Verizon note 3 modems - Verizon Galaxy Note 3 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Does anyone know if there is a difference in reception or 4g signal with 4.4 or 4.3 modems?

TheRock40359 said:
Does anyone know if there is a difference in reception or 4g signal with 4.4 or 4.3 modems?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO nearly 100% of the claims of "such-and-such firmware version improved my signal strength" here on XDA are the result of (a) wishful thinking, or (b) post-hoc fallacies resulting from day-to-day and hour-by-hour cell congestion and multipath phenomenon that happen to be coincident in time with those folks performing A/B flashing "experiments". (Basically, they are experiments where the experimenter doesn't control for external factors that are hugely important).
I could believe that bug fixes/improvements could alter behaviors higher up in the network stack (eg tower handoffs etc), and those are part ofthe behaviors that people call " reception". But a firmware Rev altering the signal strength between a handset in a specific location and orientation to a specific tower under low congestion conditions (say, 4am)?
Color me skeptical.

Related

Galaxy S2 vs HTC HD2 - WIFI reception test

Now that I've received my Galaxy S2, I kind of wondered if it really has bad WIFI reception as many suggested.
In order to test this objectively, and since I still have my HTC HD2 (which I always thought had decent WIFI reception), I've done a shootout between these two, using Speedtest.net.
I did the test in two locations, one location very close to the WIFI router, a place with good WIFI reception. The other location was far away from the router, a place with poor WIFI reception, this place was the farthest place from the router where the two devices still had enough signal to allow making the test (I did 3 rounds in this "poor WIFI reception" place, to see how much variation there is from test to test).
I have to say these results suprised me for the better.
Here is the test:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIdGTGXftas
Enjoy...
Cool comparison. Did you made one to compare sinal strength on both to see who can go wider in range to the wireless router?
its almost as good as the HD2
so does this mean most of the people complaining here are just trolls ??
and thank you for the tests
nunomeneses said:
Cool comparison. Did you made one to compare sinal strength on both to see who can go wider in range to the wireless router?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I didn't see much correlation between signal strength (or at least how it is reported at the status bar) and real signal reliability or speed. The Galaxy S2 usually reported worse signal strength, but in the real test it was performing more or less the same as the HD2. You can even see that in the last round of the 3 I did for "poor WIFI reception", the HD2 lost connection for some time (as was reported by Speedtest.net, not by the signal strength indicator at the status bar), but the Galaxy S2 didn't...
Nordic Hardware used the SGS2 to benchmark against the Sensation to demonstrate the latter's death-grip issue. One would certainly think that if the SGS2 was the slug everyone's reporting it to be they would have noticed and called that out.
http://www.nordichardware.se/testla...are-med-hoeg-upploesning.html?start=8#content
Has anyone considered the fact that the Samsung may just have a problem with the reception display and not actually the reception. Maybe the UI is reporting false readings.
seh6183 said:
Has anyone considered the fact that the Samsung may just have a problem with the reception display and not actually the reception. Maybe the UI is reporting false readings.
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Click to collapse
according to the other posters, wifi analyzer shows low reception
Also based on my test (my 5Ghz band shows less reception than my 2.4Ghz), speed difference between the two were almost non-existent. I couldn't get below what my cable bandwidth offers
Sense default to low wifi transmit power, go to wifi->menu->advanced and increase the power for a more fair comparison
godutch said:
Sense default to low wifi transmit power, go to wifi->menu->advanced and increase the power for a more fair comparison
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Click to collapse
The HTC HD2 was not using SENSE. It was running a Cyanogenmod 7 Android ROM.

latest radio

I'd like to know which is the latest radio that I can flash on my phone.
Here is what I have:
G900W8
Baseband version:G900W8VLU1AND1
I'm hoping to improve reception which is terrible compared to other phones around me (iPhone and BB) in the same spot and same carrier.
Thank you.
**** it
It is more simpler than that. I work in a basement and and I have no signal at all. No data, no calls no text. No signal icon. Other phones have. Indeed weak and sometimes off-on-off but they can use the service.
Same situation in the basement of my house. I've read that this is a common problem with S5 and I was hoping a new radio would improve the situation. It is not this device. Already swapped with another new one. Same problem.
xtechx said:
Antenna design plays a factor. That being said, are you comparing the actual dBm and ASU/RSSI/RSRP values? Or simply "bars" which will not give you a true indication of value as they vary greatly per manufacturer (some falsely inflating them)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
**** it
Xtechx. It is my turn to say that IMHO you over complicate it. Yes all the phones are on the same carrier (see the OP). All of them are on LTE. It does not matter how different is the HW. It matters the final result. NO SIGNAL. If you're trying to say that I do not compare apples with apples well I'm not. I compare the flagships from all the am manufacturers in the same spot, connected to the same tower, same carrier and same service.
I respect your knowledge and time to try to explain how many factors are in the same equation but the truth it lays naked in front of me.
The S5 has a weaker radio than other phones compared in the same basic conditions.
Coming back to my OP. Is there any new radio than AND1 for my device? I'm looking for that slighter better performance which may give me that minimum level to connect.
P.S.Without relevance and trying to be modest but I have a major in microelectronics and specialized in radio so before posting here I considered all the necessary factors.
Thanks again.
xtechx said:
still a very poor comparison IMHO, whether you think it's simple or not. different phones have different antenna design, amps, chipset, power levels, etc.
also are you all on the same carrier? what service are you comparing? GPRS/EDGE? UMTS/HSPA/DC-HSPA? LTE?
for example if your carrier doesn't support edge, but the carrier the phones you are comparing to do, then you are more likely NOT going to receive signal. try forcing GSM/EDGE if your carrier supports it (different power levels are typically used for different radio modes). also, very important if they support either 700MHz or 850Mhz bands, as lower radio frequencies propagate better through obstacles (building materials or otherwise). if your carrier only supports the upper bands then it is also less likely to work in that environment (basement, inside, etc.). the ground/earth itself, rocks, steel reinforced concrete and other objects/building materials are very unforgiving to RF.
a new radio might give you slightly better performance but in regards to increasing dBm or ASU/RSSI/RSRP, well that is going to be extremely marginal of a difference if at all. unless they change the parameters they've used, which they often don't...it's usually for compatibility/performance with the actual antenna you are connecting to at the tower side
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Click to collapse

Change the modem

I have a really bad signal strength on my note 3 and would like to try flashing another modem/baseband.
Just wondering if its an risk that all data will be lost when flashing new modem/baseband?
Camela said:
I have a really bad signal strength on my note 3 and would like to try flashing another modem/baseband.
Just wondering if its an risk that all data will be lost when flashing new modem/baseband?
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Click to collapse
No but don t forget to save efs....but back up is always a good idea?
Try to move to another area or have another phone to compare the signal strength?
I don't think the modem can cause the issue
Absolutely no trolling here, please. I need to choose between lg g2 and note3. Only fear is all the issues I've read about the note 3 signal and wifi. Actually I would like to get the n3 but I live in a poor signal area (also I work in poor signal area) and I really don't want to have problems with signal.Some friend living same block have the G2 and the signal is very good and stable. I gor scared of all the issues read about n3, although it is my favorite.
Please, I need honest opinion about N3 signal strength and if wifi is as poor as many forums stated. Tks....
Yes I have compared with other mobile devices in same places with same provider, suddenly note 3 can drop to no signal when the other devices still have good signal.
Camela said:
Yes I have compared with other mobile devices in same places with same provider, suddenly note 3 can drop to no signal when the other devices still have good signal.
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Click to collapse
Thank you, Indeed very strange signal behavior. I also compared the signal between N3 and G2 in same location and same provider. And I didn't care about the signal lines but the measurement with Speednet.apk. The results made me sad regarding the N3, which was my favorite.
Also I observed that wifi is much less powerful and drops many times, even after all the tricks I've made, when the G2 was constant and no drops at all.
Again, NO TROLLING HERE, but I am very sad to see that N3, otherwise a very nice terminal, is very weak on an elementary thing--signal.
I also made the same tests with different N3 and same thing. I will wait N4 and see if anything will be corrected.
Thanks...
I personally don't have any problem with signal strength in my Note3.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

RAZR M Radio/Wifi files

I have an Australian RAZR M Retail XT905. I upgraded it to KitKat from JellyBean and WiFi reception diminished noticeably. I cannot get a signal where I got three bars before easily.
I read on xda: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1711603 that you can change the values of antenna power (RSSI).
I was not able to find the files mentioned in the thread. Can anyone point me in the right direction.
I'm guessing it doesn't exist in Moto ROMs. My XT907 doesn't have that file either. HTC phones obviously have different ROMs.
Ironically though I was just going to ask in the Ask any question thread what is the best known baseband version, and if I'm unlocked can I flash it regardless of which ROM I'm currently running. The only one specifically listed in the Index thread was 98.18.78 (which I'd surmise came with that JB ROM). I too would swear I had better signal before (but I also know from older Samsung Galaxy S phones that the number of bars displayed don't necessarily correlate to the actual signal strength between different builds).
topshot said:
I'm guessing it doesn't exist in Moto ROMs. My XT907 doesn't have that file either. HTC phones obviously have different ROMs.
Ironically though I was just going to ask in the Ask any question thread what is the best known baseband version, and if I'm unlocked can I flash it regardless of which ROM I'm currently running. The only one specifically listed in the Index thread was 98.18.78 (which I'd surmise came with that JB ROM). I too would swear I had better signal before (but I also know from older Samsung Galaxy S phones that the number of bars displayed don't necessarily correlate to the actual signal strength between different builds).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also know that bars and signal levels do not co-relate. Mobile reception is same as before. But my mobile carrier's signals are also very strong. They are at -51 dBm at my house and around town. And you get four bars at -70 dBm. That has remained same (i think it might have improved a bit).
On the other hand Wi-Fi quality has suffered. I used to get 3-4 bars in my bathroom, now I can hardly get a signal. Name of the network just appears and disappears under Wi-Fi settings. Now even in the same room as the router i can see fluctuation between 3 and 4 bars.
I am on bedrest so I have not tinkered much with the phone. I will later soft reset it. The problem is that the KK and JB modems donot work interchangeably. I guess they require their respective bootloaders.
There should be some setting, I guess they have limited the power due to some regulation. You can also see regulation stuff in "About" menu. It was not present in JB.
Faateh said:
I also know that bars and signal levels do not co-relate. Mobile reception is same as before. But my mobile carrier's signals are also very strong. They are at -51 dBm at my house and around town. And you get four bars at -70 dBm. That has remained same (i think it might have improved a bit).
On the other hand Wi-Fi quality has suffered. I used to get 3-4 bars in my bathroom, now I can hardly get a signal. Name of the network just appears and disappears under Wi-Fi settings. Now even in the same room as the router i can see fluctuation between 3 and 4 bars.
I am on bedrest so I have not tinkered much with the phone. I will later soft reset it. The problem is that the KK and JB modems donot work interchangeably. I guess they require their respective bootloaders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, I wonder if I've ever hit that high of signal even standing next to a new tower. I'll have to check next time I'm there.
Just yesterday I was surprised by the wifi signal since it was showing just a fair signal when I was in the same room as the router (basement) yet it's the same on the second floor.
I had wondered if the radios could be swapped. I've considered going back to JB since I got great battery life then. Though I do think poor signal was a contributor to the bad life on KK (seemed like that is when the phone would most often really heat up), so far this new Razr M I've now unlocked has not been as bad as my old locked one was. I'll keep it for a few weeks so I have a decent baseline and then may flash back to JB for a while to compare.
http://i.imgur.com/S4bYJ8u.png It is -4 dBm low. May be due to KK modem, will check later at different place.
I wonder if your high signal is because you're on Edge rather than 4G.
I did check standing about 100m from the tower and the best it recorded was -74dBm for 4G and -53dBm for 1X.

Cellular strength and throughput

We know how much you like to stream, ahem, "videos", and so cellular data is mega-important. Rate this thread to express how you think the LG V30's LTE performs. A higher rating indicates that it's fantastic: throughput is excellent and signal strength is top-notch.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add.
I really like to know how is the cellular reception on this phone. In my V20, I think it's bad. It's the only con that I see on V20.
Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk
On Rogers in Toronto, Canada. No issues with reception, signal strength, or LTE connectivity.
cazcryy said:
On Rogers in Toronto, Canada. No issues with reception, signal strength, or LTE connectivity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would you mind sharing your APN settings? I'm on Rogers & I have 1-2 bars max, while it's full on my S8. I haven't turned on data yet in case I need to return it since I had similar issues on the G6 & had lots of problems sending & receiving SMS/MMS while connected to wifi.
daandman said:
Would you mind sharing your APN settings? I'm on Rogers & I have 1-2 bars max, while it's full on my S8. I haven't turned on data yet in case I need to return it since I had similar issues on the G6 & had lots of problems sending & receiving SMS/MMS while connected to wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure
cazcryy said:
Sure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine are the exact same, weird. Thanks.
daandman said:
Mine are the exact same, weird. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, I usually have 4 bars with the occasional 3 bars and 3G maybe once or twice since I've had it. What areas are you usually seeing 1-2 bars? Is it indoors also?
cazcryy said:
Really, I usually have 4 bars with the occasional 3 bars and 3G maybe once or twice since I've had it. What areas are you usually seeing 1-2 bars? Is it indoors also?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's everywhere, I have an S8 & when I put my sim card in I get full bars and no issues in the exact same locations. I think I'm gonna return my V30 today actually, I had the same issues with my G6 & I'm hesitant to trust LG phones now, which is too bad because I love them.
Bars mean little because each manufacturer uses a different standard and different thresholds. One phones 3 bars is not the same as another. If you want to compare phones then you need the actual signal strength the phone is getting.
I think that this device does really well on T-Mobile in San Antonio Texas.
Get an Intel 7 Plus if you want to see just how good the V30 really is.
No, don't do that.
Seriously though, my calls are clear, my data is consistent and I can travel outside the major city.
Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk.
I live in Redwood City, CA (silicon valley) and I get perfect reception, all 5 bars LTE.
Speed test shows 60mbit. Amazing. I thought it was a mistake and I tried it again on another block of the city and I got 65mbit. I have T-Mobile and I can't wait for them to roll out 5G on the 600mhz spectrum.
---------- Post added at 10:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 PM ----------
daandman said:
It's everywhere, I have an S8 & when I put my sim card in I get full bars and no issues in the exact same locations. I think I'm gonna return my V30 today actually, I had the same issues with my G6 & I'm hesitant to trust LG phones now, which is too bad because I love them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should think twice about returning it. Don't be too hasty because it's probably your location or network provider and not the phone. You need to download an app to check the actual signal strength in dB and not look at bars. They mean nothing. I use Signal Check Pro.
hojo82 said:
I live in Redwood City, CA (silicon valley) and I get perfect reception, all 5 bars LTE.
Speed test shows 60mbit. Amazing. I thought it was a mistake and I tried it again on another block of the city and I got 65mbit. I have T-Mobile and I can't wait for them to roll out 5G on the 600mhz spectrum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm as impressed by the low ping speed (20ms) as the the download speed. Wow. Lower pings are less lag.
That's about the lowest I've seen for a cellular network connection. I've occasionally gotten low 20's with AT&T, but usually high 20s -- which is still fantastic compared to MVNOs (because they don't have direct connection to carrier's data servers). Your phone can FEEL like it has a slow connection, due to the high lag when you have higher ping speeds.
A lot of people only focus on download speeds, and they may have triple digit ping speeds (bad).
You will get lower ping speeds with an ethernet connection and even very good Wi-Fi, of course, but for cellular network that 20ms is the best test I've ever seen.
hojo82 said:
You should think twice about returning it. Don't be too hasty because it's probably your location or network provider and not the phone. You need to download an app to check the actual signal strength in dB and not look at bars. They mean nothing. I use Signal Check Pro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Galaxy S8 works perfectly with my sim card in the exact same locations.
I've noticed that signal strength is a few dB lower than what I got on my LG G4 (3-5 dB). Not a big deal, even at home where I'm unfortunately in kind of a fringe area. Throughput doesn't seem to be affected much.
No issues on this end. Latency is always nice and quick, networks and radios switch very quickly, and knowing it will only get better with 600MHz rollout and 5G just makes me happy.
http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/3315082329
LTE just doesn't want to work for me for some reason. No methods of fixing it that I've tried helped so far so I may try ordering a new SIM card from my carrier. Quite disappointing so far but maybe it's not my V30 to blame
I have two phones. Oneplus X and V30. In the same place on Oneplus X i have LTE signal with strength 85-95 dBm but on V30 I have 100-108 dBm ;/
FWIW, I have an LGH931 on AT&T since mid-December. I live in San Francisco with lots of difficult terrains (urban canyons, hills, etc.). I still have an HTC 10 and never worried about cell reception. Yes, the bars are generally lower on the V30, but it doesn't mean anything. I use LTE Discovery to measure the -dbm signal strength. The V30 has a problem with switching bands quickly and the thresholds are set to low. One bar/no bars seems to indicate -120dbm and barely enough for reliable calls or consistent data. I had two events when calls came in over wifi at my home, an indicator of low/no cell signal levels. Never happened with the HTC 10 before. A friend of mine traveled to Kingman, AZ recently and had a terrible time, plenty of dropped calls. He returned his US998 version. I believe generally the problem is with AT&T and the V30 radio settings.
AT&T LG V30 here.
Very disappointed by the signal strength and radio behavior of the device in general.
At home my Blackberry gets -92dBm and the V30 gets -103 dBm.
At work my Blackberry gets -98dBm and the V30 gets -114dBm!
Of course I went through all the getting a new SIM card, holding it a certain way and so on but no difference whatsoever.
This is the best phone I ve ever had, unfortunately the radio settings or hardware or both do not do it any justice.
From what I read it can be simply fixed or improved if AT&T and LG alter the threshold band settings, since other variants do not suffer from the same issue.
Hopefully an update is going to happen soon or I am not sure what I am going to do.
Im getting regular 150-200 mbps on tmobile in Florida. Almost never under 80 and ive noticed a big increase in signal reliability. Very happy with the cellular signal on this phone.

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