My Dinc2, like everyone else's, has terrible reception. (relatively speaking). About a week ago, it went from tolerable to dropping calls like crazy. The db use to be in the 90's, but it has since pegged at 105 and stays there no matter what - indoors or outdoors, unless I'm downtown where a tower is almost in sight. WHY did this degradation happen? I flashed from the 320 radio to the 312, no change at all. I am running the Magnolia ROM, after having tried the others. The reception was doing fine up until a week ago....
Yesterday, I put my flashlight in my pocket, which has a magnetic base. When I used it later, I noticed something stuck to the magnet... it was a "U" shaped piece of metal. It was very defined, then it occurred to me it wasnt a U, it was a C. The "C" from the "HTC" on the back cover. The H and the T were already gone. So I wonder... if these being metal had anything to do with the antenna being in the back cover? Could these tiny pieces of metal be contributing to the reception? Or their loss being a determent?
If you have the metal HTC letters on your back cover, could you check your db rating then pop them out, and check it again? Strange request I know... but all in the name of science!
I would give anything for the Dinc2 to have Motorola like reception.... it's almost perfect, except for that.
I know it is a long shot, it was just a thought. The metal loading of the cover may or may not have anything to do with the reception... from what I've read the aftermarket covers do not receive as well as OEM's, so who knows.
if i took off back cover and dial *#4636#*#* i found the "db" became 105 and i put it back it goes normal,that means the antenna was integrated in back cover,so you can try do to it to find if the problem cause by back cover and order a new cover over the Amazon.
I have had this phone since May of 2011 and I never noticed that the HTC on the back cover had the metal inlays!!!!! Wow!!!! Anyway, I don't want to pop mine out but I did the same by removing the back cover and the db's also jumped to 105 for me when I did that.
Pop off your back cover and grab some tweezers or a small flat head screw driver. You'll see 4 gold prongs on the back of your phone. 2 near the camera and 2 in the bottom left corner. Gently bend those up a little bit, being careful not to break them off. Now grab a pencil with a good eraser. Look at the inside of your back cover and you will see yellow/goldish lines that line up with the prongs you just bent. Rub these lines with the eraser. Personally I would do this with my phone turned off, but that probably doesn't really matter. I suspect your reception will return to normal.
The metal letters have nothing to do with the antennas. They're located near the middle of the thinnest section of the back cover. The plastic would be thicker there if any metal or wires were running close enough for them to do anything.
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
I wasn't even having trouble with mine and did this and worked great. Thanks for the tip!!!
I bent the tabs, I tried the foil trick, I tried up and down grading the radio, and with the cover on at my house, I'm looking at 105db. I borrowed a Verizon Samsung network extender which plugs in the wall and internet router, and when I'm within 10 feet of it, my phone registers about 70db. However, it makes my GPS location about 75 miles away!
So I'm a loss... I'm grasping at straws here trying to not give up on the Dinc2.
My guess would be that a new back cover is in order then. Do you know anyone that has a Dinc2 that you could try swapping covers with?
If that doesn't work then maybe the magnet damaged your phone. Magnets can do some weird things to electronics.
Sent from my ICS Dinc2
Related
I have a European Touch Pro2 and unfortunately I managed to drop it a couple of days ago. Luckily there was no obvious damage. However, when it hit the ground the battery cover came off. I just put it back on checked for damage and carried on with a high sense of relief.
However, I have now noticed one thing that I don't know if it's always been there and I am just being paranoid or not. On the part of the back cover that covers the camera lense is there meant to be a bit of plastic or something? On my cover I can put my finger right through it and touch the lense inside the device.
I hope I am making sense here...; what I'm trying to ask is should there be a hole in the case where the camera is just above the straight talk mute button or should there be something there to keep the dust out?
Thanks.
yes there's supposed to be plastic & the actual camera lense is NOT supposed to be exposed.
I've got just a hole on the back of mine which was supplied by Orange in the UK..and it was deffinitely like it out of the box.
The US ones with the different shell may have some other arrangemment.
'tunes
yeah my vodafone uk one just has a hole, no plastic or anything to cover the lens.
Thanks guys, I was thinking of ordering another back cover but I didn't want to waste £25 just to find out it was the same. Good to see I'm just being paranoid. A plastic cover would make sense though; it seems like an invitation to dust.
I'll go back to enjoying the phone now .
any body heard of any sort of metal or steel type back for the evo? i really liked the back for the hd2 the solid cool feeling of the metal was awsome and would be a greta feature to add to the evo 4g. make it look and feel more bad ass Lol
As long as you don't want to use your compass... or apps that use it
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Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
I am no electrical engineer but I decided to have some fun doing experiments. I took a sheet of aluminum foil and placed it behind the phone. The signal strength dropped from -73 to -87. So clearly having metal over antennas will block the signal.
I also recall hearing that is why they removed the aluminum back cover from the first iPhone.
This is just a warning in case you ever do find an after market metal cover. It might hurt your signal strength and in turn battery life.
Pops_G said:
I am no electrical engineer but I decided to have some fun doing experiments. I took a sheet of aluminum foil and placed it behind the phone. The signal strength dropped from -73 to -87. So clearly having metal over antennas will block the signal.
I also recall hearing that is why they removed the aluminum back cover from the first iPhone.
This is just a warning in case you ever do find an after market metal cover. It might hurt your signal strength and in turn battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The solution would be to do what Apple did for the iPhone 4. Use the outer metal rim as the antenna. Honestly, I think it's a stroke of genius.
liquidkernel said:
The solution would be to do what Apple did for the iPhone 4. Use the outer metal rim as the antenna. Honestly, I think it's a stroke of genius.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and i bet they panted it..
liquidkernel said:
The solution would be to do what Apple did for the iPhone 4. Use the outer metal rim as the antenna. Honestly, I think it's a stroke of genius.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We will see how it plays out. I am quite sure touching an antenna with your hands reduces its signal. So that design might not work out as well as it would seem.
In my testing I found holding the EVO at different points would increase/decrease the signal. It should be the same with the iPhone.
Pops_G said:
We will see how it plays out. I am quite sure touching an antenna with your hands reduces its signal. So that design might not work out as well as it would seem.
In my testing I found holding the EVO at different points would increase/decrease the signal. It should be the same with the iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iphone 4 metal frame is surrounded the top section is the main area where they have placed the antenna circuit the rest is the design flow. so it will work good enuf, I am not trying to compete with Evo or anything bad about evo just telling you something. evo for sprint is still the best .. the Ball is in sprin't court now its up to them how they continue with it such as by updating to 2.2 and how fast these things will count.
Pops_G said:
We will see how it plays out. I am quite sure touching an antenna with your hands reduces its signal. So that design might not work out as well as it would seem.
In my testing I found holding the EVO at different points would increase/decrease the signal. It should be the same with the iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is in fact a warning in the documentation that came with the EVO, which states that placing your fingers on the portion of the phone left of the LED flashes, may interfere with your signal. I don't recall if it's in the Getting Started guide or the main user manual.
fazzy said:
iphone 4 metal frame is surrounded the top section is the main area where they have placed the antenna circuit the rest is the design flow. so it will work good enuf, I am not trying to compete with Evo or anything bad about evo just telling you something. evo for sprint is still the best .. the Ball is in sprin't court now its up to them how they continue with it such as by updating to 2.2 and how fast these things will count.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I wasn't trying to make this an EVO vs iPhone debate. Just a general observation about antennas. It was also a problem I noticed on the EVO. Your hand/body will reduce the signal if placed in certain locations. I have seen this happen on TVs that are grabbing signal from the air, radios, and cordless phones.
So all I am saying it putting the iPhone's antennas on the outside might not be the stroke of genius people think it is. Not to mention it would be difficult to hold that phone without touching 2 different antennas at once. That might cause cross interference.
Hmm maybe I should start a thread specifically for antenna discussion, this title is a little misleading, and we went off into a tangent.
I mean, I'd be happy with a plastic back cover that FIT RIGHT
phinnaeus said:
I mean, I'd be happy with a plastic back cover that FIT RIGHT
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Click to collapse
I heard this in another thread, but I am not seeing it. My back cover sits totally flush and looks great. Did I get lucky, or is there something else I'm missing?
phinnaeus said:
I mean, I'd be happy with a plastic back cover that FIT RIGHT
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Click to collapse
Someone else posted somewhere that they put a piece of paper (folded once?) between the battery and the cover, and that pushed the center out enough to bring the outer edges flush.... could try that.
Jye75 said:
Someone else posted somewhere that they put a piece of paper (folded once?) between the battery and the cover, and that pushed the center out enough to bring the outer edges flush.... could try that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That fix worked for me. Probably could be solved with a thin piece of foam glued to the inside of the cover too.
phinnaeus said:
I mean, I'd be happy with a plastic back cover that FIT RIGHT
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've modded my cover to fit perfectly, and solidly. i'll post a thread later tonight.
So what about the HTC Legend with the aluminum unibody? Do they use the whole body as a antenna?
Pops_G said:
I am no electrical engineer but I decided to have some fun doing experiments. I took a sheet of aluminum foil and placed it behind the phone. The signal strength dropped from -73 to -87. So clearly having metal over antennas will block the signal.
I also recall hearing that is why they removed the aluminum back cover from the first iPhone.
This is just a warning in case you ever do find an after market metal cover. It might hurt your signal strength and in turn battery life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm an electrical engineer, and I will confirm this. Perhaps someone could attach the metal back to the antenna somehow, though. That would be interesting.
Hiya, the case that came with my extended battery pushes down on the connector prongs more than the stock case did. Over time, after taking the case off again and again one of them was bent too many times and snapped off. I noticed the antenna bridges the connection which you can see in the first picture. Anyway, I did a fairly messy soldering job but the second picture is trying to show a tiny wire connecting both connectors together. I get signal again but the question remains, does the amount of metal touching the antenna pad affect the signal strength?
I have another month to return the phone at Costco who will just take it no questions asked, but is it worth the hassle. Do you think I should just keep the phone since it works well otherwise, is there a better fix, or am I just experiencing the placebo effect and everything is fine again. Thanks for any advice!
I think if it works well why not keep it?
these anttenna connectors on this phone are horrible. they are the poorest design. i had a flawed one that got bent somehow within 1 day of having the phone, i got a replacement cause it was poor workmanship and considered their fault by assurion so i lucked out, my 1 tab on the bottom left was bent then snapped(tabs below sd) and it didnt effect my signal at all compaired to the other one they sent me. also i think the ones up where urs is broke is for the gps (just an edu guess).
and if u do get a new phone from costco, ditch that bum back and case u have that caused the prob i got an htc oem from vzw for 37$ after 25% disc. that was batt and back. so if that messes up the tabs at least i can say i used oem htc.
I'd love to ditch it for a different back but have a 3600mAh extended battery that doubles the phone width.. I'm open to ideas though! This might be a bad idea, but could adding a tiny bit of solder underneath the pins where it bends (a very tiny amount) to secure it more in place, help it from breaking in the future? I wonder...
It's only been 1 week and the poor quality, flimsy back cover is showing wear and tear. It won't get into its allocated slot, and by the looks of it, seems that it became a fraction shorter.
It always seems click in better for me if I start at the bottom and work up.
TareX said:
It's only been 1 week and the poor quality, flimsy back cover is showing wear and tear. It won't get into its allocated slot, and by the looks of it, seems that it became a fraction shorter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not putting it in correctly. Gotta make sure the bottom tabs are before you start snapping the rest. I have more success getting the right tab in first and messing around till the other tab falls in and the bottom of the cover kisses the phone.
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.
SOLVED: Thanks to this guy from androidcentral:
"Originally Posted by DBVille: And, make SURE the hooks aren't bent up. I am betting the hooks have been bent up, at least on one side, from trying to push it closed. (dont ask how I know). Look very closely at the hooks. Put your finger nail under them and pry them up/apart from the back if they are too close to the cover to engage the clips on the phone. When done right, it just snaps on. But, you must get the bottom done first."
The hooks were bent up... fixed them with my nails. Now it snaps back on. Still pretty cheap though.
Or user error?
My grandma beat me down and took my nexus. Sent from a jitterbug with beats by dre.
you're not supposed to snap in the bottom hooks, you lock them in first, then snap in the ones rest...
wonshikee said:
you're not supposed to snap in the bottom hooks, you lock them in first, then snap in the ones rest...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 this is how I do it...common sense...
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Happen to me too the first week. I'm a pro now.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
God, the build quality and camera are a real disappointment on this phone. thanks for the tip on bending up the tabs.. worked for me..
never the OP's fault that he doesnt know how to put the back cover on.. always Samsung's fault for not making it tard proof.
Zepius said:
never the OP's fault he doesnt know how to put the back cover on.. always Samsung's fault for not making tard proof.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Admittedly the back cover of the GN is one of the more complicated ones to put back onto the phone.
Do not force it on - if you do it right, it will go back on with just a little pressure. Like others said before you have to start at the bottom latches and work your way up from there. Note that the bottom latches are different from the others and do not snap in like the rest.
I'm extremely pleased with the build quality of this phone! A product feels VERY well build when you can't make it flex slightly or make the battery cover creak by squeasing the phone a certain way! Looking at you, HTC! The DInc, Thunderbolt, and Rezound that I've had all suffered from that. (Though I couldn't make the Thunderbolt flex)
And anytime you drop an HTC phone, first the battery door flies in the air, then the battery pops out -.-
Samsung on the other hand, the Nexus is VERY solid, battery door doesn't creak nor does the frame. No creaking sounds at all. I cannot flex the phone. What is it with people dissing Samsung for making plastic phones, what do you want them to do? Engineer a new compound? Geez
As so many have pointed out, the cover doesn't snap at the bottom; you start there by inserting the bottom hooks, then snap the sides and top.
In fact, I've found the easiest, most effective way to do it is laying out face down, insert the bottom hooks, then zip up both sides together with my thumbs, finishing with effortlessly snapping the top in.
As for the build, I couldn't disagree more strongly. The back design is brilliant. The phone overall is rock solid, and has solved the common back pop-off battery pop-out of most phones today.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
I was at a Verizon store last night. Picked up the phone from the display they had it in. The back cover fell off along with the security device. Does the cover have issues staying on? Would a case solve this issue?
Tisosview said:
I was at a Verizon store last night. Picked up the phone from the display they had it in. The back cover fell off along with the security device. Does the cover have issues staying on? Would a case solve this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no issue if you put it on correctly.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Careful because our store model had a broken back cover since day one. Two sided take is holding it together at the moment.
Tisosview said:
I was at a Verizon store last night. Picked up the phone from the display they had it in. The back cover fell off along with the security device. Does the cover have issues staying on? Would a case solve this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Happens at all the stores. Some have ziptied the backcover back on . However, it really is a non issue. In the case of the store phones, the heavy security device that is glued onto the back cover, pulls very hard at the back cover and it creates issues. In reality, given that it is a completely flat piece of plastic that is sitting flush against your phone with no handles, there is no way to exert even remotely the same amount of outward forces on the back cover.
While removing and putting on the backcover doesn't feel great, the cover does a great job, helps keep the phone slim and light, and looks pretty damn good. The store model did put me off due to this same issue with the security device, but I have had absolutely no issues with the backcover, or the phone feeling flimsy (and I came to the GN from the OG!).
LOL the back cover is well built imo. Just because it is thin does not mean it is of poor construction.The people who are having problems just aren't bothering to learn how to put it on. You don't just snap the whole thing on. Put any backcover on incorrectly and you risk damaging it.
I remove my back cover regularly to swap SIMs and although I've had it since release day not only does it look the same as it did when I bought it but it functions perfectly too (stays on nice and tight).
TLDR; If your tabs are bent you're doing it wrong. Don't blame design for your lack of intelligence.
Thank you for the replies. It is reassuring.
I found it funny that the security really didn't work for this device. Since the alarm didn't go off when the back fell off.
Bottom tabs get bent up
I've had my GN for a little over a week. The problem that I have, and I assume the others have, is that the tabs at the bottom get bent up so that they can't hook in.
I bent them down with my fingernail so that they are horizontal again, and it clicked in fine.
My concern is that this is already a problem after a week, and plastic can only take so much bending and fatigue before it totally breaks, which will eventually occur. I would imagine that at least some people who have had their GNs since launch have already experienced this.
Frankly, I think this is a manufacturing issue that Samsung should ultimately address.
I was wondering what role the back cover of the note 4 is for?
Mostly asking because I might have ruined it when I was trying to put this stupid carbon fiber skin on it -_-;; Why did I think using a hair dryer would be okay... *face desk On the bright side, I'm pretty sure I exposed only the back cover to heat and not the phone itself lol d: If I did I'm dumb and don't deserve this phone >->
Anyways, I think I've accidentally ruined the back cover of my droid inc4g and the phone just never worked the same after x_x The signal sucked and the battery stopped holding a charge... x: I'm using an s-cover case on my note 4 at the moment, but still curious in case I ever decide to use something else for protection s:
nope
Samsung even makes a flip cover case where you remove the back completely, you don't have to worry about the cover.
However, if there was any damage to the phone itself, but they take some pretty good heat.
I live in SoCal and left it a couple times in my car and it was like 107 outside, so!
Check out ebay. You can get all kinds of back replacement plates at good deals.
Eve b customized ones if you prefer
rusty.gh said:
Samsung even makes a flip cover case where you remove the back completely, you don't have to worry about the cover.
However, if there was any damage to the phone itself, but they take some pretty good heat.
I live in SoCal and left it a couple times in my car and it was like 107 outside, so!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably should let this thread die but...
What is this part of the back cover for? Never really found out I think.. or I just have bad memory :silly:
107? I live I Phoenix and just going outside exposes the phone to 117+ on a regular basis. Heck I have even mistakenly left my phone in the car before and it gets 160+ easy in there. I bet it will be ok