Does anyone else have issues with the WiFi connection while the screen is turned off? I noticed that not a single one of my music streaming / radio apps work when the screen isn't on. It works for maybe a minute before all sound just stops. Starts just fine again once I power up the screen.
Has there been any changes done to the handling of these matters in ICS perhaps?
Pretty annoying not being able to stream music over WiFi as I think I'll hit my 5GB limit on data pretty fast if I can't use the WiFi at work for this.
So has anyone else noticed these issues?
SBS_ said:
Does anyone else have issues with the WiFi connection while the screen is turned off? I noticed that not a single one of my music streaming / radio apps work when the screen isn't on. It works for maybe a minute before all sound just stops. Starts just fine again once I power up the screen.
Has there been any changes done to the handling of these matters in ICS perhaps?
Pretty annoying not being able to stream music over WiFi as I think I'll hit my 5GB limit on data pretty fast if I can't use the WiFi at work for this.
So has anyone else noticed these issues?
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Yeah same here. I remember this being an issue with Android 2.1 for my Desire but was fixed in custom roms. Might be the same situation here again.
I remember this being an issue with my Nexus One, don't remember if it was fixed in 2.2 or 2.3. I remember testing file transfer using SwiFTP, with the bug the file transfer would go down to double digits (kB/sec), with the bug fix it would be a few hundred kB/sec, with the screen on it would hit mB/sec or so (in any Android version).
I believe this is the official issue:
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=9781
With my Nexus S I'm not experiencing this bug. Sscreen on still gives me a major wifi speed boost, but screen off I get a few hundred kB/sec, which should be more than enough for any streaming app. KiloBYTES btw, not bits. I'm surprised ICS and/or Galaxy Nexus brought this problem back. Or it could be something else entirely.
Are you connected via 2.4GHz or 5GHz wifi? I would think the new 5GHz radio in the GN probably has more aggressive power saving features. Try switching to 802.11b/g (instead of 802.11n, in any frequency), see if it helps.
Have you changed your WIFI sleep policy?
On my Froyo phone, if you hit menu while in the WIFI settings (I know there is no menu in ICS) you get an option to go into advanced settings where you have the option to choose your WiFi sleep policy (When screen turns off, never when plugged in, never).
There should be a way to access that advanced settings area somewhere.. My phone is a couple hundred miles away right now and I won't see it for another week so I can't be of much further help right now. However, there "was" a setting in previous versions.
best info at the time last year was here for the N1
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=01a47ff5b0a92d52&hl=en
7xx replies there to read, but really good info. somewhere in there, maybe around#600 the info gets good, can't remember. But shortly around this time the problem was gone/fixed.
there was a guy with an app i think it was wifi fixer, i could be wrong. that worked sometimes, but battery drain was bad. Whatever google, or CM did fixed the low power save mode issue. I'm thinking it was something at the kernel level?
edit, on second thought, there's no good reason to read all that. You won't get a fix out of it anyway. It was updated away in the end, something related to MAC addresses and build numbers and frf50 or some such.
BUT this seems like the same kind of thing going on in the power save mode.
Have you checked your advanced settings?
Wi-Fi>>(settings [bottom right])>>Advanced>>Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep...
Mine was set to always by default, so I suspect that the issue lies else where...
Neville.Holland said:
Have you checked your advanced settings?
Wi-Fi>>(settings [bottom right])>>Advanced>>Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep...
Mine was set to always by default, so I suspect that the issue lies else where...
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Same here. Mine was set to always by default but still getting this issue.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I would suggest that this issue is related to the individual applications you are using, rather than anything to do with Android.
I am able to stream music from Google Music via WiFi just fine when the screen is off, and I am also able to talk to someone on Skype via WiFi just fine when the screen is off.
oscillik said:
I would suggest that this issue is related to the individual applications you are using, rather than anything to do with Android.
I am able to stream music from Google Music via WiFi just fine when the screen is off, and I am also able to talk to someone on Skype via WiFi just fine when the screen is off.
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Thanks for posting that; I was getting pretty worried and disappointed after reading this thread. I had to deal with this when I first got my Nexus One, until Google released the 2.2.1 update with a new Broadcom driver which finally fixed the issue. No streaming, no pushes, just nothing at all from wifi when the phone went to sleep. All traffic to/from the phone would just stop. It was maddening.
The Galaxy Nexus comes to Canada a week from today, and this would've been a show-stopper for me. At least it's working for you, so my day isn't ruined quite yet
Has this issue ever been nailed down? I've seen considerable discussion on it going back years. I've seen considerable speculation regarding WIFI mode and Governor. I've seem many of the bug reports marked closed.
Yet I have a GN on v4.0.4 and the moment the screen goes off - either because you turn it off or it just times out - the WIFI goes to h*ll. I've run ping and network trace from both sides and there is no doubt the WIFI stays connected, however latency goes way up and packets are lost... and with TCP connections it gets congested with retransmits. I've run with the governor set to "Performance" and there is no difference.
So, is there any consensus on what is causing this problem with current stock hardware/software?
I read that it's something that's been coded in for a while. Try using this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ratcash.wifiperf
-Sent via XDA Premium-
Ok, to answer my own question, this is still related to the PSP issue from years ago:
code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=9781
code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=15549
Bottom line is that some hardware - like GN - has an additional level of PSP on WIFI. The issue was resolved by inclusion of an additional lock mode - WIFI_MODE_FULL_HIGH_PERF - some time ago. However, its up to an application to request the new lock state if it thinks it needs it. Many don't.
So, its probably not a bad idea to contact developers of the various applications and recommend they look into the new lock level in the later APIs.
Also, the "WIFI High Performance Widget" can be used to manually hold a WIFI_MODE_FULL_HIGH_PERF lock on the WIFI if you're dealing with an application that isn't doing it its self. Beware of the other "WIFI fixes" out there, none of the ones I tested were acquiring the correct lock.
Also, from an adb shell you can use "dumpsys wifi" to see who is holding what lock, for example:
Code:
Locks acquired: 5 full, 5 full high perf, 5 scan
Locks released: 4 full, 4 full high perf, 5 scan
Locks held:
WifiLock{PANDORA type=1 [email protected]}
WifiLock{HighPerformance type=3 [email protected]}
Here you can see Pandora is only holding type=1 (WIFI_MODE_FULL) and HighPerformance is holding type=3 (WIFI_MODE_FULL_HIGH_PERF). Dumping the WIFI state takes the guess work out of it.
Tried that widget, having absolutely no luck with 'in tune' and 'winamp' for radio with the galaxy nexus verizon...
as soon as the device sleeps, wifi goes to hell and buffer drops in and out every 2 seconds. Completely unusable, any recent fixes? this is totally making me think I just bought a $400 brick since this feature was very important for me.
What may be confusing about that widget is that it is a "widget". You have to locate it under "widgets" and then put it on the surface and then click it to enable it... it should be blue when on, and black when its not.
tlum said:
What may be confusing about that widget is that it is a "widget". You have to locate it under "widgets" and then put it on the surface and then click it to enable it... it should be blue when on, and black when its not.
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I have been trying to put the 'widget' itself (2x2 square) on the home screen but even if i hold and drag it to where I want it, it never actually appears on the screen. And of course i'm still getting crazy ping times...Does anyone else have this working on a GN (verizon - not that it should make a difference)?
I have found a few workarounds to this issue, none are great and frustrate me greatly.
1. Root and use the franco kernel. Seems people with that have no issues - since you can set? the wifi to full performance.
2. Use this wifi performance widget
3. Use an app that has properly set its own wifi settings. - Going through all the radio apps on the google market, i am finding only one app that seems to be doing this right: DI Radio - some kind of dance/techno/etc - confirmed it with ping times, they remain low on sleep.
Not one other radio app seems to have set 'proper' settings - which shows that something needs to be addressed in the os...I was having good luck with the yahoo music app, but depended on the stream (maybe some buffer more :dunno - the ping results are garbage.
EDIT: I tried installing high performance wifi again, and finally got the widget to one of the homescreens! Let me break it down for anyone else who comes across this. After install, the small 1x1 blue app box is put on your desktop and the black screen comes up with the wireless networks and a checkbox. I then went to apps->widgets and tried putting the 2x2 widget on the home screen again, and like always it clicks on like its there (and when you click home and its never there). However, this time I hit BACK instead of home after dropping the widget and it took me back to the black screen with the checkbox, then i hit home and voila its sitting there. You can click on it like you mentioned! Confirmed with ping for tune in...pings remain low.
If this continues to work, it may be a godsend. It is annoying having to have this, but far far better than not.
I had that problem also especially when i tried to download big files when the screen turn off the download speed became extremely slow, this widget solve this, i think to that moment its the easiest solution tap it when you need it tap it again when you done.
By the way i had this problems with franko kernel also and again to my opinion it is the good solution for now, until the apps developers update their apps.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
If you download the SDK - you only need Android SDK Platform-tools - to a PC and use the adb shell it is easy to dump the WiFi lock state with dumpsys wifi and see exactly which app(s) are holding what locks. Completely takes all of the guessing out of who is doing what when. Judging the behavior can be subjective because there are other reasons that the WiFi can break up which can be very frustrating.
developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/adb.html
Erlang2012 said:
I had that problem also especially when i tried to download big files when the screen turn off the download speed became extremely slow, this widget solve this, i think to that moment its the easiest solution tap it when you need it tap it again when you done.
By the way i had this problems with franko kernel also and again to my opinion it is the good solution for now, until the apps developers update their apps.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
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The app does work well, however I have been running into some issues as I continue to use it. It randomly decides to turn off the forced max wifi (even though its still blue and looks like its operating) or perhaps the phone is forcing the wifi issue again. It seems to happen when you are downloading, playing with some other apps? You only notice it when you sleep it and the streaming radio immediately starts having issues.
Solution is to flip back to the widget turn it off and turn it on again. It works, but is another annoyance.
I haven't yet ascertained exactly what causes it to switch off yet.
tlum said:
If you download the SDK - you only need Android SDK Platform-tools - to a PC and use the adb shell it is easy to dump the WiFi lock state with dumpsys wifi and see exactly which app(s) are holding what locks. Completely takes all of the guessing out of who is doing what when. Judging the behavior can be subjective because there are other reasons that the WiFi can break up which can be very frustrating.
developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/adb.html
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Click to collapse
I will look into this, thank you.
---------- Post added at 06:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:28 PM ----------
I used the adb shell (learned how to install all these dev tools and how to use it first ) and here is some updated info:
Tunein = type=1
Pandora = type=1
Audioaddict service (Digitally imported app I posted above previously) = type=3
google music = type=3
High performance app = type=3 (havent figured out why this likes to stop randomly)
I will update with more app info, hopefully others can also email the developers and see that it gets fixed, so we no longer have to use damn workarounds...
jeep364 said:
... It randomly decides to turn off the forced max wifi (even though its still blue and looks like its operating)...
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Yes, it definitely has an issue holding its lock, and it definitely seems related to another application taking over and also when it switches to cell and back, I can confirm that. It may be related to the OS since the widget thinks it still on when clearly the lock as been released, so it may be that the OS released the lock and the widget has no idea. I haven't taken the time to look into the details yet, and this is something we should make the developer aware of.
tlum said:
Yes, it definitely has an issue holding its lock, and it definitely seems related to another application taking over and also when it switches to cell and back, I can confirm that. It may be related to the OS since the widget thinks it still on when clearly the lock as been released, so it may be that the OS released the lock and the widget has no idea. I haven't taken the time to look into the details yet, and this is something we should make the developer aware of.
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Click to collapse
Yup, from what I can see it loses lock:
1. when cell switching
2. manually killing/starting wifi
3. when ANY application is downloaded/removed (ie. changes in permissions)
4. when playing with dolphin, other apps for more than a few minutes, it will kill it even though the blue stays lit. I think its as you mentioned, during general use of the phone, at some point some permissions are changed and hifi performance is tossed off its lock.
If you only are streaming music and re enter the phone to check a gmail alert or two...it seems to be fine. otherwise you need to hit the lock widget one more time before sending it to sleep with pandora/tune in playing.
Hoping to get help with troubleshooting...
My hardwired aftv occasionally has Amazon video/Netflix issues but no problems for 3+ days now.
My aftv on 5ghz runs fine except...
I get into the habit on creating a playlist and falling asleep while it's going. This might be because it doesn't sleep automatically, but the next morning if I try to play a prime or Netflix video I can absolutely GUARANTEE it won't play. It will either show a message stating so or it will try to play but the picture goes on & off black until it just stops. Reboot and it's fixed.
It's getting more annoying because it's every day and this one has boot menu so boot time is significantly slower. I can provide more info if it's needed.
I think I can remedy it not going to sleep but don't think that should matter. Plus this aftv has always needed regular reboots because the sound would cut in & out otherwise. I attributed that to the older tv I'm using. Switching hdmi cable didn't help.
Btw--looking closely I see I still have a folder called "android apps" somewhere around sda/usbstorage even though I now mount to storage/usb/drive1...that folder survived several cwm factory restores. I'm about 90% certain it's not native, I created it but haven't gone ahead and deleted it just in case. It's probably not relevant to my above issues but just want to make sure. It can stay there as long as it's not creating conflicts since its just an empty folder. Probably from when I used stickmount awhile back.
KLit75 said:
Hoping to get help with troubleshooting...
My hardwired aftv occasionally has Amazon video/Netflix issues but no problems for 3+ days now.
My aftv on 5ghz runs fine except...
I get into the habit on creating a playlist and falling asleep while it's going. This might be because it doesn't sleep automatically, but the next morning if I try to play a prime or Netflix video I can absolutely GUARANTEE it won't play. It will either show a message stating so or it will try to play but the picture goes on & off black until it just stops. Reboot and it's fixed.
It's getting more annoying because it's every day and this one has boot menu so boot time is significantly slower. I can provide more info if it's needed.
I think I can remedy it not going to sleep but don't think that should matter. Plus this aftv has always needed regular reboots because the sound would cut in & out otherwise. I attributed that to the older tv I'm using. Switching hdmi cable didn't help.
Btw--looking closely I see I still have a folder called "android apps" somewhere around sda/usbstorage even though I now mount to storage/usb/drive1...that folder survived several cwm factory restores. I'm about 90% certain it's not native, I created it but haven't gone ahead and deleted it just in case. It's probably not relevant to my above issues but just want to make sure. It can stay there as long as it's not creating conflicts since its just an empty folder. Probably from when I used stickmount awhile back.
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Click to collapse
A potential quick solution would be to use something to clear memory. I've been using Fast Reboot (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greatbytes.fastreboot&hl=en) on all my android devices whenever they start to feel a little sluggish. It doesn't actually reboot the device, but simply clears memory by closing apps out fully. It's helped with Netflix issues before. It's much simpler than constant reboots, but it's not a miracle cure.
Sounds to me like XBMC is never actually closing down, and Android thinks that it's still actively playing video. Only one app can play video at a time in Android, and if you're playing a video in XBMC and attempt to play a video from another app like Netfix, it won't be able to start because XBMC still has the stage with regards to playing video.
Are you launching Netflix/Amazon from within XBMC?
Does it happen after you completely close XBMC, or tell it to force quit in the Android menu?
xm41907 said:
A potential quick solution would be to use something to clear memory. I've been using Fast Reboot (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greatbytes.fastreboot&hl=en) on all my android devices whenever they start to feel a little sluggish. It doesn't actually reboot the device, but simply clears memory by closing apps out fully. It's helped with Netflix issues before. It's much simpler than constant reboots, but it's not a miracle cure.
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Click to collapse
Thanks. I'll try it. I had an app that scheduled reboots and it didn't remedy the problem but I'm open to any possible fixes.
KCFish said:
Sounds to me like XBMC is never actually closing down, and Android thinks that it's still actively playing video. Only one app can play video at a time in Android, and if you're playing a video in XBMC and attempt to play a video from another app like Netfix, it won't be able to start because XBMC still has the stage with regards to playing video.
Are you launching Netflix/Amazon from within XBMC?
Does it happen after you completely close XBMC, or tell it to force quit in the Android menu?
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Click to collapse
Those are actually tough questions
I DO have a Netflix shortcut setup in xbmc but rarely use. I'll say lately, for some reason it's been working. Typically though, if I spend awhile in xbmc and then want to go to Netflix or prime, I'll stop the video (if playing), press home then force quit xbmc. This is out of habit because it has such a high fail rate. Of course I don't expect my wife & kids to do all that so that's were it gets more troublesome.
Stopping the video in xbmc is something I do 100% of the time now. I'm very conscious of it but do you think just having xbmc itself running causes issues when switching? I wonder if an app like llama can be set up to kill xbmc when pressing home? Or maybe the app in the post above might help?
I say tough questions because my viewing habits don't follow patterns. I will say it happens less when I force quit xbmc but that's not 100% of the time, probably 70 to 80%.
But one time I can COUNT on it happening is if xbmc idles while I sleep. When I wake up and exit, force quit xbmc...prime and Netflix don't work till I reboot.
Talking now I'm thinking MAYBE clear cache and force quit might help but there's got to be a better way. I've been a little lazy there not looking into that. My other aftv sleeps fine but it's in the living room so I don't leave it playing before going to bed.
I'll try the above app and adjust some settings to try and get it to sleep automatically.
xm41907 said:
A potential quick solution would be to use something to clear memory. I've been using Fast Reboot (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greatbytes.fastreboot&hl=en) on all my android devices whenever they start to feel a little sluggish. It doesn't actually reboot the device, but simply clears memory by closing apps out fully. It's helped with Netflix issues before. It's much simpler than constant reboots, but it's not a miracle cure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried it on my phone. It's a pretty useful app. Do you exclude any apps or do you just use the defaults list on your aftv? Thanks again!
KLit75 said:
Tried it on my phone. It's a pretty useful app. Do you exclude any apps or do you just use the defaults list on your aftv? Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what you mean. It's a one click solution to clear memory.
xm41907 said:
I'm not sure what you mean. It's a one click solution to clear memory.
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Click to collapse
Yes. And this might just be being overly cautious. In the settings you can exclude certain apps. But I went ahead and just pressed fast reboot with default settings and it works fine.
Be nice if you could automate this to be triggered when exiting apps. Or put it on the homescreen for quick access. I guess you could with a launcher.
Very much appreciated! Thanks again!
KLit75 said:
Yes. And this might just be being overly cautious. In the settings you can exclude certain apps. But I went ahead and just pressed fast reboot with default settings and it works fine.
Be nice if you could automate this to be triggered when exiting apps. Or put it on the homescreen for quick access. I guess you could with a launcher.
Very much appreciated! Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I'm unsure of. How do you access the settings? You open it, it clears memory and shows you what it's cleared. That's it.
**Edit. Nevermind. I'm assuming you purchased the pro version. It looks like it does have settings to exclude apps and schedule "reboots". I've only ever used the free version.
xm41907 said:
That's what I'm unsure of. How do you access the settings? You open it, it clears memory and shows you what it's cleared. That's it.
**Edit. Nevermind. I'm assuming you purchased the pro version. It looks like it does have settings to exclude apps and schedule "reboots". I've only ever used the free version.
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Click to collapse
Yes. It's pro and it is effective for somethings. Unfortunately tonite I found out "simulating" a reboot is not quite the same as rebooting.
As I said, I've just got in the habit of rebooting this aftv before I use it...That's because for as long as I've owned it I've had this seemingly one of a kind issue where the video playing will have the sound cut in & out indefinetly until it gets rebooted. Don't matter if it's Netflix, prime, or xbmc.
It's done this since I bought it with stock firmware, at least 3 different prerooted firmwares and several factory resets. I've tried different hdmi cables.
My other aftv is ok. Only difference is it's hardwired and is connected to a better tv. But my network is solid. All devices, especially streaming boxes are fine.
Anyway. I was optimistic when I saw you could essentially reboot without waiting the 60 seconds or how ever long, to play something. But at least this one glitch still needs a real reboot.
I am happy that it appears to help with transitions from xbmc to Netflix or prime but it looks like I'll still be rebooting regularly (daily at least)
I think I posted about this awhile back but no matter where I look I can't find anyone that has this problem.