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[Q] NS4G Nexus S 4g, very poor signal, seeking advice

Hello all,
I just received my new Nexus S 4G for Sprint yesterday (5/14) and I love the phone, but I have just awful service on my phone.
I live in Princeton, NJ, which is a town notorious for not having the best service (for all providers) to begin with, but compared to my Epic4G that I came from, there is definitely something wrong with service for my NS4G. Note: there is no 4G here, so I cannot test that.
There are not much discussion of poor signal for the NS4G here on XDA, but there are numerous reports from people having similar problems elsewhere, i.e. http://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/67927?start=0&tstart=10
I will describe my problem...
Calls and texts, MMS, works just fine... however, my 3G service is abysmal. Running speedtest.net, half of the time I pull in 30-40 KB/s, occasionally (maybe 1 out of a dozen times) I can pull in 40-80 KB/s. The other half of the time, either speedtest refuses to run because of network problems, or I literally pull in 3-6 KB/s. My browsing experience is horrendous, almost useless, downloading apps from the market is a 20 minute ordeal.
I have been able to connect to a WiFi network, and everything seems OK from that standpoint.
My fellow XDA users, I seek advice from you all...
I know that the NS4G is brand new to the Sprint network, and is the first CDMA nexus phone. I know that other phones have launched with similar problems, and they usually receive fixes relatively soon...?
Do you think I should try swapping my NS4G for a different one? In my opinion, I think if I swapped the NS4G, I would just have a different phone with the same problems.
Should I wait 30 days and see if service improves by then?
Anyone with similar experience? Suggestions? Switch back to Epic4G and wait it out (noooooo! )?
Thanks

I'm having the same problems, except I'm pulling slightly higher speeds than you. I've talked to sprint and they got a tech to come check out my towers and they'll let me know by monday if its a tower problem, or if it's just slow speeds in my area (its not my phone as i'm able to pick up normal speeds in other areas). I'm giving sprint a week or two to clear this up or else i'm taking the phone back within the 30 days.
also, did you try updating your prl/profile? it's unlikely that it'll help, but worth a shot.

I get around 3mbps on 3G
And around 5-6 and sometimes 7 mbps on 4g
Som im clearly not having this issue, but i will go roaming after the phone falls asleep for a while.

same problem
Im having the same problem I only had the phone 12 hrs I thought mayb it was da tower den I did a speed test between my epic n the ns4g n the epic blows it out the water not on da speed test app but in real life testin like pullin up web pages

The signal is weird. Signal strength at work on my Epic was 5-6 bars. Nexus S 4G is 1-2 bars. Signal strength is between -76 and -92. I forget what my Epic was pulling in actual numbers strength wise. Speed is the same awful crap though on 3G.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

I've had two Nexus S devices on Sprint and they both exhibit the same weak wireless reception. In real life I would say the differences are minor or insignificant but I was hoping for better or at least same radio reception as my almost 3 year old HTC Hero and clearly that isn't the case. Hopefully Sprint can rectify this in the future with some sort of update since I'm not aware of T-Mobile users having similar problems which would indicate an actual hardware flaw(?).

I'm almost sure its a sprint side issue. I left sprint for 3 months and came back and I've had an epic, evo, and nexus exhibit the same behavior. Before I left sprint I had zero issues and I've owned all of their smartphones and one point or another. It just seems like its slower in certain areas though.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

try updating PRL

Since our phones don't accept network pushed updates you're going to have to do a manual prl update. If that hasn't been done your service will suffer. That should help a bit.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App

I've tried all the tricks, updated profile, PRL, reactivated my phone, etc.
Nothing is working...,
I've also noticed (completely unrelated issue) that my earpiece speaker crackles at any volume; its subtle but very annoying.

This seems to be an issue for people with the nexus. My old phone had full bars whereas with the nexus I'm only getting 1 or 2 bars on 3g. Seems to be an issue with their towers or Google. Its an issue with their network and not the phone. I spoke to sprint earlier today and they said they are aware and working to resolve this. So they say if course..
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

Update (end of day 2):
For the last 5 - 6 hours I have been receiving moderate to adequate 3G service, albeit pretty inconsistent.
I now average 70-120 KB/s, and rarely drop below the lower 70s. This is more on par with what I was getting with my Epic4G for the last 6 months, always pulling in around 120-170 KB/s pretty consistently.
I've run 240 speedtest.net tests today, lol.
I hope it never goes back to how bad it was yesterday and this morning.
Time will tell, -- I'll let you know what happens.
I spent a good deal on the phone today with Sprint, 1 out of the 3 people I spoke to said that spotty reception on the NS4G was a known problem and engineers were at work fixing it. The others had no idea what I was talking about. I don't know what to believe.

Awww man you gotta be kidding me... I already get awful speeds with my Evo and now it's even worse with the Nexus 4g... the phone i'm planning on getting?!?!? this sucks =/

Anyone else's uploads constantly double or sometimes triple that of their download?
My last 5 3G speedtests in kbps
182/325
307/488
99/469
47/169
59/152
There is something seriously wacky with the way the radio is acting.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using Tapatalk

Update (Morning of day 3):
Everything is back to crap again this morning. FML, lol
Edit:
Each speedtest.net test keeps returning downloads between 5 - 15 KB/s

I'm getting crap 3g speeds as well, up and down

Ditto. 3G reception at least 30% weaker than my Evo. Side note, my battery life has been crap too, I wonder if the phone is using more power trying to hold the signal?

I spent a little over an hour on the phone with sprint yesterday for this same issue. They trouble shot my phone, prl updates, network refreshes, nothing worked. They told me I had a defective unit and to exchange it. I went to best buy and the rep had an evo. He had full bars in the store, his dBm was -76 or whatever, it was in the 70's. Mine had 0-1 bars and a dBm of -96. He activated my new phone and checked it, same exact thing. He got sprint on the phone and they made him go through all the same bs prl updates and stuff. After a half hour, they told him they were looking into the issue.
Ive seen alot of people say its AOSP that causes the poor reception, and that is true to an extent. The EVO running CM does not get the same as sense roms. I live in a basement apartment, I know. On sense, my evo sent an mms message almost instantly. On CM, it wouldnt send them at all and it dropped calls like nobodies business.
When it comes down to it though, the radio on the Nexus 4G is just not performing well. I hope there will be some sort of update from google or sprint to address this in the very near future, or I will have left Verizon and sold my Thunderbolt for no reason...

I hope this issue can be fixed with a software update. I would like to know within the 30 day return period so I can get back on an evo running cm7 if I need to.

This is getting blown out of proportion in more ways than one. YES, the Nexus S 4G does not have as great of signal reception as the EVO or Epic. This is already well known. However, just like the iPhone 4 when it came out, the AOSP version of 2.3.4 on the NS4G doesn't display signal bars properly. That's part of the problem. But when you dive down into actually how many dBm's you're getting - that's where the problem lies.
In San Francisco, I typically get 600-1000kbps on 3G and 4mbps-8mbps on 4G WiMAX. Lately, after continually attempting to update the PRL on the device and so on, I've gotten results like the one below. This is on 3G in Daly City, CA just outside SF.
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[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)
Click to expand...
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.

[Q] 7 g2xs not one with working gps

am i doing somthing wrong. every g2x i get has nonworking GPS. my most recent one came today, preloaded with GB. i went outside to test it, couldn't get a lock. went to hidden menu and had it manually get position, and then it locked. when i came back inside it was off and had the SOD. pulled the battery and it wouldn't turn on for like 5 minutes.
but more importantly. is there something i can do to fix the GPS. i have 2 g2xs in my house at the moment, one on cm7 and the other stock GB. all i want is a phone that worked, and its been 7 g2xs and its been 4 months and 7 g2xs and i am still looking for the elusive "good" g2x.
any ideas for a good GPS fix. and i have tried bloater, after i run that my phone finds no satellites ( i live in Missouri and flashed south mid state)
thanks in advance for any help you guys can offer.

First of all, do a factory rest. That's the first thing I would do.
After that go outside and try to get a lock.
I get a instant lock with the july baseband.
Let me know if that helps
Sent From My Stock G2x

I'm running stock by the way
Sent From My Stock G2x

should i do the reset for the cm7 phone or the stock?

Mine takea from ten seconds to ten minutes. The same on froyo and gingerbread.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Do it from Stock Froyo first, don't do it from any variation of Froyo.
Plain Froyo, factory rest then try to get a lock.
Should lock instantly if you have the newest baseband.
Sent From My Stock G2x

My set up right now is debloated stock froyo ROM + July 15th Baseband + Faux UV Kernel with setcpu profiles.
No reboots, no freezes, no crashes, no SOD. Pure reliable phone, with every feature working.
Gps, a2dp, Lg camera, and usb mounting.
Zero issues, zero complaints.
Sent From My Stock G2x

i reset both, my cm7 phone got a lokc after 10 secs. stock gingerbread failed to lock,and tthen rebooted

This is weird. After the reset I have the new market. And my GPS just locked on Indoors. This is the one on cm7. My new g2x is the worst I have ever had. When it turns off sometimes even a battery pull wont make it go back on.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

Had an issue with my first G2X, my replacement came and it locks within 10 seconds in open sky.
Make sure when you start Google Maps to be outside.

Under Settings > Location and Security make sure Use Wireless Networks is selected. If you're relying on GPS alone it will take forever to lock on your position.
G2X CM7

I gotta try my GPS again soon. It wasn't working right before the update. It would work here and there, but not consistently. There were times it would take forever to lock in and when it did, it would sometimes lag a little bit and not update as I was driving. I don't use the GPS a lot so I haven't seen whether or not it works any better since the update.

Before the recent GB update my GPS was hit or miss on a lock. After the update it's a solid phone, no issues and GPS will lock in 5 sec.

phburks said:
Under Settings > Location and Security make sure Use Wireless Networks is selected. If you're relying on GPS alone it will take forever to lock on your position.
G2X CM7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. This seems to improve GPS lock dramatically!!

Here's some pictures from a thread I have going on AndroidForums:
First time with RunKeeper: May 8th.
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There were some other runs in between, then this is with my second G2x from T-Mobile: May 22nd.
Two days later: May 24th.
Finally Gingerbread is here: July 29th.
Conclusion?
The GPS is a piece of ****. If you want a working one, you have to invest in a new phone.
And before people ask if I'm running underground or if there's trees around and if I have a clear view of the sky; here's a shot of my Nexus One from last Summer: July 20th 2010.

I had similar results with myTracks. I haven't tried with my current G2X, which is my second, since I got the new baseband. But the GPS has been absolute crap in my experience with both that I tried. While using myTracks and walking around my neighborhood it looked like I was staggering all over the street then randomly shooting off into someone's backyard then back to the sidewalk. Nexus One worked perfectly most of the time, never had issues until I went to GB on that phone, then all the sudden GPS became unreliable.
I feel like slowpig though, is it me? Is there something I'm somehow doing wrong, even though I've used this phone in the exact same manner I used my myTouch and N1? Why is it just so horribly unreliable. I've tried wiping, I've reset the AGPS data, I've done all sorts of "fixes" and nothing has worked. The fact that out of the box they've worked horribly, and no alternate roms, wipes, other random fixes has changed that behavior leads me to believe that they have a large batch of phones with either a faulty GPS, antenna, radio, or something.

Agreed. A factory reset helped one of my g2xs. But not on the other 6 that I have owned. Hopefully my complaint with the BBB will prompt T-Mobile to give me a refund. Its a longshot, but who knows
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App

The LG update to Gingerbread definitely improves GPS locks. I use turn by turn so I need the satellites (not wireless networks) and before the update, my GPS satellite locks were taking atleast 5 minutes if they ever locked. After the Gingerbread update, my phone gets GPS satellite locks 'IN DOORS' in like 20-30 seconds now. IMO, that was the best part of the update.

Well since putting the LG update on my phone nothing seemed improved. So tonight I put CM back on, and no change. It tends to be close to my location, often times really close, but the accuracy circle on Maps is quite large. In fact, just now I took it outside and the accuracy got worst! It's just so colossally bad I can't see how these devices ever pass QA.

KeithLM said:
Well since putting the LG update on my phone nothing seemed improved. So tonight I put CM back on, and no change. It tends to be close to my location, often times really close, but the accuracy circle on Maps is quite large. In fact, just now I took it outside and the accuracy got worst! It's just so colossally bad I can't see how these devices ever pass QA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, you need a replacement dude. How does the phone respond in other areas?

What do you consider a GPS lock?

What do you consider a "lock". I consider it within 40-20 meters of accuracy, as that is the most accurate i've gotten.

Mister Hat said:
What do you consider a "lock". I consider it within 40-20 meters of accuracy, as that is the most accurate i've gotten.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get 40-20 meters of accuracy just from mobile signal. You do not need GPS data for that. With GPS you can get close to 10' for accuracy. It depends on how may satellite signal your phone gets.
Try GPS test from market to see how good you GPS is doing..

pbcal said:
You can get 40-20 meters of accuracy just from mobile signal. You do not need GPS data for that. With GPS you can get close to 10' for accuracy. It depends on how may satellite signal your phone gets.
Try GPS test from market to see how good you GPS is doing..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha wait really? With gps enabled and 5 or 6 satelites in use I get 20 meters at best, usually not. Without gps on i get 800 meters.. lol whats wrong? CM7 nightlys fauxs latest kernel.
PS i have gps test and have 6 satelites in use as stated above.

nevermind, I'm removing the cap that shows my current location to 10 meters.
My nexus One always seemed to say 6 meters, fwtw.
ETA BRB

I have OTA baseband. If you have gps test can you take a screen shot of how many gps's you have in sight? i have about 5 or 6 usually at my window.
Hey wait spyvie you've got wireless on. Haha, although still with wireless i get 20 meters although I only have 1 bar of wireless in my room >.<

Here ya go.
I went back outside and Maps said 20 meters, hit my location until it said 10, then fired up GPS Test and took the cap. If I'm reading this right it say about 100ft, that's 3 times 10 meters. It does seem to know what street I'm on when I'm driving.
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Thanks a bunch. This is really annoying. It may just be where I am?
EDIT: Facepalm. Moved literally 5 feet over and pressed phone against the window and picked up 3 or 4 more satelittes and got 20meter lock. Wont bother going outside being nightime here on the east coast, and still getting some rain from irene

Well, you ARE in Nowheresville...

Just took this screen shot sitting in my living room about 10 feet from the window. Didn't think GPS got this kind of signal indoors. Not connected to wifi. Just mobile data and GPS.

Haha good one. Thing is I dont use gps much so I mainly test in my room (which might not be optimal gps testing grounds). I mainly use it just for gags because i cant drive yet

Mister Hat said:
Haha good one. Thing is I dont use gps much so I mainly test in my room (which might not be optimal gps testing grounds). I mainly use it just for gags because i dont drive yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You ever tried geocaching? I wouldn't recommend it during hurricane Irene but its a fun way to use GPS.

I once pressed my Garmin against the window of a 737...

I was looking at that and saw some near me. Might try one before summer ends. School starts late for me . Private schools: pay more for less education. Although I guess it's higher quality. ANYWAYS. Back to the topic at hand.
I've never gotten 10 meter lock. What's the requirement for the navigation app to work well?
On a side note I get 5mbps down in washington dc. You'd think we'd have faster speeds? Or is it due to the population?

Spyvie said:
I once pressed my Garmin against the window of a 737...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha awesome!

Been messing around with the GPS.. When the icon stops blinking does that mean I have a lock?
Sent from my LG-P999

Mister Hat said:
Been messing around with the GPS.. When the icon stops blinking does that mean I have a lock?
Sent from my LG-P999
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I've always assumed.

Ya I always thought that when the icon stops blinking that it was actually locked on. In GPS Status it seems to be that way as well. Once the icon stops blinking you get all the information about your location and such. CM7 seems to take awhile to get GPS lock in maps and GPS status. I usually just start GPS status prior to using maps and it seems to help get a better/quicker lock than just using maps.

Haha well thanks for rendering my thread irrelevant guys, haha. Well I guess the answer is when the icon stops blinking. I guess that pretty much about wraps this thread up.
Phburks I'll definitely go geocaching before the summer ends. Hope my GPS works for that haha

Mister Hat said:
Haha well thanks for rendering my thread irrelevant guys, haha. Well I guess the answer is when the icon stops blinking. I guess that pretty much about wraps this thread up.
Phburks I'll definitely go geocaching before the summer ends. Hope my GPS works for that haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol Im actually glad you asked your initial question. I've wondered myself what different people mean when they say it takes forever to get a a GPS lock, or when they say they get a really fast GPS lock.
And yea definitely give geocaching a try. GPS will get you within a few feet. After that you'll have to rely on the clues given in the cache description online. Its actually pretty fun.

I made a thread like this 3 weeks ago, but no one helped me out!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1214413&highlight=What+do+you+consider+a+good

[Q] Cell reception and WiFi issues

I hope by posting this here we can find an answer to a problem that a lot of OPO users are complaining of. the device has a terrible cell and WiFI reception when compared to other devices in the same area and using the same wifi networks.
Cell reception:
I`m on a 4G network . however i find that i have 0-1 bar almost all of the time in areas where i used to have 3-4 bars. and as a result i constantly get missed calls notifications. I read that switching to 3G in the phone settings might help, and that`s when i ran into the second problem. Switching to 3G will indeed give me better reception 3-4 bars but then the whole connection becomes erratic, and the phone will go from 3 bars to ``no connection`` back to 4 bars 4 to 5 times every minutes and i will lose mobile data totally on 3G.
WiFi reception and connection:
I have a secure 802.1x connection at work spread over 2 buildings. the phone will connect to 1 only and will not connect to the same network in the other building at all. both have the same SSID , settings, and login information. but the phone will just cycle between `connecting`` to `` secured with 802.1x``. I tried all roms available and the only ROM that worked was `Gummy ROM``. only when using that ROM, is the phone able to connect to that WiFi network!! and i have no explanation for that.
All these problems I mentioned above are consistent across all roms and there seems to be no answer from OPO support or on the official forum for the phone. I hope someone can provide me with a solution or an answer to this.
Thank you all

asem said:
I hope by posting this here we can find an answer to a problem that a lot of OPO users are complaining of. the device has a terrible cell and WiFI reception when compared to other devices in the same area and using the same wifi networks.
Cell reception:
I`m on a 4G network . however i find that i have 0-1 bar almost all of the time in areas where i used to have 3-4 bars. and as a result i constantly get missed calls notifications. I read that switching to 3G in the phone settings might help, and that`s when i ran into the second problem. Switching to 3G will indeed give me better reception 3-4 bars but then the whole connection becomes erratic, and the phone will go from 3 bars to ``no connection`` back to 4 bars 4 to 5 times every minutes and i will lose mobile data totally on 3G.
WiFi reception and connection:
I have a secure 802.1x connection at work spread over 2 buildings. the phone will connect to 1 only and will not connect to the same network in the other building at all. both have the same SSID , settings, and login information. but the phone will just cycle between `connecting`` to `` secured with 802.1x``. I tried all roms available and the only ROM that worked was `Gummy ROM``. only when using that ROM, is the phone able to connect to that WiFi network!! and i have no explanation for that.
All these problems I mentioned above are consistent across all roms and there seems to be no answer from OPO support or on the official forum for the phone. I hope someone can provide me with a solution or an answer to this.
Thank you all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting the same problems.
Where signal is always strong, it seems to work OK, but with weaker signal it just screws up!
Its really pissing me off as i've take the phone to work for the first time, just to find out I cannot get any signal there, where by my HTC Desire worked just fine.

Also getting exactly the same problems. It is impossible to use OPO where signal is not so strong although other phones work flawlessly. Reception signal strength goes up and down all the time from full to none bars. Data connection is inconsistent.
Anyone with weak inconsistent signal strength vote here: https://jira.cyanogenmod.org/browse/BACON-132

I still hope that what we are experiencing is due to firmware and drivers issues that can be solved by the developers on XDA. However, the complete silence by OnePlus and Cyanogen regarding this issue despite the number of people complaining, makes me worried that it's a bigger hardware issue that they are trying to avoid and move into "we'll fix it in the next version of the phone” kind of scenario.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

asem said:
I still hope that what we are experiencing is due to firmware and drivers issues that can be solved by the developers on XDA. However, the complete silence by OnePlus and Cyanogen regarding this issue despite and number of people complaining makes me worried that it's a bigger hardware issue that they are trying to avoid and move into "we'll fix it in the next version of the phone” kind of scenario.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be bad scenario. I hope that it is just software problems. But seeing how OnePlus deals with the problems I also have doubts.

I would say it's software baseband/modem and CM needs to step it up. My Nexus 5 has a better signal strength. But then Google has a much bigger development team than CM or One plus. My friend has the GS5 and it has the snapdragon 801 chip set and it has a much better signal strength.
So ether the One's antenna is not that great or it a software problem.
As you can see the controller is on chip.
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I don't have it as bad as some have posted so hope things get fixed for all.

Yeah. Many users are having problems with cell reception.
It's a shame.

My wife & I both using OPO international version, both of us facing poor signal & sound problem when we get them. Sound problem is currently handled by boosting the sound but frankly the sound is a bit deteriorated. The signal problem is better a bit now by installing oppo 7 radio. Hope the team can put more effort on the signal problem. It is phone!

I have this issue too, but I think this is a hardware problem, because CM and OPO teams do nothing for fix this problem, and Chao Chen at CM Jira says that this poor signal is a normal... I realy think about selling my OPO and buy another phone...

I have pretty crappy signal on mine too (London UK). Signal strength fluctuates wildly even by moving the phone in a different direction. I've reverted to the previous modem via a flash .zip and things seem a bit better but it's early days. I would have thought that number 1 priority for a phone is that it actually works well as...well, a phone!
Disappointed that the 'giant killer' tag doesn't quite match the reality.
I sincerely hope there are improvements but I have my doubts.

virgopunk said:
I have pretty crappy signal on mine too (London UK). Signal strength fluctuates wildly even by moving the phone in a different direction. I've reverted to the previous modem via a flash .zip and things seem a bit better but it's early days. I would have thought that number 1 priority for a phone is that it actually works well as...well, a phone!
Disappointed that the 'giant killer' tag doesn't quite match the reality.
I sincerely hope there are improvements but I have my doubts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have this problem on O2 uk wonder if its anything to do with 4g which isn't supported on this network. Have any of you tried PAC rom.

This problem is really starting to be a major issue for me. I expected some improvement by now.
Does anyone know is this has been confirmed as a radio/kernel issue or a hardware issue (antennas maybe).