Best way to keep battery in low signal areas

[Rourke Swift]

Another thing you might try is bumping your SCI up a notch.

I live in a pretty low-coverage area too, and just going from 2 to 3 made a marked impact on my battery performance; however, I really don't care if it takes my texts a couple extra seconds to show up, or if the person calling me has to listen to 1 more ring before I answer. YMMV.

[askwhy]

Originally Posted by Rourke Swift

Another thing you might try is bumping your SCI up a notch.

I live in a pretty low-coverage area too, and just going from 2 to 3 made a marked impact on my battery performance; however, I really don't care if it takes my texts a couple extra seconds to show up, or if the person calling me has to listen to 1 more ring before I answer. YMMV.

Right on! I forgot I had changed this to 1 when I got my extended battery -- and at the time I was getting such a solid signal with the Telus radio -- but for whatever reason since switching to WM6.5 ROMs I seem to have been getting pretty lousy signal with all radios and my battery life has suffered. Changing this back to 2, or 3 as you suggested should make a noticeable difference.

Thank you for bringing this one up...

[HBOOT]

I say force that biach to ROAM ONLY by installing the force roaming cab, and elevting Roam only

Originally Posted by codybear

Also, if you don't need Evdo (Data), then put the phone into 1x.
It will save alot of battery because it doesn't have to keep trying to search for the evdo connection.

Not necessarily. It reallly depends.

If the phone is continually going back and forth between 1x and evdo, then yes this will help.

My home has zero cell service, and I have an airave there... so perfect 1x signal. If i leave my phone sitting around overnight on hybrid mode (default) I lose 6% battery overnight... 100% repeatable. If I force 1x only it goes down to 4% overnight.

So a 2% difference over 8 hours. The big drain comes when it switches because the device wakes up when it switches.

[MadlyAlive]

Originally Posted by ShadowDrake

Not necessarily. It reallly depends.
My home has zero cell service, and I have an airave there... so perfect 1x signal. If i leave my phone sitting around overnight on hybrid mode (default) I lose 6% battery overnight... 100% repeatable.

To me, that's within an acceptable range of battery loss overnight, so switching to a 1x mode isn't really worth it.

I also have an Airave (LOVING IT!) and have noticed better service. I may be 0-2 bars of EV, but I never see a change into 1X (with the exception of being on a voice call or receiving a text).

[codybear]

Originally Posted by razorloves

Start-Settings-Phone, Services tab, Mode of Operation, Get Settings, 1x only, ok

There is a cab somewhere that has a switch type of thing that will force it to 1x and or evdo. I think it's in the "wmlonglife for cdma" thread. its called something like that.

Originally Posted by karate134

Any draw backs to this, other than a slower data connection?

nope.

Originally Posted by ShadowDrake

Not necessarily. It reallly depends.

If the phone is continually going back and forth between 1x and evdo, then yes this will help.

My home has zero cell service, and I have an airave there... so perfect 1x signal. If i leave my phone sitting around overnight on hybrid mode (default) I lose 6% battery overnight... 100% repeatable. If I force 1x only it goes down to 4% overnight.

So a 2% difference over 8 hours. The big drain comes when it switches because the device wakes up when it switches.

not even that. the drain comes from the switching period.
doesn't matter if it wakes up or not.
if you're in a place with crappy service, which is what this thread is about,
then your phone will most likely keep trying to connect to evdo when it could easily connect to a 1x and it doesn't work as hard to find the 1x connection in low signal areas.
hence why I said "It will save alot of battery because it doesn't have to keep trying to search for the evdo connection."
Which is what happens in low signal areas.

I personally switch my phone off or into airplane mode at night.
I'll lose 1%, if that, in airplane mode, and that's only if I have a bunch of items running in the background.
I'm a heavy sleeper so calls/texts generally don't wake up so it's pointless for me to have it in 1x/hybrid mode.
Plus, I don't know if its just me, but now my phone doesn't heat up as bad as it use to when I never really did shut it off. I guess it gives the radio a chance to relax or something, dunno, but that's just my personal experience.

Originally Posted by MadlyAlive

To me, that's within an acceptable range of battery loss overnight, so switching to a 1x mode isn't really worth it.

I also have an Airave (LOVING IT!) and have noticed better service. I may be 0-2 bars of EV, but I never see a change into 1X (with the exception of being on a voice call or receiving a text).

I never go outside of a rA area, and I love it!

No battery loss is within an acceptable range for me.

[elosogrande7076]

i thought i read somewhere on the site that if ur on 1x and a call comes in it will go str8 to voicemail....is this true? I tried it on my phone and 4 out of the 5 times it went to voicemail? Is this typical or just my crummy phone

[karate134]

Ok, this is some good stuff.
When changing the SCI value, the only drawback then is having the cell phone poll the towers at a slower interval, thus making people sometimes wait a few extra seconds before actually ringing my phone.

Does it just mean that text message will just come a mere few seconds late as well?

Also, what is the highest people generally put this number?

[askwhy]

Originally Posted by karate134

Ok, this is some good stuff.
When changing the SCI value, the only drawback then is having the cell phone poll the towers at a slower interval, thus making people sometimes wait a few extra seconds before actually ringing my phone.

Does it just mean that text message will just come a mere few seconds late as well?

Also, what is the highest people generally put this number?

Regarding the text messages - Yes, they will just come in potentially a few seconds later.

Each +1 to the SCI increases your polling interval by I think as much as 2 or more seconds (ballpark, without looking it up, correct me if wrong) -- this does not mean that a value of 3 will necessarily make you miss the first 6 seconds of a call...You might be polling the tower the first second after the call starts coming in and hear it right away, but you might be polling the tower the second before a call starts coming in and then miss possibly 5 or more seconds of it.

I think most people like a value of 1 or 2, with 3 being acceptable to many people, but not all, as some callers will be waiting for a few extra rings. A value of 2 will, on average, make sure you aren't keeping your callers waiting for long, but a value of 1 is noticeably more consistent at ringing right away.

Originally Posted by karate134

Title basically says it all.
What's the best way to keep battery in low signal areas without it draining fast?

Cant believe nobody said this one, Flight Mode.