Nexus S WiFi performance compared to the Nexus One

Jerry Hildenbrand

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Right off the bat -- this is not a flamewar in the making. I'm disappointed with a few things about the Nexus S, and part of my job here at Android Central is to share and discuss things I see -- both good and bad. So far, I haven't seen anything that makes me want to go running back to Best Buy for a refund, but if I do, you can bet I'll tell you.

OK, now that we're all holding hands and singing Kumbaya, here's what I'm seeing:

thumb_550_Nexus-S_WiFI-Analyzer.png

This is the Nexus S

thumb_550_Nexus-One_WiFI-Analyzer.png

This is the Nexus One

Both phones are side by side on my coffee table, there's no trickery involved, and you can download the WiFi Analyzer app from the Market yourself and try it.

I understand that Google and Samsung are using some ultra-low power WiFi chip in the Nexus S. Maybe it's a bit too low?

Anyone else seeing less-than-stellar WiFi performance in the NS?
 

Smokexz

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I doubt people really notice, I know I didn't notice anything. I know its your job to do this, but how is that multi touch on that Nexus One? Not so perfect comparing it to the Nexus S.

Sent from my Nexus S
 

IceBone

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How far away from the router are you? On my Desire I have to be about 12 metres and a 25cm brick wall away from the router (my bedroom) to get that low a signal. :confused:

This wouldn't affect speed, but latency, correct? What does speedtest say (both ping and speed)?
 

Chris Kerrigan

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There are similar issues on the Galaxy line of phones with WiFi...signal just seems WAY too weak, even when I'm practically on top of the darn thing. I'm beginning to think this is something hardware related and not software, seeing as how the Nexus S now seems to be having this issue.
 

Smokexz

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As long as I don't disconnect from the point, I won't care, I see my wifi working as intended, same on my Vibrant.

Sent from my Nexus S
 

ScotterMonkey

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WiFi strength on Nexus One

On my Nexus One, about 20ft from router, no walls between me and the router, some furniture. Getting -40 to -60-ish in signal meter. My phone says 72mbps.
 

Jerry Hildenbrand

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I already know where this is leading.

No it's not :)

Let me nip that in the bud real quick --

There is no way any sane, normal person can say the Nexus S is not a HUGE improvement over the Nexus One in a normal use case. Everything is faster, everything looks better, and everything works better. If you feel the need to argue, load up the new maps app. Or any game. Or just open the app drawer. :)

You can fight over things like no SD card slot, Samsung build quality, GPS, etc etc somewhere else. Hell I have some complaints about it, too. But we're not gonna crap all over this thread, which I'm using to get some feedback from everyone, with hate, jealousy, or the need to reinforce your ego on either side.

Now keep the data coming guys. I appreciate the heck out of it!
 

toter

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No weak signal on my end

I have a Netgear router, model WNDR3700. This thing is a beast. The best router I have ever owned.

Well, about the signal strength... The router is located in my living room, at the northwestern most point of my apartment.

42.65 feet (13 meters) away at the southeastern most point, inside the bathroom, 2 doors and walls in the way, the signal is still around -65.

Maybe the Nexus S has a low power WiFi chip, but this monster router compensates for the phone's low signal. I paid $100 for the router back in the day. I don't know much it is now.

One thing... It would be nice to see the Nexus S connect to 5 Ghz wireless networks. The throughput would be amazing! I transfer all my media from my computer to the phone using TuneSync, and if this phone had this capability, the file transfer speed would rival that of USB!

But hey, small baby steps. I'm just glad I got rid of my Samsung Vibrant, skipped Froyo and went straight to Gingerbread!
 
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Side by side on my desk, about 50ft from my router through 2 walls, both my Nexus One and Nexus S have nearly identical signal strength. What is interesting is I'm facing the router and hold the phone vertically with my fingers behind it, the signal will drop by at least 10 dBm on the Nexus S. I do the same with the Nexus One, and the signal stays fairly constant instead.

Question for the OP, what kind of network are you running on b/g/n ?
 

NEST600

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Compared an Incredible, N1, G2, and Nexus S in three locations in the the house. The G2 did the best in each location by a few db. The rest were the same. So I'm not seeing this at all. Hrmm. -Pk
 

l0k1z0r

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No difference that I can tell between the Captivate and Nexus S. I will note though that while both Nexus S devices and the Galaxy S stay around 2-3 bars, the iPhone 4 here is showing full wireless signal strength.

Maybe it's just jealous that it's being replaced, though.

Picasa Web Albums - Jason Kennedy
 

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