Weak WiFi signal Strength

[TheKaiCA]

Has anyone experienced a poor wifi signal strength? I am always getting a poor connection when using wifi. I even get a poor signal when I put the phone next to my home wireless router. I also have a VZ mifi and when I put my Droid Charge next to it, I get a poor signal connection. Suggestions?

[WCMack]

Dear TheKaiCA,

When you say a "poor" signal strength, you mean that your Charge shows less WiFi signal strength than other devices that use your VZ hotspot device, correct?

If so, check your Settings on the Charge.  While on any of your home screens, press the Menu button (left one at bottom of phone) and select Wireless & network/Wi-Fi settings and make sure your Charge is detecting the network created by the hotspot device.  If it is not detecting the network, you need to set up a connection via the Add Network setting.  If it is detected, make sure you are connected to the network (this could be automatic, or you may need to sign in if you have security set up on the network).  If the network is detected and you are signed in, next check the IP settings for the device, under the Advanced settings, at the very bottom of the menu.  These setting should match what the hotspot device is seeing.  IF the hotspot device is using DHCP, make sure you have not assigned a static IP address to the Charge.  If you are not using DHCP, make sure the Charge has the same static IP address as assigned in the hotspot device.

As a last resort, you may want to try to assign a static IP address to make sure that the hotspot recognizes the Charge.

I hope this helped.  You did not indicate in your post what steps if any you took before you posted your question, so perhaps some of the above is repetitious of what you have already tried.

Good luck.

[Davidoo]

If you are talking about the signal the Charge receives, yes, it is very weak.  Probably a poor antenna.  I have wifi in my house and I can take my laptop anywhere and get all 5 bars with excellent strength.  On my charge I can be in the next room and have a poor one bar signal.  I have to almost touch my phone to my wireless router to get a full signal strength. 

[TheKaiCA]

Correct. I only get one "dot" as the signal strength when using the wifi whether it is at home or other hotspots. Similar to what Davidoo describes, I literally have to be next to my router to get even 2 bars. The phone can see wireless networks but connects at one "dot" 90% of the time.

The phone is correctly setup for DHCP. I get the same issue even when setting it up via static IP.

Are there any other possible fixes?

[WCMack]

It's hard to suggest fixes when the possible source of the problem has not been diagnosed.  But here are some "scattershot" ideas that might work...

1. Try a hard reset of the phone.
2. Power cycle your wireless router.
3.  Query the router through your browser to see if it sees the phone, and see if you can clear and reset the DHCP license for the phone.
4.  Know anyone else with a wireless router?  Try the phone out on their system and see if there is any difference.

Good luck!

[ts47]

My Charge works really well on wifi, though the signal strength it shows is far less than my laptop for example.  Personally, I wouldn't expect a cell phone to have as good a wifi antenna as a laptop would. 

I have a very recent wireless router.  The router is upstairs in one of my bedrooms.  Sitting in my living room on the main floor, I get speeds of 4 Mbps up and 17 down.  I have no problems with the phone disconnecting or dropping data.  This is probably a better indication of the quality of the signal than how many bars it shows on the screen.

If you want to test your wifi, I would just go surf the web and see if you have any problems.  If no problems, then quit looking at how many bars you have.  If you have problems, you can;

1. check to see if you are too far away from the router,

2. find a friend with a newer router to see if it works better - the problem could be your router rather than the phone.

3. try calling Verizon tech support.  Those guys have been really on the ball and really helpful every time I've called!

Good Luck!

[simonlagree]

I've had the charge for about a month. Got an app to use it as a mouse for my entertainment computer. The laptop is streaming Netflix perfectly on wifi and the Charge is getting insufficient signal sitting right next to the laptop; I have to go to the next room closer to the router to get the app to work.

  Is this all there is?  Called tech and hard cycled. Still doesn't work.

[Davidoo]

This is definitely a poor design issue in the antenna of the Charge.  In my house on my laptop I can "see" at least 10 other wifi signals.  On my Charge, I barely get my own.  Now I understand and agree with an earlier poster that I wouldn't expect the phone to pick up quite as much as my large laptop. 

Once I was on the wifi screen on my Charge where it displays all the networks it can see and happened to be holding the phone just with 2 fingers on the very bottom of each side.  Suddenly all the networks my laptop could see I saw on my Charge.  Then I picked it up with my hand around the back and could see only my own again.  Tried it again by propping my phone up against some dishes and wow, my wifi signal was full.  Put my hand around the phone and one dot.  Try this yourself and you will be amazed at the signal difference.  So, somehow, the phone was designed with the antenna placement blocked by the same position most people would hold the phone.  This is my first smartphone so I can't say how others work or if they do the same thing.  What surprised me was how my hand could block the signal that much.  I thought concrete walls or metal sure, but your hand.  Possibly a characteristic of the wavelength being used coupled with a weak antenna.

[addysdaddy]

https://market.android.com/details?id=org.zwanoo.android.speedtest&feature=search_result

You can download and install the SpeedTest app to get a relative measure of the your connection speeds.  I agree with the other poster that don't judge your connection by the number of bars, but rather by the actual upload and download speeds.  When I run this test, I turn off the network data from the notifications menu so I'm only on the WIFI connection.  Hopefully this free app will confirm that your connection speeds are good and the your WIFI connection is adequate.    

[WCMack]

Dear Davidoo,

Thanks for pointing this out. I tried it based on your suggestion and, although I did not get such serious degradation in signal strength (I checked the bars but did not run SpeedTest), there definitely was a drop-off in signal strength shown when I moved my hand behind the phone.

[ChristinaB_VZW]

Hi Davidoo, 

I have sent your verbatim to our Product Support Team. Please note that this information is under review with our team and Samsung. We will keep you posted with any updated information. 

Thank you!

[attitudedave]

I unfortunately have to agree. I have had four Samsung charges now, and experienced exactly the same problem with each. (among many other problems) I have been extremely disappointed with most aspects of this phone.

[juls74]

I have to agree...but my issues are not only with data but also voice.  I moved to Verizon because my company said it had better coverage/support.  My Charge takes FORVER to power up-and that is only when it does power up...half the time I have to remove the battery because it is locked up on start-up.  This is really a pain, especially when you have to frequently power down due to airplane travel.

Once it is powered up I not only show poor to no signal strength but very often cannot get data or voice when others can.  I was in a meeting with 30 people Friday and all could get signals.  I had usability about 20% of the time and the rest said I was not/could not connect.

I have dropped calls daily...regardless of the location.  I have tried to work with people at a couple of Verison stores, thinking it might be a bad phone but they seem clueless and have never even mentioned that these issues may be a problem with the Charge and not just my phone.  After spending over $600 on phones and start-up, I have to say that I've about had it and want to go back to AT&T.  Reading the above posts I now see maybe it's not the compan's fault but I think they should stand behind the phones they sell and replace ones that are defective with other models.