Phone signal strength problems - anyone else had problems - 8125, K-JAM, P4300, MDA Vario General

I have moved from a Nokia 7610 to a Wizard (on O2). I have fallen in love with it for all sorts of reasons.
The major hassle so far is signal strength. I'm not sure if I have a dud phone? For the last month I have run the Nokia and Wizard in parallel. I am constantly finding myself out of range or with one bar of signal. The phone doesn't function reliably with a single bar. Most irritating is that this happens at home also. (The nokia was on O2 also).
If there is not a solution to this I may have to go back to the nokia and accept what I was trying to avoid - having to carry a phone and a PDA.
Thanks - Kneale

do you have another pda phone you can run it against?
reason i ask is dont forget that nokia phones have more bars than the jams do
so for instance, 8 bars in nokia (full) would be eqiv to 5 bars in the jam (full) if that makes sense
ignore the numbers at the top, i dont know the exact number of bars

Thanks. No - I don't have another PDA phone. I realise there is a difference in number of signal bars. I'm simply not getting a good enough signal in to make it functional as a phone.
I work as a doctor and need a 100% reliable phone more than a PDA. Just beginning to get into all the software / music / video / etc. aspects of it however. Would find it hard to give up now!
Kneale

Dont expect this phone is going to have premium reception... the only phone I found exceptional is Sony Ericsson Z600 so far...
People said 1.12.0 GSM firmware would have better reception. You might try to upgrade your ROM. I think O2 provided latest official firmware as well, so you might wanna test with it.

Yes - my cda is the same. My SE 700i has a far better reception. The O2 seems to fall out of range alot - I have to out it into flight mode on then off!

I also posted a while ago that the signal strength is pretty poor. Never had much trouble with my nokia but in a few places eg work im pretty much on the 1 bar and have lost the signal on one occasion.

Thanks for this. Finally got so irritated with it that today I visited the O2 shop and then spoke to the on-line customer service. Both were very good.
Bottom line is that they are sending me out a replacement to try in case I have a dud. I'll let you know how I get on.
Kneale

i think i will need to retract what i said!
for the last 24 hours, my reception goes down and then nothing, just the dots
have to go into flight mode then out and i get my bars back

Of cource, about signal stregth, nokia is the best.
But you can improve signal stregth of your pda phone by switching it to manual network searching mode.
Go to phone/ settings/ networks/ manual.

oainot said:
Of cource, about signal stregth, nokia is the best.
But you can improve signal stregth of your pda phone by switching it to manual network searching mode.
Go to phone/ settings/ networks/ manual.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How will that improve signal strength exactly ?

knowsleyroader said:
oainot said:
Of cource, about signal stregth, nokia is the best.
But you can improve signal stregth of your pda phone by switching it to manual network searching mode.
Go to phone/ settings/ networks/ manual.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How will that improve signal strength exactly ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't, but it can speed up the re-acquisition of cell (i.e. less search time).

Related

XDA Exec Problems; Signal & Today Screen

Hi,
I have an O2 XDA Exec with the latest ROM version, on an Orange Pay Monthly SIM.
Anyway, im having two annoying problems with it;
Firstly, every now and then, if you have a few programs open and close them all, it wont go back to the Today page!! It will just keep the image of the last application on the screen! Today wont even come up if you goto Start > Today. Everything else works fine though, can open any programs etc from the Start Menu :?:
Secondly, the phone signal is rubbish!!! My old SPV C600 had no problems with signal (also running WM5), this one has low signal/looses signal all the time! And after a while it will just stop searching for signal, so i have to go to settings and tell it to search again!!! I constatly have errors trying to send messages due to no signal, and cant make calls due to no signal!! Also i dont recieve texts alot aswell! Which is un-acceptable from a device that is meant to be a "mobile phone" :roll:
Any ideas to solve?! Please help me!!
Thanks
Matty
MattyPW said:
Hi,
I have an O2 XDA Exec with the latest ROM version, on an Orange Pay Monthly SIM.
<...>
Secondly, the phone signal is rubbish!!! My old SPV C600 had no problems with signal (also running WM5), this one has low signal/looses signal all the time! And after a while it will just stop searching for signal, so i have to go to settings and tell it to search again!!! I constatly have errors trying to send messages due to no signal, and cant make calls due to no signal!! Also i dont recieve texts alot aswell! Which is un-acceptable from a device that is meant to be a "mobile phone" :roll:
Any ideas to solve?! Please help me!!
Thanks
Matty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Matt
what are your ROM versions? especially interesting in this case would be the Radio version. I think people round here have mentioned that different Radio versions have different signal reception levels.
I am using the O2 XDA 1.30 version with stock radio 1.00.09 and basically the reception's fine. There have been some comparisons on this forum as to different radio versions strengths and weaknesses.
Hi very similar to me, I switched off the 3G usage so it only uses 2G and everything was perfect again.
Now I only use 3G as and when I need it.
The problem as I see it, is that if there is a 3G signal, which in Orange's case appears to be nearly all the time the phone sticks with 3G even thought the signal strength isnt good enough fo voice, but is good enough for data (mainly because you tend not to be walking around) because of this the switching between 2G and 3G doesnt take place, hence no calls
Since swtiching of 3G my phone operations have been perfect.
I switched my Radio ROM from 1.03 (Orange Default) to 1.09 and noticed an improvement. Where I had no signal, it would flick between a signal with no bars and 1 bar with the 1.09 ROM.
I switched my Radio ROM from 1.03 (Orange Default) to 1.09 and noticed an improvement. Where I had no signal, it would flick between a signal with no bars and 1 bar with the 1.09 ROM.
As soon as i got the XDA i upgraded it to the latest O2 Rom, which has 1.09 Radio Rom... so i dont have anything to compare to!!
Any more suggestions?
turn off 3G if you dont need it.
send it back, you may have a loose connection.
are you saying a bad connection 100% of the time? ie you never have full bars?
Ok i'll try turning the 3G off (seeing as my SIM doesnt have 3G capability anyway! lol) How do i go about doing that?!
I do get full signal in places yes, its just the signal is utter crap on this phone compared to all of my past ones! Compared to an SPV C500 & C600 its rubbish!
start - settings - phone - band
change to your standard not auto. probably gsm rather than cdma.
do you get a bad reception with4 bars?
either way, I must say I have no problem with phone, but acknowledge many report poor phone performance.

O2 XDA IImini,SMART signal fluctuates

Hi! I would like to ask for some assistance, I recently bought a slightly used O2 XDA II mini, when I try to use my Smart or Sun cellular SIM card it fluctuates, maximum bar in the antenna logo is only 2.
Usually after 3-5 minutes even if you are on a good signal location, on its own, it losses its mobile signal. I tried doing a hard reset already. I used Auto-Config and checked Smart to configure.
Do you think its hardware problem?
Thank you in advance
The Smart autoconfigure function is only to automatically apply the operator's settings for SMS, MMS, Wap, etc. and has nothing to do with the signal strength. Every time I'm in Manila for business, I notice that signal strength is not that good. I get around 2-3 bars on either the S100 or Nokia phones. In your signature you mention something quite interesting. It could be that the device has a hardware problem (most probably it has been droped, that's the reason why the owner sold it) or the technician is just fooling you (people would try anything to earn a buck). I never buy a used electronic device and/or car unless its from someone I know or has been recommended by a friend to avoid such problems.

HERMES WORST NIGHTMARE - "the cell phone death trap"

I recently moved into a new ‘cell phone death trap’ apartment (apt).
I’ve seen my phone connect, I’m guessing; connect to four different cell towers from my apt. I’ve sat and watched it go from 2 bar E, disconnect, to 1 bar G, disconnect, to no bars 3G, disconnect, and so on….
But here’s the clincher…
Sometimes it will also connect to a full strength edge network, but it indicates it’s roaming by the Triangle icon. Now if I’m on that ‘Triangle” network, my phone works great, meaning I actually can make and receive calls!
But, I’m guessing again, because it shows it is roaming; it also does not like to stay connected to this network. Actually it prefers to switch itself back onto a weak edge network without any signal.
My phone battery doesn’t last more than five hours, NOT TALKING, just in standby because it is constantly switching towers.
At this point I want to throw my Hermes out a window! But I know that wont do any good, because anyone else who come to my apt and has AT&T/Cingular gets the same results.
So here’s my question:
“Can I force my phone to stay on a particular cell tower?”
If so, I love you….
you should re-post over in this thread Daniel's software might be able to solve your problem (or Daniel might have other ideas).
thank you for the suggestion. i tried that and he said, "Sorry nop. It isnt the pourpose of cmp or bs...."
I don't think you can force to a specific tower but you can force to a particular provider:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/NETWORK/MANUAL
and also select whether you want to force GSM/WCDMA and the GSM/UNTS band:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/BAND
Maybe by going this route you can lock onto a reasonable signal.
2 other alternatives... Sell the appartment... Buy a landline and donate the Hermes to me
taze said:
I recently moved into a new ‘cell phone death trap’ apartment (apt).
I’ve seen my phone connect, I’m guessing; connect to four different cell towers from my apt. I’ve sat and watched it go from 2 bar E, disconnect, to 1 bar G, disconnect, to no bars 3G, disconnect, and so on….
But here’s the clincher…
Sometimes it will also connect to a full strength edge network, but it indicates it’s roaming by the Triangle icon. Now if I’m on that ‘Triangle” network, my phone works great, meaning I actually can make and receive calls!
But, I’m guessing again, because it shows it is roaming; it also does not like to stay connected to this network. Actually it prefers to switch itself back onto a weak edge network without any signal.
My phone battery doesn’t last more than five hours, NOT TALKING, just in standby because it is constantly switching towers.
At this point I want to throw my Hermes out a window! But I know that wont do any good, because anyone else who come to my apt and has AT&T/Cingular gets the same results.
So here’s my question:
“Can I force my phone to stay on a particular cell tower?”
If so, I love you….
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to change networks?
Are you able to ask your service provider the location of the towers and if they're planning either any upgrades or any more in the area?
If not you may wish to consider the first point, changing service providers.
I know what a pain it can be to have little or no service when needed. Personally, here in the UK, I'm on Orange. Where I lived in Wales it was either Orange or Vodafone that has a decent signal. When I'm out and about with work those are the two popular towers with o2 creeping up and some others too, but for the most part those are the strongest.
I don't, I'm sorry, have any better advice for you. Apart from leave your Hermes on charge when you're home near a window (safely) and carry a bluetooth earpeice around instead Good Luck with your Valiant Quest
ach2 said:
I don't think you can force to a specific tower but you can force to a particular provider:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/NETWORK/MANUAL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i went to that tab and all i have is a Find Network button, which does nothing...no manual option
ach2 said:
and also select whether you want to force GSM/WCDMA and the GSM/UNTS band:
START/SETTINGS/PHONE/BAND
Maybe by going this route you can lock onto a reasonable signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried this method as well and it does not help. apparently both the good and the band networks all fall under GSM(900+1800)+UMTS(2100). The other two band options never find a network.
ach2 said:
2 other alternatives... Sell the apartment... Buy a landline and donate the Hermes to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll consider it....thank you for your suggestions, I REALLY APPERCIATE ANYONES (constructive) FEEDBACK.
Elwyn M3100 said:
Are you able to change networks?
Are you able to ask your service provider the location of the towers and if they're planning either any upgrades or any more in the area?
If not you may wish to consider the first point, changing service providers.
I know what a pain it can be to have little or no service when needed. Personally, here in the UK, I'm on Orange. Where I lived in Wales it was either Orange or Vodafone that has a decent signal. When I'm out and about with work those are the two popular towers with o2 creeping up and some others too, but for the most part those are the strongest.
I don't, I'm sorry, have any better advice for you. Apart from leave your Hermes on charge when you're home near a window (safely) and carry a bluetooth earpeice around instead. Good Luck with your Valiant Quest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your suggestions. Unfortuantly im locked in a 2yr contract, thats how ****ty american cell phone companies do things. Plus, the better providers in the area dont use SIM cards (ie. Sprint/Verizon), so that would mean bye bye Hermes.
Ill will go by the Cingular store and ask about the possible service upgrade, but those fools dont really know whats what, thats why im on xda-dev!
I like the bluetooth idea, ill try find a "sweet spot" in the apt and try that method. Thanks again!
"I have dream..."
My idea just seems possible, however i cant program so who am i too.....
The idea of having blocked cell id numbers. If i could FieldTest or somehow extract the cell ids from the towers i dont want, then create a file that the phone checks against before joining a tower.....
I dont know, just a dream i suppose...
In both cases (roaming and not) are you registered in same operator?
If you're having a difficult time maintaining solid cellular reception, you might want to consider buying an external antenna. Refer to my post here regarding an antenna that can be purchased from Radio Shack. The antenna is now on clearance for $20 and the pigtail is $10. This may or may not help depending upon your location in relation to the towers, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Cheers
Yeah, I'm on an 18 month contract... But I'm about 8 months in now
You might even be able to get bluetooth repeaters once you find your, ahem, sweet spot
danielherrero said:
In both cases (roaming and not) are you registered in same operator?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i believe so. the only reason i think it's roaming is because of the Triangle icon. But my SIM is only authorized for one operator, Cingular.
is there a better way to check?
Thank you very much Daniel!
Lancealot said:
If you're having a difficult time maintaining solid cellular reception, you might want to consider buying an external antenna. Refer to my post here regarding an antenna that can be purchased from Radio Shack. The antenna is now on clearance for $20 and the pigtail is $10. This may or may not help depending upon your location in relation to the towers, but if you try it out, let me know how it works.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would be willing to try those products but i believe they're now fully discontinued. Either of those item numbers from your post no longer exsist.
No problem
taze said:
i would be willing to try those products but i believe they're now fully discontinued. Either of those item numbers from your post no longer exsist.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call your closest Radio Shack and ask if they have either of those catalog numbers in stock. Worst case scenario is that they won't, however they can check the districts perpetual stock and see how many are available, and if you ask nicely, they can have the antenna and pigtail shipped to their store so you don't have to run all over creation just to get it.
...An even worst case scenario would be if you didn't live in the US or didn't have any Radio Shacks close by.. however I might know of someone who could use their employee discount to cover shipping costs Let me know if you have any questions.
weinson said:
you should re-post over in this thread Daniel's software might be able to solve your problem (or Daniel might have other ideas).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taze,
I would also recommend that you try one of Daniel's applications - he is working on Comm Manager Pro but I think that Bandswitch will probably help you. I find similar problems to those you describe at work here in the UK with T-Mobile and my battery would often run low even during a day at work. The problem appears to have been caused by the Vario II (Hermes) spending all day jumping back and forward between networks whilst hunting for the best signal. Although the Bandswitch application (very small footprint) will not increase the signal you may find that forcing the phone to operate in a particular band helps - this is very easily achieved via the Bandswitch interface rather than going into settings each time. I now regularly switch to GSM each day when I get to work and it has solved my battery run-down issue completely!
Comm Manager Pro does much the same and more. It allows you to define a location (according to Cell ID and LAC Code) from which you can set the CMP application to (amongst other functions) switch to a particular band - or even turn the phone off).
Given what you have said this may not help but I would certainly give it a go. Good luck.
Regards
tony.wheeler said:
Taze,
I would also recommend that you try one of Daniel's applications - he is working on Comm Manager Pro but I think that Bandswitch will probably help you. I find similar problems to those you describe at work here in the UK with T-Mobile and my battery would often run low even during a day at work. The problem appears to have been caused by the Vario II (Hermes) spending all day jumping back and forward between networks whilst hunting for the best signal. Although the Bandswitch application (very small footprint) will not increase the signal you may find that forcing the phone to operate in a particular band helps - this is very easily achieved via the Bandswitch interface rather than going into settings each time. I now regularly switch to GSM each day when I get to work and it has solved my battery run-down issue completely!
Comm Manager Pro does much the same and more. It allows you to define a location (according to Cell ID and LAC Code) from which you can set the CMP application to (amongst other functions) switch to a particular band - or even turn the phone off).
Given what you have said this may not help but I would certainly give it a go. Good luck.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im going to try bandswitch today and see how it works. thank you for the suggestion!
i wish daniel could add the feature of blocked, preferred, of locked Cell ID's. that would be worth a good amount of money to me....
Hi.
I would like to help you.... I can detect cells and lac but I cant force radio hardware to attach on a particular cell. This a task for Radio ROM. The only posibility (maybe) would be if the operator names are diferent. Could you go to settings a search for operators? Maybe your operator has different name in roaming than non roaming. In that case It would be easy to help you....
Oooo if FieldTest were a controllable application....
Ok what I’ve discovered so far after watching FieldTest for about an hour.
The Good Connection -
LAC 0020
MNC/MCC 31017
NCELL INFO1 700-80 dbm <---- (at least four out of six NCELL maintain a steady 700-80dbm, often all six NCELL)
NCELL INFO2 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO3 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO4 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO5 700-80 dbm
NCELL INFO6 700-80 dbm
BAND 2CS
CHANNEL 1:CCCH (stays, doesn’t change)
The Bad Connection
LAC d6ef
MNC/MCC 31380
NCELL INFO1 140-100 dbm
NCELL INFO2 140-100 dbm <---- (i get two NCELL at the most 140 each, rarely four NCELL, never more)
NCELL INFO3 0
NCELL INFO4 0
NCELL INFO5 0
NCELL INFO6 0
BAND 3:850 (once I saw it switch to PCS on this same MNC)
CHANNEL 1:CCCH/0:BCCH/255<UNKNOWN> (switches between these quite frequently)
So what I’ve interpreted from all that is.
Well I’ve confirmed my ****ty connection. Even though the phone often shows two bars, I can’t make or receive calls. Based on the NCELL db numbers and the constant channel changing, that **** just don’t work.
Most importantly, the phone is always trying to switch to the highest possible band. Because PCS is a lower band than GSM 850, my phone won’t stay on the PCS connection.
O yes, another discovery is, in WM6, if you are connected to a PCS band network, it displays the Triangle icon as if you are roaming but in fact it is not roaming.
So Daniel since you seem to be the best chance for a better life [for my Hermes]:
I need a way to force band selection beyond just GSM and UMTS.
I tried BandSwitch and it does not work for me because all my available connections fall under GSM.
And even beyond that I’d like to be able to force MNC’s, as I believe they are the specific network number.
Or can I block a LAC?
In settings, I only have one operator, Cingular, “Home of the most dropped calls.”
Hi.
I undestand perfectly your frustration and I will try to do what I can althought It doesnt seem easy thing because there isnt any(known) api to manage Radio Rom. Fieldtest is OEM dependent and I imagine It only works for only one manufacturer of radio hardware chip.
Ok, first try. If you start radio phone 10 times....
1) how many times your phone register to roaming (and wished) network?
2) If registed to roaming network, how much time (aprox) stays on it before register to bad cells?.
Why? well ,CMP executes actions when you enter on some place (compound by cells and lacs). You could create a place with your hated cells and then associate the action "reset radio" when registed to those cells (or lacs). In this way if your device falls into bad cells it would be resetted (only radio, not phone) until registed to good cells...
Only an idea....
Dani
If you can determine the direction of the "bad" towers, try lining your walls with lead sheets to block their signals and letting you connect to a prefered tower.

We should complain to Sony about weak signal.

I email Sony a complain about weak signal and this is what I got in respond:
Thank you for contacting Sony Ericsson Xperia Support.
We don't have a list of the newest updates for this phone, but I have heard nothing of your issue before, it is worth trying a reset if there is no update available.
Try resetting the hardware. To do this, hold down the two keys on the front with silver "-" signs. While you are pressing them, take the stylus and press the reset button through the top opening through the casing of the stylus.
What I also suggest is resetting the phone software via "Clear Storage".
To do this, select Start icon, then Settings, then tap the System tab. You will see Clear Storage in the top right corner.
1. The Sony Ericsson Update Service is a free download that can be found at www.sonyericsson.com, after you click on "Support" and then choose your phone model.
2. Select your country and region.
3. Under the section titled”Software and Set Up” choose, “Sony Ericsson Update Service”.
4. Download the application to your computer and install the program.
Once you have installed the program and run it, it will give you instructions on how to install it on the computer and how to run it on the phone afterwards. Please make sure the phone and the USB cable are not connected to the PC throughout the installation process. The Update Service is meant to update the software on the phone.
If you require more information, or have any other questions, please visit our website at SonyEricsson.com/X1 or call us at 1-877-7XPERIA.
Dunno what's going on here, I can't complaint: my reception is GREAT in both X1a and X1i
You should start a poll on this thread
1- Reception GREAT
2- Reception OK but...
3- Reception SUCKS
Reception good / great here... 2/4 bars of HDSPA all around my town...
signal is temprmental. i am not sure it is down to the phone though
Loco5150 said:
Reception good / great here... 2/4 bars of HDSPA all around my town...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me..
Compared to my Motorola Q9h Global, my Xperia X1a (and my Nokia E71-2) appear to have fewer bars in the same place.
I don't want to insult anybody by suggesting that this is the case, but I hope we're not assuming that the Xperia has poor RF signal capture just because it's not showing as many bars as another device.
In my part of the world there is a notorious dead zone between Culpeper VA and Orange VA. There are very few phones that can hold an AT&T signal through this zero-bar signal area, and the Xperia is one of them.
reception is just OK. my n95 usualy has a far better signal then my x1. @ least thats for UMTS signals. GSM is fine with both.
probaly a problem of the Metal case
1- Reception GREAT
Poll up
Express yorself
achmed20 said:
reception is just OK. my n95 usualy has a far better signal then my x1. @ least thats for UMTS signals. GSM is fine with both.
probaly a problem of the Metal case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll second that, my N95 8GB has a better signal strength than my Xperia, i have owned a few Win mob devices in the past and they have all had poor reception compared to The Nokias i had at the time.
Done blame SE.. its a matter of fone operators.
nup, reception is much worse on the x1 than my k800i.
with my old phone I could get a little bit of reception at work (thick walls, no windows, lots of machinery..)
but I rarely get a signal now with the x1.. (and am unable to make calls, or they drop out half way through)
(and I am with the same provider)
But signal bars don't really represent how much signal you get. Making calls and it not dropping are the key factors you need to compare with.
Yes, however having comparison with SE P1, and my HP laptop with ExpressCard,
all on the same operator,
X1 is a bit weeker on reception.
Im also having same problem with signal on o2 in the uk, my blackbbery bold is fine, but x1 normally shows 1/2 bars
Really? Well here in montreal we have a tunnel, the Louis-Hyppolite Lafontaine tunnel. This tunnel is a dead zone, of course, but on a strong enough phone you get a link until nearly at the middle. With my X1, I got signal from start to end, the only other phones that I saw capable of doing this are the blod and E71.
Even if in my phone I see 3 bars, the signal is still very strong. Well maybe the X1 has better sensitivity, that would explain why you see 2 bars on the SE, when, conversely, you see 4 on a motorola.
X1 definitely has serious reception problem.
I am not taking about the number of bars but off and on signal are comepltely gone and it will start searching for a network.
I have tested this by putting the phone on the table and by observing the signals bars over a long period of time. Often I have noticed full signal bars and many time there are not signals at all.
Service is weak in my area but none of my pervious mobiles have shown such a poor reception.
My reception is just ridiculously bad!(I live in the Netherlands, Utrecht)
When I'm on MSN or browsing the web, or even when I'm SMS'ing,
the signal just drops. It's really starting to bug me!
I dont even have a connection when I'm on the bathroom @home..
I've noticed that it seems to be more due to the issue of HSDPA. It'll lose signal with HSDPA but then it'll connect with full bars of the older GPRS. In my opinion this would indicate that the service provider (vodafone) is the issue, not the phone.
I think another issue is that the radio antenna is actually part of the metal battery cover. If you take it off and turn the cover over you can see 4 exposed pieces of metal, I assume these are just that. Perhaps the signal you receive is so poor that even your hand covering the antenna is blocking it.
Here are the results of a hard comparison:
three (3) different devices -
HTC Polaris P3650 (ie. the 1st one)
SE X1 with radio ROM 1.11.25.76
Acer DX900
I used the same SIM card in all three in exactly the same marginal signal area (same verandah) in succession (total swap time to all three was about 10 minutes, no sudden electrical storms, weather fine and clear)
Both the Polaris and the DX900 easily found enough signal to work directly after boot with both HSDPA and GSM
The X1 obdurately stayed dumb and stupid, although it works OK in high signal areas
Conclusion: the X1 is useless in marginal signal areas. I suspect the aluminium case. It works fine if you never leave the city areas. When combined with the original underpowered battery, I now regard the X1 as an expensive toy ... pity, as it has lots of grunt (CPU, RAM, storage, resolution, GPS) but I'm simply not in the design market demographic.
I've tried 4 different radio ROM's now in the X1. WiFi, BT, GPS are excellent. GSM/GPRS and UMTS are hopeless in marginal signal areas.

Poor/intermittent Signal - so far so good solution

There are a few thread's already on the site about signal problems with the X1 however many are quite old and I thought a specific one with a (so far so good) solution would be welcomed.
Many people have had problems with their signal being lost or being poor and there are posts on the Vodafone forums, here, as well as many other sites and many suggest they have contacted SE without much success. Mine got so bad I was ready to give up the phone and go to N97.
I had some advice from someone at a local friendly phone store about what may be the problem and he suggested (to stop me claiming on my insurance I'm sure) changing the connection settings so it only looks at GSM.....
.....I did this three days ago and since I have had no loss of signal and my signal strength has been better than ever.
To do this:
Start > settings > comm manager > settings > phone > band
Select your network type : GSM
Not sure of the significance of this change (from auto) but its worked wonders for me
Phone:
O2 UK, R3A, xperiatweak, mms changes, Dashwire, advanced config, spb galore
Good luck and I hope this works for you (let me know how it goes)
Found the same problem when I first received the phone, I too changed the band to GSM, mainly to save battery usage as 3G wasn't needed and noticed the signal is A LOT stronger...
Not noticed any downsides to disabling 3G either as my internet browsing is still very fast using Opera Mini.
maybe a stupid question: with 3g disabled, can the phone still lock in HSDPA?
i dont think so
in theory when its connected to 3g it should still have a gsm link as backup to switch to if there is a problem
still working
A week in now and the signal is still without problems and I've found the battery life of the phone is at its longest since I got the phone at the end of last year
In answer to other posts - I've remained connected to O2 UK Mobile WEb (GPRS, 3G) despite selecting GSM only
This is useful only if you don't need 3G or 3.5G... If your 3G coverage is ok, there is no trouble either... There is a huge change depending your operator and your location
i did this for a couple days and had to switch back. i've NEVER been able to connect to 3g (i have an X1i in america where the X1a is sold), but upon applying this change of setting i couldn't get HSDPA anymore and all my internet/data activities was like creeping death. i could only connect to Edge, which is practically unusable
asayamalaka said:
maybe a stupid question: with 3g disabled, can the phone still lock in HSDPA?
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nope! but its going to use EDGE which is also pretty fast.u probably wont notice the difference on a smartphone anyway.
achmed20 said:
nope! but its going to use EDGE which is also pretty fast.u probably wont notice the difference on a smartphone anyway.
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lol are you kidding? when i'm on edge i might as well be tapping morse code across two cans with a string between them. everytime i pull up google maps on edge i might as well pay a homeless guy to steal me map pages, it would take a lot less time..... HSDPA is the complete opposite for me, everything loads almost instantly

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