Question on the quality of the GPS - Motorola Droid 4

So I used my Droid 4 for the 1st time today for navigation. I had to go to Downtown Minneapolis and I use Google Navigation. A few times ,in Downtown, I lost the GPS signal and therefore took a wrong turn. How has navigation with Google Maps been working for everybody?
Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

I haven't had any issues with the GPS. You can always improve performance by enabling Google location and WiFi. GPS often works poorly in cities due to poor visibility (tall buildings, etc). Wifi-location helps a lot. I remember my old iPod touch did an amazing job locating me on Wifi alone (in NYC).

podspi said:
I haven't had any issues with the GPS. You can always improve performance by enabling Google location and WiFi. GPS often works poorly in cities due to poor visibility (tall buildings, etc). Wifi-location helps a lot. I remember my old iPod touch did an amazing job locating me on Wifi alone (in NYC).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had Google location enabled. What is the GPS chipset on the Droid 4? I don't remember having had problems with Google Navigation on the Galaxy Nexus in Chicago. I believe the Nexus has a Sirf 3 chipset.

Got my d4 yesterday, GPS seemed to lock on quickly and work well for me -- just as good as my d1 if not better/faster.

GermanGuy said:
So I used my Droid 4 for the 1st time today for navigation. I had to go to Downtown Minneapolis and I use Google Navigation. A few times ,in Downtown, I lost the GPS signal and therefore took a wrong turn. How has navigation with Google Maps been working for everybody?
Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't used mine in downtown Minneapolis, but I use it in south Minneapolis and the suburbs a lot with very few issues. Sometimes if I hit a fork in the road it'll read me on the wrong fork for the first stretch until the forks are separated enough to read the difference, that's the only hiccup I've had.

mattvirus said:
Got my d4 yesterday, GPS seemed to lock on quickly and work well for me -- just as good as my d1 if not better/faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The GPS locks on quickly indeed, but navigation is definitely a weak point in my opinion. There seems to be a lag of about 2-3 seconds where the GPS icon on the map is trying to catch up to your true position when driving in the car (similar to the Touch Pro 2 I believe). Also, even when driving in suburban areas (no tall buildings), the GPS stutters where it needs to relock onto your position. Kinda sad since I absolutely love everything else about the phone. I have until Monday to decide whether to keep it. I really don't want to go back to the Nexus with its crappy radio. Has anybody tried out GPS navigation (not just simple GPS lock) on the leaked ICS ROM?

Related

How bad the GPS problem is?

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

[Q] How is the GPS?

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

[Q] How can I test GPS functionality?

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.

Does the GPS accuracy suck on the incredible S?...please say it ain't so!!!

I need a phone that has a working gps. I have a samsung galaxy s, and gps sucks!!! I'm not talking about number of satellites, i'm talking about accuracy (on the app "gps test"). On my samsung it jumps around from 32 to 64ft accuracy and puts me on parallel streets.
Today a store rep let me take a htc incredible S in my car and drive around a bit. I was shocked to see that the gps accuracy was worse than my galaxy s!!! It found and locked onto many satellites (sometimes 11 of 11) but the accuracy sucked. It would fluctuate anywhere from 30 ft to 120 ft accuracy using the gps test app. At some points it would show me off of the road. Is this a common problem on this phone? I borrowed a friends motorolla atrix the other day and had an accuracy of 4.9ft! Thats accurate to like 2 steps! Would really appreciate your feedback. If your gps accuracy is good on your phone, then what do you think could have caused the one i tried today to be so horrible? Thanks
Nope not for me, but we're in different parts of the world. Mine's quite accurate and fast actually, with AGPS assisting.
Has always sucked for me in India.. then again I'm in the city and most of the time indoors
When I say it's always sucked, I mean it's always sucked for all my phones Incredible S does the same (quite so) lame job as my old Nokia did.. nothing to write home about. I just wrote that off to my region/country/conditions here or whatever
If I get it within 100m, I'm excited 4.5 meters? lol..
GPS accuracy really sucks on Incredible S. I've used HTC Hero for more than 1 year and never had any problem. Hero's GPS accuracy as sooo perfect. But I'm VERY disappointed with Incredible S. I've tried all possible ways, like calibrating the GPS, deleting and re-downloading a-data. But it's same. No improvements.
For me it works with no problems. Uk and Austria I used it in. Sometimes the lock times can be long, so I hardly ever disable gps, so it can collect almanac data. It is not a battery drag, it only uses lot of battery when it's active in the notification area. I use it to navigate on foot as well and I can tell it is seriously correct on location. +-1m
I had crap location info in maps and Igo myway only when the device was waiting to get a proper gps lock and only wireless location data was available which is useless for navigation purposes.
Maybe "GPS test" sucks? Works fine for me.
moyorakkhi said:
GPS accuracy really sucks on Incredible S. I've used HTC Hero for more than 1 year and never had any problem. Hero's GPS accuracy as sooo perfect. But I'm VERY disappointed with Incredible S. I've tried all possible ways, like calibrating the GPS, deleting and re-downloading a-data. But it's same. No improvements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Was a Hero user before switching to IncS. I still have both devices so I tested them side by side. Hero is much better in every aspects, including lock time, no of sats discovered and signal strength. I believe IncS is limited by its antennae design.
From Canada here, and it sucks ass. My Samsung Tab works flawlessly.
projective said:
From Canada here, and it sucks ass. My Samsung Tab works flawlessly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahah yeah I'm also from Canada and this is the worst phone for gps i've had by far
odd, i'm from Canada and i've always had awesome gps accuracy and speed on a couple of htc phones. locks within 5 seconds and accurate within 5 to 7 meters.
you guys sure you are using correct settings? perhaps it's carrier dependant, although I doubt it.
GPS works fine here in Canada as well.. which rom are you guys using? I've noticed that certain roms cause me more issues with GPS but ARHD works fine for me!
It was equally bad on every rom i've tried.
Maybe it is location specific I'm in the east coast of Canada.
Also, the test something for me..
In location settings turn off location by wireless network and try gps only
@scooby
have u tried using the updated gps.conf file from the gps thread? I also have location by network setting off.
syc7090 said:
@scooby
have u tried using the updated gps.conf file from the gps thread? I also have location by network setting off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I did. I'm using that now actually and it still sucks. My accuracy is 3600 meters lol
did u add "supl" to your apn type?
syc7090 said:
did u add "supl" to your apn type?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah default, supl, mms is already there
scoobysnacks said:
Yeah default, supl, mms is already there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jeez, maybe it is location specific...
syc7090 said:
jeez, maybe it is location specific...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never had an issue on my x10 though, or on sense roms if I chose wireless network location.
Now I still get nothing even when choosing wireless.
Just tested my Inc S with "GPS Test" app and I'm getting between 5-7 satellites and accuracy between 9.2-15.1 feet, from within the car. I'm running the latest OTA updated radio, with Hboot 1.16. Also, with Sygic Aura, got a lock within 5 seconds...I guess it depends on the location and radio version.

Nexus 7 GPS Disscusion

This thread is for all GPS releated disscusion and queries
First query from my side weather Nexus 7 has real GPS with navigation? Any one plz review this
I am 99% sure that the Nexus 7 has real GPS and can be used for navigation if you use offline maps OR have some kind of travelling wifi hotspot.
heroofdikhan said:
This thread is for all GPS releated disscusion and queries
First query from my side weather Nexus 7 has real GPS with navigation? Any one plz review this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, the gps is a "real gps" and i would assume that navigation will work normally as long as you make the map available offline
Tangent, but related. I was excited to hear that Google would finally allow true offline maps, but the size limitations are frustrating. I wish there was options for State by State, or even regional map caches.
cesjr02 said:
Tangent, but related. I was excited to hear that Google would finally allow true offline maps, but the size limitations are frustrating. I wish there was options for State by State, or even regional map caches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is frustrating, but I would assume that kind of functionality is coming. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Nospin said:
It is frustrating, but I would assume that kind of functionality is coming. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's hope so. I can tether to my phone so it's not the end of the world. But it sure would be nice to fill that Nexus 7's internal memory with nothing but maps. haha
We need someone with an actual unit to let us know "What can you do with offline maps?"
I have seen nothing to imply they can be used for navigation; turn-by-turn or otherwise.
Likely no information about use for geocaching.
clintkev251 said:
yes, the gps is a "real gps" and i would assume that navigation will work normally as long as you make the map available offline
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he means not A-GPS. He means it doesn't require wifi to lock satellites.
If it's a real gps receiver, you could use it on the road via offline maps which google is currently working on.
It has a Broadcom GPS chip built in. Broadcom makes great GPS chips too.
iFixit found the GPS chip:
ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus-7-Teardown/9623/2
It's a good widely used one: Broadcom BCM4751 integrated monolithic GPS receiver.
Same chip is used in many Samsung phones and tablets, and also in Asus and Acer ones. If the antenna and the firmware implementation are correct it will be a very sensitive GPS, I expect at least 6-8 sattelites indoors.
This is the GPS chip being used by Nexus 7. The GPS is proper GPS. No need for network (which is obvious, as Nexus 7 doesn't have wireless network option)
On my old DROID I can sit in my driveway connected to my home wifi and search for and start navigation to a location through google maps then leave my house thus disconnecting from my wifi and it will still guide me to all the way to my destination. The DROID is on CM7. So I would think the nexus7 could do the same.
Nospin said:
It is frustrating, but I would assume that kind of functionality is coming. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nokia maps had this functionality in like 2007-2008. My E71 was (is) a top notch GPS device and has worked to the dot across the globe. Infact it still beats the crap out my TomTom device with better navigation. Too bad, I don't use it anymore.
hashibahoohaa said:
Nokia maps had this functionality in like 2007-2008. My E71 was (is) a top notch GPS device and has worked to the dot across the globe. Infact it still beats the crap out my TomTom device with better navigation. Too bad, I don't use it anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, I use my N8 on daily basis for its GPS. But we have to remember, Nokia has had maps (now Ovi maps) since before N95 was launched. It has been a long journeyer for Nokia to get to the best mobile map suite in the industry. Google maps mobile has not been around too long. The introduction of offline maps is big. I bet by Android 5.0 it will rival Nokia's Ovi Maps.
(Might as well as I am ready to jump ship to the next Nexus phone...RIP Symbian).
While you can't currently download let's say an entire state ( excluding a small state like RI) in one shot. You can keep downloading the areas that you do want.
hashibahoohaa said:
Nokia maps had this functionality in like 2007-2008. My E71 was (is) a top notch GPS device and has worked to the dot across the globe. Infact it still beats the crap out my TomTom device with better navigation. Too bad, I don't use it anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My E72 is pretty bad at getting a GPS signal and not very accurate, but I also don't have a data plan with it for A-GPS.
Well If I want to use this thing while driving I think I'll be find. I'll just tether the ol' galaxy nexus to it while I pre-cache the route as well. If it needs an info update from the network from an area outside of the cached route I should be fine. Never had a problem on my phone with the ICS version, even when I had no signal and/or EDGE (T-Mobile isn't the greatest in the boonies). If it works the same way I'll be fine.
Hmmm Im under the impression that even with offline maps...you won't get turn by turn navigation...
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
CoPilot GPS - Hopefully will work. Use this on all my android devices. No worries about I connection.
lightfire said:
CoPilot GPS - Hopefully will work. Use this on all my android devices. No worries about I connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I perfer CoPilot Live
http://copilotlive.com/us/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...wxLDEsImNvbS5hbGsuY29waWxvdC5tYXJrZXQudXNhIl0.

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