[Q] wifi tethering ridiculous fluctuations, those tech minded please reply - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi XDA Users
I use my SGS2 for wifi tethering and I wonder if anyone can help/recommend or merely explain why the speeds I get when my laptop is connected to my phone using the in-built wifi tehering tool vary so much (please see attached picture)
Last night for instance I was achieving 1Mbps download speeds while using a torrent client but today I struggle to get 50kps.
Is there an app to show me what speed the phone is connected to my laptop is and in anyway control the settings?
I don't believe the variation of 20kps to 1Mbps( it hit 1.1Mbps at 1 point) can be down to the network directly, meaning traffic etc.
I use a rooted SGS2 with DiLiDroid ICS - UHLPS rom/kernel etc, ( purely for jkay deluxe settings) on the 3UK network with Unlimited/All You Can Eat Data.
Any thoughts, explanations, recommended apps, ANY REPLY frankly will be very much appreciated.
Thanks in advance guys, more than once this site has come up trumps for me here's hoping it does again

got a few ideas but it doesnt really matter why just how to fix it, try and use some different combos of wifi tethering. first you need to troubleshoot and find what the actual problem is. try it with usb tethering and see if you have the same problem. if the usb is fine then its a problem with the wifi and not the data connection, so on and so forth. you need to narrow it down until you can provide enough information so people can actually help you.
in situations like this, you havent given much info and you havent (by the looks of things) dont anything yourself to try and narrow down the problem. all youve done is noticed something isnt right and come straight here to get us to do all the work for you. i dont know why thats happening and ill be suprised if anyone can give you a definite answer. there are just so many points of failure in your problems its impossible to say which one it is without you giving way more information and doing 99% of the work to fix this problem yourself.

postfatal said:
got a few ideas but it doesnt really matter why just how to fix it, try and use some different combos of wifi tethering. first you need to troubleshoot and find what the actual problem is. try it with usb tethering and see if you have the same problem. if the usb is fine then its a problem with the wifi and not the data connection, so on and so forth. you need to narrow it down until you can provide enough information so people can actually help you.
in situations like this, you havent given much info and you havent (by the looks of things) dont anything yourself to try and narrow down the problem. all youve done is noticed something isnt right and come straight here to get us to do all the work for you. i dont know why thats happening and ill be suprised if anyone can give you a definite answer. there are just so many points of failure in your problems its impossible to say which one it is without you giving way more information and doing 99% of the work to fix this problem yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to ''trouble shoot'' my problem, that is why I asked for any sort of help i.e apps that I should use to help identify the problem.
I didn't noticed a problem and come straight on here, I searched google for a good few hours but the results were not connected to my problem, which is also why I asked for tech-minded people to give me advice, I don't know where to begin.
This morning I was getting 500+kps downloads while wifi tethered so I'm certain it is not a data/network issue.
I will try usb tethering BUT I would still like any advice WHATSOEVER from anyone who may read this, cheers

That your data speeds are so variable almost certainly points to perfectly normal network/congestion related issues. This kind of thing is a frequent problem faced by users of mobile networks all over the world.
You do realise the data speeds you'll get at any given moment will be determined by a) the number of people using the cell you're connected to, b) how much traffic your carrier has going in/out of its network to the 'outside world' (and how much backhaul it has) and c) how much traffic the network that the site you're trying to access (or the people assisting you to steal copyrighted material) is experiencing.
These factors will naturally/obviously cause data speeds to fluctuate much more widely on a wireless/mobile connection than they would over a wired connection.
Postfatal is absolutely right re: there's sod all anyone here could tell you to 'fix' the issue. It's basic troubleshooting. Similar steps to what you'd follow if you thought a PC internet connection wasn't up to par. Google is your friend if that kind of thing is beyond you.
Occam's Razor is normally correct.
Rovers82517 said:
-SNIP-
This morning I was getting 500+kps downloads while wifi tethered so I'm certain it is not a data/network issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Rovers82517 said:
I don't know how to ''trouble shoot'' my problem, that is why I asked for any sort of help i.e apps that I should use to help identify the problem.
I didn't noticed a problem and come straight on here, I searched google for a good few hours but the results were not connected to my problem, which is also why I asked for tech-minded people to give me advice, I don't know where to begin.
This morning I was getting 500+kps downloads while wifi tethered so I'm certain it is not a data/network issue.
I will try usb tethering BUT I would still like any advice WHATSOEVER from anyone who may read this, cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try with some third party 'wifi tethering' apps from store and see if the issue persists with that also

MistahBungle said:
That your data speeds are so variable almost certainly points to perfectly normal network/congestion related issues. This kind of thing is a frequent problem faced by users of mobile networks all over the world.
You do realise the data speeds you'll get at any given moment will be determined by a) the number of people using the cell you're connected to, b) how much traffic your carrier has going in/out of its network to the 'outside world' (and how much backhaul it has) and c) how much traffic the network that the site you're trying to access (or the people assisting you to steal copyrighted material) is experiencing.
These factors will naturally/obviously cause data speeds to fluctuate much more widely on a wireless/mobile connection than they would over a wired connection.
Postfatal is absolutely right re: there's sod all anyone here could tell you to 'fix' the issue. It's basic troubleshooting. Similar steps to what you'd follow if you thought a PC internet connection wasn't up to par. Google is your friend if that kind of thing is beyond you.
Occam's Razor is normally correct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I seriously doubt a range of 20kps to 1.1Mbps can be down to traffic on the network, I'm backed up by thinking this because I can download on the phone directly at close to 1Mgps speeds consistently and then tether and get close to no speed at all.
It seems that if I reboot the phone and then leave it for a few minutes before turning wifi tether on it will connect at a higher speed, I would love a way of ''forcing'' the phone to connect at it's highest level available, but I don't know if thats possible or how I would even do a google search on it, what search terms are you suggesting? Everything I try gives unrelated results.

Sun90 said:
try with some third party 'wifi tethering' apps from store and see if the issue persists with that also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice, I will try later on but I have a poker tournament starting soon (with expected connection losses as usual to put up with, hopefully not occuring while I have a decent hand lol)

Sun90 said:
try with some third party 'wifi tethering' apps from store and see if the issue persists with that also
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
USB Tethering makes no difference to the speed whatsoever, has that narrowed it enough for someone to maybe give me some advice?
Will someone please tell me what tools/apps/pc programs I can use to attempt to identuify the problem myself? PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE?
The only semi-useful app I've found is UpDownMeter free, but this only tells me lol the up and down speeds, interesting but not of any use.
Come on guys you guys are smarter than me, been there done it etc, help me help dudes

Related

Did my update work? Didnt need a new a-key...

So I just went from stock radio and rom (VZW) to radio 3.42.30 first and then dcd's latest rom.
Did the *228 update, yada yada - made a phone call and connected to the internet with no problem
From reading many posts, how-tos, etc, I was under the impression that the a-key would be wiped out.
VZW boot screen shows the correct new versions, custom rom is installed, yada yada
is this normal?
BTW - how can I test to see if Rev-A is working?
i have never had to get a new a-key.....I have flased uuummmm 5 times i think
deeznuts2 said:
BTW - how can I test to see if Rev-A is working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to test, you must tether to a laptop,
open the commanager, then select internet connection sharing.
connect to the internet on your computer and go to a test like speedtest.net
i wish i had the data plan so i could use the rev A lol the wife put her foot down on my $150 phone bill lol
gbenj said:
to test, you must tether to a laptop,
open the commanager, then select internet connection sharing.
connect to the internet on your computer and go to a test like speedtest.net
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
problem is that I dont get EVDO service in my home, at least not very well. Got to climb the walls a bit to get even one bar.
Was wondering if there was something I could check on the phone itself, without tethering.
If not, I'll have to try it tomorrow when I can take my laptop elsewhere
gbenj said:
to test, you must tether to a laptop,
open the commanager, then select internet connection sharing.
connect to the internet on your computer and go to a test like speedtest.net
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no you don't
you can use a site like DSLReports to do a speedtest in PocketIE
Try: http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed?jisok=1&more=1
scrawnyb said:
no you don't
you can use a site like DSLReports to do a speedtest in PocketIE
Try: http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed?jisok=1&more=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
perfect! exactly what I was looking for. Thanx!
I have flashed many, many, many times and never needed to reset akey (just lucky I guess).
Other than speed, as these guys show, there is no actual way to tell. If you are in an area that has it, and you installed everything ok you should be getting it.
I've reset the A-KEY.........Just call verizon and tell them you were having a problem and reset your phone and tell them you have seen this problem before and they WILL NOT give you any problem issuing a new A-KEY as long as you seem to know what you are talking about!!
scrawnyb said:
no you don't
you can use a site like DSLReports to do a speedtest in PocketIE
Try: http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed?jisok=1&more=1
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Click to collapse
not exactly...while that will give you a speed reading, it wont be really accurate, cause your phone both needs to download the data and process it, the device needing to process it might give you slower than normal results.
when you tether with a laptop, the phone is just downloading the data, computer does all the work processing, which it doesnt slow down, (unless you have a computer with specs close to your phone...)
as far as i know, thats the way it is...and why i always tether to test the speed.
also, if you do use it on your phone, be sure not to use something like opera mini or something like that, because that will give you the speed of the opera server, not your connection to the internet...
good luck
gbenj said:
not exactly...while that will give you a speed reading, it wont be really accurate, cause your phone both needs to download the data and process it, the device needing to process it might give you slower than normal results.
when you tether with a laptop, the phone is just downloading the data, computer does all the work processing, which it doesnt slow down, (unless you have a computer with specs close to your phone...)
as far as i know, thats the way it is...and why i always tether to test the speed.
also, if you do use it on your phone, be sure not to use something like opera mini or something like that, because that will give you the speed of the opera server, not your connection to the internet...
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I think its working - when I got to work today I gave dslreports mobile a try....have 3 EVDO bars. Tested a 400k file....results: over 600kbps
try this site designed for mobile phones....
http://mobilespeedtest.com
Should give you a reading... I get up to 2.3 mbit..... average is 1.6.....
Did the same thing with my newly, recycled, replacement phone. And strangely enough, I didn't wipe the A-key like I did with my original. Weird, but counting my lucky stars.
Having some issues with slow detect of towers at my work desk - signal has been usually week - but found. Have done the EPST M.IP change/update thing - but the jury is still out as to if that has helped? Had similar issue with last phone. Probably not related so I just digress.
Thanks for the mobile speed ck links...
Speedtest doesn't even finish while I'm at my desk. Nice...
Desktop comes back at over 5.5kbs (FIOS).
Guess I'll have to try it else where. Nice testament to my connectivity to the towers while at work, huh. Can't win 'em all I suppose. At least the rest of the upgrade has gone well.

Touch Pro as Modem Problem

I've been using USB Modem with my Sprint Touch Pro for the last week and I'm having a major problem with it.
When uploading images via FTP, after one or two jpg files are uploaded, the upstream speed diminishes to almost nothing. It does this every time without fail.
The workaround is just disconnecting and reconnecting, but that's a pain.
Anyone else having this problem? It seems like it's some sort of switch being tripped in the phone or by Sprint when it sees that a large amount of data is being uploaded...just a guess though.
steiny said:
I've been using USB Modem with my Sprint Touch Pro for the last week and I'm having a major problem with it.
When uploading images via FTP, after one or two jpg files are uploaded, the upstream speed diminishes to almost nothing. It does this every time without fail.
The workaround is just disconnecting and reconnecting, but that's a pain.
Anyone else having this problem? It seems like it's some sort of switch being tripped in the phone or by Sprint when it sees that a large amount of data is being uploaded...just a guess though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Strange problem, I don't know if this will solve your problem.
But you should definately try a programm called "wmrouter" (google...)
This will turn your TP in a wireless router, which is really easy to use.
greetings,
Wout
have you tried the registry hacks for tethering? there's a cab if you don't want to do it yourself, but perhaps it'll fix your problem. You can do a search on here or go here for other touch pro essentials as well: http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=42730
The edits are under "internet" on there. goodluck.
wout said:
Hi,
Strange problem, I don't know if this will solve your problem.
But you should definately try a programm called "wmrouter" (google...)
This will turn your TP in a wireless router, which is really easy to use.
greetings,
Wout
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he's right. that app is great and also lets you connect your cpu wirelessly. only problem is that it drains your phone faster cause it uses wifi. but you won't have disconnections... you could try the registry hacks thread on that link i gave you first and if that doesn't work you should pay for wifi router or pdanet.
hey if you resolve this issue please update us on how u did it.. thanks
Wow, thanks for the help guys. Problem solved.
First off, USB Modem simply doesn't work right on the Touch Pro, so I'm uninstalling it. With the pre-installed Internet Sharing software, there's no need for USB Modem anyway and it cuts out the old step of having to dial #777 to connect.
Thanks for the suggestion Unflushablelog. I downloaded and installed the Internet Sharing tethering hack cab file, fired up Internet sharing and blam, full Rev A speed and no diminished upload speed and best of all, no #777 dial up. Awesome. Better solution than I could have hoped for.
As for WMWifiRouter, I'm sure that would work too but I prefer the USB tether.
Unflushablelog said:
he's right. that app is great and also lets you connect your cpu wirelessly. only problem is that it drains your phone faster cause it uses wifi. but you won't have disconnections... you could try the registry hacks thread on that link i gave you first and if that doesn't work you should pay for wifi router or pdanet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought a touch pro and im waiting for sprint to ship it, i got the everything plus plan will sprint slap me with a huge bill for tethering?
benitojuarez said:
I just bought a touch pro and im waiting for sprint to ship it, i got the everything plus plan will sprint slap me with a huge bill for tethering?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think only the phone as a modem add on to the plan covers tethering... but that's why people use that registry fix... to make sure it uses the sprint line (which is what simply everything uses - regular unlimited data). we should be getting billed for it, but we don't. just try not to spend a lot of time tethering and you'll be fine (basically you don't want to raise any flags by having abnormal data charges on your account cause then sprint might look into it)... people have been doing this for years and that's always their recommendation.. i've never heard anyone say don't do it. it's something that sprint tries to capitalize on by selling an unnecessary extra when it should be free, whether you have the simply everything plan or just the regular power vision with internet
Unflushable could you provide some more info about this reg fix please?
The registry fix is here: http://pocketpc-live.com/top-stories/the-remote-party-has-ended-this-connection.html
Regards,
Carty..
Carty said:
The registry fix is here: http://pocketpc-live.com/top-stories/the-remote-party-has-ended-this-connection.html
Regards,
Carty..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!

Boost Signal Strength???

Hi,
This is a question for all the Devs out there....
I was wondering if it is possible, to somehow change a setting on the phone, to significantly boost reception strength on both the mobile network and a 3G connectivity.
Now i know this would (if possible) come at a significant cost of battery as well... this is fine, as i would only want to use it at my work desk, where i have my phone plugged into a power socket the whole day anyways.
So the signal boosting would have to be a switchable function (if its possible at all) so that when i finish work for the day, i would then be able to switch it back to "normal" and not "boosted"
Its a weird request, and like i said i am not sure if its even possible, but any help or a point in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. I am sure i am not alone in the desire for such a function.
Edit: i found a bit of info in another thread, about a different phone.... but i dont understand it, nor know if it has any relevance to this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=924440
Thanks in advance,
Does anyone have this solution as i require it as well for T-Mobile UK as well
I am running 2.3.4
Thank You
anyone have any idea?
isn't it dependent on the modem being used?
Yeh its very modem file dependant. But i am sure there would be a way to give the signal a boost from changing some system files somewhere inside the phone.
Changing the amount of power required to boost the signal would be a great start, but like i said, i am not a developer, but it would be good if a developer could have a look at this, and see whether it is possible or not.
The 9100T modems have a higher SAR (radiation) value, from what I read or understand is really a function of the power output/transmission. As these are specific modems for the T versions, I'm sure you could boost and fine tune other modems in a similar way. The carrier might have to support it for it to work properly though.
Trade of might be higher battery drain and radiation.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
The modem firmware, where you would have to edit stuff, is a binary, and undocumented. You would have to put it though a hex editor.
Not many people have the knowhow, and those who do know that its a basically imposable task.
ahh ok fair enough.
I figured it would be possible, but wondered why it had never been attempted. If its as stated above, then chances are it most likely wont be figured out or attempted anytime soon.
Thanks for the insight guys, appreciate it all.
Cheers
But Orange do some sort of booster though i have no idea what it involves .
jje
JJEgan said:
But Orange do some sort of booster though i have no idea what it involves .
jje
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It involves using wifi to take calls and send texts. Instead of mobile data.

My Letter to Samsung President Re Note and S Issues

January 13, 2014
Mr. Gregory Lee
President and CEO
Samsung Electronics North America
Samsung Telecommunications America
85 Challenger Road
Ridgefield Park, NJ. 07660
Dear Mr. Lee:
You are surely aware by now of the many WIFI and instability problems reported on the web regarding the Samsung Galaxy S and Note Smartphones. These appear to be independent of carrier, but may be related to Android 4.3.
I myself have spent about 20 hours tracing WIFI instability problems on my Verizon Note 3 including all the cookbook suggestions on the web, as well as installation of a new router and modem. None worked for me until I turned off the Bluetooth function – a temporary solution at best.
As an electrical engineer I understand the complexities of hardware and software interactions, as well as the potential interactions of RF devices sharing the 2.4 GHz band. However, the problems with your devices are now likely consuming tens of thousands of user plus customer service hours, on what may be futile trails. This wasted time and frustration could be avoided.
I think the honorable thing to do would be for Samsung to broadly acknowledge that they are having these problems, announce that they have a top team working on it, forecast a time frame when they may have a repair, and suggest temporary fixes for those who can’t wait and need them immediately. For many people this would suffice, since your strong reputation would be enough to give them confidence that help is on the way. In effect, this makes Samsung a hero rather than a villain.
Unless you do this, you will face a growing backlash from increasingly frustrated users who feel their time is being wasted by a company that wants to hide the issue.
Sincerely,
Steven M. Baer MSEE
steve181 said:
January 13, 2014
Mr. Gregory Lee
President and CEO
Samsung Electronics North America
Samsung Telecommunications America
85 Challenger Road
Ridgefield Park, NJ. 07660
Dear Mr. Lee:
You are surely aware by now of the many WIFI and instability problems reported on the web regarding the Samsung Galaxy S and Note Smartphones. These appear to be independent of carrier, but may be related to Android 4.3.
I myself have spent about 20 hours tracing WIFI instability problems on my Verizon Note 3 including all the cookbook suggestions on the web, as well as installation of a new router and modem. None worked for me until I turned off the Bluetooth function – a temporary solution at best.
As an electrical engineer I understand the complexities of hardware and software interactions, as well as the potential interactions of RF devices sharing the 2.4 GHz band. However, the problems with your devices are now likely consuming tens of thousands of user plus customer service hours, on what may be futile trails. This wasted time and frustration could be avoided.
I think the honorable thing to do would be for Samsung to broadly acknowledge that they are having these problems, announce that they have a top team working on it, forecast a time frame when they may have a repair, and suggest temporary fixes for those who can’t wait and need them immediately. For many people this would suffice, since your strong reputation would be enough to give them confidence that help is on the way. In effect, this makes Samsung a hero rather than a villain.
Unless you do this, you will face a growing backlash from increasingly frustrated users who feel their time is being wasted by a company that wants to hide the issue.
Sincerely,
Steven M. Baer MSEE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dear Mr. Baer:
Sounds good buddy, keep it to your blog posts though.
Sincerely,
Mr. Cabra
getting this off the top of my head but I think you want to take you letter and send them out executive email carpet bombing where u email all the head honchos at that monster company samsung
United states division will probably get you something if you contact a director or something
who knows
would be interesting if everyone who signed the petition emailed n' carpet bombed em
can you imagine their inboxes getting flooded
I'D LOVE IT
After fixing my own and helping others in threads with WiFi instability issues, a solid fix is to adjust the channel of the frequency within your router settings to match your device/phone/laptop
Also if you go barely out of range/back in/flutter the WiFi connection you will get this message
Thanks for sending a letter to Samsung for us though, not many ppl put in the effort
lmike6453 said:
After fixing my own and helping others in threads with WiFi instability issues, a solid fix is to adjust the channel of the frequency within your router settings to match your device/phone/laptop
Also if you go barely out of range/back in/flutter the WiFi connection you will get this message
Thanks for sending a letter to Samsung for us though, not many ppl put in the effort
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you got a how to thread about this? I know how to change channels on router but how do I know which match the note 3?
Beamed from my Galaxy Note 3
recDNA said:
Have you got a how to thread about this? I know how to change channels on router but how do I know which match the note 3?
Beamed from my Galaxy Note 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every router we'll be different so the web console interface will be unique per router model.
You want to login to your router via Google chrome or IE, and navigate to something along the lines of Wi-Fi channel frequency.
There should be a range from 1-11 "channels" and you want to try one at a time. Yours could be different than mine depending on interference around you.
I hope this kinda makes sense. This also applies to general networking if your laptop Wi-Fi signal is weak sauce
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Thanks. I'm aware of the process. I thought there might be 1 or 2 specific channels that work best with Note 3. Through trial and error I do have a good connection. I just wondered if there was a better method than I used because it took quite a while.
Beamed from my Galaxy Note 3
What kind of routers are people using when they get this message? I've only gotten it once since having the phone on some random wifi network and the signal was dropping in and out
recDNA said:
Thanks. I'm aware of the process. I thought there might be 1 or 2 specific channels that work best with Note 3. Through trial and error I do have a good connection. I just wondered if there was a better method than I used because it took quite a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmike6453 said:
There should be a range from 1-11 "channels" and you want to try one at a time. Yours could be different than mine depending on interference around you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi Analyzer will look at all the wifi networks in earshot of your phone and tell you what channel they're on. You just pick one with the least chance of bumping into another network. No try and see method... just do it once. Test from the spot you're having the most trouble, typically the farthest spot from your router that you'll be using the wifi. (I tried to post direct link to the app in Google Play, but I'm too new of a user and the forum wouldn't let me)
recDNA you are not alone, I too thought lmike6453's post made it sound like he had some secret info about the Note 3 working best on a certain channel or something like that. No worries!
Thanks for this. Hope to see the response. Anyone ever buy a Samsung device from Asia, etc. and try to connect to your USA home Wi-Fi, only to find out your device doesn't recognize the region code? Yeah, lame. Almost as lame as releasing the international note 3 region locked, and LTE version not compatible with AT&T LTE bands. OK, I will stop veering off topic, here. Please post any response to this great letter.
platinumrims said:
What kind of routers are people using when they get this message? I've only gotten it once since having the phone on some random wifi network and the signal was dropping in and out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never had the message pop-up and I've had my Note 3 since the release day.
Jackseric said:
Wifi Analyzer will look at all the wifi networks in earshot of your phone and tell you what channel they're on. You just pick one with the least chance of bumping into another network. No try and see method... just do it once. Test from the spot you're having the most trouble, typically the farthest spot from your router that you'll be using the wifi. (I tried to post direct link to the app in Google Play, but I'm too new of a user and the forum wouldn't let me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the play store app link for the Wifi Analyzer app (farproc).
Doing an occupied channel assessment like this is definitely a good practice for avoiding interference from other WiFi APs; but keep in mind that due to channel overlap a three-channel separation is best. Because of the pervasiveness of WiFi, it may be impossible to find such a "quiet channel" arrangements, though. In such cases though it is useful to at least avoid the same channels that the strongest nearby APs are using. A lot of consumer WiFi routers use default channels assignments of 3, 6, or 9 (so that folks that leave their APs with default settings always end up 3 channels apart from other "defaulters"... two-thirds of the time ). That suggests that if you are in an area with lots of WiFi (maybe an apartment building or something) try to get 2 channels away (1, 4 or 5, 7 or 8, 11) - at least the interference will be diminished a little bit.
There is one big problem with WiFi scanners though - they don't give a single clue about RF interference by non-WiFi devices in the ISM band(s). Microwave ovens, portable phones, baby monitors, bluetooth devices, yada yada yada. Perhaps there is a way to infer from re-transmission statistics whether or not one channel is better than another, but I'm not sure if such apps even exist, and due to the burst-like nature of many forms of interference (who runs their Microwave oven all day long?), you might have to observe a lot of data to figure something like that out.
Some of the statistics in this Cisco article ("Top 20 Myths of WiFi Interference") are rather startling; worth a look.
@steve181
Good luck getting any response from Samsung or Verizon. Not because I'm a cynic or anything, but because WiFi operates in a uncontrolled, free-for-all radio space which is basically a giant experiment started by the FCC. The fact that it operates at all - or even most of the time - is hardly some kind of guarantee that it will work in all scenarios.
They (Samsung/Verizon) are not going to come over to your house to find out what is wrong.
And the fact that you can find isolated reports of problems scattered across the internet is not a reliable metric of the incidence rate of problems. That's an "availability bias" problem with the data you have to work with. People with trouble go looking for solutions and people that don't have problems... don't. There might be widespread problems or only rare ones - neither you nor I have the data to support either of those hypotheses with any credibility, though.
The 802.11 protocols are extremely complicated and sophisticated - and complex, sophisticated protocols are good breeding grounds for interop problems (software bugs due to differences in protocol interpretation). It takes at least two to tango (the STA and the AP), and a bug could be on either side. Throw in uncontrolled interference from other random electronic devices, and who is to say that "this is Vendor A's fault" without any due diligence. ("Well, my other devices don't do this" is hardly proof of much - it's just a suspicion or hypothesis at best)
Don't like the results you are getting? Get a different phone, router, or neighborhood. Or fiddle with some settings on them until they work. Yeah it sucks and is a huge drain of time; but practically speaking those are the only alternatives when you run into a WiFi problem.
I once encountered an IT infrastructure bug that was a three-vendor bug: it only occurred with a specific client OS, a specific AntiVirus software release, and a specific vendor's multi-protocol (SMB/NFS) file server. Imagine what that was like trying to get any of the involved vendors to engage. Every WiFi issue has exactly the same 3-fold problem resolution tree: is the problem (a) the STA, (b) the AP, or (c) uncontrolled crap in the area?
good luck
Jackseric said:
Wifi Analyzer will look at all the wifi networks in earshot of your phone and tell you what channel they're on. You just pick one with the least chance of bumping into another network. No try and see method... just do it once. Test from the spot you're having the most trouble, typically the farthest spot from your router that you'll be using the wifi. (I tried to post direct link to the app in Google Play, but I'm too new of a user and the forum wouldn't let me)
recDNA you are not alone, I too thought lmike6453's post made it sound like he had some secret info about the Note 3 working best on a certain channel or something like that. No worries!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny, I had wifi analyzer but there was no congestion on any channel so I just used trial and error. I have very secure and fast wifi now. I do think I have an excellent router though. Fairly new with lots of options.
Beamed from my Galaxy Note 3
Changing router settings is not okay... As a temporary fix, maybe. But to act like it's not a problem with the phone because you were able to change router channels, or have the latest greatest router, misses the point completely. If everything else you have has no issues with wifi connectivity to your router, why should you have to change anything at all to get the Note 3 to have a stable connection? Not everyone is a computer whiz or has the time to mess with all that. Wifi is a basic function of a phone that should work out of the box. Just my 2 cents. Not trying to start a debate.
toddnbrown said:
Changing router settings is not okay... As a temporary fix, maybe. But to act like it's not a problem with the phone because you were able to change router channels, or have the latest greatest router, misses the point completely. If everything else you have has no issues with wifi connectivity to your router, why should you have to change anything at all to get the Note 3 to have a stable connection? Not everyone is a computer whiz or has the time to mess with all that. Wifi is a basic function of a phone that should work out of the box. Just my 2 cents. Not trying to start a debate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This makes me wonder whether indeed I should get a Dev edition Note 3... until this is resolved...
Another reason this is unacceptable is many people do not have access to router settings in corporate environments. This should be embarrassing to Samsung. Imagine their reputation when in a meeting someone says oh sorry, I can't connect to WiFi I have a crappy Samsung. Then another guy says oh, that sucks. I have an iPhone it works just fine. Hm. They need to get their crap straight on this and not ignore it like Apple and go all "you're holding it wrong" on us. This thread should be enough for the engineering team to start from and fix this issue permanently.
So do you guys notice a difference in performance or is it just words telling you something is wrong while it's working fine? What if Samsung is the only one trying to help and others just mute the warnings
+1000000
I thought I was going crazy when I couldn't get my vzw retail note 3 to play nice with my chromecast. HTC one, no problem. IPhones 5 and 5s, no problem. Nexus 7 (2013), iPad air, no problem. I too have wondered in frustration how it could be possible that a flagship device from a company as high profile as Samsung (only the #1 android device maker in the world) could put out products with such major problems. I'd say that inability to maintain a stable WiFi connection is a pretty significant shortcoming in a device that is essentially a vehicle to access the internet. It's things like this that allow fanboys to say "apple stuff just works." Because it does. Apple has trained to consumers to expect that things will 'just work'. And why shouldn't they?
And while you're at it Samsung, fix the audio stuttering with the screen off. Jeez!
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
oktrav said:
+1000000
I thought I was going crazy when I couldn't get my vzw retail note 3 to play nice with my chromecast. HTC one, no problem. IPhones 5 and 5s, no problem. Nexus 7 (2013), iPad air, no problem. I too have wondered in frustration how it could be possible that a flagship device from a company as high profile as Samsung (only the #1 android device maker in the world) could put out products with such major problems. I'd say that inability to maintain a stable WiFi connection is a pretty significant shortcoming in a device that is essentially a vehicle to access the internet. It's things like this that allow fanboys to say "apple stuff just works." Because it does. Apple has trained to consumers to expect that things will 'just work'. And why shouldn't they?
And while you're at it Samsung, fix the audio stuttering with the screen off. Jeez!
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously my galaxy note one was hella stable compared to this locked down piece of garbage
Sent from my SM-N900V using XDA Premium HD app
throw in about no stock files for developer edition too please lol
toddnbrown said:
Changing router settings is not okay... As a temporary fix, maybe. But to act like it's not a problem with the phone because you were able to change router channels, or have the latest greatest router, misses the point completely. If everything else you have has no issues with wifi connectivity to your router, why should you have to change anything at all to get the Note 3 to have a stable connection? Not everyone is a computer whiz or has the time to mess with all that. Wifi is a basic function of a phone that should work out of the box. Just my 2 cents. Not trying to start a debate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
macdroid01 said:
This makes me wonder whether indeed I should get a Dev edition Note 3... until this is resolved...
Another reason this is unacceptable is many people do not have access to router settings in corporate environments. This should be embarrassing to Samsung. Imagine their reputation when in a meeting someone says oh sorry, I can't connect to WiFi I have a crappy Samsung. Then another guy says oh, that sucks. I have an iPhone it works just fine. Hm. They need to get their crap straight on this and not ignore it like Apple and go all "you're holding it wrong" on us. This thread should be enough for the engineering team to start from and fix this issue permanently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that the technology should be automated in the sense of pairing frequencies after scanning for the best one. Until then, all ya can do is be grateful that wireless even exists compared to a decade ago's technology, it's still in overall infancy stage.
platinumrims said:
So do you guys notice a difference in performance or is it just words telling you something is wrong while it's working fine? What if Samsung is the only one trying to help and others just mute the warnings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just a notification that remains stickied in the notification drawer if at ANY point in your connection it is recognized as unstable. Really, the whole "issue" is blown out of proportion to me since it works as normal and you wouldn't know of any difference if it just didn't report anything like other Android phones.

[Q] Strange WiFi behavior

I have a rooted c6833, running a GPE port here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2800414
I have also attached 3 screenshots that should show pretty clearly what I'm talking about, so you may not need to read this at all.
Things work great, but I've noticed an oddity surrounding wifi, and while it doesn't affect my actual wifi connection at all, it's just strange. I live in a large apartment building and there are many networks cluttering the airwaves. Funny thing is, several of these networks "follow" me when I leave.
Example: Let's say a network named "Network 1" with a MAC address of Fb:89:bt:12:3r:56 appears when I am at home. It's not my network and I have never attempted to connect to it either. When I go to school, more than 30 miles away, I still see the network, but now it has a MAC address that looks like 00:00:00:00:00. I use Wifi Analyzer to get this information, but the network will show in both that program and under wifi settings in Android.
All of the networks that "follow" me show "Xerox" as the wireless chip when they have a zeroed out MAC, but something else when they show an actual MAC address. The false wifi networks never show any change in signal, while the true ones back at home do.
I'm just curious as to why this occurs and if anybody else has ever seen this. I feel pretty at home with networking, but this stumps me. My only guess is some kind of issue with the rom or kernel, but that's a shot in the dark. Ever seen this? I'll laugh if its really simple.
wifi be like
anyways...I dunno. I have never seen this before
I truly appreciate the meme.
Its a real head scratcher, but I happen to have another of the same phone and updated it to the same rom last night and now it does it too. I think the rom/kernel is where to look. Thanks for looking.
Hmm... That's strange.. (I have no idea what's going on with your WiFi).
Not sure if there's any relation but check this thread out Click Here.

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