iPad Mini 3 drops WiFi connection to hotspot under load
I have a weird problem that appears to be device-specific. Ingredients:
- iPad Mini 3 (WiFi)
- iOS 8.2
- FreedomPop Sierra Wireless Hotspot
I have no issues with network connectivity with my Mini 3 on high speed networks at home or work. In particular, I can run the Ookla Speedtest app just fine. I can download/update apps fine. However, if I connect to the Hotspot (which has much lower bandwidth), I have problems under heavy network load, such as those. The Mini 3 will drop the connection, thus messing up what I was trying to do, then connect again. If I do the same experiment with my wife's Mini 3 (mine is 64GB, hers is 32GB), all conditions the same (OS, Hotspot, apps), her Mini 3 does not drop the connection, and everything works fine.
I have done the obvious things, but the connection still gets dropped intermittantly:
- force-exit all apps
- restart the Mini 3
- update to iOS 8.2 (the problem was present in earlier iOS 8 versions, too)
I have concluded that my Mini 3 must have a hardware problem with the WiFi. Are there other possiblities? What are the odds Apple will fix the problem (which probably requires a new Mini 3) if I'm right?
iPad Mini, iOS 8