SignalCheck - Android app to monitor your Wi-Fi/2G/3G/4G LTE/5G-NR signal strengths

[mikejeep]

The Lite (free) version has been updated on Google Play and should be available within an hour or so.

 

Also, I accidentally neglected to give a huge thank you to lordsutch for allowing me to use some of his code, which was the core of the new LTE Cell ID capabilities for HTC devices. Without his work, that would not be in this update. Thank you!!

 

-Mike

[S4GRU]

 

In that case, make mine a Chicken Fajita Pita from Jack in the Box.

 

AJ

 

Emmmm. I know what I'm doing for lunch today.

 

Robert via Nexus 7 with Tapatalk HD

[jsage]

Does the other LTE data appear to be correct? Does anyone else see odd values for asu?

 

-Mike

 

Hi Mike,

 

I love your app! I'm running CM10.1 also, on a Galaxy Nexus. I haven't seen any wacky ASU numbers. Here's what I currently show:

 

 

 

One feature that's been especially helpful is 1xRTT / EVDO / eHRPD indicator at the top right. As I drive around in areas that should have LTE (and have been mapped with Sensorly) I've noticed that when I can't get an LTE connection eHRPD is usually off. I don't know why it shuts off, but when I turn it back on using SprintDiagnostics I can generally get an LTE connection if the strength is -80dBm or better.

 

Have a great day,

John

[kckid]

Should the EV-DO radio and LTE radio be on at the same time? Mine is either one or the other. I'm running stock software.

[WiWavelength]

Should the EV-DO radio and LTE radio be on at the same time? Mine is either one or the other. I'm running stock software.

 

No, on the EVO LTE that is impossible, since EV-DO and LTE share a radio path. That, by the way, allows for SVDO.

 

AJ

[digiblur]

On the EVO LTE, the device is physically incapable of using EVDO and LTE at the same time as it uses the same transmission path. Which is why if you are downloading something over 3G and move into an LTE area your phone will not switch over to LTE.

[Virtualbot]

Should the EV-DO radio and LTE radio be on at the same time? Mine is either one or the other. I'm running stock software.

 

I noticed the same thing happens to my Galaxy Nexus.

[MacinJosh]

 

I noticed the same thing happens to my Galaxy Nexus.

 

It's a problem with the Galaxy Nexus and the way it reports data signals.

 

 

Sent from Josh's iPhone 5 using Tapatalk

[smkyle]

On the EVO LTE, the device is physically incapable of using EVDO and LTE at the same time as it uses the same transmission path. Which is why if you are downloading something over 3G and move into an LTE area your phone will not switch over to LTE.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

That explains a whole lot.

[bosox801]

how accurate is the bsl?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[mikejeep]

how accurate is the bsl?

 

It depends on where you are.. the latitude/longitude is set by the provider. Sometimes it is the exact location of the site, other times it is offset some distance from the site, and some sites do not broadcast any location information at all. For example, in my area I know that Sprint sites are offset, and Verizon sites do not show any location at all.

 

The app takes the latitude/longitude being broadcast and geocodes it using a Google server to determine the street address. If its not near a roadway or landmark, it will give a more general location such as the city and state.

 

I am in the early stages of trying out a mapping component to record where you connect to various sites, with the goal of creating a usable set of data points to calculate where a tower might be and what the different IDs are. One purpose could be to make it easier to cross reference what you are connecting to with Robert's sponsor maps.

 

-Mike

[bosox801]

Thanks I was just curious. And thanks for the app it is a great tool!

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[lordsutch]

I tried a few different 4.2+ ROMs on my EVO, none populated any of the LTE info through the API. They were all custom, since Sprint hasn't officially released anything 4.2 yet, but I didn't think that would matter..

 

Interesting. I got bored enough to root my device and flash CyanogenMod 10.1 (nightly 20130312, the latest I could find at get.cm, based on AOSP 4.2.2) and while I haven't had the chance to test it out in an LTE area yet, the CellInfoLte API seems to be returning something in my app at least:

 

 

03-23 16:42:42.425: D/HomeActivity(11499): CellInfoLte: mRegistered=YES mTimeStampType=unknown mTimeStamp=9223372036854775807ns, LteCellIdentitiy:android.telephony.CellIdentityLte@7fffff65 mMcc=2147483647 mMnc=2147483647 mCi=2147483647 mPci=2147483647 mTac=2147483647, CellSignalStrengthLte: ss=2147483647 rsrp=2147483647 rsrq=2147483647 rssnr=2147483647 cqi=2147483647 ta=2147483647

 

It's all invalid values, of course, since I'm not in an LTE area. But my reading of the code paths is that it wouldn't populate anything at all if the LTE API didn't work on the device.

[mikejeep]

It's all invalid values, of course, since I'm not in an LTE area. But my reading of the code paths is that it wouldn't populate anything at all if the LTE API didn't work on the device.

 

I had tried the latest CM10.1 as well; I have LTE at home near a window facing a hilltop tower, so its a great testing ground for 3G, 4G, and handoffs. When I was connected to LTE, CM reported the same bogus MAX_INT values you saw. (So technically, it was populated, just not with anything useful.)

 

Hopefully, new devices with JB from the beginning will utilize the API better..

 

-Mike

[MReiser4670]

Maybe I should know this, but what is the LTE Cell ID that comes up? How do I cross-reference it with the tower info we have here?

[mikejeep]

Maybe I should know this, but what is the LTE Cell ID that comes up? How do I cross-reference it with the tower info we have here?

 

The Cell ID is what the site is broadcasting.. it does not directly correlate to the ID listed on Robert's maps as far as I know. Others have discovered that the ID breaks down to market + site + sector.. the last two digits being the sector (01/02/03).

 

-Mike

[digiblur]

Maybe I should know this, but what is the LTE Cell ID that comes up? How do I cross-reference it with the tower info we have here?

 

You drive to the site and get the strongest signal. Then you start keeping track of which sites are what numbers. There are a couple markets that do this in order to figure out what site is where and when they turn on.

[kckid]

Another way to tell which tower you are connected is to drive by the tower and watch the sector id, (which is the last 2 digits of the cell it), change as you go north/south or east/west. If you drive by the site and the sector id doesn't change, you are not connected to that tower.

[kckid]

Version 3.03 has been released.. Pro is available now, Lite should be online by tonight.

 

Most HTC users on stock ROMs should see LTE cell IDs in the new release.. perhaps custom ROMs too, but not positive.

 

Pro users will see a new option to show the street address of the 1X site they are connected to. As discussed before, the location information is provided by the carrier, and varies in accuracy. With Sprint, you're usually going to get a point some distance from the tower that correlates to the sector. With Verizon, you probably won't get any address at all. Others might get the exact location of the tower.

 

Let me know if you find any bugs..

 

-Mike

 

 

Mike,

 

I'm having trouble exiting the application on my evo lte. I click menu-exit and nothing happens. I click menu-system shortcuts and the new menu appears. I'm having to use task manager to stop the app.

 

Lee

[mikejeep]

I'm having trouble exiting the application on my evo lte. I click menu-exit and nothing happens. I click menu-system shortcuts and the new menu appears. I'm having to use task manager to stop the app.

 

Hi Lee, sorry for not replying sooner. I have the same device and never experienced that problem, nor have I received any reports of similar behavior. I have a zillion questions for you; I'll reply here for the benefit of everyone else, but feel free to PM me if you prefer.

 

What ROM, what version of Android, and what version of SignalCheck are you running?

 

What do you mean by "the new menu appears"?

 

Are you running any task-killer (aka "memory optimizer") apps or anything similar?

 

How long have you been having this problem?

 

Did you recently upgrade any device firmware/software/etc?

 

If you reboot your device, does the problem come back?

 

Thanks,

-Mike

[mikejeep]

Hi Mike,

 

I love your app! I'm running CM10.1 also, on a Galaxy Nexus. I haven't seen any wacky ASU numbers. Here's what I currently show:

 

 

John,

 

Your screen shot has inadvertantly helped confirm a bug I have started to hear reports of. The latest CM10.1 builds (those with Android 4.2.x) are reporting incorrect LTE values. Many people are seeing false readings (usually with values identical to what you had showing, so that's probably what you were experiencing), and when you do have a "legitimate" LTE connection, the asu values are out of whack. Do you see LTE appear in SignalCheck often, and when you do (but are still showing eHRPD or EV-DO connection), do the LTE values stay steady?

 

I'm going to get in touch with the CM devs to see what might have changed in the latest builds. Until then, any LTE values that seem odd on CM10 (especially when your device is not reporting an LTE connection) are probably incorrect.

 

-Mike

[jsage]

The latest CM10.1 builds (those with Android 4.2.x) are reporting incorrect LTE values. Many people are seeing false readings (usually with values identical to what you had showing, so that's probably what you were experiencing), and when you do have a "legitimate" LTE connection, the asu values are out of whack. Do you see LTE appear in SignalCheck often, and when you do (but are still showing eHRPD or EV-DO connection), do the LTE values stay steady?

 

Hi Mike,

 

Thanks for the info! I almost always see RSRP at -95dBm (20 asu) when I'm at home (no LTE) or in another area with no LTE coverage. I'm going to be driving through a couple of LTE areas later this morning, so I'll check the asu values and report back here.

 

There are also times when I'm in an LTE area and I don't get a 4G connection on my GNex (but my wife will on her GS3); I'll try to grab a screenshot of those values too.

 

Have a great day,

John

[jefbal99]

Running a CM10.1 based on March 14th code, I have never seen a false LTE connection in Signal Check Pro. I do however, have weird ASU numbers that I've sent to mike

[jsage]

Do you see LTE appear in SignalCheck often, and when you do (but are still showing eHRPD or EV-DO connection), do the LTE values stay steady?

 

Hey Mike,

 

I see LTE in SignalCheck about half the time as I'm out and about in San Diego. Since our market isn't "official" until May, I don't pay too much attention to the numbers other than to monitor roll-out progress. Generally when I see it but don't have a 4G connection, RSRP is -95dBm and asu is 20.

 

Before I left home, I rebooted the phone with WiFi off and headed out to the car. There is active LTE about 1/4 mile from my house, but I don't get a 4G connection. Here is what the app showed:

 

 

 

About 1.5 miles down the road, well into the middle of the active LTE with a 4G connection, here is the screengrab:

 

 

 

Interestingly RSRP and asu are the same. I drove through two more active LTE areas but did not get a 4G connection. Let me know if there's something else you'd like me to check.

 

Have fun,

John

[cgass]

John,

I've been having issues connecting to LTE on my GNex running CM10.1 as well. I've only been able to connect 1 time and it took quite some effort on my part. Might be an issue with CM if others are having the same problem too

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2