Database Users

turn ON/OFF HSDPA

hi all,
Can anyone tell me how can I turn on/off HSDPA?
As HSDPA drains my battery like hell compare to a normal UMTS network.
What I need to do is to turn off HSDPA when I need to remain connected for a long period of time such as agilemessenger. HSDPA can drain my battery from 100% to zero within less than 3 hours. I strongly believe a normal UMTS (without HSDPA) can last the battery a lot longer.
Pls tell me if you have any suggestions or correct me if my thought is wrong.
Mark

Hello,
You can do it with fit4cat hermes tweaker.
I attach this ZIP file.
Good use

can anyone comment on whether this indeeds help with battery life? I need my data on all the time so any help on that front would be cool. And if so how much does it conserve?
thanks

NOOOO ... dont use the fit4cat update for this .. it's not supposed to be used on production devices that have their HSDPA enabled already ..
best option will be to apply the reg hack to enable the phone band settings on the Cingular 8525 (Cingular wisely decided to disable this, look on the wiki for this reg update) .. and select GSM to back down to GSM network ...
Depending on your usage of UMTS the device might get hot .. so using the GSM bands will definitely be helpful if the 8525 is getting hot ..

i had also created a cab for the band selection
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=283797

gravejoker said:
NOOOO ... dont use the fit4cat update for this .. it's not supposed to be used on production devices that have their HSDPA enabled already ..
best option will be to apply the reg hack to enable the phone band settings on the Cingular 8525 (Cingular wisely decided to disable this, look on the wiki for this reg update) .. and select GSM to back down to GSM network ...
Depending on your usage of UMTS the device might get hot .. so using the GSM bands will definitely be helpful if the 8525 is getting hot ..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your suggestions.
If you have read my thread clearly, I am not intending to downgrade my network back to GSM.
I am intending to disable HSDPA only, I still want my UMTS connection.
Mark

gui62112 said:
Hello,
You can do it with fit4cat hermes tweaker.
I attach this ZIP file.
Good use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your attachment. I have successfully installed the tweaker, however, failed to run it.
Other than this tweaker, any other method to switch off HSDPA??
Again, I still need my UMTS, just want to turn of HSDPA (3.5G) only.
Mark

my bad ... didnt understand your first email properly ... And personally, I havent seen any such hacks to disable just HSDPA (UMTS still working) so far for the TyTN ... Maybe pof or Sleuth255 know something ...
Question tho - How do you know that HSDPA drains more battery than just UMTS?

gravejoker said:
my bad ... didnt understand your first email properly ... And personally, I havent seen any such hacks to disable just HSDPA (UMTS still working) so far for the TyTN ... Maybe pof or Sleuth255 know something ...
Question tho - How do you know that HSDPA drains more battery than just UMTS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Made a simple experiment.
As I have tried between 2 carrier SIM cards.
Carrier A supports HSDPA, it drains my battery from 100% to zero in less than 2.5 hours with MSN or agile Messenger connected.
Carrier B supports only normal UMTS, my battery managed to survive around 8 to 10 hours with messenger connected as well.
I think this can pretty much prove that HSDPA drains the battery much worse compare to a UMTS network.
Mark

IMO that does not necessarily mean that HSDPA network sucks up more power than UMTS .. it's possible that Carrier A might have a really bad data network where your handset is timing out while trying to make a data connection and is constantly re-trying .. this could be a real drain on the battery ...
Anyways .. just my 2c ..

I have the opposite problem. I get much better battery life at home on the HSPDA network than I do at work on a UMTS network...
I charged my phone Friday night and used it for maybe 30 minutes on Saturday/Sunday (voice) and an hour and a half of streaming radio on Saturday and was still at 30% early this (Monday) morning.

A lot of folks get similar battery life with just HSDPA/UMTS usage...

In idle mode it is always UMTS signaling ( even you see HS ) hence if you are not in a data session the battery usage is the same
In dedicated mode, Uplink is always UMTS but the downlink is HS. It is normal that the battery consumption increases with higher bandwidth. Notice that if you remain iddle for say t sec ( set by the operator) the system will downgrade you to UMTS.

markyeungcy said:
Made a simple experiment.
As I have tried between 2 carrier SIM cards.
Carrier A supports HSDPA, it drains my battery from 100% to zero in less than 2.5 hours with MSN or agile Messenger connected.
Carrier B supports only normal UMTS, my battery managed to survive around 8 to 10 hours with messenger connected as well.
I think this can pretty much prove that HSDPA drains the battery much worse compare to a UMTS network.
Mark
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this could be caused by carrier A's tower being farther away, causing the phone to transmit at a higher power level. the data transmissions will make the power draw even higher, and you'll see extreme differences in battery life between the two.
hsdpa is slightly less power efficient than umts for a number of reasons (processor overhead, different transmit power and channel management protocols) but i seriously doubt it's an 80% reduction in battery life. i can't see many manufacturers buying into hsdpa technology if such incredibly poor power management was a side effect.

Battery Life

I just switched over from an Artemis which had really great battery life. 2-3 standby is not uncommon with heavy usage (calls and GPRS). The Trinity however is dire! My day starts at 0800 and by 1800 battery is down to 20%, this is with network set to automatic, which means 3G most of the time.
Anyone having poor battery performance on their Trinity or do I have a bad battery?

Processor makes a big difference, I found my 200mhz Wizard lasted a lot longer on heavy usage than my Trinity.
With that said, I also find that 3G is a real battery hog at least on the Trinity. Not sure if it's just a case of the Trinity or all 3G devices but when I'm connected to a UTMS network my phone dies a lot quicker, so much so that for most of my usage, I keep it forced on GSM

shoey5 said:
Processor makes a big difference, I found my 200mhz Wizard lasted a lot longer on heavy usage than my Trinity.
With that said, I also find that 3G is a real battery hog at least on the Trinity. Not sure if it's just a case of the Trinity or all 3G devices but when I'm connected to a UTMS network my phone dies a lot quicker, so much so that for most of my usage, I keep it forced on GSM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It always has been that way with UMTS (3G) phones. My SE K610i lasted much longer with UMTS switched off. Just try to turn it off on the trinity.

saminegm said:
It always has been that way with UMTS (3G) phones. My SE K610i lasted much longer with UMTS switched off. Just try to turn it off on the trinity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loaded this little app. called BandSwitch. It makes my Trinity stay on GSM Edge unless I really need the speed of 3G. It turns the data off at night to save even more battery. This program has dramatically increased my Trinity's battery life. http://commmgrpro.com/_wsn/page3.html
I also have HSDPA turned off all together because my network won't allow a call to be connected while HSDPA is active. You can change that setting with HTweakC found at the Hermes Wiki.

What battery improvements have you seen?

Problem with HD2, anyone else had this issue

This morning my phone stopped working. Screen went off, couldn't wake it up and couldn't charge it. None of the buttons did anything. I decided to try a soft reset as a last resort and it's working again now. HAs anyone else had this issue, and is it something that occurs a lot? I'm not happy about this

Morning,
Search is your friend. Look on here for a thread started by Beards. Has all the info and solutions you need for this.
Use this to search as XDA search is a bit hit and miss..http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=+site:http://forum.xda-developers.com&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all
WB

wacky.banana said:
Morning,
Search is your friend. Look on here for a thread started by Beards. Has all the info and solutions you need for this.
Use this to search as XDA search is a bit hit and miss..http://www.google.com/advanced_search?q=+site:http://forum.xda-developers.com&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't find anything on XDA search to be honest. I tried that link you sent, but I can't find it on that either, any hints as to what keywords I should be using?
I also tried searching by members list, and finding all posts by beards, but I just get this long list, any idea which one he/she is?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/memberlist.php?&order=asc&sort=username&ausername=beard

try searching the site for standy screen of death.
Its a problem that has afflicted many HTC devices and seems somehow related to the phone moving between 2G and 3G in areas of poor 3G signal

rumpleforeskin said:
try searching the site for standy screen of death.
Its a problem that has afflicted many HTC devices and seems somehow related to the phone moving between 2G and 3G in areas of poor 3G signal
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that hint, found lots of info on it now. This is going to show how really clueless I am, but apart from 3G being a lot faster I'm not sure what the difference is between 2G and 3G. Also, is the 2G and 3G just related to data usage/transfer, or is it calls as well?
If it's just data transfer then I may as well set it to 3G only as I'm too impatient to wait for the internet etc on 2G. If it responsible for the connection of calls as well I'm going to have to leave it on both as I quite frequently go from3G to 2G areas, and I don't want to keep losing signal for my phone.

Snerkler,
Take a look at this thread...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=596484
WB

> If it's just data transfer then I may as well set it to 3G only as I'm too impatient to wait for the internet etc on 2G. If it responsible for the connection of calls as well I'm going to have to leave it on both as I quite frequently go from3G to 2G areas, and I don't want to keep losing signal for my phone.
GSM (2G) handles all the voice traffic and SMS in UK, plus basic GPRS speed at up to 56Kbps. Where available it also includes (E)dge connections for data up to about 100Kbps (technically can go much higher, but this is the practical limit)
3G and HSDPA (Also termed UMTS and WCDMA) are data only and can allow 330Kbps and up to 7.2Mbps respectively though you'll generally see around 200Kbps and 1-1.5Mbps as usable maxima. These protocols are also used for video calling and MMS media content. However if a device is set for WCDMA only, it can still make/receive voice and SMS services.
If all you do is use email, voice, SMS and basic web page browsing, there is an advantage in constraining the connection to GSM only, as the battery life will improve by up to 25%. For occasional higher volume web browsing it may still be worth staying on GSM, but switching to Auto or WCDMA when needed.
For frequent web use, then it's best to stay on Auto and take the battery hit. Don't select WCDMA only- the 3G service in UK is still patchy and if you go out of a 3G area, you;ll get no signal at all with this selection.
You may also see a few posts on here relating to auto-disconnecting the data signal after a timeout. In general this is not a good idea with current 'connected' devices as it prevents all the 'push' updating of email, Facebook etc. The programs to allow this were originally produced to prevent unwanted data charges when data was expensive, or when roaming. A lot of users are now utilising this in an effort to improve battery life- this is a little futile as the data connection itself uses the normal phone signal service channels and therefore negligible battery power, unless the 3G service is switched off at the same time.

wacky.banana said:
Snerkler,
Take a look at this thread...http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=596484
WB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers for this, read through to page 8 so far, will read the rest later. WHy can't I find the threads I want when I search?
I may as well just PM you everytime WB lol

NeilM said:
> If it's just data transfer then I may as well set it to 3G only as I'm too impatient to wait for the internet etc on 2G. If it responsible for the connection of calls as well I'm going to have to leave it on both as I quite frequently go from3G to 2G areas, and I don't want to keep losing signal for my phone.
GSM (2G) handles all the voice traffic and SMS in UK, plus basic GPRS speed at up to 56Kbps. Where available it also includes (E)dge connections for data up to about 100Kbps (technically can go much higher, but this is the practical limit)
3G and HSDPA (Also termed UMTS and WCDMA) are data only and can allow 330Kbps and up to 7.2Mbps respectively though you'll generally see around 200Kbps and 1-1.5Mbps as usable maxima. These protocols are also used for video calling and MMS media content. However if a device is set for WCDMA only, it can still make/receive voice and SMS services.
If all you do is use email, voice, SMS and basic web page browsing, there is an advantage in constraining the connection to GSM only, as the battery life will improve by up to 25%. For occasional higher volume web browsing it may still be worth staying on GSM, but switching to Auto or WCDMA when needed.
For frequent web use, then it's best to stay on Auto and take the battery hit. Don't select WCDMA only- the 3G service in UK is still patchy and if you go out of a 3G area, you;ll get no signal at all with this selection.
You may also see a few posts on here relating to auto-disconnecting the data signal after a timeout. In general this is not a good idea with current 'connected' devices as it prevents all the 'push' updating of email, Facebook etc. The programs to allow this were originally produced to prevent unwanted data charges when data was expensive, or when roaming. A lot of users are now utilising this in an effort to improve battery life- this is a little futile as the data connection itself uses the normal phone signal service channels and therefore negligible battery power, unless the 3G service is switched off at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fI'm reading this right, you need 2G to make and receive calls, therefore if you select 3G only then you can't make and receive calls?

snerkler said:
I fI'm reading this right, you need 2G to make and receive calls, therefore if you select 3G only then you can't make and receive calls?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No- if you select 3G only you can make/receive calls and exchange fast data- but only if you are in a 3G coverage area. Out of 3G coverage and there's nothing
GSM only: Voice, SMS, Data wherever theres a signal. Good battery life. Slow data
3G only: Voice, SMS, fast Data, but nothing at all out of 3G coverage. Higher battery drain
Auto: Switches between the 2 above, but favours 3G where available so again, higher battery drain especially in marginal 3G signals where it will continually switch between protocols, potentially using a lot of battery power.

NeilM said:
No- if you select 3G only you can make/receive calls and exchange fast data- but only if you are in a 3G coverage area. Out of 3G coverage and there's nothing
GSM only: Voice, SMS, Data wherever theres a signal. Good battery life. Slow data
3G only: Voice, SMS, fast Data, but nothing at all out of 3G coverage. Higher battery drain
Auto: Switches between the 2 above, but favours 3G where available so again, higher battery drain especially in marginal 3G signals where it will continually switch between protocols, potentially using a lot of battery power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks for clearing this up. If I want to improve battery life, am I best to have it set to 2G, unless I want to use internet/email, and if I want to do that then swap it to 3G for this (assuming I don't want push mail)?
Also, most of the time I'm hooked up to wifi, so I'm assuming in this case I don't need 3G at all?

snerkler said:
Ok, thanks for clearing this up. If I want to improve battery life, am I best to have it set to 2G, unless I want to use internet/email, and if I want to do that then swap it to 3G for this (assuming I don't want push mail)?
Also, most of the time I'm hooked up to wifi, so I'm assuming in this case I don't need 3G at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even email (polled or push) is fine over 2G unless you are receiving large attachments.
When you are on WiFi, data should take that path so you are correct- 3G won't be needed.

Improving battery life

Has anyone tried this on Nexus One?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=670999
"GSM auto (PRL)" works on AT&T Nexus, I don't know if it improves the battery life over "WCDMA preferred"
***EDIT***
Looks like this process works by improving battery life when phone is idle. Here are the instructions from the first original post.
1) Goto dialer and dial *#*#4636#*#* (DO NOT press send)
wait a second and you will get the test menu.
2) In the test menu choose 'Phone Information'
3) 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)) Don't know what PRL means, but GSM auto (PRL) allows High speed data HSDPA (it was previously on GSM/CDMA auto(PRL) I think.)
4) Back all the way out.
5) 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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Results for HTC Hero:
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I'll give it a try

i read the first page, what exactly does "PRL" stand for? and isnt this just using GSM-only? how is it able to use gsm but then switch to HSDPA (3g) for data? i didnt think that was possible.

I have been doing that for a long time and I'm pretty sure it helps...
Just set it to WCDMA only and you are all set...

well I think this really might help. I changed it to gsm auto (PRL) and my phone still uses 3g and my battery only dropped 2% in an hour and 10 min. went from 86 to 84% which it used to drop like 6% in That same time period.
I have to do more testing though to really know for sure.

mine was on WCDMA preferred....will i lose anything by switching to GSM AUTO (PRL)?

Giving this a whirl. When I'm at home and at work I'm on wifi which, combined, is like 90% of the time the phone is running so not sure how much it will affect me, but lets see
Jim

mine was on WCDMA preferred....will i lose anything by switching to GSM AUTO (PRL)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you won't lose anything from my testing so far. full 3g still works and my data speeds are over 1.5 Mbps.
my theory is that this stops our phone from constantly searching for a roaming partner/network. if true ATT has no roaming agreements so who cares.

RogerPodacter said:
you won't lose anything from my testing so far. full 3g still works and my data speeds are over 1.5 Mbps.
my theory is that this stops our phone from constantly searching for a roaming partner/network. if true ATT has no roaming agreements so who cares.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it seemed to not allow me to download anything from the app market
edit: it just takes a long time now

apolloms said:
it seemed to not allow me to download anything from the app market
edit: it just takes a long time now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had that problem too but i wasnt sure if it was just where i was

Just set to GSM AUTO (PRL) and reboot.
I downloaded two apps from the market and both downloaded faster than usual. Also the browser seems to load faster.
I'll report back with battery data.

It may be that this saves battery by using the PRL acquisition and system tables for allowed frequency + system lists, thus stopping the phone from searching all the time.
I've not had it on this setting very long so I can't really tell yet, but it looks encouraging so far...

i still am testing, but i have definitely noticed a MAJOR improvement so far. for example this morning my phoen has been off the charger for 4 hours, and i'm still above 90%. on normal days, my phone would have dropped much more than this.
and the battery voltage seems to be staying constant too. for example my batter was at 4040 mV, and i checked an hour later, and it was still at 4040 mV. this NEVER happened before, it would always drop some amount.
is it possible that this entire time our phones have been actively searching and updating the roaming list, but with this setting now its just locked on the home network and not searching anymore?

RogerPodacter said:
i still am testing, but i have definitely noticed a MAJOR improvement so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm that. My phone seems to use much less power while in standby mode and it just dropped from 99% to 89% in 7 hrs, with auto synching of Gmail, Facebook and other stuff, while in the last days I could experience drops of 10% in about 1.5/2 hrs. I'll keep testing this mode and will post back if I'll have something interesting to share
Thanks for sharing the trick mate!

Drakknar said:
I can confirm that. My phone seems to use much less power while in standby mode and it just dropped from 99% to 89% in 7 hrs, with auto synching of Gmail, Facebook and other stuff, while in the last days I could experience drops of 10% in about 1.5/2 hrs. I'll keep testing this mode and will post back if I'll have something interesting to share
Thanks for sharing the trick mate!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly my usage pattern, and my battery used to drop the same amount as you.
i used to kill 10% in an hour EASILY, sometimes more if i used the phone hear and there. but now with this setting, i'm now at 7.5 hours, and way more than half battery left still. on normal days my battery would be dead in 6 hours sometimes. huge improvement.

I am not with a GSM carrier. Would I click CDMA?

Macmee said:
I am not with a GSM carrier. Would I click CDMA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think the other thread said for CDMA users, you pick CDMA Auto (PRL). you should probably read the linked thread to be sure.

Macmee said:
I am not with a GSM carrier. Would I click CDMA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't think there was a CDMA version of the Nexus out, just the two GSM versions.

well the CDMA option didn't do anything and gave me no service sadly.

Macmee said:
well the CDMA option didn't do anything and gave me no service sadly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that's because you aren't on a CDMA carrier then. I checked and the Nexus One only comes in GSM. If this is a Nexus One you have, then you are have a GSM version, and are on a GSM carrier.
Um, surprise!

Battery Life Improvement Tips

this is by no means a definitive list, but here are a few links to articles i have read that have helped improve my battery life drastically. if you have any other useful information, please share.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
instead of thinking, 'i need to replace the battery because it doesn't last long enough', try thinking 'how can i use my phone in a manner which doesn't unnecessarily drain its battery'.
HowToGeek.com - Complete Guide to Maximizing Your Android Phones Battery Life
Lifehacker.com - Android Task Killers Explained; What They do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them
Reddit.com - I Stopped Using a Task Killer Last Week to See if There is a Difference; There is, and its Huge
Reddit.com - Further Discussion on the Proper Use of Task Killers
Lifehacker.com - JuiceDefender Simplifies Automated Android Battery Saving
Lifehacker.com - Watchdog Monitors Your Android for Runaway Processes

Thanks for this -

Good tips. Thank you for posting.
I found a tip about reconfiguring the radio settings here:
community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/96/p/7495/34268.aspx
"I have an HTC Aria, I found out that the radio is setup completely wrong (power hungry) by default. I can now get over 48 hours of moderate use out of a phone that was barely able to make it to 12 hours before.
First of all, on AT&T, GSM (which is the 2.5G EDGE network) is much more power efficient than CDMA (which is 3G).
The default settings for 2-3G, have the phone constantly trying to find the strongest CDMA tower-signal it can find for 3G. If it can't find any 3G, it switches to 2.5G (EDGE). This eats your battery and is why your fancy new smart phone has a usable life of only 8-12 hours.
Now, the reason that your phone is always searching for the best signal is that, in area with only average coverage, the phone will always be trying to get you the best connection. This makes AT&T's 3G feel fastest and you will always get the most 'bars' available - at least while your phone's battery holds out.
Luckily, some engineer over a decade ago came up with a solution. Instead of scanning, have the phone ask the current tower for a list of nearby towers. This is called a PRL.
The way the PRL works, the phone contacts the tower to which it is connected and asks the tower for a list of nearby towers and their power outputs. Then the phone will base its decisions to switch towers based on that list.
Where I live, 3G is everywhere and making the phone constantly search for a better tower is a waste of time and energy. So instead, I switched my phone to prefer GSM (ie. EDGE) over CDMA unless there is a poor signal, then it switches to scanning for 3G (which supposedly has more range and less interference) just like it used to.
The settings to do this are normally hidden by the carrier. For AT&T on the Aria, I had to enter a USSD code:
*#*#4636#*#*
Then select Phone Information from the menu. The drop down you want is called Set preferred network type: and the option I selected was GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) and my battery life has been fantastic."
Has anyone tried this? How did it go?
Thanks.
--fnds

fnds said:
Good tips. Thank you for posting.
I found a tip about reconfiguring the radio settings here:
community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/96/p/7495/34268.aspx
"I have an HTC Aria, I found out that the radio is setup completely wrong (power hungry) by default. I can now get over 48 hours of moderate use out of a phone that was barely able to make it to 12 hours before.
First of all, on AT&T, GSM (which is the 2.5G EDGE network) is much more power efficient than CDMA (which is 3G).
The default settings for 2-3G, have the phone constantly trying to find the strongest CDMA tower-signal it can find for 3G. If it can't find any 3G, it switches to 2.5G (EDGE). This eats your battery and is why your fancy new smart phone has a usable life of only 8-12 hours.
Now, the reason that your phone is always searching for the best signal is that, in area with only average coverage, the phone will always be trying to get you the best connection. This makes AT&T's 3G feel fastest and you will always get the most 'bars' available - at least while your phone's battery holds out.
Luckily, some engineer over a decade ago came up with a solution. Instead of scanning, have the phone ask the current tower for a list of nearby towers. This is called a PRL.
The way the PRL works, the phone contacts the tower to which it is connected and asks the tower for a list of nearby towers and their power outputs. Then the phone will base its decisions to switch towers based on that list.
Where I live, 3G is everywhere and making the phone constantly search for a better tower is a waste of time and energy. So instead, I switched my phone to prefer GSM (ie. EDGE) over CDMA unless there is a poor signal, then it switches to scanning for 3G (which supposedly has more range and less interference) just like it used to.
The settings to do this are normally hidden by the carrier. For AT&T on the Aria, I had to enter a USSD code:
*#*#4636#*#*
Then select Phone Information from the menu. The drop down you want is called Set preferred network type: and the option I selected was GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) and my battery life has been fantastic."
Has anyone tried this? How did it go?
Thanks.
--fnds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure about the stock rom, but on cm roms there is the option to add this option into the power widget bar and makes switching between modes a one click affair. I keep my phone on 2g (gsm) unless I'm trying to watch a video. It definitely helps.
Sent from my cm7 Aria using XDA App

fnds said:
Good tips. Thank you for posting.
I found a tip about reconfiguring the radio settings here:
community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/96/p/7495/34268.aspx
"I have an HTC Aria, I found out that the radio is setup completely wrong (power hungry) by default. I can now get over 48 hours of moderate use out of a phone that was barely able to make it to 12 hours before.
First of all, on AT&T, GSM (which is the 2.5G EDGE network) is much more power efficient than CDMA (which is 3G).
The default settings for 2-3G, have the phone constantly trying to find the strongest CDMA tower-signal it can find for 3G. If it can't find any 3G, it switches to 2.5G (EDGE). This eats your battery and is why your fancy new smart phone has a usable life of only 8-12 hours.
Now, the reason that your phone is always searching for the best signal is that, in area with only average coverage, the phone will always be trying to get you the best connection. This makes AT&T's 3G feel fastest and you will always get the most 'bars' available - at least while your phone's battery holds out.
Luckily, some engineer over a decade ago came up with a solution. Instead of scanning, have the phone ask the current tower for a list of nearby towers. This is called a PRL.
The way the PRL works, the phone contacts the tower to which it is connected and asks the tower for a list of nearby towers and their power outputs. Then the phone will base its decisions to switch towers based on that list.
Where I live, 3G is everywhere and making the phone constantly search for a better tower is a waste of time and energy. So instead, I switched my phone to prefer GSM (ie. EDGE) over CDMA unless there is a poor signal, then it switches to scanning for 3G (which supposedly has more range and less interference) just like it used to.
The settings to do this are normally hidden by the carrier. For AT&T on the Aria, I had to enter a USSD code:
*#*#4636#*#*
Then select Phone Information from the menu. The drop down you want is called Set preferred network type: and the option I selected was GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) and my battery life has been fantastic."
Has anyone tried this? How did it go?
Thanks.
--fnds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying that out and using GSM (PRL), it seems to do very well, and automatically switches between HSDPA and EDGE

Just switched mine from WCDMA preferred to the CDMA/GSM Auto (PRL)
I'll see how it goes.

that battery has lasted longer than usual, even with the extreme cold of the midwest, since I was shoveling for 3 hours. 8 hours off of charger, moderate use, still at 80% with GSM (PRL) on

tried the GSM(PRL) thing, works great! thanks for this thread

Been noticing the drain, too. I've switched to CDMA/GSM Auto (PRL), but it still shows the "H" at the top? I think that's correct, but wanted to ask.

So how often is it kicking you guys to EDGE? It may give you better battery life, but your data will be slow as hell if you aren't on 3G no? Or do you guys not care?

gtg465x said:
So how often is it kicking you guys to EDGE? It may give you better battery life, but your data will be slow as hell if you aren't on 3G no? Or do you guys not care?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I switched to cdma/gsm auto (prl) about a week ago and mine hasn't switched over to Edge at all.
Sent from my cm7 Aria using XDA App

fnds said:
Good tips. Thank you for posting.
I found a tip about reconfiguring the radio settings here:
community.htc.com/na/htc-forums/android/f/96/p/7495/34268.aspx
"I have an HTC Aria, I found out that the radio is setup completely wrong (power hungry) by default. I can now get over 48 hours of moderate use out of a phone that was barely able to make it to 12 hours before.
First of all, on AT&T, GSM (which is the 2.5G EDGE network) is much more power efficient than CDMA (which is 3G).
The default settings for 2-3G, have the phone constantly trying to find the strongest CDMA tower-signal it can find for 3G. If it can't find any 3G, it switches to 2.5G (EDGE). This eats your battery and is why your fancy new smart phone has a usable life of only 8-12 hours.
Now, the reason that your phone is always searching for the best signal is that, in area with only average coverage, the phone will always be trying to get you the best connection. This makes AT&T's 3G feel fastest and you will always get the most 'bars' available - at least while your phone's battery holds out.
Luckily, some engineer over a decade ago came up with a solution. Instead of scanning, have the phone ask the current tower for a list of nearby towers. This is called a PRL.
The way the PRL works, the phone contacts the tower to which it is connected and asks the tower for a list of nearby towers and their power outputs. Then the phone will base its decisions to switch towers based on that list.
Where I live, 3G is everywhere and making the phone constantly search for a better tower is a waste of time and energy. So instead, I switched my phone to prefer GSM (ie. EDGE) over CDMA unless there is a poor signal, then it switches to scanning for 3G (which supposedly has more range and less interference) just like it used to.
The settings to do this are normally hidden by the carrier. For AT&T on the Aria, I had to enter a USSD code:
*#*#4636#*#*
Then select Phone Information from the menu. The drop down you want is called Set preferred network type: and the option I selected was GSM/CDMA auto (PRL) and my battery life has been fantastic."
Has anyone tried this? How did it go?
Thanks.
--fnds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my HTC Liberty using XDA App

I have know idea how to do this. I dial *#*#4636#*#* and it calls it and says blah blah wrong number. Can somebody explain please. I'm a noober on this one.
"the only good bug is a dead bug"

Figured it out. I use dialer 2 app for my default phone. Apparently you have to use the stock dialer to enter ussd code.
"the only good bug is a dead bug"