iPhone 5 shows full wifi strength but it intermittently drops the connection

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iPhone 5 shows full wifi strength but it intermittently drops the connection

I have an iPhone 5 that generally works great, but when I am at home the wifi frequently stops working, even though it shows full reception. I'm on the latest iOS as of this writing (7.1.x). Basically I'll usually just be browsing the web in Safari and a webpage will randomly not load. If I turn wifi off, the webpage will load very quickly over LTE.

Some other things I've noticed about getting wifi to work again:

If I turn the wifi off and on on, the wifi sometimes works again
If I put the phone in airplane mode and then back out of airplane mode, the wifi usually starts working again
If I restart the phone wifi will start working again
Wifi always shows at full strength (I have a small house)
The wireless router is an Apple Airport Extreme with latest updates
My MacBook Pro (early 2011) never has wifi problems in the house
This is my second iPhone 5 -- I had to do a full replacement awhile ago and my previous, identical phone did the same thing – so it doesn't seem to be a hardware problem
All wireless settings on the router are basically standard/default in terms of frequencies
Having bluetooth on or off does not seem to prevent/cause the problem. I found in another thread that having bluetooth on was causing an intermittent wifi problem so for the time being I have bluetooth off but the phone still exhibits the problem

If possible if there's a way to try and debug/diagnose the problem from a log file or something similar I would be fine with trying that. I just can't seem to find any way to diagnose the issue, which would be quite useful. Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.

iPhone 5, iOS 7.1.2

Posted on Aug 19, 2014 10:13 AM

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Answer 1

braden85

Community Specialist

Aug 21, 2014 8:07 AM in response to jwj268

Hi jwj268,

I see that you are having a persistent issue with your Wi-Fi signal in your house. I have an article which provides some basic troubleshooting steps for you to try, many of which you may have seen before:

iOS: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398

Resolution

Occasionally while using your iOS device, you may notice unexpected Wi-Fi behavior:

Difficulty locating or connecting to a network

Unexpected Wi-Fi signal strength or disconnects

Inability to access the Internet

Not automatically connecting to Wi-Fi when expected

Follow these steps to troubleshoot the above issues:

Be sure you're in range of your Wi-Fi router (access point).

Tap Settings > Wi-Fi and turn Wi-Fi off and on. If your Wi-Fi setting is dimmed, follow these steps.

Confirm that your Wi-Fi router and cable or DSL modem are connected to power, turned on, and connected to the Internet. If not, refer to your network administrator or Internet service provider (ISP) for assistance.

Restart your iOS device.

Tap Settings > Wi-Fi and locate the Wi-Fi network to which you're connected.

Tap and Forget this Network.

Try to connect to your desired Wi-Fi network.
Note: You may need to enter your Wi-Fi password again if your network requires one.

Turn your Wi-Fi router off and on2. If your ISP also provides cable or phone service, check with them before attempting this step to avoid interruption of service.

Update your device to the latest version of software.

Update your Wi-Fi router to the latest firmware2. For AirPort Base Stations, install updates using the AirPort Utility.

Unable to access the Internet while connected to Wi-Fi

If you're using a public or commercial network, you may need to log in or subscribe.

Check to see if you have a self-assigned IP address:

Tap Settings > Wi-Fi and locate the Wi-Fi network to which you're connected and tap .

If your IP address is 169.254.xxx.xxx, you may not be able to access the Internet.

If you do not have a self-assigned IP address, see if other Wi-Fi devices on your network have Internet access.

If they do not, consult with your network administrator or ISP for further assistance.

If they do, reset network settings on your device by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note: This will reset all network settings including:

previously connected Wi-Fi networks and passwords

recently used Bluetooth accessories

VPN and APN settings

Since this issue is being seen across multiple iOS devices, you may want to look into the placement of your router as a source of this issue. This could very easily be explained by interference and router placement. Here is an article that may be able to help you pinpoint the source of this issue and resolve it:

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: Potential sources of wireless interference

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1365

Take care, and thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities.

Cheers,

Braden

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