Hi all,
I know there's a thread already that is for North America (regarding the best radio), but it was hijacked by Canadians, so the information really doesn't apply this far away
What radio have you all found to have the best results in So. Cal? I'm in San Diego using the 4.0.4 ROM in the dev section, haven't been too happy with the radio (half of my calls I get robotic noises until I hang up and call again).
also interested in hearing from others as I too am located in Southern California with unsatisfied results from multiple radios.
I'm in San diego as well. So far I have found the stock 4.0.3 radios to be the most stable. The hand off between 4.0.4 is far better. But I have found it not to be as stable
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Try this post, it helps you in understanding the letters in baseband and finding the latest one for you.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=20568969
Otherwise you gonna flash something that is not for your area.
For me I got noticeable signal and bettery lice with the 2nd hybrid its a combo look for it in XDA. I got an extra signal bar lol its mostly on 2 bars now
Galaxy
All I did was get the phone, root it, and flash BAMF Paradigm (4.0.3) and I get great signal. Full bars in the parking lot of my apartment complex, 2-3 bars inside. Full bars at work, full bars at church. I even get good service and no dropped calls or anything driving around and even through canyons. Im in So Cal about an hour east of LA. So I think I am still on whatever stock radio the phone comes with, but you might want to flash back to that and give it a try again. Might work out pretty well for you.
Related
Just wondering, what's the best modem for the SGS2? Right now I'm using the modem from the Blaze but don't really get good speeds and sometimes loses signal all together. Is there a better one?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
Different modems work differently for each person depending on their location, kernel, and ROM. Just gotta try em and see what works best for you.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using XDA
You really aren't giving us a lot to go by. Here is my experience, if you are interested:
I use Samsung Galaxy SGH-T989D flashed with BestMod 5.0 Gingerbread with the TELUS modem (KJ3), then the T-Mobile one (UVKL1), and finally the Blaze one (UVLB7). I tried all 3 and all 3 worked, but not quite the same. I am on a local carrier in Canada called Mobilicity, a startup running on a single band (AWS 1700Mhz) with barely enough towers to cover the area it claims to serve, which is parts of the GTA (Toronto) + parts of a few other major cities. Signal isn't exactly stellar, and there are dead spots, especially downtown. This is normal, this carrier is barely 2 years old. What I was looking for is reliable data: I don't care for speed too much, honestly there isn't much speed to be had with any modem.
Enter the TELUS modem:
This one worked well overall, I used it for 4 months as it shipped with my handset (T989D is the TELUS version of the handset), and noticed that it behaves quite well. Speeds are okay, I guess, but nowhere near what people claim they are getting on more established carriers here like TELUS, Rogers and Bell. If I get 1Mbps download, I feel happy. Signal strength hovers around the 50% mark here at home, which translates to about 500kbps download and 100kbps upload during peak hour, but is okay at work: I see 3 towers from there versus only 1 from home. I haven't had complaints about indoor coverage (except for the subway and the elevators for obvious reasons). I haven't had too many dropped calls, but data is shaky when I venture a few streets away from major intersections. I was questioning if I can do better.
Enter the BLAZE modem:
I ran it for a grand total of 5-10 minutes. In these 5-10 minutes it didn't perform in any way better than the TELUS one, and it gave me no indication that it would beat any aspect of its performance. It gave me the overall impression of being a bit shaky, which is to be expected given that it is meant for a different model handset. Other users in this form reported similar experiences, and they ran it for a lot longer than mere minutes, so I didn't try very hard to get this one to work. Data was fluctuating too wildly for my taste, but when it performed well, it performed as good as the TELUS modem.
Enter the T-Mobile modem:
Now this was the modem that interested me. I've been running it for about 2 hours now, and I am about to leave it on for a little while. Overall impression is that it gives me better signal strength, which hopefully would translate into more reliable performance. Data wasn't any faster than with the TELUS modem. No speed increase, but at home I get around the 60% mark for signal strength. I am cautiously optimistic that I might finally see the coveted 4G icon in the office (quite unlikely, but I am a dreamer. Ask me on Monday.)
So there you have it: all 3 modems perform, the first and the last perform well. The middle one is shaky. Data isn't getting any faster no matter what I do, but I appear to be getting slightly improved reception with the T-Mobile modem. Something about this modem is optimized for the AWS band.
Hope this helps.
I purchased a Galaxy Nexus from Verizon shortly after release and I ended up returning it due to connection issues. The signal was very weak in areas where I normally have a good signal strength. This was causing some missed calls. Also, I had troubles staying connected to my wifi from the bedroom when every other wireless device I own had no such issue.
I am not overly impressed with SGS3 and I find the $399 no contract Galaxy Nexus to be very attractive. I am considering giving the GNexus another try but I don't want to go through the hassle if I am going to have the same issues.
Finally, my question is, will I have a better connection with the non-Verizon version of the phone purchased directly from Google either due to it being a different version or due to updates since I last tried it with Verizon shortly after release?
I enjoyed the phone other than the issues I mentioned above. I am currently back with AT&T and off contract since I returned the Verizon phone. Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Kirk
Well I didn't get a response here, but I ordered mine from google yesterday. Hoping for the best and will post what differences I see in case anyone is interested.
Honestly don't think the WiFi will be drastically better. They're pretty much the same, although I've never particularly had issues on my GSM model.
Hope it works out.
The GSM doesn't have cell signal issues like the Verizon one. But wifi will be the same. I've found the wifi range to match my atrix for distance from router. I ignore the bars and just read the signal dBm and its fine.
I've had my GNex for a little over a week now. At home and at work, I get great signal for GSM/3G, and Wifi is excellent, as long as it's 2.4GHz. 5GHz works, but is weaker due to higher frequencies not penetrating walls as well.
Out and about, it's a different story. MANY business that I go to will have ZERO signal indoors, and I will have to go outside to do something as simple as a Yelp check-in. GPS also falters pretty seriously. I upgraded to 4.0.4 as soon as I could. My phone is rooted, but has the stock ROM. My Captivate got a MUCH better signal than the GNex, and was about to ask if anyone knew a way to boost the signal. My battery life is phenomenal, but I would gladly sacrifice some of it to be able to get a usable signal inside a building made of something other than wood.
UPDATE: After I did a bit of research, I determined that the GNex that shipped from Google had the XXLA2 radio on it, which is odd since it's a phone that's only sold in the US. I did a bit of research and changed the radio to UGLC1. If I'm right, the European baseband won't do anything on 850MHz, but the NA Baseband will. I'll test it out and report back here. If I'm right, then shame on Google for shipping a phone with the wrong radio!
Archpope said:
I've had my GNex for a little over a week now. At home and at work, I get great signal for GSM/3G, and Wifi is excellent, as long as it's 2.4GHz. 5GHz works, but is weaker due to higher frequencies not penetrating walls as well.
Out and about, it's a different story. MANY business that I go to will have ZERO signal indoors, and I will have to go outside to do something as simple as a Yelp check-in. GPS also falters pretty seriously. I upgraded to 4.0.4 as soon as I could. My phone is rooted, but has the stock ROM. My Captivate got a MUCH better signal than the GNex, and was about to ask if anyone knew a way to boost the signal. My battery life is phenomenal, but I would gladly sacrifice some of it to be able to get a usable signal inside a building made of something other than wood.
UPDATE: After I did a bit of research, I determined that the GNex that shipped from Google had the XXLA2 radio on it, which is odd since it's a phone that's only sold in the US. I did a bit of research and changed the radio to UGLC1. If I'm right, the European baseband won't do anything on 850MHz, but the NA Baseband will. I'll test it out and report back here. If I'm right, then shame on Google for shipping a phone with the wrong radio!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know how that goes. Definitely interested!
RogerPodacter said:
The GSM doesn't have cell signal issues like the Verizon one. But wifi will be the same. I've found the wifi range to match my atrix for distance from router. I ignore the bars and just read the signal dBm and its fine.
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Click to collapse
Actually...there are quire a few threads on XDA where GSM users DO have issues
adrynalyne said:
Actually...there are quire a few threads on XDA where GSM users DO have issues
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK then it definitely doesn't seem as wide spread as the cdma one. Solid signal for me personally.
RogerPodacter said:
The GSM doesn't have cell signal issues like the Verizon one. But wifi will be the same. I've found the wifi range to match my atrix for distance from router. I ignore the bars and just read the signal dBm and its fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What would you consider adequate dBm?
OK, I've had my GNex for a little while now and I can definitely say that I'm happier with GSM version. I have none of the signal issues that I had with the Verizon version. Thanks to all that replied!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
I don't know whether this is in my mind but since I have upgraded to JB, I seem to be getting weaker signal reception.
I live in a major LTE market and signal is usually pretty good outside on the street. Once I am a few feet from the street, say in a restaurant--even with big plate glass windows--or a house or a backyard, the signal drops to unusable.
This weakness was most graphic this past weekend when I found myself at a backyard BBQ. I couldn't get enough 3G signal to use the internet. Friends (running GB) with the Bionic or Thunderbolt, also on Verizon, standing right next to me were able to get a bar or two and reach the internet.
I'm not holding out hope that a radio release will miraculously fix our signal reception problems.
Wow! same problem here. When I flashed JB 4.1.1 I noticed a big difference in my reception. In rural areas The Galaxy Nexus has horrible reception anyways and We, I say we don't need to be getting weaker signals after flashing this really fast Jelly Bean rom...lol
dynamicpda said:
I don't know whether this is in my mind but since I have upgraded to JB, I seem to be getting weaker signal reception.
I live in a major LTE market and signal is usually pretty good outside on the street. Once I am a few feet from the street, say in a restaurant--even with big plate glass windows--or a house or a backyard, the signal drops to unusable.
This weakness was most graphic this past weekend when I found myself at a backyard BBQ. I couldn't get enough 3G signal to use the internet. Friends (running GB) with the Bionic or Thunderbolt, also on Verizon, standing right next to me were able to get a bar or two and reach the internet.
I'm not holding out hope that a radio release will miraculously fix our signal reception problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Verizon JB roms do not have any new radio's in them so I am not sure why you would be getting a worse signal then before. You should still get the same crappy signal you were getting on ICS.
dynamicpda said:
I don't know whether this is in my mind but since I have upgraded to JB, I seem to be getting weaker signal reception.
I live in a major LTE market and signal is usually pretty good outside on the street. Once I am a few feet from the street, say in a restaurant--even with big plate glass windows--or a house or a backyard, the signal drops to unusable.
This weakness was most graphic this past weekend when I found myself at a backyard BBQ. I couldn't get enough 3G signal to use the internet. Friends (running GB) with the Bionic or Thunderbolt, also on Verizon, standing right next to me were able to get a bar or two and reach the internet.
I'm not holding out hope that a radio release will miraculously fix our signal reception problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue with my nexus. What I did to correct it was flash other radios that seem to help a lot more.
Here just search for vzw galaxy nexus radio and you should get a search with androidcentral. You will have all ur radios there.
ilpleasu said:
Wow! same problem here. When I flashed JB 4.1.1 I noticed a big difference in my reception. In rural areas The Galaxy Nexus has horrible reception anyways and We, I say we don't need to be getting weaker signals after flashing this really fast Jelly Bean rom...lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
TheGman125 said:
I had the same issue with my nexus. What I did to correct it was flash other radios that seem to help a lot more.
Here just search for vzw galaxy nexus radio and you should get a search with androidcentral. You will have all ur radios there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which radios are you running? FA02?
There's a thread on rootzwiki that has all of the historic radios for Verizon. Reading through it, some people have run a hybrid FA02/FC05 radio setup and say that's pretty good for them.
All I know is that I've got to figure something out. I went to a movie over the weekend and had my GNex in my pocket. I went through 50% battery during the movie because it couldn't find signal... and I wasn't really in a rural area.
I had generally bad service across the board 2G,3G,4G since getting the phone from Verizon. After flashing jellybean and keeping the stock FC04/FC05 radios cell service is pretty similar as expected. I cant really compalin given the area I live in but my old LG Env touch had stronger cell service. The most frustrating part was last week when I was with my friend in the hills of New Jersey where I could not get a single bar of service to even make a phone call and he was getting enough 3G on his iPhone to get on the internet. Rage.
Complete repository of all the radios:
http://goo.im/stock/toro/radios
I flashed FA02 from the command line and everything seemed to go okay but I still see FC04.
Hmmm...
Edit:
I redownloaded FA02 from the link I provided and the flash worked fine. (I had FA02 sitting on my drive from a previous download.)
I'll report back my experiences with the hybrid.
Are you trying an FA02/FC05 hybrid? I was tempted to do a flash-a-thon tomorrow night (busy tonight) and try each radio back to EK01/EK02 to see which seems best.
[email protected] said:
The Verizon JB roms do not have any new radio's in them so I am not sure why you would be getting a worse signal then before. You should still get the same crappy signal you were getting on ICS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope its worse. I went froma -61dbm signal at home to -75. To make things worse, I lose data in rural areas now and my wifi sucks.
I am currently running Diet ICS from 8/8. I have just moved to a new house. The coverage here kinda sucks. However, I had some friends here this weekend with iphone's and my wife has a Motorola Atrix. Their bars appear to always be higher than mine. I have tested this throughout the weekend with data, calls and texting. Theirs all work better than my S3. Is this a function of the phone, the Rom, the radio? Is there anything I can do to the phone to improve it, ie:new ROM or radio? If so, which ones? BTW I am in the U.S., Wisconsin to be more accurate. Any advice would be appreciated.
edit: Running on AT&T...
Try the different radios. No one can tell you what works best where you are because we aren't there. Other than that, I can tell you that I get better reception when I don't hold the phone on the bottom. Just an FYI.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
The best combo I have found so far is the LEM modem and Milestone 2 rom I get 1 bar more all of the time everywhere. The other modems for me even though they are newer it seems if you loose signal it takes 4-6 mins before it picks it back up LEM seems to get signal back in under a min. Knock on wood I think I have service everwhere now in my house. I have had the s3 for about a month and had issues with signal in my house where my iphone 4 has always has service.
I've had my Note 2 for a little over a month now.. this phone is amazing. Period. I came from Galaxy Fascinate, its like I switched my Cavalier for Jaguar CX-6!!
I'm with Telus in Newfoundland.. St. John's to be exact. Off course, like most of you here, I didn't have the phone an hour and I was flashing roms, kernels, and modems. I've tried them all, and like the CleanROM 4.5 w/ Perseus Kernel and MA3 modem. This is an awsome combo, wicked battery life (3+ days, easy), and everything runs fast an smooth.
The only minor issue I'm having is the LTE service. Telus say that LTE is available here, and should work everywhere. It does work, but only when I'm outside.
When I'm in my house, I get H+, never LTE. I can take my phone and hold it out the window and it will get LTE. This has been the case with all Roms/kernels/modems; stock included.
So, is this a bottleneck with LTE, is the single that weak it can't go through a house?. Not a brick house, your plane jane wood. Is it a limitation of the hardware?
When I do a speedtest when inside, I avg. 4-7mbps down, 2-5mbps up. If I go outside, test again from the same server I get 17+mbps up/down.
Anyone have any suggestions?? if in the same area as I, what has your experience been?, maybe their is something I might be missing.. a settings I can try etc...
Thx,
Maniac
From the moderator
Posted in the wrong section really.......
But, to answer your question, LTE and the other 4g signals tend to be fall off faster, so you may be in a low zone or at the outer reaches of the 4G signal where the signal is just weaker, I have had the same issue and bought a signal booster for the house and that solved the not getting 4G in the house.......
Good luck,
THREAD MOVED
oka1 said:
Posted in the wrong section really.......
But, to answer your question, LTE and the other 4g signals tend to be fall off faster, so you may be in a low zone or at the outer reaches of the 4G signal where the signal is just weaker, I have had the same issue and bought a signal booster for the house and that solved the not getting 4G in the house.......
Good luck,
THREAD MOVED
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thx... answered my question. I got to get me one those signal boosters now the once.
Sorry bout posting in the wrong section.. won't happen again.
Maniac