Q: Fixed my slow iPad Wi-Fi issue, here is what I found...

I have made a few discoveries using a free speed test app on our IPADs. This is after signing up for an ultra fast cable connection from Virgin Media in the UK. On a good day my download speed on an IPAD 4 (bought last September) is over 80 Mpbs but my wife's IPAD Air will record in excess of 110 Mpbs under identical conditions. Both have had all background apps closed before beginning the tests. My IPAD 4 has more apps installed. The test used was OOKLA.

Upload speeds are around 11.5 - 12.0 Mpbs using the cable service, but are a bit higher using 4G cellular connection, which produces very slow download speeds of around 6 Mpbs.

If the cable speeds drop off this can be due either to server problems miles down the cable, or router problems. A quick fix is to unplug your router for a minute, or reset this. Speeds will definitely be lower during times of high internet usage across the cable network.

As for streaming this is usually very good, but the Amazon service produces blurred areas on our TV screen. Not easy to compare with Netflix, as this is mostly watched through a cable app on the TV service.

Remember that stuff used to buffer a lot using telephone line internet and a 2006 laptop - we used to blame the programme providers - Netflix, BBC, etc at the time.

I had the same problem with this router/modem. As other posters suggested, turning off VMM did the trick.

I used the info in this link to fix the issue:

http://www.imore.com/how-fix-wifi-issues-your-iphone-or-ipad-after-updating-ios- 712

Tried #1 and no change. Then tried #2 and that worked:

2. Reset all network settings and reboot

Sometimes a setting inside iOS can go corrupt and cause issues with certain networks, or all of them. This is a perfect time to clear all network settings. You'll have to re-enter all your Wi-Fi passwords again but it's a small price to pay to have working Wi-Fi again.

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on General.
3. Tap on Reset — it's all the way at the bottom.
4. Tap on Reset Network Settings.
5. Let your iPhone or iPad reboot.
6. Attempt to connect to the problem network again.

iPad full wifi speed reclaimed :-)

Thank you.  It seems to have worked.

Hello Keith,

I too am having this problem, and you seem to know what you are talking about. I have a crummy BT Hub, but it's all I can get unfortunately. I go into the Admin settings, but this 'QoS' setting is nowhere to be found. Do you have any idea where this may be? Here's a shot of the Admin panel:http://gyazo.com/55d8781b48fb69a30235c35dbcbfbf9b

Hi English,

Sorry you're having trouble. I've found that with newer routers the QoS settings aren't an issue. While I did get my speeds back up to where they needed to be by turning it off on my old router, I eventually got a newer and much faster router for my house (an ASUS RT-56U, which I absolutely love). With the new router, I get blazing fast speeds whether or not I enable the QoS settings. Now that routers as so much faster and cheaper, I'd highly recommend just investing in a new one. You won't regret it.

That said, the QoS settings are also sometimes listed as MMS (Multi-media services). You might find them under that. I was unable to view your screenshot, so I'm literally taking a shot in the dark on your particular model.

Hope this helps!

One more point I forgot to mention... I just updated my iPad 2 to IOS 8.1 that was released on Monday. I'm seeing all sorts of improvements in that over the previous (and buggy) 8.0 and 8.0.2. If you haven't already upgraded to v8.1, I would give that a go. Also, trying the reset network settings that is mentioned above can solve lots of problems. I'm currently clocking 33.16 MB down on my iPad. A huge improvement over what I was seeing three years ago when I first posted on this problem of 0.03 MB down. A thousand-fold increase and still on my nearly 4 year old iPad. :-)

The last thing you can try (which I also did last week) is a fresh install of your iPad with the new IOS. There are lots of posts on how to do it, but essentially, you just need to back up your iPad to your computer (I first tried this with iCloud, but not everything restored). Once it's back up AND you've updated the IOS to 8.1, you make sure your iPad is plugged in to your computer and press and hold both the power and home buttons until it resets and enters recovery mode (about 15 seconds). Follow the instructions to install IOS (not to restore the device yet). This will wipe the device clean and install a fresh copy of IOS. That takes about 15 minutes. Then your device will reboot and you follow the instructions to set it up. You'll then be presented with a screen asking if you want to set it up as a new device, restore it from iCloud or restore it from a backup. While iCloud is a good option if you don't have a lot on your device, I found it to take a long time and not bring everything down. I eventually restored from a backup on my Mac and that was much faster and cleaner than I expected. The result is that a number of issues were resolved along the way, including the fact that when I initially upgraded my iPad 2 to IOS 8 it became so laggy that it was virtually unusable. Now it's as good as new - maybe better!

Cheers

Heels Keith,

Many thanks for the quick reply. I will try updating to 8.1 using my Mac soon, and I'll look at some decent routers. Can you recommend one for under £100, dual bands and a good enough range to travel through a few walls upstairs?

Thanks again,

Harvey

Here is the one that I have:  http://amzn.com/B0049YQVHE

It currently runs under $90 in the US, so I would presume around £70 for you. It's a couple of years old now so I'm sure there are improved models out there. All I can say is that it's been great for me. The only thing I might change is to get one that offers a separate guest band, but it's really not a big deal to me. I think that's more common now though. Range is great. I have a good sized house and can not only access it everywhere in my house, but also out in the yard with no problems.

Good luck!

Hello,

Yes, £71. It looks good, dual bandm which is nice. Not too bothered about the guest network (I'm lonely >.<) so it looks about right . What do you use yours for?

-Harvey

Hi Harvey,

I basically connect all of my wireless devices to it: Macbook Pro, iPhone, iPad, kids' Android phones, Tivo DVR's (2), Roku, BlueRay player and smart TV. We stream movies from Roku and Netflix, as well as other services. I've found that I generally get better results on the 2.4 GHz band than 5 GHz. I didn't realize that 5 GHz has a much smaller range than 2.4 GHz does. If you get that model, I feel sure you'll enjoy it. I routinely get 50 MB download speeds to my Macbook Pro and 25 - 35 MB down on my iPhone and iPad.

Cheers

That's quite a step-up from 13 mb/s on my iPad. Wait, so you're saying 5GHz is worse than 2.4? What if my iPad is the only device on the 5 band, will,that make any difference?

Harvey

You should probably read up on the differences between 2.4 & 5 GHz. I assumed at first that 5 would just be better. Turns out that it is, if you are in an area where there are lots of wireless signals that cause interference in the 2.4 band (which can result in lots of retransmissions and slower speeds due to packet loss). However, because the waves of 5 GHz are tighter than 2.4, they only travel half as far. If you want good coverage and greater distances, 2.4 is better. That said, if your device will only connect at 5, then you still have that option. I'd be surprised if that were actually the case though. I have quite a collection of both old and new devices and they all can connect at the 2.4 level.

Hope that helps.

Half the distance eh? Hmm, will try to use 2.4GHz tomorrow then.

Thanks,

Harvey

I have a Cisco WRT160NL this started after I upgraded to IOS8 sluggish behavior not only on IPAD3 but also Iphone.
Once I disabled QOS WMM support it worked perfectly however not having QOS in the house means no traffic prioritization when comes to VOIP and other services.

Thanks CM2010 it worked for me and waiting for Apple to do something about this.

Kind regards,

Saul