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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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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.

Not a bad idea. But then how would you then prefer to see LTE band info? Seems like around here we refer to the band more than the frequency, but I'm thinking of ways to keep it consistent regardless of network type..

 

LTE 800

LTE 1900

LTE 2500/2600 is ugly but technically correct

 

What about..

 

"Band Class: 10 (800 MHz)" or

"Band: 25 (1900 MHz)" etc.

 

..and if I got the actual frequency somehow (like on the HTCs), replace the default marker with that. I'd I don't have enough info to display it accurately, nothing extra appears.

 

I realize we could all debate this in circles forever, and in the end it doesn't matter too much as long as the info shows up somewhere that makes sense. I just enjoy going around the room and getting feedback. My wife does not enjoy participating in any discussions related to the app unless it directly correlates to me becoming a billionaire, so my fun is limited to on here. ;)

 

-Mike

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"Band Class: 10 (800 MHz)" or

"Band: 25 (1900 MHz)" etc

 

-Mike

This option seems the most clean and pleasing to the eye. Basically what I was trying to get at earlier (except expressed a lot better :P).

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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LTE 2500/2600 is ugly but technically correct

 

What about..

 

 

LTE 2550! or LTE 2500ish or LTE SPARK!!***!*!*!**!!

 

 

or more seriously and simply, whichever you prefer; either just LTE 2500 or just LTE 2600

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What about..

 

"Band Class: 10 (800 MHz)" or

"Band: 25 (1900 MHz)" etc.

 

..and if I got the actual frequency somehow (like on the HTCs), replace the default marker with that. I'd I don't have enough info to display it accurately, nothing extra appears.

 

 

-Mike

 

This is what I was trying to explain in my post above  :P,  I understand you can't get the frequencies on all phones...i.e Samsung doesn't like to play well.

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Not a bad idea. But then how would you then prefer to see LTE band info? Seems like around here we refer to the band more than the frequency, but I'm thinking of ways to keep it consistent regardless of network type..

 

LTE 800

LTE 1900

LTE 2500/2600 is ugly but technically correct

 

If you can swing all of them, I would suggest cranking out the following:

 

1X 850

1X 1900

1X 800

 

EV-DO 850

EV-DO 1900

EV-DO 800

 

eHRPD 850

eHRPD 1900

eHRPD 800

 

LTE 1900

LTE 800

TD-LTE 2600

 

Some of them, though, would just be contingencies, such as EV-DO 800.  But those should cover the bases for native and domestic roaming Sprint usage.

 

AJ

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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

 

1xRTT = Single-Carrier Radio Transmission Technology. 

 

When I've inquired about this here in the past, I was led to believe that the full form for "1xA" is simply "CDMA2000 1x Advanced" rather than "CDMA2000 1xRTT Advanced." So technically, displaying "1xRTT" when connected to a NV site via 1x on PCS is incorrect. However, since I figured Android doesn't report anything about 1xA anyway, I didn't bother before to bring it up.

 

I'm pretty sure Sprint and MetroPCS are the only domestic providers to deploy 1x Advanced, so any other CDMA network is bound to be 1xRTT-only. I suppose if you knew all the post-NV BIDs, you could recognize a NV (and therefore 1xA-enabled) site. In Chicagoland and Iowa, the BIDs went from 4 digits prior to NV to 5, but I don't know if such a patterns holds true in every other Sprint market. If it does, between that and the imminent shutdown of Metro's CDMA network, you'd have a fairly reliable workaround to distinguishing between 1xRTT and 1xA.

 

If the consensus is that adding a separate line for Band/Band Class + frequency would leave the screen too cluttered, I like leaving it as "1x 800", 1x 850", and "1x 1900". As grimloch mentioned, it's nice to see the 1x frequency in the status bar.

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When I've inquired about this here in the past, I was led to believe that the full form for "1xA" is simply "CDMA2000 1x Advanced" rather than "CDMA2000 1xRTT Advanced." So technically, displaying "1xRTT" when connected to a NV site via 1x on PCS is incorrect. However, since I figured Android doesn't report anything about 1xA anyway, I didn't bother before to bring it up.

 

I'm pretty sure Sprint and MetroPCS are the only domestic providers to deploy 1x Advanced, so any other CDMA network is bound to be 1xRTT-only. I suppose if you knew all the post-NV BIDs, you could recognize a NV (and therefore 1xA-enabled) site. In Chicagoland and Iowa, the BIDs went from 4 digits prior to NV to 5, but I don't know if such a patterns holds true in every other Sprint market. If it does, between that and the imminent shutdown of Metro's CDMA network, you'd have a fairly reliable workaround to distinguishing between 1xRTT and 1xA.

 

If the consensus is that adding a separate line for Band/Band Class + frequency would leave the screen too cluttered, I like leaving it as "1x 800", 1x 850", and "1x 1900". As grimloch mentioned, it's nice to see the 1x frequency in the status bar.

 

I've been doing digging into the technicalities of 1X Advanced, and you are right, it's either "1X Advanced" or "1xRTT". It's also quite an upgrade from regular 1X, there are some very nice improvements if the Qualcomm marketing materials are to be believed.

 

BID patterns must be market-specific, because around here the post-NV BIDs did not change, and they were already a random mix of 3 and 4 digits. With a lack of an identifiable pattern, and no capability within Android to distinguish between flavors of 1X, the app has no idea if it's 1xA or not. So plain old "1X" will probably be what I go with as a base label, since that is never technically incorrect.

 

As far as Sprint's rollout of 1xA goes, everything I've read on here is vague, and others who have asked couldn't find a source with a clear answer. People speak of 1xA a lot, but I have never identified a way to see if I device is connected to it (none of the engineering screens I have seen reflect anything useful).. Sprint could say it's there, but I don't know how one could confirm that.

 

I already have the next app update overloaded with changes, so I'm not going to add anything else.. as soon as I iron out the bugs that have been popping up in testing, it's getting released. But I appreciate everyone's input and will be considering tweaking some labels in the near future. I have no plans to reduce functionality in the app or on the status bar icons.

 

-Mike

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I see you added more info to the wifi connection.

 

How did you end up getting whether it was a 20 or 40 Mhz connection? I can only see a 20 Mhz connection on my devices.

 

How did you end up getting the (n) ?

 

The Wi-Fi speeds reported by Android each correlate to a unique 802.11 spec/bandwidth. In the few cases where it might be one of two versions of the protocol, SignalCheck shows both. If it's not sure of the protocol or bandwidth, it hides any possibly incorrect information. The only caveat is that 802.11ac will not be identified as such unless the speed exceeds 150 Mbps. Slower speeds will be likely identified as 802.11n.

 

I'm sure you've already seen this bug, but if my signal goes above -45dBm, it shows a crazy icon:

 

The threshold is actually -40 dB.. but who says that's a bug? ;)

 

-Mike

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As far as Sprint's rollout of 1xA goes, everything I've read on here is vague, and others who have asked couldn't find a source with a clear answer. People speak of 1xA a lot, but I have never identified a way to see if I device is connected to it (none of the engineering screens I have seen reflect anything useful).. Sprint could say it's there, but I don't know how one could confirm that.

 

-Mike

 

I've only seen Samsung device 1x engineering screens show the radio config parameters to determine if 1xA is being used or not.

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I don't think the evdo only mode fix actually fixed things...I finally had to use it again today and...well I'll just give you a screen shot instead of typing it all out :P. I don't know if someone else already pointed this out or not, but I was under the impression I'm one of the few to use evdo only mode lol. Posted Image

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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I don't think the evdo only mode fix actually fixed things...I finally had to use it again today and...well I'll just give you a screen shot instead of typing it all out :P. I don't know if someone else already pointed this out or not, but I was under the impression I'm one of the few to use evdo only mode lol.

 

Well when I fix bugs, they don't magically teleport to your phone, you have to update the app. And by looking at that screenshot, I know you haven't updated to version 4.23 yet; that's where it's fixed. Guess I should also mention that only the cool kids have that version at the moment anyway.. :P

 

-Mike

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Well when I fix bugs, they don't magically teleport to your phone, you have to update the app. And by looking at that screenshot, I know you haven't updated to version 4.23 yet; that's where it's fixed. Guess I should also mention that only the cool kids have that version at the moment anyway.. :P

 

-Mike

Huh It just updated yesterday 0.0. I thought it was the update with the fixes, my bad. I wonder why it updated then(I do keep all my apps up to date so its not like it'd have been sitting there for weeks waiting). I'll add it to the list of quirks my n5 possesses lol.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Mike your app becomes even better with every update. I'm currently stress testing the beta version update I received earlier tonight...ill let you know if I come by any bugs via this forum messenger. Thanks for the additional WiFi info!

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Huh It just updated yesterday 0.0. I thought it was the update with the fixes, my bad. I wonder why it updated then(I do keep all my apps up to date so its not like it'd have been sitting there for weeks waiting). I'll add it to the list of quirks my n5 possesses lol.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

SignalCheck Lite versions receive updates about a week after SignalCheck Pro versions receive updates and usually about 10 - 14 days after SignalCheck Pro (Beta) versions receive updates. I apologize that I'm not on my phone right now to tell you if he's referring to Pro or Pro (Beta) as the cool kids.

 

Not to solicit for his app, but, get the Damn Pro version. It's extremely worth it and not because of early updates compared to Lite.

 

Speaking of not being on my phone. Mike when you're bored and need something to do, could you develop a SCP Wi-Fi only edition for those junkies that you've created that are feigning for some kind of indicator on our notification bar that displays the Wi-Fi signal and maybe current up/down traffic speeds?

 

There are some other apps that display this data, but again, you've created junkies and we only want your dope.

 

EDIT: Let me add that I'd pay for said separate Wi-Fi only version.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

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SignalCheck Lite versions receive updates about a week after SignalCheck Pro versions receive updates and usually about 10 - 14 days after SignalCheck Pro (Beta) versions receive updates. I apologize that I'm not on my phone right now to tell you if he's referring to Pro or Pro (Beta) as the cool kids.Not to solicit for his app, but, get the Damn Pro version. It's extremely worth it and not because of early updates compared to Lite. Speaking of not being on my phone. Mike when you're bored and need something to do, could you develop a SCP Wi-Fi only edition for those junkies that you've created that are feigning for some kind of indicator on our notification bar that displays the Wi-Fi signal and maybe current up/down traffic speeds? There are some other apps that display this data, but again, you've created junkies and we only want your dope. EDIT: Let me add that I'd pay for said separate Wi-Fi only version. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Pretty sure he meant the beta version, and believe me I'm going to upgrade once the next update comes out. Shamelessly plug away for signal check, Mike deserves it with how he supports his product. I was just confused because signal check updated on me(when it was up to date already according to the play store), so I thought the update with all these fixes had been rolled out.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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SignalCheck Lite versions receive updates about a week after SignalCheck Pro versions receive updates and usually about 10 - 14 days after SignalCheck Pro (Beta) versions receive updates. I apologize that I'm not on my phone right now to tell you if he's referring to Pro or Pro (Beta) as the cool kids. Not to solicit for his app, but, get the Damn Pro version. It's extremely worth it and not because of early updates compared to Lite.

 

Cool kids = my beta crew. The most recent SignalCheck Pro update (4.22) was released on January 3, and the corresponding Lite version was released on January 11. Since then, a few beta updates have been released, but only the beta testers see those. Betas are hidden from the public.

 

And thank you everyone for your support.. I'm cracking up at the peer pressure (and blushing from the compliments) on here.

 

Speaking of not being on my phone. Mike when you're bored and need something to do, could you develop a SCP Wi-Fi only edition for those junkies that you've created that are feigning for some kind of indicator on our notification bar that displays the Wi-Fi signal and maybe current up/down traffic speeds? There are some other apps that display this data, but again, you've created junkies and we only want your dope. EDIT: Let me add that I'd pay for said separate Wi-Fi only version.

I do have plans to improve the Wi-Fi features in the app.. a few have asked for a notification icon, and as I mentioned before, I'm looking into real-time updates (right now it only refreshes Wi-Fi data when the cellular signal changes). I want to evaluate the battery impact on adding new routines like this before including them.

 

And as much as I (and Google) would love to prey on you signal junkies, I'm not adding another version into the mix. Maintaining two code branches is too much as it is!

 

Pretty sure he meant the beta version, and believe me I'm going to upgrade once the next update comes out. Shamelessly plug away for signal check, Mike deserves it with how he supports his product. I was just confused because signal check updated on me(when it was up to date already according to the play store), so I thought the update with all these fixes had been rolled out.

 

Yes I was referring to the beta version, but I'm not sure why you got an update notice; like I mentioned above, Lite hasn't been touched since January 11.

 

Looks like there are still some issues with the latest beta, so I still have some work to do, but it's getting closer..

 

-Mike

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Your guess is as good as mine, I'm pretty close to thinking my phones becoming sentient as it develops more and more quirks without my help... I'd return it to stock and start fresh but I like my derpy phone, it adds character :D

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

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I am sure it has been brought up before but I didn't see it. Is it possible to identify what LTE band we are on?

This is a feature that is being incorporated very very soon. It's being tested and of course, not released until MikeJeep is content that it's SOLID! :)

 

Until then.... Here's an example of what the Sprint Band 26 will look like.

 

ygy5ute2.jpg

 

If you want to check your band outside of the app, you can usually find that by going into the LTE Engineering screen on your device.

 

Sent from my LG-LS980 using Tapatalk

 

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Here is another idea for consideration;

 

it would be cool if signal check could alert/indicate when an HD voice call is active;

 

"1X Engineering. If you are on an HD Voice call it will say "EVRC_NW" under "S0""

 

http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4886-lg-g2-users-thread/page-200&do=findComment&comment=292328

 

An audio alert or possibly toast notification, and/or notification shade status indicator or icon or whatever you think is best or most appropriate.

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Here is another idea for consideration;

 

it would be cool if signal check could alert/indicate when an HD voice call is active...

I agree, that would be cool! But unfortunately, this falls in the same category as the band/frequency/channel/EARFCN data.. it's not accessible by third-party apps. Android does not have any functions to grab this type of information, and there are security features built into the OS that block any workarounds that might be able to obtain the data directly. It's frustrating, but out of my hands unless something significant changes in a future Android version. Sorry! :(

 

-Mike

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I agree, that would be cool! But unfortunately, this falls in the same category as the band/frequency/channel/EARFCN data.. it's not accessible by third-party apps. Android does not have any functions to grab this type of information, and there are security features built into the OS that block any workarounds that might be able to obtain the data directly. It's frustrating, but out of my hands unless something significant changes in a future Android version. Sorry! :(

 

-Mike

Any possibilities for rooted users with the xposed framework? Could a plug in there provide the needed data?

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk

 

 

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