Database Users

GPS Accuracy

I bought the HTC Touch HD a few weeks ago and noticed that the accuracy is not just bad, but atrocious. It can't even locate me within a 300 meter radius. Is that normal? Does anyone else have this problem? I am using the latest Google Maps.
Thanks in advanced.

I would try a proper GPS program and see if it is the same, if so your HD is faulty.

No problem here. .Maybe silly question, but did you click on "Use GPS"?
--cheerios

skotler said:
I bought the HTC Touch HD a few weeks ago and noticed that the accuracy is not just bad, but atrocious. It can't even locate me within a 300 meter radius. Is that normal? Does anyone else have this problem? I am using the latest Google Maps.
Thanks in advanced.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you have a satalite lock? Google maps also determines position from cell towers and gives an estimate to your location within approx 500M. Once gps is activated and satlites have been aquired, a more accurate position is displayed (and i get a blue triange above the location - i guess to indicate actual position).

The little blue trianlge shows the direction you're moving - so the GPS is pretty accurate! Sometimes it doesn't get a lock for a while (it'll say at the top-right when it has active satellites) - if not, then it just uses that cell tower triangulation thing which gets it within about 500m as mentioned above.

aabye said:
No problem here. .Maybe silly question, but did you click on "Use GPS"?
--cheerios
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, it is on.
It can get working when I'm on the move, but as soon as I am still, it screws up. For instance, I can be driving to work and it works fine as far as telling me where I am at the moment. As soon as I close it and reopen it at work, it tells me I am somewhere 300-500 meters from work.
I guess I don't understand how it can work so well on the move, but as soon as I need an accurate reading, it is way off. Does this happen to anyone else?

skotler said:
Ya, it is on.
It can get working when I'm on the move, but as soon as I am still, it screws up. For instance, I can be driving to work and it works fine as far as telling me where I am at the moment. As soon as I close it and reopen it at work, it tells me I am somewhere 300-500 meters from work.
I guess I don't understand how it can work so well on the move, but as soon as I need an accurate reading, it is way off. Does this happen to anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once it's closed it loses the "Use GPS" setting and you have to turn that back on and wait for the Satellites to be located all over again.

Well i think there is a gps delay issue with the latest HTC phones as blackstone, Raphael and diamond and i believe there is a little on the x1. Well there will is always ways to tweak settings in the registry i guess. well you'll probably find something here at xda...

Ok, I see what you are saying...sa we speak, I am trying to get the location of where I am at on my phone. The status has been on "Seeking GPS satellites (0)" for about 3 minutes now. It just relocated my location nowhere near me.
Ok, I just got a message telling me that my "GPS receiver is having trouble tracking GPS satellites." It's a very clear night in southern California, no clouds, no trees, etc...If it is because I can't get a satellite, is there a way to configure it?
Can it be because I am inside my house? If so, that is absurd!

skotler said:
Ok, I see what you are saying...sa we speak, I am trying to get the location of where I am at on my phone. The status has been on "Seeking GPS satellites (0)" for about 3 minutes now. It just relocated my location nowhere near me.
Ok, I just got a message telling me that my "GPS receiver is having trouble tracking GPS satellites." It's a very clear night in southern California, no clouds, no trees, etc...If it is because I can't get a satellite, is there a way to configure it?
Can it be because I am inside my house? If so, that is absurd!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i suggest you to go out and test it.. well also i suggest you to always keep your quick gps application updated so you'll get a quick fix locked to sattelites.. my Raphael locks on around 20-30 seconds and sometimes even less....

no problem here!
i've tested head to head with my old Asus P535 SirfIII (wich is pretty good as gps) on a 300km trip and they react in the same way.
no lag, no errors.
i use iGO8!

Well i found this on youtube: omnia vs HD in gps...

i am aware of that greek clip
what can i say? they have their experience, i have mine.
from my experience i say the gps of hd is good enough, as long as i don't make maps and i don't need precision on cm level

GPS works great on HD. Tested with IGO8 and latest TomTom, as well as Google Maps - all have accuracy within 5m range, wich is more then enough for normal navigation use.
I also tested my HD along side with Garmin car navigation unit - they were literary synchronized to the very second, even the voice instructions came at the same time, it was actually very funny
If you're having problems, I suggest you look up here on the forum for HTC GPS tool.

Well just to say, I agree with you guys eventhough i have a Raphael.. well i guess the gps chipset are the same.. (correct me if im wrong though) .. well many people in the Raphael community is talking about 50 - 100 yards lag but i only experience 5m, the most ive experienced was 10m but that was just once..

GPS doesn't work inside. Not just on the Touch HD but on any GPS device.

At the most, my lag is a car's length. I think my Trinity was slightly more accurated but not by much.
As far as getting a lock from inside, I can occaisionally get a lock if I am sat by my West facing window, but otherwise not a chance!

Ok, I got it working! I guess it just takes a couple minutes without touching any keys to acquire the satellites.
So in conclusion, to impatient people like me, don't touch any keys for a good minute or two. Thanks, guys!

HandGrip said:
GPS doesn't work inside. Not just on the Touch HD but on any GPS device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine does. Can take about a minute/minute and a half to lock to the satalites, usually finds about 9 of them, and from google maps when zoomed in to max you can see roughly where abouts in the house the handset is.
The cell tower lock is useless. I'm in the north west of england. The cell lock feature keeps telling me I'm in Russia!!

like all gps i have used, sometimes getting a fix is hard work, regardless of apparent sky conditions.... i guess thats what happens when technology (the gps sats) are made by the lowest bidder
if you have a "your postion within 300-500m" message displayed, then that is using the cell mast to get your position, you never see this message when using GPS
some progs and some roms prefer to have the gps ports mapped, i do it manually for all my gps progs using com4 and bit rate of 9600k... seems to offer best situation
afaik, no civilian GPS can assure an accuracy of greater then 15m, although some units some of the time seem to be more precise
i dont see lag, i see the limitations of GPS (outside of military application... but then again, we've seen how accurate smart bombs are not!!)

GPS accuracy

i always find that the GPS is very inaccurate. if i'm standing in my front yard it will show me a half mile out into the woods, with a few minutes of waiting, i can get it as close as 500ft away, but never the accuracy i find with a garmin GPS.
i remember with PSP i used the GPS Homebrew app MapThis, it always lowered the CPU clock speed automatically to prevent interference. with root, would lowering the X10 CPU increase the accuracy of the GPS?

lansingone said:
i always find that the GPS is very inaccurate. if i'm standing in my front yard it will show me a half mile out into the woods, with a few minutes of waiting, i can get it as close as 500ft away, but never the accuracy i find with a garmin GPS.
i remember with PSP i used the GPS Homebrew app MapThis, it always lowered the CPU clock speed automatically to prevent interference. with root, would lowering the X10 CPU increase the accuracy of the GPS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
how many sats is it picking up ? are you surrounded by hills or high buildings or anything ?
mine can tell which corner of the garden im in and its not really a big garden either
it picks up sats very quickly too
also what firmware are you on ?

according to gps essentials, i have a lock with 6 satellites. the area i'm in has lots of woods and has a liitle bit of hills, and i'm running R2BA020 O2 version, on X10i

My GPS is incredibly accurate too...I'd say even faster than my Garmin.
My guess would be that you're just in an area with poor satellite reception. How accurate does it say your location is (like accurate to within what distance)?
Even on 3G with GPS off, my phone's accurate to within 500 feet.

GPS Status
Go to Android MArket and download an app called GPS Status. In it you can check sattelite reception, position and precision.

not trying to hijack your thread here but I live in Canada and im planning a long drive on Monday. Ive recently downloaded co-pilot and all the North American maps that go with it. Anyone have experience with this app, and also what happens when you move outside a 3g area? I would suspect that since you are using gps, and since the maps are downloaded that it wouldn't matter?? Just wondering if im right or not so I know what to expect on the road. Also, should I set the phone to never sleep / keep screen on while its plugged in throughout the drive? Its about a 13hr drive so im worried about keeping the phone on and plugged in that long. What are the opinions of others who have used this type of app?

brunswick000 said:
not trying to hijack your thread here but I live in Canada and im planning a long drive on Monday. Ive recently downloaded co-pilot and all the North American maps that go with it. Anyone have experience with this app, and also what happens when you move outside a 3g area? I would suspect that since you are using gps, and since the maps are downloaded that it wouldn't matter?? Just wondering if im right or not so I know what to expect on the road. Also, should I set the phone to never sleep / keep screen on while its plugged in throughout the drive? Its about a 13hr drive so im worried about keeping the phone on and plugged in that long. What are the opinions of others who have used this type of app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its pretty accurate without 3g. I use it without any internet connection (3g/wifi) and it works well. Accurate about turning, etc. But im talking about walking.

I use Google Tracks all the time on my mountain bike and find it VERY accurate.

brunswick000 said:
not trying to hijack your thread here but I live in Canada and im planning a long drive on Monday. Ive recently downloaded co-pilot and all the North American maps that go with it. Anyone have experience with this app, and also what happens when you move outside a 3g area? I would suspect that since you are using gps, and since the maps are downloaded that it wouldn't matter?? Just wondering if im right or not so I know what to expect on the road. Also, should I set the phone to never sleep / keep screen on while its plugged in throughout the drive? Its about a 13hr drive so im worried about keeping the phone on and plugged in that long. What are the opinions of others who have used this type of app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do long drives from Vancouver down to Portland. Copilot has been very useful. Instant GPS lock even without a data plan. I never had to configure Copilot, it will always stay on when the program is on. Just plug your phone when the battery gets low

I believe it has something todo with the software / app you're using.
As I use the GPS with Google maps, it's surprisingly accurate and picks up movements as short as one single step in any direction right away and it is right on the spot where I stand according to reality.
I think your poor accuracy has nothing todo with the hardware anyway.

lansingone said:
i always find that the GPS is very inaccurate. if i'm standing in my front yard it will show me a half mile out into the woods, with a few minutes of waiting, i can get it as close as 500ft away, but never the accuracy i find with a garmin GPS.
i remember with PSP i used the GPS Homebrew app MapThis, it always lowered the CPU clock speed automatically to prevent interference. with root, would lowering the X10 CPU increase the accuracy of the GPS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly it sounds like your GPS location service is off and all that its getting is the wireless cell tower tracking. Try going into Settings-Location and check to see if GPS Satellites is enabled. It's probably off though by the sounds of it, or you have a faulty GPS receiver in your phone

yeah this phone seems to be less accurate than the x1, z1 gave me a 20 ft accuracy in the worst case and this one seems to be around 100 or even more :S

even my phone locates me on basketball ground whn im in home...approx 30m.....lol..

[GUIDE][FIX] GPS finding satellites, but not connecting

tl;dr version:
1) Switch data on. (not wifi, data. Has to be data.)
2) ? ? ?
3) PROFIT.
looong version:
I kept wondering why GPS would find many satellites, but would often not lock onto them, or would take a very very long time to lock (around 10 mins or so). Then I noticed that it works fine when data is switched on, and locks within a few seconds.
You should get a lock as soon as you're "fully connected to Google", and "go green" for people who have that enabled.
This is the a part in agps at work Assisted GPS. Click to check the wikipedia article on it.
Accuracy is still a problem, and testing with a friend's DHD, I was getting around 10-6m accuracy, and he generally got 2-4m.
And Samsung's GPS software sucks too. glgps daemon's internal smoothing algorithms are still there, and it's annoying.
~Rawat

Rawat said:
tl;dr version:
1) Switch data on. (not wifi, data. Has to be data.)
2) ? ? ?
3) PROFIT.
looong version:
I kept wondering why GPS would find many satellites, but would often not lock onto them, or would take a very very long time to lock (around 10 mins or so). Then I noticed that it works fine when data is switched on, and locks within a few seconds.
You should get a lock as soon as you're "fully connected to Google", and "go green" for people who have that enabled.
This is the a part in agps at work Assisted GPS. Click to check the wikipedia article on it.
Accuracy is still a problem, and testing with a friend's DHD, I was getting around 10-6m accuracy, and he generally got 2-4m.
And Samsung's GPS software sucks too. glgps daemon's internal smoothing algorithms are still there, and it's annoying.
~Rawat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go to the Location Settings, and Untick "Use wireless networks" and Untick "Use sensor aiding"
You will get a GPS lock even without DATA. BUT, it will take longer.

Not on my Sgs... with those unchecked and cold start I still get a lock within 10 secs. So something funky in Sgs ii his stuff.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

So does the SGS2 have similar GPS issues to the original? I'm currently on the Samsung Captivate and have a preorder in for the SGS2. One of the big reasons I'm looking to spend 800 bucks to upgrade is to be done with GPS issues on my phone. If this won't be the case maybe I need to give up on Samsung and wait for HTC to release a dual core beast on AT&T bands...

TheSopranos16 said:
So does the SGS2 have similar GPS issues to the original?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no experience with the earlier Galaxy's but I can compare it to a G2 and G2X. There are three GPS settings: Use wireless networks (cell and Wi-Fi), use GPS satellites, and use sensor aiding. With "use wireless networks" checked and Wi-Fi off it just locked and loaded for me in Google maps in less than a minute from a poor location. With only "GPS satellites" checked it took closer to 2 minutes. It was accurate down to my street address both times. In order of speed from "activation" to "usable" I'd rank the phones in this order: G2, G2X, SGS2. While a bit slower to lock than the others it's fine (accuracy, holding lock) for me. Someone from the EU uses Tracks to measure his walks and was complaining about the street-level accuracy. You might want to check out that thread.

I personally never ever would use the WiFi- and Sensor functions as GPS replacement.
Why?
1) It is responsible for the collection of the location data and sending it to Google.
2) It costs battery power.
3) Why using when the GPS fixes fast enough? What's the problem with waiting for 10 seconds for a fix?
The fix can be made quicker by DL'ing the "GPS Status & Toolbox" app and using it for DL'ing the actual valid GPS sat vectors. That helps the GPS to fix quicker.
Cheers
Zap

Mine is very slow to lock, despite having plenty of sats visible with good strength.
This is compared to 4 different ZTE Blades that showed me how quick locking can be, even indoors.
There is a tool on the market called GPS Aids which was developed for the Galaxy and I'm keen to discover whether this can improve the SGS2.
However, it requires rooting and I'm reluctant to do so as I may decide to replace my phone if it can't be sorted.
Is anyone who is rooted willing to carry out some tests using that or other tools to see whether performance can be improved? I'd really appreciate it.

TheSopranos16 said:
So does the SGS2 have similar GPS issues to the original? I'm currently on the Samsung Captivate and have a preorder in for the SGS2. One of the big reasons I'm looking to spend 800 bucks to upgrade is to be done with GPS issues on my phone. If this won't be the case maybe I need to give up on Samsung and wait for HTC to release a dual core beast on AT&T bands...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used GPS a few times, and it works fine. Accuracy is a bit weak sometimes (compared to other phones) but it's fine for navigation, and even using mytracks or similar. (although when it goes off on mytracks it'll take a while to get back due to Samsung's inane smoothing)
prusling said:
Mine is very slow to lock, despite having plenty of sats visible with good strength.
This is compared to 4 different ZTE Blades that showed me how quick locking can be, even indoors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why it's like this, but you have to have data enabled for it to get a quick lock on SGS II, otherwise it'll take a few mins.
I'll give GPS AIDS a test later on. Maybe.

My gps has been spot on from day one-locks in seconds and google maps always puts me in right room of house or parking space etc. The blue accuacy circle is bigger on sgs2 then sgs1 but the reall accuacy is tons better.

--deleted--

Hi everybody.. i have downloaded an app called GPS aids v 2.0 and this has helped me in getting a lock in under 15 secs after which i fire up Sygic and it hardly takes 10 secs to lock my position.
Do put in a thanks if it helps somebody

[Q] GPS problems

My GPS drives me nuts ... the signal is weak even outdoors on a sunny day. GPS Test shows maximum levels of around 25 on the street and even less on the balcony.
From the reports and Youtube videos I saw, the TF should do better than this, instead of constantly loosing GPS signal, shouldn't it?
Btw, I tried all available settings.
Might my TF be faulty?
PS: Is it normal, that the TF has less GPS problems in the late evening?

I haven't been all that happy with the GPS performance either. I haven't managed to get a lock when starting from a cold start at all, it sits there finding no more than 3 or 4 satellites at low levels, even after 20 minutes. By cold start I mean the satellite data wasn't updated in a long time, and therefore the TF is searching on his own for satellites.
When I was connected with Wifi and launched different GPS apps, I was able to get a lock in about a minute or so, which is more normal.
Unless you have the ability to tether to your phone, or or are connected to a wireless router, I think it's absolutely necessary to keep your TF's satellite list up to date manually, or before you leave and know you will be using your TF as GPS device.
I don't think late evening has to do with anything, but the weather can definately interfere (think fog, rain, lot's of clouds).

michelhuy said:
When I was connected with Wifi and launched different GPS apps, I was able to get a lock in about a minute or so, which is more normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently in the late evening that's what happens with my TF ... I even get a low level around 20 sitting on the sofa 2 meters away from the window.
This afternoon I even had problems in front of the house with a clear sky, where I also had WiFi connection. Yesterday the same experience.
Why is it better in the evening in my case? Strange.
But maybe I have an explanation: On the roof of the house on the opposite side of the street is a large cell phone antenna. Might this cause my problems? Maybe because there's less traffic in the evening?

Problem solved !
I downloaded MapDroid and tested the GPS in the car ... voila ... worked like a charm.
I drove 20km with the TF switched off, stopped, loaded MapDroid, waited until my position appeared on the map, which only took 1-2 minutes and drove back, checking the map at every traffic light.
So it seems, this cell phone antenna on the neighbour house caused my GPS problems at home.

Nice one. I don't think I've actually noticed one of those towers or know what they look like.
ehow.com 's suggestion on how to acquire a GPS signal:
http://www.ehow.com/how_7315691_acquire-gps-signal.html
"2. Get away from anything emitting electronic signals. Radio towers, cell phone towers, and other electronic signals can cause interference with GPS signals, leaving your receiver with little to no reception."

michelhuy said:
I don't think I've actually noticed one of those towers or know what they look like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just google images for "cell phone towers" and you'll find tons of examples. The one on the house is one (!) of this flat long things. The huge masts with lots of antennas you see in most pics are usually not found in residential areas ... at least here in Germany.

well..a trade-off for getting a strong cell phone signal!

GPS Fix worked for me.

jadesse said:
GPS Fix worked for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not in my case, but who knows, maybe it helps someday on the road.

jadesse said:
GPS Fix worked for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aymara said:
Not in my case, but who knows, maybe it helps someday on the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worked for me!

r_nt said:
Worked for me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I uninstalled GPS Fix, because GPS Status & Toolbox gives me the fastest fix and has more features ... highly recommended

GPS calibration.

Maps of my Galaxy s5 shows me to be in a place 3 kms away from where i am actually when I am indoors though the problem disappears once I am out in the open. Indoors GPS status is attached.
Is there a way where you can calibrate GPS?

suchiqaz said:
Maps of my Galaxy s5 shows me to be in a place 3 kms away from where i am actually when I am indoors though the problem disappears once I am out in the open. Indoors GPS status is attached.
Is there a way where you can calibrate GPS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't clear that you understand how GPS works. GPS only works when you have line of sight to satellites.. meaning GPS only works outside. Well maybe it will work in a tent but basically GPS will not work through walls. When you are indoors, your position is being fixed by geolocating your IP address or by referencing nearby cellular towers and is consequently much less accurate than GPS.
There are some apps that will let you do a manual correction and there are commercial systems that use secondary RF triangulation that is much more accurate than you are describing - but I haven't looked to see if that technology has shown up in android apps yet. In short, realize that indoor positioning is inherently less accurate than GPS. But a few apps will let you correct indoor position results (this is an offset, not a true calibration). And indoor accuracy is improving as apps become more sophisticated and in particular gain access to secondary landmark datastreams.
.

fffft said:
It isn't clear that you understand how GPS works. GPS only works when you have line of sight to satellites.. meaning GPS only works outside. Well maybe it will work in a tent but basically GPS will not work through walls. When you are indoors, your position is being fixed by geolocating your IP address or by referencing nearby cellular towers and is consequently much less accurate than GPS.
There are some apps that will let you do a manual correction and there are commercial systems that use secondary RF triangulation that is much more accurate than you are describing - but I haven't looked to see if that technology has shown up in android apps yet. In short, realize that indoor positioning is inherently less accurate than GPS. But a few apps will let you correct indoor position results (this is an offset, not a true calibration). And indoor accuracy is improving as apps become more sophisticated and in particular gain access to secondary landmark datastreams.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, 1.earlier my Galaxy S2 used to work flawlessly from the same point. 2. From the GPS status it is clear that 18 satellites are in view and 14 of them are in touch with the phone at the exactly same point. 3. a few meter diff. is alright when I am indoors but a difference of 3 Kilometers is what that is causing all the worry. Anyway thanks for your interest.

suchiqaz said:
Well, 1.earlier my Galaxy S2 used to work flawlessly from the same point. 2. From the GPS status it is clear that 18 satellites are in view and 14 of them are in touch with the phone at the exactly same point. 3. a few meter diff. is alright when I am indoors but a difference of 3 Kilometers is what that is causing all the worry. Anyway thanks for your interest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never had any decent GPS coverage when indoors. If your S2 managed to work well then i'd say you were lucky. Maybe grab a map so you don't get lost indoor ha ha.