I did a search and most of the Wifi problems seem to describe knox security and bootloader issues.
Here, I wish to describe/discuss what seems to be a hardware problem in my n7100 note 2.
This occurs with stock and dr. ketan rom on 4.4.2 even with wifipatch applied (technically not needed).
OS 4.4.2
boot loader: n7100ZSUFNL1 (I believe this bootloader should be ok - correct me if I'm wrong).
model GT-n7100
ISSUE
- the wifi icon doesn't turn on or wifi drops out when the system is running hot. This happened the first time after I flashed a ROM/upgraded and I thought it was a ROM issue.
- however, more recently, I have managed to keep the wifi signal absolutely stable when i open up the back cover and run a fan blowing on the back/cpu area at the top back of the phone around the camera area.
- with fan cooling => completely stable
- without fan cooling => drops out when system under load or randomly.
for some reason, omega rom had a problem for me where it kept disconnecting irrespective of the heat
I have seen discussions of our phone overheating but this seems to be a hardware problem with the wifi module.
I presume that there may be micro fractures with the wifi chip solder (seems to be a theme in electronics) that may be causing wifi problems with overheating.
This happened with an iphone 4 voice audio processing chip once for me and the "online community" had figured out a fix by taping in a "pressure mount" for the chip.
//blog.lovefone.co.uk/iphone-4-faulty-microphone-audio-chip-problem
Any suggestions on taping in a heatsink or pressure against the wifi module?
Help would be appreciated. Just adding to the knowledgebase in the community.
When Samsung adopted RoHS some range of devices plagued with badly soldered BroadCom chips. I personally know one S3 and two Note 2 (one is mine own) with all the same problem: no WiFi from time to time and likely no BT too.
I paid ~100 euros to change the main board with BC chip guaranteed working about half a year ago.
Thanks for the quick reply and confirmation.
After ordering a new midframe; playing around with screws and disassembling it a few times; it does feel like a solder joint/connection issue.
I haven't heard much feedback from the net on this problem which is why i raised it.
Others on the net have mentioned loosening the screws securing the motherboard down. I will try that as well but I presume that with a loose solder joint; overtightened screws may warp the motherboard just enough for the connection to flake out.
THanks again.
PS - if anyone else has the same problem/suspicion; please chime in.
So, in follow up.
Adding aluminum tape to the wifi chip didn't seem to work. I took it off and reseated the midframe where the antenna is located.
Still was getting dropped wifi.
Disassembled; took a small screwdriver and gently lifted the wifi contacts from the motherboard up so that it makes better contact with the midframe.
Seemed to help.
It's definitely hardware. Whether it's a problem with the WIFI chip or with the antenna; i don't know but it's somewhere along that line.
Crazy hardware gremlins
Related
Hi,
I have had my HOX for 3 weeks now and since yesterday (so, not a new thing), I keep losing the signal in my appartment, in some places outside. Oddly enough, signal is OK (tho just 3-4 bars) in my office.
1. Could this be related to the WIFI antenna issue even tho it's not WIFI issue? In other words, is there a chance that by fixing the WIFI antenna issue, I can get solve this?
2. If not, what are my other options? The garanty is already voided so I cannot send it to HTC for repair (voided by an "unofficial repair center" after the screen got smashed by dropping it from like 1m... - it's very possible that the fall or their repair broke something else, but the repair was already 2 weeks ago)
Thanks for your help!
First thing I'd ask is are you rooted? Have you been playing with radios recently?
If not, the next thing I'd look at is trying to find someone else with a micro-sim, and asking to borrow it. If they still get a good signal on their network on your phone, it might be your sim card. I had a faulty one once which just started dropping network like you describe. It can happen.
If their sim card also shows poor reception, you might have an aerial issue caused by the unofficial repair centre opening the phone up. (Although from the feedback on the WiFi issue thread HTC have worrying repair standards too).
If you can't find another micro-sim, just try finding someone on the same network. This phone (when working) has excellent network reception (better than my previous Desire S) so if a side-by-side comparison shows a big difference in signal strength, again I'd think about getting the sim replaced.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.android.telnet&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImRlLmFuZHJvaWQudGVsbmV0Il0.
If your replacement sim still has the same problem, then I'd consider opening the phone up as per the video guide in the WiFi Issue thread in the general section. Seems to be quite easy if you are careful. It is unlikely that the same aerial for the WiFi is also the 3G one, but I've looked at the tear down pictures, and can't read chinese! If i find out which one it is, I'll update this post. If not, just check all the connections.
Hi,
I have also been having this network drop issue but only near my office. The reason I think is that my office is between two towers and every now and then it tries to balance the traffic on the networks and hence keeps disconnecting devices from one to connect to the other one... However, I have cut out my normal sim into a micro sim and that was done by the guys at the shop from where I bought the device and they had said that if there are any issues, then please order a proper micro sim and use it....
I think that might also be the problem.....
levtrp savans
All,
After checking that my SIM card wasn't in cause (used a friend's HTC One X to test my SIM card and test with his), I broke open the case and saw the problem.
The problem is the damn design of those antenna contact! I saw probably around 10 of those small metal piece that are supposed to be a bit "up" and somehow touch the contact area on the back cover.
I found that 2 of them (in two different pairs, they all seem to be in pair to create a closed circuit I suppose) were a little bit lower than their counterpart, so with a flat screwdriver, put them upright, closed the case and voila, I am enjoying network with full bars since yesterday.
If the issue comes back (and it probabl will, if they got bent the first time it probably means that the metal already was bent beyond its elastic deformation area), I'll probably end up buying a soldering iron a add some patch of silver to increase the height of the contact zones. That's .... just lame I am sure they had a good reason to do that, but seriously!?
Guillaume
Glad you got to the bottom of it. Yeah I think the design choice is forced from having the main body of the phone slide in at an angle into the outer case. If the two parts just clamped together like a more traditional phone build, then they perhaps could have used a different approach.
I'm putting off opening mine up (I have the dreaded WiFi drop issue) as my current case puts just enough pressure on the screen to act like a permanent squeeze, halting my problem.
Would be interested to know if the problem reoccurs like you said it might. Keep us posted.
Perhaps someone with more electrical engineering know-how can answer.
It's almost certainly a hardware issue. I don't know if it's the cable I'm using, some grounding issue, or what, but the problem is really annoying.
Full disclosure, I have a tmobile/at&t motherboard inside a N7105. I swapped it over last fall-ish because the N7105 motherboard developed a sleep of death problem that persisted through every rom I put on there, and even occurred when I was in recovery. Whatever, I can't get LTE on tmobile with this phone anyway, which is why I acquired a tmobile motherboard to swap in.
Perhaps it was always a problem, since I rarely use the headphone port. I got an unpleasant surprise a couple months ago when I tried- nothing but static through headphones. Long story short, it's apparently some grounding issue? I followed the recommendations in that post. I still needed to smack it a little before it would work. But it more or less solved the issue.
I've been having wifi problems recently, and it may or may not be a consequence of the above issue. My wifi would simply stop detecting wifi signals. It would stop connecting, and then the wifi settings would eventually realize that it couldn't see any networks at all. Turning the wifi on/off or rebooting wouldn't bring it back. I keep solving this by disassembling my phone (poor thing, it's been disassembled so many times in the past month), letting it sit for a bit, and reassembling it. I'm slowly working out that putting screws in any slot other than right by the wifi antenna would eventually result in the lost wifi. It does work to bring the wifi back, and anything less doesn't. I don't know why. It might be a contact issue, but I can't see any difference between this and the N7105 motherboard.
In any case, this means that whatever grounding connection needed to make the headphone port work just isn't happening. That's fine, I still have my trusty rockboxed ipod.
But the wifi problem persists, and it's completely absent in the N7105 motherboard (but sleep of deeeeaaaaath). It could be that the Anker 10ft cable I recently got is no good or allowing too much electrical noise through or something. Maybe it doesn't like being charged too quickly. The wifi problems do occur more frequently when I use the Anker cable to charge.
To be honest, I'm not holding out much hope for a solution. The phone is three years old, and even if I could have happily continued using it for another year or so, it is starting to show its age. I've been browsing Note 4s on ebay. It might be time for a change.
The motherboard in the ATT (i317) and Tmobile (t889) are not identical to the n7105 which may be part of the issue.
I have also read posts where XDA members had replaced their USB charging port and flex cable and would up with no cell signal and wifi.
Maybe the USB port/cable in the needs to be changed too?
I'm not sure if the motherboard is an issue, since I've used it in this configuration for months with no problems.
In any case, I've stopped using my 10ft Anker cable to charge, and as long as I leave most of the screws out, the wifi behaves. I don't know if it's electrical noise, more grounding issues, static electricity, or what. It's not ideal, but it's better than no wifi.
I bought a supposedly new HTC 10 off ebay a few months ago, and just realized on a recent trip that location service is using only wi-fi & cell. Once I am out of signal range, I get no location data, and GPS not working.
The phone came S-OFF and running WWE software, which I have changed to US unlocked using RUU, currently running 2.51.617.32, baseband [email protected]_76.02_F.
From a previous contact with HTC, they told me the serial number is that of a Sprint phone. I am assuming that this is a refurb of some kind.
I have installed GPS Status and tools, and the app can see the satellites, but cannot get a fix. Hardware check says that the sensor is OK. I have cleared AGPS and that made no difference.
Changing data from 3G to LTE to Auto, or on & off (per a couple threads at xda) made no difference.
I am unsure what to do next. Phone works well otherwise. Would flashing a Sprint radio help? perhaps a different kernel?
Any advice appreciated. TIA.
I had this issue after a battery replacement. Essentially this thread worked for me. Once the HTC 10 was opened up and the rear casing removed, there's a v. small copper prong located next to the headphone socket and it needed a bit of careful prying so that it could make contact with the back plate of the phone once rehoused.
So it could be that your new phone off ebay is a refurb and has been previously opened?
I would try a Sprint ROM before opening it.
dwgallery said:
I had this issue after a battery replacement. Essentially this thread worked for me. Once the HTC 10 was opened up and the rear casing removed, there's a v. small copper prong located next to the headphone socket and it needed a bit of careful prying so that it could make contact with the back plate of the phone once rehoused.
So it could be that your new phone off ebay is a refurb and has been previously opened?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
finally found someone with some 10 repair experience haha. I just noticed my GPS won't lock, assuming it's due to screen/battery repair. I have over 5yrs phone repair experience, so salty i am in this spot.... But I have been many times with HTC repairs, and eventually figure out hte querk. Any other insights? I opened it up yesterday and couldn't get a lock still even without back frame shell on. I then noticed the top pin above the headphone jack was depressed most likely due to prying when opening, i carefully bent up and it didn't break, now making connection with back cover frame but still no gps lock.... also try reconnection of the top daughter board flex where hard gps chip lives....
Update: Twas the pin at top, and flashing RUU that got me up and running GPS again! woohoo!
Thanks by the help!
The last week I change the battery and I lost the GPS signal. After reopen the phone, the GPS pin it was in bad position. After move the pin, the GPS it is working again!
I recently sold a used N7105 on eBay. The buyer informs me the GPS isn't working.
Keep in mind I myself cannot physically inspect the device or modify the software, the phone is in another country now. I might have to walk the buyer through troubleshooting so the simpler the procedures, the better.
Is there a simple way to verify whether the issue is hardware or software?
If it is hardware:
- are there any connectors that should be checked to ensure the GPS module is attached correctly to the motherboard?
- what module might need to be replaced?
If it is software:
- what is the most effective way to proceed?
Did you check the GPS function before shipping?
Was it running a stock ROM when it was shipped to the buyer?
Is it possible that the buyer did something to the phone?
Inspection of the internal components requires separating the screen from the rear housing which can be tough to do without making worsening the phone's current condition as the rear housing is glued to the LCD frame.
I never noticed any issues, but I didn't have the phone for long and I don't frequently use applications that make a point of relying on GPS. That said, I have a good impression of the buyer. Friendly and comfortable with technology.
As to needing to pry the screen off, do you mean detaching the mid-frame? As far as I know the GPS components are a chip on the main board and a piece of copper in the mid-frame. Removing the mid-frame exposes both components with just a little patience.
That said, how do I check whether the issue is hardware or software? I guess flashing the device might answer the question and solve that issue, but if I understand correctly sometimes settings can remain borked even through a flash.
Trafalgar, I'd appreciate your guidance here.
Since the buyer is comfortable with technology, maybe ask him or her to factory reset it again and try to get a signal; otherwise, the phone functions properly?
Prying off the rear frame may not be very easy. I've changed the sim tray and LCD on a few Note 2 phones; however, I recently tried to change the sim tray on the Note 2 and wound up damaging the LCD in that it I could hear the sounds and touches worked but the screen remained black. I swapped out the screen and everything was fine again.
Hi,
I have an old s4mini (LTE) which I have been using as car and bike GPS for many yrs. The GPS was always great but last autumn it stopped working. I put it in the drawer and have been using my old ASUS Z00ED since then which has a better performance, a larger screen and a perfectly working GPS.
Still, the ASUS is way too big to use it as bike GPS while the s4mini's size is perfect, so I want to revive it.
Currently, the phone sees some satellites (with a very bad signal strength or SNR or whatever it is) but is unable to use them, even after trying to get a fix for a long time. The screenshot was taken on my balcony outside where my other phones easily get > 10 sats fix. I am quite sure this is a hardware problem as there was no software update before the problem occured. The phone then was on the latest official LOS 14.1, now I have test installed AOKP 2019-10-25 with no change. It may be a corrosion problem as the phone lay in the mud and rain for an hour after a severe car accident, but after cleaning it, it had worked for 2,5 years without any issues...
So now my question: Where is the s4mini's GPS connector and antenna? I would like to try and fix these. I have a second s4mini with cracked screen which could serve as a spare parts donator.
Take a look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sOKKoxu3L4&t=275s
At about 2:40 and 9:15 this guy explaines the location. Maybe skip ahead a few seconds.
I had also an bad GPS receiption and I "cleaned" with a screwdriver the part at 2:40 in the video. Afterwards it was shiny again. Also I "cleaned" the part (of clips) on the board and I did also lift up the board a bit and put a piece of paper behind it so (I was hoping) I get an better connection between those two parts. I am pretening that that helped.
Godapol said:
Take a look at this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sOKKoxu3L4&t=275s
At about 2:40 and 9:15 this guy explaines the location. Maybe skip ahead a few seconds.
I had also an bad GPS receiption and I "cleaned" with a screwdriver the part at 2:40 in the video. Afterwards it was shiny again. Also I "cleaned" the part (of clips) on the board and I did also lift up the board a bit and put a piece of paper behind it so (I was hoping) I get an better connection between those two parts. I am pretening that that helped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, at the moment I have it back working. I'm afraid the problem was more due to the GPS rollover than due to the antenna.
jdr_85 said:
Thanks, at the moment I have it back working. I'm afraid the problem was more due to the GPS rollover than due to the antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard the GPS Rollover isn't an issue on most devices, and a lot of patches are softwrae based. The epoch is set entirely in software iirc.