iOS 8 Wi-Fi problems

Nick, I am back, sorry for the delay. I am going to give you a long explanation so bear with me, I hope it helps.

I know your comment about "going mad" was in jest but regardless, let me assure you that no meds are needed, there are many having the same problems. I will start with some facts about the state of the issue and then I will offer some suggestions for your specific case.

I have been following this thread since November 2014. In summary, the problems with Wi-Fi occur on a subset of devices as the majority of users are not having issues. However those that are often report serious difficulties. I am lucky - in my own case my 4 iOS devices connect ok but have difficulties with slow download speeds when Bluetooth is turned on. They function at full ISP speeds with BT off. However my MacBookPro as well as my two Dell PCs work perfectly well with the same router (Cisco) regardless of Bluetooth settings. I have posted on this thread many times and as a result I and others who did the same received calls from AppleCare. Apple collected various logs from my iOS devices and took extensive information regarding my Wi-Fi configuration. The calls - 2 of them - lasted over one hour each. Others have reported the same. So Apple is aware of the issue and is working on it.

Apple used to use a networking routine called mDNSResponder in iOS 7 and in OS X Mavericks. With the advent of iOS 8 and Yosemite they changed to a new routine called DiscoveryD which has been quite problematic for many and its issues have been extensively reported on the web. However when Yosemite 10.10.4 came out, users noticed that Apple had switched back to mDNSResponder, easy to test with Activity Monitor. In Apple’s 10.10.4 release notes they stated “improvements to Wi-FI”. While there will always be people posting about Wi-Fi issues (on any iOS, Androids, Macs or PCs) the general consensus from technical publications and affected users is that reverting back to mDNSResponder has significantly reduced the problems encountered with the previous networking routine (I rather not post links to non-Apple sites here). According to Apple, iOS 9 will be released in the fall and hopefully there will be improvements there as well, that is all I can say at this time.

There have been some so-called “fixes” reported here and there but most of those “fixes” have not proven successful in the long run (see my post on page 206 about the middle of the page, 7/29/15, don’t know what time zone you are at, so the time stamp would not help).

In the mean time I have some questions and suggestions for you.

1. Do you have other wifi devices at home, PCs, Macs, other iOS, Androids? Do they work ok or not?

2. Are you using the 2.4 or 5 GHz band on your Asus and have you tried connecting your phone to the 5 band? Any change?

3. Do you have Bluetooth and AirDrop turned on your iPhone 6? If so turn them off (BT to off will suffice) and test again?

4. Do you have Google’s DNS on your phone? Slight chance it could help.

5. Do you have the OOKLA Speed Test App on your phone? If not, install it from the App Store (free, but assuming you can get connected and you may not, grrrrr) and compare what you get on your phone with what you get on your Mac/PC (no app needed there, just go to speedtest.net). Make sure no other device is using wifi while you are running the test (best to have them all on sleep). If your phone is not able to connect this is moot.

6. On your PC/Mac do you get anywhere close to the 80 Mbps you are paying for?

7. Have you tested your phone at a coffee shop’s wifi or the like? Even if it works ok there, that is no guarantee that your phone or iOS is ok. I can explain later if you like, but to save me the trouble, test it at Starbucks first and see, or alternatively at a neighbor’s or friend’s wifi.

8. You said that you updated the router software, how old is the router? Moot if wifi certified and all other devices work ok but curious anyway.

9. You said that you did a full restore. Did you do what is on this link:

Use iTunes to restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings - Apple Support

and if so did you restore from a backup? If you did that and you have a corrupted App or system setting, you would be restoring the corruption as well. I can help with this once I know the answers above.

10. Some have reported success by replacing their router with an Apple Airport Express but hardly a solution for all with rather new, major brand, networking equipment (Asus should be fine) and also in good up-to-date operating condition. Apple to Apple does seem to add stability.

I will comment again once I know the answers above. Also fyi there are several threads on this forum regarding iOS 8 Wi-Fi issues. While this one is the largest and oldest, if interested check this one out. Wi-Fi not working on iOS 8.4

If none of the ideas above help, just hang in there until iOS 9 is out in the fall. Trust me… ✅

elcpu

WWhat a superb write up Elcpu. Empathy, suggestions and possible solutions. I recently upgraded my 5s to the 6 plus and luckily eradicated my issues. But I still believe their are problems with iOS 8 Wifi that hopefully iOS 9 will address. I can only second your suggestions, hang in there the new iOS is not far away - best to see what that brings.

Thank you for your kind comments, Scotty. 🙂

elcpu - what a fantastic post. Thank you for the detailed reply.

its midnight here in London so I will study your post in the morning and

formulate a reply.

Toodle pip, my friend. I used to go to Canary Wharf quite regularly for work, miss those days.... Here in hot Texas these days. Sorry that we did not stayed loyal to the Queen.... 🙂

elcpu wrote:

3150+ replies, many of them from the aforementioned users with no problems tells us what? If you want to dangle the numbers in front of your argument please tell us how many of those 3150+ replies are from users with the issue and (b) how many unique users this actually represents?

I am not going to do the research for you like I did regarding the alleged "fixes" you posted before.

Yes well it is necessary for me to remind you yet again that I did not post that list, I reposted anothers posted list which was in itself a reposting of 12 other individuals who reported success. Whether you believe them or not is up to you but it does not alter the reality of their posts. In the same vein as you not believing what these 12 had to say we are all free not to believe you. or any other poster with more opinion than fact in his quiver.

There are but a couple of hundred people in this post with this issue, I do not believe that the issue lies with IOS (bearing in mind the millions who do not report any issues) they are individual issues and as has been reported many times before they are ones that respond to treatment.

Most helpful elcpu. Thanks.

Cheers

Pete

<Edited by Host>

Sorry, stupid auto spell!!

Pete

You are welcome, Pete.... Thanks for your post. ✅ 🙂

it is necessary for me to remind you yet again that I did not post that list, I reposted anothers posted list which was in itself a reposting of 12 other individuals

On Strand and Essex, by the Royal Courts, they would call that hearsay. Here in Texas we use other words.

But you're not in the Royal Courts so that doesn't apply, and just as for Texas, you're not Texas, you're 1 poster with an opinion, and it is as valid as anyone else's. 12 anyone else's gave their opinions, theirs have equal value to yours, but there was 12 of them. Do the math yourself.

Or are you saying that they lied when they said they fixed their WiFi issues by following instructions received in this (and other) posts?

In response to elcpu's post:

I have had the wifi issues ever since the release of iOS8. iOS7 and before no issues at all. 8.3 and the mDNSResponder change did absolutely nothing and 8.4 is as bad as it's ever been.

1. Yes, we have numerous wifi devices at home and have staged my own tests with my wife's Samsung Galaxy S6 and a Windows 8 laptop using Twitch.tv. I will stream a channel on my iPhone 6 that will inevitably drop out within a couple of minutes whilst the S6 next to it will be faultless along with the laptop. Also have numerous devices connected with no issues via ethernet so I know the internet connection itself is fine.

2. I use the 5Ghz band on my router. 2.4Ghz seems a lot more stable but again doesn't fix things.

3. I will turn off bluetooth and report back. This frustrates me though as I like to have bluetooth on for pairing with my car.

4. I have tried both Google DNS and OpenDNS with no luck.

5. I have the speedtest.net on my phone. Produces the same results as my iMac connected via ethernet.

6. http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4599152620

7. I have wifi at work and although it is only something like 15mb/2mb it is a dream to use because I don't get the dropouts. Why this is I don't know and it's difficult to investigate what equipment they are using as it's a secure system.

8. I have tried numerous firmware on my router. The latest stable Asus firmware, custom firmware that is supposed to be an older build where the wireless was most stable etc... no luck.

9. At some stage I must of done a restore from scratch with no luck. I may try again. I also have a genius appointment on Thursday to see if I can get the phone replaced to rule that out as well.

10. I have touted this idea before but was reluctant because of the cost and the risk of it not doing anything. I may buy one at the end of the month though to rule another possibility out.

I am more than happy to wait for iOS 9. I am a big Apple fan and love the ecosystem (which practically my whole life is built around) but the wifi issue is becoming a deal breaker.

Csound1 wrote:

There are but a couple of hundred people in this post with this issue, I do not believe that the issue lies with IOS (bearing in mind the millions who do not report any issues) they are individual issues and as has been reported many times before they are ones that respond to treatment.

You now say "I do not believe that the issue lies with IOS" Previously you have categorically stated it is not an issue with IOS8.

Are you at last admitting there may be a software issue?

How on earth did you read that into the post? Sheeshh!!!!

Pete

The change relating to DNS responder hasn't occurred yet, it was removed on OSX but I don't think it will be removed from iOS until version 9. Am curious about your home wifi environment. It is interesting that you experience no issues at work. Does your home network include any airplay devices? Bluetooth could also be a key factor. When you are at home is your Bluetooth active all the time? I presume when your car is not running the Bluetooth symbol at top of your phone goes grey and inactive but perhaps it is not. The reason I ask is because Airplay could be causing some of the grief and there is a good chance the change relating to DNS responder in iOS 9 could make a big difference. If you have Airplay devices, turn them off and re-test the stability of your wifi. Likewise Bluetooth, see if having that off makes a difference to stability. I have had problems with my 5S too but not to the same extremes but removing airplay from the equation made things much better. I now use a 6 plus phone and my issues are ok even with airplay switched on. So it's puzzling to say the least.

I'm not a huge fan of using Bluetooth being on but as I now have the watch I need to have it on all the time. Not that relevant to this post but it does frustrate that the Bluetooth pairing halves the wifi throughput on my phone as they compete on the 2.4 ghz spectrum. My way round it is to always use 5 ghz wifi in the home. I know you have tried both bands but I would urge you to stick to 5 ghz where possible (although it's not as rangey as 2.4).

At work, I am guessing there are no airplay devices or active Bluetooth devices so that's a possibility as to why it is rock solid there.