Sony Tablet S - Nothing But Problems

[kolotyluk]

OK, I just spent $12,000 on a new home entertainment system at the Sony Style store. I'm still waiting for it to be delivered, but they did give a Sony Tablet S to take home and play with.

My first experience with Android was my Motorola Milestone phone. I was amazed at how simple it was to set up and how well it worked.

My experience with the Sony Tablet S has been much the opposite, and left me wondering:

1. Is my particular device malfunctioning?
2. Does the Sony Tablet S just suffer from bad design/implementation?
3. Does the tablet version of Android just suck in general?

The biggest problem I have is the network. I have 4 other WiFi devices in my home and they all work fine with few problems. My Sony Tablet S is constantly having network problems. It connects to my network easy enough, but the connection does not seem to be stable. I still cannot understand exactly what the little blue triangle in the lower right corner is telling me as I have not found a user guide yet, but it seems related to the WiFi, and it does not seem happy.

One of the common symptoms is I keep getting messages like "cannot connect to server" or "server unavailable" from a variety of applications. It took over an hour to configure 3 of my 4 e-mail accounts because of these problems, and I still cannot get the last one configured.

Another problem I had was trying to apply the Android 3.2 update. The connection was impossibly slow and kept cutting out. Only later did I find that the default WiFi setting is to disable WiFi when the screen blanks. Who ever decided on that default deserves a kick in the bum. The default should be disable the WiFi when charger in not plugged in and the screen blanks. In particular, the system upgrade application should be smart enough to do this or warn you to do this. As it was it took me two days to finally perform a successful 3.2 upgrade.

I remember the iPhone 4 had antenna problems which lead to a lot of misery for many people. Does the Sony Tablet S have a pathological antenna design/implementation, or is it just my particular device?

Overall my experience with Android 3.2 and Sony's other features is abysmal compared to my phone. There are many design flaws in many of the user interfaces, in particular insufficient feedback when you are waiting for something - and I seem to spend most of my time waiting for this device to start and/or finish something. I'm a Software Architect and I design and implement graphical user interfaces (among other things) - so dealing with these problems is particularly frustrating because most of the solutions are so simple I can only assume the designers/implementers were too dumb or lazy to care about making this product easy to use with minimal user frustration.

- Eric

 

[Spider]

Hello Eric, welcome to Android Tablets and congratulations on your new tablet. Nice of you to become a member of the forum. Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with the new tablet. I'm moving your thread to the Sony Tablet S section to see if the folks over there can help you get things sorted out. Good luck!

 

[jbenham]

Do not know how much help any Sony S owners will be. With all of the reviews, posts and such that I have read in the last few months, there has not been a hint of problems such as described. The design is awesmome and the connectivity has been flawless.

Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Android Tablet Forum

 

[Snarl]

My Sony S has been working flawlessly on my home WIFI Network (NETGear Router), so as a rule I think they are pretty good. Could you have a defective unit ? or possibly a setting of some kind out of whack ?

 

[CheerfulLuke]

What kind of router are you using and how is it setup? Is is set up using a mixed mode or not? I would HIGHLY suggest trying it on a different wifi network (and router).., for this purpose cheaper (I.e. less sophisticated) would be the best test. I have a Cisco (Linksys) E4200 and have been having to tweak settings to get it to work as well on my tablet as my girlfriends a/b/g router (though everything else in my house works fine). Seems like the tablet doesn't handle mixed-mode stuff very well. I'm a computer engineer myself and have isolated my issues to my router settings, though I still don't have them perfect (probably) it's seems much better. I'll post an email that I got from Sony about Wifi stuff. It's admittedly a shotgun email where the tech lists pretty much all the possibilities and it's up to the user to determine where to go... But it's good info to have all in one place. If you change router settings, don't forget to reboot your router.

 

[CheerfulLuke]

Thank you for contacting Sony Support.

I'm sorry that the Wi-Fi connection is not working as expected. Since, you are trying to download a large file; it may take more time to download a file in the tablet. In that case, I suggest that you stop all other running applications in the tablet as it?ll increase the speed of the process. I have provided a link with the information to manually stop or close a running application:

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1024132

NOTE: The download process may also take more time, as well as streaming, if you are trying to access the internet while downloading a large file.

If the connection is intermittent or disconnects for unknown reasons, follow these troubleshooting steps:

1. Turn off and then turn ON the Wi-Fi network. I've provided a link with the information to connect to a Wi-Fi network:

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1022958

2. Shut down the tablet and then turn it ON.
3. Reset the wireless router or access point and your cable or DSL modem by removing and reconnecting the AC power source.
4. Set router channel to a manual setting instead of AUTO.
5. Set router to G or N instead of mixed or AUTO
6. Disable security on the router.
7. Now use the Wi-Fi App checker. I've provided a link with the information to troubleshoot a wireless network connection using the Wi-Fi Checker application:

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1022962

8. Deleting the current network and try to add it again. You may try setting up a Static IP address. Please follow the steps to set the Static IP address in the Tablet:
1. Tap on Apps on the right top corner.
2. Tap on Settings.
3. Tap on Wireless and networks.
4. Tap the Wi-Fi settings.
5. Tap and hold the network you want to modify.
6. Tap Modify network.
7. Tap on IP settings (DHCP).
8. Tap on Static.
9. Tap on IP address to enter the new Static IP address and save.

9. Please ensure that you have entered the correct security key. I've provided a link with the information to use a computer to find a forgotten Security Password or Passphrase for a wireless connection:

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1022900

NOTE: It's required to set the "Wi-Fi disconnect policy" to Never.

Since, the tablet is running on 3.2 OS, there is no further update available for the tablet.

If the issue still persists perform a soft reset. I have provided another link with the information to perform a reset procedure:

http://www.kb.sony.com/selfservice/documentLink.do?externalId=C1023464

If the issue still did not resolve, you may try factory data reset. Steps for factory data reset are mentioned on the above provided link.

NOTE: A factory data reset procedure will erase all user data from the internal storage, including all added Google and other email accounts, system and application settings, and all downloaded applications or books, it is recommended that you backup all user data to a computer or to SD card media before beginning.

 

[Tzarrr]

No problem at all with the wi-fi connection of my Sony S. I suggest you drop by a coffee shop or any other place where wi-fi is available and test if you have the same problem but on the router different from your home.


Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Android Tablet Forum

 

[matt999]

I had the exact same problem with my new tablet S. I called Sony and got nowhere fast. The one good thing was they pointed me to a website called speedtest.net. From this I determined that my download speed was terrible but my upload speed was fine. Then I googled that condition, and found some potential solutions.

So the bottom line is: I had to revert my "N" router back to "G" (54 Mbps). There must be something with either my router or the tablet. But for now I guess I have to live with "G" until I figure it out.

Now I love my Sony tablet - it actually works!

- Matt

 

[CheerfulLuke]

I was able to keep my N network, there just must be some setting that the Sony S just doesn't like. Mine is working great now after me tweaks!

 

[kolotyluk]

OK, some progress. I reconfigured my router from mixed mode b, g, n to just g & n and my tablet seems to be more happy now. The little WiFi indicator in the lower right seems more happy and is staying in the blue, whereas before it kept going gray. Surfing around the internet seems much more stable now.

I ran a network speed test and got 4.7 Mbps download and 2.1 Mbps upload - which are 'poor' results. When I go into the wireless settings on the tablet it says the link is 56 Mpbs. It could be that while the link is 56 Mbps, the processor in the tablet is unable to reach that speed. Has anyone else run a speed test with their tablet? What kind of performance did you get?

@CheerfulLuke - I am using a dlink 655. It seems it does not like b/g/n mixed mode, but is ok with g/n mixed mode. Maybe the Sony Tablet S does not like 'b' ???

Thanks so much for the comments, especially CheerfulLuke. I'll let you know if I learn anything more.

 

[CheerfulLuke]

I'm not 100% sure what the tab finds unsavory about 'b' but that's a good observation.

As for the speed test, how did you do this? I suspect you are hitting the limits of your plan from your ISP. When I speed test mine I get 10 down and 1.2 up (this is the max I can get based on where I live). 2.1 up is amazing for residential IMO. I suggest speed testing at different times a day and seeing what you get (and compare to what you get on a windows box). Www.speakeasy.net is a website that can also work just to see.

 

[kolotyluk]

I'm not 100% sure what the tab finds unsavory about 'b' but that's a good observation.

As for the speed test, how did you do this? I suspect you are hitting the limits of your plan from your ISP. When I speed test mine I get 10 down and 1.2 up (this is the max I can get based on where I live). 2.1 up is amazing for residential IMO. I suggest speed testing at different times a day and seeing what you get (and compare to what you get on a windows box). Www.speakeasy.net is a website that can also work just to see.

For the speed test I use Shaw Speedtest (Shaw is my ISP). From my desktop computer (hardwired) I get 20.1 Mbps download and 2.23 upload - which is completely consistent with the plan I am on. Some days I get 30 Mbps.

I just ran the same test (twice) on my Sony Table S again and got 4.8 Mpbs download and 2.11 upload. This is still only 1/4 the speed of my ISP. I performed the test 3 metres from my router. 4.8 Mbps is only half of what you are reporting.

I also just ran the same test (twice) on my Dell laptop (10m from the router) and got 16.1 download and 2.2 upload. One difference is that the Dell is 802.11n whereas the Sony Tablet S (I suspect) only supports 802.11.g. I would not have thought that should make a difference as my tablet is reporting 54 Mbps on the stream (which exceeds the speed of my ISP) and with 802.11n you are allowed up to four 54 Mpbs streams.

Some more interesting results - my XBR-65HX929 I got 4.8 Mbps and my wife's iPad got 5.4 Mbps. I had to use a different test as these devices do not support Flash. For my Motorola Milestone got 1.5 down and 0.7 up (using speedtest.shaw.ca).

No doubt the processor speed in these devices will also affect performance. Also the WiFi seems to make a difference as the laptop has a high performance processor and should not be CPU constrained.

CheerfulLuke, could you please retest your Sony Tablet S to confirm 10 Mbps

Cheers, Eric

 

[CheerfulLuke]

After retesting on my Sony S it seems consistently at 5 down and 1 up which is about what you see. My 1 up is limited by my ISP...

Sent from my Sony Tablet S using Tapatalk

 

[kolotyluk]

Thanks for the update CheerfulLuke - I think my expectations of network performance of mobile devices is now more realistic.

Sadly, my wife's iPad 1 still trumps my Sony Tablet S in terms of network speed :-(

Sadly, my XBR-65HX929 has miserable WiFi speed. I'll have to attach it with cable and see if that makes a difference.

Cheers, Eric

 

[J515OP]

For the speed test I use Shaw Speedtest (Shaw is my ISP). From my desktop computer (hardwired) I get 20.1 Mbps download and 2.23 upload - which is completely consistent with the plan I am on. Some days I get 30 Mbps.

I just ran the same test (twice) on my Sony Table S again and got 4.8 Mpbs download and 2.11 upload. This is still only 1/4 the speed of my ISP. I performed the test 3 metres from my router. 4.8 Mbps is only half of what you are reporting.

Try different test sites other than your ISP's some may handle mobile differently. Just Google search internet speed test and several of the top places will pull up. Speakeasy is one of them. I know that some of the apps for testing the internet connection have flaws and limit the speed. For best results go through your browser and make sure you are in desktop browser mode and not mobile. It sounds like you are accessing on a mobile browser basis from each of the "slower" devices.

I also just ran the same test (twice) on my Dell laptop (10m from the router) and got 16.1 download and 2.2 upload. One difference is that the Dell is 802.11n whereas the Sony Tablet S (I suspect) only supports 802.11.g. I would not have thought that should make a difference as my tablet is reporting 54 Mbps on the stream (which exceeds the speed of my ISP) and with 802.11n you are allowed up to four 54 Mpbs streams.

You are quoting the theoretical max wifi speeds of the routers. Reality is usually much lower but usually still sufficiently high to pass through the bandwidth that most people see from their ISP which is normally the bottle neck.

Some more interesting results - my XBR-65HX929 I got 4.8 Mbps and my wife's iPad got 5.4 Mbps. I had to use a different test as these devices do not support Flash. For my Motorola Milestone got 1.5 down and 0.7 up (using speedtest.shaw.ca).

4.8 and 5.4 are pretty close I wouldn't say the iPad is really "trumping" the Sony. They are in the same range.

No doubt the processor speed in these devices will also affect performance. Also the WiFi seems to make a difference as the laptop has a high performance processor and should not be CPU constrained.

CheerfulLuke, could you please retest your Sony Tablet S to confirm 10 Mbps

Cheers, Eric

The Motorola is certainly trumped. Not sure if that is due to the wifi standard it is running or the hardware.

Definitely try a couple of sites to make sure there isn't an issue with how your ISP processes mobile tests and definitely try to use a browser in desktop mode to see what happens. You have good broadband numbers in general on both up and down and should be able to see all of that on your pcs and tablets under the right conditions.

JP