Can't Connect to a Certain Wi-Fi Access Point, but can others

[Android Central Question]

Just bought this phone today, brand new, and I'm having issues connecting to Wi-Fi. Whenever I attempt to connect to a Xfinity Wi-Fi access point, it attempts to connect and tells me sign-in is required. I get to the screen where I enter in the username and password, but it then disconnects me from the access point, and takes me off the sign-in page before I can enter in the information. This happens in an endless loop. Never staying connected for more than a few seconds before it disconnects and reconnects.

I tried doing a factory reset multiple times.

I tried forgetting all wi-fi networks.

I have tried resetting the wi-fi, Bluetooth, and wireless network settings.

I tried doing a hardware Wi-Fi test, and get the green check mark.

I tried turning off my phone, waiting for thirty seconds, and turning back on my phone with the issue still existing.

I have tried resetting my phone multiple times.

I have removed my SIM card and reinserted it.

I can use my computer to connect to this Xfinity Wi-Fi access point, and then use my computer as Wi-Fi hotspot. My phone is then able to connect to my computer to access Wi-Fi to this Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspot indirectly. It however cannot connect directly to it by itself.

I'm able to connect to other Wi-Fi access points without issues, it's just Xfinity Wi-Fi access point near my home that I can no longer connect to. My computer however is able to connect to this same exact Xfinity Wi-Fi access point without issue. The connection from my computer to the Xfinity Wi-Fi access point is stable, I'm able to watch YouTube videos etc on it. However for whatever reason, sitting at the SAME exact desk my computer is at with my phone, my phone isn't able to maintain a constant connection for more than a few seconds.

I don't have physical access to the router.

Thanks for any help! I have the feeling I should just return the phone, but I don't want to pay the $49 restock fee, and this seems to be a software issue, and not a hardware issue, so I'm not sure anything is wrong with the device from a hardware perspective.

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Which phone? Is this Xfinity access point one of those free xfinitywireless hotspots that gets broadcast from anyone's router who subscribes to Xfinity?

Please register on this forum, which will allow you to engage in discussion more easily, as well as post images. https://forums.androidcentral.com/ask-question/409154-join-android-central-community.html

 

[YoshiMoshi]

Thanks for the help!
It's a Moto G Fast
It's exactly as you describe. One of my neighbors has Xfinity Wi-Fi.

 

[B. Diddy]

Can you boot into Safe Mode and see if it works then? https://support.motorola.com/us/en/solution/MS151406

 

[anon(10614692)]

Do YOU have Xfinity wi-fi? If you don't have access to the router are you trying to use someone else's wifi?

 

[YoshiMoshi]

Hey thanks,

I just tried that and I still have the same issue. I have three xfinity access points near me. I have a Wi-Fi extender that extends a 2 GHz one, a 5 Ghz one, from Xfinity. I was able to login to the 2 GHz Xfinity access point that I'm extending while in safe mode.

The 5 GHz xfinity access point that I'm extending, it connects and disconnects rapidly

The Xfinity access point (not connected to a Wi-Fi extender) also connects and disconnects rapidly.

Xfinity Wi-Fi, once you try to connect it brings you to a webpage where you enter in your xfinity login. If you enter in the correct information it allows you to connect to the internet.

Do you have any further troubleshooting tips that I could try?

Yea xfinity wi-fi allows you to connect to any xfinity access point. It's the benefit of xfinity.

 

[Chuck Finley69]

Hey thanks,

I just tried that and I still have the same issue. I have three xfinity access points near me. I have a Wi-Fi extender that extends a 2 GHz one, a 5 Ghz one, from Xfinity. I was able to login to the 2 GHz Xfinity access point that I'm extending while in safe mode.

The 5 GHz xfinity access point that I'm extending, it connects and disconnects rapidly

The Xfinity access point (not connected to a Wi-Fi extender) also connects and disconnects rapidly.

Xfinity Wi-Fi, once you try to connect it brings you to a webpage where you enter in your xfinity login. If you enter in the correct information it allows you to connect to the internet.

Do you have any further troubleshooting tips that I could try?

Yea xfinity wi-fi allows you to connect to any xfinity access point. It's the benefit of xfinity.

Do YOU have your own Xfinity account? Perhaps your IMEI doesn’t match up to any system approved devices for the Xfinity account you using. If you bought the device and it’s faulty, take it back....

 

[B. Diddy]

Do YOU have Xfinity wi-fi? If you don't have access to the router are you trying to use someone else's wifi?

The OP is referring to the free xfinitywireless hotspot that all Xfinity customers broadcast from their routers, unless the owners specifically disable that feature. It's a way for Xfinity to improve the overall free public broadband access throughout the country, and it's on by default, but the owner of the router can always turn it off. It is supposed to be secure for the owner (i.e., someone using the free hotspot can't snoop on the owner's private network), and is not supposed to impact the owner's download speeds in general (I think the free hotspot is significantly limited in terms of speed).

 

[B. Diddy]

Do you have any further troubleshooting tips that I could try?

Not sure what else might be going on. You said a laptop can connect, but do you have another phone that you can test? I'm wondering if the limitation has to do with the type of device, for some reason.

It'd also be reasonable to contact Xfinity support to see if they can shed any light on connecting to the free hotspots.

 

[smvim]

Xfinity is a Comcast service, and it's Xfinity public WiFi is accessible only to those with a Comcast account (a bit of a misnomer as it's restricted from actual public usage).
Do you actually have a Comcast account? Simply because your phone is detecting multiple Xfinity WiFi networks won't matter if you're not a customer.

As an aside, Comcast did allow open access in some parts of the U.S. to their Xfinity public WiFi service earlier during the pandemic but has since locked it back down to only its customers.

 

[B. Diddy]

Xfinity is a Comcast service, and it's Xfinity public WiFi is accessible only to those with a Comcast account (a bit of a misnomer as it's restricted from actual public usage).

Yes, that's a good point -- thanks for the reminder! I assume the OP does have an Xfinity account, since they can connect the laptop, but it's worth clarifying.

 

[smvim]

There are a lot of unanswered questions to this posting. If the OP does have a valid Comcast account, why don't they just use their own broadband service? Comcast provides a modem/router appliance so that should suffice. Instead of using other people's Xfinity public WiFi, why not just use their own? It will provide a stronger WiFi signal being locally generated.
Also, relying upon WiFi-to-WiFi connectivity (the referred to WiFi extenders being fed off other people's Xfinitiy WiFi signals), that involves inevitable bandwidth limitation and increased latency so it's not surprising if there are issues with consistent online access. WiFi signal range is limited and if the OP is on the outer range capacity of those other Xfinity WiFi networks, it's not feasible to expect their extender to provide a very good WiFi signal when it's not able to receive a strong incoming WiFi signal.

 

[hallux]

You not only have to be a Comcast customer, but a Comcast customer WITH AN INTERNET PLAN. That seems to be the only way in which a Comcast account can be considered "valid" for connecting to the Xfinity hotspots.

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om/learn/internet-service/wifi&token=KpkfG3n0