Trouble with WiFI with one SSID, but multiple transmitters ? Android issue ?

[Dixit]

Hello forum members,

The Gemini is not very strong in receiving WiFI signals, but it becomes particularly troublesome when it needs to capture and hold a signal with the same SSID name, but multiple transmitters. Examples are:

- Free networks in the city, such as Antwerp Free Wifi
- Hotel WiFi
- The WiFi hotspots offered by my provider and transmitted by the other clients throughout Belgium, all known as "Telenet WiFree".

The Gemini's behaviour is the same. It shows a strong signal, but refuses to connect. Or worse: it has a connection and suddenly entirely looses it.

I think it accidentally switches over to another transmitter, but with a weaker signal. It then looses the signal.

Is this an Android thingy ? Is this a Gemini thingy ? Can it be improved somewhere in the advanced settings ?
My wife has Android 8 and does not have this problem.

[Ifanafi]

Have you Googled "wifi boost app android"?

I see several WiFi boosting apps from Play Store, Android Authority and others designed to resolve that wobbly WiFi signal situation.

Cheers!

Ifanafi
_________________

Hello forum members,

The Gemini is not very strong in receiving WiFI signals, but it becomes particularly troublesome when it needs to capture and hold a signal with the same SSID name, but multiple transmitters. Examples are:

- Free networks in the city, such as Antwerp Free Wifi
- Hotel WiFi
- The WiFi hotspots offered by my provider and transmitted by the other clients throughout Belgium, all known as "Telenet WiFree".

The Gemini's behaviour is the same. It shows a strong signal, but refuses to connect. Or worse: it has a connection and suddenly entirely looses it.

I think it accidentally switches over to another transmitter, but with a weaker signal. It then looses the signal.

Is this an Android thingy ? Is this a Gemini thingy ? Can it be improved somewhere in the advanced settings ?
My wife has Android 8 and does not have this problem.

[AP756]

Another two cents: I assume you got the full boosted (Wifi+GSM) model and you got a data plan, which you never switch off. If Wifi is weak your Gemini starts to search for GSM-data, before deciding to switch back to Wifi. This kills any transfer speed . To alter this behavior open "Settings", open "Developer options" (if you can't find it open"About phone", tap on "Build number 7 times", go back one time and you should see the additional menu entry), scroll down to "Aggressive Wi-Fi to Mobile handover" and then to "Mobile data always active" and activate both. The third possibility is to alter Wi-Fi roam Scans. Please report back if it made your Gemini flying.

Hope that helps, bye for now Fred

[Radovan Garabík]

The Gemini is not very strong in receiving WiFI signals, but it becomes particularly troublesome when it needs to capture and hold a signal with the same SSID name, but multiple transmitters.

Yes, it is an Android "problem". The issue is that you cannot select access point,  at least using stock Android GUI. I am having the same problem with UPC Wi-Free, where there is a limit of 5 clients per AP, but anyway the whole network is completely borked, with long periods of outages, misconfigured routes etc., and selecting an appropriate (working) AP often helps - under Linux, using the bssid directive under wpa_supplicant.conf, but seems to be nearly impossible under Android (the API to configure specific BSSID has been even removed in Android 8.0: https://developer.android.com/reference/and...n.html#priority ).

[Dixit]

Thanks for the confirmation, Radovan.

Though I read your message as "Problem confirmed. No solution."

Indeed, Telenet Wifree is the sister net of UPC and the quality throughout is doubtful. Same here.

[Radovan Garabík]

Update after 2 something years: after thoroughly unpleasant experience with the UPC's customer service, like *completely* ignoring my reports for months until *I wrote a f*ing paper letter to them*, then asking several times for some details that I already provided them and ignoring my replies and asking the same details again and again, finally under pressure confirming they've received my previous e-mails (but apparently not reading them), and then... nothing happened for months. (sorry for the rant)

And then, suddenly, Wifree started to work and keeps working for maybe half a year by now, after almost 2 years of not working. Not that I need it that much, and I certainly *do not* recommend UPC if you have a reasonable other choice. And it does not solve the Android unable to select an AP issue.