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

[mikejeep]

I cannot clear out all the logs

with the three dots >> Logs >>Clear Data.

I did import a trusted db if that is a factor.

Which option where you trying on that menu? What error messages did you see or what did you experience? Is your device rooted? What do you mean by a 'trusted' db?

 

Separately, I forced Signal Check Pro and similar apps to close because I had no need for them to run. I needed the battery to last longer. Now that I restarted Signal Check Pro, it did not load the trusted db. I was slow to figure that out, but I have successfully reloaded the trusted db.

 

Force closing the app would not wipe out the database; are you certain that it had been properly imported in the first place? Also, if you use the "Exit" option from the menu, that shuts down the background service and all SignalCheck-related processes. It's a cleaner shutdown than force closing it, with the same battery impact.

 

-Mike

[Jeff68005]

Which option where you trying on that menu? What error messages did you see or what did you experience? Is your device rooted? What do you mean by a 'trusted' db?

 

 

Force closing the app would not wipe out the database; are you certain that it had been properly imported in the first place? Also, if you use the "Exit" option from the menu, that shuts down the background service and all SignalCheck-related processes. It's a cleaner shutdown than force closing it, with the same battery impact.

 

-Mike

My device experiencing the above problem is the LG G Pad F 7.0 with Android 5.0 Lollipop - Spark capable version.

 I am not totally understanding of the term "rooted".  The referenced device came from a Sprint corp store.  I have upload several apps including Sensorly, Signal Check Pro, LTE Discovery.

 

 

Selecting "Clear Data" results in the indication that Singal Check Pro has stopped and offers to report.

Even when that does not occur and appears to work, the dbs are still listed in the directory when examined via the import logs choice.

Before reading your message, I manually cleared them and downloaded the trusted db again.  Currently, it appears to be functioning as expected.

 

Normally, I _DO_ select Exit to leave Signal Check Pro but after doing so, the System > Apps > Signal Check Pro indicate the app is sitill "Running" and the "Force Stop" rectangle is highlighted (selectable).  Battery Doctor sees it as still drawing battery resources after the Exit option is selected.  If I do force close, I do so ONLY after the recommended Exit option.  I am delighted it is there.  The other two apps I mention do not have that desired feature.

[kojitsari]

My device experiencing the above problem is the LG G Pad F 7.0 with Android 5.0 Lollipop - Spark capable version.

I am not totally understanding of the term "rooted". The referenced device came from a Sprint corp store. I have upload several apps including Sensorly, Signal Check Pro, LTE Discovery.

Normally, I _DO_ select Exit to leave Signal Check Pro but after doing so, the System > Apps > Signal Check Pro indicate the app is sitill "Running" and the "Force Stop" rectangle is highlighted (selectable). Battery Doctor sees it as still drawing battery resources after the Exit option is selected.

Rooted, as in the device is rooted. IE having root access or administrative rights. Since you didn't even get the term, that means you're not rooted as you'd have to root your device yourself. Signalcheck usually says its running in the background after you close it if you have logging features turned on.

[Jeff68005]

Question for anyone,

I got the lollipop update for my lg g2. I factory reset my device and went back through my apps to reinstall everything and now i have to pay for signal check pro again

I had similar results for my  LG G Pad F 7.0 with Android 5.0 Lollipop - Spark capable version..  What was weird was after I d/l and installed the standard free version, a few days later, the Pro version was listed on Play in "My Apps".  I downloaded the Pro version and both versions were then listed.  I manually uninstalled the free version and am successfully running the Pro version at this time.

[Hurrcayne_dre]

I had similar results for my LG G Pad F 7.0 with Android 5.0 Lollipop - Spark capable version.. What was weird was after I d/l and installed the standard free version, a few days later, the Pro version was listed on Play in "My Apps". I downloaded the Pro version and both versions were then listed. I manually uninstalled the free version and am successfully running the Pro version at this time.

Haha that's what I did

[mikejeep]

I am not totally understanding of the term "rooted".  The referenced device came from a Sprint corp store.  I have upload several apps including Sensorly, Signal Check Pro, LTE Discovery.

"Rooted" devices are ones in which the user has done something that opens up superuser access to apps that may request it. Since you're not familiar with the term, I'm sure you haven't done this. It's not required, but it provides access to a few more features within SignalCheck. Some devices are unable to be rooted, and it does require some technical expertise.

 

Selecting "Clear Data" results in the indication that Singal Check Pro has stopped and offers to report.

Even when that does not occur and appears to work, the dbs are still listed in the directory when examined via the import logs choice.

Before reading your message, I manually cleared them and downloaded the trusted db again.  Currently, it appears to be functioning as expected.

Aha! That is a problem. The "Clear Data" option does not do anything itself; it is supposed to open up a sub-menu that allows you to specify what you are clearing. Since you're not even getting to that point, nothing is being cleared. Unfortunately I haven't received any crash reports that would point to why that is happening. Did you try using that Report option? Please do, and include a brief note about what you had clicked. Also, try doing it again, and then after it crashes immediately go back into the app and go to About > Send Diagnostics and send me one of those reports. I may be able to see the problem there. Please include your username and a brief note so I know what I'm looking for (I get hundreds of those reports).

 

Normally, I _DO_ select Exit to leave Signal Check Pro but after doing so, the System > Apps > Signal Check Pro indicate the app is sitill "Running" and the "Force Stop" rectangle is highlighted (selectable).  Battery Doctor sees it as still drawing battery resources after the Exit option is selected.  If I do force close, I do so ONLY after the recommended Exit option.  I am delighted it is there.  The other two apps I mention do not have that desired feature.

I can promise you that SignalCheck runs all of the appropriate shutdown and cleanup processes, and all background services are terminated. If it is still showing up, that is a decision the Android OS is making. Android manages memory in a much different way than traditional PC OSes do, and explicitly killing apps is seen as counterproductive. Android kills background processes as it needs memory/power, but it leaves some things idling in the background if it doesn't see a need to expend the resources to kill them off. That's probably what you are seeing. No developer (myself included) can change how the OS behaves.

 

I had similar results for my  LG G Pad F 7.0 with Android 5.0 Lollipop - Spark capable version..  What was weird was after I d/l and installed the standard free version, a few days later, the Pro version was listed on Play in "My Apps".  I downloaded the Pro version and both versions were then listed.  I manually uninstalled the free version and am successfully running the Pro version at this time.

 

Very strange. Lite and Pro are two completely separate apps; I could call one "Peanut Butter" and the other one "Tuna Fish" if I really wanted to -- the installation of one does not affect the other. In any event, I'm glad you were able to get Pro back!

 

-Mike

[mikejeep]

A monster update for SignalCheck Pro is finally ready! Version 4.28 will be available on Google Play within the hour. I sincerely apologize that it has taken several months to get this ready. I sound like a broken record, but I just haven't had the time I want to dedicate to the app lately. I'll immediately point out that the duplicate GCI bug still exists, but I'm still working on it and decided to push this out without a fix because there are a lot of other fixes and some great improvements.

 

My sincere thanks to all of you on the beta crew who have been helping to get this stable over the past several weeks! The Lite version is not ready yet, but should be sometime next week. That version was so far behind it is taking me longer than I hoped to get it up to speed.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to point out that I have raised the price to $2.99 for non-US users; I'm keeping the US version at $1.99 for the time being, and if that changes in the future I will announce it well in advance.

 

As always, please reach out to me with comments/questions/concerns, and thank you to everyone for your support. I've been quiet lately, but I'm not going anywhere! The changelog and a list of known issues are below. Enjoy!

 

-Mike

 

 

Detailed Changelog:

 

Added additional indicators for AT&T LTE bands 2, 4, and 17, including DAS and small cells.

Added indicators for Sprint LTE band 25 and most second carriers (labeled with ²).

Added indicators for T-Mobile LTE band 12.

Added indicators for Verizon LTE bands 2, 4, and 13.

AT&T and Verizon LTE band identification is rock-solid. Sprint only has a small issue with a particular second carrier (see below). Sprint B25 will now be labeled as such. T-Mobile band identification is less reliable than I would like, but as good as possible at the moment. If your device cannot report the GCI, no band information is available.

 

Resolved issue with Alerts on all versions of Android except for the L Preview. (Pro)

Finally! If you're on the L Preview, Alerts may not work, but nobody should still be running that anyway.

 

Added Logger statistics window. (Pro)

New menu option that shows some information. The "Duplicate GCIs" and "Null GCIs" are explained below..

 

Added option for one-time clean up of duplicate GCI Site Logger entries. (Pro)

The most significant bug in the app has been the issue where switching between Sprint and Clearwire sites causes some bogus LTE records to be created with the wrong PLMN. The bug is not fixed, but you can wipe out all of the existing duplicates with one click. This should be used with caution since you will be wiping out any duplicate entries that have valid data, and please understand that this bug is not fixed yet (see the bottom of this post), so they will slowly come back as you use the Site Logger in Clearwire areas.

 

Added option for one-time clean up of null GCI Site Logger entries. (Pro)

The dreaded null GCI bug has been fixed! Users will be prompted to clean them up the first time they start the new version, but there is a menu option to do so on demand if you prefer. You shouldn't need to do this more than once.

 

Added icon to indicate when telephone calls are unavailable. (Pro)

If you accidentally leave your Nexus 5 in LTE-only mode, you'll know immediately..

 

Added option to log LTE sites even if the GCI is missing/invalid. (Pro)

Samsung users, welcome to logging!

 

Added option to hide CDMA 1X BSL when a Site Note exists. (Pro)

Changed exported logs to include leading zero on plain-text dates. (Pro)

Improved identification of LTE identity/GCI data.

Improved internal diagnostic routines.

Improved neighbor cell display.

Moved the CDMA 1X Provider display line above the Site Note.

Resolved force closes at startup related to the internal provider database.

Resolved issue with LTE frequency display sticking when connection was lost.

Resolved issue with Site Logger ignoring CDMA 1X sites with a missing/invalid BSL. (Pro)

These should be self-explanatory.

 

 

Significant issues that still remain:

 

Site Logger may record invalid/duplicate LTE entries when switching PLMNs (i.e. Sprint/Clearwire).

This bug has been my nemesis for nearly a year, and is the overwhelming reason why this update took nearly 5 months. The most noticeable impact is on the neighbor cell display, where you might see blank entries on the screen despite having site notes saved. I was determined to get this fixed before I sent out another update. I failed. Hopefully in the next one!

 

Lollipop users on newer devices (i.e. Nexus 6) may see invalid LTE GCI information and no LTE neighbor cells.

I am trying to figure out why apps like LTE Discovery can see certain information that SignalCheck insists does not exist. Stay tuned.

 

Sprint users in Samsung markets will not see a second carrier indicator when connected to LTE sites with a GCI that end in 03.

Flompholph has provided me with the information I need to get this implemented, but I have not gotten it working yet. It should be in the next update.

 

T-Mobile LTE band identification is not 100% reliable.

T-Mobile isn't deploying each of its LTE bands in the same manner. SignalCheck does its best to only report what it thinks is accurate, but there may be issues.. time will tell.

 

Invalid data may be shown when Wi-Fi Calling is enabled.

Wi-Fi calling is still relatively new and I have not figured out a way to recognize a connection is active. This will take some time to iron out unless Android introduces some Wi-Fi Calling routines.

 

Some icons are nearly invisible in the notification pulldown on Lollipop.

Some OS design changes are not playing nice with my icons in the pulldown. It's only cosmetic, but it bugs me.

[S4GRU]

 

Added icon to indicate when telephone calls are unavailable. (Pro)

If you accidentally leave your Nexus 5 in LTE-only mode, you'll know immediately..

 

 

I do this all the time.  Thanks for this feature.  You don't know how many times I go to make a call and it fails.  And it takes me a few seconds to realize, DUH...I'm in LTE Only mode!

[mikejeep]

I do this all the time.  Thanks for this feature.  You don't know how many times I go to make a call and it fails.  And it takes me a few seconds to realize, DUH...I'm in LTE Only mode!

 

Me too.. but it's worse, because I'm missing calls/texts for hours and not realizing it! The wife and my work have been victimized several times.. the wife is used to it by now, but work is a little less understanding. They don't have quite as much interest in testing new LTE sites as I do. I plan to add an option to have it appear as a notification icon as well, so you don't need to have the app open to realize it.

 

"SignalCheck.. saving wireless nerds' relationships one at a time.."

 

-Mike

[nowerlater]

Mike, found a bug, when my phone is in 3g the drop down menu still shows Sprint B26. See screenshot .

[mikejeep]

Mike, found a bug, when my phone is in 3g the drop down menu still shows Sprint B26. See screenshot .

 

Well that didn't take long.. was it happening in previous versions or any of the betas?

 

-Mike

[nowerlater]

Previous version not that I noticed

[S4GRU]

Well that didn't take long.. was it happening in previous versions or any of the betas?

 

-Mike

On AT&T, mine does that when I fall down to WCDMA. But it always has. Just never thought anything of it.

 

Using Nexus 6 on Tapatalk

[mikejeep]

SignalCheck Lite has finally been updated and is now current with Pro at version 4.28. Updates are infrequent because a lot of the features are specific to Pro, but I will work on doing a better job of getting relevant bug fixes out!

 

The update should be live on Google Play shortly: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Blue+Line+Computing

 

-Mike

[Jeff68005]

Invalid data may be shown when Wi-Fi Calling is enabled.

Wi-Fi calling is still relatively new and I have not figured out a way to recognize a connection is active. This will take some time to iron out unless Android introduces some Wi-Fi Calling routines.

 

I have only played a small bit with Wi-Fi calling, but when selected on my HTC One M9 (Lollipop 5.x), it TOTALLY disables mobile data and voice over everything that will not use the Wi-Fi  pipe.

It took a bit of doing to get everything non-Wi-Fi going again.  As I recall, somebody else remarking about the HTC One M9 had similar problems .... only worse.

[floorguy]

Ok so, i went through and flashed a new rom (stripped down stock loli) 

 

anyway of course i reset the phone after and lost stuff....BUT this time i remembered i had sent logs to someone a little while ago, so I asked them to send them back....

 

but when i go to import logs, and track down where its at....nothing.....i have moved it into the SCP folder....nothing, the file is "grayed" out and doesnt allow for clicking.....

 

SOOOOOO what am i missing???  how do i get these put back in, so i can get my notes back??

[Flompholph]

Is the file .db or .csv? The file needs to be db for it to work. 

 

If it is a csv file and you can convince the Utah spreadsheet maintainer to allow me to add Utah to my SCP Note file I can share that with you. Or you could just build a DB from the csv file.

[mikejeep]

anyway of course i reset the phone after and lost stuff....BUT this time i remembered i had sent logs to someone a little while ago, so I asked them to send them back....

 

but when i go to import logs, and track down where its at....nothing.....i have moved it into the SCP folder....nothing, the file is "grayed" out and doesnt allow for clicking.....

 

SOOOOOO what am i missing??? how do i get these put back in, so i can get my notes back??

It needs to be an sqlite database, and the filename needs to have an extension of .db for the app to "see" it.

 

-Mike

[floorguy]

Is the file .db or .csv? The file needs to be db for it to work. 

 

If it is a csv file and you can convince the Utah spreadsheet maintainer to allow me to add Utah to my SCP Note file I can share that with you. Or you could just build a DB from the csv file.

 

 

It needs to be an sqlite database, and the filename needs to have an extension of .db for the app to "see" it.

 

-Mike

AWw crap looks like its a csv file.....sooooo the next time I export it or "save it"  SCP doesnt make it a db file???

 

ill ask the guy, hes pretty laid back...ill have him message you...

 

Thanks

[Flompholph]

AWw crap looks like its a csv file.....sooooo the next time I export it or "save it"  SCP doesnt make it a db file???

 

ill ask the guy, hes pretty laid back...ill have him message you...

 

Thanks

Don't get to upset it is pretty easy to import a csv file into a db with DB Browser for SQLite. You just need a newish SCP db to import into.

 

SCP can export both "Export Site Log" is csv and "Backup Log Database" is db. When I go through logs to find new info I prefer csv. 

[floorguy]

Don't get to upset it is pretty easy to import a csv file into a db with DB Browser for SQLite. You just need a newish SCP db to import into.

 

SCP can export both "Export Site Log" is csv and "Backup Log Database" is db. When I go through logs to find new info I prefer csv. 

pretty easy for you.....

 

Hell half the time i forget to make backups period.....

[coorsleftfield]

Any way to get the old behavior back where band 25 displayed LTE instead of LTE 25?

[swintec]

Any way to get the old behavior back where band 25 displayed LTE instead of LTE 25?

 

Honestly, I didnt think this would bother me but I realized that after all of this time I was conditioned to think anytime LTE had a number after it (26 or 41) I was connected to one of the 'special' bands. (special in that I really do not have many instances of 26 and 41)  So now I see LTE with 25 and it throws me off especially since on the tiny icons 25 and 26 look quite similar

[stlman314]

Honestly, I didnt think this would bother me but I realized that after all of this time I was conditioned to think anytime LTE had a number after it (26 or 41) I was connected to one of the 'special' bands. (special in that I really do not have many instances of 26 and 41)  So now I see LTE with 25 and it throws me off especially since on the tiny icons 25 and 26 look quite similar

 

Agreed. 

 

Wouldn't mind the LTE 25 taken off.

[Galaxyguy]

Agreed.

 

Wouldn't mind the LTE 25 taken off.

Maybe an option would be good. That way those who like it can keep it, and those who don't can take it off.

 

I like it, but can see why some wouldn't.

 

Sent from my Note 4.