Why does my old Droid connect to other Wifi networks but not my own?

[YourNeighborTotoro]

I have an old 2017 Android phone (Moto E4 Plus for Boost Mobile, who I've since left) that for whatever reason won’t connect to MY home Wifi network.
• I brought it over to a buddy’s house (who uses Spectrum internet like me), and it got on his Wifi and was surfing the web right away.
• I even took it to a Starbucks & it got online using their Wifi.

Yet at our place, it saves our Wifi name, but seconds later that’ll show as “Disconnected” or Disabled,” won't pull up any web pages, shows a MAC address that I can’t edit but no IP address (despite having smartphones both newer and older than this, laptops etc that all connect to the same Wifi…).

• I’ve reset the modem.
• I’ve reset the router.
• I’ve Reset Default Networks and done a Factory reset of the phone itself.
• I tried connecting both w/ and w/o the old Sprint SIM card inside (only because some of the before & after error messages said “V08” or “Mobile ID Download Error, an unexpected download error has occurred. [Code: 10],” both of which seem to pertain to the carrier).
Still can’t get it online at my current place.
• I tried changing the Proxy (from None to Manual or Proxy Auto-Config), the “IP settings” from DHCP to Static, tried typing in the same IP address/Gateway etc as one of my connected phones, and that didn’t work either (though admittedly it’s not like I understand what all that means anyway).

Now: I WAS able to get it online at my old apt.—we moved last November and opened a new Spectrum account w/ a new modem and router that we’re renting from them— but that was using an even OLDER 2010 Netgear router (I don’t remember if I ever tried getting it back online after I switched it out for a newer phone/left that carrier).

So, any troubleshooting suggestions?? One IT guy I called suggested it could be a "bad network card." Besides that I'm wondering if:
1) I should try hardwiring it into my modem via MicroUSB-to-Ethernet adapter, IF there’s any software I can DL that’d make a difference??
However I did already try Updating the Certificates, PRL, Profile & Motorola software while on my buddy's/the Starbucks Wifis (the System— 7.1.1/Nougat— is up to date).

2) I should try reconnecting/see if it'll work with that old router?

While the one we’re renting is more up-to-date, the only routers Spectrum offers to residential customers these days DON’T have the option to adjust the WPS Push Button/Pin Entry, assuming that could make a difference? (for what it’s worth, my friend’s using a router they purchased on their own Spectrum Wifi, dunno about the one at Starbucks…).

3) I should try adjusting the “Network Restrictions,” “Preferred network type,” Automatic, LTE/CDMA, CDMA, GSM/UMTS, Static/DHCP/etc settings? I already tried doing so to the latter without success.

Needless to say, it’s an older phone; best case scenario if I CAN get it online, I figured I’d turn it into a remote for our old non-“smart” TV.

But for the time being, I'm just left wondering what it is about my Wifi that it doesn't like.

Thanks!!

 

[mustang7757]

Have you tried safe mode on the phone?
Make sure no antivirus,ad guards, VPN are enabled also.

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

Tried rebooting in Safe Mode, still came up as "You are offline/ERR_INTERNET_DISCONNECTED" as soon as I opened the browser.

I'll select our Wifi, enter the PW, it'll say "Saved," but while I'm watching, a few seconds later it'll change to "Disabled" (whereas if it does seem to be working/saving the Wifi, you'll generally see a brief "Obtaining IP address" notice as it saves the Wifi, which this isn't doing).

There's no VPN enabled... when I go to Settings/More/VPN under the "Wireless & Networks" menu, the VPN menu says "No VPNs added," which was the case even before I did a factory reset.

And as a result of the reset, there is no antivirus software or ad guards enabled/nothing preinstalled that wasn't on the phone/OS to begin with; I basically had reset it, had to wait a few days/till the work week was done until I could get to these 2 locations to try a different Wifi, saw that it was compatible with those, and the only downloads I attempted once I could get online was to select Settings/About Phone/System Updates-- where I saw that I was on the latest OS (7.1.1 Nougat)-- as well as Settings/System Updates to try to Update PRL, Update Profile, and Update Motorola Software, none of which had any available updates.

Any other ideas?

 

[mustang7757]

Hmm strange , any damage to the device /water or physical?
Otherwise I'm thinking something happened to it's hardware

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

Editing down the longer answer I originally had here:
Only physical damage is a single crack to its screen, which I'd like to think wouldn't have affected the hardware?

I've spoken to at least one place that suggested that I call my ISP/Spectrum to see if they can troubleshoot it, since apparently it would get online at our previous residence (though honestly, I don't remember if I ever tried getting it online after I upgraded from it and left that carrier, IF those network settings/the SIM etc could have anything to do with it).

So apparently there's something about the router I'm renting from them that it doesn't like (I was using my own at the old address, but it's over 10 years old so I dunno if it's gonna work as well as one of their newer ones).

Just thought I'd ask if anyone might have any ideas of why that might be/ other things I could try...

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

Hmm, now I seem to have a similar problem with the older Droid, and it seems to be related to the carrier (which is odd, because I have other phones that I'm no longer getting cellular network service on where I switched them out for a newer phone-- and some which I left that carrier altogether-- that ARE able to get online):

so, I have an even older 2013 or 2014 LG Optimus L7 that WAS getting online, problem is, it had my old Gmail accounts linked to it, I wanted those removed, and it wasn't letting me (since I mainly wanted to use it as a "remote" phone like potentially this Moto, and not have any unnecessary personal info/accounts on it). So, I did a factory reset of it as well, and after I reentered my Wifi, I was briefly able to get online (browsing with Chrome), same as before.

However, when it started prompting me to update Chrome, or download anything from the Play store, it asked me to "Add a Google account"... it seems you can't even DL anything UNLESS you're signed into some Google account or another. So, I tried doing so with a spam account that doesn't really have any work/personal/credit card info associated with it, but when I'd try logging into that account-- or going to Add Account under Settings/Accounts & sync-- it'd first prompt me to select my Wifi network, only this time, after I'd enter my Wifi/password, it'd save, only to come up as "Disabled" seconds later... same at the Moto phone. The only difference this time is that it'd IMMEDIATELY give me a message "“Voicemail: Error V08. Voice message will be delivered when data service becomes available.”

I did another factory reset, and got an "Error Code 67" error, along with "Error V08." I tried reentering my Wifi, and it saved it, BRIEFLY said "Obtaining IP address" before going to "Disabled."

So, not sure if now having this issue with two phones helps narrow things down...??

 

[J Dubbs]

If you're going to use an anonymous Google account I'd set it up directly after the factory reset, just like you would on a brand new phone. Adding the account after setting the phone up might be a problem. I've set up extremely old phones on our wi-fi with multiple routers, from ancient relics to a Google mesh system with no problems. We have old windows phones that connect just fine, and my 2015 Moto X Pure Edition has stayed connected through 3 routers and is still working fine. We're on Spectrum as well. The only difference is we've never used a Spectrum router, just used their modems to run our own higher quality routers.

Those older phones are going to be 2.4 ghz, so the router will need to offer 2.4 as well as 5, and if it's having trouble giving the devices the frequency they need that could be your problem. Some routers can have trouble supporting devices on both frequencies. You can look in the router settings to make sure both 2.4 and 5 ghz are enabled.

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

Appreciate you chiming in with the router info. Yeah coincidentally I compared our older personal Netgear N300 router (which this phone worked on at some point) with our current Spectrum WiFi Router 6 that we're renting from them (and which hasn't worked at all).

The Netgear is labeled as being IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 Ghz, the Spectrum one's manual says it has 2.4 Ghz - 20/40Mhz , 5GHz - 20/40/80/160. So if the latter one looks capable of giving this phone the right frequency and still isn't, I'd appreciate any other ideas/troubleshooting suggestions. As of right now, I expect that I could try calling Spectrum tech support, or that of the Netgear for any ideas. If it's an issue of the older phone not liking their router, then I suppose my first choice would be to try reconnecting the old Netgear one, but considering that we have laptops that are dependent on the current signal for our WFH 9-5s, that's potentially putting a lot at stake just to connect this one older device. I had already kind of considered returning their rented one anyway to use our old one, but I fear it wouldn't be able to keep up with modern devices and so forth.

The second choice of course would be to look into buying our own newer router. My friend's that this device was able to connect to is itself a Netgear AC1000 Dual Band Wifi Router model R6080, I see from its manual that it's IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz , IEEE 802.11 a/n/ac 5.0GHz

All that said, if you have any further ideas, or even specific suggestions on what to look for if I were to get a newer router of our own, I'm all ears! Thanks!!

 

[B. Diddy]

What security protocol are you using for your home wi-fi network? WPA2-PSK? Maybe even WPA3? If so, it's possible that older phone isn't compatible with that level of security. Try changing the network's security protocol to WPA (or temporarily remove any security as a test) and see if it connects.

 

[rvbfan]

What security protocol are you using for your home wi-fi network? WPA2-PSK? Maybe even WPA3? If so, it's possible that older phone isn't compatible with that level of security. Try changing the network's security protocol to WPA (or temporarily remove any security as a test) and see if it connects.

I did run into this with my mother-in-law. WPA3 yup. None of her devices supported it.
She said he didn't want to always bother me to set her up so she paid to have BestBuy to deliver and set her up. They basically plugged it in and left.

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

What security protocol are you using for your home wi-fi network? WPA2-PSK? Maybe even WPA3? If so, it's possible that older phone isn't compatible with that level of security. Try changing the network's security protocol to WPA (or temporarily remove any security as a test) and see if it connects.

I did run into this with my mother-in-law. WPA3 yup. None of her devices supported it.
She said he didn't want to always bother me to set her up so she paid to have BestBuy to deliver and set her up. They basically plugged it in and left.

Thanks a ton to you both for chiming in (and my apologies for the delay in noticing/responding, I'd given up getting any more insight, but this is EXACTLY the kind of info/theorizing that I'd been looking for...

Anyway, checking my Wifi using my current smartphone, I see that it's a 5GHZ WPA2 Personal (and my IPS/Spectrum's "WiFi Router Troubleshooting" guide confirms that WPA2 is the default).

Now only if I choose to enter my network name/SSID manually on the Moto E4 Plus in question am I given the option to choose a security type, with the options being None (which clearly isn’t an option since we have a password), WEP, WPA/WPA 2 PSK, & 802.1x EAP.

Despite the ISP suggesting WPA2, selecting that option didn’t work, nor did WEP. When I tried EAP, I was prompted for a lot of info I didn’t have/know (i.e. EAP Method, Phase 2 Authentication, CA Certificate, including a lot of blanks for things like Identity, Anonymous Identity & Password).

The thing is, I seem to recall having this exact same issue a few years back at our old place (where we were using our old 2010 Netgear router) when my wife was unable to connect her Nintendo Switch to the network, and if I recall at that time we were able to call either the ISP or Netgear Technical Support, and they walked me through how to enter/adjust an WPS or something to get that device online, which is why I wonder if WPS could have anything to do with it??

Now again, Spectrum’s current residential routers don’t seem to have the option to adjust that (and when I called them earlier, the one tech I reached really wasn’t very helpful anyway). So, I could TRY switching out their router for the old Netgear one, or buying a newer router like my friend did (whether I use the old one— which might not be able to support all of our newer devices— or buy a newer one, I’d been kind of planning to return theirs anyway, since when you’re paying $5/month to rent one from the ISP, eventually it’s going to be cheaper to buy your own anyway…)

Anyway, any other suggestions/troubleshooting would be incredibly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[B. Diddy]

What's the exact model name/number of the Spectrum router?

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

What's the exact model name/number of the Spectrum router?

Well that's just it, its manual lists as it as a Spectrum Wifi 6 Router with their own name on it (though in very small print it does list SAX1V1S, I see from the 2nd link that there's also a SAX1V1R & SAX1V1K model).
https://d15yx0mnc9teae.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/WiFi 6 User Guide 08062021.pdf
https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/modems-routers-wireless-adapters

They have this troubleshooting guide that they just referred me to the other day that suggests that if I have an older wireless device that doesn't support WPA2 that I can try changing the Security Option from WPA2-PSK [AES] to WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES], but there are no such Security options listed when I try manually entering my network (which again is the only time that I can edit the Security), just WPA/WPA2 PSK.
https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/troubleshooting-netgear-6300-and-wndr-38004300

They also have a list of modems that are recommended for their network, although that shouldn't really matter since I'm using their own that came with being a customer.
https://www.spectrum.net/support/in...s-spectrum-network?cid=spt-usp-ica-chr-051019

 

[B. Diddy]

I see a number of complaints about Spectrum's own modem/router combos: https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/pw4q3j/wifi_router_6_model_sax1v1k/

You may want to consider getting your own router and hooking it up to the Spectrum (assuming you're able to turn off the router function of the Spectrum and just use it as a modem).

 

[J Dubbs]

Well that's just it, its manual lists as it as a Spectrum Wifi 6 Router with their own name on it (though in very small print it does list SAX1V1S, I see from the 2nd link that there's also a SAX1V1R & SAX1V1K model).
https://d15yx0mnc9teae.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/WiFi 6 User Guide 08062021.pdf
https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/modems-routers-wireless-adapters

They have this troubleshooting guide that they just referred me to the other day that suggests that if I have an older wireless device that doesn't support WPA2 that I can try changing the Security Option from WPA2-PSK [AES] to WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES], but there are no such Security options listed when I try manually entering my network (which again is the only time that I can edit the Security), just WPA/WPA2 PSK.
https://www.spectrum.net/support/internet/troubleshooting-netgear-6300-and-wndr-38004300

They also have a list of modems that are recommended for their network, although that shouldn't really matter since I'm using their own that came with being a customer.
https://www.spectrum.net/support/in...s-spectrum-network?cid=spt-usp-ica-chr-051019

Some routers are better than others at working with older 2.4 GHz devices while also working with newer 5 GHz stuff. A good router will automatically detect the device and give it what it needs, regardless of the age of the device. Like you said renting a Spectrum router will quickly pay for a good router you could own outright, and take with you to use on any service. I would stay away from your 2010 Netgear router... technology has come too far since then. If you have a friend who's router works fine with your phone, that's a good sign it will probably play nice with old and new devices alike As long as it would give you good house coverage that might be a good purchase.

There's nothing more frustrating than fighting with equipment that doesn't want to play well together. Better to just get stuff that works and move on to enjoying your devices.

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

I see a number of complaints about Spectrum's own modem/router combos: https://www.reddit.com/r/Spectrum/comments/pw4q3j/wifi_router_6_model_sax1v1k/

You may want to consider getting your own router and hooking it up to the Spectrum (assuming you're able to turn off the router function of the Spectrum and just use it as a modem).

Sorry about the delayed reply here; so just to clarify, you're suggesting getting my own router AND keeping Spectrum's? As in just to test/compare them? Because I am paying like $5/mo. to rent this one from Spectrum, so if I were to buy my own, I'm not sure why I'd want to keep theirs...?

Granted, I'd like to think that buying my own would be a worst case scenario, but at this point, I'm not sure if there's anything else in the device's settings or software that I could change to get it connected (assuming I were able to get it online elsewhere and download or upgrade something) download something or make online adjustments at the handful of places that I can get it online).

Failing that, the only other thing I could likely do at this point is to try to get my 2010 router to work with this new one of Spectrum's, but I already tried it once briefly after work and it's clearly a bit more complicated than switching it out and doing a reset on the modem...

 

[B. Diddy]

The routers that broadband companies rent out are typically combination modem/routers (and they're often kind of lousy as routers). In my experience, you can typically turn off the router part of that combo and just use it as a modem. Then you hook up your own router to the modem. (Remember, you need a modem to decode the signal coming into your house, and then you connect a router to the modem to distribute that signal throughout the house.)

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

The routers that broadband companies rent out are typically combination modem/routers (and they're often kind of lousy as routers). In my experience, you can typically turn off the router part of that combo and just use it as a modem. The you hook up your own router to the modem. (Remember, you need a modem to decode the signal coming into your house, and then you connect a router to the modem to distribute that signal throughout the house.)

Hmm, I guess if I do end up investing in my own newer router-- in which case I might just try to get the same model that my friend has-- I may try that, although in all likelihood I'd likely end up returning their router a month later after I'd had the chance to test 'em out together... as curious as I am to see if I can get this troublesome device online, at the end of the day it is just a 2017 Moto, and it ultimately wouldn't make a lot of financial sense to buy a whole new router only to keep paying to rent a 2nd.

 

[J Dubbs]

Hmm, I guess if I do end up investing in my own newer router-- in which case I might just try to get the same model that my friend has-- I may try that, although in all likelihood I'd likely end up returning their router a month later after I'd had the chance to test 'em out together... as curious as I am to see if I can get this troublesome device online, at the end of the day it is just a 2017 Moto, and it ultimately wouldn't make a lot of financial sense to buy a whole new router only to keep paying to rent a 2nd.

We're also with Spectrum, and we get a free included modem with our service, we just supply our own router. You should be able to get a modem only (no router built in) for free, save yourself $5 a month, and purchase a good router you will own outright. You'll have a better router in the end that will do whatever you need it to now, and down the road, and save 5 bucks a month.. which adds up over time

 

[YourNeighborTotoro]

We're also with Spectrum, and we get a free included modem with our service, we just supply our own router. You should be able to get a modem only (no router built in) for free, save yourself $5 a month, and purchase a good router you will own outright. You'll have a better router in the end that will do whatever you need it to now, and down the road, and save 5 bucks a month.. which adds up over time

Yeah that's what I figured, guess I was just confused by the previous suggestion, because it seemed to imply keeping the router I'm currently renting from Spectrum plus using my own... which until I potentially invest in a new one is just a 2010 model.

Now while it worked fine at our previous address 6 months ago-- before we moved, opened a new Spectrum account, and started renting their router-- I remember that there were still devices that couldn't get online (one of those being an old 2014 Verizon tablet that someone gifted me used... although that's probably not the best example to use. since its battery recently died, and frankly I'm not sure if it's worth replacing only to find out that it still can't get online).

Anyway, I have a feeling that this 2010 router may not be able to keep up with how Wifi and various other wireless devices have developed since then, so at some point I'm likely gonna have to invest in a new one (hopefully one these problematic wireless devices will recognize...).

But yeah, clearly it's been awhile since I've bought a router, so if there are any specific features that I should be looking for, I'd appreciate any tips! Thanks!!