# Kindle 3 wi-fi problem--help!



## westsea (Dec 27, 2010)

I just received my Kindle 3 wi-fi
I want set the correct time
but...
I found Menu --> Settings, only one page(page 1 of 1)
There is no Page2 and Page3
can't find "set" --> "Device Time"
I update to Version 3.0.3, still one page,
What's wrong?


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Did you actually try to push the Next Page button on the Kindle? It ought to be there.....

Have you synced to Amazon yet?


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## Mardler (Dec 27, 2010)

Same here.

Initially very pleased to receive one as a present, I soon found that the machine is actually a toy.

Simply, it loses the router connection for no reason at all. Amazon staff friendly but totally unhelpful technically, in fact, the person I spoke to agreed that they have a lot (read thousands) of connection problems. What is it with Amazon that they can't design a product that works reliably?

In principle, it's a great idea (and once off line, reading is surprisingly easy) but in practice it may be useless though I've only used it for a day so will persevere & if (as seems likely) it cannot hold a connection I'll use the RMA Amazon gave me.

Shame.

BTW, the browser facility needs a whole lot of work (e.g. continual cursor movement instead of jumps) but it will be a great thing if perfected.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

westsea, the time set option is on the second page of settings.  From home click Menu then settings.  Then click the next page button.  It's about halfway down that page.  Also, it should set itself if you connect via WiFi or 3G.

Mardler, the Kindle is basically an ebook reader; the browser is very basic -- on purpose.  As to connection problems, there are so many different routers and security protocols people could use it's not really surprising that there are some problems.  And, though you may not be one of them, there are a lot of folks who haven't got a clue as to how their router is configured so that makes it hard for Amazon to help them get the Kindle to work. 

Additionally, the wireless receiver in the Kindle isn't particularly fancy, so if it's connecting but then losing it, that could be because your router signal is lower strength.  Some folks have bought a new router and solved that problem -- it wasn't a Kindle issue but an old or failing router that was the problem.  Which seems weird because folks computers are almost always working fine -- but, of course, they are usually 'always connected' devices and have a more robust wireless receiver.

You do NOT need to be connected to read, of course. And most people don't recommend you stay connected all the time anyway as that will use the battery faster. And even if connecting wirelessly doesn't work for you, you can download books via your computer and load them on the Kindle.  That's not as convenient, but still not too hard.


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## Mardler (Dec 27, 2010)

Your points taken, Ann, especially downloading via PC.

My Netgear router works just fine: the laptop connects OK and can be used hundreds of feet away. The Kindle doesn't connect (after it has been connected OK but then comes up with the fault message) when placed close to the router with all sig strength bars up. It isn't the router!

However, some things are worth mentioning including the very basic technology employed in the unit. Firstly, the suggestion that the Kindle server is overloaded is a good one though it should not account for inability to connect rather it manifests as slow downloads. Secondly, the first failures happened when a laptop was on and when it was turned off; let me explain: first dropout the laptop was on & when it was turned off the Kindle immediately connected to the site(s) the second time the laptop was not on but was turned on & then off whereupon the Kindle dropped its connection to the web (not the router). Thirdly and more importantly, there are growing incidents of failure to connect to sites: for instance I often (daily) get the Firefox "unable to connect" pop up; I am not alone as many friends have also noticed this in the last month or two and it is happening at work (UK government office). This failure to connect is becoming much more frequent (I never had it before November) and is probably caused by global internet capacity overload - a serious looming problem that is already manifesting itself.

So, my suspicion is that the Kindle fault just may be related to an internet fault but the message is unhelpful (it should say unable to connect to a site not unable to connect to the router as it usually is connected).

That said, I used it last night without a hitch and reading a downloaded newspaper was excellent.

Edit: to say that, usually, the fault occurs when the sig strength meter (not greyed out) shows a strong signal from my router though once it didn't even show my router in the list.


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## mcostas (Nov 22, 2010)

Kindles are merely e-readers, not tablets. Just as you wouldn't surf the web on an mp3 player, you wouldn't do it on a kindle. It's like an mp3 player of books, commonly called an e-reader. 

My main purpose for going online is to sync my kindles and get books. I rarely shop on the kindle, I just use my computer.


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## vogrex (Dec 30, 2010)

If your Kindle is not registered you will only see one page. Mine came from Best Buy, not Amazon, and had only the first page until I registered it. 

I, too, have a Netgear router (WGR614v3), which has performed well for over 4 years. I never had any wireless device fail to connect until I tried my Kindle. The Kindle detects my router (as well as several neighbors routers) but will not connect. I've tried turning off security and many other tweaks to no avail. I also installed version 3.0.3 on my Kindle - still no connection. 

Finally, I took my Kindle to a nearby Panera restaurant, which has free unsecured wifi. I was able to connect and register my Kindle. Now I see all 3 settings pages. BTW, my wife's Kindle would not connect at Panera until I upgraded it to version 3.0.3

I suspect that the Kindle isn't truly compliant to the 802.11b/g wifi standards. I intend to try some other wifi routers at my neighbors and find one that works.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

If your Kindle connects at Panera but not at home, I would guess that network security has been enabled on your home router and that you haven't set up the Kindle correctly (just a guess, though).


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

HappyGuy said:


> If your Kindle connects at Panera but not at home, I would guess that network security has been enabled on your home router and that you haven't set up the Kindle correctly (just a guess, though).


I tend to agree. . .note that there is a 'manual setup' and 'advance options' in the WiFi section of the settings menu.

Of course it's also possible that your home router is simply not compatible for whatever reason.


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## vogrex (Dec 30, 2010)

I disagree. Of course, the first thing I tried was to turn off security on the home router. Every other device I've tried - HP laptops, Asus netbook, D-Link streaming media player, Apple iBook, etc. - has connected without a hitch. I'm a retired IT professional with 20+ years of networking experience. It's the Kindle's shortcomings that are the root of the problem. The problem can probably be solved by buying a new router. Stay tuned.


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## fiwit (Dec 30, 2010)

vogrex said:


> I disagree. Of course, the first thing I tried was to turn off security on the home router. Every other device I've tried - HP laptops, Asus netbook, D-Link streaming media player, Apple iBook, etc. - has connected without a hitch. I'm a retired IT professional with 20+ years of networking experience. It's the Kindle's shortcomings that are the root of the problem. The problem can probably be solved by buying a new router. Stay tuned.


I'm with vogrex -- IT professional who used to configure routers for a living, so I like to think I know what I'm doing. My Netgear WPN824v3 simply seems to be incompatible with the kindle wifi. Kindle support was unable to help. We disabled all security on the router, and it made no difference. Like vogrex, I've successfully connected other wireless devices to my router in the past.

Support sent me a new kindle, and it doesn't connect, either. So I'm heading out to get a new router (I wanted to upgrade anyway)


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

Well if it's connecting everywhere else, then it's not a defective WiFi card in the Kindle.  So try that if you haven't already.  If it has problems elsewhere, then exchange it and try again.

If it connects fine other places, then I guess try a new router even though everything else is working.  I've had routers I had to replace because a new laptop wouldn't stay connected when the old one worked fine etc. and replacing it solved the issue.  Or send it back to Amazon and spend the $50 more for the 3G model and not worry about connecting to the home WiFi.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

fiwit said:


> I'm with vogrex -- IT professional who used to configure routers for a living,


Do either of you have a hypothesis why the Kindle is happier with newer routers?


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

There are so many different routers available that it's not completely surprising that the Kindle receiver is not compatible with some of them.  A bummer, but not completely surprising.


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## Mardler (Dec 27, 2010)

Let's get this straight - it isn't the Netgear router that is incompatible with the Kindle it's the other way about.

If every other device works with a given router but one doesn't (and many of that device don't) then, by definition, the problem lies with the device not the router. It is obvious to me that the Kindle is little more than a toy with extremely basic hard & software so Amazon should wake up, smell the coffee and bring their half baked product up to scratch. It should NOT be necessary to buy a new router to enable a Kindle to work!

Mine's working for the moment and at least one can download to a PC and transfer by USB - but that isn't the point.


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

It is annoying, but that's just the way it goes.

My girlfriend's iPad wouldn't stay connected to her router she had at the time, when everything else worked fine.  Got a new router, and all was fine.

It sucks, but just the way it is with so many different companies making wifi routers and receivers.  It's one area where competition is probably a bad thing as it leads to random compatibility problems even though theoretically their are "standards" and everything should work together.


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## fiwit (Dec 30, 2010)

Mardler, whether you describe it as the kindle not being compatible with an older router, or the older router not being compatible with the kindle, the fact remains that they're incompatible.  The wi-fi aspect of the kindle was primarily designed for downloading books -- this is not an iPad, it's an e-reader.  I didn't want an iPad, and I don't expect a kindle to have iPad capabilities. In fact, I didn't realize it had any kind of browser when I made my decision to buy it.

Saying that a kindle doesn't work simply because the wi-fi is dodgy is inaccurate. The kindle works fine - it's one aspect of its wi-fi capability that doesn't work, and apparently that's only with select routers.  It worked fine sitting in the kinko's parking lot.  I'd love to be able to isolate what that aspect is, but they didn't give me enough technical information about the insides of the kindle for me to figure that out.

Personally, my home router had given me hassles at other times with other devices, so I don't mind upgrading to a new one.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

fiwit said:


> - it's one aspect of its wi-fi capability that doesn't work, and apparently that's only with select routers.


This isn't uncommon. As mentioned above this includes iPads. All manufacturers strive to meet the applicable transmission standards, yet little incompatibilities still exist.

This is why I asked the tech guys if they knew why.


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## SusanCassidy (Nov 9, 2008)

One thing worth mentioning is that if your router is set to n-only (not b and g backward compatible; refers to the band/spectrum of frequency used), it will not work with the Kindle.  The Kindle works with b and g only.


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## vogrex (Dec 30, 2010)

Would anyone care to respond about what make & model to which they've successfully connected? If I buy a new wifi router I'd be comforted by at least some assurance that I'd be able to connect my Kindle 3 to it.

Thanks in advance


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## mooshie78 (Jul 15, 2010)

I had no issues connecting to my Linksys WRT54G2 router. My girlfriend's ipad (which has issues some places) had no problems with it either).

http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-WRT54G2-Wireless-G-Broadband-Router/dp/B0014J07R2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293751881&sr=8-1


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## Phil75070 (Dec 30, 2009)

WRT54Gv8


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## fiwit (Dec 30, 2010)

vogrex said:


> Would anyone care to respond about what make & model to which they've successfully connected? If I buy a new wifi router I'd be comforted by at least some assurance that I'd be able to connect my Kindle 3 to it.
> 
> Thanks in advance


netgear WNR3500L
using default wireless mode, which is backwards compatible to b&g
used a different SSID than I had previously
channel 6 
wpa2

Took me a few attempts to get it to work. It finally connected after I renamed the SSID. Just reconnected with no issue. Probably would have worked without renaming the SSID, but was tired of fussing with it and went with a simpler SSID


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## hidden_user (Dec 20, 2010)

Linksys E2000 by Cisco worked fine for me right out of the box with default settings. It was very simple to set up and the Kindle (Wi-Fi only) connected first try and hasn't had a drop since the time I set it over a week ago. Wpa2 2.4 MHz (default)


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## smilingturtle (Nov 7, 2010)

I followed this thread with interest since my downloading capability at home has been erratic (with a new Netgear router, WPA2 with 10-digit key and no problems with 2 laptops, guests, netbook, printer, etc).  Sometimes I can download a book at home and sometimes I can't even after several attempts, syncs, etc.  Luckily my first few downloads worked like a charm which induced a "wonderful Kindle" haze.  Then I had problems with the next few downloads.  Several hours spent with Kindle support didn't really solve the problem.  The next day I tried in a coffee shop and within 5 minutes had downloaded my 5 backlogged books.  I keep hoping for consistency at home with our normally robust network, but have just accepted that if I want a dependable download, I need to go to Panera or my fabulous coffee shop Cup a Joe or just find some public network.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

^^^ alternately, you can download the book to your computer via your Manage My Kindle page, and transfer via USB. It's a few extra steps, but you don't have to leave the house.


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## Phil75070 (Dec 30, 2009)

Smilingturtle, what encryption scheme are you using with your WPA2, TKIP or AES? I seem to recall running across this issue either in regard to the Kindle or maybe it was another device but it seems some individuals had better success when using TKIP.


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## Sanveann (May 16, 2009)

I've also had this problem. We have a newer router, not broadcasting, set to MAC address filtering and WPA2 encryption. Everything else connects just fine, but my Kindle (and my husband's) randomly disconnect. Rebooting the router helps ... for awhile, at least!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Always thinking of KindleBoards, this evening at the Hampton Inn in Florence, SC I decided to see if I could connect to their wifi ok.  The network is called hhonors. . . .it didn't see it at first but I told it to scan again and it found it.  I told it to connect and I got a pop up that said a log in was required.

I expected this: when you are staying at a Hilton/Hampton/Doubletree hotel, you get a code that gives you access for as long as your stay.  You go to the web page and enter the code and then you can go on line, download e-mail, etc.

So when the log in dialog comes up on the Kindle, I clicked to go to the browser.  It went to the web page and I was able to scroll to the field to enter the code.  Then I pressed the enter key on the Kindle. . .the key with the backwards L shaped arrow and, voila!  I was connected to WiFi.

My son was happy with this as he is with us and his Kindle is only WiFi.  He had commented that he didn't think he'd loaded enough books so I was able to 'loan' him one of mine (33A.D.) and he was able to download it.


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## vogrex (Dec 30, 2010)

Update: I recently got a new (to me) router, a D-Link DR-624. As with my old Netgear router, it's running 802.11g/h with WPA-PSK enabled. My Kindle connects without a hitch.

I have to conclude that connection problems can probably be blamed on the Kindle, but the solution is to replace the router.


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## dingi (Jan 22, 2011)

Had trouble w/ connecting a new Kindle3 to a WPA2 secured network (Tomato 1.28 on a Linksys WRG54GL), changed security encryption from: "AES" to: "TKIP/AES" (still WPA2) and it connected fine. Seems it likes TKIP encryption better than AES.
Check in your router settings if your having initial connect problems!


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