# kindle 3 wifi connection problems



## ginger0 (Nov 27, 2010)

i just got my kindle today. i have a linksys WRT54GL router with tomato firmware, and i set up wireless on that. i was able to get my kindle connected to the router on the first try and everything worked. however, about an hour later i lost the connection, and was not able to get it back, so i started fiddling with all the router settings. after a day of doing that, i noticed that the kindle eventually does connect to my router, but after about an hour or 2 of being connected, it loses connection and cant get it back for a long time, like 30mins or 5 mins.  i put in the password and login info and it just says "unable to connect to router etc"

i have WPA2 setup with AES encription... (have no clue what that is).

what i do when the kindle drops the connection is keep turning wifi on and off on the kindle, and eventually it logs back in. frustrating... i rather have a reliable connection. help!

btw... i updated the kindle software to 3.0.3


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I've not experienced the problem you describe but it sounds like maybe your router just doesn't broadcast a particularly strong signal.  So sometimes the Kindle has trouble locking on.

From what you say above, it sounds like you are wanting to leave the Kindles WiFi receiver on all the time.  The battery will drain faster if you do that.  I leave mine off until I want to download something.


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## Elk (Oct 4, 2010)

I have the same router and also use Tomato firmware.  I have not had any problems with my Kindle wireless.

The Kindle is a bit fussy with signal strength so this could be the problem.  Try bringing the Kindle to where the router is.

An obvious thing to try: re-boot everything.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I had _much_ better connectivity when I upgraded to a new wireless router, in my case the Cisco-Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G router. I can't tell you for sure why, but it replaced a router that was several years old and undoubtedly using technology at least a couple or four generations behind the times.


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## ginger0 (Nov 27, 2010)

Elk said:


> I have the same router and also use Tomato firmware. I have not had any problems with my Kindle wireless.
> 
> The Kindle is a bit fussy with signal strength so this could be the problem. Try bringing the Kindle to where the router is.
> 
> An obvious thing to try: re-boot everything.


when you say reboot "everthing" what does that mean exactly? i rebooted the router many times. but how do i reboot the kindle? i held the power switch for 15 seconds and that seems to reset it, is that the reboot?

can you tell me what you settings for wireless are in tomato? what security options you have?


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## ginger0 (Nov 27, 2010)

i have some more questions:

when i go to the wifi section on the kindle and it scans for routers in the area, sometimes it shows like 15 different routers, and sometimes it only picks up 3. and only sometimes does it show my router on the list.

the wifi connection problem happens no matter how far away i am from my router. im sitting 3 feet away from it and it still doesnt connect.

yeah im not planning to have the wifi on all the time cause i did notice the battery drains real fast, but i'd really like to have reliable connection so that whenever i'd need to go on my wifi that it would connect right away, instead of taking 10-20 minutes for it to do so. however, sometimes it connects right away.

i think i will try going to some wifi hotspot and test it out over there... i wonder if its my router thats being problematic.  could it also be the kindle's fault... as in it's defective and needs to be replaced?


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

granturissimus said:


> ...
> i think i will try going to some wifi hotspot and test it out over there... i wonder if its my router thats being problematic. could it also be the kindle's fault... as in it's defective and needs to be replaced?


Yeah, it's probably a good idea to try it on another router. I got my first K3 replaced because of this, and it was only marginally better (if at all). When I replaced my router, it was much, much better.


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## ginger0 (Nov 27, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Yeah, it's probably a good idea to try it on another router. I got my first K3 replaced because of this, and it was only marginally better (if at all). When I replaced my router, it was much, much better.


did you get problems connecting to a network or having your connection break? or was it that websites would just load real slow or things would download slow?

cause for me, once i am connected everything works fast and smooth until the wifi icon disapears and my connection is lost, and then i have problems getting the connection back and running (as in the wifi icon does not turn on).


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

granturissimus said:


> did you get problems connecting to a network or having your connection break? or was it that websites would just load real slow or things would download slow?
> 
> cause for me, once i am connected everything works fast and smooth until the wifi icon disapears and my connection is lost, and then i have problems getting the connection back and running (as in the wifi icon does not turn on).


My problem was very slow downloads (like half an hour or more to download a book) and web pages not loading more often than not. Now with the new router it works like a charm, even with only two or three bars in my bedroom.


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## meeko350 (Aug 25, 2010)

NogDog said:


> I had _much_ better connectivity when I upgraded to a new wireless router, in my case the Cisco-Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless-G router. I can't tell you for sure why, but it replaced a router that was several years old and undoubtedly using technology at least a couple or four generations behind the times.


Will that stop the constant diconnects to my laptop? It's non-stop & driving me insane. Half of the time the laptop just loses connection but still shows excellent signal to router. And then the other half of the time, the router just starts blinking & I have to reset it. And every time either happens, I have to reboot the laptop, but never the desktop. This is numerous times a day, or sometimes it doesn't happen at all. I've updated the drivers and still have no clue.


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## shalym (Sep 1, 2010)

meeko350 said:


> Will that stop the constant diconnects to my laptop? It's non-stop & driving me insane. Half of the time the laptop just loses connection but still shows excellent signal to router. And then the other half of the time, the router just starts blinking & I have to reset it. And every time either happens, I have to reboot the laptop, but never the desktop. This is numerous times a day, or sometimes it doesn't happen at all. I've updated the drivers and still have no clue.


Yeah...I'd say it's time for a new wireless router.

Shari


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