Database Users

Radio Strengths: WiFi and GPS

The WiFi Radio in the HTC TyTn really stinks. When it works it works ok but the reception of WiFi is poor even in a strong signal environment. A laptop is much better. (not sure on the difference in the chips, but I know the laptop usually has an integrated antenna)
How's the Athena's WiFi performance? I know WM5 limits some of the speeds but any speed tests available?
On the BB 8800 the built-in GPS isn't too bad. In fact, sometimes I can get GPS signals indoors provided I'm near a window.. (A-GPS?). Not sure if Athena is A-GPS too or pure GPS.
Thanks for the real life feedback.

benmorris said:
The WiFi Radio in the HTC TyTn really stinks. When it works it works ok but the reception of WiFi is poor even in a strong signal environment. A laptop is much better. (not sure on the difference in the chips, but I know the laptop usually has an integrated antenna)
How's the Athena's WiFi performance? I know WM5 limits some of the speeds but any speed tests available?
On the BB 8800 the built-in GPS isn't too bad. In fact, sometimes I can get GPS signals indoors provided I'm near a window.. (A-GPS?). Not sure if Athena is A-GPS too or pure GPS.
Thanks for the real life feedback.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would say wifi in Athena is better then most other PPC, and it's pure GPS. Very good signal.

I thought that it was A-GPS(you can get updates of the internet about the satalite positions(quickgps)) ????

dpbakker said:
I thought that it was A-GPS(you can get updates of the internet about the satalite positions(quickgps)) ????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's star-fi III (Not sure how you spell that) chip set, yes you can get download from internet, but personally i don't see any improvement at all.

radio problem
i don't know whether you guys have experience the same. Everybody that received my call complaint that i voice is very far and intermitten. I'm from Malaysia. any advised? thanks

Looking at the T-mobile Ameo specs it states SiRFstarIII GPS with A-GPS functionality. I've to run the QuickGPS application ones every 3 days(goes automaticly on internet connection) When starting TomTom it has the position of the satalites in a few seconds and fix a few seconds later.within 30 seconds a definitly have fix(this in a near open field area) With my former Adapt gps it was at least 1 to 2 minutes. So for me it looks much faster. BUt when in a city comming out of parking garage it takes a little longer.

Yes, the A-GPS just means it can download stuff from the net about sat positions. This ONLY speeds up Time To First Fix and makes no diff after that.
When you first use GPS it still needs to get info from the satellite, so you will get a better first fix quicker if you stand still with good view of at least one sat. This is more important without A-GPS but still helps to let it get a good valid fix before moving even with A-GPS.
Pity I cant get Google Maps working with Ameo GPS at all though!

GPS signal

hello
has anyone considered a way to boost gps signal?
i am pretty disappointed about GPS on my treo, i tried to use it in high mountain without positive results, it also works bad/or doesn't work at all when the weather is bad
there are many external antennas but as far as i know it's useless for treo 850 because of lack of output :/
any ideas ??
i use tt7, igo8
one more thing, after 1-2hours of using gps tomtom claims that it can't find gps modul and i have to restart treo... is this issue of app or device ??

where are you using it? Did I get it right that you are using a version with the german rom in the US?
I used a US GSM Treo Pro for about the weeks for the specific purpose of testing against my Treo 800w and found the GSM Pro GPS to be excellent. I
You now it can go between aGPS and standalone but aGPS depends on proper settings for a carrier in the region you are in, right?

I used it in Italy, for now i use treo in Poland it works however i expected better quality, i found another thing after 1-2 hours of using gps - phone has 40 'C, this is pretty high isn't it?

marcinsoo said:
I used it in Italy, for now i use treo in Poland it works however i expected better quality, i found another thing after 1-2 hours of using gps - phone has 40 'C, this is pretty high isn't it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The phone is going to get hot after two hours of using GPS (or watching video).
I find the GPS to be pretty good on the unlocked GSM Treo Pro here in the U.S. Starting QuickGPS and downloading updated satellite data, then opening Google Maps results in resonably fast GPS locks for me. Do you have A-GPS enabled or disabled?

i've got german version so i hard to say :/ but i quess i do not use A-GPS

marcinsoo said:
i've got german version so i hard to say :/ but i quess i do not use A-GPS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used the GPS on my Treo Pro outside today for the first time (using driving directions in Google Maps) and it worked flawlessly. It locked on in less than a minute and never dropped the signal while I drove to my destination.
I have A-GPS disabled via the Advanced Configuration utility. Do you know the specs on the German version? What GPS application are you using? Did you try getting a lock with an application like GPS Test then opening your GPS maps program?

i use tomtom 7.9 & IGo8. Both work quite good, but i found that after ~1hour they lose connection :/ therefore i claim that gps modul is poor in my treo and i

marcinsoo said:
i use tomtom 7.9 & IGo8. Both work quite good, but i found that after ~1hour they lose connection :/ therefore i claim that gps modul is poor in my treo and i
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if there is a "GPS timeout" buried somewhere in the registry? I haven't had the GPS running for more than 30 minutes at a time - it has worked fine for me.

works perfectly , i installed new tomtom 7 915

HTC Snap, GPS not detecting satellites

I can't get a satellite lock on my HTC Snap.
I have enable "use GPS" in google maps. google maps will search for satellites and after sometime come back saying weak signal & some recomendations to look for clear view of the sky.
Garmin XT also can't search GPS satellites. I install GPS Test, it seems that there's a GPS hardware but somehow the signal reception is super weak.
I have sent my Snaps to HTC service center and the best thing they can do is change the mainboard. This also show no result.
Anybody, please help. i'm starting to get frustrated with this GPS issue...

Bing GPS
I use the Bing app and have similar issues establishing GPS signal. This is my first GPS device so I'm not sure if this is normal, or if the phone is crap for GPS, or if I'm doing it wrong. I try to keep the QuickGPS updated, but that doesn't seem to help. I thought AGPS was supposed to be fast, but faster compared to what? Maybe this is 'fast' for GPS. I have seen friend's full on GPS devices and they seem to pickup pretty quick. So... who knows?

One thing to definitely try is make sure quickgps is up to date and automatically downloading. garmin could NOT find my location without that up to date and it would show one red bar signal strength. once i loaded up quickgps, updated it, and ran garmin again, full green signal.

It's The GPS Hardware ...
I've tried it all with my Dash 3G -- and concluded that it's the GPS in the phone that is garbage. I've since switched back to my trusty OnCourse Bluetooth GPS and I get a lock in Google Maps in less than 30 seconds and in Garmin XT in less than 10. IMHO, the GPS is certainly a weakness on this phone.
It finally sunk in for me when I lost signal 9 times while walking a few miles down Beacon Street in Boston. Holding the phone in my hand it kept dropping the signal over and over again. So I gave up. Built in GPS is handy in a pinch (when you have 30 minutes to wait for it to find a signal) but for serious navigating I use my Bluetooth GPS exclusively now.

No true at all. the gps in the Ozone is amazingly fast.

drewcam888 said:
No true at all. the gps in the Ozone is amazingly fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree. Simply because something is not working like it should for these others does not mean that the GPS is not good. I use garmin xt with my ozone and its is extremely fast at updating my position as i'm driving along.

Problem solved
Let say that i'm in a really bad luck. this is my first GPS device and its not working. After the 2nd time come out from the service center (2nd concecutive mainboard), then the GPS is functioning, normaly....
my maple can get lock on GPS signal quite fast. with AGPS updated, it can get signal lock within seconds (given you have a clear sky view). i found that it could takes some time for Garmin XT to get GPS signal, so I use GPS Test to speed up the process then start the Garmin XT.
so for those who can't get GPS signal. it's definitely your hardware. I also found that the online customer service officer at HTC is just a mere lips service / useless. they keep telling me to be patient and patient without real action.

There's a free GPS testing tool for Windows Mobile called GPS Test. Once that set up, you can find out which serial port is used by the GPS receiver in your Windows Mobile, and set Google Maps GPS setting accordingly. Once it's set up, Google Maps can easily find multiple satellites if you're on open space. Once it's using GPS, your location on Google Maps will be a pin point, rather than a large circle denoting your approximate location.
PS: Found out with GPS Test that my GPS receiver in my Snap is using COM4 port at 9600 bps
Sincerely,
Paul Pambudi

WIND Mobile HTC Maple users not getting GPS working PLEASE READ!
I went through four HTC Maples (two accounts each 1st phone was a warranty exchange for another non-related problem). Each of the four Maples could not lock in single GPS satellite. WIND tech support had no clue after many calls and tests run at their tech support offices in Toronto. WIND recommended that I get in contact with HTC directly to see if they might have a solution.
One call to HTC started the ball rolling and setup a trouble ticket. Within 3 days and about seven call backs to trouble shoot, HTC had the solution and both of our Maples now have fully functioning GPS with Google Maps.
The problem was in the ROMs that had an old version of Google Maps (both their WM 6.1 and WM 6.5 HTC Maple ROM for WIND accounts).
Solution: using the Maple's browser go to m.google.com/maps and install the latest version. Problem solved!
HTC customer service in North America ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!
Will I buy another HTC product? HELL YA!!!

Here's a gem!
My Snap used to take 30-40 seconds on a cold start to get a location lock (with aGPS turned on).
I installed the attached CAB (which just adds some registry keys, also found here: Here), which makes the phone use Google's aGPS server, and got a cold start GPS lock in 7 seconds... indoors!

arpitp said:
Here's a gem!
My Snap used to take 30-40 seconds on a cold start to get a location lock (with aGPS turned on).
I installed the attached CAB (which just adds some registry keys, also found here: showthread.php?t=544421), which makes the phone use Google's aGPS server, and got a cold start GPS lock in 7 seconds... indoors!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thread you listed for registry key changes doesn't appear to work.
Any chance you might be able to list it again?
Thanks.
AE!

AquiEsta! said:
The thread you listed for registry key changes doesn't appear to work.
Any chance you might be able to list it again?
Thanks.
AE!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, the link was bad. I'm used to posting links in that format from another forum. Anyhow, it's fixed in the last post, and here it is as well:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=544421

arpitp said:
Sorry, the link was bad. I'm used to posting links in that format from another forum. Anyhow, it's fixed in the last post, and here it is as well:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=544421
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for updating the link.
I have tried both of the CABs for the non Nokia and both make no difference if you
can't get a GPS lock. AGPS simply does not work using the latest Google maps CAB
available.
The "FF Ultimate aGPS Tweak_supl.google_Generic.cab" actually makes Google Maps
take forever to just start up after being installed and still no location is updated
indoors. Also, the phone will not snyc now with the desktop and this is after three
soft resets.
Even worse is the fact the phone now runs slow as hell. Everything takes forever
to open and is VERY sluggish.
Installed the other CAB "FF Google aGPS Settings Generic.cab" and still the same
problems. What could be the problem?
Finally got fed up with the POS CAB and uninstalled it. So far I've notice that the
phone has recovered its speed opening items and the right ones not like before
with that POS CAB which would cause all kinds of problems. Snyc now works
and so this looks like I'm back in business minus the fact I still can't get the aGPS
to work.
Oh well, you can't win them all...
AE!

[Q] How to use GPS with no internet connection?

Hi, What do I need for my blackstone in order to use any (suggestions, which is better, would be a great help) GPS sowtware without internet connection. I am not an expert in this, but I know that GPS devices (like tom tom or similar) use satellite data to show coordinates. How can this be done on my touch hd? As only preinstalled program is google maps that require internet connection.
I don't have unlimited data plan, so this is extremely expensive for me, but I am a fan of geocatching, so I need GPS.
Please help me with description of how this GPS works and what soft should I use?
Thanks

There are lots of good Navigation/GPS Apps around that read standalone maps from your SDCard.
Take your pick.
Some info here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=566657

bethybabes69 said:
There are lots of good Navigation/GPS Apps around that read standalone maps from your SDCard.
Take your pick.
Some info here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=566657
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thank for the info, but....
I installed TT7 with my region maps, but I still seem not to receive any GPS signal - my phone seems not to catch any satellite signal - is this a setting issue?

in tomtom7, just access the gps settings and set them to "internal gps receiver", then it should work immediately, given that in your very location you have gps coverage.

I've found that my Touch HD's GPS capabilities work great when I'm at home testing them, then fails to locate any satellites when I'm lost! lol
Not exactly true - but has got me before!
I would suggest that you try your GPS in various locations just to make sure that the building you live / work in, or the weather isn't blocking the signal that your phones GPS listens for...
I used TomTom for ages without issue, it can be copied directly from a memory card on a TomTom compatible device usually.
Recently my Dad bought iGo8 with the entire world maps installed, so I pinched that and run it straight off my storage card with just a few teething problems. This is the best GPS / SatNav on my phone so far...

+1 for iGO8
Best GPS software by far for me. This is the only and single reason why I haven't bought an Android phone yet.
If they would have created the same skinable thing for a HTC Desire etc the HD would be history.
If I were you.
1) disable a-gps, causes roaming costs and most gps application freak out on it (download advanced config tool and disable it that way)
Lock, no lock, lock, ... mostly caused by agps (assisted-gps). Assisted means that it also gets data from the cell-tower which abroad can cost you loads of money (and yes I had that once)
If you use HTC quick gps you will probably get a lock in seconds if you are outside so no need for assisted.
2) install the gps mod driver , this one 'thinks' ahead by calculating points that it gets from the GPS receiver. If you don't feel confident about this one skip it but read the thread and keep it in the back of your head.
3) buy iGO8 and install the gurjon skin which makes iGO look fantastic and makes it fully configurable the way you want it.
4) enjoy a fantastic GPS system

Why is our Focus' GPS so slow???

Why is the Focus' gps so slow? I don't know what's wrong with my focus, I mean it just takes so long to get the coordinates of my location. I even have to go to a open sky area then wait for few minutes before it can successfully get my coordinates. Its just so annoying, this is a post ipad product, how come an ipad 1 can get my coordinates even inside the room without any difficulty?
Is this a hardware issue or just a firmware fix is due?

my focus gets a very quick lock about 90% of the time, every so often it will take a mintute or so to lock, but i've had this happen with pretty much every phone i've owned, so it seems about average to good for me...
the ipad1 (unless a 3g + wifi model) uses your network to locate you, which is why it's quite fast.

We have 2 Focuses, one AT&T and one Rogers. With both I get about the same time to get a fix, and that's slightly under a minute, in my location (several tall buildings near).
With what app do you check your GPS? I recommend GPS App

It's an AT&T. My ipad is a 3G+Wifi. It gets gps coordinates via gps chip and not A-gps. Most of the time the ipad gets coordinates very fast in span of 20-25 seconds, boom you know where you are in the map.
I am using the built in MAPS software to track my location. Does the software matters? I mean if the chip is really weak, what can the software do ?

jtphl said:
It's an AT&T. My ipad is a 3G+Wifi. It gets gps coordinates via gps chip and not A-gps. Most of the time the ipad gets coordinates very fast in span of 20-25 seconds, boom you know where you are in the map.
I am using the built in MAPS software to track my location. Does the software matters? I mean if the chip is really weak, what can the software do ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes it does. To give you an example why: GPS without efemerides take several minutes to get a fix. GPS with efemerides take 20s to 1 min to get a fix. Efemerides are downloaded via software.
As for the app I found it to be good enough for testing the GPS part.

I can agree with you. Sometimes while driving if I take a different route than the one the phone provided for me, it will either fail to locate where I am for a few minutes or just fail completely.
I think it's time for a small update.

Is it just a minor driver issue? I hope so , otherwise, we have to live with it or change to another device.

jtphl said:
Is it just a minor driver issue? I hope so , otherwise, we have to live with it or change to another device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, other people (including me) haven't experienced any issues.
In fact, it works great for me with Turn by Turn Navigation, even inside the car on the passenger seat (not near the windshield).

Try changing some GPS settings in the focus diagnosis app
Sent from my SGH-i917 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

what are the settings in GPS I have to adjust to make it perform beyond expectations? Which specific diagnostic option I have to tweak?

Did the OP ever find a solution to this? I'm having some slow locks and the occasional non lock.
I know in the diagnostic app you can get to the GPS with*#1575# but I'm unsure of what data can possibly be changed.

I'm having the same issue on my Focus (Rogers). It never connects to sattelite and always uses aGPS. It's very annoying. I tried many different gps apps and get the same behavior - very innacurate. Garmin allways says "Can't connect to sattelite", gMaps always shows cell tower icon. My phone is unlocked using original Chevron method (not Chevron labs). I also tired to change settings in *#1575# and turn ON/OFF TLS and GLONASS but nothing helps. Should I try hard reset?

Ecstatic12 said:
I'm having the same issue on my Focus (Rogers). It never connects to sattelite and always uses aGPS. It's very annoying. I tried many different gps apps and get the same behavior - very innacurate. Garmin allways says "Can't connect to sattelite", gMaps always shows cell tower icon. My phone is unlocked using original Chevron method (not Chevron labs). I also tired to change settings in *#1575# and turn ON/OFF TLS and GLONASS but nothing helps. Should I try hard reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did a hard reset last night and it seems to have cleared up. I also installed this app, have to click the link in the post, searching for it didnt work.http://www.wpcentral.com/new-samsung-high-fidelity-position-enhances-gps-modifies-settings
Not sure if it's a placebo or not, but it seems to be working better.

is Focus GPS native chip or just a-gps?

Coelho_rj said:
is Focus GPS native chip or just a-gps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assisted GPS, which includes standard GPS in Standalone mode, so it's better than any native GPS.

after my hard reset the GPS locked much quicker for about a week, then it started acting up again.
my new solution seems to be much easier than a hard reset. Just briefly switch to airplane mode then re-enable your data and open maps up again. Been working great for me.

Faster solution that's been working for me. Turn on and off location services. My phone never locks without this, which is sorely annoying.

I had this problem on 7392 rom. After updating to mango 7720 and 8107, I get fix in 3 to 7 seconds in my room Tested with gpsinfo, it's real satellite data, not agps. I have also installed high fidelity position settings app. Don't know if it's helping.
Sent from my SGH-i917. using Board Express