How to boost wifi signal? - Nexus S General

I dont I need to tell anyone how horribly weak the wifi chip in this phone is. My question is is there a way to boost it in any way? Provide it with more power or something like that?

More power would only fry it. Better reception (i guess that's what you are after) would need better antennas.
Even if more power would help, it would be quite difficult to achieve it. I don't think it could be done from software.

I noticed its quiet weak also wish there was a way to give it a bit of a boost.

are there alternate drivers?

joeyddr said:
are there alternate drivers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, my wifi seems quiet okay? ;/
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

Antenna signal can be increased by applying more mW to the antenna or changing the antenna shape to get more dBi. In our case the 2nd is out of the question unless you're in for a hardware mod. But if there is a specific file which is responsible for that mW parameter than you could potentially give it more juice (I think) and if so it should give you better signal reception and longer range.
Typical WiFi cards are 100mW or less. I think if you look up the FCC specs on our phone it should say what ours output is.
BTW, this will definitely drain your battery faster.

The FCC link to NS4G

The WiFi range on this phone is pathetic.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

From the documents the best channel you should use is channel 6 if you can chose it on your router. It also looks like 802.11g is the standard which gave the largest bBi from it's antenna.
fyi
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

My wifi signal is a joke
Sent from my Google Nexus S using XDA App

Strange, wifi on my phone is a little better than on laptop. Not speed just radius.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA App

yeah the wifi sucks...
boosting signal strenght on my router did help a little though

Try out wifi tx power. It's on the market and it says it can adjust power suplly on the antenna

will getting a wifi n router help?

Just wait to see if the impending update fixes it. It'll be here this week.
-John
Sent from somewhere using something.

johnbibbs said:
Just wait to see if the impending update fixes it. It'll be here this week.
-John
Sent from somewhere using something.
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isnt that for sprint users only?

ammarmalik said:
isnt that for sprint users only?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't read anything on it being one way or the other. Guess we'll know in the next 4 days. I hope it's for all Nexus S users for the sake of those who aren't on Sprint.
-John
Sent from somewhere using something.

Related

Wifi problems...

My note always receive low wifi singals n low speed while other devices like ipad n sensation have full signals...can someone help me with that...
Sent from my HTC Sensation using XDA Premium App
The wifi signal icon sucks.
Its mean nothing...
If you wanna see the real strength of your wifi, check with "wifi analyzer" or similar from market...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note
Bt even the download is slower thn other devices
hey dude from th photo the note has 3 lines full which is same with i-pad
just joking hahahaha
I agree about the Wifi. In areas where Wifi is weaker, my iPod Touch performs far better than the Note in connecting
Same issue with me from past two days of usage.
Which version of OS are you using as mine is DDLA1(Unrooted) and I am facing the same issue, I can say this because I have used older firmware version(DDKL1) earlier that was rooted and wifi was excellent.
Never had this problem with all the version I went through. Now I'm on stock rooted LB1
Sent from the beast
I agree completely. The Notes wifi is quite weak. Can a new modem improve this?
Sent from my superior GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
the wifi signal is comapriably slower than my old hd2, side by side they are both connected via n signal to the router, note is showing 52mb and the hd2 running android is showing 58mb
I get much better connection on the other side of my house than any previous phone or tablet. I must say that even a couple of metres from the router I can get only a couple of 'bars', but download is still very fast.
jeromepearce said:
I get much better connection on the other side of my house than any previous phone or tablet. I must say that even a couple of metres from the router I can get only a couple of 'bars', but download is still very fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, what modem are you running as my Note has a much slower download than my other devices.
Sent from my superior GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
wifi much slower
Even i have been experiencing the same problem and with that my wifi also loses its network some times. ....also its slower my other phones
Modem does not control wifi.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
I am on basebans lb1 and build lb2
In my case I experience the same low bar and slow speeds. But worst of all, I can't connect to my wireless N router (only G) , the Note doesn't even see it!
I'm on ICS MidNote 2.0
Any ideas?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Rayan said:
In my case I experience the same low bar and slow speeds. But worst of all, I can't connect to my wireless N router (only G) , the Note doesn't even see it!
I'm on ICS MidNote 2.0
Any ideas?
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do a search (not being mean/rude, just not at a computer to find it for you) about WiFi on the Note in either this or the Q&A section. I read about a month ago that there's a text file that contains the authorized WiFi bands for your country, and since there's no US ROM the bands listed are incorrect. Of course you have to be rooted to change it (which you are), but I'm not so just living with G.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
Wifi Improved...!
aniketsharma9865 said:
I am on basebans lb1 and build lb2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rooted my device yesterday and flashed AbyssNote Kernel 4.2 and Wifi seems to work fine.
i also got this wifi problems, the htc desire hd got a much better signal
This is a big issue with my Note too. Sometimes signal will be showing aa strong, but then I get message....cannot connect to the server. Compared it to my s2, and the s2 had no problems making a connection.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I don't have this problem anymore after get to change the motherboard..
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA

New update to start rolling out today.. 5.07.651.1

Looks like the connections Optimizer is making its way to the OG Evo4G.. so says sprint..
http://community.sprint.com/baw/message/418288#418288
Hypeo said:
Looks like the connections Optimizer is making its way to the OG Evo4G.. so says sprint..
http://community.sprint.com/baw/message/418288#418288
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting
Hmmm, curious on how this will be implemented, and the benefits for the evo.
There some good info on the bottom link I provided, sprint has all the claiming 50 percent savings on your battery if you're using the optimizer. I'm willing to try it
Sent from my geriatric Evo
Seems like a feature I've seen Motorola hype about their VZW phones
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
Is this setting going to put us on a roaming network, even if a Sprint network is available, because of better speeds or strength?
This will be interesting to try out
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
what makes this optimizer special? My EVO will automatically toggle my 3g/4g/wifi already. I just leave on all of my radios...when I get home my wifi turns on when I leave wifi turns off and 3g comes back on....and when im in a 4g area my 4g automatically turn on.
So I dont get what makes this any different?
I believe it will automatically turn your radios On only when you have service available. Ie. when you enter a known 4G area the phone will recognize it and will automatically turn your 4G radio on. No need for you to have it on all day scanning and wasting battery. same goes for Wifi connections.
It will be interesting to see it work. I'm willing to try it. Sprint is pushing this service to most if not all of their smart phones.
Firehawk_1066 said:
what makes this optimizer special? My EVO will automatically toggle my 3g/4g/wifi already. I just leave on all of my radios...when I get home my wifi turns on when I leave wifi turns off and 3g comes back on....and when im in a 4g area my 4g automatically turn on.
So I dont get what makes this any different?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hypeo said:
I believe it will automatically turn your radios On only when you have service available. Ie. when you enter a known 4G area the phone will recognize it and will automatically turn your 4G radio on. No need for you to have it on all day scanning and wasting battery. same goes for Wifi connections.
It will be interesting to see it work. I'm willing to try it. Sprint is pushing this service to most if not all of their smart phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't that mean that it is always on and make it waste your battery then?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA
No sir
Sent from my geriatric Evo
It is sprint's idea to try and offload as many users from their network as possible. Which if it automatically selected the best network. IE wiFi or WiMax then they are not hammering their network as hard.
Haha touché
Good point
sent from 2yr old Evo on ICS
I notice it doesn't have a full change log. Is there going to be radio updates? Hboot? Looking down the list none of the updates show these, when they were added.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
only for non rooted phones ????
so when will the devs add this to their roms
I hope they update android and/or sense.....I know they didnt state that in the update notes but back in January when we got 2.3.5 that wasnt in the notes either.
So I'm hoping for a surprise to hold me over until my upgrade in November
I would suspect that it only has the sprint optimizer, which really is just a way to offload consumption on their cell towers..
Just curious did anyone receive this update yet?
Sent from my CIUI using xda premium
Anyone gotten this update yet?
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium
I have checked my wife's and daughters evo and no update yet.
Sent from my Full Android on Supersonic using XDA

3G Model?

Why there is no 3G model for this tablet, aside from the beautiful display 3G is a breaking point for me. I could use USB modem but it uses the same port used for charging so it won't be so practical. Any ideas if Google might or might not introduce a 3G model later as it did with the nexus 7?
Sent from my JW101A using xda app-developers app
I think they will introduce a 3g modal. But for now just tether with your phone!:
Sent from my GT-I9001 using xda premium
I agree. 3G + SDXC support would have made this tablet a market killer.
I don't want to pay for a separate sim card when I can tether to my s3 on a 3 unlimited data plan. Besides prob not taking mine out of the house much, when I get it.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
mzaza said:
Why there is no 3G model for this tablet, aside from the beautiful display 3G is a breaking point for me. I could use USB modem but it uses the same port used for charging so it won't be so practical. Any ideas if Google might or might not introduce a 3G model later as it did with the nexus 7?
Sent from my JW101A using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a MIFI which gives you 3g without using the USB port at no more cost than waiting for the 3g version to arrive.
You will also get better reception with a MIFI for it is designed to do just that and you can place it in the best place to get a good signal and use the tablet where it is most comfortable.
If you own a laptop or other tablet then you can use the MIFI as a hotspot for those as well.
It also means your tablet can be used when your phone is not nearby to tether.
Gaugerer said:
Buy a MIFI which gives you 3g without using the USB port at no more cost than waiting for the 3g version to arrive.
You will also get better reception with a MIFI for it is designed to do just that and you can place it in the best place to get a good signal and use the tablet where it is most comfortable.
If you own a laptop or other tablet then you can use the MIFI as a hotspot for those as well.
It also means your tablet can be used when your phone is not nearby to tether.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's was considering a MiFi, but I really need something battery operated, what are the options here?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
alias_neo said:
It's was considering a MiFi, but I really need something battery operated, what are the options here?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MIFI devices normally have batteries fitted and some have a display showing signal strength and the amount of data downloaded so you can keep an eye on cost.
Check out Amazon which have a good selection,
Gaugerer said:
MIFI devices normally have batteries fitted and some have a display showing signal strength and the amount of data downloaded so you can keep an eye on cost.
Check out Amazon which have a good selection,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info, do you know what kind of battery life to expect on them? Would it cover a 3 hour train journey for example?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
alias_neo said:
Thanks for the info, do you know what kind of battery life to expect on them? Would it cover a 3 hour train journey for example?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have no problem finding a MIFI with a battery that lasts -3-hours.

Anyone else experiencing slow download speeds?

So me and both of my friend had trouble loading a YouTube video, it was so slow and kept pausing. We both have the Nexus 4 and were on wifi by the way. So we tried using another friends S III and it loaded the video fine. When I ran a side by side speed test he got a 19 mbs download and I could only pull 2. Is this happening to anyone else?
Edit: we were on the same wifi
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Did you try turning off Wi-Fi optimization in settings?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
outz said:
Did you try turning off Wi-Fi optimization in settings?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No I kept it on but earlier in the day I was getting perfectly good speeds. Like sometimes my speed is fine and then sometimes it's slow.
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Ngo93 said:
So me and both of my friend had trouble loading a YouTube video, it was so slow and kept pausing. We both have the Nexus 4 and were on wifi by the way. So we tried using another friends S III and it loaded the video fine. When I ran a side by side speed test he got a 19 mbs download and I could only pull 2. Is this happening to anyone else?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too I just switched from vzw iPhone 5 and I have T-Mobile now.... I cant even download my apps from the market and I have to get hot spot from my girls i5
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
It obviously shouldn't be that way. Since this is wifi, try a mix of different networks. Lord knows, this wouldn't be the first phone with wifi issues with certain network security types right out of the gate (or wifi problems in general).
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda app-developers app
Ajfink said:
It obviously shouldn't be that way. Since this is wifi, try a mix of different networks. Lord knows, this wouldn't be the first phone with wifi issues with certain network security types right out of the gate (or wifi problems in general).
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I switched to another network and it went fast again. Was just wondering if anyone knew the cause of the sudden slowdowns though.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
On T Mo, I have had it flip from H+ to 3G but all in all in my speed test without changing anything APN wise I consistently get around 16mbps down. You tube and such flies (HQ) and even on wifi on Xfinitys basic package on a G band router I have no issues at all with wifi and YouTube in HD. Sorry, I'm no help but I haven't had an issue.
Oh my bad, I forgot to mentioned that we were on the same WiFi.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Yeah I have that problem on my WiFi as wells slow speeds. Have to switch to hspa to download apps, rediculous
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
I've also had this on WIFI, thought it was my router, may have to play with router settings a bit to see what's happening.
Its only really noticeable when I try to play a youtube video, although had it other times too.
Also switching to mobile data for youtube as its faster!
phil001 said:
I've also had this on WIFI, thought it was my router, may have to play with router settings a bit to see what's happening.
Its only really noticeable when I try to play a youtube video, although had it other times too.
Update!!! I figured it out its googles servers they are overloaded this is what makes me think that. Play store loads slow as well as YouTube! Not our phones!
Also switching to mobile data for youtube as its faster!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think something is wrong with our WiFi radios. Might need an update. Its happening to a lot of us.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
I'm seeing this issue as well and it's occurring on 2 completely different wireless networks: at home and in the office. I've tried tweaking wifi settings on both my Nexus 4 and on my router at home but nothing has fixed the slow wifi speeds. And none of my other Android devices are experiencing this issue (Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, Motorola Xoom).
I called Google Play support just now and they didn't have any info to offer on whether or not this is a known issue, they just asked if I'd tried restarting my phone and/or done a factory reset. After I verified that I'd already done both things and neither action resolved the issue they said I could exchange the phone, so that's what I decided to do.
If this problem is indeed being caused by faulty hardware in the phone, hopefully the replacement phone will be in a better state and work properly. <crosses fingers>
It's the router that needs to be updated, not the phones. Obviously if you're is broken though that is irrelevant.
Can't say why that is, but I read a thread awhile back detailing it, I will try and locate it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=34260682&postcount=25
Seemonsters said:
It's the router that needs to be updated, not the phones. Obviously if you're is broken though that is irrelevant.
Can't say why that is, but I read a thread awhile back detailing it, I will try and locate it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=34260682&postcount=25
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes no sense seeing as everything else works fine on my Wi-Fi
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
i did the same thing. as it was mentioned, turned on and off "data" " data roaming" and "2g" after that Kaboom! went from 3-7mpbs to 12-15mpbs
remydlc said:
i did the same thing. as it was mentioned, turned on and off "data" " data roaming" and "2g" after that Kaboom! went from 3-7mpbs to 12-15mpbs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you just unchecked and checked?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
remydlc said:
i did the same thing. as it was mentioned, turned on and off "data" " data roaming" and "2g" after that Kaboom! went from 3-7mpbs to 12-15mpbs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
horr1blek1tten said:
So you just unchecked and checked?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think remydlc is referring to download speed over a cellular data connection, and not WiFi (which is what this thread's topic is really about). At least that's the way I read it...
Is this related... I have noticed compared to my old S2 and iPad my nexus has fewer bars and the signal can drop if held in the left hand. The connection speed can be much less too.
Not good.
could it possibly be trying multiple networks? I have a dual band 5 and 2.4 but they have different ssids - my initial set up was to the 5 ghz but when the google restore happened it populated my 2.4 ssid and pw. I found I had to "forget" all my configured access points and just set up my 5 ghz one and everything was smoking
glenroebuck said:
could it possibly be trying multiple networks? I have a dual band 5 and 2.4 but they have different ssids - my initial set up was to the 5 ghz but when the google restore happened it populated my 2.4 ssid and pw. I found I had to "forget" all my configured access points and just set up my 5 ghz one and everything was smoking
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think this is causing the issue (at least for my phone). I've had the slow WiFi speeds on 2 completely different networks, with one being the campus network of the university I work at. Also, I've tried using my Nexus 4 on 2 different routers at home, one of which can do both 2.4/5.0 ghz and when I tried manually setting the phone to just use either the 2.4 ghz or the 5.0 ghz network it made no difference; the phone's WiFi speed was still very slow.
I'm feeling pretty convinced at this point that it's something faulty with the phone. I pretty much tore down and rebuilt my home network yesterday and tried all different types of settings to test the result on my Nexus 4 and nothing made the WiFi speed any better on the phone.

Poor WiFi Range

I'm on my second Nexus 4 and still can't get over how poor the WiFi range is on these phones. Both of my N4s have had the same results. When I'm in an area of my house about 20-25 feet from the router I get 0-1 bars of WiFi, where my laptop and PS3 both get 80-100% connectivity. Every other smartphone I've owned has had better WiFi reception than this. Anyone have suggestions?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Try changing the security settings on your router to use a different protocol. For some reason that made a big difference for me. Generally I've found the WiFi range to be fairly good.
mattb3 said:
Try changing the security settings on your router to use a different protocol. For some reason that made a big difference for me. Generally I've found the WiFi range to be fairly good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There hasn't been any security on either router I've been using so I know that isn't the problem. Thanks though.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I'm experiencing the same thing: within 20 feet of the router, signal drops dramatically
I'm getting the exact opposite. I've noticed a huge difference with reception versus my Galaxy Nexus.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
nibrwr said:
I'm experiencing the same thing: within 20 feet of the router, signal drops dramatically
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even when I'm standing 10 feet away with the router in site I get 2 or 3 bars. Pretty pathetic
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
I setup a repeater recently but my nexus still gets 1 or 2 bars with WiFi.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Also experiencing a similar problem. I don't think I've ever seen 4 bars on wifi since my 3 weeks of owning the phone. Almost all the time it's at 2 bars, even when other devices right next to me will have full signal.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
btse said:
Also experiencing a similar problem. I don't think I've ever seen 4 bars on wifi since my 3 weeks of owning the phone. Almost all the time it's at 2 bars, even when other devices right next to me will have full signal.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its terrible dude. I've got an iPhone 4s next to my N4 and the N4 is going between 0 and 1 bar of WiFi and the iPhone is getting between full and 1 less than full. Speed tests on the iPhone are also much faster
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Are you on 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz band? My N4 refuses to work on the 2.4Ghz band. When it did connect, I would get less than 1MB connection link. Switched over to 5Ghz band, and I get a consistent 72MB connection. It even picks it up out to the middle of the street. Try changing bands if you have a capable router. Hopefully the next update will solve the WiFi problems this phone has.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Sully6789 said:
Are you on 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz band? My N4 refuses to work on the 2.4Ghz band. When it did connect, I would get less than 1MB connection link. Switched over to 5Ghz band, and I get a consistent 72MB connection. It even picks it up out to the middle of the street. Try changing bands if you have a capable router. Hopefully the next update will solve the WiFi problems this phone has.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The router I'm using right now is 2.4 only. When I go back to my apartment next week I can test the 5GHz signal
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
You guys should give wifi analyzer a try. I it might show that there are other signals on the same band?
I personally get poor wifi signal, but with wifi analyzer I saw that there are a total of 13 networks nearby
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
floppyears said:
You guys should give wifi analyzer a try. I it might show that there are other signals on the same band?
I personally get poor wifi signal, but with wifi analyzer I saw that there are a total of 13 networks nearby
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that there are no other WiFi networks nearby because I live in the middle of the woods lol
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Try flashing a aftermarket kernel such as Franco Kernel. You can change the WiFi algorithm as well to see if it improves at all (changable with his app, Franco Kernel updater)
A lot of people reported that R19 and newer fixed their N4's wifi problems.
zephiK said:
Try flashing a aftermarket kernel such as Franco Kernel. You can change the WiFi algorithm as well to see if it improves at all (changable with his app, Franco Kernel updater)
A lot of people reported that R19 and newer fixed their N4's wifi problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was using his 23rd release all day yesterday and got the same problem
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
I get decent range on both 2.4 and 5 GHz ranges. Dont have it set on channels and allow the router to set that. Obviously do to the higher freq I get less range on the 5 GHz range but use this for my phone and my wife's S3 as it will run on it as well. Keeping the 2.4 side as clutter free as possible. Love my dlink dual band router.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
The bars really are not a good method of determining anything. My WiFi works just as good as any of my other devices, iPod,iPhone,nexus 7, touchpad and more. I am not looking at the bars though but rather just going by how it works and it works fine for me. I can go as far as my mail box at the end of my driveway..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

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