November 28, 2011
Amazon Kindle Fire WiFi Connection Problems
Amazon’s $199 Kindle Fire is a fascinating device! We got ours last week but this isn’t a review – opinions are still forming over here at the global headquarters of Bruceb Consulting.
For now I want to point out a single issue: some people are having trouble connecting their new Kindle Fires to wireless networks. The Kindle Fire is pretty useless without an 802.11 connection; it is not designed to connect to Verizon or AT&T networks, so a connection to a local 802.11 wireless network is required before you can download books or watch movies or install apps.
I pulled the Kindle Fire out of the box and admired it and turned it on and was led through an excellent startup wizard, which quickly found the wireless network and asked for the security key and . . . fail.
Tap tap tap, doublecheck the password, turn on the display of the characters so I can see what I’m typing and . . . fail. Lather, rinse, repeat.
I’ve heard from a couple of clients having similar problems. Over in the Amazon forums there are active threads with people venting and trading tips about possible fixes and describing their experiences with customer support – here’s one with more than a hundred comments, and here’s another one with forty more comments. There’s a story from a reviewer who was eager to write an early review: “Since I promised everyone that I’d do an unboxing/first impressions, then a full review later, I wanted to be true to that promise. Unfortunately, my Kindle Fire just didn’t want to connect to my home Wi-Fi network. . . . Now I’ve got about 2 hours of time invested in getting this thing to work. For now I sit with a $200 block of plastic and glass that won’t even let me read the user manual or dictionary without first connecting to a network to register my device online. Frustrating is an understatement right here.” (He eventually got the Kindle Fire online by replacing his old router.)
There is no way to know how many people this affects. You could find similarly active forum threads about problems with virtually every device on the market. (Do a search for “iPhone dropped connections” or “Android wireless problems” or any other variation you care to imagine – you’ll quickly be convinced that nothing works, ever.)
My advice: If you’re in the market for a Kindle Fire, buy one. This isn’t affecting very many people. If you’re one of them, you’ll be mighty annoyed, but there’s a chance that you would experience some infuriating problem with anything and everything else on the market. This doesn’t feel like a problem that ought to disqualify the Kindle Fire from being considered.
There’s no quick fix yet. Customer support will lead you through an upgrade to version 6.1 of the Kindle Fire OS, a tricky process that requires a lot of manual steps while the device is tethered to a computer. It helps some people, not others. A partial list of things that have worked for some people:
- Restarting the Kindle Fire by holding down the power button for 30 seconds until it goes black, then starting up again.
- Power cycling the wireless router.
- Changing the type of security on the router from WEP to WPA2.
- Changing the settings on the router to disable 802.11n and limit it to 802.11g.
- Changing the settings on the Kindle Fire to limit its wireless speed to 54Mb/second.
Your mileage may vary. Again, a list like this sounds dismal but my gut tells me that almost all of the seventeen million Kindle Fires shipped this month are happily connected to whatever network is nearby. Your odds are good.
For what it’s worth, I got our Kindle Fire connected by reconfiguring our Cisco WAP4410N wireless access point. It was set up in a plain vanilla way, broadcasting an 802.11n signal with WPA2 security. I thought it would be interesting to turn off the security, which led me on a sideways chase to discover why I couldn’t see the second “guest” network that the WAP told me it was broadcasting. It was a bug in the firmware installed on the WAP – wow, have I been there before with routers and WAPs! Install a firmware update, restart the WAP, and now all the devices can see a guest network isolated from the computers in the house. The Kindle Fire spots it, joins it, and everything is swell forever.
That’s not an answer that will fit your situation. Clearly Amazon has to make a deeper fix available – and presumably it will, probably sooner rather than later. In the meantime, if you get a Kindle Fire, I hope it connects to your wireless network without any complaints!
28 Responses to “Amazon Kindle Fire WiFi Connection Problems”
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November 30th, 2011 at 1:08 am
[...] we’re talking about the Kindle Fire, it’s worth noting one strange omission: the Kindle Fire does not have a built-in connection to [...]
December 2nd, 2011 at 10:37 pm
[...] Tip – Fire: Reports surface of WiFi connection problems with the Kindle Fire. Bruce Beris posts an overview and troubleshooting suggestions. Also, how to get some hot orange color into the [...]
December 5th, 2011 at 8:19 pm
I have the same problems with my Kindle Fire. I started by getting a new Router and I got sd micro usb cable to connect to my home computer. I downloaded and transferred the update ver 6.2. transferred that to the fire and ran the update – still no connection.
So, even if I can get it to work on my home wifi, after all th epossible reconfigurations, what about when I am at a library, a university bookstore, a coffee shop or any other usual WIFI location then what do I do?
If Amazon does come out with a fix that does work, how will I know about it?
Why tell everyone to go buy this piece of glass and plastic if it does not work – out of the box?
I got this as a step towards the wifi world, so I could be more mobile with my reading, and perhaps start to do some wifi surfing. When I did go onto the Amazon site, I found less information regarding solutions, than what I was able to trip across on the Fire unit itself. However when I checked the Amazon bookstore to see if I could at least download Stephen King’s latest novel to my desk top, I was informed the e -version price is substantially greater than the paperback copy. Go figure! This is definitely not intended for the aging generation.
Time to sell the Amazon shares?
I think I will go renew my library card.
December 15th, 2011 at 6:33 am
Even my cousin faced the same issue with his Amazon Kindle Fire, You can check his explanation here:
http://www.androidnew.com/news/kindle-fire-having-wi-fi-issues-are-you-facing-the-same.html
December 17th, 2011 at 7:37 pm
well i followed the intructions and nothing happen these are stupid intructions
December 17th, 2011 at 9:26 pm
well i read your comment and nothing happen this is stupid comment
Best wishes,
Bruce
December 25th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
How do you limit the wireless speed?
December 28th, 2011 at 8:31 am
I bought a KF for my mother for Christmas. I am now on the 2nd one and still cannot get it to connect to he wireless network. I am going to purchase a new router and giv ethat a try. If that doesn’t work, it’s going back and I’ll spend a little more $$ on something that will connect. my iPad doesn’t have an ssie and my Android device doesn’t have an issue and my laptop doesn’t have an issue….just the KF. Very frustrating!!
January 1st, 2012 at 8:08 pm
i am so upset with my kf ,its killing me i spent 200$ on a pile of crap that will not connect no matter how hard i try it is really stupid!!!
January 13th, 2012 at 6:54 am
I am having WiFi connectivity problems as well. I have contacted Amazon asking if I can get my money back. I had high expectations when I recently bought it but I am very disappointed in it’s lack of versatility, performance, poor connectivity. It is basically an E-Reader with a colour screen.
January 14th, 2012 at 10:55 am
Similar story – bought it for Christmas for wife – driving me crazy except my wifi works intermittently! What’s up with that? Over 1/2 the time it works beautifully! Then randomly won’t work properly. In settings it says “connected”- (and my weather app is updating) but has the x by the wifi icon and won’t access the web. Very crazy-making. – Steve
January 14th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
I don’t have a problem connecting but after 2 weeks of having it and using it with wi fi just fine. Now it brings this screen up on every web page saying its insecure and now it wont let me use my Pandora app, weather channel app, or angry birds saying there is a connectivity issue. What is the problem?
January 14th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
I don’t know. That’s a new one. I’m disappointed – I thought Amazon would have acknowledged problems and sorted things out by now.
January 18th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
I am having the same problem as Erica. Think I might return it.
January 18th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
I can search the web,but can’t go to the app store or use any of the apps saying there is a connectivity problem.
January 20th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Yup same thing! I bought a warranty so I’m gonna make them fix it or give me a mew one. I’m so disappointed
January 27th, 2012 at 4:24 am
Wish I had got an Ipad instead. My KF connected to the internet just fine when I got it. A week later and it was intermittently connecting. Now it will not connect to my WiFi at all. I understand products having bugs, but this one is entirely unacceptable. I will never buy another amazon tablet again.
February 9th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
This isn’t affecting very many people. If you’re one of them, you’ll be mighty annoyed, but there’s a chance that you would experience some infuriating problem with anything and everything else on the market. This doesn’t feel like a problem that ought to disqualify the Kindle Fire from being considered.
WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!! THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OVER THE WIFI CONNECTION AND GROWING BY THE DAY….
February 9th, 2012 at 10:36 pm
DISREGARD MY LAST POST FRUSTRATION GOT THE BEST OF ME.
February 13th, 2012 at 1:54 am
No worries. If a problem like this keeps you offline, it’s bound to drive you mad. It’s small consolation if I tell you that I run into equally infuriating problems with iPhones, Android phones, tablets, Nooks, PCs, Macs, printers, wireless connections, programs, web services – such an incredible array of mind-sucking problems that it amazes me that anyone is able to operate anything. The Kindle’s problems seem pretty typical.
February 16th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
I now have two kindle fires and they ARE BOTH BROKEN!!!! D: MY PARENTS THINK I DONT TREAT MY KINDLES VERY WELL WHEN REALLY ITS ALL AMAZON’S FAULT!!! D’: I’m sick of kindles:( I’m officially giving up with their crap. I’m getting an ipad. BYE KF!!! wont miss you
if anyone is thinking about getting a kf, DONT! its extra frustration that you don’t need
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:39 pm
I am able to log on to my ATT uverse wireless with three iphones and 1 ipad; but this kindle is a POS.
i had this kindle fire up for a while now nothing.
i did a reset and lost the few, but who cares now.
i have it plugged into the usb on my desktop now. you would think you could at leats access the internet this way, but no.
I would trash this but it is a christmas present from my daughter to my wife. you can guess who is in the middle.
surely there is a solution?
March 3rd, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Non of the crap above helped my kindle fire ive spent fays trying to fix it I cant even buy books Wasn’t that the point of the kindle fire?Its stupid that you cant buy books on something made for books. I am so infuriated.I wqnt to finish reading my series BUT I CANT WITH A KINDLE FIRE NOW CAN I??? HUH HUH THATS WHAT I THOUGHT
March 3rd, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Jennifer I feel you same thing with my KF they suck I know that and I’m 12.Ive been working on it with my dad for days.THIS HAPPENS TO ALMOST EVERY1 SO DONT SAY THAT IT “RARELY” HAPPENS THATS A LOE BUT I GUESS YOU WERE HIRED TO LOE TO PEOPLE THAT LIKE TO READ
March 16th, 2012 at 9:36 pm
I bought this KF for my grandson who travels to Houston and Austin. The Kindle Fire will not connect to wireless. I had no trouble until last weekend. I have tried to connect many time to other wireless networks, so it cannot be the routers. So, just ordered the IPAD 3rd generation! – So the next step it to have target practice with this $200.00 piece of junk! Time is money and I am not wasting anymore on Kindle
April 9th, 2012 at 12:05 am
[...] took a lot of heat when some Kindle Fire tablets had difficulty connecting to wireless networks. It seems fair that Apple get the same angry reaction, doesn’t [...]
May 8th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
I got my KF a couple of weeks ago….got it connected to my home WIFI with few problems. However, today, I had an opportunity to try to connect it at a local coffee shop (free wifi with login) – I log in there all the time. Could NOT get the KF past the ‘connected’ stage. In other words, it showed that it was connected to the WIFI, but I couldn’t log on and get out to the internet. Very frustrated. Will try a couple of other places, but if I can’t get it resolved, I’m sending it back. Otherwise, I love the thing….didn’t have the bux for a bigger tablet, but researched and thought this might meet my needs. If I can get it to do what it is *supposed* to do, it will. :-/
May 8th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Lately (May 2012) I’ve started to wonder if wireless security is fragmenting, so that not all devices can connect to all networks. The blur of WPA/WPA2, Personal/Enterprise, TKI/PSK, Mixed, has to be contributing to the number of connections that just can’t be made. The Kindle Fire is the poster child – I’ve seen several that could only be connected to certain access points and not others, like your experience. But now I’m seeing it occasionally with laptops and Android phones and iPads. I can’t get a handle on it yet. I’m watching for something that will help me figure out where the blame lies.
I worked with someone that had a Kindle Fire that simply would not connect to her Netgear access point, no matter what setting we chose (and we tried a lot). Got a new router and bang, connected right away, worked flawlessly ever since. That’s not a very good experience but I’m not sure the blame lies entirely with Amazon.