Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi problems are plaguing users with D-Link routers who cannot keep a connection with the flagship Samsung smartphone.

The Galaxy S4 WiFi problems appear to be limited to a few D-Link brand routers and doesn’t appear to be limited to a specific carrier version of the Galaxy S4.

Samsung confirmed they are aware of the problem in a statement to ZDNet, but it doesn’t appear that Samsung is working on a fix. Samsung states,

This is a problem caused by firmware stored on a specific access point in D-Link routers. Customers should update their firmware to the latest version or reboot the access point.

While most of the issues appear to be limited to the D-Link DIR-655 and DIR-855 routers, others may be affected. There are ways to attempt to fix the problem without leaving home.

How to Fix Galaxy S4 WiFi Problems

Users who cannot connect to WiFi on the Samsung Galaxy S4 or who connect and then quickly lose their connection can take some steps to fix the Galaxy S4 WiFi issues. Several of these fixes are  possible without spending any money, but if that fails users may need to invest in a new router.

Reboot the Router

The easiest fix to Galaxy S4 WiFi problems is a router reboot. This isn’t a guaranteed fix, but it’s the simplest step so we recommend doing it first.

Head over to where your router is located, find the power cord and unplug it for at least 30 seconds. After a short wait, plug it back in and see if that fixes the issue.

If not, the next fix will update the router, which is more likely to fix the problem.

Update the Router

The next step to fix Samsung Galaxy S4 WiFi problems is to update the router firmware. This process is straightforward, but you will need to know your router password and user name. This is not the password you use to connect a device, but the administrator password.

Here are the directions to upgrade the D-Link DIR-655 firmware, one of the common routers with Galaxy S4 WiFi issues.

Budget 15 to 30 minute for this process, though it may go quicker. Other users will lose a connection briefly while the router installs the new firmware and reboots, so warn other users.

Get a New Router

Some users report that despite trying multiple updated router firmwares the Galaxy S4 WiFi problems exist. If the previous steps don’t work it’s a good idea to invest in a good new router. It seems unlikely that Samsung is prepping a fix for this issue, and D-Link or Samsung updates could take a while to arrive.

Users can pick up a new router for $50 to $150 dollars depending on the features needed. While this isn’t pocket change, it will help users avoid popping over mobile data limits.

We recommend Belkin, Netgear and ASUS routers for speed and reliability, but recommend doing a little investigating before picking a new router.

Source: Gottabemobile

Samsung has acknowledged an issue that can cause its recently-launched flagship Galaxy S4 handset to fail to connect to, or stay connected to, some wi-fi networks.

Handset maker Samsung has acknowledged that there is a problem using the Galaxy S4 on some wi-fi networks that use D-Link routers.

The company confirmed hat the Galaxy S4 had problems connecting to, or staying connected to wi-fi networks that used some D-Link model routers.

"This is a problem caused by firmware stored on a specific access point in D-Link routers. Customers should update their firmware to the latest version or reboot the access point," a Samsung spokeswoman said.

Samsung Galaxy S4 owners have taken to a number of online forums to complain of the problem, which seems to most often affect D-Link model DIR-655 and DIR-855 routers, among others. Users in a number of different countries, or with different mobile operators and broadband providers, complained of the same issues.

"Is anyone experiencing wi-fi connection problems with the S4? Picked mine up yesterday and when I connected to my home wi-fi, it would connect fine and work for a few minutes then completely drop the connection. I would need to disable and re-enable wi-fi for it to connect again only to have it drop after a few minutes again. This has been going on all night yesterday and all day today," Will822 wrote on Samsung's GalaxyS4forums.net.

Other users also reported similar issues, which seem to be able to be mitigated by changing the security encryption type to TPK, which can have a detrimental effect on other devices connected to the network.

"Have tried several firmware [builds] for the router, all with the same problem. If the fault lies with D-Link or Samsung I don't know, but the S4 is the first to have these problem," user Brochs wrote on the XDA Developers Forum.

"Same problem with a DIR-655. The router keeps locking up, even on a wired connection I can't get anywhere until I turn off the wi-fi on the GS4," eshomsky wrote, also on the XDA Developers forum.

"I confirm the same problem with a Samsung S4 and a D-LINK DIR-855. Setting the cypher type to 'TKIP' solves it for Samsung but it breaks it for an older Sony laptop," EnF70 wrote on the XDA forum.

D-Link acknowledged the issue and said it was actively looking into the cause of the problems.

"Recently, a limited number of customers have reported connection issues between their D-Link wireless router, including the DIR-855 and DIR-655, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 handset. Problems include intermittent disconnection from the wireless network, especially while browsing YouTube. Other devices continue to function normally. The problem has also been reported with wireless routers from other manufacturers, "a spokesman for the company told ZDNet.

"D-Link is actively researching this issue now to determine the cause."

The company suggested that customers using the DIR-655 or the DIR-855 could mitigate the problem in the meantime by logging into the web interface and disabling the Wireless Multimedia Extensions (WME, also known as Wi-Fi Multimedia or WMM).