iPhone 4S - WIFI only connect when close/line of sight

Question

Level 1

0 points

iPhone 4S - WIFI only connect when close/line of sight

I have a black 16GB iphone 4S that is now on IOS 8 with same symptoms it had on the last IOS version.

The WIFI I most often use is working for ~10 other devices in my home, 2 on IOS, and the rest on Windows or Linux.

The phone connects to WIFI both at home and away if I am sitting near the WIFI or at least with a clear line of sight to the WIFI Router.

The behavior started when the phone was both connected to WIFI and in mid update of apps and our power interrupted, which stopped the WIFI connection. When power came back on, all other devices came back online, but my phone did not. My wife has a white Iphone 4S 16GB and it connects the same as it did prior to that interruption.

I did reset the router twice, clear network settings, and did a reset all settings, but I didn't take it back to factory and delete everything (yet).

Because all those other devices are working, I am thinking it is hardware, not software.

Please let me know what steps are next, or if I should take the phone in for repair

thanks

Jim

iPhone 4S, iOS 8

Posted on Sep 25, 2014 12:18 PM

Reply

Answer 1

mario49

Community Specialist

Sep 28, 2014 8:31 AM in response to redlinkhauer

Hey redlinkhauer,

Thanks for the question. After reviewing your post, it sounds like trouble with Wi0Fi connections. I would recommend that you read these articles, they may be able to help you resolve or isolate the issue.

These settings should minimize trouble.

iOS and OS X: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

Sources on interference can force you to have to be near the Wi-Fi access point.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: Potential sources of wireless interference

iOS: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections

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 on 2. 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.

If after all of these step you may want to restore to factory.

Use iTunes to restore your iOS device to factory settings

Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.

Have a nice day,

Mario

Reply

Answer 2

redlinkhauer Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 31, 2014 7:45 AM in response to mario49

Thank you for validating my efforts; I too googled, binged, and toured all the help. I upped my data plan for the short term, and I'll probably just buy an iPhone 6/6 plus rather than waste my time with refurb equipment.

Jim

Reply

Answer 3

Apr 28, 2015 12:44 PM in response to redlinkhauer

So... This might sound like a stretch, but it improved it significantly for me. Remove the SIM card and caddy. I've been swapping sim cards quite a bit and started noticing this problem around 2 months ago. Just sitting here frustrated I attempted a few debugging steps and that seemed to improve wifi beyond line of site, as well as significantly improve reliability. I'll do more debugging, but my current theory is that something is shorting to the wifi antenna (either the SIM or the caddy) causing issues. When you are close enough the phone can overcome not having an antenna, but as you move away, or have something blocking line-of-sight you start seeing severe issues.

Just a theory at this point though.

Reply