Related
Hello,
I just bought a GTab and am really excited about it. However, I am not particularly happy with the wi-fi range of the device. It goes to zero bars barely 15 feet away from the router. Did anyone else face similar problems? Let me know
Yup. I lose a bar just by turning my chair away from my router. No solution so far.
Thanks, How long have you had the device? Did you contact Customer Service?
Could be your router. I have no problem using my tab anywhere in the house and out on the patio with a crappy old D-link.
I don't get a full signal, but it is enough to stream my music and browse fine.
Google "cantenna" and you will find a cheap and easy way to extend your range.
This is actually one thing that amazed me about the g-tablet. I Took my g-tab to my mom's house and logged into their unsecured Linksys router. It worked fine, no issues whatsoever. My mother lives a block from the church where I serve as an elder (roughly 50-60 yards away...) I took my g-tablet to a meeting one evening, opened the case, and found that I was already connected to network. I hadn't had a chance to set up the church's network yet...the Tablet actually automatically connected to my mother's network. The signal isn't the strongest, but I hadn't expected ANY signal whatsoever. It works fine in every room of my house as well.
I ended up setting up the Church's network, but the g-tab still automatically connects to my mother's when I'm anywhere near there. My Pastor said that it's because the church's router is has protection and that typically linux based devices tend ot take the path of least resistence. I'd prefer if it checked for the strongest signal, first, though.
I agree it soundls like your router unless you got a leamon. My router is in m livingroom and my gTab drops only one bar when it is in the bedroom, meaning the wifi signal is going through the bathroom to get there, through 2 walls and maybe 15 feet, no line of sight.
When it is charging in the kitchen the signal goes 20 feet and through one wall, again no line of sight, and if I position the tablet just right I can get no bars dropped.
I have a wifi-g router, Westell I think (whatever wifi router Verizon sent me lol). I haven't tried the gTab outside yet, but my daughter's iPod tough can get a weak signal in the back yard and the router is in the livingroom at the front of the house.
mike_ekim said:
My router is in m livingroom and my gTab drops only one bar when it is in the bedroom, meaning the wifi signal is going through the bathroom to get there, through 2 walls and maybe 15 feet, no line of sight...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Mike, this is where the materials used in buiding construction might make a difference.
If sudeep_itbhu is here in India, then the WiFi signals have to pass through dense brick or stone walls to reach his gTablet. In the US, the signals might just have to pass through things like wood or plaster which won't absorb the signals as much. I've brought access points from the US to India only to have it fail miserably because of our brick walls.
sudeep_itbhu, you could try boosting the "Transmit Power" on your wireless router or AP. You can usually change that setting via a browser if you connect to the router.
Of course, my signal is going (from my mother's 100+ year old house to the 80 year old church lounge) through one interior wall, one exterior wall aluminum siding, 50 - 60 yards though a couple trees, power lines all around, through the brick exterior church wall, and through an old wood interior wall and I'll still have a signal. A weak signal, but still a signal.
mike_ekim said:
I have a wifi-g router, Westell I think (whatever wifi router Verizon sent me lol). I haven't tried the gTab outside yet, but my daughter's iPod tough can get a weak signal in the back yard and the router is in the livingroom at the front of the house.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just went into my back yard and from about 65 feet away from the router (no line of sight) I was able to surf the web on wireless g. I get 3 or 4 bars everywhere inside on the same floor, 2 bars right outside the house, and it drops to 1 bar by the time I hit the trees. It's wet, I'm not going any further today.
It's just another data point to help you figure out if you have either a bad router signal or a bad tablet, because at 15 feet the gTab is able to get a great signal with an 'no frills' router. Everyone else seems to have similar experience.
@rajeevvp: Agreed. I got the impression he had a bad signal at 15 feet with a direct line of sight, but I may be mistaken.
mine works fine but the only problem that annoys me is that the wifi is always automatically turned off (especially when I turn the screen off and leave it idle). When I turn the screen back on, I need to go to settings and turn the wifi on. is there any ways to solve it?
wifi dropping
I am having the same problem with my wifi not automatically reconnecting after going to sleep. This happens if the tab is off for an extended period of time. I am running vegan 5.1.1. Any ideas???
thanks for your replies, I think I might go and get a replacement and check that out. The range of my device is about 15 yards through a couple of walls. I am in the US.
stolly23 said:
I am having the same problem with my wifi not automatically reconnecting after going to sleep. This happens if the tab is off for an extended period of time. I am running vegan 5.1.1. Any ideas???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set your "WiFi sleep policy" to "Never" in Settings > "Wireless & networks" > "Wi-Fi settings" > menu key > "Advanced", and see if that helps.
rajeevvp said:
Set your "WiFi sleep policy" to "Never" in Settings > "Wireless & networks" > "Wi-Fi settings" > menu key > "Advanced", and see if that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the idea, but I have already checked that. It was already set to never.
TJEvans said:
Of course, my signal is going (from my mother's 100+ year old house to the 80 year old church lounge) through one interior wall, one exterior wall aluminum siding, 50 - 60 yards though a couple trees, power lines all around, through the brick exterior church wall, and through an old wood interior wall and I'll still have a signal. A weak signal, but still a signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Wi-Fi signal would only have trouble with the brick wall, then.
As for range, the maximum values for 802.11g signals are ~38 m (125 ft) indoors and ~140 m (460 ft) outdoors. In practice, I've found that these maximums decrease considerably.
Using "Wi-Fi Analyzer" I saw a received signal power of ~ -75 dBm 20 ft indoors (through a few intervening brick walls) at the other end of my house. I got ~ -85 dBm ~100 ft away from the back of the house and outside (through the intervening exterior wall and the low garden wall). And, at that signal strength, which is at the very low threshold of the wireless received signal power range, I was only able to see my wireless router, but, I couldn't use it.
At the other end of the signal-strength range, 2 feet away from, and directly in sight of the wireless router, I see a signal strength of ~45 dBm. This means that there is a drop in signal strength of around 3 orders of magnitude (1000x) from one end of my house to the other.
TJEvans said:
I ended up setting up the Church's network, but the g-tab still automatically connects to my mother's when I'm anywhere near there. My Pastor said that it's because the church's router is has protection and that typically linux based devices tend ot take the path of least resistence. I'd prefer if it checked for the strongest signal, first, though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice--A tech-savvy pastor . But, he's wrong about Linux. Linux prefers to connect to the last access point you configured it to connect to (if it can see it). This is the correct behaviour--you wouldn't normally want the tablet to connect to some random access point or wireless router just because its signal strength was higher for some reason.
sudeep_itbhu said:
Hello,
I just bought a GTab and am really excited about it. However, I am not particularly happy with the wi-fi range of the device. It goes to zero bars barely 15 feet away from the router. Did anyone else face similar problems? Let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This tablet, bought Nov 2010, is very good on reception. It picked up 15-20 signals around any communities as we traveled aboard Amtrak from Philadelphia to Denver and return. It also saw a half-dozen signals (other than the in-house networks) when I was in a hospital for 6 days. I like WiFi Analyzer to see what's available.
Router
I have a few different routers (types) running here (Primary and Clients) for different reasons.
It seems to be router dependent (at least in my case). All are N capable. One stays connected all the way around the block when I walk my dog (yes, I walk my G-Tablet with us). One fades out if I am one house down. The other somewhere in between.
--You can try to reposition your router
--You could get another router, use as a client, or get a range extender
--You could log into the admin panel of your router and determine if you can increase the broadcast power.
--If it doesn't have this option and you are somewhat tech savvy (and have a compatible router), you could flash your router's firmware with DD-WRT (google it) or other similar. It should allow you to increase the broadcast power. You can look up your router on the website to determine compatibility, then carefully follow the directions to flash (standard-if you brick it please do not blame me or them)
--Hope it helps. That is pretty much all I know about this issue. Not sure where you are but the ATT DSL Router (that they provide here in the Bay Area, Cali) does not seem to have a very strong signal and is not (last time i checked) compatible with DD-WRT.
Hey there!
my wifi connection seems to be very bad, but I don't know if its normal :-/
When I'm up to 1m-2m next to my router, i have full connection (4 bars) after that only 3 bars. In my kitchen i have only 1 bar (~10 meters, 2 Firesafety doors).
A friend with an Sgs2 has 3 bars in my kitchen, same network.
Is it broken or a general Prime issue that can't be fixxed?
Bluetooth is turned off.
Co0n said:
Hey there!
my wifi connection seems to be very bad, but I don't know if its normal :-/
When I'm up to 1m-2m next to my router, i have full connection (4 bars) after that only 3 bars. In my kitchen i have only 1 bar (~10 meters, 2 Firesafety doors).
A friend with an Sgs2 has 3 bars in my kitchen, same network.
Is it broken or a general Prime issue that can't be fixxed?
Bluetooth is turned off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had similar results with mine. The device just seems to have bad wifi connectivity :/
Pretty sure I'm returning mine.
Here's a video comparing it to the original Transformer's wifi connectivity with similar results.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzCZc3pjtrA
Nothing can be done to fix the WiFi issues, it comes down to a bad design. The outer case is causing the interference. Most people are just dealing with it because it still works its, just that the data speeds you get over WiFi are inconsistent. In my own testing , Usually once I am 10 ft or more away from my router my data speed drops from 25 megs down to 2 or 3 with occasional bursts. I do stay connected the time all around the house, its just that data speed are affected by the interference. I did get some improvement after switching my router to use wireless n over ch 1. Hope that helps
evegas316 said:
Nothing can be done to fix the WiFi issues, it comes down to a bad design. The outer case is causing the interference. Most people are just dealing with it because it still works its, just that the data speeds you get over WiFi are inconsistent. In my own testing , Usually once I am 10 ft or more away from my router my data speed drops from 25 megs down to 2 or 3 with occasional bursts. I do stay connected the time all around the house, its just that data speed are affected by the interference. I did get some improvement after switching my router to use wireless n over ch 1. Hope that helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got some different info from Asus today. I too have similar wireless problems, but it seems that not every Prime does.
I got call from Asus today, and they asked me to return my Prime so they could take a look at the WiFi problems I was having. (I had written a couple of emails to folks at Asus.) Apparently some Primes have problems with "WiFi cards".
Ride525 said:
I got some different info from Asus today. I too have similar wireless problems, but it seems that not every Prime does.
I got call from Asus today, and they asked me to return my Prime so they could take a look at the WiFi problems I was having. (I had written a couple of emails to folks at Asus.) Apparently some Primes have problems with "WiFi cards".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WOW, that's some news. I will return mine and see if a new one is any better, I personally think that the symptoms are exactly what you should be experiencing based on the interference the case is causing.
thanks for the info.
Just received my TFP today. I get pretty much the same results with my phone as I do with the TFP. Also, I had just returned the Samsing Galaxy Tab but my results are pretty close to what I experienced with that as well.
I'm only basing my results using speedtest.net. Seemed like a pretty good tool for me to determine whether or not I'd be satisfied with the speed of the TFP. I did my tests in 3 different locations in my home...one just above my router which is in my basement the floor below (about 6 feet away) - 14mb...one in my bedroom which has a brick wall in the way (about 20 feet away) - 5mb...and one in my bathroom (30 feet away) - 4mb. Not too sure what type of speeds I should expect other than what my other devices get. I`m using a wireless G router at the moment but still have to set up my wireless N router soon..a Linksys E4200.
Upload speeds were all at the 1mb mark regardless of the location..I`m capped at 1mb down by my ISP.
One thing to note, I could care less about the number of bars on the wifi icon...I care about real world results.
Just my two cents...
senatorxmg said:
Just received my TFP today. I get pretty much the same results with my phone as I do with the TFP. Also, I had just returned the Samsing Galaxy Tab but my results are pretty close to what I experienced with that as well.
I'm only basing my results using speedtest.net. Seemed like a pretty good tool for me to determine whether or not I'd be satisfied with the speed of the TFP. I did my tests in 3 different locations in my home...one just above my router which is in my basement the floor below (about 6 feet away) - 14mb...one in my bedroom which has a brick wall in the way (about 20 feet away) - 5mb...and one in my bathroom (30 feet away) - 4mb. Not too sure what type of speeds I should expect other than what my other devices get. I`m using a wireless G router at the moment but still have to set up my wireless N router soon..a Linksys E4200.
Upload speeds were all at the 1mb mark regardless of the location..I`m capped at 1mb down by my ISP.
One thing to note, I could care less about the number of bars on the wifi icon...I care about real world results.
Just my two cents...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check to see what channel your router is set on. TPFs seem to like G band routers set on a low frequency..... your speeds dont seem that good try channel 1
That change made a big difference for me hope it helps
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
ilostmypistons said:
Check to see what channel your router is set on. TPFs seem to like G band routers set on a low frequency..... your speeds dont seem that good try channel 1
That change made a big difference for me hope it helps
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I defintely don't have the best set up in my house right now for wifi...when directly connected I can get around 25mbs down from my PC which is the reported speeds form my ISP...when using wifi, I seem to be capped to 15mbs regardless of the device.
I was waiting to switch routers to see what my new E4200 does. Will post those results once I make the change. For now, 14mbs down seems pretty decent to me considering all my wireless devices (PC included) get the same speeds.
I've had my Prime for about 2 weeks and have been very happy with it.
I'm posting this because I'm sure there are many other potential buyers hesitating due to all the negative discussions recently.
Initially, I was reading about WiFi and GPS issues online. The stores I asked were telling me of WiFi and GPS issues... blaming it all on the metal casing.
Even so, I took the plunge and got it based on the following:
WiFi: Anandtech's testing seemed to show WiFi performance is comparable to other tablets in his tests after he got some new retail sample units from Asus.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5175/asus-transformer-prime-followup
GPS: Will be using it at home, so no use for GPS. Also, for comparison, Wifi only versions of ipad2 do not even have GPS.
After using the Prime on WiFi at different locations, I can confirm that it is no worse than the Acer A500 or my Nexus One phone.
Alsp, please also refer to this test image done at another forum.
http://attach.mobile01.com/attach/201201/mobile01-ca742e0578a2a417e2d4ffd597722681.jpg
Notebooks obviously will have better reception so that is not a fair comparison.
Therefore in my opinion, the whole WiFi issue was just blown out by the GPS issue.
There may also have been an initial small batch of engineering samples with broken WiFi that fueled the negative publicity, which is just bad luck for ASUS.
But I believe Mass Production units should not have this issue.
Also, people should be comparing the Prime with comparable tablets/ipad and not with notebooks.
who cares about tests done in perfect conditions? if the prime can't get a signal while my sgs2 and my girlfriend's galaxy tab have no problems at all, something is definitely wrong with the prime. put a couple of walls between the router and the prime, and the prime has a significant signal loss compared to other devices.
at least that is my experience so far. maybe some transformers get good wifi signals, even trough walls. but the two i had did not.
jemz0r said:
I'm posting this because I'm sure there are many other potential buyers hesitating due to all the negative discussions recently.
Initially, I was reading about WiFi and GPS issues online. The stores I asked were telling me of WiFi and GPS issues... blaming it all on the metal casing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's great that, under your conditions, you're pleased with Wi-Fi. From videos comparing the TF1 side-by-side to the Prime you can see the Prime struggles to maintain the continuity of its signal. It gets worse the further away from the router you are. Three of my friends that travel a lot returned the Prime because, on the road, you can't play with a routers settings just to please your device. Some people are happy with the Prime's Wi-Fi performance, some aren't. It's a big YMMV based on how and where you use it.
Here's what Anand said after he got a replacement for the first defective device he received. To get decent speeds, he had to change the wireless environment to suit the Prime. He didn't on the TF1.
At the same time, I had test data from both ASUS and NVIDIA that show the Prime is capable of reasonable WiFi speeds. Yesterday morning I received a replacement Prime which was tested prior to being sent my way. The good news is the 2Mbps cap and poor range are both gone, the new sample is much faster on WiFi. Clearly there was something wrong with my original unit and it's being sent back to ASUS today for an autopsy. The bad news is I was still getting numbers around half of the original Transformer.
Using Ookla's Speedtest.net web app I get a consistent 34 - 37Mbps on the original Eee Pad Transformer (our actual WiFi performance tests involve downloading a file from a local server, but Speedtest was a quick and easy way to verify the problem). My original Prime review sample averaged around 0.5Mbps, while the replacement Prime got around 10Mbps - all in the same test location. Fiddling around with location I could get the replacement Prime up to 16Mbps. My test area is riddled with challenging interference so I setup a separate test area in another room. Even after buying the same Netgear WNDR4500 wireless AP that ASUS verified 31Mbps+ operation on, I wasn't able to break 16Mbps.
I have four other APs covering my house, I turned all of the radios off as a last ditch effort. Boom - 36Mbps on the Prime.
Good that you are happy with WIFI under your condition. However, judging from my experience and few others:
1.) WIFI performance will vary on where you are, or your environment. For example.. My router is in the basement of my house, but if i take it to 1st floor, I lose about 1 or 2 bars depending on where I am. If I take up to my 2nd floor.... I either have one or none. Now, I did the same experiment at my friends house and at work.. depending on the structure of the building and thinness of the wall, WIFI performance of PRIME really varies (and much more noticeable over other devices I have or tested).
Now, I also travel often for work. Recently returned from a trip.... and I tested the WIFI performance at the Hotel I was staying. More or less, I was stuck in 1 bar with constant disconnect or no WIFI at all.
Considering that the appeal of "tablets" are for ease of portability... based on my experience, I cannot recommend Prime to those who travel often. Btw, mine is more or less a "perfect" prime without any issues.
PRIME's WIFI can certainly be adequate but it does have its issues with "range" (especially when the setting or environment changes often).
2.) Can we please stop comparing Prime to iPad 2? If you are comparing the overall performance (such as graphics, speed.. blah blah blah).. I understand.. but stop comparing Prime's GPS and the non-existent GPS of iPad 2.
I have used my prime in my girlfriend's house where the router is 20+ yards away and has to go through 3 walls, 2 of which are external because the house is U shaped, and have had no issues with wifi signal. Of course I get half bars, but the speed test is still good (sorry don't remember exact numbers) and I use YouTube and browsing consistently and without issue.
I must add that I am getting a good wireless connection from here at work where I normally got poor signals and had to rely on my mifi device.
To top that I'm at lunch watching X-Men over Netflix with my Bluetooth headphones paired, and the streaming haven't stopped. The quality hassn't depleted much either.
I would have to agree with the original poster, for my machine, the WiFi is a non-issue and works just fine. It works well for me in the following varied locations/conditions:
1. My home wifi with the router in the living room. Tablet works in every room of the condo.
2. Vancouver airport - Free Wifi
3. Narita Airport - Free Wifi
4. Haneda Airport - Free Wifi
5. Beijing Airport - Some strange pass-through wifi
6. Every hotel in the 3 countries I have traveled to since getting my prime.
7. WiFi at work whose main router isn't even located on my floor and browser pass through login.
8. Every coffee bean and starbuck's wifi that I've been to
9. The wifi hotspot on my verizon phone.
The list could go on and on as I always take my prime everywhere I go and there is usually free or cheap wifi wherever I go. I have never had a problem with my wifi signal not being great enough for me to surf the web, watch netflix, or log into/use my web dependent apps. It is not always full bars, but my suspicion is that the bars indicator on the prime isn't all that accurate.
At any rate, it works for me, but I understand that the build quality may not be consistent across all primes and that I just maybe one of the lucky ones.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
That's what I've always said OP. good post. my wifi strength,stability, n range has always been great. n I have one of the earliest batches from 12/22. Anandtech said it right. Said wifi on par with OG transformer. its all about people setups. they need to understand the various contributing factors that can cause wireless issues. Some are determined not to budge from 5Ghz N speed although its not supported by prime anyways and that frequency has been proven to be marketing b.s. because 5Ghz doesn't guareentee faster speeds and the range is alot less than 2.4Ghz range. here is an example of the debunked 5Ghz myth and some tips also if your network seeming slow for a particular device.
http://smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-basics/30664-5-ways-to-fix-slow-80211n-speed
For the record, I've had no wifi problems with my Prime, anywhere in my house or yard.
I must be one of the unlucky ones.
House: Large Bungalow (2000 sq ft)
Router: Cisco e4200 using 2.4Ghz
Router Location: up on a rafter in the basement (i.e. right up against the first level floorboard)
Internet Connection: 30Mbps
Test 1: Right below router in the basement - 29Mbps
Test 2: Main floor, standing right above the router - 20Mbps
Test 3: Great Room (approx 15ft from router) - 16Mbps
Test 4: Kitchen (approx 30ft from router) - 2Mbps
Test 5: Dining Room (approx 40ft from router) - 2Mbps
In the latter two tests, my kid's iPad still gets 16Mbps. I may RMA later in the year, hoping ASUS will have had time to decide on a fix.
This tablet is absolutely gorgeous and my wife would never let me return it.
jemz0r said:
Wifi only versions of ipad2 do not even have GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lmao this is the worst argument i have ever read on xda really.
Lol
I use my prime at work and home all the time. At home my router is in my living room and obviously there are no issues, but I also have a home gym upstairs and on the opposite corner of the house. I have no issues streaming Netflix during my runs, How I met your mother is a great distraction!
At work my office has the router through many walls and doors, I get 2 bars where my phone gets 3. Speedtest though is identical, and my phone is also on a custom rom that has its wifi tolerances increased. Stream music all day on my tablet with no issues/drops.
Also travel a lot for work around the country, no issues in the Indy Airport with free wifi or my hotel on a recent trip to Nashville. Will want to test it on some more upcoming trips but so far everything is coming up aces.
I've had 2 Primes, both purchased retail (not review units).
Prime 1 from the first batch made had fine WiFi with no signif drop when 20 feet away from Office N routers. It worked well.
Prime 2 (latest batch, C serial number, 64 gig) drops from 25Mbps next to router to 7 Mbps when 20 feet from router (one partial obstruction, interior wall of wood beam and sheetrock). At 30 feet, it gets 2Mbps. This is far worse than Prime 1 and most other devices in our office.
Variability between two Primes leads me to believe this is a hardware issue (antenna connection?). Neither have any problems streaming when also connected to a BT device.
I have a perfect example of the Prime's WiFi fail that I experienced just 20 mins ago at lunch:
-Parked right outside of a McDonalds
-My phone (a subpar LG Optimus T) picks up all of 3 of their public networks, connects to them all and maintains a stable internet connection
-My Prime can only see one and cannot connect to it... just gives me the option to "Save" or "Forget"
Prime wifi = fail.
I respect that the OP may not have WiFi problems with his specific use cases, but the WiFi problem is real. Take a look at my test results from this thread and explain to me how there's no WiFi problem in light of them.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=21413105&postcount=15
So after looking at the tear down images of the Prime, I decided to give mine a little flex (just a little) and press along the top edge where the two antenna contacts live (idiotic pogo pin connectors and copper tape contacts).
Result?
Prime 2, the wirelessly challenged tablet, now sees 15 to 20 db better signal over WiFi and does not drop throughput AT ALL 20 feet from router. Wow.
GPS under ICS was a no-show and now gets 13 sats in view with 8 in use outdoors in 20 seconds. Indoors it sees 4 or 5 sats but doesn't get a fix. Before the love-hug? Nothing nada, zip.
Screenshot please
Send the workaround to ASUS devs, so we can all be blessed.
Regards
+1
I was just about to ask for a screenshot of where you exactly pressed too. This would be awesome.
edit: Maybe this is why ASUS says they can "fix" the weak wifi?
I pressed, both front and back, along the top bezel area (black zone above display). I didn't squeeze the heck out of it, but put just enough pressure to see a little temporary light bleed.
I chose that zone based on the teardown phone that I think came from Annandtech and is posted in an XDA dev thread.
See the two pogo pins (spring-loaded push connectors that stick up a bit). That's the area.
bimbobo said:
Screenshot please
Send the workaround to ASUS devs, so we can all be blessed.
Regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hab1 said:
+1
I was just about to ask for a screenshot of where you exactly pressed too. This would be awesome.
edit: Maybe this is why ASUS says they can "fix" the weak wifi?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pdagal said:
I pressed, both front and back, along the top bezel area (black zone above display). I didn't squeeze the heck out of it, but put just enough pressure to see a little temporary light bleed.
I chose that zone based on the teardown phone that I think came from Annandtech and is posted in an XDA dev thread.
See the two pogo pins (spring-loaded push connectors that stick up a bit). That's the area.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just sent Gary key a very detailed PM and link to that thread showing teardown n talk about the pogo pins. Said this is info he will want to pass along to Asus engineers asap as it could be a real fix made from this info. these pogo pins not having a good connection will influence wireless performance more than anything else including backplate. if issues are caused from loose connections then fixed, backplate really won't be an issue anymore.
I do not have this router, but one of my co-workers does and says it is amazing. It covers his entire large house and even outside to the street he says. I'm thinking about trying one, just to check out the wireless coverage, since I have lots of walls and crap to go through.
http://www.ampedwireless.com/products/r10000g.html
I've been thinking of getting this kind of thing for my home office, where EVERY mobile device I own gets a terrible connection (somewhat ironically, since it is, after all my home OFFICE). If you're a Costco customer, they have it in stock for a great price:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc..._Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&topnav=
Edit: Sorry, this is their repeater. Still might be of interest... Here's the router at Costco:
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Produc...empageVerticalRight|PopularProductsInCategory
I have AT&T& so have to use their proprietary router but I did just install the repeater linked above. The router itself is fine but certain areas of the house just suffer and the Prime takes the cake at worst wifi performance compared to any other device I have.
I ordered it Friday and arrived Saturday so set it up using the prime immediately. Talk about a breeze setup specially compared to when I tried y to use an old linksys as A repeater bridge. If you stay at home primarily with your prime, I'd put this as the best way to solve the wifi issue. If you are a traveler., I've seen a mini Asus 6in1 device online too.
Having issues with extremely slow wifi on my device. If I'm upstairs I can't even connect to my router. If I'm downstairs I connect but get horribly slow speeds. My other devices see like 8 wifi networks in my area, but I see only mine with the s4. If I try to enter the name of an open wifi network I know exists in my neighborhood, the S4 can't even see it.
I tested out disabling security on my router, and my speeds jumped up to normal if I was right next to the router. However moving to other locations in the house I still lose connection. If I turn on any kind of wireless security on the router, the speeds are super slow even right next to the router. In the 600Kb range (I have a 20Mb internet).
Almost sounds like a hardware issue to me. Tempted to bring it to Verizon, but who knows if they even have replacement devices at this point.
EDIT: So I managed to get the device to get fast wifi with security turned on by messing with security settings on my router. But if I do a speedtest right next to the router, I get great speeds. If I walk upstairs, and do another test, it's like I went back to 1997. Suddenly my ping is in the hundreds, and I'm getting 56K speeds. Walk downstairs again, and run it again, BAM fast pings and 20Mb downloads. The GNex gets 20Mb speeds throughout the entire house.
I have the device right next to my Galaxy Nexus right now. The GNex can see my network, and 5 others in my area. The S4 can only see my network.
Could very well be a hardware issue with the actual unit - I don't have any WiFi problems at all here - is this running on stock? If so I would recommend seeing if you get a replacement unit if it helps - if not then I would ask what settings are on your router? is it 5ghz (i have had problems with that on ALL devices)
Are you using a case or custom back cover? If so try it without the case/back cover.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
I'm running stock rooted.
I'm using a case, I've tried it without and it makes no difference.
My router also does 2.4ghz and 5ghz, and I've tried both and it makes no difference. I generally use the 5ghz, because the signal is bit better.
The oddest thing to me is that this thing can't see a single other wifi network in my area. My other devices will see multiple wifi networks.
Go into your router and disable (uncheck) the WMM option. Odds are youre having the constant connect/disconnect from some routers, especially but not limited to DLink DIR-655 and DIR 855 models. The disconnects and reconnects are quick enough that you sometimes won't see the wifi icon disappear and reappear.
I had the issue (i have the DIR-655) and unchecking the WMM (Wifi MultiMedia) fixed the issue.
I have that option disabled.
I really think this is just the wifi radio being weak compared to my other devices. Not sure if its a defect, or just the way the verizon s4 is. The performance is fine in the same room as my router, or even in the room directly above it. In the furthest from it in the house, however, the S4 just can't get any connection over barely 1 bar, and the signal in wireless signal info is horrible. Not being able to see other wifi networks in my area is the most telling thing to me. Even if I walk around my neighborhood, I can't see any others. Maybe if I walked right up to someone's house I could, but I haven't wanted to look pervy, so I haven't tried that. :laugh: At this moment my Gnex can see 5 other networks sitting in the exact same spot as my S4. The S4 just sees my networks.
Yeah sounds like yours is defective. On mine I can see networks from all around my neighborhood. (~5 of them)
Sent from my SCH-I545 using xda premium
So today I finally came into work after being off for awhile, and brought my S4 in for the first time. We have open wifi at work everywhere with multiple access points per floor, so no matter where you are you should get 3-4 bars of wifi signal. From my desk where I usually get the full four bars on my GNex, my S4 gets 1 bar of wifi. Doing a speedtest, I get 2000kbps down, 872kbps up. My GNex gets 35Mb down, and around 25Mb up on the same wifi connection. So yea, there is something seriously wrong with this thing.
Damn I guess I need to flash back to stock and take it in.
I took took mine to Verizon and they swapped it out. This one gets a great wifi signal. The capper was when I was in the store and their display phones could see all the local wifi networks, and mine couldn't. Mine was barely able to connect to their instore wifi. New one works perfectly.