WIFI problem with Firefox on Android
I support around 300 users. We are having difficulty with Firefox on our Android based Samsung phones. For instance my Samsung Rugby Pro (Running Android 4.1.2) and Galaxy S5 Active (running Android 4.4.4) are both having issues and I have had several reports from other users of similar problems. Basically what is happening is that Firefox will work with WIFI for about 1.5 minutes and then stop loading pages. If I turn the Wi-Fi off and then on again, Firefox will work with Wi-Fi for an additional 1.5 minutes then stop loading pages again. I have determined that this is not a Wi-Fi problem because all other application and browsers work over the Wi-Fi connection and do not have this problem. Also it is not Firefox that stops working because I do not experience this problem while on cellular data. The problem is specific to Firefox and Wi-Fi. My suspicion is that this problem has something to do with one of the more recent update (between December and now). I did not experience this problem with Firebox till recently. In fact I have a Note 1 still running version 17 of Firefox and it does not have this issue (Note 1 is on Android 4.0.4). Because this version of Firefox does not have a problem with WIFI it suggests something in the updates has caused the problem. Until now Firefox has worked very well with a web application that we use daily. We would like to continue using Firefox, but if a solution cannot be found we will have to switch approximately 300 users to a different browser (most likely Chrome). Please let me know if you have any advice.
All Replies (4)
In order to troubleshoot the network connection does this also happen on another browser, it does not sound like it. Therefore is there a proxy that has been added on the network that is required? And does this happen on another network as well?
If any recent changes have been made please clear the cache/recent history of the android device.
In order to investigate any errors it is possible to connect the device via remote debugging: Ok so I tried this finally and got it to work: this might be long but a shortened version:
- Connect the device to the computer via usb.
- In android settings go to About device and double tap on build id 7 times
- Go back and now see the developer menu
- Open and enable remote debugging
- Open up Firefox on the android go to settings > devloper tools and check remote debugging
- From Desktop go to Tools > Connect
- Open Tools > Console
- Click on gear and on the far right click on "Remote debugging for this session only"
- [adb sdk install required] in a terminal window
adb devices
make sure a device is listed.
- On desktop in the window that openned up when you opened up connect click on connect
- Immediately after run this in the terminal:
adb forward tcp:6000 localfilesystem:/data/data/org.mozilla.firefox/firefox-debugger-socket
- On the device hit enable on the connection
- should be connected on the connect and click on the remote tabs.
- the logs will start to show up in the console.
- If you need adb log cat logs run in the terminal before you start to test:
adb logcat > text.txt
- Open up the Web Console on the desktop to view any errors when the connection times out.
If the network does use a proxy consider the Mobile Proxy add on for your users to successfully connect. I hope this helps.
Modified by guigs
I was able to follow everything till step 6. Not sure where to do this step. could you please give me more info.
Also a little additional information. I work at a university and last week was spring break. During this week I did not have the problem. WIFI use during this time would have been lower. I also did not have the problem with my home network. The problem may have something to do with how Firefox handles things over a busy network. Chrome, the android browser and even Firefox version 17 (which I have on one old phone) all work flawlessly over WIFI. So WIFI itself is not the problem. It has something to do with how the most recent versions of Firefox interact with a busy WIFI network.
Right, the logs would include all details of rendering Firefox for Android and might be a mess, I can take a step back and ask if there is another way to troubleshoot connectivity in Firefox for Android, the following logs that would filter is included in the adb command at the bottom:
There were two resources recommended to use in order to get a better idea:
- https://wiki.mozilla.org/Mobile/Fenne.../Android#PR_Logging
- https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/d.../HTTP_logging
The adb command would be:
adb shell am start -a android.activity.MAIN -n org.mozilla.fennec_$USER/.App --es env0 NSPR_LOG_MODULES=timestamp,nsHttp:5,nsSocketTransport:5,nsStreamPump:5,nsHostResolver:5 --es env1 NSPR_LOG_FILE=/mnt/sdcard/log.txt
https://pastebin.mozilla.org/ is what is used to share logs.
And to revise step 4-> Open the Web Console on the Desktop computer the mobile device is connected to. Click on the gear icon in the menu and on the far right column (3rd at the bottom) make sure "enable remote debugging" is enabled.
OK, I think I might have a different version of Firefox than you are using. Your instructions do not match what I have on my screen. For instance for step 6 I have nothing that says "tools" so I can not complete steps 6, 7 and 8. I just downloaded Firefox 37 for both the phone and computer. Could you please send instructions for Firefox 37. Also I just do phone support meaning I help users with general phone problems. I am not a developer so I have no knowledge of the development side which we seem to be getting into. Additionally I do not generally use Firefox as my desktop browser so I am not familiar with it the terms used to describe part of it or the menu structure. I would be happy to help fix the problem, but I need detailed and very clear instructions.
On a brighter note I was able to complete step 9 by following the instruction on the website and watching a how to video.
Just can't figure out were to go to do steps 6 to 8.
Thanks for your help
Ken