Jump to content

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


mikejeep

Recommended Posts

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

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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:

 

2013-03-21%2011.55.39.png

 

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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:

 

2013-03-21%2011.55.39.png

 

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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:

 

2013-03-27%2008.26.04.png

 

 

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

 

2013-03-27%2008.32.27.png

 

 

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

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • large.unreadcontent.png.6ef00db54e758d06

  • gallery_1_23_9202.png

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • In the conference call they had two question on additional spectrum. One was the 800 spectrum. They are not certain what will happen, thus have not really put it into their plans either way (sale or no sale). The do have a reserve level. It is seen as great for new technologies which I presume is IOT or 5g slices.  They did not bite on use of their c-band or DOD.  mmWave rapidly approaching deadlines not mentioned at all. FWA brushes on this as it deals with underutilized spectrum on a sector by sector basis.  They are willing to take more money to allow FWA to be mobile (think RV or camping). Unsure if this represents a higher priority, for example, RVs in Walmart parking lots where mobile needs all the capacity. In terms of FWA capacity, their offload strategy is fiber through joint ventures where T-Mobile does the marketing, sales, and customer support while the fiber company does the network planning and installation.  50%-50% financial split not being consolidated into their books. I think discussion of other spectrum would have diluted the fiber joint venture discussion. They do have a fund which one use is to purchase new spectrum. Sale of the 800Mhz would go into this. It should be noted that they continue to buy 2.5Ghz spectrum from schools etc to replace leases. They will have a conference this fall  to update their overall strategies. Other notes from the call are 75% of the phones on the network are 5g. About 85% of their sites have n41, n25, and n71. 93% of traffic is on midband.  SA is also adding to their performance advantage, which they figure is still ahead of other carriers by two years. It took two weeks to put the auction 108 spectrum to use at their existing sites. Mention was also made that their site spacing was designed for midrange thus no gaps in n41 coverage, while competitors was designed for lowband thus toggles back and forth for n77.  
    • The manual network selection sounds like it isn't always scanning NR, hence Dish not showing up. Your easiest way to force Dish is going to be forcing the phone into NR-only mode (*#*#4636#*#* menu?), since rainbow sims don't support SA on T-Mobile.
    • "The company’s unique multi-layer approach to 5G, with dedicated standalone 5G deployed nationwide across 600MHz, 1.9GHz, and 2.5GHz delivers customers a consistently strong experience, with 85% of 5G traffic on sites with all three spectrum bands deployed." Meanwhile they are very close to a construction deadline in June for 850Mhz of mmWave in most of Ohio iirc. No reported sightings.
    • T-Mobile Delivers Industry-Leading Customer, Service Revenue and Profitability Growth in Q1 2024, and Raises 2024 Guidance https://www.t-mobile.com/news/business/t-mobile-q1-2024-earnings — — — — — I find it funny that when they talk about their spectrum layers they're saying n71, n25, and n41. They're completely avoiding talking about mmWave.
    • Was true in my market. Likely means a higher percentage of 5g phones in your market.
  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...