Q: Poor wifi reception on new iPad

I've had noorblems with my iPad 2 on 5ghz. I went through 4 iPad 3s that weren't good on 5ghz but in all fairness the  ip3's weren't as good on 2.4ghz as my ip2 was but it did extend the range on the 3's a little. I still say the ip3 should give as good a range on 5ghz as my ip2. I have a few friends that bough ip3's and their wifi is as good as my ip2 on 5ghz and using the same connections to my AP. I never had the problem you did when I upgrade to IOS 5 either but I know some that did.

My suspicion is that the inclusion of the larger battery required moving the inner components around, including the antenna.  For my unit, only a minor shifting of a finger or two brings the wi-fi indicator back to 3 bars/full-strength, but even at one bar there was no impact while streaming video off of netflix.

If they moved the antenna to the same place for every iPad manufactured, wouldn't everyone have the issue with landscape orientation?  I've seen a lot of people say that they have it on here, and I experienced it with multiple iPads at the Apple store.  But there are people who are saying that it is not a problem no matter how they hold it.

Has it occurred to any of you who are obsessing over bands showing for wifi that so long as it works bands matter very little.  I'm assuming most folks use their iPads to check/reply to Emil and web browse, and play a few games that don't require a powerful computer.  Remember, this is NOT a computer - it's not supposed to replace the need for a computer except for a few very light users.

When I look at the bars onmy iPhone, all that matters to me is my ability to make a call.  I can usually do this on even one or two bars.

If you are finding this on iPads on display in Apple stores, then clearly you're doing something weird as there is no way Apple would have non-functioning iPads on display.

I feel very badly for those who truly got a lemon, but they are few out of millions sold.  There is no conspiracy between the media to "hide" this problem.  If anything, the media has tended to be anti-Apple.  This simply is not a widespread problem.  No,folks are not sitting at home with iPads that don't work, not knowing whom to tell.  Most are happily using their iPads. 

I truly believe most of these problems are router-related.  I don't understand why folks don't call Apple, take their iPad and router into an Apple store or follow the excellent router advice on this forum.  And quit trying to see if you can break your iPad!

While your post was no doubt written with the best intentions I could not disagree with you more about the bands mean "meaning very little"

When my iPad 3 drops to one band and the speedtest app drops to under 1Mb but my iPad 1 right beside it shows 3 bands and is at 10-13Mb using the speedtest app then that is a problem. Web pages load slower, YouTube videos stutter and downloading apps takes longer.

It's hard to swallow that it is a router problem when the vast majority of people posting here, including myself, report that EVERY OTHER device in the house, iOS or not, have ZERO problems with dropped connections, passwords not taking or just general lousy signal strength with the new iPad.

Cheers

No.  I am not doing anything "weird".  All I am doing is holding it in a position that I hold it in while it sits on my lap normally.  In landscape orientation, with my hand lightly resting on the left bottom corner.  No so called "death grip" or anything like that.  Just the same way that I've always held my iPad 1, with no problems at all.  If that is weird, then yea, I'm doing something weird.

This isn't anyone obsessing.  It is just a discussion about one thing that some of us are noticing.  So you are saying that having a strong signal except for when the orientation of the iPad is turned to landscape with my hand lightly resting on the bottom left corner to hold it is a router issue?  And putting a case on it so that my hand doesn't touch it solves the problem also indicates that it's a router issue?  That doesn't even make any sense.  If I were having a router issue, it would have a hard time staying connected, and I don't think that orientation would matter at all.  You're not noticing the issues.  Congratulations.  I'm truly happy for you.  But that doesn't mean that anyone who is experiencing issues is just imagining it or having router issues.

Some of the people here are having router issues, and some have fixed them.  And some do get lemons and trade them or return them.  But I don't think that the landscape issue qualifies.

And I am glad that you can authoritatively say that the lemons are just a few out of millions.  I don't really think that saying that is any more valid than someone saying that tons of them are defective.  The fact is, nobody knows, and we can't really base this off of one forum that most people don't even know exists.

I can't imagine Apple refusing to accept for return an iPad that doesn't work in landscape mode.  It's supposed to do so!  I use mine in that position 90% of the time.  Have you tried?

Yea.  I'm on my third one now.  Though the first two were returned for dead pixels and such.  All three of them have displayed the same WiFi problem though.

Other than this WiFi issue, this one is perfect.  Gorgeous screen, no dead pixels, no overheating, no charging issues.

It works perfectly in landscape.  As long as I don't touch the bottom left corner, up to the home button.  Within five seconds of touching anywhere near there, my download speed is cut in half.

It is likely that they are not holding it EXACTLY the right way to block the signal.  The laws of physics are immutable, if the antenna is there and you put your hand over it precisely, the signal will lessen.

Again, who cares?  So shift your hand and/or finger an 1/8th of an inch and the signal is fine.

Well really, this is just a curiosity for me.  I guess I'm the type who just wonders why when it comes to these types of quirky things.  But then I spend most of my time at work troubleshooting issues, so it comes natural to me to do the same outside of work.  The most curious thing to me is why it only happens in landscape.

I also wonder if Apple would ever change the way things are organized inside based on user feedback.  Does Apple ever reconfigure these things after the fact?  I don't know that much about them as a manufacturer.

Amen !

Amen to that.  But do you realize that most of the people having lots of problems are actually looking for some problems?  They having been able to enjoy the device because they sit with a thermometer by their side checking the temps, counting all the pixels trying to find a dead one, holding it with "death grip" ( I can hold them with a death grip, and then what?) so the wifi signal drop, please return the thing and get off these forums!

Or, quit the whining and enjoy it...yes, that is what you all sound like, big whiners!

Hey Alaska, you sound all knowing about Apple products, so let me ask you a question.  I know that Apple products never ship with widespread flaws.  But if one did for some odd reason, is it Apple's policy to correct the problem by changing the configuration, or doing whatever else is necessary?  Or do they wait and fix things in the next go version of the product?

Usmaak wrote:

 

Hey Alaska, you sound all knowing about Apple products

That would be your first mistake...

A very good question.  Finally someone that makes sense.  Here we go.  A manufacturer makes millions of a widget, sells them and keep selling still millions of same widget, then one comes back as being faulty.  Any corporation that has any right level of corporate responsibility will either replace the faulty widget or refund the money to said customer.

But, my friend, and this what you wanted, they will not change their production methods because one widget came out to be defective.

It is plain business 101.  Any corp. doing what you imply could not stay in business.  Do you know the cost of reaarranging a production line because of one defective widget?  No, you don't. 

Now, in the case of the new ipad, Apple cannot take your word or mine and decide that they have to change configurations based on mostly subjective behavior like shown on these forums.  Heat, subjective.  Wifi, "death grip", subjective.  There have to be a proven reason beyond what a reasonable person would expect of a product for a recall or a change in the manufacturing process.

These forums are not the venue to tell Apple about production problems.  That is what myself and others have been trying to tell people as yourself.  Take it to the Apple store, call Apple Care.  They can do something about it if found to be true.

Is your ipad getting hot?  I will give you $100 if you show it to me and I cannot hold it in my "plain" deinty US Army hands!!!!