Samsung Galaxy S5 Active constantly dropping WiFi!

[AC Question]

Hi all, I bought a brand new Galaxy S5 Active and it won't stay connected to WiFi. I could be standing next to the wireless router, my old S5 will show connected with Very Strong signal, my wife's iPhone, also shows connected.
My S5 Active shows it will reconnect when the network improves, then it connects and shows a strong signal for a few minutes and then drops the connection. It keeps cyclin like this. Any suggestions? I have 3 weeks before I can return the phone.

Rich

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! Does this only happen on your home wi-fi network, or on any wi-fi? If it's only your home network, try rebooting your router by unplugging its power for 10 seconds. If that doesn't help, then see this guide for more tips: http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...roubleshooting-wi-fi-connection-problems.html

 

[Rich Veeck]

Thanks for the response. Why would I need to reboot the home router if my phone is the old one having the issue? I am just curious the reaaon.
That said, yesterday I dis not unplug the wireless router, but I did press the reset button. I will try to unplug and reboot if still an issue. I have read that it could be a router configuration issue. Seems odd that my S5 does not have the issue, only the S5 Active.
So far, I haven't tried many other wifi networks other than at work since I just got the phone. It seems fine and fast at work. I also reseated the cards and battery, plus manually added the wfi network to my phone. I will see how it works tonight. I will try the router reboot next.

I saw mention of checking and changing the wifi channel. Is that changed on the router software itself?

How about the QOS setting. Is there a way to know if other devices are connected with priority?

Thanks!

Rich

 

[B. Diddy]

Thanks for the response. Why would I need to reboot the home router if my phone is the old one having the issue? I am just curious the reaaon.

It's very much possible for only one device to have difficulty connecting, while others have no problem. I don't know the technical reasons, but I know that a reboot of the router can fix it.

Changing the wi-fi channel is done through the router's settings, which can be accessed through your browser on your computer -- see the router's manual for more information.

QoS can sometimes cause isssues, but it's usually with data transmission speed -- QoS will prioritize certain connections (for media) and throttle the lower priority connections. That doesn't sound like the problem you're having.

 

[Rich Veeck]

Thank you for the help. I talked to Samsung support and ATT support and neither had any real troubleshooting ideas other than do a factory reset on the phone.
I am going to call or chat Xfinity tomorrow.
The wireless router is provided by Xfinity and us a fairly new Arris.

I had a chance to test my phone with wifi at work, and it works fine there, very fast and no drops.

I shut down the router and started it back up. I reset the networks on my phone, and manually re-added the connection on the phone.

The problem persists. I hear people talking about advanced wifi settings where you can choose a channel instead of auto choosing. I don't know if that is on the phone or the router? I can't find anything like that on the phone.

Maybe there are settings on the router such as the quality of connection that your troubleshooting guide mentions.

Puzzling.

 

[Rich Veeck]

Sorry, I didn't mean to post twice. I tried to delete one pist, but the page freezes when I try to delete.
Do you think I should try the channel thoin on the router thru the PC it is connected to? I will call Xfinity
tomorrow. Maybe I can access the router configuration through my phone or laptop remotely.

Tonight's symptoms are spotty. It was fast for a while then it started showing a message that it would reconnect to the router when the network signal improved. At the same time, all our other devices were fine. Then for a while, when it dis connect, it was very slow opening Web pages, extremely slow. Unusable at times. My old S5 is connecting great. My new S5 Active, not so much.

I am afraid of doing a factory reaet.
I wonder if this has anything to do with how when I ran the ATT Transfer tool the other day, it took hours and ended up hanging.


Thanks!

 

[B. Diddy]

Don't worry, I deleted the duplicate post.

Those Arris modem/routers can be a bit wonky -- I've had a few. But yes, it's worth trying a different wi-fi channel. You access the router's settings by entering the local IP address in your computer's browser -- it's usually the first address. So if your network is "192.168.0.xx", enter "192.168.0.1" in your browser, and you should see a login page (although I think Arris might tend to use 10.0.0.1). The username should be "admin" and if you've never accessed it before, the password should be either blank or "password."

Once in the settings, you can look in the wi-fi settings for the option to change the wi-fi channel. You may want to use an app like Wi-fi Analyzer to see which channels are least congested. Also, in the router's settings, make sure the DHCP range is wide enough to accommodate all of your devices (i.e., it should be something like 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.255).

 

[Rich Veeck]

Thanks, you area big help. I assume if I call Xfinity they would help provide the IP address and also how to log in and what to adjust? If I choose a channel, does that mean that all our devices will connect over this channel?
Is it really as simple as entering tell IP in a browser? I will look at the router to see if there is an IP address on it or if I have the manual. I am sure the manual is online.

That wifi analyzer, do I have to download and install it? I ask because the computer that has the router is wonky too. It is very old and has loads of problems. I can't always get it to download or do anything. Maybe I can do that remotely from my laptop.
Interesting on the dhcp range. I will take note.

The odd thing is that sometimes wifi works fine at home for but not always. I think it seems to work well when I am the only person at home. Odd? Maybe traffic bumps me off?

Also, I am unable to to do software updates. It keeps downloading but after the reboot, it says the install was interrupted and it fails. After that, the phone does weird stuff like flash and change screens, jumps around.
I just cleared up space and took from about 4.9 GB available to 7 GB available now. I don't have much available space on my SD card. Does that matter?

It won't let me attempt another update for 24 hours. Odd? Well, I will try again tomorrow night. If it fails, I may try a factory reset.

I have to look for your troubleshooting guide or list and print it out.

 

[B. Diddy]

I assume if I call Xfinity they would help provide the IP address and also how to log in and what to adjust? If I choose a channel, does that mean that all our devices will connect over this channel?

You can find your computer's local IP address by going to this website: https://www.whatismybrowser.com/detect/what-is-my-local-ip-address. Take that address, and replace the last digit with "1", and that should be the router's address. Entering the router's IP address into your browser's URL bar is the standard way of accessing the router's settings. It works for other devices too, like a wireless printer.

That wifi analyzer, do I have to download and install it?

Install the app on your phone, not the computer.

The odd thing is that sometimes wifi works fine at home for but not always.

This could be due to variations in nearby wi-fi congestion, so changing the wi-fi channel still might help.

Also, I am unable to to do software updates. It keeps downloading but after the reboot, it says the install was interrupted and it fails. After that, the phone does weird stuff like flash and change screens, jumps around.

Are the system updates being pushed to the phone over-the-air? If your web connection is unstable, it might be interfering with the update process. Try bringing the phone to your local library or coffeehouse and use their free wi-fi to download the update. Also try wiping the cache partition, which won't erase any personal data: https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-28492

 

[Rich Veeck]

Thanks! I had to be logged onto the PC connected tO the router.

I was able to get to 10.0.0.1 and see the settings.
I found a ton of settings, but not the dhcp..range.

I am installing acrylic wifi analyzer. I guess I use the tool and which ever channel is most open...use that?
So far the Analyzer just says that no router is connext ed to the PC. Weird???

I noticed my phone looks different than our other devices.
All our devices have a personalized name...like my daughter'S iPhone shows up as Kacey's iphone.
Mine shows up as android with a huge number.
I don't know if that has an impact?


Another weird thing...all other devices connected have a high RSS Level number, such as -50 dBm. But my Android is -35 dBm.

Sorry, I just you said to use the wifi analyzer on my phone. I will.

Can I just do the software update over cellular network and skip wifi? I think I got it downloaded and now that I cleared space, I want to run it again. Does the software update stor on my phone where I can rerun the install?

 

[Rich Veeck]

I realized that it must be the RSSI signal strength.
Changing channels won't fix that???

If I am right next to the router, my rssi is 43....while my wife can be far away in a bedroom and have an rssi of 50.
Why, any idea?

 

[Rich Veeck]

Hi again, you were a big help. I think we got it resolved.
Your suggestion to check the administrators..tool and I noticed my phone had a weak signal. Oddly only my samsung devices suffered. The Apple products stayed pretty strong. I then contacted Xfinity and they said I may have too many devices connected. I hadn't even thought of that. I then shut down my old S5, not even realizing it was on wifi and eating bandwidth for nothing. I turned it off and also for the heck of it deleted any old unconnected devices m the router. I noticed my signal bumped up to 56...and then staying between 50 and 60 or more. I believe the issue is resolved. Interesting how only the Samsung phones were fighting for bandwidth.
I also told my wife and daughter to try to keep devices like the iPad and tablet or note, disconnected when not in use.
Thanks bro!

 

[Rich Veeck]

So the problem came up again....

And I swapped out the router for a new one from Xfinity and now it is fine. The connection is strong and no drops.