N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Hello folks,
Just got a Nokia N800 yesterday and have been having fun with it via bluetooth with my Sprint Treo 700Wx and with wifi hotspots at school and work.

Problem is, i get home and the N800 does not detect any WLAN's even though there are at least 2 around the premises. The routers work fine as i am on my laptop right now and even my younger one is playing his Nintendo DS Lite online.

I have absolutely no idea what the problem could be. I used it at work earlier in the day and it was detecting WLAN's right and left, but when i get home it doesn't. I have restarted my router, changed the channel, turnd WEP/WPA on and off all to no avail.

Any help is appreciated, please !!

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

What kind of router is it?

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

One is a TrendNet, the other is DLink VWR and Linksys WRT54G.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Are the networks (SSID) hidden? The N800 doesn't list hidden networks because they're er, hidden and you need to set up hidden networks manually.

I've got an N800 connecting rock solid to a Linksys WRT54GS with WPA/PSK-TKIP, and my network is not hidden (there's no real security benefit to be gained from hiding the network).

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Ssid cloaking
useless..

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Guys, nothing is hidden, i never said it was. I've looked into all that.
It's as if the WLAN is turned off on the N800. Every other device i have with wifi finds my routers and work fine.

Is there a menu where one can check if the wifi is turned off or on? I can't seem to understand what's going on here with this thing. When i choose "select connection", it only lists the bluetooth connection i set up with my phone and nothing else.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I hope you didn't take it as a personnal crtic, it was just general information for all members.
Did you go in 'setting panel' and then connectivity and manually add your network? I dunno the real name of the menu in english. 'system configuration' maybe. It took me some times to discover this 'connectivity' stuff, should be linked to the upper icon IMO.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

chances are that the routers are on channels wifi 12-14 and nokia doesn't support them.
Had the same problem and found no fix. On linux normally you can change the country region for the wifi driver (rt2500 for example) with iwpriv wlan0 set CountryRegion=6
This depends on the driver though and n770/n800 driver doesn't support region changes.

It seems however that if you check with 'iwlist wlan0 freq' you will get all channels, so it seems the limitation is from a higher level, probably the connection manager.

cheers

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

The previous post about channels could be a good one. Alternatively, is it possible you have some interference on the wlan frequency (2,4GHz .. yes, the same like wireless peripherals etc.)? I'm no expert, but it's what came to my mind.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Wasn't there also a report about if there's _any_ 802.11n routers (or pre-standard 802.11n possibly) nearby, then the N800 couldn't see any networks at all.. Milhouse, was it you that reported this? My memory isn't really up and running at the moment.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Wasn't me - it rings a bell, but I can't recall where it was mentioned or if anyone reported it. I'm surrounded by about 9 WiFi networks, I'd imagine at least one of those to be 11n and I don't have any WiFi issues (Linksys WRT54GS running Sveasoft Talisman firmware - Talisman v1.3.1 is now free for public use)

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

There are a lot of routers that say they support mixed N, G and B modes but they don't work right, leaving B or G not working.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Found it: (by sherifnix, in the thread 'Help with Wireless - N800 is blind?')

http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...76&postcount=9

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I use an 802.11n router (Netgear) without any current trouble. Main thing I've noted is that it HAS to be on mixed mode or I can't connect (EDIT: with the N800 that is).

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

No hard feelings :)

I did go in and try to manually create a WLAN connection with my router's SSID and so forth, but no dice.

Anyway, i returned it. I was sad to see it go but it just wouldn't find any networks. I would say that tethering it to my Treo 700Wx via bluetooth was more convenient on the go (folks on the MTA bus i was riding in were always peeking over my shoulder wondering how the heck i was browsing BBC).

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I'm in the U.S and the channels are 1-11.

I have my router on channel 9 normally, and through all this headache, i tried all channels in hopes of remedying the situation but that did not work. Besides, there are over 6 wifi networks my computers can find and connect to with nary a hiccup.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Does anyone know if there is an extended battery (Nokia-made or 3rd party) out there for the N800? I find that the standard battery is not that great at getting through the whole day with "regular" usage.

i know i said i [was] returning it, but by gosh, i'll keep it for a while longer. I actually started missing it the moment i didn't have it in my hands (or maybe "new gadget" syndrome hasn't not worn off yet).

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Finally... I found someone else who has the same problem as me. I have had my N800 for 5 months and it has connected no problem to any and all wireless networks I needed it to.

Then one day last week, nothing. I would intermittently find some networks but on the next automatic refresh during polling, they would be all missing again.

So, I first tried a restore of an old backup (thinking it was a bad config some where). Nothing. I re-flashed the OS to factory settings (nothing). Took the battery out for several hours and restarted. Nothing.

I ended up sending my N800 back to the Nokia repair center. I will try to post an update when I know more.

F1fan.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Why doesn't anyone file a bug report when this happens? You're not the first, and you won't be the last because nobody bothers to file a report with worhwhile feedback which may help Nokia fix the problem permanently.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Ah ha!!
I thought i was crazy or something...so it's happened to you too. I was about to resort to pulling out my old 802.11b router to see if it was just a problem with my 802.11g router.

Weird thing is it only happens at my residence (for now i assume), other places it finds wifi networks fine. Odd..

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I can say for sure that the N800 looses all wireless connectivity when in the presence of certain draft-N access points. (Dlink for sure.) It just simply goes blind.

Are you sure you don't have an 'N' AP nearby?

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I don't think that there are any draft N routers in the vicinity, but there is a DLink VWR, but this is a Vonage/802.11g router combo that is used in the basement by my bro.

There are 2 other SSID's my PC detects which are from the neighbours. I tried to use iStumbler to see if it could tell me the vendor, but no luck. Anyway to tell?

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

What's the mac addresses of the access points?

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

So I wonder why Netgear routers don't appear to cause this...

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I wonder how many cases like this could be related to YOUR wifi bug...

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

My WiFi bug...? Not sure I have one... :) Or do you mean the WiFi timeout issue - it could be due to that I suppose.

Assuming it's not due to the timeout issue, I think it needs to be fully diagnosed by Nokia, but since this is most likely an environmental problem specific to the owners it may be impossible for Nokia to reproduce (at least without further info).

By opening a bug in Bugzilla I would hope (naiively) that Nokia would ask relevant questions of the reporters, perhaps asking them to execute various WiFi commands in xterm which may pin point where the problem lies. I did just this with Johan Hedberg in bug #865 and we identified the problem with Bluetooth and had it fixed in a later firmware. A much more satisfying conclusion than returning my N800 for a refund, and one which also may have benefited other users too! :)

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

You are the man, Mil. Glad to see a positive post from you. ;) :p

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Ah yes, sorry - I'm just going through a slightly negative phase over the last week or so... my beloved football club Chelsea have sacked the best football manager in the world (though some might disagree!), Scotland got thrashed in the rubgy world cup, some annoying work issues, and I'm just fearful that after 2+ years any significant changes in Nokia attitude are still not apparent, and my patience is wearing thinner while those rather tasty looking Intel MIDs loom ever larger.

I've also been questioning why anyone should bother investing their own time with an outfit like Nokia who care more about keeping secrets than open and transparent communication, and I've yet to come up with a good answer. :(

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

For my first post here, I hope that I didn't go too far. Don't get me wrong, I love my N800 and can't wait to get it back from the Nokia Repair Center.

I think that I was suffering from a failed network card/antennae because the WIFI still didn't work after reinstalling the OS via Update Wizard. I would think that the reinstall would clear any bugs in the software. The WIFI had been working great for months.

I'll let everyone know what the repair center comes back to me with...

F1fan.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Ok, this is so wicked. I did a test by walking around my house with the N800 searching for access points and 3 houses before mine, maybe less than 50 feet away, all the access points disappear. I backtrack a few feet and i can locate several SSID's in the neighbourhood. Basicall as i am walking towards my house, i get to a certain point and the the N800 just goes "wifi blind".

So the problem is not the N800, but there is something that kills it from finding any access points less than 50 feet from the steps of my house. What the heck? COuld it be the powerlines, some bad "juju", nextel phones with all their buzzing radiations...i know i'm grasping at straws here, but i am so darned frustrated !!
The only way i can browse the web in my house is through bluetooth.


Regarding your request as to the MAC addresses of the access points, what can you tell from the MAC addresses?

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Their manufacturer.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Some success !!!

I don't know what i did but i was playing with MaemoFTP, and it froze the N800. So i turn it off and back on, and when i tried to choose connection, it listed the 2 routers in my house, one with a WEP password and one without. At first it wouldn't connect to either, i had to repeat the steps a few times and it finally connected to the router without any password. Okay, i'm fine with that.

A bit of a bummer, the router with the WEP password is my "main" router (hence the security) via which i have things like file/printer sharing between my iMac and HP Media Center PC configured , UPnP and so forth. So for now, no media streaming until i can get it to connect.

Weird thing is even as it is connected via WLAN to a router, when i try to select connection to see which SSID's it can find, it doesn't even list any... my oh my.

Anyway, these are the MAC addresses of the routers:

1. 00-12-0E-63-D3-92
2. 00-18-4D-18-7A-7C

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

http://www.coffer.com/mac_find/ (enter only the first 6 chars)
1. AboCom
2. Netgear

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Pay and benefits are very, very good.

Oh! You mean customers. :p

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Yes those annoying, whinging buggers who provide your pay and rations! ;)

I think I'm turning into a seriously grumpy old git... I might be having a mid life crisis! :)

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

ive seen WEP routers not getting along with the tablet.

you need to get that system monitor program, that shows you a graph of your CPU usage and net activity in the top right corner. that thing is the shiz.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

You do know wep can be cracked in about 2 minutes right?

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

Try to install Kismet to let it scan for wireless pockets.

Darius

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I tired something similar last night. I re-enabled 'N' on my WiFi AP, so it was configured for N & G. The N800 went blind. I walked out to the street, about 30 ft from the AP, and the N800 started to see the local neighborhood AP's, and my own 'N' AP. I connected to my N AP without a problem and walked back into the house next to the AP. The N800 maintained a connection. When I tried to reconnect to the N AP while in the house, the N800 went blind again. Walking back out to at least 30ft from the AP allowed the N800 to connect to the N AP. So if I stay far enough away from the N AP, it works. When I get close, if is already connected, it stays connected, but it can't reconnect.

Of course when I switched the AP back to G-only mode, the N800 could connect no matter where I was.

So maybe there is something nearby that prevents the N800 from seeing WiFi. If not an N access point, perhaps something else that generates enough 2.4 ghz noise to muck up the N800.

Re: N800 - Wifi problem. Cannot detect router at home
 

I know that, but there's a certain person with a Nintendo DS Lite which doesn't work with WPA or WPA2. So it's either no security or "some" security, WEP.