E-2043

Q: iOS 8 Wi-Fi problems

WI-Fi problems on iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina display and iPhone 5S after upgrading to iOS 8.

Typical results from OOKLA Speedtest before upgrade: Ping 17 ms, Upload 21 Mbps, Download 4.4 Mbps

Typical results after upgrade: Ping 39 ms, Download 2.9 Mbps, Upload 0.47 Mbps

iPad 2 with iOS 7.1.2 get 15 Mbps download and 4.4 upload on the same network.

Resetting network settings on the iOS 8 devices did not improve the performance.

Changing band on the router from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz did give me back the speed on all devices.

However the speed occasonally drops on the iOS 8 devices, and the signal strengt can go from full til lost connection without moving the devices.

Also sometimes the Wi-Fi SweetSpots app report 0 mbps when the signal strenght is indicated as full and then suddenly go up to around 58 Mbps again.

It is almost like the device is trying to use cellular network that I do not have on the iPads before it suddenly switches back to Wi-fi nettwork again.

I am thinking about going back to my iPad 2 with iOS 7.1.2 that is working perfectly until the Wi-Fi issues are resolved.

 

Any help will be very much appreciated!

iPad Air Wi-Fi, iOS 8

Posted on Sep 20, 2014 9:17 AM

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Q: iOS 8 Wi-Fi problems

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  • by rccharles,

    rccharles rccharles Dec 26, 2014 1:42 PM in response to elcpu
    Level 6 (8,486 points)
    Classic Mac OS
    Dec 26, 2014 1:42 PM in response to elcpu

    Well, disabling airdrop on Mac OS X is reported to work.

     

    http://www.iphonetopics.com/osx-yosemite-wifi-issues/

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Dec 26, 2014 3:22 PM in response to rccharles
    Level 6 (16,200 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 26, 2014 3:22 PM in response to rccharles

    Thanks for your suggestions.  Of all my Apple devices the MacBook Pro is the one that works the best with the least Wi-Fi problems (still some but not as much).  Our 2 iPhones are the worse followed by our 2 iPad Airs.  In the link you listed, the author is stabbing at solutions as six different approaches are offered.  Seems like only one fix would be needed to resolve the problem as his "solutions" are all very different, just something to try.  Regardless I have tried several of those already:  Solution 6, use Google DNS servers (since he did not say it is 8.8.8.8), no help.  Solution 5, renew DHCP lease, tried several times, no help on all devices including iOS which is different.  Solution 2, I have tried by a different mechanism but still doing what he said, preventing the Mac from slipping to another network, no help.  I can disable Air Drop and Bluetooth next but they are pretty important to me.  May try the Air Drop disable if the Mac acts up worse.  Since this fellow seems to be "guessing" at solutions I think I will wait until a more definitive answer is found which I suspect will come with the next update.  If anyone has success with Air Drop would you please post?

  • by don_wan,

    don_wan don_wan Dec 26, 2014 3:23 PM in response to rccharles
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2014 3:23 PM in response to rccharles

    SSorry but my iPhone 4s does not use OS X nor does it have an option to disable airdrop, but has had no usable wi-fi access since 'upgrading' from IOS7.

    P.S. The double caps on the first word are another useful addition of IOS 8

  • by mrsjoyner,

    mrsjoyner mrsjoyner Dec 26, 2014 4:56 PM in response to Lodds
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 26, 2014 4:56 PM in response to Lodds

    I Also requested a new router from BT (infinity) but no change. All other hardware (laptops, wireless printers, wireless PCs, android phones, iPad Air, iPad mini both running ios7) work fine. I only updated my 4s to ios 8 and that's the only item I'm having issues with. It seems to most definitely be a software issue, predominantly affecting iphone 4 but also other hardware too. V annoying. (I have the double caps also don_wan, so irritating!)

  • by jrc*,

    jrc* jrc* Dec 27, 2014 1:53 PM in response to fascox
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2014 1:53 PM in response to fascox

    I've had the same problem.

     

    Short answer: Try turning off Settings > iCloud > Sign Out, then sign back in. Also, turn off Settings > iCloud > Photos > iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream.

     

    Here's what I did.

     

    To look for the problem:

    1. In Terminal, I ran "traceroute 8.8.8.8" to look for the nearest hop.
    2. I ran "ping 98.248.40.1" (from the above, 10.0.1.1 is my AirPort Extreme, 98.248.40.1 is the first hop outside).

    Ping times are around 10 ms when normal, and on the order of 100's to 1000's of ms when the problem occurs.

     

    To isolate the problem:

    1. I reset both the cable modem and the Wi-Fi router. => Problem occurs.
    2. I took the cable modem downstairs and hooked it up as close as possible to where the cable line comes into the house, to isolate cabling problems. And I turned off my Wi-Fi router and plugged the cable modem directly into my MacBook using Ethernet, to isolate Wi-Fi problems. => Problem doesn't occur.
    3. I moved the cable modem back upstairs but kept it plugged into my MacBook using Ethernet. => Problem doesn't occur. This tells me that it's not Comcast's fault, nor a problem with the cabling.
    4. I turned on Internet Sharing from my Mac (sharing the Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi using the same SSID and WPA2 key). => Problem occurs after a little while. Strange. Eventually I notice that as soon as I turn off Internet Sharing, ping times drop back down to a reasonable 10 ms! This tells me that something on the Wi-Fi network is causing the problem. My Wi-Fi router isn't even part of the equation anymore.
    5. I changed my Wi-Fi password to selectively let clients back on the network. As soon as my iPhone 6 (running iOS 8.1.2) joins the network, the problem occurs.

     

    To fix the problem:

    • I made sure Wi-Fi was on a clear channel 1 (basically using iStumbler and picking amongst 1,6,11; see http://www.adriangranados.com/blog/how-not-find-best-channel-using-mavericks-wir eless-diagnostics-tool) and also changing the AirPort to 802.11n-only (default is 802.11b/g/n), but neither helped.
    • On the iPhone, I turned off Settings > General > Background App Refresh, Settings > iCloud > Backup, and also AirDrop (see https://medium.com/@mariociabarra/wifried-ios-8-wifi-performance-issues-3029a164 ce94 which points the finger at AWDL), but neither fixed the problem for me.
    • I did a packet capture using the built-in Wireless Diagnostics and Wireshark and noticed activity from ports 49xxx to/from amazonaws.com. This suggested some iCloud service, since no apps were supposedly running on the phone.
    • Eventually I signed out of iCloud completely on my iPhone (Settings > iCloud > Sign Out) and signed back in, and the problem has mostly gone away!

    • Also: I'm not currently using iCloud Photo Library, but I noticed that I had Photo Stream turned on. This could explain some of the problem if uploading photos was overwhelming the uplink. But the problem seems to occur (to a much less severe extent) even with both iCloud Photo Library and Photo Stream off.

     

    Hope this helps someone.

  • by jrc*,

    jrc* jrc* Dec 27, 2014 8:58 PM in response to E-2043
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 27, 2014 8:58 PM in response to E-2043

    [Updated. Forum hosts, please delete my previous post.]

     

    I've had the same problem.

     

    Short answer: Turn off Settings > iCloud > Sign Out, then sign back in. Also try turning off Settings > iCloud > iCloud Drive, and for good measure, Settings > iCloud > Photos > iCloud Photo Library and My Photo Stream.

     

    Here's what I did.

     

    To look for the problem:

    1. In Terminal, I ran "traceroute 8.8.8.8" to look for the nearest hop.
    2. I ran "ping 98.248.40.1" (from the above, 10.0.1.1 is my AirPort Extreme, 98.248.40.1 is the first hop outside).

    Ping times are around 10 ms when normal, and on the order of 100's to 1000's of ms when the problem occurs.

     

    To isolate the problem:

    1. I reset both the cable modem and the Wi-Fi router. => Problem occurs.
    2. I took the cable modem downstairs and hooked it up as close as possible to where the cable line comes into the house, to isolate cabling problems. And I turned off my Wi-Fi router and plugged the cable modem directly into my MacBook using Ethernet, to isolate Wi-Fi problems. => Problem doesn't occur.
    3. I moved the cable modem back upstairs but kept it plugged into my MacBook using Ethernet. => Problem doesn't occur. This tells me that it's not Comcast's fault, nor a problem with the cabling.
    4. I turned on Internet Sharing from my Mac (sharing the Ethernet connection over Wi-Fi using the same SSID and WPA2 key). => Problem occurs after a little while. Strange. Eventually I notice that as soon as I turn off Internet Sharing, ping times drop back down to a reasonable 10 ms! This tells me that something on the Wi-Fi network is causing the problem. My Wi-Fi router isn't even part of the equation anymore.
    5. I changed my Wi-Fi password to selectively let clients back on the network. As soon as my iPhone 6 (running iOS 8.1.2) joins the network, the problem occurs.

     

    To fix the problem:

    1. I made sure Wi-Fi was on a clear channel 1 (basically using iStumbler and picking amongst 1,6,11; see http://www.adriangranados.com/blog/how-not-find-best-channel-using-mavericks-wir eless-diagnostics-tool) and also changing the AirPort to 802.11n-only (default is 802.11b/g/n), but neither helped.
    2. On the iPhone, I turned off Settings > General > Background App Refresh, Settings > iCloud > Backup, and also AirDrop (see https://medium.com/@mariociabarra/wifried-ios-8-wifi-performance-issues-3029a164 ce94 which points the finger at AWDL), but neither fixed the problem for me.
    3. I did a packet capture using the built-in Wireless Diagnostics and Wireshark and noticed activity from ports 49xxx to/from amazonaws.com. This suggested some iCloud service, since no apps were supposedly running on the phone.
    4. Eventually I signed out of iCloud completely on my iPhone (Settings > iCloud > Sign Out) and signed back in, and the problem stopped!

     

    I'm not currently using iCloud Photo Library, but I noticed that I had Photo Stream turned on. This could explain the problem if uploading photos was overwhelming the uplink but the problem seems to occur (to a much less severe extent) even with both iCloud Photo Library and Photo Stream off. I actually think now that the problem has to do with a bug in the implementation of iCloud Drive, so I'm keeping that off for now, and the problem seems to have gone away.

     

    Hope this helps someone.

  • by mmurray47,

    mmurray47 mmurray47 Dec 30, 2014 8:40 AM in response to jrc*
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2014 8:40 AM in response to jrc*

    I'd be willing to bet that most users (beyond the trolls) blame Apple and the device for problems they themselves promote through their own ignorance, their gear, their old Apps (because they don't take the time to update them), their settings and their ridiculous expectations - not to mention imperfect coding flaws for Apps and what ever issues caused by the wireless carriers.  If you don't know how to tune, manage and operate any man made device it will hiccup.  When you buy a piece of technology (any technology) check the label closely for a promise of perfection.  I manage iOS devices in a corporate setting and don't ever see near the kinds of complaints and problems posted here... True, I might have to toggle AirPlane mode off and on again on occasion, close/re-open an App here and there but my personally owned devices just work and for the majority of the corporate users I support (who have a clue), they just don't call with problems...

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Dec 30, 2014 10:41 AM in response to mmurray47
    Level 6 (16,200 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 30, 2014 10:41 AM in response to mmurray47

    I know you addressed your post to jrc* but I would like to respond.

     

    My iPhone and my wife's both developed Wi-Fi issues after updating to iOS 8.  Our phones did not have any problems prior to iOS 8, both worked well on 7 and no new Apps were installed.  Our phones are set to update Apps automatically and they are up-to-date.  Our other devices (non Apple) have continued to work perfectly on our network and ISP.  On account of our difficulties I spent the better part of two days with AppleCare Senior Level 2.  The tech "remoted in" through my PC into my iPhone and evaluated my Wi-Fi configurations.  We changed all kinds of settings, forget network, reset network settings, tried different APs, DNSs, different bands, different channels, etc., etc., all to no avail.  At AppleCare's request I reset my iPhone to New iPhone status (Reset All Content and Settings) with no Apps installed, same problem.  At their request I went to Starbucks and tested there with their Wi-Fi, same problem.  At their request I went to my neighbor's (different ISP and AP), same problem.  My iPhone was then replaced with a brand new one at the Apple Store (courtesy of Apple, I do grant that they have good customer support, at least at Level 2).  Came home with new iPhone and iOS 7.1.2, tested and all ok, then upgraded to iOS 8.1.2 and immediately got Wi-Fi problems again with no Apps installed.  I could have and should have left the new iPhone on iOS 7 but could not have restored my Apps from the backup I had since it was from iOS 8, I would have had to install all Apps from scratch likely taking me days of work to customize all (in hindsight this would have been preferable).  I got with AppleCare Senior Level 2 again, same rep (I have his direct phone number), he "remoted in" to my new iPhone one more time and after confirming that all settings were as they should he referred my case to the Engineering/Development team who according to the Level 2 rep is “swamped”, his word.  The AppleCare Level 2 tech had already seen other cases like mine and expects that a new update to either 8.1.3 or 8.2, whichever comes first, will solve the problem. Let's hope so.

     

    Apple released iOS 8.0 on September 17, 2014 and it contained many bugs.  On September 24 it released 8.0.1 ostensibly to resolve some of the bugs but only to cripple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Touch ID features and cellular connectivity.  The update was released at 9:00 AM PST, and approximately at 11:00 AM PST, Apple removed the update due to these problems as well as other issues.  iOS 8 has been plagued with problems from the start and these problems continue to date.  You might want to take a look at this article, one of many outlining the difficulties Apple customers are having:

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/12/09/apple-releases-ios-8-1-2/


    I don't want to get into a tug of war with you but frankly you don't know what you are talking about.  I think if there is any ignorance on this forum it is on your part.  And by the way, I am a Software Engineer with a Ph.D. from Rice University and yes I expect that when I buy a piece of technology that it will work, especially after the bugs have been well reported for over three months.

     

    Have a good day...  

  • by usa1z06,

    usa1z06 usa1z06 Dec 30, 2014 11:19 AM in response to E-2043
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2014 11:19 AM in response to E-2043

    Ever since I updated to ios8 I was having connection problems.  No problems before that.  It always happened at home for me.  I would have to re-start (re-boot) the phone to reconnect to wi-fi and to my cellular data network.  This was on both my wife's phone and my phone.  Like I said all worked fine before ios8 on both my phone 5S and my wife's phone 5C.  Well, I replaced my Router and that fixed it, no more problems.  The old Router worked fine with ios7 and before, but it took a new Router to work properly with ios8.  Do you think Apple will pay for my new Router in order for their ios8 to work?  I doubt it.  Anyway everything okay now after over three months of dropping out on average of about every 4 days or so.

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Dec 30, 2014 11:42 AM in response to usa1z06
    Level 6 (16,200 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 30, 2014 11:42 AM in response to usa1z06

    Glad that a new router worked for you, at least you found a solution that seems to work in your case.  Please see my previous post just above yours.  For whatever it is worth I tried a new router also but it did not work for me.  Also at AppleCare's suggestion I went my neighbor's and connected to her different ISP and router but same problems there.

  • by mmurray47,

    mmurray47 mmurray47 Dec 30, 2014 12:38 PM in response to elcpu
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2014 12:38 PM in response to elcpu

    Oh brother... Yeah I saw the Forbes article - along with other tech bastions of scientific scrutiny, rigorous testing and reporting but the fact remains (and I'll say it again); I and my enterprise users (across multiple iOS device models and iOS versions) haven't and don't cycle through half (near half) of the Wi-Fi pain you and other users describe since the release of 8.x.  Doesn't mean they don't happen - just means it's not happening across the board (or not reported) and as a "Ph.D software engineer", (oh yeah from Rice U..) you should know what that implies by elementary deduction - that even if large swaths of users were feeling your pain - some aren't.  Why?  There ARE NO "iOS is working great" web sites, blogs, support communities!!!  You should also know, as a Ph.D software engineer" (from Rice U..).  - no software is released that can claim perfection (even yours) and as such, you should have a deep respect for Apple's quick turn around cycles their ability to pull back an update OTA (by the way) not to mention the fact that as a software engineer, you might know not to install ANY update on release much less on your wife's device.  Like I said "read the label" before buying; no technology is flawless  - no internet service provider guarantees a constant up/down data stream - no wi-fi connections go without hiccups and no wireless carrier's coverage or cell towers operate continuously without overloads, outages, and interference. Since you keyed in on a Forbes article, here's another just as valid in my opinion... 

     

    "...we’ve spent some quality time with Apple’s latest update and we don’t think it’s going to “anger” you..."


    So actually... I do know what I'm talking about...

  • by elcpu,

    elcpu elcpu Dec 30, 2014 1:43 PM in response to mmurray47
    Level 6 (16,200 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Dec 30, 2014 1:43 PM in response to mmurray47

    Ooooooooo…….  flame away, that is a good “logical” way to counter facts!!!!  I am ready for you...

     

    FE.jpg

  • by mmurray47,

    mmurray47 mmurray47 Dec 30, 2014 2:19 PM in response to elcpu
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2014 2:19 PM in response to elcpu

    These aren't flames and I'm not countering any facts - just stating them (and yes having some fun while at it...). What part of my last post did you wish to refute?

  • by don_wan,

    don_wan don_wan Dec 30, 2014 2:20 PM in response to mmurray47
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 30, 2014 2:20 PM in response to mmurray47

    As an IT dinosaur (going back to Data General & DEC mini's through CP/M micros then dos ...) I certainly agree with the fact that software is never going to be 100% reliable, regardless of whether this is to do with coding bugs, hardware compatibility or for other sometimes unexplained reasons. Inevitably this means that in every instance of a major release of a new software version there are going to be some issues, big or small.

     

    The extent and impact of any such issues is down to how much testing is done before the release, and I've no doubt that Apple will have tested IOS 8 on every device they have released it for, however in the case of wi-fi compatibility what they will not have done (as totally impractical) is to test every device against every type of router, repeater etc., in every possible scenario. So some of us have issues, and 97+ pages of posts is a testament to that. Yes there are not 97+ pages of posts from users with no issues, but who would expect that ? If you work in IT support you are never thanked for the 99.99% up time, just remembered for the 0.01% when it went wrong.

     

    The difference here, and I've mentioned it in previous posts, is that in the non-Apple IT world, if a new release of software is giving you a major headache, then you roll back to an earlier version which does work, till the issues are fixed. Let us have the option of restoring to 7.

     

    Call me cynical, but many times it's been said that Apple never admit to problems, and I suspect that allowing users to fix their issues by regressing to ios 7 would be an irrevocable proof of a problem with 8.

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