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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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I have never looked into it; nobody has ever asked for it, and while I shop on Amazon often, I've never even peeked at their app store. Is there a significant reason why someone would buy an app there instead of through Google Play? Seems like anyone interested in a nerdy app like this would be the Google type.

 

-Mike

 

AFAIK the majority of devices that do not have access to Google Play are Wi-Fi only so I don't think it's a big deal.  There may be a handful of phones and tablets that don't have Google Play but as you said I would imagine people buying those would either root and install Play or just not be interested in SignalCheck.

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I have never looked into it; nobody has ever asked for it, and while I shop on Amazon often, I've never even peeked at their app store. Is there a significant reason why someone would buy an app there instead of through Google Play? Seems like anyone interested in a nerdy app like this would be the Google type.

 

-Mike

I have plenty of Amazon Coins, which is free currency. If it was posted there, it would have saved me from purchasing the only piece of software I've purchased since SubSpace in 1996. Well worth my $ though, especially because of the continued support!!
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hey Mike I was just wondering if you could explain in lay terms under site hint 022 and sector f means please. Also I enjoy your app. Going to get my mom to buy it too. Thanks

The site hint shows information that has no relevance to most people; it is the app's attempt to calculate a value that cross-references with some engineering information. "Sector F" is the app's best guess as to which CDMA 1X sector you are on. The way it is implemented in the current version of the app works in most Sprint markets; I have since learned of a few other methods (US Cellular, Verizon, and an alternate Sprint method) which will be options available in the next version. Usually the sectors are identified as 1/2/3, but not always. Your Sprint market might use the alternate method coming in the next update (I know that Boston does). Again, it doesn't have a ton of relevance to the average user -- myself included.

 

-Mike

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AFAIK the majority of devices that do not have access to Google Play are Wi-Fi only so I don't think it's a big deal.  There may be a handful of phones and tablets that don't have Google Play but as you said I would imagine people buying those would either root and install Play or just not be interested in SignalCheck.

 

That was my initial thought; the app is of limited use on a Kindle, even if it worked properly.

 

I did look into it this afternoon, and there are some undesirable caveats with their Appstore: if you uninstall the Amazon app, anything you installed through it stops working; Amazon has the right to adjust your app's prices as it sees fit; and apps installed through Amazon will periodically attempt to connect to an Amazon server for license verification--if you do not have service, you lose access to the app until you're back in coverage. Not headaches I'm interested in dealing with.

 

I have plenty of Amazon Coins, which is free currency. If it was posted there, it would have saved me from purchasing the only piece of software I've purchased since SubSpace in 1996. Well worth my $ though, especially because of the continued support!!

 

Well I am flattered that I had the honor of pulling that two bucks out of your tightly-clenched fists (I was no different -- I *never* bought apps until I started developing mine; if it wasn't free, I didn't think I needed it), but for the reasons I listed above, Mom will have to save those Amazon coins for something else. ;) Thanks for the very kind words though!!

 

EDIT: (Oops, I confused a couple of posters there.. but I'm leaving it, because there's nothing better than a Mom joke ;))

 

-Mike

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I've been seeing a lot more confusion lately about [CDMA 800 | 1X 800 | 800 SMR | CDMA1X800SMR] as it becomes more widespread, and I think the way SignalCheck displays it might be fueling the fire. So I'm throwing this out to everyone for an opinion.. any opposition to changing the CDMA 1X label to always show "1xRTT", and changing the provider to display "Sprint 800" when appropriate instead? That would keep it consistent with how I intend to identify Sprint LTE bands, and (hopefully) cut back on the misinformation.

 

Any/all opinions/ideas are welcome; if you're just going to "me too" something, just give the appropriate post a 'Like'. No need to clutter the thread with repetition.

 

Thanks,

-Mike

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Mike how about this.

 

1x RTT 1900 

 

1x RTT 800 

 

That should help people from getting confused and letting them know that both are for voice service.

 

People that do not visit this site that buy your app just to be curious are going to get confused when they see "Sprint 800" under provider thinking they are connected to 800 LTE.  Plus with the different MCC-MNC floating around for LTE I would personally leave "Sprint" as the provider.  

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Mike how about this.

 

1x RTT 1900

 

1x RTT 800

 

That should help people from getting confused and letting them know that both are for voice service.

 

People that do not visit this site that buy your app just to be curious are going to get confused when they see "Sprint 800" under provider thinking they are connected to 800 LTE. Plus with the different MCC-MNC floating around for LTE I would personally leave "Sprint" as the provider.

I don't see how they'd be confusing it with band 26 LTE. LTE has its own spot in signal check. I'd think people who are going to be using signal check wouldn't be the type to mix up 1x RTT 800, and band 26 LTE.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Edited by kojitsari
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I've been seeing a lot more confusion lately about [CDMA 800 | 1X 800 | 800 SMR | CDMA1X800SMR] as it becomes more widespread, and I think the way SignalCheck displays it might be fueling the fire. So I'm throwing this out to everyone for an opinion.. any opposition to changing the CDMA 1X label to always show "1xRTT", and changing the provider to display "Sprint 800" when appropriate instead? That would keep it consistent with how I intend to identify Sprint LTE bands, and (hopefully) cut back on the misinformation.

 

Any/all opinions/ideas are welcome; if you're just going to "me too" something, just give the appropriate post a 'Like'. No need to clutter the thread with repetition.

 

Thanks,

-Mike

Is there not a way to determine if it's connected to 1xRTT or 1xA?

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Is there a way to get rid of the extra data icon, usually dashes, when in 1x only mode? I use this mode a lot of my Nexus5. If I exit SCP and open it again it looks fine but kind of a pain.

 

I thought this was a bug because when it connects to LTE the extra icon goes away.

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Mike how about this.

 

1x RTT 1900 

 

1x RTT 800 

 

That should help people from getting confused and letting them know that both are for voice service.

 

People that do not visit this site that buy your app just to be curious are going to get confused when they see "Sprint 800" under provider thinking they are connected to 800 LTE.  Plus with the different MCC-MNC floating around for LTE I would personally leave "Sprint" as the provider.  

 

I'm thinking along the lines of consistency; when connected to one of the "new" Sprint LTE bands, I am leaning toward having the LTE provider name showing "Sprint B26" or "Sprint B41" -- the "LTE" heading will not change. Perhaps I should consider changing that instead, but I like using the Provider name because then it can be easily seen in the notification pulldown or logs.

 

Another consideration to keep in mind is that this is not a Sprint-only app, there are many users on other providers. And Sprint users do roam. So when Sprint User X bumps over to roaming on Verizon or elsewhere, it will then say '1xRTT' again. I feel that three possible labels just adds to the confusion.

 

I don't think the use of 800 in the 1X provider name is going to have anyone infer that they are connected to LTE 800. A user who understands what a 800/1900/B26/B41 label is will not be confusing 1xRTT with LTE. One thing is fairly certain, the average SignalCheck user is a nerd :)

 

I sincerely appreciate the feedback!

 

-Mike

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I don't see how they'd be confusing it with band 26 LTE. LTE has its own spot in signal check. I'd think people who are going to be using signal check wouldn't be the type to mix up 1x RTT 800, and band 26 LTE.

 

Ha, apparently you beat me to my own punch!

 

Is there not a way to determine if it's connected to 1xRTT or 1xA?

 

I must admit, I'm not in the loop with 1xAdvanced, and have not put a lot of effort into figuring it out. As far as the app goes, 1xA info has not been asked for, and I have plenty of other features keeping me busy at the moment so I have not pursued it. I see it mentioned around here from time to time, but nothing I happened to come across seemed to explain it in much detail. I do know that I am not aware of any way to determine if a connection is 1xA, as there is no such network type in the Android spec.

 

-Mike

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Could you leave the provider listing like it is currently and just make it also report what band you're connected to for all providers (referring to the LTE side of things here)? I get its not as useful for other carriers but it would consistent across the board and still allow people to identify what band they're on. I just see saying its sprint b41/26 is redundant because the people who will want the info will know b41/26 is sprint anyways without the carrier label being there too.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Is there a way to get rid of the extra data icon, usually dashes, when in 1x only mode? I use this mode a lot of my Nexus5. If I exit SCP and open it again it looks fine but kind of a pain.

I thought this was a bug because when it connects to LTE the extra icon goes away.

It does on LTE but I don't use LTE much anymore.

 

If you enable Preferences > Status Bar Icons > Hide Duplicate 1X icon, that should only show one status bar icon, even if you have the "Main" and "1X" icons enabled. Is that not happening? Or am I misunderstanding the issue?

 

EDIT: Ahhh well what I just described _used_ to work.. I just played around with it on my N5, and apparently it done got broke somewhere along the way.. to the bug list it goes.

 

-Mike

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Could you leave the provider listing like it is currently and just make it also report what band you're connected to for all providers (referring to the LTE side of things here)? I get its not as useful for other carriers but it would consistent across the board and still allow people to identify what band they're on. I just see saying its sprint b41/26 is redundant because the people who will want the info will know b41/26 is sprint anyways without the carrier label being there too.

 

I've mentioned it before; unfortunately Android does not provide a mechanism to get the band/frequency of any connection. Anywhere that the app is showing a band is doing so by evaluating available data (i.e. SID, PLMN, GCI, etc.) and determining if it matches a pattern that has already been identified as unique to a particular provider and band.

 

I think it would be useful all providers, not just Sprint; I'm often asked by users on other networks to add this feature. Luckily, we have a heck of a userbase here, and enough data has been collected to identify some of the patterns that Sprint uses (CDMA 800, LTE B25/26/41). I don't have enough info on any other networks to add that information yet.

 

But your idea of adding a separate "Band:" display (or "Band Class:", in the case of 1X) might be do-able, it just adds a little more clutter to the screen. I like a clean look, and make an effort to keep everything visible without scrolling.. that's easy on a Note or N5, but older devices don't have quite as much real estate -- and a lot of them are still out there.

 

-Mike

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I've mentioned it before; unfortunately Android does not provide a mechanism to get the band/frequency of any connection. Anywhere that the app is showing a band is doing so by evaluating available data (i.e. SID, PLMN, GCI, etc.) and determining if it matches a pattern that has already been identified as unique to a particular provider and band.

 

I think it would be useful all providers, not just Sprint; I'm often asked by users on other networks to add this feature. Luckily, we have a heck of a userbase here, and enough data has been collected to identify some of the patterns that Sprint uses (CDMA 800, LTE B25/26/41). I don't have enough info on any other networks to add that information yet.

 

But your idea of adding a separate "Band:" display (or "Band Class:", in the case of 1X) might be do-able, it just adds a little more clutter to the screen. I like a clean look, and make an effort to keep everything visible without scrolling.. that's easy on a Note or N5, but older devices don't have quite as much real estate -- and a lot of them are still out there.

 

-Mike

I'm with you on the clean look aspect. It just seems that having the current 1x RTT change back and forth between 1x 800 would cause even more issues. Hence why I'm thinking maybe something small added in to differentiate between them all would be a better option(removing the need to sort of "relearn" the way the app would be present info to you). For instance maybe "1x RTT [800]" instead of the current "1x RTT." Only when applicable of course :P

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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I like how I can tell when I'm connected to 1x800 on the status bar without having to pull the menu down. It would be nice if it were possible to also determine the LTE band in that way , especially while driving.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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If you enable Preferences > Status Bar Icons > Hide Duplicate 1X icon, that should only show one status bar icon, even if you have the "Main" and "1X" icons enabled. Is that not happening? Or am I misunderstanding the issue?

 

EDIT: Ahhh well what I just described _used_ to work.. I just played around with it on my N5, and apparently it done got broke somewhere along the way.. to the bug list it goes.

 

-Mike

 

Thanks.  Another thing that would be nice is an icon to show the PCI in the status bar.  It would only be two icons on most devices.  I'm sure you'll have fun making 504 icons right?

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Mike how about this, under the 1x RTT section of your app you think it would be easier to add "Band." i.e

 

Provider: Sprint     Band:1 or 10 

Provider: Verizon   Band: 0 

 

Isn't the band class something most phones spit out?  That way it always says 1x RTT at the top and doesn't switch back and forth to 1x RTT to 1x 800.  Just a thought... ;)

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Mike how about this.

 

1x RTT 1900

 

1x RTT 800

 

Drop the "RTT."  Honestly, after a dozen years, I no longer even recall what the "RTT" stands for, and most of us just refer to "1X" in some way, shape, or form.

 

So, let the uppercase or lowercase debate rage, but I would recommend the following:

 

1X 1900

1X 800

 

AJ

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Mike how about this, under the 1x RTT section of your app you think it would be easier to add "Band." i.e

 

Provider: Sprint Band:1 or 10

Provider: Verizon Band: 0

 

Isn't the band class something most phones spit out? That way it always says 1x RTT at the top and doesn't switch back and forth to 1x RTT to 1x 800. Just a thought... ;)

Similar to what I was starting to think of.. but like I previously mentioned (pay attention!! ;)), there is no mechanism to get the band/frequency for any connection. Any band display in the app is a result of evaluating other data. As I discover different providers' structures, I can add it. But it's not as simple and straightforward as I wish it was.

 

-Mike

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Thanks. Another thing that would be nice is an icon to show the PCI in the status bar. It would only be two icons on most devices. I'm sure you'll have fun making 504 icons right?

Oh yes I couldn't think of anything better!!!! ROFL.. actually I caught wind of a method to convert text to a graphic on the fly. I don't think it works because of the way icons have to be coded, but I'm going to try it out anyway. An overhaul of all the status bar icons is next on the agenda after I finish the logging bits.

 

-Mike

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