Off Damn WiFi, Off I Say!

[Mike Temporale]

One of the main features I wanted in my next Smartphone was WiFi. So when the i-mate SP5m became available last October, I jumped at the chance to own a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone with WiFi. I mean, what could be cooler than super fast internet access using WiFi when I'm at home or in the office combined with the latest version of Windows Mobile? Nothing (or so I thought).

The problem is that the OS doesn't seem to understand remember that I've turned the WiFi off and it's getting to be extremely frustrating. Lately I've bee playing with stream some content over WiFi to my device. When I'm done, I go and kill the WiFi via the Comm Manager. I always wait for the antenna to turn grey and show the "x" before I exit and lock my phone. Next time I pick the phone up and press the joystick to wake up the device, I see the WiFi symbol pop up in the status bar and start to acquire a signal. I turned it off right? I didn't ask for it to take a 5 minute recess or anything! Now I'm forced to return to the Comm Manager and turn off WiFi once again.

This is a horribly broken experience. If I've turned it off, it should stay off. There's no logical reason it should be attempting to connect yet again. Imagine turning your phone off, physically. However, 5 minutes later you notice that the phone is back on and looking for a cell tower. I really love having WiFi, but this is driving me crazy. :evil:

[Mike Temporale]

One of the main features I wanted in my next Smartphone was WiFi. So when the i-mate SP5m became available last October, I jumped at the chance to own a Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone with WiFi. I mean, what could be cooler than super fast internet access using WiFi when I'm at home or in the office combined with the latest version of Windows Mobile? Nothing (or so I thought).

The problem is that the OS doesn't seem to understand remember that I've turned the WiFi off and it's getting to be extremely frustrating. Lately I've bee playing with stream some content over WiFi to my device. When I'm done, I go and kill the WiFi via the Comm Manager. I always wait for the antenna to turn grey and show the "x" before I exit and lock my phone. Next time I pick the phone up and press the joystick to wake up the device, I see the WiFi symbol pop up in the status bar and start to acquire a signal. I turned it off right? I didn't ask for it to take a 5 minute recess or anything! Now I'm forced to return to the Comm Manager and turn off WiFi once again.

This is a horribly broken experience. If I've turned it off, it should stay off. There's no logical reason it should be attempting to connect yet again. Imagine turning your phone off, physically. However, 5 minutes later you notice that the phone is back on and looking for a cell tower. I really love having WiFi, but this is driving me crazy. :evil:

[Frequency]

Well, I bought an SP5m to use with T-Mobile here in the States. At first, I was excitied about all the "cool" tweaks I could perform to make my phone "better". As I read more and more horror stories, I don't think I'll update my ROM, or mess with the registry.

I'm not sure if I have ever turned WiFi on, but now I'm afraid to! 8O

[Jerry Raia]

Hmmmm, my 2125 doesn't seem to have this problem. Anyone elses 2125 do this? :lol:

[Bushrod]

Classic!

Originally Posted by Jerry Raia

Hmmmm, my 2125 doesn't seem to have this problem. Anyone elses 2125 do this? :lol:

[jacklf]

reminds me of an old Sony Ericsson phone I used to use.. it would just randomly turn itself on and off. So I can actually relate to your hypothetical analogy

[Jason Dunn]

I've never seen this problem to date because I rarely, if ever, turn on WiFi...not sure why, but it seems faster to me to use GPRS than to go into the connection manager and turn on WiFi. :-)

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Jerry Raia

Hmmmm, my 2125 doesn't seem to have this problem. Anyone elses 2125 do this? :lol:

There are a lot of problems your 2125 won't have. :lol:

[Mike Temporale]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

I've never seen this problem to date because I rarely, if ever, turn on WiFi...not sure why, but it seems faster to me to use GPRS than to go into the connection manager and turn on WiFi. :-)

Really? I turn it on regularly. It's great especially when you're hanging around the house and want to do a little surfing or what have you.

It's really a great feature, but frustrating beyond belief. Perhaps if I could get some reasonable speeds on GPRS I wouldn't feel the same way. :?

[Jerry Raia]

Originally Posted by Mike Temporale

There are a lot of problems your 2125 won't have. :lol:

That hurt Mike! :cry: :cry: :P

[oturn]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

I've never seen this problem to date because I rarely, if ever, turn on WiFi...not sure why, but it seems faster to me to use GPRS than to go into the connection manager and turn on WiFi. :-)

GPRS faster? Wow, you must have a great connection, and unlimited data!! Wi-Fi on my SP5 is smokin fast, and is indispensable for checking CNN on Pocket IE, reading RSS feeds on NewsBreak, checking my security camera at home, etc. For me, it's the best thing since sliced bread! I don't think I'll ever buy a phone without it. But hey, that's just me.

So Mike, I think you're in luck. This problem has bugged me ever since I got my SP5. It existed in the old ROM, and it persists in the new ROM. I saw a thread on either howardforums or modaco where the writer claimed he solved this problem by disabling the Wi-Fi power management settings. I decided to try this myself...and it works! No more Wi-Fi when I've already turned it off!

I think the original poster unchecked both "Auto turn off WLAN if not connected for:", and "Auto turn of WLAN if no WLAN or user activities...". However, the problem goes away on my SP5 after unchecking only the second option. These settings are in Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi Settings, Power Mode. I haven’t tried unchecking only the first option.

The slight risk you take in accidentally depleting your battery is a small price to pay for getting rid of this annoyance. If you are careful to always turn off your Wi-FI, then you have no worries.

Now for the real question...does anyone at HTC or i-mate use their own phones? Between this glaring bug and the millimeter square contact / incoming call photos, it really makes you wonder.