How To Fixed Samsung Galaxy S II WiFi Connection Problems

It’s come to our attention that there are a fair amount of Galaxy S II owners who are having some difficulty getting their phones to connect to their WiFi routers reliably or at all. There has been quite a lot of discussion across the interwebs about whether the problem is a hardware vs. software, or a router vs. phone issue. Depending on which of the aforementioned is causing the problem, you will have to try out a few different solutions in order to fix it. We won’t go into the specifics of why each method can solve the WiFi connectivity issue, but at least one of these methods should remedy your connectivity problem:

1. Static IP (DHCP bypass) workaround

It looks like certain routers don’t play nice with the Galaxy S II so bypassing DHCP seems to improve the router-to-phone feng shui.

Turn off WiFi
Go to Menu > Settings > Wireless and networks > WiFi settings > Menu > Advanced > Select “Use static IP”
Fill in all of the fields with valid input aking sure to use two unique DNS addresses (8.8.4.4 and/or 8.8.8.8)
Turn on Wifi
Repeat step 2 but turn off static IP

2. Change Security to WPA2

This will be different based on what type of router you have but can be accessed by using the admin panel and changing the encryption key settings. You don’t need to do anything on your Galaxy S II except type in the new password.


3. Toggle Flight Mode

Simply try toggling flight mode on/off and check if that helps the connection. To do this, hold down the power button and “Flight mode.”


4. AllShare Workaround

Try opening your Samsung AllShare application–it will prompt you to connect to a WiFi network. Selecting a network from this menu should allow you to connect to a network.


5. Disable WiFi sleep policy

Disable the policy that switches when mobile data switches to WiFi. To do this go to Menu > Settings > Wireless and network > WiFi Settings > Menu > Advanced > Wi-Fi sleep policy > Select “Never”


6. Update to the latest firmware

You can use Samsung’s Kies software to update your Galaxy S II to the latest build of Android.

Download and install Samsung Kies
Making sure debug mode is OFF (Menu > Settings > Application > Development > Debug OFF), hook your SGS2 to your computer
Upon opening Kies, the homescreen will display which firmware you are running and whether or not you require and update

7. WiFi Fixer Application

WiFi Fixer is an application that can be downloaded for free on the Android Market–it is a “low-resource background Service that maintains your wifi connection automatically and works around several bugs in Android wifi.”

8. Reset Modem

This might be a bit of a hassle, but it is definitely worth trying out. First try power-cyclin the router or modem by unplugging it and plugging it back in. If that doesn’t fix the problem, do a hard reset (resets the router to factory settings)–there is usually a small button on the back you have to hold down for 5-10 seconds.


9. Reset Phone

I would save this solution as a last resort, DEFCON 1 emergency measure. Remember this deletes all your data and restores your phone to its factory settings!

Go to Menu > Settings > Privacy > Factory data reset
Hit “Reset phone”

If you have any questions/comments or solutions to the WiFi problem, we would appreciate if you would comment us below!