Is the GPS/Radios this bad on the Nexus?

[JMac202]

I know samsung has issues with radios in their phones. Mines terrible. I cant get GPS signal for crap and I'm in Tulsa for my Dad's heart surgery and have no idea how to get around this place. Google Nav wont even connect to GPS. Always displays "looking for GPS Sat" I can get TeleNav to conenct but it says weak signal all the time and it lags terrible or cuts out.

Wifi is very weak as well. At home my wireless router is 10 ft away and rarely ever displays full signal. I know the display doesn't mean much but even using the Hospital Wifi it hardly stays connected and goes in and out. Everyone else there with iPhones, etc have no issue.

Call signal sucks too. At home I'd have full bars on my Evo 4G, 3D and the iPhone I had for a while. Never dropped a call with those phones at home. The Nexus drops one every other day it seems at home.

Does anyone have issues like this? Is it Samsung or is my phone just that defective?

I would take it to Sprint but it's rooted running AOSP oICSv43 with custom kernal and I'm sure they wouldnt help me being so. Could it be the rom? I did a hard reset and wipe and still have the issues.

 

[Timanator]

My GPS is pretty bad compared to my HTC Hero before, but it seems to be better now? The last few times I used it seems to be ok, and it acquired locations with in a few seconds. A few month ago I would be half way to the destination before it would acquire the location and give me directions. As for phone signal, no mine does not have any issues with that.

 

[Thai]

See my post: http://androidforums.com/nexus-s-4g/451791-nexus-wifi-comparison.html

Basically, like you, i bought into "THE GOOGLE EXPERIENCE." I am regretting it now...actually, my wife is! This is a DE-CONTENTED crap phone that Google sold us on! Don't believe me? Take a picture with the Nexus S. Then take a picture with any Samsung Galaxy S1 (not S2...and you can even pick the one without flash). You will be shocked to find that our camera is worthless compared to its "twin" from Samsung!

 

[ZDroid1]

I have a solution actually. My Google Maps on Nexus S 4G is crap. It works great when the GPS locks, but it often fails to lock. I just wait and wait and it just keeps blinking.

Here's what I do:
1- Download the app "GPS Status"
2- When you go to Google Maps and GPS fails to lock, exit and launch GPS Status
3- In GPS Status, hit your menu key
4- Select "Calibrate Pitch"
5- Hit Reset

That's it. Now if you go back to Google Maps, it locks quickly and it works great, until the next time.

That's at least the case on my phone. I just got upgraded to ICS so I don't know if that fix is valid on ICS, or if the problem still occurs on ICS.

But yeah I don't think I will ever buy an Android phone again. I refuse to put up with this, not when GPS and navigation work flawlessly on many other phones (my wife's iPhone, my sister's Blackberry, my old Nokia, etc).

 

[StrifeJester]

But yeah I don't think I will ever buy an Android phone again. I refuse to put up with this, not when GPS and navigation work flawlessly on many other phones (my wife's iPhone, my sister's Blackberry, my old Nokia, etc).

You just named 3 OEMs, Samsung is notorious for crappy radios. Motorola makes a great radio and they always have it is part of why the original RAZR was so popular, the phone worked and worked awesome. HTC radios are also very good from what I hear. The problem is not an Android problem but an OEM problem.

 

[Thai]

You just named 3 OEMs, Samsung is notorious for crappy radios. Motorola makes a great radio and they always have it is part of why the original RAZR was so popular, the phone worked and worked awesome. HTC radios are also very good from what I hear. The problem is not an Android problem but an OEM problem.

Unfortunately, Google phones are now Samsung phones. Anything else will get major delays in software updates...in addition, their life expectancy for Android updates is less than 18 months (at best). My only hope is that Moto gets the Google contract for future Google phones. Samsung cannot make a decent CDMA phone with good reception...this has been proven many times over! If no Moto, then my Android ownership is dead. Samsung makes great TVs and great screens, but shitty radios!

 

[ZDroid1]

My experience has been very bad with the hardware, that's true. I just can't believe the contrast in terms of standards and expectations. The whole "antenna-gate" thing is a good example. Such a huge uproar over an issue that plagues many other phones if you "hold them that way", but that's the kind of expectation you have with the iPhone, which is an other-wise impressive piece of hardware.

Google's side, on the other hand, is pumping out crap over and over, outdated at release-time, unlikely to ever be upgraded. And when I got frustrated with the other Android phones, I thought to myself, "That's it. I'm going to pay the money and purchase the Google 'Premium Phone', the flagship phone, the freaking NEXUS." And it turned out to be crap too. I just couldn't believe it. I'd be in a car with people and the damn GPS won't lock. We'd wander around looking for a place and find it through random wandering faster than the damn thing would lock (until I discovered the work-around I mentioned in an earlier post).

It's too bad. Quality aside, I REALLY like Android a lot better, and prefer it to iOS. I might get a Windows phone next. I've always had good luck with Nokia phones.

 

[ZDroid1]

Unfortunately, Google phones are now Samsung phones. Anything else will get major delays in software updates...in addition, their life expectancy for Android updates is less than 18 months (at best). My only hope is that Moto gets the Google contract for future Google phones. Samsung cannot make a decent CDMA phone with good reception...this has been proven many times over! If no Moto, then my Android ownership is dead. Samsung makes great TVs and great screens, but shitty radios!

I used to be a big fan of Android. Now I just put up with it. It went from being a toy to being a necessary evil I use to get my email and make phone calls until I can get rid of the thing and get a better phone.

 

[Timanator]

Stumbled on to something just goofing off. So last week I got my boss and co-workers HTC droids and stood in our office turning the gps on. Both of theirs locked in while my Samsung could not. While on my trip to North Texas I was getting GPS signals lost the entire way while holding the phone by the steering wheel or on the passenger seat.

By accident on the way back I put the phone on the dash and no GPS lost until I grabbed it and was looking at it. But the second I put it back on the dash it got the GPS signal back almost instantly. I tried it again Sunday on the way to a golf course and it worked perfectly on the dash but not when I held it.

So the GPS signals is weak on this phone, it needs to be outside with almost no obstructions for it to function.

 

[kevincwelch]

I experienced this problem with the Epic 4G as well.

I've tested the wifi with wifi analyzer and the hand attenuation of signal is real. Even with a case, palming the phone causes a 10dbm loss of signal...and this is standing 2 feet from the router.

Sprint on the whole is terrible. I experienced terrible signal with my blackberry and Samsung Epic.

No plans to get the Gnex. The GSIII looks sweet, but I may go HTC.

 

[Timanator]

kevincwelch, I tested this on a Glaxy S2 this weekend and the GPS is much improved on it with no issues like our Nexus.

 

[kevincwelch]

kevincwelch, I tested this on a Glaxy S2 this weekend and the GPS is much improved on it with no issues like our Nexus.

Encouraging.