yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] wgr73:
Well guys, after hours of trying to figure out a sleek solution to the GPS/Wifi issue, I gave up and sold the prime. I won't rant but I'd just like the say that the Prime had an amazing opportunity to be OUTSTANDING. Things that killed it for me:

1. Sound quality (specifically the DAC asus chose to use)

2. Screen burn in (mostly on Grey screens you could really see it)

3. Wifi signal drop-off! Wifi is fine but the drop-off is not.

4. Lack of support

GPS didn't make the list because 'I' never used it even though I got it to work. It's too bad because I absolutely loved the machine. I had a wonderful experience with it, I know the person who bought it from me will too and I hope one day I'll be able to purchase another one that fully works.

You guys have fun modding!! I'll probably just lurk these forums from now on.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] eec_:
I really liked what you did. But since I am not going to use my tfp as an ultimate gps device, I don't need that extreme mod.

I think that there were small antennas without any extension and they are/can be covered with black round plastic. Since I don't know its technical name, unfortunately I couldnt find any picture of it. But when you look at them from outside, they just look like a black circle plastic, mounted on the device.

I hope someone will understand what I am trying to describe :) Do you think they'll also work? Because basically I will also drill the back of the case, mount small antennas and cover them with plastic. But they'll look more integrated and probably not work as good as your :))
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Moist:
How far do the SMA connectors stick out of the prime? I am increasingly tempted to do this, as my Prime is ok, just the wifi and gps suck. Otherwise it's all perfect! Is it also possible to get some rubber "stoppers"(for lack of a better word) on the connectors when the antennae are not attached?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
They'll stick out I think like 1/3" so long as you can properly shorten them to begin with. Unmodified, I don't thing the SMA connectors would fit inside the casing right at all. This is just me guessing mind you, I haven't performed the mod yet.

I think I'm giving up on the telescopic whip antenna idea, I'm just going to order a cheap wireless adapter like Erusman's old one and get to it!

*EDIT:

No idea what you're talking about, but so long as your bubbles(?) with the antenna in them get about 1/2 an inch away from the aluminum casing, then you'll be set. I really need to do more tests with my Tycos just to determine exactly how close I can get an antenna to my skinned casing and still see signal improvements, but I imagine it won't be too different.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] flub:
Hey galluccib

how did you get on with your mods ? Its been a long time but no updates from you
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Laurentwb:
Hello,

I just saw this on another well known Android forum.

Skinomi for Asus Transformer Prime

I suppose it is known but my question is about feasibility to make holes in the backplate, replace the holes with any available plastic plates and then cover with Skinomi.

What do you think ?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
I have the silver version on my Prime and Keyboard. That was an idea, but I think it's mostly been determined that anything within the Prime is still going to experience large amounts of interference.

It could still marginally help, but really a solid plastic bar like the Infinity and such would be best just because it at least gives you about 145 degrees of decent to good signal; IMO having just holes with plates is going to make the signal even more finicky, albeit better in certain positions.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] rmsingh:
Here is my current mod. It works great while driving on the highway. I don't take the Prime out of the case. I just need to find a better way to attach the wire to the case. This is a GPS mod only.

BTW if the wire is attached directly to the front surface of the Prime, the signal suffers. The leather case provides at least an 1/8" separation. I will probably experiment with a shorter wire.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] braxas:
Hi Erusman could you please describe how you have done the Optimus Prime mod ? Because i want to buy a transformer Prime but the Wifi issues are keeping me away from it.

But with the Optimus mod it would be realy nice since i dont care about gps
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Sorry I got your PM. Just wayyy to busy atm with kids stuff..

I just bought another C2 serial it came with perfect WIFI and GPS works good. Not great but good. Plus This model I have didn't have the BT fallout issue. If you are going to get a prime you shouldn't have too much of an issue with WIFI /GPS / BT. Just make sure you get it from a retail store near you. Like BestBuy or something. That way if there are any issues you can go back and exchange it.

I am not going to write a book on here today. I have my sons Bday party. But if you still want to do the Optimus Mod. Its not very difficult at all. Procedure is pretty simple. First step is opening the prime itself. Once you get that down. Famliarize yourself with the layout. Pogos etc. Read this thread ALOT. The information is in here. You will have to drill some holes below your Pogo pin locations. Solder some connection wires from pogo locations to SMA connectors. Tighten down SMA connectors. Hook up wifi antenna. You can get all your parts from this item. Cheap. You need good Dremel tool to mod outside of SMA connections. Space is tight in prime. I bought various SMA connectors from different electronic stores. The parts will work with the amazon purchase. (SMA connectors just need to be dremel and modded to fit just right.)

AT THE POINT HOWEVER. I wouldn't even attempt this mod especially when there is no need to do it now. Asus has fixed alot of there issues. If you want to do it for fun... that is another story.

Buy it here.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TIK8UG/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] braxas:
OK thanks. Then if i get a C2 version i'll a have one with perfect Wifi so i don't need the optimus Mod. Where can i check if it is a C2 version ? In some german board i read that it has to be a C3 Serial which is it now ?

GPS doesn't matter still i'm using my S2 for navigation. Thx for the litte tutorial and i always read 10000 h befor i do sth xD
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
Well, it's still a little hit-and-miss with any serial numbers, but anything C2 and greater (C=2012, 2=February, 3=March, etc.) should yield usable results. I do fine with my C1, but it's certainly more hampered than my other devices where connectivity is concerned.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
I finally decided to put my drill to my prime and did a similar mod to what Erusman did at first, I am still looking for some antennas but for now my wifi is working great and gps works as it should have from day one. Anyway I had voided my warranty by unlocking the bootloader so I said what the hell man drill away LOL!!!!! :D:D:D
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] ElCamino:
Once I know that my TP with C3O serial is working good, with no problems. I am going to try and improve the GPS and WiFi as well. I exchanged my previous TP which was a C2O serial that really was bad. This is how bad the C2O TP was. I decided to open and see if I could improve the WiFi and GPS, but I was surprised when I open it to find a loose screw stuck between the board and the AUX black cable broken. This was very bad and with my battery issues I exchanged it. So far TP working great, and I did purchase the keyboard dock... priceless ;)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
I have come to the end of the road with Asus, I got my wifi to work better than before but after buying many different products from Asus the Prime is the last thing I ever buy from Asus. I am tired of their lousy customer service, what we are going through I have experienced before with several of their motherboards and I am taking my money and business elsewhere. I will just keep the prime as tinkering toy since I unlocked the boot loader. But I am seriously thinking of getting the Acer A510 when it is released, instead of the TF300 or TF700 I am fed up with Asus and refuse to give them any more of my money. I ordered the 3 wifi antennas from Amazon that Erusman showed us earlier on the thread and may install them but why should we go to that extreme to make this POS work the way it should have worked in the first place.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] rmsingh:
thinking ahead.

Since I've already drilled the Prime. Maybe i can mount the forth coming dongle at the top of the unit and wire it internally. Thus freeing up the 40 pin connector for charging again.:D

Anyone up for the mod? Anyone?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
Yeah I drilled mine too, but as you see my previous post, I am so mad that getting the dongle does not change the way I feel about Asus. At least I was able to improve the wifi signal strength :D.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] rmsingh:
Doesn't change the way I feel either, just trying to make the best of the situation.

Maybe Demandarin can chime in and let us know if this a USB GPS device. If so then there should be only 4 wires to extend, allowing us to move the device to the top. I wouldn't mind bringing out the dremel and soldering iron one more time.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] demandarin:
It connects to prime by 40pin dock connector. its held in place, in the plastic. by 2 small screws. it looks like if you were to unscrew the 2 screws, you could easily pull out the whole GPS unit in one piece, attached to 40pin dock connector. There is a close up shot of how the 40pin dock connector looks inside the groove(part that tablet fits into, very snug and secure fit once its locked with slider). ill likely be taking more pictures later with a higher quality cam. ill make sure this thread sees it also. from what I can see, looks like it can very easily be dismantled and modded.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] fcortes626:
for those of you who dont want to use those wifi antennas u could probably try this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Flat-cable-...ultDomain_0&hash=item19cd06db50#ht_500wt_1054

i think the problem with this is there is too much resistance. probably poor contact. the glass should work as an antenna. copper is a good conductor maybe solder a copper wire. or even better silver. but then again sus should be responsible to fix it for those still covered by warranty.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] rmsingh:
Excellent! can't wait to get it.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Well, when I bought my prime I was a little surprised that this product even came from ASUS. Because, it just didn't meet up to my expectations I already had of the company. GPS issues / WIFI / Lightbleed. Every other product that I have bought from ASUS i have had ZERO problems. I have bought mobos, graphic cards etc and have not had the issues that seems prevalent in the prime. Right now I have an Asus Crosshair V mobo, Asus 7850 graphics card, and the original Asus transformer tablet. No problems. Heck I even have the Asus Dark Knight RT-N66U router. ZERO problems with their products. I have never had to even deal with their customer service. Because everything worked. Something happen with the prime. My guess is that it was launched immaturely before proper testing. I just went out and bought another prime. Its the C2 serial. WIFI and BT is great. GPS is good (not great but works). These are my experiences with ASUS. I am sorry you have had worse. However, I can tell you that my buying judgement is clouded some.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
I should have the wifi card in 3 days and when I get it will decide if I will drill the holes for the connectors and finish the mod. I made the previous holes too close to the edge and sealed them with some rubber plugs and will later paint them with some nail polish that closely matches the color of the tablet. I will look carefully at where I do drill the antenna holes when I get them.

---------- Post added at 04:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:04 PM ----------

I have a Striker Extreme, P5N32 SLI SE Deluxe, and P5N32 SLI Premium motherboards that never worked right and Asus never did fix the problems on any of them, the only Motherboard that I still have and works is the A8N32 SLI Deluxe this one is one of the only problem free boards I have had after 8 years from Asus and is what my kids still use to play most of their games, I wish all their products were this good LOL!!!!.

---------- Post added at 04:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

I wish they had made it so you could charge the tablet while the gps dongle is attached, now that would have made me a little bit happy. But I least we are getting a solution for the bad gps, now I may not do the full Erusman mod with the antennas which I did order already from Amazon :p:D:(.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] demandarin:
I updated my thread with high Res pics. I'm sure you will want to take a look at them. Up close shots also. feel free to save them and post any ones you see fit in this thread also.

let the brainstorming begin!
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] gsmsosv:
Thanks for the breakdown, Erusman. Just fixed my own light bleed issues. Some clueless Asus tech left a rubber dock plug jammed up between the battery and the back of the LCD. Now I have no light bleed and an extra dock plug. Lol.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
Wow. That's something, and some people send it off for weeks or a month lol
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Hey bud, I am glad this thread has helped you out. To anyone else wanting to fix their light bleed issues... There are quite a few good videos appearing on youtube with this exact procedure.

Here is one courtesy of TechGeekDK

[YOUTUBE]sUg5WKG7gRc[/YOUTUBE]
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
I completed my version of the Erusman Prime Antenna Mod!!!

Well I got the wifi card you showed us earlier on this thread from Amazon and since I voided the warranty by unlocking my boot loader, I am debating weather

to install the antennas on my prime (I am getting the funky gps dongle LOL!!) Questions questions??? I think I am going to install the antennas to improve the wifi signal which still sucks.

Just in case I did get myself the Acer Iconia A510 which works flawlessly no wifi or gps issues to speak of :D:D:D

Update: Well I did it and I guess even though I am getting my gps dongle I really will not need it. It only took me about 30 minutes to complete, but I modified the antenna connectors so they would fit inside the Prime and I completely eliminated the internal antennas and now my wifi and gps both work perfect and I feel good that I can go anywhere in my apartment without loosing my wifi signal. Here are some pics of the mod, I did use shrink wrap to keep the wires from shorting out and to keep them as neatly as possible and in place, also you can see in the pictures where I had drilled the first set of holes which are now plugged with rubber plugs.

http://imgur.com/a/mph3E#0
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Erusman:
Very cool you made an "Optimus Prime" mod! I am glad everything work out well. I am sure you wont have any problems with WIFI / GPS :D

I actually have some smaller stub 2.4ghz wifi antenna on mine now. Looks like little android antenna. :p
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] demandarin:
test the Max range with those antennaes, it looks like you will get some serious reception. post up wifi results and GPS results. I especially want to compare my GPS dongle test results to your optimistic prime mod. its looks good though. looks like some kind of hackers device. those antennaes make it look very powerful and expensive. I like it. great work on it.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] MK17:
Was that a typo or are you just being punny? :)

I would like to see the results of this test too. Even though my wifi is pretty good I really want to do this. I guess it's because my Prime is something fun for me and I just feel the need to mod it.

Does any body have any other ideas for a nice looking removable antenna? It would be nice for the prime to be a bit smoother once those are removed.

I'll wait for my dongle but I can't wait to try it! :P
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] demandarin:
It was a typo. Meant to say Optimus. Autocorrect. That's what they called that mod in erusman thread.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
I love how you get so riled up and even forget which threads you're in :p This is the Erusman thread :D
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
Well I did some testing and the wifi is much better ( the three pics are from the spots I usually use tha tablet at from closest to furthest point in my apartment) gps does work but as you can see in the attached web link my Acer A510 has much stronger gps signals, I tested the gps on both tablets while driving in my car. So Maybe I should use the dongle when I receive it LOL. http://imgur.com/a/NnlqE#1

I hoestly thought the gps would be stronger than what it is, I did check my connections with a fluke meter for proper continuity from the mother board to the antenna connectors after I soldered the connections.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Seraphious:
I hope you get it sorted out it seemed like a pretty stable mod
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] MK17:
Has there been any test of actual speeds before and after?

I realize that the signal strength is stronger but I was wondering how that compares to actual speeds. When really close to the router, my Nexus shows much better signal than my Prime but the Prime tends to average higher speeds.

Also, Jesse, keep us updated on the GPS. If I can get better GPS from the dongle than I probably will not add the antenna for GPS because I get all OCD over the asymmetry :P
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
I would recommend you wait for the dongle, from my mod results, it seems the dongle works much better. I will see when my dongle arrives and see how it works.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] ShreckBull:
hi!

I think soldering copper cables to the antennas and attach with tape behind the screen...

If there any space in the case for add 3 cables of 1/2mm of diameter?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] Jesse6749:
I tried that before attaching the antennas and it really does not work. I tried different types of cables even antenna cables from an old HP laptop and the best results I got were with the antennas you see in my previous post. wifi improved a lot but the gps even though went from non operational to working, the satellite signals are a lot weaker than what I get on my new Acer A510 or my old and trusty A100 that I had for almost a year now, but at least the gps works LOL!!!.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] neckbonest:
ok, ive read like 60 pages and my brain now hurts. how is the wifi/bt dropout with the mod? i was loking for that answer for my final decision on weather or not to do this mod.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
*Inner Grammar Nazi emerges* whether

Lol, anyway, the fallout is not affected. If it's present before the mod, it will be present after the mod; however, due to the increased reception you'll have, the effects will not seem as severe especially when compared to your current results toward the "edge" of your network as your Prime sees it.

Erusman's Optimus Prime still suffers fallout. His new (C3?) Prime he says does not. I've also seen other reports of the fallout either not existing or not bombing your WiFi as badly. Even at least one report of an RMA that turned out to fix both reception issues and the fallout; at the price of the case's integrity :eek:
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] demandarin:
erusman even said the 300 he had for a day suffered from BT fallout. also the 300 had trouble with high profile movies. he posted this in another thread.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nonpaq:
Bottom line then.... does opening the Prime's case, and just making sure the pogo clips are making good contact with the existing antenna copper pads (either by shimming it or adding a wire) improve the WiFi at all, or is this not worth the effort. I'm OK with using the dongle for GPS, so GPS reception does not really concern me.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nonpaq:
Is this thread dead?

I would like to know from those braver than me, is it worth opening up and just verifying the existing antenna is "connected" for wifi improvement. will it make a noticible difference?
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] buxtahuda:
It's not, only lying dormant for a while :D

In my case, it was. A lot of people did not have the same stroke of luck, but so long as you've played with pretty much any mobile tech before then taking the Prime apart is beyond simple and easily done without detection. Just be careful and be sure to open from the bottom up.
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] nonpaq:
Thanks, I'll probably try it then. My Prime is already off warranty (unlocked) so I dont have to worry about that. I did a very similar fix on my HD2 phone that had poor reception for pretty much the same reason. ( I even posted about it and many others followed with their own fixes.)
[Asus  Eee Pad Transformer Prime] MarcWhittle:
Hi! I have a 2 week old Prime suffering from lightbleed on the right side (Landscape) of screen, i can see that the black fascia on right side isnt 100% fitted down into the silver back and moves a few millimeters when touched. been told RMA will be nearly £300 (on a device 2 weeks old) becasue I unlocked. Is it worth me having a look myself in the hope i can fix this?