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Hi,
I have just upgraded to PPC 2003 and it looks and feels great. Thanks for posting the update.
But I have run in to problems. I am currently running 4.00.1 and have Radio version 4.21.00. I am an O2 UK customer. However since the upgrade I have lost 90% of my signal. Now where I used to have full signal i.e on my desk, I have one bar or worse NONE. Where as at home, I have none!! Is this a know issue? If so does any one know how to get round it? :?:
Pleases help…
Thanks, Gil.
This is a known issue. I have encountered the same problem. But if you notice the actual quality of a call or GPRS connection is better than before. I let me to conclude that the signal bar is not displaying the actual signal strength. I have had no problems for the last 2 weeks since installing.
Thanks Fadyco, it seems that the signal monitor is bugged as you said. Even when it says I have no signal I can still receive incoming calls
On a slightly different note, did you have any trouble configuring GPRS? I cannot get mine to work. It connects but then when I look at a site of try to connect to MSN Messenger it comes up with 'The page you are looking for cannot be found'. I know for a fact that www.google.co.uk exists
Thanks, Gil.
Well, i've had no problems with GPRS connection, but I am in a different country...Jordan...I did have the same problem, but when i press ok after the error is displayed, the page loads fine. Always onn connection works great too, checks my email every 5 min and messenger is flawless!
Not sure about you guys, but as GPRS costs the earth, i like to make sure it's only been used when i tell it to. Also battery life would be impacted.........i want to be able to turn it off without disabling the phone and then re-enabling it.
Gil said:
On a slightly different note, did you have any trouble configuring GPRS? I cannot get mine to work. It connects but then when I look at a site of try to connect to MSN Messenger it comes up with 'The page you are looking for cannot be found'. I know for a fact that www.google.co.uk exists
Thanks, Gil.
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Click to collapse
Try running welcome.exe thats located in your \windows root folder.
I know it sounds strange but most of the time it works/will fix that 'The page you are looking for cannot be found' problem.
I am using a program called IPDashboard. While it works great for WLAN usage it has recently been updated for the PocketPC Phone. It is a Today plug-in that displays network information but more importantly it displays signal strength as a real percentage versus the suspicious bars that I can no longer trust. It does seem to indicate that the signal strength is significantly better than what is being displayed.
Can this be trusted over the standard Signal Strength meter? I am not sure at this point since I just installed it last night so more testing is required.
I am curious to see what others think of this program and whether or not the signal strength IPDashboard displays contradicts what their Signal Strength meter shows.
I do not have the website handy here at work but if you search for IPDashboard over at Handango.com you come up with the trial ware version which will last for a week.
Hi Qman , I tried running Welcome as you suggested. But I still get the warning... I think it may be to do with the GPRS settings.
ottoman3 you make a good point. I think that there needs to be some investigation regarding signal strength. I do not trust my provider 100% regarding A: Signal Strength or B: Data flow rates. Perhaps this is something that may be of interest to every one.
Gil.
[/quote]
Gil, you reminded me of another feature that IPDashboard included with the 1.2 update. They now track data xmit/rec'v over GPRS. The original version only graphed ongoing data usage. Again I am only guessing this program's accuracy at this point. I only used it for the network information before ths last update, not for data usage reporting.
I also have GPRS Monitor so I will start comparing both programs and look for any discrepancies. GPRS Monitor was always over what T-Mobile indicated on the bill. Don't get me wrong, I do see this as a good thing to keep me from going over my 10 meg limit. But now with the unlimited data option I wouldn't mind a more accurate reading on data usage. Just for kicks and giggles.
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.
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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.
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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).
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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.
Hello,
I have just upgraded to the official GPS ROM and I am on the Swedish 3 operator. I have noticed since the upgrade that the network connection is switching from 3G to HSDPA when there is a demand of bandwidth or simply when there is data in either direction.
I can see that the purpose of this was to make it possible and more reliable to place and receive calls during data sessions. I have figured out though, that with the old ROM, there was no such switching (but there was no distinction with the icon, so you really had no idea) and the connection speed was always constantly 1Mbits/s when using Internet Sharing for example. Now with the HSDPA/3G switching/throttling, the connection often drops down to 3G speeds and Skype-calls are lacking quality from this a bit when using Skype in the car which i do quite regularly nowadays using my Jabra JX-10 headset.
I also realize that there is still a problem with outgoing and incoming calls during these automaticly switched-on HSDPA-sessions. That is probably why HTC has decided to keep the HSDPA sessions as short as possible, that's fine, but what boggles me is the algorithm used for the switching. It seems to always kick in HSDPA in the beginning of a new data session, and after a short time of inactivity (while pondering what favourite page to open this time) the connection drops down to 3G and it won't kick back to HSDPA even when you start browsing again, until a certain period of "non-HSDPA-ratio" has been reached and the phone thinks it would be OK to kick in the highspeed again for a little while.
I also noticed that using Skype would keep HSDPA alive once you place a call from a fresh started data session and keep talking ;-)
This is not a particular problem to me, I was just wondering of anyone else here has noticed and had an idea of what the programmers had in mind?
BTW: I am running TomTom 6.010 and Franson GpsGate on the machine now and it works absolutely like a dream. I used to have a Blue-I Bluetooth GPS in the car (Trimble based chipset, only 8 channels but quite OK piece of hardware) but this is far superior when it comes to HOLDING a persistent fix also when moving indoors. The TTFF is quite fast as long as you are outdoors, most of the time i have a fix before i leave the parking space. I noticed there being a dynamic number of satellites of the receiver, sometimes i see 7 out of 8 satellites, and then sometimes i see 10 out of 12! Anyone noticed?
Thanks in advance! Cheers...
It’s not your phone that decide to change from HSDPA mode to normal R99 (384kbits) mode and vice versa. Everything are always controlled by the network. The behaviors that you describe are normal. Besides the HSDPA is quit new for the operators and new parameters needs to be tuned for best performance for every users.
BTW, the degradation that you notice. You are not alone that use HSDPA.... Its finally the big success for 3G
I use Phone Alarm profiles and BandSwitch to control my connection based on business hours. I get a poor singal unless on 3G where my office is located. I force it to GPRS otherwise to save battery.
I have similar problems, cannot receive or start calls when HSDPA connected. Shouldn't that be possible anyway, calling and transferring data at the same time? Or is this a network provider problem?
I too am on the Swedish operator 3. I have an unlocked, non-operator distributed HTC TyTN that I had updated the radio to 1.40xxx and the ROM to Black Dymond 3.5 and was having the exact same problem. I could reproduce the incoming call not getting through error every single time I got the phone to go into HSDPA mode.
After some initial searching I read somewhere it was network dependent (Nokia switches vs Ericsson) and the only way to solve it was to disable the HSDPA using e.g. HTweakC, which I did and it solved the problem, but then of course I couldn't take advantage of the high-speed data access, which was the major reason I got this phone.
I recently noticed that 3 released a new extended ROM with instructions to update the ROM to the latest (as is available on the ftp here) then install their ExtROM. I went to the trouble to try and breakdown what was in this extended ROM, but being a newbie to pocketpc it was all hyroglyphics to me, so I went ahead and installed it over my old HTC ext ROM (which I saved for later use just in case).
When I get around to it I may mount this extended ROM here (I have it, but don't have too much time to put it up right now, so someone may beat me to it).
Anyway, Black Dymond 3.5 didn't install the Extended ROM after a hard reset (assuming that was the intention), so I did it myself afterwards. One initial bug that showed up quickly was the Comm Manager not wanting to start saying it would only manage a max of 7 items (whatever that means). So I installed Schaps latest Comm Manager and it worked fine.
Well, guess what, now there's a daemond that starts on boot and the phone app is different (another bug is that the text on the phone app buttons remain in the 3 theme although I changed back to black, but that's minor), but now I cannot replicate the no incoming calls during HSDPA error.
Apparently they've added something that makes the phone connect properly to their 3G/HSDPA network for call handling. Now I've got full HSDPA speed and no problem on incoming calls (plus still have Black Dymond's great VOIP/SIP WM6 solution).
Ok, as a noob I of course missed the fact that the daemon starting at boot is Voice Commander. Still the actual phone app/dll is somehow different with this ExtROM and it's solved my problems.
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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Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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
Hi all!
I'm an Android user. I use it heavily for web-based uses - browsing, streaming music and various network-enabled apps. And I'm a little disappointed. The problem appears to be a network issue, but many, if not most, of the time, I can't get a reliable data connection on my phone. GSM is totally fine - never had a dropped call or lack of reception. Just data. Even when I am in a area of strong coverage (full bars; 3G/HSPDA icon showing) I frequently am unable to do simple web access - can't open Google, or an app is unable to do light data connection (e.g. Facebook app grabbing a profile). Sometimes it works fine and when it does, it works bloody fast. But it's that unreliability that is frustrating.
Now, I'd go to my network and ***** about it but they - quite understandably - would be unable to do much about it without a more technical description of the problem. They'd just find some way to blame it on something else, as they do. What I'm looking to do is characterise the problem by gathering some stats on connection reliability. If such data could be collected, I would be able to back up a case that there's something foobarred with the network (or persuade myself that there isn't).
Question is: does such an app exist? I'm not looking for one of the many speedcheck apps; I'm looking for something I can run for a couple of days during which time it tries to make many mobile data connections. It would record success/fail, reported network strength/type, perhaps latency, connection speed and location as well. It would do so once every, say, 5 minutes, to build up a profile of how the reliably I can get my connections.
Anyone know of such an app? If not, I might write one; do you thing such data would be useful?
Sheepish bump...