[Q] Fall back to LTE when wifi times out? - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My home wifi signal isn't terribly strong, and walking around my apartment sometimes the connection will time out/falter on my Nexus 5 (the signal doesn't disappear, it just stops working while connected). Consequently I tend to shut off the wifi in order to get the phone to fall back to LTE which does work, and then turn it back on when I'm back in range. Does anyone know of a way to get the phone to enable/switch to LTE when the wifi signal times out after, say, two seconds?

why not just keep it connected to lte? wifi with a terrible signal would be horrible on battery life.

Llama or Tasker could automate this. It might not be ideal for it to keep switching however.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Get a better router....or a router period if your connected directly to a wireless modem.
That's what I do. My wireless modem from my internet provider has terrible signal. My 60 dollar router works awesome tho.
Sent from my N5, N7, Moto X, G Tab 3 or S2.....

Related

[Q] Wifi issues

Is anyone having issues with WiFi? My charge seems to take forever to connect to my AP and signal strength is very low.
Even in the same room as my AP I couldn't stream to my TV via DLNA without it stopping to buffer ever 10 seconds. It's really disappointing.
I have this problem, coupled with horribly slow 3g data speeds in parts of my house, makes this worthless. I played with the Infuse for a week and although similar speced, it is superior to this phone.
Anyone else seeing this? I am trying to determine if there's just something wrong with my phone or if this is systemic. I'm willing to swap out for another Charge if it'll fix my wifi, but i'm not going to spend the time redoing my settings the other will just have the same issue.
Sounds like it may be a phone issue. I get better wifi signal with my Charge than with my Fascinate, and better signal strength in general.
Not seeing that problem either on my Charge. It connects quickly via my home wifi.
my charge connects instantly to my wifi and has no issues with it
Same no issues here.
But my router is downstairs and upstairs in the furthest corner away from it I get very spotty signal. it fades in and out from 1-2 "bars"

Data gone after going to a different city, anyone else?

Today I went from Houston, TX to Waco, TX and had a strong 3g signal in most places and the occasional lte. However, when I got to Waco, my signal dropped to absolutely no data whatsoever when I would normally have lte. I can call and text just fine, but data is gone. I've done countless reboots, airplane mode toggles, network mode switches, profile/prl updates, but nothing gets data back.
Has this happened to anyone before, or has anyone happened to be around Waco today and have the same thing happen?
Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
I'm experiencing a similar issue in NYC with my data connections dropping constantly. Even though I know my issue is the phone itself as even my wifi will not stay connected. All of my connections may stay on for a few minutes, maybe even a half hour, but then the icon disappears and the connection is gone. Then it will come back, usually within 5 minutes, only to disappear again shortly after.
No clue what's going on, I'm running stock, haven't rooted. I did install the new update recently, but I'm fairly sure it was happening before that, I just assumed it was poor service from the hurricane damage tho.
If it wasn't for your wifi, I'd say it would have been from the hurricane.
The problem for me is that my wifi is fine, and I usually have a great signal is most places in Waco. I usually drop down to 3g in buildings or roam when I go below ground (for a class, etc), but I've never had an entire loss of signal like this. It could be possible Sprint is working on a tower here, but you'd think they'd have more than one tower to govern the data for the entire city.
I think if my data isn't back by tomorrow, I'm visiting a Sprint store to see what's up. Until then, I'm just glad I live on campus and my university has wifi all over the place.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2
This is not entirely related, but I wanted to throw it in somewhere: yesterday I was in a different city, in a part of town that apparently has a very poor Sprint signal. I put my phone down, and when I picked it up 10 minutes later, it was SUPER hot, hotter than a phone of mine has ever been. It also drained around 15% battery in those 10 minutes! I guess it was from constantly trying to connect to the network, and I don't think it was even 3g.... But I've been in poor service areas and have never seen a phone get that hot before.
Well, I feel stupid. Apparently, when I was turning my GPS off with my toggles, I hit toggle mobile data on accident. Silly me.
Sent from my XT897 using Tapatalk 2

Weak Wifi reception

A few users reported weak WiFi signal strength on N5. Good WiFi signal strength is very important for me and this is one of things I like on my current SGS, so Im wondering how good is Wlan strength on yours N5 ?
Also Androidizen posted video about WiFi problem:
I received my N5 yesterday and i am facing this weak WiFi signal problem.
I compared it with my Iphone 5.
i was 8 feet away having my back to router, iphone 5 showed full strength signals while N5 showed 3/4 signal strength.
Ive had my nexus 5 for a few days now, and the main thing that is annoying me is the wifi, the signal is so flaky one minute im on full bars, next minute its on 1 or 2, then back to full. this can be in line of sight with the router. Ive tried a few routers at home and at work, same issue. I have tried an iphone, nokia and samsung and they all have a much better range. I'm contemplating taking this back now and getting a refund, as i don't think its acceptable. does anyone else get this constant fluctuation?
I have also noticed when you put your hand over the top of the phone the signal can drop completely. Not taht i do this, but other phones i have do not suffer with this.
i take it not many people are seeing this issue, are others with the phone able to check the wifi range and fluctuations in comparison with other devices. How can it go from full bars to 2, then back to full constantly when other phones are solid. Trying to work out if its worth exchanging for another. Speeds just change from say 72mbs to like 19mbs non stop. Thanks
Side by side with my Nexus 4 I'm getting the same strength and speed.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk 2
mintume said:
I received my N5 yesterday and i am facing this weak WiFi signal problem.
I compared it with my Iphone 5.
i was 8 feet away having my back to router, iphone 5 showed full strength signals while N5 showed 3/4 signal strength.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do not use the bars when comparing signal.
Download an app that shows you the actual signal level in dbm. Bars can be set to whatever the developer wants. I could make you have full bars at -110 dbm which would be a useless connection, but still show full bars. For the most part, you should disregard them.
Would be possible to boost WiFi reception with a software tweak? Even if Google doesnt provide a fix, could be WiFi signal strength increased in custom roms? I hope some developer will know to answer this.
I have chance to get N5 32gb next week and I really want it, but since Im a lot in other countries, good WiFi signal strength is very important for me (to connect on WiFi hotspots)
Thanx
Is it an issue of signal strength only? Does it ever disconnect you completely? "Strength" would be much less of a concern than disconnects, now THAT would be annoying.
Spitfire said:
Is it an issue of signal strength only? Does it ever disconnect you completely? "Strength" would be much less of a concern than disconnects, now THAT would be annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have read that some N5 owners lost WiFi connection when they were about 10 m away from router. This is unacceptable IMO. I hope software tweak can boost WiFi reception.
I confirm the weak wifi too.
signal
i have nexus 5 16gb white, signal is very very weak!!! i have N4 and GN and have perfect signal!
the problem of weak wifi, is all about the nexus? we have to wait for a fix or should call google and give it back?
I'm facing the same issue. I'm few feets from AP and I'm getting weak and unstable signal. The worse thing is that it is not picking up signal from my main AP (Edimax) at home... It does not "see" the network at all even all other devices at home use it fine.
Very weak signal with this phone, I got full bars on my previous phones in my office but now only 2 bars. If you put your hand near the top of the phone the signal completely drops.
Same issue here, very weak reception. No issues with may tablet or laptops, but Nexus isnt getting good signal. White 32GB.
Yup weak signal. Initially it didn't want to connect to 3g but that was fixed with the service menu. And now I am noticing weak WiFi signal.
I'm guessing this has to do with the antenna.
Its easy to open the phone I'm going to crack it open and see what I find.
Have you folks tried going into your N5's WiFi settings & look under the Advanced submen (press the 3 dots on the lower right of screen)
Tried turning off 5 Ghz band if your router is on the typical 2.4 Ghz band - and if you have the newer dual band N router, enable your 5 Ghz band - could be interferences from other nearby devices or AP ??
Install the free app, Wifi Analayzer from Play Store & run it - take a look at your AP's signal strength, try switching to a less congested channel since the airwaves are shared, regardless which of the 11 channels you are defaulting to ...
Mine is running just fine, -60 to -50 dBm with the N home router behind 2 sheetrock walls.
Compared to my Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy SIII, I have superior Wifi Signal on my Nexus 5 to a very positive surprise...however network drop outs for Cellular connection is quite annoying...
guys try to disable the wifi optimization under advanced wifi setting and set the band to 2.4 . it worked with me :good:
I have to use my 2.4GHz connection because the phone didn't work at all on the 5GHz.
Sent from my Nexus 5
I have this problem too. Sometimes my signal is so weak that it disconnects with the router and falls back on 3G.
I tried everything. Just went into Safe Mode, but Wifi is still weak, it doesnt matter.
I tried to only use 2,4GHz and turned Wifi optimalisation off. Still the same weak signal.
I tested it with the app "Wifi Analyzer" If I stand next to the router it gets about -50dBm. Then I tested it with my brothers Galaxy S2, he got -40dBm. Thats a difference of 10dBm. -40dBm is a stronger signal.
We tried it at the 2nd floor, and he got a better signal again. So it's obviously my Nexus.
Android 4.4.2, stock, no root or something. Google come with a solution please. My previous phone had the same ****ty Wifi (HTC One X).

Nexus 5 on 3 UK with Home Signal Box

Received my 32GB Nexus 5 the other day and thought it was broke as I wasn't getting any mobile data in the house at all.
I've finally worked out that this seems to be an issue with the Home Signal Box that plugs into my broadband connection as I need one due to having no signal at all downstairs and a very weak signal upstairs.
The Nexus 5 connects to the box fine and I get full signal but no H on phone at all. If I want data I have to switch wifi on.
This is the only time I've ever seen this and i've tried my sim card in quite a few phones and in every other phone apart from this Nexus 5 I get both calls and data fine.
Does anyone else have both a Nexus 5 and Home Signal box and getting this issue?
chipxtreme said:
Received my 32GB Nexus 5 the other day and thought it was broke as I wasn't getting any mobile data in the house at all.
I've finally worked out that this seems to be an issue with the Home Signal Box that plugs into my broadband connection as I need one due to having no signal at all downstairs and a very weak signal upstairs.
The Nexus 5 connects to the box fine and I get full signal but no H on phone at all. If I want data I have to switch wifi on.
This is the only time I've ever seen this and i've tried my sim card in quite a few phones and in every other phone apart from this Nexus 5 I get both calls and data fine.
Does anyone else have both a Nexus 5 and Home Signal box and getting this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a similar problem with my iPhone 5. Data didn't work without Wi-Fi or at best, was patchy. Three even specify on their site that Wi-Fi should still be used for data.
I have noticed the exact same behaviour on my Nexus 5 with the Home Signal box. My Nexus 4 (now used by my wife), daughter's Samsung S4 and son's Sony Xperia Z all work with voice and data.
There is another symptom of the Nexus 5 and Home Signal box I have just noticed, it's killing my battery! The Phone application is continuously causing a wakelock when the Nexus 5 is connected to the Home Signal box, if I unplug the Home Signal the wakelock stops and battery lasts a lot longer.
Hope Three are aware of this and can provide a fix.
I left a message on the 3 facebook site and their response was just to switch my wifi on when I'm in house. Well I do that whenever I intend to use any amount of data but when my phone is just sat there waiting for something to do i'd prefer it to be only using battery on phone signal and not wireless as well.
I've devised a workaround using Tasker to switch on Wi-Fi and switch off Mobile Data while at home and vice versa when I leave. Battery life is back to normal. Phone app isn't even showing on battery usage screen and having Wi-Fi on all the time I'm at home isn't using as much battery as the Phone app was with Mobile Data on even though there was no data connection. I think the problem is that the Home Signal box is not allowing the phone to establish a data connection and the Phone app continuously keeps trying thus running the battery down. I'll work with this for now but I do hope Three come up with a fix.
My Nexus 5 arrived today, seems to be working happily with our Home Signal box. Weird. Potential defect or something?
chipxtreme said:
I left a message on the 3 facebook site and their response was just to switch my wifi on when I'm in house. Well I do that whenever I intend to use any amount of data but when my phone is just sat there waiting for something to do i'd prefer it to be only using battery on phone signal and not wireless as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you turn your mobile data off in the house too? Because the WiFi battery use replaces the mobile data battery use... and should actually use less.
Voice Radio uses batttery, then mobile data uses further battery on top of that. So unless you're turning off mobile data completely, you should find that WiFi on all the time is a better solution.
This isn't really relevant to the thread though, so sorry about that.
chipxtreme said:
Received my 32GB Nexus 5 the other day and thought it was broke as I wasn't getting any mobile data in the house at all.
I've finally worked out that this seems to be an issue with the Home Signal Box that plugs into my broadband connection as I need one due to having no signal at all downstairs and a very weak signal upstairs.
The Nexus 5 connects to the box fine and I get full signal but no H on phone at all. If I want data I have to switch wifi on.
This is the only time I've ever seen this and i've tried my sim card in quite a few phones and in every other phone apart from this Nexus 5 I get both calls and data fine.
Does anyone else have both a Nexus 5 and Home Signal box and getting this issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm having the same issue with a white Nexus 5, Baseband version M8974A-1.0.25.0.17 and the 3UK black home signal box.
Feels like that whilst 'Data enabled' is ticked in 'Mobile network settings', the phone keeps reattempting the data connection, even though i have WiFi enabled.. ??
The same SIM does NOT have any issue in my GalaxyNexus.
1st and 3rd line tech support at 3UK have confirmed that data is getting though the SIM thus the handset itself is seemingly the issue. 3UK are recommending that I take this up with Google...
Same problem here, N5 + Black Home Signal = No data. Works fine on my other phones and iPad. Also when used with a Vodafone Sure Signal my Nexus gets data fine.
esskayy said:
I had a similar problem with my iPhone 5. Data didn't work without Wi-Fi or at best, was patchy. Three even specify on their site that Wi-Fi should still be used for data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Means no mms though.
rootSU said:
So you turn your mobile data off in the house too? Because the WiFi battery use replaces the mobile data battery use... and should actually use less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wifi uses much more power than data.
awilson3000 said:
I'm having the same issue with a white Nexus 5, Baseband version M8974A-1.0.25.0.17 and the 3UK black home signal box.
Feels like that whilst 'Data enabled' is ticked in 'Mobile network settings', the phone keeps reattempting the data connection, even though i have WiFi enabled.. ??
The same SIM does NOT have any issue in my GalaxyNexus.
1st and 3rd line tech support at 3UK have confirmed that data is getting though the SIM thus the handset itself is seemingly the issue. 3UK are recommending that I take this up with Google...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
£5 says they're lying.
noodles2k said:
Wifi uses much more power than data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not usually the case (edit: In my experience). Unless the Nexus 5 has some special radio hardware I am not yet aware of? The additional fluctuation in signal strength makes that even less true IMO
There are arguments on both sides of the fence if you google it, but I sit on the "WiFi is better" side.
rootSU said:
This is not usually the case (edit: In my experience). Unless the Nexus 5 has some special radio hardware I am not yet aware of? The additional fluctuation in signal strength makes that even less true IMO
There are arguments on both sides of the fence if you google it, but I sit on the "WiFi is better" side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just install JuiceDefender and it sorts this out for you, or seems to for me anyway. It disables data if you have a wifi connection i.e. whilst you are in the house. Upshot is good battery life and I don't need to do anything to the phone - juicedefender does it for you.
rootSU said:
This is not usually the case (edit: In my experience). Unless the Nexus 5 has some special radio hardware I am not yet aware of? The additional fluctuation in signal strength makes that even less true IMO
There are arguments on both sides of the fence if you google it, but I sit on the "WiFi is better" side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't mean that as a generalisation. When using femtocells for data my battery lasts longer than with wifi.
noodles2k said:
Sorry, I didn't mean that as a generalisation. When using femtocells for data my battery lasts longer than with wifi.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. I stand corrected. I have no experience of that. I took your comment generally
Has anyone spoken to Three about this since?
This is very annoying.
I just sent my Nexus 5 back and got a Note 3, I'd prefer the Nexus 5 though. If its fixed I might get another one. My home signal box hasn't worked since yesterday either so no signal in my house
Seems to be fixed now. I am now getting a data connection through my Home Signal box. I have not changed anything on my Nexus 5 so can only assume that Three have made some change in the background to how the Home Signal works with the Nexus 5.

Poor Wifi Issues?

Hey gang,
Any Note 5 owners experiencing any wifi connectivity issues? I've found that the connection becomes completely unresponsive if I lose a single bar of wireless signal, and even during regular usage with full signal, the wifi connection will just drop off and reconnect back to the access point. I took a Galaxy Note 2, a Nexus 6, and the Note 5 to one of the spots where 1 bar drops, the Note 2 and Nexus 6 have no issues and still get 120Mbit on Speedtest. The Note 5 just times out until I get the signal back up to full strength.
I've made sure Smart Network Switch is disabled, and I don't see anything to disable any Wifi optimizations so I'm guessing that isn't an option anymore.
Regards,
--Henry
I haven't had any issues with my note 5 so far... have you tried rebooting the router? Every week or two I have to do that with my router cuz of weird stuff like that.
dandroid7 said:
I haven't had any issues with my note 5 so far... have you tried rebooting the router? Every week or two I have to do that with my router cuz of weird stuff like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately a router reboot does nothing, and I had a feeling it would do nothing since all the other devices are on wireless perfectly fine. Only the Note 5 has issues.
The router isn't a slouch either, it's an Asus RT-N66U so it's not some kind of cheapy wireless router
Bummer...
Yup major issues thought it was just me
Sent from my SM-N920T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
WiFi issues here with an Asus router as well. My Nexus 6, Note 4, S6, and G3 are fine on 2.4ghz / 5ghz but my Note 5 seems sluggish on either speed and eventually drops out entirely until I cycle the WiFi connection
Sent from my SM-N920T
You would think that with Samsung being the reputable company they are, they would ensure their devices weren't plagued by these issues.
I'm on the fence about returning the note 5, the wifi drops out so much that I'm not going to settle with paying a big chunk of change just to have a faulty device.
Haven't seen any WiFi drops here. I rely on WiFi Calling while at the office and it held stable both Friday and today. Browsing seemed fine too.
I'm having the same issue. The connection doesn't drop, just becomes unresponsive. I have to toggle it to get it back.
Unfortunately, just because they're the same model does not mean the exact same parts were used to make them.
It may be that some phones were built with a router from a bad batch/supplier, while other sm920t are without the fault.
It may be worth a shot to do a warranty replacement. You can do it as many times as you need to get a properly working device, even. I dont think theres a charge, and if it is it's negligible. If you're the type to think you shouldnt have to pay for their mistake (like me...) you could probably convince customer service to credit the fee. Just remember to be nice... customer service is a crappy job, so you'd be surprised how far they'll go to help the people whom brighten up their day :-]
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
somewhereslowly said:
Unfortunately, just because they're the same model does not mean the exact same parts were used to make them.
It may be that some phones were built with a router from a bad batch/supplier, while other sm920t are without the fault.
It may be worth a shot to do a warranty replacement. You can do it as many times as you need to get a properly working device, even. I dont think theres a charge, and if it is it's negligible. If you're the type to think you shouldnt have to pay for their mistake (like me...) you could probably convince customer service to credit the fee. Just remember to be nice... customer service is a crappy job, so you'd be surprised how far they'll go to help the people whom brighten up their day :-]
Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T-Mobile charges shipping on warranty swaps, which is usually around $6.95.
Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk
I had gotten a replacement today, and it has the exact same Wifi connectivity issues. New device cannot maintain a stable connection. Even my old, crappy Galaxy S2X is able to hold a connection better than the Note 5.
It's really sad, I had high hopes for this device but it seems like Samsung completely dropped the ball on this one. Looks like I'm returning it and looking for an alternative.
I am connected at home and office - i do not experience any issues. I have terrible cell reception at my desk which is why I use the WIFI
HankChill said:
I had gotten a replacement today, and it has the exact same Wifi connectivity issues. New device cannot maintain a stable connection. Even my old, crappy Galaxy S2X is able to hold a connection better than the Note 5.
It's really sad, I had high hopes for this device but it seems like Samsung completely dropped the ball on this one. Looks like I'm returning it and looking for an alternative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dunno bud... my WiFi speeds are remarkably fast. I only pay for 75down/75up.
My WiFi seems to be working ok... I pay for 100 mbps down and 10 mbps up...
My wifi problems seem to have disappeared for now.
drbveb88 said:
I dunno bud... my WiFi speeds are remarkably fast. I only pay for 75down/75up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh it's not that it's not fast -- it's extremely fast! The problem is that the wifi constantly drops, even in the same room as the router, the wifi drops connection and then reconnects, interrupting anything that I was currently doing.
Hmmm, that's no good. I haven't had that issue with the note 5. if I did have that issue, I would try to turn airplane mode on, shut down the phone and boot to stock recovery, wipe cache, reboot, turn wifi on and see if that helps - not saying it will, but if it isn't working right to begin with, it isn't going to make it any worse.
Just a thought...
Additionally, I have had that problem periodically ( not with the note 5 cut its only a few days old), though it usually affects multiple devices, not just one device at my house. When it happens, even rebooting the router and modem doesn't always help. There have been a few times that I have called my cable provider and they "re provisioned" the modem while I was on the phone with them. After that, the problem seemed to go away for many months. The issue was actually the cable modem, not my router.
I posted in the generic Note 5 thread on wifi issues. Im having the similar problems maintaining a stable connection on both work and home networks. Home 5ghz N wpa2 psk, work 5ghz N eap-fast/peap, and work hotspot 2.4ghz open. All networks exibit the same behavior, the note has trouble initially connecting, where it try and drops several times. A bit later it will show the popup that it connected to network name. Any queries seem to be extremely slow or time out. I have manually set my DNS servers to googles with no change in behavior. Wireless calling effectively doesn't work while this is going on. Im going to get a replacement phone tomorrow, but this seems more like a software or driver issue. My nexus 6 had no issues connecting to these networks. My note 4 did exibit connection stability problems on my home network, even though the AP is barely 15 feet away. Im heading to my Aptment in texas this weekend, I have ubiquti AC wireless APs set up there, will see if AC connectivity is at least solid.
Asus routers tend to not play nicely with Samsung devices unfortunately, I have an asus router as well and I have had multiple samsung devices that are unable to maintain a stable connection as well. Something that I have done to make it less annoying is turn off wifi power saving mode. If you don't know how open your dialer and dial *#0011# then go to wifi at the top right. Usually helps the issue. Also I only have my samsung devices connect to my 2.4ghz network instead of the 5ghz.

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