Related
I think the bars are inaccurate it's showing zero bars when it says 3g and internet and text messages work fine
Yea I've noticed the same thing. Maybe Samsung wanted to avoid a class action lawsuit for exaggerating signal strength?
lol right and at first i thought i had full bars since nothing was showing but the unlighted bars
It just seems like a minor issue. I've yet to experience poor call quality at zero bars... sucks because it's all in our heads really. Bars have taken over!
Your holding the phone wrong (sorry couldn't resist)
Lets take 2 possibilities...it is either a display bug...
or maybe just maybe..your signal is too strong which goes above the meter and shows 0...(that would be funny)\
more realistically look at this:
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2008/01/cell-phone-rece/
Interesting that may be true
heygrl said:
It just seems like a minor issue. I've yet to experience poor call quality at zero bars... sucks because it's all in our heads really. Bars have taken over!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. In my living room I go between 0dBm and -111dBm but I have never lost 3g data nor had a call dropped. Although I can't see the dB reading while on a call I do see the bars go from 0 to 3 bars and as soon as I'm off the call and they go back to zero,
I'm thinking it's a software issue that will be fixed
Same issue here. Zero bars most of the time in my home but 3G is working and calls are fine!!!
It has a death grip
I notice that when I hold the phone, bars go down very quickly, but they typically come back up for the most part.
I set the phone down on my bed - bars go up to full.
I hold the phone naturally in my hand - bars start dropping one by one.
For the most part they hit 0 bars, but connection seems fine. I was on a call and made the bars go down. My friend on the other end didn't notice any problems with the line. I didn't notice any problems either.
I can replicate the issue easily just by holding the phone. Looks like Apple was on to something with their claims. I wonder if Consumer Reports will put this phone it's list of not recommended phones too...
Never lol
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
iceshinobi said:
Never lol
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue when i hold the phone in the lower left hand corner. I thought getting a case would correct the issue like on the iphone, but even with a case it still happens.
Everytime if i hold my phone normally, the signal starts dropping. I managed to track it down to the bottom part of the phone, just beneath the battery cover.
As soon as my hand touches that part the signal starts dropping from 4bars to 1 or 2 bars.
Anyone else has this problem?
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Yeah,easily reproduced here too.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
yea, i had to return mine because of it. every time i used the keyboard, the signal would drop or even die out. hopefully the next one i get won't have the same issue, or at least not as bad as the device i had before.
Hope youll have it sorted out. I have 1 or 2 levels of drop only. Its a common problem with recent smartphone models? Strange.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
The bottom of the phone is where the antenna is.
I mainly get one or two signal line drops when holding the phone with the keyboard open. Not a big problem.
But... WiFi seems to be a lot worse: if I don't touch the phone I get full bars, but if I hold it (keyboard open again) it sometimes can drop to one or no bars.
And I was laughing at the iPhone 4 users.
Might worth try to add isolation lol,like for iphones
I cannot yet reproduce the wifi thing tho when im further away it may indeed weaken.will test it further
-- sent from htc z using xda app
Wifi only drop one bar here. I'm 3m away from a n-router.
Isolation doesnt seem to work. It might just be a weak antenna.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Was able to reproduce a 1 bar drop from WiFi once, nothing since, and nothing from signal.
one bar drop. but no change in usage. iwould suggest ignoring the signal strength
Drops 1 bar here. Not big deal.
Same here. Drops one bar. Sometimes two. But i had exactly the same thing with my Touch Pro. As long as I don't get dropped calls, i don't mind.
Problem also on desire HD
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
My Wifi drops all the way to zero when using my phone with keyboard.
Tho, this is when I'm couple meters away from the router (2nd floor). When I'm on the 1st floor the signal only drops 1 bar.
FFFFUUUUUU
I just noticed this. I'm currently in a low signal area. Phone sitting on table: -103dBm. Using keyboard: -113dBm. 2 bars to 0 bars and even no signal.
How can they do this? ****.
Never experienced none of those issues. Wow that's crazy.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk ~Obsidian V3 w/ Froyo Black theme.
Like the iPhone, it is only obvious in low signal areas. Go to settings about status and look at the numerical signal. It drops quite a bit.
I did a test and dropped from -99dbm (7asu) to -112dbm (1asu) by deathgripping my phone. It went from 2-3 bars to 0 bars.
philliman said:
Never experienced none of those issues. Wow that's crazy.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk ~Obsidian V3 w/ Froyo Black theme.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if its related to being made of more metal than usual devices, alu alloy of htc z.
-- sent from htc z using xda app
I've noticed the death grip; 2-3 bars (!!) in some indoor areas
Maybe this is why I've noticed battery drains faster when leaving my phone face up than face down (poor signal = more power consumption to keep the link)
How is your Evo Shift Signal strength???
Just got my Shift two days ago and I generally like the size, speed, etc. Getting used to Android as I previously used a lot of WinMo and Blackberry devices.
The signal strength on this phone doesn't seem very good for me. My home has marginal Sprint coverage but Touch Pro2 seemed to have better signal strength and reception. It was rare that I ever missed an incoming call.
The shift gets a very weak signal and it sometimes drops to "no bars" for awhile.
I've also observed that the signal meter and my ability to initiate and maintain calls varies with how I hold it. I hold the phone with my right-hand, and have to hold it with my fingers near the top of the phone to get the best reception. Some other folks have posted similar problems. So I'm wondering if this is a general defect with the Shift or if my specific phone has issues.
geekdaddy said:
How is your Evo Shift Signal strength???
Just got my Shift two days ago and I generally like the size, speed, etc. Getting used to Android as I previously used a lot of WinMo and Blackberry devices.
The signal strength on this phone doesn't seem very good for me. My home has marginal Sprint coverage but Touch Pro2 seemed to have better signal strength and reception. It was rare that I ever missed an incoming call.
The shift gets a very weak signal and it sometimes drops to "no bars" for awhile.
I've also observed that the signal meter and my ability to initiate and maintain calls varies with how I hold it. I hold the phone with my right-hand, and have to hold it with my fingers near the top of the phone to get the best reception. Some other folks have posted similar problems. So I'm wondering if this is a general defect with the Shift or if my specific phone has issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first of all, update your PRL and your Profile, just to be sure.
But yes, the antenna seems to be at the bottom of the phone, and holding your hand over that area will indeed have an effect on signal strength. But unless you're already at your signal strength limit for calls, I don't think it makes much of a difference. I don't think the bars are entirely accurate, since my signal strength currently says -101, but I have full bars.
I haven't had any issues getting signal in places I've always had signal, and I actually seem to get better service in areas I couldn't get any service with my Hero, so I think it's an improvement.
Signal strength is ok, but not as good as my Evo was.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
Its worse than my Hero, that's for sure.
Sent from my bathroom, with toilet paper.
Mine seems pretty bad so far. I seem to be roaming allot. Isn't that the triangle above the signal? I will go from one bar and then it will switch to roaming and 4 bars. Seems to go back and forth like that.
Sent from my PG06100 using Tapatalk
This:
EricSS619 said:
Signal strength is ok, but not as good as my Evo was.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and this:
Heelfan71 said:
Mine seems pretty bad so far. I seem to be roaming allot. Isn't that the triangle above the signal? I will go from one bar and then it will switch to roaming and 4 bars. Seems to go back and forth like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WTF mate, in places where i'd get sometimes full bars with my evo i'm now down to 1 or 2 or even roaming. very strange. In my bedroom on the evo i'd generally stay around 2-3 bars and now i find myself in roaming on occasion. Hoping a radio update helps.
johnnycross22 said:
This:
and this:
WTF mate, in places where i'd get sometimes full bars with my evo i'm now down to 1 or 2 or even roaming. very strange. In my bedroom on the evo i'd generally stay around 2-3 bars and now i find myself in roaming on occasion. Hoping a radio update helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indoors seem to be my biggest problem. Outside I get a good signal but if I am inside anywhere the bars go down drastically.
not to mention the GPS is total crap vs my Evo that I traded in!
Stilll worth the trade though =)
EricSS619 said:
not to mention the GPS is total crap vs my Evo that I traded in!
Stilll worth the trade though =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why did you not like the evo? just curious.
Heelfan71 said:
why did you not like the evo? just curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly I think mine was just messed up, it lagged terribly and I tried everything to fix it. After I saw my girlfriends lag free shift it was a no brainer for me.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
wow my Shift has great signal strength, way better than my Evo was.
i'm on my second Shift (first one had a bad ear piece speaker) and same experience with both. great reception so far
I was torn between getting an Evo and an Evo Shift. I played with them at my local Sprint store as they were side by side. When the phones were just sitting, both of them had 5 bars. When I picked the Evo up, it still had five bars and when I picked up the Evo Shift, the bars dropped to three. At that moment, I was going to get the Evo. After that, I kept hearing nothing but good reviews about the Evo Shift (amongst whiny minor complaints), saw that the Evo Shift's quadrants were pwning amongst non-rooted devices, and heard 1 too many complaints about the Evo's battery life; this pretty much sealed the deal for me. I had decided that I could live with the Evo Shift's apparent signal strength issues... Can HTC do something about the radio?
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
I can't replicate the grip of death but sometimes I do notice my bars going from 0 or 1 to 5 or 6, it will just jump. I don't know why. But I haven't had any problems because of this so I don't really mind.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
i have cupped my shift in both hands and held it against my chest and my battery only dropped one bar. I think that is a good sign and will not bother me at all.
dnalevelc said:
i have cupped my shift in both hands and held it against my chest and my battery only dropped one bar. I think that is a good sign and will not bother me at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Err, you mean the signal not the battery right? If your battery dropped that much from cupping the phone, you have issues, lol
dnalevelc said:
i have cupped my shift in both hands and held it against my chest and my battery only dropped one bar. I think that is a good sign and will not bother me at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
God I wish people didn't obsess over "bars" and were reasonable like you. Bars don't mean anything, really. Monitoring signal levels in db makes sense, but people who talk about bars remind me of those who smack their TVs for better reception!
If you can make and hold a call without problems, it doesn't matter how many bars you have. Or if your phone shows 7 bars but you can't make calls, is that a good thing? There are no clear guidelines or standards on bars, so people need to stop obsessing about them.
hammondnav said:
God I wish people didn't obsess over "bars" and were reasonable like you. Bars don't mean anything, really. Monitoring signal levels in db makes sense, but people who talk about bars remind me of those who smack their TVs for better reception!
If you can make and hold a call without problems, it doesn't matter how many bars you have. Or if your phone shows 7 bars but you can't make calls, is that a good thing? There are no clear guidelines or standards on bars, so people need to stop obsessing about them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed, I honestly couldn't tell you what my bars were at any given time. Other than in the bathroom, I know it's 0-1 there.
wardfan220 said:
Agreed, I honestly couldn't tell you what my bars were at any given time. Other than in the bathroom, I know it's 0-1 there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd because I get the best signal front Sprint in my house in the bathroom lol.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
Bars seem to make a difference to me when they go to zero and I lose my call. Now I know why this happens randomly with this phone.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
After exactly 14 days with my evo shift, i had the same symptoms with my phone yesterday. i woke up with my phone showing full bars, no bars, x, no bars, full bars, no bars, etc etc every 30-45 sec's. i figured possibly a tower down or something....then drove to work 20 miles away had the same issue in out and out service, texts not going through, browser timing out. i tried updating, resetting, battery pull, nothing fixed it.
I went into a sprint store and they were able to verify the problem as they watched the screen. i am officially the first warranty exchanged evo shift at that corporate store...according to the tech (who i know for the last several years, my phone failed the signal test of some sort. so if your phone sounds like mine more than likely its a defective radio/part inside and you should be able to get a exchange for it. hope that helps someone out in what to do.
I just noticed this today, after having my phone for over a week, but if I hold my phone along the bottom while its upright, the signal will drop significantly and wimax signal drops a bar or two. As soon as I hold it in landscape it goes back to normal. Not sure if this is because of a coincidence or not yet, so I'm looking to see if anyone else has noticed this.
My shift is stock perm rooted, so that could have something to do with it too, I'm going to play around with my phone and see if I can't figure it.
Sent from my PG06100 using XDA App
Go here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=925371
This is a common issue with the EVO Shift 4g, and it is because of the placement of the Antenna.
http://member.america.htc.com/download/Web_materials/Manual/EVO_Shift/Evo_shift_UM.pdf
Take a look on Page 252 (264 in Adobe) and see what I mean...
It doesn't completely block any signal, but it does reduce it by a bar or two, but I've learned to deal with it by holding the phone in my left hand rather than my right when using data.
Was playing with my Vibrant using 'GPS Test Plus' and stumbled onto something. I've always had weak GPS issues like everybody else. By the way I have not done the hardware fix yet. I set my phone down on a metal surface and noticed that I started getting locks within a few seconds. So I played around for a few days and came up with the solution shown in the attached picture. These pictures are from my office at works and letting it sit for 5 minutes without any covers and I couldn't get a lock. Then I popped on the modified factory cover and the modified Case-Mate cover.....and boom.....I get locks in a few seconds. All I've done is add a 1" strip of copper tape along the top inside surface of the cover. at first aluminum foil was used until I refined it a bit. Can't say this will work for everyone...but give it a shot.
Hoopty
Wow. Looks too good to be true.
Can you do a test outside?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
K, I saw what you did, but obviously the phone is facing up when tested,right? It seems the copper tape is acting as a reflector to the GPS signal (since the signal comes from the sky).I would like to know if it would give you the same results if it was facing down to see if the copper tape would in this case block the GPS signal.I'm just curious because in real life when using Navigation the phone (face)will either facing you directly or (if mounted high on the windshield) slightly tilted down.
mrrobc97 said:
K, I saw what you did, but obviously the phone is facing up when tested,right? It seems the copper tape is acting as a reflector to the GPS signal (since the signal comes from the sky).I would like to know if it would give you the same results if it was facing down to see if the copper tape would in this case block the GPS signal.I'm just curious because in real life when using Navigation the phone (face)will either facing you directly or (if mounted high on the windshield) slightly tilted down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested it at:
0 degrees (facing up)
90 degrees (facing me)
130 degrees (angled down)
and got the same results with each one. In fact the 130 degree test seemed to have the strongest signal. Take a 2" X 2" piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half and stick it in there. This must work on other Vibrant phone too. Come on.....it would only take a couple minutes to test it.
Hoopty
Hoopty-2011 said:
I tested it at:
0 degrees (facing up)
90 degrees (facing me)
130 degrees (angled down)
and got the same results with each one. In fact the 130 degree test seemed to have the strongest signal. Take a 2" X 2" piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half and stick it in there. This must work on other Vibrant phone too. Come on.....it would only take a couple minutes to test it.
Hoopty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool...trust me Im gonna try it and let u know.THX
Have you tried using g maps navigation while driving to a location, my phone always goes nuts while driving to a location rerouting, gps signal lost you know that game...?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
Hoopty-2011 said:
Was playing with my Vibrant using 'GPS Test Plus' and stumbled onto something. I've always had weak GPS issues like everybody else. By the way I have not done the hardware fix yet. I set my phone down on a metal surface and noticed that I started getting locks within a few seconds. So I played around for a few days and came up with the solution shown in the attached picture. These pictures are from my office at works and letting it sit for 5 minutes without any covers and I couldn't get a lock. Then I popped on the modified factory cover and the modified Case-Mate cover.....and boom.....I get locks in a few seconds. All I've done is add a 1" strip of copper tape along the top inside surface of the cover. at first aluminum foil was used until I refined it a bit. Can't say this will work for everyone...but give it a shot.
Hoopty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What type of copper tape?
Are you using both covers on the phone at the same time (two layers of copper tape)?
Have you noticed if this also works for your everyday reception ?
Has anyone else tried this? I will try later today with Aluminum tape since I have no copper tape handy. I guess it should not matter as long as it is metallic.
You still there OP we got some question's for you ^^^
I tried it with aluminium tape but before I even turn on GPS I noticed my wifi signal decreasing so I didnt even go any further. I have excellent GPS right now anyways with Bionix 1.3.1 and Jellette's s.gps.2.zip file that I flashed (7 meter acu.) . I was just curious.
Sent from my Blutiful-Bionix-Powered Vibrant [2ndIINoNe]
leechdweler said:
Have you noticed if this also works for your everyday reception ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im wondering this too lol
Copper is gonna conduct better than aluminum.
If you know the GPS frequency, you could always cut the copper strip to "tune" it to the frequency better.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
mrrobc97 said:
I tried it with aluminium tape but before I even turn on GPS I noticed my wifi signal decreasing so I didnt even go any further. I have excellent GPS right now anyways with Bionix 1.3.1 and Jellette's s.gps.2.zip file that I flashed (7 meter acu.) . I was just curious.
Sent from my Blutiful-Bionix-Powered Vibrant [2ndIINoNe]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't there someone with poor GPS performance that can try this out. All I hear on here is how bad the Vibrant GPS is.......Please.....someone.....test this out. My GPS has never worked this well and it has been several days now. All the testing never showed any effect on WIFI or data signal.
PS: if you have excellent GPS right now this isn't for you.
Hoopty
i've tried it but it doesn't work for me.
i'm on froyo zendroid. but the gps wasn't working before either.
i live in Romania.
Doesn't work for me either. In fact, I can't detect any satellite. My GPS is not great. It picks up satellites with SNR between 30-50 and locks within a minute typically under clear sky but not so well in built up areas. It's VERY sensitive to obstruction. I can't even place my hand under the antenna. So, the extra film of aluminium is more an obstruction than a booster. Wonder if the material matter?
FReQ Z said:
Copper is gonna conduct better than alumimum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just sayin'.
RF tech, 14 years experience.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
FReQ Z said:
Just sayin'.
RF tech, 14 years experience.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you should know that high frequency signals travel on the surface of the conductor. Just saying...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Electrons in general flow on the skin of the conductor, not just high frequency. And high frequency is considered to be 3-30 MHz, not even close to GPS frequencies, which is more in the EHF range.
If the OP shows an improvement in signal strength by using a strip of copper tape in his phone, so be it.
RF is not digital nor analog... RF does what it wants. You have to coax it. In the product my company produces, the RF conductors are copper. The frequency we use is not that far off from the GPS frequency... up in the L-band range.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App