K4NT turns WiFi on by itself

snape · 04-05-2015, 04:45 PM

This has happened 3 times now and I'm at a loss as to why it's happening or how to make it stop.

I have a K4 black non-touch that randomly turns WiFi on by itself. I know I've switched it to airplane mode but after a few days I'll turn it on and see that WiFi is back on. I'm POSITIVE that airplane mode was on because a) this has happened before so I'm extra careful to check, and b) I often have overdue library books on there that I'm still working on and I need it to NOT sync and thus delete them.

Has anyone experienced this or know how to prevent it from happening?

silverraven · 04-05-2015, 07:45 PM

My parents both have the K4nt Black. Mom swears she did not turn on the wifi, but I've found it on a couple of times. Now dad is 89 and mom is 88 so I won't swear that it didn't get accidentally turned on, but honestly they are pretty good about not touching buttons that they aren't suppose to.
Hmmmm, interesting....
S

Glorfindel · 04-05-2015, 09:03 PM

Do you have the SO version? Viewing ads will turn on wireless.

snape · 04-06-2015, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glorfindel

Do you have the SO version? Viewing ads will turn on wireless.

I do have the SO version, but I completely ignore the ads. The few times I've selected information about an ad on my PW, it gave me a message that wireless needed to be turned on to access additional information. I assume the K4 would generate a similar message so it would be obvious that WiFi was being activated.

Also, each time I've discovered that WiFi was on, it was after the device had been off for several days and I hadn't touched it. It's on the sleep screen, I push the button on the bottom to wake it up, and I see my battery is a bit depleted and the WiFi icon is active. Plus, my library book is already long gone.

The battery is less of an issue, but now I need to get back in line for a copy of the book.

I'll keep digging around for a reason why this might be happening, and will post if I find anything.

shalym · 04-07-2015, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snape

I do have the SO version, but I completely ignore the ads. The few times I've selected information about an ad on my PW, it gave me a message that wireless needed to be turned on to access additional information. I assume the K4 would generate a similar message so it would be obvious that WiFi was being activated.

Also, each time I've discovered that WiFi was on, it was after the device had been off for several days and I hadn't touched it. It's on the sleep screen, I push the button on the bottom to wake it up, and I see my battery is a bit depleted and the WiFi icon is active. Plus, my library book is already long gone.

The battery is less of an issue, but now I need to get back in line for a copy of the book.

I'll keep digging around for a reason why this might be happening, and will post if I find anything.

This kept happening to my cousin, as well, and we couldn't figure it out for a long time. What happens is that when the device is sleeping with an ad on the screen, if you press the center of the navigation button at the bottom of the device it will turn on wifi so that you can view the ad. It doesn't ask, it just does it.

Shari

snape · 04-07-2015, 12:40 PM

Interesting. It's in a case with a fairly rigid cover and it sits on a shelf that doesn't see any other action, so how the center button is getting pressed is a mystery to me. It isn't happening when I pick it up -- it takes quite a while for my K4 to establish a WiFi handshake, and by the time I turn it on everything is already in full swing so it has obviously been on for a while.

I've solved the library book problem when at home by removing it from the router's MAC address filter. I'll need to re-add it each time I want to connect but that's just how it will need to be. Preventing it from turning itself on while traveling will still be an issue. Not sure what I'll do about that.

Sirtel · 04-07-2015, 05:29 PM

Probably it happens because of ads. I have three kindles without ads and they never connect to wifi by themselves. It hasn't happened even once in the 3,5 years I've been a kindle owner.
So if you want to be absolutely sure, possibly the only way is to get rid of ads.

eschwartz · 04-07-2015, 08:38 PM

You could also try BBB Firewall.

rcentros · 04-13-2015, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Probably it happens because of ads. I have three kindles without ads and they never connect to wifi by themselves. It hasn't happened even once in the 3,5 years I've been a kindle owner.
So if you want to be absolutely sure, possibly the only way is to get rid of ads.

Will Airport Mode keep WiFi from coming on? It should, I think.

bonacker · 04-13-2015, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snape

Preventing it from turning itself on while traveling will still be an issue. Not sure what I'll do about that.

Before any of the free or paid WiFi hotspots I've used in recent memory will connect you to the internet, they will initially "hijack" you to their login page so you would only get connected to the internet at a random hotspot if it didn't first hijack the browser to its own page. I think those hotspots are rare to non-existant these days as are private "open" routers although you could always be unlucky and pass by one. If you're worried about that you could make a Farraday cage by wrapping the Kindle in tin foil to prevent it from making radio contact to anything.

HarryT · 04-13-2015, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcentros

Will Airport Mode keep WiFi from coming on? It should, I think.

Yes, it definitely should do.

bonacker · 04-13-2015, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, it [ed. airplane mode] definitely should do.

The O.P. in his original post stated, "I'm POSITIVE that airplane mode was on ." He gave reasons why he was so confident. Three posters with similar models reported the same issue.

snape · 04-13-2015, 04:00 PM

If there's a way to toggle WiFi on/off other than the airplane mode option, then I've never used it. The top menu option is to turn airplane mode on and that's what I've always done on the K4 as well as my PW(s), all of which are SO models. This particular unit is the only one I've ever had this problem with, which is why I'm stumped as to why it's happening. WiFi is only turned on when I need to connect -- about once every month or so -- and it is very deliberately turned off when I'm finished. The little airplane is displayed when I'm done.

@eschwartz -- thanks for the link, though I don't know what that is or how it works. For now I've solved the problem at home, and I think I'll just not take the K4 with me when I travel. My PW has never exhibited the same behavior, making it my default reader for traveling, I guess.

rcentros · 04-13-2015, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonacker

The O.P. in his original post stated, "I'm POSITIVE that airplane mode was on ." He gave reasons why he was so confident. Three posters with similar models reported the same issue.

It was my fault for forgetting the point made in the original post. eschwartz was just saying (to me) that it should work, meaning "yeah, that's the way it's supposed to work." It was me who was confused.

eschwartz · 04-14-2015, 12:07 AM

not me, HarryT.

@snape -- BBB Firewall is a KUAL addon that should block connections to Amazon's servers. AFAIK it should work on the K4NT, and it is a Kindle-side alternative to setting the block in the router.

Then you can take it traveling, and if the WiFi turns on (whyever it does, of course) -- it still cannot connect to Amazon and return your books.

04-05-2015, 04:45 PM	#1
snape Language Lover Posts: 111 Karma: 71544 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Current: PRS-350, Kindle PW // Previous: PRS-505, Kindle 1, Kindle 2	K4NT turns WiFi on by itself This has happened 3 times now and I'm at a loss as to why it's happening or how to make it stop. I have a K4 black non-touch that randomly turns WiFi on by itself. I know I've switched it to airplane mode but after a few days I'll turn it on and see that WiFi is back on. I'm POSITIVE that airplane mode was on because a) this has happened before so I'm extra careful to check, and b) I often have overdue library books on there that I'm still working on and I need it to NOT sync and thus delete them. Has anyone experienced this or know how to prevent it from happening?

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04-05-2015, 07:45 PM	#2
silverraven Guru Posts: 970 Karma: 3438612 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle 4NTB x 4	My parents both have the K4nt Black. Mom swears she did not turn on the wifi, but I've found it on a couple of times. Now dad is 89 and mom is 88 so I won't swear that it didn't get accidentally turned on, but honestly they are pretty good about not touching buttons that they aren't suppose to. Hmmmm, interesting.... S

04-05-2015, 09:03 PM	#3
Glorfindel Force-Aware Elf Posts: 4,762 Karma: 11557898 Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Valinor Device: Kindle 4 w/SO	Do you have the SO version? Viewing ads will turn on wireless.

04-07-2015, 12:40 PM	#6
snape Language Lover Posts: 111 Karma: 71544 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Current: PRS-350, Kindle PW // Previous: PRS-505, Kindle 1, Kindle 2	Interesting. It's in a case with a fairly rigid cover and it sits on a shelf that doesn't see any other action, so how the center button is getting pressed is a mystery to me. It isn't happening when I pick it up -- it takes quite a while for my K4 to establish a WiFi handshake, and by the time I turn it on everything is already in full swing so it has obviously been on for a while. I've solved the library book problem when at home by removing it from the router's MAC address filter. I'll need to re-add it each time I want to connect but that's just how it will need to be. Preventing it from turning itself on while traveling will still be an issue. Not sure what I'll do about that.

04-07-2015, 05:29 PM	#7
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,220 Karma: 237677417 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Probably it happens because of ads. I have three kindles without ads and they never connect to wifi by themselves. It hasn't happened even once in the 3,5 years I've been a kindle owner. So if you want to be absolutely sure, possibly the only way is to get rid of ads.

04-07-2015, 08:38 PM	#8
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	You could also try BBB Firewall.

04-13-2015, 04:00 PM	#13
snape Language Lover Posts: 111 Karma: 71544 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Current: PRS-350, Kindle PW // Previous: PRS-505, Kindle 1, Kindle 2	If there's a way to toggle WiFi on/off other than the airplane mode option, then I've never used it. The top menu option is to turn airplane mode on and that's what I've always done on the K4 as well as my PW(s), all of which are SO models. This particular unit is the only one I've ever had this problem with, which is why I'm stumped as to why it's happening. WiFi is only turned on when I need to connect -- about once every month or so -- and it is very deliberately turned off when I'm finished. The little airplane is displayed when I'm done. @eschwartz -- thanks for the link, though I don't know what that is or how it works. For now I've solved the problem at home, and I think I'll just not take the K4 with me when I travel. My PW has never exhibited the same behavior, making it my default reader for traveling, I guess.

04-14-2015, 12:07 AM	#15
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,421 Karma: 85400180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	not me, HarryT. @snape -- BBB Firewall is a KUAL addon that should block connections to Amazon's servers. AFAIK it should work on the K4NT, and it is a Kindle-side alternative to setting the block in the router. Then you can take it traveling, and if the WiFi turns on (whyever it does, of course) -- it still cannot connect to Amazon and return your books.

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