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Hey all, i thought i would start a thread about an issue that many canadians seem to have with the GS2, it seems to have been beat to death but there is no actual solution.
Im currently using the GS2 with Telus, its a wcdma/3G/H/H+ carrier using the frequency 1900 mostly and 850 at times on the cdma network, i used so far KG3-KG6 i placed them in that order because KG6 is the latest i tried and has proven to give me better coverage but its still really bad..
I can connect to data but only outdoors or only when the reception is full bars, if i start to lose any bars there goes my data connection and i can no longuer use any services data/sms/mms/calls i literaly cant do anything..
This is a big issue as i know for a fact that you dont need a data connection to send sms. but it seems the galaxy s2 under the current modem firmware im using KG6 wont allow me to unless im on full data coverage...
My question is this, what is the best modem firmware to use according to the frequencies that i meantioned earlier 1900/850 WCDMA i dont mind using another country's modem as long as they are oriented towards the same frequencies that i need
My phone came from Korea and i know they use 2100/900 could that be the issue? Is my hardware oriented towards that? At this point anything could help and please feel free to post thanks
SL.
What is the model # of your phone?
Sent from my GT-I9100M using XDA App
GT-I9100 thats my model
im using
PDA: I9100XXKG6
PHONE: I9100XXKG6
CSC: I91000XAKG6
Hmm, I'm a SGS2 owner on TELUS as well and haven't had any problems so far, besides the GPS Lock Time which most people seem to complain about. It takes about 1 minute for the GPS to lock for me, but my data is fine. No dropped calls or sms problems here. My download speed as I checked last was at 8.31 Mbps down and about 2 Mbps up.
But again, having horrible GPS issues. Wish I could figure that one out
Sobai can u post your results to *#1234#
so i can compare my settings to yours.
I'm using KG6 on Rogers network and don't have fantastic reception either. For most situations it holds calls -- but buildings with lots of concrete I lose the signal completely. It's as if I'm not truly on the 850 band ... my G1 had the same problem until I flashed a Bell-specific modem, that solved the problem. I guess we'll have to wait until Bell launches the G2 here, we'll be able to swipe the modem again.
i have an imported gs2 that i am using on rogers and it doesnt drop calls, but i have had times in the past when it would show 3g but not download any data. once i turned airplane mode on and off data would work fine again. the best radio for me has been the kf2 modem in terms of not having the data stalling issue. i find that even if i show no bars of strength i can still download data with no issue.
if you are on telus i would make sure so set the wireless settings to 3g only so the phone doesnt try to look for a 2g signal.
KG2 on a Bell SGS2 on Rogers/Fido network in Vancouver.
GPS locks in seconds. no dropped calls. H+ all the time, never once saw a 3G symbol. no data dropouts.
over 7Mbps down on this network with the SGS2, when i had 1/3rd the speeds an HTC Desire. great reception in my office downtown, my apartment, everywhere i've been so far.
KG2 (not the stock canadian though), in Montreal on the Virgin/Bell network. So far no complaints on the data. Since I started messing w/ the firmware however, the connection is on 3G when idle and only switches to H+ when actually in use. From what i've been reading many people have been noticing this when flashing over the stock Canadian firmware.
On the other hand however, the GPS has been having a hard time establishing a lock (whereas it used to be quite speedy and precise before I flashed). Won`t be able to test whether this is a firmware problem untill the stock Canadian is released by Samsung.
PDA: I9100XXKG6
PHONE: I9100XXKG2
CSC: I9100OXAKG6
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Wow guys I appreciate the feedback I thought I was the only one with this issue! I will definitely give kf2 a try right now and I'll also download the 3G only data app and give it a try and I'll get back to u guys with some feedback. Thanks again
Btw I'm using, touch x 3.2 rom that has kg5 on and I did notice a little improvement in the reception but the data connectivity is still very spotty so I'll give kf2 a try but so far kg5 modem is definitely the best one I seen so far to use on telus. Btw anyone trying to use the galaxy s2 on fido, I was never able to get 3G at all to work I was stuck on edge.
hondaguy said:
i have an imported gs2 that i am using on rogers and it doesnt drop calls, but i have had times in the past when it would show 3g but not download any data. once i turned airplane mode on and off data would work fine again. the best radio for me has been the kf2 modem in terms of not having the data stalling issue. i find that even if i show no bars of strength i can still download data with no issue.
if you are on telus i would make sure so set the wireless settings to 3g only so the phone doesnt try to look for a 2g signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know how I would be able to set it up so that it stays locked on 3G? I tried the *#301279# trick and disabling hsdpa and hsupa with revision 99 but to no avail. Even if it shows full bars and 3G I still get no data connection and also I can't send or receive texts unless there is a data connection for some reason, have you guys had this issue??
sashpimp said:
Do you know how I would be able to set it up so that it stays locked on 3G? I tried the *#301279# trick and disabling hsdpa and hsupa with revision 99 but to no avail. Even if it shows full bars and 3G I still get no data connection and also I can't send or receive texts unless there is a data connection for some reason, have you guys had this issue??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have never needed to mess around with that menu. you should be able to go to
settings
wireless network
mobile networks
network mode
select wcdma only
that will lock it to 3 only. if you keep having issues you might get a new sim card from telus as that might be causing you some issues
Do you have your apn configured properly for your provider? If it isnt your data definitely work. Other then that I havent had these issues in edmonton on kg6 or maybe I just dont know what to expect reception wise. I do notice it hops from 3G to hspa to hspa+ a lot so i switched to only 3g. If anyone finds anything that improves that or reception though I would be interested
Sobai said:
Hmm, I'm a SGS2 owner on TELUS as well and haven't had any problems so far, besides the GPS Lock Time which most people seem to complain about. It takes about 1 minute for the GPS to lock for me, but my data is fine. No dropped calls or sms problems here. My download speed as I checked last was at 8.31 Mbps down and about 2 Mbps up.
But again, having horrible GPS issues. Wish I could figure that one out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can u post what Rom u are currently using and modem ?
sashpimp said:
Can u post what Rom u are currently using and modem ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This information would be great because I am also experiencing spotty data connectivity (browser loads data, stalls, resumes centuries later) which results in severe crappy data speeds of 0.8mbps down and 0.07mbps up (done on in-browser speakeasy test and speedtest.net app.
Running VillianRom 2.4.2 on Bell's I9100M over Telus Network
PDA: I9100XXKG6
PHONE: I9100XXKG3
CSC: I9100OXAKG6
nk_blu said:
This information would be great because I am also experiencing spotty data connectivity (browser loads data, stalls, resumes centuries later) which results in severe crappy data speeds of 0.8mbps down and 0.07mbps up (done on in-browser speakeasy test and speedtest.net app.
Running VillianRom 2.4.2 on Bell's I9100M over Telus Network
PDA: I9100XXKG6
PHONE: I9100XXKG3
CSC: I9100OXAKG6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish there was a way to extract the modem.bin file from the bell sgs2 this way we could simply distibute it around. Someone should root their phone, install cwm4 and make a backup and we could simply pass the backup around so we could all have the modem
Bell modem has already been posted to the forum.
sashpimp said:
I wish there was a way to extract the modem.bin file from the bell sgs2 this way we could simply distibute it around. Someone should root their phone, install cwm4 and make a backup and we could simply pass the backup around so we could all have the modem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
Or flash KG6, KH1, whichever modem you please.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
I have read somewhere that some people are experiencing their data connection to freeze or have idle times even with good reception.
Now I have never had an Aussie firmware, in particular the modem part of the firmware which I believe is the part related to the phone performance?????
I have tried disabling and enabling the fast dormancy. Turning off data and enabling it again fixes the problem. The hang isn't permanent so things like email, syncing, weather all update fine, its just web pages can sit loading for ages or time out with no acitivity shown. But try again a few minutes later and the internet is super quick without the reception of tower changing.
Does anyone else with Optus Australia, or vodafone or telstra for that matter, have the data stalling issue? What exact modem version are you using?
Yeah i think this is actually related to Optus's network.
I have scrubbed my phone and applied the XXKH3 firmware and it seems a bit better to me. I also disabled Fast Dormancy.
Simmo3D said:
Yeah i think this is actually related to Optus's network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have too agree with Simmo3D the current state of not just optus is abysmal.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel with the NBN it should is ease the congestion that we have been having to deal with because of the explosion of people updateing there facebook status.
Also we have both telstra and vodafone putting in new 850MHZ tower which can handle a much larger amount of traffic which means the Que time or "Idle time" will be reduced.
I had wondered about it being Optus... but turning data off and back on straight away seems to fix it instantly so wondering whether it isn't because of congestion otherwise it wouldn't always fix the problem temporarily .... but I am no expert. It isn't a slow down, its a complete stop with no data going either way. Occasionally it will sit there sending permanently but that isn't always the case when it stalls.
I am not disagreeing just trying to confirm whether this is definately optus or something else related ot the wrong modem component for optus network.
I never noticed this on my previous phone (i8000 on win mo and alos a buggy android port) but to be honest I didn't really play around on the net so much because I didn't have anywhere near this amount of data I have now and it wasn't as appealing to play round with online....
Were either of you on Optus with another phone you used data on a lot? Did that experience the same stalling of data.
no problems on telstra here
My dad is optus and has the same issue on his phone. Me and my gf are on Vodafone and have a slight issue but not as bad becuase were mainly on the new network. Telstra finally turned on QoS so there is no problem on that network.
Remember there are 800 open cases with the ombudsman over optus's delivery of service.
There are tweaks to the build.prop file to mitigate phone issues but won't help as much as if optus fixed there infrastructure
Sent from my GT-I9100T using xda premium
Thanks all. Looks like concensus says optus is the main culprit and i don't need to head down the flashing of a typical optus modem firmware with my imported phone to fix these dramas. Thankfully its not all the time so I can live with the slight frustrations at times. At least the voice calls aren't doing the same thing...
Was reading 2 articles this morning that you might like.
http://m.itwire.com/it-industry-news/deals/49770-optus-to-use-huawei-for-700mhz-lte-trial
http://m.itwire.com/business-it-news/networking/49768-optus-announces-lte-rollout-for-2012
Sent from my GT-I9100T using xda premium
As far as I know there is a known bug in the phones software that stalls data transfers when switching between 3g and h. The fix is to lock the phones data out of h.
To do this use the stock phone dialpad and key in *#301279#
Select option 2
Select option 1
Then use menu key and go right back or end.
Should not be using h network now and your stalling should be fixed.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Try the Irish Modem stronger locks .
jje
i thought this would be the best place for a problem i started having about2 weeks ago. i am on vodafone uk.
i used to get 3-4 of the 4 bars reception while sitting at home(as an example). suddenly i was getting 1-2 and sometimes none (all blank).
i thought i would try and eliminate things one by one so here is what i did...
checked with my sim in another phone and another sim in mine. from memory the other phone having my sim was slightly down but not much and my phone with the other sim didnt really change much.
i checked with vodafone by calling them, they said they couldnt see any problems on the network, birmingham uk, but would send a new sim, after getting the sim activated when it arrived, no better. their onling forum is still waiting for a response back from their technical whether there is any problems. i dont see how the phone department can instantly tell me when the technical need many days to find an answer.
i thought it could be the rom so i first updated lite'ning rom to resurrection remix and then to a later version of RR and no change. the newest version of RR has a different kernel, flux i think, than the siyah in the 2 previous roms but again that different kernel didnt improve it. lastly i even changed the modem/radio trying to different ones to the default, xxlpx and kh3 and again no difference.
the only thing that improves it is turning 2G on instead of 3G. the bars go back up to 3-4. even with 3G on previously as i never changed it before it was always fine.
i know this is a long post but i wanted to be thorough as i really appreciate any help as i am now lost as what could improve this.
Mispost
anyone?
I have been having a similar problem on Three for about five weeks now. Despite numerous reloads of Android and modems etc I was getting no results, 5mb dl speeds have dropped to around 150kb despite having a good signal.
After many many calls to so called customer service I have discovered that a new cell tower near to me has been activated as part of the network expansion program and because this cell is closer to me than the one I used to connect to I now get a stronger signal from this so my phone always chooses this. Problem is this cell has only got a 2mb feed INTO it, its a TMobile/Orange cell now being shared with Three....so I am basically fooked.
Check with Vodafone if they have done anything similar recently near you. Three are adamant there are no problems my end, technically they are correct I suppose, its all working, I just cant access the net without it timing out constantly now.
Atb
SST
I am having the same issue with my phone. I get only one bar (sometimes none!) whenever I'm home & I'm on WiFi; however, I get full signal strength when I'm out & on 3G.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
i thought it could be the cell tower thing as there is only 1 vodafone one in quite a large radious, about 2 miles, and many of all the other networks. i dont know why vodafone are happy to have 1 compared to at least 3-4 each for all other providers.
this morning i drove that 1 mile to the vodafone mast and ran fresh network and surely that would have connected to that as i was 5 meters from it. still no better. ??
Just try NELP3 modem once... I had done similar issue once.. Now my network is better..
is nelp3 okay for uk though?
Try flashing another Modem. Im from Germany but i had similar problems. A new Rom would do too i think
All
Sent from my MB525 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2
Christiancs1969 said:
All
Sent from my MB525 using Xparent Cyan Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure what you mean with 'all'
Number of options, tower may be having problems, maybe some form of interference, try a different modem, try different sum card if you have one spare?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
i do have the same problem as above, no signal in the building and 50% signal outside building. I swithch my SIM with fren's (he use another telco), and his SIM not work on my S2 and my SIM work on his phone (not SIM issues).
I tested many modem as recommented , LP2/LP3, LP9, LPX, KI3, KI4, KF2, no luck.
I flash different ROM, (some old version that work before), from CM9, AOKP, Sammy. no luck.
I restore old back up ROM. no luck
Fix permission, no luck.
any advice ?
OK next step is to flash a different modem
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
i've tried a few modems including the ones people believe better, all have this problem so far.
it may be the network mast in my case. i discussed with vodafone what 3G mast i was connected to and then which 3G mast is next closest. i then went right next to that other 3G mast and the signal was full bars, no fluctuation at all. this surely means it is either, 1-the network mast i keep locking to having problems or 2-all the modems i have used favouring battery over strength and not getting enough power to get a good signal.
is there a way of finding out which modems are better for battery and which are better for signal strength?
Umm not that I know of, best thing to do for that is either research the modems for better strength or battery etc, or just test some yourself, however that is time consuming,
Personally I think it is just the mast having problems, however I may be wrong
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
i thought i would add a little research to this thread, not too much but just my experience with 3 specific modems.
the background is that recently i have started getting very poor network signal as i believe the closest 3g mast to me is having problems. if i turn to 2g its better as the phone then connects to the closest 2g tower which gives better network signal.
i know that a modem should be left for 2-3 days before judging but i thought that if a modem is currently better than another then that is only likely to stay the same with time as long as they were given the same short period of time.
i used the app network signal info and did 3 5 minute tests for each modem and then averaged the percentage of the signal and also averaged the -dbm also.
i first used the modem i currently had on there, BUKI1
- average percentage was 19%
- average -dbm was -103
both very poor scores
the signal was very jumpy up and down also
i then flashed the custom modem, i think by krs007, M250S
- average percentage was 44.6%
- average -dbm was -90.66
obviously a huge increase
the signal was very steady, hardly changing from that average
lastly i flashed NELP3
- average percentage was 30.66%
- average -dbm was -97.33
better than at first but not as good as M250S
i am now going to let M250S bed in for a few days while keeping my eye on here for how NELP4 performs but so far i have a huge increase in signal in a previously very poor area. as this is also due i believe to the tower having problems, hopefully it will only get better.
Try downloading OpenSignalMaps from Google Play Store. For starters, you can determine the approximate location of the offending cell tower (if the cell tower was indeed the culprit). Sometimes, i realise that the phone tends to stick to certain cell towers when others are in closer range and could purportedly provide a better radio link. For this, the app provides a refresh feature that allows you to manually trigger a cell tower refresh. I am aware that most apps requiring connectivity have this feature but i don't suppose you can call the refresh on trigger.
Hi Marc
Tracked down a copy of M250S(dont know if its the same as you have installed though), and very briefly, as in 30 secondsish, I had 4 bars and dl`s around 5mb again!.But midway through it dropped out and that seems to be the pattern. Seems to be having problems locking onto a cell, signal bars frequently grey out, maybe its a compatibility issue with CM9, I dont know.
Anyway, let us know how you get on,
Cheers
Chris
it probably is the same as i dont think any others have that name.
it probably just needs to bed in for a few days. i have noticed mine go between 3g and H quite regular but it always does that, i havent had any dropped calls or similar so far.
Hi All,
I am having a strange problem with my S2 since last few months. I am from Mumbai, India and using Airtel network. There is a spot in my apartment which has very poor network reception of Airtel and I face issues whenever my cell is in that spot for a while. It happens that whenever I take my cell in that area, it starts losing signal bars till no bars are highlighted on the status bar at the top. It keeps showing zero bars but does not show "no signal" icon. Then, after keeping my cell in that spot for a while when I bring it in a better connectivity spot, signal bars start increasing and it appears that my cell has better reception again. However, if anyone tries to call me or I try to call anyone, they get "Out of coverage area" message or I get "Network registration failed" message respectively. I am having this problem since the day I started using Airtel and have tried a lot of remedies but only thing that works is rebooting my cell. I have tried using OpenSignal app to reset my connection whenever my cell comes back from the spot but even that fails to revive it and ultimately I have to reboot.
Has anyone faced such an issue and any ideas about a fix? Does it look like an issue with my cell or could it be an issue with my network provider? I would prefer not to root my S2 since I have 3 years warranty on it but if you think that it's the only way out of this, please let me know your opinion.
Thanks.
Sounds like a carrier issue to me. You pretty much said exactly that yourself when you said 'There is a spot in my apartment which has very poor network reception of Airtel and I face issues whenever my cell is in that spot for a while'.
That's normal in many buildings. Particularly if the network coverage in your area is borderline or poor. I have a similar issue in my house, in a few rooms I get no bars & sometimes coverage drops out completely, whereas in my loungeroom/dining/kitchen at the back of the house I get good coverage (for me, anyways).
You could try different modems, which might improve things. You don't have to be rooted to flash these, you can flash them using Odin. Tho it is easier to flash them with CWM if you're rooted.
I use to had the same issue with my 3 carrier at my desk in the office, and still on 2g services. I but since last month they already improved to hsdpa network added more bts and now my blank spot became H.
Yes you may try to change other service providers
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Thanks for your suggestions guys. Yes, it might be only related to the carrier. But, I think that if signal goes down to zero and then when my cell is back in better coverage zone, shouldn't the modem take care of network registration by itself? My problem is that it doesn't. I have to reboot my cell every time after I come to know that my cell is showing signal bars but is not actually registered on the network. If I reboot my cell, everything becomes normal and so if it was just an issue with the carrier, shouldn't it continue like that even after reboot? If I think about it logically, I think following should help me out:
1. Try out a different cell for a few days and see if I face this issue or not.
2. If answer to 1 is no, then try out different modems on my S2 and see if that helps.
Actually, I just wanted to check if anyone else has faced this issue and figured out that something is not right with S2 drivers or something? That would help me with quick resolution of my problem.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Yep, your logic is sound ;-)
One thing tho. With regard to trying your sim out in another phone, you have to keep in mind the radio hardware is obviously different in different phones. And what that means is (and this is something I've observed on XDA), chances are you'll find the sim works perfectly in the other phone & you have no issues at all. This might be due to the actual equipment your carrier is using in the cell tower(s) you're close to, also the frequencies that gear is using might also be playing a part in your problems.
So definitely try it out in another phone & see what happens, but you could do worse than try out a bunch of modems in the S2 & see if that improves things.
crypticlight said:
1. Try out a different cell for a few days and see if I face this issue or not.
2. If answer to 1 is no, then try out different modems on my S2 and see if that helps.
Actually, I just wanted to check if anyone else has faced this issue and figured out that something is not right with S2 drivers or something? That would help me with quick resolution of my problem.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those are carrier issues, and maybe even the material of the constructions, in my house there are rooms where there's almost no signal at all, and in the living room it's ok, you should try to see in which tower you are connected maybe thats the problem
I have also had these problems on various networks here in Australia. If you don't need the data network, you could try using 2G only option. But that's not really a fix, is it? I suggest you try a pre-paid SIM from another network provider, to test them out first, before re-contracting.
Good luck. :fingers-crossed:
MistahBungle said:
One thing tho. With regard to trying your sim out in another phone, you have to keep in mind the radio hardware is obviously different in different phones. And what that means is (and this is something I've observed on XDA), chances are you'll find the sim works perfectly in the other phone & you have no issues at all. This might be due to the actual equipment your carrier is using in the cell tower(s) you're close to, also the frequencies that gear is using might also be playing a part in your problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I was also thinking about it. It could be the combo of cell tower and S2 that are not liking each other that well.. And, if that's the case, I really hope that the issue can be resolved by switching modem drivers. I will have to do some what-ifings to nail this down now.
I like the other suggestion by HotrodHarry on trying out 2G only option - not the best way out but will help me in zeroing down on the cause.
I've not seen this posted anywhere in the i717 part of the forms, and felt like it should be OK to post this.
Ever since I got my Galaxy Note from Rogers, I keep getting sporadic data connectivity issues. LTE data will work great, but if I set my phone down (such as when I am at work) and don't touch it for several hours, by the time I return the phone has no data connection.
However the status bar shows that I have full bars connected to LTE, yet when I open a browser or try to use the Play Store, it keeps saying I have no data connection.
This problem occurs on stock, and with custom roms, currently I am using the latest stable release of CM9 Quincyatt.
Has anyone else run into this problem (with Rogers or any other provider that offers LTE with the sgh-i717)? If so, is there anything I can do to mitigate this issue, currently the only fix I've is to simply reboot the phone. This seems to fix the problem, allowing me to access data until the next lengthy period of inactivity. Then of course after several hours of inactivity, when I go to use it again data will once again be dead (even though the phone reports I have a strong signal).
have you tried this Rogers rux lf4 modem? I've been having great results with the bell modem
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801689
Jake_HT said:
have you tried this Rogers rux lf4 modem? I've been having great results with the bell modem
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1801689
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, I have not. Thanks for the tip!
I'll give this a go when I get home! Thanks!