Develop Bugs

Help on fixing cell standby battery drain?

Hey yall, I've got a bit of a problem with cell standby and I know it's a reception issue, hopefully you guys can help me.
You see, I live in one of the outermost neighborhoods in Jerusalem in a big building made out of thick bricks and cement...as one could imagine, reception is really bad.
My problem stems from the fact that the only way I can get 3G service is by sticking my phone right at the window and forcing it to 3G by hitting WCDMA Only in the *#*#4636#*#* menu. then I just tether to my laptop and everything is all good. After I take it off the windowsill, once it is more than a foot away, I lose all service. I forget to put it back to WCDMA preffered and it just looks for 3G all day in my pocket and I get a battery drain.
anyway I guess my question is this... is there a program or setting I can use to force it to 3g when it knows there is a 3G connection possible? WCDMA Preferred doesn't work because the EDGE network overpowers the 3G network and it would never connect unless I completely disable EDGE.
TL;DR Is there a way to make the radio default to EDGE when it is completly impossible to find any trace of 3G?

Menu > Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile Networks > Use only 2G networks
That will force your phone to use only EDGE and will put less drain on your battery when it comes to cell network.

Personally, I would move out of jeruselum and go to a place that pumps out 4g. Or at least theoretical 4g. (Hspa+)
Sent from my G2 CM6.1.1, OC'd to 1.5ghz, using XDA App

Yeah...this june. I am going back to memphis TN with full tmo 4g....I am only here for a year
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

rhodes588 said:
Menu > Settings > Wireless & networks > Mobile Networks > Use only 2G networks
That will force your phone to use only EDGE and will put less drain on your battery when it comes to cell network.
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Click to collapse
I always do that when I don't need a fast data connection, I have a widget to switch back quick when I need to do some surfing or tethering

Disable HSPA

Hey I just came from Galaxy S and there is a way to disable Hsdpa in there which improves battery life amazingly....
I was wondering if there is a way to do that in Desire? (for my city 3g speeds are faster than hspa for some reason)...
Also is there a way to select which band the phone is connecting by 850 vs 1900 ... or to see what it is using ?
any help would be appreciated

It's in the settings someone in network
There is also a widget to totally disable mobile internet which I use to save battery
Sent from my HTC Desire

Go to Settings > Wireless & Network Settings > Mobile Networks...
That's pretty much what you can do with the Desire as far as mobile networks are concerned. GSM phones normally switch to different frequency bands depending on where they are located and in the Desire I don't think you can select which one to go for (besides it's an unnecessary feature in my opinion)...it just does it on its own. Maybe there is an app around that let's you do this?...
As for viewing which band you are on....you can't do it on a standard ROM but there might be custom ROMs or an app that let's you do this.
Update: Some apps that might interest you => 4G, CDMA, GSM & Wifi Map Viewer from Sensorly.com
=> Open Signal Maps Beta from Staircase 3, Inc.
=> Antennas from mpoly
=> Quick Settings (maybe..)

mmm none of those do anything like it...
all those either just shut off data or turn it on... im not sure if anyone has used the galaxy s
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=837716
this is what im talking about... saves the phone a LOT of battery by just forcing it to use 3g instead of hspa ...
i think developers can prolly make more sense of it.. i mean if they have a way.. there has to be one in other devices ...no?

danial.aw said:
mmm none of those do anything like it...
all those either just shut off data or turn it on... im not sure if anyone has used the galaxy s
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=837716
this is what im talking about... saves the phone a LOT of battery by just forcing it to use 3g instead of hspa ...
i think developers can prolly make more sense of it.. i mean if they have a way.. there has to be one in other devices ...no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, so you have a Galaxy S.....unfortunately, this is a HTC Desire forum, so it would be better if you posted this in the Galaxy S forums. You may not find the answers you are looking for here as this forum mainly handles a different device to the Galaxy S.
What I said before is only applicable to the HTC DESIRE. I thought you switched to a Desire when you mentioned you came from a Galaxy S, but I was mistaken. The apps I mentioned as mainly for monitoring the 4G, 3.5G & 3G (i think 2G too) coverage. If you are looking to switch between them (i.e. turn HSDPA off and turn 2G on) I am sure there is a way to do so...on the Desire this can be done through the Mobile Networks settings...
And no, I'm not familiar with the Galaxy S....

no i had the galaxy s... (i posted that for reference as to how its done on that)...
and ya those apps just toggle just 2g vs 3g...
im looking for a umts vs hspa toggle... (3g vs 3.5g).... because umts takes way less battery than hspa does...
tried to mess around in the band setting screen but couldnt find anything

SOLUTION
what you need is to edit /system/build.prop file
here are my settings:
ro.ril.hsxpa=0
ro.ril.gprsclass=12
ro.ril.hsdpa.category=1
ro.ril.hsupa.category=1
after doing the and couple?... of restarts H icon changed to 3G and it really does save battery significantly and speed is pretty much enough for browsing or email

would have thought if battery life was vital then you'd disable data completely tbh

This is somewhat network dependent. Here in Sweden I know of one network that will have you at HSXPA (H) as soon as it is possible. My network on the other hand will set to 3G when WCDMA is detected and set to H only during data traffic.
And then G if only GSM is detected.
I disable data via widget if I want to save power even further. Not that it has that much impact. There is a setting under wireless and network > mobile network at the bottom : ativate mobile data (this is translated). This setting will force the data connection to be active even if unused. You have to experiment here what setting is best for your network. On my network, if I remove the tick here (data connection will let go if not used and reconnect when needed) my battery will drain quicker. Providers with other policies might give different result.

found something good http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=909458
apparently xda is very strict on my posting etc. my fourth try trying to post something to help out..

liquidribs said:
found something good http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=909458
apparently xda is very strict on my posting etc. my fourth try trying to post something to help out..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! thank you! thank you! For bringing thing thread back from the grave.

heyjoe66 said:
SOLUTION
what you need is to edit /system/build.prop file
here are my settings:
ro.ril.hsxpa=0
ro.ril.gprsclass=12
ro.ril.hsdpa.category=1
ro.ril.hsupa.category=1
after doing the and couple?... of restarts H icon changed to 3G and it really does save battery significantly and speed is pretty much enough for browsing or email
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Very useful! For me it was only necessary to change the "ro.ril.hsxpa=0" line, then do a couple of restarts (to make it clear, a single restart wasn't enough, HSDPA was disabled only after the second restart for me).

High battery usage when 3G enabled

Hello folks!
okay, the facts are: Im in very good 3g reception zone, MIUI 1.6.6 with default kernel, .08 radio, data on, wifi off.
Problem is poor battery life when 3G is enabled. Also, when using mobile data the H icon appears and data moves in and out, but sometimes the H icon just disappears and i get network error? I've tried numerous radio/kernel/rom combinations.
When i put airplanemode on, the battery consumption is constant 2mA (currentwidget). With 2G networks only, its 3-6mA. When 3G enabled, mostly the consumption is 20-40mA and sometimes like 10 times in day with minute interval of refreshing i get 8mA readigs. Any app to check if there is some syncing going on? I use only beautyful widgets weather widget, which updates itself hourly. And the normal contacts and calendar sync on. Fellow MIUI users have much lower consumption, a mate of mine gets 2-4mA when 3g enabled.

3g mobile network is one the battery killers. The h icon stands for hsdpa. This the fastest network but the network coverage is not that good yet (except for big cities). Switch network to 2g network (mobile off). If you really need mobile network, switch on 3g. Otherwise stay with 2g. There's imho no sense in using 3g without needing/using mobile network.

MatDrOiD said:
3g mobile network is one the battery killers. The h icon stands for hsdpa. This the fastest network but the network coverage is not that good yet (except for big cities). Switch network to 2g network (mobile off). If you really need mobile network, switch on 3g. Otherwise stay with 2g. There's imho no sense in using 3g without needing/using mobile network.
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Click to collapse
I tried using BatteryFu and APNdroid to get rid of my 3G while screen off. But that combination didnt work so well, sometimes it didnt disable my 3g and sometimes it wouldnt reconnect to 3G when unlocked. Any good programs to manage this?
I also wonder, I never cant download anything when 3G icon is appearing in statusbar. Its normally 3G but when I want to use the internet, it changes to H. Why cant I use the 3G network then? Im also having problems when the H goes to 3G the internet connection is lost. For example in market i get network error. The H wont stay there if there is no traffic for few secs.

Configured apn correctly? If you are not sure, do it again. Furthermore, you could try these settings for mobile network:
Uncheck data enabled and set network to 2g/gsm (depending on what you have). When you need mobile network, switch to "wcmda + gsm (automatically)" (name could be a litte different, translated it from germany) and check data enabled. I do it so and it's working fine.

MatDrOiD said:
Configured apn correctly? If you are not sure, do it again. Furthermore, you could try these settings for mobile network:
Uncheck data enabled and set network to 2g/gms (depending on what you have). When you need mobile network, switch to "wcmda + gsm (automatically)" (name could be a litte different, translated it from germany) and check data enabled. I do it so and it's working fine.
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Click to collapse
Okay didnt understand very well what u ment by the last part of ur message
APN configured correctly? I have carrier default APN settings which have been working just fine for a year. If u ment APNdroid i didnt do much configuring with it. Gotta give it another try.

Last idea: flash latest radio.
No warranty for any damage.

How can i turn off the 2g radio?

Is it possible to just turn off the 2g radio and have wifi on since I'm in the library? Thanks in advance buddies.
World peace with no regard for human life.

When your on wifi all data automatically uses wifi. The 3g radio stays on so you can get phone calls
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

Just turn off Mobile Network in settings-wireless and networks. This disables 3g and 2g.

I do turn off mobile networks but isn't texts still 2g?
World peace with no regard for human life.

I think text work off your cell network not 3g or 2g
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

Ok so it would be calling through wifi, texting through 1g?
World peace with no regard for human life.

jacoballen22 said:
Ok so it would be calling through wifi, texting through 1g?
World peace with no regard for human life.
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Click to collapse
No no Calling uses the Radios. And texting uses the radio not the 1X (2g) or the 3g (3G)
MMS uses 3g or 2g. soooo and wifi is data only not calling unless you use a voIP

Ok thanks for the clarity. But as i was saying, if I am in an area with wifi only no cell coverage;can I just turn off the radio then?
World peace with no regard for human life.

If there's no cell coverage whatsoever, turn on airplane mode and then turn on wifi. If you have wifi turned on then turn on airplane mode, wifi will automatically be disabled. You can turn it back on, though. Airplane mode will disable all radios - this means no calls or texts. Alternatively, you can just turn off mobile data - this will allow you to receive calls and text messages. You should be able to receive MMS (texts with media attached) on wifi as long as you have cell coverage.
I use a toggle widget to do these actions from my homescreen... Widgetsoid is my personal favorite. It has the only mobile data toggle that I've actually seen work without messing with my APN from a widget, just choose "root toggle" as the method in preferences. From within an app I use my notification toggles as I generally have my status bar hidden on the home and lock screens.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

Battery drain on bad reception

Hey, guys.
I have my phone now for 4 month and I've checked following thing: the battery drain is incredible on bad mobile coverage. In my apartment I have really pur reception, all phones loose the reception permanently (in this way one x is much better than my wife's Iphone 4).
It is normal, that the phone consumes much energy, but one x consumes just to much. For example, if I'm at home, the drain is like 2 or even 3 procent in hour even on sense roms, and if I'm in place with good reception, it's like 1 procent in 2 and more hours, so the overall batter life is waaaay much better...
Now the question is, if I could do something to make my phone to be not so aggressive on searching for the network? I know, it can bring worse network, but it is not really a problem for me.
P. S.:switching to flight mode is not an answer for me
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

flight mode is the first thing i would have said, but not an option, so the next thing i would look at is something like vodafone suresignal - check with your network provider, they might offer a service similar, basically you get a little box from them, plug into your internet connection, and it will give your phone signal.
can't really think of something apart from a kernel tweak of some sort that would stop the phone scanning so much for cell towers, but i'm not sure where that would be, or even if it is possible..

its normal when signal drops out the phone turns the phones radio on full to scan for a network.
i would try going to settings > mobile network ( click the word not the switch) > network mode
and set it to GSM only, this will force the phone to only use 2g signal, means you don't get 3g internet so it will be very slow for internet, but 2g uses less power than 3g.
i do this alot as where i live there is low/2g signal only so i force it on to the 2g to stop it looking for a 3g network
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app

treebill said:
its normal when signal drops out the phone turns the phones radio on full to scan for a network.
i would try going to settings > mobile network ( click the word not the switch) > network mode
and set it to GSM only, this will force the phone to only use 2g signal, means you don't get 3g internet so it will be very slow for internet, but 2g uses less power than 3g.
i do this alot as where i live there is low/2g signal only so i force it on to the 2g to stop it looking for a 3g network
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
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I use this option a lot, this is not directly what I asked for. I just want my gsm radio to be not so aggressive. Just like changing cpu governors values
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app

Hi
Zlotin said:
I use this option a lot, this is not directly what I asked for. I just want my gsm radio to be not so aggressive. Just like changing cpu governors values
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there is no reception at all the phone radio shouldn't use much power, this is because it is just listening for a signal and will not be transmitting anything. If the radio is consuming more power, it is likely because it can hear the transmitter (they obviously transmit with much more power) and so the phone on hearing the mother ship is trying to reply at full transmit power available to it, but this isn't enough to be heard which drains more power. It doesn't taking many attempts at transmitting at full power to have a battery draining faster than usual.
Some applications on having no data connection might start waking the device a lot in a panic and don't back off trying, so every few seconds they will be waking the phone trying to connect to a remote server somewhere. Do you have Wi-Fi on to keep applications happy if they want to keep phoning home?
You have few options really,
1) is to just the mobile phone part off and leave Wi-Fi running which should help. You can do this by switching to flight mode then enabling just the Wi-Fi, or there will be widgets available I'm sure to just turn off the mobile phone part.
2) Turn off syncing to see if it is an application getting panicky, again you will have widgets you can add to your home page to easily switch this setting
3) You can use a Phone Schedule type application and have your phone go to flight mode automatically timed for when you are usually at home and overnight to save battery drain, free ones at the Play store.
4) If you have internet access at your apartment and depending on your mobile phone operator you might be able to get a femtocell, this will give you a full signal and service at home.
Regards
Phil

Its not just the HOX that does this, its all phones and it is bloody annoying.
My wifes parents live in the middle of nowhere and if we didnt' change our phones (inc, hox, s2,n900,iphone3...) to flightmode when there over night they would be flat.

treebill said:
its normal when signal drops out the phone turns the phones radio on full to scan for a network.
i would try going to settings > mobile network ( click the word not the switch) > network mode
and set it to GSM only, this will force the phone to only use 2g signal, means you don't get 3g internet so it will be very slow for internet, but 2g uses less power than 3g.
i do this alot as where i live there is low/2g signal only so i force it on to the 2g to stop it looking for a 3g network
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have that option. What's up with that? Does AT&T lock that option on their phones?

Tcndeb said:
I don't have that option. What's up with that? Does AT&T lock that option on their phones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dial *#*#4636#*#* and goto phone information, scroll down, and you'll have all different modes there.
sometimes this doesn't stick though
that option would probably be there on a normal custom rom (unless this isn't actually possible on at&t??)
i could be misinformed, im from uk, so a little un educated on how the networks work over there..