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

[ericdabbs]

Hey mike. Any luck so far in getting LTE freq info on samsung devices? I would love to see that info like HTC especially once sprint deploys multiple 1900 LTE carriers.

 

Sent from my Motorola Photon 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[jefbal99]

Mike,

 

Cm10.1 on galaxy note 2, tried to use the reset data connection button on the beta. Got prompted for root 3x in a row. Accepted all of them, but my phone was stick in airplane mode. Had to manually cycle airplane from android a few times to get the modems working again.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[mikejeep]

Hey mike. Any luck so far in getting LTE freq info on samsung devices? I would love to see that info like HTC especially once sprint deploys multiple 1900 LTE carriers.

Unfortunately not. I spent several hours over the past two nights picking through different Samsung files trying to make some progress for serving cell and frequencies.. came up empty. Not done trying though! It will be so satisfying when I figure this b%llsh*t out...

 

Worst-case scenario, I am hopeful that when LTE 800 devices start getting released, they utilize the new Android 4.2+ functions that will provide more data.

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

Mike,

 

Cm10.1 on galaxy note 2, tried to use the reset data connection button on the beta. Got prompted for root 3x in a row. Accepted all of them, but my phone was stick in airplane mode. Had to manually cycle airplane from android a few times to get the modems working again.

Hmm.. at least it's getting halfway done, so I know I am getting close! I will look into it and let you know.

 

-Mike

[mrrogers1]

Hmm.. at least it's getting halfway done, so I know I am getting close! I will look into it and let you know.

 

-Mike

 

Same experience on my One running a current CM10.1 based rom. 3 SU requests, all allow and just sticks in airplane mode. 

[mikejeep]

Cm10.1 on galaxy note 2, tried to use the reset data connection button on the beta. Got prompted for root 3x in a row. Accepted all of them, but my phone was stick in airplane mode. Had to manually cycle airplane from android a few times to get the modems working again.

Same experience on my One running a current CM10.1 based rom. 3 SU requests, all allow and just sticks in airplane mode. 

 

Do you guys have an option to automatically accept root requests from a specific app?  I understand the security concerns, but I'm wondering if the delay (however slight) in prompting for root permission is causing the next step in the process to fail.  If you could try auto-granting for SignalCheck just for testing purposes, let me know.  Hopefully by now you trust that the only root access SignalCheck attempts is to toggle airplane mode.

 

Thanks,

-Mike

[imex99]

If ur beta testing and need root info, I can do whatever....

 

I'm rooted and backed up just let me know... I have the pro version, FYI.

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[azoclark]

I was in an rural area last week and I would hear the notifications on getting LTE and 800, but wished I was notified when I lost those as well so I am glad to see

• Optional alert when LTE signal is lost

on http://www.bluelinepc.com/signalcheck/to-do-list/

 

- Can the lost of 800 be added to that future option?

 

- What about a notification going to/from roaming?   I would set in one chair in our cabin and would see my phone go between Sprint 1xRTT (eHRPD and once or twice LTE) and 800 and then roam to Verizon.  I was about midway between two Sprint 3G/LTE upgraded towers (~8 miles apart) and 10+ miles from a 3G/800/LTE accepted tower.

[Fubie]

Mike,

 

Rooted, rommed and ready if you need a beta tester.  Thanks.

[4ginnc]

Do you guys have an option to automatically accept root requests from a specific app?  I understand the security concerns, but I'm wondering if the delay (however slight) in prompting for root permission is causing the next step in the process to fail.  If you could try auto-granting for SignalCheck just for testing purposes, let me know.  Hopefully by now you trust that the only root access SignalCheck attempts is to toggle airplane mode.

 

Thanks,

-Mike

 

 

I am rooted on my stock GS3 and ran into an issue once with getting stuck in airplane mode.  Couldn't get out of it even turning it on/off several times in the notifications bar as well.  I restarted my phone and luckily it hasn't happened since.  Never had the issue with it asking for root permissions, but I'm not on CM.

[Jaggrey]

Mine already sets off my standard notification sound when going into roaming.  I actually wish there was a way to turn this off.

[mrrogers1]

Do you guys have an option to automatically accept root requests from a specific app?  I understand the security concerns, but I'm wondering if the delay (however slight) in prompting for root permission is causing the next step in the process to fail.  If you could try auto-granting for SignalCheck just for testing purposes, let me know.  Hopefully by now you trust that the only root access SignalCheck attempts is to toggle airplane mode.

 

Thanks,

-Mike

 

It only prompts the first time you run the app, then I "Allow" access and tell it to "Always Remember" so its effectively automatically allowed moving forward. Now I did reboot and try to cycle the connection with the app and seems like it's reliably working now (for me) so I think you might have been on to something with the timing. 

 

I will keep an eye on this and will report back if anything changes. 

 

Thanks!

[mrrogers1]

Mine already sets off my standard notification sound when going into roaming.  I actually wish there was a way to turn this off.

 

You mean you wish you could turn off the "roaming" alert that your device gives? If so, you can, it's under the Settings/Mobile Networks/Roaming settings. 

[Jaggrey]

You mean you wish you could turn off the "roaming" alert that your device gives? If so, you can, it's under the Settings/Mobile Networks/Roaming settings. 

I already have that turned off.  That's why I figured the alert I'm getting is part of the app.

[mrrogers1]

I already have that turned off.  That's why I figured the alert I'm getting is part of the app.

 

I don't think you have the correct setting turned off then as this app doesn't have any alerts based on roaming or not. Make sure you turn off the "Roaming Guards" as well as the roaming sounds. 

[Jaggrey]

I don't think you have the correct setting turned off then as this app doesn't have any alerts based on roaming or not. Make sure you turn off the "Roaming Guards" as well as the roaming sounds. 

Those are all off with the exception of international roaming.  Oh well I don't roam often so it's not a big deal.

 

EDIT: Duh!  Data roaming sound was checked.  LOL excuse my oversight!

Edited August 12, 2013 by Jaggrey

[Bob Newhart]

When using the app on my Sprint s3, it lists two signal levels in the notification bar, one for LTE/EVDO and one for 1xRTT.

Unless a recent change removed the two different numbers.

 

When using the app on an s4 GPe (Unlocked GSM/LTE version), it only lists a single signal level in the notification bar.

 

I would think that it would list both the GSM and the LTE levels, as they are two separate signals.

Just curious, great app.

[jefbal99]

Do you guys have an option to automatically accept root requests from a specific app? I understand the security concerns, but I'm wondering if the delay (however slight) in prompting for root permission is causing the next step in the process to fail. If you could try auto-granting for SignalCheck just for testing purposes, let me know. Hopefully by now you trust that the only root access SignalCheck attempts is to toggle airplane mode.

 

Thanks,

-Mike

That works now, it didn't pause to wait for root the first time

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4

 

 

[mikejeep]

I was in an rural area last week and I would hear the notifications on getting LTE and 800, but wished I was notified when I lost those as well so I am glad to see

• Optional alert when LTE signal is lost

on http://www.bluelinepc.com/signalcheck/to-do-list/

 

- Can the lost of 800 be added to that future option?

 

- What about a notification going to/from roaming?   I would set in one chair in our cabin and would see my phone go between Sprint 1xRTT (eHRPD and once or twice LTE) and 800 and then roam to Verizon.  I was about midway between two Sprint 3G/LTE upgraded towers (~8 miles apart) and 10+ miles from a 3G/800/LTE accepted tower.

 

Oh whenever I get the "lost LTE signal" alert working, I could implement it for 800 as well; I will add that to the list, thanks!

 

As far as roaming, most devices already have roaming alerts available (somewhere around Settings > Mobile Networks > Roaming), so I would rather not duplicate those efforts.  I am suddenly getting inundated with e-mails from people confused about roaming on LTE, so I'd rather not try to go further down that road.  (The next update will change how carrier names are displayed to address that.)

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

I am rooted on my stock GS3 and ran into an issue once with getting stuck in airplane mode.  Couldn't get out of it even turning it on/off several times in the notifications bar as well.  I restarted my phone and luckily it hasn't happened since.  Never had the issue with it asking for root permissions, but I'm not on CM.

 

Hmm, that is weird.  The reset function should not do anything weird on devices not running Android 4.2+.  Could have just been a random device hiccup.

 

Google removed developer access to airplane mode in Android 4.2, so I am working on a solution for rooted devices; that's what these guys are helping to troubleshoot.

 

Unless you are running Android 4.2+ and hit the reset function, the app does not do anything that uses root privileges.

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

It only prompts the first time you run the app, then I "Allow" access and tell it to "Always Remember" so its effectively automatically allowed moving forward. Now I did reboot and try to cycle the connection with the app and seems like it's reliably working now (for me) so I think you might have been on to something with the timing. 

 

I will keep an eye on this and will report back if anything changes.

That works now, it didn't pause to wait for root the first time

 

Good.  That proves my theory was probably right then.  I will see what I can do to tweak it to behave better.  I'm not a fan of the way I have to implement this now, but I figure its better to offer the option to 4.2+ rooted users than nobody at all.  Thanks guys.. keep me updated.

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

When using the app on my Sprint s3, it lists two signal levels in the notification bar, one for LTE/EVDO and one for 1xRTT.

Unless a recent change removed the two different numbers.

 

When using the app on an s4 GPe (Unlocked GSM/LTE version), it only lists a single signal level in the notification bar.

 

I would think that it would list both the GSM and the LTE levels, as they are two separate signals.

Just curious, great app.

 

When you say "two signal levels in the notification bar", do you mean two separate icons in the notification bar and two separate notifications in the pulldown display?  Or one notification with multiple pieces of text in the pulldown area showing something like "1X: -85  LTE: -96  WiFi: -77"?

 

The 1X and main icons can individually be turned on or off in the preferences menu.  Nobody has ever asked for a separate GSM icon, but I could probably look into adding it if that's what you're looking for.

 

If you mean the text display in the pulldown area, it should be showing "GSM: -85  LTE -101" in your example.  Let me know if it's not.  I got my hands on a GSM test device, but it's not LTE-capable so there could be a bug.

 

-Mike

[4ginnc]

Hmm, that is weird.  The reset function should not do anything weird on devices not running Android 4.2+.  Could have just been a random device hiccup.

 

Google removed developer access to airplane mode in Android 4.2, so I am working on a solution for rooted devices; that's what these guys are helping to troubleshoot.

 

Unless you are running Android 4.2+ and hit the reset function, the app does not do anything that uses root privileges.

 

-Mike

 

 

Most likely just a hiccup since I haven't seen this again.  It was actually the first time I tried it after the latest upgrade.  I've used it several times since then with no issues  so I'm not all that worried about it.  Just giving some feedback since some others had mentioned it too.  Great app and thanks for all your hard work Mike.

[gnoj]

Not entirely.  All of PrimeCo's markets were PCS A/B block 30 MHz licenses.  The spectrum cap at the time would not allow an incumbent to hold a Cellular A/B block 25 MHz license and full PCS A/B block 30 MHz license in the same metro -- 45 MHz total was the limit.  So, as part of the VZW formation merger, it had to sell or spin off those conflicting PrimeCo operations along with partitioned and disaggregated 20 MHz chunks of those PCS licenses.  But VZW kept the original PCS call signs and 10 MHz for itself.

 

AJ

 

I finally managed to insulate my S4 enough that it lost Sprint native signal (which wasn't easy as 1xA SMR is now ubiquitous across most of Chicagoland) and shifted to the next carrier listed on my PRL (54015). SignalCheck Pro showed a very weak 1xRTT signal (-103 dBm, -10.0 dB Ec/Io) on SID 4112, which was labeled by the app as belonging to PrimeCo (with an asterisk, which I assume just indicates roaming). It also showed a weak -112 dBm eHRPD signal but I think that was just stuck from the last Sprint reading.

 

Batonrougebroadband's analysis (Geo area 12) of a similar PRL, 55013, identifies SID 4112 as belonging to USCC. VZW's SID in the area (as confirmed by a friend's phone that was roaming a few miles away) is 20. So the PRL priority for an S4 in Chicagoland appears to be 22439 (Sprint SMR) --> 4384 (Sprint PCS) --> 4112 (USCC/PrimeCo) --> 20 (VZW). For some reason they seemed to have skipped Cricket, even though I know Sprint roams on them in other areas.

 

I did find it interesting that I picked up USCC signal before VZW, given that USCC only had PCS spectrum in Chicago. I would have thought that by the time I lost Sprint SMR that I would have switched straight to VZW or had no signal altogether. I'm pretty sure USCC is using the same tower as Sprint so either it was a fluke or they were broadcasting at a higher power. The line for BSL didn't appear in SignalCheck, so apparently that feature only works with a native signal.

 

So while VZW may have held on to PrimeCo's SIDs in other divested markets, that does not appear to be the case in Chicago. Since Sprint is likely to refarm this spectrum (perhaps to add another LTE carrier or two?) after USCC's network shuts down on January 31, this SIDs days may be numbered anyway.

[WiWavelength]

So while VZW may have held on to PrimeCo's SIDs in other divested markets, that does not appear to be the case in Chicago. Since Sprint is likely to refarm this spectrum (perhaps to add another LTE carrier or two?) after USCC's network shuts down on January 31, this SIDs days may be numbered anyway.

 

No, FCC call signs, not SIDs.  The FCC stopped regulating Cellular 850 MHz SIDs several years ago, and it has never linked PCS 1900 MHz SIDs with licenses.  That has always been left to the market.

 

AJ