Android tablet loses connection to Wi-Fi

[TheLyppardMan]

I have recently replaced an 8" Android tablet, which suddenly stopped working. Both the current tablet and its predecessor, which I have wall-mounted for monitoring my outdoor security camera, randomly drop connection to my Wi-Fi, but I've never been able to determine the reason. There are a few lines in the router's system log, but they don't really tell me much. If I were to post the relevant entries into this thread, do I need to mask the MAC codes for security reasons or doesn't it matter?

 

[bbunge]

I have recently replaced an 8" Android tablet, which suddenly stopped working. Both the current tablet and its predecessor, which I have wall-mounted for monitoring my outdoor security camera, randomly drop connection to my Wi-Fi, but I've never been able to determine the reason. There are a few lines in the router's system log, but they don't really tell me much. If I were to post the relevant entries into this thread, do I need to mask the MAC codes for security reasons or doesn't it matter?

Check the tablet WIFI to see if random MAC is enabled. If it is enabled turn it off and use the tablet MAC. The location of this setting may depend on the Android version. Google is your friend.

 

[GSpock]

I have recently replaced an 8" Android tablet, which suddenly stopped working. Both the current tablet and its predecessor, which I have wall-mounted for monitoring my outdoor security camera, randomly drop connection to my Wi-Fi, but I've never been able to determine the reason. There are a few lines in the router's system log, but they don't really tell me much. If I were to post the relevant entries into this thread, do I need to mask the MAC codes for security reasons or doesn't it matter?

Yes, it is good practice to mask mac addresses.

 

[TheLyppardMan]

These are the relevant lines from my router's syslog file. There doesn't seem to be an option on my Android 11 tablet to turn off any random MAC setting:

The other image only shows one MAC address that has been used by the Android device since I set it up. As I have MAC filtering set up on my router, I wonder if it could be that the tablet is trying to change the MAC address that it uses and when it can't connect, it just fails? Just to be sure, I'll turn off the MAC filter for a few days and see what happens. If that does turn out to be the reason, would assigning a fixed MAC address on the router solve that problem?

 

[GSpock]

Those are std messages produced in the log whenever a Wifi device is losing its connexion .... If you want to check if your MAC filtering would be the cause, then indeed you can assign a static IP (you cannot set a fixed mac on the router level) to your tablet and see if it still disconnects.
That being said, I think I saw one message on the forum about an android update (from samsung I think) that was causing wifi connexion issues ...

PS: with regard to your tablet using random MAC, you find that option in the parameter of the WIFI SSID to which your device is connected (push in the parameter wheel on the right of the SSID and then show more)

 

[TheLyppardMan]

Those are std messages produced in the log whenever a Wifi device is losing its connexion .... If you want to check if your MAC filtering would be the cause, then indeed you can assign a static IP (you cannot set a fixed mac on the router level) to your tablet and see if it still disconnects.
That being said, I think I saw one message on the forum about an android update (from samsung I think) that was causing wifi connexion issues ...

PS: with regard to your tablet using random MAC, you find that option in the parameter of the WIFI SSID to which your device is connected (push in the parameter wheel on the right of the SSID and then show more)

The Android tablet I have has fewer setting options than on my Galaxy A22 mobile phone, but I have set up MAC binding on the router. I'll try both Wi-Fi bands to see what happens.

 

[ColinTaylor]

If I were to post the relevant entries into this thread, do I need to mask the MAC codes for security reasons or doesn't it matter?

No, it's pointless masking MAC addresses. There is no security reason. It can actually make debugging problems more difficult.

 

[TheLyppardMan]

No, it's pointless masking MAC addresses. There is no security reason. It can actually make debugging problems more difficult.

OK Colin. Noted for future reference.

 

[TheLyppardMan]

Interesting but I've just made a change to the Wi-Fi and up till now, every time the Wi-Fi goes off for a few seconds while the changes are being applied, the tablet has failed to reconnect to the Wi-Fi, but having turned off the MAC filter and subsequently losing Wi-Fi momentarily, the tablet reconnected automatically once the Wi-Fi switched back on. I'll try restarting the tablet to see if it reconnects then as well, as it has never done so before. Here goes...

 

[TheLyppardMan]

Interesting but I've just made a change to the Wi-Fi and up till now, every time the Wi-Fi goes off for a few seconds while the changes are being applied, the tablet has failed to reconnect to the Wi-Fi, but having turned off the MAC filter and subsequently losing Wi-Fi momentarily, the tablet reconnected automatically once the Wi-Fi switched back on. I'll try restarting the tablet to see if it reconnects then as well, as it has never done so before. Here goes...

And the answer is, yes it has reconnected automatically, so it seems that the cause was either not having a fixed IP address or something to do with MAC filtering.

 

[bbunge]

The Android tablet I have has fewer setting options than on my Galaxy A22 mobile phone, but I have set up MAC binding on the router. I'll try both Wi-Fi bands to see what happens.

Disabling the private or random MAC address on your Android device

Disabling the private or random MAC address on your Android device

www.linksys.com

 

[Wolfclaw]

Had this with my 2x Samsung A8's and suffered for 2 years, changes setting after setting, gave up and replaced them with a pair of cheap 2nd user Apple iPads, issues gone, will never get another Android !

 

[aex.perez]

Oddly enough I have the same issue with two old Android Tablets I use with Google Home and a few Nest cams, one specifically to monitor my disabled son's room, he has a seizure disorder. For some time we've had those drop offs of the tablets over Wifi, one (about 10ft farther) more that the other, regardless of Merlin code versions.

Partially, probably mostly my doing. I found the tablets moving between the router (AX88) and AIMesh nodes (AX86) as they connected reconnected, killing the video feed. Because I also have SmartConnect setup I found them switching between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (had to enable debug mode in Android to see it). Disabling the "Roaming Assistant" under wireless/professional for both 2.4/5 helped a bit but still had the problem just a little more infrequently. Also helped the Nest cams that would occasionally also drop off in the same manner.

Only after I have bound the Tablets and cameras to the physically nearest AP (in this case the main router - AX88 for the Tablets and AX86 for the camera) has it stabilized to the point that its a rare event that they drop. What I probably need to do is work on the SmartConnect rules to better align to my environment. But binding the devices to the nearest AP, while not the best solution, fixed my issue.

In my case private/random MAC addresses made no difference, other Android/Apple devices in my home and have no issue, other that connecting to the nearest AP as they roam about the house. Got two new Wifi6 enabled tablets coming soon (my 160Mhz/DFS is rock solid) and going to set them up the same way.

This approach works for me, your mileage may vary...

 

[TheLyppardMan]

After a bit more testing, I have found that with the MAC filter disabled on the router, the tablet will auto reconnect on the 2.4GHz band but not on the 5GHz band (it is a weaker signal on the 5GHz band at the tablet's location, which is in the room underneath the router and about 4 metres away). However, this hasn't completely eliminated the problem, because the camera live view still dropped this afternoon (I should have made a note of the time so that I could check the router log to see if there was any information that could have provided a clue). What I might try is having a second stream running on my laptop to see if that goes offline at the same time as the tablet. I'll maybe make a start on that tomorrow.

 

[drinkingbird]

No, it's pointless masking MAC addresses. There is no security reason. It can actually make debugging problems more difficult.

On a mobile phone it helps prevent some physical tracking when you visit a store or walk through a mall, whether that is a big deal or not to you is a matter of personal preference. I figure I'm being tracked 1000 ways anyway, who cares if they know whether I was looking at shirts or pants.

My phone has it enabled just because that is now the default and it hasn't caused any issues for me.

 

[drinkingbird]

And the answer is, yes it has reconnected automatically, so it seems that the cause was either not having a fixed IP address or something to do with MAC filtering.

The way Android MAC randomization works, it should use the same MAC always for that wireless network unless you "forget" the network and reconnect. However I believe it uses one MAC when searching for a network and a different one when actually connecting, but I would think once it has connected and locked in a MAC for that SSID, you should only need to allow that one. Maybe a bug with the filtering on your router.

But if the tablet is only in your house on your own WIFI, randomization really isn't needed, you can disable that on the tablet and then reapply your MAC filter.

If you're out of range of 5Ghz but indoors, it may be that the 2.4 is also at the edge of its range. 2.4 will often show a good signal but the actual throughput is low or connectivity can be lost temporarily, especially if something generates some interference (microwave oven, cordless phone, etc). If the tablet is mounted to a wall it may be that the antennas are oriented in a way that they aren't lined up well with the router, plus being up against the wall will reduce the signal also.

May be a case where you need to consider relocating/reorienting your router or adding another AP etc. Mounting the router higher up in the air or reorienting the direction it is facing, or the angle of the antennas (I like the "W" configuration) can help too.

 

[drinkingbird]

Oddly enough I have the same issue with two old Android Tablets I use with Google Home and a few Nest cams, one specifically to monitor my disabled son's room, he has a seizure disorder. For some time we've had those drop offs of the tablets over Wifi, one (about 10ft farther) more that the other, regardless of Merlin code versions.

Partially, probably mostly my doing. I found the tablets moving between the router (AX88) and AIMesh nodes (AX86) as they connected reconnected, killing the video feed. Because I also have SmartConnect setup I found them switching between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (had to enable debug mode in Android to see it). Disabling the "Roaming Assistant" under wireless/professional for both 2.4/5 helped a bit but still had the problem just a little more infrequently. Also helped the Nest cams that would occasionally also drop off in the same manner.

Only after I have bound the Tablets and cameras to the physically nearest AP (in this case the main router - AX88 for the Tablets and AX86 for the camera) has it stabilized to the point that its a rare event that they drop. What I probably need to do is work on the SmartConnect rules to better align to my environment. But binding the devices to the nearest AP, while not the best solution, fixed my issue.

In my case private/random MAC addresses made no difference, other Android/Apple devices in my home and have no issue, other that connecting to the nearest AP as they roam about the house. Got two new Wifi6 enabled tablets coming soon (my 160Mhz/DFS is rock solid) and going to set them up the same way.

This approach works for me, your mileage may vary...

When you have more than 1 AP, and devices that are "fixed in place", binding them to the closest/best AP is always a good idea. I recommend people set up a guest SSID for this purpose, a different one on each AP, so you can easily lock the device to a single AP. You can disable "block intranet" and the guest SSID just becomes an extension of your regular wireless. You can also set up the guest to only be 5Ghz if you want it locked to that and the signal is good (or set up separate names for 5ghz and 2.4ghz). This lets you have devices that move around able to use your main SSID and use whatever band and AP they can connect to, while your fixed devices can be forced to use exactly what you want them to.

If roaming assistant was a problem for you it was either set too aggressively or you don't have enough overlap between your APs and the devices in question aren't getting a good signal from any of them, thus getting kicked off. That would also explain why you see the devices bouncing between APs.

You shouldn't need smart connect, most devices these days will prefer 5Ghz, and many have reported issues with that feature. Just having both SSIDs the same without the smart connect feature should effectively work the same way but a bit more reliably. Sometimes a device will stick to 2.4, or other times it takes a few mins to switch back to 5 when it is in range, but I've found it to be pretty seamless with various types of devices in my home (same SSID on both bands, but no smart connect. Roaming assistant is at -70 on both bands).

 

[drinkingbird]

Had this with my 2x Samsung A8's and suffered for 2 years, changes setting after setting, gave up and replaced them with a pair of cheap 2nd user Apple iPads, issues gone, will never get another Android !

Yeah, iOS has no issues at all.....

Its a matter of preference but I doubt the android OS was totally to blame, I have plenty of android devices and have set up plenty for others and they have no issue.

 

[ColinTaylor]

On a mobile phone it helps prevent some physical tracking when you visit a store or walk through a mall, whether that is a big deal or not to you is a matter of personal preference. I figure I'm being tracked 1000 ways anyway, who cares if they know whether I was looking at shirts or pants.

My phone has it enabled just because that is now the default and it hasn't caused any issues for me.

We were talking about removing MAC addresses from his syslog before he posts it in the forum, not about MAC randomisation.

 

[drinkingbird]

We were talking about removing MAC addresses from his syslog before he posts it in the forum, not about MAC randomisation.

Heh, I need to read better, there were several posts about randomization (aka masking) being the issue just assumed it was part of that. Yeah, posting the MAC here not a security concern (unless you're super paranoid).