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


mikejeep

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9 hours ago, Jeffrey_J said:

@mikejeep I don't know if anyone has mentioned this before, but on my Pixel 5 SignalCheck Pro would not be running when I check my phone in the morning. It happen multiple times until I changed the setting for battery optimization to "Not optimized" for the app. And that was about 7 days ago.

I have had the Pixel 5 for 17 days now and I had the Pixel 2 before.
And I looked at the Pixel 2 settings and it has battery optimization set to "Optimizing battery use" for the app.

It happens on my Pixel 5 sometimes as well, but I believe it also happened on my Pixel 4 shortly before I upgraded. I've been trying to track it to see if it's crashing at some point, or if something is killing it off. My crash analytics are showing that Android 11 is causing a surge of new force closes, so my guess is it's related to the new OS. Disabling battery optimization is a requirement for more and more apps, and I'm afraid it's getting close to that point for SignalCheck.

I've going through the crash reports to see what I can resolve, but many are obscure and point to system processes and nothing directly related to SignalCheck. There is one crash that points to one part of my code (which was never a problem until Android 11), so I am testing a new approach for that to see if it resolves the problem.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello folks!

I bought SignalCheck Pro today, mainly because I wanted signal strength information on my status bar.
I installed the app, and started looking at preferences, to choose the format I want to appear in the status bar, so I pick "Signal Strength (dBm)".
Then I realize the information never change, unless I open and close the app.
The timestamp and other information also don't change when the app is running in foreground.
I tried the option "Use Stale Data Workaround", but it didn't solve the problem.

Another free app called "Cell Signal Monitor" is working flawlessly in my device, but the signal strength character font in status bar is too small, and there's no option to change, but the fact it is working as intended, proves the problem is not with my phone or my system.

I can't even get my money back, because for some strange reason, the refund option in Google Play Store here in Brazil is not available for this particular app.
I really hope there's a solution for this problem, because the app looks really good, and I don't want to lose my money.

My setup:
Moto X Play 2015
Android 7.1.2 (rooted)

Thanks in advance!

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11 hours ago, RegiOween said:

Then I realize the information never change, unless I open and close the app.

The timestamp and other information also don't change when the app is running in foreground.
I tried the option "Use Stale Data Workaround", but it didn't solve the problem.

Hi there, welcome to S4GRU! Glad that you found the forum. I replied to your email last night a few minutes after you sent it with some troubleshooting questions. I know there are many SignalCheck users with Moto devices on Android 7, so we should be able to get things working for you. If you didn't receive my email, shoot me a private message on here and we can communicate that way. Thanks!

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Hey Mike, quick question about the PLMN that SignalCheck reports. I am currently connected to a tower which just got the 312-250 PLMN (see screenshot) but SignalCheck is reporting it as 310-120. I don't know if this is a Samsung and/or T-Mobile thing where they change the PLMN before reporting to the system or what. I just know if I wanted to find the 312-250 PLMNs, not being able to see them or alert on them in SignalCheck makes it a LOT harder. 

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6 hours ago, PedroDaGr8 said:

Hey Mike, quick question about the PLMN that SignalCheck reports. I am currently connected to a tower which just got the 312-250 PLMN (see screenshot) but SignalCheck is reporting it as 310-120. I don't know if this is a Samsung and/or T-Mobile thing where they change the PLMN before reporting to the system or what. I just know if I wanted to find the 312-250 PLMNs, not being able to see them or alert on them in SignalCheck makes it a LOT harder. 

I can't remember if I posted it here or elsewhere, but Android reports PLMN IDs several different ways. Right now, SCP uses the one reported by the cell you are connected to. Back in the day, I chose this ID because it proved to be more reliable than the other methods.

I realize why seeing 312250 would be useful (I have an alert set for it myself and haven't seen it). It definitely seems like T-Mobile has not configured the cell method to report this, for whatever reason. So, I am willing to add an option to use an alternate PLMN method. The app already recognizes 312250 as synonymous with all other Sprint PLMN IDs so site notes should not be negatively impacted.

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2 hours ago, mikejeep said:

I can't remember if I posted it here or elsewhere, but Android reports PLMN IDs several different ways. Right now, SCP uses the one reported by the cell you are connected to. Back in the day, I chose this ID because it proved to be more reliable than the other methods.

I realize why seeing 312250 would be useful (I have an alert set for it myself and haven't seen it). It definitely seems like T-Mobile has not configured the cell method to report this, for whatever reason. So, I am willing to add an option to use an alternate PLMN method. The app already recognizes 312250 as synonymous with all other Sprint PLMN IDs so site notes should not be negatively impacted.

Thanks Mike!

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On 12/17/2020 at 9:34 PM, mikejeep said:

I can't remember if I posted it here or elsewhere, but Android reports PLMN IDs several different ways. Right now, SCP uses the one reported by the cell you are connected to. Back in the day, I chose this ID because it proved to be more reliable than the other methods.

I realize why seeing 312250 would be useful (I have an alert set for it myself and haven't seen it). It definitely seems like T-Mobile has not configured the cell method to report this, for whatever reason. So, I am willing to add an option to use an alternate PLMN method. The app already recognizes 312250 as synonymous with all other Sprint PLMN IDs so site notes should not be negatively impacted.

Awesome be great to see!

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A huge update to SignalCheck Pro has been finished and is rolling out on Google Play right now.. version 4.64 should be available for download sometime over the next several hours. A big thank you to the Beta Crew for providing tons of feedback and helping get this release stable!

There is a long list of bugfixes and stability improvements, as well as some new features. One significant technical item to note is this is the first build targeting Android 10 since last spring. The previous attempt was rolled back because of issues with stale data on several devices; in testing, this has not been as severe. Please let me know if you experience any problems.

The full change log is available in the app (popup after updating, or anytime under Help > Change Log), or at https://signalcheck.app/change-log. Besides lots of bugfixes and force closes resolved, here are the highlights:

Added 5G-NR site notes and logging features. When a 5G cell is identified with a PLMN and NCI, a site note can be created and it will be saved in the Site Log database. If there is no PLMN+NCI (i.e. non-standalone 5G connections), a site note cannot be created and nothing will be logged.

Improved reliability of Alerts. Some alerts, especially the 5G-NR alerts, were not consistently firing. A new 5G alert for band-specific 5G connections or a custom plain-text match has been added, identical to the existing alerts for LTE. If the 5G band is not able to be identified (i.e. non-standalone connections), the "All Bands" option must be selected or it will not trigger the alert.

Added "Trail Logger" feature. The existing "Site Logger" records one entry per cell; this new log will record one entry every time the signal strength changes. This can be useful for some users, but should not be enabled when not needed -- in testing, it averaged about 900 entries per hour. If you were to leave this running for awhile, the database could get extremely large in a short period of time. There is likely some battery impact as well, however it is difficult to measure that.

Added "hits" column to Site Log. This will reflect the number of times the particular cell has been logged.

Added option to use alternate method to obtain PLMN ID. Android reports the connected PLMN via many different methods; SignalCheck typically the most reliable method, however other methods occasionally report different data. For example, T-Mobile is currently reporting some PLMNs differently; enable this option to use a different method. This is likely needed to see PLMN 312250 in the field. If your device is older or you experience issues seeing connection information with this option enabled, you may need to disable it.

Improved some system shortcut options on Android 10/11. While improved in this version, not all of these features are working on newer versions of Android due to security and access changes. Hopefully I can continue to work on this.

 

As always, please feel free to provide any feedback you may have. Thank you to everyone for your support, and Merry Christmas!

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So much for the clean slate.. there's already a bug! The "Use alternate PLMN ID" option is enabled regardless of your setting. Will get an update out later on today soon to correct that.

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On 12/15/2020 at 12:47 AM, RegiOween said:

Hello folks!

I bought SignalCheck Pro today, mainly because I wanted signal strength information on my status bar.
I installed the app, and started looking at preferences, to choose the format I want to appear in the status bar, so I pick "Signal Strength (dBm)".
Then I realize the information never change, unless I open and close the app.
The timestamp and other information also don't change when the app is running in foreground.
I tried the option "Use Stale Data Workaround", but it didn't solve the problem.

Another free app called "Cell Signal Monitor" is working flawlessly in my device, but the signal strength character font in status bar is too small, and there's no option to change, but the fact it is working as intended, proves the problem is not with my phone or my system.

I can't even get my money back, because for some strange reason, the refund option in Google Play Store here in Brazil is not available for this particular app.
I really hope there's a solution for this problem, because the app looks really good, and I don't want to lose my money.

My setup:
Moto X Play 2015
Android 7.1.2 (rooted)

Thanks in advance!

Hello folks!

I'm very glad to report that my issue with failing refresh information was completely solved with the new SignalCheck Pro update.

I consider very important to highlight how attentive Mike was at trying to solve my problem, promptly answering all my messages in private, analysing my logs, and quickly fixing the problem with just one update. Top grade app, top notch support.

Keep up the great work, Mike, and congratulations for your exemplary professionalism!

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On 12/24/2020 at 11:38 PM, mikejeep said:

A huge update to SignalCheck Pro has been finished and is rolling out on Google Play right now.. version 4.64 should be available for download sometime over the next several hours. A big thank you to the Beta Crew for providing tons of feedback and helping get this release stable!

There is a long list of bugfixes and stability improvements, as well as some new features. One significant technical item to note is this is the first build targeting Android 10 since last spring. The previous attempt was rolled back because of issues with stale data on several devices; in testing, this has not been as severe. Please let me know if you experience any problems.

The full change log is available in the app (popup after updating, or anytime under Help > Change Log), or at https://signalcheck.app/change-log. Besides lots of bugfixes and force closes resolved, here are the highlights:

Added 5G-NR site notes and logging features. When a 5G cell is identified with a PLMN and NCI, a site note can be created and it will be saved in the Site Log database. If there is no PLMN+NCI (i.e. non-standalone 5G connections), a site note cannot be created and nothing will be logged.

Improved reliability of Alerts. Some alerts, especially the 5G-NR alerts, were not consistently firing. A new 5G alert for band-specific 5G connections or a custom plain-text match has been added, identical to the existing alerts for LTE. If the 5G band is not able to be identified (i.e. non-standalone connections), the "All Bands" option must be selected or it will not trigger the alert.

Added "Trail Logger" feature. The existing "Site Logger" records one entry per cell; this new log will record one entry every time the signal strength changes. This can be useful for some users, but should not be enabled when not needed -- in testing, it averaged about 900 entries per hour. If you were to leave this running for awhile, the database could get extremely large in a short period of time. There is likely some battery impact as well, however it is difficult to measure that.

Added "hits" column to Site Log. This will reflect the number of times the particular cell has been logged.

Added option to use alternate method to obtain PLMN ID. Android reports the connected PLMN via many different methods; SignalCheck typically the most reliable method, however other methods occasionally report different data. For example, T-Mobile is currently reporting some PLMNs differently; enable this option to use a different method. This is likely needed to see PLMN 312250 in the field. If your device is older or you experience issues seeing connection information with this option enabled, you may need to disable it.

Improved some system shortcut options on Android 10/11. While improved in this version, not all of these features are working on newer versions of Android due to security and access changes. Hopefully I can continue to work on this.

 

As always, please feel free to provide any feedback you may have. Thank you to everyone for your support, and Merry Christmas!

I can at least confirm the alternate PLMN displays 312-250. It triggered today for the first time when I drove by a "keep" tower. Thanks for adding this feature!

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4 hours ago, jf15219 said:

After new update, T-Mobile is now showing as Sprint 310120.

Phone is an LG v60 with a Sprint SIM card.

 

Screenshot_20201227-183643.png

I think this is the issue that Mike mentioned and which he said he is trying to fix. He intended it to be selectable based on the device, but during the update it ends up showing the second option only. 

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8 hours ago, PedroDaGr8 said:

I think this is the issue that Mike mentioned and which he said he is trying to fix. He intended it to be selectable based on the device, but during the update it ends up showing the second option only. 

Regardless, the secondary method is not reporting a correct PLMN.

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2 hours ago, jf15219 said:

Regardless, the secondary method is not reporting a correct PLMN.

If your phone and/or the cell site is reporting 310120 as the alternate PLMN then that's what the software will display. If it is an issue with the software on your phone reporting an incorrect value to his software, he can't fix that. All he can fix is the issue mentioned so that it can report the primary or alternate PLMN. 

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30 minutes ago, PedroDaGr8 said:

If your phone and/or the cell site is reporting 310120 as the alternate PLMN then that's what the software will display. If it is an issue with the software on your phone reporting an incorrect value to his software, he can't fix that. All he can fix is the issue mentioned so that it can report the primary or alternate PLMN. 

I'm aware of these things. I was adding feedback that the secondary method is useless on the v60.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello Mike!

I discovered another status bar related problem on SignalCheck Pro.
It's very common here in my poor country (this shithole called Brazil) that our internet quality goes down from LTE to HSPA+, HSPA, or in some uncommon cases, goes down even to EDGE.

Despite that problem of signal strength not being refreshed in status bar was completely fixed with the last update, if I choose "Network Type" icon instead of "Signal Strength" icon, the information related to network type was never refreshed in status bar, no matter how network type changes, or an even worse case, sometimes when internet goes off completely, SCP still keeps the last network type icon displayed in the status bar.

Open and close SCP app forces the refresh on status bar, just like the old problem with signal strength, so I see some similarities between the two problems, then maybe the solution can go in the same route as well.

Another problem I see, is that's not possible to display the two icons at the same time ("Network Type" AND "SignalStrength", because in the option "Select main status bar icon style", SCP just offers one icon or another.
My suggestion here is to use a "checkbox" instead of a "radio button", so multiple selections of icons would be possible to choose, according to user's preference.

Another suggestion is to use just "H+" (instead of "HSPA+"), "H" (instead of "HSPA"), "E" (instead of "EDGE"), and "N/A" (when information is not available) to show the information in status bar (similar to the way Android system shows this information in notification bar) since the icons on status bar are very small, so an abbreviated form would be much easier to read.

Again, if you need some more information about the issue, I'm here to help and contribute to this awesome application.

Thanks in advance!

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On 1/11/2021 at 2:46 AM, RegiOween said:

Hello Mike!

I discovered another status bar related problem on SignalCheck Pro.
It's very common here in my poor country (this shithole called Brazil) that our internet quality goes down from LTE to HSPA+, HSPA, or in some uncommon cases, goes down even to EDGE.

Despite that problem of signal strength not being refreshed in status bar was completely fixed with the last update, if I choose "Network Type" icon instead of "Signal Strength" icon, the information related to network type was never refreshed in status bar, no matter how network type changes, or an even worse case, sometimes when internet goes off completely, SCP still keeps the last network type icon displayed in the status bar.

Open and close SCP app forces the refresh on status bar, just like the old problem with signal strength, so I see some similarities between the two problems, then maybe the solution can go in the same route as well.

Another problem I see, is that's not possible to display the two icons at the same time ("Network Type" AND "SignalStrength", because in the option "Select main status bar icon style", SCP just offers one icon or another.
My suggestion here is to use a "checkbox" instead of a "radio button", so multiple selections of icons would be possible to choose, according to user's preference.

Another suggestion is to use just "H+" (instead of "HSPA+"), "H" (instead of "HSPA"), "E" (instead of "EDGE"), and "N/A" (when information is not available) to show the information in status bar (similar to the way Android system shows this information in notification bar) since the icons on status bar are very small, so an abbreviated form would be much easier to read.

Again, if you need some more information about the issue, I'm here to help and contribute to this awesome application.

Thanks in advance!

Hello Mike & forum staff!

About my last post, I figure I was wrong about the status bar refresh problem.
After further inspecting, I came to realize that SignalCheck Pro STOPPED REFRESHING COMPLETELY in my system, not just on status bar, but also on main screen.

The reason for that? I have absolutely no clue about it, because with the last update, as I gladly posted here, my initial problem was completely solved.
Again, I guess the problem is not with my system, because Cell Signal Monitor (another little free app similar to SignalCheck Pro) is working flawlessly.

I tried to uninstall, reinstall, clear the cache & data, everything I know, with no luck, so if somebody have any tip, advice, solution, whatever, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance!

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20 minutes ago, RegiOween said:

About my last post, I figure I was wrong about the status bar refresh problem.
After further inspecting, I came to realize that SignalCheck Pro STOPPED REFRESHING COMPLETELY in my system, not just on status bar, but also on main screen.

I tried to uninstall, reinstall, clear the cache & data, everything I know, with no luck, so if somebody have any tip, advice, solution, whatever, I would be very grateful.

Hello again, I see you are posting and e-mailing me the same thing, it all gets to me so you don't need to do that. I tried e-mailing you back but perhaps that's not working again. Please send me a diagnostic report from within the app so I can try to get a better idea of what is going on. You never replied to my last message; are you using a custom ROM?

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8 hours ago, mikejeep said:

Hello again, I see you are posting and e-mailing me the same thing, it all gets to me so you don't need to do that. I tried e-mailing you back but perhaps that's not working again. Please send me a diagnostic report from within the app so I can try to get a better idea of what is going on. You never replied to my last message; are you using a custom ROM?

Hello Mike!

I was posting here and also on the official SignalCheck website. Sorry for the duplicates, my bad!
I sent you a diagnostic report right now.
I'm using LineageOS 14.1 (Android 7.1.2) rooted custom ROM.

Another thing I tried was remove the second SIM on my device, keeping just one single SIM in the main slot.
I wish I could do a clean system install to make sure something isn't interfering with SCP, but I use the device as a work tool (I'm an Uber driver), so this option is kinda "overkill" to me...

Edited by RegiOween
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On 1/14/2021 at 8:51 AM, RegiOween said:

I was posting here and also on the official SignalCheck website. Sorry for the duplicates, my bad!
I sent you a diagnostic report right now.
I'm using LineageOS 14.1 (Android 7.1.2) rooted custom ROM.

Another thing I tried was remove the second SIM on my device, keeping just one single SIM in the main slot.
I wish I could do a clean system install to make sure something isn't interfering with SCP, but I use the device as a work tool (I'm an Uber driver), so this option is kinda "overkill" to me...

No worries, it just makes it easier if I'm only tracking user issues in one spot instead of multiple. I will check out your report later tonight and we'll continue chatting over e-mail.

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An update to SignalCheck Pro is rolling out now, and should appear on Google Play within the next few hours!

In addition to bugfixes, there were some other significant changes.. the full changelog is also posted at https://signalcheck.app/change-log and under the Help option in the app:

Resolved issue with alternate PLMN ID method active on LTE regardless of user preference setting.
The last update included an option to use an alternate method to obtain the PLMN ID.. unfortunately there was a bug, and the app used the alternate method no matter what the user selected. This is now fixed; if you preferred the alternate method, you will need to enable the option if you have not already done so.

Added automated in-app update functionality.
Moving forward, you will be notified when you bring SignalCheck to the foreground if there is an update available on Google Play. If there is, you are given the option to download it without leaving SignalCheck, and then a prompt will remain at the bottom of the app with a button to install it at your convenience. When you install it, the app will restart itself. Updates are still served by Google Play, this is just an alternative way of receiving them.
Depending on a number of factors, you may see the update available in your Google Play app before it appears in SignalCheck. Google Play updates its cache of available versions periodically in the background while SCP is running. When you open the Google Play app and check for updates, it forces an immediate refresh of that cache. So once a new update is released, you will not see it in the app until that cache is refreshed, either in the background or by you checking the Google Play app. In any case, I would not expect the delay to be extremely significant (the exact period of time is something you would have to ask Google).

Changed Trail Logger to skip duplicate crumbs with the same coordinates. (Pro)
Instead of continuously creating an infinite amount of trail log entries when your device is stationary and not changing cells, it will only record each cell once until the coordinates change. There is no value in using CPU, battery, and storage resources to record the same information repeatedly.

Updated selected Sprint / T-Mobile PLMN labels.
Old Clearwire labels were removed, and sites now in transition due to the merger are labeled "Sprint Keep" or "T-Mobile/Sprint". Other PLMNs remain unchanged for now.

Added option to display LTE/NR cell ID in decimal format with sector. (Pro)
A new display format option asked for by users.

 

As always, I appreciate everyone's support and look forward to continuing to make the app better however I can. Thank you!

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Hello Mike!

I installed the latest version (4.65), but my stalled information refresh problem remains the same.
What I really fail to understand, is that SCP is actually working while getting the information from my system, and the proof is that if I change the focus to another app or to home screen, and give focus back to SCP, all the info, like mobile data state, network type, signal strength, time stamp, etc. are refreshed accordingly.

There's something freakin' weird happening here, and I'm starting to think that my phone hates your app (brazilian black humour), unlike me, because I think your app is awesome, and I really wish it works as intended.

I sent you another diagnostic report in the new version, to help you "find a cure", and please, don't give up on me...

Thanks in advance!

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On 1/16/2021 at 6:01 PM, RegiOween said:

Hello Mike!

I installed the latest version (4.65), but my stalled information refresh problem remains the same.
What I really fail to understand, is that SCP is actually working while getting the information from my system, and the proof is that if I change the focus to another app or to home screen, and give focus back to SCP, all the info, like mobile data state, network type, signal strength, time stamp, etc. are refreshed accordingly.

There's something freakin' weird happening here, and I'm starting to think that my phone hates your app (brazilian black humour), unlike me, because I think your app is awesome, and I really wish it works as intended.

I sent you another diagnostic report in the new version, to help you "find a cure", and please, don't give up on me...

Thanks in advance!

Hello Mike!

Another information that may (or may not) be relevant:
Since my system is rooted, I tried to enable the root feature of SCP in my root manager, just to check if it would make any effect about the refreshing problem, but it didn't...

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