Problems logging on with Nexus 7. AKA: Lost in the Wilderness.

[jack4748]

Bought the Nexus 7 the other day and I?m having problems getting on the Web with it. Whenever I turn on the Nexus, I don?t get any kind of log on request, but rather a gray arrow that takes me to the home page and no Wifi. I sometimes get on the Web as ?guest? and I?ve successfully downloaded some apps with the thing plugged into the pc usb , but today when I downloaded an app that was ?installed? ? it was not installed with the Nexus 7 with its usb connection. To make a long story short, why can I only get on the Nexus as ?guest?? Where?d the Internet go? Does this sound like it?s a router problem (N600 DB Belkin)? This is exasperating to say the least and I?ve scoured the Web looking for some info on log on problems with Nexus, but I can?t find any. So here I am.

 

[B. Diddy]

Ok, we really need a little more info from you before anyone can try to help.

1. First of all, are you making sure you're turning on the wifi on your Nexus 7? Sorry if it's a silly question, but you said, "whenever I turn on the Nexus, I don't get any kind of log on request." Wifi isn't automatically on--you have to turn it on by going to Settings->Wi-Fi.

2. What's the SSID of your home network (i.e., the name you gave it)? Are you sure you're connecting to that network?

3. When you set up your Nexus 7, did you link it with your Google account? In order to access the Google Play Store and install apps, it is ideal to have a Google account and have your tablet linked to that account. (I'm actually not sure if it's possible to install apps from the Google Play Store if you don't have a Google account.)

4. The correct way to install apps is to download them through the Google Play Store or other 3rd party appstores like Amazon's. You don't have to connect the tablet to your computer via the USB cable.

5. Although the easiest and safest way to install apps is via the Google Play Store, you can download apps from elsewhere and install them yourself (they come as .apk files, and you need to click on them to install), but in order to do so, you need to go to Settings->Security->Device Administration/Unknown sources and check the box.

6. Finally, go to your Play Books app. You'll find the Nexus 7 Guidebook there, which is your manual. Lots of good stuff in there!

 

[jack4748]

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I think it's the router as I've tried resetting things and thgey just don't "stick". Frustrating for my limited newbie head. I sent Belkin an email asking for help and they sent me an email with instructions, the first of which was to reset the router to factory default. I followed these instructions to the tee, but it didn't reset, so I sent them another email informing them of this and I'm now awaiting their reply, which will hopefully correct the situation. And thanks again for your resonse.
PS:If Belkin can't straighten it out, I'll probably be back.

 

[natehoy]

To help narrow things down:

Test A: Is anything else connecting successfully to this Belkin router and accessing the Internet?

Test B: Can you take your Nexus 7 somewhere with free WiFi (local library, restaurant, etc) and connect to the Internet there?

If A and B are both true, then the problem is an incompatibility between your Belkin router and your Nexus 7. There may be some settings that will make it compatible, and you're following the right path.

If A is false, then the Belkin router is probably inherently defective. If it can't be reset, it's probably toast. If it's new, Belkin owes you an exchange. If it's not, buy something that ain't a Belkin next time because it's a junk brand. Friends don't let friends buy Belkin, and we're all friends here, right?

If B is false, then your Nexus 7 is probably defective and if you're inside your return period you should exchange it ASAP. If you bought it at a retail store that has WiFi, ask them if you can test it before you take it home.

 

[sinkcar]

I had this problem too. Somewhere I read that the Nexus requires a one word SSID. So I changed the name of my network from Belkin Network to Belkin - kaboom! Got right on after ages trying everything else. Good luck!