[BootLoader] [MODEM] Test Odin UVUCNB4

chumba8 said:

I tried the bootloader do i need the modem to? it flashed but the stock kernal wont let it boot the custom one does tho

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So the new bootloader took?

Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

xneolithicspx said:

Not exactly. From what I've read the dBm is still the same it just changed the way that the bars are drawn. Giving it the appearance of better signal

Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

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So basically its another placebo like Art runtime.

The Demon Galaxy!

Success!! (with small caveats!)

First, for the overall method - SUCCESS!!

I started on 4.3 MI7, and I am now running 4.4.2 with baseband reporting ...NB4, build number …NB4, and kernel build date (12 Feb 2014) consistent with KK update - all with knox flag still happily at 0x0. Awesome!

Here are the caveats: I did the Odin part using Heimdall, which flashes each partition individually from separate files; I used files from the stock 4.4.2 release for N900T, and flashed all 5 bootloader .mbn files as well as modem.bin AND NON-HLOS.bin - all to their respective partitions. Heimdall downloads & uses a .pit file, so it knows where things go. I think this suggests updating both bootloader and modem, and that the modem package should have both modem.bin and NON-HLOS.bin inside - though I can't say 100% certainly.

I also used a deodexed, pre-rooted KK ROM to flash from Mobile Odin Pro - it's on the forums here, in the Android Development sub forum for 900T. In theory using the stock FW + ever root as per the German article should work too, but I used this one since I had it and it was already deodexed with knox and CIQ stripped out.

So - happy to report success with the method (should I post a how-to?), but everyone should be aware that I didn't follow it to the letter for my own reasons and so I can't report on the exact protocol discussed here.

xneolithicspx said:

Not exactly. From what I've read the dBm is still the same it just changed the way that the bars are drawn. Giving it the appearance of better signal

Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

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it looks to me like the new bars read your voice signal instead of data its quite misleading any ideas on how to change it back?

Th3 only way to see if modem makes. A difference is to speedtest on old modem and then on new modem wait at least a day so it settles then speedtest in the exact same area as old modem and compare very simpke

The Demon Galaxy!

dragonstalker said:

Thanks for the update. I will remake the cp to reflect the modem.bin and non-hlos. hopefully we can figure out how to package all this crap up with a pre-root and give people the ability to up grade without tripping Knox.

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Sounds Great!

Af few notes:

* The method I followed was pretty straightforward, and flashing the pre-rooted stock ROM from the forum here + the BL and Modem files did result in a pre-rooted upgrade with Knox at 0x0. I'm not sure whether simply flashing the same ROM components + stock BL and Modem all at once in Odin or Heimdall would have the same effect, though I suspect someone has tried this?

* One issue I noticed was that after re-installing and enabling the Xposed framework (presumably not before), I lost wifi calling. Characteristic symptoms were that with wifi on and wifi calling switch enabled, the wifi calling status was "wifi disabled" or "wifi not connected" even when connected to an AP with a very strong signal and good link. Some trial and error later, it turns out that it seems to be necessary to enable "Keep my custom CSC features" in Wanam Xposed now for wifi calling to work. I did not have to do this under JB, but after doing so in KK and rebooting I got the familiar "Your phone can make calls over wifi!" message and WFC has worked since then.

* I presume most of the credit goes to the modem update here, though I can't be sure, but whatever the cause I seem to be getting much better signal performance and general wireless network performance now than I used to get under JB. One thing in particular, I found sending SMS to be somewhat unreliable under JB, to the point where I enabled receipt reports and re-sent messages somewhat routinely. Since the upgrade, messages have gone through much faster and I don't think I've had to resend yet. I also seem to be able to get wireless (4G even) signal now in a lot of places where I would get none before, or where it would be quite marginal.

* Related, a friend tells me that people at Qualcomm apparently refer to the MSM (our family of SoC/chipset) informally as the "Magical Software Modem" - so it's likely that a whole lot can be done via modem (etc.) updates to change signal performance.