GPS (possible issue)

demandarin · Dec 29, 2011

RussianMenace said:
Has anyone sent their unit to Asus to get it looked at?

for me not yet. as Gamestop has a 30 day policy on devices open box can be exchanged directly for another one. I'm hoping by then they reciece fresh shipments of devices with issues fixed. then I'd go on and exchange just to get a fresh device. my prime has no issues other than no real Gps lock yet. I haven't tried it on a clear day yet. can take a lil bit to get first lock n its cold outside..lol. I'd rather exchange with Gamestop vs. send in unit to Asus. Gamestop would be instant exchange. with sending it in, who knows how long they would take. either way when Gamestop 30 day exchange runs out, we still have a year warranty with Asus themselves. waiting to see if this might possibly be a software issue and an update remedies this.

briant97 · Dec 29, 2011

Fixed my GPS

This is steps I took to fix my gps. BTW when I got the unit I immediately upgraded to latest firmware which took it from 8.8.3.27 to 8.8.3.29. My friend also got one the same day and his gps does not work either. So we will be going home at lunch to see if we can fix his.

Steps..

I called support they recommend factor reset which i did. I tried navigation and compass software and it did not work. They then recommended I install gps fix, google maps, google earth. I installed those let the fix run for 15 min and still nothing. I then installed gps status and gps essentials. At this point the only software I could get to lock on to satellites was gps status it would work pretty well. Nothing else worked at all. So I used a paper clip to hit the reset button on the side and once rebooted all gps software worked well navigator, gps essentials, gps status and so on. Google earth has me standing in parking lot at work right outside the window im in.

I also just powered off device and went back in and it found me without flaw.

I hope this post helps someone get their unit fixed.

nxp3 · Dec 29, 2011

What the hell does it matter what's causing it

We aren't scientists and we certainly don't have all the necessary equipment to do all the testings ourselves. It shouldn't matter what the hell is causing the GPS to NOT work. Metal backs? Bad GPS? Poor design? Who cares. That is not our job. And we should not have to test this on a clear sky with the sun to the south, and standing on one foot.

A GPS is designed to work in everyday driving, walking, biking condition. If it does not do that, then it's not doing its job and is no good. We should not test this thing in a super ideal condition. It should be working on an everyday condition. That means some days are cloudy, some are rainy and some are clear. It should be working in those condition. If you turn around and it loses satellites...then its' faulty. I expect this to work while sitting in my house and driving, but it isn't. I had no problem with the asus transformer, I had no problems with my phone. In fact I'm in my room and my phone can still get 5-6 satellites. It only requires 2 to get a location, and 3 to get elevation. The fact that the map cannot determine location means that the GPS is not working well enough for the map to pinpoint your location.

n11 · Dec 29, 2011

briant97 said:
This is steps I took to fix my gps. BTW when I got the unit I immediately upgraded to latest firmware which took it from 8.8.3.27 to 8.8.3.29. My friend also got one the same day and his gps does not work either. So we will be going home at lunch to see if we can fix his.

Steps..

I called support they recommend factor reset which i did. I tried navigation and compass software and it did not work. They then recommended I install gps fix, google maps, google earth. I installed those let the fix run for 15 min and still nothing. I then installed gps status and gps essentials. At this point the only software I could get to lock on to satellites was gps status it would work pretty well. Nothing else worked at all. So I used a paper clip to hit the reset button on the side and once rebooted all gps software worked well navigator, gps essentials, gps status and so on. Google earth has me standing in parking lot at work right outside the window im in.

I also just powered off device and went back in and it found me without flaw.

I hope this post helps someone get their unit fixed.

If you have a chance would you use Google navigation and try to use it to get somewhere in a car. Also, are you getting a satellite fix while inside with wifi turned off and in airplane mode?

Lock-N-Load · Dec 29, 2011

briant97 said:
This is steps I took to fix my gps. BTW when I got the unit I immediately upgraded to latest firmware which took it from 8.8.3.27 to 8.8.3.29. My friend also got one the same day and his gps does not work either. So we will be going home at lunch to see if we can fix his.

Steps..

I called support they recommend factor reset which i did. I tried navigation and compass software and it did not work. They then recommended I install gps fix, google maps, google earth. I installed those let the fix run for 15 min and still nothing. I then installed gps status and gps essentials. At this point the only software I could get to lock on to satellites was gps status it would work pretty well. Nothing else worked at all. So I used a paper clip to hit the reset button on the side and once rebooted all gps software worked well navigator, gps essentials, gps status and so on. Google earth has me standing in parking lot at work right outside the window im in.

I also just powered off device and went back in and it found me without flaw.

I hope this post helps someone get their unit fixed.

ugh.. the mere thought of having to wipe all the work one has done to set up apps, settings, home screens, install.. all lost with the push of a paper clip

---------- Post added at 08:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

RussianMenace said:
Has anyone sent their unit to Asus to get it looked at?

yes, 3-4-5 pages back (?) a guy sent his in yesterday with a 7 day turn around they said. he should report back what he gets back.

demandarin · Dec 29, 2011

Lock-N-Load said:
ugh.. the mere thought of having to wipe all the work one has done to set up apps, settings, home screens, install.. all lost with the push of a paper clip

---------- Post added at 08:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

yes, 3-4-5 pages back (?) a guy sent his in yesterday with a 7 day turn around they said. he should report back what he gets back.

I'm thinking the same thing also. I hate having to set up all over again. I wonder if a normal reboot, power off then back on or an app or widget that'll reboot will yield same results.

qqPatrick · Dec 29, 2011

No GPS for me

Have tried cold boot, software updates, installing GPS essentials, waiting 12.5 minutes outside but 0 satellites found...

No other issues to report other than that

aldrouin · Dec 29, 2011

Here is a video of me testing on a clear day. Ok, the video sucks, it's from my work Blackberry, but I didn't have anything else that was *mobile*. I spent too much of my vacation getting pissed at asus for me to be happy about it.

Anyway, I called ASUS this morning, I have a RMA with them, they told me that I had to pay to ship them their defective unit. I was pissed.

I then called tigerdirect.ca, they are willing to take back my unit (15 days to send it back), but they don't have any other unit to replace it in stock, so I would get a refund and end up without a unit... (WTF sucks) I'm starting to think Ipad3 lol. It's ****ing locked, it's gay, but god damnit it works. Well what apple says it does does work. Anyway, don't want to get into another android/apple device, I personally am more of an android guy, but wow.

Anyway, my options are :
stick with a broken unit. (well GPS is broken, rest works fine)
RMA it and pay AGAIN for that ****ing sexy tablet. (life sucks, but it sounds like my option)
Get a refund, send it back, and buy it again later when they fixed it.
Buy an ipad when it comes out (I guess ?)... Sobs time.

EDIT : Ok, after about 1 hour, it can view some satellites, still no lock (luck), but meh, though I'd share the fact that I have a GPS ship, it's just crappy at receiving anything.

Lock-N-Load · Dec 29, 2011

So far, I have only read of 1 case I can recall where a reset did anything, and that was right above. Most reported it did nothing, I am not trying it.

BTW, more and more I start to think there is some sort of software error. Why? I sit here and work all day and run all kinds of GPS tests with GPS Status and the 1 thing I notice over and over... the moment I do something else like take a screen shot or interact with the settings menu or go to another app and come back, all signals drop off and then have to come back again. Why would that ever happen? It is as though everything software that I do creates interference that drops all the signals. And then they all come back.

nxp3 · Dec 29, 2011

briant97 said:
This is steps I took to fix my gps. BTW when I got the unit I immediately upgraded to latest firmware which took it from 8.8.3.27 to 8.8.3.29. My friend also got one the same day and his gps does not work either. So we will be going home at lunch to see if we can fix his.

Steps..

I called support they recommend factor reset which i did. I tried navigation and compass software and it did not work. They then recommended I install gps fix, google maps, google earth. I installed those let the fix run for 15 min and still nothing. I then installed gps status and gps essentials. At this point the only software I could get to lock on to satellites was gps status it would work pretty well. Nothing else worked at all. So I used a paper clip to hit the reset button on the side and once rebooted all gps software worked well navigator, gps essentials, gps status and so on. Google earth has me standing in parking lot at work right outside the window im in.

I also just powered off device and went back in and it found me without flaw.

I hope this post helps someone get their unit fixed.

**** I didn't even know there was a reset hole. My eyes are pretty poor. Anyway, if this fixes the problem we should all chip in and buy you lunch. But seems like an unlikely fix. Will try when I get home.

Lock-N-Load · Dec 29, 2011

nxp3 said:
**** I didn't even know there was a reset hole. My eyes are pretty poor. Anyway, if this fixes the problem we should all chip in and buy you lunch. But seems like an unlikely fix. Will try when I get home.

If your willing to do a reset and try it... do it. I am curious as this guy is the only guy in this whole thread I can think of that said it did something. So, if your willing to reset also and see, do it and report back.

nxp3 · Dec 29, 2011

Lock-N-Load said:
If your willing to do a reset and try it... do it. I am curious as this guy is the only guy in this whole thread I can think of that said it did something. So, if your willing to reset also and see, do it and report back.

5pm central time I will be home to do it and report back. I'm willing if it says it fixes it.

dajackal9999 · Dec 29, 2011

Reset Prime

I reset my Prime through the hole on the side. I did not however do a factory reset. No diff. 0 sats and locks sitting next to my Epic 4g Touch which has 6 sats locked out of 8.

BarryH_GEG · Dec 29, 2011

briant97 said:
This is steps I took to fix my gps. BTW when I got the unit I immediately upgraded to latest firmware which took it from 8.8.3.27 to 8.8.3.29. My friend also got one the same day and his gps does not work either. So we will be going home at lunch to see if we can fix his.

Steps..

I called support they recommend factor reset which i did. I tried navigation and compass software and it did not work. They then recommended I install gps fix, google maps, google earth. I installed those let the fix run for 15 min and still nothing. I then installed gps status and gps essentials. At this point the only software I could get to lock on to satellites was gps status it would work pretty well. Nothing else worked at all. So I used a paper clip to hit the reset button on the side and once rebooted all gps software worked well navigator, gps essentials, gps status and so on. Google earth has me standing in parking lot at work right outside the window im in.

I also just powered off device and went back in and it found me without flaw.

I hope this post helps someone get their unit fixed.

This doesn't make any sense. If GPS is "on" it's active and should be available to any application dependent on it. The app makes a call to the OS which makes a call to the GPS. All apps use the same API calls so I can't see how any app or launching apps in a different order would change anything. In the vid I posted god knows how many pages back using a different tablet, doing a cold boot and launching GPS Test showed 8 satellites viewed and used instantly when it was launched. That's the way it's supposed to work. It's hard to believe that with all the different combinations of s/w people have loaded on their Prime's and the order in which they loaded it that the sequence the OP used is the exclusive and only combo to make GPS work.

Two people posted here that obviously were extremely knowledgeable (I'm not one of them) and explained both how GPS works and what the potential causes of the Prime’s struggles are. A summary:

1) The only true test of the GPS chip itself is after a cold boot with Wi-Fi off. Once the chip gets a lock, the satellites it found are memorized and the Prime will seem fine until its location changes. So people that are saying “it works now!” when turning Wi-Fi off after a lock are seeing satellites only because the chip had them memorized (see driving test below). Similarly, if you're connected to Wi-FI, aGPS is most likely to be what's getting the lock and keeping up with the Prime's location, not the chip itself. For those of you that are happy only having working GPS when you're connected to Wi-Fi none of this should bother you.

2) After a cold boot with Wi-Fi off, several people were able to get a lock but only outdoors with a direct view of the sky. Those are near perfect conditions and GPS chips used in every other tablet aren't that sensitive. No one's been able to get a lock indoors after a cold boot w/o the aid of Wi-Fi.

3) After getting a lock, and no longer using aGPS via Wi-Fi, the driving test people are talking about shows that the chip itself can't continue to track satellites on its own while moving. A Scandinavian website tested the Prime's GPS against the TF1 and got the same results.

So like wynand32 said, we're not engineers and can't say with certainty what the cause is. It certainly looks like something's causing the chip not to receive a continuous and adequate signal. Regardless, having to go through flaming hoops and not knowing how and when you can depend on GPS means something's seriously wrong.

skinien · Dec 29, 2011

Does anyone happen to know how to go about contacting tech sites like anandtech, phandroid, engadget? I think if we report the issue to them enough so that articles get written, Asus will be quicker to respond.

nxp3 · Dec 29, 2011

BarryH_GEG said:
This doesn't make any sense. If GPS is "on" it's active and should be available to any application dependent on it. The app makes a call to the OS which makes a call to the GPS. All apps use the same API calls so I can't see how any app or launching apps in a different order would change anything. In the vid I posted god knows how many pages back using a different tablet, doing a cold boot and launching GPS Test showed 8 satellites viewed and used instantly when it was launched. That's the way it's supposed to work. It's hard to believe that with all the different combinations of s/w people have loaded on their Prime's and the order in which they loaded it that the sequence the OP used is the exclusive and only combo to make GPS work.

Two people posted here that obviously were extremely knowledgeable (I'm not one of them) and explained both how GPS works and what the potential causes of the Prime’s struggles are. A summary:

1) The only true test of the GPS chip itself is after a cold boot with Wi-Fi off. Once the chip gets a lock, the satellites it found are memorized and the Prime will seem fine until its location changes. So people that are saying “it works now!” when turning Wi-Fi off after a lock are seeing satellites only because the chip had them memorized (see driving test below). Similarly, if you're connected to Wi-FI, aGPS is most likely to be what's getting the lock and keeping up with the Prime's location, not the chip itself. For those of you that are happy only having working GPS when you're connected to Wi-Fi none of this should bother you.

2) After a cold boot with Wi-Fi off, several people were able to get a lock but only outdoors with a direct view of the sky. Those are near perfect conditions and GPS chips used in every other tablet aren't that sensitive. No one's been able to get a lock indoors after a cold boot w/o the aid of Wi-Fi.

3) After getting a lock, and no longer using aGPS via Wi-Fi, the driving test people are talking about shows that the chip itself can't continue to track satellites on its own while moving. A Scandinavian website tested the Prime's GPS against the TF1 and got the same results.

So like wynand32 said, we're not engineers and can't say with certainty what the cause is. It certainly looks like something's causing the chip not to receive a continuous and adequate signal. Regardless, having to go through flaming hoops and not knowing how and when you can depend on GPS means something's seriously wrong.

I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the way the CPU changes state from quad core to dual core to running on the 5th core for non-graphics intensive task. As state by one user and also observed by me. If you are on GPS status and have lock on satellites, then you change screen to do something else and come back to GPS status, it would show 0 locks. This makes me believe that the GPS services is put into susupend mode instead of running continuously in the background. Either way...this thing isn't usable...no matter what the problem is...asus needs to get involved now before we ship it all back to them.

BongoBong · Dec 29, 2011

skinien said:
Does anyone happen to know how to go about contacting tech sites like anandtech, phandroid, engadget? I think if we report the issue to them enough so that articles get written, Asus will be quicker to respond.

For engadget there is a "tip us" button on the main page near the top. Not sure on the others.

nxp3 · Dec 29, 2011

BongoBong said:
For engadget there is a "tip us" button on the main page near the top. Not sure on the others.

I sent engadget a tip already last week about the GPS, but encourage everyone to do the same, maybe they'll catch it if a lot of people do it.

I also post some words on asus facebook. I encourage everyone to flood asus until we get a response.

Lock-N-Load · Dec 29, 2011

My outside cold boot test

1. Turned off wifi
2. Left GPS on
3. Shut down tablet
4. Let sit 5 minutes
5. Walked outside into middle of the street.
6. Turned on tablet (remember, NO wifi on and only GPS on) and... it took maybe 2 minutes or less and I got 15 in view and 11 locked on!

See the screenshot... no WiFi and 15 & 11 @60 feet. Remember, I was the guy that posted 10 pages ago about having nothing, dropped his tablet, picked it up and viola.. signals

RussianMenace · Dec 29, 2011

Lock-N-Load said:
My outside cold boot test

1. Turned off wifi
2. Left GPS on
3. Shut down tablet
4. Let sit 5 minutes
5. Walked outside into middle of the street.
6. Turned on tablet (remember, NO wifi on and only GPS on) and... it took maybe 2 minutes or less and I got 15 in view and 11 locked on!

See the screenshot... no WiFi and 15 & 11 @60 feet. Remember, I was the guy that posted 10 pages ago about having nothing, dropped his tablet, picked it up and viola.. signals

Hmm, how about indoors? You getting anything?

GPS (possible issue)

GPS working for you?

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