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

[darickster09]

Neighboring cells are awesome! That's all I have to say.

[mikejeep]

As just about everyone has realized by now, SignalCheck Pro 4.27 was released on December 22.. this ended up being a huge update! As I was finishing things up, other parts of the app were impacted, and in the end there were many changes. I apologize for the delayed changelog post, but I was out of town for Christmas. Visit Google Play to download or update the app. SignalCheck Lite (free version) is *well* overdue for an update, which I am working on right now. That should be released by the end of this week. Without further ado, here is a summary of the changes.. as always, I appreciate everyone's support!

 

Improved method to obtain LTE GCI information (Courtesy of the guys at Simply Advanced!)

Improved reliability of PLMN ID identification for Sprint users.

Hopefully nearly all LTE devices should be able to see the correct PLMN and GCI now--even Samsung users that lacked this information before. PCI is still not universally available, but I'm still working on it. Work is in progress to display TAC information on more devices. A huge thank you to the guys behind the LTE Discovery app (@SpenceSouth and @danialgoodwin) for sharing their findings with me!

 

Added ability to backup and import Logger databases. (Pro)

Root access is no longer needed to access the actual log database file. You need a third-party tool to view or modify the entries, but there are several free options. I personally use SQLite Debugger for Android and DB Browser for SQLite for desktops, but any SQLite database utility will work. I will be publishing details about the database structure soon, but looking at an existing database should answer most questions.

 

Added option to display LTE neighbor cell site notes based on location. (Pro)

Added option to specify maximum range to display location-based LTE neighbor cell site notes. (Pro)

Neighbor cell information has become the "hot" part of SignalCheck lately, so I've been doing a lot of work on it. As I have stated before, Android only reports the PCI of neighbor cells, so a lot of interpretation is necessary to figure out exactly which site the app is referring to. This new option relies on entries in the Site Log that were saved while the app's Location Service was enabled. Instead of relying on the PLMN+TAC to determine which site the app is reporting as a neighbor cell, the new option shows the closest saved site from the Site Log. The more you run the Site Logger, the more accurate your neighbor cell displays will become. If you have the app's Location Service disabled, it will automatically revert to the PLMN+TAC method instead. Please understand that this is still a "best guess" by SignalCheck, and the information you see may not be accurate all the time, especially if you have not been logging sites for very long. Typically, if you see a neighbor cell listed that is unusually far away, it is probably not the same site. These options are marked "BETA" within the app but is proving to be very stable and useful.

 

Added option to ignore PLMN for neighbor site notes. (Pro)

As Clearwire B41 sites use a different PLMN than the Sprint network, ignoring PLMNs results in better neighbor cell notes for users with Clearwire LTE sites in their area. It may also improve neighbor cell displays for other providers. As noted above, please remember that this is still a "best guess" by SignalCheck based on all of the information available, and may not be accurate all the time.

 

Added LTE band display to widget. (Pro)

Added many new higher-resolution status bar icons. (Pro)

Added option to display recognized LTE bands or frequency classes on status bar icons. (Pro)

The new icons should make it easier to see details, and they include a display of the band or what I call "frequency class" (i.e. 'LTE 800'). There are a few icons remaining that have not been done over yet, most notably the dB readings. I will refresh those in future versions.

 

Added additional indicators for AT&T LTE bands 4, 17, 4 DAS, and 17 DAS.

Added new indicators for T-Mobile LTE bands 2 and 4.

Several users have been providing me with great information regarding various mobile networks and how to identify other bands. I am willing to add anything and everything I can, as long as I have the information I need. Let me know if you have information about a particular provider's network that would be useful within the app.

 

Added option to choose the background color for the main screen. (Pro)

Changed main screen to default to a true black background, saves power on AMOLED devices.

Instead of a black to dark gray gradient, the default background is now completely black. If you preferred the old version, there's an option in the Preferences menu to change it back.

 

Changed display to show “Clearwire B41″ if connected to a former Clearwire LTE band 41 site.

This should be more noticeable than the asterisk that was showing before. Non-Clearwire B41 sites will still appear as "Sprint" and likely indicate a site with 8T8R equipment.

 

Changed display to show Sprint prepaid MVNO connections (Boost or Virgin Mobile).

Prepaid customers connect to the same network, but Sprint brands them differently, so SignalCheck will now follow that.

 

Changed Location Service to use new Google routines. (Pro)

SignalCheck uses the Google location routines, which were recently changed. There should not be a significant impact on the user end, although I have seen some instances in testing where the location stops updating without any warning to the user. I am not certain if this is related to this change or something else. Launching another app that uses location services (such as Waze or Google Maps) seems to kick-start things, as does changing the location options within the app.

 

Improved 1X and LTE provider identification; unknown IDs will now display network-provided name.

Instead of showing "SID 1234" when a network is not identified, the app will fall back to whatever provider name the network is reporting. The app has never used this value because some custom ROMs or certain network conditions would render this inaccurate. SignalCheck will continue check its own internal database for provider names before using the network-provided name.

 

LTE Site Logger will run an automatic one-time background cleanup to remove various null entries.

(Pro)

The causes of most "bogus" log entries have been resolved, but I have recent reports of lingering issues. I will keep trying to add one-time cleanup routines to new releases as I identify garbage that can be cleaned out.

 

Resolved force closes on Android 4.2+ devices caused by invalid neighbor cell data. (Pro)

Resolved issue with dictionary suggestions not appearing when editing site notes. (Pro)

Resolved issue with Free Mobile WCDMA display string.

Resolved issue with LTE band identification for Sprint Prepaid users on PLMN 312530.

Resolved issue with missing LTE connection information when reported RSRQ is invalid.

Resolved issue with Sprint LTE band 41 frequencies not displaying on compatible HTC devices.

Resolved issue with stale LTE GCI display.

Bug fixes.. lots of bug fixes! Please let me know if you think you are still seeing problems related to any of these issues.

 

Added option to display location information in metric units of measurement. (Pro)

Location-based neighbor cell distances are shown in miles by default; this option allows display in kilometers instead. As other features are added to the app, this option will become more relevant.

 

Added display of primary scrambling code (PSC) in hex format.

This was done at the request of some WCDMA users and is indicated with an "x" prefix on the screen, as the CDMA 1X hex BID is.

 

Removed option for secondary GSM icon; would likely never be shown on any device. (Pro)

I added this a long time ago before I had any knowledge of how non-CDMA devices worked.

 

Updated provider database.

I am always hearing of new or reassigned PLMNs and SIDs.. I rely on user reports for this information, so if you ever see a mistake, please let me know.

 

 

Happy New Year!

 

-Mike

[mrrogers1]

Thanks Mike and Happy New Year's (*just a little early)

[JossMan]

Mike, any chance we will see a refreshed widget design in 2015? 

 

[mikejeep]

Mike, any chance we will see a refreshed widget design in 2015?

There's always a chance! I have 365 days to figure that out, but you know I'm hesitant to make promises..

 

-Mike

[Galaxyguy]

Mike,

I was waiting on a traffic light a couple days ago and noticed SCP was cursing me

 

I'm assuming you have a -40 cap on the signal because I was watching the signal go from -40 to seeing what is in the notification bar.

 

I was about 30 yards from the tower with a sector facing right at me. Right as I took the screen shot, the light turned green so I didn't have a chance to check what the main app would have said. I assume though it would've been the same.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

[saywhatman]

Mike,

I was waiting on a traffic light a couple days ago and noticed SCP was cursing me

 

I'm assuming you have a -40 cap on the signal because I was watching the signal go from -40 to seeing what is in the notification bar.

 

I was about 30 yards from the tower with a sector facing right at me. Right as I took the screen shot, the light turned green so I didn't have a chance to check what the main app would have said. I assume though it would've been the same.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

 

That's one of my favorite hidden features of SCP. My mom's house is about 50 feet from a site, so whenever I visit home SCP curses me out

[bakedc4]

Mike,

I was waiting on a traffic light a couple days ago and noticed SCP was cursing me

 

I'm assuming you have a -40 cap on the signal because I was watching the signal go from -40 to seeing what is in the notification bar.

 

I was about 30 yards from the tower with a sector facing right at me. Right as I took the screen shot, the light turned green so I didn't have a chance to check what the main app would have said. I assume though it would've been the same.

 

Sent from my Note 4.

It's not a bug, it's an undocumented feature.

[mikejeep]

I was waiting on a traffic light a couple days ago and noticed SCP was cursing me

 

I'm assuming you have a -40 cap on the signal because I was watching the signal go from -40 to seeing what is in the notification bar.

 

I was about 30 yards from the tower with a sector facing right at me. Right as I took the screen shot, the light turned green so I didn't have a chance to check what the main app would have said. I assume though it would've been the same.

 

Haha yes the icons get a potty mouth when you hit above -40 dB.. it's my version of an easter egg, although it seems to cause more confusion than anything. I get e-mails almost daily from people who report the app is "broken". I've even been asked to give a refund because of it.

 

When I get around refreshing the numeric icons, I'll go up to at least -30. No matter what, the main screen always shows the exact reading; the icons are graphics, not text. Each possible value you see is actually an image that I had to create manually -- there are over 500 icons in the current release.

 

-Mike

[cdk]

 

Haha yes the icons get a potty mouth when you hit above -40 dB.. it's my version of an easter egg, although it seems to cause more confusion than anything. I get e-mails almost daily from people who report the app is "broken". I've even been asked to give a refund because of it.

 

When I get around refreshing the numeric icons, I'll go up to at least -30. No matter what, the main screen always shows the exact reading; the icons are graphics, not text. Each possible value you see is actually an image that I had to create manually -- there are over 500 icons in the current release.

 

-Mike

 

Nooooo!!!! 

 

I like it when SCP curses me. Not that it does it often around here (it seems like I can be right next to a site and still not get below a -50).

[stuckinohio1]

why not make it a feature for Pro users. when you download the app it uses numbers but you can like go into the settings and enable the mode. possibly with a small description (for legacy users who know what this is) haha

[Trip]

Mike,

 

Did you get my e-mails about the CDMA logging issue I've noticed?  I haven't heard from you.  I know it's a busy time of year but after Sunday it will be weeks or months before I can do any testing on it if you want me to.

 

- Trip

[Flompholph]

Mike,

 

Did you get my e-mails about the CDMA logging issue I've noticed?  I haven't heard from you.  I know it's a busy time of year but after Sunday it will be weeks or months before I can do any testing on it if you want me to.

 

- Trip

If that is about ntelos sites not showing up I noticed it was only sites with BSL showed up in the log. I used a different program when gave you those site info. 

 

Mike if neighbor cell includes PLMN+TAC can you have an option to include the TAC. With the TAC it can decrease the search area for sites since markets can have upto 10 TACs each.

[Trip]

It's not just nTelos, but US Cellular and some Verizon sites too.  I've used different programs for that too but would really prefer to use the much nicer SignalCheck Pro.

 

- Trip

[mikejeep]

why not make it a feature for Pro users. when you download the app it uses numbers but you can like go into the settings and enable the mode. possibly with a small description (for legacy users who know what this is) haha

 

Haha we'll see! Maybe the enable/disable option will be a separate easter egg.. who knows..

 

Did you get my e-mails about the CDMA logging issue I've noticed?  I haven't heard from you.  I know it's a busy time of year but after Sunday it will be weeks or months before I can do any testing on it if you want me to.

 

I did see them, sorry I didn't a chance to acknowledge them. I've been trying to poke through the code to see what the issue might be, but haven't seen anything obvious yet. I'm also working on something for the issue where the GCI doesn't immediately populate but I haven't gotten it working yet.

 

If that is about ntelos sites not showing up I noticed it was only sites with BSL showed up in the log. I used a different program when gave you those site info. 

 

Mike if neighbor cell includes PLMN+TAC can you have an option to include the TAC. With the TAC it can decrease the search area for sites since markets can have upto 10 TACs each.

 

Interesting, thank you for sharing -- I will see if the lack of a BSL has a negative effect on the log. I hadn't done any testing like that. Trip is the only one who had reported CDMA logger issues until now.

 

Neighbor cells do not report a TAC, only PCI.. if they included a TAC it would make it much much much easier for me!

 

-Mike

[Flompholph]

It's not just nTelos, but US Cellular and some Verizon sites too.  I've used different programs for that too but would really prefer to use the much nicer SignalCheck Pro.

 

- Trip

I have seen Verizon, US Cellular and nTelos in my logs just no entries where the BSL is blank not sure if that is what you are seeing. It has always been like that I just thought that is the way mike wanted it. Back then there was no strongest signal location only first and last signal location. Which could be miles from the site and not very helpful. I guess now if you have an entree with a blank BSL you can find where it is with strongest_rssi so you can track were sites are.

 

Neighbor cells do not report a TAC, only PCI.. if they included a TAC it would make it much much much easier for me!

 

-Mike

Yeah sorry got confused and hopeful when I saw PLMN-TAC  in the change log. I should know better you have mentioned PCI only about a dozen times. I should of known that you were talking about currently connected lte sites PLMN-TAC and comparing that to the log.

[bakedc4]

Is it also an easter egg to have 3 of my 911 LTE entries show the provider as nTelos but with all the info for my home Sprint tower except the GCI and User Note?

[Trip]

From what I am gathering, it looks like it doesn't log sites without BSLAT/BSLON at all, but if you add a Site Note for it, then it adds a row with a bunch of missing data just to hold the note. 

 

- Trip

[mdob07]

I love how the neighboring cell feature works for all of the 3GPP technologies. 

 

 

[floorguy]

so i am fuzzy on the distance thing......is this suppose to be how far away from you it is???  and direction???

 

also hows about putting the band on the neighbor cell listing???

 

drives me crazy when i see 2 of pci 440 or the like....

 

would work well for picking out band 41 sites to.....

[Dkoellerwx]

so i am fuzzy on the distance thing......is this suppose to be how far away from you it is??? and direction???

 

also hows about putting the band on the neighbor cell listing???

 

drives me crazy when i see 2 of pci 440 or the like....

 

would work well for picking out band 41 sites to.....

Only the PCI and TAC is reported. No way to determine the band.

[mikejeep]

Is it also an easter egg to have 3 of my 911 LTE entries show the provider as nTelos but with all the info for my home Sprint tower except the GCI and User Note?

No.. at least not on purpose! Do you ever connect to nTelos? Not entirely sure what you are saying here.

 

so i am fuzzy on the distance thing......is this suppose to be how far away from you it is??? and direction???

It's showing you the distance between your current location and the location where that cell has the strongest signal logged (theoretically, a reasonably accurate reference to the actual location of the site). The more you drive around with the Site Logger and Location Service enabled, the more accurate your neighbor distances will be. If you only connect to a particular site once, it's probably not going to be a very accurate reflection of that site's location. But if you drive very close to a tower (or manually enter your site coordinates as others have done), those entries would be reliable.

 

-Mike

[bakedc4]

No.. at least not on purpose! Do you ever connect to nTelos? Not entirely sure what you are saying here.

 

 

My home site is co-located with nTelos and depending on where I have my phone it bounces between nTelos EVDO and Sprint B25 and B26. I'll dm the actual log entries.

[blkkatana]

Mike,

Would it be possible to remove the leading space or add a leading zero to the log dates in the future?

example:
" 2-Jan-2015 3:17:20 PM"

"02-Jan-2015 3:17:20 PM"

[mikejeep]

Would it be possible to remove the leading space or add a leading zero to the log dates in the future?

 

example:

" 2-Jan-2015 3:17:20 PM"

"02-Jan-2015 3:17:20 PM"

 

Sure, I will look into it; just to be sure we are on the same page, you are seeing this when you export a log with plain text timestamps, correct? When importing to Excel, conversions are handled by Excel so I cannot control how it appears. And the database itself stores date/time information as seconds from the Unix epoch, not plain text dates.

 

-Mike