iPhone 3G cannot detect wi fi network

Question

iPhone 3G cannot detect wi fi network

Just got my new iPhone 3G a couple of days ago, and was pretty excited until I found out my fone cannot detect our existing wi fi network in the office 😟

Details:
iPhone wi fi address is OK
wi fi is turned on
when on settings > wi fi, the fone doesn't even 'try' to detect any wi fi network in the area.

the 'loading' ring shows up for a second and disappears without detecting any wi fi network, which i know exists in our office building as one of my colleague's iPod Touch can detect and connect to the wi fi network effortlessly...

any ideas guys?

am speculating that my cellular network service provider 'configured' my iPhone NOT to use wi fi connection so i'll be 'forced' to connect to the internet using their 3G service which of course is not free. i don't have real issues using their 3G or Edge of GPRS service to connect to the net, but of course i would just like to be assured that my iPhone is working in its FULL functionality.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! 😀

PC, Windows XP Pro

Posted on Aug 27, 2008 5:35 PM

Reply

Answer 1

DCGOO

Level 3

769 points

Aug 27, 2008 5:50 PM in response to WyattUpgraded

Make sure your Wifi is turned on in Settings. But it is still possible your wireless network is set to not broadcast its SSID, making it invisible except for those devices that have it explicitly configured. This is a fairly common security measure. You will have to get the settings from your IT staff, and manually set it up.

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Answer 2

DCGOO

Level 3

769 points

Aug 27, 2008 5:53 PM in response to DCGOO

Quite frankly, you may be better off not using wifi. There is likely to be a bunch of other security systems, firewalls and port restrictions you will have to contend with. 3G Internet will have none of that, nor any logging and sniffing they may do within your company.

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Answer 3

bonesb

Level 1

100 points

Aug 28, 2008 10:59 AM in response to WyattUpgraded

My iPhone has recently not been able to connect to a known WiFi network. In the past few days, the iPhone either (doesn't "see" the network, doesn't connect to a network it "sees", or just keeps searching for a network when I know that at least two are available).

I have remedied the problems by rebooting the iPhone. I had success after performing a reset of all network settings. I did find out that once, when it wouldn't connect, the station actually was being used by its maximum number of programmed users (4) but there was no way of knowing that on my end until I also found my laptop wouldn't connect either.

I also try to keep in mind that some of the people around me have devices that interfere with WiFi; when they walk by or go near the wireless router my signal drops to zero for a few seconds every time.

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Answer 4

icebike

Level 3

740 points

Aug 28, 2008 5:26 PM in response to bonesb

I just press the Wifi off button in settings, wait a minute, then push it back on.

No reboot needed.

In fact, I haven' rebooted this phone since 2.0.2 was installed.

The other thing you can do is set your router to channel 1. It seems to work
better there because the frequencies in use are further from the cell range.

Also sometimes resetting the router is useful. But you shouldn't have to do that very often.

Finally, don't let let the phone sleep when it is displaying a web page that will automatically fetch updates after a while. When the phone next wakes up
that update fetch kicks in faster than it can find a Wifi router, so it goes out over 3G or Edge. That seems to mess things up for me. Shutting apps before sleeping the phone is a good idea.

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Answer 5

Jason L

Community Specialist

Aug 28, 2008 6:04 PM in response to WyattUpgraded

Hey WyattUpgraded,

Does the iPhone see any other Wi-Fi networks?
Try testing without the protective case, if your using one.

Try Resetting Network Settings on the iPhone, go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset Network Settings.

If the Wi-Fi network is closed or the SSID is not broadcasted, the iPhone should not be able to see the Wi-Fi network. http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1849

Also, make sure the router has the latest firmware updates installed.

Jason

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Answer 6

CD3

Level 1

40 points

Aug 29, 2008 6:20 AM in response to WyattUpgraded

Wyatt,

Is your office network 802.11.n only? If it is your phone can't connect to that network. If the network is B G compatible it should connect OK. The wi fi radio in the iPhone is 802.11 G.

CD3

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Answer 7

Oct 1, 2008 2:02 AM in response to WyattUpgraded

**** it I have exactly the same problem as you. The loading ring only shows up for a second and I've never been able to find any wifi networks around me in the month or so I've had this phone.

I think I'll have to take it to the cutomer service. So annoying.

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Answer 8

Oct 1, 2008 2:06 AM in response to Antonio Tavanti

Just for the record, I didn't swear a second ago.
The "bad word" was dam,n. I didn't even know it is considered as a bad word. Whatever.

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Answer 9

Oct 1, 2008 11:17 PM in response to Antonio Tavanti

I have the same problem as the Original Poster. I cannot detect ANY wifi spots at my house, at my work, or anywhere. I am thinking its a hardware failure. Everything else works fine except for the wifi feature.

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Answer 10

Ksapel

Level 1

0 points

Oct 8, 2008 2:38 AM in response to WyattUpgraded

I have the same problem...
Did someone get a solution ?

Thanks

Reply

Answer 11

YINGYANG

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2009 11:06 AM in response to Ksapel

Hi, Just wondering if you managed to rectify your WiFi problem because I'm also facing the same issue.

Thanks

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Answer 12

YINGYANG

Level 1

0 points

Jan 26, 2009 11:07 AM in response to WyattUpgraded

Hi. Just wondering if you've managed to resolve your WiFi issue? I'm experiencing the same problem.

How did you get your WiFi to work again? Thanks

Reply

Answer 13

adnixon

Level 1

144 points

Jan 26, 2009 12:24 PM in response to WyattUpgraded

When I have been working through a WiFi connectivity issue I have found it useful to run a stumbler program like vistumbler which can be downloaded from http://vistumbler.net. This is a Windows XP/Vista program which will report on networks in range what channel they are running on what security mode is configured signal strength etc. Very useful for eliminating the issues that might be causing the problem.

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Answer 14

Chursy

Level 1

0 points

Feb 8, 2009 1:15 PM in response to adnixon

Hi,
Another victim of the Wifi issue. In my case the Wifi connection worked for a few hours and then suddenly died. I cant get it to detect any Wifi networks now. I also have an iPhone 2G which works with out any problem so I assume that my router is not the issue. Any ideas?

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Answer 15

4 U 2 C

Level 1

0 points

Feb 10, 2009 11:40 AM in response to Chursy

Hello , got the same problem I am in Saudi Arabia now , NO wifi , so my point is it's for sure NOT the location ,nor the place ,somthing with the phone.

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