[Q] Whats the GPS on Atrix like - Atrix 4G Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Considering buying an ATRIX but I need good GPS, whats locking speed and accuracy like and is it fast even with Data connection off?

I consider it great....but I always have connection on....
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Not sure about with data off, but in regular use its great, and is one of the main reasons I switched from the iPhone. It also seems to calculate real time traffic into your ETA.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

keep mobile data off 85% of the time. almost never use the gps. connects within seconds indoors without downloading data. ive had a g1, droid, and acer iconia tab. this blows them away gps wise.

I was shocked at how fast it connected and started navigating. Last week I tried my g/f's inspire. Took like over 5 mins to lock. My Atrix takes seconds.

The Atrix has a fantastic gps. Even better than my son's low-end Garmin. I used it for a 600-mile trip to Spokane and it never missed a beat. I loaded my route before leaving, and it cached all the maps. Hence, it worked well even in areas without data service. I was so impressed that I bought the car dock when I arrived in Spokane just to have better access to the gps features in the car.

Best GPS on any phone. I have ever used.

mobileweasel said:
Best GPS on any phone. I have ever used.
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same here. but i used to own a galaxy s so really anything is an improvement. locking is super fast & accurate - perfect for all of those golf apps.

The Balvenie said:
same here. but i used to own a galaxy s so really anything is an improvement. locking is super fast & accurate - perfect for all of those golf apps.
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Rofl seriously my captivate gps would have me driving a mile away through houses, driving in one direction while pointing in another direction, and tell me I was accurate to 30m all at the same time. Atrix gps is awesome.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Agreed, i'm very happy with the gps. It didnt occur to me to test without data before but i just tried it.
I went into airplane mode, went into Gps Test app and turned gps on. It immediately located the first satellite and others, and ~6-7 seconds later it had full lock. This is from my 3rd floor office of a 4 floor building.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

GPS is awesome on these phones. I don't know about with the data off though, you have to get maps from somewhere. With Google maps, you can set it to cache your route and that helps if you're in poor service areas. I use mine almost everyday, and all day long, it never misses a step.

I came from the Captivate and I can tell you it's excellent. I get an approximate location within 2-3 seconds, and an accurate location within about 7-8 seconds. And by accurate within 5 feet or about 1.5M. I was surprised how fast and accurate the GPS was on my phone. This was while indoors, I'm sure if you went outside you could lock on a few seconds faster.

I think you have your answer OP.

Keep in mind Google Maps will use the cell towers to get location. Google will even work if you disable the GSP. I use Navigon. I like having the maps on my phone just in case. I also use BackCountry Navigator. Both these programs will only use the GPS. The Atrix GPS is great. I has always lock in 10 12 seconds or less. If you use GPS Status to download the A-GPS XTRA Data, it will lock in 1 to 3 seconds. The Atrix GPS seems to be very accurate also.

I found it to be awesome on froyo and real iffy on gingerbread.

Related

Does your phone get REALLY WARM/HOT after using GPS Navigation?

Does your phone get REALLY WARM/HOT after using GPS Navigation?
Is this normal?
Yes. Very annoying.
Sent from my PG86100 using XDA App
Neo3D said:
Does your phone get REALLY WARM/HOT after using GPS Navigation?
Is this normal?
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Click to collapse
Yes, seems to be fairly normal on this device (at least the CDMA version) as this was also an issue on the Sprint EVO. A lot of power is required to use both the GPS and Data at the same time for a long period of time. Definitely will warm the phone up, especially if you have it connected to a charger.
The power drain from the GPS radio and Data usage (WiFi or Cellular radio) can be more than some chargers supply and leave the device in a power draining state even though it is plugged in while using both of these radios at the same time.
No real work around for this from what I've seen, it seems to be a hardware power consumption issue.
Perhaps there might be some tweaks or tips to mitigate this issue but the best solution I've found is to not use GPS and Data simultaneously for too long ... A good battery and temperature monitoring widget I use to watch this information is the BatteryLife widget for free in the Android Market.
Hope that helps!
Your phone will always get hot when under a lot of use (GPS, YouTube, games, etc)...computers have fans, phones do not
Well, what I do is, I have a nice phone holder (it was originally a gps car holder), and I use it in a way so as the ac vent from the car, blows air directly to the back of the phone, and after that, I never had any more heating problems (even after hours of non stop road use while traveling)
Sent from my Nook Color
@dchamero - that's a good idea
dchamero said:
Well, what I do is, I have a nice phone holder (it was originally a gps car holder), and I use it in a way so as the ac vent from the car, blows air directly to the back of the phone, and after that, I never had any more heating problems (even after hours of non stop road use while traveling)
Sent from my Nook Color
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact, here is a pic of my phone in the car

Best way to get better reception?

So I just moved and had great reception and pulling good speeds on data and all where unused to live. Now I'm pretty much out in the country and my reception has dropped off horribly! Even texts are struggling to go out, would changing radios possibly improve my signal? Any other ideas are appreciated
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
roush427rr said:
So I just moved and had great reception and pulling good speeds on data and all where unused to live. Now I'm pretty much out in the country and my reception has dropped off horribly! Even texts are struggling to go out, would changing radios possibly improve my signal? Any other ideas are appreciated
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
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go to an ATT store and spend 50 bucks on a refurbished microcell. You will be glad you did.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
roush427rr said:
So I just moved and had great reception and pulling good speeds on data and all where unused to live. Now I'm pretty much out in the country and my reception has dropped off horribly! Even texts are struggling to go out, would changing radios possibly improve my signal? Any other ideas are appreciated
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Different modem could improve your signal as well.
Running ICScrewD ROM
+1 on Microcell, got one a month ago,5 bars all the time and you can put 10 numbers on it.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App
Different modem may help.
Microcell might help, but I've seen lots of reports of them acting strange/buggy/having compatibility problems.
A properly installed Wilson amplifier kit may also work - part of it depends - if you are outside, is the reception better? Is it better on your roof?
I have one of Wilson's car kits, and it has greatly exceeded my expectations.
http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electronics-Booster-Vehicle-Profile/dp/B0011GI94Q/ref=cm_cr-mr-title is the kit I have
For home installation you'll need a different setup - higher-gain/higher-power amp, and ideally, use the highest gain antenna you can buy (one of their directional Yagis) on the roof.
Note that Bad Things happen if there is not enough isolation between the inner and outer antennas. A high-gain Yagi will help here, also, if signal is much worse indoors than out, your house is more likely to provide the needed isolation to keep the amp from going nuts.
I have a tin foil that I like to wear when I'm in the country here in AL. If I hold my mouth just right,I get great reception...hard to talk though.
Jank4AU said:
I have a tin foil that I like to wear when I'm in the country here in AL. If I hold my mouth just right,I get great reception...hard to talk though.
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keeptalkinggreece.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/tin-foil-hat.jpg
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Thanks for the suggestions. Personally might try the tin foil in the mouth! Seems like the right thing to do! While I'm at it I'll make sure I wear my hockey spikes, lick all the windows in the house and take the short bus to work!
What exactly does the micro cell do? When your talking modems are you referring to the modem installed on the phone or the physical modem in the house?
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Entropy512 said:
Different modem may help.
Microcell might help, but I've seen lots of reports of them acting strange/buggy/having compatibility problems.
A properly installed Wilson amplifier kit may also work - part of it depends - if you are outside, is the reception better? Is it better on your roof?
I have one of Wilson's car kits, and it has greatly exceeded my expectations.
http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electronics-Booster-Vehicle-Profile/dp/B0011GI94Q/ref=cm_cr-mr-title is the kit I have
For home installation you'll need a different setup - higher-gain/higher-power amp, and ideally, use the highest gain antenna you can buy (one of their directional Yagis) on the roof.
Note that Bad Things happen if there is not enough isolation between the inner and outer antennas. A high-gain Yagi will help here, also, if signal is much worse indoors than out, your house is more likely to provide the needed isolation to keep the amp from going nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A microcell is basically a very small cell tower in your house - it will talk to up to 10 3g devices (does NOT work with 2g only dumb phones unfortunately) that you designate, and it runs all of it's communication to ATTs network through your highspeed internet connection (so yes, you do have to have a working highspeed connection for it to work)
Entropy is correct regarding wackiness of MicroCells - When I first got mine it would not recognize my SGS2 for anything (my Aria, my wife's Cappy, and my wifes SGS2 had no issues). Went through about an hour of troubleshooting with ATT before they had me swap sim cards with my wife - this made both SGS2s show up on the microcell. Swapped sim cards back, and no issues with it talking to my phone after that.
Twice since I've had the MicroCell it lost it's data connection - devices would connect, and voice calls and SMS would work, but no data over the microcell (this isn't a huge issue if you also have wifi, but it causes problems with MMS and the android market). This has been remedied by logging into my ATT account and disconnecting then reconnecting the microcell via the web.
However, the relatively minimal pain this has caused is far outweighed by going from frequent (3 to 5 times in a 10 minute call) dropped calls and poor-ish battery life due to cell radios cranking full blast to retain signal to landline-like call quality with no drops and improved battery life at home.
jivy26 said:
Different modem could improve your signal as well.
Running ICScrewD ROM
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Click to collapse
Jivy is referring to the modem software in the device - and yes a different one might improve your reception.
One thing is, the microcell relies on your Internet connection AND your house having power, but AT&T still charges you for usage even though you are not putting any load onto their spectrum infrastructure at all!
A properly installed bidirectional amp only needs power - and if you want reliability, you can easily battery-backup the system.
The only time a microcell would be better is if your local tower goes completely down but you stilll have power AND internet at home.
Entropy512 said:
One thing is, the microcell relies on your Internet connection AND your house having power, but AT&T still charges you for usage even though you are not putting any load onto their spectrum infrastructure at all!
A properly installed bidirectional amp only needs power - and if you want reliability, you can easily battery-backup the system.
The only time a microcell would be better is if your local tower goes completely down but you stilll have power AND internet at home.
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Just did some quick looking over on amazon, because I was curious about this type of set-up. Looks like about $400-$500 bucks for a home setup? Is that correct, or am I missing something?
Hmm, yeah, that's the other disadvantage - they are more expensive. However they are also carrier-independent.
http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electronics-Booster-Omni-Directional-Antennas/dp/B001R4BTH6 is a full kit at $345, it doesn't have an outdoor yagi though.
http://www.amazon.com/801245-Cellular-Phone-Signal-Booster/dp/B000PD02HI is one of their raw amps, antennas are around $60 each (one internal one external), that one has the directional yagi listed as a "frequently bought together")
Entropy512 said:
One thing is, the microcell relies on your Internet connection AND your house having power, but AT&T still charges you for usage even though you are not putting any load onto their spectrum infrastructure at all!
A properly installed bidirectional amp only needs power - and if you want reliability, you can easily battery-backup the system.
The only time a microcell would be better is if your local tower goes completely down but you stilll have power AND internet at home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T dosent charge me at all for having a microcell. It just pulls from my normal minutes and/or mobile to mobile minutes. I also wasnt charged to get one... I told them where I lived and they said that was a known dead spot and gave me a new microcell for free.
I stopped using it though because I noticed a significant battery drain when I used my microcell with my phones. I first got it with my Captivate but it would drain it within about 5 hours (even untouched) and with my GSII it did the same thing, although not as fast. Id rather have 2 bars and better battery life than 5 bars and a dead phone by 3:00 in the afternoon.
Red5 said:
AT&T dosent charge me at all for having a microcell. It just pulls from my normal minutes and/or mobile to mobile minutes. I also wasnt charged to get one... I told them where I lived and they said that was a known dead spot and gave me a new microcell for free.
I stopped using it though because I noticed a significant battery drain when I used my microcell with my phones. I first got it with my Captivate but it would drain it within about 5 hours (even untouched) and with my GSII it did the same thing, although not as fast. Id rather have 2 bars and better battery life than 5 bars and a dead phone by 3:00 in the afternoon.
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Click to collapse
I don't get a monthly charge for the MicroCell either - I think what Entropy was referring to is that we ARE still using our plan minutes, while NOT using any of ATTs over-the-air infrastructure. If ATT wanted to be nice to us, we should get unlimited talk time on the MicroCell without having to pay extra. But then again, they charge like a bastard for SMS, which should also be free (but that's a whole other argument ). As you said, it is still a benefit, at least for me, because I can now reliably make mobile-to-mobile calls to my house (with unlimited M2M minutes) rather than calling my home VOIP number and using peak minutes.
As far as battery drain goes, the MicroCell is MUCH better on my battery than the 1 bar that I get without it. FWIW, today, I have been at home except for about 2 hours - phone off the charger from 6:30am, so about 8hrs 20 minutes, with about 5 minutes of talk time, 15 min of screen on, Gmail push, and eBuddy XMS (yeah, can't convince my wife that gTalk is just as good and won't kill our batteries - the things we do for love...) and my battery is at 91%, so just over 1% per hour with minimal usage. I'm on Jivy's ICScreweD 1.6.1 with Entropy's 01022012 kernel.
Entropy512 said:
Different modem may help.
Microcell might help, but I've seen lots of reports of them acting strange/buggy/having compatibility problems.
A properly installed Wilson amplifier kit may also work - part of it depends - if you are outside, is the reception better? Is it better on your roof?
I have one of Wilson's car kits, and it has greatly exceeded my expectations.
http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Electronics-Booster-Vehicle-Profile/dp/B0011GI94Q/ref=cm_cr-mr-title is the kit I have
For home installation you'll need a different setup - higher-gain/higher-power amp, and ideally, use the highest gain antenna you can buy (one of their directional Yagis) on the roof.
Note that Bad Things happen if there is not enough isolation between the inner and outer antennas. A high-gain Yagi will help here, also, if signal is much worse indoors than out, your house is more likely to provide the needed isolation to keep the amp from going nuts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this same booster and it works amazing. definitely pricey but it works
So where would I go about finding modems for the phone on here? I am rooted and running he iscrewed rom and really like it opposed to the miui I had run on here before.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
roush427rr said:
So where would I go about finding modems for the phone on here? I am rooted and running he iscrewed rom and really like it opposed to the miui I had run on here before.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you're new Ill help ya out... but next time there is a handy little search function in the top right corner of the screen... it will change your life.
Red5 said:
AT&T dosent charge me at all for having a microcell. It just pulls from my normal minutes and/or mobile to mobile minutes.
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Click to collapse
That is charging you for a microcell. It's YOUR infrastructure, YOUR internet backhaul - but they still charge you as if you were using their infrastructure and backhaul.
Entropy is correct, I called att 2 weeks ago asking about it complaining of poor reception etc. I don't know how long ago you guys had it but as of now its 19.99/month plus cost of device and that's an additional charge on top of current bill.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777
Nizda1 said:
Entropy is correct, I called att 2 weeks ago asking about it complaining of poor reception etc. I don't know how long ago you guys had it but as of now its 19.99/month plus cost of device and that's an additional charge on top of current bill.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777
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Click to collapse
Unless something changed since end of September, the 20 bucks a month charge will get you additional (unlimited maybe, I can't recall details) talk and data over the Microcell. Was definitely NOT required when I bought mine...
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA App

GPS problems with leaked ICS

I've flashed clean and joelz stock, but for three days, GPS cannot locate any better than around 40 meters.
On Meanrom I usually got a lock within 10 metres in a matter of seconds.
Anyone else having this problem?
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2
Haven't seen this problem. My phone's GPS performance actually increased, and locates much faster and much more accurate. It does, however, sometimes pop back and forth between exact location, and a triangulated location using cell towers, and it happens a second apart. It usually fixes itself after a few seconds.
eXplicit815 said:
Haven't seen this problem. My phone's GPS performance actually increased, and locates much faster and much more accurate.
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Click to collapse
Same here, also, on GB my compass was about 50 degrees off, on ics its about 5 off. Overall a significant improvement.
I also have no problem with GPS. Locks quick (less than 5 seconds) with clear open area.
No problem with GPS here...
Mean Tom had a special tweak to improve GPS. Your ics rom does not.
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using Tapatalk 2

how big of a role does wifi play in GPS?

I don't use wifi at all, I have unlimited internet and never need wifi, I only leave it on to improve GPS. we have glonass now, how big of a role does wifi play in fast/accurate locks?
does wifi not being connected to anything really drain that much juice?
also wondering about Bluetooth, I connect it to my car, does it use that much juice? any solutions?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA
When Google drive about doing their street maps they collect data on router and WiFi info and location.
So when you connect to any WiFi and you share location with them, Both Google and your phone know your approx GPS position until GPS locks, and updates this more accurately.
Don't use BT, sorry can't give specific advice there.
Sent from my GT-I9300T using xda premium
soraxd said:
I don't use wifi at all, I have unlimited internet and never need wifi, I only leave it on to improve GPS. we have glonass now, how big of a role does wifi play in fast/accurate locks?
does wifi not being connected to anything really drain that much juice?
also wondering about Bluetooth, I connect it to my car, does it use that much juice? any solutions?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA
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Click to collapse
I don't have my GS3 yet, but on my GN, BT uses next to nothing. Really. I can stream BT audio for hours with the screen off and use very negligible battery stores. I know, not very specific, but it's really light. Nothing like your 3G/4G radios, Display, etc... Especially if it's just connected to your car while your in it and you're not really using it.
Wifi won't give you better accuracy, maybe just improve the time of the initial lock when you start Google maps. It's more useful when you can't get good gps/glonas signal, i.e. indoors.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using XDA
I have had my GS3 since the EU launch and have used BT everyday so far and it uses so little battery it's awesome I clocked in 1 day 22 hours and 37 mins using Bluetooth - wifi - live wallpaper and full brightness the whole time.

[Q] help - running apps

hi, I noticed that when I activate any running apps(runkeeper, mapmyrun etc) with gps and data(3g) , even though im stationery...the app icons(tat represent me) would move around on its own... clocking distance.......is there anything wrong with my omate? what can I do...pls advice.....
rayblade said:
hi, I noticed that when I activate any running apps(runkeeper, mapmyrun etc) with gps and data(3g) , even though im stationery...the app icons(tat represent me) would move around on its own... clocking distance.......is there anything wrong with my omate? what can I do...pls advice.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The TS GPS can be quite good. It is better than my Garmin ForeRunner 305 (still one of the best GPS receivers) 4 out of 5 GPS points or so. Occasionally though, there is a point far off other times the accuracy just decreases some minutes.
With EPO (use MT GPS app) and A-GPS it locks very fast too.
There is a HW problem though, the GPS antenna can snap. But then you will not get a lock at all.
It is normal that GPS units shows speed when still, especially with bad coverage, you have to compare with a known reference GPS to say if the TS is bad/good
There is minimal difference for apps (most only have some smoothing differences)
I believe IpBike is the best running app.
gerhardo said:
The TS GPS can be quite good. It is better than my Garmin ForeRunner 305 (still one of the best GPS receivers) 4 out of 5 GPS points or so. Occasionally though, there is a point far off other times the accuracy just decreases some minutes.
With EPO (use MT GPS app) and A-GPS it locks very fast too.
There is a HW problem though, the GPS antenna can snap. But then you will not get a lock at all.
It is normal that GPS units shows speed when still, especially with bad coverage, you have to compare with a known reference GPS to say if the TS is bad/good
There is minimal difference for apps (most only have some smoothing differences)
I believe IpBike is the best running app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hi, the funny thing is that the distance keep accumulating.......when I havent even started running.
rayblade said:
hi, the funny thing is that the distance keep accumulating.......when I havent even started running.
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It is normal, if you have started timing.
Due to accurracy, the GPS position is not exactly the same everytime, it is like throwing darts.
The GPS can be good.

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