Check the thread pages to see results from other users who have had much better results than the ones I got.
This solution was discovered while I was checking out the CDMA Hero forum, so I don't take credit for discovering the method.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=651848&highlight=cell+standby
Goto dialer and dial *#*#4636#*#* (DO NOT press send) wait a second and you will get the test menu.
In the test menu choose 'Phone Information'
scroll down and choose on the first drop down - GSM auto (PRL) (for high speed data) or GSM only (You may get 3g if not use GSM auto (PRL))
Back out to test menu then back into 'Phone information' to see if it sticks (if not try again) then back all the way out.
You might want to reboot, but I found the settings worked straight away.
Edit 3 - I don't take any responsibility for step 6 - 6) Try other settings on the dropdown if you are brave as I don't know the consequencies of using settings like "EvDo only" and "unknown" as they may be better depending on the way your provider provides information.
Edit 4 - can't seem to select the other settings like EvDo and unkown anyway.
Edit 3 - TBH - GSM auto (PRL) is working for me with HSDPA and I will try
(PRL) instead of GSM auto (PRL) <- edit - previously it mistakenly said GSM only
the CDMA and WCDMA settings later to see what other effects there are.
This way I managed to get 5½ hrs and only lose 10% battery (GSM Only)! (Edit 3-) Slightly more drain with GSM auto (PRL) but still better than before.
Previous to this I lost 35% in the same amount of time with the same use (sometimes even more when I didn't even use the phone all night).
Hope the devs can make use of this (maybe mess with other settings in there to improve battery more.). I did notice that the GSM auto (PRL) uses a bit more battery than GSM only, but that is to be expected.
Edit: Actually you might need to set it on each reboot, not sure, the settings stayed when I rebooted
Edit 2: When you change roms (or re-install a rom) you will need to do this again, but should stay after a normal reboot as it does for me.
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Results:
Your results will vary depending on the rom, but it should improve battery performance - some have had better results than me using this.
GSM only <---- If you don't get 3g with this it is the same as 2g setting then use GSM auto (PRL) if you want faster than 2g (as some people are getting 3g on GSM only - I will investigate. (if you don't use internet or don't need fast internet)
5½ Hrs - lost 5% Battery - This one is same as running 2g as you don't get HSDPA, but using Opera browser makes browsing fast even using this. If you want Higher speed data use the one below.
GSM auto (PRL) <---- Recommended if you want High speed Internet and save battery
1:40am to 2:00pm (12hrs 20 mins) - lost 40% battery with moderate use a bit of surfing at HSDPA speeds, a few calls and messing with a few apps. Other people have had even better results than me though, so I might change my rom and try again. (I would usually about this amount of time I would have lost about 70-75% - and yes it was that ridiculous - I had to find something to stop this).
" WCDMA Only"
2:06pm to 11:37pm - (9hrs 31mins) lost 46% battery again moderate use and a reboot
This one might be useful if you live in a place that has low GSM signal like the chap in post #10 as it does give HSDPA - but this is only a suggestion as I cannot test it in Iceland. Anyway
" WCDMA preferred"
6:02am to 2:51pm - (8hr 49mins) lost 41% battery this time with less use that the WCDMA use and no reboots.
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Conclusion: (For me anyway)
SO my preference is GSM auto (PRL) some people have got some excellent results with this. You may, however, require one of the other options depending on your service provider signals.
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EXTRA OPTIONS :
Other settings you can change: (You may have tried this already)
If you don't get GSM auto (PRL) then if you press the menu button on your phone in the 'phone information' page and select 'radio band', you may be able to change it to Automatic or one of the other settings and then you might get GSM auto (PRL).
Available Radio Bands * You may get others depending on the radio you have installed, but I haven't confirmed this*
Automatic
EURO Band
USA Band
JAPAN Band
AUS Band
AUS2 Band
There are other settings there that I haven't messed with, maybe someone with more knowledge may be able to help
Thanks to those who found out what PRL stood for, I will try to update this info in the instructions soon.
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I think the reason this works is because it prevents the phone from constanly looking a round for various networks types as it I did notice that the Cell standby time is always high and using this method the cell can standby without constantly searching for a signal thereby wasting power. ALso using this method my "Awake time" is a LOT LOT lower than my "Up time" - about 1200% less (is that right 12 times lower (Up 12hrs - Awake 1hr) ?) - before this the two times were most of the time the same and some times slightly lower. - I'm sure someone will let me know if this theory is incorrect - and I'm open to and welcome that.
This is my experience you can read other peoples who have achieved a lot better than me, and I'm glad I spotted this and let you guys know. (Those who are saying that you've known about this test menu thanks for letting me know that you knew about it before, but a lot of other people didn't know about it. ALso I don't think people have used this as a tool for increasing battery in the GSM section of the forum. As I mentioned at the top of this post I noticed it in the CDMA section as a way of increasing battery performance. - credits to them for thinking it up in the first place.) -
All I am saying though, is to test it out yourself.
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Just tried this. If it works i'll kiss you.
petsasj said:
Just tried this. If it works i'll kiss you.
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Click to collapse
Well in that case I don't know whether I want it to work now, LOL, unless you're a fit babe.
I went back to 1.5 for battery problems, let me know if it works so i can go to 2.1 roms
This is just using 2g instead of 3g, isn't it?
xangma said:
This is just using 2g instead of 3g, isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said in the first post GSM (auto) PRL gives you 3g/hdspa but not as brilliant battery as GSM only, but is better than before.
I am now unplugged from fully charged. Will report back in the morning and throughout the day to let you know if this works.
About PRL, here's what some telecom website says:
The term PRL actually refers to file stored in your phone. This file directs the phone to find alternative networks to operate on when the primary operator cannot be reached. Updating the PRL will store in the phone which are the most up to date, current networks to operate on. In order to operate on another carrier’s network your primary service provider must have a roaming agreement with other carriers.
Almost all phone carriers, such as Oxygen, Locus, Cingular, Verizon, etc. have roaming agreements with other major service providers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess it's useful?
Suppose so.
I am on a fairly small operator in Iceland and my phone started roaming when I did this.
I lost 3G connection and went over to Edge...
Switched back to the WCDMA Preferred.... My provider has a little limited coverage but has no roaming charges on the GSM network.
Any ideas what setting I should use for my phone other then WCDMA preferred
Yea mine is on Wcdma preferred when i go into it. Im on t-mobile uk. Ive left it for now as dont really know how long this battery is lasting. Going to give it a few days to see an average
skimminstones said:
Yea mine is on Wcdma preferred when i go into it. Im on t-mobile uk. Ive left it for now as dont really know how long this battery is lasting. Going to give it a few days to see an average
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on T-Mobile UK and GSM auto (PRL) gives me 3g/H and GSM only gives me gprs. Like I said, both give me loads of battery time (GSM auto PRL is a bit less than GSM only though).
Interesting, I may have done this accidentally a few days ago...
I just checked and it was already on GSM auto PRL, I'd changed this in my build.prop last time i was fiddling:
ro.telephony.default_network = 0
I thought that would give me wcdma preferred but apparently not...
I'll have done your tutorial ... will wait till end of day what happens
Definitely helped battery life.
Thumbs up!
In fact i can be wrong, but this tip only disable 3G access... only GSM and Edga.. so it save some battery for sure.. but you will navigate slower if you have a real 3G or 3G+ access.. am i wrong ?
Ciao
Fred
Surely this does the same as the button in the options to just use 2G?
frederikk said:
In fact i can be wrong, but this tip only disable 3G access... only GSM and Edga.. so it save some battery for sure.. but you will navigate slower if you have a real 3G or 3G+ access.. am i wrong ?
Ciao
Fred
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Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't HSDPA faster than 3G?
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Speed_Downlink_Packet_Access
in which case you would get your faster browsing using GSM auto (PRL) - giving you HSDPA. I certainly get a H showing at the top of the screen while browsing and it isn't constantly connected when I'm not browsing, which it was doing (connecting and disconnecting all the time) before I chose this setting, and thereby my battery life was extended a lot.
Edit: Just try it - if it doesn't work just put it back to your original setting, it has worked for me - There are other settings in there but I have not tested them out yet.
btdag said:
Surely this does the same as the button in the options to just use 2G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may be, but not if you choose GSM auto (PRL) - also make sure you have the correct APN settings from your service provider. I did notice that the standard APN's on the phone have always been a little different from the ones on the T-Mobile UK website.
This is not a fix for the battery issues in 2.1 roms, althought it may help as 3g doesn't use the same amount of battery as 2g. But i think everyone knows that anyway. Much easier having the 2g/3g toggle on the home screen and changing it to 2g only when you are not using the web browser etc
ps: before people say other wise this menu has been known for ages and every rom I use is always on GSM.
I was mucking about like an idiot in the ##DATA# menu and in trying to get LTE here (we're covered but my phone doesn't seem able to connect), I hit "reset APN defaults" and the 6 options I had turned into 2.
No big deal you'd think but now I can't even get a 3G signal with CDMA/LTE as my option in the regular network area of the OS. I can only get a 3G signal when I have CDMA (exclusively) selected.
The weird part is I do get a temporary 3G signal when I update my profile or PRL but then it vanishes again upon completion. I also get 3G when I force roam with Roam Control.
Does anyone have any ideas? How can I get that old APN menu back and/or fix this lack of data when not in CDMA only mode?
For anyone who runs into the same issue, your bog standard factory reset takes care of it.
I notice that AT&T have disabled network mode selection. (I am not in the USA).
Is there a reliable way to force the phone over to using a 3G connection when required? It seems mine is intent on staying on 4G, even when the connection is so poor that the speed is unuseable whereas 3G in that area would be full reception.
I have played around with various *#, #* commands re: network but nothing seems to stick. Any chance network mode has been re-enabled in updates (which I don't have access to)?
Cheers
I font known questions
Lost connection with O2 while 3 miles offshore - in full view of Bournemouth, Poole & Swanage. Came ashore, still no connection. Drove 4 miles home, still no connection. Only re-connected after power off and re-start. Had similar connection drop once before.
Is this lack of re-connection usual, or is there a fault?
corystes said:
Lost connection with O2 while 3 miles offshore - in full view of Bournemouth, Poole & Swanage. Came ashore, still no connection. Drove 4 miles home, still no connection. Only re-connected after power off and re-start. Had similar connection drop once before.
Is this lack of re-connection usual, or is there a fault?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the belated reply. If you haven't yet resolved this issue, there are some remedies you can try. Sometimes, while traveling abroad, or otherwise outside of the normal coverage of your mobile provider, it may be necessary to change your band parameters within your cell radio menu. (To do this, open your dialer and enter *#"#4636#*#* and select PHONE INFORMATION from the list of options. This menu provides pertinent and technical info regarding your cellular radio (baseband), and gives you the option to change your preferred network type and band configs) But to start, I'm not very familiar with the O2 network; from my rudimentary research, it appears that its 2G, 3G and 4G coverage is vast and quite impressive overall as a global provider, claiming a 99% global 4G coverage area. So, I am in full agreement with your position -- that the disconnect you are experiencing is abnormal. Try these possible remedies:
• First and foremost, let's make sure your network configuration is optimal for O2's voice and data parameters. There are a couple of ways to do this, with the simplest being from device settings. Go to Settings>System>Advanced and select the option for Reset WiFi, mobile & Bluetooth. (Ensure that you are within a strong 4G coverage area when performing this step). Next, go to Settings>Network & Internet>Mobile Network>Advanced>Preferred Network Type. You will see a few options here, the first of which should be AUTOMATIC. Ensure that this option is set. Next you will see a menu for Access Point Names; select this option and ensure that (1) your APN is set to an O2 configuration and, if so, (2) that the parameters are correct and optimal for 02's recommended settings for your particular type of mobile plan and your region. O2's recommended APN settings, as well as a comprehensive how-to guide, can be found on 02's official website at this link:
https://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Android/Connecting-Android-Phone-to-Data-Services/td-p/544202 It appears that 02 can send the recommended APN settings directly to your device via texting the word ACTIVE to 2020. Once received, a normal reboot will be required.
Hopefully, these remedies will resolve your carrier disconnect issue. It is also very important that you are updated to the latest available Android OS version/build, because updates and optimizations to your radio firmware (baseband) are often encompassed within OTA update packages. If, after performing these steps, you are still experiencing the disconnect issue, please let me know. There are some more in-depth steps we can take to resolve the issue (e.g. the Cellular Radio Menu I mentioned in the beginning of this post.) There are also some fastboot commands which can be executed to more efficiently optimize your network settings to the parameters of your provider. Good luck and let me know if this works.
i have a couple of the sprint lg v50 (lgv450pm) and are stock and updated to latest firmware.
we v50 users get alot of info from you G8 users as they are very similar hardware.
we all know VoLTE does not work but lately i cant even keep the phone on the network as it always is getting knocked off especiailly when driving and switching towers.
i always have to put phone in airplane mode for about 10 seconds then turn it off and it reconnects.
anyhow my question is this.
does anyone know what would happen if we disable the 5g network from hidden menu or use some software like cdma workshop or dfs studio?
Automatic Network mode would still work fine but not try to auto connect to 5g which is what i would like to test.
i know i can manually select which network mode but then you can only get data to work or voice and i do want them both to work (although it cannot do it at same time) im ok with that.
im just tired of losing networks and not even knowing until i look at my phone and see i have no cellular or data connection at all.
i would think it might stay on the network better if we can still be in automatic network mode but have 5g disable completely so it dont even try and connect.
anyone want to try and help with this?