Database Users

Still having cell standby issues

Could someone help me troubleshoot/fix my cell standby issue. I know it's been asked before and I apologize if this upsets you. But, i have searched and tried methods to fix the issue with no success. And it just kills my battery.
I've used many roms and initially would always have 50-70% cell standby. With the airplane mode fix i could only get it to drop to 20-35%. I'm on the Aloysius rom now which isn't supposed to have any cell standby issues and my cell standby is still 45-60%. With airplane fix I get it down to 15-30%. I can never get it down to under 10 which would at least make me happy. But, from what I've read most get it down to zero. I would appreciate any suggestions or ideas to help me fix this problem. Thanks

I think alot of that depends on your location... Cell standby is not a bad thing, we just don't want the bug that makes it sit at 50% every time I restart my phone. Mine fluctuates between 0%, (when im downtown with full bars all the time) and 25%, (when at home with only 1 or 2 bars).

Whitepaint said:
I think alot of that depends on your location... Cell standby is not a bad thing, we just don't want the bug that makes it sit at 50% every time I restart my phone. Mine fluctuates between 0%, (when im downtown with full bars all the time) and 25%, (when at home with only 1 or 2 bars).
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Yeah I commute from sacramento to san francisco every day so initially I blamed that. But even when I'm in my house with full bars it's up around 30% always. Not only does this waste battery life, but i would assume, possibly incorrectly, that this also slows down the speed of the device as well as it's being used to find a signal. Ugh
It may not be that big of an issue... Or at least as big as i think it is. But, i would think that with the limitations of the battery and processor that this would just make things even worse. It's just a nuisance that people can get theirs to zero and I have never gotten it that low.

Ruh17 said:
Yeah I commute from sacramento to san francisco every day so initially I blamed that. But even when I'm in my house with full bars it's up around 30% always. Not only does this waste battery life, but i would assume, possibly incorrectly, that this also slows down the speed of the device as well as it's being used to find a signal. Ugh
It may not be that big of an issue... Or at least as big as i think it is. But, i would think that with the limitations of the battery and processor that this would just make things even worse. It's just a nuisance that people can get theirs to zero and I have never gotten it that low.
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When at work, i have very little, if any service. But at home, I have full service. So I will have to see if it lowers when I get off work tonight. But I am always around 40%+

droidkevlar said:
When at work, i have very little, if any service. But at home, I have full service. So I will have to see if it lowers when I get off work tonight. But I am always around 40%+
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Thank you for that. It makes me feel a little better to hear I'm not alone. Have you tried the Aloysius rom? Supposedly it fixes the problem for some.

Ruh17 said:
Thank you for that. It makes me feel a little better to hear I'm not alone. Have you tried the Aloysius rom? Supposedly it fixes the problem for some.
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I am using v6 of his ROM. I still get better battery than any other ROM I have used, and trust me, i have flashed almost every single ROM. But since seeing others with very low, I was just wondering as well.

OK well something weird is happening with my time without a signal... I am at 65% right now and already did the airplane trick... and it just jumps up.... that being said... My battery life is still way outlasting anyother ROM and to top it off, I am getting a signal and am making calls in places at work where I did not have a signal at all.... not that I care much about the time with a signal % because this ROM is the best, but its just weird... better battery performance, better signal, higher stat.. hmmm
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I have a similar issue... I posted this in the other thread

Nexus update 1 result in more signal strength refresh?

I recenly update my new nexus with the official OTA and i noticed that the dbm value fluctuated and refresh more often. Have anyone notice this

have anyone noticed this beside me?

most people will say that the signal on the nexus one has ALWAYS fluctuated like this, not new to the update 1 specifically. perhaps you just never noticed it before...?

RogerPodacter said:
most people will say that the signal on the nexus one has ALWAYS fluctuated like this, not new to the update 1 specifically. perhaps you just never noticed it before...?
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I did a test before and after. I recently got my nexus one like 2 days ago, still new to the whole thing. Surprisingly my new nexus came without the update (thought that they would have it build in by now), I used the Tricorder app to monitor the signal and it would stay at 25 asu (correlated to abou -63 dbm) for a long time without fluctuating and in my house it drop down to 16 asu at time. The fluctuation in the signal strength is not bad, it would be stable for 30 mins and pretty much forever if I let it sit in one place.
Now with the update (I was tempted by multitouch and such....) the signal now fluctuate and update every 10-30 secs. However, the signal does stay between (16-25 asu) range. So it didn't seems to change in the magnitude of the signal, well maybe it is a bit lower, but not by much. However the information does seem to update far more often, it is like the radio constantly searching for signal.
PS: I am on T-mobile with a T-mobile unlock version and I set my phone to only operate on 2G and disabled the APN as I don't have a data plan nor do I want one. WiFi is my data plan.

I will also check for this on my N1 to see if I get similar results. I'll post back after I'm done.

signal strength vibrant vs. g1

the more i look around the more i wonder if its hardware not software....
s/n ratio on this thing sux. sitting on my front porch line of sight to the closest tower is .5 miles. with the vibrant im getting 0-1 bar 3g with speeds 0f 512kbp on average. my g1 getting next to it shows full bars, and averages 4.5mbp have seen almost 7mbp in the same spot with the g1. the vibrant picks up 7-9 satellites with aan average s/n of 15-18 db, and might lock on to 1 or 2 after about 10 min. the g1 in the same location hits 12 satellites with a minimum of 35db and locks on to 5+ within seconds on wifi, the vibrant shuld have a clear advantage being able to use wireless-n, but on the front porch im seeing about a 30-35db signal, the g1 in the same spot, but on wireless-g see's 50+ db, the g1 stays connected all the way to my mail box, the vib drops less than 1/4 of the way there. so, hopefully a software update cures this, otherwise it sounds like its hardware related.... ( im pretty sure that i didnt buy an i phone)
after 5 days of checking, im averaging 60-75% of the time with out service according to the phone.
any one else care to share actual figures comparing to another device in same location, not just how many bars etc...
i purposely did all my measurements outdoors/close to a tower within line of sight to ensure a good solid stable measurement. my porch is within 20 feet of my router , line of sight thru an open door for the wifi tests.

None of these numbers make any sense, furthermore is the G1 on the same CID as the Vibrant? Have you done tethering and not a speedtest on the phone?

heygrl said:
None of these numbers make any sense, furthermore is the G1 on the same CID as the Vibrant? Have you done tethering and not a speedtest on the phone?
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lol.... they dont make sense? they are actual signal level readings @ a hardware level. that wey we arnt trying to compare any of the falce readings that the software covers up..... like gee, why does my batt icon still show almost full when in actuality it is at 25% remaining.
and yes, i have teathered to it. it still does not change the fact that compareing actual signal strengths of a brand new top of the line device are crushed by a antique first gen device.
i have spoken with samsung, i recomend any one woth poor radio performance to contact them and start a help ticket. at 1-877-EZ2GALAXY (1-877-392-4252)

t1h5ta3 said:
lol.... they dont make sense? they are actual signal level readings @ a hardware level. that wey we arnt trying to compare any of the falce readings that the software covers up..... like gee, why does my batt icon still show almost full when in actuality it is at 25% remaining.
and yes, i have teathered to it. it still does not change the fact that compareing actual signal strengths of a brand new top of the line device are crushed by a antique first gen device.
i have spoken with samsung, i recomend any one woth poor radio performance to contact them and start a help ticket. at 1-877-EZ2GALAXY (1-877-392-4252)
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I've never seen signal strength of 55db on WiFi. Same for the rest of them, they don't make sense.
Run your speedtests while tethered and not on the phones themselves.
Use Service Mode for RSSI readings on the Vibrant
The battery meter doesn't show full with 25% remaining

my bad, i was trying to do it all from memory not looking @ my notes.... signal on the g1 was -30dbm the vib was -55dbm on the porch
gps signal strength ( *#*#1472365#*#* gps test) data was in dBHz
just did it again, got my best TTFF/TTF of 148 seconds and im seeing my best ever accuracy bouncing between 15-20 meters
sad that these readings are the best performance ive seen...

i have this growing suspicion that there was a reason samsung installed an optional GPS antenna socket on the phone (next to the sim card, by the beveled corner)
are there other phones out there with a socket for an optional gps antenna?

Possible bug in Fascinate's signal strength

I believe there is a bug in the signal strength indication on the Fascinate, the one that shows the signal strength in -dBm.
You can see the signal strength of the cell signal on the Menu, Settings, About, Status screen. Or you can place a widget on your Home screen. There are several widgets available, I'm using Mobile Signal Widget.
I have a network extender, which basically creates a cell tower right in your home. With my Motorola Droid, I used to get signal strengths down to about -50 something and 60's in indicated signal strength. I can hold both of our Fascinates right next to the network extender's antenna and they will read no better than -86 dBm. So far I've seen signal strengths from -86 dBm to -106 dBm (terrible).
I believe there is a bug in the software (Baseband) on the Fascinate. Previously, I thought the hardware (antenna/radio) wasn't very good, but now it may be software related.
Has anyone seen a signal strength stronger than -86 dBm on the Fascinate?

That's a good point. Mine has never gone below -86dbm either. It fluctuates between -86 at it's best and -106 at it's worst.

Ill keep an eye on this with my phone
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk

I have no experience with cell phone radios so take this with the appropriate helping of salt.
Most radios have input protection that attenuates any signals greater than a set maximum level to prevent damage to the radio. I'm guessing the Fascinate reports it's receive signal level post input protection. It appears you just discovered this threshold for the Fascinate. Honestly, -86 dBm is plenty of signal, anything more is just for show
Again, I'm only speculating here.
Martian21

Interesting theory. I have emailed Verizon support as well. Hopefully, I will get a technical response and not a canned response from them.

With mine, it only fluctuates in -5dBm increments lol. I thought it was a litle wierd. I've seen -86, -91, -96, -101, and -106 lol.
As far as what the OP is talking about, my BB Tour (alltel) is the same way. It won't ever display anything lower than a -80.

Anyone else have a consistently high TWS(Time Without Signal) percentage? Mine almost never goes below 50%, and I've seen it up in the 80s. I think my battery life is really suffering from this. You can see yours in Settings > About Phone > Battery Use > Cell Standby. I've tried a few "fixes" that I've found through researching the issue on other android phones in general, but haven't seen any results.

shazbonk said:
Anyone else have a consistently high TWS(Time Without Signal) percentage? Mine almost never goes below 50%, and I've seen it up in the 80s. I think my battery life is really suffering from this. You can see yours in Settings > About Phone > Battery Use > Cell Standby. I've tried a few "fixes" that I've found through researching the issue on other android phones in general, but haven't seen any results.
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I was thinking about this the other day. Is it possible "time without signal" is simply a poor translation? The reason I ask this is when taking my phone off the charger overnight, I went directly to this setting to see what it reported. The phone reported having been unplugged for 2 minutes and already showed 5% TWS. I had been looking at the phone the whole time and didn't see it drop at all. What I did see is it going from 3G w/ arrows to 3Gd. So maybe this percentage isn't time without signal but rather time not active (i.e. 3G d).

I agree w/ the 3g d, I did not update to DI01 yet and it said I have 20% TWS throughout the day, but the phone didnt make a no service sound.

On my drive home everday I pass a Verizon owned tower.
I've stopped at a liquor store about 200 yards away from it and they maximum signal my Fascinate would pull down was -86dBm (4 bars as well).
My Cell Standby is usually around 11%.
Battery life of my Fascinate is very good.

xliderider: Any news/word from Verizon on this? What kind of Network Extender do you have? Got a brand/model #? Been thinking of picking something up like this.

So it isn't just my phone. My Fascinate goes from -86 to -106 as well. I had my Droid and Fascinate sitting next to each other, both reporting 4 bars. I went into status, and my Droid's signal strength was -77. The Fascinate was at -86. It's gotta be capped.

You're holding it wrong.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

You are probably right. With 4 full bars I can't get better than -86

I've been having the same problem...I was told by Verizon that it just has a "weaker" antenna. I go throughout the day with about 20% TWS. Never had that with my other Verizon phones.

do you get dropped calls or otherwise poor service?

I am returning my incredible due to dropped calls (while at home) using Verizons network Extender. I have had the incredible since April 29th (I believe that was the first day it was released). I have had the signal boosted twice by Verizon but still can't get close to 40' without dropping. One thing I noticed on the incredible while in the same room with the Extender is it would read let's say a -86dbm before placing a call then when placed and on the Extender network the signal would automatically go to -56dbm (stronger signal than -86dbm) and then back up after my call. What I saw was the Extender wasn't active until you make a call... Having said that, I am hoping the Fascinate will be better than the inc was... I will let you know when the Fascinate gets to me Wed or Thursday.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

Got the Facinate a day early : )
So far it is defiantly working better than my Incredible on my verizon network extender!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Mines 0%
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App

Sounds like it could have the same problem that affected the Vibrant. It NEVER showed higher than -81dBm, and would often reflect no signal (-0dBm is spectacular but it really means no signal within the Android system). Now with the update it reflects up to -51dBm like it should for GSM/WCDMA with Android and doesn't drop to -0dBm anymore. This of course effected the bars, often dropping to no bars or 1. Now after it's been fixed, plenty of bars and proper -dBm readings.

[Q] Anyone having signal issues?

I just picked my new Fascinate yesterday and have been noticing something strange. I routinely have a very low signal with 3G and WiFi in places I've always had a great signal (or so I thought). Just to get it out of the way, I am not using any kind of case and I have already done a *228 update.
For example, tonight I put my Fascinate, a friend's Continuum, and a friend's original Droid in front of me on a table to compare their 3G signals. The Droid reported 4 bars, the Continuum 2 bars, and my flickered between 0 and 1.
At home, my "old" Omnia 2 routinely got 3-4 bars (still does even though it's deactivated) and my gf's LG Ally gets the same. However my Fascinate gets 1-2, sometimes dipping to 0.
Oddly, I have the same issue with my WiFi signal. At home my PC and laptop have a full strength signal while the phone is lucky to have a that first dot and maybe a bar. At work, I can walk within 4 feet of my Wireless-N router and still not have a full signal
Now everything *seems* to work so I'm hoping it's just an algorithmic display issue, but I have gotten a "Network Error" message a few times. For good measure, I'll probably pop into Verizon to compare my signal to the various displays there.
My question is: Is this a general Fascinate issue? Do I have a lemon? Should I just hope 2.2 is magic?
Thanks

same problem here.
I'm really hoping this gets fixed with 2.2.

I've had two fascinates now, and they've both had really poor signal strength compared to any other phone I've used or seen. Was at lunch the other day with a friend with a Droid 1, and I was getting 1 bar, he was getting 4. At home, it's consistently 1 to 2 bars at best, and I live less than a mile and a half from the nearest tower.
While I don't drop calls, I think it's pretty clear that the phone has a particularly week antennae design.
Since you say you just got the phone, I assume you haven't rooted and played with other roms yet. But in case you have, I noticed a significant drop in signal strength, both cellular and wifi, using JT's DJ05 rom. And it was more than just a display issue, since the wifi connection would repeatedly drop - even in the same room as my router. Switched to the stock DJ05 and I was back to normal (if you consider 1 to 2 bars normal).

Just wanted to follow-up on this. After a week of comparing signals to every smartphone I ran into, I came to the conclusion I either had a lemon or the Fascinate had serious engineering issues.
I went back to my local Verizon store and compared my phone's signal strength to all the Android phones in there, including the other Fascinates. Every phone was between -73 and -86. My phone never got any better than -101. So they swapped phones for me (new one out of the box) and this one performed like all their other phones in the store. I am now enjoying my old, normal, strong signal strength and my battery is still at healthy 80% after several hours of use, even a little wifi usage.
Moral of the Story: Check your signal strength (on any phone) against the phones in the store before you leave and don't be afraid to demand a new phone if you have that sort of concrete data to back it up!
Sent from my SCH-i500 Fascinated using the XDA App

DI01 has a signal reporting bug that is fixed in DJ05/DL09. With DI01, the best I got was -86dBm, and the jumps did not really seem to make sense. After going to DJ05, the reported signal goes up to -50dBm or so and moves in a logical direction (go inside, signal goes down) where before it would just move randomly. It is possible that there was also bad hardware, but I'd guess that it had more to do with the crappy software Samsung provided.

Interesting. I've not had any ambition to root/flash my Fascinate (I swear I did it weekly with my old Omnia 2) so for whatever it's worth, my experience was always with the stock DI01.

Hopefully you won't have similar problems after we get the maintenance update, whenever that may be.