[The Mole]

I have had my playbook a couple of weeks now, but 2 things really get on my nerves, and i am not sure if i have a faulty device.

Both relate to the Wifi. Everything works fine when i am in the room with my router, as soon as i leave that room activity slows down, youtube videos either don't load or take an age. BBC i player will not function unless i am in the same room and webpages often require several refreshes to load.

I know it is not my wireless setup as i have no trouble with my phone, 3DS, Laptop, or PS3 all of which are in a seperate room to the router.

Btw i do not live in some huge house, it is a small i bedroom apartment.

Is this a common problem or do i have a faulty device?

If this is common can i do anything to help my playbook get a better wifi connection?

Other than that i really like my playbook and am looking forward to the OS update next month.

[homer1475]

What band are you connecting to? G, N? I have a linksys dual band router and have no issues up to 30 feet away(start to lose signal bars at about 15 feet) on 5ghz N band, using WPA-2 personal security settings.

[tonman12]

playbook wifi signal isnt so great for me either but your signal is horrendus if i were younid bring it back for a new one

[The Mole]

I am on band N

I can maybe get 15 ft away from the router before the playbook will not load videos. Just find it off that it is the only wireless device i have trouble with. My PS3 is 3 years old, my phone 2 years old and my laptop 3 years old and none of them have a problem.

Can i buy anything for my playbook to boost the signal it gets?

[mikeplus1]

Maybe if you tell us exactly what router you have and what your settings are on the PB? I get 65Mbps connection data rate with my Netgear N900 from two rooms away or about 30 feet from router. I also have about a dozen devices connected by various methods without problems and this is the 3rd PB I have had connected to this same setup. Speedtest.net - The Global Broadband Speed Test results this morning from bedroom, two rooms away from router in my office:

[zorecati]

May I suggest putting it on G instead of N? I have 3 playbooks and I use G on all of them and have no issues with streaming or downloads from anywhere in my house. Try the link below.

Wireless N issue on PlayBook - BlackBerry Support Community Forums

[conix67]

It doesn't matter what your data rate shows. While it shows great data rates and internet speed appears to be ok (through speedtest.net), various apps appear to choke on wifi issues once I move further away from the router as well - especially video streaming. I don't have this problems with other devices from the same location.

[dagerlach]

Unfortunately, there are so many variables that can limit your Playbooks ability to send and receive data. Since you live in a small apartment, I would consider all the different unintentional radiators of RF energy including almost all electrical devices.

The FCC sets practical limits on how much energy can be unintentionally radiated. Nonetheless, a nearby microwave oven certainly can be a problem as well as that of your neighbors. Unfortunately there are so many different intentional radiating devices too that can cause interference such as Bluetooth devices, car alarms, cordless telephones, baby monitors, video devices, other WiFi devices, and the list goes on.

Have you tested your Playbook in the early morning hours when everyone in the building is asleep?

A quick fix may be just to select a different channel on your WiFi router.

Good luck and let us no how your troubleshooting is going.

[KD4AO]

A possible source of difficulty has to with the channel your router is set to. In an apartment there is the chance that several routers are on the same channel and thus cause some interference. A way to see what is going on is to use a small program called "inSSider". It can be downloaded from any of the usual download sites or metageek.com.

I suggest reading about inSSider at metageek then install it on your PC and have a look. If you find other rather strong signals overlaid on your channel, it is easy to to go into your router firmware and change the channel. I use this program and as a result put my router on channel 9, no more weird slowdowns.

[KOOLWATER]

We have two playbooks, a laptop, a printer and an ipad2 all on a really cheap wireless router with NO ISSUES. We've used our playbooks (The only devices out of the bunch that travel) at hotels, homes of family members, everywhere with no issues.

Am I missing something?

Maybe you guys need to try the latest beta. Maybe RIM fixed any issues you are having on the current release?

[d3adcrab]

A possible source of difficulty has to with the channel your router is set to. In an apartment there is the chance that several routers are on the same channel and thus cause some interference. A way to see what is going on is to use a small program called "inSSider". It can be downloaded from any of the usual download sites or metageek.com.

I suggest reading about inSSider at metageek then install it on your PC and have a look. If you find other rather strong signals overlaid on your channel, it is easy to to go into your router firmware and change the channel. I use this program and as a result put my router on channel 9, no more weird slowdowns.

Good advice...of the 10 apartments on my floor...9 are on channel 1...i'm the only one with summin different. When i was on 1 i had a really sarky signal too.

[The Mole]

Thanks for the advice, think i may give some of the tips a go, just hoping it does not impact my other devices.

[saudadeii]

Been there too before my PB. Too many competing signals where I live. Forced mine to Ch 11. Works great from anywhere in my 2000sf town home.

It's a Dlink DIR-615 on WPA2 Personal with mixed N & G. My 9800, my 9000 and my PB all "switch over" as I come and go.

[Jayeboi]

I haven't had any wifi issues with my PB...I have a Linksys router on G-band which is located on the 2nd floor of my house and I have used my PB outside up to 50 feet away. My iPhone doesn't even connect from that distance. It's wifi connection isn't as good as my PB.

[lindstrom]

I have had my playbook a couple of weeks now, but 2 things really get on my nerves, and i am not sure if i have a faulty device.

Does your router support 802.11a?

If it does - try to disable it and disable the 5Ghz radio if possible.

My findings is that both Playbook And the Blackberry 9900 drops speeds and connection as soon as the 5Ghz is utilized.

Other things can be the placement of your WiFi router... Small adjustments left or right can make a huge difference - depending on how the antennas are directed.

Concrete walls stuffed with iron - is a true signal blocker - so IF you have router in such a room - moving it above a soft ceiling (if you have) can also do the trick.

If none of the above helps - perhaps you have neighbors with WiFi spots which interferes with yours, WiFi cameras, cordless phones etc... Changing channels /setting to can in most cases help.

Try the following settings on your WiFi router:

802.11b - try cannel 1, 6 or 11

802.11g/n - try channel 1, 5, 9 or 13 (on 20Mhz ch. width)

802.11n - try channel 3 or 11 (on 40Mhz ch. width)

[The Mole]

Bit of an update...

I have had a look at my router settings and can't appear to switch from N to G.

My Playbook stays on full signal no matter where i go in my apartment, but as i said Iplayer is a no no unless i am in the room with the router the same as other video services.

I changed my channel from 11 to 5 to no difference. I installed the suggested program above but had no idea what i was looking for.

My router is a Dlink DIR-615

On other thing to note, my router settings tell me my playbook only has a 70% signal yet my laptop in the same room as the playbook has 88% and my phone again in the same location has 90%

[lindstrom]

Bit of an update...

I have had a look at my router settings and can't appear to switch from N to G.
My router is a Dlink DIR-615

The Dlink 615 Can be configured to 802.11n only - under Setup/Wireless Settings.

That being said - I don't know how that router play along with the Playbook - but I do know that some routers play better than others with different equipment.

[saudadeii]

Okie Dokie.. Here are the settings I use in on my DIR-615 Rev E1 with the 5.00NA firmware. I know the firmware is a rev behind, but it ain't broke.

WPS: Disabled
802.11 Mode: Mixed N & G
Auto Scan: unchecked
Wireless Channel; 2.462ghz Channel 11
Visibilty Status: Visible
Security Mode: WPA Personal
WPA Mode: Auto (WPA or WPA2)
Cipher Type: TKIP or AES
Group Key Interval: 3600

Personally, I would *not* pay too much attention to the signal strength number from the status page. I have a Dell Latitude and a Thinkpad 510 less than 3ft from the router and they show about 60-65%.

[hpjrt]

I suspect, as I always do when I read of one person having a problem uncommon to a fairly large group, that there is a high likelihood of "human error".

Also the Dlink 615 is one of the least expensive routers and is prone to peculiarities. I had one 615 that needed to be replaced due to erratic behaviour. That said I have the exact same router attached to our office wifi and it works fine with 2 desktops, 2 playbooks and 2 torches. The office is in an industrial plaza with all kinds of competing electronics and several other networks and routers. No problems.

I would certainly check to ensure that your Playbook is operating properly ... but I'd also check to ensure that your router is also both operating properly and set up properly.

If, however, you find you don't like or want your Playbook, by all means you should free yourself from it.

[ralfyguy]

My PB is fine on wifi until I turn BT on. Then the connection speed is abysmal. So I cannot use Bridge and surf on wifi with a decent speed.

[pkcable]

Lets focus on the helping please!