Network problems are among the most commonly raised concerns by smartphone users anywhere in the world. In most cases, network problems are attributed to software glitches but may also be due to some physical damage on the device. Hardware-related network issues often require service but not the ones that are software-related. Here in this post, I have mapped out some possible solutions and workarounds you can try on if ever you’re in need of some more inputs. Feel free to refer to these subsequent workarounds to troubleshoot your Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Wi-Fi connection that is intermittent or unstable.
Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our Galaxy S9 Plus troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit.
How to troubleshoot Galaxy S9 Plus with WiFi connection that keeps dropping
Before you begin troubleshooting your device, make sure that you are within your Wi-Fi network’s range. It’s normal to experience Wi-Fi drops if the signal is weak or when your phone is way farther from your wireless router or modem. In that case, try to stay closer to where your wireless router is to rule distance out from the underlying causes. Then you may start to troubleshoot software problems that might have caused your Wi-Fi connection to become unstable. So here are some options for you to try on.
First solution: Power cycle your wireless router/modem.
Power cycle means restart or reboot. This is usually the very first if not the last suggestion you’ll get when you call your ISP’s helpdesk for help. Just like a restart on a computer or other electronic devices, a power cycle can also fix minor issues or firmware crashes that’s causing some odd symptoms on your wireless router or modem. Here’s how it’s done:
- Power off your modem/wireless router.
- Unplug it from the power source for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- After the elapsed time, plug it back into the power source.
- If necessary, press the Power button to turn it back on.
- Wait until all the light indicators on it becomes stable.
There should be no red lights showing. Otherwise, something is wrong with the modem/wireless router that needs to be dealt with first so you can have a stable Wi-Fi connection again. You may call your service provider or manufacturer of your modem/router for help on this matter.
If everything is okay with the modem/router but still your Wi-Fi connection keeps dropping, try the next solution.
Second solution: Soft reset your Samsung S9 Plus.
Soft reset or device restart/reboot is usually all that’s needed to fix random glitches that caused minor issues to occur in mobile devices. Having said that, reboot your phone especially if it’s the first time you experience Wi-Fi connection drops with your new Samsung handset. You can do the usual restart as demonstrated with these steps:
- Press and hold the Power button.
- Tap the option to Power off.
- Tap Power off again to confirm.
- After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button again until your phone boots up.
Alternatively, you can do a soft reset with the hardware keys. Here’s how:
- Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for up to 45 seconds.
- Release both buttons when the Samsung logo appears.
Try that and see if it fixes the unstable Wi-Fi connection on your Samsung S9 Plus.
Third solution: Forget wireless network(s) on your Samsung S9 Plus.
Problems like this can also occur when the Wi-Fi network gets corrupted. In this case, deleting or forgetting wireless network on your device will likely fix the problem. It’s like allowing phone to connect to your wireless network as if it’s the first time it does. Here’s how to forget a wireless network on your Samsung S9 Plus:
- Open the Apps screen by swiping on an empty spot from the Home screen.
- Tap Settings.
- Select Connections.
- Tap Wi-Fi.
- Tap the Wi-Fi switch to turn on Wi-Fi, if necessary.
- Then tap and hold the wireless network that you want to delete or forget.
- Select the option to Forget network.
- If you see other saved Wi-Fi networks, delete them as well to prevent any of them from causing conflict.
Once you’re done deleting Wi-Fi networks, restart your phone then go back to Settings-> Connections-> Wi-Fi menu and set up or add your wireless network to use it again on your phone. Here’s how it’s exactly done:
- Navigate to Settings-> Connections-> Wi-Fi.
- If necessary, tap the Wi-Fi switch to enable it.
- View the list of networks showing on the screen then find and select your Wi-Fi network.
- If you don’t see your wireless network, tap More to add your wireless network.
- Tap to select your Wi-Fi network, enter the correct password if prompted, then tap Connect.
Try and see if that fixes the problem. Otherwise, continue to the next possible solution.
Fourth solution: Reset network settings on your Samsung S9 Plus.
Performing a network settings reset might be necessary if the problem is due to incorrect network settings configuration on the phone. This is likely the case after installing a buggy software on your device. Perhaps, the update overrides your current settings automatically so everything is messed up. To fix this problem, try these steps to reset network settings on your Samsung S9 Plus:
- Swipe up on an empty spot from the Home screen to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General Management.
- Tap Reset.
- Select the option to Reset network settings.
- If prompted, enter the PIN or password for your device.
- Tap Reset settings to confirm action.
Fifth solution: Perform a factory data reset/master reset on your Samsung S9 Plus.
The last option you may consider resorting to if the problem continues is a factory data reset or master reset on your Samsung S9 Plus. This will wipe everything from your phone system including bugs and complex errors that might have caused your Wi-Fi connection to become unstable. This however denotes a need for you to create a backup of your data beforehand. If you’re willing to try it, then here’s what you should do then:
- Back up data on the internal memory by navigating to Apps-> Settings-> Cloud and accounts-> Backup and restore, then select the desired option like Back up my data or Automatic restore.
- After creating necessary backups, proceed to a master reset with these subsequent steps.
- Swipe up on an empty spot from the Home screen to open the Apps screen.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General management.
- Tap Reset.
- Select the Factory data reset option.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen then tap Reset.
- Select the option to DELETE ALL.
- If prompted, enter your credentials for screen lock and Samsung account verification.
- Tap Confirm to continue.
Wait until your phone restarts and then you may proceed with the initial device setup. Add and set up your Wi-Fi network then connect to it again and see if there are no more issues. If that fixes the problem then you’re good, otherwise, you need more help.
Other options
Contact your Internet service provider or carrier to escalate the problem if it persists after performing all possible solutions on your end. It could be due to some outages or technical problems on your network provider’s end that’s causing intermittent Wi-Fi connection or Wi-Fi drops. You may likewise seek further assistance in performing more advanced troubleshooting procedures using a dedicated software to deal with complex system errors that caused your Wi-Fi connection to become unstable. But if you suspect that your wireless router or modem is to blame, contact the manufacturer or your router or modem to ask more help in fixing the problem with the network equipment.
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