Automatically Connect to WiFi

[Justin Brody]

Hello,
I have this strange issue with my Pixel 3XL where sometimes if I've left the house and come back it won't automatically connect to my home wifi but instead stays on the mobile data. This doesn't happen everytime, but it seems to happen about once a week or so. This ends up costing me money because I use up all my data without knowing it.

So I guess I have two questions here:

1. Does anyone know what might be causing this and if there's a way to fix it?
2. Does anyone have ideas of a workaround -- maybe even something that will change the look of the phone when it's using Mobile Data and not connected to Wifi or something???

Thanks for any insights!
-Justin

 

[ocnbrze]

Have you checked your router?

 

[Dannydet]

Reboot the router

 

[Justin Brody]

Thank you both, I will try that! If the router flakes out for a few minutes and then is stable, should the phone automatically reconnect when the router is back? I don't notice issues connecting with my laptop

 

[ocnbrze]

Thank you both, I will try that! If the router flakes out for a few minutes and then is stable, should the phone automatically reconnect when the router is back? I don't notice issues connecting with my laptop

it should automatically connect once the router is rebooted. and your laptop should not be taken into account when you have wifi router issues. only worry about the device that has issues with connecting.

 

[svim]

Typically your phone will default to using WiFi connectivity over cellular connectivity but signal strength is big factor. (i.e. a weak WiFi signal might not be enough to prompt your phone to do its automatic switchover from the cellular connection it's already using) If you were dealing with a completely reversed situation (WiFi not handing off to cellular) there's a setting in the Developer Options to specifically address this:
https://newbedev.com/what-does-the-...ular-handover-option-in-developer-settings-do
But in your posting, there's a good chance this is just a matter of looking into your home WiFi signal coverage. The signal strength might not be enough to trigger the switchover consistently. Try installing this 'WiFi Analyzer (open source)' app, and use it take some measurements of your WiFi coverage:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vrem.wifianalyzer&hl=en_US&gl=US
Do some tests standing within a few feet of your router to get a baseline number and then go to different parts of your home to built up a coverage map where there are strong and weak signals (do both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands). A lot of people mistakenly assume 5GHz is best simply because it can provide more bandwidth speeds but in a situation where there's a weak 5GHz signal but strong 2.4GHz one you should weigh the consequences of which to use. Anyway, check and see of the WiFi coverage is the issue to address. If (emphasis on 'if' since this is just a guess and not definitive) this is an issue, you might be able to increase coverage by repositioning your router:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...ntific-guide-to-wi-fi-access-point-placement/
Also, is this problem only occurring at home or does it happen elsewhere too? If just at home your router is a likely source of the problem, if this happens at work or wherever too than that indicates it is more likely to be your phone.

 

[Dierdre215]

Change your router