Q: The new iPad constantly losing cellular data connnection

I live in Columbus, Ohio as well....I am sorry you had that much running around from apple, but you made my decision...I am waiting this out and not swapping out my IPAD just yet.

Newest IPAD 64GB AT&T / LE

I have never seen the 3G symbol.  It is 4G or bust.   I did do the turn off LTE toggle in settings and it instantly connected me with the 4G symbol.   Now I have to drive around town and see if I lose a connection.

My suggestion to everyone in the United States is too NOT replace the IPAD....wait for an update and go from there.  Any IPAD switched out right now will still be the 1st batch.....

Good Luck to All.   Love Apple and The IPAD, but this is frustrating.

BTW   Apple Care Tech Support claim they have never heard the problem...I call BS!

Just adding one more voice to this thread. I am also in Ohio on AT&T.

I have done absulutely everything discussed in this thread: regular device restore, new sim card from AT&T, got new iPad replacement from Apple, set up as NEW device (did not restore from old iPad 1 backup), turned off LTE (which helps but you should not have to do this).  I've been to Apple twice, talked to AT&T 4 times, they both blame the other.

There is only one thing I have not tried: a DFU restore.  Had anyone out there tried this?  I have not only because I don't want to set up my device as "new" again with all of the configuring that has to be done afterward.

The DFU restore supposedly restores the firmware and the software on the iPad.  Just wondering if anyone has  tried this before I do? 

1. Close iTunes.

2. Connect your iPhone to your computer and then launch iTunes.

3. Turn your iPhone off (hold down the power button at the top of the iPhone).

4. Then, hold down the sleep/wake button and home button together for EXACTLY 10 SECONDS, then release the sleep/wake button.

5. Continue to hold down the Home button until a message appears in iTunes telling you an iPhone in recover mode has been detected. When you are in DFU mode your iPhone screen will be completely black. Remember that if you see the restore logo, iTunes logo, or any message on the iPhone screen, you are not in DFU mode but standard Recovery Mode.

6. Hit the OK message that should popup to restore your phone.

It seems to have found a solution! We go to Settings - mobile data - configuration SIM. Turn on to use the PIN. Enter any 2 times (when the pin was no need to enter the first 4 zeros for the system to allow it to change). Turn off the use of the SIM-PIN. Such as Apple believes that without a sim pin is not the case ....

Oops! It turns out, has already been discussed above, the following solution, but it unfortunately does not help everyone ...

But it helped me a while ...

Well, further to the method of turning off wifi while using cellular data, that seemed to work just fine - for a while, then it went brain dead again and went off line.

No joy and very discouraged with this product.

Not sure why there is a 3G issues. I tried different iPads, SIM cards and Mobile numbers. All have the same issue. They only thing that fixes it is to turn off 4G. Then the 3G works without an issue. Hopefully Apple will see this and push out an update soon!

This is a iPad 3 running on Verizon Wireless

Nope, tried that too.  Wait for it, it'll quit eventually too.  I've tried this on 3G, 4G off, on, wifi off, on, roaming on, off, etc, all eventually lead to the same dead end.

Cult of Mac has picked up this bug. Hope other sites report it too. http://www.cultofmac.com/161020/new-ipad-requires-reboot-to-connect-to-3g-networ ks/

Confirmed by me too.

Same problem here.

I am using the new iPad in Singapore on Singtel Network. No LTE switch. Keep losing the internet connection after every few hours. The only way I can recover is by "Resetting the Network" everytime.

Is there any solution, Apple?

Anybody has successfully bypassed this issue in the meanwhile?

Call and email Singtel every day, CC: info@ida.gov.sg

For a good relationship with customers, Apple should make some statement, for the moment, or demonstrate what they are doing. But he is' doing something? Why this silence

I also have the new Ipad 3 4G, running under 3G netwoork, with the same issue here in Sweden. I just tried the work-around with the simcard pincode and the network is still working after 10 minutes of use. However, it feels as if the netwoork conectivity is "lagging" after a while?? Compared to connecting with a "reebooted" Ipad.

Actually I've managed to have my iPad 3 working all day with cellular data and wifi, but not at the same time.

I don't know if I've just been lucky or if it'll continue to work, I can keep you posted about this.

BTW: I (still) live in Denmark with no 4G, and have a DLXH serial.

But what I've done is a combination of ideas earlier mentioned:

1: I disabled the SIM pin code

2: I disabled Wifi

3: I disabled cellular data

4: Shut down the iPad

5: Turned on the iPad

6: Enabled cellular data

It's been working all day. I've been switching between cellular data and wifi to test it out. When I do I do it like this:

7: Disable cellular data

8: Wait for around 10 seconds

9: Enable Wifi

When I change from wifi to cellular I do the same but of course in reverse order:

10: Disable wifi

11: Wait for around 10 seconds

12: Enable cellular data

If this "fix" is really a fix, it seems like what it solves is really a software issue with the implementation of iOS 5.1 on the new iPad (perhaps something in regard to the management of the new 4G hardware), Apple should be able to fix that with the next update.

As mentioned I'll keep you posted, but so far it's bee a joyful iPad day! :-)

_henrik

Ok, I finally got to the bottom of what is going on!

When you switch on the iPad and it first negotiates with a cell, it looks for anything faster than 3G and tests to see if there is data, if not it tries 3G and so on until it gets the best possible data connection. However when it connects to a cell after the 1^st initialisation, for example when you switch to a new cell, it doesn’t go through this longer negotiation procedure, it just assumes that if there is equipment in the cell for anything faster than 3G it can connect to it.

Some cellular providers are preparing their cells for 4G (or more accurately faster than 3G) but it’s not fully enabled yet. This is confusing the iPad and causing it to lose the data connection. Apple said to me that they are in contact with the cellular providers, their argument is that this is a cell problem and that as more and more 4G capable devices are released there’ll be others with the same problem. However, according to their higher-level tech guys, they are working to see if they can provide a software solution as well.

In the meantime, the only kinda crappy work-around that will actually work is to stop your iPad roaming to a new cell.  If you turn off cellular data whilst you move location and then turn it on again, you’ll avoid cell switching and your iPad won’t lock up. This certainly works, unless of course you are somewhere that your iPad hunts between cells even when you are static or if you want to use it whilst moving my car or train. Oh, and if you don’t remember to turn off cellular data before you move to a new location; any of those and you’re stuck with turning off and on again

I do sympathise with Apple a bit, they are leading the way with this technology whilst the other firms learn off their problems. It’s easy to sit back and say “we don’t have a 4G issue” when you don’t actually support 4G at all!

At least Apple are now aware of the issue and are working hard to release some kind of fix. I guess we either wait for it or get a refund. Simples…