Intermittent Wifi issues with iPad 2 and WiFi

This thread reinforces your analysis:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2398063?start=0&tstart=0

This has nothing to do with an Apple issue or a true wifi problem. This is a problem with the authentication mechanisms setup by your school. I would contact IT support at your school and ask for their recommendations when connecting a device like an iPad. I am sure you are not the first to ask.

Hi,

Today my Verizon 3G (no active account) iPad2 iOS 4.3(8f191) would allocate to my Verizon Droid3 HotSpot or AT&T Elevate 4G MiFi but,

would not access the internet (Safari, GoogleEarth,AppStore,etc).

I tried renew DHCP, turn off WiFi, turned on airplane mode, powered off iPad2; to no avail.

It self corrected after I got on the WiFi network at work.

Is there some correction I could apply without connecting to an enterprise/home WiFi ?

I had the exact same problem with my iPad2 for 2 months. Then I took it with me to see my doctor and it logged in, just perfectly, so I left it connected for about 30 mins and it's worked at home ever since . Moving to IOS 5 had no effect.

That was 2 months ago and I haven't had a problem since.

TaosGuy

if u all had this type of problm better throw the ipad.

I would not fault Apple this time, wifi is still such a mine field.

This fixed my (wifi router) problems

1. Changed encryption to WPA

2. Turned off "Ask to join other networks"

3. Used a fixed IP address

4. Changed channel to the one with the least interference from the neighbours

5. Used fixed G mode instead of "mixed" as I don't need backward comaptibility with "b" clients

6. Updated firmware of access point / router.

Wifi isn't a minefield. When you have various brands of laptops, a DROID, a Blackberry and friends with various other smartphones yet the slow devices are Apple products then, yes, you can blame Apple. All they had to do was warn ppl of this issue. Is that so hard?

I have the same problem! One day it works perfectly and fast and the next day it won't send anything! It stinks. ... If you find a solution please let me know. Thank you.

- Kajolica12

Brand new Netgear N300 works with everything (3 iPods and 4 iPhones) but intermiittenty with the iPad2

How long has the the linksys been working?

"Wow" for coincidence! I am staying at a friend's house. i have the 3G IPAD2, and also a GSG2 cell phone. my laptop is a DELL studio XPS. the house operates a dated NETGEAR router. my laptop works just fine. the rest doesn't...

7 days ago, my SGS2 stopped to access the internet on this router. it continuously said it could not obtain an IP address, although the signal was there. so i went into chat rooms, and according to mainstream conclusions, it would have appeared that there was a hardware bug with the SGS2's wifi... yesterday i opened my IPAD (which i have been using every evening for weeks to place skype calls), and it refused to go online, although there was a router signal... i grab my SGS2, switch on the wifi, an sure enough, it effectively goes online after refusing to do so for 6 days. the IPAD still doesn't today (2nd day). the IP address it assigns starts with 169. i understand that this means that it waits for feedback from the router, which is not forthcoming.

my understanding is that both devices have a very similar problem communicating with this router. both have worked on the router fine, both have refused to work on it, and one works on it again... for the IPAD2, i would personally be surprised if this was a hardware issue. i have not tested it on another router since the problem occured. but i have used both devices in parallel at home (different router) for months without any issue whatsoever...

With these intermittant iPad wifi issues I would lean towards a router setting based on my recent experience with finicky Apple products. What seems to be fine for any other device (Dell, Droid, Blackberry, etc) doesn't seem okay for Apple.

If it were me I would start by stripping down the wireless settings of the router. Lock it in to an older mode like B-only or G-only, turn off any extra features like WEP or QoS. I might even disable DHCP and assign a static IP to the iPad to see if that fixes anything. (This will require a little tech skill because you will also have to assign the gateway, DNS and subnet mask. I would suggest copying those IP settings from a working wireless device on the same router.) Who knows? Maybe the Netgear is having problems releasing/renewing the DHCP IP properly. It is also possible that someone tweaked the router config to only allow for, say, 5 DHCP IPs and they are all in use. Once it is fixed then work backwards slowly turning features back on.

I would also recommend downloading the "Speed Test" app available for iPad and Google phones. Test to make sure when you think you are "working" that you are really getting a solid signal/speed. You may find that even when you think you are working that it isn't performing as it should be.

This may seem obvious but for these tests sit within 5-10 ft of the router itself just to eliminate any possible interference issues.

You might even try Netgear tech support and see if they have any recommended settings on their routers for Apple products.

I have an iPad2 and my wife has an iPad1. Her's never stops connecting to our WiFi and finding servers online. Last Fall I lost my iPad2 connection for 6 weeks. It showed a good connection and a full signal, but it wouldn't find a server. When I took it to my doctors office it would get on his system just fine. Then I sat in his waiting room for 30 minutes using it and when I got home it suddenly worked! That was 4 months ago. I have 5 other machines that work just fine on my home router, so I'm not buying that it's the problem.

It worked until last night. I couldn't sleep at 3am and, after 10 minutes, all of a sudden it just stopped. I rebooted my router, even though it showed a good connection, a full signal, and it hasn't worked since. Under Networking it shows a full signal and a good connection, but I go to the net and it says it can't find the server. Frustrating!

Today I went to my doctor's office and it connected and worked fine - came home and connected fine but couldnt find the server again.

I live in northern New Mexico and an Apple dealer is 150 miles away. I have an extended warranty, but what do I do? I'm too ill right now to make the trip so I use my Kindle Fire and my Notebooks and Desktops. They work!

I paid a lot of money for a fine machine and it acts stupid!

Taosguy

@Taos: I have 27 years of pro IT experience. I also happen to be a 27 year hater of Apple's propreitary nonsense. They like to be different (and more expensive). They like to seem cooler than the PC world. I get all that. IT guys just do what we have to do to make something work. If "you aren't buying" that your router could be the problem that is your business but at the end of the day your iPad is still broken and no one knows why. You need to look at the facts as you know them so far.

1. It works at the docs office flawlessly. The only thing that changed was the router. Ask your doc what brand router he has. Get the make/model.

2. Perform due dilegence on your home router. Update the firmware and go through the steps I outlined above on Feb 16. None of this may fix it but you have to start eliminating things. Possibly even go buy a brand new router to see if the problem goes away. You can always return it.

3. What you described about your other wifi devices working fine is exactly what I experienced too and why I didn't suspect the router right off the bat.

Just because your signal says it is high doesn't mean anything. The internet is based on a ton of protocols all part of TCP/IP. A wifi router also incorporates a bunch of very nit-picky protocols too. The way one device performs a handshake, passes data, waits for ACK, etc. is different from another. You saying your signal is high but cannot connect is like saying your engine is gassed up and revving but you have no tires... you still won't go anywhere.

Let's back up... when establishing a handshake with a wireless network we have to be authorized first. Clearly you are at home and at the doc. The next step is a negotiation with the router and the hand out an IP address via DHCP. That could be the point of failure. Maybe the docs router handles DHCP differently? You could turn off DHCP as I described in lsat post to test.

If you say it dies at home in the middle of use I would download "Speed Test" app and verify your connection speeds are really what you think they are. Maybe you are barely crawling the whole time yet you think you are running great. You can have a nice big pipe for sending data but if one side is speaking English and the other side Spanish then "it no work". Maybe the Apple implentation of certain protocols is a little off? Maybe it only affects certain iPad2s? Maybe it's the firmware or the OS? Maybe you just need a different router? You have to start eliminating options.

TheDR1970,

Thanks for your ideas. I really appreciate your time. Thanks! I was in the IBM Mainframe business for 40 years as a Systems Designer & Systems Support Analyst. I also had 4 PC retail stores in Ohio. I also did PC software development. I've writtem operating systems, drivers, and all kinds of analytal software. So I'm not niave.

I appreciate your ideas and help, but I've tried everything over the last 6 months. If I have router problems why did it work for 1 year, stop for 2 months, then run for 4 more months perfectly, then stop again?

I have a fairly new Century Link (Qwest PK5000Z) router I also have a new "N" level router, a NetGear ADSL2+, ready to install but I'm too ill right now to risk tearing down our network to install it right now. Again my iPad2 has run just fine on my network for almost a year. Part of that time was on an older router, then I got a new one last fall (after the trouble started) and updated to iOS 5. Nothing helped, then, suddenly, it startied finding the server! It ran flawlessly until the other night. My connection is speed and quality is perfect.

I know this sounds stupid, but there are hundreds of posts stating similar problems. I've tried everything. The best I've heard is getting a replacement from Apple.

I'm coming out of 10 years of fighting terminal bone marrow cancer, But I Won! I'm in Morphine Withdrawal **** right now, so I've got battle fatigue. I was on a heavy dose for over 6 years. I died 5 years ago at the Houston Cancer Center, so I've come a long way. I've done the impossible. So, I can't put in my new NetGear until I'm more physically competent. But I can't beat this **** iPad issue right now. I've literally tried everything! It was up to date in every way. It just stops! Then starts working for no reason.

When I go to Network in Setup everything looks normal, good connection, full bars on the signal, just like always. But if I go to any website it says it can't find the server. It did for the last 4 months. I used it every day. It did before the last failure for, maybe, 8-12 months also. I've read a hundred posts and tried everything. I'm too tired for this crap right now, so I'll use one of my PC NetBooks!

I'm going to call the Albuquerque Apple store and see if I can UPS it to them for replacement. I'll back up the hard drive before I send it, of course.

Just another frustrating Apple issue.

TaosGuy

Taos, NM

Check your Wi-fi connection, Reset your iPad and try again 🙂