Wi-Fi Signal Strength Icon Not Showing - But Have Connectivity

Question

Wi-Fi Signal Strength Icon Not Showing - But Have Connectivity

I am experiencing a strange problem that just started today. The Wi-Fi strength meter which should display next to the iPad "title" text, is no longer there. This happens even though I HAVE Wi-Fi access (can surf no problem).

I first noticed this after, after I created an Ad-Hoc network (Windows 7), connected to it via the iPad, and then proceeded to shut it down, and then clicked on "Forget This Network" on the iPad. Now it does not matter which network I connect to, the strength icon is not displayed.

I have already tried rebooting the iPad, and clearing all network settings (General / Reset / Reset Network Settings).

I really want to avoid doing a full firmware install. Any suggestions?

ipad, Other OS

Posted on Jun 29, 2010 7:21 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

B0b

Level 2

249 points

Jun 30, 2010 3:38 AM in response to mettis_software

Do you see the samething when inside the settings app when looking at the wifi tab?

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Answer 2

Jun 30, 2010 4:58 AM in response to B0b

Yes - It is appropriately showing the signal strength meter within the configuration tab. It is just the one at the top of the screen next to the "iPad" text that does not show.

Apps like WiFi Analyzer also appropriately show Wi-Fi strength.

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Answer 3

Jun 30, 2010 8:20 AM in response to mettis_software

This is very weird, because I have just started experiencing exactly the same thing, and on the same day too. My iPad 3G has been functioning perfectly up to now, but all of a sudden the Wifi signal strength icon is not there, just the 3G icon.

Following a bit of playing around here are some further points:

1. If you switch on Airplane mode then both 3G and WiFi switch off. You can then enable WiFi separately but although apparently it is switched on (and connected to a network as indicated by the tick in the settings pane), there is no connectivity. If you open Safari and try and access a website a message comes up saying "Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the internet". The wifi signal strength icon does unreliably appear (sometimes there, sometimes not), but even when it is present there is still no connectivity.

2. If you switch Airplane mode off in Settings then at first the wifi icon is visible but pretty soon it disappears and you get the 3G icon back in its place. Internet connectivity does work but it is not clear which interface is active - in Settings there is a tick alongside the WiFi network indicating that it is active but the icon does not reflect this.

I suspect that this is a display error, but i have no way of knowing for certain. What is weird is that this suddenly happened for no apparent reason. It was working perfectly then all of a sudden this happened, and at the exact same time as reported here by the OP.

Does anyone know how to reset this aspect of the iPad?

Message was edited by: Nick Collingridge

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Answer 4

Jun 30, 2010 9:45 AM in response to Nick Collingridge

For what it is worth, I have a Wi-Fi only 16GB model. No 3G.

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Answer 5

Jun 30, 2010 3:17 PM in response to mettis_software

The symptoms were IMHO somewhat misleading, but I discovered where the problem lay for my iPad. What gave it away was that my iPhone started playing up as well, so I probed a little deeper and found that they both had self-assigned IP addresses. Then I connected the fact that I had changed my router the other day and in the changeover from one router to its replacement I had switched the DHCP server off on the new router (so as not to screw up the network while both routers were present on the network) and then forgotten to switch it back on when I had removed the original router. This change was not coincident with the problem occurring, but of course it took a while for the leases to expire. That is why the iPhone kept going for a while after the iPad stopped working. So probably a red herring for anyone else, but it is worth looking into your device's IP settings to see if it has a valid IP address within the correct subnet.

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Answer 6

hodges69

Level 1

0 points

Jun 30, 2010 3:53 PM in response to Nick Collingridge

My I Pad is doing...and has been doing the same thing for quite a while..The weird thing is that after 11 PM...the icon shows anywhere from 2-3 bars...and then might totally disappear once more.
However,even with a no bar icon..i still am experiencing no wifi drop outs or connectivity probs..
Could this be a software glitch?

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Answer 7

Jul 1, 2010 4:02 AM in response to mettis_software

Same problem here and This weird problem with my iPad still exists, I almost tried any combination of places and wi fi networks and I found absolutely no patterns here! The indicator bars are totally disapeared! Aliens?

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Answer 8

Aug 4, 2010 9:10 PM in response to mettis_software

I think I may have cracked it.
I had the same problem,and all I did was reset the wifi settings.
1.Settings
2.General
3.Reset(at the bottom)
4.Reset network settings

You will have to reconnect to your wifi network.
Good Luck 🙂
Jonathan

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Answer 9

ssandtl

Level 1

4 points

Aug 25, 2010 8:32 AM in response to HumusKing

I had the same problem with my iPod Touch, that just started today.

The re-set seemed to work.

Now as an after though to performing the re-set, does this mean that all the other WiFi sites that have registered the password into my Touch have been lost?

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Answer 10

worf63

Level 1

0 points

May 16, 2011 11:21 PM in response to ssandtl

Yes it will, rather than a total reset, try the 'forget this network' setting. It worked for as I had lost the wifi icon for the hotel wifi I was on, and I did not have to re-enter all my other network settings, just the one I was on. It seems this problem only comes up in public wifi places, such as hotels etc...hope that helps.

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Answer 11

Jun 18, 2011 2:51 AM in response to mettis_software

I tried turning on airplane mode

Then wifi turns off

Turn wifi back on and airplane mode off

Then the wifi icon appeared

It worked for me

Hope this helps you!

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Answer 12

Oct 17, 2011 11:54 AM in response to mettis_software

I never encountered this problem until after I upgraded to iOS 5. Almost immediately after upgrading, I encountered the problem. On my iPad the symptom is the WiFi icon, in the top left, changes to a 3G icon. However, it's clearly using the WiFi connection. I know this because of the speed it's downloading a magazine. 3G isn't this fast.

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Answer 13

Nov 11, 2011 1:19 PM in response to mettis_software

I had a similar problem: No icon, but no connectivity, even though my home network was showing in Settings as the selected network. It was as if my iPad "knew" the home network was there, but couldn't connect to it. (All the DHCP settings fields were empty.)

I first tried syncing the iPad. No good. Then I tried "Reset Network Settings." No good. Then I tried "Forget This Network." Voila!

I'm not sure what the heck was going on here. This is an "original" iPad, about a year old, and it has never behaved this way before.

If you have same problem, read all these posts and don't give up the ship!

And thanks to all the community members who offered such good advice!

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Answer 14

Nov 19, 2011 4:19 PM in response to mettis_software

I had same issue with iPhone, but sorted

First restart you iphone/ipad then Go to

Setting then

Wi-Fi then

Select your network

and change your IP address to DHCP option

I hope then It will works.......

Thanks

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Answer 15

Feb 25, 2012 10:06 AM in response to mettis_software

I too am missing wifi icon. I can't connect and can't surf the net. I've tried reset the network no good. I've restore back to orginal factory default and reload OS no good. HELP.

its not a jailbreak. IPAD2 16gb wifi only 15 months old.

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