Wi-Fi connection and Bluetooth file transfer problems ( Android-to-WindowsXP )

[SergeyKostrov]

[ Updated on December 17th, 2012 ]

I have a Wi-Fi connection problem with an Android device. So, a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.0 (7") could not connect to:
[cpp]
Security-Enabled Computer-to-Computer network ( over Wi-Fi )
Network Authentication: Open
Data Encryption: WEP
[/cpp]
Note: The device doesn't see that type of network!

However, it could connect to:
[cpp]
   Security-enabled wireless network
   Security-enabled wireless network (WPA)
   Security-enabled wireless network (WPA2)
   Unsecured wireless network
[/cpp]
Note: Verified in many places like cafees, airports, University of Calgary campus, etc.

Any ideas, tips or suggestions? Thank you in advance.

[ Summary as of December 17th, 2012 ]

A test with a MacBook ( Mac OS X v10.7.5 ) notebook was finally done and it successfully detected and connected to our Security-Enabled Computer-to-Computer network ( over Wi-Fi / Open / WEP ) created between several computers with Windows XP and Windows 7 OSs. The test was completed in less than 2 minutes without any issues and problems.

[ Summary as of December 4th, 2012 ]

- An update from Samsung for Android OS v4.0.4 ICS was recently installed on the tablet

- Wi-Fi Advanced Configuration Editor was installed on the tablet
  The application allows to see and edit advanced settings of a Wi-Fi network and it is
  downloaded from: market.android.com/details?id=org.marcus905.wifi.ace

- Linksys 'Compact Wireless-G USB Network' adapters are used on some desktop computers with Windows XP

- The following advanced settings of the 'Compact Wireless-G USB Network' adapter:

   NetworkType
   ShowHiddenSSID
   WEPKeyUse
   SmartScan
   IEEE80211H
   WirelessMode
   CountryRegion
   CountryRegionABand
   AutoChannelSelect
   Channel

   are considered as the most important and were modified many times during many tests

   Note 1: NetworkType is set to 802.11 Ad Hoc

   Note 2: Widest possible ranges for channels were selected:

   CountryRegion ( Country Region 11G ) - #5 Channel ( 1 - 14 )
   CountryRegionABand ( Country Region 11A ) - #7 Channel ( 36 - 165 )

- Microsoft Network Monitor v3.4 was used on some desktop computers with Windows XP

- A Wi-Fi Signal Strength is always 'Excellent'

- A workaround based on a Bluetooth connection was considered, it works and tested. However, a transmittion speed and a distance between tablets and computers are two significant constraints:

  A transmittion speed limitation of the Bluetooth connection - it takes too long to transmit large data files

  A distance limitation of the Bluetooth connection - a tablet could be away ( many meters ) from a computer with Windows platform
  Notes:
  - That computer could be considered as a 'Bluetooth Server'
  - Some number of Bluetooth adapters are also needed 

[SergeyKostrov]

Hi everybody, I updated the first post of the thread with additional details. Please also take a look at all the rest questions in the following posts. Thanks in advance.

[SergeyKostrov]

I understood that Android OS has some 'WAN Ping Blocking' functionality. Is it similar to 'TCP/IP Filtering' on a Windows platform?

[SergeyKostrov]

What if 'TCP/IP Filtering' has to be changed on a Windows platform ( in Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog )? What if some TCP/IP port needs to be open / used on a Windows platform? Note: Currently it is in Disabled state on all computers with Windows platform

[SergeyKostrov]

I found a very interesting post at: androidforums.com/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10/545825-wep-wifi-connection-problem.html A person had a problem with two Android phones and he clearly stated that '...this solution may not help all the other WEP problems...'. // Post #27 ... I just thought of posting my solution here as well in order to help others that might face this problem in the future. After troubleshooting the problem for over two months, I have finally been able to resolve the problem with the help of Belkin technical support engineer. Just for clarification, the problem is neither with the phones nor the router. It is to do with the Wifi settings that can be accessed via the gateway i/p address ( In my case it was: 192.168.2.1 ). I have followed the below steps that made it work for me ( Please note that this solution may not help all the other WEP problems, it just seemed to help in my case. The best idea is to check up with your router's technical support department unless there is a problem with your phone ). Wifi settings changed: 1) Disabled Firewall 2) Disabled WAN Ping Blocking 3) The most important part: - Under Security, I changed the Wireless channel from '10' to '9'. - Changed the Configuration from "802.11 b/g/n" to "802.11 g only". - Changed the SSID name from say: "Belkin-Router" to "Belkin". 4) Applied changes... ...phones got instantly connected ... It is similar to my case but I have a problem with Android tablet which can't connect to a Windows 'Security-enabled computer-to-computer' Wi-Fi network with many Windows desktop computers.

[SergeyKostrov]

Here is another post at: androidforums.com/sony-ericsson-xperia-x10/545825-wep-wifi-connection-problem.html // Post #31 ... First step - DON'T USE WEP It is unsecure and old outdated technology. Use WPA or WPA2 with a passphrase ... Note: I tried and it didn't help in my case. Also, if WEP is '...old outdated technology...' why does Microsoft still use it? I wonder who declared WEP as the outdated technology?

[SergeyKostrov]

Hi Iliya, >>...Few times I wanted to dig into deeper layer of NDIS protocol stack , but windbg was not helpful in my case... I don't think that it will help in my case. So, I'm going to look at Android sources and I'll provide some details later. I don't know when exactly it will happen but I don't see another way to understand why Android tablet simply ignores that type of Wi-Fi network created on Windows platform.

[Bernard]

>>>I don't think that it will help in my case>>> Such a scenario can be avoided when the NetMon will provide us with clear picture of connectioin setup failure.As I recommended you many times monitoring of connection setup and looking at various fields beign set and reset mostly "Reason code fields" can be very helpful in pinpointing the possible culprit.

[Bernard]

>>>So, I'm going to look at Android sources and I'll provide some details later.>>> Few days ago I posted a link to some Android classes which are encapsulating wifi connectivity please look at this link :http://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/wifi/p2p/package-summary.html >>>don't see another way to understand why Android tablet simply ignores that type of Wi-Fi network created on Windows>>> I fear that such critical piece of code can be easily obfuscated.

[Bernard]

>>>Also, if WEP is '...old outdated technology...' why does Microsoft still use it>>> Probably as a backward compatibility or some strange rule enforced by 802.11 protocol amendment. >>> I wonder who declared WEP as the outdated technology?>>> WEP cipher was broken more than 10 years ago by israeli cryptograph Adi Shamir. During my tests with Aircrack suite i was able to break that cipher in less than 3 seconds. WEP weakness lies in short initialization vector beign only 24-bit and in noisy environment( I mean heavy traffic) there is probability than the key will be repaeated and guessed. Please consult this article :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wired_Equivalent_Privacy By simple logical reasoning it is possible that Android developers designed theirv upper managing layer in such a way that lower level 802.11 parser extracts the key fields and checks for encryption and when it sees that WEP is beign used as a default cipher the connection is refused.

[Bernard]

@Sergey I strongly advise you to consult an actual wifi protocol parser implementation.It can be found in NetMon under parsers tab. I hope that parser wifi parser implementation will be very helpful to you when you will be forced to look through the Android wifi stack implementation. Now please look at few examples of live "ManagementProbe response" frame captured by my wirelles adapter working in monitor mode. Please look at vendor specification field you can clearly see OUI is set to Microsoft Here is the whole tree Frame: Number = 72, Captured Frame Length = 148, MediaType = WiFi - WiFi: [ ManagementProbe response] ...R... RSSI = -84 dBm, Rate = Data Rate Cannot be Determined: Nonstandard Data Rate used, SSID = NETIA-f95e65, Channel = 11 - WiFiMetadata MetaData: RSSI = -84 dBm, Rate = Data Rate Cannot be Determined: Nonstandard Data Rate used UINT8 Version: 2 (0x2) UINT16 Length: 32 (0x20) + UINT32 OpMode: Monitor Mode UINT32 Flags: 5 (0x5) UINT32 PhyType: 802.11g UINT32 Channel: 11, Center Frequency: 2462 MHz INT32 lRSSI: -84 dBm UINT8 Rate: Data Rate Cannot be Determined: Nonstandard Data Rate used FILETIME TimeStamp: 01/01/1601, 00:00:02.462861 UTC - WiFiFrameCtrl FrameControl: Version 0,Management, Probe response, ...R...(0x850) UINT16 Version: (..............00) 0 UINT16 Type: (............00..) Management UINT16 SubType: (........0101....) Probe response UINT16 DS: (......00........) Ad hoc network UINT16 MoreFrag: (.....0..........) No UINT16 Retry: (....1...........) Yes UINT16 PowerMgt: (...0............) Active Mode UINT16 MoreData: (..0.............) No UINT16 ProtectedFrame: (.0..............) No UINT16 Order: (0...............) Unordered - Management: UINT16 Duration: 314 (0x13A) MacAddress DA: 0023CD C9D100 MacAddress SA: 001FA4 F95E66 MacAddress BSSID: 001FA4 F95E66 + WiFiSeqCtrl SequenceControl: Sequence Number = 3878 - Payload: 0x1 - WiFiBeacon ProbeResponse: Probe Response with SSID [NETIA-f95e65] WTimeStamp TimeStamp: 487529315389 microsecond(s) UINT16 BeaconInterval: 100 ms + WiFiCapability Capability: 0x1104 - WiFiInformationFields InformationElements: + WiFiSSID ssid: NETIA-f95e65 + WiFiSupportedRates rates: 1.0 Mbps, 2.0 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps, 11.0 Mbps, 18.0 Mbps, 24.0 Mbps, 36.0 Mbps, 54.0 Mbps + WiFiDSParameterSet Channel: 11 + WiFiERP ERP: No Non-802.11g STA present + WiFiUnknownInfField UnknownIE: + WiFiSupportedRates ExtendedRates: 6.0 Mbps, 9.0 Mbps, 12.0 Mbps, 48.0 Mbps + WiFiVendorSpecificInfo VendorSpecificInfo: OUI=BROADCOM CORPORATION, FieldType=Unknown - WiFiVendorSpecificInfo VendorSpecificInfo: OUI=MICROSOFT CORP., FieldType=WPA <- Look here UINT8 ElementID: Vendor Specific Information UINT8 Length: 24 (0x18) OUI OUI: MICROSOFT CORP. <- And here + WiFiWPA WPA: 0x1 <- And here UINT32 FCS: 0x2103292 Could those fields when parsed by wifi protocol parser and passed to the management layer be a reason for connection failure. What if WiFi field is set to WEP value?

[Bernard]

>>>I understood that Android OS has some 'WAN Ping Blocking' functionality>>> I do not think that it is related to your wifi adhoc mode connection problem.It is simply router's option to block incoming ( from the WAN direction) IP protocol ping packet.

[Bernard]

>>>It is similar to my case but I have a problem with Android tablet which can't connect to a Windows 'Security-enabled computer-to-computer' Wi-Fi network with many Windows desktop computers.>>> It is partially similar case the main difference is that you are dealing with peer2peer connection type so Wan ping blocking is not relevant to you.

[SergeyKostrov]

Hi Iliya, >>>> I wonder who declared WEP as the outdated technology? >> >>WEP cipher was broken more than 10 years ago by israeli cryptograph Adi Shamir. >>During my tests with Aircrack suite i was able to break that cipher in less than 3 seconds. That is a very useful piece of information! Thanks.

[SergeyKostrov]

>>...I strongly advise you to consult an actual wifi protocol parser implementation.It can be found in NetMon under parsers tab. >>I hope that parser wifi parser implementation will be very helpful to you when you will be forced to look through the Android >>wifi stack implementation. >>... >>Now please look at few examples of live "ManagementProbe response"... I will do another set of tests and I will describe my set ups ( especially for Microsoft Network Monitor ). Would you be able to guide me?

[SergeyKostrov]

>>... >>Now please look at few examples of live "ManagementProbe response"... >>... >>Frame: Number = 72, Captured Frame Length = 148, MediaType = WiFi >>- WiFi: [ ManagementProbe response] ...R... RSSI = -84 dBm, Rate = Data Rate Cannot be Determined... >>- WiFiMetadata MetaData: RSSI = -84 dBm, Rate = Data Rate Cannot be Determined: Nonstandard Data Rate used... >>... >>Could those fields when parsed by wifi protocol parser and passed to the management layer be a reason for connection failure. >>What if WiFi field is set to WEP value? Did you get it with Microsoft Netwotk Monitor or with some another network utility?

[SergeyKostrov]

>>... >>http://developer.android.com/reference/android/net/wifi/p2p/package-summary.html >> >>...Provides classes to create peer-to-peer (P2P) connections with Wi-Fi Direct... Does Microsoft support Wi-Fi Direct?

[Tao_W_Intel]

Regarding this forum thread, here are the responses from Intel Android WiFi team: It seems that you are trying to use ad-hoc/IBSS on stock ICS. Android doesn't really support ad-hoc networking completely. Android ICS does not support ad-hoc networking out of the box. There are various well-documented workarounds online including rooting the device and switching to another ROM, or modifying wpa_supplicant. If the devices is rooted, you may be able to tweak the supplicant config file to force ad-hoc networks to connect.  Its an inverse tethering situation that is not desirable.The new wifi direct may provide some ability but we are skeptical that this would apply to the 4.0.4 devices that are being discussed. Alternately you may be able to try one of the ad hoc network enablers http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/google-android/3372947/connect-android-phone-ad-hoc-network/ WiFi Direct should be functional in both ICS and Jellybean. It is not, to our knowledge, compatible with ad-hoc. Here is the link to the relevant Google bug: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=82 If you would like to do more dig on this topic, you can ask questions at: Intel wireless community at: http://communities.intel.com/community/tech/wireless?iid=subhdr+communities_wireless Or Google Android Developer forum: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/android-developers You can also go to Samsung Android Developer Forum: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s3/ to post questions ( and answers).You will for sure get responses from people on this topic on those forums. We encourage you to write articles, blogs on Android* Applications on Intel Architecture and post questions (and answers!) on this forum which is dedicated to helping developers of Android Applications to get the most out of running on Intel architecture. You can find more info at our home page for Android on Intel at:http://software.intel.com/en-us/android/

[Bernard]

>>>Regarding this forum thread, here are the responses from Intel Android WiFi team:>>> Thanks Tao for valuable information.

[Bernard]

>>>Does Microsoft support Wi-Fi Direct?>>> I think that only Win 8 provides such a support. Please look at this post :http://superuser.com/questions/417888/how-do-i-connect-a-laptop-running-windows-7-to-an-android-phone-using-wifi-direc and this :http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11722891/wifi-direct-communication-between-mac-windows-and-android

[Bernard]

>>>That is a very useful piece of information! Thanks.>>> For example I also performed brute-force attack against WPA2 cipher suite (in my testing environment) and the attack was unsuccessful.The passphrase was composed from 12 letters so one can expect a complexity of 22^12 various combination.

[Bernard]

>>> will do another set of tests and I will describe my set ups ( especially for Microsoft Network Monitor ). Would you be able to guide me?>>> Yes of course I will help you.But if you are interested and have a courage:) you can try some adhoc network enablers as it was posted by Tao. >>>Did you get it with Microsoft Netwotk Monitor or with some another network utility?>>> Yes it was collected by NetMon utility.