Android Central article says UK Primes unaffected by wifi issues seen in the States. Can any of our Brit friends confirm this?
Articles also says UK warranty extended to 18 months and Asus will give refunds if not happy with GPS.
We need to see the same offer globally! It would make me feel better holding out for a fix and give us enough time to trade in for the tf700 if nothing is resolved.
http://www.androidcentral.com/asus-...uk-june-british-tf201s-unaffected-wifi-glitch
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Is the UK version made out of a different back plate, or is it really a software issue?
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DroidHam said:
Is the UK version made out of a different back plate, or is it really a software issue?
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Asus (US) told me today it was a WiFi "card" issue. And that some do not work correctly. So, Asus offered to RMA mine, and is going to check (and hopefully fix) it.
It may be that Asus had to dial back the gain on the wifi radio to comply with FCC regulations. This is speculation of course, but the EU's/UK's regulatory laws pertaining to harmful interference are a little less draconian than the United States.
Europe uses different Wi-Fi channels than America and may have required Asus to use a different Wi-Fi chip/card.
Can only say that here in the netherlands there also have been quite a number of people with wifi/gps issues so I don;t think 'all the euro units are unaffected' but who knows, maybe the UK units are a different batch...
Different batch or FCC issue. Seems like pretty good answers to me.
I wish Asus would be more open about this. Soon.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I957 using xda premium
Well I won't buy one until I'm sure the Wifi & GPS works fine!
I have a UK Transformer Prime, And i cant say i have noticed any issues with Wifi signal.
Im yet to use GPS but if you guys let me know what tests you want me to run i can do them later and post results after the blackout.
I've not tested my UK model with any particular tool, but I've not had any wi-fi issues in day to day use.
The backplate is made out of special shiny backplate material.
Trust me, the units in the UK aren't perfect.
I'm on my third which is going back today after being in a constant boot loop since upgrade to ICS.
On all 3, the gps has failed to see more than one sat and the wireless performance on either my home or work N network is amongst the worst of any device i've owned. Speed drops off rapidly as you move away from the ap and complete loss of connectivity is frequent.
This announcement is concerning as if this is the prime working i think i'll pass on another. Saying that though, i just dont know whats going on as in the post above, there are completely happy users who seem to have no issues
fingery said:
Trust me, the units in the UK aren't perfect.
I'm on my third which is going back today after being in a constant boot loop since upgrade to ICS.
On all 3, the gps has failed to see more than one sat and the wireless performance on either my home or work N network is amongst the worst of any device i've owned. Speed drops off rapidly as you move away from the ap and complete loss of connectivity is frequent.
This announcement is concerning as if this is the prime working i think i'll pass on another. Saying that though, i just dont know whats going on as in the post above, there are completely happy users who seem to have no issues
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Click to collapse
3 units in less than a week? thats some turn around!
What tests or actions best show what you are seeing? maybe i can try them with mine and see if i get the same.
UK units are not perfect. WiFi signal is still weaker than it is on my phone, which has mostly plastic body and GPS, while it can lock at times, can't really be used for car navigations.
But WiFi seems 'stable' and doesn't drop off in the middle of using it, which makes it a non-issue for me, since I rarely use it in areas with weak WiFi signal to begin with.
UK owner here too. Wifi has been generally fine for me. When I first got it the browser seemed to hang quite a bit but I don't know if that was hardware of software. After upgrading to ICS, browser+ and the browser+ update it seems fine. I did notice yesterday that when I was next to the wifi router it was super quick and then using it last night up stairs about 15-20 feet away it was maybe 20% slowly, which in real terms is maybe half a second so not noticeable.
How would I do GPS tests?
Felix
Wifi for mine in the uk has been good getting 20 to 25 mbps and i am a fair distance from the router. I have never been able to get any lock on GPS whatsoever. Asus uk have offered me an additional 6 months warranty, but i am currently seeing if comet will take it back and give me a full refund as asus have said to return it if not fit for purpose. I will order another and hope it gives me some kind of GPS. I don't want it for navigation but do want to be able to use places or maps. It also has 2 dead pixels and the screen rotation does not always work. As i have paid £499 i want a near as perfect device. John lewis are offering 2 years warranty as well so have ordered from there.
My wifi is stronger than my GS2!
Through 3 walls (brick in England ) about 20m away I get half bars - Channel 1, G, @54mbps.
I think that UK version does have a different antenna/card
I think its likely that the Uk ones do have a different card. HOWEVER
I am getting intermittant issues on mine. Sometimes ill be getting perfect speed and suddenly it drops off here and there. Im connected to my works WIFI and it does the same..
yesaterday i was downloading GTA3 and it did 10mb then stopped. Same with other downloads.
Personally im going to keep my prime as everything else is brilliant. And hopefully in the coming months patchs will come about. For me thats not an issue.
GPS doesnt work at all for me. No locks what so ever. But i am yest to try outside in the open air. I dont like standing in the rain really.
All uk people with issues could you post your SN Number like so:
BCOKASxxxxxx
Dont put your numbers in, just the text prefix. would be intresting to see if it is a batch of primes thats at fault.
I haven't tested the GPS yet, but so far the WiFi is ok.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
geinome said:
I think its likely that the Uk ones do have a different card. HOWEVER
I am getting intermittant issues on mine. Sometimes ill be getting perfect speed and suddenly it drops off here and there. Im connected to my works WIFI and it does the same..
yesaterday i was downloading GTA3 and it did 10mb then stopped. Same with other downloads.
Personally im going to keep my prime as everything else is brilliant. And hopefully in the coming months patchs will come about. For me thats not an issue.
GPS doesnt work at all for me. No locks what so ever. But i am yest to try outside in the open air. I dont like standing in the rain really.
All uk people with issues could you post your SN Number like so:
BCOKASxxxxxx
Dont put your numbers in, just the text prefix. would be intresting to see if it is a batch of primes thats at fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mines the same serial as yours and i dont have an issue with wifi its same as my laptop and just tested gps got 9 sats with 5 locks dont know if thats good but at least its working
Related
Ok ive been trying despartely for a week to find a prime near where i live. (lexington ky) I finally found one and here is a tip. Even if staples or bestbuy or officedepot says its sold out online. Tell it to check in store availability. Turns out staples in my area is not putting them on display and holding them in lock up until next week but theyll still sell them if you ask for it. So i called the one who said they had it in stock and sure enough they did. They held if for me till after class and i went down and got it.
No backlight bleed
No wifi issues
havent tried gps yet.
Serial Number is C10KAS
Congrats.
Let us know how your GPS does and the first few digits of your serial.
I got a C10KAS unit from Staples on Sunday via the same method (the sales guy didn't even know they had them in stock), and mine's excellent. Everything works (even haptic feedback, which is a first among the many units I've tried), including GPS--I got 10/12 satellites and 36' accuracy sitting on my bed last night. Outside, I lock to as many as 12/14 satellites within 30 seconds with wifi off. It's not stable in my car, but for any stationary geolocation it works great.
I got one too just now from staples with the same method. He had to get it from the back for me.. And looks like even other staples guys didnt know about it.. cuz his manager came up while he was ringing it for me and said "we have that? my friend was asking for it couple of weeks ago"
BTW, should i update to .13 update directly or we need to go step by step with other previous versions incrementally? (Im planning to do it manually instead of OTA)
EDIT: Serial number is C10K....
Ok I just did all the ota's. And gps is working great im in a campus building on UK's campus and i got 12 birds. Im so glad i decided to get this regardless of what people were saying. serials first digits are C10KAS06XXXX then it has a little 12 after it
Congrats!
I think mine's newer as mine is 10 and not 06 but no go with GPS. Wi-Fi is still a problem when moving away from the router. Did you try that?
im on campus and its moving fine between there wifi
Welcome to the Club
Same here lol. Got mine at Staples as well. C1 serial so far solid wifi and GPS. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Ok so today has been my first full day with the prime. I LOVE it. Has had zero wifi issues while at home or on campus which is saying something because college campus wifi is notoriously crappy if your moving around. I pulled a 22 mbps download rate with 2 bars pf wifi while on campus.
That's odd because after running around taking the one with the "B" serial number back and getting a "C" at Staples I've had no difference unless I'm using GPS test wrong I get no sats and I live in Philadelphia so that mission produced no results only thing left is the tom tom GPS receiver that I bought
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
I also have a C serial number prime. No issues except for backlight bleed and very minor ICS graphics glitch. Also, +1 for Prime being awesome on campus internet.
JeffR714 said:
That's odd because after running around taking the one with the "B" serial number back and getting a "C" at Staples I've had no difference unless I'm using GPS test wrong I get no sats and I live in Philadelphia so that mission produced no results only thing left is the tom tom GPS receiver that I bought
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk
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Not your fault or the primes, they don't have GPS in Philly
That's funny I get GPS on my Galaxy Nexus!!
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I just got mine on Wednesday.......tested everything to see how it worked.......no issues other than the known GPS issue.......I was getting 2 bars of wifi signal at work from about 70ft through one wall.......at home from 30ft through two walls 3 bars.......no slowdowns, lightbleed, etc......did the upgrade to 4.0.3 on Friday......everything as smooth as can be.......everything still good except GPS (which I generally will not use except for the location // ie no turn by turn ever).......grey/ with dock......serial #C10KAS103xxx.......lucky I guess
Thanks for replying that's just where I'm at the GPS issue is it and you know what its taking the pleasure out of enjoying this excellent tablet. I don't even take tablets in the car. Never gave a **** about GPS so I'm not going to now thanks for chiming in
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Grats on your Primes!
I have got my 2nd Prime and didnt got any gps or wifi problems but backlight bleedings on both..
at first i bought from amazon, updated to ICS constant reboots, could not use the device. decided not to wait for asus and sent it back for a full refund.
got the refund ordered from Office Depot a new one. arrived, updated to ICS works perfectly EXCEPT for zero GPS signal and VERY VERY VERY bad WIFI signal....
in my own house with MAC address filterring, DHCP server and Linksys e4200 router and i barely got 2 bars of WIFI, test showed at 1-3MBPS at all time....
at work could not even pick the WIFI while my other devices got full bars...
i decided to try my luck and requested an RMA with free shipping.
i explained the situation and also gave direct link to this site to show it is all due to the metal casing....
they gave me an RMA with free shipping.
now i am going to sit wait and pray for :
1. Quick turn around.
2. Not to have one technician just wipe my device and send it back.
3. Not to get a refurb....
only time will tell...
thoughts?
well...
i got it back from RMA....
they so called "replaced the wifi antenna" and to my surprise same results.
like nothing was done.
no GPS
no normal WIFI
no nothing.
calling support its like trying to explain quantum physics to a first grader.
all they do is keep telling me "well, we fixed it and it passed QA"
asking for a refund they tell me "we cant"
asking for a resolution they respond "send it again for an RMA"
i really wanted to love this tablet but i really think i made a mistake getting it.
i cant have a 600$ device that i cant connect to my school wifi, home wifi, work wifi cause the signal is too low for the tablet to pick up where my other devices pick up on the signal easily....
so annoyed....
Whenever I have to deal with asus I talk to a contact in the California headquarters. (I've never had to deal with the call center except when I first got my tf101 after that I only dealt with this guy) I had emailed my contact asking about the new back cover rumor and if it was true and if it was could I send my prime in to get a new back cover.
This was his response
" Dear Patrick,
No back covers. However we will have a method to improve antenna RF but it will have to come in to update the tablet depending on the severity of signal loss. It would go to our Texas facility again. Let me know if it impedes your wi-fi usage scenario enough to have it sent in. I think the service facility should be ready by next week for readiness and training to improve the RF antenna."
So the rumor about a new back cover is false, but they do have a fix coming. I don't use gps on my tablet so that doesn't bother me and although wifi is definitely weaker than my tf101 or my galaxy s II, Its not horrible. I just got my prime yesterday so I might send it in a few weeks but I'm not sure yet.
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Can you ask him if the unlocked group is eligible aswell?
graffixnyc said:
Whenever I have to deal with asus I talk to a contact in the California headquarters. (I've never had to deal with the call center except when I first got my tf101 after that I only dealt with this guy) I had emailed my contact asking about the new back cover rumor and if it was true and if it was could I send my prime in to get a new back cover.
This was his response
" Dear Patrick,
No back covers. However we will have a method to improve antenna RF but it will have to come in to update the tablet depending on the severity of signal loss. It would go to our Texas facility again. Let me know if it impedes your wi-fi usage scenario enough to have it sent in. I think the service facility should be ready by next week for readiness and training to improve the RF antenna."
So the rumor about a new back cover is false, but they do have a fix coming. I don't use gps on my tablet so that doesn't bother me and although wifi is definitely weaker than my tf101 or my galaxy s II, Its not horrible. I just got my prime yesterday so I might send it in a few weeks but I'm not sure yet.
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I confirmed the wifi fix weeks ago from my contact..
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
although wifi is definitely weaker than my tf101 or my galaxy s II, Its not horrible.
Please describe weaker how many feet from your router before you notice signal loss?
Gary already addressed the issue on 03/08
2. As to the rumors of a hardware fix for WiFi/BT dropouts, the actual fix is just ensuring that the hardware utilized in current units is performing to tested standards. Basically to ensure this level of compliance we are replacing components within the WiFi subsystem on an as needed basis and then testing the units before shipment.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537260
bluewr said:
Gary already addressed the issue on 03/08
2. As to the rumors of a hardware fix for WiFi/BT dropouts, the actual fix is just ensuring that the hardware utilized in current units is performing to tested standards. Basically to ensure this level of compliance we are replacing components within the WiFi subsystem on an as needed basis and then testing the units before shipment.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1537260
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Click to collapse
yep...which I mentioned long before anyone said anything other wise. so basically its a lil of bit of both what me n Word said. but this will be on a device need only basis. it's not like every prime sent in will get new components. depends on if it passes their qualifying testing and severity of the issue on that particular unit. some units will get new components. some will just have adjustments made to existing units. no one will know what exactly was done or changed unless someone offers to open up their fixed unit and take pictures of it.
I just received my Amaze in the mail today and so far everything is amazing with the exception of the wifi. It can connect if I am right next to my router however if I am at the far end of the room it wont connect depsite the fact that in the wifi setting it says that the connection is fair. In the far corner my mytouch usually gets 2-3 mbps and the Amaze can't connect and even if it does connect it's so slow it can't even run speed test. Next to the router it definately does work however my mytouch 4g smokes the Amaze still. The phone came to me with stock ics 4.0.3, I unlocked the bootloader with htc dev, I still have S on as I do not have an insulated wire and it's late at night. I did however flashed ext 4 and flashed speed rom. The issue is the same on stock as it is on speed. Has anyone reported this problem and/or have a fix for this? I really do not want to send this back to the seller for a refund and go through the trouble of finding another affordable T-Mobile phone?
If this has been asked/answered please forgive me, but take comfort in the fact that I literally lost sleep over trying to find a solution. I really like the Amaze for the specs and the price I paid for it, but I refuse to up my monthly bill so I don't get slowed down to 2g when I have fast wifi at home and tolerable wifi at work as I work right next to starbucks.
Is there a way to figure out of this is hardware of software? I have a feeling it's hardware but that is just a guess. I think tonight I am going to re lock the bootloader and flash a stock rom through hboot see if this help at all. I am assuming HTC can still easily find out if this was locked so I don't think this would be covered under warranty despite the fact that this was not caused by HTCdev... Oh well looks like I am going to have to resell this on Ebay and hopefully I get most if not all my money back and buy a new phone.
There's a fix. Apply aluminum paper on the WiFi antenna. There is an old thread with pictures. Google it might come up
Sent from my HTC_Amaze_4G using xda premium
So here I am, having a C1 serial TF201 since early February. Thankfully, most issues aren't there, but the more obvious hangups - ie painfully slow wifi (which makes it near impossible to stream online a la watchseries.eu or 1channel.ch) - make me consider my options here.
Based on experience should I:
A. RMA the prime
B. Root, flash CM10
C. Wait for stock Jelly Bean
I ask this because I wanna know if anyone's experiences with Jelly Bean on the prime have shown that wifi is at least improved, because if wifi works well on the prime on JB then I'm just gonna wait and not bother RMA-ing it.
I don't know, does RMA-ing really make any noticeable difference? Does anyone find that after RMA-ing their prime, that their indicated issues were actually fixed, namely, was your wifi actually FIXED?
Somehow I don't see Asus actually solving anything with my prime, instead I foresee me just wasting time and postage costs only to have it returned the same, if not worse - from some of the stories I've read on here.
I live in Canada, so Canadian RMA experience feedback is welcome too. I'm just so torn in my relationship with my prime
deadlocked007 said:
Take it to your store. Say I want this to be replaced under manufacturers warranty for wifi problems. Ask for the infinity pad. Bam.
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
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I bought it at BestBuy here in Canada like 5 months ago, if I'm no longer under the 30 day exchange would replacement actually be covered by the 1 year standard warranty that it ships with?
Be careful of rma as there have been a lot of reports that after rma and having the board replaced, people have not been able to unlock their tfp
Sent from my SO-01C using xda app-developers app
Miikeg said:
I bought it at BestBuy here in Canada like 5 months ago, if I'm no longer under the 30 day exchange would replacement actually be covered by the 1 year standard warranty that it ships with?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might try taking it back to bestbuy anyway, they seem to be replacing them in the states for Infinity pads. Can't go wrong with that kind of upgrade.
Miikeg said:
So here I am, having a C1 serial TF201 since early February. Thankfully, most issues aren't there, but the more obvious hangups - ie painfully slow wifi (which makes it near impossible to stream online a la watchseries.eu or 1channel.ch) - make me consider my options here.
Based on experience should I:
A. RMA the prime
B. Root, flash CM10
C. Wait for stock Jelly Bean
I ask this because I wanna know if anyone's experiences with Jelly Bean on the prime have shown that wifi is at least improved, because if wifi works well on the prime on JB then I'm just gonna wait and not bother RMA-ing it.
I don't know, does RMA-ing really make any noticeable difference? Does anyone find that after RMA-ing their prime, that their indicated issues were actually fixed, namely, was your wifi actually FIXED?
Somehow I don't see Asus actually solving anything with my prime, instead I foresee me just wasting time and postage costs only to have it returned the same, if not worse - from some of the stories I've read on here.
I live in Canada, so Canadian RMA experience feedback is welcome too. I'm just so torn in my relationship with my prime
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Miikeg
I just Rma'd my Prime 2 weeks ago for the weak wifi issue. I own a 1500 sq house and my wifi is terrible to the point I get 200kbs speeds at the other end of my house. None of my laptops or my wife's Ipad 3 have any issues. I had enough so I sent it back 2 weeks ago and received it back on Friday. They changed the pins and the wifi attachments. There is NO DIFFERENCE. Same crappy wifi. I gave it a shot but it looks like I will have to live with it. I purchased in January so I'm SOL. I'm told by a tech if I send it in again they will change the motherboard but I'm convinced the design and some software issues are the main culprit. Basically we got screwed.
I would try to speak to a manager at BB to see what they can do. They will probably say no but it is worth a shot. If you do decide to RMA don't pay for shipping. Ask for a manager and get a fedex shipping label. Asus should pay.
Good Luck
I am not sure if the exchange would work at Future shop but it seems they are doing it in the US as long as you have the receipt few people with BC's said they exchanged them under manufacturer defect