[RiSq]

Loving the Playbook...

Will love it even more once we see some new apps. However, there is a massive problem and it is potentially a deal breaker.

So, here it is.

Connect it up to the BT Home Hub 2.0, right next to the router. Works for 30 seconds, bam! - Drops the connection. Thinking it's the router, I check my Galaxy S II and my WiFi is fully active, working fine.

Reconnect to it again with the Playbook. Again, 30 seconds and bam. Only thing is, this time it's taken out my whole network, effectively crashing the router. So I reboot it all, scratching my head for a bit.

Router comes on again, and repeat the process and it crashes. At this point, I've rebooted the playbook, tried it on a neighbours network, works fine.

So, back to the BT Home Hub....Again, same thing. So I take a look at the router settings and change it from B/G/N to B/G and low and behold, it works.

So, this is a major issue with the playbook. I have had about 20 different devices connected this device over the last 2 months, including ALL of the latest tabs...with no such problems.

BT are one of the biggest providers in the UK and the tablet is Wifi-only. I can only imagine the problems people are having if they've got a Home Hub, like me.

So, just to confirm. I tested with 3 different playbooks, 3 different Home Hubs and about 6 other public/private routers just to confirm there is a fault.

Has anyone else got a Home Hub and ran into the issues?

I now have it working, but at the cost of network speed and network range.

Trying to see if others are having these issues so we can take it directly to RIM.

Cheers,

[yzf.shaun]

I had this issue when I was connecting it to my new NetGear DGN3500. An upgrade to the latest firmware for the router was the solution.

My problem was 100% as you describe. Drop it to b/g and all was fine. b/g/n and it effectively caused a reboot of the router.

[fruitloaf]

So you have a craptastic router that crashes when a wifi device connects to it. Are you sure it's not the router but is the Playbook. Might this same issue not occur if you happened to connect a different wifi device?

[RiSq]

Thanks for your feedback, I'm trying to build a case to see how big this is.

Interesting you got it on another branded router. The problem with the Home Hub is, I've tried it on the older and newer firmwares, same result. To make it worse, because of how the Homehub works, you cant just switch it to another router.


I've used a packet sniffer and cannot see what the playbook is doing when the router broadcasts N, that it crashes it.

[RiSq]

So you have a craptastic router that crashes when a wifi device connects to it. Are you sure it's not the router but is the Playbook. Might this same issue not occur if you happened to connect a different wifi device?

If you read my whole post you'd see I hadn't written this on a whim, I have done full tests.

iPad 2
ASUS Transformer
XOOM
iMac 27"
Xbox 360
Galaxy S II
3 different Playbooks.
3 different HomeHubs
6 other routers.

So no, it's not the router, it's the playbook. Oh and what you call a "Crap router" may be so, but it's also one of the most widely distributed routers in the UK.

[yzf.shaun]

It's interesting to see this as I thought it was purely down to my NetGear Firmware. Now as you say it look like it points towards the PB though I expect it would be one of them issues where RIM will blame the Router and Router manufacturer would blame RIM.

[fruitloaf]

So no, it's not the router, it's the playbook. Oh and what you call a "Crap router" may be so, but it's also one of the most widely distributed routers in the UK.

Which model are you talking about? BT have had several versions of the home hub (and all are horrible abominations imho). I've tested my PB with netgear, a home hub, linksys, sitecom and other routers I don't know the make of with no troubles.

It seems like you're having trouble with one particular brand and given that every other router is working fine with the PB I'd be inclined to say that the router is at fault.

[narci]

Test this see if this helps

Try setting it back to B/G/N.

Goto the wifi setting and choose saved.

Edit the ssid you want and choose 2.4 instead of dual..see if that solves anything.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[RiSq]

Which model are you talking about? BT have had several versions of the home hub (and all are horrible abominations imho). I've tested my PB with netgear, a home hub, linksys, sitecom and other routers I don't know the make of with no troubles.

It seems like you're having trouble with one particular brand and given that every other router is working fine with the PB I'd be inclined to say that the router is at fault.

Interesting, considering every other device (I've listed just a few) work fine.

So yep, must be the router!!

Test this see if this helps

Try setting it back to B/G/N.

Goto the wifi setting and choose saved.

Edit the ssid you want and choose 2.4 instead of dual..see if that solves anything.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Will give that a shot!

[domenic_lo_russo]

My only question is what's up with the title of the post??

[RiSq]

title being - if it's an issue with BT Home Hubs, in their default configuration then it's a major issue. BT are the biggest ISP here, so if it doesn't work with a router, and 99.9% of people don't know how to change their router configs, it means a big problem.

I've tried Type A and Type B Home Hub 2.0's in out-of-the-box configuration, neither work with the Playbook.

The question is, what does the playbook do differently which causes the problem.

[domenic_lo_russo]

I'd recommend contacting RIM support...if this is a known issue they will likely already know about it as I'm sure there are quite of few BT customers with PlayBooks.

[piper975]

The question is, what does the playbook do differently which causes the problem.

The Playbook conforms to the latest 802.11n wireless standard, I'm sure that you will find that the BT Home Hub is only conforming to the draft version of the standard. Find a device such as the Linksys WRT54GX with latest firmware and you will not have this problem. Even try a Cisco AP541 and I guarantee you will not have a problem with it. Telus Optik V1000H Actiontec modem/router is also the latest revision of the 802.11n wireless standard and have no issues with it. I use all 3 of these routers on a daily basis.

[Donnee]

BT might be the largest, but they only have around 25% market share so its not like every playbook in the country is going to be useless

I do see your point, but i've used my playbook at a friends house who is on one of the snazzy new HomeHub jobbies, the black one with the phone charger built in without any problems (you'll have to forgive me for not getting the model number while i was staggering around drunk trying to find the passphrase). I did notice the signal was a bit weak in places (we were out in the garden enjoying some rather charred BBQ food and I put the playbook on with a youtube playlist running), but i'd put that down to it being a reasonably big house, with the router being in the front room.

Only fault i've spotted with wifi personally is that the playbook is a lot more susceptible to interference than say, a laptop (laptops always connected fine, playbook struggled, removed a few power bricks from near the router and now working fine all through the house) but then again its a lot smaller device so you can assume a lot smaller antenna inside.

[samab]

Draft 802.11n routers have many problems: they don't like to co-exist with bluetooth devices (which will cause problems for people who use "bridge"), they often INCORRECTLY default to wide channels (the 802.11n spec stated that the default is narrow channel, not wide channels)...

[samab]

Only fault i've spotted with wifi personally is that the playbook is a lot more susceptible to interference than say, a laptop (laptops always connected fine, playbook struggled, removed a few power bricks from near the router and now working fine all through the house) but then again its a lot smaller device so you can assume a lot smaller antenna inside.

That's because you are going to hold the tablet with your hands to use it --- your hands are partially blocking/reducing RF signals.

Laptops have their antennas high up on the LCD monitor --- which you don't place your hands over them.

[scruffy101]

i have mine on a bt hub, 802.11 b/g/n and 802.11 n 40mhz both work fine...

[Donnee]

That's because you are going to hold the tablet with your hands to use it --- your hands are partially blocking/reducing RF signals.

Laptops have their antennas high up on the LCD monitor --- which you don't place your hands over them.

careful, i can hear the distant rumble of the apple fanboys coming to use their deathgrips on us!

Nah i know that's part of the reason, i just figured it was worth mentioning in case other people are in the same boat and have their router stuffed away near their tv/entertainment centre and aren't getting a decent signal, could save some more whining for the sake of moving a few cables around

[CivilEx]

I'm having a similar problem with an EchoLife HG556a Vodafone DSL router (Ireland). When I connect the Playbook the router crashes. Eventually on reboot of the router it seems to get going ok

[RiSq]

i have mine on a bt hub, 802.11 b/g/n and 802.11 n 40mhz both work fine...

Hi mate,

What firmware is your router on? Date and version if you would. Also, what channel?

Thanks,

[JMarshall123]

i connected my playbook to this hub and worked first time out of the box the hub on the other hand gains and drops connection on other devices my laptop my family computer my xbox ps3 and my playbook and have been complaining to bt for months with no real help other than to turn the router off and to turn it back on again so in the majority of cases id expect the problem to lie with the router and bt not the playbook

[vistate1]

If you read my whole post you'd see I hadn't written this on a whim, I have done full tests.

iPad 2
ASUS Transformer
XOOM
iMac 27"
Xbox 360
Galaxy S II
3 different Playbooks.
3 different HomeHubs
6 other routers.

So no, it's not the router, it's the playbook. Oh and what you call a "Crap router" may be so, but it's also one of the most widely distributed routers in the UK.

try setting your router g/n. i use n only and works great

[BBThemes]

title being - if it's an issue with BT Home Hubs, in their default configuration then it's a major issue. BT are the biggest ISP here,

the biggest yes, but its not by much and their market share is nowhere near a majority.

(as of may 2011)
BT (incl plusnet) - 5,691,000
VirginMedia - 4,332,600
TalkTalk Group (AOL, tiscali, opal and pipex) - 4,199,000
Sky Broadband (BskyB) - 3,161,000

and a shedload of others with well over a million customers (such as O2, orange and loads more).

dont get me wrong, its a legitimate complaint, but shouldnt be blown out of proportion