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I still like the Iconia (a lot), but (now) four issues, IMO:
1. The A500's finish and relative weight make it a slip magnet. Though not the best build (or price), the Acer Protective Case takes care of this.
2. The location of the USB host port is counter-intuitive to normal handling of the tablet. The gTablet has the USB host in a more logical place (away from a bottom corner).
3. Wifi is weaker than the gTablet. Either the gTablet spoiled me with overly robust wifi, or the Iconia is a tad on the weak side.
4. GPS seems very hit & miss, but this appears to be depending on what A500 you get. Though I can not get a signal outside, yet alone in, the demo in Best Buy picked a signal up and did it quickly. Seems some batches may have borked GPS.
I still have my gTablet as a back up and to play TigerArcade (does not scale correctly on Honeycomb), but the Iconia kicks the gTablet's butt in everything else.
I have one of those silicon pads you use to stick stuff to your car dashboard on the back of mine. Sticks to it really well. This not only gives me something to hold it by but also lets me sit it on my leg or a pillow and it won't slip down.
I have no issue with the location of the USB port.
Yes, the WiFi is weak in comparison to my Archos even.
I haven't had any issues with wi-fi signal strength.
Mind you I'm typically no more than 100' from the router - still though - I can surf fine in the backyard with the router inside on the second floor at the front of the house. I'm sure your location and router quality (how much of whatever material is between your tablet and the router) will have more to do with how strong of a signal your tablet receives than the the tablet antenna itself.
I do agree, to a point, about the USB Host port and even the mini USB port but it only bothers me when I'm holding it. I don't know why they don't put those kinds of connection on the top...?
It is a tad on the big-boned side (har-har). I just hold on tight and never hold it at my side like a book. It stays screen up or I put it down.
I've got mine in the official Acer case from Staples.com, and that isn't going to slip I don't think
In terms of WiFi, I did notice that my A500 wouldn't connect to my home WiFi when I was reading in my bed, although my Droid connects from the same spot (albeit with poor signal strength.) Pretty consistent over 2 days, and a couple of my PCs in the same room occasionally have connection issues anyway, so I bought a Netgear Wireless Range Extender and set that up in the corner of the room closest to the router, and bingo, excellent signal strength at all times.
I haven't had problems connecting to public hotspots with the A500.
In terms of the USB connector location, it hasn't been a problem for me. Normally when I'm plugging a USB stick into the unit, I'm in Landscape mode so the USB port is on the lower-right side, right where it is for most of my laptops, so I guess I'm used to that.
I agree that the unit is heavy and slippery, but I haven't had any issues with the wireless. I have it connected to my Wireless-N network at home (Netgear N600 dual-band) and have been able to go inside the neighbor's house (about 200' from my front door) and still have signal to my network. Total distance from router is probably close to 300' with at least 3 - 4 walls in between.
I also seem to have higher signal strength on the Iconia than I do on my iPhone, though I believe it is connecting to the Wireless-G band on the same router, I'll have to check that when I get home to verify.
rushless said:
I like the Iconia, but three issues IMO:
1. The Iconia's finish and relative weight make it a slip magnet (anyone know a good option for a grip skin or one that can modded for the Iconia?)
2. The location of the USB host port is counter-intuitive to normal handling of the tablet. The gTablet has the USB host in a more logical place (away from a bottom corner).
3. Wifi is weaker than the gTablet. Either the gTablet spoiled me with overly robust wifi, or the Iconia is a tad on the weak side.
I still have my gTablet as a back up and to play TigerArcade (does not scale correctly on Honeycomb), but the Iconia kicks the gTablet's butt in everything else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I watched a movie with a usb and what I did was turn the tablet upside down, usb was on the left, screen flipped and I was all set to go.
I agree on the wifi, everything else isn't much of a concern. It is the same thing in coming from a Xoom, it's just not nearly as good. It's one thing I've noticed with both the A500 and the Transformer.
They both lack 5Ghz wireless compatibility.
It also lacks the gtablet's ability to use all 14 channels. For those of us free from the FascistCC
I don't know if the op is looking for a bug list but here's mine
GPS is very weak
compass doesn't work, 90deg off
digitizer unresponsive 1 times
no swype
market crashes a lot
microphone volume to low?
bluetooth sharing only shows visible devices and not paired devices
michaelh99 said:
digitizer unresponsive 1 times
market crashes a lot
microphone volume to low?
bluetooth sharing only shows visible devices and not paired devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm I have had none of these problems and find the microphone volume perfect.
Vereynn, thank you!!
I had no idea the Acer case even existed. I went to my local Staples and it was so new that I had to tell them that it was in their inventory. I have one now. THANKS!
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Doc Kinne
Somerville, MA
kinnerc said:
Vereynn, thank you!!
I had no idea the Acer case even existed. I went to my local Staples and it was so new that I had to tell them that it was in their inventory. I have one now. THANKS!
-----
Doc Kinne
Somerville, MA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You lucked out, since Staples is not supposed to sell until Sunday (best by exclusive through this week).
rushless said:
You lucked out, since Staples is not supposed to sell until Sunday (best by exclusive through this week).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is that they can't sell the tablet until Sunday. Picked my case up yesterday.
SmittyRN said:
My understanding is that they can't sell the tablet until Sunday. Picked my case up yesterday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, was reading on my phone and missed the "case" part. Thought meant the tablet. Poor reading skills.
Doesn't Skinomi make back covers for these?
I have 3G internet router/receiver in one of the rooms of my house, which has the best 3G reception. There is WIFI router in my living room. I have in-wall cables with ethernet sockets in every room, and all cables come into on "routing box" where I can use patch cables or powered switch to route and share internet connection. So 3G router in one room is connected with WIFI router in another room by a help of a patch cable.
1 week ago I noticed that there is no WIFI connection. I tried lots of things untill I found out that if i unplug the cable from the WIFI router and plug it into my laptop, the LED of the ethernet socket is blinking red, meaning there is no internet connection. If i plug the cable directly into 3G router, the internet is fine. I replaced 4 patch cables and the result was the same, no internet. Then I tried to use my WIFI router in between of the two rooms routing, just one cable went into Internet IN and another went out of Ethernet out (there are 4 of these). This way the LED of the ethernet socket was blinking green and the internet was fine.
Could anyone explain me what's wrong with my ethernet cables? Or what else could it be? Why all of a sudden perfect connection stopped working while none of the cables were cut off? Is there signal degradation and WIFI router works like signal amplificator? I am a no networking specialist. Please help me to find an answer so I would know what to do.
Thanks
Anyone? please
camspy said:
Anyone? please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately i dont know i am sorry
camspy said:
Anyone? please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the road right now. Give me a couple hours for travel. Will summarize what i understand works and does not work for you. We can then try a couple things to isolate the issue.
Still Charged Up
OK. Tell me what you've tried and works, as well as what you've tried and fails.
You've plugged your laptop into your 3G router and you can get to the internet.
You've connected your WiFi router to your 3G router by physically moving it next to your 3G router. You've then tested your laptop, connected wirelessly to the WiFi and via ethernet to your WiFi router and in both cases they work (assuming your WiFi router has ethernet ports.
If everything above is correct and functional, then yes - the problem is your wiring and/or hub/switch that connects all of your cabling.
Put your WiFi router back where it belongs. Patch your 3G directly to your WiFi and test again. You've eliminated everything but the wires. Does it work? If so, then it should be your hub/switch. Doesn't work? Patch your laptop to the 3G at the patch panel. Does it work? If not, then it's your connectors and/or cabling between the 3G router and your patch panel.
Hung any pictures lately where a nail could have penetrated a cable? What's changed?
Eliminate as much a possible at first and then add as little as possible and you will find the problem.
OK, i tried wiring my own LAN cables to try things out. What i found is that one part of the problem was that i needed to use one crossed patch cable, straight one had no signal at all if used.
The other part of the problem was that when i tried all combinations, the cable that was plugged into laptop was showing binking red. But my 3G router was showing that there was connection. Apparently the sites were loading in browser, but very slowly. But when i tried testing with speedtest.net, it couldn't pass ping test...
So, i think it could be the bad/crossed wiring in one of the wall cables and it is impossible to test and find exact answer without a tester. So I have ordered a good LAN tester that is capable to detect bad wiring so i will know what custom cable i could make. It should arrive in a week or so.
Thanks for your time and help
Confused here. You said it was working up to two weeks ago. Unless you replaced the ends, you can't go from not needing a crossover to needing one. I don't know what kind of gear you have, but some equipment allows you to change the port configuration so that you do or don't need a crossover. Usually this is at the hub/switch level. I've never heard of consumer equipment requiring a crossover. Are you sure you haven't made any config changes to your 3G router, WiFi router, hub/switch, or even laptop?
I don't know that I helped, but I'm glad you found a solution that works. Cheers!
I didn't make any changes on routers ends, but there was one day when there was no electicity for like few minutes. You think it could make some harm to routers settings?
Assuming power loss outside your control then there could have been a spike either before loss of power or when power restored. Not likely reset but it can't hurt to check. What OS are you running on laptop? Have you tried deleting your wireless config on laptop and recreating?
Everything is a process of elimination. Asking questions since I get the impression you still have a problem.
Still Charged Up
Yes i still have a problem, and both the routers work fine when they are close to each other connected with a short patch cable without using wall cables. I revised all settings on them and didn't find anything that could be wrong.
So, i think i gave up for a week or so, till i get the cable tester which will be able to show me the truth about wiring of wall cables
Very strange it's the cable but it sure looks that way. Please let me know how it ends up - you've got me hooked.
Still Charged Up
OK, sure
http://www.peaktech.de/productdetai...er-mit-digital-multimeter/produkt/p-3365.html
this is what i bought and waiting to receive, i hope it will show the situation
Hey Reilly1812,
I have news, I tested the cables and there's a problem in one wall cable.
The tester I was using was testing all fibers in a cable one by one and I found that the fibers 2 and 5 are looped/connected together, as if testing fiber 2 it shows 2 and 5 active in tester, when I was testing 5th fiber again 2 and 5 was active...
Is it possible to get 100% OK internet over these cables and how, if yes?
Thanks
Not all pairs are used, but I can't tell you which ones. Unless someone driving nails/drilling I would think the cable ends more likely the culprit and I would think about cutting off the ends and retesting. cable might actually be ok.
Still Charged Up
Yes, I See
I have success here. I found info that 4,5,7 and 8 wires are unused. So I crossed 2 with 8 in two patch cables and everything works now
Good to hear. You just need to know what caused the cable failure in the first place so it doesn't happen again.
Still Charged Up
I as you think that the problem is more likely in one of the in wall sockets. But making custom patch cables seemed an easier task for me, so i went this route.
Don't you just love this stuff? Cheers!
Still Charged Up
Need to boost the signal on my Nexus S, it's almost unusable and switching to 3G in the next room from the router (expensive here in rural .au).
Tried three routers, channels, different devices etc.. it all points to a crap antenna in the nexus S or a crap wi-fi implementation.
I'm going to have a go at hacking it and while I have some experience messing with hardware, I've never successfully modded an aerial, I expect there's too much theory involved for me as whenever I read up on it there's a lot of conflicting info.
Anyway at this point my options I'm considering are:
- Cut internal antenna at start, wire in notebook wifi antenna (including cable/not including cable?)
- wire in notebook wifi antenna at end of internal antenna (including cable/not including cable?)
- wire in notebook wifi antenna at start of internal antenna (including cable/not including cable?)
Given that length is of utmost importance with antenna I'm hoping that it'll just go from a 1/4 length antenna to a 1/2 length or some such but does someone want to correct me?
Guess I'll just test it myself..
I couldn't find any other threads about this (with solutions) so I'll document as I go.
Anyone want to offer any advice before I get started tonight?
Well you should take into consideration the wavelength you use for the wifi router. That is all I really know. Too long an antenna and it wont even get those waves... too short as well, but wavelength depends also on the channel number router is on.
Sent from my SCH-I500 (Samsung Fascinate) using Tapatalk 2
defroster said:
Need to boost the signal on my Nexus S, it's almost unusable and switching to 3G in the next room from the router (expensive here in rural .au).
Tried three routers, channels, different devices etc.. it all points to a crap antenna in the nexus S or a crap wi-fi implementation.
I'm going to have a go at hacking it and while I have some experience messing with hardware, I've never successfully modded an aerial, I expect there's too much theory involved for me as whenever I read up on it there's a lot of conflicting info.
Anyway at this point my options I'm considering are:
- Cut internal antenna at start, wire in notebook wifi antenna (including cable/not including cable?)
- wire in notebook wifi antenna at end of internal antenna (including cable/not including cable?)
- wire in notebook wifi antenna at start of internal antenna (including cable/not including cable?)
Given that length is of utmost importance with antenna I'm hoping that it'll just go from a 1/4 length antenna to a 1/2 length or some such but does someone want to correct me?
Guess I'll just test it myself..
I couldn't find any other threads about this (with solutions) so I'll document as I go.
Anyone want to offer any advice before I get started tonight?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On your router have you tried to set the Radio Band to 20MHz?? This will increase your range but lower your bandwidth.
One other thing is to shield your antenna with foil on one side to make it more directional.
Just some thoughts...
If you do try to change the internal antenna, you will need to calculate the correct length for it to work effectively, just as point99trash2011 stated.
Antenna Length Calculation
yep i've tried 20mhz, and the problem isn't just with my router, i need decent wifi on the phone for use with any router and also to control my ar drone.
haven't got around to cracking it open yet.
After having my N7 serviced for being stuck in APX mode, they returned it to me with faulty WiFi antenna. I wasn't in the mood to go though all that trouble the very day I got my N7 back since they kept it for more than a month before they returned it "fixed" to me so I didn't send it back to ASUS again.
So... cutting to the point ... I broke the wifi pins on the motherboard while trying to bend them a little and now I can only connect to a network if I literary put the tablet on top of the router.
I want to know if it's somehow possible to use an external wifi usb adapter to connect to networks and use it as an alternative to the internal wifi.
I know there are some options to make an external wireless device recognized with some kernels out there but not for general internet browsing, rather for developing reasons.
nethervor said:
After having my N7 serviced for being stuck in APX mode, they returned it to me with faulty WiFi antenna. I wasn't in the mood to go though all that trouble the very day I got my N7 back since they kept it for more than a month before they returned it "fixed" to me so I didn't send it back to ASUS again.
So... cutting to the point ... I broke the wifi pins on the motherboard while trying to bend them a little and now I can only connect to a network if I literary put the tablet on top of the router.
I want to know if it's somehow possible to use an external wifi usb adapter to connect to networks and use it as an alternative to the internal wifi.
I know there are some options to make an external wireless device recognized with some kernels out there but not for general internet browsing, rather for developing reasons.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you know of a Wifi Dongle compatible with USB-OTG and were willing to write the app/driver or kernel module specifically to work with that dongle, then yes it's possible, just a matter of how much work do you want to put into it.
(As there is usually never a reason to plug in an external Wifi adapter when the internal one exists, I doubt there's already a pre-made kernel module for one).
nethervor said:
...dongle...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
stop oppressing me
Well, I took it to a local electronics store and they said they are able to solder the pieces together. Hopefully I'll have an N7 with a fully working internal WiFi by the end of the day.
nethervor said:
Well, I took it to a local electronics store and they said they are able to solder the pieces together. Hopefully I'll have an N7 with a fully working internal WiFi by the end of the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's working, let us know what the damage ($) was to have something like that done.
kbeezie said:
If it's working, let us know what the damage ($) was to have something like that done.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is working again, though not as good as before I sent it to ASUS the first time.
When they returned it, with a new motherboard, the WiFi reception was not as good. Now, the reception is as good as it was when I got it back from ASUS. So I guess, that's it's full capacity now.
Nevertheless, I can at least be a couple of rooms away from a router to get a reception. It's still a bit dodgy, but certainly existing.
The price was symbolical I guess, since it only took a few minutes for a professional to solder a couple of pieces together. They charged me 3 dollars
nethervor said:
Yes, it is working again, though not as good as before I sent it to ASUS the first time.
When they returned it, with a new motherboard, the WiFi reception was not as good. Now, the reception is as good as it was when I got it back from ASUS. So I guess, that's it's full capacity now.
Nevertheless, I can at least be a couple of rooms away from a router to get a reception. It's still a bit dodgy, but certainly existing.
The price was symbolical I guess, since it only took a few minutes for a professional to solder a couple of pieces together. They charged me 3 dollars
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder how much they'd charge to solder on a mini-antenna (but bigger or a wire that goes around the edge of the back) or something that can fit there with the back closed down on it. You know kinda like you would with GPS.
kbeezie said:
I wonder how much they'd charge to solder on a mini-antenna (but bigger or a wire that goes around the edge of the back) or something that can fit there with the back closed down on it. You know kinda like you would with GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really know what the guy did. I suggested that he used single strand wires since I lost the broken pins. But he may have improvised with some other similar pins to make the contact. And I'm not really willing to open the cover and **** it up again.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
I created a topic a while back about Wifi being disconnected after waking from standby. I turned off standby mode then and dedicated my 5GHz band to the shield. Problems seemed to go away, but they've been getting worse over the last few weeks. This is xposted on nVidia's forums, but I want to see if the XDA community has any advice as well. Any help is appreciated
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I've had my Shield TV since about last November. Overall the unit is great but I'm getting problems with Wifi that seem to be getting worse. When I first had the unit, it seemed like it would disconnect from my wifi after going to sleep and need to be restarted or manually reconnected about once a week or so. I have an ASUS RT-AC68U, and I am using my 5GHz radio. The Shield is the only device I allow to use 5G, and from Wifi Analyzer, there are no other 5GHz routers in my neighborhood. My router and Shield are on the same floor of my house, and only separated by about 20ft with minimal obstruction (Shield is inside a TV stand, router is in the next room with door open.
When the problem first started, I set the unit to not go into Standby mode, which seemed to help (it was always disconnected after coming out of standby).
Now it seems to be getting progressively worse. The unit now needs to be rebooted after not being used for some time. This is typically once when we first get home from work/school and later on in the night after dinner. In addition to Wifi not working, Wifi Direct often stops working as well as my shield controller wont work. I have to resort to a USB keyboard to get the thing to reboot.
I have updated the firmware each time it becomes available which has made no impact on this issue. Currently I'm on 3.1 stock firmware. I have not rooted or unlocked this device. Does anyone have a similar issue? Is there anything I can do to try and fix this? Connecting by Ethernet is out of the question, I don't have a drop near by and I bought this unit because it has wireless AC capability.
I got disconnects from wifi but never seen an issue with the wifi-direct which is for the controller. The 3.1 update did sort the issue with my shield remote though.
Honestly the short answer is to use Ethernet to get the best out of the kit, even a cheap Homeplug networking kit would be better than the wifi. Besides the wifi drop outs, I had no end of grief trying to get SPMC/KODI to access shared folders on my network with wifi (yes even 5GHz).....using Ethernet resolved the headache.
honosuseri said:
I got disconnects from wifi but never seen an issue with the wifi-direct which is for the controller. The 3.1 update did sort the issue with my shield remote though.
Honestly the short answer is to use Ethernet to get the best out of the kit, even a cheap Homeplug networking kit would be better than the wifi. Besides the wifi drop outs, I had no end of grief trying to get SPMC/KODI to access shared folders on my network with wifi (yes even 5GHz).....using Ethernet resolved the headache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*sigh* It's frustrating to buy something for a specific feature (wireless ac - upgraded router as well which I had been mulling for a while)... to have it not work. Thank you for the suggestion though. I was looking at just getting a wireless AC AP or adapter if I gave up on the sheild's network, but the homeplug is in the same ballpark and probably more reliable so I'll keep that in mind if it gets to that point.
jst07 said:
*sigh* It's frustrating to buy something for a specific feature (wireless ac - upgraded router as well which I had been mulling for a while)... to have it not work. Thank you for the suggestion though. I was looking at just getting a wireless AC AP or adapter if I gave up on the sheild's network, but the homeplug is in the same ballpark and probably more reliable so I'll keep that in mind if it gets to that point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries...I do realise it's not what you wanted to here. IMHO if a device is static then hard wire it, I use wi-fi only for mobile/portable devices.
I think your best move would be to look at getting a triple pack homeplug kit (dual ethernet ports would be good). One is for the Router, another for the SHIELD TV and the third (if you deem necessary) for your old router. Hopefully your old router can be setup as an AP and extend your wifi further throughout your home or garage/garden even. The kits are dead simple to use, although they can be fussy about the power extensions used...Ideally you want one that has passthrough so you can plug the adapter into the wall outlet, then the power extension into the homeplug adapter (Just a word to the wise in case you go this route and encounter problems).
I've had my SHIELD TV for a little while too and I also thinks it's great....I've been offered silly money for it from friends, once they've seen all I've set it up to do. I've actually got to the point now where I want to do a factory reset. I have done my experimenting and now know what I want on there, so it won't take long to redo and i'll lose the junk in the process...perhaps it might help cure some of the wifi niggles I encountered too...who knows?
Wish you all the best with it
honosuseri said:
No worries...I do realise it's not what you wanted to here. IMHO if a device is static then hard wire it, I use wi-fi only for mobile/portable devices.
I think your best move would be to look at getting a triple pack homeplug kit (dual ethernet ports would be good). One is for the Router, another for the SHIELD TV and the third (if you deem necessary) for your old router. Hopefully your old router can be setup as an AP and extend your wifi further throughout your home or garage/garden even. The kits are dead simple to use, although they can be fussy about the power extensions used...Ideally you want one that has passthrough so you can plug the adapter into the wall outlet, then the power extension into the homeplug adapter (Just a word to the wise in case you go this route and encounter problems).
I've had my SHIELD TV for a little while too and I also thinks it's great....I've been offered silly money for it from friends, once they've seen all I've set it up to do. I've actually got to the point now where I want to do a factory reset. I have done my experimenting and now know what I want on there, so it won't take long to redo and i'll lose the junk in the process...perhaps it might help cure some of the wifi niggles I encountered too...who knows?
Wish you all the best with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I switched to my 2.4G wifi and problems seem to have gone away, at least for now. Probably try that a little longer. I too have thought about resetting and using one of the custom roms on here.
Using 2.4Ghz is worse for some users from neighbor's wifi causing it to drop out.
I use 5Ghz and have to occasionally restart the device to fix it.
You would be better off using power off instead of relying on standby mode as that is buggy and prone to causing issues with stuff like audio and a stored media playback glitch.