Intermittent Wifi issues with iPad 2 and WiFi

I have heard of some other issues (a while ago) with the 2900, I sourced a 2800 VG upon advice from the guys at work (Linux techies) who really know their stuff. Though this was a couple of years ago before wireless n was widely available. I'm happy to update the router if I knew that would fix the issue. Would this affect data rates on other products or just the ipad? I'll try and source (borrow) another router and give it a try but when I was in the same room as the router everything worked fine, very quick data rates, no issues which is why I don't think it's a compatility issue.

Don't upgrade your router yet. My problems are with the iPad2 and my Netgear DG834N. I think you will find most people ar eusing all sorts of different routers. It really does appear to be the iPads and Apples terrible understanding of all things network related.

Regarding the extender I added to my network. I have so far had good use out of the iPad since adding the extender, but the other day I did get about 2 minutes of the iPad throwly it's doll out the pram, and I practically sat on the extender at the time. Also the iPad randonly rejected the password ... which was very annoying because it is 16 random digits that I have no chance of remembering. I re-entered the password a few times and the iPad still rejected it a few times more. I then gave up due to frustration and left it alone for 30 minutes or more. Behold, the iPad starting behaving itself ...

A few random issues going on, all network related ... but the connection is defintely more stable with the extender ... so far.

Apple need to start employing network engineers who have a clue.

I don't recall the details as this was a few months ago but I think the 2900 wifi stopped working altogether, more or less.

I then moved to two Draytek 800 access points, both configured for the same SSID, same pwd, no DHCP (so DHCP is done by the router), and 1.0.3 firmware, and they seem to work OK. One upstairs, one downstairs, and we get seamless wifi roaming around the house that way. I gather that 1.0.3 firmware contains mods specific to Ipads and Iphones. It's a big issue in the industry - Apple seem to have done "something different" to everybody else and a lot of wifi gear is now broken.

However I still have problems with wifi being affected by the use of the Apple HDMI adapter with an HDMI cable attached, going to a Sony 1080P TV. It's basically unusable, most of the time, and to recover from it one needs to power cycle the Ipad and also power cycle the access point(s). We have now given up on using the HDMI connection. It seems to work OK in the Apple shop, where they use Apple wifi access points (obviously) and some different type of TV, so it remains unresolved. It also works OK without the HDMI cable attached, but with the HDMI adaptor plugged in. Quite bizzare, and happens with two different Ipad2s.

"Apple need to start employing network engineers who have a clue."

Of course I agree totally that Apple are at fault here, because we have had years of stable operation between wifi gear of all sorts and non-Apple client devices of all sorts.

Until Apple came along. Now we have all kinds of weird issues with all kinds of wifi access points with which everything else works just fine.

I too have been having the random password rejection issue. It was both pre- and post-IOS5. It seems to be better with the Draytek 1.0.3 firmware.

As with Flash support, Apple probably take the view that they have a big enough following that if they stick at it, everybody else will eventually change. Website designers will gradually remove Flash, and manufacturers of wifi access points will modify their firmware. And everybody who has an access point which is no longer supported with firmware updates (probably the vast majority of the world's installed access points) will have to throw it away.

Hopefully the Chinese find it funny to be producing millions of Ipads, and a few months later they get a slightly smaller number of millions of scrap routers and access points coming back to China for burying in landfills 🙂

Ha! Yep the Flash issue will always be a gripe, bit like Love Film and Universal! Anyhow, I must say I can't blame Apple entirely for issues with HDMI extenders / adapters, although I've never used an Apple one I've had no end of problems with other makes of HDMI equipment, SKYHD comes into the house through Co-Ax why can't it leave the Sky box in Co-Ax? HDMI is a proper pain in the jaxi, especially when you start adding HDMI splitters & switchers etc. Finally managed to get a set up using a Buffalo Linkstation to store all my media and a Western Digital HDTV HDMI network adapter which after an age of setting up and tweaking now works really well and seems very robust.

Back to the iPad issue, a friend has offered to lend me his iPad 1 to test at home, as he also commented that he has weak wifi reception in his house and resorts to moving the router around the house to wherever he's working / playing!! I might also try a high -gain wifi aerial, my old man has problems in his house as it's really old and has got big thick walls, the aerial did the trick nicely.

I do not for a moment think the Ipad wifi issues are to do with signal strength alone.

It doesn't matter how far or close you are, you can get the issues.

I just got a refurbished iPad 2 WiFi 16gb from Apple yesterday and have had nothing but headaches getting the thing's WiFi connection to stay on. I'm using the device on both my university network and my home network, and I get the same problem in each place.

Basically, after a varying period of time (a couple of minutes to a couple of hours), my iPad will drop its connection to the WiFi network. I go to my settings and disable/reenable my WiFi connection, but almost always the iPad searches for networks and never finds any. If I restart the device, it does not automatically reconnect to the remembered network. I can go to the WiFi settings after the restart and see the list of wireless networks in the area only the FIRST time I go to the menu after the restart. I click on my network, get asked for my password, and then get an "Unable to join x network" error message. If I leave the menu and return, I go back to the spinning search without anything found.

I have restored the device. Works great until the iPad decides to drop the network again and I'm back to square one. I have reset the network settings on the device. This often leaves my WiFi option disabled and greyed out on the device, meaning I can't even toggle WiFi on or off. I have changed the channel and other wireless settings on my Airport Express (switching from 802.11n [b/g] to just n). Works great, again, until that first drop.

I love my new iPad, but it is next to useless without a WiFi connection. Should I be asking for a return? My issue sounds both similar and different from what others have posted.

Just spoke with an Apple customer service rep. on the phone. He said that the company is aware of the ongoing WiFi issues and another update is incoming. He said it should happen very soon.

I should mention that I was using a Smart Cover yesterday. I read a few posts about people removing the cover and having their WiFi issues fixed, and the logic behind this (removing several magnets from the iPad) seemed sound. My cover was on for all of the issues I just posted about, and, since removing it this morning, I've had a solid WiFi connection for the last couple of hours.

The customer service rep. said that it is entirely possible that the Smart Cover could be interfering, so I told him I'd submit feedback after a few days of testing without the cover on. I will post back here when I'm done, too.

The smart cover is a good hypothesis but I don't think that's the reason we're having this issue. I have been getting the same problem on my iPad 1 as I am with my iPad 2. I have two iPad 2s and two iPad ones and they do the same thing. I am finding this problem just random Somedays I have solid Wi-Fi connection that could last as long as a month and then following that I'll have a week of just interrupted Wi-Fi signal. A fix for this would be nice hopefully an update will be coming soon

Since upgrading to iOS 5 I have not (knocking on wood) seemed to have the WiFi drops I had before. Nothing else has changed in my setup as far as I can tell. Of course, by posting this I am sure I have jinxed it and the problems will return.😀

And, just in time for lunch, the WiFi issues are back.

TIme for a refund.

Folks, we all have pretty much the same issue. It has nothing to do with signal strength as it happen even if the ipad is seating on the router. It has nothing to do with a particular unit, as it happen after replacing my ipad2 twice.

It happends to all ipad2 I tried and with all IOS I tried. Nothing that was suggested here helps. I tried all of it, including the cover (good thought), and just about everything except changing to static ip service or removing the password, which I am not willing to do. I believe all the solutions offered here seemed to work at first since it is an intermittent issue, so people get excited and post about it, but forget to post later when the issue returns...

Perhaps the issue is with only certain routers? Mine is Netgear wireless N 150 WNR1000. I suspect the issue does not happen in all routers and when not using encription, otherwise we would have heared more complains about it. Maybe it is not noticeable on units with 3G. I tried tethering to my iphone hot spot and so far I did not notice this issue, so I suspect there are no issues when using Apple products such as the $100+ airport.

Basically the ipad2 looses wifi connectivity every minute or so, and regain connectivity only under certain conditions, which I am still not sure what. One thing I noticed that during very long downloads which requires constant connectivity such as downloading HD movies, it does not loose connectivity. It only loose connectivity when it is idling for a moment. As such, it is most likely a simple software glitch in the ipad2 that every college grad could fix in few days. What I don't get is how we let Apple get away with it. Even with a major new iOS they could not provide a fix? There is so much noise on silly issues like battery life and antena problems on iphone 4 yet such a major issue with ipad goes relatively quiet? Why we don't hear about it in the news? How come I can walk to an Apple store and someone who calls himself genious is telling me that this is probably a problem with my ipad since ipad should not have wifi issues, and is willing to replace my ipad, wasting my time and causing Apple to loose money? How arrogant or stupid can Apple be to ignore or not beeing able to address this issue?

My last hope is replacing the (perfectly good) wifi router (Netgear wireless N 150 WNR1000) since nothing else mentioned here helped. So my question is did anyone manage to solve the problem completely by replacing the router, and if so, which router? I am hoping not to have to purchase Apple expensive routers unless I have no choice.

I have an Airport Express, and it does not matter. iMac, MBP, iPhone, and PS3 all connect to the router fine, but no dice for the iPad 2. Save your money.

I bought an Airport Express and sent it back immediately when I discovered that it has no web config. One has to use Apple's config software, which is an admin nightmare.

Currently, IOS5.01, Ipad2/3G, I am running OK with a Draytek 800 with the 1.0.3 firmware, but have not done exhaustive testing. I did watch one 1hr movie using BBC I-Player.