"Obtaining IP Address" loop

FruitViking · Jun 4, 2013

My phone has trouble connecting to my wireless router (a Netgear WPN824v3). It will get stuck in a loop "Obtaining IP address" over and over. After it loops several times, it'll just give up, and leave the network disabled.

I have searched and searched for a solution to this, and nothing seems to work. Static IP? No dice. Trying different modes/channels on the router? Nuh-uh. Changing permissions on system/etc/dhcpcd/dhcpcd-run-hooks? Nope. Not the WiFix app in the Google store, either. Someone suggested deleting the files in data/misc/dhcp...that didn't work, either. (I did back them up...just in case.) Even reserving an IP for it in the router, based on its MAC address, doesn't work.

What makes it even more mysterious is that it's not constant. If I change the router's mode or channel, or do anything else that reloads the router's settings, then the phone picks up an IP and connects, no problem. But once that connection gets reset on the phone (say, if I leave and return), then it can't pick it up again.

tube517 · Jun 4, 2013

Did you reboot your router?

Also, is your exhibit rooted?

FruitViking · Jun 4, 2013

tube517 said:
Did you reboot your router?

Also, is your exhibit rooted?

I unplugged the router, and then plugged it back in 15 minutes later. That doesn't seem to have fixed anything.

The Exhibit is rooted.

tube517 · Jun 5, 2013

FruitViking said:
I unplugged the router, and then plugged it back in 15 minutes later. That doesn't seem to have fixed anything.

The Exhibit is rooted.

Which ROM is the phone running?

Frisco · Jun 5, 2013

FruitViking said:
I unplugged the router, and then plugged it back in 15 minutes later. That doesn't seem to have fixed anything.

The Exhibit is rooted.

Unplugging some routers, sometimes, can remedy the IP scan issue. But often a true restart of the unit is needed, which is accomplished via a reset button on the back of the router or a tiny pin hole meant for a pin to be pressed in for 10 to 30 seconds or a "reset to defaults" menu item in the router's configuration area.

I'd do that reset if the unplugging didn't work.

FruitViking · Jun 6, 2013

tube517 said:
Which ROM is the phone running?

It's stock. I only rooted it; I didn't install a custom ROM.

FruitViking · Jun 6, 2013

Frisco said:
Unplugging some routers, sometimes, can remedy the IP scan issue. But often a true restart of the unit is needed

Already tried that. I'm afraid I may have exhausted all of the simple solutions.

FruitViking · Jun 6, 2013

Okay, I found out setting a static IP does work. However, this is a far from ideal workaround, because it means that I have to turn on the static IP when I get home, and then turn it off again whenever I leave (because it doesn't work with other open wireless networks). So, I'm still searching for a better solution.

The last time I tried a static IP, I had the wrong settings, so it didn't work. The ones that work are
IP address: 192.168.1.200
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
DNS 1: 192.168.1.1

tube517 · Jun 7, 2013

Have you considered trying a custom ROM? The stock ROM for me was so slow and I had wifi connection issues as well.

FruitViking · Jun 7, 2013

tube517 said:
Have you considered trying a custom ROM? The stock ROM for me was so slow and I had wifi connection issues as well.

I do want to install a custom ROM, but I'm waiting to get an SD card first. (Because backups take so much space.)

I installed WiFi Static, which is an application that will automatically turn your static IP off and on, depending upon which network you're trying to connect to! I set up my home network, and then went to the library. WiFi Static notified me it was changing to a new network. I was able to access web pages, update my weather widget, etc. However, when I got home, and WiFi Static re-connected to my router, it was stuck in the "Obtaining IP address..." loop again, and I had to tell the phone to forget the network and then connect again.

FruitViking · Jun 8, 2013

Okay, it seems to be working now; I think I fixed it!

Today I saw that my laptop was having the same problem connecting that my phone was. I'd been on the fence whether or not it was an issue with the phone or the router, but this cleared it up for me. If the phone and laptop can connect to all other networks, no problem, but not to the router, the problem is almost definitely with the router.

Doing some more research on this router led me to a web page detailing the most lengthy router reset I've ever seen: unplugging the modem, resetting the router, unplugging the router, then re-plugging the modem and then the router. (And make sure that you wait no less than 60 seconds before going to the next step!)

I never would've thought this up, because I'd tried each of these steps separately, and they hadn't worked.

tube517 · Jun 8, 2013

FruitViking said:
Okay, it seems to be working now; I think I fixed it!

Today I saw that my laptop was having the same problem connecting that my phone was. I'd been on the fence whether or not it was an issue with the phone or the router, but this cleared it up for me. If the phone and laptop can connect to all other networks, no problem, but not to the router, the problem is almost definitely with the router.

Doing some more research on this router led me to a web page detailing the most lengthy router reset I've ever seen: unplugging the modem, resetting the router, unplugging the router, then re-plugging the modem and then the router. (And make sure that you wait no less than 60 seconds before going to the next step!)

I never would've thought this up, because I'd tried each of these steps separately, and they hadn't worked.

See my original post

I'm glad you got it fixed. Most wifi "issues" involve a reboot/reset of the router. Usually that clears it up. The steps you mention are what most ISP "tech" phone reps do first to troubleshoot any router issues.

FruitViking · Jun 8, 2013

tube517 said:
See my original post

I'm glad you got it fixed. Most wifi "issues" involve a reboot/reset of the router. Usually that clears it up. The steps you mention are what most ISP "tech" phone reps do first to troubleshoot any router issues.

Yes, yes.

I thought I'd covered those bases already by resetting and rebooting the router, but apparently I had to do both consecutively, and reboot the modem, too. It felt like a magic ritual, where if I got one step wrong, it wouldn't work.
At least I didn't have to chop the head off a chicken!

bripeeee · Aug 10, 2013

Stoneboy · Sep 16, 2013

Not sure if this helps, I had the same issues recently, my phone connected fine, until I had to power off my router, when my router came back up I started getting the same issue as everyone else, the continious "obtaining ip address loop" I tried everything to try and resolve this, my HTC desire S would connect to any WiFi apart from my own router since I powered it off, I tried a full hard reset of the router, tried the static ip, etc etc.. so finally I decided I would give BT bombay a ring to say my router was faulty, before doing so I hooked up my old trusted Netgear DSG434G, checked out the WiFi, my HTC connected and worked with no issues, I hooked up the home hub again, was about to give BT a ring and noticed my phone had connected to the home hub, I disconnected and reconnected several times to make sure it wasnt a fluke, what I did notice, before with the continous loop, my phone was trying to connect with the IP addy ending in 67, it just didnt want to connect with this IP address.
After the shuffle around with the netgear and back to the BT home hub, it was connecting with no problems using the IP addy ending in 66, anyone who knows a bit more than me about networks etc could maybe enlighten me what might have went wrong and how it corrected itself, thank you

shadabad · Jan 30, 2014

I had this issue this week on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (SM-N9005, Android 4.3, Build number JSS15J.N900XXUDMJ7, International Version - Bahrain, 4G Version)

I was able to solve it by going to Settings > General > About > Software Update.
Clicking on software update and checking if there is updated automatically connected my device to Wifi!
To be honest, I think this issue started when I searched for an update few days ago which seems the software update had to mess with something from the Wifi.

mrmojorisin518 · Aug 26, 2014

I have a Galaxy 3 and it did this for 6 months straight. It connected fine at home but when I went to my second residence (I'm there 3 or 4 days a month) it was constantly caught in this loop and would never connect. I tried everything I could think of. 1 day out of the blue it connected solidly just like it did at home. I'm not sure what occurred to make this possible. I had given up trying to fix it a long time ago. Once it locked on I never had anymore problems. I didn't even have to do anything. As soon as I arrived there it would connect automatically. Recently I even had to reboot the phone to the original factory settings, which I assumed would bring the problem back but nope, still connects automatically whenever I arrive with no prompting from me. Today I bought an old phone from a friend, just to play games on. Different make and model of phone. Different company. I don't even know what this is but it's not a Samsung. Same old problem. Since I have no clue how the first one got fixed I have no idea how to correct this one, which is what lead me here. I'll try some of the suggested fixes and see if anything works. Thanks all.

ieldan · Mar 22, 2015

Simple solution that worked on my device was changing the wifi channel of the router.
-brgds Dan-

"Obtaining IP Address" loop

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