Hey, I was wondering if there's a way to make the wifi switch toggle the EVDO connection instead. My EVDO is on pretty much all the time, which is a good thing when I'm using it frequently, such as when I'm bored (read: bathroom), or when I'm stuck in traffic. However, at work, I get a really weak EVDO signal, so it's constantly searching and draining my battery life. Is there any way to remap the wifi switch to toggle the EVDO connection instead?
P.S.- I know I could probably switch off all the apps that auto-connect to EVDO, such as WP or pRSS, but I'd rather just be able to kill and establish the whole connection instead. Color me weird.
Thanks in advance for any insights.
i dont think so, AFAIK the wifi switch is actually physically toggling power top the wifi adaptor, so theres no way to remap it with software
Use the Comm Manager button (right below the power button) and click on the Data Connection icon to disable EVDO. It will reconnect when the next autoconnecting program runs.
defaultdotxbe said:
i dont think so, AFAIK the wifi switch is actually physically toggling power top the wifi adaptor, so theres no way to remap it with software
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can turn the wifi on from the comm manager even with the switch in the off position...
StarmanDX said:
You can turn the wifi on from the comm manager even with the switch in the off position...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no on mine i cant...in fact i dont even have a wifi option in comm manager, however other software controls for wifi cant turn it on when the switch is off (they can turn it off when the switch is on though)
There's really no need.
EVDO goes dormant after a short while when the connection isn't active (transferring data) to conserve resources at the base station (tower) as well as your battery. So it's really not doing much because EVDO connections are initiated from your handset, not the tower.
The low signal will drain your battery a bit faster because the voice radio (also the radio for 1xRTT or "really slow data") has to keep track of towers actively and wake up every few seconds to make sure it doesn't need to ring, pick up an SMS, or tell you there's a voicemail waiting. Lower signal means your phone has to transmit at higher power. So it's not EVDO, it's voice that you have to worry about draining battery with low signal.
I would love to do this for BlueTooth since it is having so many problems. Anyone else take a look for this?
Related
Something strange since my upgrade to 1.66 - when the phone's in standby it appears to be establishing an active 3G connection, and when i wake (unlock) the phone, you can watch as it reconnects to the current wifi connection again. Is this some sort of energy saving strategy, which could theoretically run your 3G bill up? (dont matter to me as mine is unlimited, but not all are).
Anyone else notice/know about this?
By default, Wifi is disabled during standby to save power. So if a program requests an internet connection, for example outlook if you configured it to check mail automatically, the phone will connect the data connection.
You can search for "wifinostandby" to find a fix that disables auto wifi power off.
But beware that current consumption with wifi on is substantially higher than when it's off, by 10 times (current draw is about 50mA vs 5 for "true" standby), meaning you get at best 30h standby life if doing nothing else.
Also, dont forget that the top bar shows you the connetion being offered by your network, it doesn't necessarily mean it's doing anything. If you disable the wifif you see the same 3g icon regardless of what data is doing. So as said above, you go to standby, wifi is disabled so the wifi icon vanishes, then if you have your phone in 3g mode (personally mine stays in gsm mode, so i see an E not a H) when you wake it up it will display the H before the wifi kicks in and the icon changes back to wifi again.
This is not about HOW TO DISABLE the data connection: I know there are plenty of ways and apps to do that, even automatically.
As regards me I have two manual options to do that on my phone:
1. In the Comm manager, under Wireless Controls, I have 3G on/off option, which I can use to switch between 3G and 2G network
2. ModaCo NoData, which I can use to ENABLE/DISABLE my "H3G Internet" data connection
My questions are:
a] do I have to use both?
b] if either one is enough, which one is the best (or: what is the difference between the two)?
Thanks
I believe if you are on the 2G network, you can still connect to the internet via GPRS?
thegios said:
1. In the Comm manager, under Wireless Controls, I have 3G on/off option, which I can use to switch between 3G and 2G network
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This does what it says, switches your phone from 3G/2G networks to 2G only. But in both cases your phone can place a data connection, only it will be slower when on 2G (GPRS/EDGE).
To disable the connection, you need to use nodata. The other option does nothing in this regard.
So in the end your question still actually was about how to disable
Fine understood
New question then: considering that I have automatic wetaher/location/facebook.pushmail active, if I disable data connection at night and in the office, would this save battery life?
Most likely a little,yes. But data connection barely uses anything when idle, so you save the little amount of traffic that takes place from the updates. And the phone will still wake up at the update intervals to try and connect, which drains pretty much the same as the connection itself.
When I'm at home I use WiFi and the 3G icon is off. As long as I'm actively using the phone this seems to be the case.
I've noticed on more than one occasion that when I unlock the phone after a prolonged "sleep" it is connected to 3G and switches back to WiFi!
Anyone else seen this?
Is there an explanation?
I have noticed this too and I have my WiFi sleep policy set to Never (check yours perhaps).
A little bug I would say.
Unless you've adjusted the wifi sleep policy, this is normal behaviour.
By default, when the screen switches off, so does wifi.
The Jones said:
I have noticed this too and I have my WiFi sleep policy set to Never (check yours perhaps).
A little bug I would say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HA! Another Advanced settings menu under the WiFi settings menu.
My WiFi sleep policy was "When Screen Turns Off". Sneaky.
Changed it to "Never". Let's see what happens.
With SYNC ALWAYS for e-mail/facebook/twitter, which uses more power/drains battery faster: WiFi or 3G?
I'm pretty sure Wifi is nicer on the battery than 3G, at least from what I've read and my own experience.
It depends on your signal from both (which equals required trasmitting power), I'd say.
WiFi power is pretty much constant, 3G/HSDPA can vary and get much higher than WiFi.
I have read that when you are connected to WiFi, it is always slightly better for power (I am sure range and signal strength do come into play though).
When you are not connected to WiFi, then the wireless uses loads of power trying to hunt a network down.
I have been trying to figure out a way to choose wifi or 3G when i want to surf. For instance if i click on the intrrnet app and it should give me an option, to surf through a wifi or 3G service.
What happens now is that it just connects difrectly but i do not now which service it is connected to. How do i achieve this option or at least get the option to surf through eithet wifi or 3G?
If you don't know what connection it uses you should at least read the manual or find out the icons from somewhere else.
Have you set up wifi in the settings? If there is no wifi available I believe it uses 3g automatically.
There is widgets to turn connections on/off.
ebue said:
I have been trying to figure out a way to choose wifi or 3G when i want to surf. For instance if i click on the intrrnet app and it should give me an option, to surf through a wifi or 3G service.
What happens now is that it just connects difrectly but i do not now which service it is connected to. How do i achieve this option or at least get the option to surf through eithet wifi or 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be quite annoying to get the pop up everytime you open the internet up. It uses whatever connection you have active. If you have wifi and 3G on, and you are on a wifi network then wifi will override the 3G (and save you battery in the process). If you have 3G on and wifi off, 3G will be used. However, if you have no connection, a popup does come up saying "please connect to a wifi network" when you click the box, it brings you to the wifi settings, where you don't have to hit a single button and it will turn wifi on and bring you right back to the page where you were (honestly, this might be different across firmwares, but if you don't have it then expect it in the 2.2 update).
So, how to fix the problem you have, I have two recommendations for you:
1) QuickDesk, it's a UI screen that will pop-up over any program you have running without exiting the program (even games). Double-click of home button will allow you to access 1 page of apps (such as a wifi on off switch or power control widget...see below)
2) Power control widget, or at least a wifi on/off toggle switch. Before I had an always on 3G this was a widget I never lived without. I'd have wifi off 3/4 of the day and 3G on 95% of the day, meaning if I wanted to connect to the internet I wanted something easy and simple to use... a simple wifi on/off toggle will work. I would sometimes forget to switch 3G off when I'd get home and half way through looking at web pages I'd think about it, so I'd double click home, find power control widget and activate wifi to override the 3G connection as I originally described.
Hope that helps.
alovell83 said:
That would be quite annoying to get the pop up everytime you open the internet up. It uses whatever connection you have active. If you have wifi and 3G on, and you are on a wifi network then wifi will override the 3G (and save you battery in the process). If you have 3G on and wifi off, 3G will be used. However, if you have no connection, a popup does come up saying "please connect to a wifi network" when you click the box, it brings you to the wifi settings, where you don't have to hit a single button and it will turn wifi on and bring you right back to the page where you were (honestly, this might be different across firmwares, but if you don't have it then expect it in the 2.2 update).
So, how to fix the problem you have, I have two recommendations for you:
1) QuickDesk, it's a UI screen that will pop-up over any program you have running without exiting the program (even games). Double-click of home button will allow you to access 1 page of apps (such as a wifi on off switch or power control widget...see below)
2) Power control widget, or at least a wifi on/off toggle switch. Before I had an always on 3G this was a widget I never lived without. I'd have wifi off 3/4 of the day and 3G on 95% of the day, meaning if I wanted to connect to the internet I wanted something easy and simple to use... a simple wifi on/off toggle will work. I would sometimes forget to switch 3G off when I'd get home and half way through looking at web pages I'd think about it, so I'd double click home, find power control widget and activate wifi to override the 3G connection as I originally described.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Thats the answer I was looking for. I have both services activated and they are active in the bar at the top of the screen; that is why I asked to see which one was actually being used in this case. So if both are on then Wifi takes perference over the 3G? Good to know this. I take it I can ger this on/off widget in the Market. I'll see if I can download it. The widget method sounds better.
BTW, just checked out the Market and there are quite a few. Any particular one that you guys recommend or just any will do-? I just downloaded the one by Curvefish
Now looking for one to turn off the 3G.
I think power control widget comes out of the box long press on your screen and go to widgets to look for it. As far as 3g goes you should be able to program a shortcut instead. Long press then access settings which should bring you to individual settings you can program like 3g toggle...ank program off the market will do just fine but I prefer to not give access to my phone unless necessary.
when both WiFi and 3G/H are ON
it will by default use WiFi
if WiFi fails or signal is poor, it will automatically switch to 3G/H
you will see the icon at the top of the status bar
ebue said:
I have been trying to figure out a way to choose wifi or 3G when i want to surf. For instance if i click on the intrrnet app and it should give me an option, to surf through a wifi or 3G service.
What happens now is that it just connects difrectly but i do not now which service it is connected to. How do i achieve this option or at least get the option to surf through eithet wifi or 3G?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can force the phone to only use WiFi if you install this App
APN on-off Widget http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=765081
Thank you guys for the good info. I am in the process of downloading some maps and it is really going well. Got something like 165KB/s so far.
Is it my imagination or do apps that use my wifi connectivity seem snappier when the data network mode is deactivated (from menu after long press on power button)? It seems like they are pulling the data faster. I am wondering if they stop to look at 3g/4g before going to wifi when data network mode is activated?
honestly, i always turn off my 3g when I'm close to a wifi connection. saves battery & its way faster
Juice Defender for the win #FTW
Y'know, I've never tried this and think I may. Wonder if it does make a difference since I'd hope WiFi would override it anyhow. I don't see the icon for it on WiFi much of the time anyway, but is that proof? Thanks.
I am curious also? So you are saying if you disable mobile data, your wifi will pull data in faster because it doesn't have to check if 3G is on?
That would be cool, cause I am on wifi almost 90% of the time - although I would probably forget to turn my 3G back on when I got to my wifi zones.
mouseglider said:
I am curious also? So you are saying if you disable mobile data, your wifi will pull data in faster because it doesn't have to check if 3G is on?
That would be cool, cause I am on wifi almost 90% of the time - although I would probably forget to turn my 3G back on when I got to my wifi zones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was just a guess. It could be nothing more than my imagination - but it did seem a bit quicker to start pulling data.
I have never turned my 3g off and have noticed at times it is slow and other times it is really fast. It mostly has to do with the transmissions and receiving of packets from your attennas
The phone automatically disables 3G and 4G data when on wifi.