New Droid3 with lots of problems

[cgorak]

I just purchased the Droid3 today and am not too happy. First of all my home wireless will not connect - it says the signal is excellent but cannot pickup an ip address. Please do not tell me to start messing with my wireless router settings - everything else that I own (laptop, itouch, ipad) work just fine with it the way it is. Next, the email/text indicator light is not working. These are two huge issues for me ... if I cannot fix them I may return the phone although I do like it. Thanks if anyone can help.

 

[fred114]

As far as wifi issue, I have the same thing going on. Seems it may be an issue, if you read through this forum there are other wifi issues as well. As far as your light, mine has always worked. Might be a good idea to take to Verizon, they may be able to help. Most likely the wifi issue will be address with a software update, just not sure how long I am going to wait.

 

[cgorak]

Thank you for your reply ... I will have to wait for a fix for wifi. Can you tell me where the setupl is for the indicator light on the Droid3 Gingerbread OS?

 

[rvcjew]

to see if your light is really broken download handcent( its free) then go to settings, notifications, light pick any color i suggest blue. hit test notification light should come on. if it does then factory reset your device as its OS is messed up. might fix your light issues wifi is ota.

 

[cgorak]

The light started working after battery pull. WiFi says it is connected and shows the symbol with bars but will not pull in wireless. i even set it up manually. Frustrating!!!

 

[AZDroid09]

I wonder why some have issues with wifi and some don't, fortunately mine works well.

 

[MrCatPC]

Not a D3 owner (yet!) but wish I was for certain features...

To the point: I sympathize with not wanting to change your existing/stable router settings. However, as a fulltime support technician, I witness numerous device conflicts in the "standard" implementation of wireless adapters. Example from way back: older devices that don't understand anything above 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, etc. However, here's some Motorola/Droid-specific testimony...

So when does it make sense to adjust an entire network, potentially, in order to make one squeaky device play nicely? It's almost a "Would you rather...?" -question where both choices are equally unappealing, in which case I almost always choose "No!" Instead of either option, by the way, which is also cheating, I know. The answer is, I've found, that it *doesn't* make sense, but for me it worked.

I gave up on WiFi for my D2/R2D2 (shortly after becoming an owner) until I found several posts recommending WPA2/TKIP router security. So I tentatively removed my DLink router's "automatic TKIP+AES" WPA2 and set same passphrase as strictly TKIP. Any PC or device that had been using AES previously (automatically) had to be reintroduced to my router, but the result was instantly positive! No more wireless router vs Droid problems! What problems did I have? At various attempts:

1) WiFi on Droid showed connection but would not browse or sync data of any kind, with full signal strength.

2) WiFi on Droid would show "connecting. .. ..." but not result in valid IP Address or other DHCP settings.

3) Followed a suggestion to disable automatic Sync service on the Droid (GMail included), which worked for awhile, but what's the point when you expect notifications and have to bypass that to simply use the browser on WiFi? I counted this issue against the D2 whether it's a VZW problem or not. Then I discovered the next problem...

4) (and this is where I gave up originally!) WiFi on Droid suddenly and randomly would get full signal strength, 65mbps steady with my DLink Wireless-N (DIR-615 router), valid IP et cetera, and browse+sync happily, but... then my netbook and several client's laptops under repair simultaneously lost WiFi connectivity! I looked at R2D2 sitting in his cradle with WiFi enabled, pointed my finger, and shouted, "Yoooouuu! It's all because of you, isn't it?!" And then I disabled his WiFi... again.

I tried. I gave up. Then I tried TKIP and never went back. There's a limerick in there somewhere, I'm sure.

Now, of course AES is stronger encryption (newer is better, technically, but does it work 100% across all devices I use?), a lock is better than none, and a deadbolt is smarter than blah blah blah, so dropping down to TKIP could certainly be a risk, but I'm personally content with TKIP. It works for me. YMMV

I would suggest that Motorola just plain flat-out got it wrong when assigning driver software or scripting for WiFi connection/encryption, and it's disheartening to see that Droid3 is possibly in the same non-standard AES boat for WPA2 as the Droid2 and Droid before it. I sincerely hope that a patch will appear for stock ROMs to use AES so that out-of-the-box routers can operate with highest sescurity, and find it difficult to understand why Apple, Dell, DLink, Linksys, Nintendo, HP, and all the other equipment/chipset manufacturers can get it right while Moto is on 3rd gen of this platform with a similar WiFi bug... sad. Does this happen with stock ROM on HTC, LG, Samsung?

But I love my Moto Droid2 despite this blemish.

I would also encourage you, if you're comfortable doing so, to test strictly-TKIP settings on your router before you give up on your D3, at least while you're in a valid product return period (the arbitrary/customary grace period where it's easier to return your phone). And if you do try TKIP, and find it works for your D3, and that your iPad, computers, & other wireless electronics also work at the same time, please share your results.

I found your post while searching the forum for "Droid3 wireless tether," since that's a feature (rooted add-on, shhh!) I would truly miss if not supported by the D3 when I eventually upgrade. If WiFi truly doesn't work as well as my R2D2, I would be next in line returning a Droid3, too...

Good luck!

Sent from my R2D2 Droid using DroidForums App

 

[cgorak]

UPDATE: I could not get my wireless to connect anywhere. It told me that I WAS connected with an IP address but would not pull in any links. I took it back to Verizon and they ran it through the same things I had done with the same results. They called Motorola who repeated the same things all over again. Finally they said the only thing left to do would be to do a total reset of the phone (which, of course, wiped out the apps that I had setup but I didn't care). After doing the total reset to the phone my wireless now works - at least here at work and at Verizon. I need to see if it will now work at home. I will update and let you know.

 

[cgorak]

UPDATE: At home I am still having the same issue - says it is connected but cannot pull in links. Does anyone know if Motorola will issue a fix for this so that we do not have to go messing around with our settings to get it to work? Everything else that I own works just fine with WEP ... I should not have to change the world for one piece of equipment.

 

[cgorak]

I broke down (LOL) and changed my router to WPA with NO LUCK. We also took the security entirely off of the router and it STILL would not connect. We have a Microsoft router. I am really stumped now.

 

[John.Edwards]

Have you tried entering in a static ip on the droid? If you are connecting, the router and droid need to negotiate dhcp, which may not work, for several reasons. Once configured, the static ip will be saved as part of the wifi configuration for that network.

Sent from my DROID3 using DroidForums

 

[mach1ray]

Not a D3 owner (yet!) but wish I was for certain features...

To the point: I sympathize with not wanting to change your existing/stable router settings. However, as a fulltime support technician, I witness numerous device conflicts in the "standard" implementation of wireless adapters. Example from way back: older devices that don't understand anything above 64-bit WEP, 128-bit WEP, etc. However, here's some Motorola/Droid-specific testimony...

So when does it make sense to adjust an entire network, potentially, in order to make one squeaky device play nicely? It's almost a "Would you rather...?" -question where both choices are equally unappealing, in which case I almost always choose "No!" Instead of either option, by the way, which is also cheating, I know. The answer is, I've found, that it *doesn't* make sense, but for me it worked.

I gave up on WiFi for my D2/R2D2 (shortly after becoming an owner) until I found several posts recommending WPA2/TKIP router security. So I tentatively removed my DLink router's "automatic TKIP+AES" WPA2 and set same passphrase as strictly TKIP. Any PC or device that had been using AES previously (automatically) had to be reintroduced to my router, but the result was instantly positive! No more wireless router vs Droid problems! What problems did I have? At various attempts:

1) WiFi on Droid showed connection but would not browse or sync data of any kind, with full signal strength.

2) WiFi on Droid would show "connecting. .. ..." but not result in valid IP Address or other DHCP settings.

3) Followed a suggestion to disable automatic Sync service on the Droid (GMail included), which worked for awhile, but what's the point when you expect notifications and have to bypass that to simply use the browser on WiFi? I counted this issue against the D2 whether it's a VZW problem or not. Then I discovered the next problem...

4) (and this is where I gave up originally!) WiFi on Droid suddenly and randomly would get full signal strength, 65mbps steady with my DLink Wireless-N (DIR-615 router), valid IP et cetera, and browse+sync happily, but... then my netbook and several client's laptops under repair simultaneously lost WiFi connectivity! I looked at R2D2 sitting in his cradle with WiFi enabled, pointed my finger, and shouted, "Yoooouuu! It's all because of you, isn't it?!" And then I disabled his WiFi... again.

I tried. I gave up. Then I tried TKIP and never went back. There's a limerick in there somewhere, I'm sure.

Now, of course AES is stronger encryption (newer is better, technically, but does it work 100% across all devices I use?), a lock is better than none, and a deadbolt is smarter than blah blah blah, so dropping down to TKIP could certainly be a risk, but I'm personally content with TKIP. It works for me. YMMV

I would suggest that Motorola just plain flat-out got it wrong when assigning driver software or scripting for WiFi connection/encryption, and it's disheartening to see that Droid3 is possibly in the same non-standard AES boat for WPA2 as the Droid2 and Droid before it. I sincerely hope that a patch will appear for stock ROMs to use AES so that out-of-the-box routers can operate with highest sescurity, and find it difficult to understand why Apple, Dell, DLink, Linksys, Nintendo, HP, and all the other equipment/chipset manufacturers can get it right while Moto is on 3rd gen of this platform with a similar WiFi bug... sad. Does this happen with stock ROM on HTC, LG, Samsung?

But I love my Moto Droid2 despite this blemish.

I would also encourage you, if you're comfortable doing so, to test strictly-TKIP settings on your router before you give up on your D3, at least while you're in a valid product return period (the arbitrary/customary grace period where it's easier to return your phone). And if you do try TKIP, and find it works for your D3, and that your iPad, computers, & other wireless electronics also work at the same time, please share your results.

I found your post while searching the forum for "Droid3 wireless tether," since that's a feature (rooted add-on, shhh!) I would truly miss if not supported by the D3 when I eventually upgrade. If WiFi truly doesn't work as well as my R2D2, I would be next in line returning a Droid3, too...

Good luck!

Sent from my R2D2 Droid using DroidForums App

I was about to say the same thing...