This might seem like a really stupid question to some. When I was on my last trip I thought it would be nice to try out the GPS function while on the road or even on the plane. I would have loved to follow my movements on the Xoom!
So I downloaded some apps that looked promising (GPS Status, GPS Test, and Maverick). I thought I would get at least the coordinates and maybe an altitude and speed reading. But all three applications failed to acquire sufficient GPS satellites to determine my position. After the plane ride I decided it might have been that the GPS receiver is turned off during airplane mode. So I enabled all radios, made sure all location settings are correct, and tried it again. Still nothing. I see a few satellites in range but they are not sufficient for some reason.
I then tested the Google map app. I tried different settings (use wireless network etc.) and it seems that the GPS location is never really showing correctly.
Am I doing something wrong? Any help is appreciated!
All of those programs you mentioned should have done the trick. Keep in mind that you were in a big metal tube and GPS signals are pretty weak. You would need to get the Xoom close to a window and even then it may not work very well due to poor coverage. I am in a building with a metal roof and no luck getting a GPS lock, but as soon as I step outside it works fine.
HuckFinn said:
I am in a building with a metal roof and no luck getting a GPS lock, but as soon as I step outside it works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought I gave it a good chance but you are right; I should be fair and have the Xoom enjoy the nice weather outside with me once I get off work.
getting a GPS signal while flying in the air at 600mph+ is kinda hard... I've tried without success except for 1 occasion (and finally got my Garmin app on my old Nokia to register a max speed of 569mph haha)
funnycreature said:
...it might have been that the GPS receiver is turned off during airplane mode. So I enabled all radios, made sure all location settings are correct, and tried it again. Still nothing...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a similar, but not the same issue, but the work around might be helpful.
I have found that if I turn off the GPS radio, and then turn it back on, it really does not turn back on. The work around is to turn on your GPS in the settings and then turn your Xoom off (long press the power button only), and then turn it back on. Now try your GPS and see if it works.
I opened the Maps app and it put me in the exact part of my house in 5 seconds. Literally.
Sent from my Xoom
Being outside did the trick. I guess I overestimated the power of GPS satellites indoors. I am thankful for all the suggestions!
[sent with Xooming Android technology]
the xoom must have a super-GPS chip because it catches the signal and puts you instantly in the right spot on earth a lot faster than the nexus one on 3g/gps ... awesome.
MitchRapp said:
the xoom must have a super-GPS chip because it catches the signal and puts you instantly in the right spot on earth a lot faster than the nexus one on 3g/gps ... awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe that's because of the aGPS which takes advantage of the WiFi and wireless signals for positioning? I don't have 3G activated but the WiFi surely helps and is pretty accurate.
just tried it with the WIFI off on my xoom and booya... quick lock and exactly in the right spot in the building I'm in
this thing is awesome.
MitchRapp said:
getting a GPS signal while flying in the air at 600mph+ is kinda hard... I've tried without success except for 1 occasion (and finally got my Garmin app on my old Nokia to register a max speed of 569mph haha)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's possible if fortune (and satellites) on your side But you will need to stick your phone to the window for a few minutes, also helps if get location just before boarding to a plane.
MitchRapp said:
the xoom must have a super-GPS chip because it catches the signal and puts you instantly in the right spot on earth a lot faster than the nexus one on 3g/gps ... awesome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tablets probably have a bigger GPS antennas, Asus Transformer and even NI Adam have a great signal reception.
Related
I have tried modifying the registry to the values that should fix it but it does not fix it for me. I still do not get an update. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Dan
I ended up hard resetting my device, I'm sorry to say. When I first got my phone, I ran QuickGPS and it downloaded some data. Ever since then, QuickGPS would not work and neither would my GPS. I tried everything I could find, including *gasp* going into the External GPS settings.
After hard resetting, I will not run QuickGPS again. All I did was fire up Windows Live Search and let it find the satellites. It only took a couple of minutes and I was up and running.
That was 3 days ago and my GPS is still working. Any GPS capable app I run takes less than 30 seconds to get a fix, even inside my house. I have not run QuickGPS since then and I don't intend to.
.:Christian:.
How can it work inside your house? I do not think that is even possible. Satellite receivers are line of sight. Try putting a direct TV dish in your house and see what kind of reception you get.
dspickle said:
How can it work inside your house? I do not think that is even possible. Satellite receivers are line of sight. Try putting a direct TV dish in your house and see what kind of reception you get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I was doubting that too. GPS doesn't work in my house, as soon as I step outside, boom, its on.
It works indoors at my place. Its not line of sight, otherwise even the phone case would be blocking the receiver. However it works much better outdoors. I think the reason is the radio signal from the satellites is very weak and doesn't penetrate obstacles very well.
I have a few windows in my house and I get enough of a signal (usually only 3 or so birds) to track my location. It's good enough to get an initial fix.
.:Christian:.
sad to hear that it doesnt work for some people.
ive used it from the beginning and it works fine. no problems up to now.
"thats not even possible"
cmon... i was surprised, too. but it works in my room (under the roof)
quality is weak (1-2 satellites) but it can get your position.
of course radio or gsm both have more sending strength but they also work in your house, dont they?
hi, hmm.. i have got no problems with GPS at all and to be precize i was really suprised with the speed lock. i instaled tomtom fired it up and then set it up with other NMEA GPS receiver and my device found the signal in 5 seconds !!! and i got 5 satelites in range ...aha im in my house ..maybe cos i am a student and the glazing is single
cudo
Just tried the new GMaps 2.0 and my location works flawlessly.
Called "My Location," the feature comes as part of the release of version 2.0 of Google Maps for mobile. My Location uses cell tower ID information to determine (approximately) where you are. Google says that it uses special "Google-developed-algorithms" to determine this, which sounds like fancy talk for triangulation (a supported phone can determine how far it is from the three closest cell towers and then pinpoint the approximate spot of the caller).
Anybody else tried it?
Did you try while driving ??
(I'll still keep my GPS chip for a while)
It's better than nothing but not very accurate. On my Kaiser, I will continue to use my GPS.
sebbes said:
Did you try while driving ??
(I'll still keep my GPS chip for a while)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About to will update when I get back
Just tried it in the UK and the location thingy is temporarily unavailable.
kavi said:
Anybody else tried it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, though when I'm on 3G towers it gives the "temporarily unavailable" message, works when I get an EDGE tower - 1600meter granularity!
Great feature, very cool, will not replace GPS. Our 3G towers just came up last month so that may be why they're not in the Google database yet....though I recall other reports of 3G location not working.
Richard
Didn't work for me either, I'm in the UK (south wales)
Did notice the GPS location is a little more accurate with 2.0
Tended to jump a lot with the older version
I heard it was only good to a 3 mile (4.8km) radius. Not nearly good enough to give you turn by turn directions.
jgermuga said:
I heard it was only good to a 3 mile (4.8km) radius. Not nearly good enough to give you turn by turn directions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, even google's site says the accuracy is dependent on the cell tower spacing. In my case, at my desk at work it reports 1600m (1.6km) accuracy, so definitely not turn-by-turn. In a densely towered (urban?) area, I suppose it's vaguely possible to have sufficient accuracy for rough turn-by-turn though.
Richard
Still, GPS is obviously much better.
I would have appreciated this with my older non-gps phone though and I am hopeful that they will offer this as an iPhone update for my wife.
jgermuga said:
I heard it was only good to a 3 mile (4.8km) radius. Not nearly good enough to give you turn by turn directions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried the Navizon version and it can be a lot better in urban environments where the cells are far smaller. In most of central london, Navizon can get a fix to an accuracy of a hudred yards or so. I have seen it do better than GPS since it is less vulnerable to the "Urban Canyon" effect. In rural areas, the coverage of each cell is much larger and I would expect the accuracy to fall to half a mile or worse.
Martin
I live in Minneapolis. AT&T rolled out 3G here on 1 November. I loaded up GM2.0 and it was right on the money. I was even inside my house.
I don't see how the program could triangulate a device out in the suburb. In a metro, yes, it's possible. Satellite GPS navigation is not going to be replaced anytime soon; however, I can see the "traingulation" come in handy for emergency situations.
sherpa said:
I don't see how the program could triangulate a device out in the suburb. In a metro, yes, it's possible. Satellite GPS navigation is not going to be replaced anytime soon; however, I can see the "traingulation" come in handy for emergency situations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter where you are, suburbs or metro. If you have 3 antennas, you can use triangulation, period.
While it's not good for turn-by-turn navigation, it would be good enough to get a quick fix and be able to search for something in the immediate area.
Try thinking of it as a tool for people without gps. Imagine you're lost and you can get a general idea of where you are. Then drive a mile and do it again...now you have a bearing on where you are headed.
This won't replace gps or give you directions until it can get to that accuracy.
I just install it, and i was coming on here to create a thread but looks like someone beat me to it. gMAP just got a whole lot better, I was like oh sh*t it uses the cell phone towers to show my location. this the bomb. google stepping the game up.
Mine works great on the 3G but i do get that unavailable bar sometime.
so for those of us that like the way the old version works with 'track location' gps feature, is the new 2.0 version beter or just stick with the old ?
bobcho10 said:
so for those of us that like the way the old version works with 'track location' gps feature, is the new 2.0 version beter or just stick with the old ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It still works with GPS, but you can also get a quick location fix via cell towers like people have been discussing.
Built in GPS not working anymore
Lidberg said:
It still works with GPS, but you can also get a quick location fix via cell towers like people have been discussing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not appear to be able to use my built in gps in this new version of Google Maps. The settings are identical to my previous installation which worked flawlessly. The cell based location does appear accurate on my initial tests. But if I turn off the gprs or 3g radio and switch to wifi I am unable to get a fix at all.
I broke my own cardinal rule and overwrote my backup of cabs so I cant reinstall the previous version, Doh.
Does anyone have a copy of the previous version installation cab? Or is there a trick to using the Kaisers built in gps? as I said earlier my settings are setup the same way as worked previously.
wizzzard said:
Does anyone have a copy of the previous version installation cab? Or is there a trick to using the Kaisers built in gps? as I said earlier my settings are setup the same way as worked previously.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2.0.0 works fine on my Tilt, as did 1.7.1 - both with the GPS Options set to let Windows manage the GPS. Way back when I had to tell it COM4: to get Gmaps to work, IIRC.
In any case, 1.7.1 can be downloaded from Google here:
http://www.google.com/gmm/winm_apps/v1.7.1/L1/GoogleMaps_compressed.CAB
HTH,
Richard
Lets see if I understand this correctly....
on the samsung galaxy s GPS system, there are 2 options:
1)Use wireless networks: Set the device to use the
wireless networking to indicate your location
2)Use GPS satellites : Enable the GPS receiver to indicate your location
For now, we know that using the option 2 gives us crappy results (loosing signals, cannot lock sattelites, jumping around etc)
Now, for option 1: choosing option 1 means that launching the maps application should indicate where your location is currently by using some kind of triangulation method based on the availability of GSM signal, so it should even work when you are indoor or whenever there is a GSM signal......
But apparently on this phone, it only shows your initial location, then after that even if you have moved 1 km from your initial location, the location indicator arrow is stuck at your initial location, meaning that it doesnt track you and your movement, which means both options simply dont work on this phone....
On my wife's iphone, the GPS functionality works wonderfully even when i am inside a building and it keeps updating your location as you move continuosly.
It just shows you how careless and hasty samsung is in launching this product that even the simplest form of GPS functionality, one that is based on GSM triangulation method, also doesnt work..... and they still went ahead with the launch.....
Absolutely no problems with GSM or GPS positioning now that I'm using I9000XWJG5. Locks on satellites within 22 seconds from switch on. Thats at 30m precision. After 10 seconds more gets to 5m precision.
This is from inside my building. (Using GPS Status to check)
Same here. Your wife's phone probably also uses the mobile network to keep location inside buildings, or wireless networks. Try enabling skyhook, that is all i did.
used skyhook, and assited mode, accuracy set to 50, changed supl/cp settings, but compared to my g1 or hd2 or e61 or 10 year old bt/gps mouse the gps quality is just rubbish. (XXJF3)
no problem even without skyhook, but using skyhook gets locking much faster
i'm comparing it to my old HTC Athena, which takes sometimes over 5min to lock to 1 satellite in the great white open sky.... sigh...
sometimes it wont even lock if the weather is poor, takes like 30min or more to lock, under those conditions.
simply insane.
so SGS i9000 is like a dream to use.
g1 / hd2 / e61 only take seconds to get a full lock with accuracy about 3m. in my opinion skyhook and gps plus are needless if you have a working cb a-gps.
From my experience its the rom. As my gps worked fine with default FE3 (optus au) rom even indoors but when i flashed G5 (latest euro) i could only lock onto one sat outdoors even with skyhooks setting. Then i installed Samset 1.2 update.zip the gps works again, thats just my 2cents
widjaja74_us said:
It just shows you how careless and hasty samsung is in launching this product that even the simplest form of GPS functionality, one that is based on GSM triangulation method, also doesnt work..... and they still went ahead with the launch.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the record I haven't had any issues with GPS other than it being fair slower than my Milestone.
Didn't you sell your Galaxy S anyway?
Unimaginative said:
For the record I haven't had any issues with GPS other than it being fair slower than my Milestone.
Didn't you sell your Galaxy S anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey mate, I think I've seen you around the WP forums.
Quick question for you - I have a Milestone and am currently contemplating throwing it on eBay and grabbing the Galaxy S. Is there anything you miss from the Milestone?
ShaggyDragon said:
Absolutely no problems with GSM or GPS positioning now that I'm using I9000XWJG5. Locks on satellites within 22 seconds from switch on. Thats at 30m precision. After 10 seconds more gets to 5m precision.
This is from inside my building. (Using GPS Status to check)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same here. The problems start when I go out and start to drive around in my car. My GPS is absolutely useless when you move around outdoors, but locks in a few seconds indoors.
widjaja74_us said:
Lets see if I understand this correctly....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me see if I understand this correctly. You have sold your SGS and you are still coming back here to crap on about the GPS and other small things which are only occurring on some people's phones and not others?
For the record, everything on my phone has been running silky smooth since day one. Lag only occurs with too many apps open and this is to be expected from an operating system that can multitask.
navmanyeah said:
Let me see if I understand this correctly. You have sold your SGS and you are still coming back here to crap on about the GPS and other small things which are only occurring on some people's phones and not others?
For the record, everything on my phone has been running silky smooth since day one. Lag only occurs with too many apps open and this is to be expected from an operating system that can multitask.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sold my phone at a profit because currently i cannot afford to have unreliable phone in doing my job... then i searched for something better and can't find any.... so i'm still following the forum to see of all the problems i experience have been fixed .... if thats the case, i might buy another one....
and for the record, i didnt crap about the GPS, i'm just investigating it deeper, becase GPS is important for me...
Thats crap for you
Anyone else having problems using the GPS on this device? I've tried several different GPS apps and none are working. The problem is that is finds 2-3 satellites, but never gets locked.
NeoID said:
Anyone else having problems using the GPS on this device? I've tried several different GPS apps and none are working. The problem is that is finds 2-3 satellites, but never gets locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 - Download "GPS Status & Toolbox" (EclipSim) from market
2 - Enable Location from Settings in order to use A-GPS data.
3 - Enable Use GPS from Settings
4 - Run "GPS Status & Toolbox" and then go to "GPS Status & Toolbox" menu where you can clear A-GPS and then download newest A-GPS data.
If you can't get a fix after this, you might have faulty SW or HW
You could also try "GpsFix" from the Market.
Sent from my LG-P990 using XDA App
Thanks I'll give them a try.
I've now also tried to pair this phone with my holux m 1000 (bluetooth), but can't even get that to work. I managed to pair them, but it won't connect to the phone.
Is it just mine or is this phone so useless?
i am having the same problem too
Hi,
I'm using Sygic Mobile Maps 10 8.2 and Google Maps (unlocked with navigation). Both work fine with GPS and fix is within 5 sec.
Yet to try my stereo Bluetooth headset, will try in a sec ...
Edit: Headset at work, will try tomorrow...
This phone is very good for gps navigation.
Google Maps Navigation, Sygic Mobile Maps 10, Copilot Live, Navigon and Igomyway are working fine. They give me a lock within a few seconds.
A few tips:
Under Settings - Location and Security:
- enable using wireless networks
- enable GPS-satellites
If you're using WiFi the fix will be faster then without.
Oh yes, and one more thing: don't forget to insert your SIM-card.
For me to get gps fix, i need to stand outdoor without any roof on top of me, this is so bad if I'm indoor and beside a window, i can see a few satellites but it just wont lock on.
Is this software problem? I don't wish that it is my hardware problem
akira de aimbuster said:
For me to get gps fix, i need to stand outdoor without any roof on top of me, this is so bad if I'm indoor and beside a window, i can see a few satellites but it just wont lock on.
Is this software problem? I don't wish that it is my hardware problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol its a gps you use it outdoor not indoor. is not designed to work indoor. so i can't see you problem?
Fixed it!
I called LG, and got the recipe for fixing the gps.
Do a "hard factory reset"
Turn off phone
hold HOME and VOLUME DOWN and POWER until you see the android. Then wait.
Done. It now sees 10 satelittes indoors, and uses them all, as opposed to maybe seeing one, and never using any.
MrTwig666 said:
I called LG, and got the recipe for fixing the gps.
Do a "hard factory reset"
Turn off phone
hold HOME and VOLUME DOWN and POWER until you see the android. Then wait.
Done. It now sees 10 satelittes indoors, and uses them all, as opposed to maybe seeing one, and never using any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you lose al your data this way?
akira de aimbuster said:
For me to get gps fix, i need to stand outdoor without any roof on top of me, this is so bad if I'm indoor and beside a window, i can see a few satellites but it just wont lock on.
Is this software problem? I don't wish that it is my hardware problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS is for outside...
Yes you do lose everything.
Thanks MrTwig666, now I am able to detect 5 satellite and locked 4 inside my room (besides my window), before this it just able to detect 2 and locked none.
smokeweedevery said:
lol its a gps you use it outdoor not indoor. is not designed to work indoor. so i can't see you problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is even inside car the signal is too weak, which is contrasty comparing to other people's optimus 2x
NeoID said:
Thanks I'll give them a try.
I've now also tried to pair this phone with my holux m 1000 (bluetooth), but can't even get that to work. I managed to pair them, but it won't connect to the phone.
Is it just mine or is this phone so useless?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried my Jabra BT3030 Bluetooth headset today, no problems here ..... except my battery did not last a full working day ....
MrTwig666 said:
I called LG, and got the recipe for fixing the gps.
Do a "hard factory reset"
Turn off phone
hold HOME and VOLUME DOWN and POWER until you see the android. Then wait.
Done. It now sees 10 satelittes indoors, and uses them all, as opposed to maybe seeing one, and never using any.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried this... but.. nothing happened... why? ... btw i'm using a LG o2x which comes with vodafone software-branding... would that matter in this case?
thx for helping
LG made a booboo.
There is no gps.conf in /system/etc, so there is no assistance. I pushed the file from a Nexus One (attached) into place and that sorts it.
gieke said:
This phone is very good for gps navigation.
Google Maps Navigation, Sygic Mobile Maps 10, Copilot Live, Navigon and Igomyway are working fine. They give me a lock within a few seconds.
A few tips:
Under Settings - Location and Security:
- enable using wireless networks
- enable GPS-satellites
If you're using WiFi the fix will be faster then without.
Oh yes, and one more thing: don't forget to insert your SIM-card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh yeah! many thx.. thought my GPS hardware was faulty..
Rusty! said:
LG made a booboo.
There is no gps.conf in /system/etc, so there is no assistance. I pushed the file from a Nexus One (attached) into place and that sorts it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
erm.. sorry... a newbie here... what do u precisely do with this file?
thx
I tried to use gps.conf and supl method but no luck, the issue weren't there. My gps was a jerk, last week i spent 30minutes to fix the satellite while driving in town. Even standing under the sky, the fastest I am able to fix is 200seconds, not to mention there are many times they wont even fix.
But my problem was stopped once i changed from stock to other rom. so I guess there is something else wrong in the stock rom, as the other roms are able to perform well even without gps.conf. (around 20-30 sec fix time).
So I guess only when your gps is able to lock satellite, gps.conf will help to speed it up. At least that's what happen to me
Hi Everybody,
I am very interested in purchasing the Tmo-US version of this phone when it is avaliable and I would like to know how is the GPS on these phones? How fast does it lock and for those who are coming from SGS, can you see a big difference in GPS performance? I am currently using a SGS vibrant on tmo-us and GPS is very bad on it. Thanks
better than thge galaxy s.
First time i used it it took like 10 minutes to lock on lol, but then each time after that pretty much instant (or close enough)!
Not perfect for mine, sometimes under the sky also cant lock any satellite or scan no satellite in car. But other people are getting pretty good result though. That's why i am not sure it's my problem or not.
I edited the gps.conf file for my location (not sure if neccesary, but had the file from my previous HD2 so figured wtf..)
gps locks in 15 seconds when outside
Mine is MUCH snappier than my previous HTC desire
Best gps I've experienced on a phone. Better than my omnia, hero and my wife's galaxy s, which is terrible
Thanks for the quick replies. I am sure with some new updates the performance will improve even better. I cant wait to get my hands on G2x now.
Also extremely happy with the GPS. Using MileageTrac everyday, and the GPS locks within 3-4 secs every time.
GPS is perfect. It locks satellites in 7-20 seconds. Accuracy is 5m.
so a few more uses and yeah still instant. thumbs up!
for those who got fast gps fix time, may I know what baseband are you guys using?
Can it be used for car navigation like the Desire HD? Anyone tried it?
I think I fixed mine.
Solution was (at least one among them)
- push appropriate gps.conf to /system/etc
- modify APN type of Mobile data to "default,supl"
- turn off wireless while aquiring GPS fix
My GPS now fixes within seconds with mobile data enabled.
Have any of you tried GPS Status? It helped alleviate slow-to-lock AGPS issues on my Incredible. If you launch the app, it forces a new download of the carrier's GPS file. GPS lock went from 2-3 minutes on some buggy ROMs to under 20 seconds.
It's not the most elegant of solutions, but it works.
pascaliut said:
Can it be used for car navigation like the Desire HD? Anyone tried it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup, quite a few times works great.
I agree. Use it everyday. It seems more stable than the DHD with better signal lock.
The demo unit at the T-mobile store I went to yesterday had a horrible GPS.
It would freeze up google maps and wouldn't lock AT ALL when the satellite antennae was turned on.
With the antennae turned on, google maps worked, but the circle for your location was huge (obviously).
Tarzanman said:
The demo unit at the T-mobile store I went to yesterday had a horrible GPS.
It would freeze up google maps and wouldn't lock AT ALL when the satellite antennae was turned on.
With the antennae turned on, google maps worked, but the circle for your location was huge (obviously).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Were you trying to use it indoors or did they let you take it outside to test it out?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Tarzanman said:
The demo unit at the T-mobile store I went to yesterday had a horrible GPS.
It would freeze up google maps and wouldn't lock AT ALL when the satellite antennae was turned on.
With the antennae turned on, google maps worked, but the circle for your location was huge (obviously).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try GPS on any other phones? Signal could have been bad inside the building.
Being a Vibrant owner, with all its GPS issues, I'm very interested in how the this works on the G2X before I consider switching.
Thanks.
Worked fine whilst I was out today. Only problem was a lack of a data connection.
Sent from my LG-P990 using Tapatalk