Hi there..
I am generally very happy with my S2, which i purchased from Phones 4 U in England, and is using Vodafone sim.
I am a noob unfortunately, but i do know what Wifi is, and i know that when i am connected to my home wireless network, i can browse online (stock or dolphin browser) use the FB app, and marketplace etc all nice and smooth.
The problem appears to be when i am not connected to a Wifi network, it is usually very very slow do display data, and more often than not, it will say "unable to connect", or "there was a problem".
Also, how important is the fact that i bought in the UK? my phone says..
GT-I9100
2.3.3
I9100xxKE7 (baseband v.)
(kernel v.) 2.6.35.7-I9100XWKF3-CL276555 [email protected] #2
Build number GINGERBREAD.XWKF3
It is a great phone apart from when i'm out and about data is rubbish! I am on a £36 a month contract.
Google maps/navigation also slow to find me. maybe cause i'm in the countryside at the start of my journey?
many thanks for any help from geniuses and sorry if this answer is well known/ already there... it's just that many questions seem to relate to korean/US/non UK versions. regards
You mentioned you are in the countryside, chances are the signal is bad it's always usually city's who have the best signal i highly doubt it's anything to do with your SGSII.
ps - i purchased my SGSII in the UK and have never had any major issues with it.
Wow, back to basics eh? Well, the speed of your mobile network depends on the coverage in your area. Generally if you're in the UK countryside, you're probably looking at GPRS, which is painfully slow.
Go to http://www.vodafone.co.uk/vodafone-uk/personal-coverage/ enter your postcode and choose "Internet and email", if it's "Slow speed", that's where your problem lies.
It's not a problem with the Samsung Galaxy S II, or with Android, it's probably a problem with your network operator.
im on the london/kent borders, can only really get 2g in my flat but outside the signal is fine. like others have said it will be because you are in a rubbish signal area, or you have put the phone into 2g only mode. Also you cant compare your wifi speed with normal signal speed. Until we start getting 4g rolled out it will always be slower
well many thanks for quick replies. The vodafone signal map thing states that i have yeah either variable or rubbish signal. I knew this would be the case around here... just well... thought my Galaxy was some kind of nex gen super phone. Just what kind of network do Voda think they're running here man?
Cheers guys
Luckylewie said:
just well... thought my Galaxy was some kind of nex gen super phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is but it cant magic up a signal that isnt there
a ferrari could cost you £200,000 but still needs petrol to run
Related
I have read somewhere that some people are experiencing their data connection to freeze or have idle times even with good reception.
Now I have never had an Aussie firmware, in particular the modem part of the firmware which I believe is the part related to the phone performance?????
I have tried disabling and enabling the fast dormancy. Turning off data and enabling it again fixes the problem. The hang isn't permanent so things like email, syncing, weather all update fine, its just web pages can sit loading for ages or time out with no acitivity shown. But try again a few minutes later and the internet is super quick without the reception of tower changing.
Does anyone else with Optus Australia, or vodafone or telstra for that matter, have the data stalling issue? What exact modem version are you using?
Yeah i think this is actually related to Optus's network.
I have scrubbed my phone and applied the XXKH3 firmware and it seems a bit better to me. I also disabled Fast Dormancy.
Simmo3D said:
Yeah i think this is actually related to Optus's network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have too agree with Simmo3D the current state of not just optus is abysmal.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the NBN it should is ease the congestion that we have been having to deal with because of the explosion of people updateing there facebook status.
Also we have both telstra and vodafone putting in new 850MHZ tower which can handle a much larger amount of traffic which means the Que time or "Idle time" will be reduced.
I had wondered about it being Optus... but turning data off and back on straight away seems to fix it instantly so wondering whether it isn't because of congestion otherwise it wouldn't always fix the problem temporarily .... but I am no expert. It isn't a slow down, its a complete stop with no data going either way. Occasionally it will sit there sending permanently but that isn't always the case when it stalls.
I am not disagreeing just trying to confirm whether this is definately optus or something else related ot the wrong modem component for optus network.
I never noticed this on my previous phone (i8000 on win mo and alos a buggy android port) but to be honest I didn't really play around on the net so much because I didn't have anywhere near this amount of data I have now and it wasn't as appealing to play round with online....
Were either of you on Optus with another phone you used data on a lot? Did that experience the same stalling of data.
no problems on telstra here
My dad is optus and has the same issue on his phone. Me and my gf are on Vodafone and have a slight issue but not as bad becuase were mainly on the new network. Telstra finally turned on QoS so there is no problem on that network.
Remember there are 800 open cases with the ombudsman over optus's delivery of service.
There are tweaks to the build.prop file to mitigate phone issues but won't help as much as if optus fixed there infrastructure
Sent from my GT-I9100T using xda premium
Thanks all. Looks like concensus says optus is the main culprit and i don't need to head down the flashing of a typical optus modem firmware with my imported phone to fix these dramas. Thankfully its not all the time so I can live with the slight frustrations at times. At least the voice calls aren't doing the same thing...
Was reading 2 articles this morning that you might like.
http://m.itwire.com/it-industry-news/deals/49770-optus-to-use-huawei-for-700mhz-lte-trial
http://m.itwire.com/business-it-news/networking/49768-optus-announces-lte-rollout-for-2012
Sent from my GT-I9100T using xda premium
As far as I know there is a known bug in the phones software that stalls data transfers when switching between 3g and h. The fix is to lock the phones data out of h.
To do this use the stock phone dialpad and key in *#301279#
Select option 2
Select option 1
Then use menu key and go right back or end.
Should not be using h network now and your stalling should be fixed.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Try the Irish Modem stronger locks .
jje
There was a problem with my SII. I returned it to Samsung and they made an upgrade to something they didnt tell me.
The phone now works as a GSM normal phone also. The reception is great. 3G and H is available as my previous phone
Please close the thread
Thank you all
Dear all
After reading a lot the threads I decided to make this post. Sorry if this matter had been answered somewhere else for this phone.
Before I had a TD2, later a Nokia 5800.
I bought SII before a week
When I go to the places where I had GSM signal or 3G, I noted that with the SII the gsm signal is comperative with my old phones very weak (TD2 better than 5800), even not existing.
Many times I am not able to operate the phone at all since gsm is missing.
Seems like there is a lack of sensitivity to the gsm module of the SII.
I 'm using the factory 2.3.3
If you think that there is a software or ROM that can make more sensitive the phone please tell me so
Beyond that the phone is great
Seems that is only me having this problem
network??
is the gs2 on the same network as your previous phones??
take it back and say its faulty?
i dont no mine is a great signal except for where my network provider says it isnt luckily for me thats at home so no signal at home for me lol
Of course its in the same network, my home, my office is at the same place..... hopefully
The reception of SII lacks from 5800 which is worst than TD2,
The SII stopped recognizing the SD card....
So I returned the SGS2 to the service of Samsung. I 'm gonna take it back in a week.
Meanwhile I use my old Nokia 5800, which, since I go to the same places again and again it really has a much better signal and almost never looses the 3G or H.
Comparing to my damaged i9100 it has a much better reception in GSM.
I will let you know when Samsung returns me my phone.
Since I was looking a lot for the reception problem in the internet, mostly I read that there is also a low reception of the Wifi, which I didnt notice....
There was a problem with my SII. I returned it to Samsung and they made an upgrade to something they didnt tell me.
The phone now works as a GSM normal phone also. The reception is great. 3G and H is available as my previous phone
Please close the thread
Thank you all
A lot of text further below, but a simple question or two I would be interested to get a response to: anyone else on the Three UK network noticed any signal issues and performance problems from new to recently? Did you find an answer that made sense? Did you receive one or two Samsung firmware updates from the day the Pebble Blue arrived (on 9th June I think?)
----
I've had a good read through some similar threads here and elsewhere, but there is no gold standard answer so far that makes sense to me or anyone it seems. I have many thoughts running through my mind being new to Android coming from iPhone 4.
Phone is the S3 on Three UK network on the Dorset coast, typical signal strength at home is 3 of 4 bars and it now seems to cycle from H to either H+ or 3G, (but I could have sworn that I had more H+ when new?)
Initially Speedtest gave me a download of 6Mbps which knocked the socks off my O2 iphone (2Mbps), but over the past week/ten days I'm lucky to get 1Mbps at home (at work it has dropped from 1Mbps to 0.1) I've also had phone call issues where I can't hear them, but they can hear me (I know, it could be my provider, but I've checked their website daily and no issues are reported) and this is often with three or four bars. The amount of times websites can't load is frustrating and my other half's Blackberry seems to have no issue on Three. Data roaming is also set up.
Other threads have made me wonder about the firmware update. I know could flash, but there's no suggestion that this works. I also read somewhere that there should have been two updates for me, one at 21MB (which I downloaded) and a second at 31MB, which I have never seen or found OTA or on Kies.
Any opinions appreciated.
The problem is most likely the same as mine.
Since 22 May Three can roam 3g data (not just 2g calls/txts) onto the Tmobile/Orange network. Problem is if the nearest (strongest signal) cell is TMob/O it may well have a much lower bandwidth plus congestion which will dramatically affect internet useage. My dl speeds have gone from 5-6 mb down to 250kb with frequent timeouts. Unfortunately this doesnt constitute a network problem as far as Three are concerned, in fact they are [email protected]@ters because they have just told me thay have been trying to contact me for days re this on my landline number when I have never had a landline number to give them!!
Atb
Chris
SSThing said:
The problem is most likely the same as mine.
Since 22 May Three can roam 3g data (not just 2g calls/txts) onto the Tmobile/Orange network. Problem is if the nearest (strongest signal) cell is TMob/O it may well have a much lower bandwidth plus congestion which will dramatically affect internet useage. My dl speeds have gone from 5-6 mb down to 250kb with frequent timeouts. Unfortunately this doesnt constitute a network problem as far as Three are concerned, in fact they are [email protected]@ters because they have just told me thay have been trying to contact me for days re this on my landline number when I have never had a landline number to give them!!
Atb
Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Chris, that all makes sense given what I've experienced and picked up in parts elsewhere. I am guessing that Orange are the other carrier as when I check available networks they do not show up, but instead a "second" Three network does (which does not allow a connection).
Having said that my DL speeds only changed since about mid June?
Not impressed
http://everythingeverywhere.com/
http://forums.reghardware.com/forum/1/2012/05/23/ee_network_intergration/
Im not impressed either. Whole reason for signing up on the One Plan was to do away with my landline (which I did as soon as I confirmed I was getting better dl from my phone). Now I am lucky if I can look at more than two or three webpages before my connection times out, BBCIplayer, 4od and other streaming sites are completely out of the question, as is the updating of my phone with CM9 or updating maps or other large file downloads.
As I have mentioned though, this does not constitute a problem as far as Three are concerned, increased coverage is their priority, they dont ACTUALLY want us to be using up data bandwidth. I have spoken at length to Ericsson who maintain the network who have confirmed the issue I am having, I mentioned to them I was considering cancelling my contract and swapping to TMobile and even they said no point, the issue ISNT with Three, its the fact I am connecting to the closest cell which is Tmob/O. I am quite rural and for years the ONLY network available here was Orange, so naturally most people around here are on Orange (who as we know only offer very restricted data allowances anyway). But all the Tmob/O customers are hogging the bandwidth with their FaceBooking and stuff leaving nothing for me, lol.
Atb
Chris
I am also having this problem. I've had two SGS3s on Three and they're both been the same.
The thing is, my wife's is the same on Orange. I see a lot of other users are having this problem.
I'm browsing the Internet, with 'H', then it goes to '3G' and it just drops out. Phone calls are choppy at best. I can stream video for about a minute before it drops out.
Not impressed.
Hi Guys,
I thought I was going mad, I'm using a galaxy note and at the beginning I thought it was an issue with the phone.
I've had 4-6mb speeds going down to 1-1.5mb and upload speed not going above 100k and dropping, thus making voip telephony or skype virtually impossible.
I called up their tech support they tried to bull**** me with all kinds of excuses, I then told them I have a note a nexus and also tried the sim card on a sony p tablet all of them have the same issue, disgusting speeds.
Something is wrong with their network and this happened suddenly around the 25th of June around the Hampshire area.
I'm thinking about complaining to ofcom and see what happens... not happy
Hi All,
I am having a strange problem with my S2 since last few months. I am from Mumbai, India and using Airtel network. There is a spot in my apartment which has very poor network reception of Airtel and I face issues whenever my cell is in that spot for a while. It happens that whenever I take my cell in that area, it starts losing signal bars till no bars are highlighted on the status bar at the top. It keeps showing zero bars but does not show "no signal" icon. Then, after keeping my cell in that spot for a while when I bring it in a better connectivity spot, signal bars start increasing and it appears that my cell has better reception again. However, if anyone tries to call me or I try to call anyone, they get "Out of coverage area" message or I get "Network registration failed" message respectively. I am having this problem since the day I started using Airtel and have tried a lot of remedies but only thing that works is rebooting my cell. I have tried using OpenSignal app to reset my connection whenever my cell comes back from the spot but even that fails to revive it and ultimately I have to reboot.
Has anyone faced such an issue and any ideas about a fix? Does it look like an issue with my cell or could it be an issue with my network provider? I would prefer not to root my S2 since I have 3 years warranty on it but if you think that it's the only way out of this, please let me know your opinion.
Thanks.
Sounds like a carrier issue to me. You pretty much said exactly that yourself when you said 'There is a spot in my apartment which has very poor network reception of Airtel and I face issues whenever my cell is in that spot for a while'.
That's normal in many buildings. Particularly if the network coverage in your area is borderline or poor. I have a similar issue in my house, in a few rooms I get no bars & sometimes coverage drops out completely, whereas in my loungeroom/dining/kitchen at the back of the house I get good coverage (for me, anyways).
You could try different modems, which might improve things. You don't have to be rooted to flash these, you can flash them using Odin. Tho it is easier to flash them with CWM if you're rooted.
I use to had the same issue with my 3 carrier at my desk in the office, and still on 2g services. I but since last month they already improved to hsdpa network added more bts and now my blank spot became H.
Yes you may try to change other service providers
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Thanks for your suggestions guys. Yes, it might be only related to the carrier. But, I think that if signal goes down to zero and then when my cell is back in better coverage zone, shouldn't the modem take care of network registration by itself? My problem is that it doesn't. I have to reboot my cell every time after I come to know that my cell is showing signal bars but is not actually registered on the network. If I reboot my cell, everything becomes normal and so if it was just an issue with the carrier, shouldn't it continue like that even after reboot? If I think about it logically, I think following should help me out:
1. Try out a different cell for a few days and see if I face this issue or not.
2. If answer to 1 is no, then try out different modems on my S2 and see if that helps.
Actually, I just wanted to check if anyone else has faced this issue and figured out that something is not right with S2 drivers or something? That would help me with quick resolution of my problem.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Yep, your logic is sound ;-)
One thing tho. With regard to trying your sim out in another phone, you have to keep in mind the radio hardware is obviously different in different phones. And what that means is (and this is something I've observed on XDA), chances are you'll find the sim works perfectly in the other phone & you have no issues at all. This might be due to the actual equipment your carrier is using in the cell tower(s) you're close to, also the frequencies that gear is using might also be playing a part in your problems.
So definitely try it out in another phone & see what happens, but you could do worse than try out a bunch of modems in the S2 & see if that improves things.
crypticlight said:
1. Try out a different cell for a few days and see if I face this issue or not.
2. If answer to 1 is no, then try out different modems on my S2 and see if that helps.
Actually, I just wanted to check if anyone else has faced this issue and figured out that something is not right with S2 drivers or something? That would help me with quick resolution of my problem.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are carrier issues, and maybe even the material of the constructions, in my house there are rooms where there's almost no signal at all, and in the living room it's ok, you should try to see in which tower you are connected maybe thats the problem
I have also had these problems on various networks here in Australia. If you don't need the data network, you could try using 2G only option. But that's not really a fix, is it? I suggest you try a pre-paid SIM from another network provider, to test them out first, before re-contracting.
Good luck. :fingers-crossed:
MistahBungle said:
One thing tho. With regard to trying your sim out in another phone, you have to keep in mind the radio hardware is obviously different in different phones. And what that means is (and this is something I've observed on XDA), chances are you'll find the sim works perfectly in the other phone & you have no issues at all. This might be due to the actual equipment your carrier is using in the cell tower(s) you're close to, also the frequencies that gear is using might also be playing a part in your problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was also thinking about it. It could be the combo of cell tower and S2 that are not liking each other that well.. And, if that's the case, I really hope that the issue can be resolved by switching modem drivers. I will have to do some what-ifings to nail this down now.
I like the other suggestion by HotrodHarry on trying out 2G only option - not the best way out but will help me in zeroing down on the cause.
Hi all! First post in the Alpha section... Got my Alpha the other day. And i love all about it. But there is one thing thats gets me wondering. It's the reception. All my previous phones got good reception at home.. i get 1-2 bars. So my question is. Does anybody experience this issue? I have experienced SMS delays and chipped calls.
Location : Sweden
Provider : Telenor
Look at actual signal strength in dBm. Bars are arbitrary and vary from phone to phone.
phositadc said:
Look at actual signal strength in dBm. Bars are arbitrary and vary from phone to phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, i have.. it's lite around -110 .. My Z2 had around -70 to -80 in the same region..
pattsy said:
Yeah, i have.. it's lite around -110 .. My Z2 had around -70 to -80 in the same region..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. That's a bit concerning... Huge difference.
phositadc said:
Ah ok. That's a bit concerning... Huge difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could just be a faulty device... I'll try replacing my sim first. If that's the issue.
If that's not working. I'll have it replaced.
Edit: Had my sim replaced. Still experiencing bad reception. It goes as low as -105dbm... where my z2 had around -70 (same network, same location)... that's bad. Any ideas what I can do to solve this?
Yeah keep me updated - my Alpha also seems to have noticeably weaker reception than my iPhone on 4G (800mhz band).
Hoping its a modem firmware/software power output thing and not a hardware thing.
Same here, looks like the reception is 1-2 bars worse than other phones.
But I have no experience of delayed SMS or failed calls and the speeds on internet is very good.
Location: Sweden
Provider: Telia
seem like Iphone 4s signal problem with metal frame blocking antena-reciver,hmmm
Signal problems
Hi, I'm on my second Alpha and first sim, I have an alternative sim yet to try but have chated on Twitter with another user who found no improvement with a new sim and changed phones completely. I'm with three. My signal goes completely when I'm sitting with other three users whose phones work fine. I think it's a phone fault and am considering sending it back now.
Hi guys,
I noticed something interesting with my Alpha:
As you, I have a poor signal strength. But when calling someone then the signal bar jump to full force instantly!
Could it be a link with BIG little technology?
KiDimel said:
Hi guys,
I noticed something interesting with my Alpha:
As you, I have a poor signal strength. But when calling someone then the signal bar jump to full force instantly!
Could it be a link with BIG little technology?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, for those who have the same problem, I deactivated the 4G. Then the signal strength is better. I made the test: 2 bars with 4G enabled in network settings, full signal when 3G only.
As a possible future Alpha owner, question.
Are you on a USA Network with the Qualcomm Alpha ?
Or in Europe on Exynos Octacore ?
robertkoa said:
As a possible future Alpha owner, question.
Are you on a USA Network with the Qualcomm Alpha ?
Or in Europe on Exynos Octacore ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using a european Exynos one
The alpha is my second LTE able phone. Both showed a completely different signal bar reading when using LTE (and checking in lecture, how Signal strength is meassured for GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/LTE it shows, that LTE uses a completely revised scheme to calculate the signal strength)
I haven't made any speed measurements yet, but my feeling is:
(4G) With LTE, even without any highlighted bar i can use internet, webpages load fast, other lookups work.
(3G,3.5G) With H/H+ , and at least 1 bar highlighted, internet works
(2.5G) Edge and at least 1 to two bars, internet is available... three bars are better for it to be worthwhile
(2G) G only - forget it. I'll need 4 bars to surf the web, and i must wait. Chat works if i'm lucky and got at least 1-2 bars.
Apart from that: the signal bars in 2G and 3G show the strength of the signal - but aren't any measure of the quality of the signal. They show anything that sends on the frequency/timeslot of the 2G/3G signal you're receiving. If you've got heavy interferences, you'll get full bars but it all is static.
(Like - in a disco, you've got loud music, and people speaking very loudly to you - that would be full bars, but not the best place to speak to each other....)
I don't understand exactly what the value used by 4G exactly means, but it sounds like it only represents the LTE cell you do want to receive - so it should be more accurate and cutting out the noise somehow
I think you're right ! This is my feeling too. In 4G calls are always perfect for me even with one bar.
In settings we can also have a more accurate highlight on to the signal strength in Db.
Guys this alpha is full of mysteriousness !
I think samsung did it ON purpose.. ! Save battery??
I have weaker signal too.. on iphone 5 is full and i had on my former Honor 6 full as hell..
But I dont konw IF samsung wants to save power by this .. I think it has no much influence as iphone 5 nor Honor 6 had full signal and battery never got down fast.. when I had Honor 6 100% at night it was 98 % in morning..
Another thing with aplha ,when i leave phone in sleep half hour or longer , th emobile network stops and wont come up...
I have to restart phone or turn airplane on ad off.. then H+ or 4G appears..
I have the issue with mobile data too, it seems to also do it when it has been on WiFi for a while and you change to mobile data.
no service
Hey guys,
I have a very bad reception with my Samsung Galaxy Alpha when i'm in the subway in Paris. To be honnest I have no service, no sms, no calls, and for sure no internet...
I can see people using their smartphones inside the subway without problems.
I had an iPhone 4 during 3 years, and didn't have any problem with it when I was in the subway.
I'm using the same phone carrier "Bouygues Telecom"
So what's wrong with this Galaxy Alpha ?
MaskedMarauder said:
I have the issue with mobile data too, it seems to also do it when it has been on WiFi for a while and you change to mobile data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it disables data carrier APN and it won't turn it auto i went it that settings and had to tap that circle manually to get green .. think it is bug .. need sorting out updating software..
---------- Post added at 09:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:58 PM ----------
safnyght2 said:
Hey guys,
I have a very bad reception with my Samsung Galaxy Alpha when i'm in the subway in Paris. To be honnest I have no service, no sms, no calls, and for sure no internet...
I can see people using their smartphones inside the subway without problems.
I had an iPhone 4 during 3 years, and didn't have any problem with it when I was in the subway.
I'm using the same phone carrier "Bouygues Telecom"
So what's wrong with this Galaxy Alpha ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looks lik eit might be a software problem .. we need to contact samsung bout it or complain on their site.. but guys all of us we must complain not just one person cos they wont sort it out..
Hey people,
I'm also having connection issues:
When I boot the phone it's working is at should: Switching between 4G/3G/EDGE etc. After a while the connection sort of times out. I can only make emergency calls. It works flawlessly for up to a day, or it can only work for like 5 minutes.
Rebooting the device fixes this temporarily. My service provider (Hi in NL) has already sent me a new simcard which doesn't help. They are now saying I should send it over for repair.
Btw: When i leave it in CDMA only, the problem takes much longer to arise (like a couple of days).
I can see that people who have posted in this thread are having the same issues. I'm wondering if this is firmware or hardware related, as I want avoid sending over my phone. If it IS a firmware bug, sending it over for repair obviously isn't going to fix this.
I have sent an e-mail to Samsung BeNeLux. Like Simona Simmy says, we should all write to Samsung