any user can send and receive text messages to and from any other MTS user no matter how long or how many there are
- any user can send and receive e-mail messages no matter how long or how many there are (currently only plain text supported)
- if the internet connection on your mobile device is not present you can use the built in local database system - however the live reporting tool will not work in this case. Also, if the internet connection is temporarely down, MTS automatically reverts to the local database system
- if two users (with previously configured settings) are in the same cell, the software will notify them
- you can stop server communication automatically when you are in some designated cells (for example, if you are home, you have little need for live tracking and thus gprs traffic will be spared). However note that the GPRS traffic is extremly small because only a few bytes are sent in each transaction
- you can specify how often your mobile device should communicate with the server
- MANY others
Notes:
- right now every feature mentioned above is free for any user that signs up. Registration is also free.
- the users that add the most cells will be rewarded
- the project is available with any GSM network from all over the world (if you don't see your network operator, please tell us and we will add it in a few moments).
- the project works with any GPS receiver with NMEA support
Requirements:
- mobile phone or pocket pc that runs Windows Mobile 2003 or 5
- internet connection available on your mobile device (if you don't meet this requirement, the local database will be used, however the live reporting features will not be available)
- GPS receivers are optional - MTS works perfectly without any GPS receiver. Also, if your device is not compatible with the GSM location feature, you can use only the GPS feature or if you don't have a GPS receiver or GSM location feature compatible phone, you can use only the messaging features
Screenshots:
http://www.fightersoft.ro/mts/screenshots.htm
Tracking report demo:
http://86.105.56.50/v015trkstargate
Satellite image demo:
http://86.105.56.50/v015satstargate
The tracking and satellite demos are generated from this page - http://www.fightersoft.ro/mts/services.html . Also, forum/blog signatures are available - such as this one - http://www.fightersoft.ro/sigs/stargate.png
Info and download:
http://www.fightersoft.ro/mts/index.htm
User feedback is always welcome and appreciated!

stargatesg1 said:
I am not sure if this is the right section where to post this, but I didn't find any general software dedicated sections.
Mobile Tracking System is a complete solution for GSM and GPS tracking and for SMS or e-mail (push) messaging.
Some of the Mobile Tracking System features:
- displays on the mobile phone the current location (like Celltrack and the rest)
- displays on the mobile phone the information from the GPS receiver (geographical coordinates, speed)
- access the live reporting tools through a simple web page
- any user can send and receive text messages to and from any other MTS user no matter how long or how many there are
- any user can send and receive e-mail messages no matter how long or how many there are (currently only plain text supported)
- if the internet connection on your mobile device is not present you can use the built in local database system - however the live reporting tool will not work in this case. Also, if the internet connection is temporarely down, MTS automatically reverts to the local database system
- if two users (with previously configured settings) are in the same cell, the software will notify them
- you can stop server communication automatically when you are in some designated cells (for example, if you are home, you have little need for live tracking and thus gprs traffic will be spared). However note that the GPRS traffic is extremly small because only a few bytes are sent in each transaction
- you can specify how often your mobile device should communicate with the server
- MANY others
Notes:
- right now every feature mentioned above is free for any user that signs up. Registration is also free.
- the users that add the most cells will be rewarded
- the project is available with any GSM network from all over the world (if you don't see your network operator, please tell us and we will add it in a few moments).
- the project works with any GPS receiver with NMEA support
Requirements:
- mobile phone or pocket pc that runs Windows Mobile 2003 or 5
- internet connection available on your mobile device (if you don't meet this requirement, the local database will be used, however the live reporting features will not be available)
- GPS receivers are optional - MTS works perfectly without any GPS receiver. Also, if your device is not compatible with the GSM location feature, you can use only the GPS feature or if you don't have a GPS receiver or GSM location feature compatible phone, you can use only the messaging features
Screenshots:
http://www.fightersoft.ro/mts/screenshots.htm
Tracking report demo:
http://86.105.56.50/v015trkstargate
Satellite image demo:
http://86.105.56.50/v015satstargate
The tracking and satellite demos are generated from this page - http://www.fightersoft.ro/mts/services.html . Also, forum/blog signatures are available - such as this one - http://www.fightersoft.ro/sigs/stargate.png
Info and download:
http://www.fightersoft.ro/mts/index.htm
User feedback is always welcome and appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does this actually work on the wizard yet? downloaded it last night, and cant get it to work at all....

Yes, starting with this version - 1.19 (launched a few hours ago) it does work with most of the pocket pc models.
This is the changeslog for 1.19:
- greatly increased the number of supported devices (virtually any Windows Mobile 2003 or newer smartphone or pocket pc should be compatible)
- fixed some minor bugs
Make sure that in Options - Settings - Hardware "COM Port (specify below)" and COM port 9 are selected.

stargatesg1 said:
Yes, starting with this version - 1.19 (launched a few hours ago) it does work with most of the pocket pc models.
This is the changeslog for 1.19:
- greatly increased the number of supported devices (virtually any Windows Mobile 2003 or newer smartphone or pocket pc should be compatible)
- fixed some minor bugs
Make sure that in Options - Settings - Hardware "COM Port (specify below)" and COM port 9 are selected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, i will re-download it again and give it another go

woo hoo, works on the wizard!! except i cant register now, i guess the servers are down or something

Yes, the MTS server is down due to some ISP problems. It should be back up soon. Until then you can play around in offline mode (you can add or edit locations). To go to offline mode press Options - Settings - Work Offline.

are you sure all isp's report antenna the user is connected to ?

It's a matter of functionality. Without this information a cell phone can't work. All MTS does is to tap into the phone's memory if you will and get this information.

now that i have gotten registered and what not, i noticed a bug... and tried all different settings with the same result... But when working online it constantly drops my data connection and restarts it.... What i think is happening is this.. i am using Push Mail from an exchange server, so my data connection has to stay connected, when the connection drops the phone automatically restarts it to stay connected with the email. I think this program tries to disconnect the data connection after it recieves the data it needs from the server, after it disconnects it the phone restarts it... seems like it sends it into a loop

It shows nothing on my HTC TyTN.
It can't locate its database thinking that my MicroSD is mounted under \Storage Card directory, while the system settings clearly call its mount point as \Карта памяти (I have a Russian ROM). I wonder why you hardcoded the card mount point name if it can be retrieved from the system... Also note for me it's in Unicode or UTF-8.

shogunmark, MTS needs to disconnect from GPRS in order to get the LAC-CID combination. This only takes a few miliseconds. Granted, it's an inconvenience when trying to surf the net while MTS is on auto mode. Unfortunatly this is a "by-product" when getting the LAC-CID data and cannot be helped.
Lurker0, if you want to use another path, use a registry editor (such as RegeditSTG) and update the path in the smartdevice's registry at \HKEY_CURRENT_USER\MTS\mtsfolder.

Ok, I've corrected that. I also added my operator to their database manually. Still it shows nothing on the screen.

You mean it shows nothing when you press Refresh? Make sure that in Options - Settings - Hardware COM Port (specify below) and COM9 are selected.

Yes I mean it, and I have COM9 selected. It was selected by default, and also I tried other ports, incl. manual selection of COM9 again. Blank fields.

Ok then. Extract the files from this archive - http://www.fightersoft.ro/uploads/mts_debug.zip anywhere in your smartdevice and run mts_debug.exe. Select port 9 and press Refresh.
Note: before pressing refresh, make sure that you are not connected to the internet via GPRS (check that the G character is NOT present near the signal strength indicator).
Let me know what the greyed textbox says (if it says anything at all).

Tried it:
MTS_debug.exe
CommPortException
CreateFile Failed: 55
Application::Run+0xf
Form1::Main+0xa
If it matters, I have .NET Compact Framework 2.0SP1 intalled (or whatever is the latest version).
GPRS was off. BT/Wi-Fi off as well. Launched just after a soft reset.

I see. It looks like it can't open the port itself. Do you happen to know what COM port is used by the builtin GSM modem in your PPC? Perhaps the product documentation will reveal that. In either case, try different ports (including 0). If none is working the only logical conclusion is that either the GSM modem is in use or there is no GSM modem installed. Let me know if you have any luck.
At the same time try to setup your PPC to work as a modem for your PC (so that the PPC will be available as a modem in Control Panel - Phone and Modem Options). Click on the PPC modem (in the Modems tab) and press properties. If it responds to Diagnostics - Query Modem then launch mts_debug.exe FROM the DESKTOP PC (not the PPC itself) and use the port from Control Panel - Phone and Modem Options - the selected device. Let me know what happens.

Oh, no! I don't need it as much! I'll better wait for a working version.

The ideea was that without knowing how your device works with the mts_debug application, I will never be able to create a working version.

You see, I just installed phoneAlarm, and it showed me Cell IDs w/o asking for a COM port with GPRS enabled. You're on the wrong way as it seems to me. At least for me your approach is useless and inacceptable.

X7510 will not read information off SIM card

Telecom New Zealand has recently launced its "new" mobile network - WCDMA on 850MHz (it was a the rather antiquanted CDMA system prior!). Their range of "new" phones was nothing spectacular really and nothing much else worldwide appealed to me more than the X7510, so I duely purchased one from the UK.
When the SIM card was installed the unit come up with the following message:-
The Operator does not exist in the database. Please contact your Operator for the connections settings.
[Intrestingly enough, Vodafone NZ is in the database, even although the X7510 is not sold in NZ - but I digress!]
However the phone function and SMS appear to be working well, apart from the fact that it refuses to acknowledge the NZ Telecom Voicemail number. I get a good solid H in the Quick Menu Bar.
The data connection refuses to work at all though.
I have contacted "the Operator", but they are not all that interested in helping me as the X7510 is not a phone we support and while they've helped a little bit, the several HelpDesk Operators I've tried, all seem to end up with the same conclusion that everything the phone needs to know about the network and connection is on the SIM card.
When I open the SIM Manager, I can "see" some of the data there. (e.g. such as the Voicemail Number, but Voicemail on the phone Speed Dial is blank - no number stored). And when I try and connect to the Internet (using the number that Telecom provided verbally) it keeps asking for more Connections Settings, which I am told, there aren't any more to enter - it's all on the SIM!
It appears to me that the phone is trying to "capture" the Operator's Settings via radio rather than obtain it from the SIM!
Is there a way I can override the radio search function and get the PDA to "look" at the SIM card? Or maybe try any other method to obtain a data connection.
Any advice appreciated.
Cheers, Greg
Model No. ATHE400
ROM Version: 3.27.405.3
Protocol Version: 32.91.7020.20H
ExtROM Version: 3.27.405.104

I'm not too up on this, but I think your X7510 is NOT compatible with the TNZ system. Telstra use a very unusual hybrid of 850/2100 connections where most operators use 850/1900 or 2100 only. One is for upstream and the other for downstream where there are 2 figures.
Although it does support both 850 and 2100Mhz, they are on different frequency bands, so you could have the 850/1900 working OK, but not 850/2100.
What it means in practice is that whichever band you select, you will only get upstream or downstream UMTS connections, not both together. This may be why you see the 'H' but can't connect. In practice, you may only be able to use this phone on the slow GSM network.
Some of the other stuff is setup based, and some info you have been given is simply wrong!
To get the SMS and Voicemail number set, start the phone dialler, and go to Menu/Options/Services then scroll to the bottom setting in the window (VM and SMS) and tap it to highlight, then Get Settings. You may need to manually enter the VM access number you normally dial. Do 'Save to Network' and they should be OK.
For data access, you do not enter any phone numbers- you need to configure the setting as 'Cellular Modem GSM/3G' then enter the Access Point (APN) and any password and username.
It seems Telstra are cagey about publishing the connection parameters but I found this one:
GPRS APN: - telstra.internet
Username: - {blank}
Password: - {blank}
DNS: - 139.130.4.4, 203.50.170.2
As I suspect though, you may only be able to get GSM, not 3G/UMTS

NeilM said:
To get the SMS and Voicemail number set, start the phone dialler, and go to Menu/Options/Services then scroll to the bottom setting in the window (VM and SMS) and tap it to highlight, then Get Settings. You may need to manually enter the VM access number you normally dial. Do 'Save to Network' and they should be OK.
For data access, you do not enter any phone numbers- you need to configure the setting as 'Cellular Modem GSM/3G' then enter the Access Point (APN) and any password and username.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neil,
You are a Gem! Okay, the first part didn't work, but I can enter the Voicemail as Speed Dial #2 or use the Voice Dial on the Parrot BT; so no real biggy that the X7510 simply will not accept the Telecom Voicemail number.
But I did hit paydirt with your data access suggestion and that was the one that was really important for e-mails and Internet access (as there aren't too many Wi-Fi Hot Spots in sparsely populated New Zealand!!)
Thanks so much for your prompt and excellent response.
Regards,
Greg

You're welcome!
Presumably you are only getting GSM speeds for your email and web access? Or do Tesltra do something different with their band splits to allow full 3G access?
It may be interesting to go to DSL Reports when you have a good signal and see what speed you are getting. You might have to repeat the test with a larger file than the default, but you'll get the correct prompts.
GSM will give you from 25 to about 100kbps (GPRS or Edge), 3G will give up to 300kbps and HSDPA can give up to 2Mbps
I don't know if you can do anything about the incorrect speed dial 1, but at least you have a workaround. Are you sure you manually entered the Voicemail number in the VM box in Options/Services/SMS and Voicemail> Get Settings ? I've just tried this with my X7510 and after editing the VM number, then hitting 'OK' it commits the change to Speed Dial 1 correctly.
[Edit. I can alter my Speed Dial 1 number by opening the Dialler then tapping 'Speed Dial', highlighting SD1 then Menu/Edit which opens the settings screen. Scroll to the bottom of the list to select Voicemail and Text Messages then Get Settings. Manually enter your voicemail access number then tap 'OK' which send the settings to the network and commits the change to SpeedDial 1. If that doesn't work, it may suggest Telstra are blocking the ability to change. ]

Once again, thanks for the prompt reply.
On that speedtest link you gave me I got: - 483, 489 & 319 kbps. This is off the local tower which is a good 20 kms from the city. I'll try in the CBD tomorrow and see what I get.
I had aready tried your suggested methods for locking in the Voicemail number, but to no avail. On my X7510 it's called Voicemail and Text Messages and when you highlight and then Get Settings, it always shows a number for the Text Message Service, but a BIG blank for the Voice Mail!!
Intersting comment you made about the Service Provider possibly blocking the ability to change?? If they are, lil' old me ain't going to get them to change that!
b.t.w. it's Telecom, not Telstra (who although here in NZ, are not a big mobile player like they are in Ausssie). I would guess that in NZ, Telecom has about 45% market share and Vodafone likewise.
I'll be in touch on best speed as at this stage, I appear to be somewhere between 3G and HSDPA?
Cheers,
Greg

ok- your figures are showing a pretty good connection speed so you are definitely in the HSDPA zone!
With regard to the blank box for the VM number: have you actually tried typing your VM number into the box then hitting ok?

Neil,
Yes I have tried typing in the Voicemail number directly under Phone Settings. When I hit OK, it says "Sending new settings to Network" and then comes back with "Cannot Save your changes"
On the speed - I have just picked up the "new" USB data card (for use on the same HSPDA Network) for my laptop and given that a try - wow! Download 6,485 kbs - Upload 1,445 - that's 1.5 x times the speed of my Office copper-wire broadband system. Telecom did promise some pretty impressive speeds and they are delivering (by NZ standards anyway).
I actually think your first summation of the this NZ Network being on 850/2100 (and not compatible with setup on X7510) might be correct Neil as about 545 kbs is the best I can achieve on the X7510. Hey, I can live with that, the other features of the X7510 make up for that and the laptop is never far away if I want to get some real speed!!!
Cheers,
Greg

GSM Data & Phone Settings - Overseas

I am visiting Australia for 3 months this summer and was hoping to use my TP2 with a Virgin Mobile Australia SIM card for voice and data. From searching the forum it looks as if I am going to need some setting for data access, and possible to disable CMGuardian.
When I have used my UK Orange or Italian TIM SIM in my Motorola Razr under Tools I see some SIM specific menu items for checking credit, recharging etc. Will I see the same things in the TP2 once it make a connection?
I would appreciate any suggestions for anybody who has used a GSM SIM for data access.
Thanks

No you need to contact the provider and find out the settings for data

GSM Overseas settings
Now in Australia, I have had to adjust several settings and I want to pass on what I learned. After inserting the Virgin Mobile SIM, don't forget to switch to GSM only. There are some CDMA services in Australia and you don't want to roam onto them or you will be paying the Sprint Roaming rates. The Virgin SIM did not show up as an icon under settings and tools the way that other SIM cards have.
I found my phone worked as a phone, GPS worked and it would go on the internet thru Opera. However, at first it would not access my email and required me to dial local calls in Australia as if they were long distance.
I found I needed to change the Global Smart Dialing settings which can be found under Phone, Menu, Global Smart Dialing (need to scroll down to see this option on the Menu). Change the "dialing from" to the correct number required before country code. So for Australia, where you dial 00 before the country code when dialing out internationally, selecting Australia will change the 011 (used when dialing from the USA) to 00.
Next I needed to change the dialing rules. Go to Start, Settings, Menu, All Settings, Connections, Connections, Advanced Tab, Dialing Rules. I ticked the box for "use dialing rules", and edited the rules for Mobile, Work and Home to use the Australia country code of 61 and blanked the area code. I think I could have got the same result by editing the dialing pattern for local calls to remove the E and the F so that local calls did not have the country code or area code prefixed to them.
To fix the Email issue, I had to go to my email accounts by going to the Inbox, Menu, Tools, Options and tapping on each email setup in turn. Once in an email setup, select "Edit Account Settings" and tap Next 4 times to get to Advanced Server Settings. Here there is a drop down list of Network connections. I had to change mine from "The Internet" to VirginGPRS.
NOTE: Have not had a chance to try this, but probably the easier way to fix the email issue is to go to Start, Settings, Connections, Connections, Advanced tab and under Programs that automatically......should connect using "VirginGPRS" or whatever service you are using.
At this point I have phone calls, local SMS, internet and email working. I still have a problem with international SMS.
I am sure somebody understands this better than me and perhaps their is a more elegant way of doing this, but at least it worked.

S6 unable to see test mobile network

I'm building a test mobile network on some laptops and with a software defined radio based on Open AirInterface (is googleable, but I can't post the link cos I'm a newb) code, and I have this up and running. Additionally, I've bought some programmable SIMs to work with it on a bunch of phones. The information on these I've added into my HSS implementation. The Country Code/Network code deployed on the SIMs is 901/70 - so it doesn't interfere with commercial networks.
I'm testing with a bunch of phones in an isolation chamber, and my end goal is to shift the network into something I have a license for and "go public", but this network will have a low channel bandwidth (3MHz or 1.4MHz in Band 3 LTE). Not many phones have supported this, so I started with a 5MHz channel, which most do support - and I've successfully connected an S4 and a Nexus to my little network. However, when I tried the S6 with a SIM that worked in another phone, it cannot even see the network. I've seen hints of Samsung doing operator whitelisting, but would like to know if this is the case and, if possible, how to add my operator codes into the whitelist.
So far, I've tried the following:
a) "*#0011#" puts you into ServiceMode where you used to be able to enable/disable frequency bands and other such settings with the "Q0000" menu entry - but it looks like Samsung have squished this, also I know the phone has Band 3 operational as I can put a commercial SIM in it that runs on that band. I've not found any way of actually modifying any settings within this mode.
b) I found the file "/system/etc/apns-conf.xml" which contains a list of operator APN addresses - I updated mine to contain my settings, but no joy, and if I "reset to default" my APN settings, my settings are not picked up and I have to manually add my APN (but at least that stays selected)
c) I found some databases in "/data/data/com.android.providers.telephony/databases/", in particular "nwk_info.db" and added my network details to it. The phone then changed from basically saying I was only able to make emergency calls to "Selected mobile network (901/70) unavailable", which kind of at least hints I've moved it in the right direction
The S6 is running a rooted factory reset, and allows SIMS from two different commercial operators on it so it should be completely unlocked. It's never been out of the country, so should have "defeated" the region locks that Sammy put on the phones nowadays (although it begs the question whether rooting the phone resets this and perhaps it's still awaiting 5 mins of calls via a local SIM?).
Does anyone know of a whitelist of MNC/MCC numbers I can add my settings to? Or any other possible solution to this?
The long winded solution is to change the MNC/MCC info on each of my SIMs, but that's a PITA and I'm not even sure it'll work yet (I will attempt to try one soon, but changing the configs on my mobile network is also non-trivial!)

How To Guide [GUIDE] Device Settings Menu Guide, Tips & Discussions | Part I - Connections

Device Settings Guide, Tips & Discussions
Part 1 - Connections
If you're new to this series or want to see the index, please read Post #2 first.
​
Wi-Fi
Click on Gear icon besides any network:
View supported Network speed and security
Auto reconnect: If on, automatically connects to this network when Wi-Fi is ON. Switch it off for backup Wi-Fi i.e. you can keep it ON for 5 GHz network and OFF for 2.4 GHz so that it always connects to 5 GHz automatically.
Manage Router: Opens up the router admin page by going to your Gateway IP Address.
IP Settings: Choose from DHCP or Static. If you want to use custom DNS, you have to use Static IP. If you want to know the Network info like IP, Gateway or Subnet Mask, choose Static once and note the displayed info.
Proxy: Set manual or auto-config proxy here.
Click advanced to show:
View device's MAC address and allocated IPv6/IPv4. Learn about MAC and IPs here.
Metered Network: If you set a connection as metered, you or device can restrict background processes, big downloads and save data.
Randomized MAC: Devices are supposed to have a permanent MAC but this could be used to track you. From Android 10, you get an option to use randomized MAC each time your device connects to Wi-Fi. You can disable this if you use MAC Filtering on your router.
QR Scan (icon on top-right): Connect to Wi-Fi without entering password. Use a device that is already connected to the network and scan the QR code displayed by the former.
Menu > Wi-Fi Direct: Turn on Wi-Fi Direct on a nearby device as well to transfer files wirelessly and fastly. Works best with Samsung Devices and it does NOT require connection to a Wi-Fi network. You get speeds maxed out at the supported wireless speed of your devices! It is a better and more secure alternative than ShareIT or JioSwitch.
Menu > Advanced:
Sync with Samsung Cloud: Backup your Wi-Fi usernames and passwords and use the same on synced devices.
Switch to mobile data: If your Wi-Fi network quality drops, use mobile internet directly even if Wi-Fi is still connected (needs Mobile Data to be ON). You can add (Wi-Fi) Network Exceptions to prevent switching. Get notified to Allow individual apps to switch to mobile data i.e. if WhatsApp is blocked on your college Wi-Fi, you can allow WhatsApp to use Mobile data while keep using the Wi-Fi!
Turn on Wi-Fi Automatically: Your device will automatically enable Wi-Fi where you use it frequently. For example, you or your device can turn off your Wi-Fi when you go out and you won't need to enable it again when you get back home (you can configure the frequent networks after they appear here). Tasker used to handle this job for me (try IFTTT for simpler setup) but now the OEM solution is more optimized.
Wi-Fi power saving mode: For example, if you get WhatsApp messages every 30 minutes on average, the device learns about this traffic pattern and can toggle Wi-Fi accordingly to fetch notifications every 30 minutes. I keep this disabled as my usage pattern is dynamic like most of you. Better use App Sleep or Hibernation Apps like Greenify to save battery. Learn more about this mode here.
Wi-Fi control history: View apps that have toggled Wi-Fi recently. You can figure out if there's any culprit app that is toggling your Wi-Fi frequently when you have explicitly turned it off/on.
Hotspot 2.0: Automatically connects to APs that support Hotspot 2.0 or 802.11u. Network providers are themselves upgrading existing Wi-Fi in public areas like airports and encryption is a must for Hotspot 2.0 so you can trust and rely on it while you don't have to manually guess the right network. Learn more about Hotspot 2.0 here.
WPS push button; WPS PIN Entry: (Pie doesn't support WPS but Google says it's coming back, Read here) Connect the device to WiFi by pushing WPS button on the router or entering WPS PIN in case these are enabled on the router. Learn about WPS here.
Install network certificates: Normally not needed. Some organizations would need you to install certificates to access their domains. Same as what you do on a PC to install certificates.
Wi-Fi Calling
(Formerly VoLTE calling) Uses Wi-Fi to transmit voice instead of the mobile network but they still appear to be done via your SIM or number. This saves your mobile plan and also beneficial when you have low mobile network inside your home but good Wi-Fi! You'll see the SIMs in case the carrier supports VoLTE calling. #JioWaale
Bluetooth
When the Bluetooth is ON, you can STOP/SCAN for nearby devices manually. Keep BT on for playing with the following settings.
Menu > Advanced:
Sync with Samsung Cloud: Note that this only sync Samsung devices like Galaxy Home Speakers and Galaxy Buds.
Music Share: Enables your friends (or else) to connect with a speaker connected to your phone without requiring you to unpair and them to pair with the speaker. Useful in cases like you want your car to be always connected to your device. However, on a trip, your friend wants to play music from his phone while you drive. Get more explanation here.
Ringtone sync: Sync the ringtone you set on your phone to the connected speaker. I did not know they played different tones!
Bluetooth control history: Similar to 'WiFi control history' above.
Block pairing requests: Block spammers to request pairing.
Bluetooth scan history: Shows apps that scanned for BT devices. Review this once in a while as Apps can scan even when the BT is off!
[Discontinued] Dual Audio: Enables your device to connect to 2 different audio devices and play the same audio on both of them. Samsung explains this here.
[Discontinued] Media volume sync: In case the connected audio device supports this, you can change the player's volume by your device's volume rockers by enabling this i.e. you don't have to manually raise the volume to the fullest on both your device and the connected player to get the highest volume possible for your house party.
[Discontinued] Phone visibility: (Moved to Separate section after Bluetooth in Pie, please tell if it works for BT as well) Allow devices (with Samsung Connect) to find your device for connection. You can disable it unless you live in a Smart Home or transfer files from other devices more often. Learn more about this mode here.
NFC and contactless payments
It's turned ON by default on a new phone so do turn it OFF first. Samsung Pay will turn that ON if needed. Samsung Pay uses only NFC now starting from S21. MST is discontinued though no other brand could use this for payments. In case you don't know about MST (patented by LoopPay), must-read here. More information on the discontinuation in the FAQ.
[Discontinued] Android Beam: Allows you to share stuff when you tap your phone with some other-phone-with-already-enabled-NFC.
Contactless payments (Formerly Tap and pay): Select the default app for Payments and Others. Your default app will open up when you, for instance, tap your phone on an NFC-enabled POS (of course you need NFC to remain ON beforehand).
Pay with currently open app: By enabling, if currently opened app supports payment, it will used instead of the default app above. I have kept it enabled because I don't want Samsung Pay to open up when I know I am going to use GPay!
[Discontinued] Default NFC Method: By default and normally needed, 'Auto select'. In case you are the curious breed, learn about the different options here.
Flight Mode
Disables your operator's network. Since enabling this will also disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth altogether, you can turn back these two on without toggling flight mode.
Mobile networks
Data roaming: Enable it if your carrier doesn't charge you for roaming or you're rich enough.
Network mode: By default, 'auto connect'. You can play with the options in case you're facing network mode changing issues or want to save battery (put to 2G only). If your region does not have 5G yet, you can go back to 4G/LTE to save battery!
Access Point Names: I recommend you to request or configure your operator's settings for the first time even if it had been automatically fetched. Nerdy guide here.
Network operators: Suggest usage?
Data usage
Data saver: Formerly known as 'Restrict background data'. Your background apps will stop using network data i.e. you'll receive WhatsApp notifications only when you open the app again. You can also whitelist apps in 'Allowed to use data while Data saver on'. This feature can help a lot in saving battery or making you check the phone less when you're hanging out with your girl. Me no girl so no enable!
Mobile data usage; Billing cycle and data warning: Do check this in a while to review the apps that use most of your mobile data (maybe you don't need those apps that much on mobile data); Change your operator billing cycle, set data warning and enable data limit in case your operator doesn't give you free GBs. The app options you change here will be reflected in the Data saver section above.
Mobile data only apps: You can choose apps that you only want to use mobile data. Useful in case your organization's Wi-Fi blocks some apps like WhatsApp. This is related to 'Allow individual apps to switch' in the Wi-Fi section.
Wi-Fi data usage; Restrict networks: Like mobile data, you can also review your Wi-Fi usage! Do review it once in a while to identify data-hungry apps that can affect battery and CPU as well. The apps you disable here for background usage will be blocked while Mobile Data is on OR the Wi-Fi is metered. Please confirm?
SIM card manager
Select Icon, Name and Network mode (described above) for the corresponding 'SIM slot' (not the SIM). Select preferred slot for calls, messaging and data. Learn about Smart Dual SIM here.
Mobile Hotspot and Tethering
Mobile Hotspot > Advanced:
Wi-Fi sharing: In addition to mobile data, you can also share your Wi-Fi. This can be helpful in case you don't want to reveal your network or its credentials or don't know about them. Also, your device can become a repeater for devices that are too far away from the Wi-Fi (keep your phone on charging).
Security: Use 'WPA2/WPA3-Personal' (Learn about wireless encryption here).
Timeout: Keep timeout low so that hotspot turns itself OFF earlier in case there's no client or change to 'Never Timeout' if you are going to need it for some time.
Hidden network: Enable 'Hide my device' to stop exposing your SSID.
Power saving mode: Similar to PMS in Wi-Fi Advanced. Keep Protected Management Frames (PMF) on by default and change in case the client doesn't support.
[Discontinued] Menu > Allowed Devices: Enter MAC addresses of clients you want only to connect to your hotspot. Same as MAC filtering in routers.
Mobile Hotspot > Auto Hotspot: You might get this ON by default. Turn it off! This enables your or family devices to share your internet connection via Hotspot. You know when you need it!
Bluetooth tethering; USB tethering; Ethernet tethering: Learn about BT/USB tethering here.
More connection settings
Advanced Calling & Messaging: Some iMessage kinda thing? Anyone?
Nearby device scanning: Although it uses Bluetooth Low Energy, I have it disabled. If you enable it, you get notifications for nearby devices like TVs that support connections through your device (will annoy you at airports).
Printing: Do download Google Cloud Print and any other printing plugin required by your or your organization's printer.
[Discontinued] MirrorLink: Learn more here.
[Discontinued] Download Booster: Uses both WiFi and LTE at the same time to download apps over 30MB from Play Store and Galaxy Apps. In case you want that app as soon as possible.
VPN: Configure your VPNs here in case you have. I use Psiphon. You can also manually configure profiles as you do on PC.
Ethernet: Yes, you can use a wired connection on your device too. Discussions here.
Private DNS: Supports DNS over HTTP/TCP and I recommend reading about this here. I use 1dot1dot1dot1.cloudflare-dns.com.

Series - Full Menu Guide Explained
Series - Device Settings Menu Guide​
Hey XDA! I just got free from the initial setup of my Galaxy S22 Ultra. I don't know how many of you do this but I'm one of a kind that gives a considerable amount of time to explore every setting, feature and every single option whenever I get a new device or even when I factory reset the existing one. It's been years since I have started with this curiosity and I have never found an 'all-in-one' menu guide to explain each and every option in the device. Yes, you could also simply google the option you want to know about but how about compiling all of them in one guide? I don't know if this experiment would work or not but here's I am starting with this. I have spent the past three weeks taking out time whenever I could to compile this guide.
There are a couple of reasons I had decided upon to start with this series. Firstly, I want to help newbies (or even experienced) out there to explore and know about every feature or option your device could offer. I have seen many duplicate threads that are created every day to query fellow users even about an individual but unfamiliar option in the settings. I intend to do my bit to clear this clutter and help potential askers to get answers beforehand. Secondly, this guide could serve as a manual in case you want to find or get briefed about an option. You could then simply 'Find in a page' over the threads or simply use XDA's 'search in the thread' option to save your time. Thirdly, since I've broken the settings into different threads, this could help users engage and discuss over a particular device's super-menu and spread their knowledge, come up with new ideas and explore more of their devices. Fourthly, this series is not constrained to Note9 only. The settings on every Android device out there is similar and you would be able to find any common to your device settings here as well. Fifthly, since I have provided links and sources to some options, this can serve as directory map as well. Sixthly, this guide consists of tips for many options that you won't probably find normally.
This guide is intended and recommended to be read by anyone at least once. If you're reading a thread for the first, I recommend you to open up the corresponding settings in your phone and read the settings description in case there is. All the threads are arranged in the same order as the settings would come up. You could then simply read out my description of the same, my selected configuration and hyperlinks to some articles or videos in case you're the curious breed. This guide is strongly recommended after a fresh start. I want you all to give some time to explore each and every option your device can offer.
Hope this experiment lives up to the marks. Both criticism and appreciation are greatly needed and appreciated. Please comment.
I've tried to explain each option you could find by going deep into any setting. No matter whatever links I have provided, I will feel grateful if you want me to explain any feature more than I have done already. Please ask questions related to any settings. Do provide me suggestions and your take on my configuration. Please provide me with more guides and articles for a particular feature. I want to have the precious contribution of XDA members in this guide. Discussion over any feature, setting, your configuration, did-you-knows and anything else is greatly appreciated. This is a newbie-friendly place so don't hesitate to ask questions - besides the fellow XDA members, I'm always here for you.
Regards,
Paras Lehana
Index
Part 1 - Connections
Part 2 - Sounds and vibration, Notifications, Wallpaper and themes
Part 3 - Display, Lock screen, Biometrics and security
Part 4 - Advanced features, Device maintenance, Apps
Part 5 - Cloud and accounts, Google, Accessibility, General management, Software update, User manual, About phone, Developer options​

FAQs
Why did Samsung discontinue MST for Samsung Pay? (Contributed by @sansart)
Ans: With big card companies like Mastercard ditching Magnetic Stripes due to security concerns, Samsung could be taking a step in this direction. Starting with Galaxy S21, Samsung discontinued MST and, in a statement, it added: "Due to the rapid adoption of near field communication (NFC) technology by consumers and businesses, beginning with devices launched in 2021, Samsung Pay will focus its support on NFC transactions, across the Galaxy portfolio. While future devices will no longer include magnetic stripe technology (MST), customers with previous, compatible Galaxy devices will be able to continue using Samsung Pay, including MST." (Source: The Verge)
Mastercard nicely explains about ditching Magnetic Stripes here: Swiping left on magnetic stripes

Good read, thanks! I think your NFC section needs updating though, Samsung no longer uses MST.

Updated. FAQ too. Thank you for contributing!
Since S22U is my upgrade after spending over 3 years with Note 9, I was doubting about the MST thing after the payment failed once. Now I have read about it. Thanks again!
sansart said:
Good read, thanks! I think your NFC section needs updating though, Samsung no longer uses MST.
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