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Connecting to strongest wifi access point
I have two wifi access points in my house, due to thick walls.
When I turn on my phone it searches and connects to the first access point it finds, which is not necessarily the one with the strongest signal.
e.g.
I have one access point on channel 10 (lounge) and another on channel 1 (bedroom).
When I'm in the lounge it ALWAYS connects to the A/P in the bedroom, unless I actively "forget" that network, even though the signal strength of the one in the bedroom is VERY weak.
Is there a way to force it to pick the strongest A/P?
Last edited by RedMist; September 9th, 2010 at 02:32 AM.
No way dude, I hate going to my gf's apartment and having it connect to "linksys" in someone else's apartment. I have to "forget" it every time I go over there, but one of my friend's houses has his router name linksys so I have to discover it every time I go to his house too!!
Ughhhhh, auto-best connection app or root hack or fw update or some solution please come sooner than later!!
Do you have the same SSID assigned or are they set as bedroom and lounge for their respective SSID names? I would have them set with the same SSID and set on staggered channels.
Wireless best practice (at least in the Cisco world) is to set up both AP's with the same SSID and on different channels. This way a wireless end user can move transparently between different AP's as they move to different parts of a building.
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2 APs and 1 repeater - set up Cisco recommended way
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martimus
Wireless best practice (at least in the Cisco world) is to set up both AP's with the same SSID and on different channels. This way a wireless end user can move transparently between different AP's as they move to different parts of a building.
I agree and have 2 APs and one repeater setup this way, however it still means if my mobile can still see the weaker AP even though I've moved to the room with another AP with a much stronger signal it stays connected to the weaker one, using more power and giving poorer throughput.
My only (really annoying) fix at the moment is to manually switch WiFi off and on again.
If anyone does find soemthing that automates this please let me know.
Bump. I'm having the same problem and have done extensive searching for a solution to no avail. I've tried no wifi security on both APs, but that didn't work. Both APs have the same SSID and I even bought two new APs of the same model, ensured that they have the same firmware version, etc. and that didn't work either.
We can't be the only ones having this problem. I've tried multiple Android devices on multiple wireless APs and routers to no avail. This seems to be an Android issue. Anyone else have any success with anything?
We can't be the only ones having this problem. I've tried multiple Android devices on multiple wireless APs and routers to no avail. This seems to be an Android issue. Anyone else have any success with anything?
Thanks
You are not alone. I have an ADSL wireless router at the front of my house, and a wireless bridge in the middle of the house.
Different SSIDs, but on the same channel.
Basically, the programming for the app needs to say:
1) Scan all networks available, and list those above the 60% (or some other customizable) level,
2) look for the strongest signal in the list,
3) connect to the strongest signal.
To save battery, the scanning should be done after every 15 minute (or some other customizable) interval, also limit the maximum number of networks to 20.
Last edited by lisonw3; October 8th, 2011 at 04:06 PM.
I'm curious, and don't know what phones you guys are using, but why not just make a shortcut to your wifi settings and tap connect on the stronger one? Not as useful as something that picks the stronger signal, I know, but I do this all the time. My phone shows signal strength and name and I can just tap it and tap connect, done. I don't have to delete connections or anything.
Wifi Jumper works perfectly for strongest signal switching on my Incredible. Location based wifi toggling is also built into the app. Best buck I've spent on my phone.
I'm curious, and don't know what phones you guys are using, but why not just make a shortcut to your wifi settings and tap connect on the stronger one? Not as useful as something that picks the stronger signal, I know, but I do this all the time. My phone shows signal strength and name and I can just tap it and tap connect, done. I don't have to delete connections or anything.
You misunderstand the problem. I'm having the same issue.
I set up new APs at work, one in the IT lab and one in the lunch room. Both have SSIDs called "InternetCafe" that is open access for people during their breaks and for guests. When I move from the IT lab to the break room, I expect it to connect to the AP in the break room but it does not.
I can't do what you suggest, because if I go to the settings I will see a single entry for "InternetCafe" which it is already connected to. It won't show both APs and allow me to choose one. I can disconnect and reconnect, and that does make it connect to the stronger one, but it is really a pain.
It works as expected with laptops, but Android devices do not make the switch automatically. It looks like this has been a problem for years, so I don't understand why it has not been fixed yet.
Someone submitted the issue to Google. Maybe if we all go to this page and star it, they will pay attention to it: Issue 12649: WIFI roaming not working.
Last edited by kingramon0; December 13th, 2011 at 01:49 PM.
I had this problem, and this free app, worked very well, I think this functionality should be standard in android, but for now this app works quite well while the phone is on. You simply set at what signal strength the app should look for a better connection at, then it chooses the the one that is highest.
My only problem is that I use my phone as a SIP phone receiving calls and this app doesn't run while the phone is sleeping, that means if I walk outside of the range of the AP my phone is connected to I won't get calls until my phone decides to reconnect on it's own, which sometimes doesn't happen, but usually takes a few minutes. The developer said he's look at it for me and see if he could get even this to work though.
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Connecting to strongest wifi access point
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2 APs and 1 repeater - set up Cisco recommended way
