Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
PHYSTEE7
Enthusiast - Level 2

Ever since the new update to my S5 in mid August, my phone won't automatically connect to wifi networks. Plus, once it's connected to my home network, it disconnects within seconds. It will stay connected to my work network (once I manually connect it), and that one doesn't drop. I have tried to "forget" my home network, and reset it. I have totally unplugged the router and let it reboot. I have taken the battery out of my phone and let it also reboot. I have uninstalled any apps I believed were recently updated/installed. Absolutely nothing has worked. All other devices in our house (even another S5) stay connected to the network. I'm at a total loss. I'd like to avoid doing a full reset, if possible. Any suggestions?

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

It's certainly important to stay connected to WiFi, PHYSTEE7. You took the right steps to try to resolve the issue. I can understand holding off on the factory reset, we would always want to save that as a last resort. From the information provided it does sound like we're working with an issue with your phone only since other devices are staying connected. Are you able to connect to other WiFi networks by chance? Has your phone been powered off since the update as well? Please go to Settings>Wi-Fi>Menu (three dots)>Advanced and ensure Smart Network Switch is turned off. If the issue persists please go to Settings>Backup and Reset>Reset Settings. This will not erase your information. Does this improve things?

LaurenC_VZW

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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!!

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
PHYSTEE7
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hi Lauren,

Thank you for responding!

I am able to connect to other networks. They don't auto connect though. But after connection is established, it stays connected. The only network that drops is our home one.

My phone has been powered off, I even took the battery out for awhile when the issue first started. Smart Network switch is not checked in my advanced settings.

If I do the settings reset, does that erase any of my text/picture messages, or anything else I would like saved on my phone?

Thank you!

Erica

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
PHYSTEE7
Enthusiast - Level 2

Lauren,

I did reset my settings as you suggested. I will test it out when I get home this evening.

Thanks!

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
kathy65793
Master - Level 1

If you just go to settings- backup and reset  then go down to reset network settings it will clear out your saved passwords for any router that you had your phone connected to. Sometimes this alone can fix the problem but it doesn't always fix it. What type of router do you have and have you checked to see if there is an app for it. I have a netgear router and after I downloaded their app it has help. Another thing to check is to see if there is an update for the firmware for the router. I have about 4 phones on my router at any one time and I know I have to reboot it every once in awhile because my phone or someone else won't stay connected  I hope you get this worked out because I know how it feels when after an update you start having trouble where you didn't have any before the update

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
PHYSTEE7
Enthusiast - Level 2

The settings reset did not work. Darn it!

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
PHYSTEE7
Enthusiast - Level 2

I was hopeful when I got home and my phone stayed connected to our home network for more than 30 seconds. Then it dropped again!! Resetting the settings didn't help, unfortunately. I logged into our router and did the firmware update. That didn't help either. I rebooted my phone, just in case. Nope, no relief there.

Is there any way to uninstall preloaded apps that I don't use? I know some of them were recently updated.

Are there any other suggestions? Is there a way to upload everything, including text messages to the Cloud? That way I have everything if a full factory reset is my only option.

Thanks!

Erica

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
PHYSTEE7
Enthusiast - Level 2

Hi Kathy,

We have a Netgear router. I did the firmware update last night. That didn't help. I will look for an app today. Hopefully I  can stay connected to the internet long enough for it to download.

Thanks for your feedback!

Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Thanks for the update, PHYSTEE7. This is an odd case since you are able to stay connected to other WiFi networks and other devices are able to stay connected to your home WiFi. With both of these factors in play the issue is not pointing us in the direction of either your phone or your router being the cause. I want to address all of your concerns, but I don't think we're quite at the point where we need to do a factory reset quite yet.

The next step I would like to take is to place your phone in Safe Mode: http://vz.to/2okfocq . This will disable third party apps from the Play Store. Are you able to stay connected to your home WiFi while in Safe Mode? If so, then there's an issue with an app that was installed on your phone. Once the app is removed that will fix the problem. The only thing is we can't tell which specific app is causing the issue. The best way to go about it is to uninstall http://vz.to/2ojJv58 one or two at a time and test your WiFi. To get out of Safe mode simply power your phone off and back on. From what you're describing it sounds like we're working with a third party app that's not working right with the new software and interfering with the connection.

If you're still not having luck I would then recommend the factory reset. To answer your question, you can backup everything with Verizon Cloud. I have links to help make sure your information is safe. If you haven't used the Cloud app before this link will walk you through the setup: http://bit.ly/2kReghV . Then this link will show you how to backup: http://bit.ly/2mcbc09 .

When you're all backed up you can complete the reset in Settings>Backup and Reset>Factory Data Reset. I recommend to make sure you have your Gmail password before the reset just to ensure that you are able to sign in after the reset as this will be required to get back into your phone. If you have to reset your Gmail password please complete this before the factory reset. Once the reset is complete you will go back to the Cloud app to get your information back, it will walk you through all the steps. I did grab a link to show you the path to restore though if needed: http://vz.to/2xKot1p . Please keep us updated on your progress and if this resolves the WiFi connection issue.

LaurenC_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!!

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Re: Why won't my S5 stay connected to my home wifi network after mid August update?
SGW55
Newbie

You have a Netgear router and that is the problem.  I just spent 3 hours on the phone with Netgear discussing ongoing connection/disconnection issues with my S5 and my Netgear Nighthawk R7000P.  It is a known defect that Netgear has been "working" on since at least 2015 to no avail.  NO tasks that you can perform on either your phone, Verizon or Netgear will fix it.  Just take your phone anyplace with wifi and you'll see that you stay connected.  Throw out your router and get an ASUS or Linksys router, per the tech guy at my local Verizon store.  Verizon hasn't carried Netgear for years; now I know why.  Let's see, based in the S.F. Peninsula and a call center in God-knows-where and all they do is read out of the manual.  I finally got a decent tech that ran a ping on my wireless radio and it was showing that the wifi was connected the whole time.  Very occasionally, it would drop for a split second and then come back up immediately, but this was definitely not the disconnect/reconnect issue that happens every 3-5 seconds.  In other words, your wifi is up and working, it's just that the Netgear router keeps sending a bogus "disconnected" and then "reconnected" message to your phone.  If you can put up with the incessant flashing off and on of these prompts in both 2.4 and 5ghz, then you have more character than I do.  If you can't, round-file the p.o.s. and get something else.  After 6 months with this router, Staples wouldn't replace it, SquareTrade won't replace it until the Netgear warranty is up in another 6 months, and Netgear is going to send me a replacement.  They couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't start acting up again.  When the new one fails, I'm giving up and just throwing it out.

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