[Motorola Droid RAZR] Ohmster:
Online CM11 Guide Updated

Guide: CM11 Performance and Maintenance on XDA Developers has been updated to include a section on XT912 devices for GSM use outside of The United States. Also added [MENTION=4887507]Doublecrosser[/MENTION] in the credits section for bringing the GSM on XT912 issue to my attention. Guide will now have a last updated date at the very top of the page.

Download zip containing the pdf version of the guide has also been updated to reflect the changes. For those of you who want to keep a local copy of the guide for reference, please go back to the guide and download the updated download zip file. :)

Unrelated Signal Issue - Your Participation is Requested:

I had the opportunity to really try out the new 01/19 cm11 build on a 200 mile round trip and a local 1.3 mile trip, both on I95. I did my usual stress test of streaming audio to car with Bluetooth, play Pandora Radio, use Navigation, and use the phone. I noticed something I have never seen before. Here in South Florida the Verizon coverage area is thoroughly saturated. Never before have I ever noticed a serious signal drop or loss except on certain builds, there were "tiny pockets" of little to no signal. But on both of these trips, the short one, one time, and the long run, a few times, the signal bars dropped to zero, actual strength on the Signal stats in /Settings/About phone/Status/Signal gave me a real time reading of -99dBm which is essentially "No Signal". My streaming audio dropped out, I lost the GPS signal, and could not use the browser until a bit later, while still driving, did my signal strength return. I have no idea of whether this issue is unrelated to the 01/19 rom, the hardware, or the perhaps I was driving through pockets of little to no signal strength. I have made these very same trips dozens of times over the past couple of years and never had I seen this issue.

Is the Signal reception in CM11 01/19 spotty or poor in areas where it should not be?

I doubt it. We have been tracking and updating this cm11 rom for over a year now. I can say that in some Government cement and steel buildings, I could not get a signal while others in the waiting room were making calls and browsing online with their other phones. I *think* that the cm11 signal reception is a few dBm lower than stock or other roms, but not by much.

Can some of you other cm11 01/19 members help me with some signal information on your phones?

I have attached a screenshot showing my signal icon with 4 bars and Real Time Signal Information from /Settings/About Phone/Status/Signal Strength. To see your Real Time Signal Strength, go to /Settings/About Phone/Status/Signal Strength like in the screenshot. See what your actual signal is and how many bars you have.

Important:

As you drive around, glance at the phone. If you see Signal Icon drop to nothing or near Zero, STOP, open /Settings/About Phone/Status/Signal Strength and see what the actual number is. Think if you ever had signal issues in this area before. Report your findings here please.

What the numbers mean:

Signal Strength on our devices is measured in -dBm. These are

Negative Numbers

so the lower the number, the better the signal. dBm is the power ratio in decibels of the radio power per one milliwatt. For us, ANYTHING in the -70's are super fantastic (You will hardly ever see this). -80's Normal and good. -90's very poor and -100 is pretty much dead. A really nice Guide on signal strength for Android Phones can be found here:

How To Measure Cell Signal Strength on Android Phones

I'm not sure if this means anything regarding the CM11 ROM Tree, the 01/19 Build, Kit Kat, or doesn't mean anything. The stock Jellybean ROM gets pretty good signal overall, anywhere. This IS the CM11 Developer Thread and we try to find answers here. If a couple of you could glance at your phone while driving and assist with this survey, it would help us to understand the CM11 Signal Strength Issue. If it exists and/or what is causing it. Thanks guys. :)