iPhone version frequently loses network connection for no apparent reason

[Illusionator]

This all makes a lot of sense once you read this:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim...nsmission_unit

Hello, Gondorian. Thanks for the pointer to that Wikipedia article on MTU size, that makes a lot of sense. And a couple of days ago I reduced the MTU size on my home router from its default 1500 to the new value of 1442. So far, so good, when playing SE on my iPhone 5 over WiFi at home.

Just so people understand, though: It still seems like SE should be modified to be more robust with respect to WiFi on the iPhone/iPad platform. It's not possible at Starbucks, an office building, or the airport to ask the IT manager to decrease the MTU size in the network router. The 1500 value that was giving me the problem is the default MTU size on the two network routers I'm familiar with (the Linksys WRT150N and the NetGear R6300). The symptom (getting the dreaded "Wait 45...44...43" message during an SE game over WiFi or similarly having an SE game end in a draw due to a network sync error over WiFi) happens to some people (like me) one or multiple times per day (before I reduced my network router's MTU size), seems to happen fairly exclusively on the iPhone/iPad platform, and has been reported by a few different users on this thread. It seems like SE needs to increase its robustness on iOS to be tolerant of WiFi network hiccups. Perhaps SE could retransmit network packets that get corrupted. This would avoid the frequent demoralizing situation of losing or drawing a game when using SE on an iPhone/iPad over WiFi.

Let me know what you think. I wanted to reiterate the main issue, so that folks doing a quick read of this thread won't get to the end of the thread and have the mis-impression that the issue is resolved. Someone who is tech-savvy (like me) can decrease the MTU size on their home router, but that isn't a good long-term solution for using SE on the iPhone/iPad with WiFi hotspots that are not at home. It's also not a good solution for SE players who are not tech-savvy enough to play with the settings in their home network router.

Thanks again for your pointer to the Wikipedia article, that was helpful!

[Gondorian]

Hello, Gondorian. Thanks for the pointer to that Wikipedia article on MTU size, that makes a lot of sense. And a couple of days ago I reduced the MTU size on my home router from its default 1500 to the new value of 1442. So far, so good, when playing SE on my iPhone 5 over WiFi at home.

Just so people understand, though: It still seems like SE should be modified to be more robust with respect to WiFi on the iPhone/iPad platform. It's not possible at Starbucks, an office building, or the airport to ask the IT manager to decrease the MTU size in the network router. The 1500 value that was giving me the problem is the default MTU size on the two network routers I'm familiar with (the Linksys WRT150N and the NetGear R6300). The symptom (getting the dreaded "Wait 45...44...43" message during an SE game over WiFi or similarly having an SE game end in a draw due to a network sync error over WiFi) happens to some people (like me) one or multiple times per day (before I reduced my network router's MTU size), seems to happen fairly exclusively on the iPhone/iPad platform, and has been reported by a few different users on this thread. It seems like SE needs to increase its robustness on iOS to be tolerant of WiFi network hiccups. Perhaps SE could retransmit network packets that get corrupted. This would avoid the frequent demoralizing situation of losing or drawing a game when using SE on an iPhone/iPad over WiFi.

Let me know what you think. I wanted to reiterate the main issue, so that folks doing a quick read of this thread won't get to the end of the thread and have the mis-impression that the issue is resolved. Someone who is tech-savvy (like me) can decrease the MTU size on their home router, but that isn't a good long-term solution for using SE on the iPhone/iPad with WiFi hotspots that are not at home. It's also not a good solution for SE players who are not tech-savvy enough to play with the settings in their home network router.

Thanks again for your pointer to the Wikipedia article, that was helpful!

Well, I knew nothing about MTU til I looked it up. Let's give praise to Wikipedia!

Anyhoo, I believe the client is being updated to address this very issue, with longer timeouts and trying to resend. I am not sure how much this will help though - assuming you are getting some kind of interference then unless that interference goes away then more tries to send same size packets will fail. I wonder if a fallback mechanism with smaller packets could be employed before just bombing out, but, even then, if you can't successfully send the game packets then you are basically screwed.

I suppose each packet could employ more redundancy and error checking then it would be more fault tolerant. I am not a networking expert though. Just speculating!

[Illusionator]

I believe the client is being updated to address this very issue, with longer timeouts and trying to resend. I am not sure how much this will help though - assuming you are getting some kind of interference then unless that interference goes away then more tries to send same size packets will fail.

Hi, Gondorian. Actually, if the SE client is being updated to resend corrupted or missing network packets, I think that will probably totally fix the problem. The network hiccups that SE experiences on the iPhone/iPad on WiFi are probably tiny errors in network packets. In my case, there is no network "interference" per se - I'm sitting 20 feet away from my WiFi router and I have a super clear and strong WiFi signal. There are other iPhone/iPad users on this same thread who experience the same problem, and I'm betting they don't have network interference problems either. It's simply the inherent slight unreliability of WiFi networks, with those tiny delicate bits flying through the ether. Most network applications automatically ask for retransmission of bad or missing network packets. If SE is upgraded to do that as well, it will make SE very robust in all sorts of environments -- not just on iOS, and not just over WiFi.

Anway, if SE is going to get an upgrade to retransmit missing or corrupt network packets, Huzzah!

[Padawan Pete]

Give thanks to Wikipedia?
*shakes fist*
Scumbags.

[Padawan Pete]

So much for being the network expert. That Wikipedia article is rubbish. Doesn't even tell you how to ascertain your correct mtu anyway.

[Illusionator]

So much for being the network expert. That Wikipedia article is rubbish. Doesn't even tell you how to ascertain your correct mtu anyway.

Thanks Pete! Sorry, I was just thanking Gondorian for taking the trouble. YOU were the one who turned us on to this MTU thing. Thank YOU!

[Padawan Pete]

Damn right it's my freaking job. Angry caterpillar. Bad caterpillar.

[Illusionator]

Damn right it's my freaking job. Angry caterpillar. Bad caterpillar.

My apologies, Pete. Please forgive my goof, I did not mean to offend! Many thanks again for your help. Per your recommendation, I reduced the MTU size in my router to 1442 three days ago, and I have not seen the iPhone/iPad SE network hiccup problem ever since then. It used to happen every day. I think you have solved this problem when playing SE over WiFi on my iPhone 5 in my own home. It is a qualitative improvement on my feeling of well-being (seriously). Thank you so much!

[Padawan Pete]

Lol my comment was tongue in cheek. You guys are too serious.

[Raphael Majere]

My apologies, Pete. Please forgive my goof, I did not mean to offend! Many thanks again for your help. Per your recommendation, I reduced the MTU size in my router to 1442 three days ago, and I have not seen the iPhone/iPad SE network hiccup problem ever since then. It used to happen every day. I think you have solved this problem when playing SE over WiFi on my iPhone 5 in my own home. It is a qualitative improvement on my feeling of well-being (seriously). Thank you so much!

He accepts cash payment. Cold, hard cash.