[smithmal]

With the new 4.2.2 firmware I'm not seeing signal strength increase, but the disconnects have pretty much been eliminated. At a signal strength of -71db, a Speed test indicated very little change in down or upload speed vs when my signal strength was a lot higher (-50db).

smithmal

 

[kisamesama]

With the new 4.2.2 firmware I'm not seeing signal strength increase, but the disconnects have pretty much been eliminated. At a signal strength of -71db, a Speed test indicated very little change in down or upload speed vs when my signal strength was a lot higher (-50db).

smithmal

does that mean wifi weak reception is solved with the latest firmware?

 

[black8900]

No, at my work the wifi is weak like always :/

 

[TheRegistrant]

Maybe you guys need new WiFi modems? I can download a 1gb app from the play store in less than 5 minutes from a 2005 WiFi modem through several floors. Nothing wrong with my WiFi accept it won't stay on in sleep mode.

 

[kisamesama]

Maybe you guys need new WiFi modems? I can download a 1gb app from the play store in less than 5 minutes from a 2005 WiFi modem through several floors. Nothing wrong with my WiFi accept it won't stay on in sleep mode.

even if you set it to always on in advanced setting?

 

[alexcee]

With 4.2.2 my wifi doesn't disconnect yet. I'm sure this firm solve this issue.

 

[enaon]

Having both an onda v818 (for my niece) and an chuiwi v88( for my brother) I can say that I wish onda had put an rk3188 in their v818.

The chuiwi is fast, nice speaker, good screen, but is badly build. The onda on the other hand, is just impressive in all respects, minus the a31s chip.

Anyway, I dismantled the chuwi, just to take a peak and try to figure out why the wifi signal is poor. I hoped for a poorly attached connector or something, silly me

The problem is I am afraid one that needs time and patience to solve. I will do it when both are at hand. In the mean time here are some shots from the inside. The pigtail is long, the antenna itself is not taped flat, the pigtail has no connector to the motherboaard, all in all, it is a bonus it works at all. The wifi antenna is the one on the left, the black one on the right is the bt one ( same long handsoldered pigtaled case as before)

I really wish onda had build this tablet.
to be continued

 

[black8900]

@eanon:

Offtopic a little. Why is the A31 bad? Thinking to forget about Chuwi and go for the Onda 818 mini.

 

[Toon1987]

@eanon:

Offtopic a little. Why is the A31 bad? Thinking to forget about Chuwi and go for the Onda 818 mini.

The a31 has a slower cpu but better gpu from what i've read.

Some people say they have a good wifi signal , do you think it is also batch related?

 

[Adamska]

Is the wifi really that bad and problematic? I was almost decided to buy Chuwi but after I have read here about all the problems with it (bad wifi, bricked after flashing/updating, build quality problems...) I'm just not sure if I want to take a risk and buy it or pick some other tablet... Maybe Onda V818? Or do you have some tips and recommendations? (Net browsing, social networks, some movies and games, 8 inches)

 

[enaon]

the wifi performance makes me want to use the chuwi as a frisbee sometimes. I have realigned the battery that caused the screen not to have a uniform lighting, so all in all, this is a very good tablet, but the wifi range is bad. It is not a matter of hardware, as have soldered a pigtail with an sma connector, and using a rubber antenna the wifi range was as expected. I really would like to know if there is anyone using a chuwi v88 that says his wifi signal is on par with an iphone or even an onda v818.

Anyway, I am going to use my dremel on mine, to make a small opening on the metal case for the wifi reception.

ps. I also own an onda v818. The gaming performance is fantastic. Its like having a dual personality. Browsing the internet, using the internal sd, all of the pc tasks are average to painfully slow. Loading games takes its time, one out of three times it will ask me if I want to terminate beech buggy as it takes ages to display the arrow. But when the game loads, its a different animal

You feel like playing on a dedicated machine, it is just super.

 

[Toon1987]

Really starting to doubt my decision. I bought the v88 over the onda because of the faster cpu. Thinking the mali would be enough surely since its overclocked. Mali performs great in my s3. Why is the v88 so bad for gaming with those specs?

 

[armpowered]

The problem is I am afraid one that needs time and patience to solve. I will do it when both are at hand. In the mean time here are some shots from the inside. The pigtail is long, the antenna itself is not taped flat, the pigtail has no connector to the motherboaard, all in all, it is a bonus it works at all. The wifi antenna is the one on the left, the black one on the right is the bt one ( same long handsoldered pigtaled case as before)

I took my V88 apart to look for obvious unsoldered wires but found nothing. A few days later I took it apart again for a more thorough look, still nothing obvious. However to those of you thinking of doing this, beware, refitting the front into the aluminium back is quite tight and you can quite easily break the screen

(Roll on the Nexus 7 MkII...)

 

[enaon]

a quick update:

I dremeled a hole on the chuwi and changed the antenna, and thinks are ok now. Not iphone level, but ok. Very happy with my custom chuwi now

 

[smithmal]

Enaon,

Could you provide more specifics about your mod? For example:

1. What symptoms where you seeing before and on what firmware
2. Why did you need to dremel?
3. Did you replace your antenna and if so with what hardware
4. Did you modify the original antenna and if so, how
5. What improvements have you seen with your mod

Thanks,

smithmal

 

[enaon]

Enaon,

Could you provide more specifics about your mod? For example:

1. What symptoms where you seeing before and on what firmware
2. Why did you need to dremel?
3. Did you replace your antenna and if so with what hardware
4. Did you modify the original antenna and if so, how
5. What improvements have you seen with your mod

Thanks,

smithmal

Will do shortly, I saw this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2310818&page=3) and everything makes sense now. I am using oma 3.01 phablet version, so this explains the poor wifi signal. I remembered it was poor to begin with, but oma indeed made it worse. I guess the stock kernel sets the tx to the max, to compensate for the bad reception.
This expains why some of you were observing dropouts while the router reported good signal with one firmware, and better stability with lower signal on another. When the tx is set too high and the nearfield is not clean, you end up with retransmittions and dropouts, because a proper connection requires you to hear and talk clear, and when you shout your hearing is getting worse, thus dropping the connection.

I am seeing a gain of about 16dBm using a hole on the backside, which is huge. It made me wonder whether there is something blocking the antenna output exiting from the glass side. A made some tests blocking the front and then the back side of the tablet using a tinfoil sheet, and indeed the front side only barely lets the signal out. I did notice that moving the antenna sticker as close to the back camera as possible, helps a lot.

I did change the antenna, I used one from a pivos dx that I had taken out some time back, but it is of no importance. The stock sticker antenna is good enough, as long as it is taped flat (the top part, the one that is actually the antenna)

I am ok with it as it stands, wifi is not excelent, but is really good now. I will make some more tests and take some clean photos,
to be continued

 

[enaon]

In the meanwhile, if anyone is good with opening his tablet, a quick fix is to move the sticket antenna as close to the back camera as possible. For doing that you will maybe need to let the pigtail run on top of the battery for some lenght, this is no problem spacewise. Make sure top of the antenna is taped flat on the plastic surface right next to the back camera. The rest of the sticker will rise up, this is no problem, but the layer of 3-4 mm which consists the monopole, must be flat taped.

My guess is that toward the centre of the unit, meaning when moving towards the front camera, there is either something below the plastic, or something is causing severe wifi interference.

 

[splotz]

Hello enaon,

if you open it again, could you please post a photo of your (modified) antenna?

Thx
splotz

edit:

I did also some modding without changing something of the case, but it is not very professional only +12dB but good for larger distances then before.

If you want to see pictures, here in a german forum I postet it.

 

[dantek]

Ι noticed that my tablet has the issue with the bad wifi. I don't have any disconnections but I can only see 2 wifi when with my phone I can see 10 or more. And in the next room, I can barely see my own wifi.

Hope it is a software issue

 

[Maxwell69]

I can tell that my tablet is working great with Wifi...
It sees the same networks our laptop or ps3 sees and it connects to them fastly and has a good signal. I don't think these problems exist because of the tablets parts, it's the build quality! Some of the tablets are made choppy, some are made perfect. Mine is ''almost'' perfect. It has the glass screen a bit drowned in the pastic in 2 corners. Minimal light leakage, but only noticable in the upper right corner. Thats all.