Q: Am I the only one having ios 6 ipad 3 wi-fi issues

I see you made the same response on another thread. I have no basis for determining the accuracy of that article or not. I do know that I have been burned before when upgrading an iOS device, so I am pretty gunshy. Would you like to elaborate on what you think the source of the wifi issue is? Is it a device issue, a software issue, or user error? Merely dismissing someone else's explanation as nonsense doesn't give me any more confidence about upgrading.

Thanks.

First, I've had no WiFi problems on ANY network using iOS 6. The article has nothing to do with any WiFi problem on the iPad.

A clue as to the credibility of the article lies in the third paragraph:

"What I’m referencing are things like Apple’s insatiable drive for profits, how the United States is behind the curve when it comes to Internet and wireless protocol, and how ultimately iOS 6 is the trigger that had to be pulled to force our country, and all of us in the U.S. that use iPhone and iPad devices, to catch up with the rest of the world’s technology."

Can you smell crackpot?

Here's another gem from the article:

"Here’s what happens each and every time your Apple device, whether its an iPhone, iPad, or even an iPod Touch, connects to a WiFi network.  As soon as your Apple device detects a wireless network, the very first thing it (your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) does before connecting to that wireless network is send a data packet to Apple’s website in order to receive what’s called an authentication token.  This transmission happens because Apple wants to always know that the iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch you are using is actually a legitimate Apple product."

"And in order for your Apple device to connect to the wireless network that it detects, it must first receive an authentication token from Apple servers verifying that your device is legitimate – and once that authentication token is received, you will then be able to jump on whatever wireless network is available."

Absolutely false.

So is your position that all the genuine problems being discussed in this forum are the result of some sort of user error—perhaps configuration settings on their devices? That is what our head of IT thinks. I certainly don't rule that out. I informally troubleshoot the iOS devices of colleagues just about every day, and 99% of the time the problems are a result of their not knowing how to set up this or that.

No, that's not my position. Some problems might be user error but many are probably due to router firmware/configuration problems. There have been several reports of firmware bugs on some Netgear router models (and others). In these cases a firmware change solved the problems. Some users having problems solved them by simply replacing an old router with a new one.

I agree with JimHdk and tluger that this is nonsense.  

I have a Netgear Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender, 4-port WiFi Adapter WN2500RP, it is one month old.  BIOS (Firmware) This years.  So the BIOS passage in his article is uninformed babble at best. I have the problem after upgrading the iPad to iOS6. I upgrade two weeks (or so) ago. 

The iPhone GS3 (also upgraded to iOS6) and Android Samsung 2 still work perfectly fine. 

Oh! by the way Robert Holland....  My Samsung 2 is IPV6,  it runs  Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich  and it's never nissed a beat.

This article falls on its sword with this "send a data packet to Apple’s website in order to receive what’s called an authentication token" both my devices are so called legitimate. Just that One works, one doesn't, started after iOS6 upgrade.

Robert Holland said "Ok, so without writing out a 30,000 word dissertation, let me first say that IPv4 and IPv6 are both IP address protocol platforms that are used here in the United States." True!

What you think us Foreigners are Dumb Fudge Packers and don't use or know about IPV6 -

What an arrogant dumb Knob Jockie Robert Holland is.

Could not open iTunes or Apps for a few days......read from someone to take your iPad to another wifi area.....went to local pub.....do a complete shut down where you press both buttons at same time for 10-15 secs, then restart iPad, connect to the wifi......and presto! My apps opened up again. Did not have to scrub my iPad settings , reset etc.

I had previously tried other recommendations such as changing the time settings of my iPad etc.

Well, interestingly, despite what several have now pointed out as the faulty analysis in the linked article, the author's proposed solution is essentially the same as yours:

And as I’ve pointed out the fix was to simply upgrade your wireless router to a firmware update that’s been released no later than the last 10 months – and if you have a wireless router that doesn’t have a firmware update available within the last 10 months then your only real option is to go out and buy a new one.

This still begs the question of why so many who were having no problems connecting to WiFi networks prior to upgrading to iOS6 suddenly developed problems after upgrading. What is it about the upgrade that requires a firmware update? And, whatever it was, why was it necessary? It also doesn't really help if I need to access WiFi in dozens of random hotspots and the problem is that MY system no longer works with their system. Since most business owners understand this stuff even less than I do, I doubt many of them are going to get a new router or figure out how to do a firmware update until they receive a critical mass of complaints. It's hard enough to convince some baristas to reboot a router even when all the customers are making a ruckus about connectivity.

What is it about the upgrade that requires a firmware update?

There's probably no one reason but iOS 6 now implements a WiFi feature called IEEE 802.11r (fast BSS) which is identified in feature bits. There are probably some other changes as well. These changes have exposed bugs in some router firmware levels which previously just hadn't been seen. Note that this is a very small percentage of routers out there. There are work-arounds and/or firmware fixes for these problems on a few routers that experienced them (Netgear - WGT624v3, WG102, WAG102 and some Belkin routers, etc.).

Recommending router firmware updates isn't rocket science. In general it's good practice to keep up to date. It's not 100% though. Some of the problems iOS 6 has encountered were due to regressions (new bugs) in new router firmware levels.

It is important to keep router firmware up to date and should be done as regular practice. We should all keep an eye on what firmware versions the various manufacturers advise we should be using, particularly if a version has been recalled for one reason or another.

However, this is not a simple router firmware issue. It applies to IOS6 devices connected to Apple Airports that are (and were already) running the latest firmware. Surely one could expect that Apple would have tested compliance within their own ecosystem, yet this does not seem to be the case.

It is good that Netgear have highlighted a recall of firmware for a couple of their products. It is not a universal recall and their current published advice is that they are working to introduce patches to assist in negating the IOS6 issue. Ford once recalled steel wheel rims manufactured for a small range of their models. It did not mean every steel wheel rim manufactured in the world was faulty and needed to be replaced. Replacing the steel wheel rims with alloy wheel rims would "fix the problem" but did not address the root cause. Netgear recalling firmware for a few of their many devices should not be read as confirmation that routers (across many brands) are the root cause here.

Replacing your router is a folly unless required for other reasons. It may help reduce symptoms but will not solve the cause of the issues being faced.

If Apple have introduced a new implementation or interpretation of an IEEE standard they have a duty of care to ensure it works with other devices that also need to conform to that standard. Let's leave Netgear out of this as it is clouding the root cause.

FACT : IOS6 does not work reliably (over a variably extended period of time) with an Apple AirPort Extreme running Apple's current published firmware. IOS5, and previous versions do not present any issues on the same network. Non IOS devices do not present any issues on the same network. The same applies to Apple Airport Express (various versions all on current firmware).

The fact that some people see the impacts differently, or in some cases not at all, is just another factor to the investigation process. The fact that an individual has not seen an issue does not mean it does not exist, only that it has not reached a critical level.

At present I am "forgetting" all my wifi networks and turning off (with double button power on) my IOS6 devices every morning. By doing this I avoid seeing any issues. The downside is that I have to re-engage with each wifi next time I meet it (not a big deal as a temporary fix).

Make no mistake, I have not resolved the problem. Rather, I have found a way (that works for me) to avoid the problem.

In my case I am waiting on Apple to either provide a resolution in IOS6 or provide a resolution in firmware for Apple Airport routers (Extreme and Express). Either way it is back with Apple to sort out. 

Once Apple have declared how they will address the issue the world will be in a better position to step forward. Until this happens router manufacturers, like us are just guessing about what may help.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I will pass it on to our IT dept.

I received some additional information from Netgear tech support (evidently transliterated from Hindi) that may be helpful.  I am amazed, BTW, that they responded to me with both an e-mail and a phone call on a Sunday!

I apologize for the inconvenience you we have already posted this issue on our website and there is an known issue with iOS6 devices not connecting with WPA security. We make a research upon the case and we found that iOS6 devices have issues connecting with WPA/WPA2 security, however, it works fine with WEP security.

This might explain why my iPhone 5 connects well with my old 802.11g D-Link 601, which has only WEP security.

There is no iOS6 problem connecting with WPA/WPA2 security if it is implemented correctly by the router. That's exactly what I'm using now with no problem whatsoever. The wording is also ambiguous and doesn't really say the problem is in iOS 6 as opposed to Netgear. Basically a worthless response. Looks like Netgear is outsourcing their tech support to untrained personnel who do Google searches for answers.

I would like to clarify to everyone here a couple of points:

(1) a firmware upgrade on my NetGear AP allowed iOS6 to connect no problem with users connected via WPA2 /w AES.

(2) if you're using WEP, you might as well run your network open (no encryption), its crackable in under 10 seconds these days.

Suggestion:

  upgrade your router/AP firmware

     if there is not a resolution using a new firmware

       then

            buy a newer router

       else

            Go see an apple "genius" and have them downgrade your OS.

       fi

      if the primary suggestion does not resolve your problem

         then

            consider some jelly beans.  (geek speak for Android)

      fi

:)

It seems clear to me that it is an iOS6 problem.

iOS 5 devices continue to run perfectly well on any router and, apparently iPhone 3s as well.

When the only change is upgrading to iOS6 and connectivity is immediately compromised, and other clients, including Android devices continue to work fine, then it follows that the thing that changed is what is at fault; iOS6 in this case.

Saying that users must upgrade router firmware makes no sense.  iOS6 users have no way to control upgrades to WiFi hotspots that they have been using and now suddenly cannot use because they upgraded to iOS6. 

Hi Brucet,

Your point is valid.  And i think everyone in the thread agrees that it is an iOS6 problem.

I made my suggestions because i don't work for Apple and can't help with fixing the problem directly. 

But i can make suggestions for users who want to get their setup working now.

By now Apple must be diagnosing the problem or are building a hotfix/patch, (we hope).