[Q] How to disable both 2G and 3G radios? - Vibrant Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have a Vibrant with no data plan (I'm in Wi-Fi 99+% of the time). How can I turn off both the 2G and 3G radios, both to save battery and to make sure I'm not accidentally charged for using data?
I searched around and there are a ton of apps and widgets to toggle between 2G and 3G or disable 3G (Smoda, APNDroid, etc.), but I haven't found a way to turn both radios off. I also poked around in Service Mode, and the only options I found were to toggle between 2G/3G, not turn the radios off. Any ideas?

Not sure you can. Airplane mode will kill the WiFi too. But the best bet would be to stay on 2G and disable data roaming.

KerryG said:
Not sure you can. Airplane mode will kill the WiFi too. But the best bet would be to stay on 2G and disable data roaming.
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Trigger Airplane mode, slide down notification area, turn wifi back on. Bingo. I do this at School in areas where I get no reception at all but has wifi access.

PaiPiePia said:
Trigger Airplane mode, slide down notification area, turn wifi back on. Bingo. I do this at School in areas where I get no reception at all but has wifi access.
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+1
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Or disable APN, you will still be able to make calls but wont recive 2g or 3g, its a widget
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

Another option would be *#*# info#*#* then go phone information ..scroll down and hit "turn off radio" and your good to go. Or you can hit menu and press "disable data"

chuckbass said:
(Smoda, APNDroid, etc.), but I haven't found a way to turn both radios off.
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APNdroid shuts them off Ive used when i used my vibrant as prepaid to save battery. After you disable you have to reboot

Thanks for the help, everyone! Airplane mode + wifi is perfect.
(About APNDroid: as far as I could tell, it just changes your APN entries to invalid addresses; it doesn't actually turn off the radio. So you can't use 3G, but I was afraid it would still use the radio while searching for the invalid networks. But I don't have a great understanding of HSPDA, so I could certainly be wrong on that.)

just a heads up, airplane mode also disables calling/texting

Yes the radio would still be searching for networks if you disable the apn

If you get the Juice Defender app, it has a "Toggle Mobile Data" widget. It's a nice 1x1 widget that turns off the mobile data radios (but not Wifi). This is the best solution I've found.

Learn something new every day...

Related

View radios

Since I am dropping my sprint service I want to disable the 4g and 3g radios but leave the wifi enabled. The best way I have found so far is to put it into airplane mode and then enable wifi. Is there a better or more permanent method to do this?
ElAguila said:
Since I am dropping my sprint service I want to disable the 4g and 3g radios but leave the wifi enabled. The best way I have found so far is to put it into airplane mode and then enable wifi. Is there a better or more permanent method to do this?
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LTE On/Off from the Android Market provides a shortcut to the radio list; there's a "turn off radio" button at the bottom.
It was intended for use on the Thunderbolt, but works great on any device.
Keep in mind that this does not persist through restart.
Thanks for the info.
I dont have my view yet but I read this on the hero forum
"In the dialer put in *#*#4636#*#* then go into Phone Information then scroll down and select turn off radio."
But instead of the dialer you enter it in the calculator (from what I hear from viperboy). He tested it and it does disable the radio(not sure if just wimax or 3g as well) and I'm not sure if it sticks after a reboot or not or if it leaves Wifi turned on (something I find annoying about airplane mode, having to enable wifi every time I boot)
FYI: if you enter the passcode as !+!+4636+!+! in the calculator, you can indeed turn off the radio. Unfortunately, it comes back on after you reboot. The better option, then, is to keep it in airplane mode and enable the wifi when you need it.
I use the lte program with a shortcut, bt dont work in airplane mode btw.

[TIP] Smart Action: WiFi Connection

Just thought I'd share something that is really working for me in terms of battery life:
Create a smart action that disables cellular data whenever you are connected to a WiFi network.
I have been consistently getting 12+ hours of battery with moderate to heavy use when on only on WiFi.
Thanks for the tip. I will definitely try this.
pdefazio said:
Just thought I'd share something that is really working for me in terms of battery life:
Create a smart action that disables cellular data whenever you are connected to a WiFi network.
I have been consistently getting 12+ hours of battery with moderate to heavy use when on only on WiFi.
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I have the same setup. Also have an action when I turn my screen off it disables wifi, background sync, cell data, and GPS. 12+ hrs here also.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
I was thinking about setting something like that up, but was worried about interference with calls & SMS & junk... Any problems to report?
\\Carved into this thread by my RAZR//
http://android-gz.com
bebeau25 said:
I have the same setup. Also have an action when I turn my screen off it disables wifi, background sync, cell data, and GPS. 12+ hrs here also.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
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Why would you turn data off when screen is off??? Don't make sense doing that.
On mine data turns off the moment I connect to WiFi and that is the way it is supposed to work. Do you see a H, E, or whatever data icon next to the bars when you connect to WiFi? If not, it means data is already off. Why use the smart action then?
IP IHI II IL said:
I was thinking about setting something like that up, but was worried about interference with calls & SMS & junk... Any problems to report?
\\Carved into this thread by my RAZR//
http://android-gz.com
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Calls and SMS you should be fine with because they do not require a data connection.
Szadzik said:
On mine data turns off the moment I connect to WiFi and that is the way it is supposed to work. Do you see a H, E, or whatever data icon next to the bars when you connect to WiFi? If not, it means data is already off. Why use the smart action then?
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IIRC, although a WiFi data connection superceeds a cellular data connection when it is active, the 3G/4G radio is still alive even if it isn't involved in data transfers during that time..
I've certainly noticed improved battery life when on WiFi but explicitly turning the 3G/4G (mobile data) radio off.
jms_uk said:
IIRC, although a WiFi data connection superceeds a cellular data connection when it is active, the 3G/4G radio is still alive even if it isn't involved in data transfers during that time..
I've certainly noticed improved battery life when on WiFi but explicitly turning the 3G/4G (mobile data) radio off.
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+1
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
The only problem i had with this was with MMS messages. can't send or receive MMS.
MrFrankfromCM said:
Why would you turn data off when screen is off??? Don't make sense doing that.
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How not?? Your screen is off and 3G/WiFi is killing your battery for no reason (unless you are downloading or background sync on for a reason), so why not have it off when screen is off and save battery. I still stick with JuiceDefender for this.
jms_uk said:
IIRC, although a WiFi data connection superceeds a cellular data connection when it is active, the 3G/4G radio is still alive even if it isn't involved in data transfers during that time..
I've certainly noticed improved battery life when on WiFi but explicitly turning the 3G/4G (mobile data) radio off.
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1. Data radio is one and the same with your cellular calls radio, so unless you go into flight mode, it is going to be active.
2. If it is not sending or receiving data it is not using more energy than when data is disabled and cellular stays enabled.
Szadzik said:
1. Data radio is one and the same with your cellular calls radio, so unless you go into flight mode, it is going to be active.
2. If it is not sending or receiving data it is not using more energy than when data is disabled and cellular stays enabled.
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Interesting you say that, but I've noticed that as far as the what the phone's reporting via settings/toggle widgets etc.. "mobile data" is still active when WiFi is active (even if its status disappears from the notification bar and no actual mobile data activity is going on).. and, it can be explicitly turned off - leaving you still able to receive calls etc. Perhaps its not turning the
radio "off" per-se, but its definitely seems to be doing something over and above just letting WiFi take precidence for data transactions..
I've definitely noticed an improvement in battery life by doing this, over and above simply turning on and connecting to WiFi and NOT explicity turning mobile data off..
I also noticed that in some older versions/flavours of android (2.1, 2.2) the option to explicitly turn off "Mobile Data" wasn't present, relying instead (I assume) on what you've described above..
Szadzik said:
1. Data radio is one and the same with your cellular calls radio, so unless you go into flight mode, it is going to be active.
2. If it is not sending or receiving data it is not using more energy than when data is disabled and cellular stays enabled.
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I don't believe this is correct. I believe the Wi-Fi chip is independent of the cellular antenna. That is what I have seen in every tear down of the phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
pdefazio said:
I don't believe this is correct. I believe the Wi-Fi chip is independent of the cellular antenna. That is what I have seen in every tear down of the phone.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using xda premium
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Where did I say WiFi radio and cellular radio are in one chip? I said DATA and CALLS chip is one and the same.
I thought that it would be better to bring back an old thread rather than start a new one.
I have a smart action as described in this thread that turns off cellular data whenever I am connected to wifi. However, the problem I have is that cellular data does not turn back on whenever I disconnect from wifi. I have to manually go into my settings and enable data. Has anyone else run into this?
buck i said:
I thought that it would be better to bring back an old thread rather than start a new one.
I have a smart action as described in this thread that turns off cellular data whenever I am connected to wifi. However, the problem I have is that cellular data does not turn back on whenever I disconnect from wifi. I have to manually go into my settings and enable data. Has anyone else run into this?
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I sorta have the same(ish) problem. Data can take a little while to activate after I'm disconnected from WiFi. Every once in a while, I need to turn airplane mode on and off in order for data to turn blue. The fact that MMS messages are disabled with this Smart Action is a little disappointing too, but I don't receive enough while I'm home to be super frustrated by it...
\\Carved into this thread by my RAZR//
http://android-gz.com
I think the problem is to do with Smart actions not returning your device back to the exact state it was in before the action was triggered.. Possibly also issues with other smart actions interfering with the state of other parameters..
I wonder why Moto didn't go with an 'exit action' approach used by apps like Tasker?

Remove 3g/4g

I have a evo view 4g and its not in service. Ide like to save battery by completely disabling the 3g/4g support. Is there a cwm package or something in the system I could remove to disable the radio?
If you just un-check mobile data it turns the 3g/4g radio off..
voldomart13 said:
I have a evo view 4g and its not in service. Ide like to save battery by completely disabling the 3g/4g support. Is there a cwm package or something in the system I could remove to disable the radio?
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I run my View in airplane mode and then just manually turn the WiFi on and off.
No it still searches for signal thats what the bars are on the status bar. So in essence its still using power to search for a cell signal to connect to. Doing that stops data connection but it doesnt turn the radio off. You can do that on a phone but going through dial info thing. On our tablet you cant just do that it has no dialer.
voldomart13 said:
No it still searches for signal thats what the bars are on the status bar. So in essence its still using power to search for a cell signal to connect to. Doing that stops data connection but it doesnt turn the radio off. You can do that on a phone but going through dial info thing. On our tablet you cant just do that it has no dialer.
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It helps if you use the Quote function so we know to whom you are replying.
Look, in airplane mode my View does not search for signals. Airplane mode has to stop the radio, that is what it is for. I'll take a look at my View tonight, but I don't think I have any bars on my status bar, since I keep it in airplane mode all the time.
EDIT: If the radio is indeed still on, HTC has a serious problem in integrating hardware and Android.
Ok, I'm on my view now and there is no signal strength icon. Turn on airplane mode to shut down the modem.
Sent from my HTC View somewhere in LALA land
Have a look in here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1518326

Help with toggling 3G to GSM

Hey guys my s3 is great except every night when I get home I need to manually go into my mobile network settings and set it to GSM rather than Auto. Reason for this is at home at night my 3G drains my battery immensely. I'm currently running omega 27.9 with root but this also happened on stock.
I'd like to find a way to either set it up by toggle through a widget, or through taster somehow. This is different from just turning off 3G data because the voice component will still search for the 3G network, I want to find a way to actually set voice and data to GSM hopefully automatically (perhaps screen off for 10 minutes?)
I had look at tasker but it could only toggle the data network.
Thanks!
cyrax83 said:
Hey guys my s3 is great except every night when I get home I need to manually go into my mobile network settings and set it to GSM rather than Auto. Reason for this is at home at night my 3G drains my battery immensely. I'm currently running omega 27.9 with root but this also happened on stock.
I'd like to find a way to either set it up by toggle through a widget, or through taster somehow. This is different from just turning off 3G data because the voice component will still search for the 3G network, I want to find a way to actually set voice and data to GSM hopefully automatically (perhaps screen off for 10 minutes?)
I had look at tasker but it could only toggle the data network.
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think HD widgets has a switch widget to toggle between 2G and 3G.
Go to Settings>Mobile Networks>Network Mode>GSM
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium

[Q] Toggle mobile data radios?

When I am at home on wifi, and even with "mobile data" turned off, I still have a 4G LTE icon in my status bar. Does this mean the cellular data radios are still on and drawing power? If so, how can I truly turn off the cellular data radios (but keep the cell radio for voice on)?
Note: I did see the *#*#4636#*#* trick, but I'm hoping for something much simpler, ideally a toggle widget. My phone is rooted but I do not want a custom ROM.
(Apologies if this question has already been answered, but I wasn't able to find it through searching.)
It should do that automatically, mine does.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

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