Help Atrix losing wifi connection

[archer75]

So I keep losing wifi connection on my atrix in my home some time after I turn my screen off. I'm not using any battery saving mode and I don't have anything in my auto kill list that's related to wifi so I have no idea why periodically I turn the screen on and have no wifi connection. Any ideas? I'd like to have it connected to wifi whenever i'm near wifi and remain connected the entire time.

If i'm using the phone and it's connected it will stay connected. But a short time after turning the screen off it loses wifi.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

This is just part of the built in power saving (Not something you configure). Every smartphone I've ever had does this.

Now, it should turn right back on when you turn the screen back on, but I've noticed that, every now and again, Mine will hesitate. Sometimes it comes back on its own, sometimes I have to turn it back on. I'm assuming it's a bug in the code that wakes it back up, so look for it to be addressed in an update down the road.

 

[archer75]

My ios devices don't do that. They remain 100% wifi connected. Even when driving home, as soon as i'm within range of my wifi they auto connect and I hear the ding of checking new mail.

My atrix won't auto connect unless I wake it and even then it can take up to a full minute to connect. Sometimes in the cafeteria at work where we have open wifi it won't even attempt to scan for a network for several minutes. My ipad auto connects as soon as I enter the area.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

Well, I've never owned an Apple device, and never will. So, I can't comment on what they do.
I can tell you that, with 3 WiFi enabled BlackBerry phones, 2 Android Phones, A Palm Treo, and Windows Mobile phones, this is how ALL of them worked.

My Atrix does connect automatically to my home WiFi, as soon as I get home. That is, as soon as I look at my screen, it's connected. But, at that point, I've turned the screen back on and the WiFi came back on.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

My ios devices don't do that. They remain 100% wifi connected. Even when driving home,

I know what you mean to say, but technically, they don't stay wifi "Connected" when you are driving home. Unless you have a wifi network that has MILES of coverage area. I think what you mean is that the WiFi Radio stays on and they connect as soon as they are in range.

Android is not iOS. It does things differently.

 

[archer75]

I know what you mean to say, but technically, they don't stay wifi "Connected" when you are driving home. Unless you have a wifi network that has MILES of coverage area. I think what you mean is that the WiFi Radio stays on and they connect as soon as they are in range.

Android is not iOS. It does things differently.

Yes, that is correct. What i'm saying is ios connects as soon as i'm in range of my wifi even without turning the screen on. I like this auto connect when in range so I can get notifications.

But the atrix won't connect until I turn on the screen and then wait a bit. It's not instant. It's not even quick. Which I could live with if it would just stay connected to wifi in my house even with the screen off so I can get my notifications. But the wifi radio in the phone turns off periodically when the screen is off. I just wish there was a way to force the wifi radio to remain on.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

The way these phone work is that the WiFi turns off when NOTHING is using it, and the screen is off.

If there is an app that needs to check for notifications when the screen is off, say FaceBook or Twitter, it will turn the WiFi on to check for notifications, and then back off.

If you are not in range or connected to a WiFi network, it then pulls those notifications through the cell network (3g/4G). There is no reason the WiFi HAS to be on for you to get notifications. You should get notifications in your car, when you are MILES from any WiFi network.

If you are not getting notifications, there is a different problem going on.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

If you are NOT getting notifications when in range of your WiFi network, it's possible that you are at the FRINGE of the coverage for your home network.

What happens is the phone get's JUST enough of a signal from the router to connect, but not enough for data to go through. The problem is, this confuses the phone. It thinks it's on WiFi and tries to route all data through that. But, it's too weak of a signal. Turn WiFi off and the data runs through the 3G/4G.

You don't WANT the WiFi to stay on all the time. If it did, your battery would last just a couple of hours, even without you using the phone. The 3 biggest battery killers on a phone are 1) The Display, 2) GPS, and 3) the WiFi radio.

Why do you think apps that turn your wifi on and off based on your location (Cell towers) are so popular?

 

[archer75]

There is no reason the WiFi HAS to be on for you to get notifications. You should get notifications in your car, when you are MILES from any WiFi network.

Correct. I am aware of that. While i'm at home and even sometimes not I turn off cell data to reduce data usage. But at home and work I want wifi on always. In between I know I need cell data for notifications.

If there is an app that needs to check for notifications when the screen is off, say FaceBook or Twitter, it will turn the WiFi on to check for notifications, and then back off.

This is not happening. These apps aren't turning the wifi on at all. Mostly I care about staying up to date on email and google voice. Some news apps. So I don't need a lot of notifications but the ones I need I need often.

If you are NOT getting notifications when in range of your WiFi network, it's possible that you are at the FRINGE of the coverage for your home network.

I'm sitting next to my router. When the screen is on and it connects it stays connected without issue. Good strong signal.

You don't WANT the WiFi to stay on all the time. If it did, your battery would last just a couple of hours, even without you using the phone.

This isn't an issue for ios devices so that's why I didn't know it was different with android devices.
It had me wondering if my phone was faulty. I see that is not the case.

I'll look into this auto network switching apps. Seems like a good solution.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

This isn't an issue for ios devices so that's why I didn't expect it to be an issue with android devices.
It had me wondering if my phone was faulty. I see that is not the case.

Actually, I just asked a buddy of mine that's all about iOS. They do the same thing. They power off the WiFi when there are no applications using it.

Also remember, Apple devices still don't do true multi-tasking (It's more of an emulated on iOS 4), and they don't have dualCore CPU's in the phones. So, yeah, they don't have to manage their battery as much as the real smartphones do.

It's not a problem for my nephew's toy phone to stay on when he's not playing with it either. That goes for the one he had from Hasbro as a baby, and the iPhone 4 he uses now that he's 21. Both are toys.

 

[archer75]

Actually, I just asked a buddy of mine that's all about iOS. They do the same thing. They power off the WiFi when there are no applications using it.

If it is i'm not seeing that. My ios devices are connected whenever I turn the screen on. I never have to wait and notifications come through all the time. So if it is turning the wifi off when not needed it's switching it so fast that it appears to be always on.

I just wish my atrix did that as i'm not getting notifications when it turns the wifi off and there is quite a delay when connecting. I had to turn the wifi radio off and on at work the other day several times to even get it to start scanning for a network to connect to. I wonder if it's wifi radio could be faulty?

 

[WolfmanRobby]

If it is i'm not seeing that. My ios devices are connected whenever I turn the screen on. I never have to wait and notifications come through all the time. So if it is turning the wifi off when not needed it's switching it so fast that it appears to be always on.

As I said earlier, that it how my Atrix does. It's just occasionally there is a delay. 99% of the time, when I turn the screen on, the WiFi indicator is on and connected.

I just wish my atrix did that as i'm not getting notifications when it turns the wifi off and there is quite a delay when connecting. I had to turn the wifi radio off and on at work the other day several times to even get it to start scanning for a network to connect to. I wonder if it's wifi radio could be faulty?

As I said earlier, you have another problem going on. The WiFi is doing what it's supposed to do, turning off when the phone is not active. Something running on the phone (Probably an app), is preventing it from cycling when needed. At the least, it should be pulling from 3G/4G when the WiFi is off. (Android apps are not as friendly to a "WiFi Only" mode.)

The "Having to turn it off and on several times" could be self inflicted. You are turning it off and on while it's trying to turn itself on. It's like that Kevin James comedy bit about his wife trying to pull the door handle while he's trying to unlock the car. It's counteracting each other. Your best bet, LEAVE IT ALONE when you turn the screen on and give it a little while to see if it does come back on after you start using the phone.

You say you have not added anything to the take killing list. Those would have nothing to do with this. This sounds like a battery monitoring app that has a power saving tool in it. Possibly even a "Multi-Function" app that is supposed to give you a set of tools that has a power saving setting in it that you are not aware of.

As for the WiFi radio being defective. Does it work at all? Yes. Then the radio is fine. It's something software related.

I maintain that you are just used to how the iOS device works and thinking this should be exactly like that. It's not. Android is a whole different world.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

(Android apps are not as friendly to a "WiFi Only" mode.)

Let me expand upon this statement. You commented that you turn your Cell Data off. That could be the problem. You see, on Android, the signal from the cell data is what tells the phone to wake the WiFi and get the notification. As I understand it (Like I said, I refuse to use any Apple junk), the iOS devices power down the WiFi, and occasionally power it back up to check for notifications.

I have a WiFi only Android tablet. It can be sitting here, on my desk, screen off, and I won't get my notifications (email or anything) on it until I wake the screen up and it reconnects to WiFi.

My Atrix, laying right beside it, with the screen off, neither one of them touched in the same amount of time, gets the alerts. Why? It got the original "Ping" that there was an alert through the 4G, woke the WiFi, and pulled the full body of the notification over WiFi.

Try NOT turning your carrier data off and see if that does not resolve the problem. FYI - I never turn my data off, I have 2 work accounts, a gmail account, a yahoo account, a RSS reader, Facebook, UberSocial... and several other apps that get notifications. I never turn my carrier data off, I never miss a notification (except for Facebook, but that app has never given notifications properly). And, according to 3G watchdog, I used less than 200MB of data a month. That includes when I actually read/respond to emails, read RSS and access websites on the go.
I don't know why I pay for the 5Gb unlimited data anymore. But, I guess it's because I'm grandfathered in and don't want to give it up!!

 

[archer75]

The "Having to turn it off and on several times" could be self inflicted. You are turning it off and on while it's trying to turn itself on. It's like that Kevin James comedy bit about his wife trying to pull the door handle while he's trying to unlock the car. It's counteracting each other. Your best bet, LEAVE IT ALONE when you turn the screen on and give it a little while to see if it does come back on after you start using the phone.

I did give it a little while. In this case it was 5 minutes without it making any attempt to connect. Normally it would be about a minute and during that minute it would scan and then attempt to connect.

There was a time a few weeks ago I was at a friends house and couldn't connect to his wifi. Two other iphones and another android in the house all connected fine.
Mine would scan, find it, attempt to connect, connect and then disconnect. And it was stuck in that loop all night.

You say you have not added anything to the take killing list. Those would have nothing to do with this. This sounds like a battery monitoring app that has a power saving tool in it. Possibly even a "Multi-Function" app that is supposed to give you a set of tools that has a power saving setting in it that you are not aware of.

The only battery app I have installed is battery circle. Not sure if it's the issue.
The phone has been this way since the day I got it, even before installing these apps.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

Then try what I suggested about NOT turning the carrier data off.

 

[WolfmanRobby]

I don't know I didn't think to tell you to try this sooner.

2 things to check in SETTINGS.
First, in Wireless & network settings \ Wi-Fi settings \ click the MENU button and then tap on ADVANCED. Check the Wi-Fi Sleep policy. I have mine set to Never when plugged in. You might want Never.

Second, in Battery & Data manger \ Data delivery \ Social Applications - you can set it to only synch over Wi-Fi. This way, you don't have to keep turning your cell data off.

 

[m.enno]

This is just part of the built in power saving (Not something you configure). Every smartphone I've ever had does this

this post is old, i know, but you gotta tell me something: where is the point of a smartphone which auto disconnects form internet ???
i havent had ANY smartphone which does this but my atrix now and im still trying to figure out how to change that.
why use a smartphone if i get messages 2 hours delayed bc it turns off internet and i dont notice?!

 

[Kathyr]

Hi all, new here. I had a problem connecting to wi-fi at work. It worked fine one day, next time got a message connecting, then immediately disconnected. My daughter and husband halso have an Atrix. While at the mall he was able to connect and I she had the same problem I did. She does not have a problem at home.

 

[jsbombjack]

Mine has trouble when it loses connection. It takes a while to get the connection back, constantly polling for a network despite the phone not moving position in my house, and nothing changing about the wireless network itself. I suspect, like others, that the software / firmware has a problem reconnecting when the phone is woken from its slumber.

Perhaps it was having a good dream ?

 

[Venus011]

Hi All,

I have an Atrix 4G and it has been connecting without problems for months to my home wifi. Suddenly i could no longer connect to the wifi, it kept "connecting" and then would show "disabled". Any ideas?

 

[timp84]

Here's my trouble, related to this thread... I also have an Atrix... new to the smartphone world, I've had this phone for about 3 months...

Anyway, yeah, the wifi seems to time out all the time when I'm not actually poking at the phone and it sits idle a while... this is especially frustrating because I like to listen to Pandora on it a lot, and the thing loves to shut off wifi while I'm listening to Pandora... which is pretty frustrating. It also doesn't always decide to reconnect when I turn the screen back on... Is there a way to bypass this from happening? I'm tired of having to reconnect wifi when it makes my music stop... especially annoying when I have it hooked up at work (restaurant) and I have to stop doing prep work, wash my hands, and reconnect the dang thing...

Thanks!

 

[moe762x39]

My Atrix has done the connect then immediately disconnect on wifi. I went to settings,wireless&networks, wifi settings, find the network that is acting weird. Select that network and hit forget. Then I scanned again and found the network. Enter the security key for that network. I do not have that problem at home but at my mom's. I have to forget and reenter the security key about once a month.

 

[androidforum01]

How many of those users have installed the app AT&T Smart WiFi? I had experienced many of those situations where my wi-fi would drop even if connected to a power source after I played around with my AT&T Smart WiFi settings.

I removed the app (AT&T Smart WiFi) and have not experienced any WiFi droppings except for those that I set via Battery Saving Mode, or Advanced WiFi settings on my Atrix 4G. I haven't seen this posted as a potential fix, and maybe I just need to re-install AT&T Smart WiFi, however the Atrix already has most of those settings already built in, so it's really doing nothing except potentially getting in the way.

 

[Brians Atrix]

My Atrix HD did the same thing. If your carrier is ATT, disable the att wifi finder. I did this and works great now.