> Unstable Wi-fi connection

[RigerZ]

I'm using a Samsung J3 Pro with Android 7.0

My phone's wi-fi has the following problem at home -

1) While connected, it will often show "Authentication error occurred" or "Internet may not be available" and stays that way.

2) When I tap on the wi-fi network or reset the phone wi-fi, it will either:

a) Show the network is available but remain disconnected
b) Repeatedly try to connect but fail (the "Connecting" status flickers on and off)
c) The home wi-fi disappears from the list but other networks still show up

3) It will stay this way for around 5-15 minutes and then it reconnects. Maybe 10-20 minutes later the problem recycles again.

4) At times, the connection cycles between "Internet may not be available" and "Connected"

- Our home wifi is shared with up to 6 devices (3 phones, 3 laptops), but even if its just my laptop and phone using it, the problem still happens
- I've tried restarting the modem and router
- I've tried the "Forget Network" thing
- I've tried using static IP
- I dont see any other wi-fi advanced settings in Android 7.0 that could be tinkered with
- No other device at home has this problem
- I seldom use other wi-fi networks but never noticed any issues when using them

What else have I not tried?

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! How did you reboot the router -- by unplugging its power for about 30 seconds?

See the tips in this guide: https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...roubleshooting-wi-fi-connection-problems.html

 

[RigerZ]

Welcome to Android Central! How did you reboot the router -- by unplugging its power for about 30 seconds?

See the tips in this guide: https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...roubleshooting-wi-fi-connection-problems.html

Hi! Thanks for the welcome.

Yes unplugged for 1 minute for good measure.

I've went through the guide:

#1 Done
#2 Done
#3 My current setting is Auto (WPA or WPA2) and Cipher type TKIP and AES
#4 QOS is already off
#5 No USB 3 connections near the router
#7 My phone doesnt have that option setting
#8 My phone doesnt have that option setting
#9 Done
#1 0 My phone doesnt have that option setting
#1 1 IPv6 not in use

 

[B. Diddy]

Sometimes it's a router firmware issue, which might be fixed with an available firmware update. However, some routers just have wonky firmware that might have issues with specific devices. Go to the router manufacturer's support page for that model and see if there are any firmware updates available.

 

[RigerZ]

I've gone through my router's setup page and the supplier website but there are no firmware updates to be found.

I found another forum post that suggested using only WPA2 with AES cipher; will give it a try and see how it goes....

 

[Rukbat]

And test it on another wifi system (Walmart, McDonalds, etc.), to see if it's the phone or the wifi setup.

As far as static IP, treat it as if it said "destroy phone". Not that it will, but if you knew how to use it, you'd be helping people with wifi problems, you wouldn't be asking for help. Set it to static IP on a perfectly good router and you have a 30% chance of connecting at best. (If you understood routers, you could use it, of course, but unless you're using the phone as a LAN server for something - FTP, web - there's no reason for it to have a static IP.)

Oh - make and model of the router?

 

[RigerZ]

That was the advice several other sites and forums were suggesting, so I figured it could work. So far it's no better or worse than using dynamic IP.

Make: L7 Networks (Taiwan)
Model: L7-N-R2000

Apparently it's rebranded from D-Link

 

[B. Diddy]

Have you also tried changing wi-fi channels? (This is separate from switching bands from 2.4 to 5 GHz.)

 

[RigerZ]

I did change it a few days ago when all the wifi connections were slow, but it didnt have an effect on my phone's constant wifi dropping. I could try changing more and monitoring

 

[B. Diddy]

The goal of changing the wi-fi channel would be to avoid channels that are heavily congested. Use an app like Wi-fi Analyzer to see which channels are congested.

 

[Rukbat]

That was the advice several other sites and forums were suggesting, so I figured it could work. So far it's no better or worse than using dynamic IP.

The internet isn't always an authoritative source of information. (I'd guess - and this is as non-authoritative as anything - that no more than 5% of things you see on the internet are written by people who are actually expert - in any way - on the subject they're writing about. (The guys here know me - I've been in communications electronics since 1957, so I kind of know how to solve most cellphone problems. I designed cellphones way back when. But there are still questions I answer with "if this, this and that don't work, I'm stumped.")

Make: L7 Networks (Taiwan)
Model: L7-N-R2000

Apparently it's rebranded from D-Link

The default would be (if it is D-Link) 192.168.0.<some number between 2 and 254 that's not already assigned by the router> Normally picking something like 19.168.0.200 will work. (If it's working with 192.168.1.something, it's not a D-Link.

Anyway, if using a dynamic IP keeps dropping connections, and you're within a few feet of the router, I'd guess that it's a hardware problem with the phone. (Two caveats - if there's a microwave oven nearby, especially if the oven is closer than the router, when the oven comes on, the internet connection will be lost. 1,200 Watts on the same frequency as a 1 Watt router? Not a chance. And - one thing B. Diddy didn't include in his guide - try turning Bluetooth off. That's on the same frequency too. A slightly "dirty" transmitter, and it can cause wifi problems.)

 

[RigerZ]

The default would be (if it is D-Link) 192.168.0.<some number between 2 and 254 that's not already assigned by the router> Normally picking something like 19.168.0.200 will work. (If it's working with 192.168.1.something, it's not a D-Link.

Anyway, if using a dynamic IP keeps dropping connections, and you're within a few feet of the router, I'd guess that it's a hardware problem with the phone. (Two caveats - if there's a microwave oven nearby, especially if the oven is closer than the router, when the oven comes on, the internet connection will be lost. 1,200 Watts on the same frequency as a 1 Watt router? Not a chance. And - one thing B. Diddy didn't include in his guide - try turning Bluetooth off. That's on the same frequency too. A slightly "dirty" transmitter, and it can cause wifi problems.)

Yup you're right. Its using 192.168.0.xx

We have a microwave but the connection drops even when it's turned off

My Bluetooth or everyone's Bluetooth? There are instances where I'm the only one at home and the wifi would still drop.

 

[RigerZ]

The goal of changing the wi-fi channel would be to avoid channels that are heavily congested. Use an app like Wi-fi Analyzer to see which channels are congested.

Yes I did use this app, almost all the channels are equally congested



Tonight, so far, wi-fi's been stable. Didnt make any changes but it hasnt dropped once.

 

[B. Diddy]

If the problem persists, you may want to look into replacing your router, preferably with one that also has 5 GHz.

 

[RigerZ]

If the problem persists, you may want to look into replacing your router, preferably with one that also has 5 GHz.

Hmmm. If it really was the router, how come my connection started dropping only recently? We've had this router for at least 2-3 years.

Today's update: It was fine most of the day (forgot to change channels), my brother is watching a live sports stream at the moment. Things were fine until my dad came home and turned on his laptop.

Could it be too many devices sharing the same router and my phone gets the short end?

 

[B. Diddy]

Router firmware can become outdated, and if the manufacturer doesn't keep it updated, it can sometimes cause issues that crop up at unexpected times.

But it certainly could be related to how many devices are connected and what those devices are doing. If your ISP's plan doesn't have very high download speeds, then multiple device connections might increase the risk of some devices not having a very good connection (since your plan might not have enough bandwidth to support what everyone's doing). If other people are connected to wi-fi and streaming HD video or playing online games that require a lot of bandwidth, that might cause issues.

I assume you've already checked the DHCP range in your router's settings, right? The default is usually around 255 addresses, but if someone narrowed it down to, say, 10 or 15, then it's conceivable that you might be pushing the limit of connected devices, which means some device might get kicked off when someone else connects.

 

[RigerZ]

I assume you've already checked the DHCP range in your router's settings, right? The default is usually around 255 addresses, but if someone narrowed it down to, say, 10 or 15, then it's conceivable that you might be pushing the limit of connected devices, which means some device might get kicked off when someone else connects.

It ranges from 192.168.0.100 to 192.168.0.200

could my phone IP not being in this range be causing it?

 

[B. Diddy]

No, that ought to be enough. When you connect to the wi-fi network, the network should automatically assign an IP address within that range.

What about the other thing I mentioned about bandwidth? Does the connection usually become unstable when a lot of people are connected at home and doing high bandwidth activities like streaming HD video and playing graphics/processor intensive online games?

 

[RigerZ]

No, that ought to be enough. When you connect to the wi-fi network, the network should automatically assign an IP address within that range.

What about the other thing I mentioned about bandwidth? Does the connection usually become unstable when a lot of people are connected at home and doing high bandwidth activities like streaming HD video and playing graphics/processor intensive online games?

I'm still on static IP at the moment.

I've noticed the wifi gets more unstable when more devices are in use. BUT there were a couple of times when i was home alone and it would still drop.

*****

I came home late tonight, my brother and father are here with their phones and laptops running.

My phone wi-fi was fine until i turned on my own laptop. Now it's dropping like nobody's business.

I've changed the wi-fi channel and will see how it goes.

 

[B. Diddy]

What if you go back to Dynamic?