wi-fi issues
- Thread starter dhornick
- Start date
bladerunn3r
Member
- May 10, 2011
- 89
- 2
True. However, I think it's safe to assume that if his other wifi devices don't have a problem in the chair--and only his acer tab does--that the problem is with the tab and not some unknown external variable that coincidentally only manifests itself when he uses the tab, but not with other wifi devices. Not impossible -- but very improbable. Unless this chair incident happened only once--but I give him the benefit of the doubt that he is not extrapolating based on one single occurrence. He made it sound like a reoccurring phenomenon.
Personally, all 7 of my wifi devices have no issues with my router. Except my tab. To say that I am "inferring" that it is the tab that has the problem would be silly. It is obvious.
robdroid
Member
- May 4, 2011
- 141
- 13
Everyone who owns the A500 should install the free "Wi-Fi analyzer" app https://market.android.com/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer&feature=search_result.
Once installed, you then have some real data to work with.
If you have another tablet in addition to the A500, install "Wi-Fi analyzer" app on that tab too for a real comparison.
I have a Nook Color that seems to have adequate Wifi as far as I'm concerned. When I get home tonight, I'll install "Wi-Fi analyzer" on it and do a real side-by-side comparison between the Nook Color and the A500.
If you have another tablet- please install "Wi-Fi analyzer" app, do your side-by-side tests and please post the results here so we can really compare the A500's wifi performance to other modern tabs.
Once installed, you then have some real data to work with.
If you have another tablet in addition to the A500, install "Wi-Fi analyzer" app on that tab too for a real comparison.
I have a Nook Color that seems to have adequate Wifi as far as I'm concerned. When I get home tonight, I'll install "Wi-Fi analyzer" on it and do a real side-by-side comparison between the Nook Color and the A500.
If you have another tablet- please install "Wi-Fi analyzer" app, do your side-by-side tests and please post the results here so we can really compare the A500's wifi performance to other modern tabs.
I've done this with my Droid Incredible and my Acer Tab. The DI gets 5-10 dbm greater signal depending on location and orientation.
I suggest one also use SpeedTest. You'll see some interesting results with the combination of these two apps.
Right near my router, the DI gets a stronger signal, even though the signal on both is plenty strong. However, using Speedtest I see that the Acer gets much greater download speeds.
When I go downstairs to the other end of the house, where the couch & TV are, then the DI gets a stronger signal, but both of them are much weaker than before. However, using Speedtest i see that my DI gets much greater download speeds, so much so that I can still watch Youtube videos and other things. But the Acer, presumably because if its weaker signal, can have trouble even finishing downloading a webpage. Forget youtube and such. If I use my Ipad that this spot, I can still stream 720p movies from my iTunes PC upstairs and they play without any choppiness.
Don't I need to root the Nook to install Wifi Analyzer? I haven't downloaded any apps for it mainly because I don't want to hand over my CC to B&N.
robdroid
Member
- May 4, 2011
- 141
- 13
Not sure, but Market lets me install it to the Nook- and AFAIK Market doesn't know if your tablet is rooted or not.
Give it a shot...
Tried it...didnt' work. I tried the nook market...wasn't even there. Tried the one you linked....logged in...said it's not compatible with my device...but it knows about both my phone and my Acer.
robdroid
Member
- May 4, 2011
- 141
- 13
I was able to install "WiFi Analyzer" on my Nook Color, put it side-by-side with the A500 and was surprised by the results. In most cases the A500 was either slightly below or equal to the Nook's sensitivity level, in a few spots the A500 actually got better signal than the Nook.
What I did notice however was the Nook was better in picking up "fringe" i.e. very weak/distant networks as compared to the A500. At one point the Nook showed as many as 6 access points from inside my house where the A500 never showed more than 3 AP's at any time. Keep in mind- those distant AP were so weak that they were unusable and kept disappearing and reappearing from the Nook's Network scan.
Photo below shows the Nook Color on the left and the A500 on the right- both sampling the same access point in my house... pretty similar readings!
What I did notice however was the Nook was better in picking up "fringe" i.e. very weak/distant networks as compared to the A500. At one point the Nook showed as many as 6 access points from inside my house where the A500 never showed more than 3 AP's at any time. Keep in mind- those distant AP were so weak that they were unusable and kept disappearing and reappearing from the Nook's Network scan.
Photo below shows the Nook Color on the left and the A500 on the right- both sampling the same access point in my house... pretty similar readings!
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I have noticed that wifi and bluetooth instability are much higher since the ICS update. Before the update, everything was working fine. Since then, wifi is unstable and when I use bluetooth both become completely crazy, turning on and off, one after the other. I have had my board changed, and the two had the same issues under ICS, whereas everything was fine before. So, I would tend to agree that software is part of the issue.
I've been on ICS for a while and have not had any issues. My Wi Fi seems to be stable and at a reasonable strength. However the last few days I noticed that the tablet is not automatically connecting. I don't used my table very much (its mostly for traveling) so when I'm done it is powered off and may stay off for several days. When I power it on it comes up and I get to the lock screen. In the past even before I enter my PIN it says that its connected to my network. Lately it says no internet connection and I go ahead and enter the PIN. After I get to the home page I go into the settings for Wi Fi and its showing my network with a good strength. I tell it to connect and within a few seconds its connected and everything is fine. Once its connected its working fine with no drop outs and good speed.
Has anyone noticed this type of problem. Is there something I need to set so it automatically connects, but like I said until a few days ago it had connected automatically and it had always been doing that even after the update to ICS.
Gerry
Has anyone noticed this type of problem. Is there something I need to set so it automatically connects, but like I said until a few days ago it had connected automatically and it had always been doing that even after the update to ICS.
Gerry
I noticed this also a few times, but likely only because I was scrutinizing the device more closely after the ICS update. I typically shut my wifi down manually before powering off, because I prefer the control. I keep the builtin ICS power control widget on the home screen and have found it to be very handy. Having the wifi refrain from connecting at power on until I can choose what I prefer appeals to me. I have rock solid performance with the wifi, and have noticed no significant differences in it relative to HC, with one exception: the wifi controls are simpler and it connects 3-5 times faster when turned on than it did with HC.
I'd like to add another observation and theory to those I have read on this topic: Consider that how you hold the device may affect your receive signal strength considerably. This is true for wireless telco signals on phones also. I often use my old Treo with the speakerphone because when I'm inside the house, I get a much better signal when it does not have to go through my thick head. The same is true for the a500. If I hold it near the top, depending on where I put my hands, I can attenuate the received signal strength by anywhere from 10-20 dBm, which is more than enough to increase the error rate to an intolerable level when I'm 50-60 feet away from the AP (and connecting through a few walls). I often use my a500 in a folding stand/case, and the receive signal strength holds steady and strong enough for 54Mb/s at 50 feet away from the AP. If I pick it up though and hold may hands nearer the top, the signal can drop significantly. The receive signal strength measurements at my AP show a 40-50% reduction when my hand covers the tablet wifi antenna.
I'm very skeptical that the software is somehow affecting the receive signal though, because that comes from the AP, not the tablet. The only way to attenuate the receive signal at the tablet is by physical means.
It seems wise to avoid the temptation to assume that everyone with a network connectivity issue has the same problem. I have assisted a few people who have successfully resolved a500 "wifi issues" lately. Three problems were caused by problematic APs, and a few were caused by app problems which interfered with network operation/performance, including connectivity. Other than the cold power up reconnect behavior mentioned by Gerry, I have not seen a "wifi issue" yet that can be attributed directly to the ICS kernel/OS. Also, from what I have observed so far, it appears that the odds are against most of the flaky "wifi issues" that I've read about here and in other posts ever being resolved by an OS software patch, so folks should not hold their breath waiting for something like that.
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