Database Users

Connection Dropping :(

Hi there
First time poster, shame it has to be a cry for help!!
I've got the touch HD, and I love it, however over the last week or so its started losing its HDSPA and 3G connection and dropping to phone only. At first I thought this maybe network related (T-Mobile), however it seems to do it in all locations.
I'ver noticed when it does it, the data connection slider in the settings tab, is switched to off, and as soon as I flick it back on, it picks up the signal fine (only to lose it again after a random amount of time). I've downloaded Tweak HD and set the internet to always on, however that doesn't make a difference.
I've not installed any custom roms, its the factory build, really hope someone can help
Thank you

Do you see the connection drop while the screen is on or is it after you have put the phone in standby (screen off)?

It seems to be random, I can be halfway through browsing the web and it'll drop or just coming out of standy.
The most common time seems to be when I do a send/receive on the email tab, it shows the 'H' icon then as soon as it starts syncronising, it drops out to radio then I have te re-send to get it to connect again.

I seem to recall the same thing happening to me back when I was using the stock rom. For the first week everything was fine, then the connection would drop when I turned the screen off or even when the phone was on. If you've tried setting the connection to "always on" and that does not fix the problem, then I would next try and download Schaps Advanced Config and enable/disable the different power management settings. I've suggested this to a few others for disconnect problems in standby and it seemed to work.

3G always on?

I installed 3G WatchDog and its in constant use. I installed SpareParts to look at network usage and the first item is 0 and when I tap on it, it FCs. I am going to wipe and reflash the ROM later and take a look later but anyone have this problem or a solution? Or a way to see what app is using my connection constantly?

Not sure if this helps, but in Settings - Wireless & networks - Mobile networks - there is an option for 'Enable always-on mobile data' which I believe keeps your 3g running all the time.

http://androidforums.com/147137-post14.html
That is probably one of the better explanations for what disabling 3G Always on does. Seems like it's a huge battery saver.

OP: have you tested the suggestion in the article donatom3 linked?
Let us know...

My Wifes EVO is having the same issue. Her phone is contantly downloading data. I got a clue when I looked at her data useage and she clock 14GB for the partial month.
I shut down services until I found the culprit. It was "People". I checked sync setting and all and it seems they are all set to 1 hour or more intervals. When I force a close of "People", the data access stops and goes to normal even if I restart "People".
If I shut down the phone and then turn back on, then it seems to start all over again.
As a bandaid, I have set Advance Task Killer to kill the "People" service automatically every 30 min.
I would sure love for someone to find a more permanent resolution.

Can't you just remove it from the home screen, and it will stop using the data?

Everyone with Battery problem post info here fix soon

Ok, although I do not have a solution it seems that their are a small percentage of people on here that have the same problem as me.
This is what I know:
The EVO has a bigger display, a faster proccessor, 4G, and alot of advanced features this means battery is not going to be the greatest.
However, I am now rooted running CM6 RC2, and although I love this ROM I have been having terrible battery. Also, I was using Fresh's and stock unrooted ROM and had bad battery also, AFTER I PUT IN ALL MY SETTINGS.
When I would hard reset my phone, it would sleep like normal, and the battery would run great, however, I think their is a setting that I use with my phone that is keeping it awake.
Now I am going to give all the settings that I use on my phone without installing any apps from the market. Because I know some apps keep your phone awake but I did a factory reset, put in my settings without installing any apps and my phone stayed awake.
***I have already tried the HTC and Sprint method of "conditioning your battery" I know their are 2 methods I have done both. I have setCPU, juice defender, spare parts, all that stuff that supposedly saves battery, but so far none have helped. Also my phone is set to auto CDMA, i tried that*****
Here is what I think. I am changing some setting in the phone that is keeping it awake and I can't seem to find what it is, I had this same problem with google sync setting and thankfully someone helped me fix it and it solved the problem however, after that I am still having the issue.
Keep in mind I HAVE NOT INSTALLED ANYTHING FROM THE MARKET YET, I have only entered my settings in apps that came with the phone because I believe that is the culprit.
My settings
*#*#4636*#*#
Battery history, since last unplugged
running: 14.6%
Screen on: 10.4%
Phone on: 3.5%
Wireless and network
Airplane mode, wifi, bluetooth, tethering and portable hot spot VPN are all off
Under Mobile network
The options are: data enabled: Checked
data roaming: unchecked
System select (change the cdma roaming guide) options are either home only, affiliated networks, or automatic. I have automatic set.
Voicemail service my carrier
Nothing in the CM6 settings have been changed
Auto brightness, screen timeout 30 sec
Location: wireless network:checked
Use GPS sattelite: unchecked
Accounts and Sync:
Background data: enabled (checked)
auto sync: Enabled (checked)
Facebook-sync if off, I have not synced contacts with Facebook, and the problem I had last time was with google sync, I had google sync turned off and that kept my phone on. Now I have facebook sync turned off, COULD THAT BE THE PROBLEM?
Privacy: Back up my data-checked
automatic restore-checked
Mail settings, never update, I manually update.
News and weather is same thing, could google be trying to update even though its set not too and keep my phone awake?
Under facebook settings: refresh interval is set to never
Notifications are inactive.
About phone
Cell standby:37%
Phone idle:28%
Android system:20%
Voice calls:11%
Display:7%
If anything looks not right, or you think something as little as it may be may be causing the problem, even if it doesn't make sense please suggest it, I have tried everything, thanks.

Not to burst your bubble, but it's been pretty much proven that CM6 has unsatisfactory battery life.
Try Burnt Droid v1 + netarchy-toastmod kernel for optimum battery life.

I know,
but after reading through the thread it seems that about half of them half pretty good battery life, however I had poor battery with other roms, because something was keeping my phone awake.

I'm having a similar problem. On any ROM that's based of HTC's 2.2, my phone will run fine for about a day and then it will begin to stop sleeping. Once that happens the only way to get it to stop is to do a factory reset. What's funny is that using the exact same settings with CM6-RC2 I don't get the 100% awake issue. I've tried everything and can't figure it out.
I've tried turning off all automatic syncing, turning off network time and network location...didn't work. I deleted my Exchange account since I had heard that some people were having Exchange problems...didn't help. This last time around I didn't install anything from the market, it was just the stock apps. I did connect the phone to Sync in my truck and used it quite a bit before the problem cropped up.
I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's some kind background process that tries to run after a specified amount of time, but there's some kind of problem with the Sense-based ROMs that I've tried that won't allow it to run properly. So we need to figure out what the process is and either stop it from running in the first place, or figure out a way to take it out of the ROM so it isn't there to begin with.
I'm going to wipe everything and try installing Fresh 3.1.0.2 again. I'm going to try to remember to reboot my phone every night when I plug it in to charge and see if that helps. While it isn't ideal, it's way easier than having to do a factory reset every other day. I'll post back and let everyone know what happens.

WiFi Disconnect Policy / Lock Screen

Being new to Android, I'm trying to figure out the WiFi sleep policy setting and how the lock screen affects things.
My issue is that if I leave the tablet unplugged overnight, with the screen off, I lose about 10% power. The Battery Use History Details screen shows that WiFi is on consistently and it seems to be awake when it shouldn't be.
So here are my questions:
1. Does disabling the lock screen cause the device to stay awake when the screen is off? It seems like there is a correlation between when I disabled the lock screen and it staying awake consistently, but it might have been an app I installed.
2. If I did not activate the device on the cellular network, and disabled mobile data, is there a WiFi disconnect policy that will turn on WiFi only to poll once in a while for mail and other updates but not stay on consistently?
I think I might be running into one of the big differences between Android and iOS here. iOS' push updates allows the device to use data collections very efficiently to get updates from the network, because it only has to poll one data source to get updates for all apps who require it. In May 2010, Google introduced Cloud to Device Messaging for Android, but how many apps use it? And does the device have a WiFi policy that only lets apps that use C2DM do their updates and then shut the connection off?

rlabarca said:
Being new to Android, I'm trying to figure out the WiFi sleep policy setting and how the lock screen affects things.
My issue is that if I leave the tablet unplugged overnight, with the screen off, I lose about 10% power. The Battery Use History Details screen shows that WiFi is on consistently and it seems to be awake when it shouldn't be.
So here are my questions:
1. Does disabling the lock screen cause the device to stay awake when the screen is off? It seems like there is a correlation between when I disabled the lock screen and it staying awake consistently, but it might have been an app I installed.
2. If I did not activate the device on the cellular network, and disabled mobile data, is there a WiFi disconnect policy that will turn on WiFi only to poll once in a while for mail and other updates but not stay on consistently?
I think I might be running into one of the big differences between Android and iOS here. iOS' push updates allows the device to use data collections very efficiently to get updates from the network, because it only has to poll one data source to get updates for all apps who require it. In May 2010, Google introduced Cloud to Device Messaging for Android, but how many apps use it? And does the device have a WiFi policy that only lets apps that use C2DM do their updates and then shut the connection off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By default your wifi connection is set to never shut off. Settings/Wireless & networks/wifi settings/wifi disconnect policy. Change this to when screen is off.

Thanks, but I still want to be able to turn on my device and see new messages quickly. I assume it won't check for new mail at all with the WiFi off.

rlabarca said:
Thanks, but I still want to be able to turn on my device and see new messages quickly. I assume it won't check for new mail at all with the WiFi off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think you can do this with a stock android os. Its either on or off. Now you can download apps for phones, no idea if they work for tablet yet. Think one is called tasker and another juice defender. Basically they tell the tablet when it can and can't use data.

[Q] Wi-fi doesn't turn off

The problem is that Background Data and Sync ignore the wi-fi policy meaning that the settings to disable wi-fi don't actually disable wi-fi, they just block applications from using wi-fi. The OS can still use it and it still drains power.
That basically means you can never disable wi-fi unless you go in and change multiple settings. The wi-fi policy when the screen is off is useless. Any toggle wi-fi widget you put on the page don't work.
Manually refreshing gmail shows 'no connection' - browser wont connect. But the OS can still get your email and download attachments. Relegating any wi-fi policy to a 'user stop function', not a 'data stop function'.
I have a toggle wi-fi widget on my home screen. I have wi-fi toggled off (also shows as off in settings) I *just* saw the widget flick on for a second, then flick back off. That's the Background data/ sync kicking in right there and that's my whole point.
Another point - if you have disabled wi-fi then turn it back on, it should be looking for the router and getting an IP address. It doesn't do that. When you turn it back on all it does is enable applications to connect. Meaning, when you disable it (via settings>disable wi-fi or disable wi-fi policy) all it does is make the software think you're not connected. It doesn't actually disconnect from the router.
It still shows in your routers wireless list (which it shouldn't if it's disconnected) and ping test will fail because it will refuse any incoming/outgoing requests that aren't from the OS (background data / sync)
If you wait for the background data/sync to connect, you can then ping your tablet and it will work. A security issue as far as I'm concerned.
UPDATE | May 05
An update. I can confirm that the wi-fi will never turn off for me. I have toggled it off and put it in airplane mode and I will still get email notifications.
Under battery power it even still shows wi-fi as taking 4% even though by all settings it is off.
The gmail application shows 'no connection'. If i refresh it, nothing happens. If i turn the screen off, eventually it will sync/connect and I will get email - even though I also have the wi-fi set to off when the screen is off.
So to sum-up - wi-fi never turns off. Ever.
You can help by testing!
Disable wi-fi
Set the policy for wi-fi to disable when screen is off
Go to home screen
Turn off the screen
From another location, send yourself an email
Wait for notification on your tablet or wait for about 5 minutes
Turn on your tablet, email should be waiting for you.
UPDATE | 12:15pm
On the phone with acer support and they confirmed this is the case. They started to explain about Background data and Sync and I stopped them right there. This isn't a settings issue, this is an OS/Hardware issue.
Going to the next tier.
UPDATE | 12:30pm
Everything is confirmed with tier 2 and for what it's worth, it'll be pushed further down the chain and looked into.
I had to clarify with them that the issue was with the OS/Hardware and it's not software. If the wi-fi is disabled and I can go into gmail and it show 'no connection' and i hit refresh and it wont get email, then open the browser and it tells me I'm not connected, then the software thinks the wi-fi is off.
The problem is that the wi-fi isn't off as far as the OS is concerned. It is still draining power and Background data/ Sync are still able to connect (and/or override your settings). This shouldn't be the case. The wi-fi setting should superseed all other settings. If i set the wi-fi to off, it should be off for everything and not be draining power. To me this means that the disable wi-fi setting doesn't actually disable the wi-fi, it just locks out software from using it... which is *not* disabling it.

Same issue here, have to get a widget to turn of the wifi. How can they oversee such simple things?
Also sometimes the power button just randomly lights up when its in sleep mode, it's a small light but very anoying if it's dark in the room (e.a on your bed stand).

Okay - Good to hear it's not just me then. But not so good in general.
If you're reading this thread, try it out. Set the wi-fi to disabled when the screen is off then email yourself from another computer and wait for the notification on your tablet. Or get a friend to email you a minute or so after you've turned your screen off (with wi-fi disabled on screen off)
You can reset the policy after.
If you get the notification then your wifi didn't disable while the screen is off like the setting is supposed to do.

mine is NOT giving me issues, but I have found that it can take up to 10 minutes for the wifi to go off. I just used ping to test it. In some cases it took a while but did turn off. My battery doesn't really go down at all when in standby with wifi off when screen off.

sgdossey said:
mine is NOT giving me issues, but I have found that it can take up to 10 minutes for the wifi to go off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Updated OP

gammaRascal said:
I've set the wi-fi to disable itself when the screen goes off but unless I disable sync and background data, the wi-fi still stays on when the screen is off and I can hear my email/IM notifications still.
Anyone else have this issue?
I mean, I think it's an issue. If you set the policy to disable wi-fi when the screen is off in the OS it should override any apps - I shouldn't THEN have to go and disable sync and background data as well otherwise whats the point?
UPDATE | May 05
An update. I can confirm that the wi-fi will never turn off for me. I have toggled it off and put it in airplane mode and I will still get email notifications.
Under battery power it even still shows wi-fi as taking 4% even though by all settings it is off.
The gmail application shows 'no connection'. If i refresh it, nothing happens. If i turn the screen off, eventually it will sync/connect and I will get email - even though I also have the wi-fi set to off when when the screen is off.
So to sum-up - wi-fi never turns off. Ever.
You can help by testing!
Disable wi-fi
Set the policy for wi-fi to disable when screen is off
Go to home screen
Turn off the screen
From another location, send yourself an email
Wait for notification on your tablet or wait for about 5 minutes
Turn on your tablet, email should be waiting for you.
UPDATE | 12:15pm
On the phone with acer support and they confirmed this is the case. They started to explain about Background data and Sync and I stopped them right there. This isn't a settings issue, this is an OS/Hardware issue.
Going to the next tier.
UPDATE | 12:30pm
Everything is confirmed with tier 2 and for what it's worth, it'll be pushed further down the chain and looked into.
I had to clarify with them that the issue was with the OS/Hardware and it's not software. If the wi-fi is disabled and I can go into gmail and it show 'no connection' and i hit refresh and it wont get email, then open the browser and it tells me I'm not connected, then the software thinks the wi-fi is off.
The problem is that the wi-fi isn't off as far as the OS is concerned. It is still draining power and Background data/ Sync are still able to connect. This shouldn't be the case. The wi-fi setting should superseed all other settings. If i set the wi-fi to off, it should be off for everything and not be draining power. To me this means that the disable wi-fi setting doesn't actually disable the wi-fi, it just locks out software from using it... which is *not* disabling it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I just ran these tests and unfortunately I can't reproduce your results.
When I disable wifi, I don't have any data connection.
As for wifi sleep, I don't know if it's a bug or intentional but it seems to put wifi into an extremely low power mode, but not necessarily disable it or turn it off when using the sleep policy.
As someone mentioned somewhere in this thread, it looks like wifi has some sort of 'cooldown' period until it turns the chip and process off completely.
I have used Wifi sleep and played Pandora and had Pandora play for hours until it finally disconnected.

The problem is that Background Data and Sync ignore the wi-fi policy meaning that the settings to disable wi-fi don't actually disable wi-fi, they just block applications from using wi-fi. The OS can still use it and it still drains power.
That basically means you can never disable wi-fi unless you go in and change multiple settings. The wi-fi policy when the screen is off is useless. Any toggle wi-fi widget you put on the page don't work.
Manually refreshing gmail shows 'no connection' - browser wont connect. But the OS can still get your email and download attachments. Relegating any wi-fi policy to a 'user stop function', not a 'data stop function'.
I have a toggle wi-fi widget on my home screen. I have wi-fi toggled off (also shows as off in settings) I *just* saw the widget flick on for a second, then flick back off. That's the Background data/ sync kicking in right there and that's my whole point.
Another point - if you have disabled wi-fi then turn it back on, it should be looking for the router and getting an IP address. It doesn't do that. When you turn it back on all it does is enable applications to connect. Meaning, when you disable it (via settings>disable wi-fi or disable wi-fi policy) all it does is make the software think you're not connected. It doesn't actually disconnect from the router.
It still shows in your routers wireless list (which it shouldn't if it's disconnected) and ping test will fail because it will refuse any incoming/outgoing requests that aren't from the OS (background data / sync)
If you wait for the background data/sync to connect, you can then ping your tablet and it will work. A security issue as far as I'm concerned.