Develop Bugs

WiFi Signal Quality

Hi
I have just got my XDAIIs and the Wifi works, however the signal quality is poor i.e 30-40% and the TX rate is only 2M. This is with power save mode setting set to best performance and I am within 1 metre from the wireless router.
ANy ideas

mine is the same

What wireless router are you guys using? I've noticed it varies with different brands. At home I've got an Apple Airport Extreme and I get about the same as you guys, whereas at work we use 3COM wireless routers and at a distance of a few meters I get about 75-80% reception.
Dimitri

I'm using a 3com and reception is around 60% anywhere. Whether I'm stood next to it or upstairs and in the opposit corner of the house (i.e. lots of bricks in the way). It's not until I go outside and start walking away from the house that I get a sudden drop off.
In other words, I think the connection software is more at fault in how it reports the signal strength than the reception.

Real Wifi transmission rate
I read back a while ago here that the maximum transmission rate on the O2 xda II, not IIs, was limited to a throughput of 256K, eventhough reception was at 2mb etc, is this true for the IIs? This was was to internal systems of the xda etc, nothing to do with wifi card etc?

I've got a netgear and a buffalo and both are the same sort of reception

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I am using a Belkin WIreless router

Hi
Mines a Draytek 2600G complete with 2 high gain (5dBi antennae), same issues, poor wifi signal when not standing next to AP. Laptop with pcicma 54G card shows full signal at same location where XDA barely registers a signal.
This causes loads of problems with skype, which drops the call and takes the wifi connection with it (soft restart required to restore).
Nigel

Are you all using Bluetooth while trying to communicate with an 802.11 network?
Bluetooth and 802.11 both operate in the 2.4 GHz band, and because of Bluetooth's frequency hopping, it can seriously impair 802.11 performance.
Some devices with integrated Bluetooth and 802.11 have proprietary mechanisms to deal with this problem, but not all as it's not mandatory.

Hi
Nope, thought of that. Killed Bluetooth on handset, other bluetooth gadgets in house, other wifi stuff bar the AP and DECT phone, and I am not running the microwave!!
Same result, poor wifi range. Also tried with 3 separate AP's now same result each time.
Went to PC world this morning connected a couple of their demo IPAQ jobbies to their btopenzone AP, got the meters up and held mine next to ipaqs. Without fail, the IPAQ's were reading 3/4 signal and my XDA was barely registering a signal. Staff must have thought I was a nutter, but I wanted to prove the sh1te wifi issue to myself!
Nigel

Anyone got an SDIO wifi card that they can test with - i'd be interested to know now much better that performed.
Nigel

i'm sure it would perform mucho better. I get the 40% signal with my buffalo router... no matter where i stand. you'd think little things like this would have been discovered during the qa cycle.

I get a much better reception around the house with my XDA 2 with an SDIO sandisk Wi-Fi card than I do with my XDA IIs with built in Wi-Fi

I don't have a Blue Angel yet, as I'm waiting to see if many of the reported issues (like this one) get resolved. However, I have a few comments/questions/suggestions:
Does anyone here know where the 802.11 antenna is inside the Blue Angel's case?
Being a software engineer who develops device drivers for 802.11 hardware, I've worked with a fair amount of WiFi devices. Chances are, the problem everyone is experiencing with WiFi is almost sure to be due to a REALLY BAD internal WiFi antenna design. The antenna is either being shielded by something inside the enclosure or picking up interference from another component.
If it's possible to shut off the internal WiFi card, one way to test the above theory is to try an SDIO WiFi card in the Blue Angel. If anyone can try this, please post your results.
If we can get information about where the antenna is in the case, it might be possible to reroute the internal antenna, or (less desirable) attach an external antenna to improve reception.
In addition, improving WiFi reception will almost surely improve battery life as well as a side effect.
It amazes me that customers of a $900 device have to jury-rig solutions to so many problems...

I use an USB Wifi dongle by Asus, reception is good arround the house, even through a lot of walls

I agree with poster above wifi on blue Angel sucks
I have both Blue Angel and XDA2 +Socket SDIO, and there is no doubt that the Socket sdio XDA2 combo has noticeably better reception, having done tests (ie trying them both from a distant spot, XDA2 can maintain connection, XDA2s can't). I'm shipping the XDA2s back and waiting for the Mini/Magician. Reception is the key to this when trying to hop on random hotpsots in the streets...so sayonara Blue Angel, too bad though...
Also, FYI on XDA, speed limit is 256K, not 2mb, due to buffers etc. routers do not prefer either system and WEP works fine on both.

Has anyone managed to get the XDA2 and socket or sandisk SD wifi card working with a dling 54g access point namely the dwl2000ap+?
I've heard of a few issues with DLINK 54g access points and these cards?
Cheers

I have the SX66 / same as PDA2k but built like XDA IIs, I use the built in wifi alot but I also Have the SDIO Socket Card also and run it when a need longer distance. No conflicts of any kind that I have seen, works well with my D-Link Router but reception is not so good with built in.

Have a Linksys WAG54G 54mb, and have tried on Dlink 108Mb running both on mixed mode. One thing I will suggest that others have mentioned but cant be explained enough, as most people place their DECT phone next to their wireless router. There needs to be at least 2M distance between the two antenna's otherwise interference will kill signal dramatically, even on different channels.
With this said, have tried XDA Mini with combo wifi card, XDA2 with wifi card, and XDAIIs with builtin, and the power management turned off to give maximum power. Yes the IIs consumes the most amount of juice, followed by the XDA2, then the Mini.
On a quick scan, drive home using wififofum, with the 3 of them mounted on the dash, came up with the following results on drive to and from work.
Access points discovered
XDA2 - 78
XDAIIs - 89
XDA Mini - 82
I might also mention, that half of these have no encryption at all, or have left noobie default settings on routers - thanks guys ;-)
Overall like the IIs, except heats up too quick and loses battery life, especially using the wireless. XDA Mini rocks, just because the size and I can place the wifi card in when i need it, and the XDA 2 is just the stable toy I have had for the last 12 months.

where did you get the XDA mini?
I didn't know that it was out in the UK yet?

A temporary fix for low signal and slow data speeds!

Hey guys, just got my DInc2 Monday and found that the signal strength was no better than the Eris I had before it. The problem with the eris was that there was nowhere to connect an external antenna. After messing around with my new DInc2, and reading this forum, I found that by using the antenna that I bought for my eris: http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electronics-Trucker-Mirror-Antenna/dp/B001DTZ25A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323615483&sr=8-1
and the passive antenna adapter
http://3gstore.com/product/1691_passive_antenna_adapter.html
that I never could get to work to boost my eris' signal, I was able to DRAMATICALLY increase my signal and data speeds!!!
I have the antenna pointed in the general area of my closest tower.
I cut the end off the adapter, and stripped the wire. I then slid the wire into the antenna contact on the PHONE SIDE...not the cover. I went from 2 bars of signal and an average of -95dbi without the antenna, to a STEADY 3 bars and an average of -86dbi with the antenna. The back cover has to be off for this to work, so it's only a fix if you are at home, or somewhere stable where you can just connect it and set the phone on a table somewhere.
If anybody knows where I can pick up some kind of small alligator clip or ANYTHING that would allow me to more permanently attach the antenna while I'm at home, I'd love to hear it. I think if I had a better connection between the phone and the antenna, the signal would be that much better.
Here are the speedtests I took this morning. The first three are without the antenna, and the 2nd three are with the antenna

Antenna fix
You could get a spare back and drill into the area where the connections are and solder the wire to the contacts on the back.
Try it with the stock antenna intact. If the signal is not better, interupt the trace of copper for the stock antenna.
Enjoy...

Poking around in the back of my phone, I pulled off a tiny rubber cover located just above the SD card slot. Just underneath is what appears to be an antenna port. I have a Wilson antenna that I used with an old flip phone from back in the day, but the adapter I had did not fit. I ordered this one off of E-bay: Wilson 359909 Antenna Adapter LG, Motorola, Samsung,HTC (160641678739) - even though it did not explicitly state it would work on the Dinc2. In the meantime I spliced off the end of the adapter I already had and put the exposed wire in the antenna port. I noted an immediate increase of signal strength of -5dbm. Unfortunately, the ebay adapter arrived and it also does not fit. I think if we could find the right size adapter, we could drilll a hole in the back of the cover and it should seat nicely. Anyone have any thoughts?

I see that port. I didn't get any signal at all when I put my wire into it though. Anybody know what this port is for if not for an antenna? I find it hard to believe that nobody has noticed this before.

I find it hard to believe that nobody has noticed this before.
I agree. Maybe wishful thinking got the best of me!

I just hope there's something to this!

I shoulda thought more before posting. There is no doubt in my mind that I got a signal increase with the external antenna as compared to the last signal reading prior to taking off the cover (and having no signal at all).
Question is - could I have inadvertently touched something else in addition to that port?
At work till tomorrow afternoon and will retest then.

It IS an antenna port
I have attached pictures of the "setup", and a screen shot displaying my dbm's with the cover off and the antenna attached. Cover on signal status was -96 dBm and with the antenna attached it was -87 dBm.
Hopefully this will get someone a lot smarter than me interested in figuring out what kind of adapter would work on this port.
Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!
View attachment IMG_20111215_105537.bmp View attachment 2011-12-15_11-06-09_540.bmp View attachment 2011-12-15_11-07-26_527.bmp View attachment screenshot-1323982757531.bmp

Umm i get 2meg download speed with no app and the back on. Remember the phones internal antennal is actually the back door of the phone. Did you do those first speed tests with the back on? Try flashing a new radio. The newest one ending in .1111 is great!
Sent from my Incredible 2 using XDA App

Thanks for the advice! I flashed the .1111 radio a couple days ago and have noticed that the dead spots on my 1.5 hour drive to work have gotten shorter and my average dl speeds have increased from an average of .5 Mbps to about 1.2 Mbps
My hope is that with the right adapter, I could plug in an external antenna (pictured in my previous post) and cause those dead spots to disappear all together.
By taking the back cover off and plugging the bare wire of the adapter into the port directly above the SIM card slot, I get better reception than I had with the back cover on. Problem is, it's a very precarious connection. I think if I could find an adapter that actually fit in that port, I could drill a hole in the back of the cover and plug and unplug as needed.

Verizon Extender any place to get one cheap

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone here knows where to get a cheap cellphone signal extender. i just got the GS3 and the signal is horrid. i knew my house is in a weak signal area but at least i was able to send texts and make calls. I am missing calls and unable to send texts on our 2 S3's. I see on their website it is sold for a lot of money ( at least for me) and i need to know what my options are.
any insight would be greatly appreciated.
thanks guys

My girlfriend found one for me on craigslist for like $50. Only problem is its the 3g version so I can't pull 4g from it so it just collects dust for now.
Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk 2

thanks bro. i don't care about 3g or 4g i have a wifi router. i am only interested in cellphone signals in my home.i am smack dab between 3 towers. i have to walk outside to make or receive calls.

OK guys i bought a zboost cellphone signal extender. and it really works as described kinda. i screwed up and bought the metro version with a cheap indoor antenna that sticks to a window indoors instead of the one with the outdoor antenna.it is saying it works up to 1500 SQ FT. but i only get a really good signal like in a 6 ft radius of the base station. I wonder if i could hook it up to an old tv antenna that is up on my roof. it has the same type of connection. like a cable tv connection. anyone try this? i just don't want to burn the damn thing out.

Somebody should patent/make my idea!!!

Wouldn't it be cool if our wall and car chargers could also be signal boosters for wifi and gsm? If you were at work or home with a spotty signal, you could plug up your phone and add a 4'+ antenna while charging it!!! :good:
And that's it for my random idea for the day.

notime2d8 said:
Wouldn't it be cool if our wall and car chargers could also be signal boosters for wifi and gsm? If you were at work or home with a spotty signal, you could plug up your phone and add a 4'+ antenna while charging it!!! :good:
And that's it for my random idea for the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
great idea - i would purchase one, would be great for people who travel into places where reception is poor.
Would also be great to implement the similar technology that uses the wired system as an antenna...

Good idea.
However I believe the signal boosting hardware is readily available for purchase. However the combination with a charger is not.
Pretty sure it would still cost quite a bit since you'd be looking at an amplifier for the booster that would require different circuitry alrogether than the charger. But could still be implemented using an SMPS.
Why not create a Kickstarter campaign?

Almost all smartphone and every older phone have a external antenna plug...
Sent from my GT-S6500 using xda app-developers app

http://m.cnet.com/news/windows-that-double-as-cell-signal-boosters-yes-please/57585614
tl;dr Ericsson has made windows that have signal boosters built in. I'm sure it's a small step from there to putting such signal boosters in walls. 5 bar 4G in the subway!

[Q] How to increase mobile signal

I have a very strong network signal outside my house or near my window. But inside my house the signal strength is very poor. Is there any external antenna to recieve strong signals.?? ( other than cell phone repeaters)
I live in india. Network- TATA DOCOMO
Sent from my MT27i using xda app-developers app

Week Signal
ommon4u said:
I have a very strong network signal outside my house or near my window. But inside my house the signal strength is very poor. Is there any external antenna to recieve strong signals.?? ( other than cell phone repeaters)
I live in india. Network- TATA DOCOMO
Sent from my MT27i using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know much about it but I think you need external devices to detect the slow range

some Siemens phones had on the back an antenna jack, with those yes you could enhance the signal with only an external antenna

Increase Signal?
5 Quick Ways to Boost Your Cell Phone:
1. A simple piece of wire
Very simple and cheap method using insulated wire.
2. Major boost using empty cans
This one got me from zero bars to three bars, in an area I never get a signal in. I keep this one in the trunk when the weather sucks. The additional wires I got on eBay for a few bucks each. Takes less than five minutes, looks stupid but works well.
3. The paper clip booster
This one didn't work as well as I had hoped, but it did give me an extra bar (which is great when you have zero bars). Good if you're in the office and need to use your cell, maybe for making one of those "personal" calls.
4. The Tesla coil effect
Hands down the easiest one I found. All you need is tape and those little twisty-ties you get with cheap garbage/sandwich bags. Worked better than the paper clip for me.
5. An old radio antenna

this year the mobile signal is weeker than ever. When I wanna upload an picture or share sth with friends. it is not available. uhhh

Did you try to root your phone and check any cutom ROM? In my case custom ROM gave me much better signal on my SGS3
Good luck!

How to increase signal i9001
Hey everyone ..
How to increase mobile signal Samsung Galaxy S plus i9001 CyanogenMod 9.
Thank you,

Thank you

is it possible that the surrounding houses are aluminum sided."
if so the signal is getting bounced rather than absorbed. this creates whats called "signal bounce confusion"

I have try this trick with the cable.the phone choose the best signal between internal and external antenna.and of course it will get better signal from external antenna. it works but you must use a soft wire...the second time I did it I try to use a wire from ethernet cable...I broke the clips inside and the internal antenna is broken..now I use the external antenna with a soft wire from usb cable. So becarefully when try thinks like that.

It's great for your method, thank you.