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Hey peeps,
Just received my TFP on the 23rd from a Gamestop pre-order and I've had a few issues that I'm not seeing in other threads. Namely, the foremost glass panel of my prime is loose in the bottom right corner but also the wifi has unique issues which I will describe below. Out of the box I also had a scratch on the back which I wouldn't have minded but these other problems just seem like too much.
I read lots of reports of wifi problems, supposedly caused by the dual antennae in the prime, but I seem to have an issue which other users have not reported (to my knowledge. please correct me if I'm wrong.) My wifi connects and reaches the correct speeds in speed tests (15-18mbps). Yet, it disconnects every 10 seconds. I tried disabling the "Wi-fi Disconnect Policy" but to no avail. This is especially annoying since each time it disconnects it pops up a small notification saying it has disconnected and "weather information will not be availible."
To summarize:
- Scratched out of the box.
- Loose glass panel on the front.
- Wifi disconnecting constantly. (DL/UL speeds are fine)
If you are an owner of the prime: Do you have any of these issues?
I'm really wanting to RMA, return, or get a new unit at this point. Such a hassle...gotta travel into NYC to return to GameStop.
Only have the loose glass panel issue
sorry to hear the issues. that wifi one you described is a new one. since I received my prime on the 22nd, it has stayed connected to my wifi nonstop. hasn't disconnected once. I'd say reset the prime and reset the router or wifi connection and see if that resolves the issue. if it doesn't, just exchange it. good luck
It could be because it has been reopened to add/replace the second antenna and has not been closed properly? Would also explain the scratches.
thatguych4rlie said:
Hey peeps,
Just received my TFP on the 23rd from a Gamestop pre-order and I've had a few issues that I'm not seeing in other threads. Namely, the foremost glass panel of my prime is loose in the bottom right corner but also the wifi has unique issues which I will describe below. Out of the box I also had a scratch on the back which I wouldn't have minded but these other problems just seem like too much.
I read lots of reports of wifi problems, supposedly caused by the dual antennae in the prime, but I seem to have an issue which other users have not reported (to my knowledge. please correct me if I'm wrong.) My wifi connects and reaches the correct speeds in speed tests (15-18mbps). Yet, it disconnects every 10 seconds. I tried disabling the "Wi-fi Disconnect Policy" but to no avail. This is especially annoying since each time it disconnects it pops up a small notification saying it has disconnected and "weather information will not be availible."
To summarize:
- Scratched out of the box.
- Loose glass panel on the front.
- Wifi disconnecting constantly. (DL/UL speeds are fine)
If you are an owner of the prime: Do you have any of these issues?
I'm really wanting to RMA, return, or get a new unit at this point. Such a hassle...gotta travel into NYC to return to GameStop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mine doesnt disconnect totally but it does studder sometimes for a second i notice when running speedtests the progress bar just hangs for a second and then continues it def seems like some quality issues with the wireless they stuck in these things
demandarin said:
sorry to hear the issues. that wifi one you described is a new one. since I received my prime on the 22nd, it has stayed connected to my wifi nonstop. hasn't disconnected once. I'd say reset the prime and reset the router or wifi connection and see if that resolves the issue. if it doesn't, just exchange it. good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So disappointing too. I've really been looking forward to using it and despite being a joy in my life...I think getting back $500 and just holding out for CES or a new desktop PC might be in order.
How are you enjoying yours? Any issues to speak of?
JoeyLe said:
It could be because it has been reopened to add/replace the second antenna and has not been closed properly? Would also explain the scratches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh. Hmm. I hadn't thought of that. I hope they didn't do that. So cheap.
Only is issue i have is GPS not locking any sattelites but no bigdeal, For the gps i used blutooth over gps it works flawless just incase want to use navigation, wifi works now for me since i disconnected one of my router upstairs., for now i used one router for whole house, so far so good.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
erick0423 said:
Only is issue i have is GPS not locking any sattelites but no bigdeal, For the gps i used blutooth over gps it works flawless just incase want to use navigation, wifi works now for me since i disconnected one of my router upstairs., for now i used one router for whole house, so far so good.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never heard of GPS over BT. Must look that up sometime. Although, I do have the GPS-not-locking-onto-satalites issue as well.
thatguych4rlie said:
I've never heard of GPS over BT. Must look that up sometime. Although, I do have the GPS-not-locking-onto-satalites issue as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He gave up on the internal Bluetooth and is using an external Bluetooth receiver. Certainly an option but it's an extra device to carry around and keep charged. You really shouldn't have to resort to "plan B" for a new $500 device.
thatguych4rlie said:
I've never heard of GPS over BT. Must look that up sometime. Although, I do have the GPS-not-locking-onto-satalites issue as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh my bad i meant i used a blutooth gps reciever and pair with my prime
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
^ +1. Exactly, if you're paying $500 for a brand new device then it should be 100% functional.
Sorry to hear that. I would just go ahead and get a replacement at this point you've paid good money for something that should work properly. I was fortunate in that I received a working prime. Scary at first when they shipped it to me with the battery completely drained
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
On second thought u guys are right..lol ill exchange this then
@OP
Two quick things to try: Google on your router's model and apply any available firmware update. Try again. If issue still occurs, try setting your router to 802.11g from its (presumably) present N mode. Some older routers, especially those still on draft-N 1.0, and may have incompatibility issues with N adapters in auto mode.
thatguych4rlie said:
So disappointing too. I've really been looking forward to using it and despite being a joy in my life...I think getting back $500 and just holding out for CES or a new desktop PC might be in order.
How are you enjoying yours? Any issues to speak of?
Oh. Hmm. I hadn't thought of that. I hope they didn't do that. So cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm enjoying my device very much. my prime, along with others, doesn't exhibit the issues some people are speaking of. I have yet to test my GPS though, by itself.
the only main issue I have is not being able to put down this device haven't touched my Ipad since I got this. that says alot considering how much I used my Ipad before.
demandarin said:
I'm enjoying my device very much. my prime, along with others, doesn't exhibit the issues some people are speaking of. I have yet to test my GPS though, by itself.
the only main issue I have is not being able to put down this device haven't touched my Ipad since I got this. that says alot considering how much I used my Ipad before.
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Click to collapse
Even with my screen issue this tablet hasn't left my hands I love it so amazing and gaming on it is hands down the best wish we had some infinity blade though
ok im waiting for agent @ newegg to chat and explain my issue
e.mote said:
@OP
Two quick things to try: Google on your router's model and apply any available firmware update. Try again. If issue still occurs, try setting your N to G.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll def try that out. My router checks for firmware updates weekly so that shouldn't be an issue. Maybe changing frequency will help. I'm not quite sure what you mean by setting N to G though.
demandarin said:
I'm enjoying my device very much. my prime, along with others, doesn't exhibit the issues some people are speaking of. I have yet to test my GPS though, by itself.
the only main issue I have is not being able to put down this device haven't touched my Ipad since I got this. that says alot considering how much I used my Ipad before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you're enjoying yours! I definitely enjoyed mine before I started having these wifi issues more frequently.
tylermaciaszek said:
Even with my screen issue this tablet hasn't left my hands I love it so amazing and gaming on it is hands down the best wish we had some infinity blade though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about Blood and Glory? https://market.android.com/details?id=com.glu.gladiator
I just got my RMA # today for an exchange. My tablet had scratched screen, scratched/dented metal bezel face all around, and power connector area was dented.
_jws said:
I just got my RMA # today for an exchange. My tablet had scratched screen, scratched/dented metal bezel face all around, and power connector area was dented.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who is administrating the RMA? Asus or your retailer?
I love this tablet and I REALLY want to keep it, but the WIFI is ATROCIOUS. It works fine in my small apartment, but it's clear to me that it is going to be a complete and utter headache using this thing while traveling. I'm getting about 3-6 Mbps down about 20 feet away from my router, while my Galaxy Nexus gets about 12 Mbps and my crappy iPad1 gets about 20 Mbps. I can't justify keeping this thing with such lackluster WIFI performance. It's just unacceptable.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
nyijedi said:
I love this tablet and I REALLY want to keep it, but the WIFI is ATROCIOUS. It works fine in my small apartment, but it's clear to me that it is going to be a complete and utter headache using this thing while traveling. I'm getting about 3-6 Mbps down about 20 feet away from my router, while my Galaxy Nexus gets about 12 Mbps and my crappy iPad1 gets about 20 Mbps. I can't justify keeping this thing with such lackluster WIFI performance. It's just unacceptable.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I started a thread regarding this but people blow it off because their Wi-Fi is probably working just fine and don't want to bother testing..... see here
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1420886
nyijedi said:
I love this tablet and I REALLY want to keep it, but the WIFI is ATROCIOUS. It works fine in my small apartment, but it's clear to me that it is going to be a complete and utter headache using this thing while traveling. I'm getting about 3-6 Mbps down about 20 feet away from my router, while my Galaxy Nexus gets about 12 Mbps and my crappy iPad1 gets about 20 Mbps. I can't justify keeping this thing with such lackluster WIFI performance. It's just unacceptable.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you run the updates today to see if you got any signal improvements?
nyijedi said:
I love this tablet and I REALLY want to keep it, but the WIFI is ATROCIOUS. It works fine in my small apartment, but it's clear to me that it is going to be a complete and utter headache using this thing while traveling. I'm getting about 3-6 Mbps down about 20 feet away from my router, while my Galaxy Nexus gets about 12 Mbps and my crappy iPad1 gets about 20 Mbps. I can't justify keeping this thing with such lackluster WIFI performance. It's just unacceptable.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I spent quite a lot of time in hotels while travelling, and I can say that would be the real test. You never know what kind of signal you'll get in a hotel. It can depend on what room and floor you have, and in many cases, you can be on the edge of reception. Some hotels are crappy all over, and you just don't know until you get there. If the device is sub-par with Wifi, that would not give me confidence at all while travelling.
I did install today's updates, and they made no difference. The WiFi is terrible compared to other devices. And it pisses me off to no end, because I want to love (and keep) this tablet.
And the hotel analogy is a great one. That's exactly what has me leaning towards returning my Prime.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Same issues here, TP has horrible WiFi performance, even standing 5 feet from router. I get 1.5Mbps down/1.75 up. On my iPad 2 I get 16Mbps down and 3 Mbps up.
I have other issues as well...this tablet is looking more and more like a dud...
I'm kind of afraid to buy this tablet now. I wanted to buy it (for the quad core performance and all) but this thing just seems like a bad deal with all the reports of things going wrong with it.
And with some tablets working and some not, the manufacturing quality and checking must be seriously bad.
How do you have your home wireless access point configured?
Have you attempted changing your settings, like switching between G and N, going G only, or N only, dual band, disable WEP/WPA and go woth MAC filtering, etc.
There's so many factors that can cause differences in bandwidth reads over wireless. But if you done all this troubleshooting, you may very well may have ended up with a dud and you should consider exchanging for another one.
on my laptop i get about 33Mbps down. Onthe prime i get 22. Sadly it`s the same on the original transformer. Should we expect similar speeds as laptops from tablets?
the_game_master said:
How do you have your home wireless access point configured?
Have you attempted changing your settings, like switching between G and N, going G only, or N only, dual band, disable WEP/WPA and go woth MAC filtering, etc.
There's so many factors that can cause differences in bandwidth reads over wireless. But if you done all this troubleshooting, you may very well may have ended up with a dud and you should consider exchanging for another one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I didn't mess around with my settings. This decision was intentional. My other devices perform MUCH better than my Prime with my current settings. Also, the performance difference gets worse as I move further away from my router, suggesting that the problem is caused by the WiFi radio in the Prime having weak reception.
More specifically, my main concern with the bad WiFi is getting a connection when I'm away from home, in places where I have no control over network settings. This is the real issue for me.
And I seriously doubt I have a faulty unit. It looks like the WiFi in all units is subpar, with many people not realizing it yet because they're using the tablet at home with a good signal.
I was worried that there was some truth behind those old rumors that the Prime was delayed because of WiFi problems. As usual, it looks like where there's smoke, there's fire.
Edit: I should also add that I tried the WiFi on 2 other networks at friends' houses. In both situations, as I moved further away from the router, the Prime signal seriously degraded more than my other devices, to the point where I got to a spot where the Prime had zero signal, while my Galaxy Nexus and my iPad still held a usable signal.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
nyijedi said:
Honestly, I didn't mess around with my settings. This decision was intentional. My other devices perform MUCH better than my Prime with my current settings. Also, the performance difference gets worse as I move further away from my router, suggesting that the problem is caused by the WiFi radio in the Prime having weak reception.
More specifically, my main concern with the bad WiFi is getting a connection when I'm away from home, in places where I have no control over network settings. This is the real issue for me.
And I seriously doubt I have a faulty unit. It looks like the WiFi in all units is subpar, with many people not realizing it yet because they're using the tablet at home with a good signal.
I was worried that there was some truth behind those old rumors that the Prime was delayed because of WiFi problems. As usual, it looks like where there's smoke, there's fire.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually noticed depending on router you have it will make a significant difference in range specifically my older b/g router works alot better then newer dual band N router. I agree with you though taking it on vacations and business trips is what I worry about too because the signal strength generally can be expected to be weaker.
This doesn't help per se with the Prime's wifi, but if wifi perf is a problem for on-the-go, you can use a repeater to boost the signals. The repeater's antenna are more powerful than those in mobile devices, and will help with marginal (or even non-functional) signals.
It's one more thing to carry, but if that's important to you.
For the techs, an old WRT54G retrofitted with DD-WRT firmware would be a capable repeater. You can find other more compact routers that can be retrofitted.
Testing from the same router, Prime gets 2 bars while the original TF gets 3 bars, signal is definately stronger and more consistent on TF1, download speed is slightly slower on Prime too. Assuming both tablets have the same wireless adapter, the problem most likely lies within the aluminum casing of Prime.
I just ran two speed tests each, using me evo 3D, nook and my Prime. The nook was the worst with 6.6 & 7.2 dl / 1.4 up. (I need to tweak something!)
The Prime and Evo 3D performed about the same. Prime 10.8 & 10.4 dl / 1.4 up, and Evo 3D 10.9 & 10.6 dl / 1.4 up.
I think was at a friend's who's router is in the back corner of his house. Deadzones all over the place. I lost wifi connection on the Prime but barely held onto it with the Evo. I've had to "foeget" and re-add on there on the Evo before so I did the same with the Prime. It didn't work. But when I walked into the room with the router and did it, it grabbed on and I've not lost it again in the same place I lost it before and in places my phone and others struggle. (back patio, etc)
Not sure if this helps but wanted to give my test results and what happened the one time I lost signal.
My original Transformer gets 1 bar (and loses connection constantly) in a room where a laptop gets 3-4 bars. (it's a room adjacent to the one with the router)
I thought it was normal and my router is poor until I checked with the laptop. It was the same with another router and with different settings. I hope Prime isn't worse than that!
WIFI is an ahole, he stole my gf kicked my dog and took all my money!
I am still considering to buy the Prime. Can some tell me if the Bluetooth and WIFI problems are still happening with ICS?
And also,is there a fix for the Serial Numbers issue?
I really wanna get my first tablet, and after I read all the posts here I cant decide to get the Prime or not.
Id like to know if ICS is doing anything at all to poor reception aswell.
Ive got mine fixing to go back because wifi is just stupidly bad.
My Netflix streaming haven't stopped like it did before when paired over Bluetooth but the quality is crappy-to-marginal-to-crappy and hasn't improved better than this yet.
It's HQ to HD without BT paired.
crappy < marginal < HQ < HD
After the upgrade to ICS I am still getting random BT disconnects and my WiFi signal/speed is terrible once I move more then 10 feet from my router.
So thats 2/2 for no significant improvement sofar.
I guess if my dealer offers a refund I'm bailing out.
*sigh* it all looked so nice on paper..
ICS won't help with these issues, it's not a software problem it is the hardware and design that's the probelm.
Im getting beter wifi myself. Havent range tested yet but from my normal spot on the couch speed test went from 17-22 mbs to 35-42!! Which is what my fios is rated for. So seems better to me. Also upstairs seems marginally better as well. Im happy.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
Someone Walkin' said:
ICS won't help with these issues, it's not a software problem it is the hardware and design that's the probelm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was still a tiny bit of hope on blaming botched honeycomb drivers,
but thats now off the table too, wifi/gps are permanently f*ed..
benefit14snake said:
Im getting beter wifi myself. Havent range tested yet but from my normal spot on the couch speed test went from 17-22 mbs to 35-42!! Which is what my fios is rated for. So seems better to me. Also upstairs seems marginally better as well. Im happy.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine hits 40 when its 3 ft away from the router, but turns completely useless after one wall or ceiling crosses its path.
From what I understand, yours is managing something between 17 and 42mbps with a wall or two in the way?
Thats making me suspect I have a defective prime.. Does your GPS somewhat work? Because mine doesnt work at all.
Perhaps mine is simply not using its antennas for some reason..
I am also now getting the full 20/5 that fios is rated for compared with 10-15 and 5. This is downstairs with a belkin n750 upstairs
My router is upstairs and I'm in the basement and I get great reception on my prime. Always have even under honeycomb. Guess I got a good one lol
That sucks. My plan is to connect BT keyboard to the Prime. Seems like it wouldn't be executed.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA App
The problem seems to be better but it is by NO MEANS gone. I still plan to return the tablet if ASUS can't offer me a functioning replacement.
Do some extensive test on wifi, bluetooth, and GPS. I remember someone distinctively informing me that ICS will significantly improve wifi, bluetooth, and GPS....
I'm definitely getting much better wifi range. I don't use bluetooth/gps so I can't really tell.
Do all versions of the transformer prime have these wifi issues and some people are just more forgiving than others, or are there two different antenna placements that make some people get better service? I will be getting mine in about 2 days and want to know if i should even bother to open the box.
Just chime in and tell me how your WiFi/GPS is, and how your prime is operating.
If you don't have anything positive towards this thread GET OUT. I'm trying to get a better understanding of how everyone with a BCOKAS model is doing.
My wifi is decent/crap, I have to be within 10 feet of any router for a good connection. GPS is worthless
I'm waiting on "Gary Key" to come out with his amazing solution of fixing this. That's why I haven't RMAed or Unlocked yet.
Besides the WiFi, I LOVE THIS DEVICE. I could use the GPS on my phone.
Sooo hows your BCOKAS Prime ???
WIFI: Range is horrible
WIFI + BT: Recently tested this feature.... performs extremely poorly. Will do more test.
GPS: I can get few birds (including inside of the house) & few will lock with pathetic signal. However, everything disappears once it starts to move...
That's including aGPS... horrible.
Browser: Adequate once Chrome browser was deleted. However, still getting the "wait" pop-up window or force close on occasion.
Games: Don't really game on my Prime but it works well when I do (games look good as well).
Streaming Media from Network(movies): Due to poor WIFI range, it doesn't work well once I am 15+ ft away from the router.. however, if I am within 10ft range.. it works well. Also, if my Prime is idle for few mins. (5+).. & if I wake up my Prime... screen flickers & I see screen tear... & when I unlock it.. it'll freeze/lag & Prime will reboot. (This continues even after soft reset.. haven't done factory reset yet)
eReader: Probably the main reason why I continue to use Prime. MyLibrary from Asus is my fav. eReader app. Yes, I mainly use Prime for reading eBooks... (not exactly the reason why I purchased but it works well).
WIFI:
My wifi range is very similar to my GNex so it's not terrible. I just ran a Speed Test and was getting around 4-5D and 4-5U on the wireless here at my work which the signal strength is around -70dB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS:
2-3 birds outside, nothing inside and I never get a lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
BT:
I have a lot of trouble getting things to connect to it but it can be done. Performance with wifi on is poor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OS:
Been getting launcher crashes of late so I installed GO HD and that seems to have helped, but I will say that apps in general are not very stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than that, I'm in the same boat David. Waiting to unlock based on what I hear from RMA's. I started a thread a couple weeks ago to try and gather info from those who RMA'd for BT/WIFI issues but at that point no one really had. Maybe we can get some results now...
My bcokas
I have had this one since late Feb or early March (my 2nd one).
Only one or two uncommanded reboots--I am not a heavy user--I do not know enough about it to be a serious user, YET.
I am pretty computer knowledgeable, though.
I just took my prime outside (Anchorage, Alaska at the International Airport)
I have a wireless G network at our office. It is on the second floor inside a wooden frame building-close to, but not visible through a window. I connected with the WiFi Analyzer using the speedometer style gauge and received -73 to -75 DB at approximately 300 feet away on our ramp (aircraft parking area). I did not attempt any downloads--pretty chilly outside today.
Next, I loaded the GPS test app from Chartcross, and while outside (completely wide open), got no birds. This did not surprise me. I have found that if no birds are visible, a complete shutdown & restart will usually bring the GPS back to life. IT DID!!
Within 30 seconds of starting the app (after the complete restart), I had 12-14 birds visible and 10-11 in use. Signal strength never exceeded 31 on the graph. The usability remains poor, even though numerous birds in view. The coverage drops off to none frequently but reconnects quickly. As a commercial pilot, I am very familiar with GPS usage. This one cannot be classified greater than "Very Poor". I have the Dual xgps150a that I use via Bluetooth and it works flawlessly.
I have not attempted to use Bluetooth & WiFi at the same time, and therefore cannot comment on that aspect.
Overall, I am not dissatisfied with the Prime. I had no expectations of using the built-in GPS when I purchased it. The WiFi could be a bit better; but I consider it to be usable.
My biggest complaint with the Prime is not the hardware, it is the software. Specifically, the crappy browsers that I have tried (5 or 6). I absolutely hate "TABS" I refuse to use them on my PCs. I am not saying that they are bad, I just don't like them. The only browser that I even remotely can tolerate (thus far) is Dolphin. It still uses TABS, but at least it has a home button. Doing anything on a tablet browser (to me--so far) is like flying from Anchorage to Seattle via Tokyo, Manilla, and Santiago. I guess I am saying that I find all of them to be very user-unfriendly.
I guess I have whined enough.
Jerry In Anchorage, Alaska
Wifi is perfectly fine, no problems with it.
I've only gotten a lock with GPS once, and that was while I was sitting outside.
Haven't tried bt+wifi.
Have been getting some not responding messages with the browser occasionally when opening it.
I don't really game on it, but from the small amount of time I've used N64oid it certainly wasn't unacceptable.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA Premium.
I have had mine since mid January. No obvious issues with wi-fi and I'm able to stream music from my NAS drive to my bluetooth headphones while using the internet. I don't know if it's relevant but my broadband speed isn't exactly stellar (8mb max) whereas I notice that many of those with drop out issues when using bluetooth seem to to have a much higher speed normally.
GPS works in that satellites show indoors and out but the strength doesn't appear to be that great (I get locks but the values in GPS Test have never got near 30). Having said that, I probably would never use a tablet for satnav because of the size - it's far too big for my car whereas my Galaxy S2 phone is much more suitable and less distracting!
I've used most browsers but now mainly use either ICS+ Browser. I've (very) occasionally seen the 'wait' message but other than that everything is good and overall I'm (touch wood!) happy with my Prime.
Bcokas here. Wifi is fine and same as my old Droid charge and now my gnex. GPS got locks the one time I tried it months ago, been off since and never tried navigation with it so can't help with that. I've only tested bt with wifi using a sixaxis controller, seemed fine about 30 ft from router but didn't do a speed test to see if and how much it affected signal strength and speed.
I just got a BC0KAS TF201 back from RMA in Texas. My original complaint was black screen (nothing shows up on LCD), GPS nonexistent (ordered 12/28), and weak wifi. After all the parts replaced (GPS foil, conductive sponges, etc..), screen finally works but thats about it. No satellite locks still indoors or outdoors and still weak wifi.
junrider said:
I just got a BC0KAS TF201 back from RMA in Texas. My original complaint was black screen (nothing shows up on LCD), GPS nonexistent (ordered 12/18), and weak wifi. After all the parts replaced (GPS foil, conductive sponges, etc..), screen finally works but thats about it. No satellite locks still indoors or outdoors and still weak wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a lame story bro.
I'd RMA until they got it right. It sucks that you have to sit there and just take it, while Asus adds you to the satisfied Prime owner statistic.
Overall I have been happy with mine and would compare to some of the more favorable responses here.
Wifi: I initially thought that the .21 made a difference but have re-evaluated. At the furthest point in my house from the router (several walls, 1 floor, 40 ft) I get about 3-4 times slower speeds than other devices. It is still fast enough to surf, stream videos etc.
BT: don't use it much. Wifi speeds are the same whether it is on or off.
GPS: The patches in the dev section actually made some difference. I get a few sats inside with no lock. Outside, I get 11-12 with a lock. GPS test says the accuracy is 30 ft which I doubt would be enough to navigate, but who cares??
Regarding crashes when browsing and so on, I was getting a lot before I unlocked. In the end I just figured screw it, unlocked and installed a rom. I did that about 6 weeks ago and I could count the number of crashes on one hand. Maybe a factory reset would have had the same effect but where's the fun in that
skygunner27 said:
That's a lame story bro.
I'd RMA until they got it right. It sucks that you have to sit there and just take it, while Asus adds you to the satisfied Prime owner statistic.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not really mine. Its my friend's prime, but i used my creditcard to pay for it. Its his first tablet so hes pretty new to the game. As long as the prime works he can deal until there is a real fix for it, then Ill tell him. I have the receipt (ordered well before the GPS announcement) and all the paper work for the RMA (so there is history that I have complained about the GPS and weak wifi), so they cant deny me the GPS. Couldnt tell if the bluetooth+wifi works since I dont have any bluetooth headphones to test it. I wanna give it a few more months to see if there is any development in the prime.
Thats why I refunded my money, I had few B0CKS and where all the same GPS and weak wifi. Im holding out for something that I can be happy with.
wifi works great. better than my Ipad & atrix phone as far as download speeds, reception strength, and signal stability goes.
wifi/BT works fine. I'm able to transfer big movie files from my phone to prime while prime is hooked up to wifi internet and streaming movie at same time. no slowdown of speeds and movie plays just fine streaming while BT in the background transferring big file.
Gps- never tested outdoors yet. plus I hook up my phone to prime through BT GPS. works great.
overall my early BC model from 12/22 has been performing great for me. no real issues what so ever to complain about really. I'd easily purchase this again if i had to do it over again. my Ipad has nothing on my prime. No comparison to Prime & Android experience. Very pleased with device and its performance. IMO, Asus did a great job on it as mines works as expected and more.
Thanks for the responding!
My wi-fi performance isn't stellar, but it isn't horrible either. I can get better signal than my, older, hp laptop in some areas of my house. I'm happy enough with it to not want to RMA.
I rely on my phone any time I need GPS so I have never actually tested it on my Prime. Seems like redundant use of technology for me. For the same reason, I haven't loaded any music onto my Prime--I have it all on my, more portable, phone.
I love ICS. Sure, I have some difficulty with the browser some times, but I expect Google will be continually making this better. I usually just check in with FB with it anyway. For any serious browsing I use a computer.
One of the things I love the best about my Prime is the dock. I've had zero issues with it and love the short-cut buttons. I'm currently writing a book, completely on my Prime, and it and Polaris Office have been wonderful.
I've been using my BC0KAS TF201 from Best Buy since mid January, and I'm pleased with it overall.
Wifi is nothing to be proud of, but acceptable. Downstairs is not a problem, but upstairs I get slower speeds, which is to be expected.
GPS is absent. I'm lucky to get a lock anywhere, and I've never seen more than 3 sats while driving.
I haven't used bluetooth much.
I use chrome browser and it works fine.
Battery life is somewhat of an issue for me; I keep it on about 50% brightness most of the time, and the battery goes down quite fast at times. Fast charging makes up for it though.
My wifi is usable. I even connected once to free mcdonalds wifi from the parking lot (slow, but checked my email which is what i needed to do). I will have a weak signal upstairs, but netflix worked fine.
Wifi + bt. Again, usable, but signal drops when i feed my stereo bt music and try to watch netflix (really real world?)
No reboots till two updates ago. Way better with .21
Gps is completely useless. I was one of the few who wanted this to replace my aging gps as a nice bonus. Tried all the gps patches from the thread, 1.0rc seems to make things more stable in gps test, but i no longer get locks whatsoever. Also, no skymap fun as its twitchy.
Screen goes through fits with tearing along the left side. Sometimes need to reboot to fix it. Minimal backlight bleeding, didnt even notice till the 3rd time i turned it on, and i was looking for it at that point.
I love this thing enough to have kept it since early jan (bb.com fiasco unit). Not unlocked. Still scared even though i reallllly want to...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk
My WiFi slightly beats out the Galaxy Ace and Wildfire in terms of range and the DL/UL speeds are still pretty good at the furthest away point in my house.
GPS is non existant as far as I can tell, not really got the patience to test it properly though.
Never really use BT+WiFi together so can't comment on that.
My Rear camera doesn't work, just a green glitchy mess. Not sure if it's hardware or software though.
Gaming is good on it, got plenty of emulators working very well and games like Shadowgun run and look great.
Wifi-up to par with my Droid x
Wifi+Bluetooth- no issues
Gps - not so great, its picky about location and view of the sky
Sent from my DROIDX using xda premium
Wifi matches Droid X in speed and signal strength.
I don't use BT on my tablet.
GPS - outside, 10/10 lock/view, vs. droid x 10/16. Inside, maybe 1 in view, no lock. Droid X will get 6/8.
OS, no issues. I did have to wipe going from HC-->ICS, but I wasn't expecting apps to survive anyway,
*edit*
I had issues with triangles appearing on overlays and random bars on the edge of the screen, but those have gone away with the .21 update. The triangle tearing thing was always fixable by just swiping apps off the recent apps list.
Wifi is fine my E4200 version 1 is in the center of the house and I get a decent connection both on the front and back steps and I use the prime to watch network streamed tv show replays with no problems or stuttering in the house. Gps is good in the house at times and non working at other times same outside. Location and weather effect this I believe. My browser hasnt given me any problems to speak of, overall I'm pleased.
When will ASUS provide us a fix for our poor WIFI instead of ignoring the issue? They have all these new devices but fail to take care of our issues. Is this how they treat their early adopters? How can you sell a Wifi only device with poor wifi? They need to replace the back cover or replace new hardware or just have a recall. This is unacceptable. If you buy a car and you only get 5 mpg when you should get 30mpg, i'm sure they would recall that car. My luck, first ASUS device and i get first reboot issues and poor GPS & Wifi.. I love the device as far as looks and game performance but, what what good is that if i cant get online to read my emails and browse?
While I agree with you I think Asus put themselves in a tough spot. Short of taking every Prime sold and doing hardware changes of whatever type, they can't fix this problem. Someone mentioned that they probably did the gps dongle and quick because a suit was filed against them for it. It was a universal problem with probably every unit. I could be wrong but I don't think they have admitted a problem with the internal gps, just the metal backing possibly blocking the signal.
This wifi/bt thing, it technically works. It may not function ideally but it functions. They may not be under the legal pressure as the gps, it being advertised, etc. It would be great for a solid solution to be found for this but I'm not going to hold my breath over it. The company knows the f* up exists.
Don't take this the wrong way... But speak for yourself. I have no issues with my Wifi. Its just as strong as my Galaxy Tab 10.1 using Wifi analyzer. I am also an early adopter SN#BC
jjdevega said:
Don't take this the wrong way... But speak for yourself. I have no issues with my Wifi. Its just as strong as my Galaxy Tab 10.1 using Wifi analyzer. I am also an early adopter SN#BC
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So you say... I thought the same thing also before going thru the WiFi/BT fallout thread.. pair some bluetooth headphones with your TF201, play some music or run netflix and run speedtest while its going and I dare say you'll be disappointed..
NeoMagus said:
So you say... I thought the same thing also before going thru the WiFi/BT fallout thread.. pair some bluetooth headphones with your TF201, play some music or run netflix and run speedtest while its going and I dare say you'll be disappointed..
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I've been through this before I even created a video just to prove Wifi/BT works fine when both are used for streaming. Just check out my Youtube video.
I did this late at night. Didn't want to wake the wife so I'm pretty quiet. My internet connection is caped at 10mbps
What was a little strange about the Speed test was that when I ran the test for the first time it yielded only 1mb but after running the test several more times after that it coincided with the wifi strength of it having full bars so I was getting 7mbps and more. I made the video on the second floor in my bedroom. The router is located on the first floor opposite corner of the house.
Edit: Besides. The OP is talking about Wifi and I was responding to his claims of everyone having weak wifi which is false since I have no problems with wifi.
jjdevega said:
I've been through this before I even created a video just to prove Wifi/BT works fine when both are used for streaming. Just check out my Youtube video.
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Seeing how no one has posted a video showing anything but a huge dropoff in bandwidth Id be willing to watch if you link it - but yours is probably like everyone elses including mine. If it isn't then feel lucky its adequate to you.. going from 30m/b down to 2m/b is not to me
**from what I'm seeing its just like mine most of your tests your losing half your bandwidth when its on ..2-4mb occassionally with a spike ..2mb really is all you need to stream both so if it works for you great but I wouldn't say theres no issue we should not be losing that much bandwidth (its alot more for me personally)
Nothing will be done because nothing is wrong.
Welcome to the wireless spectrum and the laws of physics. Inconsistent speedtest results? Drop-offs? Turn on a microwave, kill your stream? Yeah, welcome to wifi.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2387493?start=0&tstart=0
Deal with it.
Whats also important to note, the prime is not at all the only Tablet that is in this "wifi situation". Especially the best known Tablet on the world, the ipad, suffers from about the same issues.
Wifi is a radio signal, its the same thing with FM radio stations... In one room you always get interference with Station X while in the other room its perfectly clear. One day it might work well while the next one you cant hear a thing. Its similar with wifi and there are alot of factors involved.
As for me i did several "tests" with wifi analyzer and speed test and my tablet and 2 smartphones (DHD & SGS II) all around my house and in the garden. There is simply no consistancy in one spot the prime has the best signal and the best throughput in another it has the worst, in the end all devices performed more or less the same.
But thats just my situation, there is always the possibility that your device is defective in some way and if you feel somethings wrong i suggest you try RMA or just buy a wifi repeater But i guess thats about the only things you can do.
Btw: there was an intersting article i read a while ago about a Parisienne Hotel where some nerds (some of them actually invented wifi) had a convention/meeting. Everyone was using the wifi heavily and soon the system wouldnt work at all. They started talking to the tech guys of the hotel and... The wifi was set up totally wrong, all routers and repeaters worked on the same channel with wrong settings. The guys then shut down half of the repeaters changed the channels and tweaked the settings and voila wifi was amazing. I thought that was a pretty funny
Can someone with more technical experience chime in on this. Its obviously clear that the wifi signal on the Prime is subpar, which is a shame because we paid a pretty penny for this device, and the reason for this sub performance is due to a blatant oversight by the manufacturer. Which, has been resolved, but only in the new tablet model, which in my opinion is even more of a slap to the face, especially (again) considering how much the tablet costs. Now, I am not complaining much about this because while a crappy old phone can get 70mbs a wifi connection my Prime can only get, usually, around 30mbs, though I have seen it hit 70.
But here is my main concern, and I am sure ALL OF YOU can feel the pain of this. It appears that due to the weak signal, the device overly excerpts its resources to try and attain more signal, HOWEVER because of this it seems like the battery suffers quite extensibly, which is what leads me to believe the reason my battery usage shows wifi usually 100% as the top most used butter sucker-upper and it's usually by a landslide. This, if it is the case, really upsets me. Because, while I can live with an average 30mbs wifi connection (because cmon thats more than the ISP even provides), I would not be happy knowing that due to this manufacturer oversight the battery drains an addiotal 20-30% quicker than it would if this were not the problem.
Am I wrong here? Is wifi really not a problem for the battery? It is just odd to me that wifi shows up as using sometimes 50% of the battery!... And OMFG im NOT even joking, just checked battery usage and wifi is showing 94% of the battery.. that seems like a bug there is no way that could possibly be correct! 94%! lol wtf!
Jep i've been seeing that as well. It started with .21 when ever you use wifi the battery drains noticably faster. I also wrote a PM to Gary about that with screenshots and everything, i really hope they can change it back to the way it was before .21 because my wifi didnt improve, but my battery life did get worse.
robproctor said:
Can someone with more technical experience chime in on this. Its obviously clear that the wifi signal on the Prime is subpar, which is a shame because we paid a pretty penny for this device, and the reason for this sub performance is due to a blatant oversight by the manufacturer. Which, has been resolved, but only in the new tablet model, which in my opinion is even more of a slap to the face, especially (again) considering how much the tablet costs. Now, I am not complaining much about this because while a crappy old phone can get 70mbs a wifi connection my Prime can only get, usually, around 30mbs, though I have seen it hit 70.
But here is my main concern, and I am sure ALL OF YOU can feel the pain of this. It appears that due to the weak signal, the device overly excerpts its resources to try and attain more signal, HOWEVER because of this it seems like the battery suffers quite extensibly, which is what leads me to believe the reason my battery usage shows wifi usually 100% as the top most used butter sucker-upper and it's usually by a landslide. This, if it is the case, really upsets me. Because, while I can live with an average 30mbs wifi connection (because cmon thats more than the ISP even provides), I would not be happy knowing that due to this manufacturer oversight the battery drains an addiotal 20-30% quicker than it would if this were not the problem.
Am I wrong here? Is wifi really not a problem for the battery? It is just odd to me that wifi shows up as using sometimes 50% of the battery!... And OMFG im NOT even joking, just checked battery usage and wifi is showing 94% of the battery.. that seems like a bug there is no way that could possibly be correct! 94%! lol wtf!
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you do bring up a great point but wifi will always be the biggest battery drainer. along with display brightness. its a good theory THST if wifi was so poor, it would waste extra power trying to maintain or always look for a signal. Thing is, I don't consider wifi performance THST bad across devices to warrant that. what you saying is like if wifi barely even had a signal and was always connecting and disconnecting the signal. then yeah, extra power is being used to try to maintain it. but that's not the case with majority of primes. some primes have great wifi strength, others have decent strength, others have huge dropoffs in speeds after moving so far away from the router. But i haven't heard of anyone not being able to really pick up their home signal or even barely. wifi in prime good enough across the board to properly see and maintain signal. some peoples issues are when you move far away from the router and the dropoff in speeds.
like I said before, wifi will always be biggest battery drainer. I leave my wifi on 24/7 and I'm overclocked and I still get great battery life. maybe in last update Asus did increase the power signal output of wifi. but nothing so drastic to drain battery dramatically faster. we have an update coming so we will have to see how battery life is after it. whether it improves, gets better, or gets worse.
---------- Post added at 06:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:32 PM ----------
DONT make duplicate threads of exact same question. I will request for the other one to be closed if it hasn't already.
@ OP, there is no need for duplicate threads posted within a minute of each other. I have deleted your other thread named the same. If this was done in error, please contact a Mod to request correction.
Also, if this thread starts to turn into another complaining/whining thread, it will be locked. Almost everyone is aware of the limitations of this device (or lack there of), and there are more than enough threads already posted discussing wifi/gps issues.
My battery drain is only when Im docked. The wifi kills the battery in the dock pretty fast as it's constantly trying to charge the tablet. If I set wifi to turn off during sleep then theres no drastic drain and acts normal. Just like if it was undocked. When undocked even with wifi always on even on sleep it doesnt drain fast. Maybe 1-2% an hour. This issue has been mentioned before on another thread regarding battery drain during docked.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
kabrutus said:
When will ASUS provide us a fix for our poor WIFI instead of ignoring the issue? They have all these new devices but fail to take care of our issues. Is this how they treat their early adopters? How can you sell a Wifi only device with poor wifi? They need to replace the back cover or replace new hardware or just have a recall. This is unacceptable. If you buy a car and you only get 5 mpg when you should get 30mpg, i'm sure they would recall that car. My luck, first ASUS device and i get first reboot issues and poor GPS & Wifi.. I love the device as far as looks and game performance but, what what good is that if i cant get online to read my emails and browse?
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Click to collapse
I consider myself a huge prime fanboy...with that said I'm also realistic. Short to the point answer regarding wifi and will they fix it? NO. They cant fix it, if they could have they would have done it by now. In fact they don't believe you even have a wifi problem but if you care refer to this link http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/ipad-and-tablets/asus-transformer-pad-infinity-700-review-50007211/ Also note the backplate on the infinity-thats your fix it will cost you to get it, sorry but it is what it is. If anybody on here tells you they can fix the wifi with an update think, why are they even attempting to fix a problem they wont acknowledge even happens?... Wifi performance among primes is not consistent, some may do well some may not. I knew this when I bought my prime but I can live with it. I had the original transformer and the prime cant hold a candle to the wifi performance it had. But overall the the OG transformer can't hold a candle to the prime.
Secondly, as far as reboots it's pretty much the same thing. They can't fix it and it's not just the prime simply google ICS and reboots and you will see. Again the performance will not be consistent some may reboot others may not. But whatever is causing the reboots up to this point is A: not exclusive to the prime and B seems to happen on devices updated to ICS or currently running ICS. I know these are bold statements but unless many people out there across a varying rage of devices are imagining reboots while running ICS then there must be an issue. That said I hope they fix both problems I just wont hold my breath. I am however very happy with my prime "limitations" and all.
My Prime was purchased the second week of February, C1 serial. My Wi-Fi is great actually. My router is in my office on the second floor, in the back of the house. If I am in the office, I actually top out my connection...as fast as can go. However, I'm in the basement 70% of the time (basically the living room) and I can still top out my speeds, or very close to it. That means I have the first floor between us, with 2 ceilings/floors between us also. There is one spot in the house ( basement, directly below the router) where I get maybe half my speeds, but I believe it's just a dead spot and not the Prime. It also works fine at work, and when running on my phones wifi hot spot. I realize all Primes are different as far as GPS and Wi-Fi, and I'm very lucky to have gotten a problem free device.
in my opinion to the wifi problem the problem isnt really the prime most of the time the problem is interfiernce or poor signal from the router, i have a c3 model and really cant complain about the signal if anything the only problem i can see with the prime is the stock browser, i find it impossible to browse through this forum with the stock browser at first i thought it was down to wifi connection but then soon realised that it was down to the browser as i have no problems with downloaded browsers.... so as to the will they fix it, i say you need something to be broke before you can fix it and i dont see anything broke, i just see sh*t happens so deal with it radio signal problems lol
jjdevega said:
I've been through this before I even created a video just to prove Wifi/BT works fine when both are used for streaming. Just check out my Youtube video.
I did this late at night. Didn't want to wake the wife so I'm pretty quiet. My internet connection is caped at 10mbps
What was a little strange about the Speed test was that when I ran the test for the first time it yielded only 1mb but after running the test several more times after that it coincided with the wifi strength of it having full bars so I was getting 7mbps and more. I made the video on the second floor in my bedroom. The router is located on the first floor opposite corner of the house.
Edit: Besides. The OP is talking about Wifi and I was responding to his claims of everyone having weak wifi which is false since I have no problems with wifi.
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I may be missing it but don't see the bluetooth streaming part... I see that it is connected but are you actually playing something through a bt headset or bt speakers?
My wifi is ok enough, but for example when I play spotify over bluetooth speakers things start to crap out and stutter. Not right away, but give it a minute or 2 and it will. Which sucks... No bt streaming and it works fine. This is what people are referring to when they speak about the bt/wifi issue.
dagrim1 said:
I may be missing it but don't see the bluetooth streaming part... I see that it is connected but are you actually playing something through a bt headset or bt speakers?
My wifi is ok enough, but for example when I play spotify over bluetooth speakers things start to crap out and stutter. Not right away, but give it a minute or 2 and it will. Which sucks... No bt streaming and it works fine. This is what people are referring to when they speak about the bt/wifi issue.
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Yes when I turned the bt on I also showed myself turning on my bt headset. Once it paired and the bt icon turned blue I started streaming then continued on with speedtest. I guess its a little hard to see it in the dark. Ill have to make another video during the day.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
mikeyxb said:
in my opinion to the wifi problem the problem isnt really the prime most of the time the problem is interfiernce or poor signal from the router, i have a c3 model and really cant complain about the signal if anything the only problem i can see with the prime is the stock browser, i find it impossible to browse through this forum with the stock browser at first i thought it was down to wifi connection but then soon realised that it was down to the browser as i have no problems with downloaded browsers.... so as to the will they fix it, i say you need something to be broke before you can fix it and i dont see anything broke, i just see sh*t happens so deal with it radio signal problems lol
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It is not a router issue or interference. For example, today i sat a coffee shop in China. I had my phone and laptop and Prime sitting on a table. My laptop and phone both showed 6 wifi connections available where I was sitting with signal showing a consistent 3 to 4 bars. My Prime got consistently just 1 connection, and that was only 2 bars for a pizza restaurant across from where I was. The tablet could not once sniff out the coffee shops connection, and only showed every 5 minutes for a second or two 1 of the other wifi connections available in the building. I've repeated and done this test in other places, the Prime struggles with wifi signals, it can't hold or them very well, runs slow, and drops connections. If I moved to a different seat I might have a perfect line to catch the signal of the coffee shop, but it is maddening the radio doesn't seem to be multidirectional in any way.
Btw, my wifi didn't used to be bad till .21. I attempted a factory reset, which did not improve things. I never had complaints about my wifi until then, so I am crossing my fingers a future firmware will improve it, but it seems rather hopeless.