# WiFi strength



## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

So, I see a lot of people have problems with the WiFi right out of the box, they can't even connect.  I'm ok on that end and I have a strong WiFi signal at home.  But at work is another matter.  My MacAir can be sluggish here at work, but I have the full strength signal.  My Fire is short of 1 bar.  And even though I can browse the internet and even get into the Amazon music store - I can not access my Cloud.  It tells me I'm not connected to the internet.  Even though I can use the browser.  So is anyone else having weird contradictions with their WiFi/internet connections?


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## tinabelle (Nov 8, 2008)

I would agree that this is an issue w/me, too.  Even sitting right next to my router, I had trouble connecting.  I occasionally get full strength but mostly it is one bar short, too.  I recently had the cable co. out here for another reason and they confirmed that my signal is very strong so it can't be that.  I think this is why I had trouble setting up my email.


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## Alice Coyl (Mar 29, 2011)

I have no problem with WiFi throughout the house. It does go down one bar when I am upstairs or at the other end of the house. I have a Cisco turbo router, a Cisco turbo modem and a high speed internet connection. I think that has a lot to do with your reception on your Fire. I can even pick up strong signals from the neighbor's routers. There is an app on Amazon for checking your internet signal strength. I downloaded it free from the Amazon apps. It doesn't change the signal but does tell you what your signal strength is.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

tinabelle said:


> I would agree that this is an issue w/me, too. Even sitting right next to my router, I had trouble connecting. I occasionally get full strength but mostly it is one bar short, too. I recently had the cable co. out here for another reason and they confirmed that my signal is very strong so it can't be that. I think this is why I had trouble setting up my email.


I think it's time we began bombarding Amazon with complaints. It may be a software update. (We hope.)


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Alice Coyl said:


> I have no problem with WiFi throughout the house. It does go down one bar when I am upstairs or at the other end of the house. I have a Cisco turbo router, a Cisco turbo modem and a high speed internet connection. I think that has a lot to do with your reception on your Fire. I can even pick up strong signals from the neighbor's routers. There is an app on Amazon for checking your internet signal strength. I downloaded it free from the Amazon apps. It doesn't change the signal but does tell you what your signal strength is.


I'm ok at home too. It's at work that there are weird issues. But what's weird is that I can get on the web and surf, I can shop in the music store. But the Cloud will not connect, will not update, and will not stream music!

I just tried it now again. It says "No internet connection." But I can get on Silk and browse and get into the music store.


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## Alice Coyl (Mar 29, 2011)

DYB said:


> I'm ok at home too. It's at work that there are weird issues. But what's weird is that I can get on the web and surf, I can shop in the music store. But the Cloud will not connect, will not update, and will not stream music!
> 
> I just tried it now again. It says "No internet connection." But I can get on Silk and browse and get into the music store.


Does your company have an intranet instead of the internet? That could be the reason you cannot access some sites. An intranet is intended for company business only and is very restrictive on outside browsing and use. At my company, I could check email and access some sites but many were prohibited from access into the intranet system of the company. Plus, if we tried to access some sites, a report went to the security department. A few folks were fired because they looked at the porno sites. After all, the company pays for the intranet and it controls what can be viewed. I only checked the web on my lunch hour or breaks so there was no question as to my using it on company time.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Alice Coyl said:


> Does your company have an intranet instead of the internet? That could be the reason you cannot access some sites. An intranet is intended for company business only and is very restrictive on outside browsing and use. At my company, I could check email and access some sites but many were prohibited from access into the intranet system of the company. Plus, if we tried to access some sites, a report went to the security department. A few folks were fired because they looked at the porno sites. After all, the company pays for the intranet and it controls what can be viewed. I only checked the web on my lunch hour or breaks so there was no question as to my using it on company time.


No, I don't think that's it. (We're a TV production company. We are very liberal here!  ) I can access the Cloud on my MacAir laptop. But not on the Fire. Argh!


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

Wi-fi is working fine for me. Connected immediately after inputting the password at home, and found my work's wireless and directed me to the page where I have to click accept. (public wi-fi, so maybe that is why it's easier to access?)


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## fluffygood (Feb 4, 2011)

I have had no problem with the WiFi both at home and now at work.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Mine connected right away at home, and I was able to connect to my MiFi.  I was able to connect at the Silver Diner, but I could never get the screen for the password to fully load.

Betsy


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Maybe I should start bringing my own router to work.    (I'm only half joking...)


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

The thing that I just don't understand is that the WiFi indicator says I have 3 out of 4 bars of signal.  Surely that should be enough!


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## Kindlechick (Jan 30, 2010)

No wifi connectivity problems here too.  It has worked great at home, work, and with a tether from my iPhone.  In fact, I can use it in places in my house where my iPad can't get a signal.  I would give Amazon CS a call.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

Kindlechick said:


> No wifi connectivity problems here too. It has worked great at home, work, and with a tether from my iPhone. In fact, I can use it in places in my house where my iPad can't get a signal. I would give Amazon CS a call.


What kind of signal strength do you have? On the status bar? Is it full all the time?

Because the Fire works just fine with the WiFi at home I wonder if perhaps the signal at work just isn't strong enough for long enough periods of time to process the Cloud information. (I just got an e-mail on the Fire! So there is obviously some internet signal, but perhaps not steady enough.) So the Cloud, in essence, times out before it can update.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I just found out that the router in the office is literally directly behind me!  I'm just a few feet away from it.  So why the signal isn't strong is puzzling, especially since at home the Fire picks up my home WiFi well.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

DYB said:


> The thing that I just don't understand is that the WiFi indicator says I have 3 out of 4 bars of signal. Surely that should be enough!


I would suspect that the issue is NOT signal strength but some vagary in the network connection as far as security setup or specific settings on the device. My experience has been that some network/device combinations require one to hold one's left foot in the air and bite one's tongue while singing the National anthem in order to work. 

Betsy


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## racheldeet (Jan 21, 2010)

tinabelle said:


> Even sitting right next to my router, I had trouble connecting.


Not saying that this isn't an issue, just pointing out that you don't want to be right next to it to try to connect. It's kind of like how you can stand next to a cell phone tower and have zero bars of signal; it takes a little room for these things. 

I agree that it probably deserves some bug reports to be sent, because it seems to be kind of ridiculous.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

racheldeet said:


> Not saying that this isn't an issue, just pointing out that you don't want to be right next to it to try to connect. It's kind of like how you can stand next to a cell phone tower and have zero bars of signal; it takes a little room for these things.
> 
> I agree that it probably deserves some bug reports to be sent, because it seems to be kind of ridiculous.


I know what you mean. The router is hanging on top of a column across from my edit suite, with 3 antennas sticking out in 3 different directions. It's amazing that the signal isn't strong enough. (Though it's strong enough for my MacAir.) Go figure!

I like Betsy's suggestion above. I might have to stand in the door and sing the National Anthem!


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## jeremy81 (Feb 27, 2009)

My wi-fi strength(from my router) has actually been very good in my house. I usually drop a bar or two in certain areas of my house but haven't with the Fire in the same areas. My town has city wide municipal wi-fi I'm going to test it out the next time I get a chance. My iPhone gets decent enough coverage that I can disable 3G Data and just use wi-fi if I'm just driving around town. I get it in my house sometimes but the signal is usually too weak unless I go outside or sit near a window.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

jeremy81 said:


> My wi-fi strength(from my router) has actually been very good in my house. I usually drop a bar or two in certain areas of my house but haven't with the Fire in the same areas. My town has city wide municipal wi-fi I'm going to test it out the next time I get a chance. My iPhone gets decent enough coverage that I can disable 3G Data and just use wi-fi if I'm just driving around town. I get it in my house sometimes but the signal is usually too weak unless I go outside or sit near a window.


When it drops a bar or two - can you stay connected? Because for some reason my Fire only stays connected with all 4 bars. Now I can't even get on the browser with 3 out of 4 bars at work! Blargh!

I should look into MiFi, but not sure my TMobile blackberry is compatible.


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## Linjeakel (Mar 17, 2010)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> I would suspect that the issue is NOT signal strength but some vagary in the network connection as far as security setup or specific settings on the device. *My experience has been that some network/device combinations require one to hold one's left foot in the air and bite one's tongue while singing the National anthem in order to work. *
> 
> Betsy


Next time you do that, Betsy, make sure you get someone to film it. I forsee the next YouTube mega hit.....


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## nikdfish (Sep 8, 2010)

My Fire had WIFI issues out of the box, complaining of poor signal, dropping connections, etc.  The firmware was a 6.0 version.  I had previously downloaded the 6.1 update on my laptop so I loaded that via USB cable.  After the update to 6.1 was finished, the WIFI issues went away.

The only issues now are occasional pop-ups while streaming video reporting a network disconnect (even though 15+ minutes worth of buffering is still present) - I click ignore & it continues with no problem.

Nick


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

I've never had a great signal in my office at work, but my phone can usually get at least 3 bars on wi-fi. The Fire seems to drop my work connection all the time. I can be looking in the app store and then switch to mail and it says I have no internet connection. I can't completely blame the Fire though, my laptop can be connected and in the middle of me doing something it drops. I can't complain about that too much, the wi-fi is primarily here for the students since their laptops cannot be on our intranet. No problem at home.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Linjeakel said:


> Next time you do that, Betsy, make sure you get someone to film it. I forsee the next YouTube mega hit.....


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## Neon8 (Oct 19, 2011)

I have had no problem with wifi connection. I am now on vacation in the dominican republic and side by side the Fire finds more networks than my IPad 2. The fire finds 4-6 networks and the iPad only 2. Also did a test on same network on both fire and iPad side by side and fire loaded slightly faster. Love my Fire but won't replace my iPad . Using for totally different purposes. I find them complimentary. I also wish you could setup a VPN on the Fire. You definately can not stream or download content from outside the USA


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## jeremy81 (Feb 27, 2009)

DYB said:


> When it drops a bar or two - can you stay connected? Because for some reason my Fire only stays connected with all 4 bars. Now I can't even get on the browser with 3 out of 4 bars at work! Blargh!
> 
> I should look into MiFi, but not sure my TMobile blackberry is compatible.


I haven't dropped connection in my house at all(connect to my cable modem/router). I was able to try our municipal wifi last night and only dropped connection in one area. It seems more reliable than my iPhone in the same areas. This is one area where the Silk browser really shines. My city's wifi isn't always very fast since over half the town uses it as their primary connection but with the Silk browser it seemed much snappier.


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