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Hi i have weird problem with my GPS.
While I driving (car is moving) everything is beauty and sweet but once I stop my car my GPS is still moving for about 10 sometimes 20 sec showing 2km/h then 0km/h then 2km/h again. Sometimes when I stop car on junction my Gps will jump on the perpendicular road and from time to time my arrow on the map just turn around to opposite direction and the maps sets a new route! Once i move my car everything going back to normal.
I was using first my TomTom and i just thought it`s a map problem although i haven`t problem with that on my Rhodium either X1. So I decided to try Igo8 and it`s exactly this same. Even on the roundabout my gps can jump somewhere else on different road.
I tried all Radios available for HD2, many Roms and just have no idea what more I can do. Many people on HD2 forum in Poland have this same problem.
I also tried GPS fix cab downloaded here from xda but no luck its ever worst.
I can add that i'm getting GPS fix in few second so its good the problem is just my gps is moving around.
PS. Very, very rarely have no problem with this jumpin gps around. But is like 1/30.
Do you have access to an external Bluetooth GPS receiver you can test out? That could eliminate or isolate some possibilities.
balane said:
Do you have access to an external Bluetooth GPS receiver you can test out? That could eliminate or isolate some possibilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately i don`t. but on my Touch Pro 2 and Xperia never had this problem.
hi,
are you using the 'gpsmoddriver' software, that is floating around here in the forum?. its made for using the compass data when no gps fix is available. it causes such failures in igo and copilot on my hd2. after uninstalling it gps works much more percise to me, when im not moving.
regards mad
Happens with mine as well. I have replaced my HD2 and it seems that the 2nd unit acts the same. tried various ROMs/RADIOs (official/cooked) - nothing seemed to fix this.
It's quite funny though... most of the people rather paying attention to the fix time instead of the accuracy (which is quite bad imo) in addition to this weird phenomenon. I doubt that the AGPS is somehow related, but it will be nice to know how to disable this feature, and try to acquire the signal without it. maybe this is the cause.
Btw, check this out - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=600232
Fatherboard said:
Happens with mine as well. I have replaced my HD2 and it seems that the 2nd unit acts the same. tried various ROMs/RADIOs (official/cooked) - nothing seemed to fix this.
It's quite funny though... most of the people rather paying attention to the fix time instead of the accuracy (which is quite bad imo) in addition to this weird phenomenon. I doubt that the AGPS is somehow related, but it will be nice to know how to disable this feature, and try to acquire the signal without it. maybe this is the cause.
Btw, check this out - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=600232
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agps - this feature is available in NRGZ roms. I tried to turn on and off and it was no different.
PS. thanks for answering.
madbird said:
hi,
are you using the 'gpsmoddriver' software, that is floating around here in the forum?. its made for using the compass data when no gps fix is available. it causes such failures in igo and copilot on my hd2. after uninstalling it gps works much more percise to me, when im not moving.
regards mad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As i said before : i was using it. I had feelings its jumping around the places more than without it so I uninstalled it.
Tried to email HTC regarding this. they claim that their HD2's don't exhibit this behavior, even though I've tried two different units, from different batches.
I don't know what to do... this drives IGO nuts - it causes igo to switch lanes, directions and having the route recalculated without any good reason.
Fatherboard said:
Tried to email HTC regarding this. they claim that their HD2's don't exhibit this behavior, even though I've tried two different units, from different batches.
I don't know what to do... this drives IGO nuts - it causes igo to switch lanes, directions and having the route recalculated without any good reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sometimes its just pointless to talk with those dickheads.
They ll never say true.
With pink camera was this same. They were saying at the beginning that they have no problem with pink spot at all. And what was next? We need just more people to email or ring them.
Most of them even not using HD2. They've seen for few minutes and think they'll know everything about it.
It was so many bugs with this device they just dont want to hear about another one!
In addition to that, both of my units tended to show different position and altitude readings each time i powered up igo or google maps. while exhibiting the differences I obviously didn't from my current position, not even an inch.
to try to make things clearer. that's what I did :
loading igo -> acquiring signal within seconds -> getting a certain position reading with altitude of 11 meters (for example) -> quit -> reloading igo -> acquiring signal within seconds -> slightly different position, altitude of 75 meters or a negative value (for example).
even the small blinking dot in igo (which determines the actual gps mark) doesn't fit to my physical location on the road which I'm currently driving on. it sometimes blinks few meters to the right/left, and sometimes it tracks behind the guidance arrow (as it should be).
Could be
Simply a limitation of GPS. I have seen it on other GPS's. Garmin etrex. Try walking with one and even thou you are walking in a straight line it plots a zigzag path. More satelites (10+) should reduce this issue.
Basically the GPS is only accurate to a certain range from +-50m to +- 2 meters depending on the no of sats. The location is detemined by timing from when the signal was sent to when it was received. Calcs how far away the sat is (Speed of light??). It is possible you care getting a fluctuation in your current location. Eg
Sample 1 says you are point a.
Sample 2 says you are 2 meters to the right.
Sample 3 says you are 2 meters to the left.
Still in the +- 5 meters but the gps is plotting you moving backwards and forwards.
Guys, it is a problem everyone has, gps position is not as accurate or stable on the hd2 as on most other htc devices. And with an erratic gps position automatically comes an erratic speed. Don't know yet if it is because of a different gps module that's inside the hd2 or because of the inclusion of crappy gps drivers. Will try to find out soon....
Anyway, gpsmoddriver is not the cause of this problem since the problem is also on an hd2 without having gpsmoddriver installed. Because of the functionality of gpsmoddriver to improve the gps readings, in some cases it can amplify your erratic gps position, and that is also what some of you have been experiencing. Remember you can always use gpsmoddriver to add the hardware compass functionality to your navigation software, while additionally configuring gpsmoddriver to leave gps data untouched so it won't make the erratic position and speed worse. For more info or help, please visit the gpsmoddriver thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=571266
EDIT: Of course the HD2 has a new snapdragon chip which has built-in GPS just like many previous generations of phones. Most likely qualcomm changed the way gps works in their new line of Snapdragon processors...
The movement of vehicles around you or even the movement of the sun's rays on buildings nearby can distort GPS signals. The GPS navigator software tries to rationalize this distortion and that usually appears as a movement when you are still. On the other hand, if you drive into a tunnel using TomTom and some other software, you will often see yourself driving straight on in the tunnel well after the GPS is receiving no more satellite signals.
In top-of-the-line built-in navigation systems, the GPS data is supplemented by inertial guidance. (Someone could create a similar supplement for the HD2 The supplementary information allows the system to reconcile the GPS information with information on your car's actual movement.
But for us mere mortals, we just have to live with it.
Well... this particular gps chip is quite useless, then. if my navigation program has to recalculate the route each time I stop at traffic light, then it seems that I either have to purchase a usb-based gps to pair with the HD2, or replace this device. I counted on it to perform well.
Fatherboard said:
Well... this particular gps chip is quite useless, then. if my navigation program has to recalculate the route each time I stop at traffic light, then it seems that I either have to purchase a usb-based gps to pair with the HD2, or replace this device. I counted on it to perform well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Complain to HTC, perhaps if they get enough complains they will come out with a hotfix or a rom upgrade that fixes it. Nobody said that the hardware is not that good (though it's possible), but it could also very well be a bad implementation by HTC!!
Already did.
They have obviously denied my complaints.
thanks again, anyway.
I noticed this behaviour yesterday night, at about 10pm. I was playing with NoniGPSplot, and while I was completely still (and freezing me arse outside believe me), it was tracking a movement back and fro and all around in small step, keeping track of me traveling some meters still while I was standing in the same point.
It was night and I was in my big yard, so no sunrays nor moving vehicles around nor buildings over my head.
I think this behaviour is very well hidden in tomtom since it automatically puts you on a road, and "smoothens" the gps data by making you follow that road no matter what, but a "realtime" software like nonigps tracks that all so well. Gonna notify htc about it now.
Guys, let's not go overboard on this. Non-military GPS is only claimed accurate to around 20 metres, regardless of the quality of the receiver. It's the US Defense Department messing with your HD2, not HTC.
Stephen Selby said:
Guys, let's not go overboard on this. Non-military GPS is only claimed accurate to around 20 metres, regardless of the quality of the receiver. It's the US Defense Department messing with your HD2, not HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, absolutely, I've noticed the same behaviour with all three of the BlueTooth GPS I used in the past. So, I would not be too quick to blame HTC for this.
my touch cruise's gps receiver worked with static navigation enabled to avoid this false movement. maybe this is just a usual behaviour?
Agree to that.
But regardless of the fact that the thing is not a military GPS system, It should do it's work correctly as for me the GPS is almost useless when driving slow or within a city. My 2nd phone (HTC DIAMOND) and 3 personal navigation devices are mounted in my car to compare and all work fine when the HD2 isn’t .
The GPS looses all the time the fix to the satellites and then quickly gets the fix back. when using a GPS monitor you can see that the satellites constantly moving really rapidly. (moving --> getting fix and loosing it again)
This is for 4 other reference devices which are running simultaneously not the case so it seems really an issue with the GPS device.
I tested this with different ROMs (1.44 Vodafone, 0.6 dutty WM 6.5.5, 1.66 stock and another one I cannot recall the producer anymore.)
This post is intended for troubleshooting and finding solution to the GPS on Galaxy S ONLY
For arguing, dissing, and the sort, please go in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=722476
Post here your findings, your solutions and your attempt at finding a better fix for the GPS.
If you happend to try something and it doesn't work, please state it also
And keep away from none relevant facts
Here's my finding so far:
The way the device is put (in a pocket or in a car) seems to greatly influence the signal and the streight of it. The antenna is (apparently) situated in the upper left part of the backplate, just outward by the Sim card. if the signal is obstucted or not facing the right spot, it might get a hard time getting a fix.
Someone might confirm this and I will try to record a couple of track while the device is place differently in my pocket to confirm it has an effect.
I'm using it for:
Mostly keeping track of my working with Sporty Pal. As for now, I get an error rate of under 3%, wich is acceptable as far as I go but a lower rate would certainly be taken
As for navigations and Trapster, it's still pretty "on the spot", I'm drinving a 1995 Acura Integra, so I don't know if the insulation of the vehicule could affect the signal and the device is always on a spot where it "sees" the sky.
Settings used
*#*#1472365#*#*
Session Type: Tracking
Test Mode: S/W Test
Operation Mode: Standalone
Start Mode: Hot Start
GPS Plus: ON
Dynamic Accuracy: ON (Please note, putting it to "off" will make the GPS lose signal way too often...
Accuracy: 20
Use SkyHook: OFF
Use PC Tool: OFF
Location Settings
Use Wireless Network: OFF
Use GPS Satellites: ON
Phone Info
FirmWare version:2.1 update1
Baseband:I9000UGJH2
Build Number: Eclair.UGJH2
LagFix used: None
Rooted using: None
Uptime about 16h
Known Workaround
1-TrackerBooster (available on the market)
This is a booster for the GPS, if you have issue where the position goes all around randomly, try installing and running this apps before running your GPS application. It was tested with SportyPal and gave amazing result.
2-BlueTooth GPS, some users have tested this solution here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=818688
you can most likely find one under 30$ and it should resolve the issue.
t1mman said:
Settings used:
#*#*1472365#*#*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*#*#1472365#*#*
should work better. (Does not work on Froyo JPM).
well lets start with listing the known solutions
like for example using the external GPS receivers via Bluetooth
there are several tested and working Bluetooth GPS apps by our members in the Galaxy S I9000 Themes and Apps section of the forum
Thanks, corrected!
I did start a thread posting 2 videos with "solutions" where users can actually see those "gps solutions" in action eliminating any kind of speculation (seeing is believing), but the thread was removed with no warning or explanation...
Anyway here are the videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM2gm5DAOjM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6QnNMxuCig&feature=related
In both videos, sgs's gps performance is flawless with or WITHOUT any assist (2nd video)like agps or aid of from an external bluetooth gps receiver (like in the first video).
In the meantime I already did 5 more driving tests, always running Motonav and so far no need for using my external bluetooth gps device.
The firmware is JPH, not customized and no lag-fix of any kind (not needed)
« »
Right, I dont want to start an argument and the video's above are very usefull.
But I think it's possible that the navigation software you are using is optimised and more than likely programmed to keep you on the road, rather than drifting all over the place.
I noticed this while in the car earlier. When using "google maps" my position was often miles out and all over, however when using the "google navigation" it kept me on the road and appeared to track my location really well.
So from a navigation by road point of view I don't have a problem.
So i thought a compare of SNR levels compared to a differant phone might help, so i took a photo of my sgs running GPS Test, next to a Orange Sanfrancisco/ZTE Blade. Both are running froyo, both had gps and a-gps turned on. Both were next to eachother, both were left to settle for five minutes after the apps were started. Both were connected to exactly the same wifi connection. Finally the ZTE was connected to 02 network, and the sgs is on orange.
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From what you can see in the photo's the levels are pretty similar. Maybe with the sgs gaining a higher level on average compared over all satelittes it found.
Now with both devices sat next to eachother this is fine, however on moving around the sgs kept loosing its lock on the sattelites and stopped using them, however the blade kept its lock better. The blade seemed to keep its lock even with the SNR of some satelittes getting very low, however the sgs lost its lock at a far greater snr level.
Now I don't know a great deal about gps, but it seemed to me like the sgs gave up its lock far easier than the blade. Maybe this is what is causing our problems, maybe once it has given up this lock, the sattelite information is decreased causing a less accurate location.
Now I don't know how this could be rectified, but I imagine it is either driver related, or maybe some code in the actual gps chip itself. But im not 100% sure. It would be great if someone more knowledgable than me could give us their two pence.
betoNL: Thanks for the TrackerBooster apps, I've done a run this evening with it and it's trully amazing!! With it, I don't see any "jumping around" issue at all. If anyone has any issues where the position goes "randomly", they should try TrackerBooster.
SkinBobUk: Thanks for the sharing, I'll try GPS test and post image with and without TrackerBooster to compare
personally iv used the gps quite a lot to navigate around the U.A.E and most of it was using the trapster program to keep an eye on radars/speed traps while driving.
testing the gps is totally random, the results are never improving, simply random.
sometimes id get a fix in seconds and other times it wouldn't (guess its an SGS thing), playing around the settings i found the best combination to be...
Session Type: Tracking
Test Mode: S/W Test
Operation Mode: MS Based
Start Mode: Hot Start
GPS Plus: ON
Dynamic Accuracy: ON
Accuracy: 500
Use SkyHook: ON
Use PC Tool: OFF
tho accuracy is high at 500 the test showed better lock on gps and a max of 20m error, with accuracy i found out that the smaller the number , the harder it is for gps to get/maintain a lock ( even with high SnR numbers between 25-40 maintaining a lock was hard, the SGS was jumping around which gps to lock on ) and with a high number it would maintain the lock for a longer period of time. Highest i found was 500 and anything beyond that wont even activate the gps when running the get position test.
last weekend iv been on a fishing trip and needed the gps help , it was working amazingly accurate up to 5m error thruout the trip but every 5 minutes or so it would hang/freeze and the solution was to restart the program which was fine by me.
Conclution is that GPS is simply unreliable being in its Random State
(when under a lot of testing the gps would freeze/hang and a phone restart is needed to get it back up {switching gps off and back on doesn't help}) , i found a small app in the market called GPS optimisation by octy which should optimise signal reception but for me it doesn't but rather fixes the gps and gets it back from its frozen/hung state - time it takes to restart the phone = more than a min but this app does it in seconds
hope this accuracy options helps you people out in getting better/longer locks on gps
I also use tracker booster with sportypal combined, it provide great accuracy
SkinBobUk said:
Now I don't know a great deal about gps, but it seemed to me like the sgs gave up its lock far easier than the blade. Maybe this is what is causing our problems, maybe once it has given up this lock, the sattelite information is decreased causing a less accurate location.
Now I don't know how this could be rectified, but I imagine it is either driver related, or maybe some code in the actual gps chip itself. But im not 100% sure. It would be great if someone more knowledgable than me could give us their two pence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
got the same feeling/issues/feedback when i tested the gps. trackerbooster and equivalent apps didn't really help me with the "lost lock too easily" issue
when its locked it seems to work fine (accuracy wise), but it keep losing the lock of all sats at once every now and then
On my SGS I have found that if I hold it with the screen vertical or tilted back slightly I get significantly higher signal than if it is horizontal. Also portrait is better than landscape by 2-3 dB.
Please write your firmware / Rom info and if it's stock or with Root/Lagfix
Currently, the only conclusion I can make is this combination is running flawlessly:
Accuracy on 20
Rom on JH2 (Stock for BellCanada)
TrackerBooster installed/enabled
NO lagfix
NO rooting
Latest run with this combination is right on the spot so far as jogging, I can clearly see where I cross the street or when I ran into a parking lot.
Imho, there are no special fixes or special settings to improve sgs's gps performance, just some "assist" or a-gps if you will.
There are all kind of a-gps possibilities besides the "standard" one that uses cellular towers wich in many situations can be unreliable.
Other types of "assist" are implemented by using the right software to simply download "fresh ephemeris data and injecting it to accelerate the first lock during a cold start* .
The big issue (again, in my opinion) is WHY the majority of the smartphones nowadays (and with that I mean NOT ONLY the sgs), are equiped wich gps chipsets that will require 'ASSISTING" ??
A couple of years ago, experts of the GPSPassion forum performed a comparison test between devices equiped with a sirfstarIII chipset and others with a-gps and the conclusion
was as I quote:
CONCLUSION
While the Qualcomm gpsONE chipset of the HTC P3600 performs better than on the Siemens SXG75 Linux Smartphone where it could take 10+ minutes to get a fix, it remains much less effective than the SiRFstarIII chipset used on most current GPS PDAPhones . This comparison also shows the impact of GPS Assistance (A-GPS) to get a fix and reduce the time to guidance. Even the "offline A-GPS" of the Mio A701 helps significantly, while the "Full A-GPS"(SUPL) of the Orange SPV M650 will bring extra speed and more so as the conditions deteriorate.
Overall, the GPS performance of the SiRFstarIII PDAPhones is excellent and does not pale in comparison with the performance of dedicated GPS systems like the TomTom AIOs as seen in this comparison done in the same area. Let's hope the upcoming GPS PDAPhones like the HTC X7500, the Eten X800, the Mio A501, etc...will maintain these high standards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(here is the whole article: http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=175&page=6)
Well, their hope was is vain, cause even the very expensive so called high-end smartphones,
just stoped using sirfstar III chipsets or equivalent and using a-gps dependable ones,forcing users to find, configure or re-invent A-GPS solutions!
The good news (at least for me) is that the gps chipset of the sgs is LESS A-gps dependable than many other smartphones I tested, and even if it wasnt, I can always rely on the aid of my external bluetooth gps receiver(equiped with a sirfstarIII chipset), since programs like "bluetooth gps mouse" and "gps provider" work like a charm on the Android OS (see my first video: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8876869&postcount=5).
Another issue is that Google maps could be unreliable for car navigation and of course unreliable for testing as well: http://forum.samdroid.net/f9/maps-navigation-bug-missing-value-gps-accuracy-1247/
Cheers
* - http://books.google.nl/books?id=2Cx...=cold start and hot start definitions&f=false
In the images earlier in the thread where someone posted two pics, one of the SGS and a matched one with another phone, the SGS seemed to be consistently 3 to 4 lower on the same satellite at the same time. That would likely be a hardware (antenna) issue, and could it be that is the problem with fluctuating results, that the reception is just too flaky?
To me, that is an eye opener. Id like to know if it would be likely for the software to cause a reported different in signal strength. You would think that the reported signal strength would be unchanged from the chip, through the driver to the reporting software, no?
SkinBobUk said:
Right, I dont want to start an argument and the video's above are very usefull.
But I think it's possible that the navigation software you are using is optimised and more than likely programmed to keep you on the road, rather than drifting all over the place.
I noticed this while in the car earlier. When using "google maps" my position was often miles out and all over, however when using the "google navigation" it kept me on the road and appeared to track my location really well.
So from a navigation by road point of view I don't have a problem.
So i thought a compare of SNR levels compared to a differant phone might help, so i took a photo of my sgs running GPS Test, next to a Orange Sanfrancisco/ZTE Blade. Both are running froyo, both had gps and a-gps turned on. Both were next to eachother, both were left to settle for five minutes after the apps were started. Both were connected to exactly the same wifi connection. Finally the ZTE was connected to 02 network, and the sgs is on orange.
From what you can see in the photo's the levels are pretty similar. Maybe with the sgs gaining a higher level on average compared over all satelittes it found.
Now with both devices sat next to eachother this is fine, however on moving around the sgs kept loosing its lock on the sattelites and stopped using them, however the blade kept its lock better. The blade seemed to keep its lock even with the SNR of some satelittes getting very low, however the sgs lost its lock at a far greater snr level.
Now I don't know a great deal about gps, but it seemed to me like the sgs gave up its lock far easier than the blade. Maybe this is what is causing our problems, maybe once it has given up this lock, the sattelite information is decreased causing a less accurate location.
Now I don't know how this could be rectified, but I imagine it is either driver related, or maybe some code in the actual gps chip itself. But im not 100% sure. It would be great if someone more knowledgable than me could give us their two pence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank's for the input, but in wich conditions and where those pictures were taken? Are they taken with a camera or are they screenshots?
What I can say, eventhough I find OFFLINE software car navigation more reliable (and I always use up-to-date maps) they are not "optimized" to "keep me on the road" as you speculated, is more likely that the full A-gps (SUPL) on the Orange Sanfrancisco/ZTE Blade is better optimized than sgs's but then again that's speculation.
This discussion can go both ways:
A) The complicated way, mostly based on speculation, for instance: saying that Samsung or Google cannot handle A-gps protocols, I mean wich SUPL configurations to use, in wich regions, by wich carriers, with wich software and so on....
And: Nokia wants you to use the server "nokia.supl.com" on their phones and Google wants you to use "supl.google.com" on their phones, but how the different carriers, in different regions and the various software are dealing with those configurations? And again how to deal with full a-gps? And why do we have to( see my last post)?
B) The easy way: Just get a external bluetooth gps receiver (with a sifstarIII chipset or better) connect any gps software using "gps bluetooth mouse" or "gps provider" apps to it and get over with it !
I rest my case
P.s.- On my last 6 trips didnt even have to use the external gps, just the internal one...it is doing just fine;
i must have a specially blessed sgs or Holland is just a better place for gps navigation
« »
betoNL said:
What I can say, eventhough I find OFFLINE software car navigation more reliable (and I always use up-to-date maps) they are not "optimized" to "keep me on the road" as you speculated, is more likely that the full A-gps (SUPL) on the Orange Sanfrancisco/ZTE Blade is better optimized than sgs's but then again that's speculation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A-GPS is only necessary for the initial lock and yes, Navigon, iGo et al are optimized to keep the position on the road.
Oletros said:
A-GPS is only necessary for the initial lock and yes, Navigon, iGo et al are optimized to keep the position on the road.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A simple test is to drive down the road using google maps, then drive back using google navigation. The differance couldn;t be more clear.
They have to be optimised to keep people on the road, if not then there is a problem with google maps, and i doubt that!
SkinBobUk said:
A simple test is to drive down the road using google maps, then drive back using google navigation. The differance couldn;t be more clear.
They have to be optimised to keep people on the road, if not then there is a problem with google maps, and i doubt that!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Google maps isn't perfect (if you check the satellite feeds, you'll notice the roads wont always align perfectly) , but anyway, you are correct. Car navigation apps do special work to allow large errors to be made by the GPS without freaking out. That wont work with normal tracks.
Testing consistancy
The problem here is that the testing must be consistent. What is needed is an application to:
1) Create tracks at the highest resolution possible
2) Record speed at many points
3) Maybe have OBD2 integration, so we can match REAL vehicle speed with the track
4) Record the satelites/snr values constantly on the track.
5) Have test scenarios, that takes into account the environment and speed. Because when walking at 1hz, updates of GPS are done every 2-3 meters, but at 100km/h, it's every 28m. We don't even have enough info to know how often updates are done, and some tracks are created by people who are in dense skyscraper ville. We simply can't compare the information at the moment
6) By comparing car tracks to google maps, you could even do some basic GPS benchmark type stuff!
Start with a proper testing procedure, create a means of gathering PROPER information, then we can finally start actually testing how reliable people's phones REALLY is! At the moment, we are simply comparing OPINIONS, because there aren't specific tests to follow. There is nothing scientific about this thread until a process to accurately compare results is created.
andrewluecke said:
Actually, Google maps isn't perfect (if you check the satellite feeds, you'll notice the roads wont always align perfectly) , but anyway, you are correct. Car navigation apps do special work to allow large errors to be made by the GPS without freaking out. That wont work with normal tracks.
Testing consistancy
The problem here is that the testing must be consistent. What is needed is an application to:
1) Create tracks at the highest resolution possible
2) Record speed at many points
3) Maybe have OBD2 integration, so we can match REAL vehicle speed with the track
4) Record the satelites/snr values constantly on the track.
5) Have test scenarios, that takes into account the environment and speed. Because when walking at 1hz, updates of GPS are done every 2-3 meters, but at 100km/h, it's every 28m. We don't even have enough info to know how often updates are done, and some tracks are created by people who are in dense skyscraper ville. We simply can't compare the information at the moment
6) By comparing car tracks to google maps, you could even do some basic GPS benchmark type stuff!
Start with a proper testing procedure, create a means of gathering PROPER information, then we can finally start actually testing how reliable people's phones REALLY is! At the moment, we are simply comparing OPINIONS, because there aren't specific tests to follow. There is nothing scientific about this thread until a process to accurately compare results is created.
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Click to collapse
You raise valid points, but it is unrealistic to expect this kind of controlled testing from an Internet forum.
What I can tell you from personal experience is this: when I run Nexus one with Google Map and SGS with Google Maps at the same time while driving from work to home (or vice versa) the SGS consistently loses lock for about 30% of the route. When I go off the motorway it consistently thinks I am still on the motorway for about 10-20 after I have left it and then needs to reroute. Both the Nexus and SGS are running Android 2.2 and the same version of Google Maps. Nexus One (and an iPhone 4 which I also have) have none of this problems.
The point I tried to make earlier in this thread, admittedly not in the most polite way, is that all the settings discussed here are for AGPS. They only affect the speed of initial lock, not the functioning of the GPS itself. That is why none of the so called "fixes" work for people with non or poor functioning GPS. All that Samsung has done in various ROMs is to tinker with AGPS and also smoothing and predicting of the path while driving; they have not been able to address the underlying issue, which is the inability of the GPS receiver to keep GPS lock.
This can easily be tested by using something like "GPS status" application: it is able to download new GPS assistance data and acquire lock quickly. But if you keep this application running while driving, you will see that the GPS lock is lost many times - at least that is my experience.
darkoroje said:
You raise valid points, but it is unrealistic to expect this kind of controlled testing from an Internet forum.
What I can tell you from personal experience is this: when I run Nexus one with Google Map and SGS with Google Maps at the same time while driving from work to home (or vice versa) the SGS consistently loses lock for about 30% of the route. When I go off the motorway it consistently thinks I am still on the motorway for about 10-20 after I have left it and then needs to reroute. Both the Nexus and SGS are running Android 2.2 and the same version of Google Maps. Nexus One (and an iPhone 4 which I also have) have none of this problems.
The point I tried to make earlier in this thread, admittedly not in the most polite way, is that all the settings discussed here are for AGPS. They only affect the speed of initial lock, not the functioning of the GPS itself. That is why none of the so called "fixes" work for people with non or poor functioning GPS. All that Samsung has done in various ROMs is to tinker with AGPS and also smoothing and predicting of the path while driving; they have not been able to address the underlying issue, which is the inability of the GPS receiver to keep GPS lock.
This can easily be tested by using something like "GPS status" application: it is able to download new GPS assistance data and acquire lock quickly. But if you keep this application running while driving, you will see that the GPS lock is lost many times - at least that is my experience.
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Click to collapse
When using TrackerBooster, not only the "first fix" is current, but all of them. I know that aGps just helps get it quicker, but how do you explain gettings track with 5% error rate to under 1% for the same track using the same software?
I don't know how this program works, but it does and, in the end, the goal is to use the GPS to what our needs are (mine is mostly to keep jogging tracks, with speed and accuracy as high as possible)
As I explained before, so far I can conclude that all my issues are fixed using trackerbooster. It seems like not all users have this kind of result and hardware (or built date) might affect some units, but many of us had good results with the addition of a GPS booster (of some sort).
My phone takes a lot of time getting a GPS fix, sometimes it doesn't succeed after minutes of waiting. I compared it to some Samsung phones, those connect within seconds...
The connection seems stable after getting a fix, but getting a fix is very hard for this phone...
Is anyone else experiencing this?
You're not the only one, mine's also broken. Looking around at the official Moto forums, it seems like this is a fairly common issue with the G4 Play.
So far stock was broken, CM 14.1 has been no better. If I use GPS Status & Toolbox it will eventually get a lock and maybe the accuracy will get down to +/-30m, but if any other app that calls for location (Google Maps, Pokemon Go, etc), if the GPS is turned on at all, it will almost never lock unless switch to GPS Status, but once it gets a lock, the accuracy will keep dropping till its greater than +/-300-400m before losing the lock and eventually the phone just shuts down GPS and stops trying. Literally not location or app settings make any difference, neither does factory reset.
I've had 2 G4 Plays so far. The first was the Amazon Prime version, it had no location issues at all and was totally rock solid, but boot loader could not be unlocked, so I sold it to a friend for his kids to use for Pokemon Go since it was a great device for that. This second one may as well not have came with GPS.
Edit: I've returned to stock and zero difference. I'm not messing with this anymore, 2.5 weeks was long enough trying to fix it, I'm replacing it through Amazon.
I was heaving issues too, changed my SIM to the second slot and it's quite better now. I even play PoGo.
Sent from my Moto G Play using XDA-Developers Legacy app
The problem is actually quite simple: The G4 Play cannot connect to Russian satellites (GLONASS). Under GPS Status and a few other apps, they are perma-greyed out. All of my LG phones connect to them just fine. What kills me is that the feature is listed under Motorola's website, and the phone knows they are there (even on CM14.1), but it simply refuses to use them.
I'm not sure of this. I used MapFactor and GPS Status & Toolbox, and the IDs of the satellites are also in the GLONASS range (https://github.com/mvglasow/satstat/wiki/NMEA-IDs). Do you have a US only version of G4 Play? I have the international version.
nick_white said:
I'm not sure of this. I used MapFactor and GPS Status & Toolbox, and the IDs of the satellites are also in the GLONASS range. Do you have a US only version of G4 Play? I have the international version.
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Click to collapse
I can confirm my 1607 is US Retail. I tested multiple GPS apps (including GPS-S&T) and while I got signal from GLONASS satellites, it straight up refused to connect to a single one, even if the satellite had better signal than a comparable US satellite. I don't know if it's possible to flash a new modem for this model yet.
Try this app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.android.gpstest
It gave me the best fix than all the others. I don't know what this guy do but it connects to more satellites and gets a fix faster.
I also have a Moto G4 Play mobile with the same problem.
You won't believe that touching to the gps device on the back side of the phone solved the problem to some extent. I go for running every morning and I use Runkeeper to track my moves. So how much distance I cover in a day is much important for me and thus gps accuracy also. But my location is tracked like a heart rate monitor of a hospital. But one day I was experimenting with my phone and found that if I remove the back cover of the phone and touch to the part where it was written Harpia GPS S01, the signal of the gps boosted and the radius of the blue circle became shorter to about 4-8 metres that means I was getting more accuracy than before. So from that day whenever I go to run, I remove the back cover and put a finger on the gps set and the problem somewhat solved. But this was only a part of the story. My father owns a Micromax Unite 3 mobile and he also used to run daily. What to say about the latter, it gives an accuracy of unbelievable 1 metre. On the latter, the runkeeper even tracks the change of lane or the side of the road. I am just jealous of the phone even though it costs 4000 rs less than mine.
ashishwebmail said:
You won't believe that touching to the gps device on the back side of the phone solved the problem to some extent. I go for running every morning and I use Runkeeper to track my moves. So how much distance I cover in a day is much important for me and thus gps accuracy also. But my location is tracked like a heart rate monitor of a hospital. But one day I was experimenting with my phone and found that if I remove the back cover of the phone and touch to the part where it was written Harpia GPS S01, the signal of the gps boosted and the radius of the blue circle became shorter to about 4-8 metres that means I was getting more accuracy than before. So from that day whenever I go to run, I remove the back cover and put a finger on the gps set and the problem somewhat solved. But this was only a part of the story. My father owns a Micromax Unite 3 mobile and he also used to run daily. What to say about the latter, it gives an accuracy of unbelievable 1 metre. On the latter, the runkeeper even tracks the change of lane or the side of the road. I am just jealous of the phone even though it costs 4000 rs less than mine.
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Click to collapse
Sounds like connector failed. Someone on the Lenovo forum had theirs repaired by moto and the antenna connector was what they fixed. Betting mine (and yours) are that. I replaced mine through Amazon, so far the replacement device has been working.
I'm wondering if it's a bad design on the antenna or just manufacturing defect and bad QA on some units.
Kadah said:
Sounds like connector failed. Someone on the Lenovo forum had theirs repaired by moto and the antenna connector was what they fixed. Betting mine (and yours) are that. I replaced mine through Amazon, so far the replacement device has been working.
I'm wondering if it's a bad design on the antenna or just manufacturing defect and bad QA on some units.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dumb question, but if the connection is exposed upon removal of the cover, isn't it possible to tear into and reconnect/solder without taking it to a manufacturer? I mean, what I see are two screws to the right of the headphone jack, a plastic cover that says "Harpia GPS S01," and what looks like some kind of antenna watermark.
mkollersms said:
The problem is actually quite simple: The G4 Play cannot connect to Russian satellites (GLONASS). Under GPS Status and a few other apps, they are perma-greyed out. All of my LG phones connect to them just fine. What kills me is that the feature is listed under Motorola's website, and the phone knows they are there (even on CM14.1), but it simply refuses to use them.
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Click to collapse
Interesting. I've just checked mine (European XT1602) and it does that, too - the GLONASS satellites are showing up, but are not being used.
When I was in stock rom after some time the gps stopped working well, don't know why. Now with Aox 14.1 is working fine, I don't understand the satellites but the accuracy is pretty good
ronaldotalison said:
When I was in stock rom after some time the gps stopped working well, don't know why. Now with Aox 14.1 is working fine, I don't understand the satellites but the accuracy is pretty good
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Click to collapse
Not seeing any active Russians on that image. Your phone might still be having the same problem as everyone else.
I've bought a xt1602 yesterday. The GPS is excellent. I get a fix in few seconds with solid signals, but without glonass.
Update on the current replacement G4 Play: GPS is starting to fail on it as well. I've hardly even used it, maybe only a dozen times in the last several weeks. So far that's 3 of 3 that are defective. I think I'm going to return this one to Amazon too, not sure I want to try a 4th.
mkollersms said:
Not seeing any active Russians on that image. Your phone might still be having the same problem as everyone else.
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Click to collapse
I see russian satellites on his picture. How do you know that they were not active?
sevenRA1 said:
I see russian satellites on his picture. How do you know that they were not active?
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Click to collapse
Because the three that I see are missing values under the "Flags" column. That hints at the aGPS data being there but that the phone might not have interfaced with them. The UI says 12 of 22 sats are connected. Of the 13 US shown, 12 have all fields with information and the thirteenth is missing info in one column. Granted, all of this is conjecture.
I think u are right. Ive tested it today by myself. But ive to say that this mobile phone has got a VERY fast GPS fix, atleast where i live. (Germany)
I also have bad GPS, thing I've tried:
Reset to factory settings
Safe boot
GPS Toolbox
I will now try putting the sim card in the second slot, like suggested here on the forum. Keep you posted!
Unfortunately putting the SIM card in the second slot did not better the situation. Back to the shop...
Curious if someone else has this issue:
My location using GPS, High Accuracy or Device Sensors is consistently off by several miles several times a week. Coincidentally, it likes to stick me to the same location that's along my commute to work. It does not update or change from this location.
If I select Battery Saving, it updates and is correct. I assume since this doesn't use the GPS receiver, which may be the source of my pain.
If I go back to the other modes, it goes back to the erroneous location. Recalibrating doesn't seem to help as this may fix the compass, but my location is still wrong. This happens every couple days, not all the time, but it is the same location it likes to stick me to, as if it's offset by my current location (since that location is work and that's the same daily then it makes sense the offset location is always the same.)
I don't know how to resolve that or discern a cause. And of course, if you don't use High Accuracy, most everything is designed to complain over and over again that you're in the wrong mode. You can imagine this make getting a Lyft or Uber a bit of a pain and interferes with Smart Locations. Anyone have a similar experience?
bitter1 said:
Curious if someone else has this issue:
My location using GPS, High Accuracy or Device Sensors is consistently off by several miles several times a week. Coincidentally, it likes to stick me to the same location that's along my commute to work. It does not update or change from this location.
If I select Battery Saving, it updates and is correct. I assume since this doesn't use the GPS receiver, which may be the source of my pain.
If I go back to the other modes, it goes back to the erroneous location. Recalibrating doesn't seem to help as this may fix the compass, but my location is still wrong. This happens every couple days, not all the time, but it is the same location it likes to stick me to, as if it's offset by my current location (since that location is work and that's the same daily then it makes sense the offset location is always the same.)
I don't know how to resolve that or discern a cause. And of course, if you don't use High Accuracy, most everything is designed to complain over and over again that you're in the wrong mode. You can imagine this make getting a Lyft or Uber a bit of a pain and interferes with Smart Locations. Anyone have a similar experience?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having some issues I don't know if there is a fix I remember you use to be able to flash a file back when I had galaxy s5 to make the GPS more accurate
i have some problems with my gps too... it's totally unaccurate, can't track my position fast enough while i'm driving... but truth to be told, i haven't looked into it enough to say if it's fixable or not. last time i tried Here maps it was pretty much unusable...
Hello,
I have a question about GPS inaccuracy with Strava on my Moto G4 Play.
I got a new Moto G4 Play and was testing out the GPS with the Strava run tracker app.
The problem is that I get about 10% more distance traveled on my runs. And, I'd like to know if this is par for the course with smartphone GPS or whether I should expect better.
For example, in this Strava image (ht tp://ibb.co/d6sLvQ), I'm running a loop of ~800m (half mile, calculated using wikimapia) and I expect a total distance of 7.3k but I get 8.1k in my Strava app. In my other test, I got 5.6k when I expected 5.1k. Its probably because of all the wiggly lines due to GPS error.
My question is whether this much error is to be expected (in which case I wonder how people are using Strava!). And, whether I can do something to improve. I currently keep the phone in the pocket of my shorts. And there are no trees or tall buildings (all nearby buildings are 1-2 floors) in the top two segments and a few trees in the bottom two. I use Touch Protector to keep the screen always on and the touch disabled to prevent app closure or any app interference while it is in my pocket.
Also, I don't see any Beidou sats in the GPS Test display. Only GPS and Glonass satelites show up and are being used. I can't find specs and don't know whether I should have access to other sats like Beidou (and Galileo, etc) or not on my Moto G4 Play.
shaviv said:
Hello,
I have a question about GPS inaccuracy with Strava on my Moto G4 Play.
I got a new Moto G4 Play and was testing out the GPS with the Strava run tracker app.
The problem is that I get about 10% more distance traveled on my runs. And, I'd like to know if this is par for the course with smartphone GPS or whether I should expect better.
For example, in this Strava image (ht tp://ibb.co/d6sLvQ), I'm running a loop of ~800m (half mile, calculated using wikimapia) and I expect a total distance of 7.3k but I get 8.1k in my Strava app. In my other test, I got 5.6k when I expected 5.1k. Its probably because of all the wiggly lines due to GPS error.
My question is whether this much error is to be expected (in which case I wonder how people are using Strava!). And, whether I can do something to improve. I currently keep the phone in the pocket of my shorts. And there are no trees or tall buildings (all nearby buildings are 1-2 floors) in the top two segments and a few trees in the bottom two. I use Touch Protector to keep the screen always on and the touch disabled to prevent app closure or any app interference while it is in my pocket.
Also, I don't see any Beidou sats in the GPS Test display. Only GPS and Glonass satelites show up and are being used. I can't find specs and don't know whether I should have access to other sats like Beidou (and Galileo, etc) or not on my Moto G4 Play.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- there are known issues with the hardware GPS in this device (all G4P varients); if device is new consider an in-warranty exchange
- possible fixes are documented here
- in general you should be able to obtain accurate/identical lateral results from most GPS enabled devices assuming a good line of sight to satellites; G4P is NOT representative of most phones in terms of hardware GPS performance in this regard
- note most consumer GPS devices introduce considerable error when change in elevation is involved; Google for more details and ways to compensate
Davey126 said:
- there are known issues with the hardware GPS in this device (all G4P varients); if device is new consider an in-warranty exchange
- possible fixes are documented here
- in general you should be able to obtain accurate/identical lateral results from most GPS enabled devices assuming a good line of sight to satellites; G4P is NOT representative of most phones in terms of hardware GPS performance in this regard
- note most consumer GPS devices introduce considerable error when change in elevation is involved; Google for more details and ways to compensate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I was aware of the issues with G4P and the other thread. I might yet encounter those issues (as folks in the other thread indicated that the problem gets worse quickly after a few weeks), but I wasn't having major issues as were pointed out there (as yet, fingers crossed).
I tested today with another app in parallel with Strava and I got half the error as compared with Strava (4% vs 8%). The other app filters the satelites to include only those with SNR>50. Maybe there are other differences as well between the two apps, but I just wanted to point this out, so people running into this problem can try alternative apps and be aware of SNR filtering. A snapshot of my result is here:
ht tps://www.reddit.com/r/Strava/comments/6ozcav/inaccuracy_in_distance/
It would've been nice if Android allowed filtering based on SNR and turning on/off satelite groups (like Glonass vs no Glonass), maybe even allowing mucking around with polling frequency... don't know how much these configs matter.