Android 5.0.2 - Wi-Fi Issues

[smjohns]

Hi,

My Z3c phone received the Android 5.0.2 update last week and although I have been generally happy with the update, the wi-fi performance has taken a big hit and doesn't seem as reliabile as it was. I have also noticed that connections are dropped and recreated randomly throughout the day even though the device has not moved from the access point. This is particularly true when using application such as Situations and Smart Unlock. The developers of these apps have confirmed that there are problems with the 5.0.2 update and that Google fixed these with v5.1. Do we know when Sony will be releasing this update for the series Z devices?

[Rickard]

Sorry to hear that you have issues with WiFi.

What router/access point are you using and would it be possible for you to test if this also happens with other networks?

Do you see any difference in performance if you restart the phone or turn off bluetooth?

[smjohns]

Hi Rickard,

Thanks for your reply. I have rebooted the phone a couple of times since upgrading to 5.0.2 (plus just now) and reboot times are now 4-5 times longer since the upgrade to Lollipop. This has not resolved the issue and I have tried disabling bluetooth but this does not help either. If I forceibly stop both of the applications I have mentioned above then Wi-Fi is a little more stable but still not as good as when the device was running KitKat 4.4.4 (with or without both applications running). There is a general feeling that this issue cannot be fixed by upgrading the two apps and instead can only be fixed by the implementaion of Android v5.1. What are Sony's feeling on this? Are they planning to move to 5.1 when it has been formally released? Are there any quick bug fixes that can be deployed before this? Weirdly the 5.0.2 upgrade has also consumed about 2gb of internal storage, which is a little annoying but still have approx 6gb free so assume this is not adding to the issues.

I guess there is no way to return to KitKat until a less buggy version of Lollipop is released?

[sunshower]

I confirm the same issue after the upgrade to Lollipop. Since first minutes the connection to my home wi-fi router started to drop and reconnect itself and this cycle repeats randomly everu 5-10-20 seconds. Phone didn't have any problems with this router while it was with KitKat. The router is supplied by T-Mobile and is Thomson branded, it successfully serves all household devices still with no issues. Nno imaginable actions solve the problem: reboots, swithching BT off, location off,  tried almost everything. The phone is unusable with wi-fi. Please fix this ASAP! Or provide us temporary legal way to rollback to KitKat until stable build of Lollipop is achieved. There are plenty of other issues with this upgrade but I mentioned them in other threads.

[smjohns]

Although not nice to hear of others with issues, it is nice to know that this is not just me. Just posting up to add that this issue affects all my wi-fi networks, home and work. I am now not sure that the above quoted apps are exacerbating the problem or simply highlighting them as having disabled both apps I notice the wi-fi drops outs are still occuring.

[Rickard]

What happens if you try your phones in safe mode? Do you see any issue then?

Could you also test this with another WiFi network to see if something has happended with your device or if this is an issue that happens with a specific access point/router?

It's not possible to downgrade the phone using our softwares.

@smjohns

I'm afraid i'm not familiar with those apps and their compatibility with Android 5.0.2. If they require Android 5.1 i'm afraid my only suggestion is to look for alternatives that are compatible with 5.0.2 and that you stay tuned to our blog for the latest information on upcoming updates.

Lollipop does take up more space so it's normal that you have less free space after the update.

[smjohns]

Hi Rickard,

Thanks for your continued support on this. As confirmed above I am no longer sure that the Wifi issues are caused by the two applications. I have tried uninstalling both but the drop outs are still occuring. The reason I thought they were linked to the issue was that every time the wifi drops out and reconnects, the apps trigger events, which I was noticing on my phone (e.g. another application being launched or screen unlock being enabled). Without the applications installed the wi-fi still drops out and then reconnects but it is a little more tricky to spot. The issue occurs at work, at home and when out and about and connected to any wifi. Judging by other forums this could be a bit of a recurring theme with 5.0.n. 

Really hope that Sony / Google can resolve these issues soon as the phone has become a real pain to use. v5.1 hopefully won't be long.

[sunshower]

 I have found one provision of other phone user about this issue with Lollipop, so it means not only Sony devices affected.

Looks like using a WPA-Auto Personal settings which auto switches back to WPA, vs exclusively using WPA2, means that the pmf=1 setting in the ini gets ignored, so... yeah.. solution is to either root your phone, or use a lower encryption on your wifi. It is a very easy fix to disable the pmf setting.

Now we only need to know would Sony acknowledge this and do something about it.

[Rickard]

Thanks for the information but could you please test safe mode and let me know if this also happens in safe mode?

@sunshower

That's not an issue on Z3 Compact as we don't have pmf on. WPA2 only works fine with our devices.

Which model is the Thomson router?

[sunshower]

I tried the safe mode, the issue persists. I've put up a one-minute video of it with two dropouts https://youtu.be/JVBJjokjpz8.

One thing I've noticed in both safe mode and normal mode is if you "forget" the network and connect to it again with entering password, it holds up ok until you go out of range, and then when you return in range and phone reconnects to the same network automatically, dropouts are starting and never ending until you re-connect manually again with entering password after "forgetting".

The router is Thomson TG782. It serves two Pcs and another android phone just ok, and all my guests never had problems connecting to my home wi-fi with their smartphones. Moreover, my Z3 Compact phone worked with same home network perfectly under KitKat until I "upgraded" it....