High latency on FP2 Wifi since last couple of weeks

Since the past couple of weeks, my FP2 has had this delay on the internet when browsing in chrome/firefox, Play store and using apps that connect to the internet. The delay is usually about 14 seconds or more from the start of the attempted downloading of something or clicking of a link. I factory reset my phone a couple of days ago, due to this problem and also to try to resolve the fast draining battery problem (which it sort of has) but this latency on the internet is still there. My laptop on the same network has no problem over wifi. I should also add that once the initial delay passes the download of data is back to normal speed, itā€™s just this long delay beforehand thatā€™s frustrating. Does anyone else have this problem? Iā€™ve tried a couple of speed test apps and apart from the delay in starting the actual test, they report the ping is normal and download and upload are what Iā€™d expect for my connection.

Does that only happen in one special wifi (e.g. at your home) or also when the FP2 is connected to other wifis?
I guess the delay does not occur when using mobile data?

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A possible cause and some solutions:

To be perfectly honest though, I donā€™t think thatā€™s the cause since your circumstances donā€™t match (laptop doesnā€™t suffer, router still actually routes). But it is easy to verify it isnā€™t the cause.

Does it occur when youā€™re the only client on the WLAN whilst being close to the router?

Might be something like power saving in WiFi?

What kind of brand/firmware is your router?

Itā€™s my home network, Iā€™ve yet to see if it happens on another wifi. And as for mobile data Iā€™m also not sure, Iā€™ll test those two and get back to you. My mobile data is usually pretty crap, I use Blau in Berlin. Thanks for the suggestions.

I donā€™t have a chromecast or any such similar thing. There arenā€™t any other androids on my network, itā€™s just the FP2 and a laptop. Only client on the WLAN, do you mean, if my laptop is just switched off? In which case, yes it definitely still happens if my laptop isnā€™t connected too. Iā€™m also always close to the router. Power saving, my settings say ā€˜keep Wi-Fi on during sleep = Alwaysā€™. The router is a Telecolumus Model: CH7486E. I donā€™t have the firmware rev to hand at the moment, but itā€™ll be whatever it is out of the box. Iā€™ve only had the internet connection for the past 3 months or so and itā€™s been excellent.

Thanks for your suggestions.

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Disable that option, and see if the problem persists. Remember to consider to revert it back.

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I disabled it, switched the phoneā€™s Wi-Fi off and on and tried a webpage in Chrome, itā€™s loading almost instantaneously now. How weird. Thatā€™s great though, thanks for the troubleshooting. Do you know why that happens?

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It appears a trade off inherent to that feature. :frowning:

Technically (paraphrasing from memory), I suppose the device goes in such a deep sleep that it takes longer till the WiFi is enabled and till the device has connected with the AP. Whereas when that option is put to Always then it keeps associated with the AP and the WiFi chip doesnā€™t go in such a deep sleep. Neither Yes or No is the best setting, though Google defaults with Always On by default. (Which conveniently also suits their data gathering.)

You could opt for selecting ā€œWhen Chargingā€ as well. Personally (going a bit off topic here) I try to not charge my mobile devices too much, and keep the battery between 30% and 90% to preserve it. Although with a FP2 the battery is only 20 EUR + S&H, and easily self replaceable. If I want to conserve my battery I just put WiFi off or Airplane mode on. LTE I practically always have off whilst home/work or at friends. You may also wanna disable all kind of apps you never use. I liked Stefanā€™s suggestion here Should smartphones carry health warnings? with a so-called detox guide. Day 6 is concerning cleaning up smartphones but a few other days also contain relevant info. Thereā€™s also a bunch of other threads on the forums concerning power saving.

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Thanks for that info JeroenH, I just tried using Chrome again after the phone had been asleep for a bit and initially the problem was the same again, long delay. Then after a while it seems to become quick again. Not sure if the problem is really resolved but at least sometimes itā€™s better. I check out those other guides to see what further steps I can take in terms of battery drain. Although I am pleased to be supporting an ethical company, I feel like the trade-off has been Iā€™ve had to be a lot more hands on sorting problems with the phone. I also have a busted case and my primary mic has given up the ghost meaning I have to use a hands-free kit to make calls. I get that the Fairphone is modular and things can be replaced, but itā€™s just kind of frustrating. Add to that the Phone co-op who I got the phone with are absolutely not competitive with other mobile providers, they offer basically no/very expensive roaming and cannot really offer any kind of deal. Iā€™ve gone off topic, sorry for the rant.

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Does it also occur with Firefox? Other ā€œnativeā€ apps?

I feel ya. Although this issue we discuss is Android-specific you can argue other Android smartphones last longer.

I had same and got one of my cases replaced. I just reordered a new one though, same with mic it had a lot of noise in it and I just ordered a new one instead. Even did same with screen. CBA waiting 10 days for reply and then going through the rest of the hassle. Thatā€™s a choice one can make though (if financial situation allows).

(My screen had 2 white spots but it also had a small dent from phone slipping of my pocket while trying out shoes. Phone was like 2 months or so old then, gg. The spots happened afterwards. New screen wouldā€™ve been fair but the spots didnā€™t often bother me. Lately I did use Netflix regularly on phone and it started to bother me. So I bought replacement. YMMV.)

No worries!

Yes, with Firefox and apps too. But since Iā€™ve changed the sleep feature of the Wi-Fi like I said, itā€™s now an initial delay after sleep and then the Wi-Fi sort of wakes up and starts acting normal again. Iā€™ve tried it on ā€˜Only when plugged inā€™ now and the behaviour seems to be the same. At least itā€™s improved from how it was before.

Itā€™s interesting to hear youā€™ve also had some of the same issues. I know what you mean. I had to wait a really long time for a reply to my screen issue before finally getting a replacement. Luckily I still had my old phone as a backup while that got fixed. I have bright spots on the replacement screen too. I would like to be able to recommend other people get into fairphones, but Iā€™d have to be honest, itā€™s not been smooth sailing. I guess it is a relatively young company with a lot lower turnover in terms of hardware and testing so there are inevitably going to be issues to iron out. I hope people will have a better time with FP3, whenever that comes out. (Iā€™m out of touch with it)

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