[Q] Prime Evaluation

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I've been reading for a while trying to evaluate the different level of Prime problems. My return window for the prime closes tomorrow. I'm an android kind of guy and I also own a Samsung Galaxy S.

I'm trying to evaluate the degree of problem with my GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth.


WiFi
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Running wifi analyzer on both the prime and the sgs the signal readings are almost similar the connection speeds vary greatly with the prime often connecting at faster speeds. I have several wifi routers in my house for coverage with the same ssid. The prime seems to have a little more problems switching from one to the other but not that much.

GPS
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My prime gps does work but the reception is much weaker than my sgs. This is especially true from inside my house. My sgs is easily able to see and fix 5-8 sats while the prime is completely blind. Outside the house but not in the city, the results are more encouraging with the prime being able to fix almost the same number of sats than the sgs but I cannot see the exact signal strength. I haven't tested in a city with tall buildings all around.

Bluetooth
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I haven't found any tools to evaluate the BT signal strength. I'm able to pair a headset and it appears to work properly but no other tests were made.




Soooo, my questions are: Was there batches of primes that were more problematic than others? Is the unconnected antennas problems random or related to the first batches? Compared to other working prime; is mine as good as it gets or I should roll the dices and try to find a better prime?

My serial number begins with: C1OKAS0xxxxx

Thanks in advance for any replies.

JF.

Sounds to me like you have a good one. Your wifi works well compared to your other devices LR even better. You have a working GPS. despite being weaker then your other device it works. Asus removed GPS spec so consider yourself lucky on GPS side. Then for BT seems like you have no issues. I'd think your device was a keeper. As far as wifi antennae issues, that's very random and very small in numbers compared to overall prime users here in xda. The biggest complaint is GPS, not wifi. The other gripe is some experience slowdown of speeds when BT and wifi are both streaming data. But you have alot also that don't experience that. So I wouldn't be too pressed about it. If your device works well, keep it. Or you could gamble on a new device. It could be better. But it could also not be. All primes no matter the batch has the identical same hardware. I have an early batch one I purchased on 12/22. Its been working great for me. Had no issues with it at all. So it is a hit or miss but odds are in favor of finding a good one.

Good luck on your decision. I'd say keep your prime if it works well for you. Its not a matter of if its as good as it gets. What you described your device as is a really good working one. Why take risk n get rid of it.

I don't think there are any "good ones", specially if Asus has to make a physical hardware change. UNLESS they are already manufacturing this change into production already, but I highly doubt that. A company like Asus could never move that fast.

The WIFI will always be an issue to some, and not an issue to most people. If you happen to be near a router (less than 50-75 feet away) you will be in good shape. If you are in a place like a school or office building where there are many routers, you will be in good shape. If you are trying to hold on to the edge of your routers max range, you will be in bad shape.


for GPS,

people are trying to get a lock with out a data connection. These tablets use the same GPS chip a cellphone would meaning it needs data connection for an accurate lock. You will NOT get an accurate lock using the GPS outside with no data connection. This is how all mobile devices are.

Thanks for the replies. I will sleep on it and decide tomorrow. I also have hopes that Asus will eventually do the right thing and replace the back of the prime...

Prime/Tapatalk

Originally Posted by jflaplante

Thanks for the replies. I will sleep on it and decide tomorrow. I also have hopes that Asus will eventually do the right thing and replace the back of the prime...

Prime/Tapatalk

With what, plastic? That is probably what is going to happen....

I have owned (and still own) ONE Prime. It works great. Wifi is strong or perhaps even stronger than any of my other devices in the house. I own a Playbook, Slider, Evo 3D, Photon, and some other random wifi devices. I was not even aware that there *was* an issue with the Prime and wifi until I started reading posts here with all of these issues and blaming the backing..etc.

I still truly believe that it is environment over the actual device. Wifi is a signal that must pass through walls, etc. I can bet there are times that the overly paranoid Prime owner sees his bar go down one notch and immediately posts up here that he is experiencing the famous "wifi problem". I do not doubt there are some people out there with real problems (such is the nature of electronics manufacture), but I also do not doubt that people overreact when they *think* its a "known problem".

No, I really like the spun metal back, and I'll be pissed if it gets reduced to plastic because of some kind of nonsense. Actually, I won't be THAT pissed...as I already own it

@zektor,

I was thinking more like the current aluminium design which is rigid and resistant but with plastic "windows" at the right places for maximal signals reception. A little like the iPad's solution.


I'm also learning to live without 3G built-in with my sgs wi-fi tether but that another story.

Originally Posted by MarcMaiden

for GPS,

people are trying to get a lock with out a data connection. These tablets use the same GPS chip a cellphone would meaning it needs data connection for an accurate lock. You will NOT get an accurate lock using the GPS outside with no data connection. This is how all mobile devices are.

Sorry, but this simply isn't true.

I very frequently use GPS on my Android phones for GPS navigation when traveling overseas, and most of the time I am not using mobile data due to the exorbitant cost when roaming.

This would not be possible without an accurate lock.

Regards,

Dave


Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Assisted GPS, using a wifi or 3G signal to assist the GPS location only allows a slightly faster location fix. After the GPS gets a location fix, it's not used at all. GPS signals from the satellites are very weak, and metal and water will block them. If you're inside, you simply can't get a good GPS signal. Moving a few feet one way or another can make a big difference, but not always. Being outside is essential for getting a good GPS signal. It's also essential that you don't put your hand over the antenna, because the water in your hand can completely block the signal. Holding the tablet in any position other than horizontal, facing straight up, can also degrade the signal, since the metal case blocks it. Putting a metal case over a GPS antenna is a bad idea, and after Asus did it, they had to decide whether to keep the metal case or make the GPS more usable. Fortunately, IMO, they decided that the metal case was more important than the GPS, so they just dropped the GPS specs from the Prime. Asus does not guarantee that the GPS in the Prime will work at all. However, the latest update, .15, seems to help the GPS reception a lot.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk