I do not really see this asked here to much (or maybe just missed it) but do the radio receivers get stronger with newer phones or does it vary depending on phone design?
I have a GS2 and I am hit or miss at work with signal in a few areas and was wondering if and how much more signal the N5 might pick up. I only ask because others with iPhones can usually get a signal when I am just in and out of signal range.
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Hello everybody. I have a small question for all Nexus S owners.
Does anyone else's signal strength bars fluctuate all the time? For instance mine goes from 3/4 bars to 1/4 to 0 bars and then back to 2/4 bars all within a couple of minutes in the same location.
I plugged my SIM into my BB Bold 9700 and it stays consistent at 4/5 bars. My signal db is like -103 dBM 5 asu as I type, on UMTS at the moment. EDIT: Now -111 dBM 1 asu in the very exact same spot. Wait. Now it is -97 dBm.
Does anyone else experience this or could it be my sole device? Or possibly my SIM card?
If it is a Nexus S thing, what other phone is recommended from Rogers?
Thanks for your time.
If it helps, I'm running stock Android 2.3.3.
Also is the Galaxy S Captivate from Rogers the other best phone they got on Android?
I had an evo, and it had much better signal strength and had far less dropped calls and connected much quicker to the internet. Maybe theres something in the PRL we can change or its just a hardware issue. but the nexus s 4g isn't on the same level as the evo 4g when it comes to signal strength
as stated before it's a radio issue. hopefully we will get a software update soon.
fixxxer2008 said:
as stated before it's a radio issue. hopefully we will get a software update soon.
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And where exactly was this stated? If you could post a link to a thread or something, I'd appreciate it.
fadentales said:
I had an evo, and it had much better signal strength and had far less dropped calls and connected much quicker to the internet. Maybe theres something in the PRL we can change or its just a hardware issue. but the nexus s 4g isn't on the same level as the evo 4g when it comes to signal strength
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Thanks for your experience. So it seems that it is a widely experienced issue. How do people live with having their phone have poor reception?
Nook000 said:
And where exactly was this stated? If you could post a link to a thread or something, I'd appreciate it.
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HERE and HERE. And I guarantee an Internet search will reveal more.
good day.
chopper the dog said:
HERE and HERE. And I guarantee an Internet search will reveal more.
good day.
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Thanks for the links.
It seems like the situation is not nearly as bad in Toronto, Canada (I was in Windsor for a while). But even in Windsor, if I set my phone to 2G, it gets 4/4 bars all the time. Note that the phone's reception is worse than my iPhone or BB Bold in Toronto too.
So is it only the 3G portion that is broken? And is it FOR SURE a software issue?
chopper the dog said:
HERE and HERE. And I guarantee an Internet search will reveal more.
good day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, but those are Sprint users. People keep comparing against the EVO, but how do know if the EVO just flat out has better antennas/reception. I've compared my Nexus S i9020a to my 2 other phones, the Motorola Milestone and the iPhone 3GS (oh let's not forget my ancient Nokia N82). The Nexus S is crap and is worse than the iPhone 3GS in terms of SNR. In fact it's about as bad as the iPhone 4 with death grip issues. The death grip isn't really an issue for the NS, but damn the reception to begin with SUCKS.
My question is how can you say it's a radio issue for sure? This means you know that for certain it's a software fix.
Perhaps the antenna for the Nexus S isn't good to begin with. Another benchmark I did was GPS Status on my Motorola Milestone and my former Nexus S. Both of those phones locked quickly WITHOUT SIM, meaning they use GPS only and no aGPS. The signal was strong even indoors. While sitting at my desk my Nexus S is absolutely horrendous and takes forever to lock. Even when I scoot to the window it gets barely enough signal to lock. My N1 locked anywhere in the house with great signal without SIM. This perhaps says that the Nexus S has weaker antennas overall compared to similar phones. Maybe it's a radio issue like you say, but honestly, how can you be certain it's software and NOT hardware?
Anandtech's review mentioned the Nexus S drops HSDPA down to 3G UMTS a lot, and sometimes EDGE. Why is this? Could be radio, but I notice the H and 3G switching a lot during low signal. There's more than enough people saying the signal is bad. I almost want to say everyone attributes this to radio because they're optimistic there's a fix. Sometimes you have to admit certain features of the phone just aren't strong
i.e. the N1 earpiece. no matter how much you boost it, you'll just get tinny sound, and in no way does it compare with the SGS or Motorola Droid phones.
- the iphone speaker. people say each iOS revision boosts it, but at the end of the day, the Motorola Droid phones are like boomboxes compared to the iPhone
- The NS just has bad reception. Maybe we should just admit that and move on. There's only so much radio updates can do at this point unless you're saying Samsung totally screwed it up as badly as the Captivate/Fascinate/Vibrant GPS issues.
hi!
since upgrading to ARHD 3.6.3 i almost never get a 4 bar network signal.
always 2-3 bars.
anyone encounter that problem? or know how to fix it so i have better signal from my network?
i always had perfect signal in my house.
thanks!
sorry for the bumping..
anyone can help?
You could flash a better radio for that.
i used the recommended radio for the ARHD which is the rom i use.
It may just be that the network signal doesn't 'appear' to be as strong as before due to some difference in the rom, best to try one of the signal strength apps from the Market to test the true reading.
ok, i will do that.
can you recommend one or two?
thanks
Try this one, there may be better apps that I'm not aware of though.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.staircase3.opensignal&feature=search_result
You know that the "bars" are a purely subjective representation from the ROM's point of view of the Phone/WIFI signal. Phone A on Rom 1 might physically have the same same signal as the same phone on a different ROM or even a different phone on the same ROM.
Phone/WIFI SIGNAL strength cannot be objectively equated to bars. TBH it's an indication but does not guarantee anything.
Does it work well enough to use is the proof. If not then explore other avenues.
Is it not easier to go into settings/about phone/ networks
that shows you the true signal strength in Db and ASU
I checked, and to the best of my knowledge, Im under LTE coverage. But for some reason, I have yet to see any LTE icon or speeds. Anyone else having a similar issue at all? Might this be an APN issue or something?
EDIT: Nevermind, please delete.
I've noticed that this device really drops reception as hard as possible when in low reception areas, which seems to be done in order to save power.... because I put it in my pocket and reception is often E or no reception in my school (usually 0-2 bars of HSPA+ or EDGE), even though it is more than capable of staying at around 3 bars of reception of HSPA+ where my old device could maybe get 1-2. I know that's not a good comparison but it's clearly dropping down to 2G/no reception when not in use.
Hello, this is my first topic on this board about my first Chinese phone. I had various iphones and android, but always brand ones. Now I received the Chinese phone and I like it a lot, but there is one issue...
Wifi signal is too GOOD. It is annoying. Signal does not drop going out of my house or moving to the next flat with different router (I live in one flat and work in another flat) so the phone picks up relatively poor wi-fi signal from another flat and does not drop it for the new one, as it has too good of the reception.
1) I am just wondering, could this be a health and safety hazard? Presumable Chinese manufacturers don't give a damn about it, that is why popular brands have weaker reception.
2) Is it possible to adjust how strong the device reception of Wifi is and or how quickly it drops network for the better reception.?
The biggest problem is, it seems I am one of the few who has this kind of issue, as if I try to search for it, I only get results how to improve the reception, not how to reduce it...
Many thanks in advance.
Ram
Has anyone else in this forum come across problems with signal strength? There is a thread in the Moto forum where this has been discussed in greater detail. The general consensus seems to be that the Z4 shows a signal about 10 or more dB weaker than other phones, such as the Z2 force. I can confirm this from my own experience and I'm posting here in hopes that a developer might have an idea for a solution, assuming the problem is not simply a bad antenna design, but a matter of control settings for the radio. It is extremely annoying to be at a remote location and have someone with a Z2 sitting next to you being able to watch videos online, while you cannot get any connection with the Z4. Both phones are with the same carrier (T-mobile), but the signal strength issues have also been reported on the Verizon network, so it does not appear to be carrier related, but rather a phone issue.
Looking forward to any response.
I have the same issue. Signal strength is awful. I feel like I have 3G or no signal on a regular basis. All in places where 4G wasnt an issue before. Streaming music cuts out randomly on roads I've been driving for years.
Yes I have experienced this as well, unfortunately this i believe is the result of getting a mid-range SOC. From what I am seeing here the Z2 uses an 8 series SOC, which is a flagship SOC and the chip itself is better radio modulation for stronger signal strength. The mid-rang 6 series in the Z4 dose not have as good modulation and there for less powerful signal strength compared to the 8 series chips. Our only hope is to cross our fingers for a firmware update to improve this a little bit, other wise we are stuck with what we have.
At least that is what I am reading when I look at this chart here > https://www.qualcomm.com/products/mobile-processors
I do not believe that the quality of the received signal depends in any significant way on whether the Z4 uses a flagship, or a mid-range SOC. The data throughput will be better on the flagship chip (at least in theory, depending on real-life available bandwidth), but the sending/receiving part of the radio should perform in the same ballpark, as far as the signal quality is concerned. Otherwise, the usability of all mid-range phones with that chip set would be affected (and budget phones would probably be useless).
I have done some extensive testing, at different times of the day, different weather conditions, different locations. I have tested both signal strength , and data speed, both downstream, and upstream.
In a nutshell, at a distance of about 3500 feet from the tower I'm logged into, I consistently get weak LTE signals, between -105dB and -110dB best case, but wildly fluctuating, to the point that the phone can barely hang on to the connection. At exactly the same conditions, I get good 3G HSPA+ connections at -87db to -89dB signal strength, and fairly stable. Although LTE should be considerably faster, the downstream and upstream speeds I get with HSPA+ are in the same range, or sometimes even slightly better, which comes as no surprise, as the phone struggles to keep the LTE connection.
As to the reason for this behavior, I still suspect that the antenna design has to do with the poor reception. I will try to narrow this down further, if I can.
Long story short, I still hope that there is a way to program the radio differently, such that it works with a higher gain (making up for the antenna?), better maintaining LTE connections. For the time being, I will continue to switch between LTE and 3G, depending on location. That way, I can at least maintain a connection. However, I do not consider that a solution, just a crutch.
I've had to go back to the Z3 for better cell reception.
I love my Moto Z4 (XT1980-3 amz), but I don't think the coverage or strength is the best - I feel like I get no coverage more often than my previous phones, a Google Pixel and a LG G4 (H815-TW).
Really the only times I have problems with reception, is when I am on a train - going through a cutaway, entering the city loop, or is absolutely packed (as well as half the trip on country trains). These are slightly more common since I have been on the Moto Z4, (Doesn't happen as often now I am with Telstra though, but never had Telstra on my Pixel or G4).
Coverage in Melbourne with the Moto Z4 is generally great, and same with around towns in West Gippsland (Country Areas), which you would expect as I am not with Vodafone.
I am now on Telstra, but until last week was on Optus - in Melbourne, Australia