Le Pan wifi problem

[iamtribble]

I got my Le Pan a few weeks ago and really love it except for this one major problem. When I turned it on for the first time at home, it immediately found my wifi and connected. Then I took it to the coffee shop, where it connected. I brought it back home and it will no longer recognize my home wifi. I googled this problem and found it happens a lot to android OS tablets and phones. I emailed customer support and they sent back some instructions to upgrade the firmware that I am pretty sure I can't do (involves root). I also asked why the menu buttons don't light up in low light and they suggested the same firmware update. Here are the directions they sent and is it as hard as it looks? And even if I attempt the update, will it actually help my problem?


"You may try a firmware upgrade to the latest. This may help with the two problems you have.

The current version of our newest firmware is 4431. You can check your current version by going to Menu->Settings->About tablet-> Build number. Updating the firmware is completely optional and will erase and wipe out everything that is saved in the internal memory of the tablet. It is strongly suggested to back up all files and apps before performing the update. You will have to download these files onto your PC first:

Download 4431.rar from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

1. Click "Regular Download" in blue (to the left of the green "Premium Download" button)
2. Click "Click here to start download from sendspace" in blue (above the green "Share" button)

PDF of Update instructions:

Download Update Instructions.pdf from Sendspace.com - send big files the easy way

1. Download files; after download is complete, unzip all the files and put them directly onto the root of your MicroSD card. You might need to download WinRAR(trial version) or other unzipping software to extract files.
2. Insert the MicroSD card into your Le Pan tablet.
3. Download and follow the following update instructions.

When installing the firmware, the tablet must be turned off. Disconnect it from the usb charger or computer so that nothing is connected to it. Hold down the volume down button ( - ) then the power button ( | ); once the loading screen turns on let go of the power button first ( | ) then the volume down button ( - ). You can plug the charger back in once the installation screen appears.

When firmware update finishes, go to file manager and install the 6 preset apps:
-Adobe Reader
-Adobe Flash
-App Help
-Google Books
-Kindle
-iReader
________________

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thank you."

 

[rhitee93]

It is not hard. The "Root" mentioned is the root directory of the SD card, and as in "Rooting" your tablet. Root directory basically means not in any folder.

If you extract the .zip files to the SD card, and follow the instructions for turning on while holding the Volume button, it will guide you through the rest.

I did the update yesterday, but it does not turn on the buttons in low light situations. I hope they add that some day!

 

[iamtribble]

Thanks rhitee, I am hoping if I do figure it out that it will solve the wifi problem. Are there any other benefits for doing the upgrade?

 

[rhitee93]

I don't really know what the other benefits of the latest firmware are. I just bought my tablet, and figured it was a good time to update it before I got the tablet all loaded down with stuff.

I had some minor wifi issues last night that may be related to signal strength. I brought it in to work this morning, and it has been streaming video for over an hour now without missing a beat. I'll see what happens tonight when I go back to my home network.

 

[Pamster]

Glad to hear that it's working better this morning after you updated it rhitee, I'm anxious to hear what happens when you try to reconnect to your home wifi network though. *Crossing fingers* Hope it's working better there too.

Welcome to the board iamtribble, love your name. Glad you could join us and share the links and information you did here. I hope you're able to solve your connectivity issues with this update. Keep us posted on what happens, as my hubby is now looking into the Lepan tablet so that means I am interested in all things Lepan now too.

 

[gfinockio]

The WiFi problem is common to Android 2.2 devices - phones and tablet alike. It has to do with the type of protection you have on your WiFi router. It will work fine with WEP, but has issues with WPA and WPA2, especially "enterprise" options. There are a few fixes for different devices out there, but to be honest I haven't looked into it enough yet to see if any of them reliably fix the issue on the Le Pan.

My observation is that the problem stems from the DHCP side of things - getting an IP address from the router. If anyone else has this issue, or more importantly a fix that is reliable, let us know?

 

[frankthetank]

tribble - It really isn't a difficult process. It only takes a few minutes....just follow the instructions one at a time and you will see it's not as overwhelming as it seems.

After the update my keyboard seemed to be a little more repsonsive. It sometimes lagged a bit but I have not experienced the problem since updating the firmware. It did not fix the buttons not being lit, I too would welcome that addition.

Let me also add that you should update it sooner than later because it will wipe out everything you've loaded or customized and you pretty much start from scratch. Although the marketplace keeps your items under "menu" > "my apps" for reloading. Just a thought.

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.

 

[iamtribble]

And to think I was afraid to post here! Thanks to all for the replies, I feel a little better about doing the upgrade. One more question, it it possible to change my router to wep instead of WPA/WPA2? Or is that not a good idea even if possible?

 

[frankthetank]

And to think I was afraid to post here! Thanks to all for the replies, I feel a little better about doing the upgrade. One more question, it it possible to change my router to wep instead of WPA/WPA2? Or is that not a good idea even if possible?

Doing a quick Google search it appears that most if not all routers support WEP and it can be changed. Check your paperwork from your router and see how to select the WEP encryption option. You will have to set up your router again and all your wireless devices once the change is made.

I am using WEP and have not experienced any issues with my wifi. I can get at least 2 out of 3 bars no matter where I am in the house. Hopefully, that will help fix your wifi issue.

 

[rhitee93]

I had to change my network back over to WEP to get good reliability with my LePan. It worked OK with WPA for occasional data, but after streaming for a few minutes, it would hang up and take the network down with it.

This can't be all Froyo related. My HTC Incredible is running 2.2, and it has never had an issues with the WPA setup even when streaming.

I should add that I am using a Belkin N300 router. I have heard elsewhere that the WPA issues are more likely with certain routers.

 

[iamtribble]

I am curious as to why only some of us seem to have the wifi problem. Could it be because some people's tablets haven't left the house yet to connect to an open network? I would of never known I had a problem as my home wifi worked fine until I took the tablet out to play. Or is it our router brands?

 

[gfinockio]

I am curious as to why only some of us seem to have the wifi problem. Could it be because some people's tablets haven't left the house yet to connect to an open network? I would of never known I had a problem as my home wifi worked fine until I took the tablet out to play. Or is it our router brands?

Nope - I've been on an open network, a WEP network, a WPA network and a WPA2 network. Only problems with the last two.

 

[theman7676]

hey all

when i am trying to make the firmware upgrade, however every time i m trying to reach the upgrade page (when starting the device with volume down and power bottom, i only get on the new screen the option to either re boot or to reset factory settings....
how do i actually proceed with the firmware upgrade?

will appreciate the help

 

[Sir_Cusfreak]

I have been on an open public network, a friend's WEP, and both my office and my home network are WPA2. I have not had a problem with any of them, before or after switching networks. At home I use an older Cisco E2000 router. (Stop laughing at me. I'll upgrade someday.)

 

[iamtribble]

Yippee, I fixed my wpa wifi problem. I downloaded WirelessKeyView and it pulled 6 Hex and ASCII keys from my lap top. I tried each key on my Le Pan and the third one worked. So know I can connect at home again. Since I didn't have this problem until I connected to an open network at the coffee shop, I wonder if I take my tablet out and connect to an open network again, if I will have to reenter the key when I try to log on at home again.

Now if I could only get the menu buttons to light up in the dark......