Wifi Slow on Galaxy S5 - Strange Problem, Please Help

[Airman1947]

Hi All,

I was wondering if someone can help me. I am having a bizarre problem on my Galaxy S5, which so far has stumped Verizon, Samsung and Time Warner Cable Tech Supports.

For some reason, when I'm connected to my home Wifi network, certain apps run very slow. Basically, if you open an app like Facebook, Instagram, or the Google Play Store, a lot of the icons, pictures and thumbnails all show up gray, and either don't come up at all, or take forever to load. As soon as I turn Wifi off and switch over to 4G, they all pop up almost immediately. I've also noticed this problem on Google Now. You tap the microphone, say a command and it gets stuck on "Recognizing..." for a long time, and quite often comes up with "Can't reach Google at the moment." Again, it's only certain apps. Other apps like my web browser app don't seem to be affected.

This doesn't make sense to me, because I also have a laptop and my girlfriend's Galaxy S3 connected to my Wifi network and they don't have this problem. I've even busted out my old LG Spectrum 2 and sure enough, these apps load up lightning quick on it. I've done an internet speed test on my S5. On my Wifi I get a 19ms ping, download speeds of 18 MB/s and uploads pushing 2 MB/s. When I'm on 4G, the ping is 40ms, and the speeds are only 6MB/s and 0.7MB/s respectively, so the Wifi theoretically should be way faster.

I spent over an hour on the phone with Verizon and Samsung Tech Support, and after trying a ton of different things, including a Factory Reset, they determined it was probably the device. Since I'm under warranty, they sent me another one. I got it yesterday and tried it...yep, same problem.

Just out of curiosity, I tried it on the Wifi at my workplace. Wouldn't you know it, the problem isn't there. But, I don't understand what could be wrong with my home Wifi. I've got Road Runner Turbo internet from Time Warner w/download speeds up to 20MB/s. I've also got a really good modem/router that cost several hundred dollars. And, like I said the problem doesn't seem to happen on other devices.

I've searched the internet and have found almost nothing on this. Does anyone know of something I can try? Here's everything I've tried so far:

• "Forgetting" my Wifi Network and Reconnecting
• Resetting the Modem/Router
• Clearing Data and Cache on Affected Apps
• Phone Factory Reset
• Trying with another Galaxy S5
• Switching from DHCP to Static Connection on Phone
• Switching DNS to Google's Addresses on Phone (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4)
• Tinkering with the Modem/Router Security Settings and even Disabling Security
• Changing the Router Bandwidth Settings
• Changing my Router's Broadcast Channel - Have Tried Several Different Ones
• Calling my ISP and Upgrading to a Higher Bandwidth/Speed

Here's my hardware details:

• Phone - Verizon Galaxy S5, Unrooted, Running Stock Kitkat 4.4.4
• ISP - Time Warner Cable, Road Runner Turbo
• Modem/Router - Motorola/Arris SBG6782-AC

Thanks so much in advance!

 

[courtneyftw]

Can you possibly download the Speed Test app and see if your phone is acquiring a different speed than another device? It tests up and down speeds.

 

[SpookDroid]

Are you by any chance running this with Bluetooth on and have used SideSync on your phone at some point? I ran into a similar issue and WiFi would just die when Bluetooth was ON, but it was caused by SideSync. Just force stop the app and voila! No more issues.

 

[Rukbat]

Talk to Verizon (the tech people in the back, not the sales associates) or the Time Warner people (same thing - tech people) and see if anyone has an old Linksys or D-Link wifi router you can borrow for a day. (I'm using a Linksys WRT54G at the moment, and in router years it's as old as George Washington's corpse.)

From years of experience, writing communications code, playing with my phone, routers - and looking at my calendar - I'm guessing a bug in KitKat that shows up only with some apps. My almost new Linksys EA4500 started showing this problem almost as soon as the phones updated to 4.4.2, but the apps all work fine on old routers.

If an old router solves the problem, you can get a refurb WRT54 (G or GS) for the $25 range on Amazon (or maybe TW has an old one they'll let you use with one of their modems).

The Facebook app works just fine on mobile data, AT&T hotspots, TMobile hotspots - but not on new Linksys (supposedly the best) routers, and I've heard reports of the same problem on the newer D-Link routers, also supposed to be top-of-the-line. (I actually left the app running for 12 hours once, just to see how long it would take to update. It's more than 12 hours, because it still hadn't done anything. But standing in the parking lot at a Sam's Club, with a barely usable AT&T hotsopt signal, it updates in a couple of seconds.) AT&T connected me to their in-store wifi (which is secured, so of course they deleted the connection after we checked it out) and Facebook updated immediately. Speedtest.com shows over 14mbps download and pings running from 15-50ms with my new router that doesn't work with facebook, so it's not the connection, it's not the wifi signal itself, it's either a problem with certain apps or a problem with the 4.4 wifi firmware. Play store downloads are slower on the new routers too, but not too bad. just noticeably slower. (If I set up a guest account on the router it works fine, though, so it's not a bad router. It's just a pain to have to sign into the guest account every so often.)

This is the reason systems analysts turn grey at a young age and have bald spots. Problems that don't seem to make sense, and people in a position to debug them who can't or won't. I can reproduce the problem at will (which is the difficult part of fixing a problem), but there's no one interested in fixing it.

 

[ziggster]

I'm having the same problem. Google Voice and Google Drive are useless on my home wifi. Speedtest is great (40-ish up, 20-ish down), but I have to switch wifi off to open files from GDrive. I'm on Xfinity and have a Verizon S5. All other devices work just fine on wifi.

I'll try to keep you posted if anything works.

PS - Oddly enough, I can open Dropbox documents with no problem.

 

[ziggster]

Airman, I feel certain that we have a very similar problem. For me, the issue seems to be limited to Google applications (Drive, Voice, Play Store and voice recognition).

Like you, if I switch wifi off everything works fine. Here's an interesting addition to that: If I switch to Airplane mode and then turn on just wifi, everything works fine. The issue seems to occur when I'm on my home wifi AND have a cellular signal present.

 

[ziggster]

Solved my problem by updating router firmware (linksys ea45oo). I have no idea how or why, as my S4 worked fine along with samsung tablet, ipad, macbook and wife's iphone. Weird.

Good luck.

 

[Airman1947]

Can you possibly download the Speed Test app and see if your phone is acquiring a different speed than another device? It tests up and down speeds.

Thanks for the reply. I did, and my S5 is actually acquiring a FASTER speed than the other devices, which doesn't make sense to me, since the problem is on the S5. Weird.

 

[Airman1947]

Are you by any chance running this with Bluetooth on and have used SideSync on your phone at some point? I ran into a similar issue and WiFi would just die when Bluetooth was ON, but it was caused by SideSync. Just force stop the app and voila! No more issues.

Hmm. No, I don't know what SideSync is, and I tried this with Blutooth off already. But, thanks for the input!

 

[Airman1947]

Talk to Verizon (the tech people in the back, not the sales associates) or the Time Warner people (same thing - tech people) and see if anyone has an old Linksys or D-Link wifi router you can borrow for a day. (I'm using a Linksys WRT54G at the moment, and in router years it's as old as George Washington's corpse.)

From years of experience, writing communications code, playing with my phone, routers - and looking at my calendar - I'm guessing a bug in KitKat that shows up only with some apps. My almost new Linksys EA4500 started showing this problem almost as soon as the phones updated to 4.4.2, but the apps all work fine on old routers.

If an old router solves the problem, you can get a refurb WRT54 (G or GS) for the $25 range on Amazon (or maybe TW has an old one they'll let you use with one of their modems).

The Facebook app works just fine on mobile data, AT&T hotspots, TMobile hotspots - but not on new Linksys (supposedly the best) routers, and I've heard reports of the same problem on the newer D-Link routers, also supposed to be top-of-the-line. (I actually left the app running for 12 hours once, just to see how long it would take to update. It's more than 12 hours, because it still hadn't done anything. But standing in the parking lot at a Sam's Club, with a barely usable AT&T hotsopt signal, it updates in a couple of seconds.) AT&T connected me to their in-store wifi (which is secured, so of course they deleted the connection after we checked it out) and Facebook updated immediately. Speedtest.com shows over 14mbps download and pings running from 15-50ms with my new router that doesn't work with facebook, so it's not the connection, it's not the wifi signal itself, it's either a problem with certain apps or a problem with the 4.4 wifi firmware. Play store downloads are slower on the new routers too, but not too bad. just noticeably slower. (If I set up a guest account on the router it works fine, though, so it's not a bad router. It's just a pain to have to sign into the guest account every so often.)

This is the reason systems analysts turn grey at a young age and have bald spots. Problems that don't seem to make sense, and people in a position to debug them who can't or won't. I can reproduce the problem at will (which is the difficult part of fixing a problem), but there's no one interested in fixing it.

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply! It sounds like you really know what you're talking about. Gosh really??? That's kinda discouraging and even frustrating to hear. So, some of the newer routers just don't play nice with KitKat, eh? That would explain why my older phone words just fine. To think that when I bought my modem/router, I spent top coin on it, thinking I was getting something top of the line. I think I may have bit myself in the ****. Well anyway, you're suggestions actually solved my problem. I'll explain in a more detailed post in a bit. Thanks so much!

 

[Airman1947]

Solved my problem by updating router firmware (linksys ea45oo). I have no idea how or why, as my S4 worked fine along with samsung tablet, ipad, macbook and wife's iphone. Weird.

Good luck.

Glad to hear that you solved your problem! Although, I think my problem is more severe. Turning on Airplane Mode and also turning on Wifi doesn't seem to make a difference. Well anyway, I'd like to update the firmware for my router too, but apparently I can't. Arris only provides firmware to cable ISP providers, and wouldn't you know it, Time Warner won't push any updates to my modem since I own it. Guess I shoulda' done my homework. But anyway, thanks for the help!

 

[ziggster]

If your router allows for a guest network, try enabling it and signing in there. I forgot to mention that that did work for me, but 5 minutes after discovering that it did I upgraded the firmware so it slipped my mind.

 

[Airman1947]

Ok, so I finally fixed the problem...in a manner that I wish I didn't have to resort to, but it seemed like the only option.

Let me start by thanking Rukbat, as it looks like my other post thanking him didn't show up for some reason. Thanks Ruk, it sounds like you really know what you're talking about! And you're input helped solve my problems. I ended up just getting a different router, as he suggested. From what he's describing, it sounds like some routers just don't play nice with some newer phones, for no apparent reason at all, which is both discouraging and frustrating at the same time. And I've come to the conclusion that my router is one of them. After spending hours on the phone with technical support from Verizon, Time Warner, Arris and Samsung, no one could find a solution for me.

I will say that I did find some hints from other places online that tweaking certain router settings will fix this problem, but I think I kind of nipped myself in the **** by not doing my homework when I bought my Arris modem/router. This router is locked down pretty tight from changing certain settings. You can't disable IPv6, which some people say fixed the problem. Someone else suggested enabling IP tunneling, but I don't see this setting on my router. Somewhere else, I read that this is the same thing as Port Forwarding, but I really don't know what port you would have to forward to a phone. You can't even update the firmware on my router, as Arris only provides it to cable ISPs...and they won't push it to customer owned devices. I don't even know why they sell this model to the public if that's the case.

So anyway, I just bought a much cheaper Netgear router from Best Buy, and wouldn't you know it, it works great! I think that it even outperforms my Arris. I guess the moral of the story is be careful about what you buy.

Anyway, thanks again everyone for the suggestions!

 

[Airman1947]

If your router allows for a guest network, try enabling it and signing in there. I forgot to mention that that did work for me, but 5 minutes after discovering that it did I upgraded the firmware so it slipped my mind.

Thanks! I actually, tried that too. No dice. I appreciate it though.

 

[SP8705]

Im having the same issue, only thing that has changed is the latest software update pushed out from verizon. Cause theres also an issue with 4G still lit while wifi is on. Verizon says theyre aware of the issue and claim that its only pulling data from wifi but since update my data usage has increased and to even run most apps i have to disable wifi unfortunately. This occurs no matter age of router it connects to.

 

[Airman1947]

Im having the same issue, only thing that has changed is the latest software update pushed out from verizon. Cause theres also an issue with 4G still lit while wifi is on. Verizon says theyre aware of the issue and claim that its only pulling data from wifi but since update my data usage has increased and to even run most apps i have to disable wifi unfortunately. This occurs no matter age of router it connects to.

Hmm, that's odd. Sorry to hear about that. Stupid question, you don't happen to have Smart Network Switch enabled, do you? It's under Settings > Wi-Fi > Advanced.

 

[cpollack09]

This problem was driving me nuts. I did find a solution though.

Tried doing a factory which DID NOT work.

What worked was disabling ipv6 on my router as others have mentioned.
Wanted to also confirm it.

 

[Airman1947]

This problem was driving me nuts. I did find a solution though.

Tried doing a factory which DID NOT work.

What worked was disabling ipv6 on my router as others have mentioned.
Wanted to also confirm it.

Thanks! Good to know. Yeah, I saw that in a couple of other places. Unfortunately, my old router didn't have the option to disable it, so had to get the new one. But, good to know that it works.

 

[Airman1947]

UPDATE - PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!

You all are not going to believe this. I managed to get my phone working yesterday with my old Arris modem/router. I didn't even have to tweak it, or try to disable IPv6 or anything.

It turned out that the problem was my phone's SIM card. When I first bought the phone, I ordered it online and I remembered that it came in the mail with a SIM card. But, when I placed the card in the phone, it wouldn't activate. I probably should have called Verizon at that point to ask what I should do, but I ended up just taking the SIM card out of my old LG phone, and putting it in the S5. It looked the same to me, so I didn't think it would matter.

Then, not too long ago, I noticed that certain apps were saying that I needed an "Enhanced SIM Card" to use them, so it got me thinking, maybe I should have used the card that came with the phone. I called Verizon, and sure enough, they said that the card that came with the phone used much more updated technology, which is a better fit for the phone. So, they got it activated for me, and now not only do all of my apps work, but the slow Wifi problem is gone too! I didn't even know that the SIM card can affect Wifi. But anyway, this is great! I can take my new modem back, now.

I would ask anybody who has this same problem if they are not using a SIM card that came with the phone. If you are, it could be that you need a new one or more updated one. I believe most carriers will give you a new one for free. You can also check to see if your card is outdated in a couple different ways. Try opening an app like Softcard, and if it says that you need an Enhanced card, then your card is outdated. Also, check the numbers on your SIM. According to Verizon, in the US, the card should have a handful of numbers, followed by FIVE zeroes. If there are any more than five, it is an older card. It might be different for different countries or carriers.

Hope that helps! Thanks again for all of the input!

 

[Airman1947]

Grrrr....spoke too soon. It worked fine for about a week, but now it's doing the same thing again, even with the new SIM card. Switched back to the newer router. Guess it's something with the Arris router after all. Man this is frustrating. X_X