Develop Bugs

Thunderbolt to nexus signal issues?

running rooted/stock 4.03 LTE galaxy nexus and the signal drops ... ALOT i was wondering what radios people were using and if you could recommend me another one to try out and see how that goes, the handshake between 3g/4g is pretty bad to, i remember i went through about 200 combos of 3g/4g radios w/ the tbolt before i found a good one, hope its not the same here.

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.

Anyway to improve the signal on the nexus

First i switched to verizon from att and got a razr and i used to get full bars signal on it but i switched it for the nexus and now i only get one bar or two if im lucky
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

pumasmedina7 said:
First i switched to verizon from att and got a razr and i used to get full bars signal on it but i switched it for the nexus and now i only get one bar or two if im lucky
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can thank the people who complained their signal bar was reporting too strong. Seriously. (Well, that and the fact that Motorola has the best radios.)
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Just to support a fellow Gnex owner. I had a sony x10 and yeah, it definitely pulled in a signal much better than my Gnex.

you cant compare motorola radios to samsung. Moto makes the best radio on a phone with the exception of blackberry while samsung makes one of the worst. But i find that samsung has improved since the captivate. This is the only thing i really missed about my Atrix.

Combination of 3 things here.
1) The signal displayed on the Galaxy Nexus is the actual signal strength, whereas the RAZR likes to be generous with holding onto signal bars and over-display your actual strength.
2) On the Galaxy Nexus, when connected to LTE, the signal bars show your actual LTE signal strength (as reported by the phone settings). The RAZR will show your 3G signal strength in bars, even when connected to LTE. The best way to compare signals between the two is look at the Settings > About phone > Status, and compare specific dBm's.
3) The RAZR (and most Moto phones, honestly) just have better radio hardware. They blow Samsung out of the water.

do you have any connectivity issues? dropped calls? low data speeds?
if not then why do you even care how many bars you have? would you be happier if it always displayed full bars no matter what??
Different manufacturers use different algorithm to determine the graphical representation of signal strength in dbm. The actual performance is what matters.
If you do have problems then it might be your radio. What radio are you using right now?

ArmanUV said:
do you have any connectivity issues? dropped calls? low data speeds?
if not then why do you even care how many bars you have? would you be happier if it always displayed full bars no matter what??
Different manufacturers use different algorithm to determine the graphical representation of signal strength in dbm. The actual performance is what matters.
If you do have problems then it might be your radio. What radio are you using right now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes to all your questions. Is a fact, the GN reception sucks. Places where you get 2 bars of LTE on any other phone, on the nexus you'll drop to 3G.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Dxtra said:
Yes to all your questions. Is a fact, the GN reception sucks. Places where you get 2 bars of LTE on any other phone, on the nexus you'll drop to 3G.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have cdma so I can't comment on that. my gsm gnexus has decent reception, dare I say better than my iphone 4.
Have you tried the new 4.0.4 radios?

Hi, recently i upgraded to Codename 1.4.0 -4.0.3 CDMA and noticed improvements... Phone has better signal strength and actually works faster after upgrade.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[Q] Gnexus Signal/Wifi Quality?

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.
Click to expand...
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

Coverage/Reception

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.