Q: Intermittent Wifi issues with iPad 2 and WiFi

Same here. Brand new iPad 2 wifi+ 3G 32g.  Wifi constantly dropping. Fixed by toggling wifi on-off or resetting router which is also my modem. Super frustrating. Also, wifi strength bars are less than what the iPhone & iMac shows.

UPDATE:

My replacement iPad has worked fine, knock wood, since I got it. I am convinced it was a hardware issue with the iPad and I would encourage everyone to:

1. Give Apple the feedback.  http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html .

2. Ask for a replacement.

I am convinced that if you are having consistent problems, it isn't your router. Get a replacement.

Another one who's had the problem of the WiFi connection dropping and not reconnecting, and needing to switch WiFi off then back on to make it reconnect. iPad2 Black, 32GB, Wifi only.

Problem only began to occur since I updated the firmware to iOS 4.3.3 this week. I have sent feedback to Apple.

Now, one interesting thing has happened. Based on the crazy ideas on this thread, I disabled the auto-brightness, expecting this to do absolutely nothing. (Brightness was already set to max, but with auto-brightness enabled.)

Since then, I have been monitoring the connection in the Settings window, and while it does still drop every couple of minutes, it now reconnects automatically and almost immediately. Odd. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. Listening to radio, it does still drop a little from time to time, but at least it picks up again without me needing to go back to the settings.

So it might be a useful trick to minimize the impact of the problem while we are waiting (and waiting) for Apple to fix the underlying issue.

Having same issues with mine as well...   seems to happen especially often while streaming a movie through home sharing.  Or maybe its just that I'm not on wifi as long unless I'm watching a movie...

either case frequent wifi drops, with the need to turn wifi off/on to get it back.  And yes it is very annoying.  this is already my 4th ipad 2, after having prior one replaced due to light leakage and dead/stuck pixels.  I would much rather not try for another replacement for fear of getting a unit with another screen issue.  Such stupid issues to plague a otherwise great device!!!

I am having a similar problem- no wifi showing. But what I don't understand is that I am still able to download apps and read e-mail. Is this because I have my iPhone nearby and they are linking by blue tooth?

hi ,

I had an wifi issue with the 16 gig wifi only ipad 2. As with all owners on here it seems have had the issues where the internet would work for awhile and then without notice it would suddenly lose the net. I called apple and they told me to update the firmware on my router first and then comeback if any further issues ensue. Well low and behold that was my issue. My router needed a firmware update to fix my Ipad 2 wifi issues and have since been able to use it without any issues nor drops. Now I am appreciating the product to the fullest thanks apple!

After playing, we discovered that we could change the 802.11 setting. As we didn't have the option of 802.11n we set it to 802.11g and the ipad seems to have been working OK since.  It does drop the wifi signal from time to time but now seems to reconnect.

I say 'seems' I don't think resetting the router is the whole answer. I didn't have this problem before the software update a few months ago. Something has to be wrong in the coding....

Had the same challenge with both iapd2 and iphone 4 on latest firmware after upgrading airtport. Restoring the airport express to factory settings and setting up the network again seemed to fix the issue.

Rht

Updated to iOS 4.3.3.  But still the same issue as everyone else.  No such issue on my two iPhone 4s on the same connections however. I think I'll try to give the pad a static ip address and see if that helps.  Come on Apple, man up and deal with the problem ASAP.

I'm experiencing the same problem with my iPad2; I can't connect to wi-fi or connection has been on and off since I upgraded from default O.S. to O.S. 4.3.3 and earlier.  I thought it's wi-fi problem in my house, so I bought a new wi-fi that's set really very close to my iPad2 but still the same -  I can't connect to wi-fi.  Will Apple ever gonna fix this problem? 

I also tried to restore my iPad2 thinking it might solve the problem, but after restoring it, it is still the same - cannot connect to wi-fi.

Well, I think it is obvious a software problem. So we can just hope they've read this topic and are working on a fix.

Hi all

I bought this week a couple of ipad2 16gb WiFi and both are having problems with WiFi connection.

In the same scenario, my macbook, iphone4 and Mac mini work perfectly...

My Ipads2 dont find my wifi network many times... Even if you put them 2cms from the router and when you finally get to find the network...most of the times you cant access to the network.

The few times i got them working, the connection is very unestable and slow...

I am very very dissapointed and it seems it is a massive bug that Apple is not fixing as fast as we should expect... Ipad2 is not a cheap toy and Apple has a strong brand so how this issue can be happening.

I will call them tomorrow and if they do not give me a solution, i will give them back.

I agree with you, LC - I am convinced that this is hardware and not software related

My first iP2 worked fine right out of the box, but then just ceased to recognize any wifi.  After some spirited but supportive discussions with the AppleCare folks on the phone they agreed that, based upon all of the steps I had taken to try and remedy the situation (renew lease; restore all data and rigs), that the fault was one of bad hardware and not software.  They held my credit card # hostage until the replacement rig arrived which had a RA label and I re-used the box they sent for the new one.

At NO time did I ever attempt to change my router settings or deal with setting a static IP address or update any firmware.  Whether I am in my office in Burbank or at a cafe in Botswana or in a facility in Bangalor, my contention has been that the iPad2 should see their wifi without my needing to alter anything.  The device has always been meant to travel with me and not just stay at home.

The new rig has been rock solid now out of the box for 6 weeks and has had no trouble seeing wifi from any number of public facilities including 3 different airports, numerous offices, and even Southwest Airlines in the air from Vegas to Los Angeles. 

I am convinced that all of the faulty units can be traced back to a bad batch of chips/antenae or shoddy manufacturuing from a particiular site/production line.

To play it safe I am still running 4.3.2 on the iPad2 as that update was not a hugely significant build.  I will also wait to hear whether or not iOS5 causes any additional havoc before I adipt that as wekkll

Theo

Due to this issue Apple replaced my original iPad with a new one that also exhibited exactly the same problem. My first iPad exhibited this bug with every version of firmware except the very first release (which had different WiFi issues). I came up for a work-around for my home router but was unable to implement this work-around at hot spots I use that I had the same issues at. I was lucky enough to get to speak directly to senior Apple engineers about this issue. They were unable to offer any resolution to the issue and It was suggested (in writing) to me that I should wait for a future software upgrade from Apple. (I now have a scanner so I will scan this correspondence and post it somewhere - any suggestion where any one?) Because I was unwilling to wait any longer for a resolution I was given a full refund on my iPad '1' which I accepted after 9 months of frustration. I am now writing this on a friends iPad 2 using the latest iOS and I have been able to reproduce exactly the same fault issues on this one too. Like you I believe this issue is a hardware issue. If it was a software issue they would have been able to fix it many months ago after they first became aware of the issue. Is it possible that they may have made some unpublished upgrades to the WiFi chip set or hardware in the latest shipments?