MiFi2200 Constant disconnects when using wifi

[marcomatic]

I am currently using a mifi with two Macbook Pros, an Ipad and 2 iphones and it constantly is resetting the cell network connection when connecting using wifi. Whenver I keep the administration screen open it keeps going dormant, disconnecting, connecting as much as 2 to 3 times a minute. I have tried just about every modem / wifi configuration including turing off encryption and turning off the standby option.   However if I tether the modem and connect with VZManager it works great for hours at a time and is about 3 times as fast.  After reviewing the forums I am guessing this is not a Mac related issue however I could be wrong.  Are other mac or PC users having this same issue no matter what machine you are using?

My last call to verizon support they said it was an "IP Conflict".   However they would not give me the information necessary to diagnose what IP they were talking about.  I have a feeling it is their IP and not the internal network 192. IP that the mifi is giving out.

Here is what I have donet to try and fix it:

- Testied it in 3 different states.

- Tried all different wifi configurations

- Factory reset the device

- Tried only one mac at a time

- Exchanged the mifi for another one.

I am about to exchange it for the regular usb stick modem and get a cradlepoint router.

Peace

Marc

[PJNC284]

http://community.vzw.com/t5/Broadband-Netbook-MiFi-Devices/mifi-constantly-disconnects/td-p/43509/pa...

12 page thread with people having similar issues, myself included.  We've probably had about 45-50 disconnects in <24hrs.  Finally got a support tech with a little bit of sense and we're going to try a hybrid prl.  If nothing has improved by Monday, they're going to overnight another Mifi 2200 and send out a tech to check the towers if that doesn't work. 

[marcomatic]

What type of computer are you using? Also did the tech mention anything about ip conflicts to you?  Given the only IP that changes is verizons I am thinking tech support does not have all the info to diagnose this.  Also last question but does this only happen when you are using wifi or when tethered also?

Peace

Marc

[PJNC284]

Currently running two laptops with Windows 7 but it also did the same thing with an XP machine.  Haven't had any of the techs mention ip conflicts.  The continuous disconnects only seem to happen when using wifi.  Doesn't seem to matter if there's 1 or 3 computers connected via wifi, but the signal usually drops after 15-30min.   Looks like the prl change went through as it's showing a different id under modem status on the web interface and has been connected for 2 hrs without a disconnect so far so we'll see if that works.

ha, as soon as I posted that it disconnected.  Signal strength seems to have improved and is showing 4-5 bars and dBm readings in the low to mid 80's instead of the 2-4 bars and mid to high 90's before.

[marcomatic]

I hope they get this figured out for you. I am now on a regular usb modem and ditched the mifi.  When I get home I am ordering a cradlepoint router so that I know I have a solution that works.  At the verizon store the guy was very surprised to see the connection totally reset when hooked to my computer. This was with their in store mifi also with an older firmware.  Is PRL the just another name for the firmware?

Peace

Marc

[PJNC284]

PRL is what controls how it looks for and connects to the towers.  Believe the hybrid prl looks to existing alltel towers before verizon ones.

Got the replacement device today and so far so good.  Been connected for over an hour now with no disconnect so we'll see.

[esand]

Having the same exact issues using the PC5750 card.

[PJNC284]

Well the replacement started doing the exact same thing.  Spoke with a tech support rep last night who had me manually assign the ip addresses rather than using DHCP from the mifi.  Oddly enough, it's been connected for over 14hrs with no disconnects. Maybe it is an issue with the mifi assigning addresses automatically 

[BruceLang]

Interesting - would you provide a summary of how to manually assign IP addresses? Are you talking about using assigning static IP addresses to all devices using the MiFi2200? If yes, then I "may" be able to figure it out. Here's to your continued success.

[PJNC284]

yeah, rather than using DHCP to auto assign the ip's, just assign each device a static ip.  For a Windows PC, just open network connections in the control panel.  Right click on your wireless adapter and choose properties. On the Networking  tab that pops up, select TCP/IPv4 and click properties.  Then select Use the Following IP Address and Use the following DNS Server Addresses and enter the desired settings.  The default gateway and primary dns should be the ip address for the mifi which is 192.168.1.1 from the factory.  For each device just enter a different static ip address such as 192.168.1.x (where x is anything between 2 and 254) with 255.255.255.0 as the subnet.  Not really an end all solution imo if you take your computer elsewhere as you'll need to go back in and set it to obtain automatically but it does seem to provide a more consistent connection.  Only issue now is flash intensive sites such as farmville on facebook slows the internet to a crawl but that's probably another problem.

[NaughtyGarfield]

Hi guys! I am also having the same issues like the rest of you guys here. The manually assigning IP address sounds good. but has anyone tried the new firmware v159? I wonder if that solves the problem with the connect and disconnect issues. I haven't update mine yet.. but I like to see if anyone have updated and can provide some feedback on the issue we have at hand. Thanks.

[mas90guru]

I have the same issue with significant connects, reconnects, and the MiFi goes into a dormant state. 

I've searched various places online and the Verizon forum seems to have the most reports of this problem. From what I've read I am unable to find anyone that has what seems to be a cure for this.

Cabling the MiFi (which others say works without disconnects) is not an acceptable solution because the whole reason for buying a MiFi is connection sharing.

Complaints on this issue go back several months and the old Verizon board (which seems to be read only but still readable) had lots of comments about others experiencing this same issue.

Unless you are really surfing different sites you might not notice the problem.

However if you go to 192.168.1.1 on your browser and login with the password (probably default of admin if you haven't changed it) you can get to the log and see how frequently your system is connecting and disconnecting.

As near as I can tell the problem with MiFi is likely related to tower switching and not having a great signal. The problem can disappear for lengths of time and then suddenly you go crazy with frequent disconnects.

[Ambreezy]

I understand your frustration with your MiFi2200 device. You can try to check the signal strength for the device. For the instructions you can click here http://search.vzw.com/?do=viewdoc&id=27220 

[rwf1954]

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NaughtyGarfield wrote:

Hi guys! I am also having the same issues like the rest of you guys here. The manually assigning IP address sounds good. but has anyone tried the new firmware v159? I wonder if that solves the problem with the connect and disconnect issues. I haven't update mine yet.. but I like to see if anyone have updated and can provide some feedback on the issue we have at hand. Thanks.

---

I would say a resounding NO it will not solve the problem. I did not have the problem untill I upgraded to 159. Now my VPN will not stay connected more than a few minutes with the MiFi in wireless mode. It had been working more or less flawlessly for about 10 months untill I made the mistake of upgrading the FW. I have no problems with my Sierra AC 595 staying connected for days at a time over the same network from the same location. The MiFi is my 5th mobile BB device and I have been using them on Verizon since before EVDO so I am not a novice user. I have been very happy with the MiFi right up to the point where I upgraded the FW.

I have started logging it and the log indicates constant toggling of the dormant state and then an entry  that looks like"3G Disconnect10/15/10 09:16:06am> [WiFi] DeAuth 90" followed by a MAC address.

 I have seen lots of reports of the issue now that I'm looking into it but no solutions. And no, a cradlepoint isn't the solution, nor is tethering, I could havedone that with any of my 4 AirCards. I bought the MiFi for exactly what it was because it fit my use case.

[PDCLarry]

I have had the problem with frequent disconnects for many months (it just disconnected and reconnected twice while I am typing this) with 3 different firmware versions. When I first turn it on it connects for about 30 minutes, then disconnects and reconnects for 15 or so, and the longer it runs the more frequent the disconnects. After a couple of hours it is every 3-5 minutes, so it may be an overheating problem.

What is interesting is after the reconnect it does not reset the usage counter on the control panel Home screen. I have tried a hard reset to factory defaults, changing the channel, plugged in, on battery - no difference. My signal strength right now is -59 dbm on EvDO, so it is not a signal problem.

I am currently in an office with 5 other MiFis on Verizon, and none of them exhibit this problem. So it may be a hardware issue with my device. How can I get this verified, and can I get it replaced? Could it be a network or account problem? Can I get my account reset if this is an issue?

Thanks, Larry

[PDCLarry]

As a followup to my previous post, I tried using the MiFi tethered yesterday, and it exhibited the same problem of frequent disconnects. The key difference is when it is tethered it does not automatically reconnect; I have to manually reconnect it.

I've also noticed that each time it disconnects when it reconnects it has a different IP address.

[PDCLarry]

I've made some discoveries; primarily that the problem may be my computer, not the MiFi. See my post in: http://community.vzw.com/t5/Broadband-Netbook-MiFi-Devices/MiFi2200/m-p/311810/highlight/false#M4680

[TJ_FTLGR]

I have been having the same problem since I got the Mifi thru Verizon several months ago and the strange thing is that before that I had the Sprint MiFi and had it for about 8 months and I never had any problems with disconnect with that device.  I just tried the sugestion to set the Ip address which I have tried but within 5 minutes the device disconnect me and also disconnected from Verizon then reconnected.  I have an old unlimited plan and use it, and I have to wonder if Verizon is resetting this to keep the traffice down.  Anyone else see this happening with their unlimited plan?

[TJ_FTLGR]

I just tried direct connecting it to the computer and running VZAccess manager and it has staid connected for 30 minutes but I have low signal as now I cannot place the device in the window of the house. 

[brts]

I know this is a redundant solution, but has anyone tried using a cradlepoint router with the MIFI?

[marcomatic]

I switched out a mifi for the usb modem with a cradlepoint and it worked great.  Speed was much higher than when using the mifi as a wifi router.  Like many others if I used the mifi directly connected over usb it worked perfect.