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

[mikejeep]

Hello all,

I have been visiting S4GRU for quite some time, and one of the most common issues I see popping up is confusion from users--especially when they first get 4G LTE devices and/or LTE service--regarding their signal strengths. For some reason, the signal bars on many devices do not display what most users expect them to display. It seems strange that we have to enter special dialer codes just to see what our LTE signal is!

With that in mind, I started creating an Android app from scratch. I had never created an app before, so it took a few months before it was ready for the public, but its time has come. Robert and a few others have been beta testing it for me since October, and I recently released it onto Google Play. Robert gave me the go-ahead to give it a mention here on S4GRU, so here goes..

It's called SignalCheck, and it is available on Google Play here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Blue+Line+Computing
 
The "Lite" version is free; the "Pro" version has a small one-time fee but includes a bunch of extras, including signal bars in the notification area, a widget, the ability to alert a user when they pick up an LTE or 800 SMR signal, one-button instant connection reset, the street address of the connected 1X site, and menu shortcuts to some screens that are usually only accessible with dialer codes. I intend to offer S4GRU Premier Sponsors special benefits in the near future, as soon as I figure out a feasible way to do that.

This is the first app I have ever developed, so I'd appreciate any and all feedback, both positive and negative. I have been trying to educate myself as much as possible regarding cellular technologies, as I didn't know much before I started this project. My goal is to make this app as accurate and useful as possible for all the "nerds" on here.. myself included!

I intend to continue squashing bugs as they are reported, and adding features as they are requested. As I learn more about Android programming and cellular technology, I'll improve things. Please let me know what you would like to see, and I'll do what I can.

My "Beta Crew" helps test out the app before public updates are pushed out. Membership is by invite only but anyone is welcome to join in our discussions or get a sneak peek at what is going on (see thread here).
 
Links:  SignalCheck Help / FAQ  |  Change Log  |  To-Do "Wish" List  |  Known Issues  |  SignalCheck on Google Play

 
-Mike
 
Here are some screen shots from a previous version.. there have been tweaks since this release, but this is basically what you get:

http://www.bluelinepc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SignalCheck-2.0-main-168x300.png http://www.bluelinepc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SignalCheck-2.0-menu-168x300.png http://www.bluelinepc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SignalCheck-2.0-advanced-168x300.png http://www.bluelinepc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/SignalCheck-2.0-pulldown-168x300.png

[Rukin1]

Very nice. hmm, should seperate the difference of eHRPD and EV-DO. I'm in the middle of having all of the towers upgraded around me and right now they are upgrading the tower i connect to most of the time when I'm at home. I can't wait till they switch it to network vision .

I think the app needs a tiny bit of work. Love it. I think the meter should be a speedometer. That' be awsome xD red all the way to the left, yellow middle fading to green.

[imex99]

Nice, I'll test it out...

 

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[digiblur]

Nice!! I was looking to do something very much like this!

 

Any possible way to do what Sensorly did and get the LTE Cell Identity working on some phones?

 

I've also been reverse engineering how some the ##DEBUG screens work on the Note2 as the 1X PN and other info would be VERY helpful as well.

[tommym65]

Lite version: Sent you a crash report: I get 4gLTE only intermittently on my stock JB 4.1.1 GS3, and when I do, the app consistently crashes. Seems OK when LTE is not present. Now if Samsung would only update to a release that allowed access to the Sector ID info . . .

 

And, thanks for this, it will be very useful.

[kckid]

Agree with both on adding Cell ID for LTE. Nice App!

[mikejeep]

I actually added LTE cell ID info to version 2.08, which I released late last night.. I suspect that is what is causing the crashes, since this is a brand new problem.

 

Any chance anyone with Jelly Bean got any cell ID info on LTE? Or anyone with Jelly Bean have it not crash while on LTE?

 

I also saw some crash reports come in for some of the shortcuts on the Advanced menu. I'll check everything out this afternoon.

 

[digiblur]

Lite version: Sent you a crash report: I get 4gLTE only intermittently on my stock JB 4.1.1 GS3, and when I do, the app consistently crashes. Seems OK when LTE is not present. Now if Samsung would only update to a release that allowed access to the Sector ID info . . .

 

And, thanks for this, it will be very useful.

 

The sector info is there but not by a normal api. You have to request it from the baseband then parse it out.

 

-- "Sensorly or it didn't happen!"

 

 

[WiWavelength]

I am very curious what total set of info is accessible by this API or what additional info can be readily fished out the baseband, as digiblur notes above. I am not sure that a single third party app can ever replace the internal debug/engineering screen apps on some handsets. But those debug/engineering screens are being removed from many more recent devices on many carriers -- Sprint seems to be the holdout thus far, thankfully. Regardless, it would be quite nice to have a third party app that could provide at least as much detail as the debug/engineering screens. Then, the exclusion of debug/engineering screens in a handset (e.g. Nexus 4) would not be a deal breaker.

 

I have much knowledge of CDMA service options, PN offsets, channel assignments, neighbor lists, carrier bandwidths, UARFCNs, etc. My full assistance is at your disposal.

 

AJ

[4ginnc]

Just got the Pro version and will give it a shot. Not much LTE in the Raleigh/Durham area yet, but that's why this app will be nice to have so I can tell when I hit a 4G connection. Great job, will let you know if I find any issues.

[4ginnc]

Crashes on my S3 when I go to Advanced.. Battery Info, and also Advanced.. Radio Info. I reported one of the crashes from my phone just in case it gives you any useful info.

 

What are the "Field Trial" and "EPST" options? Field Trial says it's not available on my device and EPST is greyed out.

 

Can't wait to test out when I get a chance to visit where some of the completed RDU towers are.

[tommym65]

The sector info is there but not by a normal api. You have to request it from the baseband then parse it out.

 

That sounds easy . . .

[boomerbubba]

The sector info is there but not by a normal api. You have to request it from the baseband then parse it out.

 

The LTE sector IDs are available in the Jellybean 4.1.1 API. But according to what the devs at Sensorly say, so far there are few devices that populate it.

[MacinJosh]

The LTE sector IDs are available in the Jellybean 4.1.1 API. But according to what the devs at Sensorly say, so far there are few devices that populate it.

 

Then it sounds like it was blocked in the programming on many devices.

[boomerbubba]

Then it sounds like it was blocked in the programming on many devices.

 

I doubt that it is blocked, exactly. More likely many OEMs just failed to implement all the Jellybean API. I have read that implementation of the whole Android telephony API was imperfect in earlier versions, too.

[kckid]

Did you add it to the lite version also. I am running 2.08L on and EVO LTE with 4.1.1 and do not see it. Run's great, no crashes.

 

[digiblur]

Couple of ideas. Configurable notification when going to 4g. Notification when going to 22xxx SID for 800smr. Widgets?

 

-- "Sensorly or it didn't happen!"

 

 

[Han]

Donated! Keep up the good work.

 

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[WiWavelength]

Ec/Io is also missing a decimal point. Measurement lower limit is -31.5 dB.

 

AJ

[milan03]

What an awesome app! This is exactly what i've been looking for!

 

One suggestion, RSRP/RSRQ reading in the notification instead of RSSI, for LTE.

[jeremyandrew]

This is a sweet start, and it's so clean. Does the API provide active and neighbor PN's for 1x and DO? If you can get them in there, I'd definitely get the full version.

[mc_gusto]

Crashes on my S3 when I go to Advanced.. Battery Info, and also Advanced.. Radio Info. I reported one of the crashes from my phone just in case it gives you any useful info.

 

What are the "Field Trial" and "EPST" options? Field Trial says it's not available on my device and EPST is greyed out.

 

Can't wait to test out when I get a chance to visit where some of the completed RDU towers are.

 

Worked the first time for me. Looked nice. Now crashes on my s3 every time. Even after a reboot.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

[jeremyandrew]

 

Worked the first time for me. Looked nice. Now crashes on my s3 every time. Even after a reboot.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

Works like a charm on my rooted S3 with a stock ROM.

[BossDre05]

Great app!!! I just bought the pro verison.

 

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

[mikejeep]

Crashes on my S3 when I go to Advanced.. Battery Info, and also Advanced.. Radio Info. I reported one of the crashes from my phone just in case it gives you any useful info.

 

What are the "Field Trial" and "EPST" options? Field Trial says it's not available on my device and EPST is greyed out.

 

Can't wait to test out when I get a chance to visit where some of the completed RDU towers are.

 

Thanks for the report. It appears that many Samsung devices either do not have these screens, or do not allow access to these areas by third-party applications. I have improved the error-checking routines in the latest version (2.09, should be available on Google Play within the hour) to handle this.

 

Field Trial and EPST are diagnostic screens normally accessible by entering special dialer codes, at least on HTC devices. I intended to allow these shortcuts to save people the hassle of knowing the dialer codes, or possibly accessing these screens on devices without a dialer (such as a tablet). If the function is not supported by a device, there is not much I can do. This part of my app is meant to provide a shortcut to pre-existing screens, not create new functionality.

 

-Mike