Q: iOS 8 Wi-Fi problems

how is it not apples fault?

samsung TV works without dropping

XBone works without dropping

WIndows Laptop works without dropping

Macbook pro works without dropping

Roku works without dropping

nowtv box works without dropping

chromebook works without dropping

Sky Tv box works without dropping

ipad mini with ios7+ works without dropping

ipad mini with iOS 8+ drops the wifi

Cant think of anything else

oh and the device has never been jail broken before anyone asks.

All it takes is a firmware bug in your router so that it can't properly handle a WiFi feature now being used in iOS 8 (but none of your other devices) and you will have a problem. That's not Apple's fault however.

There is also the possibility that your iPad Mini has developed a hardware problem. If so, and your iPad is still under warranty, waiting around for a fix while the warranty expires could be costly.

How is it not Apple's fault?  Did all of our routers break in September the moment we installed IOS8 on our Apple device?  No of course not. 

My iPad worked fine with my home router and every hotel I was at.  Once I upgraded the OS on the iPad to 8.x I started having WIFI issues.  Once I upgraded from IOS8.1.x to IOS 8.2 I still have problems but I can recreate them a different way.  So every time I upgrade the IOS hardware around me breaks different ways?  WOW! 

Are you saying that my home router, hotel routers, and my iPad were all broken before IOS8 and IOS8 fixed the iPad thus making everything not work around me?  That's crazy.  In IT when something stops working or breaks the first question asked is what changed.  Most of the time that change is was the problem.  What changed?  Well a new OS for Apple devices was released and ever since then these problems started to crop up.  Apple threw some new things into IOS8 and we think that is causing problems for some. 

When ios8 was first released I took the ipad to the Apple store as I was already going and it was swapped out.  So new hardware and it was exactly the same.

as gadgetAdam says in fault finding what is the one thing that changed?  I cannot see it being a firmware issue on all the different brands/makes/models of routers. To get a perfect stable connection I have to lower the speed of my router to 802.11g. Anything above that and it drops.

maybe Apple did introduce a "feature" in the wifi stack but what ever it did broke it for a lot of devices

“All it takes is a firmware bug in your router so that it can't properly handle a WiFi feature now being used in iOS 8 (but none of your other devices) and you will have a problem. That's not Apple's fault however.”

That is not true.  Are you saying my 2 year old Linksys/Cisco router that I paid $200 for that is up to date with firmware should be thrown out and I buy a new one? 

“There is also the possibility that your iPad Mini has developed a hardware problem. If so, and your iPad is still under warranty, waiting around for a fix while the warranty expires could be costly.”

No.  With IOS 8.1.x if I had Bluetooth on my speeds would drop.  With IOS 8.2 my speed does not drop with Bluetooth on but it does when I’m streaming audio to my Bluetooth speaker.  If it was hardware the same problem would be there no matter what the IOS is.  

I'm getting tired of people not looking at all the problems and seeing the overall picture. 

DOH!  You're in for it now...

http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s5/380118-galaxy-s5-wifi-issues. html

http://m.winsupersite.com/surface/will-microsoft-ever-fix-surface-pro-3-wi-fi-is sues

http://forums.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-1520/256138-odd-wifi-problem.h

OH and if it is my router then how come my girlfriend's iPad Mini doesn't have the same problem.  If the router was the problem her's would be doing the same thing and it doesn't.  That proves it is not my router and it proves replacing the router will not fix the problem. 

OK. Have it your way. Meanwhile I have iOS 8.2 (and previously iOS 8.1.3) running on an iPad Air 2, an iPad 3, an iPad 4, and an iPhone 5 with no WiFi dropping, no WiFi performance problems, no BT problems, and no connectivity problems on any WiFi network I have used, hotel, coffee shop, etc.

Keep on waiting for the solution.

We will keep waiting for a solution, from Apple.  Like I said my iPad 3rd generation has this problem on my Linksys/Cisco router but my Girlfriend on her iPad mini does not.  Both of us are running the same IOS using the same router.  If it was the router then both of ours would be having this problem.  It's not as simple as IOS 8.x breaks everyone's devices.  There is something either software and/or hardware in our devices that is causing these problems and whatever it is is unknown at the moment. 

gadgetadam wrote:

 

OH and if it is my router then how come my girlfriend's iPad Mini doesn't have the same problem.  If the router was the problem her's would be doing the same thing and it doesn't.  That proves it is not my router and it proves replacing the router will not fix the problem.

If you believe that your router is OK then perhaps the problem is in your iPad hardware or configuration. Did you every try any troubleshooting?

I've done a lot of troubleshooting.  It started happening around September when I installed IOS8. something.  Sometimes my iPad would be fine other times it would not load pages and transfer data in apps so slow I would give up.  This happened at home, in hotels, and on my mobile hotspot.  When I would run speed tests my normal download speeds of 18meg would go down to about .33meg.  Some days it would work some days it would not.  When In installed one update it worked for a week then it came back.  I noticed recently the slowdown only when I had bluetooth on even if it wasn't connected to anything.  When I would shut bluetooth off I would get my speed back. With it on slow again. 

When I upgraded to IOS 8.2 a few days ago I had speed back up to 18meg with my bluetooth on but once I streamed audio to my bluetooth speaker the problem came back.  Bluetooth off or on and not connected to speaker my speed is good.  Bluetooth on and connected to audio speed poor. 

Do I think it's a hardware issue?  No because others are having similar problems that started around the same time and from one IOS upgrade to another the problem is still there under different circumstances. 

Also Apple emailed and called me.  We installed a WIFI logger and I sent them the results.  They also wanted me to answer the questions below.  I think they're trying to figure out why some have this issue but not everyone.  In regards to the questions below it's all about our networks and such but nothing about their IOS update.  It's like they refuse to accept the fact that IOS8 might have a problem with some devices. 

What's my background.  I've been an IT consultant for 11 years specializing in Microsoft technology so I'm not some dummy when it comes to troubleshooting and technology. 

Information about network:
* Make
* Model
* Firmware Version
* FCCID of AP/Router
* Hardware Rev (Only needed if there is NO FCCID)
* Does this problem occur if the AP/Router is rebooted?
* When was the last time the AP/Router firmware was updated?



Network Configuration:
- Network Mode (b/g/n mixed, b/g only, a/b/g/n, n only etc)

- Security (WPAv1 (TKIP), WPAv2 (AES), WPA-Mixed (TKIP+AES), WEP

- Is a MAC filter used?

- Is this a hidden network?

Who your ISP?

What is the type of WAN connection (Cable, DSL, Fiber, etc)?

What speed is your internet connected rated at?

What is the name of the wireless network?

Have you disabled WMM?

Is DHCP Enabled or is the user using static IP addressing?

Have you tried to connect closer to the Router? What is the outcome?

When the issue is experienced, do non-iOS devices work properly? Are these devices wireless? Sounds like you have other devices that are working, based on your post.


If using security, does the problem still occur with Open security?

Does the issue persist when rebooting the iOS device?

Does this issue only occur at home?

Has the user tried changing the operating channel?

Any other work-arounds? If so please describe.

What version of iOS is running on the Apple Device?

If Bluetooth is Disabled, do you still see this issue?

If Location is Disabled, do you still see this issue?

Distance from the Router(include multiple distances portraying signal strength if any)?

Do you have different WiFi name for 2.4Ghz and 5.0Ghz, if so which one was used?

If the customer sees an alert when attempting to join, what is the exact text of the alert?

Did this iOS device ever have expected Wi-Fi functionality?  If so, please elaborate when, what changed, etc.

This issue is similar to what we are experiencing and I'm trying to determine if this is the iOS wifi issue.  We have 2 iPad 4s, 2 iPhone 5s', 2 macs all current on software and not jailbroken connected to an Airport Extreme.  Periodically one device on wifi takes over and latency can easily be 3000+ms for anyone else trying to use the network.  For example last night my SO went to bed and (gasp!) forgot to disable wifi.  No other Apple devices on wifi but my iPad.  (note no bluetooth enabled anywhere)  As I was browsing on my iPad things came to a halt.  Speed Test showed .02mb download speed with latency well over 3000.  I did nothing but stand up and turn off wifi on his phone and reran the test to see completely normal speeds.  We are on a slow dsl connection so any drop in speed hurts.

Does this sound like the iOS bug that has been discussed for the previous 100 pages I haven't read?

Tks

gadgetadam wrote:

 

OH and if it is my router then how come my girlfriend's iPad Mini doesn't have the same problem.  If the router was the problem her's would be doing the same thing and it doesn't.  That proves it is not my router and it proves replacing the router will not fix the problem.

You can't use logic with Apple hardcore fans. Apple is never to blame. You don't have to hang around long enough to know who they are. They are so out of touch with reality and get really defensive when someone blames Apple.

I for one am curious what causes this WiFi dropping problem. I know that we all use different router brand, model numbers and wireless technologies. We don't even use our iDevice the same way. Some may leave bluetooth, AirDrop enabled all the time. I don't use either one and they're turned off all the time. What are the common factors that cause this issue? I don't have that WiFi dropping problem and I'm running iOS 8.1.2 on my iPad Air. However, I don't refuse to acknowledge that the iOS upgrade is the source of WiFi connection problem.

JimHdk and other trolls:

Please read the thread and respond if you've found a fix that works for the problem noted in this thread: wifi loses connection and/or drops to dial-up speed. Most of us have to reset wifi and can reconnect for a few minutes at best before having to repeat the process. Device varies (an iPad may work, but the iPhone doesn't). location varies. The one commonality? This began immediately after update to IOS 8.x. Is it a recognized issue with the software? Darn straight. Apple is in direct contact with several from this forum.

IOS 8.2 is not resolving the issue for those that cannot fix. Replacing router has NOT worked for most of us (myself included; new netgear 7500 nighthawk did squat at our house). Successful repairs have been as random as the problem itself.

So quit telling us about people that never had a problem or got a fix with a new router (And a warm welcome back to resident troll Mmurray47. It's been over 10 pages). A majority of the 668,000 views of this forum show there are a lot of folks who DO have the problem.

Thanks for good advice on how to improve our connection speed (Riddick). Folks were frustrated with you because your advice doesn't help those who don't have a connection. Stick to the topic.

If you've had the problem and have advice or you're interested in helping because you've helped others, thanks for participating. Otherwise, if you're looking to boost your ego, pop into your tardis and find a different basement to hang out in. I'm done feeding the trolls; don't expect a response from me.