Glo Wifi/sync issues with Kobo Glo - Page 3

ploum · 02-25-2014, 04:09 AM

I should mention that the issue is *not* fixed with 3.2.0

TechniSol · 02-26-2014, 12:48 AM

Is it just me, or does it seem slightly unfair to blame the whole issue on the Kobo firmware? Could the Fritz!Box firmware or settings also be contributing to the issue? Anyone checked with them? Just saying that when more than one device is involved, and the problem seems to be specific to being combined with another device or line of devices, both must be suspect unless you can verify who is not fully supporting a standard. Further, just because it may have worked before does not indicate which device is not currently meeting a standard.

I'm not pointing a finger, just making a point.

taming · 02-26-2014, 07:05 AM

In the past, when we had some router-specific issues, Kobo folks bought a bunch of routers to test on. I wonder if the Fritz box routers are findable in Toronto.

taming · 02-26-2014, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterT

Also, I know that in past what seemed to help some people with connectivity issues was installing a WiFi hotspot program called Connectify Hotspot Lite (the free version) (http://www.connectify.me/ ) on a computer with WiFi and having it act as a hotspot just for the Kobo Device.

The free version of Connectify used to be almost identical to the paid version, but with ads. Now the free version times out after a couple of hours and needs to be restarted. I bought the paid version when that happened. I don't need it for my Kobo, but my office is in the basement at work and I didn't have any cell service down there.

ploum · 02-26-2014, 01:43 PM

I don't have the FritzBox. I've tested with several completely unrelated routers and I can reproduce the problem on more than half of them.

The fact that a reboot of the kobo fixes the issue is the proof that there's something wrong in the Kobo itself.

jdta09 · 02-26-2014, 03:11 PM

I agree, it doesn't seem to be related to specific routers to me. It happens on my BT Broadband Hub and my Mum's Sky router.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploum

I don't have the FritzBox. I've tested with several completely unrelated routers and I can reproduce the problem on more than half of them.

The fact that a reboot of the kobo fixes the issue is the proof that there's something wrong in the Kobo itself.

davidfor · 02-26-2014, 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploum

I don't have the FritzBox. I've tested with several completely unrelated routers and I can reproduce the problem on more than half of them.

But, the number of chipsets used by these routers is a lot less than the number router brands. And some of the router manufacturers use the basic firmware with very few modifications. If there is a common chipset for the routers it doesn't work with, that could explain it.

Quote:

The fact that a reboot of the kobo fixes the issue is the proof that there's something wrong in the Kobo itself.

Probably. But, because it works OK with some routers, it probably means that something the failing routers sends or expects from the Kobo on a reconnect is different from the other routers. Finding out that difference is what is needed.

moffattm · 02-27-2014, 05:13 PM

I agree with David, you can't really say that the fault lies entirely with the Kobo. These troublesome routers might not be following the specs 100% and that's what's tripping things up, or it could be a fault in the Kobo but that other routers are more forgiving and therefore don't trip the fault.

The fact that the majority of people don't have this fault shows that it's probably due to one or two faulty router chipsets.

ploum · 03-01-2014, 05:06 AM

I've ran multiple tests and the probability that it's not Kobo fault is very very very low. Let me explain:

1. The Kobo was working fine circa 2.6/2.8. The bug seems to have been introduced with 2.10 or 3.0. That's a proof that the bug appeared following a Kobo modification.

2. I did some tests with multiple routers, some very exotic but can now reproduce the problem with the main VDSL*router used in Belgium which is built on a completely different platform than cheap Wifi router. That's not a proof by itself but already a strong hint.

3. No action on the router can solve the problem. I tried :*rebooting the router, setting a longer/shorter lease time, removing all existing connections. It doesn't change anything. Even assigning a fix IP to the MAC*address of the Kobo doesn't solve the problem. If there was anything wrong with the router, rebooting it would likely fix the connection.

4. On the other hand, rebooting the Kobo works everytime. This is a definitive proof that what is preventing to connect is "inside" the Kobo and that a simple fix could be done on the Kobo side.

5. I've also successfully did the following :*reboot the Kobo -> Connect on faulty router -> Disconnect -> Try to reconnect (without success) -> Connect to a completely different router (it works) -> Retry with the faulty router : It works ! Once again, that's a strong hint that something is not cleared properly on the Kobo side.

6. It should be mentionned that, randomly, the Kobo will connect any way! It's very rare but, sometimes, I'm able to connect 2/3 times before it refuses to connect any more. In January, I even spent 3 days away with my Kobo and when I went back home, the Kobo connected without any problem for 3 weeks! Without rebooting, it suddenly started to work. After 3 weeks, I*rebooted the Kobo for whatever reason and, since then, the bug reappeared. This is the proof that, when it wants, the Kobo actually can connect. Nothing prevents it to connect from the router side.

7. The issue is very similar to one that plagued Android Nexus devices end 2012/early 2013. Nexus devices would be unable to reconnect to some routers when waking up. You had to disable/reenable wifi in order to be able to reconnect. I had this issue with some Nexus devices and some routers. From my small samples, the routers affected are the same. It should be mentionned that Google fixed this issue in Android itself. Unfortunatly, I cannot find the fix anymore.

With all of those hints/tests, I just can't find any explanation where the router would be faulty. But I can find many way of explaining the bug with a buggy IP stack on the Kobo or any bug. In facts, the bug might not be related at all to the kind of AP you have but the channel or the number of Wifi you've used with your Kobo or anything.

taming · 03-01-2014, 09:20 AM

From what I can see, Kobo does not seem to have any doubt that it is something they have to fix in their firmware. It doesn't matter if it broke because some routers are peculiar in some way. Kobo has to make it work again, and they know it.

ploum · 03-01-2014, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taming

From what I can see, Kobo does not seem to have any doubt that it is something they have to fix in their firmware. It doesn't matter if it broke because some routers are peculiar in some way. Kobo has to make it work again, and they know it.

Thanks for the clarification. I think we agree :-)

TechniSol · 03-02-2014, 04:54 PM

ploum,

It sounds like you've spent a lot of time researching the issue, certainly seems Kobo specific if it's doing it with a number of routers, hopefully Kobo will hit on the exact issue and be able to resolve it.

Someone mentioned that Kobo was trying to streamline or speed up connection times and that this bug may have been introduced at that time... If it works sometimes, perhaps some logic is failing in terms of whether to request a new connection rather than relying on the current lease still being valid, or something similar.

Good luck emulating the Orkin Man, Kobo.

PeterT · 03-02-2014, 05:14 PM

Currently I don't have the issue, but I have observed that if I activate a very short DHCP lease time (10 minutes) and ensure that the WiFi link is kept active, that the Kobo's do NOT renegotiate an extended lease at either the 1/2 time lease point, or at the lease expiration time....

paola · 04-11-2014, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdta09

I agree, it doesn't seem to be related to specific routers to me. It happens on my BT Broadband Hub and my Mum's Sky router.

same problem with my new Aura on a BT Boradband hub - bizarrely, the Mini, also on 3.2.0, works perfectly fine!

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02-25-2014, 04:09 AM	#31
ploum Zealot Posts: 147 Karma: 22818 Join Date: Apr 2013 Device: Pocketbook Touch HD 3 + koreader	I should mention that the issue is not fixed with 3.2.0

02-26-2014, 12:48 AM	#32
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	Is it just me, or does it seem slightly unfair to blame the whole issue on the Kobo firmware? Could the Fritz!Box firmware or settings also be contributing to the issue? Anyone checked with them? Just saying that when more than one device is involved, and the problem seems to be specific to being combined with another device or line of devices, both must be suspect unless you can verify who is not fully supporting a standard. Further, just because it may have worked before does not indicate which device is not currently meeting a standard. I'm not pointing a finger, just making a point.

02-26-2014, 07:05 AM	#33
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	In the past, when we had some router-specific issues, Kobo folks bought a bunch of routers to test on. I wonder if the Fritz box routers are findable in Toronto.

02-26-2014, 01:43 PM	#35
ploum Zealot Posts: 147 Karma: 22818 Join Date: Apr 2013 Device: Pocketbook Touch HD 3 + koreader	I don't have the FritzBox. I've tested with several completely unrelated routers and I can reproduce the problem on more than half of them. The fact that a reboot of the kobo fixes the issue is the proof that there's something wrong in the Kobo itself.

02-27-2014, 05:13 PM	#38
moffattm Addict Posts: 333 Karma: 1440670 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Device: Kobo Original, Kobo Glo	I agree with David, you can't really say that the fault lies entirely with the Kobo. These troublesome routers might not be following the specs 100% and that's what's tripping things up, or it could be a fault in the Kobo but that other routers are more forgiving and therefore don't trip the fault. The fact that the majority of people don't have this fault shows that it's probably due to one or two faulty router chipsets.

03-01-2014, 05:06 AM	#39
ploum Zealot Posts: 147 Karma: 22818 Join Date: Apr 2013 Device: Pocketbook Touch HD 3 + koreader	I've ran multiple tests and the probability that it's not Kobo fault is very very very low. Let me explain: 1. The Kobo was working fine circa 2.6/2.8. The bug seems to have been introduced with 2.10 or 3.0. That's a proof that the bug appeared following a Kobo modification. 2. I did some tests with multiple routers, some very exotic but can now reproduce the problem with the main VDSLrouter used in Belgium which is built on a completely different platform than cheap Wifi router. That's not a proof by itself but already a strong hint. 3. No action on the router can solve the problem. I tried :rebooting the router, setting a longer/shorter lease time, removing all existing connections. It doesn't change anything. Even assigning a fix IP to the MACaddress of the Kobo doesn't solve the problem. If there was anything wrong with the router, rebooting it would likely fix the connection. 4. On the other hand, rebooting the Kobo works everytime. This is a definitive proof that what is preventing to connect is "inside" the Kobo and that a simple fix could be done on the Kobo side. 5. I've also successfully did the following :reboot the Kobo -> Connect on faulty router -> Disconnect -> Try to reconnect (without success) -> Connect to a completely different router (it works) -> Retry with the faulty router : It works ! Once again, that's a strong hint that something is not cleared properly on the Kobo side. 6. It should be mentionned that, randomly, the Kobo will connect any way! It's very rare but, sometimes, I'm able to connect 2/3 times before it refuses to connect any more. In January, I even spent 3 days away with my Kobo and when I went back home, the Kobo connected without any problem for 3 weeks! Without rebooting, it suddenly started to work. After 3 weeks, I*rebooted the Kobo for whatever reason and, since then, the bug reappeared. This is the proof that, when it wants, the Kobo actually can connect. Nothing prevents it to connect from the router side. 7. The issue is very similar to one that plagued Android Nexus devices end 2012/early 2013. Nexus devices would be unable to reconnect to some routers when waking up. You had to disable/reenable wifi in order to be able to reconnect. I had this issue with some Nexus devices and some routers. From my small samples, the routers affected are the same. It should be mentionned that Google fixed this issue in Android itself. Unfortunatly, I cannot find the fix anymore. With all of those hints/tests, I just can't find any explanation where the router would be faulty. But I can find many way of explaining the bug with a buggy IP stack on the Kobo or any bug. In facts, the bug might not be related at all to the kind of AP you have but the channel or the number of Wifi you've used with your Kobo or anything.

03-01-2014, 09:20 AM	#40
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	From what I can see, Kobo does not seem to have any doubt that it is something they have to fix in their firmware. It doesn't matter if it broke because some routers are peculiar in some way. Kobo has to make it work again, and they know it.

03-02-2014, 04:54 PM	#42
TechniSol GranPohbah-Fezzes r cool! Posts: 1,056 Karma: 3151024 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Nook STRs, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo	ploum, It sounds like you've spent a lot of time researching the issue, certainly seems Kobo specific if it's doing it with a number of routers, hopefully Kobo will hit on the exact issue and be able to resolve it. Someone mentioned that Kobo was trying to streamline or speed up connection times and that this bug may have been introduced at that time... If it works sometimes, perhaps some logic is failing in terms of whether to request a new connection rather than relying on the current lease still being valid, or something similar. Good luck emulating the Orkin Man, Kobo.

03-02-2014, 05:14 PM	#43
PeterT Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,412 Karma: 78880114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Toronto Device: Libra H2O, Libra Colour	Currently I don't have the issue, but I have observed that if I activate a very short DHCP lease time (10 minutes) and ensure that the WiFi link is kept active, that the Kobo's do NOT renegotiate an extended lease at either the 1/2 time lease point, or at the lease expiration time....

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