Q: Intermittent Wifi issues with iPad 2 and WiFi

Elsewhere in this forum I have suggested that the folowing should be used as a working hypothesis:

'ipad2s will function properly only with routers that either support QoS or have QoS disabled/deactivated'.

I believe this is what TheDr1970 is trying to say and I can imagine him tearing his hair out with the frustration of trying to get his message across.

Five computers ran wirelessly off my old router, an iMac, a Dell desktop, an IBM x41 ThinkPad, an iPad and an iPad 2. WiFi worked perfectly with all of them except the iPad 2. Forget all except the iPads; the iPad 1 worked Okay within the house but not far outside the house. The iPad 2  was useless unless you were sitting on top of the router (a slight exageration for emphasis).

With a new different make of router, right out of the box, both iPads worked perfectly from the far end of the garden 40 yards away. That's an impressive improvement for the iPad and a phenominal improvement for the ipad 2. No need to measure the speed, the improvement hits you in the face. I have made no attempt to measure the maximum distance for reception.

None of the router settings has been interfered with and the QoS settings were visited and found to be disabled by default. Some third party routers come with QoS disabled as the default, some with QoS enabled. Apple, of course, does not support QoS and their routers are therefore equivalent to QoS disabled.

Staying at a hotel and using the three mobile computers guess which one did not function properly. The iPad 2. I have not dared to try the home router with QoS enabled for fear of upsetting it!

What does all this mean? if you suspect you have this sort of problem it is essential to check the QoS settings; they should be set to disabled/deactivated.

Apologies. Correction.

My previous post should read: 'iPad2s will function properly only with routers that either do not support QoS or have QoS disabled/deactivated'.

Counterpoint:

Not EVERY iPad 2 has a problem with EVERY router with QoS enabled.

I have a D-Link DIR-655 router, Hardware version A4, Firmware version 1.21 with QoS enabled and an early April 2011 iPad 2 64GB WiFi Only on iOS 4.3.4 that 'functions properly' all the time.

I didn't look at the date code of my iPad2 but I have had it since about April, 2011. When I first learned of this issue I also checked (2) iTouches (both purchased between Nov-Dec, 2011) and they had the same problem as my iPad2. VERY SLOW!

I also checked my oldest iTouch which is about 1 yr old.. very slow too.

Every Apple product I own (iPad 1, iPad 2, (3) iTouches were all fixed by turning of QoS. I am not saying ALL iPads have this problem but it clearly spans more than just the iPad product and more than just 1 date range.

To prove your point you need to be able to tell us that with QoS disabled your iPad 2 does not run better than with QoS enabled.

This test was done with:

1 - iPad

1 - iPad2

3 - various iTouches

I ran SpeedTest app and got:

w/ QoS enabled: 0.8Mbit download / 4-5Mbit upload

w/ QoS disabled: 15-20Mbit download / 4-5Mbit upload

A drastic difference on all Apple devices. My kids couldn't beleive how fast apps were now downloading

Using the www.speedtest.net app on my ATT DSL account rated for max 3.0Mbit down/512Kbit up, and 5 trials conducted over a period of about 10 minutes, each from same location with iPad Smart Cover attached and folded as stand and iPad in same orientation (landscape with stand down on hard surface) each time:

With QoS enabled, Best 2.35 down/.39 up, Worst 2.15 down/.35 up

With QoS disabled, Best 2.25 down, .39 up, Worst 2.11 down/.34 up

iPad 2 orientation with stand vs handheld in various orientations does affect downstream results by as much as .25Mbit. The setup used above is not fastest, but results are easily repeatable.

My MacBook 2,1 shows quite similar results with QoS turned on, OS X 10.6.7, Safari 5.05, using www.speedtest.net from the same physical location, Best was 2.38 up/.40 down, so iPad 2 results are not atypical of what I get with the other wireless devices in my household (2 Macs, 1 Nintendo Wii, 1 Canon wireless printer, 1 iPod touch, 2 Windows computers).

TheDR1970 & Group,

  I just installed my new NetGear DGN2000 N speed router. I've had it for 2 months! (from TigerDirect, $34) Am not sure what Security Options to use. I set it to WPA2-PSK and my iPad 2 suddenly started working. With my iPad 2 working 9 out of 12 months on my old router, a ZyXEL PK5000Z and working at my doctors office with the same old router before my ZyXEL then suddenly stopping for no reason - with a good signal/connection - I'm totally confused. My Acer NetBook says I'm connected to KesslerOffice 2, not the prior KesslerOffice. I don't know why it added the 2. My router setup just says KesslerOffice? Confusing, but happy to have my Ipad 2 back.

  BTW, How do I set QoS on my Apple products? I don't see it in Setup. I am in a small town and we only get 1.5 DSL speed at best. But the improvement you mention should be proportionate.

Thanks so much for your help,

  TaosGuy

QoS (Quality of Service) is a router feature, if your router includes it. Not all routers do. From a quick scan of this data sheet, it does not appear that your Netgear router has that feature. http://kbserver.netgear.com/datasheets/dgn2000_ds_18july08.pdf

There are no QoS settings on your computer or iPad.

@Taos: sounds like you are making progress! Good job!

@Kostby: may e you happen to have an Apple product not affected. Your DSL sounds painfully slow though. I think those speeds would drive me insane. I tested my iPad2 again tonight and got 25 Mbit down and 4.5 Mbit up. That is pretty much the same speeds as I get with a wired desktop PC.

@TheDr1970 Why should I pay for more bandwidth today than I need today? I can stream video uninterrupted to multiple devices simultaneously with 3.0Mbit DSL service. Prices keep dropping because of local competition, and I can always buy more bandwidth tomorrow, at tomorrow's price, when my needs change.

My 02/23/2012 8:16 p.m. post was responding @mikerobe's statement "To prove your point you need to be able to tell us that with QoS disabled your iPad 2 does not run better than with QoS enabled." Indeed, disabling QoS did not make performance better. It made performance a bit worse. As one would expect, if QoS is working properly.

I may have the only 'golden' iPad 2 out of 40,000,000 that works reliably with QoS enabled, but for my specific setup (and that's why I included details) it remains connected, downloads quickly, and works reliably 99.99% of the time. The .01% of time it did not work reliably (with or without QoS enabled) was when the fiber-optic cable installers working for a competitor next door cut the outside "phone" lines into my home.

Just noticed that I transposed the labels for the MacBook numbers in the 8:16 post, "Best was 2.38 up/.40 down," the 'up' and 'down' labels are reversed.

Message was edited by: kostby

TheDR1970,

  I'm so glad to have my iPad 2 back in operating order. Thanks to your help. You are a very generous person and I thank you for that. (All of you guys.)

  I sat in bed last night and read a book to my tired wife from my iPad. "The Key" by Whitly Strieber". A fabulous read. She works very hard for us while I'm stuck at home recovering from Cancer and Morphine Dependancy. I feel pretty useless after a long IT career. (40 years) I was Director of Information Systems (Mainframes) at Rockwell International, but that seems like eons ago after fighting terminal cancer for 10 long years. But I won and my doctor tells me my problem is that I lived. I had an NDE (died) 6 years ago and faced God. It was an unbeliable, incredible, experience! A life changing event! I've spent these last 6 years trying to get my physical body back to be able to be productive again. I don't want to sound uninformed in my postings, but Morphine has taken my memory, my life. I have spent the last 4 weeks getting off of it when my doctors said I couldn't - so I'm fighting... hard! Although it was a trip to **** I think I've done it!

  I'm telling you this, not to brag or to boast, or to preach, but to give to those, whom are in trouble, Hope. If one just believes - all is posssible. There was a movie about "Just Believe!" but I can't remember it's title. We are powerful beings. Our minds will allow us to do anything we set it to. Will is the facilitator.

  These forums are a true example of people willing to help others. Without question or pause. And I can't tell you all how appreciative I am since I am home bound on the end of an oxygen tube. Like a monkey.

  And I don't mean to be emotional, but I probably am. Again, I just want to give those who need it, Hope. Just keep helping each other and you will change lives, even over such simple things as computers. Just keep on keeping on!

  I've got my iPad 2 back, so I'm going to go play,

TaosGuy

What a post, TaosGuy! Most people will never have 1/10 of that experience.

Let me say what makes me sad about reading the stuff on these forums. Total complete SILENCE from Apple. Yet, they run these forums. They even use your Apple app shop login to authenticate entry. This isn't some Usenet or Yahoo forum. This one is run by Apple, for Apple's entire workforce to read. Yet, they utterly arrogantly disregard it all (or deliberately appear to be doing so).

I have been in business since 1978 and would never dream of running a facility like this for my customers, and simply ignore their complaints.

It seems to be very much the "Apple way" - or at least it was under Jobs. He played hardball in every way.

Of course, Apple are not the only company which runs a user forum and deliberately disregards issues posted on it, but few companies make the massive gross profits which Apple make.

PeterH337,

  Thanks! I debated posting it, but I felt that it would be received, how it was intended, as a big thank you for all of you being there for me when I needed you. How can I ever repay you? Your time is valuable, yet you dropped everything and came to my aid. How remarkable!

  What can Apple do? recall a million machines? They promise everything, but fail to meet their own standards. We can only hope. No different than Bill Gates.

  Yes, I've suffered, but I've grown. The horrible pain is soon forgotten, but the growth is always remembered. I would not be such a Lover of Life without it. I have been greatly Blessed and I'm duly Grateful. We are all Spiritual Beings on a Physical Journey. We need to love ourselves and then share that with one another. "My Heart will lie Peaceful and Calm when I'm laid to my Rest." (Dare that be said on an Apple site?)

  Nowadays, I'm just happy to be vertical. Life offers such simple pleasures, but we get too busy and we miss them. Our Familys, our Loves, our Friends, Ourselves. Life is a Blessing and I'm proud to be Human.

  So, again, I'm happy to have found you guys. You are a positive bunch willing to tackle anything. I admire you all.

Thanks a million!

   TaosGuy

Yes I am having the same problems but it differs across my various devices - I have an iPad 2 16GB and 32GB as well as an iMac and MacBook......the wireless works well on both the MacBook and my iMac....however the wireless connection on my iPad's remain spotty to say the least.

The connection is very intermittent and does not work at all in certain parts of my home....however, I have no such issues on the MacBook or my iPhone, when connecting to wireless - this leads me to believe that there are wireless connection issues with the iPad 2...the 16GB connects if I am near the router but the 32GB doesn't connect at all.....will go to the Apple Store and see if they can resolve - extremely frustrating to say the least.

I hope this is something they can fix in the future via updated software....if not, it's going to impact sales/reputation and their value as a company.

Come on Apple - get it sorted!

I have been a loyal customer for many years....and purchased $000's of worth of your product and always bragged about your 'excellent customer service' to anyone that would listen but this seems like a major problem, judging by the forum comments; it needs to be addressed and fixed!

Cheers....hopefully someone from Apple is reading/listening to these forums.....would be crazy to ignore!