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[Lord Helmet]

I went to a friend's house this morning that has the same ISP as I, and a newer version of the same modem/router combo. His also has a 5GHz option. Same results. When I was about 5 feet from his router ~ 3 bars, sometimes 2. Once I hit about 10 feet ~ down to 1 bar.

I connected my PS4 to wifi for the heck of it. Full signal, 24 Mbps average on a 25 Mbps connection. The Switch sitting right next to the PS4 ~ about 10 Mbps on average. I really don't want to go through the return process, but it sounds like most people are not having an issue, and this isn't something I want to settle for. It doesn't seem to be widespread (or people aren't necessarily noticing the issue as much), but I expect a new device to work off of wifi as well as every other device in the home. Something isn't right, and given that every other device works normally at full strength, my money is on the Switch. :|

 

[Last_colossi]

I went to a friend's house this morning that has the same ISP as I, and a newer version of the same modem/router combo. His also has a 5GHz option. Same results. When I was about 5 feet from his router ~ 3 bars, sometimes 2. Once I hit about 10 feet ~ down to 1 bar.

I connected my PS4 to wifi for the heck of it. Full signal, 24 Mbps average on a 25 Mbps connection. The Switch sitting right next to the PS4 ~ about 10 Mbps on average. I really don't want to go through the return process, but it sounds like most people are not having an issue.

Yep that sounds like a faulty wifi unit, my Switch is 20 metres away from my TP-link Archer C7 router and it gets 2 to 3 bars while connected to the 5GHz band.

 

[killatopak]

5ghz has problems?

Time to check my router specs.

 

[mlclmtckr]

This is really unfortunate.

For me the console is in my basement and the router's on the second floor. I had one bar when I first set it up and it dropped connection after the update (had to manually reconnect.) But now I get full bars and it downloaded the Snipperclips demo in like one minute. So idk what's up.

I also seem to get better charging times than most people are reporting. Though I haven't tested it... Maybe time is just going by faster while I'm playing Zelda.

 

[Lord Helmet]

This is really unfortunate.

For me the console is in my basement and the router's on the second floor. I had one bar when I first set it up and it dropped connection after the update (had to manually reconnect.) But now I get full bars and it downloaded the Snipperclips demo in like one minute. So idk what's up.

This is the maddening part to me. I couldn't connect at all initially. Eventually got connected and got the initial FW update. Then just dropped connection about 70% into the Zelda update that I started just afterwards. Took plugging in a usb ethernet adaptor to finish that update. After that, wifi worked again.

It's almost like something is loose and performance varies depending on what's been moved around... but that shouldn't make any sense for something that is built into the board.

 

[MarkMclovin]

2.5ghz and 5ghz turned on. Dunno which the Switch is using.

It's about 20ft away from the router with a set of stairs and 2 walls between. It's on the middle bar and downloads seem fine.

 

[Shaanyboi]

Mine is less than a foot from the router but only have played afew online matches of FAST RMX. Seemed to work okay, but that was also at like 2 AM. We'll see if wireless signal traffic gets particularly hectic during the day. Live in a high-rise apartment complex.

Can you check down/up speeds on the system?

 

[Raet]

Nope, mine is not 5Ghz capable either.

So I called my ISP and they changed the Wifi channel for me to a less crowded one. My Switch now connects without any issues, and the connection speeds on my other devices have become faster/smoother as well.

 

[KaYotiX]

guess i lucked out, get 3 bars on 2.4 and 5ghz

I was really worried, just set it up and the last thing worrying me is if my machine will read carts (have to grab zelda today).

I did DL Sniperclips, Shovel Knight and Fast rmx

 

[Flaming Duck]

I've struggled to get my Switch to connect at all unless I'm in the same room as the router.

What I did this morning that appears to be working for the time being is manually entered all my network settings (Subnet, IP Address, Gateway, and DNS). I'm using the Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4). This seems to have helped considerably. I can at least now get it to connect pretty consistently. I also played around with different channels until I found one that gave me a consistent connection with a speed that, while not all that great, will at least let me connect to the eShop.

For example, Channel 1 resulted in the Switch connecting pretty quickly but the connection test showed an absurdly low download and upload speed. Channel 11 resulted in the switch not really being able to connect at all. Channel 6 seems to be the sweet spot of consistent connection and a pretty meh speed but at least it's a step in the right direction.

For what it's worth my router shows the Switch connected with a 60% signal strength which is not ideal but it's at the opposite end of the house and the signal has to go through a few walls, so I guess it is understandable. Interestingly, even when the Switch showed it wasn't connected, the router showed that it was, which makes me think there might be some sort of software issue with the Switch and is what led me down the path of manually configuring my network settings in the first place.

 

[tenacioushe]

We have one router and an access point. If I connect to the main router I consistently get either one or zero bars. If I connect to the access point, I get three bars always. I'm not sure why. Both the router and access point are 2.5 ghz.

 

[secretanchitman]

Surprisingly, I have no wifi issues with my Switch. I am using 802.11ac 5Ghz and the router is very close by.

 

[Mortemis]

I'm on a different floor from the router using 5ghz wifi and it's perfectly fine. Downloaded the updates really quickly.

 

[Schnozberry]

I have a Netgear Orbi setup, and it gets decent Signal anywhere in my house. Comparable to that of my LG G5 or iPad Air 2. All of them are on 5ghz, however.

 

[forknknife]

Wifi is just horrible on my Switch, I really wonder if I will ever be able to play online in handheld mode... disappointed!!!

 

[MrJules]

I've two different result when the console is docked or undocked:
-Undocked 13.8 Mb DL - 0.9 Mb UL
-Docked 0-4 Mb DL - 0-0.4 Mb UL
This console is too strange.

 

[J-Skee]

I'm sorry if this was already asked, but has anyone tried to use ethernet with the Switch?

 

[shiyrley]

Yeah I get terrible WiFi on my room using the living room's router (2.4 GHz) and I get low signal using the PLC that's in the corridor right next to my room (5 GHz). Like, there's literally less than one meter of distance, just with a wall in the middle.

I ended up just plugging my Wii U ethernet adapter in the dock, it works fine, and that was the end of it. I may get slower download speeds because the adapter is USB 2.0 but for playing online I'll get a more stable experience and I value that more.

I'm sorry if this was already asked, but has anyone tried to use ethernet with the Switch?

I have my Switch connected to the Wii U ethernet adapter since day one, works flawless. It switches (heh) immediately to wifi as soon as I undock it. I don't know what would happen if I undock it in the middle of an online game tho. will try when I get Bomberman.

 

[Hibiki Kurosawa]

Well mine just doesn't connect. It detects my router, but then tells me it can't connect to it. Same with my Vita only with my Vita I have the WPS option and I am able to connect it that way. With my Switch, I just can't connect it at all.

I'm sorry if this was already asked, but has anyone tried to use ethernet with the Switch?

Yes, it works fine, you just have to have it docked is all.

 

[Coffinhal]

Works flawlessly with optical fiber here. The tests show good results behind the wall where the box is, even with 2/3 bars.

 

[Living Proof]

Well mine just doesn't connect. It detects my router, but then tells me it can't connect to it. Same with my Vita only with my Vita I have the WPS option and I am able to connect it that way. With my Switch, I just can't connect it at all.


Yes, it works fine, you just have to have it docked is all.

This just happened to me, and I was brushing this thread off since my WiFi seemed to work fine.

Tried to connect to the eshop on a whim, it cancelled out, and I noticed the WiFi symbol was greyed out. Tried to go into internet connection settings; it sat on that screen for a while, then told me there's no connection.

I'm looking at my router literally three feet away from the Switch in its dock, so this was confusing the hell out of me. I pulled it out of the dock, tried the same thing; it picked up my WiFi connection eventually, but it refused to connect, and it asked me (or suggested?) to enter my password again, which was strange.

Eventually I powered it off and started it back up again and it finally seems to be working again, albeit with a poor signal (again, right near the router, just out of the dock).

I thought it might be because I took it to work with me yesterday, but that's a pretty stupid reason for it to stop connecting.

 

[derder]

It can't connect to my ac network so I'm bummed.

 

[Interfectum]

I have a Netgear Orbi setup, and it gets decent Signal anywhere in my house. Comparable to that of my LG G5 or iPad Air 2. All of them are on 5ghz, however.

Same. No wifi issues with my Switch.

 

[Luke_Wal]

After seeing this thread, I was really worried to open up my Switch yesterday, especially considering how my Wii U straight up refused to connect to my dorm Wi-Fi. I found myself pleasantly surprised! Super pleased with it. OP, I'm sorry it sucks for you - I really hope you're able to figure it out!

 

[madmackem]

Yeah mine sucks too, in the same room I'm sitting further away from the point and have full bars on my iPad I got one bar on switch something is off.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Had the exact same issue as my Wii U where it would keep disconnecting. I had to do the same thing as I did to fix the problem with my Wii U which was to manually configure the settings using Google's DNS and giving the console it's own IP address.

Download speeds were pretty bad, though I'm not sure if that was the Switch or my crappy ISP. I'll have to do a bit more testing.

 

[Hibiki Kurosawa]

This just happened to me, and I was brushing this thread off since my WiFi seemed to work fine.

Tried to connect to the eshop on a whim, it cancelled out, and I noticed the WiFi symbol was greyed out. Tried to go into internet connection settings; it sat on that screen for a while, then told me there's no connection.

I'm looking at my router literally three feet away from the Switch in its dock, so this was confusing the hell out of me. I pulled it out of the dock, tried the same thing; it picked up my WiFi connection eventually, but it refused to connect, and it asked me (or suggested?) to enter my password again, which was strange.

Eventually I powered it off and started it back up again and it finally seems to be working again, albeit with a poor signal (again, right near the router, just out of the dock).

I thought it might be because I took it to work with me yesterday, but that's a pretty stupid reason for it to stop connecting.

Well it's weird. For me it always tells me for both my switch and vita that it can't connect because I'm either not close enough (which I am) or because my password is wrong (which it's not), but when I take both devices to my parents' place they both connect to their wifi no problem. And just as a side note, my wifi does work because my 3DS, two laptops, and phone all connect to my router fine. No google search has helped me.

 

[King Al B]

Using a Linksys 1900ac v1 with OpenWRT installed. When i first set up the switch i set it up over the 2.4ghz band without any issues. Then the next morning it wouldnt connect. So i turned off the switch (not sleep mode) and back on and it connected fine. Later i set up my 5ghz band, named it "NintendoSwitch" with a unique password so it the only device connected to 5ghz and have had zero issues since. If i go further away it does drop to one bar, but it doesnt seem to effected the speed at all.

 

[zoukka]

5G is fine for me. Downloaded games from the eshop with 2/3 signal and the speed was great. The eshop in general feels super snappy, much more so than PSN.

Of course it's much more simple and lacks content atm.

 

[Hattori]

I haven't ran in to any problems *knock on wood* (Google OnHub - Dlink version)

 

[Majora]

WiFi is terrible on my Switch. The router isn't in the same room but it's literally only about 6 feet the other side of a wall. 1 bar. I can be a lot further away in the flat with my iPhone and still get 3 bars.

Download speed is terrible as well. Can't even watch the videos in the newsfeed because of the buffering. Wireless connection on my PS4, sitting further away from the router than the Switch, is totally fine.

Thinking I'm going to have to buy a wireless bridge if I ever want to play games on this thing online.

 

[akileese]

So I called my ISP and they changed the Wifi channel for me to a less crowded one. My Switch now connects without any issues, and the connection speeds on my other devices have become faster/smoother as well.

I changed the channel on my wifi router since I have one of those Asus spider routers. That + using 5GHZ fixed the wifi disconnecting in my switch. My router is on the second floor and we have repeaters on the first.

I may end up getting two of the LAN adapters, one for each dock (I ordered a second direct from Nintendo that should be here this week).

E: For those who care, apparently third party USB LAN adapters work fine. That's kind of a relief since you can grab those for $10 a pop.

 

[Seik]

No problem on my side, however my Wi-Fi signal is only 2 bars when my wireless router is like not even 5 feet from it.

 

[KorrZ]

Had the same issue yesterday with my switch. First update kept crapping out on a desk literally right next to the WiFi.

 

[mattiewheels]

Does this sound like something that a patch can help?

 

[cropduster]

Well mine just doesn't connect. It detects my router, but then tells me it can't connect to it. Same with my Vita only with my Vita I have the WPS option and I am able to connect it that way. With my Switch, I just can't connect

Same here and it's always happened with my Vita as well. Phones, iPad, 3ds and laptops have no problem at my house but the Switch and Vita will not connect. I've been able to get the Switch to connect once, and the speeds were fine, but 90% it will get an error before connecting.

The Switch has worked perfectly with my office wifi so it must be some sort of setting on my home router. I just have no clue what it is

 

[Hibiki Kurosawa]

Same here and it's always happened with my Vita as well. Phones, iPad, 3ds and laptops have no problem at my house but the Switch and Vita will not connect. I've been able to get the Switch to connect once, and the speeds were fine, but 90% it will get an error before connecting.

The Switch has worked perfectly with my office wifi so it must be some sort of setting on my home router. I just have no clue what it is

Yeah, there's gotta be some weird compatibility issue with some routers and the switch and vita. I've tried fiddling with a bunch of my router settings, but there's no luck. And it doesn't help that there aren't really any solutions online.

 

[forknknife]

Does this sound like something that a patch can help?

This is what I would like to know. If I'm going to deal with a portable console that I cannot play online over wifi at all then I might consider selling the console right after I finish Zelda and buy again when there's a revision that addresses the issue.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

I lose Wi-Fi from time to time with my router, but it's also like 13 years old so that's to be expected.

 

[Redd]

No problems for me. Granted the router is only 8 feet away all I ever get is full bars.

 

[GDGF]

No problems so far. Three full bars except when I am outside of my house. Only two then.

 

[brochiller]

Reportedly, Switch's Wi-Fi is the same Broadcom chip that's used on the HTC One M9 (+ Nexus 6).

If this teardown is correct, source says Broadcom BCM4356XKUBG.

A teardown of the HTC One M9 says it uses Broadcom BCM4356.

I wonder if fixes/configs for the HTC One M9/ Nexus 6 may alleviate problems.

I have a Nexus 6 and the WiFi drops for me constantly. Not sure if it's an Android problem or a problem with the chip itself.

Haven't had a problem with my Switch yet, though I've just used the wifi for e shop and friends, not gaming yet.

 

[Glix]

I have my Switch connected to the Wii U ethernet adapter since day one, works flawless. It switches (heh) immediately to wifi as soon as I undock it. I don't know what would happen if I undock it in the middle of an online game tho. will try when I get Bomberman.

IIRC didn't tests show WiiU was actually slower with the adapter than with a good wifi connection?

Do we know the same for Switch?

Same here and it's always happened with my Vita as well. Phones, iPad, 3ds and laptops have no problem at my house but the Switch and Vita will not connect. I've been able to get the Switch to connect once, and the speeds were fine, but 90% it will get an error before connecting.

The Switch has worked perfectly with my office wifi so it must be some sort of setting on my home router. I just have no clue what it is

To you and others saying this DO A FIRMWARE UPDATE ON YOUR ROUTER. Its not a placebo. My mothers router would cause any HP printer to go BERSERK when connected to the wifi. After a firmware update it was fine.

 

[jon bones]

MK8D/Puyo Puyo Tetris can't come soon enough... really want to play this online and see how it fares.

Tests show my Switch getting pretty decent speeds on 5GHz/fios.

 

[Schnozberry]

Same here and it's always happened with my Vita as well. Phones, iPad, 3ds and laptops have no problem at my house but the Switch and Vita will not connect. I've been able to get the Switch to connect once, and the speeds were fine, but 90% it will get an error before connecting.

The Switch has worked perfectly with my office wifi so it must be some sort of setting on my home router. I just have no clue what it is

Yeah, there's gotta be some weird compatibility issue with some routers and the switch and vita. I've tried fiddling with a bunch of my router settings, but there's no luck. And it doesn't help that there aren't really any solutions online.

What kind of wireless security are you guys using? Have you ever updated your router's firmware to see if it's a bug?

 

[dallow_bg]

Ok, so not just me.
I never get 3 bars, always 2 even sitting next to the router.

I was going upgrade my router anyway soon and go full 5Ghz so we'll see what happens.

When docked I just use Ethernet.

 

[herbchamberz]

I have the dock hard-wired to my modem. The only issue I sometimes notice is when I remove the running Switch from the dock, it'll sometimes take 20 - 30 seconds to fully establish the wifi connection.

 

[Krakatoa]

No problems either so far using Google Wifi with the switch. I have the three pack placed around my house to give me mesh coverage.

 

[c0de]

No, you can use a USB LAN Adapter though. Hori makes a Switch-licensed one, but apparently you can use generics.

Well, this is an advantage of having an open source operating system at your core (and they didn't heavily modify usb, I guess, which could have potential security implications, but I don't think anyone thought the switch would make it hard for hackers anyway).

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

It does seem somewhat worse than other devices. My bed is kind of at the far end of our router's range. My phone and 3DS get kind of spotty signals there, but Switch rarely gets anything.