With the results of the vote in the GPS (possible issue) thread running at 30% functionality, left me asking what are the other 70% of us doing wrong?
I thought this would be an opportunity to gather data for analysis. It is not a chat thread or for discussion on causes, or trouble shooting.
Just maybe something well show up, as it appears Asus doesn’t have a clue and keep blaming the case. While the case does seem to be attenuating the signal compared to my Samsung Galaxy S2 it doesn’t explain the hit and miss nature of the TF201. And we all have the same back panel on our TF201’s.
On one occasion with the TF201 sitting on a park bench found 9 Satellites and used 5. (Using GPS version V 6.8.13) Without touching a thing they all disappeared. Then nothing!
The best I can do now is 1 Satellite found.
Test procedure:
Outdoors only in a wide open space.
Use “GPS Test” from The Market.
Update AGPS then turn Wi-Fi off.
If all reports could be posted in the following format.
1. Model:
2. Build:
3. GPS Version:
4. Satellite’s in view:
5. Satellite’s In use:
6. Time to first fix:
7. Has the GPS worked in previous builds of ICS
8. Did GPS work in Honeycomb
9. First 8 digits of serial No
Just maybe a pattern will emerge.
Thanks all.
1. Model: 64Gb Champagne
2. Build: IML74K.TW_epad 9.4.2.11
3. GPS Version: V6.9.13
4. Satellite’s in view: 1
5. Satellite’s In use:0
6. Time to first fix: N/A
7. Has the GPS worked in previous builds of ICS: Yes briefly
8. Did GPS work in Honeycomb: Not tested
9. BCOKAS08
Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.
There isn't a single Transformer Prime on this planet where GPS works great.
So It is what it is: the metal design is beautiful, but it restricts GPS signals. And as there is no real a-GPS for Wifi tablets(as they have no cell-site triangulation possibilities), this becomes a real and unsolvable problem.
And Asus DOES has a clue, according to Asus there is no GPS on the Transformer Prime. The same as there is no GPS on other Wifi tablets like the iPad's. Asus made a big mistake advertising with GPS before release though.
So if you really want to use GPS on the Prime, you're out of luck and should return it. A full refund would be fair if you bought it early.
I've never been able to lock onto more than 3 and then for only a few seconds. That was with HC and now ICS. If I use my Prime for navigation I use my BT GPS receiver and a full mapping capable app which I've already tested and works great. I suggest if anyone bought a TP for navigational purposes return it immediately.
Non-issue (for me at least).
YoMarK said:
Not sure what you're trying to accomplish here.
There isn't a single Transformer Prime on this planet where GPS works great.
So It is what it is: the metal design is beautiful, but it restricts GPS signals. And as there is no real a-GPS for Wifi tablets(as they have no cell-site triangulation possibilities), this becomes a real and unsolvable problem.
And Asus DOES has a clue, according to Asus there is no GPS on the Transformer Prime. The same as there is no GPS on other Wifi tablets like the iPad's. Asus made a big mistake advertising with GPS before release though.
So if you really want to use GPS on the Prime, you're out of luck and should return it. A full refund would be fair if you bought it early.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 why do people still not realize it's the aluminum condom to protect from GPS waves
PrimeTimeBro said:
+1 why do people still not realize it's the aluminum condom to protect from GPS waves
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh really.
Please explain TF201 sitting on park bench found 9 satellites, using 5.
Without touching the device all satellites lost and no further seen.
Don't like the odds on those condoms.
The aluminium case explains the poor signal to noise ratios, not the sudden loss of all reception on a stationary device.
mile high said:
Ohh really.
Please explain TF201 sitting on park bench found 9 satellites, using 5.
Without touching the device all satellites lost and no further seen.
Don't like the odds on those condoms.
The aluminium case explains the poor signal to noise ratios, not the sudden loss of all reception on a stationary device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same reason when you are on the edge of losing a FM or AM radio station it can be crystal clear with a inch of movement. Try to navigate turn by turn with the Primes GPS as soon as you start moving signal is too weak to keep it. If your device just dropped all satellites without any movement it's just a glitch and has nothing to do with the overall problem of the Primes GPS.
mile high said:
Ohh really.
Please explain TF201 sitting on park bench found 9 satellites, using 5.
Without touching the device all satellites lost and no further seen.
Don't like the odds on those condoms.
The aluminium case explains the poor signal to noise ratios, not the sudden loss of all reception on a stationary device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because it sees them but fails to hold them when moving because the signal is weak.. Why can't people accept that?
PrimeTimeBro said:
+1 why do people still not realize it's the aluminum condom to protect from GPS waves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this has been pointed out about the aluminum back. But as mentioned we all have the same aluminum back then ...
WHY are some Primes always able to see and get a GPS fix.
Why is ASUS even bothering with updating the GPS driver if GPS in not in the spec's?.
WHY has someone not show GPS results with the aluminum back off?
Off topic WIFI why the frack would I want to use G setting to get good WIFI? That's like not using my 5th gear in the car and staying in 4th.
I love the Prime but the aluminum back shield is a frack up period. Stock seems to have dried up around here (impossible to get). I wonder what's up.
My new Prime had never seen 1 single satellite for the 4 days or so I have had it.
Last night, I open Google Maps and click on Resteraunts and simply pick a Pizza Joint nearby. Then I click on NAVIGATE for it to navigate me there (I was just playing around on my couch in my living room, not in my car).
The bottom of Google Maps said "Searching For GPS" and I said "Fudge It" and just laid it on the coffee table. I closed my eyes and about 12 minutes later (I looked at the clock) my tablet says in a woman's voice "Turn Left on Birch Drive!"
I couldn't believe my ears. I quickly opened GPSStatus, GPS FIX, all that. Then I noticed that Google Maps said "Searching for GPS" again. Google Maps needs a lock to navigate you so It actually got a lock for a split second, which was exciting.
However, the other apps were showing 4-5 Satellites, and they have never shown one before. It wouldn't lock, but the fact it was all the sudden showing some satellites was quite exciting since my GPS had appeared to be Dead on Arrival.
So, if you have time and can stop playing with the tablet, set up a route on Google Maps, choose for NAVIGATION, and set it down, maybe by a window, and wait 15 minutes. Maybe you will get a lock.
In my opinion, my GPS works VERY SLOW. It took literally 10 or more minutes to see any satellites, then started loading a few more slowly till I got up to 5. Again,I couldn't get it to lock onto any anymore, but I was in my living room and I have 14 mature trees in my yard (I am talking BIG trees).
Maybe give that a shot and see what happens. Because my tablet had seen NOTHING ever, but I was only trying it for 5 minutes at a time then I would get pissed.
yhzhrm said:
Yes, this has been pointed out about the aluminum back. But as mentioned we all have the same aluminum back then ...
WHY are some Primes always able to see and get a GPS fix.
Why is ASUS even bothering with updating the GPS driver if GPS in not in the spec's?.
WHY has someone not show GPS results with the aluminum back off?
Off topic WIFI why the frack would I want to use G setting to get good WIFI? That's like not using my 5th gear in the car and staying in 4th.
I love the Prime but the aluminum back shield is a frack up period. Stock seems to have dried up around here (impossible to get). I wonder what's up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All Primes will see and get GPS fixes NONE of them will keep it awhile moving.
No one wants to destroy a $500 device but if your willing feel free.
G gets better range with Wi-Fi in general and the Prime lacks good range with it's Wi-Fi for the same reason GPS sucks the aluminum sheild if it's not good enough for you return .
PrimeTimeBro said:
All Primes will see and get GPS fixes NONE of them will keep it awhile moving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true!
My Prime must be bad unit because 97 percent of the time it never sees any satellites and it has had actually only had a fix maybe three times out of 100 tries.
I'd be happy to get a fix period each time I tried
Hence my original WHY with the same aluminum back can some Primes get fixes while others don't even now satellites exist in orbit?
My bad unit is going back. I'll wait for the 700 series or a revised TF201 with a new back. Until then My HP Touchpad running ICS will do for now. Yes, no HD video or camera but that's fine.
GPS works on all other sanctioned Android tablets (with market access).
yhzhrm said:
Not true!
My Prime must be bad unit because 97 percent of the time it never sees any satellites and it has had actually only had a fix maybe three times out of 100 tries.
I'd be happy to get a fix period each time I tried
Hence my original WHY with the same aluminum back can some Primes get fixes while others don't even now satellites exist in orbit?
My bad unit is going back. I'll wait for the 700 series or a revised TF201 with a new back. Until then My HP Touchpad running ICS will do for now. Yes, no HD video or camera but that's fine.
GPS works on all other sanctioned Android tablets (with market access).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I forgot to mention asus terrible qc on the primes I'm sure there's plenty where gps is totally borked bottom line is gps will never function as a turn by turn on primes with aluminum backplates. End of story
look at my youtube video... it was honey comb and nearly perfect...
with new updated ics its worthless...
I don't see any satellites and I have never seen any on either of my TFP's. I have owned 2 so far and they both didn't see any satellites period. My GPS light stayed yellow and never went green no matter if I used wifi or not. So why is mine not seeing any Sat's, but you guys complain when you have a weak signal. I am in the process of trying to return mine I bought from BB, but I am waiting my 14 days to see if they will get some in stock. If they do, the customer rep will send one out to me or the store nearest me, and then I would have to send mine off. That's what the customer service rep told me to do. It's not that big of a deal to me, but the unknown serial was, so that's why I got rid of my first one.
PrimeTimeBro said:
All Primes will see and get GPS fixes NONE of them will keep it awhile moving.
No one wants to destroy a $500 device but if your willing feel free.
G gets better range with Wi-Fi in general and the Prime lacks good range with it's Wi-Fi for the same reason GPS sucks the aluminum sheild if it's not good enough for you return .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wrong. I get no gps satellites period .. no fix no nothing... no matter which configuration i try
Well generally not the responses I had hoped for.
JoeyLe said:
Because it sees them but fails to hold them when moving because the signal is weak.. Why can't people accept that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does stationary device, placed on park bench, mean to you?
Not moving...9 satellites, with a fix, then suddenly nothing. No satellites in range. TF201 still sitting on park bench!
As an aside my Wifi is perfect. In fact better signal strength and bandwidth better than both my phones and similar to my laptop.
I don't want turn by turn navigation (have TomTom for that). Just a occasional fix on Google maps. Wifi is generally too inaccurate.
And I do know a little about GPS. RAIM, FDE and Baro aiding help keep me alive in my 9-5 job.
If you are happy with your prime great.
But do check the bottom of the box your Prime came in. The spec still show GPS. Mine is a late model Prime. So regardless of Asus removing it from the web site I feel I am entitled to some form of GPS functionality.
Happy to do that Wifi assisted and it should work in a wide open space. But it doesn't for 70% of owners.
So my question once again why are the other 30% of TF201's offering some sort of GPS functionality?
yhzhrm said:
Why is ASUS even bothering with updating the GPS driver if GPS in not in the spec's?.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also wonder about this. Why waste the time and effort?
Here's how i fixed my GPS problem:
I pulled out my Galaxy SII. Got a fix in 2 seconds.
True Story.
i can get about a 20m accuracy lock while indoors in a matter of seconds, but it never improves in accuracy.
Satellite’s in view: 0-4
Satellite’s In use: 0
Time to first fix: 2minutes
1. Model: 32 Champ
2. Build: IML74k.US_epad-9.4.2.11-20120117
3. GPS Version:V6.1.1.17
4. Satellite’s in view: Fluctuates but up to 11
5. Satellite’s In use:Fluctuates but up to 6
6. Time to first fix:3 mins
7. Has the GPS worked in previous builds of ICS: n/a
8. Did GPS work in Honeycomb:Yes and Much better before
9. First 8 digits of serial #: BCOKAS02
In Honeycomb It was working very well but since the update its way more flaky, as it will go from 9 sats in view and suddenly lose them all.
#### Any one else notice that the GPS Icon Doesn't Blink anymore unless you click the clock menu and then go back####
Related
So going over the thread about the GPS and opening their Prime to get the antenna working, I thought of something and gave it a whack....
I had a sudden thought.... what *if* I tried to turn on my google map on my phone (HTC Touch Cruise) knowing it can get a fix indoors and placed my phone where the Prime's antenna is located.... what would happen.
Well, it worked. I got 8 fixed (6-7 steady) once my phone's GPS antenna got a lock of only 4.
make sure you phone (or whatever you're using to get gps sats) is warmed up and has found some sats then place it over your Prime's GPS antenna is located (if you have to ask where, this is not for you) and try it out. this is just a cheating work around and not exactly a *fix* but in a pinch and you want to leverage the tablet's bigger screen for google map or nav, here you go...
*EDIT*: let me add, you don't have to use google maps. any gps tester would also work. we just want to activate the GPS on the phone so google maps is the easiest but there are other apps out there that can do the trick. if you're on an android phone, gps test would work. WinMo has an app too (i have it somewhere) that tests GPS for the phone as well.
EDIT: for a better explanation, see post #11: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=22458668&postcount=11
your thread makes absolutely no sense. Of course you can tether, why are you talking about putting the tethered antenna over the top of the internal antenna? I can only assume that English is not your first language and that you're using the wrong phrasing.
Either that, or you're an idiot, I tend to look at the first answer.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
This has gotta be a joke right ??
I would just get a Bluetooth GPS device that would search and lock on to the sats and place it next to where the Prime's antenna is located if I needed a GPS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why the Hell would you do that ? If you got a bluetooth GPS device connect the Fecker to the Prime not hold it where the primes antenna is .
This has gotta be a classic I can't wait for the pics LMFAO
can the prime multi-tether? i bluetooth share my internet connection on my phone so I can't connect anything else to my phone via bluetooth (like radio). ie: I can't listen to music from my phone in my truck via bluetooth to the radio AND share my internet connection via bluetooth with the prime. one or the other.
thought bluetooth can only link to one device at a time?
use gps tether on your phone and prime
/thread
chivas228 said:
can the prime multi-tether? i bluetooth share my internet connection on my phone so I can't connect anything else to my phone via bluetooth (like radio). ie: I can't listen to music from my phone in my truck via bluetooth to the radio AND share my internet connection via bluetooth with the prime. one or the other.
thought bluetooth can only link to one device at a time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can connect multiple devices to one bluetooth controller and use them concurrently, they just need different addresses
rand4ll said:
You can connect multiple devices to one bluetooth controller and use them concurrently, they just need different addresses
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did not know that. thanks!
and so this is where the confusion came in.
BRILLIANT......
is there a ban for these kind of posts? i hope so, cuz now im inb4it
Why do you people have to be such dicks all the time. Ignore it and move on if you don't like the thread. Nobody wants to read all the retarded lol inb4ban haha u r retarded ****.
I believe he's just saying his prime could pull the sat signals easier when his phone had a solid GPS signal and placing his phone over his primes GPS antenna. While GPS over Bluetooth would be a better option this doesn't hurt anyone information wise.
OP might not know what he is doing but he is 10000 % right about the phenomenon
OP might not know what he is doing but he is 10000 % right about the phenomenon.
Because all the experts were flaming him and calling him a retard I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and imitate his actions.
I haven't seen one satellite with my Prime for weeks. I tried everything but taking it apart. I've left it for days on end in clear view of the southern sky (inside, outside, night and day, clear sky and overcast)
Today it was a heavy overcast day.
Test 1:
I placed the Prime flat on its back in front of the window (inside) and the phone next to it.
Result: 11 sats on my HTC sensation and as usual no sats on my Prime (pic 1)
Test 2:
Without moving the Prime I placed the phone on the area above the GPS antenna of the prime
Result: The HTC drops to 5 or 4 sats and the Prime suddenly sees up to 13 sats (pic 2a , 2b)
Test 3:
Without moving the Prime I remove the phone and place it next to the prime
Result: The HTC gets 8 sats again and the Prime drops down to 3 sats (pic 3). And gradually in time the Prime drops more and more sats until the effect is gone.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
There is something very very very strange going on here. It must be some electromagnetic or static field that is killing the Prime’s GPS. The field even kills the HTC’s gps because if you fiddle around a bit with the location on the Prime the HTC drops down to 2 or 3 sats with hardly any reception.
The Prime isn’t equipped with a GPS but with a GPS-killer.
And apparently if field conditions are changed by an external source the Prime has a GPS that can see just as much sats as any other. No matter what sort of back plate it has.
And let this be a lesson for all you so called expert. If someone tells you he has experienced something. Don’t call names and flame. And don’t discard until you are a hundred percent certain that he is wrong. In the old days you would get burned if you said the earth is round ;-)
I will see if it is worth opening a new thread about this phenomenon
dingdonggggg said:
OP might not know what he is doing but he is 10000 % right about the phenomenon.
Because all the experts were flaming him and calling him a retard I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and imitate his actions.
I haven't seen one satellite with my Prime for weeks. I tried everything but taking it apart. I've left it for days on end in clear view of the southern sky (inside, outside, night and day, clear sky and overcast)
Today it was a heavy overcast day.
Test 1:
I placed the Prime flat on its back in front of the window (inside) and the phone next to it.
Result: 11 sats on my HTC sensation and as usual no sats on my Prime (pic 1)
Test 2:
Without moving the Prime I placed the phone on the area above the GPS antenna of the prime
Result: The HTC drops to 5 or 4 sats and the Prime suddenly sees up to 13 sats (pic 2a , 2b)
Test 3:
Without moving the Prime I remove the phone and place it next to the prime
Result: The HTC gets 8 sats again and the Prime drops down to 3 sats (pic 2). And gradually in time the Prime drops more and more sats until the effect is gone.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
There is something very very very strange going on here. It must be some electromagnetic or static field that is killing the Prime’s GPS. The field even kills the HTC’s gps because if you fiddle around a bit with the location on the Prime the HTC drops down to 2 or 3 sats with hardly any reception.
The Prime isn’t equipped with a GPS but with a GPS-killer.
And apparently if field conditions are changed by an external source the Prime has a GPS that can see just as much sats as any other. No matter what sort of back plate it has.
And let this be a lesson for all you so called expert. If someone tells you he has experienced something. Don’t call names and flame. And don’t discard until you are a hundred percent certain that he is wrong. In the old days you would get burned if you said the earth is round ;-)
I will see if it is worth opening a new thread about this phenomenon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you!!
yeah, i wasn't exactly very clear as to what I was saying plus I didn't get to post any pics to back up what I was trying to explain.
I think the way the Prime is built (or the material used) is killing the signals. if you place the phone UNDER the Prime, you'll see a big drop in sat signals too.
I tried this because I can't open my prime and I also don't have the plastic tools to do it right (tried using a Swiss Army knife but I stopped short knowing it'll chip the glass)
Doktaphex said:
your thread makes absolutely no sense. Of course you can tether, why are you talking about putting the tethered antenna over the top of the internal antenna? I can only assume that English is not your first language and that you're using the wrong phrasing.
Either that, or you're an idiot, I tend to look at the first answer.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol huh? How would placing a device that was totally separate from the prime next to it make the signal strength change? Aren't GPS receivers passive? This is bizzare... wish I had an EMF detector... wait that's ghost adventures....
To Chivas228. You might wanna change the name of the thread so it attracts the right attention. We need antenna or shielding experts to have a look at this information. Maybe change it to: 'GPS fixed with phone' or something like that. And edit the first post refering to my post and pictures.
---------- Post added at 09:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:31 PM ----------
markimar said:
Lol huh? How would placing a device that was totally separate from the prime next to it make the signal strength change? Aren't GPS receivers passive? This is bizzare...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sounds crazy and it probably is. Seeing is believing. Just try it. Will take you five minutes.
Maybe the phone's GPS distorts the field around the Prime's GPS enough to open a window. Also I read in some posts about parasitical antennas. Maybe this is due to that phenomenon.
I dunno but it works.
All credit to the OP for doing something crazy.
Nefariouss said:
Why do you people have to be such dicks all the time. Ignore it and move on if you don't like the thread. Nobody wants to read all the retarded lol inb4ban haha u r retarded ****.
I believe he's just saying his prime could pull the sat signals easier when his phone had a solid GPS signal and placing his phone over his primes GPS antenna. While GPS over Bluetooth would be a better option this doesn't hurt anyone information wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
callig people names while trying to stick up for someone else isnt being the bigger man. you, too, could have handled that differently.
dingdonggggg said:
OP might not know what he is doing but he is 10000 % right about the phenomenon.
Because all the experts were flaming him and calling him a retard I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and imitate his actions.
I haven't seen one satellite with my Prime for weeks. I tried everything but taking it apart. I've left it for days on end in clear view of the southern sky (inside, outside, night and day, clear sky and overcast)
Today it was a heavy overcast day.
Test 1:
I placed the Prime flat on its back in front of the window (inside) and the phone next to it.
Result: 11 sats on my HTC sensation and as usual no sats on my Prime (pic 1)
Test 2:
Without moving the Prime I placed the phone on the area above the GPS antenna of the prime
Result: The HTC drops to 5 or 4 sats and the Prime suddenly sees up to 13 sats (pic 2a , 2b)
Test 3:
Without moving the Prime I remove the phone and place it next to the prime
Result: The HTC gets 8 sats again and the Prime drops down to 3 sats (pic 3). And gradually in time the Prime drops more and more sats until the effect is gone.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
There is something very very very strange going on here. It must be some electromagnetic or static field that is killing the Prime’s GPS. The field even kills the HTC’s gps because if you fiddle around a bit with the location on the Prime the HTC drops down to 2 or 3 sats with hardly any reception.
The Prime isn’t equipped with a GPS but with a GPS-killer.
And apparently if field conditions are changed by an external source the Prime has a GPS that can see just as much sats as any other. No matter what sort of back plate it has.
And let this be a lesson for all you so called expert. If someone tells you he has experienced something. Don’t call names and flame. And don’t discard until you are a hundred percent certain that he is wrong. In the old days you would get burned if you said the earth is round ;-)
I will see if it is worth opening a new thread about this phenomenon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i decided to try this, even though i didnt believe it would work. i tried my phone every which way on my prime, even on the back and i still only get the 1-2 satellites as normal.
also, you arent supposed to be on wifi while testing this sort of thing, but both your tablet and phone are. you are supposed to turn off wifi, turn on gps, power cycle both devices, then test.
What the hells gone on with XDA ?
What the op was actually suggesting as a fix for gps was to get a bluetooth gps device & hold it where primes antenna is, He wasn't pointing out a phenomenon
quote from op
Instead of opening the prime, I would just get a Bluetooth GPS device that would search and lock on to the sats and place it next to where the Prime's antenna is located if I needed a GPS. Yeah, I know, another attachment but what the smell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is an absurd idea
I have seen people flamed far worse for far less
Me personally I have bluetooth gps receiver & if i was gonna use it I would connect it via bluetooth
I get the impression that nobody takes the time for reading a whole thread.
And as in current society when whe don't understand it we flame them
Just try it
Has nothing to do with BT but with another GPS being close to the Prime's GPS antenna.
Next is optional.
Not necessary but for the non-believers that think the gps-data comes from some other source.
To make sure nothing else is corruptin or giving you the locational data.
Turn of GPS, wifi, BT, cellular data, google locations on both your phone and the Prime.
Do a power cycle on both.
Start up your phone's GPS with GPS test or something.
Start up your Prime's GPS with GPS test or something.
Put the phone and the Prime next to each other in front of a window with view of some sky.
In my case no sats on the Prime and 11 sats on the phone.
Then put the phone on the screen of the Prime on top of the GPS antenna (right hand top corner, see pics earlier post).
And ............ wait for about ten minutes (max).
And magicly the Prime gets a fix on more and more sats.
I got a max of 13 satalites from behind a double glazed window on a heavy overcast (snowy) evening.
So just try it.
Or call me and the OP names and flame us.
Or even better Burn us witches at the stake ;-)
Oh sorry. I forgot. We are civilised nowadays
Just try it.
---------- Post added at 11:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:34 PM ----------
stretchwookie said:
callig people names while trying to stick up for someone else isnt being the bigger man. you, too, could have handled that differently.
so i decided to try this, even though i didnt believe it would work. i tried my phone every which way on my prime, even on the back and i still only get the 1-2 satellites as normal.
also, you arent supposed to be on wifi while testing this sort of thing, but both your tablet and phone are. you are supposed to turn off wifi, turn on gps, power cycle both devices, then test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did as you stated.
See previous post.
Same result
12 sats
This is crazy!
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
I can partially confirm this.
After testing this myth I found out the following:
Prime signal quality doesn't improve a lot for me, but it actually does improve
Signal quality of my Desire HD drops dramatically once it lies on the Prime
Everything can be repeated as often as you want
This is really strange.The Prime is getting more and more mysterious....
Wordlywisewiz said:
This is crazy!
Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try it?
Or are you just a disbeliever?
Hello everybody, I am new to this forum but I would like to share my experiences regarding the Transformer Prime
.
I bought my Prime in January in the Netherlands. Out of the box it worked with no problems what so ever. After reading other users remarks about the GPS, I downloaded the GPS test and ran the app in the living room of my apartment in Amsterdam ( this was after the first update) within a minuet I had 7/8 sats in use and my location was as good as pin pointed.
I work off-shore in the North sea, and I went outside with the prime to see if I had and signal ( thinking that the steel structure would interfere ) to my surprise, within seconds I had 8 sats in use and my location pin pointed.
Two weeks later and after update number 15, I was in rural France and I took my prime out to the garden thinking that I would have 10 sats within seconds, but to my amazement I only had a glimpse of 2 sats during 15 minuets. During those 15 minuets my TomTom was finding the sats without any problems.
Back in Amsterdam and again off-shore the Prime had no problem finding sats. So what can I conclude from this. The GPS seems to be working OK, and that as far as I can see there has been no performance gain or loss after the updates. I know it possible to have GPS dead-spots ( buildings, pylons etc ) or Is the problem weather related?
With regard to other users remarks about the wifi performance, I agree that signal “fall-off” is a problem. Next to my modem I have 72mps, but 6 meters away in my bedroom I only have 5mps. The wifi performance has also not improved after the updates.
The only annoying problem I have with the prime is after update number 14, when the stock browser would sometimes give me a blank screen. But I discovered that if I swiped the screen up and down a couple of times the browser came back. Since update 15 that has not improved, and most sessions with the browser I end up swiping a blank screen once or twice to get the web page back.
I have not had any problems with re-boots, flickering screens or hanging. PS my prime is still stock.
The GPS in the Prime is flakey. The best test you can give it is to take it for a drive in a car and see if it maintains a lock on 4+ sats while moving.
twotrout said:
Hello everybody, I am new to this forum but I would like to share my experiences regarding the Transformer Prime
The only annoying problem I have with the prime is after update number 14, when the stock browser would sometimes give me a blank screen. But I discovered that if I swiped the screen up and down a couple of times the browser came back. Since update 15 that has not improved, and most sessions with the browser I end up swiping a blank screen once or twice to get the web page back.
I have not had any problems with re-boots, flickering screens or hanging. PS my prime is still stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get the same thing with the blank screen and also the wait/close message. It is very annoying...........
I wish my luck was so good.
My GPS doesn't work, and I am one of those who doesn't care about it.
What I do care about is that my Prime has decided to no longer play nice with wifi and BT.
I try to stream my Google Music and listen to it from the BT headset... mostly it doesn't work, the wifi dies, the music stops and I get nada.
I didn't mind about the gps, and the light bleed on the edges was only annoying when using the bookreader in night mode if I had the lights off so the wife could sleep..
So, my Prime is headed back to Gamestop and they have no more in stock online, or at the only store in my area to carry them.
Refund time, and maybe by the time they get them back the issues will be resolved, or I'll own something else and not care.
none of the above
I don't know about other units, but my prime is working perfectly.
Just ran GPS test inside my house and within 20 seconds I had lock on 14 satellites.
Wifi works perfectly in all over my house and also outside in the yard.
Bluetooth streaming on Google music, no issues whatsoever.
No issues with the browser.
It's been the perfect device so far.
It seems to vary from unit to unit. A friend of mine has one, no issues, mine, meh....
I'm sitting on the patio, Southside of the building, full view of the sky, and here's my GPS.
The one on my phone is fine, seeing 11 birds. I don't plan to use my tablet to drive, so it's not really affecting me... The bt/wifi on the other hand is a deal breaker.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
twotrout said:
With regard to other users remarks about the wifi performance, I agree that signal “fall-off” is a problem. Next to my modem I have 72mps, but 6 meters away in my bedroom I only have 5mps. The wifi performance has also not improved after the updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've had good luck with my wi-fi on all but one router (had to get pretty close to it). Even got about 10 meters from my mini travel router and maxed out the download speed. Something you might want to try when you have time is to experiment with changing your router's channel at home. Even the orginal Transformer had issues with some channels.
I bought the TF 2 days ago and have had no read on satellites, GPS has been totally dead. Last night, I tried the GPS on the second storey of my house and...presto, found 12 satellites quickly, all very strong signals. Went back downstairs and nothing. So strange, but must be a signal strength issue as cannot penetrate 2 storeys. Will test more and outside this weekend.
Please share your experiences with gps on this device and hopefully we can try establish best practises to maximize probability of it working (if possible).
I am running stock untouched: No root and locked bootloader with the latest update.
Sent from my Desire Z using the XDA App
GPS Status
I am rooted... unlocked running Virtuous Prime with 21 update. I had virtually no GPS now I show 11 sats and lock on 8 even when walking around with in 10 secs, this is the best GPS I have had in 3 months(with WiFi OFF). The BT and WiFI is much better it drops a little but still stays in the green in GPS Status.
I have absolutely no signal whatsoever on mine, not even a hint of one.
I went through the RMA procedure, no joy, they sent me the same pad back, did not even crack open the one i sent, I'm pretty sure they never even opened the box i sent it in!
My best buy would not take a return on mine, RMA procedure took too long. I would seriously recommend returning yours while you can, unless you dont mind tossing about $75 in the trash, because that's what you paid for the GPS feature.
There is a "fix" over on in the dev forum, you can find it here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1564037
I've tried all 5 builds on my prime, have yet to get squat for a GPS signal, i mean not even 1 satellite......ever.....not a one! the fixes did nothing for me.
There is also a class action lawsuit regarding this missing feature, you can find it here, join by phoning the lawfirm heading it, a few folks in the development forum have already joined in, looks like i will be too unless i opt for the VISA chargeback route.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/02/13/ColinvASUS.pdf
GPS? This is the ATP forum right.
if u know what i mean…
OT,
I have barely had any satelites, ran around at work at both my houses only one time visiting my father and on the top story of the building i had found sats after leaving my atp (by accident) with gps test on.
moved a little, and lost them all
Mine used to show satellites, but a lock would take 20 minutes or never arrive, and it would go away if you moved the tablet. On .15 now, it doesn't get any satellites.
Looking into the crystal ball, I anticipate the next few posts on the matter to look something like this, not necessarily in this order:
1. My GPS don't work, this sucks
2. Mine works fine, here's a pic
3. My GPS don't work, but I don't care
4. I have it on good authority that Asus will be posting a fix for GPS
5. My GPS don't work, but I don't care, and therefore you suck
5. Asus took GPS out of the spec, stop complaining
6. I used to love this forum, now everyone is whining
7. You don't need GPS because this tablet rocks
8. I didn't know this tablet had GPS
9. My GPS didn't work before, but I shoved a paper clip in the 40-pin connector and now it does.
10. Shens on the paper clip thing, you need to weld a satellite dish made of tin foil to the USB port on the dock.
11. WHY IS EVERYONE WHINING THIS SUCKS SOOOOOOO BAD
12. I RMA'd my Prime and now GPS does/does not work.
13. GPS don't work, but you should be thankful Gary Key is here Asus rules
14. I RMA'd my Prime and Asus smashed it to pieces and charged me $140 to get it back.
15. GPS don't work I'm going to sue someone.
16. My mod friend will make you all stop whining, you'll see!
17. I returned 13 Primes to Best Buy looking for a working GPS
18. Everyone with non-working GPS should email Gary
19. GPS works if you manually enter latitude and longitude.
20. GPS is a government conspiracy to beam messages into my brain.
21. I took my Prime to the Apple store; they gave me a free Ipad 3 and I made out with the hot sales chick under a display table
22. GPS is obsolete anyway. If you're lost you could use your tablet as a shovel to forage for grubs, a head covering against the sun, a sled to drag supplies behind you, or to write your last will and testament.
23. SERIOUSLY, STOP WHINING OR I'M GONNA TELL ON YOU
24. GPS will work, silly, just buy a cheap GPS. And an expensive dock to connect it to.
25. Could someone with a working GPS post a location for a store that has a Prime?
26. GPS doesn't work, I demand Asus pick up my daughter at her boyfriend's house.
27. MY GPS is getting 10 satellites, which one has the Disney channel?
28. The issues with GPS on the Prime only affect a small percentage of users, no more than many other devices. And there are no American soldiers in Baghdad. We have them surrounded in their tanks.
lol at #27
David Dee said:
I tried the GPS on the second storey of my house and...presto, found 12 satellites quickly, all very strong signals. Went back downstairs and nothing. So strange, but must be a signal strength issue as cannot penetrate 2 storeys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are getting 12 satellites inside your house, I'd say that's pretty good for any GPS receiver. The fact that you can't see them two stories below isn't that surprising, GPS signals are pretty weak by their nature, they don't travel through roofs, walls etc very well.
Good luck; I'm off to try out #21 from the list above at my local Apple Store...
GPS works fine on my end. Running Prime Icylicious w/ aGPS patch Test Build #5. GPS when not in motion locks in less than 8-10 secs, and when driving about 15-20 secs.
Here's a short video of Build 5 while driving: http://youtu.be/N7wQIL3myfY
Interesting range of replies. Outside of the gps issue, I think this device is incredible (I am not experiencing wifi signal issues), so I would rather not return it if I did not have to.
I live in a 2 storey house and the difference between 10-12 satellites and nothing is one flight of stairs from ground level to upstairs. My Desire Z locks in on both levels to 10+ satellites in under 15 seconds.
My hope is this issue will be tolerable, but I may have to unlock/root and install the patch to achieve this end.
Sent from my Desire Z using the XDA App
Dead as a doornail since I bought it early Feb. Always reads 0 sats even outside clear view of the sky, never locks. C1 serial. Doesn't really bother me as I never use it on the Prime and if I did need it I can just use bluetooth2GPS between my Nexus.. but it would be nice if something it was supposed to come with out the box worked. Other than that I got no issues with mine
Works fine on mine (C30 batch). What I did (and have been doing since my first Android GPS capable device):
Download 'GPS test' from Google Play, start it up with WiFi enabled, go into settings menu, discard aGPS data, renew aGPS data, shut down WiFi, walk outside, sit in the sun for a while and Presto! 12 sats in view, 10 connected (within a minute or 2....)
Although I'm not sure aGPS is also fetched bij WiFi (normally it's cellular broadcast station I thought), it's my standard 'work-flow'and it works for me....
Just what we need another gps thread, like there aren't 36 already.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
PolishPoet said:
Just what we need another gps thread, like there aren't 36 already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was unable to find a recent gps only thread. Since you know of 36, I am sure all readers and posters of this thread, including myself, would be grateful if you could link in your top 10?
Sent from my Desire Z using the XDA App
Outside I can pull 14 sats max. But once I step a foot inside I get nothing. But I am in a house built in 1890s do it has thick walls and horrible wiring.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium
monkey10120 said:
Outside I can pull 14 sats max. But once I step a foot inside I get nothing. But I am in a house built in 1890s do it has thick walls and horrible wiring.
Sent from my ADR6300 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, what serial # do you have , c10, c20 or c30?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium HD app
I picked up the TP last Saturday, C20 serial and not good at all. Outside it is a hit and miss and never actually works correctly. Shows that your on top of buildings, houses, etc... I have all my Android devices rooted, but going to wait a few weeks to hear anything on the Transformer Infinity. Then I will decide to either keep the TP or return it. Really like the TP, but since I am always on the road I need GPS working.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Nothing here
I have a C2 serial device, ever since I got it ive had zero GPS signal and zero sats. I opened the device and applied rubber shims behind the antenna as some have suggested and this made no difference. I flashed new official .21 firmware today, and still no signal at all. I downloaded and applied the aGPS fix (test build 6) which has been proven to work with a lot of people, but alas I still have zero visible satellites after 25 minutes of searching.
Does this mean my Prime has faulty GPS functionality, or is it just one of the unlucky ones which is worse than normal?
Ok maybe the gps on my unit isn't completely dead. Took it outside and waited and waited and waited until I finally saw satellites.
Went outside and my stock TP (a C20 serial number) with the .21 update took about 5 minutes to find 3 satellites, but no lock on any of them. fortunately i have my phone if i need to find where i am.
To use the GPS 2 Bluetooth methods do you need to have the phone and tablet rooted or should the the apps work fine on their own?
Just chime in and tell me how your WiFi/GPS is, and how your prime is operating.
If you don't have anything positive towards this thread GET OUT. I'm trying to get a better understanding of how everyone with a BCOKAS model is doing.
My wifi is decent/crap, I have to be within 10 feet of any router for a good connection. GPS is worthless
I'm waiting on "Gary Key" to come out with his amazing solution of fixing this. That's why I haven't RMAed or Unlocked yet.
Besides the WiFi, I LOVE THIS DEVICE. I could use the GPS on my phone.
Sooo hows your BCOKAS Prime ???
WIFI: Range is horrible
WIFI + BT: Recently tested this feature.... performs extremely poorly. Will do more test.
GPS: I can get few birds (including inside of the house) & few will lock with pathetic signal. However, everything disappears once it starts to move...
That's including aGPS... horrible.
Browser: Adequate once Chrome browser was deleted. However, still getting the "wait" pop-up window or force close on occasion.
Games: Don't really game on my Prime but it works well when I do (games look good as well).
Streaming Media from Network(movies): Due to poor WIFI range, it doesn't work well once I am 15+ ft away from the router.. however, if I am within 10ft range.. it works well. Also, if my Prime is idle for few mins. (5+).. & if I wake up my Prime... screen flickers & I see screen tear... & when I unlock it.. it'll freeze/lag & Prime will reboot. (This continues even after soft reset.. haven't done factory reset yet)
eReader: Probably the main reason why I continue to use Prime. MyLibrary from Asus is my fav. eReader app. Yes, I mainly use Prime for reading eBooks... (not exactly the reason why I purchased but it works well).
WIFI:
My wifi range is very similar to my GNex so it's not terrible. I just ran a Speed Test and was getting around 4-5D and 4-5U on the wireless here at my work which the signal strength is around -70dB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS:
2-3 birds outside, nothing inside and I never get a lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BT:
I have a lot of trouble getting things to connect to it but it can be done. Performance with wifi on is poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OS:
Been getting launcher crashes of late so I installed GO HD and that seems to have helped, but I will say that apps in general are not very stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than that, I'm in the same boat David. Waiting to unlock based on what I hear from RMA's. I started a thread a couple weeks ago to try and gather info from those who RMA'd for BT/WIFI issues but at that point no one really had. Maybe we can get some results now...
My bcokas
I have had this one since late Feb or early March (my 2nd one).
Only one or two uncommanded reboots--I am not a heavy user--I do not know enough about it to be a serious user, YET.
I am pretty computer knowledgeable, though.
I just took my prime outside (Anchorage, Alaska at the International Airport)
I have a wireless G network at our office. It is on the second floor inside a wooden frame building-close to, but not visible through a window. I connected with the WiFi Analyzer using the speedometer style gauge and received -73 to -75 DB at approximately 300 feet away on our ramp (aircraft parking area). I did not attempt any downloads--pretty chilly outside today.
Next, I loaded the GPS test app from Chartcross, and while outside (completely wide open), got no birds. This did not surprise me. I have found that if no birds are visible, a complete shutdown & restart will usually bring the GPS back to life. IT DID!!
Within 30 seconds of starting the app (after the complete restart), I had 12-14 birds visible and 10-11 in use. Signal strength never exceeded 31 on the graph. The usability remains poor, even though numerous birds in view. The coverage drops off to none frequently but reconnects quickly. As a commercial pilot, I am very familiar with GPS usage. This one cannot be classified greater than "Very Poor". I have the Dual xgps150a that I use via Bluetooth and it works flawlessly.
I have not attempted to use Bluetooth & WiFi at the same time, and therefore cannot comment on that aspect.
Overall, I am not dissatisfied with the Prime. I had no expectations of using the built-in GPS when I purchased it. The WiFi could be a bit better; but I consider it to be usable.
My biggest complaint with the Prime is not the hardware, it is the software. Specifically, the crappy browsers that I have tried (5 or 6). I absolutely hate "TABS" I refuse to use them on my PCs. I am not saying that they are bad, I just don't like them. The only browser that I even remotely can tolerate (thus far) is Dolphin. It still uses TABS, but at least it has a home button. Doing anything on a tablet browser (to me--so far) is like flying from Anchorage to Seattle via Tokyo, Manilla, and Santiago. I guess I am saying that I find all of them to be very user-unfriendly.
I guess I have whined enough.
Jerry In Anchorage, Alaska
Wifi is perfectly fine, no problems with it.
I've only gotten a lock with GPS once, and that was while I was sitting outside.
Haven't tried bt+wifi.
Have been getting some not responding messages with the browser occasionally when opening it.
I don't really game on it, but from the small amount of time I've used N64oid it certainly wasn't unacceptable.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA Premium.
I have had mine since mid January. No obvious issues with wi-fi and I'm able to stream music from my NAS drive to my bluetooth headphones while using the internet. I don't know if it's relevant but my broadband speed isn't exactly stellar (8mb max) whereas I notice that many of those with drop out issues when using bluetooth seem to to have a much higher speed normally.
GPS works in that satellites show indoors and out but the strength doesn't appear to be that great (I get locks but the values in GPS Test have never got near 30). Having said that, I probably would never use a tablet for satnav because of the size - it's far too big for my car whereas my Galaxy S2 phone is much more suitable and less distracting!
I've used most browsers but now mainly use either ICS+ Browser. I've (very) occasionally seen the 'wait' message but other than that everything is good and overall I'm (touch wood!) happy with my Prime.
Bcokas here. Wifi is fine and same as my old Droid charge and now my gnex. GPS got locks the one time I tried it months ago, been off since and never tried navigation with it so can't help with that. I've only tested bt with wifi using a sixaxis controller, seemed fine about 30 ft from router but didn't do a speed test to see if and how much it affected signal strength and speed.
I just got a BC0KAS TF201 back from RMA in Texas. My original complaint was black screen (nothing shows up on LCD), GPS nonexistent (ordered 12/28), and weak wifi. After all the parts replaced (GPS foil, conductive sponges, etc..), screen finally works but thats about it. No satellite locks still indoors or outdoors and still weak wifi.
junrider said:
I just got a BC0KAS TF201 back from RMA in Texas. My original complaint was black screen (nothing shows up on LCD), GPS nonexistent (ordered 12/18), and weak wifi. After all the parts replaced (GPS foil, conductive sponges, etc..), screen finally works but thats about it. No satellite locks still indoors or outdoors and still weak wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a lame story bro.
I'd RMA until they got it right. It sucks that you have to sit there and just take it, while Asus adds you to the satisfied Prime owner statistic.
Overall I have been happy with mine and would compare to some of the more favorable responses here.
Wifi: I initially thought that the .21 made a difference but have re-evaluated. At the furthest point in my house from the router (several walls, 1 floor, 40 ft) I get about 3-4 times slower speeds than other devices. It is still fast enough to surf, stream videos etc.
BT: don't use it much. Wifi speeds are the same whether it is on or off.
GPS: The patches in the dev section actually made some difference. I get a few sats inside with no lock. Outside, I get 11-12 with a lock. GPS test says the accuracy is 30 ft which I doubt would be enough to navigate, but who cares??
Regarding crashes when browsing and so on, I was getting a lot before I unlocked. In the end I just figured screw it, unlocked and installed a rom. I did that about 6 weeks ago and I could count the number of crashes on one hand. Maybe a factory reset would have had the same effect but where's the fun in that
skygunner27 said:
That's a lame story bro.
I'd RMA until they got it right. It sucks that you have to sit there and just take it, while Asus adds you to the satisfied Prime owner statistic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not really mine. Its my friend's prime, but i used my creditcard to pay for it. Its his first tablet so hes pretty new to the game. As long as the prime works he can deal until there is a real fix for it, then Ill tell him. I have the receipt (ordered well before the GPS announcement) and all the paper work for the RMA (so there is history that I have complained about the GPS and weak wifi), so they cant deny me the GPS. Couldnt tell if the bluetooth+wifi works since I dont have any bluetooth headphones to test it. I wanna give it a few more months to see if there is any development in the prime.
Thats why I refunded my money, I had few B0CKS and where all the same GPS and weak wifi. Im holding out for something that I can be happy with.
wifi works great. better than my Ipad & atrix phone as far as download speeds, reception strength, and signal stability goes.
wifi/BT works fine. I'm able to transfer big movie files from my phone to prime while prime is hooked up to wifi internet and streaming movie at same time. no slowdown of speeds and movie plays just fine streaming while BT in the background transferring big file.
Gps- never tested outdoors yet. plus I hook up my phone to prime through BT GPS. works great.
overall my early BC model from 12/22 has been performing great for me. no real issues what so ever to complain about really. I'd easily purchase this again if i had to do it over again. my Ipad has nothing on my prime. No comparison to Prime & Android experience. Very pleased with device and its performance. IMO, Asus did a great job on it as mines works as expected and more.
Thanks for the responding!
My wi-fi performance isn't stellar, but it isn't horrible either. I can get better signal than my, older, hp laptop in some areas of my house. I'm happy enough with it to not want to RMA.
I rely on my phone any time I need GPS so I have never actually tested it on my Prime. Seems like redundant use of technology for me. For the same reason, I haven't loaded any music onto my Prime--I have it all on my, more portable, phone.
I love ICS. Sure, I have some difficulty with the browser some times, but I expect Google will be continually making this better. I usually just check in with FB with it anyway. For any serious browsing I use a computer.
One of the things I love the best about my Prime is the dock. I've had zero issues with it and love the short-cut buttons. I'm currently writing a book, completely on my Prime, and it and Polaris Office have been wonderful.
I've been using my BC0KAS TF201 from Best Buy since mid January, and I'm pleased with it overall.
Wifi is nothing to be proud of, but acceptable. Downstairs is not a problem, but upstairs I get slower speeds, which is to be expected.
GPS is absent. I'm lucky to get a lock anywhere, and I've never seen more than 3 sats while driving.
I haven't used bluetooth much.
I use chrome browser and it works fine.
Battery life is somewhat of an issue for me; I keep it on about 50% brightness most of the time, and the battery goes down quite fast at times. Fast charging makes up for it though.
My wifi is usable. I even connected once to free mcdonalds wifi from the parking lot (slow, but checked my email which is what i needed to do). I will have a weak signal upstairs, but netflix worked fine.
Wifi + bt. Again, usable, but signal drops when i feed my stereo bt music and try to watch netflix (really real world?)
No reboots till two updates ago. Way better with .21
Gps is completely useless. I was one of the few who wanted this to replace my aging gps as a nice bonus. Tried all the gps patches from the thread, 1.0rc seems to make things more stable in gps test, but i no longer get locks whatsoever. Also, no skymap fun as its twitchy.
Screen goes through fits with tearing along the left side. Sometimes need to reboot to fix it. Minimal backlight bleeding, didnt even notice till the 3rd time i turned it on, and i was looking for it at that point.
I love this thing enough to have kept it since early jan (bb.com fiasco unit). Not unlocked. Still scared even though i reallllly want to...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
My WiFi slightly beats out the Galaxy Ace and Wildfire in terms of range and the DL/UL speeds are still pretty good at the furthest away point in my house.
GPS is non existant as far as I can tell, not really got the patience to test it properly though.
Never really use BT+WiFi together so can't comment on that.
My Rear camera doesn't work, just a green glitchy mess. Not sure if it's hardware or software though.
Gaming is good on it, got plenty of emulators working very well and games like Shadowgun run and look great.
Wifi-up to par with my Droid x
Wifi+Bluetooth- no issues
Gps - not so great, its picky about location and view of the sky
Sent from my DROIDX using xda premium
Wifi matches Droid X in speed and signal strength.
I don't use BT on my tablet.
GPS - outside, 10/10 lock/view, vs. droid x 10/16. Inside, maybe 1 in view, no lock. Droid X will get 6/8.
OS, no issues. I did have to wipe going from HC-->ICS, but I wasn't expecting apps to survive anyway,
*edit*
I had issues with triangles appearing on overlays and random bars on the edge of the screen, but those have gone away with the .21 update. The triangle tearing thing was always fixable by just swiping apps off the recent apps list.
Wifi is fine my E4200 version 1 is in the center of the house and I get a decent connection both on the front and back steps and I use the prime to watch network streamed tv show replays with no problems or stuttering in the house. Gps is good in the house at times and non working at other times same outside. Location and weather effect this I believe. My browser hasnt given me any problems to speak of, overall I'm pleased.
In the market looking to buy a 2nd tab in the family.
Seen a lot of offers for used TF201 (some with dock) for the same price as a new TF300...
What do you guys recommend to get, is the WiFi signal issue present in all TF201s and if yes, is it that bad? Or should i just get a new TF300 and forget about TF201?
Does the GPS dongle improve also WiFi signal (indirectly i suppose)?
What advantages does TF201 have over TF300 that should make me choose it over the latter for the same price (or even less)?
Thanks!
I have a C3 serial and it's pretty good.. I think the later versions were better.
But you will get a whole load of people post that the TF701 is better. SDCard fits, Wi-Fi signal is stronger, GPS get's location quicker..
sjrixon said:
I have a C3 serial and it's pretty good.. I think the later versions were better.
But you will get a whole load of people post that the TF701 is better. SDCard fits, Wi-Fi signal is stronger, GPS get's location quicker..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TF700 is a different story with a different price, at least in Europe
In scope of this thread is an used TF201 vs a new TF300
There's no denying the TF201 has been plagued with support issues. I returned my first one for WiFi problems. My second one the WiFi is fine. I stream movies on it regularly with no issues whatsoever, for example. GPS has been very bad on both without the dongle.
If you get it from a place that'll take a return/exchange it's a good buy, if not though, I'd recommend looking at other options. It's a great device when you get a good one only caveat that is even for a good one, if you are buying specifically for a lot of GPS stuff don't bother.
zerozoneice said:
Does the GPS dongle improve also WiFi signal (indirectly i suppose)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dongle does nothing to help with WiFi signal. Strictly to help GPS.
GPS is unusable and is not an official feature anymore. Wifi works fine, however max throughput speed is not great, it's fine for streaming video's.
I think it's a great tablet _and_ the screen is great, very good outdoor use. The TF300 does not have this.
Personally.. my wifi was ok, GPS no good but the non-responding apps & powering off while sleeping were deal breakers for me.. I'd stay away from it especially used and unable to return. Luckly someone here found Best Buy willing to take the Primes back under manufacturer defect and I was lucky enough to have that happen for me. Delivering a TF700 tomorrow.
Just a few of my screenshot issues.. if ya want more I'd be more than happy to send them to you.. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1765997
Stay away. Stay far away.
nyijedi said:
Stay away. Stay far away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you guys are scaring me
thing is i found a TF201 32GB with Dock, GPS dongle and case for less than a new TF300...guy says it's a C10 serial and has no wifi issues...
is there a serial# tracker that can verify if there is a wifi problem? were only few batches affected or it's a general build issue.
i got a TF300 today and playing with it but i can return it within 24h if there's something wrong with it...
I had a C1 Prime that I bought in Feb and exchanged for a 700 this past Friday. Wifi by itself was fine for the most part, but when I turned the B/T on using at the same time bandwidth plummeted (20 megs to about 2megs down), known issue.. my opinion I'd skip it for the 300, at least you know you wont have wifi/gps issues with it
zerozoneice said:
you guys are scaring me
thing is i found a TF201 32GB with Dock, GPS dongle and case for less than a new TF300...guy says it's a C10 serial and has no wifi issues...
is there a serial# tracker that can verify if there is a wifi problem? were only few batches affected or it's a general build issue.
i got a TF300 today and playing with it but i can return it within 24h if there's something wrong with it...
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Wifi works fine on my Prime. Don't read into everything you see on the forums too much. People like to blow things way out of proportion and make big deals out of nothing. They will make it sound like wifi doesn't work at all on the Prime and/or will complain that the signal drops off when they are outside their house 50 ft away, or that they only get 2 bars while their laptop gets 3 when in the same location. It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
GPS on the other hand is not a supported built-in feature so don't expect it to work out of the box without the GPS dongle.
jordache16 said:
It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
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LOL, be glad you got a Prime then that supposedly works 100%.
There are plenty of people here including myself who will disagree with you, and I'm no noob by anymeans, my router (Linksys E3000 "High Performance") is less than 5 feet away from me here buddy Its been reiterated over and over the metal backplate is a signal killer. I can't express how happy I was when Best Buy took the thing back.
jordache16 said:
Wifi works fine on my Prime. Don't read into everything you see on the forums too much. People like to blow things way out of proportion and make big deals out of nothing. They will make it sound like wifi doesn't work at all on the Prime and/or will complain that the signal drops off when they are outside their house 50 ft away, or that they only get 2 bars while their laptop gets 3 when in the same location. It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
GPS on the other hand is not a supported built-in feature so don't expect it to work out of the box without the GPS dongle.
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WiFi technically "works," but works like crap compared to other devices. This is not really debateable. I've tested my Prime on the same network in the same spot next to a Galaxy Nexus, iPad 1, and Nexus 7. Once you move a few feet away from the router (not exaggerating - a few feet), the Prime drops speed at a ridiculous rate. For example, next to the router, all devices, including the Prime, will get over 30 Mbps. As I move away from the router, in the same spot, my other devices will all pull between 15 and 20 Mbps, and the Prime will be lucky to see 3-5 Mbps. And then if I keep moving away, the Prime is always the first one to lose a signal, while the other devices will still download at about 1-6 Mbps. It really depends on your use case. If you'll be using it regularly in areas with good WiFi, you'll be fine. But don't say you weren't warned if you try and use it in areas with weak WiFi.
As for the GPS, just assume the Prime doesn't have it, because it is not functional. Hell, Asus admitted this much when they took it off the box. It does work with the dongle, but you also can't charge the Prime when the dongle is plugged in, so forget about keeping your Prime charged using the GPS on a long road trip.
jordache16 said:
Wifi works fine on my Prime. Don't read into everything you see on the forums too much. People like to blow things way out of proportion and make big deals out of nothing. They will make it sound like wifi doesn't work at all on the Prime and/or will complain that the signal drops off when they are outside their house 50 ft away, or that they only get 2 bars while their laptop gets 3 when in the same location. It's all bs; wifi is completely normal on the Prime. As for those that do have legitimate issues (very few from what I have seen) they are in the minority and should be contacting ASUS for RMA.
GPS on the other hand is not a supported built-in feature so don't expect it to work out of the box without the GPS dongle.
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Please speak for yourself ok?
The prime works fine for me when I'm close to the router, but degrades quickly as you move away. And I'm not talking about 50ft outside the house, I'm talking about the kitchen... 30 ft from the router with a door in between. Locations where other devices, such as my phone, have no issue keeping a decent connection...
Overall you can still browse pretty fine yeah and most of the time stream music. But for me there are hiccups, youtube videos (hd) pause and/or buffer regularly when not in the same room as the router, etc.
GPS is useless, but that is no issue for me as I have no need for it. IO is not great either, supposedly better with the TF700t.
So it' not useless but it is pretty weak and can (or will) cause issues in areas where your connection is not great... Just keep that in mind.
Other then these issues the prime is excellent, beatiful and sleek. The dock is awesome. But to be honest, I wish I could trade it in for something else or that there was some model like this on the market (a non-asus one in this case).
I love my Prime, but under no circumstance or influence could I possibly recommend it to anyone.
It's amazing when you have a model that works fine coupled with a good firmware version (or some custom ROMs I guess), but it's entirely too easy to get a bad mixture.
Mine is running fine after the mods in the development section (still haven't unlocked my bootloader), but WiFi is certainly dampened when compared to other devices. I've heard that certain channels and passcode encryptions are handled better than others. We're all still playing around to achieve optimal signal and it seems that messing with a bit of conductive foam inside the tablet helps to ground the antenna and improve reception. But that requires opening up (not hard) the tablet and technically voiding warranty (just have to be careful and clean).
The BlueTooth/WiFi complaints are completely true and valid depending on what (amounts of) data the BT is pumping out. I generally don't see too hard a hit with your average BT headset, but I think that using any actual stereo headset is going to cause your WiFi to become downright deplorable.
I can use my WiFi in most any room of both houses I spend most my time in *(where each house has 2 routers)*, and over most of my work-place *(which uses a pretty powerful commercial-grade router)*, and I only get a random reboot maybe once every few weeks or so (usually during heavy use, right after I've started bragging but just before the awesome game/app loads up lol). I can go anywhere between one and seven days on a single charge depending on use, that is my favorite part of the tablet/keyboard combo. Having a native setting to use the mouse pad for touch gestures is awesome. The two speakers located directly beside each other don't sound too bad, but are very uni-directional and lose against the outdoors. The screen is magnificent: I can use it any time, anywhere, and everything isn't over-saturated like many competitors' screens (arguably under-saturated though, depends on opinion, eyesight, and luck of the draw). Useful to have the extra mSD and SD slots though I never use the SD in the keyboard; I leave my mSD in at all times and have changed its mount point to within the /sdcard/ directory so that apps can actually access and make use of it. This is only possible because of the leather case I have, otherwise the mSD would long ago have ejected somewhere. /rant
Tl;dr:
It's a great, fun toy which tries to appear productive and savvy; it's entirely unreliable just like its manufacturer and will cause great embarrassment if "shown off;" and I absolutely would not recommend it to someone who does not want to dig down into fixing and patching and playing with the hardware and software.
*EDIT:
Also, as mentioned, GPS is not even worth mentioning
Which is why I do not recommend ASUS to customers regardless. They produce great PC components, they just have some serious quality control issues which are usually covered pretty well by warranty. But none-the-less, their inconsistencies in physical components makes them a general no-no for me.
zerozoneice said:
In the market looking to buy a 2nd tab in the family.
Seen a lot of offers for used TF201 (some with dock) for the same price as a new TF300...
What do you guys recommend to get, is the WiFi signal issue present in all TF201s and if yes, is it that bad? Or should i just get a new TF300 and forget about TF201?
Does the GPS dongle improve also WiFi signal (indirectly i suppose)?
What advantages does TF201 have over TF300 that should make me choose it over the latter for the same price (or even less)?
Thanks!
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My Prime was fine, maybe even better then fine. But if $300 is about what you were going to spend on a used Prime, I would go get the new 300. WiFi was good with the one I played with at the store the other day. Put it in a case and no one will ever know it's not a Prime.
Seriously - either get a TF300 or better, a TF700.. just pretend the TF201 never existed.
IF you have no use for a GPS (and think very carefully about that - Google Now, for example, relies on both not-fine(WiFi - really - you can't say the opposite of fine that rhymes with course?) and fine (GPS) location for a lot of things it does... and more and more apps are location aware...) and if you don't mind subpar WiFi and Bluetooth, then it's a nice tablet.
Unfortunately, since the TF300 is cheaper and the TF700 is the same price - but with a higher res screen AND both have working GPS, WiFi and BT - you'd be nuts to go with the TF201.
And to be honest - given how Asus has bunged up the entire TF201 fiasco, I'm not even comfortable recommending a Transformer at all. I'd wait for the Samsung Note 10.1 in two weeks, or any of the growing number of Transformer like Android tablets coming out soon.
I agree with buxtahuda all the way. The only reason I can hand my prime to another person to play with without fear of mockery is that I have repaired the improper backplate grounding to the wifi and gps antennas so the both now work well. This required taking it apart (which I didnt mind since I got it so I could do that). The second part of the equation for not being embarassed by my prime is that I put one of the new Jellybean (actually I have tried them all) roms on it. There seems to be no game playing issues or lag with these but since they are prebeta they are missing some features of the hardware.
My boss asked me to recommend a tablet for her after she saw my prime with dock in action at a meeting. I told her to get an Ipad.
whycali said:
I agree with buxtahuda all the way. The only reason I can hand my prime to another person to play with without fear of mockery is that I have repaired the improper backplate grounding to the wifi and gps antennas so the both now work well. This required taking it apart (which I didnt mind since I got it so I could do that). The second part of the equation for not being embarassed by my prime is that I put one of the new Jellybean (actually I have tried them all) roms on it. There seems to be no game playing issues or lag with these but since they are prebeta they are missing some features of the hardware.
My boss asked me to recommend a tablet for her after she saw my prime with dock in action at a meeting. I told her to get an Ipad.
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Care to elaborate on the grounding issue? Are you talking those small spongy things?
dagrim1 said:
Care to elaborate on the grounding issue? Are you talking those small spongy things?
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Correct. We figured out forever ago that they carry continuity, so they're essentially a wire going to the case for grounding.
Or so I gather.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using XDA Premium HD via my tethered HTC Vision