URGENT! I keep losing Internet

[MoodyBlues]

I posted recently about a random problem that occurs at night, and 'fixes' itself by morning. Until THIS morning.

Last night, again, I was just doing usual stuff and suddenly had no Internet. I did everything I would tell someone else to do, but it didn't help. I gave up and left it till morning. Same problem.

Finally, after the umpteenth time of doing some or all of the following, I again have a connection:

- forget network
- add network
- type its password [definitely correct]
- reboot modem [despite all other devices having perfect connections]
- reboot router [as above]
- shut down phone
- restart phone
etc.

Once it tries connecting to Wi-Fi, it continuously cycles through authenticating, obtaining IP address, failing, saying 'connected, no Internet' or 'authentication problem,' and so on.

I don't know why it finally, magically worked, but I'm backing up files like crazy right now to my network, in anticipation of a factory reset.

Can you think of anything I've missed? Or ideas on why it's happening?

It's a Moto Z² Force Edition, less than a year old, running Oreo 8.0.0, not rooted.

 

[olbriar]

Dang Moody... I'm sorry. If everything else stays connected or is able to connect to your network it is likely the phone. I'm with you in thinking that a FR is the next thing to try. I do wish I was a guru and had a better suggestion. I hope that if you go through the pains of resetting your phone it sets things right. If not, perhaps it a hardware problem.

 

[Dannydet]

Hmmm.
Have you tried a different router or modem?
Does your router settings allow only so many connections?
I know for a fact that my isp will cut off my Wi-Fi to my mobile device if I'm downloading (ahem) files....
And my fix for that is unplugging the router and I get a connection again.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Hmmm.
Have you tried a different router or modem?

Thanks, Danny. No, I haven't and won't, as this issue is limited to one device--which works fine...until it doesn't--and four other devices in the same room, one literally touching it, work fine. It's specific to this phone.

Does your router settings allow only so many connections?

If it did...how would I be connected in the first place, considering all other devices are continuously connected, as is this one...until it isn't? My point being, all the computers, DVRs, and Android devices in the house are all, always connected. Then, this one, only, recently started the nonsense I said in my OP.

I know for a fact that my isp will cut off my Wi-Fi to my mobile device if I'm downloading (ahem) files....
And my fix for that is unplugging the router and I get a connection again.

Nope, not me. I'm never doing anything bandwidth-intensive on this device when it loses its connection.

To summarize: all other devices in my household are unaffected by this problem, including four in the same room with the problem device, with one literally right next to it. It started recently. This phone, which was a warranty replacement is less than one year old. (Yeah, I know! Get a replacement! But...I posted a thread a few days ago--unrelated to this issue--about pondering buying a new phone.)

 

[Milo Willamson]

Did you swipe down on the wifi and long press? IT should say "To improve location accuracy, turn on wifi-scanning in"

 

[tommo47]

I get something similar with my 2-3 year old HTC 10, but it's only when I'm trying to connect to one of my WiFi extenders. Which also just throw me off now and again.

As you don't mention any extenders, I assume you don't use any.

Are you still determined to stay with Motorola? If you are having second thoughts I would suggest you have a look at the Google Pixel 3a. I've been with HTC for fourteen years, when I retired the V3i, but both the HTC M9 and the 10 had battery failure after just 2 years use, so decided to try something different, hence the Pixel. My wife and I both had an HTC 10 so now we have got a Pixel each, and I have to say that we are very pleased with them. Got them for £299 each from Carphone Wharehouse last November, they are £30 pounds more currently.

The spec may not meet your requirements but certainly worth a look.

Just done a currency exchange check - $423 UK price.

 

[ocnbrze]

you have not mention @MoodyBlues if you tried rebooting your router. i find that even though my other devices are connected and my phone is not, if i reboot the router, the issue gets fixed. it happens from time to time with my phone and or tablet.

 

[MoodyBlues]

you have not mention @MoodyBlues if you tried rebooting your router.

Oh, really?! What do you call this? [from my unedited OP] :

"- reboot modem [despite all other devices having perfect connections]
- reboot router [as above]"

i find that even though my other devices are connected and my phone is not, if i reboot the router, the issue gets fixed. it happens from time to time with my phone and or tablet.

Nope, not me.

 

[ocnbrze]

Oh, really?! What do you call this? [from my unedited OP] :

"- reboot modem [despite all other devices having perfect connections]
- reboot router [as above]"




Nope, not me.

sorry i can't read

 

[MoodyBlues]

Are you still determined to stay with Motorola?

Yes, definitely. Ten+ years of solid performance, and long lives--I'm still using my 5-year-old Moto X 2nd Generation as a backup device--have kept me loyal.

As for price, I'm looking at the three most expensive Motorolas, ranging up to $500, I think.

 

[tommo47]

I can't say I'm surprised, I would've no doubt stayed with HTC a few more years but two devices with two batteries barely making two years was a bit much for me. We've kept the 10s, in my case I'm going to use it alongside the Pixel as a music player and for the Forum, It should equalise the use of the Pixels, Chris is a much lighter user than me.

 

[maire5]

When this happens on my phone, I have just assumed I used my data limit or didn’t pay the bill (don’t ponder the cause further) and stop messing with the phone until next day. As you can see I am easy to brush off.

 

[MoodyBlues]

When this happens on my phone, I have just assumed I used my data limit or didn’t pay the bill (don’t ponder the cause further) and stop messing with the phone until next day.

Neither one applies in my case! I'm somewhat obsessive about paying bills--I pay them the day they arrive, so I don't have to think about them again later. And at home (where I am 100% of the time now, 99.9% prior to COVID-19), I'm always on Wi-Fi, so using up data is not an issue.

As you can see I am easy to brush off

Wait...what? Why would you say that?

 

[maire5]

I use those types of phones where you buy usage 30 days at a time and from month to month, it does not always end on the same day of the month so sometimes I get off a little and because they don't produce a real bill, I have to think about, and make an effort to pay them to keep the service anyway. I wait until the next day because I have had problems before and I am not savvy enough to figure out how to troubleshoot routers and modems and this and that. When I have had phone conversations with customer support people in the past I couldn't get anywhere anyway and the problem never would get resolved, so I just learned to put the phone or the computer down to deal with it the next day (this usually happens at night). For some reason, stuff seems to work out better in the daytime. Anyway, I said I am easy to brush off because I actively try not to get frustrated about it since I assume I won't be able to quickly resolve it. Sometimes I think it would be better to become more knowledgeable about such matters. That is one of the reasons why I go around these sites besides my hobby of moderating on some.

 

[MoodyBlues]

because they don't produce a real bill, I have to think about, and make an effort to pay them to keep the service

I have no experience with that type of service, but can you arrange auto-pay through them? Maybe not with the specific provider you're using now, but in general. Have you looked around to see if there's such a creature out there?

Does the amount stay the same, month over month? If it does, what about setting up a recurring payment through your bank? That way you wouldn't have to worry about it.

Or how about using your calendar app? Enter an 'appointment' for the day before you need to make the payment, and set it to alert you the day before that. That should help!

 

[puppykickr]

I posted recently about a random problem that occurs at night, and 'fixes' itself by morning. Until THIS morning.

Last night, again, I was just doing usual stuff and suddenly had no Internet. I did everything I would tell someone else to do, but it didn't help. I gave up and left it till morning. Same problem.

Finally, after the umpteenth time of doing some or all of the following, I again have a connection:

- forget network
- add network
- type its password [definitely correct]
- reboot modem [despite all other devices having perfect connections]
- reboot router [as above]
- shut down phone
- restart phone
etc.

Once it tries connecting to Wi-Fi, it continuously cycles through authenticating, obtaining IP address, failing, saying 'connected, no Internet' or 'authentication problem,' and so on.

I don't know why it finally, magically worked, but I'm backing up files like crazy right now to my network, in anticipation of a factory reset.

Can you think of anything I've missed? Or ideas on why it's happening?

It's a Moto Z² Force Edition, less than a year old, running Oreo 8.0.0, not rooted.

This happens off and on here, as well.

And I am using three devices near one another.

One will be streaming entertainment and working fine, and the one in my hand takes a brown, cone shaped, smiling emoji.

Generally it happens at night, but not always.

Does your device have an adjustment in the settings (Wi-Fi, Network, Developers Options) for the scanning on Wi-Fi?

We have neighbors on both sides of us, and all three of us are on the same Wi-Fi channel.
Until I found the setting that stopped incessant scanning I was pretty miserable, as you can imagine.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Thanks @puppykickr, but, no, that's not the problem.

Nor is anything else I can think of!

Ironically, it hasn't happened once since posting this thread. Not once!