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

[mikejeep]

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

I can explore that possibility, but it's a long shot. The problem is the engineering screen apps would be the only way to "back-door" the system to get the data, and they are all locked down with special permissions that cannot be granted to third-party apps. Even when I was able to get certain pieces around those security mechanisms, the system-specific engineering apps that are already embedded on the device were blocking access. By design, Android security permissions are a difficult thing to bypass.. which is a good thing of course.

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

Looks like the new Google Maps update (7.7.0 on my N5) fixes the problem of the first click on the BSL not mapping the site!

 

I've been out of town for over a week, but I received everyone's testing feedback and I'm trying to get another beta update out soon. Not enough time in the day..

 

-Mike

[kojitsari]

Not enough time in the day..

 

-Mike

That just depends on how much sleep you want .

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Bob Newhart]

Looks like the new Google Maps update (7.7.0 on my N5) fixes the problem of the first click on the BSL not mapping the site!

 

 

 

That bug affected many apps, if not all of them.

[mikejeep]

That bug affected many apps, if not all of them.

I noticed that too, including some of Google's own apps. I only specifically mentioned SignalCheck because that's what this thread is for, and a LOT of users have been contacting me about it.

 

Interestingly, this is at least the second time this specific bug has popped up in Google Maps. Sometime last year a Maps update caused the same exact problem.. it wouldn't actually execute a search or plot coordinates that were passed into Maps unless it was still running in the background. Hopefully they don't let it happen again.

 

-Mike

[Destroyallcubes]

Well by running ART on my nexus 5 I have not had a Crash in several days. I don't know if that helped or my phone was just buggy

[kojitsari]

I noticed that too, including some of Google's own apps. I only specifically mentioned SignalCheck because that's what this thread is for, and a LOT of users have been contacting me about it.

 

Interestingly, this is at least the second time this specific bug has popped up in Google Maps. Sometime last year a Maps update caused the same exact problem.. it wouldn't actually execute a search or plot coordinates that were passed into Maps unless it was still running in the background. Hopefully they don't let it happen again.

 

-Mike

At least Google maps hasn't tried to kill anyone like apple maps did when it was in its early days after release.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[mikejeep]

Well by running ART on my nexus 5 I have not had a Crash in several days. I don't know if that helped or my phone was just buggy

You mean a SignalCheck crash? If so, ART/dalvik doesn't matter.. I have tried both and it has no impact. The cause seems to be related to specific signal updates from the device's radio, typically when connecting/disconnecting from LTE or re-connecting after completely losing all signal. I can't identify why it does, but whatever it is, SignalCheck can't handle it and basically chokes until you kill it.

 

I'm fairly confident that it has been resolved in the next update, but there are now other bugs that I'm ironing out before pushing out a public release. No sense in releasing something that fixes one bug, only to cause another. The new bugs are fairly minor and will hopefully be quick fixes. They are just enough for me to not feel comfortable enough for a public update yet.

 

-Mike

[Destroyallcubes]

You mean a SignalCheck crash? If so, ART/dalvik doesn't matter.. I have tried both and it has no impact. The cause seems to be related to specific signal updates from the device's radio, typically when connecting/disconnecting from LTE or re-connecting after completely losing all signal. I can't identify why it does, but whatever it is, SignalCheck can't handle it and basically chokes until you kill it.

I'm fairly confident that it has been resolved in the next update, but there are now other bugs that I'm ironing out before pushing out a public release. No sense in releasing something that fixes one bug, only to cause another. The new bugs are fairly minor and will hopefully be quick fixes. They are just enough for me to not feel comfortable enough for a public update yet.

-Mike

hmm must be a placebo effect. I did uninstall a bunch of apps after changing art because my Camera stopped working. I might of uninstalled signal check briefly. But its working with no issues now no crashes for over a week.

[kojitsari]

I told you I'd get around to upgrading . Now that I have confirmed which tower is my home tower I'm going to go check some permits and see if this sucker is going to light up with LTE soon .

All these new features are great, thanks Mike!

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[dkyeager]

Mike,  just wanted to make certain that you noticed these threads which confirms band 26 GCI sectors of 0F, 10, 11 in the Sprint West Virginia market.  http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4825-columbus-market-mapspreadsheet-premier-edition/page-14, http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/5107-lte-800-band-26-sites-accepted-discussion/page-45&do=findComment&comment=294062.  Tried to get band 26 GCI confirmation from Pittsburgh, but no luck so far.  I will likely be there in a month or so, and will try personally if no results from other members.

[dkyeager]

Do the Samsung triband phones support GCI with SCP?  Thanks

[WealthyHabitz]

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

I know a few t-mobile androids do it right on stock. From the time the other party answers the phone. Black writing highlighted in yellow says HD VOICE.

 

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Calvin200]

My phone and my friend's phone, both LGG2's, can be right next to each other and my phone doesn't  have any results for the 800 signal and his will.  Does SignalCheck only show the signal when it is using it?  We both have current updates, what could be the reason? 

[kojitsari]

Random question for Mike or anyone who can answer. I live right in between three/four city limits. Lately when watching signal check its been switching between 4 different tower locations(from 1x, I don't know If the same tower is the one I'm getting 3g from or not). Sometimes its parked on one for 5-10 seconds then switched, other times it connects then immediately swaps.

So my actual question is: is my phone actually switching signals like SignalCheck is reporting, or is it a bug/quirk?

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[JossMan]

So my actual question is: is my phone actually switching signals like SignalCheck is reporting, or is it a bug/quirk?

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

No that isn't a bug your phone is handing off to another site, your phone is constantly looking for a better signal.  While your phone is handing off the 1x voice signal to another site the 3G EVDO could stay parked on a totally different site.  I have even seen my phone grab a different sector of the same site instead of handing off to a different site while not facing the sector its connected to.

[kojitsari]

No that isn't a bug your phone is handing off to another site, your phone is constantly looking for a better signal. While your phone is handing off the 1x voice signal to another site the 3G EVDO could stay parked on a totally different site. I have even seen my phone grab a different sector of the same site instead of handing off to a different site while not facing the sector its connected to.

That's what I thought. The oddest thing is that it'll hand me off from a site that's further away with a -70 to -80dbm signal, to a site closer with a -95 to -105dbm signal. It seemed illogical to me, which was why I thought it might be a bug(I was 95% sure it wasn't xD).

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[mikejeep]

Mike,  just wanted to make certain that you noticed these threads which confirms band 26 GCI sectors of 0F, 10, 11 in the Sprint West Virginia market.  http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/4825-columbus-market-mapspreadsheet-premier-edition/page-14, http://s4gru.com/index.php?/topic/5107-lte-800-band-26-sites-accepted-discussion/page-45&do=findComment&comment=294062.  Tried to get band 26 GCI confirmation from Pittsburgh, but no luck so far.  I will likely be there in a month or so, and will try personally if no results from other members.

 

Those are consistent with results from other markets as well; I'm now satisfied that there is plenty of evidence to support the GCI sector patterns recognized by S4GRU members are intentional. Thank you for keeping tabs on this for me, and thank you Sprint for keeping it simple! Have you noticed if B25/B26 PCI's for the same site are identical? I know it has proven true in some areas, but I'm not yet sure if that's a coincidence or part of the plan, and I know you've been keeping a close eye on this stuff.

 

Do the Samsung triband phones support GCI with SCP?  Thanks

 

SignalCheck has the capability, and Android 4.2+ has the structure in place; it's just a matter of the phone itself reporting the information or not. Sprint Samsungs do not have a good track record with this.

 

Someone with a newer device will have to give you a definitive answer on this; as far as I can remember, I haven't heard of any stock Samsung devices reporting any LTE info except for on the engineering screens. The S4T doesn't even report the correct PLMN, and that radio should be Sprint-specific!

 

I have expressed my opinion on this to Samsung numerous times, but it's not like I'm put in direct contact with the developers or "enginerrs" -- no matter how many e-mails, tweets, or phone calls I am forwarded to, it always ends in "we'll pass it along to the appropriate people". I have no idea why they neglect to report this data on Sprint phones; I know it's reported on at least some other provider's devices, such as AT&T.

 

I know a few t-mobile androids do it right on stock. From the time the other party answers the phone. Black writing highlighted in yellow says HD VOICE.

 

Interesting -- could you get me a screen shot of that and/or hit About > Send Diagnostics from within SignalCheck while on an HD Voice call? Maybe there's something I can hook onto.

 

My phone and my friend's phone, both LGG2's, can be right next to each other and my phone doesn't  have any results for the 800 signal and his will.  Does SignalCheck only show the signal when it is using it?  We both have current updates, what could be the reason? 

 

What do you mean by "results"? CDMA 800 or LTE 800? SignalCheck reports everything the radio is reporting to it; if the app is open, it's listening for data. The only exception is that while a phone call is active, the app stops showing some cell site ID data, because Android does not update it while the phone is off-hook. The signal levels will continue to update, but SID/NID/BID does not.

 

-Mike

[WealthyHabitz]

Those are consistent with results from other markets as well; I'm now satisfied that there is plenty of evidence to support the GCI sector patterns recognized by S4GRU members are intentional. Thank you for keeping tabs on this for me, and thank you Sprint for keeping it simple! Have you noticed if B25/B26 PCI's for the same site are identical? I know it has proven true in some areas, but I'm not yet sure if that's a coincidence or part of the plan, and I know you've been keeping a close eye on this stuff.

 

 

SignalCheck has the capability, and Android 4.2+ has the structure in place; it's just a matter of the phone itself reporting the information or not. Sprint Samsungs do not have a good track record with this.

 

Someone with a newer device will have to give you a definitive answer on this; as far as I can remember, I haven't heard of any stock Samsung devices reporting any LTE info except for on the engineering screens. The S4T doesn't even report the correct PLMN, and that radio should be Sprint-specific!

 

I have expressed my opinion on this to Samsung numerous times, but it's not like I'm put in direct contact with the developers or "enginerrs" -- no matter how many e-mails, tweets, or phone calls I am forwarded to, it always ends in "we'll pass it along to the appropriate people". I have no idea why they neglect to report this data on Sprint phones; I know it's reported on at least some other provider's devices, such as AT&T.

 

 

Interesting -- could you get me a screen shot of that and/or hit About > Send Diagnostics from within SignalCheck while on an HD Voice call? Maybe there's something I can hook onto.

 

 

What do you mean by "results"? CDMA 800 or LTE 800? SignalCheck reports everything the radio is reporting to it; if the app is open, it's listening for data. The only exception is that while a phone call is active, the app stops showing some cell site ID data, because Android does not update it while the phone is off-hook. The signal levels will continue to update, but SID/NID/BID does not.

 

-Mike

Sure can. Lemme do that right right now

[mikejeep]

That's what I thought. The oddest thing is that it'll hand me off from a site that's further away with a -70 to -80dbm signal, to a site closer with a -95 to -105dbm signal. It seemed illogical to me, which was why I thought it might be a bug(I was 95% sure it wasn't xD).

 

The -70 dB site might have a stronger signal, but it could have more load than the -95 dB site, so the network is bouncing you as a method of load balancing. If that is true, you would probably actually get better service from that -95 dB site. The strongest signal is useless if the site is overloaded.

 

-Mike

[kojitsari]

The -70 dB site might have a stronger signal, but it could have more load than the -95 dB site, so the network is bouncing you as a method of load balancing. If that is true, you would probably actually get better service from that -95 dB site. The strongest signal is useless if the site is overloaded.

 

-Mike

That's what I assumed, thanks for taking the time to answer, its just really odd seeing my phone hop between four sites usually every 10-15 seconds. I would think one of the sites would be better than the others, and it'd park itself for a bit at least.

 

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[WealthyHabitz]

Eh not doing it now, reckon the call recipients were on uma wifi calling right now. I'm on UMTS/HSPA 42+ in my area for the most part. I noticed it yesterday in daytona, ironically noticed it on my Sprint G2 Tuesday last week via the hidden menu and obvious clarity boost. Orlando is looking up for the 3rd and 4th place "underdogs"

 

Sent from my LG-D801 using Tapatalk

 

 

[mikejeep]

That's what I assumed, thanks for taking the time to answer, its just really odd seeing my phone hop between four sites usually every 10-15 seconds. I would think one of the sites would be better than the others, and it'd park itself for a bit at least.

 

Think about how many other users are in the area, and many are probably traveling in a moving vehicle.. so they are connecting to the most appropriate sector for their location at that moment, then eventually their location changes enough to identify a different optimal sector, thereby opening up another "space" in the previous sector for someone to park in. Just because you are sitting still doesn't mean a few hundred others aren't hopping on and off the site

 

I clearly notice this in my area, where at least 2 of the 3 sectors of my "home" site that I can see out my dining room window serve a major interstate highway. I'm constantly getting bounced off that site during the day to other nearby sites. I'm not far from any of them, and I don't suffer any signal issues as a result, but watching SignalCheck flip-flop between 3-4 sectors is kind of fun. If I watch it around 3am, it camps on the sector out my window and never changes. Not a lot of traffic on the highway at that hour, therefore not a lot of load on that site.. seems to verify my theory.

 

-Mike

[kojitsari]

Think about how many other users are in the area, and many are probably traveling in a moving vehicle.. so they are connecting to the most appropriate sector for their location at that moment, then eventually their location changes enough to identify a different optimal sector, thereby opening up another "space" in the previous sector for someone to park in. Just because you are sitting still doesn't mean a few hundred others aren't hopping on and off the site

 

I clearly notice this in my area, where at least 2 of the 3 sectors of my "home" site that I can see out my dining room window serve a major interstate highway. I'm constantly getting bounced off that site during the day to other nearby sites. I'm not far from any of them, and I don't suffer any signal issues as a result, but watching SignalCheck flip-flop between 3-4 sectors is kind of fun. If I watch it around 3am, it camps on the sector out my window and never changes. Not a lot of traffic on the highway at that hour, therefore not a lot of load on that site.. seems to verify my theory.

 

-Mike

I live in a similar area, except I can't directly see the towers. But if I drive about two minutes I can see 5 lol. I've actually noticed it hop around more during the "non peak" hours(but it is the biggest interstate in MO...). Anyways thanks for the info, I figured it was something like that but I thought I'd ask anyways.

 

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[pokefan02]

After updating my EVO 4G LTE to 4.3 and rooting the phone for the first time to get back the Reset button I noticed that my phone is displaying I think is incorrect PCI numbers. Have you heard of this happening with other phones?