I have had an XDA IIs for a week and the thing is *riddled* with bugs. A few that come to mind:
Add a new profile to connection manager and then add a 'modem' to that connection. Go and fiddle elsewhere for a while. Often when you come back to change the settings for that connection the 'modem' has dissapeared. (its still there, a soft reset will cause it to re-appear).
Take the unit out of range of your wifi while running an app that does nots of network activity, and you will have to do a soft reset in order to restore network connectivity. This occurs mainly with skype
WiFi Reception is **attrocious** my laptop will tell me that I have a full signal and the XDA IIs will barely register when at the same location. Even holding the damned thing 1 ft from the base station does not cause the signal indicator to head to maximum.
When you use bluetooth, for network access, all the stuff in connection manager gets reset.
Often, after setting connection manager to always use certain profiles, and then encountering a problem, you head into connection manager and find that your selections never stuck
VPN connections do not always stick when set, they dissapear from the menu.
I have tried for ages and failed to make a VPN connection over anything GPRS, WiFi etc. VPN was one of the reasons that I bought the device (access to home and work networks), but it just does not work. Additionally, the instructions with the unit offer no help about how to get it working.
The bundled O2 active stuff is very flaky. Take the end programs applet - it often crashes its self while trying to force an app that is 'not responding' to stop. The built in 'stop app' applet (which they burried in settings) seems to work but...
Getting an app in a not responding state is well easy - just use it normally! Messenger prog is the worst. Usually requires use of 'end now' option
IMAP support is very very bad. Its quite common for an IMAP server to not store mail folders in the root. In decent clients you can specify the root imap folder, not in pocket outlook, it ends up pulling the entire dir struct from your home dir!! I rebuilt the imap daemon on my linux box to compile in a default root folder. This solved the previous problem, but the imap support is not suitable for use away from wifi cause its so damned slow. It does not just look for new messages, and there is no way to tell it to do this. Also, when you send an item it ends up in the default sent items, not the imap sent items. Imho, the main reason to use imap is to keep your emails intact (be able to see what you sent from the mobile device from a desktop).
Outlook 2K3 on the desktop has the same issue btw, but at least that supports rules so you can put it right.
Billy wrote pocket outlook for connecting to an exchange server, which, I suspect only 50% of the devices purchaced will ever do. Pocket Oulook *always* starts pointing at the exchange folder structure, not your POP3/IMAP account, and there is no way to config this. Unessesary taps required. Why can I not DELETE the default exchange folders if I dont need them?
There are a load more issues as well... I currently do around 10 soft resets/day. My basis is that a wait of more than 10 secs means that the device has crashed. Perhaps if I was willing to wait 5 mins all the time for it to get its arse into gear then the number of soft resets could be reduced!
I shall have to create me a site with XDA IIs bugs on it. I suspect that most of these issues are also present on other devices using windows mobile 2003 so it aint just gonna be the XDA. MS will likely fix them, and then O2 will take years to make the fixes available to its customers.
To be honest, I wish I had stuck with a symbian based device.
Has *anyone* managed to get a IPSEC/PPTP VPN connection running either via wifi or GPRS???
Has anyone managed to get skype PPC working **reliably** Mine works OK if I sit next to the AP, but I might as well use the PC version if I have to do that. Moving further away causes skype to give up due to lack of bandwidth. WiFi also locks (no network access period) even though the PPC still indicates that it has a single from the AP. The only fix for this is yet another soft reset.
Some other stuff:
Refuses to connect to a network that is not broadcasting the SSID. In general, when you want to add a new box, you can set AP to broadcast SSID, it will then find the network, after it has connected, you can hide the SSID. For future connections from 'pre-registered' boxes, no SSID is required. Not so for the XDA IIs, refuses to connect to a base station that is not broadcasting an SSID, or in some cases, creates a new connection with the name "" (i.e nothing) (which again refuses to connect).
Right, now, if you have 2 wifi networks listed in PPC settings, it will sometimes sit there for ever failing to connect, do a soft reset and it connects.
Another one: you have two connections in the 'configure wireless networks' dialogue, one is 'connecting' other is 'unavailable'. The one that is connecting is obviously not gonna connect despite 100% correct settings, so I select 'remove' it does not dissapear!!!
If I had written this software, the user would see a dialogue box thus 'This network is connecting/connected, are you sure you wish to remove its settings?' Selecting yes, would either terminate the connection attempt, or terminate the connection and then remove the damned setting with no further agro!
In network settings, I often get some *stupid* status info. It sometimes says that my home network is 'available' when I am at work. Clearly it isn't, wifi does not travel 10 miles!
And some more:
Sometimes bluetooth fails to start complaining about insufficient driver space. I write windows KMD's all the time, I suspect its somet daft like a lack of available stack space, or stack recursion. Soft reset cures
Also, sometimes when I try to start bluetooth, I get a daft message saying that the licence for the bluetooth stack has expired!!! It then starts BT and all is OK.
All pretty in-excusable bugs for post beta software. This is MS's 4th attempt now at a mobile operating system and its still a bag of sh1te!
A PDA is supposed to be a productivity tool, not something that you have to put 4 hours into to save yourself an hour. When I pull the damned thing out I want it to do **exactly** what it says on the box.
Bugs in software are inevitable, but this just was not even tested - there are *obvious* bugs that should have been detected in QA and delayed the relrease date. I suspect most users will trip over these issues in the first few hours of use. The workaround for most is a soft reset - the blooming reset switch will be worn out in a week!
My advice: AVOID until they fix some of the bugs. Does O2/MS have a route for bug submissions? I'll write these up as formal bug reports with reproducers and send them off.
If it were not for the appeal of skype/skypeout (only with 10 metres of base station otherwise wifi dies, reset required!) then it would have gone back by now. Not of merchantisable quality imho.
I write C/CPP/Java software for a living, if I let something this bad out the door I'd loose my damned job!
And some more:
- If you reconfig your shortcuts (so you can find stuff!) Then the applets 'camera' and 'O2' always seem to copy themselves back out into the root of StartMenu-->Programs again.
Go into the find applet and get it to do a search that takes some time. Wait for it to get going and then click stop. PDA hangs. It does come back eventually (2-3 mins later), but remains sluggish until you do a soft reset. Trying to suspend while its hung just switches the backlight off!
Wish there was some kind of formal bug raising email address or somet.
Nigel
Agree with you
Got the Orange m2000 variant and have same issues!
wifi has week signal (got 3 overlapping base stations in one open plan office) and can only get 25% signal.
can get vpn connection to work but after a few mins gets bored and drops!
phone reception is poor
bluetooth keeps crashing
going to send back to orange and get a new nokia 6230 and dell pda. cant rely on phone which crashes 10 times a day
Richard
how did you get the VPN to connect at all??
My WiFi connection is marked as 'connects to work' which means that the VPN profiles setup under 'work' should be offered to me. I would expect that after I have wifi up and running, clicking the icon at the top would show:
'Work - Wifi'
Unfortunately, it refuses to show anything other than 'The Internet - Wifi'. If I could get it to connect to wifi using the 'work' profile then perhaps it would show me by VPN connections underneath so that I could connect these too, but it **refuses** to do so.
BBB
(BuggedBeyondBelief)
Nigel
More issues
Hi
I have been adding new bugs to my original post as I find them. Here's a couple more:
Sometimes (no real causer for this) When the WLan auto disables its self (set to 5 mins), I will head into the Wireless Lan manager, tick the 'Wireless lan ON' box and click OK.
It still stays disabled!!!
I then head back into the wireless Lan manager, and find that my tick did not stick, same result if I try again. The only way to get the Wlan back is to restart the damned thing.
Additionally, if I go into tools-->network cards from the wireless lan manager, it says that the Wlan is 'connected' it IS NOT connected!!!
This problem shows its self more when the 'Wireless lan Manager-->Settings Tab-->Auto Turn off WLAN if not connected' option is ticked but it will also do it without this.
Seems to be partially caused by poor wifi signal and having previously run an app that hammered the network.
Sack of [email protected]!
Nigel
u seem to be having a mare!
I've no probs with WiFi at all, none of the issues U raise have occurred, WiFi works fine all over my house (I'm tapping this in upstairs & my router is downstairs) & I've got the settings set for best battery life rather than strongest signal. In the hotels I've stayed in recently I've also had faultless WiFi!
A couple of the users @ work have had trouble wiv GPRS overriding WiFi but I put this down to TNBTK!!
I've also seen the lost modem settings problem(also cured by soft reset).
Bluetooth performance has been a touch hit & miss but fiddling in the advanced settings seem to help!!
I've not tried VPN as I'm actively moving us away from this @ work towas web based services. Just a thought though, isn't "connecting to the internet" what you'd expect to see? surely you are using an internet gateway to VPN onto your network?
One other issue I've had is a logon problem with MS sharepoint, I'm hoping to cure that next week by playing about with authentication on the server.
I'v got a route in to some technical contacts at O2 so I'll ask bout the bug reporting for U tomorrow.
Hi
Aye, fun and games at the moment, just like my hardware to do what it says on the box!
Have you tried Skype? I have a feeling that you too will suffer the wifi lock-up problems if you give skype a go at the extreme of your wifi reception. I dont think its skype's fault though, but rather just the XDA not liking what skype gets up to! I am not gonna complain if it drops the wifi connection, its the lock-up that requires the reboot that winds me up.
Most of the time, my wifi is OK as well. Many of the problems I have had are related to use of skype, and having setup the auto-off wifi setting (which is now off again).
You have an XDA IIs? Perhaps mine has old firmware? I certainly dont believe that this is hardware related. I intend to come up with some repeaters for the problems I have, at the moment, they just occur 'when they feel like it'.
>A couple of the users @ work have had trouble wiv GPRS overriding WiFi >but I put this down to TNBTK!!
I have had this with bluetooth, but not with wifi. I think this connection occurs while on bluetooth when using ports that are not passed by default by ICS on the windows host box.
>I've also seen the lost modem settings problem(also cured by soft >reset).
This one really winds me up cause there is no way such a bug should have got past QA.
>Bluetooth performance has been a touch hit & miss but fiddling in the >advanced settings seem to help!!
Apart from the stupid messages about kernel space when trying to start BT, and the daft popup box saying that the BT stack license has expired, the BT on the XDA IIs is one of the more stable implementations that I have seen. You would think that since BT is now around 5 years old, it would be 100% stable these days.
>I've not tried VPN as I'm actively moving us away from this @ work >towas web based services. Just a thought though, isn't "connecting to >the internet" what you'd expect to see? surely you are using an internet >gateway to VPN onto your network?
It seems that there are two main connection methods in PPC, work, and Internet. The Proxy and VPN settings are not available when connected using a profile that is associated with 'internet' they are only available when connected through a 'work' profile. Again, the documentation is very lacking in the manual. O2's idea of a 'work' connection is WAP to O2 active!! A 'work' connection can be made to allow internet connections by checking the checkbox under proxy servers.
The various guides that I have found all suggest using the same profile for 'work' and 'internet', and setting the checkbox under proxies to allow internet access.
The layout of the whole connections applet in PPC is just a mess - completely unintuative!
Anyway, whatever the correct method, I've tried the lot and cant get the VPN to connect!!
>I'v got a route in to some technical contacts at O2 so I'll ask bout the >bug reporting for U tomorrow.
Cheers!
Nigel
Just got a reply from O2 About Above Bugs!
Hi
Ammused the hell out of me since its obviously a standard reply! There are not hardware problems, they are software problems so exchanging the hardware when the software remains the same aint gonna help!!
Nutters....!
I like the unit, I dont want to return it, I just want then to be aware of, and then fix the bugs and release new firmware promptly. O2's idea, is that if user sends in a bug report that refers to the *software* the unit runs, offer said user a new unit with same software - must cost them a bl00dy fortune!!
See O2's reply below:
Dear Nigel,
Thank you for contacting O2 Customer Service.
Please accept my sincere apologies for any inconvenience that may have
been caused by this matter and thank you for your patience.
I am sorry to know your handset has become faulty within 14 days of
purchase. However, we if you wish to get a new phone, please return your
faulty phone in it`s original packaging using the returns label
provided. If you do not have the original packaging please reply to this email
and I will arrange for a jiffy bag to be sent out to you. Returning
your order is free as the postage is prepaid, however can I ask you
obtain proof of postage as this will assist us greatly in the unlikely event
that your order does not reach our warehouse.
Any money you have paid for your order will be refunded once we have
received your order, however this process may take upto 21 working days.
After this you can order a new phone. There are two ways to order a
product from O2 Online:
You can order directly from our website by clicking on the link below:
http://shop.o2.co.uk/shop/
Alternatively, you can contact our sales team on 0870 225 7879. Who are
available Monday to Friday between 8:30am and 9:00pm and at weekends
between 10:00am and 6:00pm. Calls are charged at National Rate.
Please ensure you have your credit or debit card at hand when ordering.
Before placing your order, please spend a few moments familiarising
yourself with our Online Mobile Terms and Conditions, accessible via the
following link:
http://shop.o2.co.uk/cgi-bin/o2uk/jsp/otherPages/Info.jsp?infoPage=Terms:Shop
Isn't it time to see what you can do with O2.
However, you can also visit your nearest O2 store to get your phone
repaired.
On visiting your local O2 store please take with you proof of purchase.
You should have received this when you originally placed your online
order, if you have not retained this then please contact us again
requesting "proof of purchase".
You can find your nearest store by calling 0800 22 44 77 or by clicking
on the link below:
http://www.o2.co.uk/business/buy/storefinder/0,,130,00.html
dont seems to have the problems you have stated additional i have very good signals over the macdonalds.... (a free wifi service for now) in Singapore and tried with hotels wifi do not seem to have any problems... even installed WiFiForum a Wifi sniffer compitable with IIs and seriously speaking... after installing the WiFiForum i seem to have better phone signals... the best sniffer ever.... For VPN never tried... note: i have pocket skype and it works flawless.... dont get the "locked to network" problem
problems?
sounds like a bad unit. I'm new at this and am really wanting the blue angel early next year but reading a lot of bad press. I still have my sharp gx 1 and am looking for a good upgrade, the blue angel seems to have just the features I want...but so many bugs I'm seeing. from yellow tinged screens to connection and software problems. Thing is...is it a new product issue, or a design issue in general, and does anyone know when these bugs will be fixed? I really don't want to jump and buy one on contract and then have problems...don't know what to do. suggestions?
wifi signal
If you will take down the wifi speed of the access point from mixed a + b to just a, it will improve the signal for the XDA and the coverge will be stronger.
Very very few AP's have A and B. A works on 5.4GHz. B and G is the usual combination since they are both on 2.4GHz. I get no increases in performance by switching my AP to B only, and besides, doing such a thing means that access via my laptop gets well slow!
Modern devices should be able to work with multimode AP's with zero issues. Unfortunately, it seems that not one manufacturer of WiFi gear can read, they all interpret the standards as they see fit (I believe on purpose) thus locking you into their AP and their client side cards if you want a reliable network. WiFi has been around for eons, it should work by now, its hardly rocket science.
And as for the abortion that is bluetooth....!
Nigel
Nigel,
Don't know if this is going to be useful or not - but I've managed to get VPN working on the IIs after reflashing with the newer i-mate ROM.
O2 seem to do some wacky setup that defines your 'work' connection as a connection to their O2 Active WAP service - this seems to screw up VPN connections somehow.
Anyway, it's pretty easy to setup once you start with a clean-ish ROM - but if you have problems/questions let me know.
Also, with regards to wifi - does you unit get a better signal when docked/connected to the mains? I'm not quite sure that the power-saving options are being implemented properly on the IIs's...
Chris.
Okay got bored reading your essay but that bit about the network cards dissapearing when u added a new connection is true! I could only get it to show once I hard reseted and also it used to turn on for a short while when I turned wifi on.... on the Wi fi strength meter I believe its a graphical fault rather than a strength problem also the strength will be affected by other thins i.e. more than one person using the wifi point. I have sent my XDA IIs back to my company in detest about the dissapearing network cards! and I got told in anouther post bluetooth is shot! and an update while be made (Cause i can't connect or see virtually any blutooth devices in range when my mates phone detects 20+) Oh and anouther thing about Wi Fi Strength... Your phone is small and theres less power so naturally u will not be able to pick up as strong as a laptop will in regards to the signal thats why they say blutooth only extends upto 10 meters on mobiles but upto 100 meters on a PC thats deliberate due to power consumption and stuff
Check out this wifi scanner it finds hotspots really quick and shows the signal strength and stuff I use it but be sure to EXit from it before using wi-fi as for sum reason it stops u using wifi untill u exit.. its still a quality tool tho and its freeware! I picked up sumones wifi router in there home (it was 3 floors up) from nearly 150 houses away!!!! Naturally i couldnt connect tho
Click here to download it I found 16 Wifi Points in my local ASDA! and 20 from work to home (1 mile)
XDA VPN woes
Chriscole
I'm a newbie and piloting the xda IIs for the bosses so forgive my naivety. I have had no joy with the VPN setup to connect to the email servers because like you, the wap gprs keeps getting in the way. i am at a loss how to get the VPN setup tp connect using the mobile gprs instaed. Anychance you could post the steps you applied to get this feature to work for others benefit? Also wher can i get i-mate Rom.
Answer gratefully anticipated.
olori :?
I'm a newbie here and after playing one of the games on my xda IIs it freezes and i have to do a soft reset. I've only had it 4 days not sure i want to try anything else on it
VPN and GPRS
Just a thought. I've tried several times over the last couple of years on several platforms to get a VPN connection over GPRS on O2 and I've always failed. Could it be that O2 block the socket on mobile.o2.co.uk? What I'm trying to point out is that this is not an XDA specific problem. I've tried using a laptop, a Clie PEG UX 50, and iPaq 5450 and an old palm VX over time and I've always failed.
I would definately recommend updating to the latest O2 ROM ...... BUT ...... make sure you use corporate mode (code 0506) so that the rubbish O2 software doesn't get installed.
Still testing but it seems far more stable.
bugs
Is there any way to take the o2 stuff off after the new ROM has been installed?
If you don't mind reinstalling any additional software/ringtones etc then you could just do a hard reset to get onto corporate.
Otherwise a search on this forum should reveal how to edit the registry so that the O2 rubbish doesn't load on startup.
Related
Hi,
I have been using Wifi on my Qtek 9090 for several months already with no pb (except maybe the poor signal level).
I installed recently a VPN software to connect to my company's intranet. Works just fine. I can now access my work emails at any time from anywhere.
The only thing is that since then, when I start wifi on the unit, the check box does not get "ticked" and it gives the impression that Wifi was not started. BUT when the upper left light is blinking, the battery gets drained a lot faster and when I look at the network cards, I can see the available wifi networks. All signs of being connected.
So far I would not mind too much but I can not STOP Wifi anymore. I did not find anyway to stop it (of course, since all software apps controlling are saying that it is stopped already)...
Anyone has seen this somewhere? Any idea on how to fix this?
Thanks !
Sorry for asking again but I'm really stuck with that. I can start wifi on the unit but when started I can not stop it anymore !!! It seems that the software apps controlling wifi do not see it started and thus do not ofer the possibility to stop it.
This makes it impossible to use wifi since baterries can not afford wifi always on...
Anyone has seen this somewhere already?
Hi all,
Eversince i bought my BA, i did not need to use Wlan on it (over a year now !!) but i am getting a bit frustrated in the last couple of days as i am unable to use it.
here is the situation - when i come to a place where i know there is a wifi signal (at my friends house) i tap the little icon on the bottom right side of the desktop screen and i get the "Wireless LAN manager" , i check the "Wireless LAN ON" checkbox and then tap "ok" . then the screen changes back to the desktop screen and i can see the little antenna in searching mode (accumulating dots beside it), then i get a popped up baloon asking if i wish to connect to "internet" or "work", i check the internet circle and tap ok (or connect - i dont remmember as i have no wifi signal at the moment), but than nothing happens - the little icon of the antenna is still searching and if i tap it i get the same "Wireless LAN manager" with no signal strength or any thing...if i try the internet explorer, it tries to connect via the GPRS connection...
PLEASE....HELP ANYONE....
It's only a notion but I'd check your friend's WiFi AP. I set one up recently in our place. The device used is a Wireless G Broadband Router and Access Point (AP) which also has a net port (4 physical connections).
I couldn't get a murmur out of it on the simplest device... ancient Jornada 720 Win 2000 with Aironet 340 card (they are matched) although it was evident that all parts were working and the setup programs recognised each other as being there. Tried our Acer n30 next on a Safecom card. Same result. Head scratching.
Eventually a light bulb went on.
Tried a hard reset on the AP/Router. It re-set from one channel (11) to another (6). Everything suddenly started talking.
Next problem... and this is where it gets close to yours... how to stop everyone getting on and in.
The AP Router is full of encryption options from WEP up. Your gadget has to match the requirement from the AP/Router... that might mean a keyword used as a base for encryption or steadily more complex requirements... depends on what your friend's AP Router is set to.
My solution had to be simpler. I could not be bothered to prat about sticking code words all over the place every time I wanted to add a device... and getting encryptions to agree is sometimes not as easy as they'd have you believe.
Answer: Every net device, including the Xiis we now use, has a device specific MAC number.
The AP Router has a table you can enter MAC numbers you want to permit access to... so you needn't fool around with all the clever stuff.
Our AP Router now has our MAC numbers in the table and permits access to them only.
The XDA iis reveals it's MAC number when you tell it to look for a connection.
We now have a WiFi AP serving an ancient egyptian Jornada 720, an Acer N30, an XDAiis, an ordinary PC (using one of the old PCMICIA Aironet Cards which configure on anything with windoze and are dirt cheap on eBay as they're only 802.11b) , and a Sony Vaio Laptop (also using an Aironet), all into a single broadband account.
So check with your chum and see what his settings on his WiFi are. Maybe try a hard re-set on it too if poking about in the admin program doesn't help.
QF
Yol said:
Hi all,
Eversince i bought my BA, i did not need to use Wlan on it (over a year now !!) but i am getting a bit frustrated in the last couple of days as i am unable to use it.
here is the situation - when i come to a place where i know there is a wifi signal (at my friends house) i tap the little icon on the bottom right side of the desktop screen and i get the "Wireless LAN manager" , i check the "Wireless LAN ON" checkbox and then tap "ok" . then the screen changes back to the desktop screen and i can see the little antenna in searching mode (accumulating dots beside it), then i get a popped up baloon asking if i wish to connect to "internet" or "work", i check the internet circle and tap ok (or connect - i dont remmember as i have no wifi signal at the moment), but than nothing happens - the little icon of the antenna is still searching and if i tap it i get the same "Wireless LAN manager" with no signal strength or any thing...if i try the internet explorer, it tries to connect via the GPRS connection...
PLEASE....HELP ANYONE....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
quinbus_flestrin said:
Next problem... and this is where it gets close to yours... how to stop everyone getting on and in.
[snip]
Answer: Every net device, including the Xiis we now use, has a device specific MAC number.
The AP Router has a table you can enter MAC numbers you want to permit access to... so you needn't fool around with all the clever stuff.
Our AP Router now has our MAC numbers in the table and permits access to them only.
The XDA iis reveals it's MAC number when you tell it to look for a connection.
We now have a WiFi AP serving an ancient egyptian Jornada 720, an Acer N30, an XDAiis, an ordinary PC (using one of the old PCMICIA Aironet Cards which configure on anything with windoze and are dirt cheap on eBay as they're only 802.11b) , and a Sony Vaio Laptop (also using an Aironet), all into a single broadband account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QF,
Are you aware that it's a fairly simple task for someone to spoof a MAC?
And in that you haven't implemented any kind of encryption that means you're broadcasting everything in the clear ... which means that anyone who wishes to access your network needs only wait until they pick up one of your valid MAC's and they're in.
Blocking MAC's is useful ... but enabling WEP (even though we all know it's not going to stop a determined attempt at penetration) will do more to keep out a casual 'visitor'. If your clients can handle WPA-PSK (which may not be the case) given a sufficiently long and random passphrase the only attack is bruteforce which can take years.
Implementing decent security just isn't that hard ... there are plenty of howto's on the net that will walk someone through everything from getting WEP going right through to setting up a VPN.
Yol,
Your friend may have set up some kind of encryption on his Access Point ... if he's connecting to it with a client then he should know what he's using.
If he's NOT connecting to it then check the manual and have a look at the settings on the Access Point. Almost all Access Points will let you connect to them using a web browser.
So if (as an example) your friends AP is at 192.168.1.254 you just plug that into your web browser on a computer that is on the network (in other words, NOT from your BA).
You'll then need to navigate your way to the settings for Wireless security (I can't help you with that ... it's different for pretty much every brand of AP) and see what's set up.
Once you know what the required settings ARE for his AP you need to configure your phone to match. Not having a BA I can't really help with that either ... but I'm sure someone else here can.
I just knew there'd be a more complicated way ;-))...
Seriously Mr Doormat... Thanks for the heads up though.
This guy was just hanging here without a response this morning when I found this XDA board.
I tested our net pretty hard but I was unable to get in without a valid MAC and could find no way of revealing one... not to say there isn't one... I just couldn't find it... which apparently doesn't mean a lot.
What would they gain by getting in though?
Interent Access... sure, but not access to our systems as there is no network in that sense surely? So we could lose bandwidth?
We have the AP/Router open for web access only AFAIK.
The only physical connection is the one you mention... to the computer via the Ethernet card, which accesses the Admin Menu.
I'm unable to get any access around logged in machines myself and I'm on the admin machine.
I dloaded WiFi for Dummies but, as usual, I haven't got past the boring bit in the front where they describe what you are dealing with rather than what you can do to/with it.
I tried bringing in WEP on the AP and setting the old Jornada to WEP too. Firstly it slowed everything to a crawl... and a Jornada is not quick at this anyway as you can imagine... and then the on-board Jornada driver decided to "dis-associate" itself... which is of course Jornada for "adios amigos"... and stopped working altogether.
I picked up a Safecom 802.11g PCMCIA card to try in the laptop, but it really hated that and refused to see it in the end. But it really loves the old Aironets.
Both Vaio and PC are on a nice Windoze XP SP2, from our friends at Appznet. The Jornada is Win 2000, and the two Pocket PCs are 2003.
I looked for a walk thru for bringing this AP on stream. Even the suppliers were baffled... until we did the hard re-set and the channel changed. I don't know what else changed.
As for bringing security on stream... well I tried sorting out the lowest common denominator... the oldest handhelds... they balked at it and I reverted to the last good setting... an old tradition.
It seems to be a question of finding the level for whatever you have.
I can allegedly bring 802.11g on with this PCMCIA card and the AP, but if I do the XDA can only do 802.11b can't it? As can the Safecom for the Acer.
I am so pleased to have found a forum for the XDA, but you'll understand I hope that I'm a bit bemused to find the first topic I get into is WiFi. I thought that had been sorted... I should have known better. )
Any information you feel relevant to this would be much appreciated. Jornada forums are all but dead now. The Acer N30 is having an unusual revival for no reason I can think of. And the AP Router is from a pleasant bunch of folks, but they eveidently know about as much as I do.
QF
Doormat said:
quinbus_flestrin said:
Next problem... and this is where it gets close to yours... how to stop everyone getting on and in.
[snip]
Answer: Every net device, including the Xiis we now use, has a device specific MAC number.
The AP Router has a table you can enter MAC numbers you want to permit access to... so you needn't fool around with all the clever stuff.
Our AP Router now has our MAC numbers in the table and permits access to them only.
The XDA iis reveals it's MAC number when you tell it to look for a connection.
We now have a WiFi AP serving an ancient egyptian Jornada 720, an Acer N30, an XDAiis, an ordinary PC (using one of the old PCMICIA Aironet Cards which configure on anything with windoze and are dirt cheap on eBay as they're only 802.11b) , and a Sony Vaio Laptop (also using an Aironet), all into a single broadband account.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
QF,
Are you aware that it's a fairly simple task for someone to spoof a MAC?
And in that you haven't implemented any kind of encryption that means you're broadcasting everything in the clear ... which means that anyone who wishes to access your network needs only wait until they pick up one of your valid MAC's and they're in.
Blocking MAC's is useful ... but enabling WEP (even though we all know it's not going to stop a determined attempt at penetration) will do more to keep out a casual 'visitor'. If your clients can handle WPA-PSK (which may not be the case) given a sufficiently long and random passphrase the only attack is bruteforce which can take years.
Implementing decent security just isn't that hard ... there are plenty of howto's on the net that will walk someone through everything from getting WEP going right through to setting up a VPN.
Yol,
Your friend may have set up some kind of encryption on his Access Point ... if he's connecting to it with a client then he should know what he's using.
If he's NOT connecting to it then check the manual and have a look at the settings on the Access Point. Almost all Access Points will let you connect to them using a web browser.
So if (as an example) your friends AP is at 192.168.1.254 you just plug that into your web browser on a computer that is on the network (in other words, NOT from your BA).
You'll then need to navigate your way to the settings for Wireless security (I can't help you with that ... it's different for pretty much every brand of AP) and see what's set up.
Once you know what the required settings ARE for his AP you need to configure your phone to match. Not having a BA I can't really help with that either ... but I'm sure someone else here can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
quinbus_flestrin said:
I just knew there'd be a more complicated way ;-))...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is always a more complicated way ... that's part of the fun, I think
quinbus_flestrin said:
I tested our net pretty hard but I was unable to get in without a valid MAC and could find no way of revealing one... not to say there isn't one... I just couldn't find it... which apparently doesn't mean a lot.
What would they gain by getting in though?
Interent Access... sure, but not access to our systems as there is no network in that sense surely? So we could lose bandwidth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and No.
An unsecured AP provides a simple means for someone to access the Net anonymously. For someone with malicious intent this has great advantages, as you can imagine. And whatever they might do would be traced back to you.
Don't get me wrong ... I'm not suggesting that there is a pack of rabid hackers circling your place using your wifi as an initial entry point to permit them to realise their schemes to bring down the Internet and western civilisation ;-)
But, as I often point out to my clients ... How would you feel if you found out that in the middle of the night someone used your unsecure AP to upload a couple of hundred MB of kiddie porn? And that you then had to prove that it wasn't YOU.
I admit - it's unlikely and a bit graphic ... but it IS a possible senario.
Less dramtically there is the cost. I'm not sure what your deal is with your ISP ... but in Australia a lot of people have quota's - a given data allowance per month, after which they are either charged excess data rates or are shaped to narrowband speeds. I imagine it would suck to experience either because someone has been downloading movies over your wifi.
quinbus_flestrin said:
We have the AP/Router open for web access only AFAIK.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is fairly simple to tunnel any kind of connection through port 80 (which is used for http). Goggle for http AND tunnel and count the hits.
quinbus_flestrin said:
I tried bringing in WEP on the AP and setting the old Jornada to WEP too. Firstly it slowed everything to a crawl... and a Jornada is not quick at this anyway as you can imagine... and then the on-board Jornada driver decided to "dis-associate" itself... which is of course Jornada for "adios amigos"... and stopped working altogether.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is, of course, an overhead with WEP or any other encryption scheme. I personally haven't ever had a problem, although I know some who have.
Generally they found updating the firmware on the router/AP end, and using the latest drivers for their client got them the best performance. YMMV of course.
quinbus_flestrin said:
I looked for a walk thru for bringing this AP on stream. Even the suppliers were baffled... until we did the hard re-set and the channel changed. I don't know what else changed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite possibly nothing ... it is not uncommon for people (even people who should know better) to focus on everything but the channel. Everyone does it
quinbus_flestrin said:
As for bringing security on stream... well I tried sorting out the lowest common denominator... the oldest handhelds... they balked at it and I reverted to the last good setting... an old tradition.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If WEP is your only common denominator and updating firmware and drivers doesn't improve your peformance sufficiently under WEP then there is one security measure that I routinely employ, which rarely seems to be mentioned. TURN THE WIFI OFF WHEN YOU AREN'T USING IT.
Case in point ... my home AP is currently running (I see no point in power cycling it over and over) but the wireless is disabled. It takes 30 seconds to browse to the setting on the menu to enable it. It then takes about 30 seconds before I can associate. Before I go to bed at night I make sure that the wireless on the AP is disabled ... I'm not going to be using it so there's no need for it.
There is a lot of discussion about how easy it is to crack WEP ... and it IS easy. IF you have the hardware and sofware and know what you're doing, etc. I should point out that I do NOT have the setup to crack a WEP key ... but I've studied it sufficiently so that I know it's not really secure. BUT it will keep the majority of those who wish to jump on your bandwidth out. So if you can get it going, do so.
The other aspect is the security of what you are moving across the network. Internet banking, for example, is pretty secure as the data is encrypted anyway. But your usernames and passwords for your email, forum accounts, and anything that you are sending that isn't encrypted by default is being broadcast in clear.
This only becomes a problem IF someone is bothering to gather the packets being broadcast and then extracts the relevant info from all the other noise. Which is probably pretty unlikely. Unless, like a mate of mine, you live in a block of apartments with 3 unsecure wifi AP's in reach. I recently suggested that if he were to sell his flat, he could get more by pointing out that it came with free internet
Now thats what I call some good advice. A lot of the topics in this board are a bit over my head... upgrading or cooking new ROMs for example... but this is good practical advice for relatively simple old boys like me.
Our police are so good at arresting people who are not criminals, and so bad at catching those who are, that it is more than likely that bandwidth stolen to upload stuff like porn would land us in prison. They are pathalogically unable to admit that they themselves lie as much as the criminals do and deliberately cause miscarriages of justice now, so unless you can produce an iron-clad case then you are stuffed. They stopped policing some time ago when they started working for the government.
Eight of them performed a judicial murder in the tube, in full view of everyone, and still they deny that they were responsible for a needless death. That about sums them up now. Overpowered and Overpowering.
Sometimes I'm glad I'm confined to the house and the locale so much.
I will certainly turn off the WiFi when not in use. Thanks a lot for the tip.
<Less dramtically there is the cost. I'm not sure what your deal is with your ISP ... but in Australia a lot of people have quota's - a given data allowance per month, after which they are either charged excess data rates or are shaped to narrowband speeds. I imagine it would suck to experience either because someone has been downloading movies over your wifi.>
Here in the increasingly Orwellian UK we use an outfit called ntl. The deal we have is £25 pm 2Gig Broadband and (as yet) no practical dload limits. Although traffic limits are in the agreements, no one so far has reported a penalty. I stayed on 512k for a while when they brought them in, as the limit on there was far higher. But next door went on the 10Gig and dloaded more in a week than I had in a year (films mostly I think) and suffered no hit from ntl.
<It is fairly simple to tunnel any kind of connection through port 80 (which is used for http). Goggle for http AND tunnel and count the hits.>
This I must look into further. Thanks.
<
quinbus_flestrin said:
I tried bringing in WEP on the AP and setting the old Jornada to WEP too. Firstly it slowed everything to a crawl... and a Jornada is not quick at this anyway as you can imagine... and then the on-board Jornada driver decided to "dis-associate" itself... which is of course Jornada for "adios amigos"... and stopped working altogether.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is, of course, an overhead with WEP or any other encryption scheme. I personally haven't ever had a problem, although I know some who have. >
I'll try the WEP once more.
<Generally they found updating the firmware on the router/AP end, and using the latest drivers for their client got them the best performance. YMMV of course. >
This AP/Router is UD'd to date AFAIK. Drivers for the old Jornadas are built-in to the ROM... they don't do Firmware... it's hard wired. I'll really have to retire them I suppose. They're prematurely becoming as anachronistic as my old Atari Portolio and DIPs. )
This is the kicker... simple, effective, and easily done by the punter. The mark of the professional at work.
<If WEP is your only common denominator and updating firmware and drivers doesn't improve your peformance sufficiently under WEP then there is one security measure that I routinely employ, which rarely seems to be mentioned. TURN THE WIFI OFF WHEN YOU AREN'T USING IT.>
<Case in point ... >
Funny you should mention flats. There are some next door and some houses on the other side.
Yesterday our XDAiis and PC notified me that a net was operational and the usual "did I want to connect". I didn't then.
However after reading your post I have.
You're right again. I needn't have bothered with all the work I did WiFi-ing, and the £40 for the AP/Router. This lets the XDA and our laptop in the upstairs sitting room on-line anyway.
My initial task was to get off dial-up in the upstairs sitting room and on to our downstairs BB account... saving the cost of the old account and the extra phone line we had put in, then to re-direct that saving to upping the BB speed.
The AP is off at night anyway... my lady won't have electrics on (aside from the phone) at night... and religiously goes round shutting them off b4 we retire.
I'm going to get my nose back into WiFi for Dummies now, and another one I just 'found' called Wireless Network Hacks and Mods. Please let me know if anything else occurs to you.
QF
quinbus_flestrin said:
This AP/Router is UD'd to date AFAIK. Drivers for the old Jornadas are built-in to the ROM... they don't do Firmware... it's hard wired. I'll really have to retire them I suppose. They're prematurely becoming as anachronistic as my old Atari Portolio and DIPs. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love old hardware ... I think it's a shame to waste it and with the passion everyone has for 'latest and greatest' one can pick up 'outdated' stuff really cheap.
Add to that the fact that never I upgrade OS or software unless it very clearly provides something that I really want. So I can totally empathise with your desire to keep the Jornada alive as it were.
I'll send you a PM, as we're really drifting into stuff that has little relevance to these forums.
YOL anyone having WIFI WIRELESS PROBLEM
YOL anyone having WIFI WIRELESS PROBLEM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=40712&highlight=wifi+problem
read this thread fully.. should help..
Doormat said:
quinbus_flestrin said:
I tested our net pretty hard but I was unable to get in without a valid MAC and could find no way of revealing one... not to say there isn't one... I just couldn't find it... which apparently doesn't mean a lot.
What would they gain by getting in though?
Interent Access... sure, but not access to our systems as there is no network in that sense surely? So we could lose bandwidth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and No.
An unsecured AP provides a simple means for someone to access the Net anonymously. For someone with malicious intent this has great advantages, as you can imagine. And whatever they might do would be traced back to you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More importantly, once someone has access to the wireless side of your router (i.e., you don't use encryption or you use WEP/WPA-PSK and they cracked your key/passphrase), it's possible for them to poison the ARP tables and launch a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack against BOTH your wireless clients AND the wired clients plugged into the router. This sounds hard, but it actually quite simple with a tool like Cain. Once they are set up as a MITM, anything goes, including attacks on your SSH connections and web browser SSL sessions (i.e., https). A successful MITM attack such as this can compromise all of the data in these "secure" connections, including usernames, passwords, PINs, etc.
It is very important to lock down the wireless side of your router, even if you do all of your "sensitive" surfing from the wired side. Also, you should always be careful when accepting certificates for secure sites in your web browser. For more information, I suggest you read this whitepaper: http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~aprakash/eecs588/handouts/arppoison.pdf.
Good luck,
Paul
Can someone please tell me how -- or point me to an existing thread that will provide instructions for how -- to get AT&T's Tilt 2 to use wi-fi?
My situation is that I'm new to the Tilt 2, and I'd like to be able to access wi-fi -- rather than the slower than molasses 3G network -- when I'm within range.
My network is wired with a WAP, and it uses static IP addressing. I have no problem accessing the network with my (old) 8525 and my (newer) iPhone or my PDA or my laptop (all configured by me) to use my network to access the Internet and email.
My network is pretty tight (I think, or hope) in that it requires a specific IP address that matches a specific MAC address to gain access.
I've configured my router & WAP to accept a specific IP address for the Tilt 2, as well as the Tilt 2's MAC. I've checked & rechecked too many times to count to make sure I didn't make any typos. I've assigned the IP address on the Tilt 2 by going to Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi > Wireless Networks > Network Adapeter, and I set the Boradcom 8-2.11 DHD Newwork Adapter (is that the right one?) to use the specific IP addy I've assigned.
However, while the wi-fi icon indicates it's connected, I'm unable to use either browser on the Tilt 2 to access the Internet -- all I get are error messages.
I have honestly tried to read here for tips, and while I've read that I need to disable the AT&T proxy, the threads I found were a little (or a lot!) over my head.
I would sincerely appreciate any guidance.
TIA,
Saundra
Please, Need Help with Wi-Fi Settings
Surely I'm not the only one having problems getting the settings right so my AT&T Tilt 2 can connect to a home network, am I?
Honestly, I'm not a moron, but I can't figure it out, and the AT&T store was no help today, either. I recall that I had a similar problem with my 8525, so I went back & looked at my notes from 2008-- the problem was the MEdia Net proxy settings. On the 8525, it was a simple matter to uncheck the "This network uses a proxy server to connect to the Internet" box.
On the Tilt 2, however, I can't see where to give that a try because all I see is a message that says, "This connection is pre-configured. It cannot be modified."
Am I looking in the wrong place, or what? Or is that unlikely to be a problem on the Tilt 2?
I will greatly greatly appreciate any suggestions to try!
TIA
My first question is, are your WiFi router and the wifil on the TP2/Tilt the same? If the router is g and phone is N, they won't communicate.
That's a good question, and one I'd not thought of. My WAP supports B, G, & N & is operating in B/G/N mixed mode-- I don't know what the Tilt 2 is, but I'd think one of the three would cover it, yes?
Try going to this thread and downloading the files in post #13. Run the remove hidden proxy cab and see if that works, that will remove the hidden AT&T proxy server setting that often can't be disabled otherwise. The Tilt2 supports 802.11 b/g, so a router in mixed mode should have no trouble with that. You might try playing around with the network adapters again; I'd personally take another stab at the DHD adapter you tried earlier, since that is the one used on wlan connections. Also, you should probably make sure that the box which says: "My network card connects to:" is set to The Internet, and not work (this setting can be found on the Network Adapters tab of the Wi-Fi applet.
And while a bit off topic, you might want to consider adding additional security on your router (such as WPA2 encryption) if MAC filtering and static IP addresses are your only security; it's quite easy to grab both using free tools like aircrack-ng.
I want to thank you for your suggestions, but I'm not having any luck so far.
Scratch that -- things seem to be working . . . kind of. All I did was keep redoing the same things over & over, and suddenly, things are working.
I'm starting to think, though, that there's something wrong with this particular phone. Seriously -- I did nothing different tonight to get wi-fi working . . . encouraged by your comments, I just kept doing the same things over & over & over that I did last night.
Last night, running the removeHiddenProxy4CWS cab (it's in the Tools folder) resulted in not being able to connect to the Internet via 3G or wi-fi. Tonight, the results are different: I'm able to connect to the Internet via both after having run for the umteenth time the removeHiddenProxy4CWS file.
Further, while I've read many comments that the Internet is really slow on the Tilt 2, I'm thinking mine is abnormally slow & seems to hang up even via wi-fi. Now, I'll admit that perhaps my expectations are different coming back from an iPhone, but I charged up my old 8525, turned off the phone on the Tilt 2 to make sure I was connecting via wi-fi, and we are talking agonizingly slow on the Tilt 2 -- I was able to browse to six different Web pages on the 8525 in the time it took the Tilt 2 to partially bring up the first page (I used the same starting page on both). And, I say "partially" because it seemed to hang up at only partially displaying the Web site until I eventually hit the little circle in the bottom right of the screen. It does that on lots of pages -- is that the way things usually work on the Tilt 2?
Also, after my last soft reset just before things started working, I got a memory error message after I turned on wi-fi & when I hit the Internet button -- I should have written it down, but it said something about being out of memory on line 2. Any suggestions about that?
If the above are normal experiences for the Tilt 2, then I'll start learning about the tweaks to improve speed & such. If not, then I guess I need to try to exchange this phone. <sigh>
I also really appreciate your a bit off topic comment because I'm a security freak but not sure I understand much! My WAP uses WEP 64-bit encryption in addition to the MAC filtering & static IP addresses, and my wired router has a firewall -- does that sound sufficient. None of my neighbors can "see" my network, and it can't be seen from the nearest public road -- does that sound relatively secure?
Most of your Tilt2 problems could be fixed by flashing a custom ROM. If the phone is a business phone (as in it belongs to your company) or you otherwise can't void the warranty, a custom ROM sounds about right. It will improve the device's speed on all fronts, and will also have more available memory on bootup (mine had 25% less RAM in use on startup with a custom ROM). On my Tilt2, using a custom ROM with the latest Manila 2.5 build, things are still quite snappy, and pages load quickly on 3G and EDGE. If you'd like to know how to put a custom ROM on your device, this link will tell you everything you need to know. If you decide to put a custom ROM on your device, keep in mind you'll lose all the data on your device if you don't back it up.
As for the wireless security: WEP is extremely insecure. It has been proven insecure for many years, and has been replaced with the WPA (okay but obsolete now) and WPA2 (best current router security) protocols. Cracking WPA/WPA2 is much more difficult, as it requires a password cracking program and a wordlist to crack downloaded traffic obtained from the network, which can take days of cracking, sometimes ending in failure regardless. Unlike WPA/WPA2, WEP is much more vulnerable to many different attacks, from programs like aircrack-ng, which are free and readily available. If you don't believe me, check out this video of WEP being cracked on a test router, with the Backtrack 4 Beta security Linux distro, in as little as 2 minutes. MAC addresses and IP addresses can also be grabbed with many readily available tools, and the MAC can then be spoofed quite easily with free programs. And even a hidden SSID can be grabbed with a program like Kismet, which scans all wireless network traffic in an area (regardless of the network it's on) and can grab the hidden router's SSID during the handshaking process (when a client computer connects to the router). If you're absolutely positive that your network can't be detected from any public road (as in, there's no signal whatsoever), you're probably okay and can probably sleep safe at night. But, unless you have old equipment/software which doesn't support WPA2 or WPA, I'd recommend upgrading to the latest WPA2 security (if you're really concerned about security/privacy).
I really appreciate your help!
The Tilt 2 is a week old -- it was a birthday present. Am I correctly understanding that I could flash a custom ROM & then flash back the original if I don't want to void the warranty?
If so, playing with different ROMs would be something I'd be interested in doing . . . I just don't want to void the warranty in case there is something wrong with the phone. I had lunch with a friend with an AT&T stock Fuse (I think) Thursday, and we were playing with each other's phones. I can't say that I noticed her Internet was any faster (I wasn't really paying attention), but she was quite surprised that both IE & Opera failed to display a complete page until the screen was touched. On my end with her Fuse, Web pages opened completely with no fuss.
So, the whole "hang" thing makes me very nervous, particularly with the "out of memory" error message with nothing other than Contacts on the phone yet -- I've not even bothered to configure email (my lifeline). I was hoping the Web interface (I have IMAP) would work OK since that was one of my big beefs with the iPhone -- the onscreen keyboard just didn't work for me. But, with The Tilt 2 taking over 60 seconds to even get to my web-based Inbox, the Tilt 2 is gonna be a problem unless I can get that resolved. Hence my concern about not voiding the warranty.
You are correct: I do have older equipment that only supports WEP. My PDA & my old 8525. If I can get the Tilt 2 working well enough for me, I can rotate the older stuff out and go with stronger wireless security. I know my neighbors can't "see" my network, but I've never tested from the street behind my house since the closest neighbor behind can't see the network. However, due to the configuration of my neighborhood, I'd best check that street. <gulp>
Thanks again -- I really appreciate the help.
sslund said:
The Tilt 2 is a week old -- it was a birthday present. Am I correctly understanding that I could flash a custom ROM & then flash back the original if I don't want to void the warranty?
If so, playing with different ROMs would be something I'd be interested in doing . . . I just don't want to void the warranty in case there is something wrong with the phone. I had lunch with a friend with an AT&T stock Fuse (I think) Thursday, and we were playing with each other's phones. I can't say that I noticed her Internet was any faster (I wasn't really paying attention), but she was quite surprised that both IE & Opera failed to display a complete page until the screen was touched. On my end with her Fuse, Web pages opened completely with no fuss.
So, the whole "hang" thing makes me very nervous, particularly with the "out of memory" error message with nothing other than Contacts on the phone yet -- I've not even bothered to configure email (my lifeline). I was hoping the Web interface (I have IMAP) would work OK since that was one of my big beefs with the iPhone -- the onscreen keyboard just didn't work for me. But, with The Tilt 2 taking over 60 seconds to even get to my web-based Inbox, the Tilt 2 is gonna be a problem unless I can get that resolved. Hence my concern about not voiding the warranty.
-snip-
Thanks again -- I really appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, I'm glad I can help. Well, you're partially correct about the whole ROM thing. The deal is, your warranty is only voided if they know you put a custom ROM on it. If they don't find out (ie, you restore the ROM and SPL to their stock counterparts) you're good to go. However, you do technically void the warranty because you put a third party ROM. However, you can take it from me when I say it's almost 100% safe when you follow instructions and it's completely worth it. You get more features and stability with less bloat while using an unofficial ROM. Keep in mind that if the USB port goes bad, you can't restore the device to stock configuration, and you'll have to pay full price for repairs (unless you dispute the warranty violation in court, and try to prove that there's no way an unauthorized ROM broke the USB port). Otherwise, a custom/cooked ROM is completely worth it, and will greatly improve your whole experience over the stock ROM.
After trying out several ROMs I have noticed that my wi-fi randomly disconnects, but only for (Non-HTC/Sense) ROMs.
I'm running OpenDesire at the moment, which I really like, but the arbitrary disconnetion of wi-fi is driving me crazy.
As far as I can tell, it has done this with the other Non-Sense ROMs I have tried as well, and I have no idea why.
Wi-fi does switch on, but (part of) the problem _seems_ to be that the phone has trouble actually getting an IP; other than that, and why it does this, I have no idea.
The settings (in *#*#4636#*#* test mode) are basically the same as they are for, say, the official HTC Sense OTA or Pinky, for which wi-fi seems to work perfectly.
Although, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at/for...
Anyone have any ideas?
Any help would be much appreciated
It's not having an issue with getting an IP, it's having an issue with authentication.
The first thing I noticed with these roms is they do not re-prompt to enter a password again if you have mis-typed it at all. This leads to wpa_supplicant client to effectively force a connection and get a refusal in quick succession. The wpa_supplicant client on the phone then disables the connection until you step in and either choose to reconnect or edit the password manually.
The issue we are having is related to this;
After being connected to WiFi for a fair period of time, it re-authenticates with the base station/router as it's supposed to do.
From memory, the re-auth happens every 60 minutes and most decent routers are able to change this.
At this point, the client (phone) tries to re-auth and fails (for whatever reason). Instead of prompting for a password (as it should do). It tries 3 times in total and stops.
After the last failed attempt, it disables the connection that it failed to connect to and jumps back to mobile data (if available).
So. Yes, there is a major issue with the wpa_supplicant in non-sense roms. Could we get the devs to investigate this, as it's really getting to be a major pain in the arse!
I see... Thanks for the clarification. Nicely explained.
So, short of jumping ship to Sense, there's really not much I can do then, other than wait for someone more skilled than me to come up with a solution?
No workaround, third party app, router setting or anything?
Unknown at this moment in time.
I'm investigating this in my own limited knowledge of Android and Linux systems, so far I've not come up with anything solid.
As far as settings you can change on your router, it all depends on your router and it's firmware.
I've got three different routers here:
A) Trendnet TEW-435BRM v4.00.07 : No way to change Key Renewal length
B) Linksys WRT160Nv2 v2.0.03 : Able to change Key Renewal length
C) MZK-MF150 v1.00.16 : Able to change Key Renewal length
Check your router, try increasing the length and have a play around. It's not a fix, the issue is either in the AOSP kernels or the wpa_supplicant module.
My NetGear WNR2000 does not seem to have any (easy) way of configuring Key Renewal Length, but I'll have a look around. Else, I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and go with Sense for a while...
At least now I know it's not just me. That's always comforting.
Thanks for the help acolwill!
No problems at all.
I have been trying to locate an app that will automatically restart the WiFi if a disconnection takes place, however, I've yet to find one :|
Anyone out there know of one?
eham, there's an app on the market called "WiFi Auto ReEnabler"
Give it a try, as it may well be the answer you've been looking for!
Sounds very promising indeed. Will get right on that.
Tried an app called Wifi Fixer, but that was a bust. Actually somehow managed to make things worse (for me, anyway).
Thanks for the tip. I'll be back with an update...
Ok, so "WiFiReEnabler" does actually do just that; re-associate with the network everytime the screen wakes. Unfortunately, what it doesn't do is stay resident.
It will let itself get killed by the system very easily, so I still have had a few times where I had to manually deactivate and activate wifi because WiFiReEnabler didn't have my back.
If the developer could make this a helper app/system service, this seems like it could be a decent workaround though.
I did however find an app called "Fix My WiFi" (£0.99 in Market) that seems to take care of the problem nicely, and quietly, so far (about 16 hours and counting, fingers crossed).
It also has some options to set different levels of aggressiveness, and notifications, which I like.
I also found a free app called "Wifi Reassociate" that seems to address the same issue. Haven't gotten around to trying it yet, as Fix My Wifi still seems to be doing its job.
Still, a tip for anyone with the same problem.
With that (hopefully) outta the way, I'm off to celebrate the anniversary of my birth.
Be well, friends.
*EDIT* Posted in the wrong section; my apologies. i was looking in Q&A and hit 'new thread' in General. Move please? Again, sorry!
My GS3 will not connect to any WiFi networks. I have 13 days remaining to return/replace it. I have tried on 3 different routers; a Linksys WRT-54G, Belkin F5D8233-4 Wireless N router, and whatever D-Link router a local coffee shop had.
I have tried the special command *#0011# (or whatever it is). i have tried disabling WPS, changed router channels, disabled all security, switched between 20/40Mhz and 20Mhz modes, and reset/forgot every network and router probably 20 times last night, to no avail. From 2 feet away.
From what i have read, it appears to be a software glitch; pre-Sept 22 update didnt have the same problem, and the fact it keeps flashing 'incorrect password' and then gives me an authentication error, on fully unprotected networks, leads me to believe it is in fact software related.
Has anyone successfully connected to a router (if so, which one? specifically please), i am going to buy a second router to cover the rest of my house anyways (its big, cinderblock, steel, brick, and mortar with solid doors so WiFi doesn't penetrate very far), and i dont mind waiting for a fix (if its coming) for WiFi.
Its not a big problem because i have a grandfathered unlimited data plan, and i don't use data or surf much (average of 1.5 gigs a month for myself; 4-5 gigs when my girlfriend is home) so i dont actually need WiFi, but i paid for it, and i expected it to work.
As far as the routers I have, my sisters' my now-retired Motorola Atrix 4G, iPhone 4, my girlfriends' Blackberry Bold, my mothers' Kindle Fire, my fathers' iPad 3, and their iPhone 3Gs, three computers, one server, two laptops, and two printers all connect flawlessly. Even my *ancient* HTC Hermes and HTC Kaiser connect just fine, as well as any of our friends or guests devices. My friends' Samsung Galaxy Note also connects just fine (though i do not know which Android version she is using, or if they share the same WiFi chip).
So, in conclusion, how many others have this problem? did you have the same problem before the latest OTA update? and for those of you with no issues, which router models are you connecting to?
I just want this feature to work; we travel a lot, and rely on WiFi to communicate and do business abroad, so i will need it working in the coming weeks, and i would MUCH rather use take the GS3 over my unlocked Atrix.
Thanks in advance!
Sounds like a bad phone. Exchange it.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium
I seem to have stumbled upon a solution, mostly by accident. Even though i had repeatedly reset every variable and security feature, disabled everything and tried probably 20 times, with old and new firmware, i could not get it to connect and was about to return the phone.
Then my father came over with his new iPad; and it wouldnt connect either. I did a factory reset on the router, disabled everything (WPS, WEP/Security, firewall, etc) and both connected, seamlessly, and stayed connected.
Since then, it has connected just fine to any WiFi network; i never changed any advanced features on the phone, and i do not have to utilize the #*1100# trick; the signal is as strong as that of any other wireless devices. I believe there is a glitch or bug somewhere in the software on the SGIII, however, as it had been giving me authentication errors or 'wrong password' errors on completely unsecured networks. After i reset and factory restored the router, all is well. I havent set up security on my network at all, but i have both the iPad 3 and Galaxy S III here to play with, and i will go through different options until i identify what security feature, specifically, each does not work with.
I will attempt to post any errors and log dumps here so perhaps the community can fix it instead of waiting for Google, but i am unsure how to log and post them from the Galaxy S III, any pointers would be great.