Galaxy S4
How to Fix Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi Problems
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,
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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?
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!
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…
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!
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.
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!
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
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.
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
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.
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
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…
Paja
06/11/2013 at 1:29 pm
router,yeah,sure,and count mikrotik(v6) also in,this is crappy driver/firmware in s4
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.
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
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).
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
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.
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 ><?!
Black Metal
06/24/2013 at 11:23 am
i have this issue on Aruba and apple routers….
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.
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
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!
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!
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!!
skfaf
07/17/2013 at 7:20 am
you can’t tell a business to get a new router…give me a break
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.
Lol
07/26/2013 at 3:48 am
I have same issue with Hotspot made by older Apple MacBook
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.
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 .
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.
imelman
08/24/2013 at 11:44 am
Dlink gaming router… WMM disabled worked for me.
Melissa Martinez
09/05/2013 at 9:17 pm
Rebooting the router worked for me!! Thank you!!!!
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.
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.
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!!!
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.
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.
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.
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
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!!
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
buyer
12/01/2013 at 4:58 am
I had same problem with netgear router running dd-wrt.
Fix :
Change encryption to WAP TKIP
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.
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!
Kannan
01/01/2014 at 10:27 am
Solved issue w S4 wifi password retention by disabling smart wifi utility AT&T!
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!
amber
03/01/2014 at 12:36 am
Same here, got rid of smart wifi. Problem solved (for now, at least)
hari
08/05/2014 at 9:39 pm
have the same problem
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.