Q: Intermittent Wifi issues with iPad 2 and WiFi

Looks like I'm in the same boat as everyone here, I purchased an 32GB WiFi iPad last week. The first couple of days everything seemed fine but now i'm experiencing constant WiFi problems.

I have a *Belkin F6D4630-4* router, configured to Apple's recommendations for iOS devices.

My MacBook and iPhone are connected to the same network, yet they are not having any problems.

I don't have an iPhone 4, which I understand is more sensitive than previous models, but I've compared the reception on my iPad2 to that on my iPhone 3gs, and it seems pretty nearly identical. I see the same networks in my crowded neighborhood, and the same number of bars for each (except for my own 5 GHz network, which my iPhone 3gs can't see at all).

have you tried updating your firmware? I used to have a belkin and that solved a lot of problems for me, but i had to manually download it - the auto detect feature was broken

http://en-au-support.belkin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2643/~/f6d4630-n150-mode m-router---firmware-update

that one looks like yours.

Thanks Jim. My router is a dell truemobile 1184 model wx-6215d

Similar issues here.
Got an IPad2
64gb
wifi/3G Verizon(not activated)
IOS 4.3.1 (updated since day one (4/7/11))

No problem with device until 4/12/11. Lost connection to Wifi when battery was at 8% (and i was 3 seconds into the ipad2 garageband guided tour video). couldn't connect or even detect wifi after it dropped. reset router, check all other devices (MB Pro, Dell Laptop, 2 moto Droids, XBox 360) all could connect fine.

after charging to 56% (assuming it may be due to low battery) i tried connecting again. couldn't detect network.. turned wifi on/of repeatedly as fast as possible, after about 6 times, the SSID showed up. I selected and went back to safari to watch the ipad2 garageband guided tour. It got to 3 seconds into the video again and then dropped wifi. I got a notification stating "Could not activate cellular data network". I haven't activated 3G and had it disabled. so no wifi and when i exit safari I still have the 'Play' icon up in the notification bar as if im still watching the movie in safari. I go back to wifi settings and try to join the network again and got "Unable to join the network "My Network"". Getting frustrated. I forgot to mention that i had been resetting the iPad2 in between several of these steps. There were also a few brief moments when i could refresh my email followed by dropped wifi.

Also after one of the resets i tried to go to the wifi settings and it was greyed out and said "No Wi-Fi"... as if it didn't know it had or know how to drive the Wi-Fi adapter. (i have screenshots of this)

Another symptom it is exhibiting is when it is scanning for a networks and not showing anything, i try to manually join my network by giving it the SSID, and security, etc. I get "Could not scan for wireless networks"... WT-EFF I THOUGHT THAT IS WHAT IT WAS DOING ALL OF THIS TIME

At this point I'm just so frustrated that i let it charge and decide to try again in the morning.

In the morning i go to a hotspot to try several different networks available there.

I connect the the ATTWiFi hotspot at SBux and go to Safari to test connection. With the WIFI Icon showing full bars on the left of the notification bar i get a notification pop up saying "Cannot Open Page Safari cannot open the page bacause it is not connected to the Internet".. Oh that makes perfect sense.. instead of getting forwarded to the ATTWiFi radius login page i get this.

Go to all other apps including AppStore and no luck (obviously since i wasn't able to go to the ATTWiFi login page)

Similar luck with other hotspots.

I have screen-shotted everything up to this point and i plan on taking it in.. as of right now i have a 900(ish)$ pretty thing i can type notes on and take pics with. I would post the screen shots but i don't have a way to get the pics off the device. Will post when i get home to my macbook and can get them off.

It worked fine for some time then suddenly it seemingly forgot how to speak to routers. With all of these symptoms, it seems to be an iPad HW or SW issue.. hoping it's the latter.

so disappointed.. Wife bought this awesome BDay present and it's becoming a headache.. Apple if you can hear me, please help..
:(( <--- That's a double frown

jon06712 wrote:
Thanks Jim. My router is a dell truemobile 1184 model wx-6215d

A Dell Truemobile 1184 model wx-6215d?

Man, that's really archaic dating back to 2002 or so. It's an 802.11b only router and is totally unsupported.

I'd retire that and get a new up-to-date router. You can sometimes find something like a Netgear WGR614v10 router for $30 or so.

I thought you would say that, I know its crazy old, first and only I ever bought. I am going to try to get something low cost that's new, just have to use brick and mortar so I can return if it fails to work with ipad2. thanks for advice and trying to help me.

I have been having some interesting discussions with Apple senior technical support staff and customer relations staff over the last few days.

I got the feeling that they were initially hopeful that I would just accept the problem and not follow up with then on it.

I was promised that the Customer Relations staff would get back to me. After not hearing back I called them back on Tuesday.

While there has been no formal acknowledgement of the issue, it would appear that the issue is something that Apple is well aware of. When I described my observations on the issues and my technical hypothesis on what was causing the issue (incompatibility in the re-authentication process with some models of routers) it was evident I was not telling them something that they did not know and there was no disagreement or denial of any kind from the senior engineering staff.

I explained that I had perfectly reliable wireless connectivity with the iOS originally on my iPAD but that a subsequent iOS upgrade had introduced the problem.

They explained that they have the right to release new software upgrades to address bugs. It was explained to me that I should not expect the iPAD to be perfect and given my industry background that I should accept the product for what it is. I explained that it worked fine for me with the first iOS and it wasn't a case of it being just imperfect, it is a case of it being unworkable for me (I am on the road a lot and need to be able to rely on it connecting to a wide range of standards compliant routers).

They seem to think I should be willing to wait for a fix (even though they have given no time frame for one) and I have said I have been waiting for a fix for several months.

(My speculation - please note this is purely speculation at this point - is that when Apple has tried to rectify their incompatibility issues with some models of Access Points they have run into more compatibility and speed issues when working with other routers. Damned if they do & damned if they don't and this is why they haven't been able to release an effective fix so far. I suspect they won't be able to address the issue properly until they upgrade from the Broadcom Wi-Fi chip they are currently using chip to a more current one in the iPad 3)

Luckily in New Zealand we are well protected by a superb piece of legislation "The Consumer Guarantee Act" against nonsense like this. The Consumer guarantee act states that goods:

* *Be of acceptable quality* (see definition below).
* *Be fit for a particular purpose that you asked about.*
* Match the description given in advertisements or sales brochures, or by the sales assistant.
* Match the sample or demonstration model.
* Be owned by the consumer, once purchased.
* Be a reasonable price, if no price or pricing formula has been previously agreed.

*Acceptable quality*

This means goods:

* *Do what they are made to do.*
* Are acceptable in appearance and finish.
* *Are free from minor defects.*
* Are safe and durable.


If the problem is minor, and can be fixed, the retailer can choose to either repair, replace or refund.

A service provider must fix the problem within a reasonable time.

If the problem cannot be fixed, or cannot be put right within a reasonable time, or is substantial, you can:

* Reject the product and choose a replacement of the same type or similar value or a full refund of your purchase price; or
* Claim compensation for any drop in the value of the product or service.
* Cancel the service contract, pay for any satisfactory work already done, and get someone else to finish the repairs; or
* Have it repaired elsewhere and recover the costs from the retailer, if they refuse to fix a faulty product, or fail to do so in a reasonable time.

I explained that in the past our company had done a total market wide recall on faulty networking product and replaced it with upgraded product at our cost to keep our customers happy and that was the industry norm.

I have advised I am no longer happy to wait for a fix from Apple and I have requested a refund pursuant with the Consumer Guarantees Act.

(Wayne if you think I have misrepresented our phone conversations or those with your engineers in any way please advise me.)

Hi Everybody,

I have just bought an IPAD2 with 64 G wifi only, and have not been able to connect to any wifi network so far. I’ve tried both home and public networks and nothing, which proves the problem is not my router. Besides that, I have IPhones, laptops and an IPAD1 connected with no issues. I’ve noticed on the posts that, although a lot of people are facing wifi problems, most have some kind of access.
Any thoughts on what can be done to at least partially fix the problem?

Thanks

Walter

Hi Walter,

It sounds like your iPad might be a defective unit. You should bring it to the Apple store or exchange it for a different one.

Apple may be the dumbest smart company in the world. They still haven't figured out how to get wifi on their computers. Pathetic. I'm having terrible wifi connectivity with my iPad 2, while my 7 year old HP laptop gets perfect connectivity 100% of the time.

I'm having issues too. I even bought a range extender thinking it was my network. The problem now is that my ipad keeps dropping a connection with the extender too. The ipad says I am connected to the extender, but when I go to open a web page it says it is not available because I'm not connected to internet. The range extender works fine with laptop, but neither ipad or ipad2 can consistently hold a signal (even with the range extender, router, and ipads within 3 feet of each other). This is really frustrating. Please help. I've tried forgetting the network, toggling with airplane mode, and restarting.

iPad 2 (3G) 4.3.1

Intermittent loss of connection to Cisco AP1130 with WPA2 802.11G
Intermittent loss of connection to iPhone 4 (4.3.1) with new Personal Hotspot feature

Both situations see random loss of connection and no automatic reconnect. Even opening ipad2 settings/wifi screen shows target wifi network/said but ipad2 will not hop back on.
--Ipad2 requires physically selecting the target said from the screen and or
--a toggle of wifi off and on

I've been following this thread for a while, hoping for a resolution to the issue. I have a 16 GB Wifi only iPad 2. I intermittently loose connection to both my airport extreme router at home and a netgear at work.

I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but it seems that the problem for me is an iPad "death grip." If I hold the iPad in landscape orientation and have my left hand near the speaker, I lose my wifi connection. If I move my hand, the connection is reestablished. Anyone else find a similar issue?

Hi All,

I'm not a expert but I have been researching this for 2 weeks. Here's my guess. All our ipads can not be defective, it seems highly unlikely (though not impossible) there are this many defective ipads. Also from what I've read and my own experience, some work very well in certain environments. The real answer is our routers don't communicate with the ipad2. Apple has not supported every router properly. New routers seem to work well. Older models not so. The only fixes are 1. we all sue apple for defective wifi support, 2. buy a newer router and hope it works (buy somewhere you can easily return), 3. hope they fix this problem with an update. I'm shopping for a router because I can't take it that i have a $800 paper weight anymore.