Problems with Wi-Fi connections after a firmware upgrade

[Krakus2000]

I bought a GN2 in December 2012. After the initial happiness, which lasted a full month, I started having problems with my shiny, new Note 2. It all started when I decided to upgrade to a new firmware 4.1.2 from the original 4.1.1. After the upgrade I noticed that suddenly my Wi-Fi speeds went down a great deal. I was using Speedtest for some time, so I could compare the downlink and uplink speed numbers before and after the upgrade. My downlink speeds went down from 15-25 Mbps to sometimes as low as 0.100 Mbps (!). Strangely enough, my uplink speeds seemed to be in the same range as before, i.e. around 3-5 Mbps. Of course, initially, I suspected everything but the GN2. I checked and re-checked the whole Wi-Fi setup on my wireless network, which by the way, uses an Apple Airport Extreme router. Soon I discovered that my other devices, mostly Apple iPads, when tested using Speedtest and the same server, get much higher downlink speed numbers, reaching more than 30 Mbps. Does anybody has the same problem with Wi-Fi downlink speeds after the firmware upgrades? Or, is it a hardware related problem requiring going to the store and requesting a new GN2?

 

[rankar7]

I bought a GN2 in December 2012. After the initial happiness, which lasted a full month, I started having problems with my shiny, new Note 2. It all started when I decided to upgrade to a new firmware 4.1.2 from the original 4.1.1. After the upgrade I noticed that suddenly my Wi-Fi speeds went down a great deal. I was using Speedtest for some time, so I could compare the downlink and uplink speed numbers before and after the upgrade. My downlink speeds went down from 15-25 Mbps to sometimes as low as 0.100 Mbps (!). Strangely enough, my uplink speeds seemed to be in the same range as before, i.e. around 3-5 Mbps. Of course, initially, I suspected everything but the GN2. I checked and re-checked the whole Wi-Fi setup on my wireless network, which by the way, uses an Apple Airport Extreme router. Soon I discovered that my other devices, mostly Apple iPads, when tested using Speedtest and the same server, get much higher downlink speed numbers, reaching more than 30 Mbps. Does anybody has the same problem with Wi-Fi downlink speeds after the firmware upgrades? Or, is it a hardware related problem requiring going to the store and requesting a new GN2?

I don't think it's hardware related. For almost six weeks now, I've been tackling two major setup issues. I've solved one of them where the phone would freeze then reboot when leaving my wifi area (you can see my detailed post in the AT&T GN2 forum where I have an excel spreadsheet with over 100 line items detailing every change I made from safe booting to deleting apps, etc.).

This one that you describe is taking more time. I do not believe it's hardware because when running my phone in safe mode I don't get this issue. It happens when I re-enter my wifi area (say home) or it sometimes happens when I leave the phone on through the night, but then in the morning I check the speed and it's very slow 0.10mbps or so.

Temporarily I have to turn wifi off then on again just to get me through the day. But I am working on this and will post a solution when I figure it out.

If I could just get this worked out I could say I love android. right now I don't.

 

[rankar7]

I bought a GN2 in December 2012. After the initial happiness, which lasted a full month, I started having problems with my shiny, new Note 2. It all started when I decided to upgrade to a new firmware 4.1.2 from the original 4.1.1. After the upgrade I noticed that suddenly my Wi-Fi speeds went down a great deal. I was using Speedtest for some time, so I could compare the downlink and uplink speed numbers before and after the upgrade. My downlink speeds went down from 15-25 Mbps to sometimes as low as 0.100 Mbps (!). Strangely enough, my uplink speeds seemed to be in the same range as before, i.e. around 3-5 Mbps. Of course, initially, I suspected everything but the GN2. I checked and re-checked the whole Wi-Fi setup on my wireless network, which by the way, uses an Apple Airport Extreme router. Soon I discovered that my other devices, mostly Apple iPads, when tested using Speedtest and the same server, get much higher downlink speed numbers, reaching more than 30 Mbps. Does anybody has the same problem with Wi-Fi downlink speeds after the firmware upgrades? Or, is it a hardware related problem requiring going to the store and requesting a new GN2?

After several weeks of having the same problem, it appears that I have fixed it on my device (AT&T Note 2). I've had several trials already and it appears that when I get back into wifi range, it's picking up wifi at normal speed.

I narrowed the culprit down to location services.

Go to:

System settings > Location Services > UN-CHECK Use Wireless Networks

Let me know if this works for you. It took me forever to find out the problem on my device. good luck.

 

[Krakus2000]

After several weeks of having the same problem, it appears that I have fixed it on my device (AT&T Note 2). I've had several trials already and it appears that when I get back into wifi range, it's picking up wifi at normal speed.

I narrowed the culprit down to location services.

Go to:

System settings > Location Services > UN-CHECK Use Wireless Networks

Let me know if this works for you. It took me forever to find out the problem on my device. good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I checked and it seems that I had this option unchecked. But, just to let you know, I did more experimenting with this problem and I bought an Asus router (RT-N53) and added to my wireless network as a second router, second in chain to Apple Airport Extreme. I use this router exclusively for my GN2 Wi-Fi. I found out that the problem I described still exists, but there is an improvement in connection speeds. I am no longer getting very slow connections like 0.1Mbps, the speed drops only to about 5 Mbps. If I want more speed I still have to toggle the Wi-Fi switch on/off and after that I get close to 30Mbps (wow). So, the problem still exists, but at least I can live with it for now. Why Apple's router or combination of Apple's router plus GN2 does that I have no idea. Right now I am not sure where the problem really lies.....and who is it to blame.

 

[rankar7]

Why Apple's router or combination of Apple's router plus GN2 does that I have no idea. Right now I am not sure where the problem really lies.....and who is it to blame.

This is what happens when you make software (android) and you are not making the hardware. This forum is filled with folks who get android updates at different times, have different options for the same phones on different carriers, etc. This one reason alone (if you want great software you have to make the hardware) is why apple products run flawlessly with other apple products.

You gave me some more ideas to try, so check back with me in a week or two as I do more testing.


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[Krakus2000]

This is what happens when you make software (android) and you are not making the hardware. This forum is filled with folks who get android updates at different times, have different options for the same phones on different carriers, etc. This one reason alone (if you want great software you have to make the hardware) is why apple products run flawlessly with other apple products.

You gave me some more ideas to try, so check back with me in a week or two as I do more testing.


Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

Or, the other way around. If you have great hardware write your own software. Actually, I never understood why different carriers use different versions of android software. I still like my GN2 very much, it is a very nice phone (or micro-tablet), but these problems changed my perception about android phones slightly. Interesting thing about my Wi-Fi problems is that when it happens the ping time increases from 40 to 200ms. Switching Wi-Fi off and on always restores the device to a full speed.

 

[rankar7]

Yup same here my ping time easily goes to 90+. Funny, I never had to watch the speed on my iPhone. It always worked.

Stay with me here, I'll figure it out eventually.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[whitecollar]

After several weeks of having the same problem, it appears that I have fixed it on my device (AT&T Note 2). I've had several trials already and it appears that when I get back into wifi range, it's picking up wifi at normal speed.

I narrowed the culprit down to location services.



Go to:

System settings > Location Services > UN-CHECK Use Wireless Networks

Let me know if this works for you. It took me forever to find out the problem on my device. good luck.

Hi. I have a Verizon GN2 and I seem to have this problem too. My phone doesn't always freeze but a commonality when it does seems to be entering or leaving a Wifi area. I was at a conference center over the weekend that had a very weak router and it did over and over.

I don't have "Use Wireless Networks" as a choice in my Location services. The only one of my three choices I have checked (Of Verizon, GPS, and Google) is Google.

 

[htguy]

I have a Note 2 with bell. I had the same problem. Went from home wifi to 4G then to work wifi and at work it was about 1 mbps when it should have be 20mbps download. My upload was slow too. Once i turned wifi off and on it worked again no problem. Going back home had same issue unitl i turned wifi on and off. Turning wfi on and off for it to work is a real pain. Since I just got the phone and updated it to 4.1.2 right away I could not compare it to 4.1.1. I did a hard factory reset and that did not help. Some people claimed they had to do a hard factory reset 3 times to work/fix their wifi problem. Since I just got my phone I returnded it and got a new one with 4.1.1. So far it has been about 3 days and no wifi issues at all. I will be keeping 4.1.1. for a while now even though I would prefer to have the later version 4.1.2. I am thinking Samsung needs to come out with a fix for this. What does Samsung say about this wifi issue?
Maybe somone should do a pole to see what issues people are having after 4.1.2.

 

[rankar7]

Ok thanks guys keep the comments coming. Theyre helpful as I continue to narrow this down.

And no, I dont want to do a pole.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[whitecollar]

And for accuracy: I don't have 4.1.2.

 

[htguy]

I have a Note 2 with bell. I had the same problem. Went from home wifi to 4G then to work wifi and at work it was about 1 mbps when it should have be 20mbps download. My upload was slow too. Once i turned wifi off and on it worked again no problem. Going back home had same issue unitl i turned wifi on and off. Turning wfi on and off for it to work is a real pain. Since I just got the phone and updated it to 4.1.2 right away I could not compare it to 4.1.1. I did a hard factory reset and that did not help. Some people claimed they had to do a hard factory reset 3 times to work/fix their wifi problem. Since I just got my phone I returnded it and got a new one with 4.1.1. So far it has been about 3 days and no wifi issues at all. I will be keeping 4.1.1. for a while now even though I would prefer to have the later version 4.1.2. I am thinking Samsung needs to come out with a fix for this. What does Samsung say about this wifi issue?
Maybe somone should do a pole to see what issues people are having after 4.1.2.

Just for the record another issue I was having with my first Note 2:
-In the short period that I owned it (about 2 weeks) the phone would get sluggish sometimes. About three times in total (vs the slow wifi issue that occurred every time I went from wifi to 4g to wifi which occurred daily for the two week period). Basically the turn on "swipe" sound stopped and the phone turned very sluggish. A soft reboot fixed that issue each time but 3 times in two weeks is just way too much. I thought that this may have been due to the installation of new apps so I chalked it up to that but so far second Note 2 on version 4.1.1 has not had any of this issue at all.

 

[rankar7]

And for accuracy: I don't have 4.1.2.

whitecollar, htguy, and krakus, can you post on here in excel and in column A, a list of all the apps on your phone going down the list. Also, let me know what your default launcher is.

thanks guys. i think if we can get this together, perhaps we can find some commonality in the apps since I've been having a hard time figuring this problem out.

 

[htguy]

whitecollar, htguy, and krakus, can you post on here in excel and in column A, a list of all the apps on your phone going down the list. Also, let me know what your default launcher is.

thanks guys. i think if we can get this together, perhaps we can find some commonality in the apps since I've been having a hard time figuring this problem out.

Some of the apps I was using on my 4.1.2 version:
Flixster
680News
Yahoo Finance
fxTrade
Speed Test
Flashlight
Urbanspoon
Trip Advisor
Touchdown HD - used to get to my contacts/calendar/emails on my work exchange server
Email use for personal email
Developer optoins - turned on so that i can turn off the three animations to speed up my Note 2
Adobe flash installed - latest version

No default browser - i usually just picked the internet browser when window poped up

Just to reiterate my slow wifi was created by going from home wifi to 4g network to work wifi. When i got to work wifi was very slow ie 1 mbps vs should be 20 mbps. Same would occur when going from work to home. I would have to turn wifi off and then on to get it back to normal every time. This was 100% repeatable and not intermitant. So it appeared that the 4.1.2 version did not like that change. Currently with the 4.1.1 version this is not an issue at all so far on my new note 2 that replaced my original note 2.

 

[whitecollar]

whitecollar, htguy, and krakus, can you post on here in excel and in column A, a list of all the apps on your phone going down the list. Also, let me know what your default launcher is.

thanks guys. i think if we can get this together, perhaps we can find some commonality in the apps since I've been having a hard time figuring this problem out.

I will if you want me to but now that I've uninstalled the ATT app viewer I no longer have the problem. Thanks again.

 

[rankar7]

I will if you want me to but now that I've uninstalled the ATT app viewer I no longer have the problem. Thanks again.

oh good. glad that worked. you re-installed the AT&T VM Viewer app right? That was updated on 3/12/2013 and so far, it has not caused the crash/reboot problem on my note2.

so to clarify, when you walk into your house (your wifi area), your wifi network DOES NOT drop to some ridiculously low number like 0.01 mbps download speed? I typically get 20+ mbps download speed, but I have to turn off wifi then back on again when I come home and into my wifi network (or other networks).

 

[whitecollar]

I will keep careful track of my Wireless speed to make sure

 

[rankar7]

I will keep careful track of my Wireless speed to make sure

Yes please do. Thanks so much

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II