Q: Anyone still having IOS 6 wifi issues?

I work for an ISP, and we've been troubleshooting some relatively new WiFi connectivity problems, and I have experienced quite a few at home (on a different ISP's network).

Curiously at home, I have not had any problems with my devices running iOS 6.0.1.  When I was running 5.1, however, I had a lot of problems.  I also had so many problems with my Mac Mini, that I ended up just hard wiring it to my router.  

I'll tell you from a lot of first hand experience, this is not a simple issue.  Some things you can check, and some things to keep in mind:

• If you have multiple devices that you use to connect via WiFi, your router will change its connection to match the lowest capabilities of the devices you're connecting.  For example, if you have devices that can connect at 802.11 a/b/g/n, and other older devices that can only connect at 802.11 b as an example, as soon as the network detects that "b" device, it's going to drop down to that older standard.  That would knock all other devices that were running at the "g" or "n" level to lose their connection, and have to reconnect.  They should each do that automatically, and it shouldn't take more than 60-90 seconds worst case. 
• If your router is a dual band router (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), try renaming your SSIDs so they have different names (many routers will use the same name, even though they're actually two distinct networks).  That will allow you to see which network your iOS devices are connecting to.  After a tremendous amount of trial and error, I found that every one of my iOS devices does extremely poorly and unreliably on the 5GHz band.  My devices always connect to the 2.4 GHz SSID, unless they can't detect it, in which case they'll connect to the 5 GHz band, albeit poorly, even at close range with direct line of sight (more on that below).  The point being, if you have a dual band router, avoid trying to make your iOS devices connect to the 5 GHz band.  I use a Cisco router, and it has a known, documented issue with poor signal strength at 5 GHz as well, even on the most current firmware.  Do a Google search on your specific router and see whether there are a) any firmware updates, if so, load it, and b) whether there are any known WiFi issues with that router.
• Your WiFi network is a lot more messy than you think.  WiFi is unlicensed spectrum, and just about every wirless consumer electronics device either operates in this frequency range, and/or generates noise frequencies in it.  Bluetooth, microwave ovens, cordless telephones, baby monitors, flourescent lighting, computer monitors / TVs, treadmills, all generate a ton of noise in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz ranges.  I have an inexpensive spectrum analyzer (WiPry from Oscium) that I used to view my network environment.  Sure enough, near my router my networks is a noise disaster.  I also use a bluetooth keyboard and magic track pad.  I can see them turning on/off and in use, and I can see all the interference from my monitor, cordless phone, and baby monitor.  I can also see several of my neighbors' WiFi networks.  Move your iOS device and router away from as much of those sources of interference as possible.
• Everybody one earth has WiFi, and most every router defaults to either Channel 1 or 11 in the 2.4 GHz band.  Set yours for channel 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 to avoid some of that interference.  Better yet, set it to "auto" if your router will autodetect the clearest channel.  If your router can autoselect a channel, powering it off (for about 20-30 seconds) and then on will cause it to scan your environment and select the cleanest channel.  Your iOS devices should reconnect to it automatically.  Keep in mind there are lost of intermittent sources of interference, so what was a "clear" channel this morning might be a really noisy one tonight.
• While they shouldn't affect your ability to connect to and stay connected to your WiFi network, don't forget all those other devices you have using WiFi, like your TV, blueray player, Roku, game console, iPods, iPhones, etc.  They will all compete for your WiFi bandwidth, and they each generate more of that 2.4 GHz noise.  The more devices you have connected to your WiFi, the more noise you have in your network, at whichever channel you set your WiFi network to operate on.  Streaming video will consume the most bandwidth, especially if you're doing it to a TV (via a game console, media center, Roku, or blueray player).  Hard wire as many devices as you can instead of using WiFi.  That will help clean up your WiFi network.  If you don't have an Ethernet jack where you need it, buy a pair of Ethernet over Power adapter.  I use the Innoband HomePlug and a simple 8-port Cisco switch behind my TV to hard wire all of my video stuff back to my router.  This will also help eliminate picture quality degradation when you're streaming video since you won't be competing with all your other WiFi stuff for bandwidth. 
• The single most important factor in how well your WiFi works in your home is your home itself.  WiFi signals bounce and are absorbed by all kinds of different things.  So being 2 feet away from your router doesn't mean anything.  In fact, you could very well get a much poorer connection being close, because that's where the signal strength is the greatest, and you have the highest amount of reflectance, and therefore, noise.  Waves also magnify one another and completely cancel out one another, and break up one another.  So depending on where your router is, you may end up with a really bad area close to your router, or you may end up with dead spots throughout your house.  Plaster walls reflect singals a lot, and concrete even more so.  Drywall, wood, and insulation absorb a lot.  Aluminum backed insulation can cause all sorts of problems because it reflects signals (i.e. your WiFi might not pass through insulated walls).  In my case, my router is under a little shelf in a breakfast nook with plaster walls.  That really creates a mess when viewed on a spectrum analyzer.  I get very good signal in my kitchen, and very poor signal in my living room on the couch, unless I hold my iPad up above couch level.  (Couches also absorb WiFi.  People absorb and reflect WiFi).  Check your signal strength by literally walking (slowly) through every square foot of your living space and note where you have better/worse signal strength.  A difference of a foot can literally make a measurable difference.  5 GHz WiFi is much more susceptible to signal degradation than 2.4 GHz, but there are a lot more things that "talk" at the 2.4 GHz band.  So you might find that you have better connectivity at the 5 GHz band closer to your router, and better connectivity at 2.4 GHz farther from your router (farther might also mean "through walls/floors"). 

I realize these don't address the issues most of you are having with devices specifically running iOS 6, but they're good information that might help with all of your WiFi connectivity issues in general.  I offer this because some of the issues some of you are having might be general WiFi issues rather than iOS device issues.  I say that only because I have experienced exactly the opposite issue where I had a lot of problems with iOS 5.x, and none on 6.0.1.  I also happen to have some additional tools that I have used to look at my network at home, as well as at work.  I hope some of this helps some of you. 

Good luck.

In reply to the title of this now very long there'd (which I don't have time to read)...

YES.

Lots of issues connecting. My ipad mini.  At all free wifi places (Starbucks, McDonald's, etc) at hotels. And at home.

Meanwhile, my iPhone and laptop have no issues

Even as I write this my connection shows the lowest signal strength whereas my other devices are at full bars

Mo

Good news and findings

Before talking about good news I have to point out that it is still unbelievable how apple is handling the issues with their latest wifi implementation.

The top information from an apple customer care servant was:

"We do not know of any wifi problems..."

Well this speaks for itself.

Now to the good news:

I actually managed to upgrade my router from 1998 with a new firmware which the company provided.

This company is called LanCom - not apple...

From LanCom I got the information how the whole issue was handled by apple:

Apple announced to the network companies that apple was going to implement a change in their wifi protocol and the companies would have to make the changes accordingly.

Well - we have put apple into a position where they can impose such things to other companies.

Is this the power/ influence we want apple to get?

Actually not me - only - their products are still intriguingly good - besides these **** wifi issues...

Good luck for you other guys which did not buy their hardware from a company which takes customer care really serious and provides firmware for their old stuff.

Well, I do not understant really, since I have got the same problems with Apple Aiport Extreme and Apple Aiport Express routers. They should have the change implemented, don't they?

You guys might be having other problems then this, but I assure you it was the SSID name that was my problem.  It is documented by Apple right here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4199#

My wireless network name was "wireless"  When iOS 6 came out, my iOS devices kept losing track of my wireless network.  In fact, it wouldn't even remember the password I had typed in.  This is not a bug, it is a security feature that is very obscure.  It turns out, as a security measure, they don't want iOS devies just automatically connecting to these generic names and default SSID names that a lot of people are using.  Read the notes.

Bigabiga wrote:

 

Well, I do not understant really, since I have got the same problems with Apple Aiport Extreme and Apple Aiport Express routers. They should have the change implemented, don't they?

I have two Apple AirPort Extreme routers with the latest firmware.  One is used as a bridge to extend the wireless access to cover my entire property.  As a result the signal strength is very good throughout my property.

To date I have exactly one problem with wi-fi on my iOS devices (it occurs on both my iPhone 5 units and iPad '4' units).

Connections go through immediately and are always handled without problems.  They are dropped and re-connected properly when I leave coverage and return to coverage.  Some of my family members also have routers and iPhones at their residences and when I come into range of their systems wi-fi is automatically connected to those systems.  They are NOT Apple routers.  One is supplied by Comcast and the other is a Netgear (not sure of the model) but it does have the latest firmware.  In other words, for connecting I have absolutely no issues with any of my 5 iOS 6 devices.  A situation that is the opposite of most who post to this thread.

Maintaining connection is another problem.  At times the wi-fi connection is just 'dropped' and my internet connection falls back to using cell data.  At first I thought this was a random occurance--but one caused by the update to iOS 6 as it never happend with prior versions of iOS, but I'm beginning to think it is caused by the way certain apps access the internet under iOS 6.  Normally, there are only two indications of this 'dropout' to cell data.  One is the wi-fi icon being replaced by the 4G icon on the status bar.  The other is via increased cell data consumption.

I started logging the times my connections reverted to cell data even though I have full bars for wi-fi and they have come down to having one thing that is in common.  The switch to 4G always happens when I am connecting to the internet through a 3rd party app.  The switch never happens when I'm using a built-in app. 

For example, if I'm using a third party browser to access YouTube eventually the wi-fi connection will drop and I'll be using cell data.  There is no indication of this other than the wi-fi icon being replaced by the 4G icon.  If I'm watching a Netflix video the system never drops back to 4G.  If I'm accessing a video using Safari the system never drops back to using 4G.  If I'm updating maps from within the Navigon app the system immediately drops back to cell data, and I mean immediately.  However, the Navigon app takes notice of this and warns me that cell data is being used.  Navigon is the only app I have (so far) that does so.

In all the cases that I've observed if I turn off cell data I have no problems.  The system always works using the wi-fi. There are no wi-fi disconnections.

These symptoms lead me to believe that the changes implemented in iOS 6 not only caused 'the failure to connect to certain router' problem that is discussed in this thread, they also caused problems with internet access that is encoded by some third party software.  This does not happen with all third party apps, which also leads me to believe that it is not a specific problem with iOS 6 but rather a problem with how some vendors of third party software actually accesses the internet.  It's possible that methods which worked fine up until iOS 6 no longer work properly.  This is just a WAG on my part, but it does seem to fit the symptoms.

For me it is kind of a moot point other than extended download times as I have unlimited data plans on my devices.  For those with a metered data plan this could be a very big issue and one that I believe has not been addressed by Apple.  Yes, I have reported it to Apple via their feedback system.

And my SSID is definitely not a generic and it contains only alphabetic characters with no spaces, punctuation, or numbers.

mrclausen wrote:

 

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From LanCom I got the information how the whole issue was handled by apple:

Apple announced to the network companies that apple was going to implement a change in their wifi protocol and the companies would have to make the changes accordingly.

This is nonsense; WiFi is governed by an International standard (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/h). You have to conform to those standards to be certified by the WiFi Alliance. Apple nor any other vendor can arbitrarily change the standard.

OK this is the deal. Its very simple.

It used to work. Now it doesn't. The only thing that was changed was IOS. The world does not always adjust to you.

IT JUST WORKS used to be the slogan.

Isn't someone post earlier that many apple devices are not wifi certified?

In fact, only iphone4 is listed as wifi certified.  None of the iPad is listed as certified in the wifi website.

Johan12 wrote:

 

Isn't someone post earlier that many apple devices are not wifi certified?

If someone posted that they were incorrect.

Johan12 wrote:

 

In fact, only iphone4 is listed as wifi certified.  None of the iPad is listed as certified in the wifi website.

You are looking under the wrong categories. Of course, all Apple products are WiFi Certified.

Here are some of the most recent relevant certifications:

iPad

iPad 3: http://certifications.wi-fi.org/pdf_certificate.php?cid=WFA13218

iPad 4: http://certifications.wi-fi.org/pdf_certificate.php?cid=WFA15930

iPad Mini: http://certifications.wi-fi.org/pdf_certificate.php?cid=WFA15992

iPhone

iPhone 4S: http://certifications.wi-fi.org/pdf_certificate.php?cid=WFA12368

iPhone 5: http://certifications.wi-fi.org/pdf_certificate.php?cid=WFA15993

Good grief, this thread has become a major source of disinformation

I am having pretty significant problems. I bought a new IPad three days ago, excited to take with me on vacation.

First of all, I rented a movie on ITunes and after waiting 2 hours it reached approximately 90% complete and then switched from a progress bar to reading "processing". It never snapped out of it, my movie wouldn't play, and now I can't even rent it because it's stuck doing nothing.

Even more importantly, being so excited to have my new iPad I wanted to download some Apps. Unfortunately, although Safari has no problems browsing the Internet with my Wifi signal, I cannot download any Apps. When I click on Install, the button changes as it should to say "Installing" but then when I go to the home screen, the App Icon just says "waiting..." And never actually does anything.

I was hoping maybe a software update would help, even though it's brand new, but same problem: Says it's downloading, but it's not doing anything.

This is very disappointing since I had looked forward to playing on this new toy.

Indeed. Probablly wrong category. 

The only reason I revisit this thread is that my iPad 3 is acting up again...  Let us not mention the missing web page incident.  The device had problem right after upgraded to the  ios6.0.  Every single time I used the bilut in Facebook, the wifi connect would drop.  My iPad 1 (can't upgrade to iOS 6) and two iPods 4 (not enough memory to upgard) on the ios5 don't have any such incident.   The ios6.0.1 seems to have fixed this problem on my iPad 3.  However, it could not stay connected for more than one week to a same router without reset.  Again, the other 3 devices had been sitting there... Longer than I can remember.  It seems that there is 6.0.2 mentioned earlier, it is not shown in my setting as a available update.  Is it for real?

I am having such problem about 3 days ago.  Try to do a reset on your iPad.  Power it down.  Clear all background tasks.  It should get you going for awhile until next hiccup...