Having problems with my WIFI and Android phones

Using the WiFi with my phones has been frustrating lately (a problem I don't have with my laptop, maybe because it has a bigger antenna?). My setup is based on a Netgear WNR3500v1 router and 2 Android phones (a Nexus One and a Galaxy Nexus).

The curious thing is the signal strength seems good throughout my house, going from -40dBm to [even] -90dBm at some points (these last ones I consider dark spots). These all led me to believe signal levels could not be the issue so I installed fing on my android phone and ran a ping to my router these are the results FROM less than 6FT away and direct line of sight to router:

Average Ping: 3ms
Packet loss: 35%
Minimum Ping: 1ms
Maximum Ping: 18ms
Std. dev. ping: 0ms
Estimated hops: 0

The router is sitting on a glass table next to my 42" LCD TV, could the LCD be creating interference? (the above test was done with the TV off)

So here are my questions:

Should I be on the market for a new router?
Could this be an issue with Android? (I don't have other devices to test)
Does anyone know what 'Std. dev. ping: 0ms' means?

rantsh

Posted 2013-03-18T16:51:59.340

Reputation: 121

You said you don't have a problem with your laptop, does this wireless network work for other devices (phones, tablets, etc)? – CharlieRB – 2013-03-18T17:04:53.903

1@rantsh: Have you tried rebooting the router? Also, are the router's antennae definitely attached properly? – James P – 2013-03-18T17:09:45.980

@James, many many times, it's an issue that's just been getting worse for the past couple of months – rantsh – 2013-03-18T18:12:39.527

@CharlieRB No problems with laptop, but problems with my 2 android phones (and the android phones of my friends when they come over), I don't have other devices to test with. – rantsh – 2013-03-18T18:13:57.857

A standard deviation of 0 would mean that every ping was the same duration, but this doesn't seem to be the case here. Note that we specifically disallow shopping recommendation questions, which is why I've removed that part from your post. – slhck – 2013-03-18T18:25:57.140

Yes, you already stated in your question about the 2 android phones, I was wondering about other phones working. Do these 2 android phones that can not connect to your network, connect to other networks? Is wireless enabled on them? Is your wireless an open network? If not, for the sake of troubleshooting, try turning off security to see if they can connect. – CharlieRB – 2013-03-18T18:48:10.843

Yes, they connect to other networks fine, they also connect to this one, but browsing and general data transfer is slow or even dissapears for no apparent reason in this network only. My network is open with mac filtering – rantsh – 2013-03-18T18:50:02.940

@rantsh: You could try updating the router's firmware. Of course you have to be very careful to download the correct one. You may also have the option of installing dd-wrt. – James P – 2013-03-18T19:17:51.437

no dd-wrt or updates for this hardware revision, already check that too – rantsh – 2013-03-18T19:45:07.607

@rantsh: Any chance you can move the router to somewhere else (preferably as far as possible from its current location) and test it there? Even without the WAN/telephone line plugged in you should still be able to connect to it via WiFi and ping it. – James P – 2013-03-19T09:21:40.693

@James: I'll try that this evening after I get back from work – rantsh – 2013-03-19T13:52:25.703

Answers

Have you scanned other Wifi networks around you? It could be the channel you're broadcasting from is over-saturated. If so, you can change your Router's channel which may help. If you're not sure how to check nearby wireless channels, inSIDDer is a tool that can help.

Trey

Posted 2013-03-18T16:51:59.340

Reputation: 1 229

I did, only 2 other networks around, non with too much overlap channelwise :( – rantsh – 2013-03-18T17:04:38.327

How about mirrors or other such obstructions that would degrade the signal? Have you tried moving the router elsewhere to see if the connection improves? – Trey – 2013-03-18T18:32:36.570

I've been working on moving it elsewhere, but it's not as simple because that's where they left the drop for the internet. So short answer, no I haven't tried. I didn't think mirrors could affect wifi though, it's on a glass table, next to LCD and concrete, which is why I tested in direct linear sight to it, to try and avoid that kind of interference and 'noise' – rantsh – 2013-03-18T18:40:21.950

I have a similar problem. But in my case I was able to compare performance with two identical phones. The second phone was one I bought on ebay for peanuts because it had a cracked screen but I figured it would be good for trying out different ROMs and replacement screens are pretty cheap for this model (Lenovo K3 Note). While my first phone works fine on Wifi all round the flat, the one I got from Ebay gets really poor wifi performance when it is not near the router. So there would seem to be some kind of hardware fault in the second phone.

Also, check which wifi standard your laptop and your phone are using. Maybe one is on 5 GHz while the other is on 2.4 GHz. I think your router does both (as does mine).

Salvador

Posted 2013-03-18T16:51:59.340

Reputation: 1