Radio comparison - Verizon GN vs Thunderbolt - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Both phones set to CDMA EVDO only, no LTE radios active. Location is 3G EHRPD enabled, but does not have any 4G towers for miles. I held both phones the exact same way in the exact same location within 30 seconds of each other to record my results.
Signal Test:
Galaxy Nexus 3G Signal Strength: 0-1 bars, -120dbm 99 asu - -100dbm 1 asu
Thunderbolt 3G Signal Strength: 1-3 bars, -94dbm 2 asu - -85dbm 2 asu
Bandwidth Test:
Galaxy Nexus 3G Bandwidth: 0.86mbps down, 0.54mbps up
Thunderbolt 3G Bandwidth: 2.94mbps down, 0.56mbps up
Bandwidth test was the best of 3 runs using www.speakeasy.net/speedtest connecting to New York, NY. Current location is central NJ.
My Galaxy Nexus is running stock 4.0.4 with the newest radios and bootloader, along with Imo's kernel 2.4.1 exp2.
Honestly, after having my Thunderbolt for 8 months, coming to this supposed better phone and having these kind of radio problems is just appalling. The Thunderbolt was always railed for being the pioneer of LTE radios, and for getting weak signal. Well after these tests I am not sure what to believe besides the truth that is sitting in front of me. My brand spanking new Google phone has by far the worst radio I've ever seen in a Verizon smartphone.
I'm going to be hopeful in getting an update that may resolve these radio issues, but the realist in me tells me this is 100% hardware.
I'd like to get some results from other Verizon Galaxy Nexus users running 3G to see what kind of dbm and bar signal, as well as what kind of bandwidth you guys are getting. I am very disappointed and want to know if it's a hardware defect or if this phones radios' really are this bad

Meh. The Qualcomm radios in both of these phones are in fact ****. I think the build of the Galaxy Nexus (whether it be physical or software) has something to do with it. Maybe Samsung herp derped the position of the radios or Google took a **** on the blobs.
Regardless, its a great phone and still gets better data speeds than every other carrier and phone. -coughs- iPhone users -coughs-
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Except it doesn't get the best data speeds of any other phones, as my test results conclude.
Even on 4G I've nabbed 40mbps down 15mbps up bandwidth tests on that same exact Thunderbolt when I was in a good signal 4G area. How much have most GN users hit on 4G? 30mbps down?
This phone is a great micro-tablet, but as a phone it is heavily lacking.

DaRkL3AD3R said:
Except it doesn't get the best data speeds of any other phones, as my test results conclude.
Even on 4G I've nabbed 40mbps down 15mbps up bandwidth tests on that same exact Thunderbolt when I was in a good signal 4G area. How much have most GN users hit on 4G? 30mbps down?
This phone is a great micro-tablet, but as a phone it is heavily lacking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, cause I have seen people getting upwards of 50mb/s on the Nexus (seems like most of them live in NYC).
Not to mention I was talking about people on other carriers.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

Other carriers is a given, but that really isn't what the point of this comparison is. The point is I'm holding two phones on the same carrier, at the same time, the same way, and one performs multitudes greater performance than the other. Has nothing to do with other carriers.
Fact is this phones radio is junk. You can have a quad core 1080p Super AMOLED Plus screen and 2GB of RAM, the best GPU on the market and 128GB of space, but if it can't hold a signal to save YOUR life, then what good is it at as a phone?
Samsung/Google needs to get on this right now and fix this phones radio. I'm just worried that it can't be fixed through a software OTA...
And I'd also like some speed comparisons, namely 3G, from other Verizon GN users if possible please.

On 3g i used to get about -75 at worst with thunderbolt at my house. Currently getting -93 at best with two different galaxy nexus. Usually worse. Used to have a stable 4g signal too. Now it drops after a few seconds

johnprevite said:
On 3g i used to get about -75 at worst with thunderbolt at my house. Currently getting -93 at best with two different galaxy nexus. Usually
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds about right... very disappointed in these radios.

I get the same -120dbm, 99asu with my Nexus at home, where I would get around 95dbm on my old Tbolt. I think the antenna/radio gives up signal quicker at the fringe distances faster on the Nexus - if I go into a city I get the signal strength I am supposed to get. I have a theory that part of the problem may lie with Verizon's use of old Alltel towers (I'm on the VA/NC border) - The signal in my area is consistently weak, but I've gone to other rural areas & gotten good strength. Perhaps Samsung/VZW will give us a software update on the phones...and perhaps when they upgrade our towers around here for LTE it might straighten up the tower's overall firmware...But we probably wont get LTE here until 2020.

strongergravity said:
I get the same -120dbm, 99asu with my Nexus at home, where I would get around 95dbm on my old Tbolt. I think the antenna/radio gives up signal quicker at the fringe distances faster on the Nexus - if I go into a city I get the signal strength I am supposed to get. I have a theory that part of the problem may lie with Verizon's use of old Alltel towers (I'm on the VA/NC border) - The signal in my area is consistently weak, but I've gone to other rural areas & gotten good strength. Perhaps Samsung/VZW will give us a software update on the phones...and perhaps when they upgrade our towers around here for LTE it might straighten up the tower's overall firmware...But we probably wont get LTE here until 2020.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LTE will cover Verizon's current 3G footprint by the end of 2013, FYI.

Here's hoping!
Sent from my A500 using xda premium

Related

True cause of "signal" issues

Has anyone read this article? Very informative.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5254/investigating-the-galaxy-nexus-lte-signal-issue
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
interesting read.
For a long time people have blamed their handsets for problems when the truth is there are always a lot of network issues out there at any given time.
Simply blaming your handset and assuming the network is 'great' because it has full bars or a good db is not the way to go.
Bars or db ultimately mean nothing, they do not mean you will get good speeds or in some cases to be able to make a call, in my experience its rare that the handset is to blame
True.
I had the RAZR before my phone. I would bet that the RAZR wasn't showing the correct signal strength and this is what a lot of people are comparing.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
aye it would be interesting if someone ran some speed tests on the two devices side by side to what what the speeds v coverage were like
edit
jimdurt said:
They still have some issues to work on. My OG Droid gave me a better signal at my house on 3g. At least measuring the db strength. I dont have 4g here so the measurement in db strength should be sufficient to accurately see which phone has better reception.
Give Google time. They have the right hardware. Just need to get the software tweaked a bit more.
My wifes DroidX consistantly shows -93dBm with 3 bars of 3g service, while my GNex bounces a little more between -120dBm(most of the time) to -93dBm(rarely)
Even with no bars and @-120dBm, i get 600kbps download. Thankfully i have 18mbps download service through ATT Uverse wifi.
I do have to mention, my service improved ALOT from 4.0.1 to 4.0.2 update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At -120 on 3g your lucky to anysort of dl
My 3g/4g signal has never been better. This phone is twice as good as my incredible.
WiFi signal strength does seem to be a little less strong but nothing horrible. Now I wish they would figure out why the OS won't go to sleep.
Well, Verizon resolved all my Nexus, CDMA, and LTE issues for me in one fell swoop. They called me yesterday and told me that they couldn't provide me service at my house and recommended I switch to a different carrier.
I was with them for less than three days. Brought my Galaxy Nexus and wife's temp phone back to the store, then went to the Apple Store to get my wife an iPhone 4S on AT&T with the plan to stop at an AT&T store to get myself a Skyrocket. While standing there playing with the 4S waiting for a sales associate, I got the warm fuzzies from back when I used the iPhone and decided to get one for myself as well.
It was a fun year with Android, but looking back at how I spent yesterday debating if I was going to keep the GN with all its issues, I think I made the right call for me.
I also forgot how much better GSM is than CDMA. I have full bars in my office, whereas on Sprint and Verizon the phones were struggling to hold onto a 3G connection. Amazing difference.
Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread for a moment. I truly hope that this is an issue that can be fixed with software; it seems like poor reception has become a hallmark of Samsung phones and I haven't seen a software update yet that makes a notable difference. We'll see what Sammy and Verizon come up with.
i can understand the signal strength display not being accurate but explain this...
for one, the signal strength on this Nexus is always 1/2(or more) then what i had on my Thunderbolt or Rezound at any given time/place.... which apparently is explained above.
what isntvexplained is this... my Thunderbolt was able to download fast, but not nearly as fast as my Rezound. on the R, i was able to download 1GB in roughly 5 minutes. ive tried downloading the same file(s) from same location various times(test) on this Nexus and it always takes 30 - 40 minutes.
so if the signal strength isnt being reported accurately i can accept that.... but what about the significant difference in data speed?
i also want to note that on my Reound, whenever i played a track in Google Music it started up right away and could jump/skip forward in a track without delay...
now on this Nexus, theres always a delay before the track starts & when you jump/skip to. buffering b.s.
Your Rezound probably already had the music cached.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
You guys also have to keep in mind that the LTE network slows down the more people that use it. When it was first intro a year ago, it was STUPID fast. Like 50mb DOWN. I remember my Droid Charge hitting low 40's in May. Now that there is a plethora of phones that have LTE and a lot of people using it, the network will be slowed. It still beats the hell out of any other network.
I’m glad somebody posted this.
I did a little experiment in my office this morning with three Verizon LTE phones:
1) Samsung Charge
2) HTC T-Bolt
3) Samsung Galaxy Nexus
With all three phones laying side by side, I opened up the same “Network Signal” app. All three phones we ranging in the -85 to -100 dB strength. There was no phone that clearly had a better or worse signal.
However, the Samsung Charge was showing 4 out of 5 “bars”, the T-bolt had 3 of 5 while the Nexus has a whopping 1 out of 5 bars. Amusing since they we all reading between -95 and -90 dB at that moment.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA. I can’t speak for the T-bolt, but I could have sworn I saw the Charge at -95 / -100 dB and still reporting LTE Net. Type.
So, food for thought. Hopefully this “update” that Verizon is working on isn’t anything more than a recalibration of the “bars” indicator.
-Gp
Grannypotts said:
I’m glad somebody posted this.
I did a little experiment in my office this morning with three Verizon LTE phones:
1) Samsung Charge
2) HTC T-Bolt
3) Samsung Galaxy Nexus
With all three phones laying side by side, I opened up the same “Network Signal” app. All three phones we ranging in the -85 to -100 dB strength. There was no phone that clearly had a better or worse signal.
However, the Samsung Charge was showing 4 out of 5 “bars”, the T-bolt had 3 of 5 while the Nexus has a whopping 1 out of 5 bars. Amusing since they we all reading between -95 and -90 dB at that moment.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA. I can’t speak for the T-bolt, but I could have sworn I saw the Charge at -95 / -100 dB and still reporting LTE Net. Type.
So, food for thought. Hopefully this “update” that Verizon is working on isn’t anything more than a recalibration of the “bars” indicator.
-Gp
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There needs to be some kind of way to trick the OS into thinking it actually has the real signal so it will stop switching between 3G and 4G.
One thing I noticed different though, is that the Nexus requires at least -85dB before it will connect to LTE. Anything less, it switches to CDMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have -86dB with 3 4G bars as I write this. I know that's not much of a difference from the -85dB, but I thought I would just mention it. Also, I've had -93dB with 4 4G bars (no picture of that though).
Syn Ack said:
There needs to be some kind of way to trick the OS into thinking it actually has the real signal so it will stop switching between 3G and 4G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 30,000 foot uneducated view is simply that the calibrations for the Nexus require a stronger signal to both acquire and then maintain an LTE data connection. These calibrations probably could be tweaked, but at what cost? I suppose (assuming my theory is correct) the decision came down to a flaky 4G or a solid 3G... and Verizon chose the stronger connection over the faster one. Do you blame them?
However, when I do get a solid 4G connection... the speeds are stupid fast.
On my lunch break today:
30.6M down
15.7 up

Is it just me? (LTE GNex, terrible data.)

My Galaxy Nexus has the most unreliable, horrible, inconsistent data connection I have ever used on a phone.
I go from 4-->3--> No Gs all day long. I'm in Houston, which has a fantastic LTE network (when I'm using a different phone....)
I'm currently on CM9 with 4.0.3 leaked radios, the performance has been bad through stock as well though. Maybe I'll go back to stock and try it again or something.
Should I use the 4.0.2 radios again?
Has anyone else felt the same way?
Thanks.
I think you may be the first one to bring this up
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
In Charlotte,NC my phone has been nothing but outstanding. The only place I go to 3G is at my desk in the middle of a massive building with shielding. It's just awesome. 4 Bars 4G at my house down in South Carolina too.
I actually have had no such issue with stock or CM9. I'm in Dallas but live on the edge of the 4G area and my workplace has the amazing ability to shield LTE signal so I'm switching to 3G twice a day.
Is_907 said:
I actually have had no such issue with stock or CM9. I'm in Dallas but live on the edge of the 4G area and my workplace has the amazing ability to shield LTE signal so I'm switching to 3G twice a day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love for it to just be verizon having problems here.
I'm not so sure that's the case though.
Just flashed a different rom, I guess i'll try the 4.0.2 radio again.
get off the leaked radios and go back to stock. goodness...
aohus said:
get off the leaked radios and go back to stock. goodness...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did that. It seems to be a bit better. Could be placebo though
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
eallan said:
My Galaxy Nexus has the most unreliable, horrible, inconsistent data connection I have ever used on a phone.
I go from 4-->3--> No Gs all day long. I'm in Houston, which has a fantastic LTE network (when I'm using a different phone....)
I'm currently on CM9 with 4.0.3 leaked radios, the performance has been bad through stock as well though. Maybe I'll go back to stock and try it again or something.
Should I use the 4.0.2 radios again?
Has anyone else felt the same way?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My experience is exactly the same. My Thunderbolt always had a solid, reliable and fast 4G connection in the same locations. My Galaxy Nexus is just like yours: "4-->3--> No Gs all day long". I'm on 3G at least 50% of the time. That never happened on the Thunderbolt.
I've tried the 4.0.3 radio too and it didn't help. It was no better and no worse for me.
MountainX said:
My experience is exactly the same. My Thunderbolt always had a solid, reliable and fast 4G connection in the same locations. My Galaxy Nexus is just like yours: "4-->3--> No Gs all day long". I'm on 3G at least 50% of the time. That never happened on the Thunderbolt.
I've tried the 4.0.3 radio too and it didn't help. It was no better and no worse for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad I'm not alone, I remember reading something about verizon's authentication servers having issues, hopefully it's something on their end they're fixing. Maybe the "real" update will help us out.
eallan said:
I'm glad I'm not alone,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are not alone. Here is some stuff I collected from other threads:
Verizon claims Galaxy Nexus LTE signal is fine, update still coming to change meter
http://androidcommunity.com/verizon...update-still-coming-to-change-meter-20111221/
What do you guys think? Is there still a problem with the Galaxy Nexus and LTE. I personally think there is some sort of issue that will still probably be addressed in the update and Verizon just isn’t saying so. Here is a quick video I made showing my Galaxy Nexus stuck on 3G sitting next to my XYBOARD 8.2″ tablet with 4G LTE. The XyBoard constantly has not only more bars, but a better and faster connection. You tell me?
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Missed calls, text that wont send, 6 hour battery life… looks like i had better return the Nexus while i still can. Its a shame, i like the phone, i just wish i could make calls with it.
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I have noticed drops on the data side in places where i have a friend sitting next to me with full 3g signal on an incredible 2. My wifes nexus has dropped calls at least 15 times since she got it and data has been the same as mine
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Aaron Osler
My phone has serious call dropping/connection loss. I had the tech at my local Verizon store compare it to his Nexus which also had weak signal strength (about -96db). We also compared signal to other phones in the store and found the other phones to have around -84db which is much much better. That spread is the difference between barely hanging on to 1 bar and a solid 3 bars on my Nexus. I don’t think Verizon is being honest because my experience is that the signal is weaker on the Nexus, not just looking at the bars. I am also getting sudden disconnects going from any number of bars to dead instantly. Dropping calls is completely unacceptable. I can understand problems with the cutting edge 4G signal, but the phone call function is the same thing they have done for years. Oh, and don’t forget it’s A PHONE. I have until Jan 15th to return the phone so if they don’t have my phone working 100% of the time like all of my previous phones I will be returning it and reactivating my Envy3. My phone reports 10% time without signal. Cell Standby reports 10% of battery usage. I didn’t sign up for being tethered to a charger all day just to keep my phone from diving into cold brick mode while I sit at work less than 1/4 mile from the cell tower.
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C Dedi
As a current owner of all 3 of Verizons top tier Android phones (Razr / Rezound / G-Nexus), I can easily state that there exists a radio performance gap between two of my devices compared to the 3rd. My Razr & Rezound pull solid bar(s) status regularly, my G-Nexus on the other hand is much more temperamental with its signal strength. Of all 3 devices, the Rezound displays the best signal the most often (haven’t been disappointed yet), with the Razr usually pulling a close second. As an overall performer, I have to give it to the Rezound, even if its not my favorite of the three. Now listing them by personal preference (general feel), it goes something like this: Razr – G-Nexus – Rezound. The Rezound would score higher, if it didn’t ’feel’ like so many other HTC phones I’ve owned in the past.
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Is anyone actually looking at their signal strength reading in Settings/about phone/Signal ? I have compared my Nexus against my wife’s Samsung regular Galaxy , my original Droid, and even a 3 + year old laptop built in Verizon air card 3g signal and the Nexus has a noticeable worse signal reception(no 4G in my area yet). When the other devices are showing say -74-75dbm my Nexus is only receiving -93-100dbm. That is NOT a software fix issue. I am on my second Nexus after Verizon Tier2 techsupport did a signal survey in my area and confirmed a good 3G signal and had me exchange my phone. Same crappy reception numbers and I frequently get a Network Problem Check your internet connection message while using apps. I don’t see a software fix helping and will likely be exchanging my phone for a Rezound or returning alltogether and waiting it out.
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LT_Blondey1492
I’m a Samsung galaxy nexus user. I have had a problem with the signal of this phone. It has been a problem since I started using the phone. I’m in a 3G area. You would think since it’s a 3G and 4g phone. It should still work. I went to Verizon’s store once already, all they did was chAnge the sim card. That didn’t change the signal none. It worked when we were there. I think it’s funny how my husbands 4g droid bionic works while the Samsung galaxy nexus doesn’t. They are both 4g phones and the verizon helper said we didnt have 4g area where i lived. Like I said its funny how his 4g is able to work still. I really like the Samsung galaxy nexus phone but I need service. It didn’t even work at the Walmart I go to either. The only time it actually gave me signal was when I was in the verizon store. Why wouldn’t it work there it’s their phone. All their phones will work there, but once you leave they won’t work anymore.
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Tloomos
There’s more going on than just a dfferent representation of signal strength. I’ve run dozens of tests with my Verizon Galaxy Nexus side-by-side with a Verizon HTC Rezound and the Rezound blows the Nexus away every time. I expected the Rezound to perform better on tests like what Vellamo puts it through since the specs on the Rezound are a bit better, but I really wasn’t expecting much difference on the speedtest.net results. The Nexus consistently achieves half the bandwidth of the Rezound.
The more I use the Nexus, the more I like it, but this connection/performance issue doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not sure why Verizon would hide it if they thought that the update was going to improve actual performance and not just the bars, but I’m waiting and hoping. I have until Jan 15 to return it and pick up the Rezound instead. If they can address the connection issue before then, I’ll gladly stick with it.
And for what it’s worth, I would prefer that the bars be more accurate rather than giving me an inflated perception of my signal strength. As long as I know how to interpret the number of bars I have and the connectivity and performance is on par with other comparable devices, I really don’t care if their device shows 4 bars when mine only shows 1.
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Is it just me? (LTE GNex, terrible data.)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1440307
My Galaxy Nexus has the most unreliable, horrible, inconsistent data connection I have ever used on a phone.
I go from 4-->3--> No Gs all day long. I'm in Houston, which has a fantastic LTE network (when I'm using a different phone....)
I'm currently on CM9 with 4.0.3 leaked radios, the performance has been bad through stock as well though. Maybe I'll go back to stock and try it again or something.
Should I use the 4.0.2 radios again?
Has anyone else felt the same way?
Thanks.
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Dreaded signal issues and my in depth 3g testing. Is it hardware?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1441187
Thanks for posting this. I definitely think there is more going on here with the Verizon GNex's signal than just the way it is reported. It's not just 3G either. I had 2 Rezounds before I got my Galaxy Nexus, and actually have had two Galaxy Nexii. I am certain I got much faster 4G speeds, 3G speeds, and a stronger signal on the Rezounds than either Galaxy Nexus.
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I absolutely loved this phone also. but was VERY dissapointed after getting it home, it had a very weak signal and was dropping cals, something that ive never experienced with verizon. me and my wife have the razrs so i was able to do a side by side signal comparison here in dallas. my rersults were more dramatic than yours (OP), both razr's had about -85db and the GN was -104 in 4g. needless to say it was returned.
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New Leaked Radios CDMA, LTE
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1403133
...had more dropped calls with this phone than any other I have ever had on vzw.
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https://encrypted.google.com/search...issue+OR+problem&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&hl=en
The VZW Galaxy Nexus has signal issues. The constant bouncing from 4G to 3G to nothing and back is so annoying I have to just leave 4G off. I'm hoping it is an issue that can be addressed with a radio update at some point.
Raibyn said:
The VZW Galaxy Nexus has signal issues. The constant bouncing from 4G to 3G to nothing and back is so annoying I have to just leave 4G off. I'm hoping it is an issue that can be addressed with a radio update at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, here's to hoping.
same here
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Raibyn said:
The VZW Galaxy Nexus has signal issues. The constant bouncing from 4G to 3G to nothing and back is so annoying I have to just leave 4G off. I'm hoping it is an issue that can be addressed with a radio update at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
happens to me all day.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I flashed the 4.0.3 radios a week or two back and I noticed it being worse on my phone. Is it safe to just downgrade radios by flashing them?
Also where are the links for the 4.0.1 and 4.0.2 radios? I was on 4.0.1 radios when I first rooted and it worked fine. But when I flashed 4.0.3, then I started noticing issues :/
I bought my Galaxy Nexus in the Houston area over the holiday while staying with family. I had a very reliable 4G connection, even in the outskirts. My mother's Bionic was constantly bouncing between 3G and 4G, though. Out here in Los Angeles I get a full 4 bars of 4G and average above 20,000kbps.
I have the signal dropping/switching issues some days, some days not. It seems pretty split personality to me....same places, different times, different behaviors.
Mine works fine.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
xXJay_RXx said:
I flashed the 4.0.3 radios a week or two back and I noticed it being worse on my phone. Is it safe to just downgrade radios by flashing them?
Also where are the links for the 4.0.1 and 4.0.2 radios? I was on 4.0.1 radios when I first rooted and it worked fine. But when I flashed 4.0.3, then I started noticing issues :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I flashed back to 4.0.2 with no problems.
Mine is working fine here.
The phone itself DOES have issues when the switchover MUST occur.....I have 4G all day until I walk into my kids school. Old concrete block building, etc.....drops down to 3G everytime. BUT on the Nexus it takes a while.....Ill have 30 seconds or so sometimes without any signal while it locks back onto 3G. I *think* that can be fixed via firmware/software (since I believe lots of other phones have had similar handover issues)
The biggest issues with 4G seem to be if you are in a fringe area where it can kinda get 4G but not great 4G. You arent in a fringe area though, so Im not quite sure.....try forcing it to CDMA only and see if the radio stays connected reliably. I know its not LTE, but its just a troubleshooting step. A friend of mine has "reception" handover issues on his Bionic, set it to CDMA only and hasnt had one issue for over a week. its not a fix, but it at least makes the phone useable.......or could signify some bigger issues with your phone if you still have trouble with CDMA only.

Verizon Nexus users, I have a few questions about service etc.

Im going to be coming from Sprint to possibly verizon. I was wondering a few things
1. How is the service? I get BAD 3g speeds ( around .5mb ) and 4g is decent whenever I can get it ( 5mb or so ). Whats their average 3g and 4g speeds?
2. What about phones? Im coming from the Evo and its still considered a top contender with the new phones that are out there now. I dont want an iphone, Id like to stay android. Any phones out there that are pretty good? How is the nexus? Anything better? Anything worth waiting for?
Any and all help is appreciated.
My signal is great. I can pull about 2 mbps down with 3G and average 15-20 mbps down with 4G. Occasionally I can hit 30 mbps. I would recommend the Nexus if you want an all around great phone. The Razr Maxx would be a second choice if you absolutely need the extra battery life.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
TeeRom said:
My signal is great. I can pull about 2 mbps down with 3G and average 15-20 mbps down with 4G. Occasionally I can hit 30 mbps. I would recommend the Nexus if you want an all around great phone. The Razr Maxx would be a second choice if you absolutely need the extra battery life.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. The signal is always strong. I have about the same with 3g, 4g about 10-12 down. The customer service is amazing as well. I came from the HTC incredible to the GNex and I love this phone. It's got everything I need. Takes a toll on the battery but whatev.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
i have been with every carrier exept at&t in the past month and verizon is the best
sprint was my carrier for a year and the 3g was abysmal but what made it worse is there is no 4 g in phoenix
With Verizon 3G DL's average .4 - .5mb, 4G depending on location, ranges between 1mb (rare) to 25mb in saturated areas (for me averaging 8-16mb). As far as phones with VZ, 1.) Galaxy Nexus. 2.) HTC Rezound 3.) Moto Razr 4.) LG Spectrum. All of which blow any Evo out of the water in both hardware and performance. Sprint sucks
Sent from GNexus w/AOKP & franco.kernel
Depends on your location. Had sprint since I was in 4th grade now in college. Switched to Verizon with my family and where we used to get not even 200kbps with sprint we get 27mb 4G in Tucson. On my sisters 3G iPhone she gets 2-3mb.
Just costs more but you do get what you pay for . Service. Thus far I have never lost service on Verizon's network but was always in fringe areas it seemed on Sprint.
Took a trip to Yuma to head to Mexico for some cheap work on replacing my clutch on truck had 3g all the way and streaming Sirius to my phone.
IMO Verizon is worth it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Was a ten year sprint customer and left if 3 reasons.
Their 4g wimax is dead and in process of switching to Lte. So any phone you buy with wimax is already antiquated.
I sometimes would get good signal but the speeds sucked on both 3 and 4g(when you could find it) and my house happens to be in a spotty area when it shouldn't be.
every phone they have out now is just a rehashed evo.
I knew made the right change when i drove over bridge in my area (daily commute), where I would always drop calls, and not only did I not drop but my 4g was 2 bars. I pretty much get 4g everywhere now.
I suggest going to your local VZW store and running speed tests. I've seen "3G" pull down 80Kbps, and I've seen it pull down 1.4 megs. I've seen LTE range from 6 megs to 40 megs.
Device wise, if you want to tinker, get the GNex. Ignore all the blithering whining that completely over runs this place. There's nothing wrong with the device. If you don't want to tinker, I'd look at the Rezound and the Razr Maxx. My personal preferences:
1) GNex
2) Rezound
3) Razr Maxx
They're all really good devices. Play with them all and grab up the one you like the best.
One more thing... Expect your bill on vzw to be about twenty dollars more than sprint; worth it in my opinion.
Thanks all. I did the comparison and I'll get less data and less mintues for around the same price
Here is the break down. With sprint I have 2 phones ( so right off the bat, there is a 10$ per phone smartphone charge them tack on ; think 20 bucks here ) add a line for 9.99, 1800 mins ( free mobile to mobile, text, MMS, SMS ) unlimited data ( at SLOW ****ING speeds... )
I used a grand total ( between two phones ) around 80 mins. And that was mostly mobile to mobile. The landline minutes were like 30 mins.
With Verizon I would get 4gb per phone, FASTER speeds, 700 mins ( free verizon to verizon, but no others ) 30 bucks for unlimited sms mms etc etc.. all for around the same price. Im a data user mostly, so that is what pushes me around. I cannot do sprint anymore.
The Verizon service is excellent. I love the phone but it has 2 major issues. Data dropping and the loss of outbound audio bug, which is the worst bug I've ever experienced on a phone. Hopefully a software update will fix those issues.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
wow that would be a potential game changer. I need to mess with my android devices, and I would like to have the nexus versus the moto. But no one has seen a fix for those issues? Guess its a prominent bug out there?
3g is meh. 4g I get between 10-22. Just buy the galaxy nexus.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
yeah well my 3g speeds are .5-.7 on average... haha Im hoping verizon is better than that.
mroneeyedboh said:
yeah well my 3g speeds are .5-.7 on average... haha Im hoping verizon is better than that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will depend on Area. Don't expect Verizon's 3G to be drastically faster than that.
mmmm dammit haha. I thought verizon was one of the if not the fastest like 3-5mb on 3g and around 20 or so on 4g.
mroneeyedboh said:
mmmm dammit haha. I thought verizon was one of the if not the fastest like 3-5mb on 3g and around 20 or so on 4g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The theoretical max speeds for EVDO rev A are only 3.1mbps down / 800kbps up. And those aren't real world. Expect the low 2mbps range at most.
CDMA carriers have atrocious 3G speeds compared to GSM carriers. UMTS beats EVDO easily, HSPA even more-so.
This is why you're seeing Verizon push LTE so hard, because it gives them the speed advantage again. It also offers them simultaneous voice + data, and the eventual move to VoLTE.
Honestly, I'd personally rather have 8mbps all the time on HSPA+ than 1.5mbps sometimes and 20mbps other times.
mroneeyedboh said:
mmmm dammit haha. I thought verizon was one of the if not the fastest like 3-5mb on 3g and around 20 or so on 4g.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't even think 3G supports those speeds. In the few weeks I have been with Verizon I have seen in bad area's with low signal hit around 200-500kbs. In these area's Sprint would be around 30kbs, lol. In good area's where Sprint would get .500kbs-.700kbs I pull about 1.5 - 2mbs on Verizon. I do get 4G all over with Verizon as well as Sprint would be in and out all over the place...
It was great to be at the malls food court tonight and play a HD Youtube video of Yo Gabba Gabba for my son to keep him busy. Verizon's 4G in most places is faster then my home internet.
As far as the phone, the GN is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better then the EVO. I have owned the EVO, EVO 3D and the Epic 4G Touch. The only phone in the same league is the Epic 4G Touch but the GN just has cooler things going for it that make me not miss my E4GT.
As far as dropped data goes, it looks like more of a bad batch of phones. My first GN would drop 4G constantly. I got a replacement and this one never drops data. Keeps 4G consistently. I also haven't had a problem with calls as others have mentioned.
I do not think any other phone on Verizon offers what the GN does but other devices I would would fall right below in line would be the Rezound and Razr Maxx.
For the GN, make sure to buy the extended battery as you will need it. Verizon online has it on sale for $24.99 and it barely makes the device and larger then stock. I would aslo suggest ordering the phone from Amazon as they sell it for $99 and their customer service rocks!
Ahh okay so AT&T hs faster speeds with the HSPA versus EVDO cdma 3g? Then its a no brainer to go with AT&T if I want faster speeds..
martonikaj said:
The theoretical max speeds for EVDO rev A are only 3.1mbps down / 800kbps up. And those aren't real world. Expect the low 2mbps range.
CDMA carriers have atrocious 3G speeds compared to GSM carriers. UMTS beats EVDO easily, HSPA even more-so.
This is why you're seeing Verizon push LTE so hard, because it gives them the speed advantage again. It also offers them simultaneous voice + data, and the eventual move to VoLTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true. CDMA 3g technology speeds is considerably slower in relation to 3g speeds on a GSM network...... However, CDMA Technology does provide a more stable and reliable network with far fewer dropped calls. That is one of the reasons why Verizon is consistently rated #1 in the US year after year. In the past, it was a trade off (slower data for better reliability). Today, the fact that Verizon has the only real 4G LTE network infrastructure makes the decision now a no-brainer.
Sent from GNexus w/AOKP & franco.kernel

VZW Galaxy Nexus known issue with signal strength

VZW Galaxy Nexus next to HTC 4G LTE Phone look at signal strength difference.
Verizon should pull these phones until they have a fix. At my house my VZW 4G LTE Hotspot had full strength and friends VZW Iphone had full bars 3G.
My VZW Galaxy Nexus had 1 LTE bar sometimes but mostly 2 3G Bars.
Needless to say it went back. How dare they sell this defective phone?
Then they had the audacity to charge me a restocking fee after 2 days. The phone line is defective.
All I can say is I just cancelled my FIOS and my LTE Hotspot and returned this phone and will NEVER deal with Verizon Again.
I can't post a link to the image but if you go to nothingelseleft .com /2.jpg you will see a picture of the Nexus vs an HTC right next to it.
HTC 4g lte? And can you post pics of actual signal strength? Bars are not a good indicator
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Welcome to old news as of December 2011.
Lets pull a phone from Sprint, and lets compare to it to a phone on Verizon for signal differences.
Sounds like a good idea to me, how bout you guys?
And for the love of GOD, look at actual performance, not bars. Even dbm can be dressed up to look nice by manufacturers. Bars don't mean crap. HTC added an update to the Dinc2 that added a 5th signal bar. So tell me, do you think it has better reception with that 5th bar?
scoobdude said:
HTC 4g lte? And can you post pics of actual signal strength? Bars are not a good indicator
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nothingelseleft .com /2.jpg I cannot post the image.
In fact can someone more senior post my pic of the signal strengths?
nothingelseleft .com /2.jpg
Finally, pic for the lazy.
My Bad one on left was Wifi affecting the dBM, but I did try other phones in store and saw much better dBM still big differences but maybe not that big. Took a picture of this one as it was adjacent.
All I know is performance at my office is far worse than other VZW LTE phones, performance at home is unacceptable 1 bar LTE sometimes but usually 2 3G whereas a VZW Iphone is solid 4 bars 3G
njcobra10tha said:
My Bad one on left was Wifi affecting the dBM, but I did try other phones in store and saw much better dBM still big differences but maybe not that big. Took a picture of this one as it was adjacent.
All I know is performance at my office is far worse than other VZW LTE phones, performance at home is unacceptable 1 bar LTE sometimes but usually 2 3G whereas a VZW Iphone is solid 4 bars 3G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Horrible test.
Rezound = Gingerbread
Nexus = ICS
ICS is the first verison of Android to natively read LTE DBM and separate from EvDo. What you reported on the Rezound was EvDo DBM.
PS--Wifi doesn't affect DBM.
Why horrible test, I couldn't keep a 4G connection at my house but VZW LTE Hotspot was solid and fast. At work I have 2 bars and it keeps flipping to 3G whereas Thunderbolts stay solid 4 bars 4G. Phone has problem and VZW confirmed the problem!
adrynalyne said:
Horrible test.
Rezound = Gingerbread
Nexus = ICS
ICS is the first verison of Android to natively read LTE DBM and separate from EvDo. What you reported on the Rezound was EvDo DBM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I already explained why that test/screenshot was horrible. It went over your head, so I see no reason to explain further.
I could let you read about it, I guess.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5254/investigating-the-galaxy-nexus-lte-signal-issue
In the same place where my Thunderbolt dropped signal as much as my Nexus does:
I can live with that being on a fringe area.
njcobra10tha said:
Phone has problem and VZW confirmed the problem!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only "problem" Verizon ever confirmed was that the Nexus didn't cheat enough on signal. They "fixed" the issue in the leaked 4.0.4 build.
Oh and to prove that the Galaxy Nexus handles bars and signals differently between 3G and LTE:
This is without moving the phone an inch, 3G and 4G just to back up adrynalyne's info.
I would kill for LTE that strong...
Verizon gives me just a small taste of LTE.
adrynalyne said:
I would kill for LTE that strong...
Verizon gives me just a small taste of LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Luckily that is at my desk at work, I actually get a bit stronger at home (Which technically isn't in 4G according to Verizon's "Coverage Maps").
miketoasty said:
Luckily that is at my desk at work, I actually get a bit stronger at home (Which technically isn't in 4G according to Verizon's "Coverage Maps").
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't even get a taste at home. I get a signal that is around for about 3 seconds. They mock me.
Which is sad because I have a tower next door, but I guess because it is owned by ATT, they will lease for 3G but not LTE.
WHOA no need to be nasty. First off NOTHING goes over my head so thanks very little for the insult. I re-read it and get it. I was pumped up and upset that I wasted hours at lunch and now I temporarily lost my cell # until it can be ported back to T-Mobile hopefully within 24 hours.
Perhaps that test is not an accurate comparison but the fact is that I can't maintain a 4G connection at my house and the 3G is too slow and is only 2 bars. The phone is subpar and VZW admits it. When I spoke to Technical support they said there is a fix coming.
adrynalyne said:
I already explained why that test/screenshot was horrible. It went over your head, so I see no reason to explain further.
I could let you read about it, I guess.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5254/investigating-the-galaxy-nexus-lte-signal-issue
In the same place where my Thunderbolt dropped signal as much as my Nexus does:
I can live with that being on a fringe area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
njcobra10tha said:
WHOA no need to be nasty. First off NOTHING goes over my head so thanks very little for the insult. I re-read it and get it. I was pumped up and upset that I wasted hours at lunch and now I temporarily lost my cell # until it can be ported back to T-Mobile hopefully within 24 hours.
Perhaps that test is not an accurate comparison but the fact is that I can't maintain a 4G connection at my house and the 3G is too slow and is only 2 bars. The phone is subpar and VZW admits it. When I spoke to Technical support they said there is a fix coming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is tech strategy to get you off the phone and out of their life.
Techs don't have ETAs on fixes or patches. 'Soon' could mean a day, or 6 months. So no, Verizon hasn't admitted to a problem.
Do I get worse readings than my other devices? Sure. Does it equate to worse performance? Not for me. Sorry it does for you. I ignore signal readings and bars.
adrynalyne said:
I don't even get a taste at home. I get a signal that is around for about 3 seconds. They mock me.
Which is sad because I have a tower next door, but I guess because it is owned by ATT, they will lease for 3G but not LTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just get a Rezound! You will be fine.... until it get's ICS.

Is HSDPA 7.2Mbps the fastest people are getting with US T-Mobile?

According to Network Signal Widget, i'm connected to HSDPA 7.2Mbps and through Settings > About Phone > HSDPA: 9
Speedtest results are 4000-5000kbps down and 2000kbps up consistently.
the fastest ive seen in the nyc area was just under 11mbps.
Someone had an issue before that it was saying he was on HSDPA and it was because his baseband and RIL did not match. Might be worth looking into.
the baseband and RIL are already updated to the UGLC1. I never did a speed test before the update though, but the widget showed 7.2mbps still.
i'm perfectly happy with the speeds i'm getting now, a lot better than Sprint's haha. just curious if there's still potential untapped on my end.
tracerit said:
the baseband and RIL are already updated to the UGLC1. I never did a speed test before the update though, but the widget showed 7.2mbps still.
i'm perfectly happy with the speeds i'm getting now, a lot better than Sprint's haha. just curious if there's still potential untapped on my end.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just could be your particular area or congestion.
...
Your speed is comparable to results I got with ATT 3G. Some T-Mobile mobile phones support HSPA+ 42Mbps theoretically, the Nexus is HSPA+ 21Mbps, so it depends on the phone spec too. The fastest in speedtest I got with a T-Mobile SII was 24Mbps.
are you the user giving every thread 1-star? lots of 1-star ratings on the front page.
I've been on Tblowbile, Spurnt, and Veryzoned in the last year or so....I can compare more accurately than most.
Since I'm near the beach in southern California I have the luxury of pegging the signal strengths on every phone I've used.
Tmo here is hspa42....fastest I ever got was about 12Mbps down and the system seems locked at 1.5Mbps up (it never deviates higher or lower).
Spurned here is WiMax (and switching to LTE soon) ....Usually get about 12Mbps down and 3-4Mbps up.
Verizon here is LTE.....I've clocked 35Mbps + down and 14-15Mbps up.
In case you think I was lagging on phones I currently have a Gnex, before that a Motorola Photon, before that a Evo3D, before that a Evo4G, before that a GalaxyS Vibrant....and so on and so on.
n2ishun said:
I've been on Tblowbile, Spurnt, and Veryzoned in the last year or so....I can compare more accurately than most.
Since I'm near the beach in southern California I have the luxury of pegging the signal strengths on every phone I've used.
Tmo here is hspa42....fastest I ever got was about 12Mbps down and the system seems locked at 1.5Mbps up (it never deviates higher or lower).
Spurned here is WiMax (and switching to LTE soon) ....Usually get about 12Mbps down and 3-4Mbps up.
Verizon here is LTE.....I've clocked 35Mbps + down and 14-15Mbps up.
In case you think I was lagging on phones I currently have a Gnex, before that a Motorola Photon, before that a Evo3D, before that a Evo4G, before that a GalaxyS Vibrant....and so on and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter that T-Mobile has HSPA42 where you are because the phone can only handle HSPA21..
tracerit said:
are you the user giving every thread 1-star? lots of 1-star ratings on the front page.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of poor material threads in General that end up being transferred here after being downrated all to hell. Note: I generally don't rate threads.
n2ishun said:
I've been on Tblowbile, Spurnt, and Veryzoned in the last year or so....I can compare more accurately than most.
Since I'm near the beach in southern California I have the luxury of pegging the signal strengths on every phone I've used.
Tmo here is hspa42....fastest I ever got was about 12Mbps down and the system seems locked at 1.5Mbps up (it never deviates higher or lower).
Spurned here is WiMax (and switching to LTE soon) ....Usually get about 12Mbps down and 3-4Mbps up.
Verizon here is LTE.....I've clocked 35Mbps + down and 14-15Mbps up.
In case you think I was lagging on phones I currently have a Gnex, before that a Motorola Photon, before that a Evo3D, before that a Evo4G, before that a GalaxyS Vibrant....and so on and so on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best I've done myself on Gnex:
I get HSDPA: 9 on average but when I start downloading, after a few seconds it kicks to HSPAP:15. I thought it was a battery saving feature?
As a sprint user in Chicago, I hate all of you I would kill just to get 1Mbps on my gnex.
Sent from my Sprint Galaxy Nexus CDMA using Tapatalk 2

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