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I have used several different roms and noticed the H at the top of the screen. I found that it means HDSPA, when i googled it i understood it to be an enhanced 3G mode for data transfer. I use the tilt for ATT in the philadelphia area and wondered if my network even makse use of this service. In addition to that, because im broke, i turned off my data plan and only use wifi. With that said, does it really make sense for me to have HDSPA enabled, since it seems to drain the battery faster than when its off.
Any input is appreciated, ill continue to search the forum and will post anything i find.
you can turn it off with advanced config
and I would, for the reasons you gave. You can actually force it to use only 2g networks (ie Edge). You should definitely see better battery life.
Hey guys,
I was wondering what the difference between GSM and UMTS is, according to the settings of the LG Optimus 2X I can select GMS or UMTS or both.
Couldn't find the answer anywhere so I'm asking it here.
How do you guys have the settings set?
Using T-mobile btw (Netherlands).
Thanks in advantage
Hi,
I think gsm mode is called as 2G, umts as 3/3.5G ... 2G mode is save your battery but the data traffic will be slower. You can switch between them in settings/wireless settings/mobile networks/ and check or uncheck the only 2G network (or something similar, I've tried to translate the menu names from Hungarian). However, you can find a simple app in the Market to do it easier:
2G-3G OnOff (CurveFish)
Yes, 2G mode saves battery and offers slower download speeds. You can reach decent speed with EDGE @ 20-25-30 k/s. So If you don't need the speed of 3G, you can set the phone to GSM only mode.
On the other hand with 3.5G you can reach very good speeds (800k/s here in Bulgaria), but it drains the battery faster, even there are no active transfers.
So basically what you are both telling me is, just put the phone on GSM/UMTS (automode). Because I often use 3G/HSDPA.
Definitely!
Hey guys,
I flashed cm7.1 rc1, it's cool but I found the cell standby cost 40%, and phone idle also takes a lot of juice. My previous rom is arhd 1.10, on which the cell standby only takes 4%. I'm on the virgin's network in Canada. The virgin is acquired by Bell and of course it's using bell's network.
Is this network HSPA only? So in the *#*#4636#*#*, can I set the network mod as WCDMA only? Or by toggling 2G/3G to 3G only? Not sure if this will save some battery?
Switching to 2G only should save you a bit of battery. However, by far the best way to save battery is to switch mobile data off completely when you're not using it. I do this and my battery loses only 2 or 3% on standby overnight.
Switching to 2G wont work as Virgin Mobile/Bell does not have a 2G network backend like rogers or fido only 3G/4G so switching to 2g would make you have no service.
Yes. Virgin/Bell only use 1900MHz, the PCS band for their mobile communication, both voice and data.
In my opinion, use 3G only will save some power because the phone won't scan 2G frequency range. Moreover, setting the band as US band also will limit the scanning scope to save power. But after one day using, I didn't find much enhancement on battery life.
Ah, didn't know that. My apologies.
geeti said:
Yes. Virgin/Bell only use 1900MHz, the PCS band for their mobile communication, both voice and data.
In my opinion, use 3G only will save some power because the phone won't scan 2G frequency range. Moreover, setting the band as US band also will limit the scanning scope to save power. But after one day using, I didn't find much enhancement on battery life.
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Click to collapse
They act trully. Use 850/1900, bands ( for get the band number ) also if your in a area of low to no signal it kills battery becuase the phone is continues to serch for a signal almost as bad as call for battery. Also give you phone a week to calabrate your battery
Sent from my HTC Incredible S using XDA Premium App
if not just calibrate your battery I switched back to android revolution just cause i couldn't deal with the terrible camera app in cyanogen mod. And now display is back to my number one battery killer.
this is a "feature" of CM7.1, i found too
Yes, I also conclude this is a feature of AOSP.
I thought this battery use is a transient value for each process on battery draining, but now I found this is an accumulative statistics. The cell standby and phone idle's high usage make sense.
In the stock firmware, the fact that display always takes majority of the juice doesn't make sense actually, cuz the screen isn't always turned on.
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
I'm still using stock 5.1.1 ROM, because I'm not clear whether I lose some functionality by rooting / unlocking the bootloader.
I like to use my phone in 2G data mode, that feels safer on my body than 3G and above - but this device considers 2G only mode to be calls and text only (i.e. data off!).... this seems crazy to me since data off is achieved more easily with the option just for that. Is there any way to have proper 2G data only mode?
So when I go into the data options I get the usual set of things, and 2G says "2G (voice and calls only)", then when I switch to this, data is actually turned off. When try to turn data on, I get a message saying I've got to switch data mode to be able to do this - data stays off until I choose "3G (preferred) / 2G". It seems like the software on my device is designed to turn data off when you choose 2G - very odd.
No updates are available when I check. I'd love to go to marshmallow, but I guess I've missed that until Sony release their tested version of it - that update might fix this issue.
Missing my rooted Samsung Galaxy S3 already! - recently bought second hand device.
Many thanks, Geoff
For me this used to work on kitkat (i can't remember on lollipop because i use concept 6.0.1):
in quick settings i'd turn off LTE and then in settings - mobile networks i'd set to 2G only. And afterwards by switching LTE on and off form quick settings phone would toggle from 2G and LTE. But since i didn't pay for 4G to my provider, my phone would toggle from 2G to 3G - just what i wanted.
I used to use 2G on my old Xperia P since it improved my battery life dramatically. I continued to use it on my Z3c while on kitkat, but it didn't affect my battery life so i stopped - hence I don't know if you can do this trick on lollipop.
Goog luck and I hope this helps.
I don't really understand you... I'm using 5.1.1 and if I switch to GSM only, ALL network stuff is using 2G - calls, texts, mobile data (little E letter right next to the signal icon). So... what's really a problem? Maybe I don't understand the context (I am not a fluent english speaker but I understand it pretty well) but please describe your problem more precisely
P.S.:
Rooting doesn't harm your device, your camera resolution won't change at all so don't worry
[Unlocking bootloader DOES harm your device (losing some DRM-related stuff) but there are plenty of other benefits from this AND you can revert the DRM changes.]
Wait, what ?
Are you seriously thinking that 3G(HSDPA) or 4G(LTE) is somehow more harmful to your body ?
That's ridiculous. The power levels used in 2G and 3G and 4G are all roughly the same and always below 250mW.
yes from discussion and reading research I feel there's a case for being cautious, that we've not had enough time to adjust to this technology - see for example http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=473209
Better start wearing tinfoil hats m8
(That's so esoteric I won't even bother responding. The power levels used are not even remotely high enough to cause cellular changes)
thanks for your message - I think you understand well, but your phone is giving different behaviour. I've added more description, in case that helps anyone
like I said, we each choose - and choose how much we look into it. Probably similar comments from people in the 60s to anyone questioning Aspestos. It's easy for either of us to generalise that it's OK or not, with examples from the past, but there's information out there that's looked into this and is thorough, including significant instances of phone engineers with brain tumors. We don't agree, let’s at least be respectful.
1) When 2G is working on 1800 MHz band (this happens especially if you live in a big city), the energy is more or less the same used by 3G technology.
Anyway this is not the point.
2) Are you sure your network operator has 2G data connection available? Is your firmware branded?
You don't lose DRM keys while you flash an unbranded firmware or you root the device with giefroot method.
Have a look at the general section
thanks for your reply - yes definitely there's a 2G connection, as I live in the countryside I end up on this quite a bit of the time, when in "3G/2G" mode.
I'm on a UK network called Tesco that uses the O2 network. Phone originally came from O2 (telefonica), but is now SIM unlocked. Behaviour was the same before and after unlock - no surprise as software the same. Build number is 23.4.A.1.264, kernel 3.4.0-perf-gbe52486 (September 17 2015)
Threads like the one you linked and statements like above just reek of not understanding how GSM and 2G/3G/4G actually works.
Stuff like
As 2G and 3G have different requirements, they also have different power consumption. It doesn't require much more than common logic to understand that since 3G needs to transfer more data during a short period of time, it would use more resources than 2G, which needs less during the same period.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is just wrong. It's all about modulation. MATH basically.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-shift_keying
Just check the last page of that thread and have someone who actually knows what he's talking about explain it:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=12163015&postcount=61
But whatever floats your boat m8.