Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
xroads42
Enthusiast - Level 2

When the Mobile Hotspot app on my Note 4 is turned on, the device's Wi-Fi is disabled, which is required. Later, when I turn the Mobile Hotspot off, Wi-Fi is re-enabled, and connects to known wi-fi networks, but I have no connectivity for any apps. Even turning off Wi-Fi and then turning it back on again does not resolve the problem. If I turn off Wi-Fi, the cellular connection still works. The only fix for this is to turn the phone off entirely and turn it back on (or restart). Only then do Wi-Fi connections start working again.

This does not happen 100% of the time. Sometimes wi-fi works fine after the hotspot is turned off. But I estimate this occurs more than 50% of the time I turn off the hotspot. I use the Mobile Hotspot app on the Note 4 at least twice daily, so this occurs frustratingly often.

The Wi-Fi routers themselves are fine, as this occurs both at home and at work (two different networks). Plus, restarting the phone always makes the wi-fi start working again, with the same connections.

This has not been a problem when I first bought the phone late last year. It just started happening after a recent software update within the last two months.

Some hardware and software stats:

Model Number: SM-N910V

Android version: 5.0.1

Kernel version: 3.10.40

Build number: LRX22C.N910VVRU2BOG5

Hardware version: N910V.05

Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Hello xroads42,


Thank you so much for all of your information. This is something we need to get resolved. Frustration is never something that we want to see in the same sentence as your phone. You mention that when youy are on wifi, you are not able to get any apps on the phone to work. Do you get any specific error when you try to open them? Are you able to get on the web just fine?


AliciaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
xroads42
Enthusiast - Level 2

Thanks for the quick reply. The web browser and any native apps also can't connect to the network. They receive the generic "no connection" type messages, as though I was completely out of coverage. I don't recall the exact error messages, but I can provide them the next time it happens if you'd like.

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

This is quite the mystery and I'm here to get this resolved. If you could actually notate the exact error message when it does come up next time, that would be great. Gives us more to go by at times. Have you been able to completely delete the wifi connection from the phone and then readd it to see if that helps?


Here's how to remove the wifi: http://vz.to/1hthJxl

Here's how to readd the wifi: http://vz.to/1KyamLx


AliciaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
bcsmith488
Enthusiast - Level 2

Mobile Hotspots strictly use cellular data, not Wi-Fi. So, naturally, when you activate Mobile Hotspot, it automatically turns off your Wi-Fi and uses your cellular data. To my knowledge, this is not something that you can control. In fact, having Wi-Fi around kind of defeats the purpose of having a Mobile Hotspot...

As far as why you wouldn't be getting internet connection despite being connected to known Wi-Fi networks after turning off your Mobile Hotspot, I do not know.

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
xroads42
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hi Alicia,

So, I'm in this state right now, after having used the Mobile Hotspot this morning.

The Internet app (native mobile web browser) gives this message:

"This web page is not available"

And then has a "More" button. When clicked, it expands the error with the following:

"The server at www.google.com can't be found, because the DNS lookup failed. DNS is..." I know what DNS is  😉

It then offers the following solutions:

"Check your Internet connection" - Check cables, reboot routers, etc. This is not a problem, since resetting the phone makes everything work again. And again, this is happening both at my home and at work, which is a large IT company, no problems with their wifi setup.

"Check your DNS settings" - I can't find a place to check this on the phone. Can you direct me to where this might be located?

"Allow Internet to access the network in your firewall or antivirus settings"  (Not an issue)

"If you use a proxy server..." (I don't)

"Error code: ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED"

The Google Chrome browser gives this error, "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET"

Facebook just says "Error loading News Feed" with no underlying error code. Ot6her apps give similar messages.

So my guess is that somehow Wi-Fi DNS becomes disabled/corrupted after turning the mobile hotspot off.

Turning wifi off, then on again, doesn't resolve the issue, though I can still use the 4G VZW connection just fine while wifi is turned off.

As to your suggestion about removing and re-adding the wifi hotspot, this did not work, either. Once again, I was able to sue teh 4G connection while not connected to wi-fi, then after adding the wi-fi connection back (authenticated, received an IP Address, and connected), I received the same errors from the web browser and apps.

I think it's something with the entire wi-fi service on the phone itself that gets corrupted after using the Mobile Hotspot. This seems supported by the fact that when I turn the entire phone off and on again, wi-fi starts working again.

Let me know if you'd like me try anything else the next time I get into this situation.

Thanks,

Scott

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
bcsmith488
Enthusiast - Level 2

The only thing I can think to try is actually disconnecting the other devices from your Hotspot network before you turn your Hotspot off. That's just something I would try to see if it made a difference. Probably won't, but it won't hurt to try.

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
Jaybird71
Enthusiast - Level 1

I have been having the EXACT same problem for months now.  The only thing that fixes it is a shutdown / restart of the phone.  Very frustrating!

Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
xroads42
Enthusiast - Level 2

bcsmith488

I haven't tried disconnecting devices connected to my phone's Mobile Hotspot before turning it off. I'll give that a try. Interesting test.

I did try one thing that has worked consistently so far:

Turn off wi-fi on the phone manually, then turn Mobile Hotspot On.

When done with Hotspot, turn it Off, then manually turn the phone's Wi-Fi back on.

If I follow these steps, I haven't run into the problem, though I've only done it a few times so far.

This leads me to believe it's a bug in the phone software itself, either in the Mobile Hotspot app, or in its interaction with turning the phone's wi-fi on and off.

0 Likes
Re: Wi-Fi stops working after Mobile Hotspot is turned OFF
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Jaybird71,

We want you to be able to use your device and be able to connect to wifi after using mobile hotspot. When did this start happening? What is the software version do you have on the phone?
ZangY_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

0 Likes