I have an old iPad version 1 that I want to use and I'm having trouble connecting to my WiFi. Suggestions?

If this iPad no longer has any third party apps on it, it will be a very limited use to you now, in 2020.

There are NO more compatible, older third party apps available for this iPad, any longer.

NONE!

AND, these old 8, 9 and 10-year old iPad models will be fully and completely obsolete by the end of 2020!

Forget this iPad.

So, this is REALLY NOW the time to seriously consider a new or discounted, refurbished iPad from Apple or other Apple authorised resellers.

A lot has happened with iPad and iOS in 10 years and in the past 2 to 3-1/2 years since iOS 9 and 10 and 9-years since IOS 5.1.1.

As an example and compared to that over 10-years old iPad 4th generation model,

The cheapest, baseline 2019, 10.2 inch screen, 32 GBs internal storage ( 22 GBs actual usable storage space ), 7th gen Apple iPads have a 1/2 inch larger retina screen, it is overall lighter, in weight, newer, more powerful and approx. 2-1/2 times faster 2.3 Ghz, A10 Fusion processor ( CPU ), AT LEAST 3-4 times the internal RAM, with the 2019, 7th gen iPad having 3 GBs of internal RAM, iPadOS 13 support, with much better and improved multitasking features and much fuller support for externally connected data drives, Apple Pencil and Apple Smart keyboard cover support and have better audio speakers and better/improved built-in cameras.

Your 10-year iPad has no cameras, at all, for FaceTime calls to people you may know and wish to talk with online!

In addition, if you search online and look at various, reputable online Apple device resellers, you can usually find this 2019, 7th gen iPad at various discounts, depending on storage size and whether it is a WiFi ONLY model or a WiFi/cellular data model.

This is the harsh reality for these 8 and 9-year old, OR OLDER, iOS devices, now!

Time for a new, refurbished or much “newer” ( read used ) iPad.

If you must purchase older, used iPad models, DO NOT look at anything older than a 2014 iPad Air 2 or 2015 iPad Mini 4.

Both of these models are the oldest iPad models that the up and coming iPadOS 14 will support, in the Fall of 2020.

If you must purchased used devices from unknown, untrusted sources, you must ask A WHOLE LOT more questions of the iOS device seller, ask for more photo/images, ask if the iPad has user/iCloud activation lock and ask for photos/images/short video proof, ANY POSITIVE, VISUAL PROOF, that such an iPad has been reset to factory settings and shown proof of the iOS device's start up screen showing the animated, moving, multi-language “Hello” Welcome to iPad screen.

If the iOS device seller is unwilling to do all of this to show you that the iPad, in question, is ready to use with no barriers to new user activation and use, pass on the iOS device and look at other iOS device sellers elsewhere.

Sorry & Best of Luck to You!

The original, 1st generation iPad has WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n hardware. Most WiFi access points are compatible with this. Does your WiFi's name show up on the network list on the iPad when you try to connect?

Here is the 2019, 7th gen iPad, refurbished and with the option of getting a two or 4-year warranty from Amazon.

Reduced pricing on both the 32 and 128 GBs. storage models.

A 32 GBs storage iPad starts out with approx 30 GBs. Minus 5.5 GBs for iOS leaves 24.5 GBs.Minus 2-4 GBs for iOS iPadOS system reserve equals approx. between 20.5- 22.5 GBs of usable data storage space.

A 128 GBs storage iPad starts out with 119 GBs. Minus 5.5 GBs for iOS leaves 113.5 GBs. Minus 2-4 GBs for iOS iPadOS system reserve equals approx. between 109.5-111.5 GBs of usable data storage space.

Tap the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPad-10-2-Inch-Wi-Fi-128GB/dp/B08264ZHYF/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=2019%2BApple%2BiPad%2B7th%2Bgen&qid=1595107388&sr=8-5&th=1

Best of Luck to You!

Yes, it's pretty much unusable, barely any system memory, slow CPU, 8 year old outdated OS and built-in apps, bad 3rd party app compatibility.

Still, it should be able to connect to the majority of WiFi access points. You can try creating a WiFi hotspot on your phone and see if it shows up on the iPad. I know iPhone WiFi hotspots are compatible with legacy WiFi standards, and I haven't seen an Android phone that isn't.

Maybe it's some consolation that the Kindle app isn't compatible with the device anyway, the app requires at least iOS 12.0 and the iPad 1st gen goes only up to iOS 5.1.1. Even if the device has an old version of the app installed, its networked features probably wouldn't work anymore.