mikejeep

Virtualbot already jumped on this (thanks!); see here for more info: http://www.bluelinepc.com/signalcheck/help/#rootreset -Mike

I couldn't find any reports from you; if you didn't have a data connection, it would not have been able to send anyway. I don't have my EVO LTE handy at the moment, but I know there is a "Use Mobile Data" toggle in the settings somewhere.. make sure that is enabled. Otherwise, it seems like your phone is not fully activated or programmed for data, and you should contact Ting. I'm not sure what needs to be changed to make it work on Ting instead of Sprint, but it sounds like it's not authenticating on EV-DO. Seems like the app is accurately reporting your situation; when I take my EVO off my account, it will show accurate signal strength but "Unregistered", and no data will flow. -Mike

I just saw your report, but it was only a bunch of junk that LG fills the log with, pushing the useful information out of the buffer. I will email you later this week to figure out a way to get what I need. Unfortunately most of these security measures are not able to be bypassed by an app like mine--which makes sense, because that would make these measures worthless. I will try to explain my interpretation of the process for those who may be interested.. grab some popcorn and have a seat: Android permissions are used to secure certain functions. Users are able to see the permissions an app requests at install time to make sure it's not going to do something unexpected/sneaky/dirty. Once a user reviews the permissions and proceeds with the installation, then the system does some checks. If the app is not signed as a system app, any permissions that are restricted to system-level apps are stripped out of the app before it is installed. The user cannot control this; it is handled by the system in whatever manner the ROM developer chose. The only way to make an app a system-level app is to sign it with the same key the ROM was signed with. (Because I believe these permissions are stripped at install time, I don't even think converting SignalCheck into a system app with a utility like Titanium Backup would do the trick. I have not tested this theory, so I could be wrong.) Some manufacturers have started requiring new permissions to execute some functions, like launching engineering screens or accessing internal signal data. It is fairly easy to find these functions, so as I learn what is required, I add the new permissions into SignalCheck. However, some of these permissions are starting to be flagged system-only; therefore, as described above, they are stripped out of the app. So when the app tries to execute one of these privileged functions, it does not have the proper permissions and is denied. The best example of this in SignalCheck is the loss of the Reset function in Android 4.2+. The ability to control Airplane Mode was moved behind a system-level permission, so access to it is prohibited. I did develop a workaround that uses root commands to force airplane mode in a different manner. It's a bit of a hack, but it works as long as the device is rooted. Airplane mode just happens to have an alternate method to control it that is not (yet) protected by a system permission. The same cannot be said for any of the other blocked features, at least not that I have been able to find. -Mike

PCI and TAC are new, that's great! The display isn't perfect, but at least the data is there. I have an EVO LTE so I should be able to grab the beta update and get that cleaned up at some point. Pleasantly surprised that HTC is putting effort into updating a relatively old device (by technology standards). -Mike

The "Unregistered" means that the device is reporting that it isn't registered on the network.. i.e. the phone is not activated. If it is actually activated, and it's working fine, there is probably a bug in the device's radio software causing that to be displayed. Is that an EVO LTE? If you hit About > Send Diagnostics, perhaps it will give me some insight as to what the issue might be. You can also try making sure that mobile location services are enabled in the device's Settings menu; disabling that causes weird bugs that vary by device and ROM. The "Click for map.." instead of an address is either due to no data connection to translate the location into a street address, or an Android bug which causes the geocoding background service to stop working. Rebooting your phone will fix that. (see here for details: http://www.bluelinepc.com/signalcheck/help/#bslstuck) -Mike

A lot of the newer devices are blocking access to launch the system screens from third-party apps like mine, so I might not be able to do much.. try going to About > Send Diagnostics after you try them, it will send me the error details. Or if you prefer, logcat output would work if you have that set up also. Thanks, -Mike

Either one is fine unless you sometimes use non-CDMA providers. "LTE" is the equivalent of changing your radio to LTE/CDMA mode and "Global" is LTE/GSM/CDMA mode. It won't negatively affect anything if you have it set to Global on Sprint. -Mike

Just to be clear.. you were not connecting to WiMAX with your Nexus 5. It isn't capable of doing so. -Mike

Can you provide an example of a GCI that does this? I have been testing CSV exports for my own app and have not come across this yet. -Mike

I went into a local corporate store before my N5 arrived in November; they knew what I needed, but weren't too certain about how they were supposed to give it to me.. a tech eventually came out from the back room with one he folded up in a little piece of paper and just sent me on my way. I believe that now the procedure is they are supposed to "sell" it to you for free through their system, so they probably need the phone activated so the SIM sale can be properly recorded on your account. I don't think it has anything to do with where you bought it, they just need to keep track of their inventory if a SIM is going out the door. Plus, it prevents those who are less savvy from generating a support call to Customer Care later blaming the store for not helping them get their phone working. -Mike

It definitely varies by market, but I haven't seen any evidence pointing to a consistent pattern where you can positively say that one vendor's sites do or do not broadcast offset coordinates, regardless of NV status. If there is a pattern, it is more market- or contactor-specific. There are certainly many examples likes yours though, where the exact locations have started broadcasting once the NV equipment went online. I've wondered if this was intentional or not, but it certainly makes things a bit easier for those who go tower hunting. -Mike

Welcome! Unlock the bootloader first; it forces a factory reset after you do that, so anything you do before it will just end up being a waste of time. Rooting and flashing a custom recovery can be done whenever you want after that. It doesn't matter if you put the SIM in before unlocking it or not, so you could unlock it now and then start using the phone on Wi-Fi until your SIM arrives. You should be able to activate it on Sprint (or Ting) without a SIM, but you will not be able to connect to LTE. Once you have the SIM, you will need to provide them with the serial number to activate that. I'm not sure if installing a custom recovery will stop OTAs, but even if it does, they are often uploaded to sites like xda-developers.com very quickly, so you will not be missing out on anything. In fact, I usually get them from XDA before my phone receives anything automatically. The only issue with an OTA on a rooted device is that it requires the /system folder to be stock, so if you made changes in there, you will need to undo them (or flash the stock system image) before applying a regular OTA. It is rather simple to do this stuff on the N5, but if you are concerned, you can play it safe and only unlock your bootloader now and hold off on anything else until after the Spark update rolls out. Unlocking the bootloader does not change anything except for allowing access to root and/or install a custom recovery. -Mike

Did you try going into LTE-only mode yet? You should be able to hold LTE there. The "Spark" update for the Nexus 5 was promised this quarter, so that means by March 31. I believe it is the only Spark-capable device left without the update, so hopefully that helps focus the effort. The eCSFB software update is for sites, not devices. As others have said, the exact timeframe when that happens varies, but it is a relatively quick process so it is more common for it to happen sooner rather than later. If you waited 3 years for LTE, it is probably worth hanging on to your N5 and waiting for the necessary updates in your area. You will be much better off in the long run. -Mike

My name is Mike and I've been a S4GRUaholic for 2 years.. -Mike

You're wrong. LTE sites do not broadcast their location. Not on Sprint or any other wireless provider on the planet. It is not part of the protocol. -Mike

It's more like that will only work if you are in a rural area with very sparse coverage; in a majority of markets, there is always a possibility of connecting to multiple sites at the same time, depending on the capability of your device. You can be connected to Site A for 1X (voice) and Site B for EV-DO (data), and they could be a few miles away in opposite directions. Site C could have LTE and jump in the mix as well, and be in a different direction. Only CDMA 1X sites broadcast a location. It's part of the protocol. There is no comparable provision in any other mobile technology (including EV-DO, eHRPD, LTE, or any of the WCDMA flavors). Unless you have a network map like others have referred to in the sponsor areas here, the only way to find sites is to seek them out. Drive around and follow the signals until they lead you to a site, make a note of it, and drive around some more. If you see better than -80 dB RSRP, you are very close to an LTE site. Sensorly.com can give you a rough idea of where the strongest signals may be, but that also depends on users mapping out that data. -Mike

Haha nope.. desire to spend as little as possible for used test devices on eBay problem.. I don't have a Manning problem. I enjoyed the game last night very much! -Mike

Oh I know that, but I force my Nexus 5 to onto CDMA quite often for testing. I'm sure its excellent RF performance doesn't force a scan for 800 often. I was out with a group of iSheep on Big Red the other night who were commenting on Sprint's "terrible" network. I got the last laugh when I pointed out that I was the only one on LTE at the time. -Mike

If I was trying to do that, I would point out that I have several phones on my desk these days.. honestly nothing to be too jealous of though. Only the N5 is usually active, the rest are just for app testing. The EVO was my prior daily driver, the others are mostly older devices with shattered screens. -Mike

I do.. can't I have more than one? I have the stock PRL on my N5; I don't think I have ever seen it connect to CDMA 800. I still use my EVO LTE occasionally, and it has practically lived on 800 for several months as sites went live around here. digiblur's secret sauce works well. -Mike

Oh dear, my bad! Sorry for spreading misinformation. Whenever I have been on a call initiated on 800, it drops when I travel beyond 800 coverage. It always appears to switch to 1900 immediately after. I thought that was normal.. good to know it's not! So why does that happen on my EVO LTE? -Mike

Well, even if it did detect that, switching you to 800 while talking on the phone would cause the call to drop anyway... EDIT: I'm spreading lies, ignore this.. -Mike

The rattle could be either a loose power button (supposedly tightened up on later production runs) or the OIS from the camera. Seems like those who find it most annoying are experiencing the button rattle. So many people have posted about it online that I assume it must be more blatant than I can imagine. Reports of it sounding as loud as "coins jingling" seem a bit extreme. Here's one thread; there are many others: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2512945 -Mike

Thanks for the help, guys! But, you provided me with evidence I did not want to see.. the KitKat update for the One implements security measures that prevent SignalCheck from obtaining the LTE GCI or EV-DO sector ID as it has done on most HTC devices until now. And the phone still does not report any LTE data through the built-in functions added in Android 4.2. Interestingly, the app is not blocked from getting the LTE frequency. I will drop a note to HTC, but any progress down that road will likely take awhile. Unfortunately, there isn't much else that I can do. -Mike

Thank you guys, hmm.. davidtm, could you confirm you see an LTE GCI? And could each of you hit About > Send Diagnostics while connected to LTE? It should show me what's up. Thanks for the help! -Mike