Q: iOS 8 Wi-Fi problems

What a surprise! Congrats!  BTW: "DOLAdmin also posted that same KB article back on page 103. "DOLAdmin" is me.  Figured I dodge some of the hate generated after suggesting the problem might not be iOS 8.x related. Imagine that...

Your iPhone wifi deactivates on sleep by design (to save battery power).  Transmitter/receivers drain power (which is why I'm a heavy Airplane Mode user when there's no way to charge over long periods).  The magic begins on wake when data communications re-establish as quickly as they do (depending on a ton of factors),

APPLE!  relocate this guy at work and FIX the wifi system his company implemented!!! Jeez!

Ok so since I am new Apple iPhone user. I was not aware

Slowly slowly it turns out that issues that I reported are not really issues but that is how it works in iPhone.

I always thought that my iPhone had wifi issues because WiFi would stop working within 4-5 minutes after putting phone down! (auto-lock in 1minute)

Now its clear that its not bug but thats how it has been designed.

In short if I want iPhone wifi to remain alive - I should ping iPhone!!

If I want normal behaviour - I should not ping!

Well I may have mis-characterized what happens on auto-lock somewhat.  You should still receive new mail etc. during auto-lock.  Do you?  On wake, certain data functions take a fee seconds sometimes to fire back up But I think that should be expected.

The problem is that I have data connection disabled. (Data connection cost a lot in my country)

What iPhone does is when in lock/sleep mode it disables WiFi and switches to data connection. And new mail alert etc. arrive via data connection.

Most user do not realize this because iPhone switches back to WiFi when unlocked!

But since I have data connection off, that does not happen. And hence I do not receive mail alerts until I disable / re-enable WiFi.

mmurray47: Let me get this straight, because I hope you were being facetious. You were worried that you might get flamed for implying that the problem isn't related to iOS 8X. Let's examine why folks might not be happy with that implication: 111 pages on just this forum alone (not counting a few dozen other similar forums on this issue), nearly every person starting with stating their problem came ONLY after the iOS update, including my problems. Hundreds of tech-smart folks trying about everything imaginable tech solution, normal folks going to the Genius Bar (some are still receiving replacement phones, but not being told to just check AES settings?), etc. This has been one of the hottest topics in the Apple universe for 5 months (not counting the iOS 8 Bluetooth fiasco), and not one Apple rep can send out a notice to the entire iOS community to check their AES settings? "Please check your user's manual on page X: you should set your home router to XYZ". pretty simple: happy customers and Apple doesn't have to admit they screwed up.

So yes, I do agree with you:  It was a very reasonable assumption on your part that you'd get atomic-flamed if you implied it was the user's fault.

No surprise at all...  As has been well reported here, when any kind of "reset" is done, either on the router or the phone, one gets a Wi-Fi bounce. Those of us that read the WiFried article by Mario Ciabarra understand this quite well. Here is what Mr. Ciabarra said back in November:

Bouncing WiFi/Re-associating WiFi

Part of the confusion is due to the fact that when the iOS device reconnects to an AP (either turn off/on WiFi on the phone or Forget/reconnect), some of the AWDL characteristics are reset/disabled for a period of time. Thus, the WiFi performance restores to 100% upon a WiFi bounce until discoveryd begins its browse/advertise routines, causing performance degradation and the ping lag issue on the 5S when the kernel disables AWDL again. Until I figured this out, this made it quite difficult when troubleshooting!

You either have not read the Ciabarra article or do not understand the contents and thus continue to mislead people on this site about iOS 8 having no Wi-Fi issues. You are doing a disservice here but then again, you don't care as you have an agenda!

For others reading this post, Depeche242 got a Wi-Fi bounce on his iPhone 5 and just like mine (and my wife's) the issue will return in a matter of time (hours or days). I have a Linksys EA4500 router and it is configured exactly like Apple recommends in the KB article. I also have another Linksys router and an AT&T 2WIRE Gateway and the slow connection is there regardless of the router or settings.  I get better speeds if I turn AirDrop/Bluetooth OFF (due to the AWDL problems Ciabarra describes).  In addition to 4 iOS devices we also have 2 Dell PCs and a MacBook Pro Retina (using it at the moment).  The connection speed is steady and consistent with both Dells, in 4 months of testing we have never had a single slow speed OOKLA test on the Dells, the problem only shows up on iOS devices running iOS 8.  My iPhone 5 has been replaced twice (mercifully at Apple's expense) all to no avail.  The last replacement came with iOS 7 - I tested the new phone repeatedly with no Apps installed, i.e., in factory condition with only a new OOKLA download and the phone worked perfectly.  Then I made the mistake of upgrading to iOS 8.1.2 and the issue showed up in two hours.

My wife and I had no issues whatsoever with iOS 7 (same router and same settings) so YES there is a problem with iOS 8.  That is the reason "Kevin" at Apple keeps calling people about it (he called me and others and took data for their engineers to analyze).  None of this will satisfy mmurray47, but for the rest of you don't waste your time or money buying new routers or trying different settings, it has been done at infinitum already by many here, all to no avail.  I realize that 111 pages of posts are too much to read but but for those of you that are interested in the details I suggest starting on page 92 and you will get the drift, mmurray47 will not.

Please tell me that it has NEVER been jailbroke.  If it has never been jailbroke, here are some standard repair procedures:

First, try a system reset.  It cures many ills and it's quick, easy and harmless...

Hold down the on/off switch and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo.  Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it appears.  You will not lose any apps, data, music, movies, settings, etc.

If the Reset doesn't work, try a Restore.  Note that it's nowhere near as quick as a Reset.  It could take well over an hour!  Connect via cable to the computer that you use for sync.  From iTunes, select the iPad/iPod and then select the Summary tab.  Follow the on-screen directions for Restore and be sure to say "yes" to the backup.  You will be warned that all data (apps, music, movies, etc.) will be erased but, as the Restore finishes, you will be asked if you wish the contents of the backup to be copied to the iPad/iPod.  Again, say "yes."

At the end of the basic Restore, you will be asked if you wish to sync the iPad/iPod.  As before, say "yes."  Note that that sync selection will disappear and the Restore will end if you do not respond within a reasonable time.  If that happens, only the apps that are part of the IOS will appear on your device.  Corrective action is simple -  choose manual "Sync" from the bottom right of iTunes.

If you're unable to do the Restore (or it doesn't help), go into Recovery Mode per the instructions here.  You WILL lose all of your data (game scores, etc,) but, for the most part, you can redownload apps and music without being charged again.  Also, read this.

PDXMRH, well said...  Here is a device I used when mmurray47 flamed me.  Since I am a nice guy I am willing to let him borrow it, he will need it if he keeps denying the obvious.

Hi Philly_Phan, I know you mean well and are trying to help people but if you read the previous posts (yes I know 111 pages is too much to read but start at page 92) you will see that all the steps you suggest have been tried by many of us before.  In fact, when the issue first appeared I called AppleCare and spent over 5 hours on and off on the phone with a Level 2 Support Tech who suggested exactly the same, system reset, restore, recovery, etc.  None of this helped and has not helped the many others that have tried it.  The Level 2 Tech then authorized a phone replacement which also did not solve the problem.  Please read my post of 11:12 am today for the details.

Since the vast number of users are not experiencing any issues, there must be unique conditions related to those devices that are acting up.  Standard repair procedures like what I described are the only things that can help.

I understand and thank you for your comments.  I think that there are many users who are having issues and are not aware of them, more than we are led to believe.  At a holiday get together a friend was using his iPhone and I asked him if he was having any problems.  He said no.  He had never heard of OOKLA or done any speed tests.  When I elaborated on my problem he downloaded the OOKLA app and tested his phone.  He was dismayed to see a 2 Mbps download on a 30 Mbps connection.  I suspect that there are many peoples having iOS 8 issues and they are not aware of them!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/01/28/apple-ios-8-1-3-bugs/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2015/01/30/apple-loop-ios-8-1-3-fails-use rs-outlook-arrives-on-iphone-apple-defeats-blackberry/

You can "suspect" all that you wish.  That does not make it true.

The Forbes articles reference this thread - over - and over again... ?  Just out of curiosity have any reputable tech sources (like Wired, ZDNet, TechRepublic etc.) made any references other than to this thread?  Any independent lab tests published?  Just wondering.  I broke my own early adoption rule this morning and installed 8.1.3.  Working wifi fine.  That's several iOS devices (personal 6+, a business 5c and a business iPad Air 2 I gave an elected official a few weeks ago) with no wifi problems.  In fact, barring any major problem discoveries over the next week or so, I'm probably just a few steps away from green lighting over 150 device users for the 8.1.3 upgrade based on the security content alone.  That's a pretty high confidence assessment.  Not discounting all claimants here and I hope those who are struggling legitimately get straitened out but I gotta tell ya, some of the "canned response" wording by certain people here - pretty frequently and consistently - more than raise an eyebrow or two - just sayin...