Having just upgraded from the Xperia T to the Xperia Z2 there is only one thing that annoys me a lot. Comparing to the Xperia T, my Z2 has a much weaker phone reception signal. I work in another town and between home and work I always had a good phone signal with the T.
Now, on this same stretch of A-road, I have no signal whatsoever with the Z2. Same network provider, same sim card, same phone contract. Nothing has changed other than the phone itself. Phone network is O2
Phone Build: 17.1.1.A.0.402
Baseband: 8974-AAAAANPZQ-00005-08
Any comments?
I think cause its waterproof.
Agreed. Just switched from Z2 to G3 and G3 has much better signal..
On my Z2 at home constant dropped signal, no LTE
On my G3 hasnt dropped yet and LTE all the time.
Nexus 5 was a little better than Z2 but not as good as G3
JJD809 said:
Comparing to the Xperia T, my Z2 has a much weaker phone reception signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Weak on its own does not tell us too much.
Need to examine what the phone itself receives in dbM for signal strength and it will tell you just that if you look in
Settings-> about device->Status
what does signal strength show in each of the devices you mentioned ?
One Twelve said:
Weak on its own does not tell us too much.
Need to examine what the phone itself receives in dbM for signal strength and it will tell you just that if you look in
Settings-> about device->Status
what does signal strength show in each of the devices you mentioned ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is weak too.
It says -75dBm 19 asu
What does that mean?
One Twelve said:
Weak on its own does not tell us too much.
Need to examine what the phone itself receives in dbM for signal strength and it will tell you just that if you look in
Settings-> about device->Status
what does signal strength show in each of the devices you mentioned ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sitting at my desk at work getting signal info as requested. Got info from Z2 then shut it down, removed sim and placed it in the T, powered up and looked up the signal info. Both phones alternated between HSPA and GPRS
**Xperia Z2**
Signal Strength: -111 dBm 1 asu
Mobile network type: HSPA
Signal Strength: -107 dBm 2 asu
Mobile network type: GPRS
**Xperia T**
Signal Strength: -113 dBm 8 asu
Mobile network type: HSPA
Signal Strength: -95 dBm 9 asu
Mobile network type: GPRS
With a direct comparison between the two phones when moving about, the Z2 has the weaker signal reception....
JJD809 said:
Sitting at my desk at work getting signal info as requested. Got info from Z2 then shut it down, removed sim and placed it in the T, powered up and looked up the signal info. Both phones alternated between HSPA and GPRS
**Xperia Z2**
Signal Strength: -111 dBm 1 asu
Mobile network type: HSPA
Signal Strength: -107 dBm 2 asu
Mobile network type: GPRS
**Xperia T**
Signal Strength: -113 dBm 8 asu
Mobile network type: HSPA
Signal Strength: -95 dBm 9 asu
Mobile network type: GPRS
With a direct comparison between the two phones when moving about, the Z2 has the weaker signal reception....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to what you have said, HSPA reception is stronger on the Z2. - On GPRS the T appears stronger.
diego9016 said:
Mine is weak too.
It says -75dBm 19 asu
What does that mean?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How many bars do you see ?
for reference, the smaller the number (when its negative numbers) the better the signal.
-60 is good, -112 is call drop territory. you're doing ok so why do you think its weak ?
That might be true and I cannot argue that, but the point remains that I have no phone reception/signal with the Z2 for most of the way when driving to and from work on the A33. With the Xperia T I have signal all the way.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
defsix said:
According to what you have said, HSPA reception is stronger on the Z2. - On GPRS the T appears stronger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes but Z2 isn't all that much better than T. 3g is weak for both phones.
The larger difference is with 2G, less call drops on the T than Z2.
JJD809 said:
That might be true and I cannot argue that, but the point remains that I have no phone reception/signal with the Z2 for most of the way when driving to and from work on the A33. With the Xperia T I have signal all the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you use a hands free to take calls in the car.
i don't know how practical this suggestion is going to be, but if you can identify where the antenna is situated on both phones (user manual?) then you try to orient the z2 in a manner that does not block the antenna. Can make a difference when cell signal is weak. The way you do this is try and position the phone in different orientations and see if you get signal strength to increase (that means a lower figure in dbm)
eg, with a tab i use, i found orienting the tab in a different orientation means less obstruction and a better signal with wifi.
The phone connects to my car via Bluetooth connection to the MMI system. The phone fits in the cupholder, standing upright, in the console between the front seats.
The antennas of both phones are in the top half of the phones according to the manuals.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
ok, so the question is why is the 2g over 12dbm less on the z2 than the T. However 3g is working fine.
both phones have antennas in the same area and are positioned identically in the car.
There may be a way to boost the 2g signal in some setting in a hidden service menu but it will drain battery faster.
Have you tried changing the preferred network mode to gsm. I find that in week 3g or 4g areas my Z2 spends too long hanging onto the week data signal before switch to the mode with the better signal strength for calls.
It seems to concentrate on data more than call signal to the point that I have had loads of missed calls due to no signal but if I switch off 4g or set the preferred mode to gsm I get full bars and no call issues but obviously i dont get data unless I change it again. Hopefully this is just a software issue.
Grumps69 said:
Have you tried changing the preferred network mode to gsm. I find that in week 3g or 4g areas my Z2 spends too long hanging onto the week data signal before switch to the mode with the better signal strength for calls.
It seems to concentrate on data more than call signal to the point that I have had loads of missed calls due to no signal but if I switch off 4g or set the preferred mode to gsm I get full bars and no call issues but obviously i dont get data unless I change it again. Hopefully this is just a software issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro did you sorted the isseue?
I have the same problem?
Related
Hey,
I seem to experiencing poor signal strength when on 3G UMTS. 2G GSM seems to achieve much better signal strength for some reason.
I have never seen 4 bars of signal that I once got with my HTC Desire. On the Droid Pro its always flirting with 1-2 bars.
Signal strength in Status reveals around 75-90dB and never better... The area I am in is completely saturated with towers (downtown Toronto).
Is this a software issue or should I take my phone back to the store for warranty / exchange?
Same problem
Hi,
I'm having the exact same problem - have tried it in two countries now, with two different sim cards, and had the same issue. GSM gets 4 bars - UMTS gets 1 or 2 max, or simply none. At the moment I have zero bars and over 100 dbm. Currently on E-Plus network in Germany.
Any help would be most appreciated... many thanks in advance.
The same in different countries tried all ROMs starting from 2.x.x to 2.3.3 - no difference.
Change from global to gsm mode
Sent from my DROID Pro using XDA App
From the first day it is in gsm mode.
so here i got 3 Android phones
all sitting on the same spot
2 of them (SGS / XT720) shows 3 or 4 bars signal strength, but SNS only shows 1 bar, 2 at best.
however a quick test using 3G speedtest confirms the same download/upload speed as the 2 other phones.
and there's no problem calling even when it only shows 1 bar.
Can any body confirm this?
Go to settings > about phone > status and post the signal strength of each of them (should be in dBa). If they're the same, then ya either the SGS phones are overinflating their strength or the Nexus is reporting lower than it should.
AllGamer said:
so here i got 3 Android phones
all sitting on the same spot
2 of them (SGS / XT720) shows 3 or 4 bars signal strength, but SNS only shows 1 bar, 2 at best.
however a quick test using 3G speedtest confirms the same download/upload speed as the 2 other phones.
and there's no problem calling even when it only shows 1 bar.
Can any body confirm this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
your prolly just holding it wrong
*sarcasm*
slowz3r said:
your prolly just holding it wrong
*sarcasm*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I c wut u did thur!
Touche, good sir, touche.
SGS -97 dBm 8 asu
SNS -107 dBm 5 asu
XT720 -84 dBm 7 asu
does that mean anything to you guys?
AllGamer said:
SGS -97 dBm 8 asu
SNS -107 dBm 5 asu
XT720 -84 dBm 7 asu
does that mean anything to you guys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems like it is displaying signal strength wrong, I believe it is the farther from 0 the better the signal
im at -75 and full bars 3G
anyways... that's what i'm saying the actual usage is good, and 3G speed is good
but the bar indicator is always like in 1 bar or 2 bar... which is kinda wrong
AllGamer said:
anyways... that's what i'm saying the actual usage is good, and 3G speed is good
but the bar indicator is always like in 1 bar or 2 bar... which is kinda wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try restarting your phone? so it re-associates itself with the network
that would have been the first thing i do when i try to nail a bug
that's why i wanted to hear the experiences from the rest of you
just trying to find out if this is a bug specific to my phone, or if it's something that is affecting everyone
-97db with three bars displayed here.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
The farther it is from 0 in the negative, the worse the strength is. The best strength I've ever seen on an android phone was -69. Worst is in the -100's so it looks like the Nexus is actually getting worse signal, not just reporting worse...maybe an antenna problem =(
dinan said:
The farther it is from 0 in the negative, the worse the strength is. The best strength I've ever seen on an android phone was -69. Worst is in the -100's so it looks like the Nexus is actually getting worse signal, not just reporting worse...maybe an antenna problem =(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
quite the opposite, 0 is just a reference point, the farther from zero the better
Mine is -101 with 2 bars.
I'm not sure where you're getting this from, but you're saying -100dbm is better signal reception than -70dbm? If that's the case then the signal strength reporting is completely reversed... as I have full bars in my apartment and it shows -72dbm, and at work I have 1 to 0 bars and it says -101dbm. It's been like this for all of my phones.
Also speed tests at home give me 500k/s down and 50k/s up while at work I only get 60k/s down and 20k/s up...
slowz3r said:
quite the opposite, 0 is just a reference point, the farther from zero the better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AllGamer said:
SGS -97 dBm 8 asu
SNS -107 dBm 5 asu
XT720 -84 dBm 7 asu
does that mean anything to you guys?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems like the SNS is getting far worse ACTUAL reception than the other two phone.
-107 is very bad comparing to -97 and -84.
Are all 3 phones on the same carrier?
clubtech said:
It seems like the SNS is getting far worse ACTUAL reception than the other two phone.
-107 is very bad comparing to -97 and -84.
Are all 3 phones on the same carrier?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XT720 and SNS both are on Wind 1700/2100
SGS is on Fido 850/1900
AllGamer said:
XT720 and SNS both are on Wind 1700/2100
SGS is on Fido 850/1900
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's interesting as there is a huge difference between the SNS and the XT720.
-84dbm means very good reception and -107 is at the end of the workable spectrum (at -113 you basically can not place calls).
I am also noticing very bad reception on my SNS but i thought that it is due to T-Mobile's crappy network. i have no other T-mobile device to compare it with though so i start to wonder if its the Nexus S that has crappy reception or T-mobile.
Try to do more tests in other locations with the XT720 and the SNS and see if you always see such a huge difference when both devices are in exactly the same spot.
I am interested in your findings.
And as for your initial question, there is no bug in the signal indicator as -107db is very bad signal so the indicator is correct.
Okay please allow me to clear up some misunderstanding in this thread...
First of all, dBm is a logarithmic measure of signal strength with respect to 1mW. So, a smaller (i.e. more negative) reading means that you have lower signal strength.
Just to give an example: -50dBm is a much better signal than -100dBm.
Alright, so now let's move on to the next issue: You can't compare signal strength on two phones which are running on different networks. Why? It's possible that you have a strong signal from Fido and a weak signal from Wind, or vice-versa. If you want to compare the RF capabilities of two phones, you should make sure that they are connected to the same network and even the same cell (you can check the service menu to make sure that they are on the same cell).
And finally: The Settings>About Phone>Status is usually not a very accurate measure of signal strength, since they are rounded off to some pre-determined list of values (So for example, if it is jumping between -100 and -110, it might actually be jumping between -104 and -105). You should instead go to the phone's service menu (i.e. you type in some code into the keypad) where you will get an exact measurement.
My friend happened to have the XT720 while I have SNS, and we happened to be at a same location where my SNS can't maintain the connection (only able to connect at one room spot with 0 bars and unable to hear a thing due to choppy voice when I tried to check voicemail) and XT720 still got 2~3 bars anywhere in the room and able to make phone calls. We are both from same carrier. We left our phone on table side by side without touching it. So despite the bars on phone nor the signal number in setting menu, real life experience tells me XT720 does have better reception than SNS sadly D: I was embarassed that night when other friends laughted at my supposely better phone
Since a few months i own an Xperia Play R800i, but i noticed that the signal strength is not as good as my old N95
I also compared it with an Xperia Mini Pro.
I'm not talking about bars but the dBm values.
Values measured in the same location (at home):
Xperia Play -101 ~ -103 dBmN95 -87 dBmXperia Mini Pro -85 dBm
Does anyone else experience issues with bad signal strength (compared to other phones)?
Is it a bad build or is it an overall problem?
Can it be fixed?
I've rooted my phone so i guess claiming warranty is no option...
Mine is at -85 dBm to -100 dBm normally. Depending of location of course.
As we speak here at home, -85.
dannejanne said:
Mine is at -85 dBm to -100 dBm normally. Depending of location of course.
As we speak here at home, -85.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What are your settings in network mode?
You can choose between:
WCDMA only (sometimes called UMTS)
GSM only
GSM / WCDMA preferred (sometimes called UMTS)
I noticed when selecting "GSM only" my signal improved to -81 ~ -87 dBm
Again measured at the same location at home.
crash_b. said:
[*]GSM / WCDMA preferred (sometimes called UMTS)
[/LIST]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That one I have at all times. Weird that changing it for you made the signal stronger.
I leave mine on gsm only and it sits at -75 db
Sent from my R800a using XDA App
Mine is showing -97dBm and 3 bars of signal just sitting here on my desk. This phone has never been great on reception, especially when it's been held in one's hand.
Signal is much better, but the network speed seems to be slower when selecting GSM only
crash_b. said:
Signal is much better, but the network speed seems to be slower when selecting GSM only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah because thats gprs vs 3g/hsdpa
gsm is gprs and WCDMA is 3g/hsdpa
Rooting doesn't void warranty, unlocking the bootloader does though fyi
Sent from the best phone ever
If you type *#*#4636#*#* on your phone you can choose from more networkmodes.
But the strongest signal for me is choosing gsm only.
Ayone knows if this bad signal problem is kernel related and if it can be fixed?
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Does anyone have a problem with their Nexus 4 signal strength?
I have Bell Canada, which is supposedly has the best coverage in Canada, I live in the suburbs of a relatively large city and I often see no bars at all. I'm sitting on my couch right now and the signal strength is ranging from -97 dBm to -110 dBm.
Do 2.4 Ghz band devices interfere at all? I have bunch of portable phones and 2 routers, so maybe this is related?
Nexus 4 on T-Mobile
I am in Portland OR in an area of good signal according to T-MO but my nexus rarely shows any signal bars inside my house. This is my 3rd N-4. T-Mo says they have great signal in my area.... so what gives with this signal thing?
My reception has been wonky ever since the 4.2.2 and baseband update.
ccgabe said:
I am in Portland OR in an area of good signal according to T-MO but my nexus rarely shows any signal bars inside my house. This is my 3rd N-4. T-Mo says they have great signal in my area.... so what gives with this signal thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get 1-2 bars in my house usually between 95-105 db, outside I get low 80's and full or near full at all times. Even though my bars inside top out at 2 I have still managed to pull up to 13 Mbps but thats on a sunny day. Didn't see any results above 9 Mbps today. I live on the outskirts of a not so major city so I can't really complain. One minute I'm pulling 10 Mbps and the other I'm only getting like 200 Kbps though, but it's all good enough for what I need it for and I can't complain since its only $30/month. I just transferred from Virgin Mobile after their "upgrade" resulted in me and many other of their customers losing data for the last 3 weeks and to this date its still not fixed! Their "3G" speeds were atrocious, I've pulled higher speeds off of T-Mobiles 2G network.
I hear a lot of us who are on 4.2.2 and baseband .48 have had issues so I'm thinking its either a major software issue with the radio firmware that hasn't been addressed yet in any revision or it could be a major hardware issue as well as I flashed .27, .33, and .48 and noticed no differences. I had to set my phone to WCDMA Only to get it to maintain a good connection, otherwise HSPA/HSPA+ would just cut out after 2 minutes of use and revert to 2G or have no data at all for 5-10 minutes. After switching to WCDMA Only this problem went away completely and I haven't lost a signal since. For whatever reason it picks up more adjacent towers as well on this setting.
I have that kind of problem also though I notice it only when the signal is weak.
It goes from -99dbm to -111dbm with no reason. My other phone (Defy) keeps a good -97 at the same spot without any fluctuation.
I will try to switch to wcdma only.
I received my XT1053 T-Mobile Moto X this past Thursday and have been having signal issues since then.
People I've spoken to notified me that voice quality they heard was choppy, although I heard them fine.
I also noticed that I've been getting anywhere from -95 to -105 dBm, while my old phone and other phones receive -65 dBm to -75 dBm around the house.
These numbers are within my house and outside my house.
I'm running unrooted/all OTAs. Safe to assume something wrong with this particular phone?
Edit: When I set to network type to GPRS (2G), I'm getting a good -58 dBm. When I put it back on LTE I'm getting -100 dBm again.
So when I'm on LTE its just not connecting to the closer tower?
xal33x said:
I received my XT1053 T-Mobile Moto X this past Thursday and have been having signal issues since then.
People I've spoken to notified me that voice quality they heard was choppy, although I heard them fine.
I also noticed that I've been getting anywhere from -95 to -105 dBm, while my old phone and other phones receive -65 dBm to -75 dBm around the house.
These numbers are within my house and outside my house.
I'm running unrooted/all OTAs. Safe to assume something wrong with this particular phone?
Edit: When I set to network type to GPRS (2G), I'm getting a good -58 dBm. When I put it back on LTE I'm getting -100 dBm again.
So when I'm on LTE its just not connecting to the closer tower?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had the same problem on 3 moto x's. I think its only the tmo version that has this problem since no one else is complaining about it.
EDIT: Maybe not the same problem. Mine happens on HSPA and EDGE as well. It looses signal completely for hours.
The way an LTE signal strength is measured is not the same as 2G or 3G, that can explain quite a large db difference. Voice calls don't use LTE right now, your phone will switch back to HSPA/WCDMA/2G for voice.
Im on a dev edition verizon phone. Ive noticed Im getting average 103 dbm lte where as my other phones are at about 97. Voice 3G is about 85db which is good. Wondering if there isnt something wrong.
Steve-x said:
The way an LTE signal strength is measured is not the same as 2G or 3G, that can explain quite a large db difference. Voice calls don't use LTE right now, your phone will switch back to HSPA/WCDMA/2G for voice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're right. It does switch to HSPA+ and signal strength does increase back to -60 dBm while I'm talking.
So the phone shows 2 bars while I'm not on a call is simply because signal strength is measured differently and it doesn't take into account the different network type?
I wonder why two different people on two different days told me they were hearing me pretty choppy (I heard them fine) and I even had a dropped call, all within like 3 days of owning the phone, with pretty much no issues that I can remember with my previous phone (it was an HSPA+ phone).
I'm not sure what to do...
xal33x said:
You're right. It does switch to HSPA+ and signal strength does increase back to -60 dBm while I'm talking.
So the phone shows 2 bars while I'm not on a call is simply because signal strength is measured differently and it doesn't take into account the different network type?
I wonder why two different people on two different days told me they were hearing me pretty choppy (I heard them fine) and I even had a dropped call, all within like 3 days of owning the phone, with pretty much no issues that I can remember with my previous phone (it was an HSPA+ phone).
I'm not sure what to do...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe turn off voice privacy in phone settings.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
I agree with the poster that LTE is just measured differently.
I have the N5, HTC One, and Moto X and they are both usually is the 90s or 100s for LTE. The X is usually 5-10 dbm better than either the N5 or One.
Best reception phone Ive had thus far :laugh: