I have to turn wifi on & off. Help.

[Babybaby123]

I Have a Moto E4 Android 7.1.1 and there is a problem with the wifi. Now first let me say my router is on its last legs. We've had it for years and this problem arises only recently but I don't think that's the problem. My mom's router is like, a month old and the problem persists on that wifi too. Data works fine as far as I can tell, though I don't use it too terribly often so I'm not 100% certain. The things is my wifi will work for a random amount of time, usually no more than 10 minutes, but then whatever I'm doing that uses wifi won't load. Like if I'm watching a video it will show an endless spinning wheel. Or if I try to load a website the progress bar stays on the left side of the screen. But my wifi is on. With bars. And it's not saying "Connected, No Internet" it says I'm both connected & have internet. But the wifi just doesn't work even though it says it's on. No other devices in my house do this. Also, if I turn my wifi off, manually, (Manually is something Google search didn't understand, its search results seemed to make it think my wifi was shutting itself off and on) on my phone, not my router(or modem; I might be using the wrong terminology) and then turn it back on, it'll work again... For another 10 minutes at most and then the problem will happen again. I've tried restarting my phone and unplugging and plugging both routers to no avail. Does this sound like a hardware issue? Should I change a setting? Help. Please. Thank you.

 

[tommo47]

Hi,

When you use the WiFi how far from the router are you normally and do you know what signal strength you get?

How many bars are showing in your WiFi notification?

Have you checked the signal strength in settings?

If you're not sure how to do that I'll post some screenshots for you.

 

[steiny180]

There are some buried android settings that force the device to keep searching and connecting to wifi services.

Hunt down and kill these settings.

 

[svim]

Since you're having this same problem using two different WiFi networks that does indicate a problem with your E4, and not necessarily an issue with the router since in your query there are two completely different routers involved.
-- Try using the 'Network settings reset' option, it should be buried in your Settings >> Wireless & networks >> More menu. Note that this will reset all network related settings back to their defaults so this involves WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular settings. But if there's some glitch involving WiFi connectivity this is a good way to clear it out, and force you to re-install all your previously saved WiFi network entries from scratch.

As an aside, you also referred to your router as 'on its last legs' which implied it's either pretty dated or a there's some kind of problem in its initial configuration.
if the former you really should give some thought into upgrading it for a new router. Old routers will invariably have security issues as they won't be receiving any security patches from their manufacturers. The point being today's Internet has devolved into a very hazardous entity so any interactions with it need to be done with that in mind. Your home network should be a 'safe zone' that has at least provide some insulation from all the a-holes out there, and a new router will be better at that, along with faster, more reliable bandwidth speed.
If the latter, you might want to just delve into the router's setup page and reset it (or a lot of routers also have an actual reset button, typically in the back or bottom). Also, here's a very good article on router placement that includes a lot of relevant background info:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/202...ntific-guide-to-wi-fi-access-point-placement/
Re-locating your router might make a big difference in its WiFi coverage range.

 

[Ddcjyscnjdvhf]

Hi,

When you use the WiFi how far from the router are you normally and do you know what signal strength you get?

How many bars are showing in your WiFi notification?

Have you checked the signal strength in settings?

If you're not sure how to do that I'll post some screenshots for you.

With both places I'm usually in my room which is the farthest room from the routers/modems. So maybe that's the issue? My bars are usually half full, sometimes more, usually not less. My link speed is usually from early 40 to 60 Mbps. Signal is fair.

 

[tommo47]

Do you know what band you're using, 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz?

Once you have connected to the router/hub go to where it gives you the SSID and below it 'Connected', tap on it and it should give you a menu. You should see 'Signal strength' then 'Frequency'. The problem nowadays is there is no guarantee that devices follow a pattern, so not all devices show the same info in the same places!!

Generally speaking the further away from the router you are the 2.4Ghz band is the better one to use because it is attenuated less due to walls etc. so this could be the problem.

The bands could be selected manually a while ago but it seems to be automatic these days and it depends whether your router/hub is using both. It is, or should be, possible to have a separate SSID for each band if necessary then you can select it when you connect.

I do get problems with signal 'poor' and 'fair' and like to see 'good' or 'excellent'.