Bionic as hotspot vs dedicated hotspot device - Motorola Droid Bionic

I'm currently tracking how much data I typically go through in a month for home use and considering the idea of dropping my cable internet for an LTE hotspot.
Assuming I can get a sufficient amount of data for a similar cost, an LTE hotspot seems like it should be a better option. At the very least, the LTE connection is faster than my current internet. At least it should be.
I tested the hotspot feature as well as USB tether on the Bionic tonight and I can't say I was very impressed. I think 7 Mbps was about the best result I got with either of those. A quick search showed that others were having similar results, as well as some issues with maintaining a connection. Needless to say, using the Bionic as a hotspot to replace my home internet isn't sounding like a great idea so far. That said, I'm very satisfied with the speeds the Bionic is able to achieve on LTE.
What I'm wondering is if anyone can provide more insight about any problems I could expect with frequent use of the hotspot feature on the Bionic. I know that it's a serious drain on the battery and can generate some heat. Would there be long term issues that would result from this? Does anyone know if I could expect better performance from a dedicated hotspot device? Any other particular benefits to using the dedicated device? I'm still researching info on the success with the dedicated devices and there seems to be a fair bit of info available. The main reason I'm posting here is to see if anyone can point to any specific problems for frequent hotspot use on the Bionic (or any cell phone, for that matter). I am, admittedly, still working on researching the idea, so I'm far from set on the idea and not even sure if it's as reasonable as I'm thinking it might be.

I would be seriously skeptical about the idea of replacing my home internet with a MiFi device of any kind. I used 298GB last month on my home FiOS- paying $50 for 5GB seems ludicrous.
That said, I wouldn't really recommend any of the LTE phones for their hotspot feature. With the stock charger it's actually quite possible to drain your battery faster than it will charge.
The 4510 is cheap, has decent battery life, and as a dedicated device you're not tying up your phone while simultaneously getting faster speeds. That would be my recommendation.
EDIT: I just got off the phone with VZW and the rep was under the impression hotspot for phones with unlimited data was also not capped... I don't remember this being the case, but if anyone could confirm that for me... that would sway my opinion in favor of using the phone, since a MiFi would have its own contract and thus be subject to the new $10/GB pricing. It's still limited by the potential of throttling in cases of extreme use- and I think my use would be extreme if I had to completely replace my home internet- but it's an interesting possibility regardless.

MillionManMosh said:
I would be seriously skeptical about the idea of replacing my home internet with a MiFi device of any kind. I used 298GB last month on my home FiOS- paying $50 for 5GB seems ludicrous.
That said, I wouldn't really recommend any of the LTE phones for their hotspot feature. With the stock charger it's actually quite possible to drain your battery faster than it will charge.
The 4510 is cheap, has decent battery life, and as a dedicated device you're not tying up your phone while simultaneously getting faster speeds. That would be my recommendation.
EDIT: I just got off the phone with VZW and the rep was under the impression hotspot for phones with unlimited data was also not capped... I don't remember this being the case, but if anyone could confirm that for me... that would sway my opinion in favor of using the phone, since a MiFi would have its own contract and thus be subject to the new $10/GB pricing. It's still limited by the potential of throttling in cases of extreme use- and I think my use would be extreme if I had to completely replace my home internet- but it's an interesting possibility regardless.
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As long as you're grandfathered in, you can enable the $30 tethering option on your account at any time and you won't be subject to a data limit.

quentin0 said:
As long as you're grandfathered in, you can enable the $30 tethering option on your account at any time and you won't be subject to a data limit.
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This. Confirmed.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using xda premium

That's a lot of data... I know for sure I'll never be getting anywhere near that much data.
I started tracking my data a few days ago and the program I'm using already showed some stats for what I've used this month... I'm not clear on exactly how far back that goes or how accurate it is, but that initial total made it seem possible to have a reasonably priced plan. That said, I've been watching it and it seems like that initial number might have been deceiving, so it might not be a good idea at the current pricing.
Obviously my biggest concern would be going over the data plan's limit. I used to do a lot more gaming and downloading, but I mostly just do typical internet browsing and some video streaming. The problem is, I seem to have sporadic downloading habits, so I might run the risk of being safe on most months but face overages on some months. If they did data rollover for unused data, I might be able to get away with it, but that's the problem I'm facing. Like I said though, my initial estimates of data usage might have been inaccurate and this idea might be crazy.
The battery drain was a concern and one of the reasons I was thinking the bionic/phone tether just wasn't a reasonable plan. It would be great if they offered some sort of shared/packaged plan for multiple data devices on the same plan... like a better value on 10 GB split between 2 devices.

Related

Opportunity to switch to a Galaxy Tab - do it?

So I do enjoy my Nook Color, but at the same time it can be a bit tiresome to tether on the go. I noticed Bell is now selling the original Galaxy Tab for $399. It also just so happens that I sold a spare phone I don't use anymore for $250.
I can get at least $200 for the NC in Canada, possibly $250. So it wouldn't really be costing me anything to sell the Nook and buy a new Galaxy Tab. And I don't have to pay for 3G data in months when I am OK with just wifi; but I can probably use PC Mobile to get unlimited 3G for $7-10/month.
So the advantages of the Tab include two cameras, faster processor, lighter weight, brighter screen, auto-brightness sensor, 3G radio, mic, audio input via headphone jack...
Disadvantages? Well it's not one of the new generation of tablets. Neither is the NC, but the amount invested in it (and thereby the expected depreciation) is smaller. And the NC has CyanogenMod support and generally more stable custom ROMs compared to the patchwork of mods I see in the Tab ROM forums.
Any thoughts? Should I go for it?
Interesting dilemma. First blush would be the major change would be 3G of course and if that's your "need" vs. "want" then the choice is obvious. Just my opinion, but I'd head over to the Galaxy Tab XDA area and poke around there and see how the users feel about their Tab.
I have the NC and the GTab. Enjoy both for different reasons really. Probably use the NC a bit more only due to ease of transport.
Overall, IMHO, the Galaxy Tab would be a lateral move. I'd wait and see what's coming (perhaps better hardware and HC) then make a move.....but that's me.
I agree with Skeeter, what is the GTab going to give you for an extra $200? And is it worth it? For some it may very well be, for others maybe not.
Personally I want a Xoom or a Asus Transformer, and for me "Mini HDMI out" is worth the extra cost. But for others, it's not =\
skeeterpro said:
Interesting dilemma. First blush would be the major change would be 3G of course and if that's your "need" vs. "want" then the choice is obvious. Just my opinion, but I'd head over to the Galaxy Tab XDA area and poke around there and see how the users feel about their Tab.
I have the NC and the GTab. Enjoy both for different reasons really. Probably use the NC a bit more only due to ease of transport.
Overall, IMHO, the Galaxy Tab would be a lateral move. I'd wait and see what's coming (perhaps better hardware and HC) then make a move.....but that's me.
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True, the major change would be 3G. One extra detail is that I'm using my Nexus One on Wind Mobile right now with a super cheap unlimited text/talk/data plan. Their coverage has some gaps though, and text/talk roaming is relatively cheap but data roaming is pricey.
My spare PC Mobile SIM would have great cheap data coverage (until they decide to raise prices), but the same service would not be ideal for my daily phone usage because of that company's inflexibility with respect to long distance calling areas and lack of unlimited minute plans.
So I figure that the Galaxy Tab would be particularly good for trips out of my usual coverage area, and also that it would help reduce how much I toast my battery when tethering from the N1.
I also in fact have an opportunity to get a PlayBook at 50% off soon, but none of the models are launching with cellular radios yet for several more months. So I think I'll sit that one out for now.
cmstlist said:
So I do enjoy my Nook Color, but at the same time it can be a bit tiresome to tether on the go. I noticed Bell is now selling the original Galaxy Tab for $399. It also just so happens that I sold a spare phone I don't use anymore for $250.
I can get at least $200 for the NC in Canada, possibly $250. So it wouldn't really be costing me anything to sell the Nook and buy a new Galaxy Tab. And I don't have to pay for 3G data in months when I am OK with just wifi; but I can probably use PC Mobile to get unlimited 3G for $7-10/month.
So the advantages of the Tab include two cameras, faster processor, lighter weight, brighter screen, auto-brightness sensor, 3G radio, mic, audio input via headphone jack...
Disadvantages? Well it's not one of the new generation of tablets. Neither is the NC, but the amount invested in it (and thereby the expected depreciation) is smaller. And the NC has CyanogenMod support and generally more stable custom ROMs compared to the patchwork of mods I see in the Tab ROM forums.
Any thoughts? Should I go for it?
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I'm not sure I get how it's tiresome to tether on the go? Are you talking about using a phone as a wifi hotspot or some more complicated way to tether? For me, no way it'd be worth $200 plus the cost of a 3g connection (even if on a month by month basis) to save the 5 seconds it takes to tether to my phone. It's literally unlock, tap 3g hotspot icon, hit power button on side of phone to shut off the screen and I'm done. Even if the 3g connection were free, I wouldn't shell out $200 to save that 5 seconds even if I had to do it 2-3 times per day...
Edit: I didn't see your roaming concerns. I don't have to worry about that as I don't go out of country and I have unlimited data in my phone plan. I guess it could be a PITA to swap SIM cards if you're roaming and you'd lose your phone at the same time, so it may be worth the $200 to get rid of that concern. But, I'd actually measure the impact (ie how often you actually roam and how much it'd cost to pay data roaming based on that) before deciding to spend the extra money.
Have you checked out the identity tab, it is basically the same as Galaxy tab except the screen resolution. and there is a very good review in znet.com
http://www.jr.com/enspert/pe/EPN_E201U/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ne...-froyo-tablet-with-android-market-access/1791
I guess that it may be a better deal than $250 nook color or $399 galaxy tab.
tyy10002 said:
Have you checked out the identity tab, it is basically the same as Galaxy tab except the screen resolution. and there is a very good review in znet.com
http://www.jr.com/enspert/pe/EPN_E201U/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-ne...-froyo-tablet-with-android-market-access/1791
I guess that it may be a better deal than $250 nook color or $399 galaxy tab.
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I don't know that you'd be happy with such a low resolution on a large screen.
No 3g, not much point. If I wanted to settle for lower resolution I'd go with the quad band 3G Dell Streak 7.
Sent from my Nook Color!
If I'm reading this correctly, it's not a lateral move financially -- because $250 of the purchase is already in cash from a spare phone you sold!
With that money you could choose to keep the existing NC and get a decent camera, GPS, and accessories. Or get a second NC. Or a decent smartphone with front camera. Or a whole lot of pizza.
In other words, I'm being of no help here at all.
xdabr said:
If I'm reading this correctly, it's not a lateral move financially -- because $250 of the purchase is already in cash from a spare phone you sold!
With that money you could choose to keep the existing NC and get a decent camera, GPS, and accessories. Or get a second NC. Or a decent smartphone with front camera. Or a whole lot of pizza.
In other words, I'm being of no help here at all.
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Hehe that's okay
My logic is more that I previously had a main phone (AWS Nexus One for WIND), a spare phone (for compatibility with 850 3G networks), and then also got a wi-fi tablet. If I make the shift, then I would be combining the tablet and the 850 3G device into one package.
I should probably be focusing more on post-grad employment than on how to shuffle around the devices I own without income =)
NC's display >>> Galaxy Tab's display.
After buying the Nook and finally experiencing a real tablet experience it left me wanting more...
I came to the conclusion that having a good tablet that was 3g enabled and could be used to make occasional calls would be ideal for me.
If it were me, I might lean toward the Galaxy..

Should I get a Nook Color or LG G-Slate?

The biggest push for me to get a tablet is because I use Citrix Reciever at work, and with any android (or ipad for that matter) can access work related things very fluidly, except my phone is abit too small for everything. I also stream internet radio via my cellphone, and have about 50 or so apps... The biggest thing is being able to do work on-the-go through Citrix receiver though.
I'm debating, since TMobile is about to release the G-Slate by LG, on getting a tablet this week. The G-Slate is gonna be ~$530 plus a monthly data subscription of probably $20-$35. It will have the latest tech such as 4G, wifi, gps, 3d cameras, Honeycomb... the works - only I'm not 100% positive on the cost justification, one because it would be a locked device (not rooted) and because Android tablets seem to be going through a phase of flux and change every 3 months.
Also on the table for consideration is rooting a new B&N Color Nook. We just bought my wife her Nook and she loves it - and I like the hardware for the most part. The battery life is good, the screen is nice, and its a decent price for a nice set of hardware. If I buy my own, it would be to root and use it as an Android 2.x / 3.x tablet.
Internet connection wouldnt be such an issue from the nook, as my TMobile HTC HD2 cell phone is 3.5G and gets good data speeds, plus the HD2 is now running Android and the tethering application works great.
So, which would you choose?
Price, screen size, processing power.
It all depends on what you want. I bought a nook color and its a great size for my son. Its not too big for him to hold. It didn't cost $500+ so I'm not as worried about it as I would be if I did.
I like the 7" form factor for what it is. I'd probably like the 9-10" form factor as well, but its a device which you have to hold differently, which is a different experience. I'm looking at the Asus Transformer for myself at some point.
Do you ever wish you had subscription data service on the nook?
I don't because I only use it at home. However, it's intended use is primarily a device for my 6 year old so I have it locked out of internet activities unless they are supervised by me or my wife.
When I find myself playing with it, it's mostly games that are not internet reliant. I occasionally browse the internet with it, because its so convenient and handy and I can use it from the couch, but I usually get frustrated with how inefficient tablets are for internet browsing and grab a laptop or a desktop to get the info I am looking for.
saabguy123 said:
Do you ever wish you had subscription data service on the nook?
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if i didn't have a phone to tether to, i probably would. But since i ALWAYS have my phone, data on my nook is never a worry. If you have somebody picky like AT&T, it might be a problem, but otherwise...

[Q] Possible to force 3G only?

I'm doing some initial research regarding buying a new phone. One of the things I've heard about all of the 4G Android phones is that 4G sucks the life out of the battery. However, reading the specs on the phone doesn't seem to indicate that, though I wouldn't expect it to either. Also, I'm really going back and forth as to whether or not I even really need 4G. I ran SpeedTest on a Revolution in a store, so I do know how much faster it is, but I'm not sure I'm willing to sacrifice halfway decent battery life for it.
What has your battery life been like in general? Is it as bad as the Verizon store people warned me? For comparison sake, I'm coming from a Touch Pro 2. It also has the extended life battery, so I realize that has spoiled me.
Also, I read in another thread that 4G can be disabled. I just wanted to be sure about what exactly that meant. Does that mean you can actually force a "downgrade" to 3G only data, or does that mean you can either have 4G data or no data (turn it off)?
Does disabling 4G (assuming it's possible) even help with the battery life?
Thanks in advance for any responses!
4G Greatly Reduced Battery Life!
It is true that 4G Data can suck the life out of your battery. 4G Speed Test have been extremely fast, especially in a 5 bar service area. I'm at the Colorado Springs Airport today and all ten speed tests resulted in speeds above 31 Mbps! The highest was 38 Mbps!
Before 4G came to my area I would get 12-16 hours of battery. Afterwards my phone gets 6-8 hours of battery life. I recently got the extended battery and am getting 14-16 hours of battery life.
You can choose 3G mode or 4G mode in settings. Your phone will reboot after changing the mode.
LG REVO, Stock non-rooted.
OMG those speeds are insane!!! When I said I knew how much faster it was, I apparently didn't! I was getting 6 mbps download speeds and I thought THAT was good! Wow, this does change things.
And on top of that, I just learned that the two existing dual core handsets are not yet rootable, and the devs have been running into issues in doing so.
I'm wondering if it's better to go with one of the 3 existing phones, overclock, and be done with it...
Thanks for the info!
schick79 said:
OMG those speeds are insane!!! When I said I knew how much faster it was, I apparently didn't! I was getting 6 mbps download speeds and I thought THAT was good! Wow, this does change things.
And on top of that, I just learned that the two existing dual core handsets are not yet rootable, and the devs have been running into issues in doing so.
I'm wondering if it's better to go with one of the 3 existing phones, overclock, and be done with it...
Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are not in a 4g area, you can disable the settings, to cdma only. 4g is insane, and with some mods by developers here, its even slicker. I don't know anything about the other 4g phones offered, The Charge, and the Thunderbolt. But I know, LG was unlocked in 2 days, rooted in 5 and with in 2 weeks we had a rom. It's been getting better and better since. I told my friends when their contract came up to get the LG, but they thought the slide out qwerty Moto 3 would be better. Well, he has been having issues with his. She is happy, but that's cuz I slapped a better launcher on there. It's not as slick and fast as my phone, it's not as user friendly, it's a bit heavier, bulkier than mine.
I may be a bit biased, but I love my phone, and I love what has been done to improve it. And I know, there is more to come.
I am in a 4G area, so considering data plans cost the same regardless of what speed you're getting it at, I'm now leaning towards 4G to be able to take advantage of it.
Besides, if I can disable 4G, or go with the bigger battery, it sounds like the battery concerns all go away anyway.
My only original remaining concern was the dual core processor. However, I've been wavering on that topic now as well. I played with the X2 and all three 1GHz phones in the Verizon store. Granted the dual core phone was faster, but only slightly. Even the Quadrant benchmarks weren't that far apart. And, the Revolution's benchmark was the best out of all three 4G phones.
Plus, given the non-root status of the X2 and D3, I assume the Bionic (my original front-runner) won't be rootable, and $100 more expensive.
I just don't know if it will be worth it.
Don't forget Bing!
I personally like my REVO but it would be much better if Bing Search was not default. It would also be nice if the Car Home App didn't use Bing Maps and VZ Navigator as default. The only thing I haven't been able to make work the way I want it by installing other apps is the capacitive search button. If you are going to root then I'm pretty sure you could uninstall or freeze Bing Search and could set Google Search to open when the search button is pressed.
Also, at this time with the latest OTA, I don't believe the current rooting methods work.
djembeman said:
I personally like my REVO but it would be much better if Bing Search was not default. It would also be nice if the Car Home App didn't use Bing Maps and VZ Navigator as default. The only thing I haven't been able to make work the way I want it by installing other apps is the capacitive search button. If you are going to root then I'm pretty sure you could uninstall or freeze Bing Search and could set Google Search to open when the search button is pressed.
Also, at this time with the latest OTA, I don't believe the current rooting methods work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the Revolt Rom, you get root, you get alot of the updates, and a faster overall performance. Check it out in the development area. There are a couple snags and snaffoos, but Mtmichaelson is working diligently to fix them, or help people fix them. I have seen a couple fc's but nothing major.
If you get an extended battery you can easily get over twelve hours of use while leaving it on 4g and leaving the auto sync on
Sent from my VS910 4G using XDA App

[Q] Finally jumping to the Nexus 6.

Verizon contract is up in a couple weeks so I'm jumping to T-Mobile (costs less) and getting the Nexus 6. I just have a few questions.
Are there any weird quirks with the phone? Anything I won't find out by playing with the phone in store for 10 minutes? Is the phone as powerful as the specs say it is?
I saw some of the older battery life charts in the other thread and they aren't terrible. Is battery life still decent? I'm looking for 4-5+ hours of screen-on time ideally.
Does the "quick charger" that comes with it work well?
Tl;dr Do you recommend the phone?
It's a loaded post, which is why a lot of views, but nary a reply.
However ....
Your title to me is better than jumping on a N6, which could be disastrous to the phone.
If you have looked over the threads, you'll get varying opinions, and mostly IMO it depends on two things:
What they had/came from
What they expect out of the N6.
I will only speak for myself; I came from a VZ GNex I hung onto for 3 years - anything I may have gone to would be a worthy HW upgrade, however I want to tweak my phone when I'm ready to, and that means a Nexus.
I love the phone, it was a bit of a letdown, as I was already running 5.0 on my GNex, so the experience was to a larger, faster smoother phone than what I had. Other than that, I'm loving every minute of having it, plain and simple.
I have one other person who transitioned to one, and he loves it as well.
I'm not going to tell you to get it, you have to go play with it and decide for yourself.
To your specific questions:
quirks - no more so than any other phone, I haven't found any yet myself - most who post I think have to do with not knowing what they set in Lollipop, I've already had it for a bit, so I'm used to it.
Yup, its fast and powerful, whether or not you decide to go unencrypted is up to you, which goes to what you had and what you expect - are you going to unlock root, mod? You can enjoy this phone for quite a bit of time before maybe even needing a reason to go mod it.
Personally, I haven't yet, nor have a lot of members here (check the what rom are you running on VZ thread) because again, I haven't (other than wanting to change my softkeys) had a good reason (to me) to invest the time to do it.
I'm sure it will happen, but not right now. right now I'm just enjoying the hell out of having it.
Batt time is always subjective, whether or not we care to admit it. No two devices are going to run the same, have the same app load outs, some have different memory it appears, and some may actually (gasp) have a bad batt on arrival.
Mine has ran terrific (remember again - what I had and what I expect), and the QC runs great to recharge if need be. I can say that I love not worrying about the batt right now on it daily, but that's for me and my usage.
Battery is fine and its quick. The fast charger works well. I'm not really a fan of them but its what it comes with. I came from a m8 which was a nice device but I like this one better.
Raikalo said:
Tl;dr Do you recommend the phone?
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My wife and I jumped from Sprint to T-Mobile, handing off our Evo 4G's when the Nexus 6 was released, and wouldn't look back. The Nexus 6 has been nothing short of awesome... the camera, speed, screen, everything - is awesome. We keep ours in thick iBlason "Armorbox" cases, and still enjoy our QI charging (I'm unsure how QI isn't a requirement in modern phones these days!). A lot of friends complained about the size, but those that got it anyway, ended up "getting over it" and now won't go back to the smaller screens, heh! It still fits nicely in my (male) jean pockets -- with the large case -- but you'd be hard-pressed to get it safely in female pockets (sorry ladies... you're not allowed to put stuff in the pockets!).
Quirks: one big thing jumped out at me, but isn't a big deal for most. The phone does have built-in RGB LEDs that sit underneath the top speaker, yet, they chose to block access to this functionality. I guess they reused the underlying board but didn't want the LEDs, but nonetheless, they are invaluable to me: I enjoy knowing if I have something waiting for me *without* having to look at the screen - whether while in bed, sitting on the desk, riding the bike, etc.! The plus, you can get at these LEDs if you're rooted. So... if that's possibly desirable to you, I'd recommend unlocking the phone as soon as you get it, so you can avoid the data wipe down the road. The Lightflow app can handle them quite well (though I believe it requires the "Pro" version, for a couple bucks). ...and as of now, the LEDs are "on or off" - no flashing... but hey, I'll take what I can get!
Oh, and not really related to the phone itself, but a Google-Nexus 6 quirk -- quite annoying at the time, for me -- Google's "My Tracks" app was broken for awhile (unable to acquire the GPS signal). There are a gazillion alternatives out there, but I'd been a long-time daily user of the app, and Google broke it!...for months. It was disappointing that they would break core app functionality on their *current* flagship device, for their own app, and choose to ignore it for such a long time. I think the 5.1 update fixed whatever problem they had, but that was a pet peeve.. On the plus side, I've enjoyed the feature-rich alternatives that I was forced to explore, ha!
We haven't messed with de-crypting ourselves, as the phones are super-duper-fast as-is, but we love them. These are our introduction to the Nexus world, and we love the fact that they no-bars-hold permit unlocking, and that the updates are, of course, front line.
Tl;dr I highly recommend the phone! Phone size is the only recurring complaint among friends.
Thank you everyone for the replies. Yes, battery life is subjective ...so long as most of the reviews say the battery is good enough, that's all I care about. First-hand reviews from users are always the best because I know everyone isn't just trying to sell me a phone . As far as the LEDs being unusable when not rooted, that isn't a big deal for me. My current phone (Razr Maxx HD, xt926 verizon) has the LEDs and fantastic battery life through various mods, but is simply not cutting it anymore for what I need. I've never heard of the My Tracks app, so I guess it's a good thing since I didn't know it was broken lol.
This will be my first Nexus phone... I have the Nexus 7 (2012) tablet that is currently running CM12 nightlies, so I'm familiar with the "Nexus experience" and Lollipop already. I like it quite a bit, but it did take a little getting used to. I was very much planning on unlocking and rooting the N6 immediately, but I'll play with it a bit and enjoy the stock experience first.
@vormund Do you like T-Mobile, now that you switched from Sprint?
@RW-1 Can you explain the encryption you're talking about a little more? This is the first I've heard of it.
Again, thanks everyone for the replies. I'm pretty much sold on the phone at this point.
Raikalo said:
Thank you everyone for the replies. Yes, battery life is subjective ...so long as most of the reviews say the battery is good enough, that's all I care about. First-hand reviews from users are always the best because I know everyone isn't just trying to sell me a phone . As far as the LEDs being unusable when not rooted, that isn't a big deal for me. My current phone (Razr Maxx HD, xt926 verizon) has the LEDs and fantastic battery life through various mods, but is simply not cutting it anymore for what I need. I've never heard of the My Tracks app, so I guess it's a good thing since I didn't know it was broken lol.
This will be my first Nexus phone... I have the Nexus 7 (2012) tablet that is currently running CM12 nightlies, so I'm familiar with the "Nexus experience" and Lollipop already. I like it quite a bit, but it did take a little getting used to. I was very much planning on unlocking and rooting the N6 immediately, but I'll play with it a bit and enjoy the stock experience first.
@vormund Do you like T-Mobile, now that you switched from Sprint?
@RW-1 Can you explain the encryption you're talking about a little more? This is the first I've heard of it.
Again, thanks everyone for the replies. I'm pretty much sold on the phone at this point.
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I am currently using MeanPop 2.11 on my Nexus 6 and it has a blinking LED light for notifications, a blinking red light for while your phone is charging and a green light for when the device is fully charged. I had the phone a couple of hours tops before I rooted it, so I can't really provide an opinion on the device out of the box. My brother is using a non-rooted Nexus 6 and he loves it as well. We both came from the Note Edge, but enjoy the Nexus 6 more than any device we have used up to this point. Out of the box, the device is encrypted (which some people have stated that their performance suffered compared to being unencrypted). You can easily unlock the phone and decrypt it. There is a solid guide for this in the development section. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or ask them here and I'll assist where I can.
slimc84 said:
I am currently using MeanPop 2.11 on my Nexus 6 and it has a blinking LED light for notifications, a blinking red light for while your phone is charging and a green light for when the device is fully charged. I had the phone a couple of hours tops before I rooted it, so I can't really provide an opinion on the device out of the box. My brother is using a non-rooted Nexus 6 and he loves it as well. We both came from the Note Edge, but enjoy the Nexus 6 more than any device we have used up to this point. Out of the box, the device is encrypted (which some people have stated that their performance suffered compared to being unencrypted). You can easily unlock the phone and decrypt it. There is a solid guide for this in the development section. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or ask them here and I'll assist where I can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That solves the LED issue. I will probably decrypt the device since I don't know why I would need it encrypted. Thank you. I will definitely message you with any questions, but I won't have the phone until closer to the end of April (24th or so), so it will be a bit yet. I'm just glad the phone is shaping up to be as great as I am expecting it to be.
Out of curiosity, what are the benefits of leaving the phone encrypted?
Raikalo said:
@vormund Do you like T-Mobile, now that you switched from Sprint?
@RW-1 Can you explain the encryption you're talking about a little more? This is the first I've heard of it..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile has been equal-to-or-better than Sprint in Tucson, AZ... their customer service is dreadful (store reps are absolutely useless), but if you're persistent, you usually come out alright - which I'm happy to do with the difference in cost (+$10 to join my sister's plan versus $30+ for Sprint's split... among the other (contract, discount, etc.) considerations! Data is hit-or-miss on the outskirts of the city, but so is Sprint (and ATT)...Verizon seems to have solid service out there, though...(then again, you pay for it!)...
Data speeds are almost always slower when compared to Verizon (a friend with Verizon did some speed tests with me...we're both usually LTE, but he'd consistently get 3-4x faster speeds...this probably varies greatly by locale and their networks), but it's sufficient for me. If you're one to watch Netflix or download a ton, it'll probably be quite the downgrade.. but me - I'm on wireless for any big data usage, so network-wise, I'm just mapping, a little music streaming, geo tracking and such.
Encryption: For the extra paranoid or those with ultra-sensitive information on their phones, perhaps?
I suspect it would make things a little more difficult for law enforcement, too... depending on backdoors and such? Actually, yeah, that looks to be the case!
After seeing the speed comparisons, I'd definitely switch over now, even though the phone is fast-as-can-be as it is, ha. One of these days maybe... but for now, it's a few more minutes in a already-crazy day.
slimc84 said:
I am currently using MeanPop 2.11 on my Nexus 6 and it has a blinking LED light for notifications...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks great to know, thanks for the info! +1 for a custom ROM. I think the reason Lightflow can't do it directly - with rooted stock - as it'd have to keep the phone awake. There well may be ways around that by now... I just wish they'd enable direct access without (there's just no good reason to take away a hardware feature... disabled by default, but come on! ).
vormund said:
T-Mobile has been equal-to-or-better than Sprint in Tucson, AZ... their customer service is dreadful (store reps are absolutely useless), but if you're persistent, you usually come out alright - which I'm happy to do with the difference in cost (+$10 to join my sister's plan versus $30+ for Sprint's split... among the other (contract, discount, etc.) considerations! Data is hit-or-miss on the outskirts of the city, but so is Sprint (and ATT)...Verizon seems to have solid service out there, though...(then again, you pay for it!)...
Data speeds are almost always slower when compared to Verizon (a friend with Verizon did some speed tests with me...we're both usually LTE, but he'd consistently get 3-4x faster speeds...this probably varies greatly by locale and their networks), but it's sufficient for me. If you're one to watch Netflix or download a ton, it'll probably be quite the downgrade.. but me - I'm on wireless for any big data usage, so network-wise, I'm just mapping, a little music streaming, geo tracking and such.
Encryption: For the extra paranoid or those with ultra-sensitive information on their phones, perhaps?
I suspect it would make things a little more difficult for law enforcement, too... depending on backdoors and such? Actually, yeah, that looks to be the case!
After seeing the speed comparisons, I'd definitely switch over now, even though the phone is fast-as-can-be as it is, ha. One of these days maybe... but for now, it's a few more minutes in a already-crazy day.
Thanks great to know, thanks for the info! +1 for a custom ROM. I think the reason Lightflow can't do it directly - with rooted stock - as it'd have to keep the phone awake. There well may be ways around that by now... I just wish they'd enable direct access without (there's just no good reason to take away a hardware feature... disabled by default, but come on! ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A wakelock is triggered with the flashing LED even in the custom Rom (burns 1-2% per hour that the LED is flashing). It's definitely worth having though. The ROM is solid and I haven't had a single issue with it yet.
After reading the benchmarking for encryption vs decryption, I'm definitely decrypting the phone when I get it. I'm not overly worried about the LEDs (does seem weird though that it's not like all of the other android phones I've had, where they just work, regardless of ROM). I'm in the middle of the East Coast where (according to coverage maps) 4G is more available, so I'll definitely run some speed tests and see how T-mobile's data speeds stack up on this side of the country. I really just need a fast browser with good, stable internet speeds. I won't complain if it's faster than 3G.

Six Days of Battery Life?

Hi folks,
I just ordered a Nexus 6.
I currently have a m7vzw (Verizon HTC One M7), and cut my teeth here rigging s-off and root, and then trying many different ROMS for it. My needs are pretty simple and, as you can see from the title, I like long battery life.
I currently run Vanilla AOSP 4.4.4 and minimal edition gapps. Light email push from gmail and to MS Outlook for work. Very little surfing and phone use. No extraneous apps, and no social networking apps. I typically need to charge up every 6-7 days.
Any suggestions for some ROMS to consider here? I never exceeded 3 days on my current phone using 5.x with the same usage and configuration. I quit trying after a while.
Thanks for your time
Errrr... I guess if you leave WiFi and data off you might get a couple days if you don't use screen often? Most get 3-6hrs screen on time to give a day to a day and a half?
Probably not getting 6 days, if you are, your spending way to much for your phone, because you obviously are not using it [emoji14]
Lol seriously though. You're the type of phone user to get a months use out of a ZeroLemon battery.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
I have near-constant access to much more powerful equipment for business and gaming. I have some very specific needs that my phone addresses.
Is there a better place I could post the question? Does anyone here have the expertise to provide useful answers? Or does the sarcasm indicate that this device has stupidly low battery life, regardless of which ROM is used?
I fun stock 5.1.1 unencrypted, with Lean Kernel and a flashed.zip of the drives from the M preview.
I went from 7PM Sunday night to 3:44PM Wednesday Afternoon before charging my phone. I also have very light usage like you. That included 30+hrs of music listening, 2hrs SOT, a few camera shots and all my Google, work email, and Skype accts on ans syncing,
Seems to me that android M will work out for you.........I run M preview 3 currently and made it last weekend from unplugging Friday around 12 noon and plugged in Monday (labor day) forgot my charger at work over the weekend, but plugged in Monday around 11:30am and still had to about 25% remaining, had to use an old charger (not turbo charger) but I was afraid it would die overnight while I was sleeping and the alarm would not go off for work Tuesday. I don't remember what all my stats were, but very light usage since like I said, my turbo charger was at work
Good luck, nexus 6 is a great phone and tweaked right should yield very good standby time
Thanks
SoulSherpa said:
I have near-constant access to much more powerful equipment for business and gaming. I have some very specific needs that my phone addresses.
Is there a better place I could post the question? Does anyone here have the expertise to provide useful answers? Or does the sarcasm indicate that this device has stupidly low battery life, regardless of which ROM is used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which rom or kernel you use will not have any influence on your battery life. battery life is determined by your personal use, your personal set up, which apps you decide to install, and very much your phone/data signal quality. everything else has very littke affect on battery. that said, i personally see about 5.5-7h screen on time. and that pretty decent. but 6 days battery, while using your device, youll never see. only if you dont use your device for long periods of time and if you have your signal turned off.
SoulSherpa said:
I have near-constant access to much more powerful equipment for business and gaming. I have some very specific needs that my phone addresses.
Is there a better place I could post the question? Does anyone here have the expertise to provide useful answers? Or does the sarcasm indicate that this device has stupidly low battery life, regardless of which ROM is used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol
the device doesnt have stupid low battery, your previous experience, and expectations are stupid high.
tbh, short of turning off data when the screen is off, and having extremely light use (like almost none), i couldnt even speculate what phones could go that distance consistently, short of leaving the phone sit there like a paper weight and never using it.
not trying to be smart, just being realistic, given my experience with about a dozen flagship smart phones over the years.
the guy who commented about the zero lemon battery might have been being funny, but seriously, for the longevity you expect, you should be looking at phones that have zl support.
i have a g3 with a zl battery. with average use you can get 5 days or more, and easily increasing with lighter use.
i tested the n6 before for life with less than 1% use vs time, and it was in the range of 6 days. but that was running a premium rom and kernel and strong service always.
where the n6 excels imo is for the normal user. i have shown proof of 8 to 11 hours screen time during a normal days use consistently.
most people are happy to make it through the day, and charge nightly while you sleep. when you state an expectation of 5-6 days, the comments are undoubtedly not going to be up to your expectations.
simms22 said:
which rom or kernel you use will not have any influence on your battery life
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I respectfully disagree. I tried several ROMs on my current HTC One. On average, the late 4.x series lasted twice as long as the 5.x series with the same apps, usage and locations. I realize you can attribute whatever battery life fail was added to the OS as "personal set up" or "app". But it is what it is.
bweN diorD said:
lol the device doesnt have stupid low battery, your previous experience, and expectations are stupid high.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My expectations? I've been charging my phone once a week for several months. I went through several configurations to get it that way.
Obviously my use case for the phone is different from yours. I typically use under 300 minutes talk, under 300 texts, and under 500 MB data monthly. But I depend on email push throughout the day, need text and voice when there's an issue, and need reliable data and a good screen for remoting to my servers if there's a problem.
I don't give people grief about how they use their phones. Evidently it's a fun and popular thing to do here. Good luck with that.
Thanks for the statistical info. The bulk of the battery case is duly noted as a last resort.
SoulSherpa said:
I respectfully disagree. I tried several ROMs on my current HTC One. On average, the late 4.x series lasted twice as long as the 5.x series with the same apps, usage and locations. I realize you can attribute whatever battery life fail was added to the OS as "personal set up" or "app". But it is what it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly, i have no ideas about an htc, considering that my last htc was the g1, which i got in oct of 2008, lol. but whatever rom that you use on a nexus, does not have anything in it for battery life, besides whats in it from stock android. now some kernels do add in things that can help YOU save battery, by how you use or setup your device, but they just wont save you battery on their own. well, they will, buy not enough to notice. unfortunately @SoulSherpa, many people have tried to prove me wrong over the many years ive been with android, but none have. just because people claim better battery with one rom over another, doesnt actually make it real. people believe many things, much of it is not true.
SoulSherpa said:
My expectations? I've been charging my phone once a week for several months. I went through several configurations to get it that way.
Obviously my use case for the phone is different from yours. I typically use under 300 minutes talk, under 300 texts, and under 500 MB data monthly. But I depend on email push throughout the day, need text and voice when there's an issue, and need reliable data and a good screen for remoting to my servers if there's a problem.
I don't give people grief about how they use their phones. Evidently it's a fun and popular thing to do here. Good luck with that.
Thanks for the statistical info. The bulk of the battery case is duly noted as a last resort.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not different from mine, its different from 99.9999% of all other users.
i typically use under 50min a MONTH, under 200 texts a MONTH, and data, well im grandfathered so thats nothing to discuss.
how others use their phone is representative to how the manufacturers design them, for the average user who charges daily.
you appear to perceive my previous comments as sarcastic and statistical, the further could be from my intention.
i have a rather extensive android knowledge from helping other users for about 5 years. your expectations of any device are highly irregular.
we are merely attempting to make you aware of that, however unsuccessful at the moment...
The reason people treat your question like its weird is pretty simple:
While with minimal and careful usage phones can get through multiple days of usage, the battery life your suggesting, on any android phone, is going to require very little screen on time, limiting the hell out of its data connections, ect...
If you are seriously just trying to have an emergency phone that you can make calls on occasionally and fire up a terminal to remote into your server to check status or run a command or two.... Why are you paying for a 6inch screen with ultra HD display, a powerful processor, dual front facing speakers.... All this stuff that only serves to drain battery and add weight if your not using your phone for entertainment.
Your looking to pay extra for specs you don't need on a device with only "adequate" battery life instead of getting a modest phone that won't consume as much, with an external battery case that would probably let it run a couple weeks for you....
my nexus 5, without sim card, in airplane mode, brightness all the way down, can last me around 3 weeks. but, thats with 0 use. 6 days, with a nexus 6, should be possible, even easy enough.
scryan said:
...Why are you paying...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because larger screens make remoting much, much easier. Especially when it's a GUI. So, a "phablet" sized phone has always been appealing.
Further, I've been waiting for a "good deal" and the price dropped to $350. My m7vzw had its radio neutered (thanks Verizon), so when I switched to Ting (t-mobile) GSM my data speed hit the floor with EDGE only. The Nexus 6 has nice radio band support.
Have you considered a small tablet? (7 inch or so). You could set up a Google voice account and do all your calls/texts over WiFi/cell data. You'd get a far better battery life with far less effort to do so, and itd be even better for remote access.
sickley said:
Have you considered a small tablet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have, and you make a good point. But I still want something I can holster since I don't normally carry a man-pack or utilikilt
This Nexus 6 is pushing it for size -- the holster is huge. But the screen real estate is nice.
FYI, I'm currently running CleanCore:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/development/rom-cleancore-vomer-100-lean-stock-03-t3059199
...and I seem to be on-track to meet or exceed the six day goal with my light usage (email checks and texts throughout the day, occasional remote, occasional surfing, occasional phone call).
My nexus 7 fits in my pocket no problem. And I'm a fairly average sized male.

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