[Q] Wifi Error

[eviled]

I have also lost the wifi and bt. It was intermitten at first, but got progressively worse very quickly. Now I just leave wifi and bt off so I don't get random reboots. On the upside, my battery life is much better now.

I am still on froyo 4.1.83, carrier unlocked (not bl unlocked). So pretty stock.

Here's my little experiment:

1. I disassembled the phone (already out of warranty) and booted it up.
   
2. With the PCB naked, wifi worked for me. Then I ran Wifi Analyzer so I had a live update of the wifi state (AP signal strength).
   
3. When I flexed/pressed on the PCB at certain spots, wifi went away immediately, and when I removed the stress, the wifi came back.

I am pretty sure that it is hardware. I doubt it is the tiny battery on the PCB because that would seem like an odd design to me. The wifi/bluetooth/FM chip should be powered by the main battery. My guess is that the wifi chip has a bad connection to the PCB, and physical perturbations to the PCB/phone (like fiddling with the small battery, which is very close to the wifi chip) could result in electrical contacts disconnecting/re-connecting, but the problem will return since nothing has really been fixed.

My next step is to reflow the solder on the wifi chip, when I get my hands on a hot air rework station. I will come back here and post whether my wifi gets fixed or my phone gets destroyed.

 

[metroidnemesis13]

Same issue

I am having the same issue. Some kid traded me off craigslist, managed to screw me. This is after I've been robbed. Just tried calling twice. Sat through hold only to be hung up on. I'm glad Samsung is my daily driver.

 

[anand9699]

confirm how to fix wifi error

i hv fixed this issue of wi-fi error
in two conditions
CONDITION 1 WILL NOT FIX BUT
THE ATRIX WILL NOT RESTART AGAIN AND AGAIN...
unlock ur bootloader
root it
install cwm
and install cynogen mod 7.2 STABLE os 2.3.7(GINGERBREAD)
THIS
will make ur wi-fi off
AND I THINK BLUETOOTH WILL ALSO NOT WORK.
OTHER EVERY THING WILL WORK..FINE

2ND CONDITION
OPEN UR ATRIX
IN THE MOTHERBOARD THERE IS CMOS BATTERY
IF U CHECK IT'S VOLTAGE IT WILL HV 2.5 VOLTS

AND IF U REMOVE AND RE-SOLDER THE SAME KIND OF CMOS BATTERY WITH 3 VOLTS
THE WI-FI ERROR WILL BE GONE
BUT ITS VERY RISKY AS BESIDE THE CMOS BATTERY THERE R 2 MICRO IC WHICH CAN BE DAMAGED
TRY AT UR OWN RISK..

 

[anand9699]

atrix wifi error

its harware error after os update to 2.3.6
i hv 3 cellphones of same kind with same issue

 

[runekock]

2ND CONDITION
OPEN UR ATRIX
IN THE MOTHERBOARD THERE IS CMOS BATTERY
IF U CHECK IT'S VOLTAGE IT WILL HV 2.5 VOLTS

AND IF U REMOVE AND RE-SOLDER THE SAME KIND OF CMOS BATTERY WITH 3 VOLTS
THE WI-FI ERROR WILL BE GONE
BUT ITS VERY RISKY AS BESIDE THE CMOS BATTERY THERE R 2 MICRO IC WHICH CAN BE DAMAGED
TRY AT UR OWN RISK..

Where did you find a new battery? I've searched all over the internet. Or did you perhaps manage to fit in a bigger battery?

 

[rafadavidc]

just wanted to bump the thread. i've got an atrix with this problem, and am hoping for some guru to figure out some trick with a hammer, a flashlight, a spare tire, and the entrails of a three-year-old virgin liger to solve what appears to be a hardware defect in this otherwise fantastic phone.

--RC

 

[minhthongbio]

i hv fixed this issue of wi-fi error
in two conditions
CONDITION 1 WILL NOT FIX BUT
THE ATRIX WILL NOT RESTART AGAIN AND AGAIN...
unlock ur bootloader
root it
install cwm
and install cynogen mod 7.2 STABLE os 2.3.7(GINGERBREAD)
THIS
will make ur wi-fi off
AND I THINK BLUETOOTH WILL ALSO NOT WORK.
OTHER EVERY THING WILL WORK..FINE

2ND CONDITION
OPEN UR ATRIX
IN THE MOTHERBOARD THERE IS CMOS BATTERY
IF U CHECK IT'S VOLTAGE IT WILL HV 2.5 VOLTS

AND IF U REMOVE AND RE-SOLDER THE SAME KIND OF CMOS BATTERY WITH 3 VOLTS
THE WI-FI ERROR WILL BE GONE
BUT ITS VERY RISKY AS BESIDE THE CMOS BATTERY THERE R 2 MICRO IC WHICH CAN BE DAMAGED
TRY AT UR OWN RISK..

I had same issue with wifi error again and again (wifi on/off - show error - reboot), and fixed it already using 2ND toturial. After 1 week using, I sure the the issue was gone.

There were 2 things:
- I removed and re-soldered with my damaged Moto DEFY CMOS battery, no need 3 VOLTs, I checked it just 2.49 - 2.53 V
- The battery INOX coat is not easy for soldering. so after soldering 1 electrode, I attached a small plastic button onto inner side of the back case to pin remaining electrode (I will post the picture).

I though the MAIN CAUSE of the issue is SUDDENLY OFF the phone (pull out the phone battery, eg...) many time for UP ROM. It made the CMOS got demaged.

 

[coeus82]

I had same issue with wifi error again and again (wifi on/off - show error - reboot), and fixed it already using 2ND toturial. After 1 week using, I sure the the issue was gone.

There were 2 things:
- I removed and re-soldered with my damaged Moto DEFY CMOS battery, no need 3 VOLTs, I checked it just 2.49 - 2.53 V
- The battery INOX coat is not easy for soldering. so after soldering 1 electrode, I attached a small plastic button onto inner side of the back case to pin remaining electrode (I will post the picture).

I though the MAIN CAUSE of the issue is SUDDENLY OFF the phone (pull out the phone battery, eg...) many time for UP ROM. It made the CMOS got demaged.

This sounds promising. I'm convinced this is a hardware problem. I tried playing around with the CMOS battery (taking it off and resoldering it back on) and wifi would work for about 5 minutes then fail. Did you completely replace your CMOS battery with a new one? Also, can you please post that picture of the small plastic button you attached on the inner side of the back case?

 

[dulexetina]

i hv fixed this issue of wi-fi error
in two conditions
CONDITION 1 WILL NOT FIX BUT
THE ATRIX WILL NOT RESTART AGAIN AND AGAIN...
unlock ur bootloader
root it
install cwm
and install cynogen mod 7.2 STABLE os 2.3.7(GINGERBREAD)
THIS
will make ur wi-fi off
AND I THINK BLUETOOTH WILL ALSO NOT WORK.
OTHER EVERY THING WILL WORK..FINE

2ND CONDITION
OPEN UR ATRIX
IN THE MOTHERBOARD THERE IS CMOS BATTERY
IF U CHECK IT'S VOLTAGE IT WILL HV 2.5 VOLTS

AND IF U REMOVE AND RE-SOLDER THE SAME KIND OF CMOS BATTERY WITH 3 VOLTS
THE WI-FI ERROR WILL BE GONE
BUT ITS VERY RISKY AS BESIDE THE CMOS BATTERY THERE R 2 MICRO IC WHICH CAN BE DAMAGED
TRY AT UR OWN RISK..

This method works for me,yesterday my wifi/bluetooth stopped to work and today i got to work again with some spare battery from my other dead atrix's motherboard -the method 2 The spare battery had 2.1 volts and it still works... I will post some pics later this week when i find some time...

Sent from my MB860 using xda app-developers app

 

[runekock]

This method works for me,yesterday my wifi/bluetooth stopped to work and today i got to work again with some spare battery from my other dead atrix's motherboard -the method 2 The spare battery had 2.1 volts and it still works... I will post some pics later this week when i find some time...

What is the voltage of the battery that didn't work?

 

[dulexetina]

What is the voltage of the battery that didn't work?

1.8-2.1v just sold my atrix as i can't live with this phone...all things are just burns out-front camera shows error,display has some gray spot on the middle and this wifi/bluetooth problem...it is too much for me,although i did liked the phone in the beginning. Best of luck with ur atrix man

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using xda app-developers app

 

[everbret]

i hv fixed this issue of wi-fi error
in two conditions
CONDITION 1 WILL NOT FIX BUT
THE ATRIX WILL NOT RESTART AGAIN AND AGAIN...
unlock ur bootloader
root it
install cwm
and install cynogen mod 7.2 STABLE os 2.3.7(GINGERBREAD)
THIS
will make ur wi-fi off
AND I THINK BLUETOOTH WILL ALSO NOT WORK.
OTHER EVERY THING WILL WORK..FINE

2ND CONDITION
OPEN UR ATRIX
IN THE MOTHERBOARD THERE IS CMOS BATTERY
IF U CHECK IT'S VOLTAGE IT WILL HV 2.5 VOLTS

AND IF U REMOVE AND RE-SOLDER THE SAME KIND OF CMOS BATTERY WITH 3 VOLTS
THE WI-FI ERROR WILL BE GONE
BUT ITS VERY RISKY AS BESIDE THE CMOS BATTERY THERE R 2 MICRO IC WHICH CAN BE DAMAGED
TRY AT UR OWN RISK..

All right, I think this is what we have been looking for. Can you please send a picture of the battery you are talking about? Is it the battery in the well-known Youtube video that people are all playing with? Or, is it somewhere else?

Cheers

 

[skrachin88]

All right, I think this is what we have been looking for. Can you please send a picture of the battery you are talking about? Is it the battery in the well-known Youtube video that people are all playing with? Or, is it somewhere else?

Cheers

This is the video I found that shows the battery he is talking about. The user in this video didn't replaced the battery, just broke the connection and then reconnected it.

Well, it seems that since I'm a new user I can't link outside the site, but if you search "how to fix Motorola Atrix 4G wi-fi error" in google, the first youtube video to show up is the right one.

 

[metroidnemesis13]

I am having the same issue. Some kid traded me off craigslist, managed to screw me. This is after I've been robbed. Just tried calling twice. Sat through hold only to be hung up on. I'm glad Samsung is my daily driver.

So updating this much later... I called Motorola at three different points in time, being very pleasant over the telephone. I was shuffled through bureaucracy for a couple weeks, given different ticket numbers, and was told I would be emailed an RMA number. Never did, so I called again (the third time) and received an RMA even thought the phone was a month out of warranty. They sent me a brand new one within a week! They never got upset with me either. I was very impressed with their exchange/warranty program. Great job, Motorola. I hope you all have similar experiences.

 

[thombo23]

So updating this much later... I called Motorola at three different points in time, being very pleasant over the telephone. I was shuffled through bureaucracy for a couple weeks, given different ticket numbers, and was told I would be emailed an RMA number. Never did, so I called again (the third time) and received an RMA even thought the phone was a month out of warranty. They sent me a brand new one within a week! They never got upset with me either. I was very impressed with their exchange/warranty program. Great job, Motorola. I hope you all have similar experiences.

Metroidnemesis13, I am in the same boat!! I'm currently awaiting an RMA for the wifi error. The big question is, will they know I rooted it in the past? I currently reloaded everything factory via their moto update software. Then I cleared the cache and did a factory reset. Everything apperas brand new stock. Was your ever rooted before you RMA'd it??

Thank you in advance for your reply!!

Best Regards,
-thomas

 

[ravilov]

It is quite silly asking if a manufacturer's service center will know if you did something with your phone or not. They will always know. ALWAYS. Or at least they can easily find out if they decide to. The only question is, will they hold it against you.

 

[thombo23]

It is quite silly asking if a manufacturer's service center will know if you did something with your phone or not. They will always know. ALWAYS. Or at least they can easily find out if they decide to. The only question is, will they hold it against you.

Ravilov I've been reading a lot of stuff on this and it appears they didn't start installing root trackers until later/newer phones. So there is actually a chance they wouldn't know for the Atrix 4G. I just wanted to ask someone who was my exact shoes if his was rooted or not before he RMA'd it.

If anybody has any specific insight/experience with the Atrix 4G, rooting and then sending it in for a warranty replacement I'd love to hear your story and so would many others judging by what i've read. Thanks a lot!! :highfive:

-thomas

 

[lola1022]

So I had the atrix with the wifi /bluetooth problem. I tried all things then decided to open it and do the battery thing. put it back together and now it will not even turn on. Should I just sell this for parts n ebay or is there something else I could check to as why it will not power on now?

 

[ahmetcan44]

I got this error on my second day of purchase. I had installed MROM on first day. When I get this, I changed MROM to CM7 and wifi is working again. Error was the same. When I try to activate it, said "error" and nothing happened.

Now it seems ok but i'm afraid that it will occur again. Hope it will not.

Edit: No errors since I changed the ROM to CM7.

 

[cpl101]

rework

Has anybody successfully removed and replaced the WiFi chip with a rework station?

Is the cause a bad chip or a bad lead?

I don't seem to see how the battery has anything to do with it. I'm willing to try, but my gut says the chip needs to be removed and replaced art the very least or a new chip if it burns out somehow itself.


Anybody have any expertise beyond " fiddling with the battery helps sometimes? "

I have like 5 atrixes with bad WiFi and would really like to properly fix them even if some rework is required.

Thanks!