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[Tutorial] How to test out wireless providers signal strength without a SIM

Many of you may be looking to test out different wireless providers with your Nexus 5, but the cost of switching may not be cheap. Thankfully, the Nexus 5 supports a nifty feature called "network camping." This allows it to "camp" on any network it supports without registering with it. Most phones can do this, but what makes the Nexus 5 special is the fact that it reports this network info all the way back down to the user. More specifically, it reports all the network info, including the signal.
Warnings
1. This will cause your phone to stop receiving calls until you undo all the steps
2. This probably doesn't work on Sprint registered Nexus 5s.
3. Make sure you write down previous values and switch the phone back, especially for step #2. If after this it still does not show a signal bar, go into Settings -> More... -> Mobile Networks -> Network Operators and select "Choose Automatically"
Step 1 - Remove SIM card
Removing the SIM card will trigger the phone to start scanning automatically.
Alternatively, you can go into Settings -> More... -> Mobile Networks -> Network Operators and select a network you cannot connect to (it should display "Your SIM card is not allowed to connect to this network" if successful)
Step 2 - Set the network type you want to connect to
Dial *#*#4636#*#* in the dialer (where you make calls). It will show a secret menu. Go to "Phone Information" and go down to the "Set preferred network type" dropdown. Select one of GSM only, WCDMA only, or LTE only. In short, GSM=2G, WCDMA=3G, LTE=4G. CDMA will not work, at least on phones that are not configured for Sprint.
Select the network types you care about. In generally, most providers globally require a fallback 2G or 3G network for voice calls. So, if you only have LTE coverage, you wont be able to make calls. So it is best to ensure you choose one that has at least a decent 2G or 3G network.
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Step 3 - Get an app that can read this information
Many apps that support the newer Android 4.2+ CellID API will allow you to read the network information. You can use CellMapper (which I have written), but you can use any app you want (I haven't tested with any others).
As a bonus, you can use CellMapper to map out cell towers and plot coverage for other people, sparing them the trouble of going through all this
EDIT: I have updated the app to have signal bars,
Once you have the updated app (see screenshot below), you can ignore the signal mapping section if you want. However, I recommend reading it to understand how bars map to signal
In the above, the app lists all the possible antennas your phone could connect to. Each one is called a "cell." The first one is the one your phone will most likely connect to, so you can ignore the rest. Generally, in urban areas, you will see dozens, whereas in rural areas you may see 1 or 2 only.
You will need to translate the "MCC" and "MNC" under the cell section to a network name. For example, Rogers in Canada is MCC 302 (Canada) and MNC (720) Rogers. Telus in Canada is 302 220. You can look this up on the following wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_country_code. Just search for your country and find the matching MCC/MNC. Some other examples are 310 (USA) and 260 (T-Mobile), 311 (USA) 480 (Verizon)
Whatever app you choose, it will provide a signal level reading (in dBm). In the above screens, it is the large negative number to the right.
The dBm reading is essentially the signal strength/quality of the signal. Based off this reading, you can determine if you will have coverage or not.
dBm to "bars" mapping
dBm is translated to "bars" in the following manner for AOSP:
LTE
-95 dBm = 4 bars
to
-105 dBm = 3 bars
to
-115 dBm = 2 bars
to
-115 dBm = 1 bar
to
-140 = no signal
GSM/UMTS
-89 = 4 bars
to
-97 = 3 bars
to
-103 = 2 bars
to
-113 = 1 bar
So, in my screenshots above, I have Rogers reading -104 dBm for LTE (4 bars) and Telus reading -67 dBm (4 bars). Likewise, I also have WIND Mobile reading -81 dBM for UMTS (4 bars)
Step 4 - Visit the places where you want to test if you have reception
This part is easy, just visit places like underground parking lots, subways, etc in order to test out which wireless provider has the best signal to suit the places you most frequently visit.

Thanks a ton for the information. Not needed in my case but i hope it will help out lots of N5 users.

is it possible to get the frequency bandwidth from the modem? (eg LTE connection is on a 10+10 mhz bandwidth?)

paperWastage said:
is it possible to get the frequency bandwidth from the modem? (eg LTE connection is on a 10+10 mhz bandwidth?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that is hidden away from the user layer, unfortunately. The most you can get is the EARFCN from the Field Test Mode to see what frequency the phone is on, and based off this you can see what the provider has in terms of bandwidth on that band.

Nice! thanks. I have been looking for something like this. Would be nice if a line was added to the cell that said what network it was based on MCC/MNC

LTE not working on LineageOS 14.1

Recently i installed Custom ROM LineasgeOS 14.1 . But currently i am facing two problem.
1. I am getting only GSM 2G network, no 3G or 4G.
2. No radio
System Details: LineageOS version : 14.1-20180418-NIGHTLY-cherry
Android Version : 7.1.2
Device Model: Che1-L04
Internet Provider: O2 postpaid (Country Germany)
Here is what i tried:
1.
Went to Phone Dialer;
Dial *#*#4636#*#* to choose phone information;
Set the Preferred Network Type to LTE/GSM auto (PRL);
Turn off the radio and turn it on again;
Go to the SMSC and click Refresh>> Update.
2. Changed phone internet setting, tried with different network types
3. Tried to change Access Point settings according to my provider
Nothing worked :crying::crying:
Did anyone faced the same problem or know how to solve this problem.
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But it did not work.

nomades said:
Recently i installed Custom ROM LineasgeOS 14.1 . But currently i am facing two problem.
1. I am getting only GSM 2G network, no 3G or 4G.
2. No radio
System Details: LineageOS version : 14.1-20180418-NIGHTLY-cherry
Android Version : 7.1.2
Device Model: Che1-L04
Internet Provider: O2 postpaid (Country Germany)
Here is what i tried:
1.
Went to Phone Dialer;
Dial *#*#4636#*#* to choose phone information;
Set the Preferred Network Type to LTE/GSM auto (PRL);
Turn off the radio and turn it on again;
Go to the SMSC and click Refresh>> Update.
2. Changed phone internet setting, tried with different network types
3. Tried to change Access Point settings according to my provider
Nothing worked :crying::crying:
Did anyone faced the same problem or know how to solve this problem.
But it did not work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you should try other options listed in the Set Preferred Network Type, based on the type of Network listed the Wikipedia article. You can try to research about what type of network your carrier uses, then mix and match it until you get the appropriate setting.
Anyway, thank you for the *#*#4636#*#* that let me fixed my network.
Have a nice day fixing!

rn4Nlos said:
I think you should try other options listed in the Set Preferred Network Type, based on the type of Network listed the Wikipedia article. You can try to research about what type of network your carrier uses, then mix and match it until you get the appropriate setting.
Anyway, thank you for the *#*#4636#*#* that let me fixed my network.
Have a nice day fixing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am happy that it helped you and thanks for suggestion

So finally i found the solution.
I found out that i had problem with dual sim. When i was using dual sim i was getting EDGE (2G) on my primary sim but when i removed my secondary sim then 3G/LTE start working . Even swapping primary and secondary sim in sim slot one and slot 2 was not helping. It is quite strange but it solved my problem.

nomades said:
So finally i found the solution.
I found out that i had problem with dual sim. When i was using dual sim i was getting EDGE (2G) on my primary sim but when i removed my secondary sim then 3G/LTE start working . Even swapping primary and secondary sim in sim slot one and slot 2 was not helping. It is quite strange but it solved my problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear that.

Thanks.
nomades said:
So finally i found the solution.
I found out that i had problem with dual sim. When i was using dual sim i was getting EDGE (2G) on my primary sim but when i removed my secondary sim then 3G/LTE start working . Even swapping primary and secondary sim in sim slot one and slot 2 was not helping. It is quite strange but it solved my problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for solution working for me too on mokee rom, love you man :good::good::good::good:

nomades said:
So finally i found the solution.
I found out that i had problem with dual sim. When i was using dual sim i was getting EDGE (2G) on my primary sim but when i removed my secondary sim then 3G/LTE start working . Even swapping primary and secondary sim in sim slot one and slot 2 was not helping. It is quite strange but it solved my problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much! The mobile data was lacking in my Moto G6 Plus (running the official release lineage-17.1-20200407-nightly-evert-signed.zip). Once I tried to remove the SIM 2 from my phone, the mobile data worked so well. Then I pulled the two SIMs into my phone, and happily both worked at all. :good:

nomades said:
So finally i found the solution.
I found out that i had problem with dual sim. When i was using dual sim i was getting EDGE (2G) on my primary sim but when i removed my secondary sim then 3G/LTE start working . Even swapping primary and secondary sim in sim slot one and slot 2 was not helping. It is quite strange but it solved my problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're the best brother. Thanks for the solution.

I have bn using android 11 on SM-A705FN. Then I can switch to any of two Sims for internet. Just from drop down, there are options sim1, sim2 and data Sims to choose any sim for it, depending the sim that was subscribed for internet.
But now on lineage os 20....no such privilege. The phone automatically chooses Sims....
Please help rescript this error so that person can choose any sim for internet....thank u...

Dual SIM question

I’d like to figure out how the dual SIM function is handled before purchasing the Galaxy Note. Thanks for your understanding
1) I understand that regarding phone calls, you can receive them on the 2 numbers concurrently. When doing a voice call though, can you manually select which SIM number to use without switching the SIM cards physically (primary vs subsidiary) ?
2) same question regarding data usage, will it auto-select the best SIM signal to catch mobile internet ? Or do you have to intervene manually to select the SIM you want to use ? or worse, intervening physcially by switching the cards inside the device ?
3) again, same question when using the device tethering as a mobile hotspot this time. Will it auto-switch between the 2 dual SIMs for data, to catch and broadcast the strongest internet signal ? Or requires to manually select the targeted SIM ? or invert the SIMs physically ?
Thanks a lot for your time

ViroMajor said:
I’d like to figure out how the dual SIM function is handled before purchasing the Galaxy Note. Thanks for your understanding
1) I understand that regarding phone calls, you can receive them on the 2 numbers concurrently. When doing a voice call though, can you manually select which SIM number to use without switching the SIM cards physically (primary vs subsidiary) ?
2) same question regarding data usage, will it auto-select the best SIM signal to catch mobile internet ? Or do you have to intervene manually to select the SIM you want to use ? or worse, intervening physcially by switching the cards inside the device ?
3) again, same question when using the device tethering as a mobile hotspot this time. Will it auto-switch between the 2 dual SIMs for data, to catch and broadcast the strongest internet signal ? Or requires to manually select the targeted SIM ? or invert the SIMs physically ?
Thanks a lot for your time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi.
I have the dual sim version and I'll try to answer your questions :
1. You'll have 2 dial buttons, one for each sim. If you want to call from sim 1,then you'll press the first button (they are one next to each other)
2. You can only select with sim you want to use for data,no automatic selection based on the signal strength. For example, if you receive a call on sim 1 and your data is on sim 2,you will not be able to access internet. Only if voice and data are set on the same sim.
But I got used to it and other than that, the note 9 is a beast.
Hope I could help

Thanks for the precisions !
Can you receive SMS on both SIMs simultaneously without switching ?
I found online some triple SIM add-ons at SIMore. But it also requires some manipulations to hop around the various SIMs

ViroMajor said:
Thanks for the precisions !
Can you receive SMS on both SIMs simultaneously without switching ?
I found online some triple SIM add-ons at SIMore. But it also requires some manipulations to hop around the various SIMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes you can

You have the option to choose the sim for outgoing calls and sms from the notification shade. You can receive calls and sms from both sim regardless your settings.
As for mobile internet, you will be connected via the sim that you have selected. See the screen shots attached.
Oh yes, your notification bar will show 2 signal bars when you have 2 sims
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This is how you can send messages

Great ! Thx guys, much clearer guys

Wifi calling and Volte

Hi. So I was having trouble with calls, signal drops, very annoying whooshing noises and so on. When I contacted the carrier they said let's turn VOLTE THEN WIFI CALLING. my wife and I have the p20 pro CLT-LO4 and neither of our phones have an option for volte or wifi calling. Contacted carrier(Koodo) I'm in canada. They said well it's suppose to be there reset you phone and check again. No dice then press *#*#4935#*#* and it does nothing. They say it's enabled on there end and don't have a solution... I called Huawei and they took my serial number and model and told me that it's the carrier 100%....

try this.
Open phone settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile network > both VoLTE calls and Wi-Fi calling settings should be there.
if you can't find, it is because the carrier disabled it in the rom. Try to unlock bootloader, root and flash an international rom to get it back.

When I talked to the carrier they assured that it was unlocked.
If you have a link on how to preform the tasks you said ide definately give it a try
Thank you

One question tho is it possible to brick the phone? Reason I'm asking is my wife's phone is 8 months old but I just switched from my s9 to this one 2 days ago so i can tech bring it back and get a refund but the problem is there isn't any other phones offered besides the p30 pro that compare and I would have to pay $690 down plus 20 a month for 24 months where as p20pro was $0 down and 15 a month.

If the carrier supports it, then you should have the option in settings. In my case, when I bought the phone only one of the two carriers that I have in each sim card was supporting WiFi calling. Now that both support it, I have it in the settings. The problem that I have found with WiFi calling though is that if you start a phone call through WiFi and you move to a place with bad reception, then the call is dropping. Also, if you are on a WiFi call and you go to a place where the wifi has no reception whatsoever, then again the call drops, instead of switching to normal call. In other words, whatever the way you make the call, you have to finish it. There is no switching during the call; this became really frustrating, so I now switched it to mobile network preferred
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

Alot of misinformation about this on the net.
Regardless of what your carrier says this is in fact a carrier issue.
If you simply swap sim cards to another carrier that DOES support these features on all phones with no restrictions then it will show up in the settings.

sinnedone said:
Alot of misinformation about this on the net.
Regardless of what your carrier says this is in fact a carrier issue.
If you simply swap sim cards to another carrier that DOES support these features on all phones with no restrictions then it will show up in the settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, line one doesn't have that option but SIM 2 does .
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Limeybastard said:
Exactly, line one doesn't have that option but SIM 2 does .View attachment 4878505
Sent from my EVR-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This screenshot is from a Mate 20 X but the same thing shows up when I insert this sim into a P20 Pro.
(Oh....in the United States when you pop in a T-Mobile SIM you will have Volte toggle in settings but not on ATT)

sinnedone said:
This screenshot is from a Mate 20 X but the same thing shows up when I insert this sim into a P20 Pro.
(Oh....in the United States when you pop in a T-Mobile SIM you will have Volte toggle in settings but not on ATT)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile SIM 1 , no volte toggle here thanks for the clarification. My post was primarily to reinstate your point about WiFi being carrier/SIM dependent.
Sent from my EVR-L29 using Tapatalk

quinnford said:
When I talked to the carrier they assured that it was unlocked.
If you have a link on how to preform the tasks you said ide definately give it a try
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll upload a video tutorial when i get back home tonight.

spiderx_mm said:
try this.
Open phone settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile network > both VoLTE calls and Wi-Fi calling settings should be there.
if you can't find, it is because the carrier disabled it in the rom. Try to unlock bootloader, root and flash an international rom to get it back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi i tried searching in google for the volte enable in my mobile device Huawei P20 Pro , my other sim says it is volte ready however the other sim volte radio button cant be seen i tried switching sims but everytime i switch sim the volte button will transfer leaving me a sim card tray with no volte does this mean that it is the carrier needs to enable volte? others say that i need to wait for update on my mobile device

My device has a model CLT-L29 Global version for Huawei P20 Pro EMUI version is 10.0.0 Android 10 and it says for this version there is no update for EMUI 11 so does this mean i can not use volte anymore or do i need to contact carrier for the volte to be enabled?

thanito said:
If the carrier supports it, then you should have the option in settings. In my case, when I bought the phone only one of the two carriers that I have in each sim card was supporting WiFi calling. Now that both support it, I have it in the settings. The problem that I have found with WiFi calling though is that if you start a phone call through WiFi and you move to a place with bad reception, then the call is dropping. Also, if you are on a WiFi call and you go to a place where the wifi has no reception whatsoever, then again the call drops, instead of switching to normal call. In other words, whatever the way you make the call, you have to finish it. There is no switching during the call; this became really frustrating, so I now switched it to mobile network preferred
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also using CLT-L29 GLOBAL however only one sim has the wifi calling radio button enabled and hd calling but on sim 2 there is no volte calls radio button both sims are set to 4G i have tried switching sims but everytime i switch sims the sim that has volte calls radio button and wifi calling will move if i switch the sim cards the other sim tray no volte radio button will appear

LG V40 keeps dropping cellular and wifi connection

LG V40 keeps dropping cellular and wifi connection.. When ever I am connected to Wi-Fi data both the Wi-Fi and cellular network keeps dropping connection. If the phone is connected only by data network. it works fine. Have to put it on airplane mode then put on the Wi-Fi to work. This issues only happens with certain Sims. With others works great. The sims are not the issue because the sims were tested on other devices

A few things to check:
1) Make sure you have data roaming turned off.
2) In Wi-Fi settings, disable 'Auto connect Automatically connect to an available AT&T Wi-Fi HotSpot' (this applies to AT&T Rom only, disregard if you have cross-flashed).
3) In Wi-Fi settings, tap on three dots, and go into advanced settings and make sure 'Aggressive Mode' is not enabled.
4) In Developer Options, make sure 'Aggressive Wi-Fi to Cellular handover' is disabled.
5) In Developer Options, make sure 'Cellular data always active' is enabled.
6) In Network & Internet settings, go into 'Data Manager', make sure 'Limit mobile data usage' is disabled. Also, in same menu click on three dots and select option 'Restrict networks' just to check you don't have any Wi-Fi connections restricted.
7) There is a setting to 'avoid weak Wi-Fi signals', which in combination with bad cellular signal at your location could also be causing this problem. I just can't find this setting in Oreo (or perhaps it is reworded into one of the above), if you are on Pie, it might be there somewhere, look for it and disabled it if you find it.
8) If nothing above helps, consider resetting your network settings in same menu where you do factory reset.
Other than that, may be someone else can help further but I am pretty sure they'd wanna know if you're on Oreo or Pie. What your native hardware model is, and if you cross-flashed, which carrier KDZ you are on.
Edit: Also, was the phone ever opened to replace battery or do repairs? Wi-Fi and Cellular antennas are pretty much stickers that clasp on and go around between battery and back panel and sometimes after repairs they are not put back on properly and can result in weak signals.

Facing same issue on my indian lg v405ebw with vodafone sim when wifi is in use sim network often goes out and only turning airplane mode on off or restarting phone gets the network back.
If wifi is turned off no issue in network reception.
Vodafone Sim works fine in other phones and other networks work fine in v40 too.
Running latest android 9 march security patch firmware version 20d ind

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Lg v40
This is my settings

Am from the Caribbean. We have 3 network providers. It works perfect with digicel, but looses the signal with flow and inet. Could it be the network band. Inte and flow have the same network band. But digicel is different. What network band is carrier?

Wow
ohhuzoor said:
Facing same issue on my indian lg v405ebw with vodafone sim when wifi is in use sim network often goes out and only turning airplane mode on off or restarting phone gets the network back.
If wifi is turned off no issue in network reception.
Vodafone Sim works fine in other phones and other networks work fine in v40 too.
Running latest android 9 march security patch firmware version 20d ind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Am from the Caribbean. We have 3 network providers. It works perfect with digicel, but looses the signal with flow and inet. Could it be the network band. Inte and flow have the same network band. But digicel is different. What network band is carrier?

ohhuzoor said:
Facing same issue on my indian lg v405ebw with vodafone sim when wifi is in use sim network often goes out and only turning airplane mode on off or restarting phone gets the network back.
If wifi is turned off no issue in network reception.
Vodafone Sim works fine in other phones and other networks work fine in v40 too.
Running latest android 9 march security patch firmware version 20d ind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings
Mobile network
Network mode
Gsm/wcdma auto and error fixed

warmachine20 said:
Settings
Mobile network
Network mode
Gsm/wcdma auto and error fixed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, no point in having LTE enabled in the Caribbean. I used Lime and Digicel on T-Mobile and Verizon phones when I was living in Grenada for a while. You are right, phone bands need to be compatible with the carrier bands but in this case I think some of the bands might be software locked too. For compatible bands check on this website, for example Lime and Digicel bands for Grenada: https://www.frequencycheck.com/countries/grenada
Also, i think by default LG V40 do not have all the bands enabled, they get region locked depending on which region KDZ you are using. Depending on which KDZ you cross-flashed to, you can verify which of the bands that are enabled in the hidden menu. I did not have band selection sub-menu on my AT&T LG V40 and not sure if you will have this menu in your phone or not but doesn't hurt to check. Just be careful not to change any settings in hidden menu that you don't know about, you can really mess up your phone if start toggling random settings. You can dial *#546368#*405# in your dialer and go in 'Field Test' then 'Modem Settings' then 'LTE Band Selection' and can try enable all bands. Depending on which carrier phone you have, you may not have these options available in hidden menu as my phone didn't have these (until i cross-flash).