The Radio ROM contains the firmware for the radio transmission hardware in the phone. This includes 2g/3g/HSDPA as well as Bluetooth, FM Radio, WiFi and WiFi tethering. The Radio Interface Layer (RIL) is the interface software between the Radio and the Kernel.
The Radio and the RIL zips are independent – flashing them does not affect the main Android-au ROM.
We suggest DO NOT Flash a different RIL with Gingerbread ROM’s.
All Radios are available here (thanks to AdamG).
Various users have found that changing Radios may give better performance and/or lower battery drain, but BE WARNED, some users have also had disconnection and poor performance with these radios. In particular, users on the O2 network in Europe have problems with 32.49.00.32U_5.11.05.27If you wish to try these radios, please understand it is entirely at your own risk. Radio’s are flashed the same way as the ROM, and a wipe is not required before flashing. Please be aware of your current radio (so that you can flash back to it) before flashing a new radio. Check your radio under Settings > System > About Phone > More Info. Instructions for flashing Radios are here
- Radio 32.44.00.32U_5.09.05.30_2 (Old Froyo Radio)
- Radio 32.47.00.32U_5.10.05.23 (Old Froyo Radio)
- Radio 32.48.00.32U_5.11.05.14 (Old Froyo Radio)
- Radio 32.49.00.32U_5.11.05.27 (Old Froyo Radio)
- Radio 32.54.00.32U_5.14.05.17 (Currently recommended Radio)
- Radio 32.56.00.32U_5.17.05.08 (Very good GB Radio – our favourite!)
- Radio 32.56.00.32U_5.17.05.23 (Latest GB Radio – please post a comment if you like this)
Notes
- Instructions for flashing Radios are here
- You only have to install the Radio ONCE. For future updates just reflash the ROM and leave the Radio ROM as is (unless you are advised to update the Radio)
- Radio 32.54.00.32U_5.14.05.17 seems to work well with GB for many users, but as always we are not recommending any radios, as performance depends on your chosen Telco.
- DO NOT flash RIL’s on GB – it will probably become unstable.
I’m still running 5.17.05.23 on Villain 3.2 and have found no problems.
I have a very bad 3G connection with Radio 32.56.00.32U_5.17.05.08 on T-Mobile in Holland. A collegue with an iPhone on T-Mobile on the same location (downtown Amsterdam) has a perfect connection and I can barely get a tweet out… I guess it must be the radio. It was never as bad as this, mobile data is next to useless.
I’ll try the latest, and otherwise I’ll revert to Radio 32.54.00.32U_5.14.05.17.
I’m on Miui-Au 1.8.12 by the way.
Hmm…no difference with Radio 32.54.00.32U_5.14.05.17. I’ll go back to the current recommended Radio 32.54.00.32U_5.14.05.17. Hopefully the connection is a bit better with that one. It can’t be right when an iPhone on the same network doesn’t have any issues in the same spot.
Hi Mike, I use InsertCoin day to day but these results would probably apply to you. I frequently stay in an area with very poor reception and one day I spent several hours flashing every one of the radio’s listed here and guess what, none was any better than another. In the FROYO days the radio seemed to have a big effect but with these ROM’s (or at least with InsertCoin, which is a Sense ROM) the radio made almost no difference to poor reception. I’m now using 32.56.00.32U_5.17.05.23
I noticed that it doesn’t really matter. I’m using a couple of programs to analyze the reception and quality of mobile data and a collegue with a Desire HD and the stock rom had exactly the same (bad) reception. Both in the centre of Amsterdam…
I’ll try to compare with another collegue with an iPhone on the same network. There is a program for both phones which collects data and sends it to the providers (Netwerk Radar, Dutch program).