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How to Fix Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi Problems

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Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi problems are plaguing users with D-Link routers who cannot keep a connection with the flagship Samsung smartphone.

The Galaxy S4 WiFi problems appear to be limited to a few D-Link brand routers and doesn’t appear to be limited to a specific carrier version of the Galaxy S4.

Samsung confirmed they are aware of the problem in a statement to ZDNet, but it doesn’t appear that Samsung is working on a fix. Samsung states,

This is a problem caused by firmware stored on a specific access point in D-Link routers. Customers should update their firmware to the latest version or reboot the access point,

Fix Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi problems with a few simple steps. If that fails, users may need to buy a new router.

Fix Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi problems with a few simple steps. If that fails, users may need to buy a new router.

While most of the issues appear to be limited to the D-Link DIR-655 and DIR-855 routers, others may be affected. There are ways to attempt to fix the problem without leaving home.

How to Fix Galaxy S4 WiFi Problems

Users who cannot connect to WiFi on the Samsung Galaxy S4 or who connect and then quickly lose their connection can take some steps to fix the Galaxy S4 WiFi issues. Several of these fixes are  possible without spending any money, but if that fails users may need to invest in a new router.

Reboot the Router

The easiest fix to Galaxy S4 WiFi problems is a router reboot. This isn’t a guaranteed fix, but it’s the simplest step so we recommend doing it first.

Head over to where your router is located, find the power cord and unplug it for at least 30 seconds. After a short wait, plug it back in and see if that fixes the issue.

If not, the next fix will update the router, which is more likely to fix the problem.

Update the Router

The next step to fix Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi problems is to update the router firmware. This process is straightforward, but you will need to know your router password and user name. This is not the password you use to connect a device, but the administrator password.

Update the D-Link DIR-655 router firmware to fix some Galaxy S4 WiFi problems.

Update the D-Link DIR-655 router firmware to fix some Galaxy S4 WiFi problems.

Here are the directions to upgrade the D-Link DIR-655 firmware, one of the common routers with Galaxy S4 WiFi issues.

Budget 15 to 30 minute for this process, though it may go quicker. Other users will lose a connection briefly while the router installs the new firmware and reboots, so warn other users.

Get a New Router

Some users report that despite trying multiple updated router firmwares the Galaxy S4 WiFi problems exist. If the previous steps don’t work it’s a good idea to invest in a good new router. It seems unlikely that Samsung is prepping a fix for this issue, and D-Link or Samsung updates could take a while to arrive.

Users can pick up a new router for $50 to $150 dollars depending on the features needed. While this isn’t pocket change, it will help users avoid popping over mobile data limits.

We recommend Belkin, Netgear and ASUS routers for speed and reliability, but recommend doing a little investigating before picking a new router.

84 Comments

84 Comments

  1. Gary Pascoe

    05/17/2013 at 6:29 am

    D-Links DIR 628 router keeps freezing out the WiFi data flow while downloading anything over a certain size. Turning off the WiFi and then turning it back on (sometimes repeatedly) get me through the process, BUT WHAT A PAIN!
    You would think D-Links would be all over this! If I have to replace it I am certainly NEVER going there again!

    • Father Fury

      07/17/2013 at 10:33 pm

      D-Link updated their Firmware in Jun (at least for the DIR-655). I just finished the update and my Galaxy S4 now works as it is supposed to!
      Current Firmware Version :1.37NA
      Current Firmware Date :2013/06/06

    • keenan

      01/16/2014 at 4:02 am

      It’s not the router. It’s AT&T forcing users over their data limit.

  2. Hacken

    05/19/2013 at 11:05 pm

    I’m using Belkin Wireless G Router, it also cause me the connection problem.
    My S4 can’t obtain the IP when try to connect to Belkin router, but once it connected the connection is quite stable..

    • Vala Shahabi

      06/03/2013 at 11:26 pm

      I have the same issue with my Linksys router.

      • BNg

        07/19/2013 at 4:46 pm

        I also have the same issue with Cisco EA4500 router as well. Waste lots of time to debug and still not working. THinking about returning the S4 back to AT&T or exchange.

        • Cory Colon

          08/02/2014 at 2:09 pm

          Having the same problem myself and contemplating a different phone too. I think its silly this problem even exists I already went over my data plan and it just keeps climbing, this sucks

      • Micah

        08/19/2013 at 4:29 pm

        Same

  3. ailyn

    05/20/2013 at 7:06 am

    “Get a new router”, this is like Apple saying “You’re holding it wrong”. Gimme a break

    • Juan

      08/24/2013 at 9:56 pm

      Totally agree, using a NEW net gear router and have connection issues

  4. Alon

    05/20/2013 at 1:15 pm

    You buy a new phone for 650$
    And the only thing Samsung can do is tell u to buy a new router??? Like seriously???

    INSTEAD OF WORKING THEY’RE ASS OFF FOR AN UPDATE TO FIX THIS ISSUE

    • Buck

      05/28/2013 at 10:27 am

      This isn’t samsung.com, Hoss. Samsung isn’t telling you to buy a new router. Try changing your router settings from AES to TKIP.

      There are some other ideas in this forum:
      https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=40931190

      • Travis Steel

        06/06/2013 at 11:00 am

        That’s how I fixed it, use TKIP only.

      • s4maniac

        06/15/2013 at 12:01 pm

        this is right now my s4 connected to wifi now perfectly. use tkip and 2.4 ghz b and then your s4 connected, i checked speed test nothing to woryy about

        • Rafi

          07/21/2013 at 3:05 pm

          Thanks a lot friend you made my day. It worked.

      • cory

        11/23/2013 at 11:47 am

        This fix works well with most routers but the question is how are we going to convince the multiple hotspot providers to do the same considering we have lost access to 90 % of those due to the update. I use my phone for work and this update just turned my gs into a paper weight.

  5. Lee Lewis (@LeeJLewis)

    05/22/2013 at 10:55 am

    not just the dlink router tho, I have the same issue with the Virgin Media Superhub

    • Monica

      09/11/2013 at 12:58 am

      i am experiencing the same problem with the virgin media superhub

  6. New2S4

    05/24/2013 at 10:56 pm

    The problem is not with routers. It is with this phone. All other phones, tablets and devices connect fine with the same routers. Samsung owes customers a fix.

    • Micah

      08/19/2013 at 4:31 pm

      Yes they do!

    • alberto router

      11/16/2013 at 6:51 am

      Thats right. My S4, work perfectly with all routers, until last android update 3 days ago (2013Nov)!!!! Now, it doesn’t connect with the same routers in my house or office (Cisco and D-Link). Can’t be router problem!

      • veronicad1

        11/23/2013 at 8:39 am

        I’m having the same problem since the last update– no router connection AND phone not recognizing the car charger. I have to either turn off/on the wifi button on the phone every time for that connection OR restart the phone for it to recognize the car charger.

  7. trulsole

    05/27/2013 at 10:46 am

    Hey the problem is n I got dlink 655 tund off the n (only b ang g now)workt fine after

  8. Kevin

    05/28/2013 at 7:19 am

    I have multiple S4 from different carriers not able to connect to the Motorola AP throughout the building. I have a Galaxy Tab with the same issue as well. The building has spent $25k to setup these APs and we never had any issue before S4 arrives.

    • Buck

      05/30/2013 at 9:47 am

      “I have a Galaxy Tab with the same issue as well.” “…we never had any issues before S4 arrives.”

      Which is it? Do you have the problem with the Galaxy Tab or is this a problem unique to the S4?

  9. Ron

    05/28/2013 at 12:52 pm

    All I had to do was to disable the WMM (WiFi MultiMedia) on my DIR-825 and the issues were gone (Advanced->Advanced Wireless->uncheck ‘WMM Enable’

    • crimazn

      06/09/2013 at 12:22 pm

      This worked for me on the D-Link Gaming router.

      Thank you very much

    • Peter

      07/26/2013 at 7:10 pm

      This worked for me too!

  10. johnny_blz

    05/28/2013 at 3:50 pm

    I have this problem with a micro nano usb wifi adapter which I use at work. In two years I never had a problem until the s4 arrived. All my colleagues connect to it correctly. They all have one dongle of different brand and the S4 is the only one that doesn’t work with any of them, s2, S3 and iphone does it no problem. Router fault BS this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Shame on sammy…

  11. Michael McNamara

    05/30/2013 at 5:22 am

    If you’d like a (deep) technical look at the problem….

    https://blog.michaelfmcnamara.com/2013/05/samsung-galaxy-s4-and-motorola-wireless-lan-switches/

    Still looking for someone from Motorola to comment on the packet traces.

    Looks like some extra tags in the association request are hanging things up.

    Cheers!

  12. Tim

    05/30/2013 at 7:14 pm

    Another workable settings change for DIR-655….
    Samsung Galaxy S4 has worked reliably when Cipher Type was set to “TKIP” for us as well.

    For those of you with legacy devices requiring “AES” that don’t work when the Cipher Type is changed….

    Guest Zone (Found under Advanced Options Tab) Cipher Type can be set independently from the Main Wireless Zone Cipher Type (Found under the Settings Tab).

    For example: “AES and TKIP” setting can be set on main wireless settings for a mix of older devices requiring AES (Wii streaming Netflix for the kids in our case) and newer devices utilizing TKIP. The Guest Zone can be set to “TKIP” only servicing the S4.

    Guest Zone does not provide full access to the network only the internet, so depending on you use/isolate devices on your network other configurations may work better for you.

  13. James Smith

    06/02/2013 at 4:41 pm

    I’m experiencing the same problem as stated by everyone else above. There is no way I will change my router since it works very well with all my other equipment including a Galaxy S3. So clearly the Problem is the Galaxy S4. My solution? Don’t get a new router but rather return the S4 and pick up the HTC One. I can’t trust Samsung to fix this problem. I already struggled for over a year with the early Galaxy S and the GPS issue associated with that phone (Samsung never fixed that problem).

    • Buck

      06/03/2013 at 9:58 am

      Ex-Thunderbolt owner here. Good luck with HTC!

  14. Luis

    06/03/2013 at 8:25 pm

    This is not true, it is not limited to D-Link routers. I have the new ASUS RT-AC66U with all the updated firmware and the S4 still drops or can not connect to the router. I wouldn’t buy a new router because a phone manufacturer doesn’t want to fix the problem. This is a top of the line router at a current price of almost $200.00 and my home network running several OS’s (Linux, Windows XP, 7 and 8, iOS, CentOS, Android, Nintendo OS, Xbox) is running great and those systems don’t lose connection. COD Black Ops 2 runs great online. I like my phone, but if this problem is not fixed, my S4 will end up on eBay.

    • Juan

      08/24/2013 at 10:08 pm

      This is my 2nd Samsung! The 1st one was garbage, it wasn’t a S line phone but whatever Samsung released after the original Motorola DROID with the keyboard (can’t remember) and I swore in would never buy another but fell for the hype on this S4… Nice phone but wifi and bluetooth connection sucks and with no resolution in sight from Samsung… This is my last one… Sticking with Motorola from now on

      • Juan

        08/24/2013 at 10:09 pm

        EBay here we go

  15. HUMDUDE

    06/08/2013 at 8:00 am

    Same issue here. We have a Belkin router and it’s constantly rebooting when I connect the S4 to my WiFi network. It drives me nuts! I was thinking about picking up a new router but if it’s a Samsung issue I don’t want to waste the money.

  16. Rob

    06/09/2013 at 3:43 am

    I solved the connection issues by disabling WMM on my Dlink DIR-855. My Galaxy S4 now stays connected.

    • shelly

      09/13/2013 at 5:10 pm

      Rob.. how to do this? location for switches,connections or? so I can do this too. Also, will this change OR affect my other ALREADY SET UP wireless connections ie. computers,printers etc I have a D LINK DIR-825; WILL IT FIX THIS TOO?
      Thanks, Shelly

  17. mp_ed

    06/09/2013 at 4:48 am

    I’m facing the same problem with a Belkin router. It sees the network but it won’t connect because it cannot confirm the IP Address.. have tried rebooting the router and nothing yet.

  18. James

    06/09/2013 at 7:08 pm

    I have a Billion BiPAC 7402NX router, not D-Link, and the same problem: I must disconnect then reconnect wifi on my S4.
    Regards

  19. chamberscreek

    06/10/2013 at 5:35 am

    Yep — we are seeing this with an ASUS RT-N66U router as well. Interestingly, we have two new S4s in our house, and one is constantly plagued with this problem, and the other, not so much. No other devices have any issues…

  20. Paja

    06/11/2013 at 1:29 pm

    router,yeah,sure,and count mikrotik(v6) also in,this is crappy driver/firmware in s4

  21. Kosala Wijayakumara Abayagunawardene

    06/12/2013 at 12:16 am

    Sam problem with the Linksys Wireless-N ADSL2+ Modem Router WAG120N. Upgraded the firmware and it worked.

  22. James

    06/12/2013 at 4:14 am

    My router Billion 7402NX works very fine with GT-I9505, GT-I9300 and all my other devices! Only the GT-I9500 lose the connection!! Look here:
    https://youtu.be/Y1BtasCKrRU

  23. silviu

    06/13/2013 at 1:52 pm

    i had the same problem with galaxy s4 and dlink dir501. i tried with static address on s4 not with dhcp and now it works(aes or tkip).

  24. andy

    06/15/2013 at 11:28 am

    I brought a Samsung s4 and am not able to connect wifi through my sitecom router who’s responsible samsung or my router I always adviced people to get samsung but now I guess this has changed my mind

  25. JX (@nocash000)

    06/19/2013 at 12:30 pm

    As reference din the XDA thread, Disable WMM Wifi Multimedia Extensions in your router and problem goes away. The phone traffic is being QOS’d for some reason.

  26. Melroy van den Berg

    06/20/2013 at 12:33 am

    I can connect to the wifi access point at home and on my work, but after 1 min. I don’t have any internet connection anymore via WIFI. This didn’t happen with my laptop nor my previous telephone. So this is a Samsung issue, please Samsung fix this!

    It’s very annoying, I just can’t use any WIFI access point ><?!

  27. Black Metal

    06/24/2013 at 11:23 am

    i have this issue on Aruba and apple routers….

  28. Meltyblend

    06/27/2013 at 7:01 pm

    Same problem with D-Link DIR-615, firmware already updated to newest version, set to “TKIP only”, reduced problem occurrence rate, however will still lock up the router completely. This is clearly Samsung’s problem, they gotta get their act together and come up with a fix, or else I will be lined up to send this phone back in no time.

  29. Patrick Krous

    07/03/2013 at 6:23 pm

    This isn’t limited to Dlink. We have Cisco router at work, and it happens to me all day there. In fact, doesn’t happen at all on my Dlink router at home. I sure hope samsung gets a fix pushed out soon

  30. MushFerBrains

    07/05/2013 at 3:23 am

    Just for the record, I’m running DD-WRT v24-sp2 std firmware on top of Buffalo WHR-G125 hardware. It has been a fantastic setup for years, but the Galaxy S4 I received three days ago has had constant wifi connectivity problems. I tried out the suggestion here to change wireless security to TKIP only (I was running with TKIP+AES) and that seems to have fixed/improved the situation. None of my other devices have ever had issues with TKIP+AES, so I am guessing it is a problem with the S4. As a side note, if anyone with a DD-WRT router wants to disable WMM as an additional measure, it can be found under Wireless > Advanced Settings. Good luck!

  31. Etienne De Smet

    07/10/2013 at 12:20 am

    i had the same problem with my D-Link 635, connection was broken when i came at home… after installing the new d-link firmware (not really for newbies) the problem was solved. everyone happy now!

  32. Terrance

    07/11/2013 at 12:44 am

    Thanks for the article. I just purchased my S4 and have had the connectivity issue for few days now. I have the DIR 655 Linksys router and never even thought about the firmware being a issue. I have just updated my 1.35a firmware from 3 years ago ….WOW to the 1.37A firmware from last month and POW! My S4 is connected to my home WI-Fi. Thanks so much!!

  33. skfaf

    07/17/2013 at 7:20 am

    you can’t tell a business to get a new router…give me a break

  34. CAV

    07/23/2013 at 4:22 am

    Josh, this is a good solution for your own home. But in a public area I couldn’t ask to a business to reboot the router, upgrade the firmware or buy another router.

  35. Lol

    07/26/2013 at 3:48 am

    I have same issue with Hotspot made by older Apple MacBook

  36. MrME

    07/28/2013 at 8:04 pm

    I am a daily traveller at the London underground and the phone has massive problems in connecting to the wifi network under ground as well asin my own home as well as other homes.
    I can not change anything on the underground as it is the property of London Underground.

    I have three phones, S2, S3 and S4. The S4 works bad on all Wifi networks while the others are brilliant.
    I have the same problems on a BT (Brittish Telecom) as well as on a Virgin Media router as on a DLink router.

  37. Jun

    08/14/2013 at 7:55 pm

    I’m not a very techy person but maybe it’s neither a Samsung nor any router maker problem? Could it, possibly, by a longshot, this be an android problem?

    • cory

      11/25/2013 at 8:34 am

      By what I understand talking to my carrier and samsung. The program or o’s provided by Android is the problem. It is not the device itself. I have seen the galaxy s2 s3. And s4 work fine under the 4.2.2 o’s and just after the upgrade or down grade as some would call it. The devices which took the update no longer functioned properly. This is clearly a case of untested software being pushed to accelerate the nexus phone. If samsung and android are not planning to fix the issue it is a sales ploy to update. If I’m wrong so be it this is what I see happening and it is bad business .

  38. Jen Renee

    08/17/2013 at 6:49 pm

    I don’t know my exact router but I know it cost me $200. All my devices work great with my router except this worthless galaxy s4. I’ll be returning the phone.

  39. imelman

    08/24/2013 at 11:44 am

    Dlink gaming router… WMM disabled worked for me.

  40. Melissa Martinez

    09/05/2013 at 9:17 pm

    Rebooting the router worked for me!! Thank you!!!!

  41. Shane Cooper

    09/08/2013 at 12:14 am

    I had the same problem with my S4 but looking and messing around with the phone I found a problem which no one has mentioned here. The Samsung S4 has wifi sleep mode to save battery life, & when your phone screen goes to sleep wifi sleep mode kicks in.
    How to fix.. goto your settings page and press the wifi button, then press the menu button it will bring up the option “advanced” 3rd down the list is “keep wifi on during sleep” select this and select “always” this will stop disconnection problems with the S4.

  42. Janet

    09/08/2013 at 12:35 am

    I recently purchased the s4 against better advise to go with the reliable iPhone. I previously had a samsung which as an absolute lemon and caused me no end of grief . unfortunately i got sucked in by the salespitch and gave samsung another shot…..big mistake. After a week of owning the phone the S4 would no longer connect to wifi or mobile data. Having had the run around from 2 degrees and samsung, I finally decided to pay $46 and have the phone checked out by samsung. 2 degrees retailers were obviously aware of this problem but made me feel a right twit. When the ph was returned they said it was a software fault. After working well i was very happy with the ph but sadly after three days the same problem….no wifii. Why should I go and buy another router when everything else works fine with the one we have. Come on samsung sort it out before we all switch to Apple iPhones………..could be a story for Fair Go.

  43. Daniel

    09/09/2013 at 10:55 pm

    I dont get it…..I use a Dlink, it worked fine in the past, till today I cant get it connect….help!!!

  44. sdf

    09/11/2013 at 12:14 am

    Have the same problem with commercial HP wireless gear, 40AP’s in total and it can’t hold a connection to it.

  45. Nick

    10/01/2013 at 6:06 am

    All you need to do is connect to the router using a static IP address rather than DHCP.

    Settings > WiFi
    Long press the access point name
    Modify network config
    Show advanced options
    IP Settings > Static
    IP Address > a free address on your net such as 192.168.0.123
    Gateway > the IP address of your router
    DNS 1 > your DNS server or your ISPs DNS server (or just use Google: 8.8.8.8)
    DNS 2 > why not use Google 8.8.4.4

    Save all that and it connects fine.

  46. E71

    10/08/2013 at 12:43 pm

    That is complete horseshit that the issue is limited to DLink routers — just a typical Samsung response.

    We’re using a SMC router and every other wireless device in the house works fine including our Samsung TV.

    God damn it I hate Samsung. Even when their products work their user interfaces are so unintuitive and/or unresponsive it becomes a pain using them.

    • cory

      12/02/2013 at 4:24 am

      I work for a cable company and install technicolor and aris modem router combos. They both no longer support my g s 4. Even with updates.

  47. Chris

    10/09/2013 at 4:59 am

    The galaxy s4 and s4 active are known for their network issues replacing the router IS NOT going to fix it.
    The idiots at samsung need to work on the issues or dare I say it stop using the android os.

    • cory

      11/23/2013 at 11:49 am

      Amen brother

  48. Mike Smith

    10/21/2013 at 9:27 pm

    It’s all Bull Sh_t!! My 4s is a month old and, it drops WIFI ALL THE TIME!! I think
    they (Samsung) are in cahoots with the carriers !! Yep, the carriers dont charge anything if you are on WIFI, but, if you are on a shared data plan, you only have so much download before they start charging!!! Then they lower the boom
    on you and screw you Big Time!!

  49. chrissy

    10/31/2013 at 11:04 am

    Just got mine on Thursday, and I am such a slow learner when it comes to technology. So my question is… I am experiencing the connection issue while at work where I ultimately end up using most of my data because of Pandora and such. I can’t exactly go and mess with the office router. So now what. Now what is my fix?

    • Juan

      10/31/2013 at 11:08 am

      No fix, you can have them exchange it and cross your fingers but I would return it if I had the option, I wasn’t that big of a issue for me because I have unlimited data still. God luck

  50. buyer

    12/01/2013 at 4:58 am

    I had same problem with netgear router running dd-wrt.
    Fix :
    Change encryption to WAP TKIP

  51. warren

    12/02/2013 at 3:45 am

    Hello fellow nErds. I have a huge problem with my S4. Wifi wont connect. It keeps saying obtaining IP Adress and makes me wait but then nothing happens. and when it does finally connect then im not able to download…totally frustrating. I havent fiddled with the settings, im not messing with things i dont know. but if somebody could please guide me as to tell me where and how to fix it then I’ll be greatful. Oh and I dont have a router or anything like that, I use the wifi connection at work.

  52. Melissa

    12/09/2013 at 9:53 am

    I just submitted a formal complaint to the BBB. Samsung reps told me “they do not accept complaints and as such there is no record of the problem I am experiencing” (wifi wont work anywhere, no matter what we try). If you cant get this fixed, PLEASE USE THE BBB so that they don’t ignore this HUGE problem. My $700 s4 is a piece of crap now!

  53. Kannan

    01/01/2014 at 10:27 am

    Solved issue w S4 wifi password retention by disabling smart wifi utility AT&T!

  54. GWforum LakersFan

    02/04/2014 at 5:59 pm

    Yup, I solved my S4 wifi connectivity issue by unInstalling the AT&T Smart Wifi utility. Also, checked with @SamsungmobileUS @SamsungSupport – they suggested I upgrade the software on my device – doing it now and then will try re-installing the AT&T Smart Wifi utility – or leave it alone :) too smart for it’s own good, I suppose!

  55. amber

    03/01/2014 at 12:36 am

    Same here, got rid of smart wifi. Problem solved (for now, at least)

  56. hari

    08/05/2014 at 9:39 pm

    have the same problem

  57. Roza

    12/14/2016 at 12:32 pm

    Hi The best advise that worked for me from all the others that I have tried, I was very skeptical because I have a new powerful router so I did not think that it would be it, but it was I had to unplug and reset my router and from than on my cell is working without a glitch.

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