• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Galaxy Nexus, Android 4.2.2 and signal strength

D

Deleted User

Guest
I've been having problems using mobile data at work recently, which hasn't been a problem before, but after messing around with the APN settings, I noticed that my GNex's signal strength isn't as good as it used to be in the same locations I visit and this in turn is affecting the mobile data connection and performance. The only thing that has changed recently is updating to 4.2.2 from 4.2.1 (stock phone OTA update).

Has anybody else noticed signal strength issues with their GNex since updating to 4.2.2?
 
mjpartyboy said:
I've been having problems using mobile data at work recently, which hasn't been a problem before, but after messing around with the APN settings, I noticed that my GNex's signal strength isn't as good as it used to be in the same locations I visit and this in turn is affecting the mobile data connection and performance. The only thing that has changed recently is updating to 4.2.2 from 4.2.1 (stock phone OTA update).

Has anybody else noticed signal strength issues with their GNex since updating to 4.2.2?
Click to expand...

I have not noticed any difference.
 
3 (UK).

I always had a solid signal at my desk at work and around the building with my old HTC Desire 2.3.3 and GNex 4.2.1, but now I rarely see one bar of signal strength since going to 4.2.2.

Edit: Reported the issue to 3 and there was a problem with their coverage at my work's postcode. Strange, isolated network issue.
 
Might have been a new radio came with it?

I've just flashed a new radio after having the last one for a year or so. Upload/download speeds seem higher but it's a bit more flaky if the signal is not great.
 
Put my galaxy nexus 4.2.2 side-by-side with my wifes galaxy nexus 4.1.1 to see relative 4G performance. Hers was seeing 4 bars, mine 3 bars and was fluctuating from white to blue (indicating lost data connection). Hers did not see the lost data connection issues. I also know that b4 "upgrading" to 4.2.2 my phone did not see any lost data connection issues in the location of my testing.

So for some galaxy nexus phones, the new radio firmware will wreck your 4G data connection. Keep in mind it wont be all of the phones since they don't all have the same modem hardware. I need to find a solution to this as it is very frustrating.
 
GetReal said:
Put my galaxy nexus 4.2.2 side-by-side with my wifes galaxy nexus 4.1.1 to see relative 4G performance. Hers was seeing 4 bars, mine 3 bars and was fluctuating from white to blue (indicating lost data connection). Hers did not see the lost data connection issues. I also know that b4 "upgrading" to 4.2.2 my phone did not see any lost data connection issues in the location of my testing.

So for some galaxy nexus phones, the new radio firmware will wreck your 4G data connection. Keep in mind it wont be all of the phones since they don't all have the same modem hardware. I need to find a solution to this as it is very frustrating.
Click to expand...

Did you try to do a speed test? Sometimes those bars are meaningless.
 
The only accurate way to compare signal strength is in the "about phone" section, it will show your signal strength in dBMs . The signal bars can be pretty much meaningless.

Radios can not improve signal strength or change upload/download speeds. They can only tell the phone when to drop or hold onto weak signals.
 
I'm having almost the same problem. At work, my data connection stinks. But I know its not 4.2.2 because I have been having this problem for about 3 months. I'm on verizon in Northern CA. Its fine at home, 20 miles from the office. But at work I'm lucky if I get 3G. Used to be I had weak 4G and normal 3G. Now its weak 3G or nothing at all.

Worse, the bouncing between 3G and 4G kills my battery. Probably a verizon issue.
 
val88 said:
I'm having almost the same problem. At work, my data connection stinks. But I know its not 4.2.2 because I have been having this problem for about 3 months. I'm on verizon in Northern CA. Its fine at home, 20 miles from the office. But at work I'm lucky if I get 3G. Used to be I had weak 4G and normal 3G. Now its weak 3G or nothing at all.

Worse, the bouncing between 3G and 4G kills my battery. Probably a verizon issue.
Click to expand...

If it got worse over time, and you didn't update at anytime, I would say that Verizon probably changed something on the network.

The Verizon GNexus has always had weird radio issues, but it working decently before and now its barely works, leads me to believe that something physically changed, either with Verizon's network or possibly the building itself.
 
I've noticed that I rarely show ANY bars of service since the 4.2.2 update about two weeks ago. For the most part, my phone seems to make/receive calls and texts fine but weird that no bars show up, ever (hardly).

Went to settings ---> About

Found that my signal strength was pegged at -120dbm which I think is about as bad as it can be? Still trying to find info on deciphering this.
 
I have the same signal strength, but I noticed that anything below about -110dbm now reports in the battery stats as time without signal. It doesn't appear to affect battery usage but its an odd change in that its not actually a lost signal.
 
I am seeing the same performance with the new Radios but a more accurate meter (Signal Bars) reading.

There is a spot in my workplace that is considered a dead spot and is VERY consistant.
We can hardly get out there. Since going from AOKP JB Milestone 6 4.2.1 to AOKP JB MR1 4.2.2 and flashing the new radios the numbers in the About Phone section are the same. The Signal bars are lesser though.
 
I would be interested in hearing more from people about this issue as it turns out that new in 4.2 (sdk API v17) is an upgraded developer API for signal strength from the original one that's been around since 2.3 (sdk API v7).

The values you see in settings pull the signal strength values from API calls and then average them over a period time. Some applications that display signal strength may vary some because of differences in the timing of how the measurements are done and averaged.

The original calls in SignalStrength have CDMA and GSM specific calls, but the dBm values are calculated using an equation defined in the cellular standards.
SignalStrength | Android Developers

The new public class CellSignalStrength provides LTE and other cell radio specific calls, and provide an API call for getting dBm values.
CellSignalStrength | Android Developers

So given the new calls are only available in the newest of the new versions of JellyBean they don't seem to be as settled as the old calls that have been around. Would be interested in hearing from folks that have other 4.2.2 devices and whether there are signal strength differences after an upgrade from an older version.
--
James
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom