Database Users

Phone auto connecting to random Wifi access points

All,
My brother has a T-Mobile stock ROM HD 2 and he has the issue where device would just randomly connect to available access points, including a BT OpenZone and a Netgear home router. The worst thing is that if the device is connected to his home [preferred] router, it would all of a sudden connect to the BTOpenZone one and totally disable all activity and actually bring up their registration page, etc. It connects to this [random] Netgear one when he is at his in-laws place.
Just to say that these access points have never previously been added as a preferred network or otherwise.
I used to have a WM device (on to Android now) but never used the WiFi connection, so perhaps I'm missing something obvious (?!)
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This is normal behaviour, if you leave your wifi on. It automatically searches for and tries to connect to any nearby wifi sources. All you have to do is turn wifi off. Just turn it on when you want to use it.
There's a toggle app in one of the stickied threads (cabs & tips)

Must go into the WIFI settings and after couple of Nexts, Uncheck the /Automaticaly Find The Key/ or something like that..also you can go into WIFI options and remove a certain routers setting,just play around a bit with the settings and you will find it.

johncmolyneux said:
This is normal behaviour, if you leave your wifi on. It automatically searches for and tries to connect to any nearby wifi sources. All you have to do is turn wifi off. Just turn it on when you want to use it.
There's a toggle app in one of the stickied threads (cabs & tips)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surely it's not default behaviour? I vaguely remember that it automatically searches for wifi APs (if the WiFi is on) but never knew it automatcally connected without you asking it to do so, especially if you have never connected to that AP before or previously added it as a preferred network.

hagba said:
Must go into the WIFI settings and after couple of Nexts, Uncheck the /Automaticaly Find The Key/ or something like that..also you can go into WIFI options and remove a certain routers setting,just play around a bit with the settings and you will find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I shall have to give that a go and look for that setting.

I have the device in front of me now, but fail to find any settings to disable/prevent this behaviour.

[SOLVED] wifi keeps goin to off-with screen mode

yea so recently my nexus wont keep the option to keep wifi on during sleep checked, everytime i pickup the nexus its gone back to "never" keep connected.
also, in the wifi advanced settings theres an options called "direct-wifi" it bring up peer devices,,,, is this a file sharing feature?
edit: ok "facepalm" a reboot seems to have solved the wifi-on prob., but still wondering what wifi-direct is
edit 2: found it Wi-Fi Direct
Android now supports Wi-Fi Direct for peer-to-peer (P2P) connections between Android-powered devices and other device types without a hotspot or Internet connection. The Android framework provides a set of Wi-Fi P2P APIs that allow you to discover and connect to other devices when each device supports Wi-Fi Direct, then communicate over a speedy connection across distances much longer than a Bluetooth connection.

NEW REPLY,
ok now its gone back to resetting to switch wifi off with screen off,
with this option constantly re-enabling itself will i be able to receive notifications while screen off?

FOUND ANSWER.
problem was a app called wifi-unlocker that i had given admin right to, it was for some reason shutting off my wifi with the screen off.....dont know why but uninstalled checked the box rebooted and now no issue

Stop auto-connecting to open wifi networks

I have a Nexus 4. I'm currently on 4.3. My phone auto-connects to every single open wifi network I walk past. Starbucks, McDonalds, Nordstroms, etc... every single one. I've tried both setting and not setting the "Notify me of open networks" option in the Wifi settings. No difference. Well there is, one setting just causes it to silently connect. I have NOT connected to these networks before. At the end of the day I have like 15 AP's queued up in my list that I have to delete.
This might be the most pants-on-head retarded design I have ever seen in a phone. I have only a few productivity apps on my phones. None of them meddle with wifi settings as far as I can tell. So, can anyone help me? Please don't offer me the advice of turning wifi off. I understand that is the kill-all for this, but it's akin to suggesting that longer battery life can be had by turning the phone off between charges. There has to be some option I am missing that is a never-connect-to-open option. I bounce between client offices all day and I need wifi to work smoothly.

Yup, same here. I've disabled the setting to notify me when an open notification is available, and it just connects to all and sundry, often causing me to lose connection with a server. Anybody aware of a fix for this? Do I need to root my Nexus 4 first?

WiFi 'scan/connects' with other networks.
Boyturtle said:
Yup, same here. I've disabled the setting to notify me when an open notification is available, and it just connects to all and sundry, often causing me to lose connection with a server. Anybody aware of a fix for this? Do I need to root my Nexus 4 first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Set your WiFi to be active on your network only, uncheck open networks, and select manage networks to a single AP, yours.
I manage a single connection on my Droid X, and 'forget' all other networks, and do not store any network data from these either.
This is the only way I am certain my phone will not look for other networks, but then again, you can turn off 'Update over WiFi only' as well.
Deselect anything that will cause the phone to look for a WiFi AP, but also remember that once done, your apps such as Email and FB may still attempt to update via the phone's network and not WiFi.

[Q] cannot auto connect to open wifi even though it is saved

my galaxy s4, running 4.2.2. There are two saved wifi networks, one is open, and the other is wpa security. The wifi switch of my phone is ON. Here is the strange things, when I came in to the range of wpa security wifi, my phone auto connect to the wifi network, everything is ok. When I came in to the open wifi networks area, my phone does not connect to the open wifi, even though it is saved, but I can mannual connect to the wifi.
So, why ? and how can I let my phone connect the saved open wifi auto?

shealan said:
my galaxy s4, running 4.2.2. There are two saved wifi networks, one is open, and the other is wpa security. The wifi switch of my phone is ON. Here is the strange things, when I came in to the range of wpa security wifi, my phone auto connect to the wifi network, everything is ok. When I came in to the open wifi networks area, my phone does not connect to the open wifi, even though it is saved, but I can mannual connect to the wifi.
So, why ? and how can I let my phone connect the saved open wifi auto?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had a similar problem.
In advanced there is an option, cant remember it now, been too long since I looked at it, (a week :silly.
Something about switching to mobile networks if you lose your wifi. Make sure that is turned on, else the device decides a wifi connection is 'bad' instead of just out of range and won't remember it.

SPACEMANBEN said:
Had a similar problem.
In advanced there is an option, cant remember it now, been too long since I looked at it, (a week :silly.
Something about switching to mobile networks if you lose your wifi. Make sure that is turned on, else the device decides a wifi connection is 'bad' instead of just out of range and won't remember it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply. I searched the menu which you mentioned, try every option that can select or unselect, unfortunately it won't work.
My device can connect an secure wifi auto when the signal is fair, but can not connect to an open wifi, only work by manual pick it.

"Failed to connect to network"

Lately I've been having serious trouble connecting to Wifi networks. This occurs both on my workplace network and home network. I have tried resetting my Network Config, but this didn't fix anything. The only thing I've found that will allow me to connect to Wifi is to restart the device - but I have to do this every time I want to connect to a different Wifi network than I was connected to previously.
One strange thing that happens with this is that when I disable Wifi - whether it be via quick settings or in settings - it doesn't actually disable Wifi. The toggle switches to off, but I'm still able to see nearby Wifi networks. The only way to fully disable Wifi is to enable Airplane Mode.
This has been happening recently since I performed a Factory Reset, flashed the latest factory image, and rooted.
Anyway, any help with this would be greatly appreciated!
UPDATE: Looks like switching from Automatic Wi-F- frequency band to 2.4 GHz fixes the issue, but that's not really ideal, as I prefer my 5 GHz network at home.