Database Users

Signal Strength

Is there any way to boost the Signal Strength on these phones, I am sitting here with the Siemens ver of this phone in one hand, a Nokia in the other. The Nokia is 100% where as the Siemens is 10%
Thanks in advance.

You may find that the accuracy of the signal level indicator is not very good. If you have a good connection when calling or talking I would use that as a gauge rather than the very suspect indicator on the pda. Having said that, there is a very cheap device that you stick to your phone and is supposed to boost the signal significantly. Heres a link, they are sold in lots of places and are only pennies on ebay.
This ebay link is selling 3 for 99cents in usa.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=48491&item=5719616810&rd=1
You may need to remove the back of the xda to install this device, its worth a try though if you want a better signal. To remove the back you will need a small flat blade screwdriver and a No 6 Torx screwdriver.

Those stick-ons have been shown to have either no effect at all or to actually make the signal worse. Been proven over and over. Save your money.

I heard that too but at 99cents for 3 it might be wirth a try. A piece of string will probably give a better signal but its all about trying different ideas.

Just to let you know, this is a fake product. The only function this device has is to make your wallet a bit lighter. Dont spend your money on this.
If you want better signal on your phone, then you have to extend the build-in antenna via the antenna connector on the back, which normally are for carkits.
Try to place a bit of wire (4 - 16cm) in the hole. Keep your phone in the same spot and see if the signal gets better if you shorten the wire.
This is just an idea so dont blame me if the signal does'nt improve.
Your provider is most likely the problem.

BobBob said:
Try to place a bit of wire (4 - 16cm) in the hole. Keep your phone in the same spot and see if the signal gets better if you shorten the wire.
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!!!!!
That strikes my interest
!!!
Could you be a little more specific. Which hole are you talking a bout ?

cant remember if xda1's have that option

There is no hole. Maybe a 7 element Yagi motorised directional beam mounted on a head cradle would work. Might give you a stiff neck though.

Aluminum case question

First post after long reading here, very nice source of information about HTC PDA phones.
I just bought one TyTN II from a HK eBay seller - fast FedEx shipping so should arrive next Thursday.
In the mean time, I am looking for a good case and found many made of aluminum at the web and eBay. Click to see eBay link.
My question is, that aluminum will not act as a RF shield for both input/output cell signals? And that probable shield will not increase the battery drain forcing more current (giving more power output) at the internal cell transmitter?
More power output mean less battery charge life.
Moreover, it will not reduce also the GPS signal reception?
Someone already did a test (cell/GPS signal strength with and without that aluminum case)?
Thanks,
Sergio

I got one of those cases I havent notised any signal drops and im using Wifi and GPS and EDGE all the time

My monaco is great, no problems

Looking around, found this message of member cornellfOo in [URL="http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=352605&page=9]Seidio's Super slim rubberized case[/URL]:
"Wow. Glad to hear these types of cases finally came out.
Anyone know if these cases will hinder reception? I bought one of the aluminum hard cases and that definitely affected reception. I'm assuming that it's the aluminum and not cases in general that cause this.
I am in low service areas often so it can be the difference between making calls and not."
Usually any metal enclosures do shield RF signals and normally metal shield are used exactly to avoid RF leaking from devices. So, that is my point and would be great if more members could do this test and report here.

No problems with my aluminum case
I don't have a real scientific test, but I used my aluminum case for a solid week when recently on vacation and had no problems at all. (I switch to different cases depending on the situation and wanted the extra protection for it while it was in my pocket all day.) I used GPS, made phone calls and checked email and web pages with no problems whatsoever. (I saw no decrease in signal strength bars either.)
I also didn't notice any increased battery drain. In fact I even had an external charger with me just in case but only used it once all week and even that time I didn't really HAVE to use it (I just liked topping it off.)
That's just my experience.

The metal case costs you around 10 - 15db!!
Yes.. thats a lot.
You can check it with the tool Fieldtest.

thommic said:
The metal case costs you around 10 - 15db!!
Yes.. thats a lot.
You can check it with the tool Fieldtest.
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Well I am still waiting for my device to be delivered, scheduled tomorrow by FedEx so, I can't yet make any measurements myself but, if you think that every 3 db down step is exactly the half in power measurements, that metal shield will eat too much signal.

I have one of these aluminum cases and I have found that I get better reception:
With the case open/screen tilted vs closed up
With the case off vs case on
I figured it would function as a RF shield and in all honesty it's not a huge deal to me. It's not hard to remove the device from the case if you need those extra bars, and I'll be installing a cellular repeater in my vehicle since we have mediocre (at best) cellular coverage up here.

Same here -- I just received my Monaco case, and have not noticed any interference in reception. I like it: my Kaiser feels protected now.
rgds, Manny

[Q] Reception, how to improve?

So, we have probably all noticed that even compared to other phones the xperia line (and the Play in specific) seem to suffer from lower reception capability.
Putting them side by side, my Motorola Droid (A855, OG Droid 1) gets a better signal both in DB measurement and in bars. Same thing for WiFi signal. I'm guessing there is an issue with design of the antenna array in the device that causes for lower reception/broadcast quality.
I don't wish to shell out $300 for a cell repeater or $300 + monthly for a femtocell that will eat my internet bandwidth (which is pathetically limited). With that in mind, I went and started looking over the device, its teardowns, and its schematics. I was looking for something as a diversity jack for an external antenna. Now I noticed, next to the battery connector, there is a small semi-covered coax input. It appears that if you pulled off the rest of the sticker, or even if you just pushed a coax prong into there you could potentially be an antenna. However, it is not specifically labeled as such on the system board or the chassis, and the schematics were largely electrical diagrams and not system board schematics. Is there any answer for this? On pretty much every smartphone I have ever owned, there is an auxillary or "diversity" coax jack for adding an external antenna or doing signal injection.
Does anybody have any input on this? I would love to be able to boost my phone's reception quality, even if only in the car or at home (even if it means a custom modded case for ease of connect/disconnect).

Cant help you with your specific question but i can throw a tip.
- Switch your phone to GSM only. It will strengthen the signal. The downside is you are stuck with G/E data speeds (slower than H).

dsswoosh said:
Cant help you with your specific question but i can throw a tip.
- Switch your phone to GSM only. It will strengthen the signal. The downside is you are stuck with G/E data speeds (slower than H).
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Sadly, with the US-CDMA variant and its firmware, I believe that is not an option. I'm specifically using the R800x. However, the board layouts are essentially identical.

I don't see the problem if you arnt getting any dropped calls. Wrap your phone in tin foil lmao
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.

Deoxlar said:
I don't see the problem if you arnt getting any dropped calls. Wrap your phone in tin foil lmao
Sent from my XPlay using XDA App.
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Well that is sort of the problem. I live in an area that its hills are filled with lead and other heavy minerals. Dead zones and limited signal zones are rampant, especially while driving. I _DO_ get dropped calls, and more importantly dropped data. Heck I even get dropped data from the router in the house through only one wall just a room away.
Basically if I can find out where exactly the aux/diversity port is for antennas, then I could design and fabricate a better back cover to either allow for external antennas, or to integrate better antennas into the cover (like the Thunderbolt sort of does).
Side note: Wrapping it in Tin/Aluminum Foil would make it worse, I believe (yes I have limited sense of humour).

you can easely remove the rubber in front of the coax port (atleast it definitly looks like a coax port). Would like to see a back case with better antenna in it (also being able to harbor an extra fat battery).

svenk919 said:
you can easely remove the rubber in front of the coax port (atleast it definitly looks like a coax port). Would like to see a back case with better antenna in it (also being able to harbor an extra fat battery).
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The problem is that there are several coax ports. The one near the battery connector is the most obvious, but there are some more that are under the secondary cover or behind more stickers. Trying to find out which one is which or what they do is not easy. I have some basic electronics schematics, some teardown pics/video, and a really really sparse parts replacement guide, but not much else to go on.

Plug in an antenna and see if it improves?

svenk919 said:
Plug in an antenna and see if it improves?
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*laughs* I suppose that would be the easy/simple way to find out, wouldn't it?
I'll see if I can find a matching pigtail adapter and see if I can plug a big fat antenna into and see if the DBM improves for either Cell or WiFi. I wanted to see if anybody could confirm before I attempted to mod this thing.

Increase WiFi signal...

Bit of a shot in the dark, but wouldn't adding more metal (large surface area) between the WiFi pins and the antenna increase signal strength? Or is the antenna more than just some sort of metal?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

Anyone??

I havent got a clue. But I AM curious if anyone knows...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app

mattcooper said:
Bit of a shot in the dark, but wouldn't adding more metal (large surface area) between the WiFi pins and the antenna increase signal strength?
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Perhaps (most likely not), but for sure you will make things a lot worse in at least a full half-hemisphere of angles.
mattcooper said:
Or is the antenna more than just some sort of metal?
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Yes.
The gain and directivity of antennas depends critically on dimensions of all metallic structures (including the antenna itself) in the "near field" of the antenna. Even for simple omnidirectional "whip" antennas, the length of the whip determines the frequency band at which it will work the best. Randomly adding metal nearby will usually make things worse, or at a minimum change its directivity.
As an antenna is a passive structure, gain can only be achieved by improving it in one direction while simultaneously making it worse in more directions. But because the orientation of the tablet in relation to the WiFi router (or cell tower) can not be predicted in advance, a high-gain directional antenna can not be used - it is undesirable. This is exactly the reason that automobiles and boats do not use high gain antennas such as dish or Yagi antennas - they will be used in all orientations except perhaps upside-down. (But the tablet probably will be used while it's owner is lying down - an upside-down configuration.)
Don't get me wrong - all the metal in the tablet/handset does alter the antenna gain pattern, and some manufacturers do a better job than others in figuring out how to place a simple, low-gain antenna in their device (in relation to all the other components) so there are no (or few) "dead spots" in the antenna pattern, and that the "RF matching" between the radio chip and the antenna is correct.
Remember Apple's iPhone "You are holding it wrong!" PR fiasco? Immediately after that happened, Apple started hiring (more) antenna designers. They were already doing some of that sort of thing, and now they are doing even more of it.
To suggest that a hobbyist can modify things to improve their antenna design is the same thing as presuming that the handset/tablet designers are completely ignoring antenna design issues. I doubt that is the case.

Note 3 poor wifi, extra bar signal?

I have recently purchased a Note 3 (SM-N9005), currently running it rooted with the Polish NB3, unfortunately knox triggered, but never had a faulty phone before, so I hope that continues!
One thing that has been bugging me in an otherwise great phone, is the wifi signal, quite weak to say the least, my Sony Xperia Z is roughly 2 bars stronger in the same place, in fact, so is my Q10 and various mobiles I have collected over time (Xiaomi Mi2s, Pantech 840s), annoying to say the least, tried all the tweaks and settings mentioned here and elsewhere and while they may help some, for me the signal is still very poor.......
Was watching an excellent tear down video here:
When he mentioned making sure the little contacts for the antennas were sufficiently bent upwards to make a good contact, very interesting!
So I carefully popped off the back after taking out all the twelve little screws, and proceeded to gently bend upwards the two connectors for GPS and wifi, I also ever so slightly roughed the silver connector with a fine needle, all done in theory to aid signal.....
As for the results, well, with the same ROM, and no router reboot etc.... the wifi that used to hover at one signal pip, maybe two, now moves between two and three, it even went full bar briefly, which it had never done before from the spot I used! And there are a few more SSID's in the list too
I am now as you would expect, very happy, the wifi still isn't fantastic, but it's a damn sight better now!! :good:
Please don't try this and then blame me if you mess up your phone, I take no responsibility if you do, posted this just because I was quite surprised with the results!

No one the least interested, thought with all the threads about the poor wifi this find may have been of interest? Unless I'm late to the show and this is already been done and dusted

no one is interested because its a high risk low reward scenario.
Happy you had good results, but most people dont want to risk destroying their beloved note for a potential (minute) signal increase.

nakedtime said:
no one is interested because its a high risk low reward scenario.
Happy you had good results, but most people dont want to risk destroying their beloved note for a potential (minute) signal increase.
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Wouldn't say minute, having SSID's that weren't there before and one to two bars better signal is the exact opposite of that!
As for how difficult it is, unscrewing 12 screws and lifting off the back cover is a piece of cake, in fact you don't even need to remove it, just lift one corner away, watch the first few mins of the video, it's petty simple....
My phone didn't have the warranty sticker over one of the screws either, and the phone was brand new and sealed from the provider, weird

I've never had issues with the signal on my Note 3.
The (admittedly many) times I do get a lousy signal, the fault lies with the provider, not my phone. (I know exactly where each tower is and what its range is. And I'm usually outside of it.)
As for WiFi, once I moved the Router out of the reinforced concrete cupboard, I always get a full signal...

to the OP , very useful thread dont be put off because theres been little responce, like the guy said few would dare to unscrew there beloved Note but still useful to know.

Yeah the 3G and 4G signal seems strong, just poor wifi when compared to multiple phones in the same spot, at least that was the case
I guess I trust my hands more than most, bad flashes are more of a concern for me than a few dozen screws lol

Thanks
I gave my phone for repairs once and the wifi reception has been below par since. Had tried what you have posted before but was not quite sure if I had the wifi pin right. Also I had only tinkered with the raised connector on the board and hadn't roughed up the connector on the back panel like you did.
Well your post gave me some courage and with the help of the video that you linked I tried it. Unfortunately, I broke the connector and that obviously made my problem much worse!
But then out of desperation I thought I would get some common copper wire to try and connect the board with the antenna and it actually worked Looks extremely ugly but my note 3 now connects to wifi routers even better than my note 1. I am attaching screenshots of the two phones with the wifi analyzer app. There is also a picture of the copper wire mesh that i put below the wifi antenna connector on the panel before I put it all back together.
Definitely do not recommend that anybody try what I did. It was an extremely foolish thing to do for someone as clumsy as me.
Thanks still OP. My Note 3 is in top form again thanks to you

I did that and it fixed my poor GPS signal and it worked really well. I'll do it again for wifi pin

I did that and it fixed my poor WIFI signal. Thanks man.

I had slight water damage to my old Note 3. Since then my GSM signal has been really poor. I replaced the USB flex cable, as the phone wasn't charging as well - replacing it obviously did the job, but GSM signal issue remained.
Cleaned the GSM connectors and lifted the pins - that didn't help. When using o2 SIM inside the building it connects to o2 network straight away (signal not very good btw). When using other (Virgin in this case) SIM it doesn't connect at all and displays "Emergency calls only" message.
I think it might be the MoBo fault now, isn't it?

O2 OK but no VM reads as no CSC or wrong CSC .
Phone firmware has no knowledge of VM settings .