[Q] UK TMobile signal weirdness - Galaxy S I9000 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Recently my signal is constantly switching from G, 3G and H (sometimes full bars with no signal icon). I'm at work so not in a new poor reception area. It'll switch even if I move the phone a couple of inches in one direction. Generally getting poor reception tho.
What I'm wondering if whether to speak directly with TMob or whether it's a) atmospheric issues or b) something to do with my Darky ROM flashed modem (BUJP5)
I have a sneaky suspicion TMob won't help if they discover the phones seriously modded.
It's causing me a lot of grief
Thanks in advance for any advice

Well, I guess I'll sort it out myself.
It appears that it might have been a couple of things; Juice Defender seemed to screw up reconnecting to 3G leaving me with full bars but no signal plus the Preferred Network Type was set to Unknown. I've now changed this to GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) and my signal seems to have stabilised (still a lousy strength tho)

Clue to problem board is littered with problems from one rom and thats it
.
Its the rom remove that before trying anything clean wipe and stock install .
jje

Related

Xperia and Rogers 3G Issue

Well for the longest time I've had 3G activated on my phone but I've always connected to Edge. As of late my phone has been connecting to Rogers 3G. Sometimes it's stable, most of the time it's not. Connecting to 3G usually causes my phone and data connection to reset, usually back to G or Edge, and at times even causes my phone to soft reset randomly. Just wondering what's the deal with this and if I should just turn off 3G completely.
Maybe it's something you need to call your Roger's rep about? I'm on Rogers and I get 3G very consitsantly. I've had no issues so far. I dunno could it be the rom you're using?
its most likely a software issue. Try doing a hard-reset or try a different rom. Its either that or the 3G reception in your area isn't good. Try using 3G data with a different phone to see if its the network or your phone thats causing the problem
You guys are both using the X1 right? Cause I remember for the longest time Rogers didn't broadcast the proper 3G bandwidth for the Xperia... I dunno if that's changed since the X1 came out on Rogers
are you living in like a small town type of place or areas of the city where they don't really have that many or any signal towers? because that may be part of the reason why you go into edge a lot of times.
I think reception has always been a big issue with sony ericsson phones .
I lived in calgary, and when I drive up to general N.W. areas that are higher up in sea levels (such as edgemont (a phone reception killer location because a few years ago because they never had any reception towers up there) and parts of country hills) I get terrible reception.
my w810i, z610i, and my x1 has crap reception when I get to those areas from time to time.
anyways, hopefully you'll get it all figured out soon.
3G to edge to No connection
Hi I was about to open a new thread for it, then I saw yours. At least you are getting a 3G network. Mine just keep looking for it, then it finds 3G then Edge the H (I dont even know what that is) then there is nothing!!!!! Then it restarts again..........
Anybody any idea?
thanks in advance
Haha funny thing is, I actually live in Calgary and I only get 3G when I drive up North. I live in the South and I only get Edge but when I drive up to the University or am at the University in the NW, I get 3G. And yeah I've gotten H a few times too
Dehvee said:
You guys are both using the X1 right? Cause I remember for the longest time Rogers didn't broadcast the proper 3G bandwidth for the Xperia... I dunno if that's changed since the X1 came out on Rogers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im using the X1a from Rogers, so it does have the 3G bands. Im pretty much on 3G all the time and in some circumstances i get 3G+, which is probably a result of Rogers' enhanced 3G network
if im not mistaken "H" stand for HSPA......which is probably the same as me getting 3G+, guess it depends on the ROM being used.
If your using the X1i......then it could explain your spotty 3G reception
In any case, if your phone is restarting then try a hard-reset

Signal strength bars fluctuating

Hi guys, I just got my Incredible S yesterday, and I absolutely love this phone!! The only problem so far is the fluctuating signal bars. I'm not sure if this topic has been discussed here, but it seems to me that when I hold the phone...my signal gets weaker. When I put the phone on down..the signal gets stronger. Does a rubber or silicone case help as far as limiting signal interference?
Are you talking wifi signal or 3g signal?
mrHD2 said:
Are you talking wifi signal or 3g signal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm talking about 3G/H. It's such a shame. I really liked this phone, but designing the antenna on the battery cover is a huge flaw. What were they thinking?!!??
I also have the signal strength fluctuations. I have tried everything: changing the SIM card, changing operators (Swisscom and Sunrise), changing settings GSM alone, WCDMA alone, and GSM/WCDMA auto, and soft reset. The only thing I have not yet tried is a hard reset.
I wonder if somebody else has the same problem? The consequence of this problem is that often times the quality of the calls is lousy and/or the calls are dropped.
Please help me..
Have to say, my signal level is dreadful compared to my bog standard Nokia mobile phone in low signal areas, I get no signal on my Inc S while 2 or sometimes 3 bars on my Nokia. It's really spoiling an otherwise brilliant device. One thing I was wondering is if changing radio from the 22_M to the 27_M might help, anybody know what the difference between them is ?
and, data does not work over 50% of the time on gprs, but fine on hsdpa/3g/edge, don't know if that's also down to poor signal reception ?
I had the same problem with my IS. when the internet connaction GSM/WCDMA auto i had many unexeptable call ends. I put the internet connection to GSM only and every thing is ok. Acording to info i have the problem is in some operaters new software when the network type changes the telefone cannot change it normaly.
After visiting other fora, I have a crucial question to ask: is the reception problem (fluctuating bars, dropped calls, WiFi disconnecting) a generalised problem, or, rather, is my phone faulty, and therefore should I have it repaired?
HTC update the radio module immediately....
atn_chargers said:
Hi guys, I just got my Incredible S yesterday, and I absolutely love this phone!! The only problem so far is the fluctuating signal bars. I'm not sure if this topic has been discussed here, but it seems to me that when I hold the phone...my signal gets weaker. When I put the phone on down..the signal gets stronger. Does a rubber or silicone case help as far as limiting signal interference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also believe that the desire s has this same problem they are similarly designed devices now running with very similar software.
even though at times signal can be great without moving it can drop to nothing and I'll lose all signal, which I believe has caused me miss several calls as they've gone to voicemail rather than ring on the phone.
I'm hoping that an upgrade to the phones radio will fix/improve this over time (the optimistic outlook)
Sent from my HTC Desire S using XDA Premium App
signal
its the antenna design =Fail , put it flat on a desk and dont hold it and watch your signal go up pick it up and its like an hour glass going down
I am now arriving at the conclusion that sound quality and dropped calls (and bars fluctuating) can be explained by a connection problem when using GSM/WCDMA Auto. The problem disappears when using GSM Auto. Any views?
Same here, but it is better on "wcdma only" either. I'm suspectinig it has issues only when switching between wcdma and gsm

[Q] Battery drains 5%+/hr standby on 3G

Hi guys,
I have a Nexus One purchased from Google last year. I only started using 3G this month with Vodafone Australia. My battery drains ridiculously fast on 3G compared to 2G. On HSDPA("3.5G") network with everything off (including data) it uses 5-10% per hour standby. On 2G it drains less than 1% per hour. Using a battery monitor app I can see that 2G draws less than 10mA while 3G draws 25-100mA.
Since on 2G battery life is very good this should not be a problem with any software running in the background. I also tried the following with no help:
- Dial *#*#4636#*#*, set to WCDMA only instead of WCDMA preferred, and select radio bands to AUS BANDS
- Upgrade radio to the latest Korean version
- Force the phone to use UMTS instead of HSDPA network by editing build.prop
I tried both the stock 2.3.4 ROM and the latest CM nightly, but the problem persists. I really want to take the full advantage of 3G and leave it on all the time so this is very frustrating to me. I can use Toggle2G to automatically switch to 3G when screen is on, but that's not what I really want. I know although 3G uses more battery it should not be that dramatic. After all the specified standby time on 3G/2G are 250/290h by Google. With 3G my phone won't last even a day purely on standby.
I also wonder if it can be a problem with the network. My signal strength on 3G is around 2 bars - not particularly bad. It almost never loses signal. If anyone can post a ROM/radio from Vodafone Australia for me to try out that would be greatly appreciated too.
Thanks all!
2 Bars of Signal strength might be one of the reason that battery is drained faster. As the signal is not that strong enough, it keeps searching for stronger signal and results in faster battery consumption.
Personally the radio version '5.12' wasn't satisfactory. I prefer 5.08 version. (Signal strength, speed, battery...)
I recently upgraded from CM 7.0.3 to 7.1.0 RC1 and noticed battery life is much better.
So I am going to suggest a few things you might want to try:
- Downgrade the radio to 5.08
- Full wipe and flash CM 7.1.0 RC1 (or a different custom ROM)
- Try a different kernel (I personally like Cyanogen kernel though)
- Uninstall Task Killer if you have one installed.
zephyr18 said:
2 Bars of Signal strength might be one of the reason that battery is drained faster. As the signal is not that strong enough, it keeps searching for stronger signal and results in faster battery consumption.
Personally the radio version '5.12' wasn't satisfactory. I prefer 5.08 version. (Signal strength, speed, battery...)
I recently upgraded from CM 7.0.3 to 7.1.0 RC1 and noticed battery life is much better.
So I am going to suggest a few things you might want to try:
- Downgrade the radio to 5.08
- Full wipe and flash CM 7.1.0 RC1 (or a different custom ROM)
- Try a different kernel (I personally like Cyanogen kernel though)
- Uninstall Task Killer if you have one installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi zephyr, I previously had CM 7.1.0 RC1 with radio 5.08 and the Cyanogen kernel but the problem remained. I also tried to put my phone near the window, where it has 4 bars signal, but the battery drained just as fast. Thanks for your suggestions though.
I know T-Mobile in the states screwed up something on their network a few weeks back. In doing so, it caused massive power usage on devices when using 3G/4G. I wonder if Vodaphone Australia did something to their network as well...
http://androidandme.com/2011/08/news/is-t-mobiles-network-killing-your-battery/
install current widget, and take logs of your current draw in mA during idle to see what's going on. do an overnight test, then during the day. post your logs.
So I just stumbled across this thread. I've been having the same issue on my Desire, it started suddenly a couple of weeks ago. In 3G mode my phone drains about 120mA. In 2g it drops down to 4-8. I've eliminated all the usual suspects by doing a factory reset (using the CM7.1.0RC but have also tried the latest nightly build), so no apps running in the background, and tried different versions of the radio. I am also with Vodafone in Australia. One thing that I have found is that if I go into Phone Info I can force the phone to make an EDGE connection by choosing the "AUS2" frequency band, and with an EDGE connection I get the good battery usage. But if I choose "AUS" or "AUTO", the phone makes an HSDPA connection and this drains the hell out of my battery.
Just wondering if the OP has had any joy with this?
stanleyguan said:
Hi guys,
I have a Nexus One purchased from Google last year. I only started using 3G this month with Vodafone Australia. My battery drains ridiculously fast on 3G compared to 2G. On HSDPA("3.5G") network with everything off (including data) it uses 5-10% per hour standby. On 2G it drains less than 1% per hour. Using a battery monitor app I can see that 2G draws less than 10mA while 3G draws 25-100mA.
Since on 2G battery life is very good this should not be a problem with any software running in the background. I also tried the following with no help:
- Dial *#*#4636#*#*, set to WCDMA only instead of WCDMA preferred, and select radio bands to AUS BANDS
- Upgrade radio to the latest Korean version
- Force the phone to use UMTS instead of HSDPA network by editing build.prop
I tried both the stock 2.3.4 ROM and the latest CM nightly, but the problem persists. I really want to take the full advantage of 3G and leave it on all the time so this is very frustrating to me. I can use Toggle2G to automatically switch to 3G when screen is on, but that's not what I really want. I know although 3G uses more battery it should not be that dramatic. After all the specified standby time on 3G/2G are 250/290h by Google. With 3G my phone won't last even a day purely on standby.
I also wonder if it can be a problem with the network. My signal strength on 3G is around 2 bars - not particularly bad. It almost never loses signal. If anyone can post a ROM/radio from Vodafone Australia for me to try out that would be greatly appreciated too.
Thanks all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Juicedefender Ultimate, it shuts down data when not in use. I see 1-2%/hr max when used with a good kernel.
ctfrommn said:
Try Juicedefender Ultimate, it shuts down data when not in use. I see 1-2%/hr max when used with a good kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alas it's not the data, this happens even with the data turned off. It's something to do with the baseband connection.
It's not data here either.
This just started happening on my 100% stock unlocked N1 about 2 weeks ago. (ATT)
Most of the time at work I'm on WiFi, yes the signal (cell) is very bad in my office. Has been for a long time, something else is strange.
No extra tasks running, nothing new installed.
Gets piping hot when on the charger - sucks juice like crazy when off.
Checked data log - nothing unusual transmitting...
What sort of area do you operate your phone in? My phone used to drain like mad inside my house (perth- vodafone) and in areas with spotty coverage. In my house my reception would be on the very edge of 3g with no bars and EDGE, constantly switching between the two. Do you have your wifi policy set to on while sleeping? Provided you aren't out and about all day, that would help, though i assume if you've had the phone that long, youd have changed the wifi sleep policy by now.
My wifi is always on - never has changed.
It gets hot at home where there is good reception and at work where there is crap.
I've had the phone for over 1.5 years and this just cropped up.
I rooted my wifes N1 and she doesn't have any issues...
liam.lah said:
What sort of area do you operate your phone in? My phone used to drain like mad inside my house (perth- vodafone) and in areas with spotty coverage. In my house my reception would be on the very edge of 3g with no bars and EDGE, constantly switching between the two. Do you have your wifi policy set to on while sleeping? Provided you aren't out and about all day, that would help, though i assume if you've had the phone that long, youd have changed the wifi sleep policy by now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also in Perth, on Vodafone. I get a pretty decent signal strength at home, and it seems to be happening to me wherever I go, unless I'm "lucky" enough to get an EDGE connection. This started overnight, almost exactly two weeks ago. I've been speaking with Vodafone about this at length but not really getting anywhere. Yesterday they swapped my SIM but it didn't make any difference.
Yep, wifi is set to never sleep.
I bought a prepaid SIM card from another provider a few days ago. I only get a UMTS connection with them, but still the current drain when idle is what is considered "normal", 4-6mA.
One thought I've had is that maybe I never had an HSDPA connection before but recent network upgrades have meant that I'm suddenly getting one. Still, 125mA is way too big a drain and seems to indicate something wrong with the phone.
The last test I can think to do is to swap SIM cards with a friend who is on a third network, who gets an HSDPA connection. He has a Nexus One and gets very low current drain. At least that way I can be sure of whether it is or isn't the network. We're doing that tomorrow so stay tuned

(Q)HTC one low signal bars UK EE/Orange

i recently unlocked, rooted and s-off my htc one, on stock i used to get around 5/4 signal bars and now i only get two/three.
im currently running trickdroid 7.5 rom 4.2.2.
so im looking for a radio which would work for orange/EE in the UK.
please can someone help, or point me into the right direction
this is the one for the 4.2.2 firmware
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=42139108&postcount=18404
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
fixed
okk i just flashed 1.29.401.12 Radio and it's back to normal.
i found it here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2245615
Lennyuk said:
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the input but!
i never said i was using my data connection,
Same principle applies even with data off.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Lennyuk said:
Are you sure that it is not the same level? Don't be fooled by the bar looking different, remember that it might show 2 bars of LTE but that could still be better than 5 bars of H+ (as an example).
So if you used to get 5 bars of 3G but your now getting 2 bars of H or H+ then you are better off even though its less bars.
Please do not take this as me treating you as if you are stupid, I am not, I have come across a lot of people recently who thought the same, and it turned out to just be a different type of signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I have 5 bars when set to "GSM" only but 2-3 when set to "GSM/CDMA" .. that's as good?
I'm being serious btw, I normally set mine to just GSM as I seemed to have more signal but if there isn't any point then I won't bother lol ..I'm in the UK btw and on a network that doesn't support LTE (I think)
AllAboutTheCore said:
So if I have 5 bars when set to "GSM" only but 2-3 when set to "GSM/CDMA" .. that's as good?
I'm being serious btw, I normally set mine to just GSM as I seemed to have more signal but if there isn't any point then I won't bother lol ..I'm in the UK btw and on a network that doesn't support LTE (I think)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can confirm the 'type' of signal you are getting at any time in the menu > settings > about part of the phone.
Your phone will automatically switch to whatever the best signal is available at any time, you don't really need to change your GSM/WCDMA settings, unless you really want to force it away from 3G connections (again this does not mean you have to have data turned on).
Cool, I'm not too fussed about what data type it uses as I rarely have data turned on, I just naturally assumed that by switching it from GSM'CDMA Auto to just GSM, meant that I'd have better reception, being that the signal bars went from 2/5 to 5/5 ... You learn something new everyday lol
EDIT: I checked my signal, and I mean my reception, not the data connection type, when switched between GSM/WCDMA Auto and GSM Only and there is a huge difference. I found this guide:
dB Signal - A basic guide
-50 to -60 (very strong, near a cell tower)
-60 to -70 (extremely good, rare)
-80 to -85 (normal downtown)
-90 to -95 (getting on the weak side)
-95 to -98 (weak, dropping calls)
-98 to -100 (bad, hard to stay connected)
-100+ (basically no usable signal)
When I set my phone to GSM Only I hover around -70, which is good, when I switch to GSM/WCDMA Auto it is a different story. I know it changes and finds the best signal, which I might add drains more battery on an already power hungry beast, but I was hovering at -100 which is terrible and often calls were dropping or people were saying it was engaged when infact I hadn't used it.
It's clear to me that in my case, GSM Only is the far better option if I actually want to use my phone to make calls ... Data speeds I'm not arsed about so EDGE is just fine with me.

[Q] Cell reception indicator constantly flips between "no reception" display and bars

[Q] Cell reception indicator constantly flips between "no reception" display and bars
I'm using the Xperia Z3 Compact on TMobile's network in the US.
About 1/4 of the time when I turn on the display the phone indicates that it has no cell reception:
1) The phone shows no bars of reception, and a red X over the bars
2) The lock screen reads "Emergency calls only"
However, within a second or two the phone appears to acquire an excellent signal and I get a full 3-4 bar display. All of the areas in which I use the phone are marked as "Excellent" on TMobile's coverage maps.
This also happens intermittently while I'm using the phone. I'm not sure if it's actually losing the signal or if it's just a software issue. I've never had it drop a call or cut out while I'm talking.
I'm getting only acceptable battery life from the phone (about 25% at the end of the day) despite light usage and conservative app installation, even though this phone has a reputation for excellent battery life. My theory is that this might have to do with the phone constantly disconnecting from the network and then having to re-aquire a signal.
Anyone else had this experience with the Z3C?
Hey mate.. I posted the exact same issue a couple of months back. I was experiencing this exact same issue.
I've had my LTE disabled for about a month now and haven't had a single drop.
Not sure if LTE is a dealbreaker but since my device is a business line, I can "suffer" with better battery life and slower internet if I'm not dropping calls. I've considered trying a ROM with updated radio firmware but figured I'd wait to see what the current Lollipop update does ('ll re-enable LTE once I install it and see if it repeats the same behavior) for my phone before trying a 3rd party system.
Hope this helps
sh0nuff said:
Hey mate.. I posted the exact same issue a couple of months back. I was experiencing this exact same issue.
I've had my LTE disabled for about a month now and haven't had a single drop.
Not sure if LTE is a dealbreaker but since my device is a business line, I can "suffer" with better battery life and slower internet if I'm not dropping calls. I've considered trying a ROM with updated radio firmware but figured I'd wait to see what the current Lollipop update does ('ll re-enable LTE once I install it and see if it repeats the same behavior) for my phone before trying a 3rd party system.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Really gratifying to know that it's not just my device. Seems like there's a strong possibility this is the issue since I'm on a MVNO that's only been on this LTE network a few months. I've flipped the device into GSM only mode and we'll see if it helps.
Dumb question how do i flip it into gsm?
qylie said:
Dumb question how do i flip it into gsm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings>More>Mobile Networks>Preferred Connection type> GSM only
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Thanks!!!
I'm having the same issue as you have described. For now I've set the phone to 3G prefered. Looks instantly better. Signal strength is also better.
Provider: Simyo (KPN network) - The Netherlands
Edit - Issue solved:
I switched from the Lollipop Baltic ROM to the Lollipop KPN carrier ROM for The Netherlands. The switching is gone for me. Battery life drastically went up.
Any update on this? I just started experiencing this issue out of no where about 2 weeks ago. I'm not rooted or anything, can't afford to due to job security requirements and such.

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