Improving battery life - Nexus One General

Improving battery life - Nexus One General

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!

Related

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.

Disable UMTS

Does someone know how to disable UMTS for the Trinity?
I've searched on the forum but I couldn't find any good solutions

Settings -> Personal -> Phone -> Band -> Select your network type -> GSM.

Try this...
http://commmgrpro.com/_wsn/page3.html

bonisalive said:
Try this...
http://commmgrpro.com/_wsn/page3.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use this Bandwith app also. However, if you really want to turn off HSDPA and leave on 3G permanently you can use the app on this page called HTweakC http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Hermes_Registry
I turn off HSDPA because it blocks incoming calls (my carrier's problem). I can receive calls normally with 3G.

Thank you for that Band Tool. I'm a little confused by something, though. Does it save battery life to disable UMTS? I don't need any 3G functionality at all currently, so does it make battery sense to disable UMTS?
Thanks very much.

WilliamG said:
Thank you for that Band Tool. I'm a little confused by something, though. Does it save battery life to disable UMTS? I don't need any 3G functionality at all currently, so does it make battery sense to disable UMTS?
Thanks very much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beleive that it will. UTMS drains the battery quicker as the phone searches for cells more frequently than it does on GSM

korben said:
I beleive that it will. UTMS drains the battery quicker as the phone searches for cells more frequently than it does on GSM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. Is there a way to make the Band Tool work every time you turn the phone on? If I turn my phone off and on, the tool resets and I'm back to 3G mode.
Thanks again.

Check out Trinityhacks...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=300783&highlight=trinityhacks

korben said:
Check out Trinityhacks...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=300783&highlight=trinityhacks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for the reply. I installed TrinityHacks, but it's a little confusing with the whole band selection. I see auto, or GSM+UMTS selections. I don't see a GSM without UMTS. Did I miss something?

Bandswitch settings should persist through a soft reset- mine certainly do. Make sure you leave anough time for the registry changes to save before exiting the program, or doing a soft reset.
UMTS typically uses 3x the current that GSM uses as 3G is a much weaker signal. so the gain needs to be much higher. And in marginal reception areas, the constant hunting between bands further hits the battery

NeilM said:
Bandswitch settings should persist through a soft reset- mine certainly do. Make sure you leave anough time for the registry changes to save before exiting the program, or doing a soft reset.
UMTS typically uses 3x the current that GSM uses as 3G is a much weaker signal. so the gain needs to be much higher. And in marginal reception areas, the constant hunting between bands further hits the battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I find it all bit a confusing! Gah! I uninstalled that Band Utility, and installed the Trinity Hacks. Not sure what setting to use to make sure it's 2G. Am I correct in assuming that G at the top of the screen means 2G, and 3G = 3G?

Yes
G=GSM; 3G or U = UMTS; H= HSDPA, (but only shows during data exchange)

Ah ok thanks for that! I think something got messed up, because before it would say 3G at the top of the screen, and my network was identified as UMTS Vodafone. Then I installed that Band Utility and switched to GSM only. Then I uninstalled that Band utility while I was on GSM only. So now I'm stuck on GSM, even when switching UMTS on in the Trinity Hack program. I'm so confused now.

Have you tried Phone/Menu/Options/Band and setting the top box to Auto?

NeilM said:
Have you tried Phone/Menu/Options/Band and setting the top box to Auto?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's on Auto right now. I don't even see the *specific* GSM-only setting. Maybe Trinity Hacks doesn't have this feature?
*AH I got it*. I reinstalled Band Switch, put it back to Auto (so 3G worked again), and then uninstalled it. Trinity Hacks now works!
Thanks for the help!

Autoswitch to 2G when device is locked

I'm looking for an application that switches my phone to 2G when it's locked and back to 3G when in use. This, because I don't need high speed data during this time and I hope to save battery time with this option.
I've searched this forum and googled, but I haven't found any application yet with this functionality. Is there an app or script that can do this?
I know the battery of the HD is good, but I would still like to have it.

Actually I was thinkin excatly the same earlier today. My device is set to receive push to mail all day long, and its sleeping more than half of the time. However when I use it I would like to have full 3.5G connection. So it would be nice if in sleep mode it just reverts to 2G connection, which is fine for push.

+1
I think you should post in the Q&A section with a [REQ] header

I thought the battery-life of the HD is better with 3G than with 2G.
I know this sounds wired, but I think I read this on some pages.

Vinski- said:
Actually I was thinkin excatly the same earlier today. My device is set to receive push to mail all day long, and its sleeping more than half of the time. However when I use it I would like to have full 3.5G connection. So it would be nice if in sleep mode it just reverts to 2G connection, which is fine for push.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what i understand, there is an issue with software add-ons controlling the data band settings - which is basically what you are looking for. Phone alarm allows you to create profiles for different events and supports band switching - i.e when at work you could set it to 2G and when at home 3G. However, due to way the HTC devices, in particular the Touch Pro, Touch Diamond, and HD implement the data band switch, Phone alarm is unable to make these changes. This is a known problem, and to my understanding there is currently no work around. I have not found any application that has made this work on these devices.
Would be interested to know if anyone has found a solution

HTC Touch HD has higher standby time on 3G than it does on 2G!
So having 2G wastes more battery. I think this thread/request has no merit at all.

projection said:
HTC Touch HD has higher standby time on 3G than it does on 2G!
So having 2G wastes more battery. I think this thread/request has no merit at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woud tend to agree with this statement, however 3g reception where i am is a lot lower than 2G reception - so would this not result in more power consumption? I guess it also depends on other network conditions as many have argued that 3g uses more than 2g even though the specs state differently.

projection said:
HTC Touch HD has higher standby time on 3G than it does on 2G!
So having 2G wastes more battery. I think this thread/request has no merit at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you know? What program can be used to check this?

You need to investigate a bit how 3G and 2G work. Totally different technology...
Due to the way power is regulated to the antenna, 2G is capable of far superior ranges, but that is not free. There is a reason "flight mode" exists.
Trust me, in a good implementation 2G will use much more juice than 3G.
I wouldn't worry about it. Get a higher capacity battery if you need longer standby. This is not a solution.

Thanks. I didn't know that.

projection said:
You need to investigate a bit how 3G and 2G work. Totally different technology...
Due to the way power is regulated to the antenna, 2G is capable of far superior ranges, but that is not free. There is a reason "flight mode" exists.
Trust me, in a good implementation 2G will use much more juice than 3G.
I wouldn't worry about it. Get a higher capacity battery if you need longer standby. This is not a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jut out of interest, if this is the case, why is talk time far less on 3g suggesting more power? Appreciate that standby and talk times are seperate issues.

erwindevries said:
I'm looking for an application that switches my phone to 2G when it's locked and back to 3G when in use. This, because I don't need high speed data during this time and I hope to save battery time with this option.
I've searched this forum and googled, but I haven't found any application yet with this functionality. Is there an app or script that can do this?
I know the battery of the HD is good, but I would still like to have it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try vSetBand

projection said:
You need to investigate a bit how 3G and 2G work. Totally different technology...
Due to the way power is regulated to the antenna, 2G is capable of far superior ranges, but that is not free. There is a reason "flight mode" exists.
Trust me, in a good implementation 2G will use much more juice than 3G.
I wouldn't worry about it. Get a higher capacity battery if you need longer standby. This is not a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for my english but ...you'r wrong
First of all 3G will ALWAYS use much more juice than 2G,not only because of the output power :
Class 4 (2 W) for GSM900
Class 3 (0.25 W) for UMTS/HSDPA
Class E2 (0.5 W) for EDGE900
Class E2 (0.4 W) for EDGE1800
Class 1 (1 W) for GSM1800But the output power is not the way to determine the consumption
HSDPA protocol is very complex and implementing IP stack for HSDPA is very difficult .There is only 3/4 contructorswho have the potential to do it...the others just do integration. HSDPA need at least a 400 Mhz processor to use the entire functionnality of this protocole and to manage IP stack and manage the maximum rate....so 2G will not use the processor as huge as 3G.
During data transfert :
Average supply current for an HSDPA modem is about 900 mA.
Average supply current for an GPRS modem is about 180 mA.
And further more, in idle mode (GSM), modem most of GSM modem are about 40 mA.
(I worked for Sagem)

Ive used HD tweak to disable all data connections when i trun my device into standby, thus consuming no additional power anyway,
I get about 4 days out mine with it off and 2.5 with it on so its worth it for me

i've been looking for something similar to resolve the issue of dropped or missed calls while the phone switches from gsm to 3g or hspda. It would be good to be able to switch 3g functionality off when you don't need it. vsetband looks interesting if you speak dutch!

projection said:
... There is a reason "flight mode" exists...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh i forgot, "flight mode" exists because when roaming, IP connexion goes from one BTS to another BTS (and with the speed at take off) its goes to several BTS which take enormous ressources and some problems for the mobile operator. So this is why mobile operators lobby on airline to forbid use of phone during take off, there is no technical issues for that "flight mode" it is only because it overloads operator servers.

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
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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?
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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

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"

[FIX]Signal Drops / Bad Reception / Battery Drain Issues with Nand Android

Well after many searches and a lot of trial and error, I think ive finally solved my problem of dropped/no phone signal for NAND builds, which in turn has also made my battery life way better since the phone is no longer constantly searching for signal Basically its 4 steps, ive tried each individually with no changes but for some reason when applied all together it works wonders. They are as follows:
1: dial *#*#4636#*#* and go to phone information and choose 'gsm auto PRL'
2: go to settings>mobile networks and check 'use only 2g networks'
3: go to settings>wireless networks>wifi>advanced and change wifi sleep policy to 'never'
4: go to app store and download "wifi keep alive" (free). choose wifi behavior 'always on' and advanced options 'enable workaround 2'
using these 4 steps i reduced my time without signal from 74% to 12% in 16 hours, and im getting 4-5 green bars all the time, at home and work hope this helps

I'm not an expert, but doesn't that mean you are stuck in 2G-Mode for Data Transfer? I believe 3G if available would be faster..... or am i wrong?

loekis said:
I'm not an expert, but doesn't that mean you are stuck in 2G-Mode for Data Transfer? I believe 3G if available would be faster..... or am i wrong?
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yeah, it stays in 2g for data but for me its an acceptable trade off to actually be able to recieve calls. plus you can always switch 3g back on if you plan on doing something that uses a lot of data and switch it back off when youre done

damm i was excited until i saw that you have to disable 3G

Is this a common problem?

or... you could just go to settings/wireless&networks/mobile networks and change the network mode to gsm only (which is 2g) so, same thing.. and you know what? i still have signal issues, just not as bad..

pyrorob said:
or... you could just go to settings/wireless&networks/mobile networks and change the network mode to gsm only (which is 2g) so, same thing.. and you know what? i still have signal issues, just not as bad..
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yea i think that option is only on Desire or froyo builds, on all of the GB's ive used it says 2G. i suppose its not gonna work for everyone, it probably still depends on your coverage area, but it definately helped me A LOT. ive been using these settings for the past 3 days and my time without signal has dropped down to 0-5% from the 55-75% it was before, and im no longer missing calls

very useful tips

I ticked the "Use 2G only" checkbox in my wireless settings and all connection problems seem to be gone! (for now)... My data connection used to be terrible... voice connection shaky.
Thanks a lot!

Database Users

welcome