Database Develop

automatic 2g/3g switching causes data interruptions

Hello,
I have a G1 currently running Super D and 2.22.19.26I radio. This problem isn't specific to this rom or radio, since I've flashed various donut/eclair roms and various radios during my year of ownership and have always had the following problem:
When there is a weak 3G signal (one bar of 3G shown), it seems like there is an annoying delay or freeze in data connectivity, where rather than switching to the edge/2g signal, the phone just sits there on one bar of 3G doing nothing. Then, if it switches to 2g there is data loss, apps disconnect, web pages fail to load, etc.
I realize I can manually switch to 2G only mode, but this seems to happen all the time (there are not many times that I have a speedy 3g connection). I would personally think the radio firmware could be "smarter" and know not to look for a signal so much. I would rather not be on 2g all the time if 3g is available. Has anyone else had radio problems? Maybe someone can help me understand how the radio works better and maybe I should just stick with slow 2g most of the time.
Thanks

[Q] Failing to recognize that the device is roaming?

I got a device swap today on my Nexus One, so I rooted the replacement phone and restored a nandroid backup of my previous setup with CM6.1 RC1. No problem so far.
Within a few hours of doing this, I noticed my phone still had the FRF91 (4.06) radio. On my previous N1 I'd flashed the 5.12 radio and it was working well, so I flashed it using the appropriate update.zip.
I should point out that I always keep my phone in 3G mode because my provider, WIND Mobile, does not have a 2G network, and any time it's on 2G it is roaming on a partner network at a higher cost to me. I also have data roaming disabled.
After the phone restarted, I noticed within a few minutes that it was connected to the roaming network (WIND Away) and using EDGE data - even though it was set to 3G-only mode *and* no data roaming! I quickly disabled data and flashed back to the 4.06 radio. I didn't see the problem again.
But now upon further testing, I'm still seeing something disturbing. If I flip it to EDGE mode it connects to WIND Away, but the signal indicator doesn't have the roaming "R". Somehow the phone does not recognize that it's roaming anymore. This is incredibly dangerous because it could rack me up huge data charges. Prior to the device swap, any time it was on Wind AWAY I would get the "R". And when I put in my T-Mobile SIM while in Canada, I do get the "R" as well.
Any thoughts on what to do?

I'm having the same problem. I don't think it's related to the radio, but rather 6.1 rc (or in my case nightly ver 245). I'm using radio 5.12.00.8, and when I restore a nandroid backup of cm 6.0, using the same radio the roaming indicator works as it should. Looks like it might not confined to NexusOne http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/9065-is-cm61-rc1-better-than-cm6-stable-for-you/page__view__findpost__p__83991 Hopefully it's not some Wind quirk with cm 6.1
Hammy

hammies said:
I'm having the same problem. I don't think it's related to the radio, but rather 6.1 rc (or in my case nightly ver 245). I'm using radio 5.12.00.8, and when I restore a nandroid backup of cm 6.0, using the same radio the roaming indicator works as it should. Looks like it might not confined to NexusOne http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/9065-is-cm61-rc1-better-than-cm6-stable-for-you/page__view__findpost__p__83991 Hopefully it's not some Wind quirk with cm 6.1
Hammy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yikes, glad to hear I'm not the only one. Let me summarize:
- WIND SIM roaming on T-Mobile: Roaming symbol.
- T-Mobile SIM roaming on Rogers 2G: Roaming symbol.
- T-Mobile SIM roaming on WIND 3G: Roaming symbol.
- WIND SIM roaming on Rogers 2G: No roaming symbol, tries to access EDGE data (OUCH! expensive).
This should probably get its own topic at the CyanogenMod forum.
The Testing screen (*#*#4636#*#*) also has an entry for "Roaming", and when I'm on WIND Away it says "Not roaming" - boo.

I created a thread about this on the Cyanogen forum :
forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/10193-cm61-rc1-and-roaming-indicator/
But so far it's mainly me :/
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Just an update, the problem has been resolved for future builds of CM. Read the link to the CM forums for more detail.

[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] 3g problems nexus one

hello every body
i have this problem with my nexus one when i am connected to 3g service (umts,hsdpa,Etc'). i can't make calls or receive any calls, i can't use the internet (data) or get sms and Etc'. but i have full bars reception. when i check the vi in setting to "use only 2g" the phone work great.
i tried everything downgrade/upgrade roms,radios. i tried to go back to my first backup and even do PASSIMG but nothing help i googled it every where but nothing
please some one can help???
without 3g the smartphone is useless
thanks,
shushkis

What network you on? I would at least see how old the sim card is.
Lots of time if you have an older sim card it just can't handle a newer system.

I am connected through Orange IL
and i tried switching sims even with other networks.
and more the phone worked fine at the beginning it just happened i remember i switch to one of CY roms and it happened

Have you tried a full wipe and reinstall the rom?

yes of course i tried customized roms and stock roms but nothing helped

I would check your apn settings...

apn connected to taking or getting calls?
i thought it's just for internet connection

Its just a guess.
If its a problem on multiple ROMs, its likely to be either hardware or settings. Settings are cheaper and easier to test, and that's the only setting I can think of...?
Of course, doing a full wipe (including system), installing a new ROM, and testing before you restore any apps and settings may be another way to test, but since the apn settings are pre-baked into most ROMs, it wouldn't rule our the apn...?

OK I tried to put apn settings and it didnt help
you say hardware?
but when I check in settings "use only 2g" the transceiver works great .
maybe the nexus have two transceiver one for 2g and one for 3g?
seems un-logical

No there are two radios one for 3g and one for 2g because 2g is for calls and 3g for data but when 3G is unavailable the phone will use the 2g for the data.

The Same Trouble
shushkis,
I have the same trouble, my 3G connection works so bad, but if I use only 2g connection, all works good... I have no idea what happend with my N1. I have a N1 for 3G 850 (AT&T) model.
Thanks for advantage.

So maybe the problem is the hardware? if the N1 have two inidvidul transcivers?

I have also the same problem. I've tried many different roms and radios. I use 900/2100 3G. What's strang is that 3G works perfectly at home, but when moving to another tower I get emergency calls only warning. 2g works fine.

I just started having 3G issues at home. With 3G on the phone reboots like once an hour, but on 2G I've gone days without a reboot. My 3G signal is not the best at home, but I don't know why that would make the phone reboot. I'm on T-Mo USA.

bobbyphoenix said:
I just started having 3G issues at home. With 3G on the phone reboots like once an hour, but on 2G I've gone days without a reboot. My 3G signal is not the best at home, but I don't know why that would make the phone reboot. I'm on T-Mo USA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go get a new SIM card...

danger-rat said:
Go get a new SIM card...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one I'm using is only a couple months old, and it works well in my Desire HD, and my Moto Defy. It's only the N1, but I guess maybe it could be that. I'll look into more.

If it's only a few months old, then it may nor be the SIM that is the problem. I suggested it because a number of T-Mo users were having similar problems after a recent network upgrade, and a new SIM seems to fix the issue for most...

What's your Radio version and how's your signal?

I'm interested to hear how you folks are finding your phone's signal strength and reliability, what radio version do you have and are there any issues with it?
I have Baseband 20.208.30.085AU_3805.06.03.03_M and I sometimes lose the O2 signal in my home.
Edit: I should have posted this in Q & A ... doh!

I'm running baseband version 20.2810.30.085AU_3805.06.03.16_M and I can get -83 dBm at best on my home's wi-fi network.
I installed this version last week after having problems connecting to any wi-fi signal with 20.2803.30.085AU_3805.04.03.12_M
Until now I haven't had any problems this week and it's running fine.

Thanks for your reply. How was your gsm signal before and after the recent radio flash, have you noticed any difference?

In the current establishment I'm in, my best signal is -89dBm on a UMTS (3G network). Unfortunately I don't remember my signal strength on a mobile network before I flashed my new radio. I can recall however that it was quite slow...
What Mod/Android version are you running? It's important to have a radio that matches the proper rom in order for it to work properly.

I have a new IS without root etc, the unit received an OTA update the day I got it. The current software No is 2.30.405.1. My only gripe is the phone signal here, but having said that, it doesn't seem as troublesome today. Also my battery life (today at least) appears to be improving with time and use.

That's good to hear that your signal is getting better! Coverage in your area may be a factor as well.
This XDA thread has a list of IS radios matched to certain RUUs. Based on the versions you mentioned previously, your radio matches your RUU version. I was kind of banking on the fact that they didn't match up, in which case we could of probably solved the problem.
What kind of signal strength do you usually get?
Keep us posted if your signal improves or not and we'll see what we can do if need be!

Well I'm sad to say that I've just returned my 3rd HTC IS, all 3 had signal issues for me on the O2 network. I loved the build quality, style and the Sense interface .... what to do now?