vB Easy Archive - T-Mobile Dash Wi-Fi trouble

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T-Mobile Dash Wi-Fi trouble - PLEASE HELP!!!
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Posted by: -go1dstar-

I apologize if this question has already been answered, but I've tried going through the hundreds of pages of Dash related threads and haven't been able to find an answer.

I have a linksys wireless router, works fine with both my desktop and laptop. I have it setup with 128-bit WEP encryption, 26 hex digits, and have the password key.

When I activate the Wi-Fi on my Dash, it finds my network. However, once I get into the my network's settings, I become lost. Hopefully someone on here and can lead me through the following:

1) Network Type: my choices are either Internet or Private/Work Network.

2) This is a device to device (ad-hoc) connection: yes or no?

3) Authentication: open, shared, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, or WPA2-PSK?

4) Data encryption: disabled, WEP, TKIP, or AES?

5) The key is automatically provided: yes or no?

6) Network key: I assume this is where I put in my key/password?

7) Key index: 1, 2, 3, or 4?

8) Use IEEE 802.1x newtork access control: yes or no?

9) EAP type: Smart Card or Certificate, or PEAP?

And for Internet Explorer settings:

10) Automatically detect settings: yes or no?

11) Select network: The Internet, Secure WAP Network, WAP Network, or Work?

I will be grateful to however is willing to help.

Thanks in advance!

Posted by: carguyjay

1) Internet or Private/Work Network (Believe it or not, it works either or for me.) Do Private

2) no!!!

3) Open

4) WEP

5) no!!!!!!! Du!!!

6) Yes

7) You are the one that entered this info into your router, so really you should know.

8) no, but again it will work either or

9) do Peap, but again it will work both ways. (just don't keep changing it)

And for Internet Explorer settings:

10) yes

11) WAP Network (but again its either or)

2things for you to do...
1 is drop your key to 64bit only 10 hex digts
2. make sure your bluetooth is off when you are setting up your connection and when you are connecting... just keep it off all together, when your trying to connect....

I bet you the Dash is setup for 128bit but it just can't handle it.... and the bluetooth when on just interferes with the Wifi....

Posted by: -go1dstar-

Thanks for the reply!

I'm now able to connect, but for some reason it isn't consistent... For the first minute or two, the internet will work fine, but will shortly stop working, despite the Wi-Fi connection still showing as connected. It works one minute, then doesn't the next. After turning Wi-Fi off then on again, it will work for another minute. It's very strange, and frustrating.

Any ideas? Is it possible that this is happening because I am running the T-Mobile rom but on another network?

Thanks!

Posted by: carguyjay

If your connected, then we are closer then ever before.

First question, did you drop your wep encryption? if your still at 128 that could be a reason why you are dropping signal.
Also check your router logs and see if your router is dropping the Dash....

It doesn't matter to Wifi what network you are running it off of.
Keep bluetooth off..... lol

Cheers

Posted by: thetieger

mine does the same thing i also have a linksys router and have tried WPA and no encryption, either way it works for the first couple min then goes out on me.

-Thetieger

Posted by: firemenace

maybe u got it set to disconnnect after idle?

Posted by: PeterNL

i have exactly the same problem:
The htc s620 works fine for a short period and then it stops receiving or something.
I have to switch wifi on and off to get it working again, but that is not practical.
I also have a linksys router.
i have 64 bit encryption
also tried without any encryption

@firemenace: i tried it, but it didn't fix it

it might be related to the router.
Can somebody help?

Posted by: carguyjay

any one look at the router logs?
do you guys also have beam and blue tooth turned off?
are you sure your router isn't restarting its self?
If you are able to connect, well then start looking at other things... such as settings for disconnect and router options.

Posted by: Djhouse77

i have the same problem and also have a linksys router (wrt54g)
i can browse for a 2-3 minutse then keep getting the same error that the remote session is terminated or something like that

my settings are to disconnect after 10 mins

sometimes turning off and on the wifi doesn't always work for me

Posted by: PeterNL

I tried my phone at my friend's linksys router (who has no encryption) and it worked. In my neighborhood there are quite some linksys routers and a lot are unencrypted . So i can use them and up till now they all worked except my own linksys router. So my expectation is that it is something with my own settings.

Could somebody with a linksys router and where his excalibur works, post his advanced wifi settings and which channel you are using? thx

Btw maybe u conclude out of this that it has something to do with encryption, but without any encryption i have the same problems with my own router.

Posted by: teilo

If the router is a WRT-54G V5, then forget it. Just give up and get a real router. I am not saying this to be mean. I have dealt with that piece of sh*t router way too many times. I know, that is not what you all want to hear, but honestly, the V5 routers are absolute crap. I have seen this connection dropping problem, not only with PDA's but also with Macs. Windows has other issues with it. Bittorrent and other P2P croaks. Weird routing issues. Yahoo Messenger cannot connect for no apparent reason, etc.

I do not know about V6. I would not trust it, since it is still running VxWorks instead of Linux. V7 is now out, and is an Atheros based router. Too early to tell on that one.

I run Buffalo Wireless routers now. To be honest, I run OpenWRT on my own Buffalo router at home, but I'm a unix geek. But for four other clients, I have installed Buffalo Wireless routers, with the stock firmware, replacing existing Linksys WRT-54G v5's. All problems solved and no more phone calls.

Posted by: carguyjay

Linksys routers/everything else suck ***!!!!
I just spent a week trouble shooting a brand new Linksys access point,

an F-ing week... There is a design flaw and the dam things disconnects clients (the plastic base(housing) is too close to the boards and there is not enough heat expulsion). Linksys says that the fix is to turn off the encryption and just use Mac filtering. Hahahaha I say the fix is to buy a something else.
The access point was about $150 and died/gave problems after 4 months.

Can someone please confirm that they have a problem with their Dash connecting to something other then Linksys

Cheers...

Posted by: PeterNL

It's a v5, but this is my first serious problem with it.
They fixed a lot with firmware upgrades, but ill keep it in my mind when i buy my next router. That won't be soon though. I'm not buying a new router for my phone.

I still hope for responses that really help me.

Posted by: lynch

I am just going to throw this out there to see if this solves your problem because this is how I figured out my issues...

I've got a Linksys router as well. The problem (from what I can tell) is not the router or your settings - it's Pocket Internet Explorer. With Edge shut off and my device connected to my wifi, I cannot get anywhere using Internet Explorer on my Dash. Now when I use Opera on my Dash, I get blazing speeds and am able to browse the web with no issues.

I know that does not totally solve anyone's problems, but for some reason, that was the issue I dealt with.

Posted by: nreij913

I have a WRT-54G router and works great with the DASH and MDA. Not sure what version it is, but it's worked great for me

Posted by: bigcletus

Quote:

Originally Posted by lynch

I am just going to throw this out there to see if this solves your problem because this is how I figured out my issues...

I've got a Linksys router as well. The problem (from what I can tell) is not the router or your settings - it's Pocket Internet Explorer. With Edge shut off and my device connected to my wifi, I cannot get anywhere using Internet Explorer on my Dash. Now when I use Opera on my Dash, I get blazing speeds and am able to browse the web with no issues.

I know that does not totally solve anyone's problems, but for some reason, that was the issue I dealt with.

If I open PIE or opera mini while I am connected via wifi, those two apps still start a edge connection because the E shows up where the antenna icon should be. The wifi seemed to work ok when I first got the phone, but now it wont browse at all when connected via wifi.

EDIT: After restarting my phone and tinkering around more, it does work great with opera mini at least...blazing speeds with wifi and my linksys router. However, PIE will does not want to work with wifi still...

Posted by: carguyjay

So how do you shut off/on Edge?

Cheers

Posted by: PeterNL

bigcletus thx for the suggestion. I tried it, but it didn't fix it for me.

carguyjay, could you pls check your version. If it is version 5, i would like to know the advanced settings of wireless internet.

Posted by: carguyjay

Sorry version 5 of???? my router????
Sorry no clue here (on what you are asking for)

Posted by: keeblaelf

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigcletus

I have the same issue; when I'm connected via WiFi and open up PIE, the phone will automatically open an EDGE connection. Even if I manually go in and shut off the EDGE connection, go back into PIE and select a link, it will re-open the EDGE connection. I restarted my phone, turned off Bluetooth, and the wifi connection is now working, very fast in fact. I'm wondering if having the Bluetooth on was causing a problem?

Posted by: specialized999

Quote:

Originally Posted by carguyjay

So how do you shut off/on Edge?

Cheers

To manually do it, you go to the comm manager and shut off the "data connection". It isn't permanent. That's another option I think in the phone's settings.

I'm also having the same problem that everyone else is having. No matter what router I use, connection/loading times are long and I have to manually restart the Wi-Fi connection to even have a hope of getting anywhere in IE. Strangely enough though, I don't have a data plan and it uses edge sporadically when my Wi-Fi gets dropped and re-connects and I haven't been charged for any T-Mo data yet. But that's nice of T-Mo not to charge for small, accidental edge uses. Maybe a lot of people are running in to this.

Anyone try updating the firmware of the phone? Or the BT/Wi-Fi radio firmware? I haven't found a good flasher/source file yet but I want to. Some hackers have done it and claim improvements but I'm reluctant to try because of bricking.

TIA!

Posted by: PeterNL

i doubt it's an internet explorer problem, because there are routers where i can go on internet without any problems, even with a low signal.
There are a lot of routers without security. So sometimes i try to scan for routers. I even found a linksys router which i could use without any problems.
I also want to use wifi at school and because the school is quite big, there are quite some routers and they are not all the same brand. So sometimes i can use the wifi without problems and sometimes i have the problem which i have at home.
Maybe it's something with the firmware used by windows mobile to use the wifi adapter.

Posted by: kansbay

I'm not using a Linksys router, I'm using the 2Wire router and it will do the same thing.. Other than this internet connection, when I use the EDGE by Tmobile, it has the same exact problem. I will even need to turn off the phone and restart again since EDGE cannot be turned off manually.

Posted by: mapajegio

Well, for what it's worth, I havn't had any problems using my s620 with my SaskTel 2wire wireless router using WPA2. Worked straight away; I didn't have to play around with certificates or the like. I did, however, have to uncheck the "use 802.1x" box. But the connection is fast and reliable, hasn't dropped out yet. So maybe the problems people have been having are related to their routers, not the phone.

FYI: OS 5.1.342 (Build 15097.3.0.1)
Radio Version: 4.1.13.28_02.63.90
RIL Version 2.002

Posted by: A3P3G

thought i'd throw my 2 cents into this.
i was on the brink of replacing my Dash after only a week due to this issue until someone in the tmobile forum gave me a great tip. not sure exactly why it made a difference but it made a huge difference for me....
in my experience it would say it was connected to my home network (WPA encrypted so higher than WEP) but only would actually connect to sites a 1/4 of the time...very frustrating.
what i was suggested to try was go into the "power mode" section of the Wi-Fi Settings and change the power save mode to "Best Performance". thats basically it. after that it started working great! every now and again i'll have to turn the wifi off / on to get it to go or reset my router (router issue...not the phone) but after that it works great!
The only explanation i can think of is that when you have encryption or high encryption enabled it needs more horse power to keep the connection going because i was at a coffee shop that had an open / no encryption wifi network and i had the power settings on auto and it worked fine.
good luck! hope it helps

Posted by: chetanr

This exactly solved the problem.. absolutely brilliant. Still amazes me what i can find on the internet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by A3P3G

thought i'd throw my 2 cents into this.
i was on the brink of replacing my Dash after only a week due to this issue until someone in the tmobile forum gave me a great tip. not sure exactly why it made a difference but it made a huge difference for me....
in my experience it would say it was connected to my home network (WPA encrypted so higher than WEP) but only would actually connect to sites a 1/4 of the time...very frustrating.
what i was suggested to try was go into the "power mode" section of the Wi-Fi Settings and change the power save mode to "Best Performance". thats basically it. after that it started working great! every now and again i'll have to turn the wifi off / on to get it to go or reset my router (router issue...not the phone) but after that it works great!
The only explanation i can think of is that when you have encryption or high encryption enabled it needs more horse power to keep the connection going because i was at a coffee shop that had an open / no encryption wifi network and i had the power settings on auto and it worked fine.
good luck! hope it helps

Posted by: Lineman

Quote:

Originally Posted by A3P3G

The above solved my problem when connecting to a WAP4400N using WPA.

Posted by: cgcaudle

I have tried every setting and can't hook up to any open networks! I called T-mo and they said as long as you can hook up to a T-mo Hotspot then your wifi is working. Well I tried this a while back and it asked me immediately for a username and password, which I didn't have. But this shows that my wifi does work since it prompted me for a username and pw. I tried it the day I got it and it hooked up wonderfully to the wireless network nearby.
I have yet to have any success linking up to any open networks, even my linksys at home. Someone said they are using a linksys and it is working fine. I asked T-mo if they had a list of routers that work with the Dash and they said, 'Um not really.' He says a lot of people call in, but they still don't have a list of routers that work with it. He also said he uses a d-link at home and his works with it there.
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Someone please help! Like I said, I have tried every setting in this thread without luck. Does anyone else have any other suggestions for settings? I have tried about 30 open wifi spots!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!!

Posted by: newsmanisa

So in a nutshell, taking some of the advice from previous posts--after running into the repeated problems with wi-fi on the T-Mobile Dash that others seem to be running into...I can summarize by saying the following:
1-make sure under "power mode" in "wi-fi settings"...that you have your "power save mode" set to "best performance." For whatever reason, this DEFINITELY makes a difference.
2-A commonly forgotten setting that may be off...under 'menu' in internet explorer, 'tools', 'options', 'connections'...make sure "select network" is set to "the internet."
3-And bare in mind that if you're trying to connect to routers at home, some routers will conflict with others and often keep you from connecting...or they may simply not be set up properly to connect w/your phone.

Posted by: scottep

This also just started happening to me after working fine for 8 months. I never thought of checking my Lynksys settings because everything else that runs off of it works fine. The only changes in my network have been the addition of another Laptop and a Wireless printer.
I went into my settings on my linksys and changed the "Maximum number of DHCP users" from 5 to 8. As soon as I saved my settings, my Dash connected right away!
I guess I never thought that there was a setting for how many devices you could connect.