Tips – Troubleshooting HTC Hero/G2 Wi-Fi connection woes
One common gripe among new HTC Hero/DROID Eris/G2 owners is wi-fi connectivity. Some folks find that they just can’t get their shiny new Android smartphones to connect to their home wi-fi setup at all. Considering how data hungry Android phones are, and how stingy some carriers are with their data allowance, wi-fi issues could be a major headache. I thought I’d collate together some of the troubleshooting tips I’ve come across to help narrow down the cause of the problem.
First off, if you use a wireless N router or access point, you should know that the Hero (and most other phones) can be notoriously fickle when connecting to wireless N devices. Happily, most folks do seem to be able get the phone connected with a little perseverance. If you use an N device, make sure that you turn on B/G Compatibility mode if the device supports it in it’s settings. Check for the latest firmware for the router too as a lot of folks have found that simply updating to the latest version resolves the issue.
The next stumbling point for the Hero smartphone is often the wi-fi security settings that are in use. If you are having problems connecting, try dropping all wi-fi security temporarily to see if the Hero will connect to your wi-fi network when it’s wide open. If it does connect, you’ll know that something to do with your security is causing issues. Try testing each security type (WPA, WEP, etc) in turn and you’ll be able to work out which encryption method it is that’s causing the issue. It’s also worth checking your router’s settings to see if MAC filtering is turned on, or if the network SSID is hidden, if one or the other is on, try disabling them temporarily to see if you can connect.
Another troubleshooting method is to try connecting to another wi-fi network. Maybe you could use a friend or relative’s wi-fi network, or perhaps an open public network in a coffee shop? I know I can’t walk 5 minutes in any direction without my phone picking up at least 3 or 4 different wi-fi networks. If you can connect to another wi-fi network, you’ll know the wi-fi on your phone does work.
There are a few apps on the Android Market that can help troubleshoot wi-fi issues too, Wi-Fi Buddy is an excellent wi-fi network scanner with a tidy and clean interface which is straightforward to use. WiFi Scanner is also pretty good.
If you are having wi-fi issues, leave a comment or drop me an email detailing your setup and hopefully we can get you up and running. From what I’ve seen, most of the the people who have problems with the Hero’s wi-fi do resolve the issue.
Found a slightly different, and rather odd solution to my Hero WiFi problems. Wireless network name (SSID) from a multi-word one to a single work. Now works fine!? Very strange.
That is a strange one. I would have thought the phone would see the SSID as one string of text whether there were spaces or not, rather than differentiating between single word and multi-word network names. Thanks for getting in touch to let us know.
Found that my HTC Hero works after I changed the security setting on the Linksys N-Router (WRT160N)from WPA2 Personal: TKIP/AES to WPA2 Personal: AES.
Before:
HTC Hero detects all the nearby WIFI networks active around my place: 11 in total. Detecting WEP, WPA, WPA2, & Open network,but it couldn't even detect my Router, even when it's next to the antenna.
connectivity issues here too – running a Netgear Rangemax router with WPA2 (AES) security.
The phone has no problem finding the signal and I can definitely connect. The problem appears to be that once the phone goes to sleep, then it drops connectivity and can't seem to auto-reconnect when I come out of sleep mode.
Even cycling WiFi on/off on the phone won't fix it. I have to go in, "Forget" the network and then start from scratch.
to add to my above comment – the problem seems to be worse than just dropping the connection when the phone goes to sleep – it appears to drop the connection after 1 or 2 minutes of use…no matter what settings are in place!
There's an app called wi-fi fixer that you might be able to use as a workaround until you resolve your connectivity issues, it automatically reconnects your wifi connection when it drops.
As for the problems you're having. Is your Rangemax one of the Next wireless N models? If so, do you know if it allows you to go in to a B/G compatibility mode? Another thing to try would be changing the security method to something else, like WEP, temporarily to see if that makes any difference.
what do you know – switching the rounter from the Auto 108Mbps mode to b/g seems to have solved the problem. thanks for the tip!
trying to connect to work wireless home wpa2 aes works fine no issues at work go to obtaining address and then fails no idea why
A work wi-fi connection is a bit trickier, simply because you won't be able to troubleshoot at the router side (unless you're in the IT team of course). If you're friendly with your IT admin, you could see if they would mind letting you know which IP address range is in use. If the Hero is connecting, but just having issues with addressing, you may be able to specify a static IP whilst you're in the office. This article explains how to set a static IP – http://thisandroidlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/setting-static-ip-address-for-wi-fi.html
My Hero drops connection to AP which have multi ssids configured and share the same BSSID among these ssid. As soon as multiple ssids get switched off and only a single ssid/bssid remains, problems disappear.
Hi there. Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. I contacted HTC to ask about whether multi SSID wifi networks were supported as I've heard of a couple of other people with a similar issue. Here is their response-
"At the moment mutli-SSID wireless networks are not fully supported by our HTC Hero handset. Google Android is developing more and more and we would recommend that you keep an eye on our website for any future updates"
My Hero will always connect to my BT Home Hub network, (using WiFi Buddy and/or WiFi Fixer) but nearly always has addressing issues, where it says there is either no network, or the web page is unavailable.
When connecting via my BT OpenZone, everything works perfectly.
Any ideas ? Could it be that B/G thing, whatever that is?
Hi there. I believe the newer BT Home Hub routers do use wireless N, so it may well be the old N incompatibility issue rearing it's head. I don't have much experience with the Home Hubs, can you administer it in any way or have BT completely locked it down? If it is locked down, you could ask BT if they can help you change the mode to be B/G compatible as your device has issues with Wireless N networks, or they may be able to point you in the right direction for a firmware update if one is available. Another thing you could try- see if the addressing issues go away if you set a static IP address (see- http://www.thisandroidlife.com/2009/09/setting-static-ip-address-for-wi-fi.html)
Thanks for that.
I'll have a go. If no luck, I'll bin the phone and use my trusty N95. Never had any problems with that phone.
I had a similar issue, WiFi worked elsewhere, but not at home… (Linksys WRT54G)
After playing with various security settings (including none) and SSID options…
I went into the setup on my PC, and under "Security" and "Firewall" i had to disable firewall protection
now my Hero is FLYING on WiFi
I can connect to my home wi-fi without any problems, but I can never connect to an open Wireless Point, it seems to connect but can never get an IP address. The one at work I can only connect to if I give it a fixed IP address which I can do, but not possible with a public one. Any help really apprceated.
Looked through the log files on the server at work, my phone connects but never seems to accept an IP address.
Thanks
Follow up to my above post..
Phone is 10 days old! Have tried as suggested by HTC support to do a factory reset, this does not make any difference.
Originally HTC support's answer was to assign an fixed IP address, OK I can do this at work but cant for a public Wireless Access point…
My home connection is encrypted, the one at work that I am trying to connect to is open. Someone else at my work has the identical phone and he can connect everytime. Just seems that the phone will not take an IP address from an open WAP, if I give it a fixed IP address then all is fine.
Any help appreciated, I intend to take the phone back to the shop where I purchased it from tomorrow but know I will be faced with a battle to get it replaced. I think however they have an open WAP in their shop….
That's a new one on me I have to say. Your Hero should be able to connect to open wifi access points without any problems. You've done everything you can to resolve the issue, and if you're seeing the problem with all open wireless access points you try to connect to, then I'd say it looks like a hardware problem, particularly if someone else has a Hero and isn't seeing the problem with the same settings as you have. You're right to take it back.
HTC have said that if the shop will not replace the handset that I can return it to them, hopefully the shop will as I would rather not be without a phone for a few weeks..
This is very weird…
Was going to take my phone back to the shop so did a factory reset to wipe all my data off it. As per the instructions I removed the SD card before I wiped it (just as I had previously). But this time I ran the setup from my office where I previously could not connect… And the setup spotted the wireless network (as it had previously) and connected first time!
The only change was leaving the SD card out for the whole setup process…
Actually that is not quite right…. The difference appears to be that the first wireless point I connected to is fine, all other open WAP will not conenct as the phone will not accept the IP address.. has to go back, lol
I can connect fine to my Linksys 160N so long as my SSID is broadcasting but if I turned SSID broadcasting off it always says my network is out of range. If I'm connected then I turn SSID broadcasting off I lose the connection. Is there a way to force my Hero to connect to a hidden network?
I have heard of people having problems connecting to networks with hidden SSIDs. Some people have reported that after they enable SSID broadcasting and make the initial connection, they can then connect to the network when the SSID broadcasting is turned off again, but that doesn't work for everyone and clearly hasn't worked for yourself either.
Might I ask, is there a reason you want to hide the SSID? You probably already know this, but I'll mention it so it's out there anyway – there's actually no security benefit whatsoever to hiding a network's SSID. There's a good article on the drawbacks of hiding a SSID here- http://blogs.technet.com/steriley/archive/2007/10/16/myth-vs-reality-wireless-ssids.aspx
Wifi connection problem with my Orange Livebox and HTC Hero.
My htc hero would find my orange Livebox but would not connect to it.
My livebox has a button (1) above the USB connection at the back. Pressing this when my htc was searching to connect solved the problem.
Hi
I also have issues with wifi. After phone goes to sleep mode it will indicate connection with router but will not be able to use the connection (connection failed everywhere). My network is a b/g powered by wrt54 with wpa1.
Any thoughts?
I'd look at using an app such as WiFi Fixer or WiFi Buddy and see if that resolves your issue. People who have complained about similar problems have reported success using WiFi Fixer in particular.
been having issues with bt homehub and wireless hero connections for ages…just disabled firewall on router and now seems to be working fine!
gah knew I shouldn't have got too excited…still keeps dropping and randomly reconnecting, regardless of which wifi apps I try…any suggestions to keep the connection constant?
Does the same dropout problem occur on other wireless networks?
Hi,
I have a peculiar problem with my HTC Hero.
I have the Linksys WAG54G2 ADSL modem + WiFi router at home. When I reboot the router, the Hero connects to it just fine and I can browse. However, if the Hero goes out of range and subsequently returns, I cannot connect to the network again
. I have tried using applications like WiFi Fixer and WeFi but I can never reconnect to my WiFi network after I go out of range.
However, if I reboot the router, the connection succeeds. What's even more weird is that if I turn off WiFi (when the device is connected) and turn WiFi back on, it seems to work. But leaving the WiFi range (e.g. going out for a walk) without remembering to turn WiFi off causes the problem.
I have tried upgrading the router firmware to no avail. I have tried using different channels on the router but that does not help either. I have used open, WEP and WPA2-personal without luck.
At work, we have a Netgear and that works like a charm. I am not sure if this is an interoperability issue with the WAG54G2, but none of my other devices (MacBook, iPod, wife's iPhone, Windows XP laptop) have the same issue.
Any ideas?
It could be an issue between the WAG54G2 and your Hero, yes. Are you running the latest firmware on the router? The fact that your phone isn't doing this on other wi-fi networks pretty much rules out the phone itself having wi-fi issues. Are you using B/G compatibility mode if you can? Sometimes turning off Wireless N altogether resolves issues with Hero connectivity.
I have had my hero for nearly a month now and not had any problems connedcting to my home netowrk untill yesturday it says obtaining ip adress then it just says connection unsuccessfull.
i haventried wifi buddy or wifi fixer yet i will give them a go and let you know
Hope I'm not too late for help, but I've got an rather odd problem with my Hero.
you see, it will find some routers, and not others. It doesn't really seem to be a specific type of router either, or encryption.
for example, it will find the encrypted Wireless N routers around my house, but it will not find my Netgear wireless N router.
I've tried everything, including apps, as well as restoring the phone.
The sprint guy told me to get it exchanged, but if I can fix it, then whats the point?
Hi Brian T. From the sounds of what you've described, if it's seeing some networks and not others, then I'd be inclined to think it's an incompatibility between the phone and some of your hardware. Let's see if we can help resolve this for you. Have you tried upgrading the firmware on your Netgear router? Are you noticing that it's mostly Wireless N networks that your Hero is struggling to see? Can your Netgear be turned to B/G compatibility mode or an equivalent?
Not sure if this blog if still open but my htc hero problem is a weird one.
I get a connection with my Home wi-fi but for some reason i can only access secure websites (my bank,Credit Card,e-mail,ect)but I can't access unsecured sites (Facebook,Twitter,ESPN,ect)
Whats up with that?
Im running on a hidden ssid with security code , if that helps.
Hi there. We're very much still open.
That is a wierd one, it almost sounds as though there's some sort of port redirect or blocking going on. Can you try something for me? Can you see if it's any different when you turn off your security? (Also, I'd turn off hiding you SSID as a matter of course anyway; it's not even remotely effective in preventing hacking).
Do you find the same if you connect to a public wifi hotspot?
I am stunned! After a week of desperate attempts of connection to my Netgear WTG624 I canged my SSID to only one word, now I am connected without any problems… Im mad and happy at the same time! At last!!
Got an iPhone and an HTC Hero. The iPhone finds my home network and connects to the Linksys WRT310N pretty reliably. The Hero is more hit and miss.
In some cases I just turn off the wireless transmitter at the router and then turn it on again and the Hero automatically connects. In other cases that alone does not work and I need to "forget" the home network on the Hero and then reconnect from scratch.
Either way this seems unique to the Hero and very frustrating. I hope HTC issues a fix soon.
Hi there. I'm assuming you've tried the techniques listed in the article above? It's a strange one. I have no issues at all with my Hero's wifi and I connect to a number of different wifi networks, so it may be, as you suggest, an incompatibility between the Hero and the Linksys router. If it is, I'm afraid I don't see HTC ever releasing a fix for it.
Let's see if we can help you out though. Do you find the Hero has problems only with connections to the Linksys, or do you have connection issues with other wifi connections, such as public wifi hotspots?
Just got a hero and think it is excellent, however I had to change my settings from wpa2 to wep as my network printer is not compatible with wpa2. Now my phone will not connect to my wireless network. Hero does not seem to like wep. Phone works perferctly well on open networks.
That’s unusual, I was actually running WEP myself for a the first few weeks of using my Hero without any problems at all. WEP is usually more straightforward to connect to than WPA2. Have you tried everything in the guide above (changing your SSID for example, as I know that seems to help for a lot of folks)?
Hi,
I have exactly the same problem as Som Bhattacharya above ie a Linksys WAG54G2 ADSL modem + WiFi router. Just got a Hero and whilst it will connect “first time” to this, it will not reconnect if the screen goes off or the phone goes out of range – my phone works on a number of other wireless access points with no problem – Have tried wifi fixer – makes no difference – I am guessing that there is some incomptability issue with the modem/rounter – was this problem ever resolved?
Cheers
Phil
What you’re describing does suggest an icompatibility, but that would be something that would likely be fixed in a firmware update for the router itself, rather than anything from HTC (who would argue that the device works with other routers successfully). Can you tell me, have you tried all of the other suggested fixes in the article (changing SSID, removing security altogether and testing, updating firmware, etc)?
It can’t be the router. I have connected sucessfully to my home router (can’t remember what it is, but its not linksys) once for two hours, then is dropped out, and connected once again a few days later after a power cut, for about 15 mins, but never again. I can’t connect to any open network, or the work network, obviously none of which I can change settings on. However, if I try to change the setting on my home network, I have to reset 8 computers, two printers and an ipod touch, and my entire family’s laptops and iPhones when they vist.
The problem is most definately on the phone. All HTC have told me is to backup and reset, which I have done, with no change.
Looks like this will be going back for a refund, and replaced with an iPhone
Hi there Si. What you’re reporting definitely sounds like a problem with the phone as you’re not getting connected to anything with any sort of reliability, so that’s definitely not a router fault. I’d say you’ve got a claim for getting the phone RMA’ed. I’d persevere with HTC support, as I’ve always found them very easy to deal with actually. Tell them you’ve done a factory reset and still no joy. Tell them you can’t connect even to wide open networks (whether they are using Wireless G or not) and that you’ve tried different routers and they won’t be able to blame it on anything other than the phone. Honestly, there have been a lot of wi-fi issues with the Hero in general, but they have been solvable. What you are describing sounds like a faulty unit to me.
Obviously, if you’re not happy with the phone other than the wi-fi, then I’d ditch it and go for the iPhone if that’s what you’d prefer.
Hi.
I got my hands on a HTC Hero some weeks ago.
After troubleshooting the wirelesss (I have an AP on FreeBSD, also forcing all HTTP(S) traffic through a separate Squid proxy) i noticed that the phone had problems “releasing” the mobile networks APN settings (also a http proxy in there) when switching between 3G/GPRS and the wireless. So I simply did a
“rdr pass on $int_wlan0 proto tcp from any to any port {80, 8080} -> $prx01 port 3127″ (port 3127 beeing an instance of squid configured for transparent interception)
simply fooling the (dumb) phone. Also sad that the browser can’t have separate settings (like http proxy) for each connection (may it be work Wifi, home wifi or whatever). No, Android have a long way comparing to my old trusty Nokia which have everything – except maybe a fluffy touchscreen
/Henrik
Thanks for the input Henrik. I daresay separate settings for separate connections is very probably something that you could create an app for. That’s the beauty of Android, those who are technical skilled can develop code that can, within the OS’es limitations of course, get the functionality they want.
Enjoy your Nokia though. I was a loyal Nokia user for many many years myself.
hi.
owner of g2 since yeasterday. (poland)
i have spended couple hours trying to connect with my home wireless network (linksys wag200).
it works with such settings:
(after several failures I have reset phone to factory settings)
phone: static ip
router:
Wireless Network Mode: mixed
Wireless Network Name (SSID):(3 letters)
Wireless SSID Broadcast:Enable
Security Mode: WPA-Personal
Encryption:TKIP
still it doesnt work with dynamic ip – i have tried all possible settings including disabling firewalls and all security settings.
laptop in this network connects ok.
Hi Jimi, are you finding that you can’t connect to any networks with a dynamic IP or just your own? If it’s just your own, I’d recommend getting an app called WiFi Static. It’s a great app that you can use to specify a manual IP for your own wireless network automatically, whilst also allowing DHCP for all others. I, myself, have to use a static IP for one of my wireless networks (not because my Hero doesn’t pick up dynamic addressing mind, it’s purely because the router isn’t configured to dish out addresses through choice).
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