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

[S4GRU]

What does it do?

 

Neighboring cells are other sectors visible to your device.  They may be different sectors from the same site, or from adjacent sites.  But these are basically all the channels on the same band that your device can switch to as needed.  Your device can switch to these at any time.  However, a band change would require the network to make the requested change.

[WiWavelength]

I am loving the LTE Neighboring Cells feature!

What does it do?

 

It lets you know what inmates are in the neighboring cells.  Ben Dover, The Birdman of Alcatraz, etc.

 

AJ

[newboyx]

Neighboring cells are other sectors visible to your device. They may be different sectors from the same site, or from adjacent sites. But these are basically all the channels on the same band that your device can switch to as needed. Your device can switch to these at any time. However, a band change would require the network to make the requested change.

Would this show additional carriers for the same band like a second band 25 carrier?

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[darickster09]

It lets you know what inmates are in the neighboring cells.  Ben Dover, The Birdman of Alcatraz, etc.

 

AJ

AJ you made me laugh so hard I nearly cried. Lol.

[S4GRU]

Would this show additional carriers for the same band like a second band 25 carrier?

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

It should. It does on WCDMA.

[mikejeep]

Neighboring cells are other sectors visible to your device.  They may be different sectors from the same site, or from adjacent sites.  But these are basically all the channels on the same band that your device can switch to as needed.  Your device can switch to these at any time.  However, a band change would require the network to make the requested change.

 

It has definitely been a hit with the beta crew! I find it fascinating.. watching the screen, especially while driving, give a great look at how the network operates and what sites are available within certain ranges. One word of caution, the site note that pops up might not always be accurate on LTE, since only the PCI is given and they are reused across the network. The app matches it up with the same PCI on the currently connected TAC, which is usually--but not always--the neighbor cell. But you can usually tell if it's the right one or not if you know your local area.

 

I'm working on writing up some clear documentation for this and some of the other new features so there's no confusion when it gets released to the masses.. one more beta release coming within the next day or so, and if all the little bugs prove to be fixed, everyone gets to play before the weekend! Also, Honored Premier Sponsors stay tuned for a little perk in our secret squirrel area....

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

Feature request: Something to think about is a screenshot button maybe by the gear on the top right. I also think you can control the size of the screenshot. 

 

I had looked into this before, and ran into issues; most devices blocked it unless there was root access. But I am a little more educated now, and might be able to work something out. I'll throw it on the list and see what I can do.

 

-Mike

[S4GRU]

One word of caution, the site note that pops up might not always be accurate on LTE, since only the PCI is given and they are reused across the network. The app matches it up with the same PCI on the currently connected TAC, which is usually--but not always--the neighbor cell. But you can usually tell if it's the right one or not if you know your local area.

 

Yeah, I noticed this yesterday when it said "Sturgis COW" in my Neighboring Cell notes. And I was in an area of corn fields 100 miles from Sturgis and the COW was removed the day after the rally. That's when it dawned on me the Neighboring Cells were likely using PCI for identification and that the GCI was probably not populating in Neighboring Cell lists to use.

[mikejeep]

Yeah, I noticed this yesterday when it said "Sturgis COW" in my Neighboring Cell notes. And I was in an area of corn fields 100 miles from Sturgis and the COW was removed the day after the rally. That's when it dawned on me the Neighboring Cells were likely using PCI for identification and that the GCI was probably not populating in Neighboring Cell lists to use.

 

Correct. I'm not sure if it's an Android limitation, or if neighbors only identify themselves by a PCI by design, but that is the only identifier that is shared. I figured that showing a "probable" note based on PCI+TAC is better than nothing. Hopefully I write it up well enough so everyone understands this!

 

-Mike

[S4GRU]

Correct. I'm not sure if it's an Android limitation, or if neighbors only identify themselves by a PCI by design, but that is the only identifier that is shared. I figured that showing a "probable" note based on PCI+TAC is better than nothing. Hopefully I write it up well enough so everyone understands this!

 

-Mike

I like it, even with this limitation. Some may complain, but don't let them talk you into removing it! It helps me find new distant LTE sites without having to actually connect to them. Helps me know where to start looking next.

[WiWavelength]

Correct. I'm not sure if it's an Android limitation, or if neighbors only identify themselves by a PCI by design, but that is the only identifier that is shared. I figured that showing a "probable" note based on PCI+TAC is better than nothing. Hopefully I write it up well enough so everyone understands this!

 

In CDMA2000, neighbor lists consist of PN offsets, which can be reused within the same SID, even the same NID -- as long as the sectors using the same PN offset are not within earshot of each other.  Similar should be true of PCIs.

 

AJ

[saywhatman]

Got your report.. I don't think I've ever had any WiFi bugs, so there isn't any WiFi diagnostic information, oops! Does it stay at -127 RSSI? That is probably the issue; until now, Android reported -140 dBm when WiFi was disconnected. In fact, -140 was a magic number for most networking technologies, but it looks like that is out the window with Lollipop.

 

-Mike

It seems to stick on -127 RSSI. Here is the WiFi status page.

[Flompholph]

I had looked into this before, and ran into issues; most devices blocked it unless there was root access. But I am a little more educated now, and might be able to work something out. I'll throw it on the list and see what I can do.

 

-Mike

I thought you had some code in there when a diagnosis is sent you take a screenshot or it was something easy like public boolean takeScreenshot (File storePath, float scale, int quality)

http://developer.android.com/tools/help/uiautomator/UiDevice.html#takeScreenshot(java.io.File, float, int).

 

But if it is hard or requires root don't worry it's a small thing anyways.

[mikejeep]

It seems to stick on -127 RSSI. Here is the WiFi status page.

 

Gotcha -- thanks, I appreciate it!

 

I thought you had some code in there when a diagnosis is sent you take a screenshot or it was something easy like public boolean takeScreenshot (File storePath, float scale, int quality)

http://developer.android.com/tools/help/uiautomator/UiDevice.html#takeScreenshot(java.io.File, float, int).

 

But if it is hard or requires root don't worry it's a small thing anyways.

 

Nope, the diagnostic report sends me an e-mail with a bunch of values that represent different variables within the app at that specific moment, along with a short error logcat. I don't actually see what is showing on someone's screen. Thank you very much for that link, I hadn't seen that yet -- last time I explored screen shots was probably before API 17 (Android 4.2) was released, which is when that function was added. I'll see what I can do, it appears to be pretty straightforward.

 

-Mike

[S4GRU]

Mike...on the new Neighboring Cells by PCI, is there a way for it to select the closest site by your current GPS coordinates when it discovers a conflict? Or would that be too crazy to try to code?

 

Also, on WCDMA (HSPA/HSPA+) it does not grab the site note for Neighboring Cells. Is that because in WCDMA it is called a PSC instead of a PCI?

 

Using Sharp AQUOS Crystal on Tapatalk

[bmoses]

so, just to confirm, with the neighbor cell feature, the phone is displaying the PCI from signals that it is actually seeing?

 

i was sitting here watching my phone and writing down any PCI that popped up that didn't display a site note with it. So far i've seen two PCI numbers that we don't have recorded in our spreadsheets. just trying to determine if we have some bad PCI info out there or i'm picking up new signals or what might be going on with them

[S4GRU]

so, just to confirm, with the neighbor cell feature, the phone is displaying the PCI from signals that it is actually seeing?

 

i was sitting here watching my phone and writing down any PCI that popped up that didn't display a site note with it. So far i've seen two PCI numbers that we don't have recorded in our spreadsheets. just trying to determine if we have some bad PCI info out there or i'm picking up new signals or what might be going on with them

I have been able to chase down every strange PCI that I wasn't aware of. One was 30 miles away, but was legit. In fact, I'm hunting one down now. Love this neighboring cell feature.

 

Using Sharp AQUOS Crystal on Tapatalk

[digiblur]

Mike, I am currently test driving my Moto G (2014 2nd Gen) and it seems like SignalCheck takes quite awhile to update itself, I will also test my Moto X (2014) on LTE as well in the coming days. It's great to be using SCP once again!

 

Also any of you that are familiar with GSM tech is the CID unique when connected to HSPA/HSPA+? I am trying to figure out the pattern (if there is any) to identify the sectors.

 

Screenshot_2014-10-11-12-20-08.png

I am behind on this thread but I can pm you the pattern I found on HSPA cells. They also translate to the LTE side of the site to match things up.

[digiblur]

Neighboring cells are other sectors visible to your device. They may be different sectors from the same site, or from adjacent sites. But these are basically all the channels on the same band that your device can switch to as needed. Your device can switch to these at any time. However, a band change would require the network to make the requested change.

Neighbors on different bands also show up on mine from time to time. I figured that was done by design of the LTE table on the site. I would watch it jump from band of 17 to 4 then to 2 on the same site.

[JossMan]

I am behind on this thread but I can pm you the pattern I found on HSPA cells. They also translate to the LTE side of the site to match things up.

That would be great.  AT&T seems to use patterns of 8 here when it comes to the PSC, i.e. 32, 40, 48

[Galaxyguy]

This may have been asked before so my apologies if it has. I just don't have the time right now to search.

 

Can the site notes I saved on my S4T be transferred to my Note 4? I don't see a way to do it, unless I'm missing something. I want to reset it and give it to my wife to replace her regular S4 and that's the only thing holding me back from doing it yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

[Destroyallcubes]

So on my galaxy s5 I am not too sure if it is displaying neighboring pci values. I have the setting enabled but have never seen it show up on SCP beta.

[JossMan]

So on my galaxy s5 I am not too sure if it is displaying neighboring pci values. I have the setting enabled but have never seen it show up on SCP beta.

This could be due to Samsung blocking certain information from being displayed to SignalCheck, if so then this is completely out of Mike's hands.  When I had my S3 it wasn't until the 4.4 update that I could see TAC and GCI info on SCP.  

[Destroyallcubes]

This could be due to Samsung blocking certain information from being displayed to SignalCheck, if so then this is completely out of Mike's hands.  When I had my S3 it wasn't until the 4.4 update that I could see TAC and GCI info on SCP.

 

Yeah I figured it was that, but always like to report just in case therebis hope. Maybe with 4.4.4 upcoming or Android L it could be accessed.

[stlman314]

This may have been asked before so my apologies if it has. I just don't have the time right now to search.

 

Can the site notes I saved on my S4T be transferred to my Note 4? I don't see a way to do it, unless I'm missing something. I want to reset it and give it to my wife to replace her regular S4 and that's the only thing holding me back from doing it yet. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

 

I think and I'm not 100% sure but if your phone is rooted you can gain access to the database where the SCP log is stored and you can load everything into the new phone. When Mike wakes up or have some free time I'm sure he will gladly answer this question for you.