Develop Bugs

Signal problems, what are my options?

As many, many other users of the galaxy nexus have reported, I am having some miserable signal problems. Obviously, CDMA nexus here.
I wish the issue was only that the signal on my phone is bad, but unfortunately it extends beyond that: my entire signal is lost at times. Usually it's intermittent and will happen 4 or 5 times a day for only 30 seconds at most at a time, but sometime (Usually late at night), it will lose its signal for even an hour or two, and I'll watch the battery plummet from as high as 54% to 0 as it searches for a signal the whole time.
I realize this is nothing new for some, but I almost feel like the problem went away for the whole world except for me, due to the low volume of threads related to the issue at all on the boards here. At least, recent ones.
What are my options? I don't really like the idea of trading in my nexus for a refurbished phone. Is 4.03 supposed to solve this problem? I had also read that rooting and flashing radios doesn't make much of a difference. To those of you with the CDMA nexus, what have you done to alleviate this problem? Or are you waiting patiently for an update?
Thank you in advance.

If bought new then return as faulty. Easiest solution.
sent from my Nexus Prime using XDA app

Daramue said:
I realize this is nothing new for some, but I almost feel like the problem went away for the whole world except for me, due to the low volume of threads related to the issue at all on the boards here. At least, recent ones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem didn't go away. Most people had to make the decision to either live with it or trade it in on a RAZR or Rezound.
Daramue said:
What are my options?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could:
1. Trade it in for another GNex, on the "hopes" that yours is defective.
2. Trade it in for something else.
3. Live with it & wait it out on the hopes that someday Verizon will ship updated radios that will help. Current rumors say that could still be a couple of months away...
I am on the option 3 plan.
The leaked 4.0.3 radios have had limited & mixed results. For those who they do help, they don't seem to do a whole lot. There are a couple of people who had really good luck. Pretty much the same story for those of us who got Hardware version 10 phones - Haven't noticed any appreciable difference between it and the 9 I got on opening day.
Good luck!

strongergravity, thank you, that was extremely helpful; I was curious to how my fellow Nexus bretheren were dealing with the issue.
If a potential update can fix the radio, then I too will stick with number 3 as you have. Call me a masochist, but this thing is just too nice to part with.
Thank you very much for the detailed response.

Daramue said:
strongergravity, thank you, that was extremely helpful; I was curious to how my fellow Nexus bretheren were dealing with the issue.
If a potential update can fix the radio, then I too will stick with number 3 as you have. Call me a masochist, but this thing is just too nice to part with.
Thank you very much for the detailed response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just saw your thread right after I created the exact same one today! I was just wondering what you ended up doing. No one has answered definitively as to whether or not this is happening on all phones. If an exchange will fix it, I would gladly go tomorrow. I know most phones are having trouble with the 3g/4g handoff but that is not the same issue we are having. What do you think!?
Mike

Same problems I've experienced. I'm on my second gnex, same issues.
Also I pulled speed tests next to other Verizon 4g phones (razor,rezound,TB) they all had significantly higher speeds than mine . I did multiple tests around our site, they had at least twice the speed as mine.
The razr pulled three times my speed most the time. 30+mb/s vs 10
The thunderbolt was around twice as fast downloads but uploads were even.
And the rezound was double on both uploads and downloads
I used the speed test app and speakeasy online.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Another comparison I did was turning on airplane mode on and off on all phones simultaneously. And switching 3g only on/off. To see which phones would latch on to 4g first.
Again the gnex was the slowest.
I really wish we received an update to fix this I love this phone!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I posted this earlier on another thread hoping it will get more views here.
So, I'm having the same exact problems but i did a log cat to see what might be culprit.
I have narrowed it down to this:
02-08 11:21:51.912 E/IMSFW (415): IIL: Disconnected from '7467' socket
still have no idea what can cause it yet.
also if you switch to 3g it seems it doesn't happen so maybe its a sim problem on verizons lte network end?
11:22:40.029 E/IMSFW (415): ImsSMSInterface: Registration failed, go for retrying if isim nounce present
that's what i found so if anyone can clarify and maybe see if it is really on Verizons end as this is the 4th phone that has had this problem
I will be going to verizon tomorrow to "try" and get a new 4g sim card and see if that helps somewhat.

that1techguy said:
I posted this earlier on another thread hoping it will get more views here.
So, I'm having the same exact problems but i did a log cat to see what might be culprit.
I have narrowed it down to this:
02-08 11:21:51.912 E/IMSFW (415): IIL: Disconnected from '7467' socket
still have no idea what can cause it yet.
also if you switch to 3g it seems it doesn't happen so maybe its a sim problem on verizons lte network end?
11:22:40.029 E/IMSFW (415): ImsSMSInterface: Registration failed, go for retrying if isim nounce present
that's what i found so if anyone can clarify and maybe see if it is really on Verizons end as this is the 4th phone that has had this problem
I will be going to verizon tomorrow to "try" and get a new 4g sim card and see if that helps somewhat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just went to the store and swapped out my 4g sim card... I dropped two calls on the way home from the store so I'm not sure it helped at all. Hopefully it didn't make it worse though!
I also checked my speeds and service against some other phones in the store and the Droid Razr destroyed my nexus and some other stock nexus that were there usually 12mpbs vs my 8 and 1mbps upload vs their 3.

Well I got my issues fixed today I was on tech support for an hour and he suggested to go to a store and get the sim card replaced. And that solved all my issues
Another problem I had was when using the headset for calling the person on the other line would here themselves. This has also gone away, I am so relieved I love this phone and did not want to abandone it.

Well, I did a bit of a test.
I kept my phone on 3g the whole day: Signal did not drop even for a single MOMENT in the entire day. Sure, there are times where it was bad, but my connection never entirely dropped. This leads me to believe that the problem lies with transitioning between 3g and 4g, or perhaps is just entirely related to 4g.
With the LTE network, I will have anywhere between 3% - 50% time with "no signal." It's extremely annoying and I'll always watch as my battery tanks extremely fast.
Maybe it's worth replacing the SIM card or at least, pulling it and putting it back in. Posting this here for others that are troubleshooting this same problem. I'll report back.

[Q] Galaxy Nexus Dropping Data?

So normally I run my phone on Wifi because it saves battery when i'm on my university campus all day. So last night I headed off campus and so I turned off WiFi, and it didn't want to connect to data. Just sat there (with full service) but no data connectivity. So I rebooted the phone. still no connection, turned on airplane mode and then back off, now it worked but only for about 3 minutes I had 4G with blue sync and everything, then it dropped off. I went out into a rural area and I kept having full signal but no 3G. So I thought it was the rom. I was running AOKP b25 (Team Kang) so I just updated to Milestone 4. Everything was going well in initial setup of the phone, I had 4G signal, then halfway through setup the 4G dropped off. So I turned on Wifi and got everything setup. Turned off Wifi and it hooked to 4G almost immediately. Then about 3 minutes later, it dropped again. So at this point i'm really hoping it's not my phone and it's Verizon. I've never had a single issue before (i've had the phone since December) with data not connecting like this. It just started last night, which made me think it was Verizon and maybe it had to do with the Solar Flares or something? Has anyone had a similar issue and have any idea of what I might try?

Hi
I was just about to post the same thing. I'm experiencing the same, Data and service keeps dropping, I just got the phone Wednesday and since then It's been doing it. It's very frustrating, and I'm also on Verizon.
Someone else experiencing the same? Could Verizon be the responsible here and not the phone?

And if it helps, i'm located in Norman, OK

JGeZau said:
Hi
I was just about to post the same thing. I'm experiencing the same, Data and service keeps dropping, I just got the phone Wednesday and since then It's been doing it. It's very frustrating, and I'm also on Verizon.
Someone else experiencing the same? Could Verizon be the responsible here and not the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the phone, there's numerous threads about it (the Verizon version.) There's an expected software fix supposedly coming out this month sometime to fix it, that's all we know.

If it's the phone and an update will fix it, then why is it still doing it with a custom ROM? Do the custom ROMs not have the fix in place? I was under the impression that most of the things Verizon releases OTA to fix issues dont' happen in custom ROMS.

zacelliott said:
And if it helps, i'm located in Norman, OK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, we are 4hr away from each other. I'm in Rogers AR
spencer88 said:
It's the phone, there's numerous threads about it (the Verizon version.) There's an expected software fix supposedly coming out this month sometime to fix it, that's all we know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you I'll start digging up in some other threads

zacelliott said:
If it's the phone and an update will fix it, then why is it still doing it with a custom ROM? Do the custom ROMs not have the fix in place? I was under the impression that most of the things Verizon releases OTA to fix issues dont' happen in custom ROMS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung is going to hopefully release a radio update that fixes it, which isn't found in custom rom's because it hasn't been released outside of samsung yet.

It's kinda weird though that this JUST happened last night suddenly, the signal has been flawless since I bought it so that's why I thought it was Verizon because I guess I figured if it was the phone it would have been doing it all along and not stop working all of a sudden.

It's the phone and a software update won't fix it. I've tried every radio out there, none solved the issue. I got the phone swapped over a week ago, it is still stock, and the issue hasn't returned. Theres an ongoing thread over at rootz about this.
I can't post the link but it's there. many members are reporting that replacing the device solves the issue.

this was verizon. it happened to me, went away by itself.
that being said, ive had the best handoffs using the 4.0.4 and 4.0.3 radios. try one of those, or a hybrid package.

I went to the Verizon store and they gave me a new SIM Card. Now it works!

willstilson said:
It's the phone and a software update won't fix it. I've tried every radio out there, none solved the issue. I got the phone swapped over a week ago, it is still stock, and the issue hasn't returned. Theres an ongoing thread over at rootz about this.
I can't post the link but it's there. many members are reporting that replacing the device solves the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First of all you don't know what you're talking about. It may be a hardware issue it may be a software issue. There is no way to tell at this point. You are trying leaked radios, good job that proves nothing. If Samsung is aware of the issue and working on a new radio you haven't tried it yet. Sit back and relax until the update comes out. Then we can go from there.

SirVilhelm said:
First of all you don't know what you're talking about. It may be a hardware issue it may be a software issue. There is no way to tell at this point. You are trying leaked radios, good job that proves nothing. If Samsung is aware of the issue and working on a new radio you haven't tried it yet. Sit back and relax until the update comes out. Then we can go from there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow dude, no need to get insulting. I was merely sharing my experience with a frustrated OP. If you want to blindly believe that there can't be anything wrong with certain devices, until the manufacturer comes out and says it, then more power to you. You are the consumer that ever manufacturer loves. Myself and many others over at Rootzwiki have found success by having our devices replaced. When I tell you that it is night and day difference, it is not a lie.
I agree with you about the leaked radios. If they don't work then it proves nothing. They are leaked and probably not finished. The reason I mentioned them in the first place is because many people tend to suggest trying them to solve signal issues. I was explaining that I have tried them and it did not work. What worked was swapping the defective phone.

[Q] Is there an external for the SGH-T989 ?

External antenna
I activated my phone yesterday and my signal is weak and very spotty. Sometimes I can get as high as 4 bars, most times 1 or none. If I can't get something to boost the signal, I'll have to sell my phone and look for something else. Is there anything sold or any mod I can do to boost my signal? Many thanks, for any help I can get.

ardent_phoenix said:
External antenna
I activated my phone yesterday and my signal is weak and very spotty. Sometimes I can get as high as 4 bars, most times 1 or none. If I can't get something to boost the signal, I'll have to sell my phone and look for something else. Is there anything sold or any mod I can do to boost my signal? Many thanks, for any help I can get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a different radio. Mr x just reactivated the links in his thread
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

capcanuck said:
Try a different radio. Mr x just reactivated the links in his thread
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have patience with me. This is my first smartphone. I don't know what a radio is in this context and who and where can I find this Mr x thread?

ok I now know what a radio is, but is a hacked version better than the stock version that came with my phone. I just got it yesterday and I don't want to mess anything up. I don't know enough about this stuff to fool around with it just yet. I am trying to learn so that I can IMPROVE it's functionality. Notice improve, if it will not work better than stock, what's the need to change anything?

ardent_phoenix said:
ok I now know what a radio is, but is a hacked version better than the stock version that came with my phone. I just got it yesterday and I don't want to mess anything up. I don't know enough about this stuff to fool around with it just yet. I am trying to learn so that I can IMPROVE it's functionality. Notice improve, if it will not work better than stock, what's the need to change anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Radios give different mileage depending on your location. Which is why the above poster suggested trying different radios because in your particular area you might get better reception with a radio other than stock. You'll need to have your phone rooted in order to flash new radios.

Thank you for the quick reply. If I can't find a hardware solution, I may gather the courage to try a new radio. Is this the software or is it firmware, that I need for the T989?
http://www.androidfilehost.com/.mrx/..._Kj3_radio.zip:)

ardent_phoenix said:
Thank you for the quick reply. If I can't find a hardware solution, I may gather the courage to try a new radio. Is this the software or is it firmware, that I need for the T989?
http://www.androidfilehost.com/.mrx/..._Kj3_radio.zip:)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what that list of files is but whatever it is, it's not applicable to our phone either way. The galaxy s2 they have listed is the I9100 which is the international version. We are sgh-t989 and any software or firmware is not cross platform.

Ardent are you in the Phoenix area? If so the kl1 modem is the best.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

capcanuck said:
Ardent are you in the Phoenix area? If so the kl1 modem is the best.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I am in Appomattox, VA. I live in the county, not the actual town. I know for sure that I am 7 miles from a Novatel tower. I get mostly a signal with 2 to 3 bars, that's between -100 and -92, respectively. I an using a U727 data stick on Ntelos 3G network. It wasn't always that way. I used to get practically no signal, until I cleared all the trees on my property.
I got the link in my last post from the following link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426001
and it says at the top of the page that it is for the SGH-T989 series, that would make one believe that our phone is supported by it. I believe that it was derived from the SGH-T989D to be exact.
Someone please chime in, if I'm wrong. I have been getting, what I believe to be a lot of contradictory info here and for a newbie such as myself, that will only impede my progress and send me scurrying post haste to some other "authority" on the subject.
There does not seem to be anyone here who will correct faulty procedures. I understand that no one here is liable for bad advice, but believing that many here are proficient at modifying these devices, people come here to seek advice.
I need to increase my signal, either by hardware or script, can someone please help me resolve this issue?

ardent_phoenix said:
No, I am in Appomattox, VA. I live in the county, not the actual town. I know for sure that I am 7 miles from a Novatel tower. I get mostly a signal with 2 to 3 bars, that's between -100 and -92, respectively. I an using a U727 data stick on Ntelos 3G network. It wasn't always that way. I used to get practically no signal, until I cleared all the trees on my property.
I got the link in my last post from the following link:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1426001
and it says at the top of the page that it is for the SGH-T989 series, that would make one believe that our phone is supported by it. I believe that it was derived from the SGH-T989D to be exact.
Someone please chime in, if I'm wrong. I have been getting, what I believe to be a lot of contradictory info here and for a newbie such as myself, that will only impede my progress and send me scurrying post haste to some other "authority" on the subject.
There does not seem to be anyone here who will correct faulty procedures. I understand that no one here is liable for bad advice, but believing that many here are proficient at modifying these devices, people come here to seek advice.
I need to increase my signal, either by hardware or script, can someone please help me resolve this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you don't really need to because you can always return everything and get out of contract without ETF since you just activated. Just saying you can use it as a trial run and if reception sucks you can go somewhere else. You can try the radios but for what it's worth, might not produce any results.
You can probably safety use any of the ones in the link you have, and I think anything that screws up is recoverable. Any screwup will just mean you get no signal at all. Just flash back to the stock one which you can easily find with search.

8Fishes said:
you don't really need to because you can always return everything and get out of contract without ETF since you just activated. Just saying you can use it as a trial run and if reception sucks you can go somewhere else. You can try the radios but for what it's worth, might not produce any results.
You can probably safety use any of the ones in the link you have, and I think anything that screws up is recoverable. Any screwup will just mean you get no signal at all. Just flash back to the stock one which you can easily find with search.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I am not in a contract. I would have to sell my phone, which I really like. I am using T-mobile prepaid. I bought the phone on eBay for $500. It has a clean IMIE as verified by T-Mobile Customer Service. I have bought over $125 in accessories also and would lose too much selling everything.
So I prefer to try to resolve my weak signal dilemma before taking such drastic action. Is there anybody out there that can help?

ardent_phoenix said:
No I am not in a contract. I would have to sell my phone, which I really like. I am using T-mobile prepaid. I bought the phone on eBay for $500. It has a clean IMIE as verified by T-Mobile Customer Service. I have bought over $125 in accessories also and would lose too much selling everything.
So I prefer to try to resolve my weak signal dilemma before taking such drastic action. Is there anybody out there that can help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still same problem, anybody Please help.

For those with data drop issues. Read this.

Go here and see the issue. http://code.google.com/p/android/is...s Owner Summary Stars&groupby=&sort=&id=28133
I don't believe this is the fault of any ROM but actually a problem with Android/Google. So post in this thread and maybe when Google wakes up one day they will fix the issue. It killed me to see they rate the issue as Medium and not critical or at least Major!

this is a radio issue specific to quality control by samsung. issue has been addressed method of fix is to call in for replacement device

Thanks for the input, can you please supply me the official Google or Samsung news that this is a bug by Samsung and we should RMA it.

gaming09 said:
this is a radio issue specific to quality control by samsung. issue has been addressed method of fix is to call in for replacement device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=26009296#post26009296
I found your post and sorry to say but I don't buy it. Google has already stated they know about the problem with data drops, I posted the actual thread tracking the issue. I suggest that others post there too and say they have the problem. More posts = more attention. There is absolutely nothing there saying Samsung is at fault. But please, I am open to any ticket or comment from Samsung acknowledging that my phone is a lemon.

Qualcomm makes the radio in the Nexus. Don't see how Samsung is at fault at all.
Not to mention, Google chose it and closely monitors development.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

noticed the problem the first time i accessed the play pen. i have had my phone for only a few hours.

I just spoke with a Samsung rep over their Live Chat line on their site. They have no such issue with radio's for the Nexus model. No recall and no news announcements about this issue. She said to me that they are unaware of any problems of data drop with the phone, she apologized for the problems and suggested that I contact Google about the problem. I wanted to confirm after that guy responded here about RMA'ing the phone. Did not make any sense and there are LOTS of people with the problem. It all started with 4.0.4. I imagine we will see a fix for this issue soon. Like I said, more people who post they have the issue the faster it will get resolved.

Flukester69 said:
I just spoke with a Samsung rep over their Live Chat line on their site. They have no such issue with radio's for the Nexus model. No recall and no news announcements about this issue. She said to me that they are unaware of any problems of data drop with the phone, she apologized for the problems and suggested that I contact Google about the problem. I wanted to confirm after that guy responded here about RMA'ing the phone. Did not make any sense and there are LOTS of people with the problem. It all started with 4.0.4. I imagine we will see a fix for this issue soon. Like I said, more people who post they have the issue the faster it will get resolved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lots of people is relative. usually people with problems scream the largest, but what is the % of those people in relation to the total number of phones sold.
samsung/google are the only ones that know that magic number.

Has anyone tried this? I will give it a go when I get off work....
Edit.sorry wrong link
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=24545086&postcount=73
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Smokeey said:
Qualcomm makes the radio in the Nexus. Don't see how Samsung is at fault at all.
Not to mention, Google chose it and closely monitors development.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Samsung has branded the CDMA radio, and VIA makes the LTE radio. Not sure who does the GSM one.
It might have licensed Qualcomm tech in it, but they arent Qualcomm radios.

Zepius said:
lots of people is relative. usually people with problems scream the largest, but what is the % of those people in relation to the total number of phones sold.
samsung/google are the only ones that know that magic number.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the problem is pretty rampant and probably more so for GSM users. I doubt Samsung can tell you how many GSM vs CDMA user there are. I don't just frequent this site, I frequent dozens of others sites and the problem is reported on all sites. That tells me MANY people are having the problem. I'd like to keep this thread on topic rather than detract from the problem at hand. Thanks.

Flukester69 said:
Go here and see the issue. http://code.google.com/p/android/is...s Owner Summary Stars&groupby=&sort=&id=28133
I don't believe this is the fault of any ROM but actually a problem with Android/Google. So post in this thread and maybe when Google wakes up one day they will fix the issue. It killed me to see they rate the issue as Medium and not critical or at least Major!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know this article was addressed in IMM76I, right?

adrynalyne said:
You know this article was addressed in IMM76I, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All I know that I'm on 76I and still getting massive signal drops. Very frustrating. Tried dozens of different ROMS, kernels, radios, clock speeds, etc.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

What if you go back to 4.0.2?

Have the same issue as those that are complaining about the data drop issue.
1, after upgraded to stock 4.0.4, the reported issue starts happening.
2, I tried custom ROM, AOKP. Same issue.
3, I reverted back to 4.0.2 stock. The issue does not persist.
4, I upgraded back to 4.0.4 stock. The issue exist.
5, I flashed AOKP again and installed GetRIL from Google Play. Downgraded the RIL to 4.0.3. Issue seems to be resolved.
For about a month now, I haven't noticed data drop issue. Seems to be a valid workaround for the time being until Google fix the bug.
I'm on:
- GNex Maguro Yakuju, UK version.
- T-Mobile US
- LA area
Hope this helps.

adrynalyne said:
What if you go back to 4.0.2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its to my belief that prior versions whether it be 4.0.2 or .3 does not have this issue. I think its mainly the fact that we no longer cannot change our settings under the *#*#4636#*#* to GSM auto from WCDMA which I believe is partly at fault here.
Correct me if I'm wrong. I really want to be able to change it to GSM auto since it still forces HSPA+ even in bad signal areas instead of reverting to edge.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

chlehqls said:
Correct me if I'm wrong. I really want to be able to change it to GSM auto since it still forces HSPA+ even in bad signal areas instead of reverting to edge.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe it's the opposite> GSM auto will revert to EDGE sooner. WCDMA preferred will try to stick to 3G even with very low signal

Wow, a lot of people posted in that thread. I wonder if Google even reads that stuff or even cares.

I've suffered data drops since 4.0.1... tried lots of roms and kernels, but it keeps happening. GSM, Orange network, Madrid.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

gbalerdi said:
I believe it's the opposite> GSM auto will revert to EDGE sooner. WCDMA preferred will try to stick to 3G even with very low signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what I meant, my sentence came out wrong since I was rapidly typing on the phone. Where I commute, I have pockets of low HSPA+ signals and currently it refuses to go to edge because of the changes on 4.0.4..
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA

How to Increase Signal in my Apartment?

I recently moved in to a new apartment for college and unfortunately my signal is very poor while inside the building.
This is really the only place on campus that I don't get great signal unless I get close to the window and pray that my phone decides to connect.
I've briefly looked into possible solutions but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions/opinions on what I should/ could do.
I briefly looked into the Sprint AIRAVE, which I should be able to get. However, unless I can get it for free then I really don't see it as a viable solution, especially since my contract is up soon and I can just move to another carrier.
At this point I see my options being:
1. Get the AIRAVE.
2. Purchase a 3RD party signal booster (If cheaper than Sprint one).
3. Come up with some kind of DIY solution
4. Change some things on my phone in the hope that it improves.
5. Switch to another carrier.
What do you guys suggest doing/ think is the best option?
Are there ay other options I've missed?
Current Setup on my Epic 4g:
Rom: CM9 STABLE build from 8/10
Kernal: Shadow v0.6.3.3
PRL: FC09

I suggest option #1: Call Sprint and throw a fit, and have them provide you an airave

You may be better off with option 5.
The Airave is more of a cop-out solution for Sprint and their craptastic network. However, if it works for you then by all means go with it.
I've been with them for over 10 years now and haven't seen much network improvement in my city in the last 5 years. There are big patches of dead and weak signal spots all over. Hell, I can step outside my office building and find a dead spot in one 5 foot span, then move out of that span and be in a 3-signal strength spot.
I'm waiting a bit longer to see if their network will improve in my area. Otherwise, I will most likely jump carriers.

nikon120 said:
You may be better off with option 5.
The Airave is more of a cop-out solution for Sprint and their craptastic network. However, if it works for you then by all means go with it.
I've been with them for over 10 years now and haven't seen much network improvement in my city in the last 5 years. There are big patches of dead and weak signal spots all over. Hell, I can step outside my office building and find a dead spot in one 5 foot span, then move out of that span and be in a 3-signal strength spot.
I'm waiting a bit longer to see if their network will improve in my area. Otherwise, I will most likely jump carriers.
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My family has used them for about 10 years total, with a brief break when we lived in england. I've never really had any problems with getting signal where I needed it before now. But yeah, at this point they better make a good offer if they want me to stay with them.

So I called sprint, they wanted me to go through some troubleshooting stuff and ended up asking me if I was rooted.
I had a bunch of back and forth with him and he claimed that being rooted/not on stock caused my phone to show no "vital signs" and that even if I am using the proper PRL it doesn't matter. Everything he said sounded like a bunch of policy stuff and he never gave a clear explanation of why it mattered if I am rooted. Anyways he said I could restore to stock/factory settings and then he would call me back latter and we would troubleshoot stuff.
I am going to be doing the flowing:
1. Backup everything
2. Odin back to stock (non-rooted + update)
3. Go through the troubleshooting, even though I know it won't make a difference.
4. Hopefully get the AIRAVE for free.
5. Go back to my current setup.
I've also noticed that turning 4G on may actually make a difference in signal (Since there is 4G in atlanta).
Does anyone have in thoughts about this?
Am I wrong in saying that being rooted has NO effect on connectivity?

GuidingArrow said:
So I called sprint, they wanted me to go through some troubleshooting stuff and ended up asking me if I was rooted.
I had a bunch of back and forth with him and he claimed that being rooted/not on stock caused my phone to show no "vital signs" and that even if I am using the proper PRL it doesn't matter. Everything he said sounded like a bunch of policy stuff and he never gave a clear explanation of why it mattered if I am rooted. Anyways he said I could restore to stock/factory settings and then he would call me back latter and we would troubleshoot stuff.
I am going to be doing the flowing:
1. Backup everything
2. Odin back to stock (non-rooted + update)
3. Go through the troubleshooting, even though I know it won't make a difference.
4. Hopefully get the AIRAVE for free.
5. Go back to my current setup.
I've also noticed that turning 4G on may actually make a difference in signal (Since there is 4G in atlanta).
Does anyone have in thoughts about this?
Am I wrong in saying that being rooted has NO effect on connectivity?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do anything with Sprint that involves troubleshooting, you should be on 100% stock. Also, never admit to rooting, even though there is that PDF from internal Sprint mail around these forums saying it's basically okay for customers to be rooted. It's way easier to just get back on stock and step through troubleshooting, than dealing with a script following CSR on the matter.
It takes an experienced flasher all of 3 minutes to get from stock back to previous setup or a new custom setup. So not a big deal.
Turning on 4G is an entirely different radio; hence you would have differing signal strengths from 4G to 3G.

GuidingArrow said:
I recently moved in to a new apartment for college and unfortunately my signal is very poor while inside the building.
This is really the only place on campus that I don't get great signal unless I get close to the window and pray that my phone decides to connect.
I've briefly looked into possible solutions but wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions/opinions on what I should/ could do.
I briefly looked into the Sprint AIRAVE, which I should be able to get. However, unless I can get it for free then I really don't see it as a viable solution, especially since my contract is up soon and I can just move to another carrier.
At this point I see my options being:
1. Get the AIRAVE.
2. Purchase a 3RD party signal booster (If cheaper than Sprint one).
3. Come up with some kind of DIY solution
4. Change some things on my phone in the hope that it improves.
5. Switch to another carrier.
What do you guys suggest doing/ think is the best option?
Are there ay other options I've missed?
Current Setup on my Epic 4g:
Rom: CM9 STABLE build from 8/10
Kernal: Shadow v0.6.3.3
PRL: FC09
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Maybe try the nexus modem and see if that improves signal. Some people say it has and got rid of dropped calls. Samsung is notorious for making awful modems, but Google made the Nexus one, so it is better for me and most people who have tried it.

I know really shouldn't have admitted to being rooted but I think I kind of wanted to argue with him about it, just to see what kind of reasoning they give.
And yeah, flashing back to my previous setup shouldn't be too hard. I already know for a fact that going to stock won't solve the problem,
I'm still testing the 4G thing since I can't really confirm if it is actually boosting the signal or not.
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@xboxfanj: I thought about trying that the other day. I have to be on a CM7 rom to use it, correct?

GuidingArrow said:
I know really shouldn't have admitted to being rooted but I think I kind of wanted to argue with him about it, just to see what kind of reasoning they give.
And yeah, flashing back to my previous setup shouldn't be too hard. I already know for a fact that going to stock won't solve the problem,
I'm still testing the 4G thing since I can't really confirm if it is actually boosting the signal or not.
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@xboxfanj: I thought about trying that the other day. I have to be on a CM7 rom to use it, correct?
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Click to collapse
Now there is a patch for CM10 as well. Nothing yet on stock or CM9.

Yeah I noticed that. I tried switching to PA1.99 and using the nexus modem but it didn't have any kind of effect in my apartment.
So I odined back to stock fc09.
The Sprint rep called me back, I told him it didn't have an effect (because it didn't).
He agreed to send me the AIRAVE at no charge so I should hopefully have it in a week or so.
After I get it all setup I'll update this thread with details as to whether or not it actually solves the problem.
Now time to root my phone again...

xboxfanj said:
Now there is a patch for CM10 as well. Nothing yet on stock or CM9.
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Waiting for someone to do a TW stock patch!
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium

kennyglass123 said:
Waiting for someone to do a TW stock patch!
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium
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I am dying for the cm9 patch!! So far aokp has given me my best setup (sorry KG, TPR is a very close 2nd!).
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

kennyglass123 said:
Waiting for someone to do a TW stock patch!
Sent from my PantechP4100 using xda premium
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Hopefully it'll be compatible with the touchwiz framework. Does anyone know where I can find the mtd tw device source?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk 2

Received the AIRAVE today. Took a little bit of fiddling to get it setup right.
I now get pretty consistent signal, generally 5 full bars, throughout my apartment.
My only real complaint is that it decreases my internet download speed from over 100Mb/s to around 40Mb/s.
The decrease is unavoidable since I have to use the AIRAVE router functionality in order to have it and my computer hooked up.
However it did seem to increase my upload speed by about 5Mb/s once I increased the limit it had set by default.
It also seems to causes me to receive texts twice but that may have just been a one off thing.
Overall it has solved the issue and since it was free I can't really complain.

The double text is an occasional thing and probably will never happen again. I hooked my airave to my router instead of the modem as suggested and it works just fine and does not interfere with my throughputs.

kennyglass123 said:
I hooked my airave to my router instead of the modem as suggested and it works just fine and does not interfere with my throughputs.
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This is how I have mine set up and it works perfect.

Mine is setup so that the AIRAVE connects to the wall and then to my laptop (it's probably hooked to a router/modem somewhere but it's dorm internet so I have no control over that).
It would probably be faster if I hooked it through a separate router but I don't really want to spend the money on one, and would need a pretty decent one since my school has one of the top 10 fastest internet connections in the country (if I had to guess number 3, behind the pentagon and google fiber).