Solutions to Common Android WI-Fi ProblemsFriends of mine who use an Android come over to me usually with problems related to their
devices' Wi-Fi connectivity. Moreover, it's not a single isolated issue. There are all kinds of them they bring up.
I usually
fix their problem after few troubleshoots
but today while I was fixing a problem on my device, I realized that it
could happen to any one - even to my readers on Guiding Tech. Hence we
are going to discuss four of the most common Android Wi-Fi problems and
see the probable causes and solutions to them.
Android Cannot Scan a Wi-Fi Network
Reason
There may be two reasons as to why your Android cannot scan a network
automatically. The first reason may be that the network you are trying
to connect to could be
Ad-Hoc in nature. As most of the Android phones are not configured to work on Ad-Hoc networks but on access points, they don't scan them.
The second reason may be that
the Wi-Fi network you are trying to connect to might be hidden for security reasons.
Solution
By default, Android does not support Ad-Hoc Wi-Fi network but many developers patch the
wpa_supplicant file on Android
in order for them to work. If you do a quick Google search you will be
able to find if there's a fix available for your device but the fix can
only be performed on a rooted phone. Furthermore, don't forget to back
up your original wpa_supplicant file if at all your phones goes into
foreclose or
boot loops.
If the problem is with the hidden network, you can try to add the
network manually. In Android Wi-Fi settings open menu and tap to add a
network manually. You must enter the correct SSID and
authentication type
and password in order to connect to the network. If both the
credentials are correct, the Android phone will be able to connect to
the network.
Wi-Fi Keeps Disconnecting Frequently
Reason
The most obvious reason for the problem may be with the Wi-Fi Sleep
Policy which disconnects your Wi-Fi every time your Android goes to
sleep to save your battery's juice.
Solution
To manage Wi-Fi Sleep Policy, open
Advance Wi-Fi settings on Android and tap the option
Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep. Here,
check the option Always to enjoy an uninterrupted connectivity, but you will have to compensate it with your battery life.
If you are using any third-party app to save your battery, check if
it's controlling your Wi-Fi and other radio services and configure
accordingly.
Obtaining IP Address Infinite Loop
Reason
I don't know the exact reason behind this, but it might be a bug in
Android. I have seen many people getting this problem, and it gets kind
of annoying when the problem does not gets fixed even after restarting
the device.
Solution
First of all, you must restart your Wi-Fi router and see if that
helps. Many people say that resetting the phone to factory state works
but that's not an appropriate solution.
Wi-Fi Fixer is an amazing Android app
that can help you here. The app resets your Wi-Fi system files (same as
when you reinstall the Wi-Fi drivers in Windows, or you disable and
enable the Wi-Fi adapter) and services and helps you to connect to the
network and obtain the IP address.
Solutions to Common Android Wi-Fi Problems
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Friends of mine who use an Android come over to me usually with problems related to their devices' Wi-Fi connectivity. Moreover, it's not a single isolated issue. There are all kinds of them they bring up.
I usually fix their problem after few troubleshoots
but today while I was fixing a problem on my device, I realized that it
could happen to any one - even to my readers on Guiding Tech. Hence we
are going to discuss four of the most common Android Wi-Fi problems and
see the probable causes and solutions to them.
Android Cannot Scan a Wi-Fi Network
Reason
There may be two reasons as to why your Android cannot scan a network
automatically. The first reason may be that the network you are trying
to connect to could be Ad-Hoc in nature. As most of the Android phones are not configured to work on Ad-Hoc networks but on access points, they don't scan them.
The second reason may be that the Wi-Fi network you are trying to connect to might be hidden for security reasons.
Solution
By default, Android does not support Ad-Hoc Wi-Fi network but many developers patch the wpa_supplicant file on Android
in order for them to work. If you do a quick Google search you will be
able to find if there's a fix available for your device but the fix can
only be performed on a rooted phone. Furthermore, don't forget to back
up your original wpa_supplicant file if at all your phones goes into
foreclose or boot loops.
If the problem is with the hidden network, you can try to add the
network manually. In Android Wi-Fi settings open menu and tap to add a
network manually. You must enter the correct SSID and authentication type
and password in order to connect to the network. If both the
credentials are correct, the Android phone will be able to connect to
the network.
Wi-Fi Keeps Disconnecting Frequently
Reason
The most obvious reason for the problem may be with the Wi-Fi Sleep
Policy which disconnects your Wi-Fi every time your Android goes to
sleep to save your battery's juice.
Solution
To manage Wi-Fi Sleep Policy, open Advance Wi-Fi settings on Android and tap the option Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep. Here, check the option Always to enjoy an uninterrupted connectivity, but you will have to compensate it with your battery life.
Ads by Google
If you are using any third-party app to save your battery, check if
it's controlling your Wi-Fi and other radio services and configure
accordingly.
Obtaining IP Address Infinite Loop
Reason
I don't know the exact reason behind this, but it might be a bug in
Android. I have seen many people getting this problem, and it gets kind
of annoying when the problem does not gets fixed even after restarting
the device.
Solution
First of all, you must restart your Wi-Fi router and see if that
helps. Many people say that resetting the phone to factory state works
but that's not an appropriate solution. Wi-Fi Fixer is an amazing Android app
that can help you here. The app resets your Wi-Fi system files (same as
when you reinstall the Wi-Fi drivers in Windows, or you disable and
enable the Wi-Fi adapter) and services and helps you to connect to the
network and obtain the IP address.
If you know the range of IP address the router is broadcasting, you
may configure your Android to use static IP address while connecting to
the network.
Can't Connect to Internet using Wi-Fi
Reasons
There may be several reasons as to why you are not able to connect to
the internet even when you are connected to the Wi-Fi. The reasons may
be:
- The router is not broadcasting internet services.
- The IP address or the gateway is wrong.
- Problem with the DNS settings.
Solutions
You may use another device to check if the router is actually
broadcasting internet. Also you can configure the IP address, the
gateway and DNS manually to connect as their might be problems with
DHCP.
Conclusion
These are pretty much most of the Android problems one might
encounter on his device and the probable solution one can try to fix the
problem. I don't guarantee that you will fix the problem but it's a
good start nonetheless. And most of the solutions should work actually.
Thanks .
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