iPhone XS Max Weak 5GHz WIFI Reception

George Mcgee wrote:

I am extremely happy with the response I have received and I know Apple is putting forth some great effort here. The concern some people are having relates to the 14 day return window that will be closing soon if they purchased on launch day. If it is a hardware or software issue that would be nice to know so that those decisions whether to return can be made.

I am curious, though, how you know you are not experiencing the WiFi issues for sure? In my case I know because I can directly compare my XS to my X and previous iPhones in the house which get max throughput from my ISP and maintain their WiFi connections. I can also see on my router that my XS is almost always connected to 2.4 GHz, whereas my other devices stay connected to 5 GHz band. And as an example, even when I am connected to 5 GHz I sometimes have weird connection issues such as no throughput

I guess the answer is simple. A problem to me is one which reduces the usability of the phone. If for example, I have difficulty accessing websites, or streaming music, or watching a YouTube video. That's an issue and would be a problem. Since getting my XS Max, I have had no issues whatsoever doing anything with my Max that I did with my X. I stream music fast. I watch a video without interruption. I open a website quickly. Apps update immediately. I'm just not having any issues using the phone. So I haven't performed a speed test because to me they are unreliable and what would the point be if I'm having no issues using the phone. I also have zero Bluetooth connection issues. In fact with my Max, I'm able to go further from my phone with my BT headphones than I could with my X.

I do find it somewhat amusing the comments about not having great range with 5ghz internet. That's actually normal. In a good and relatively close proximity to a 5ghz signal, the phone should do well. As you move further from the router, it would be expected behavior to lose signal. 5ghz is faster in a shorter distance from the router. 2.4ghz is slower, but goes out further. Now, if you want me to point out an issue, my Max does prefer to join my 2.4ghz band at home. Well, so did my X. So long ago, I simply had my phone forget the 2.4ghz band and my phone connects to the 5ghz side immediately and strongly.

I just noticed something. My iPhone XS Max model is A1921, or “iPhone11,4”. Everything I’m seeing online about this specific model references it as “iPhone XS Max (China)”. The people here that AREN’T having a problem, can you post your model?

I am having the exact same issue. I have dropped reception/signal in places where I had no issues on the earlier iPhone. I have contacted the support and their response was that there is not much they can do since they don’t see any issue on their side. What a great service. I really want to change back to my old iPhone. I have been using iPhones since the beginning of its launch 10 years ago, but I am starting to think if it

is worth keep using iPhone and if I should change to Samsung or Google.

Add me to the list of folks having this issue as well. I got my XS on the first day they were shipped out and noticed the problem first thing, so here's my quick story:

> i work from home so I sit in my 2nd bedroom-turned-office every day for 8 hours a day in the exact same spot.

> i have a router that spits out 2 and 5 GHz signals

> the router is at most 25 feet from my office in the living room. ALL my gadgets/computers picks up both signals with full strength in my office. i mean the router is so close

> my last iphone was a 7S and it connected to the 5GHz signal in my office with full bars. very strong connection, duh

> on day 1 with my new XS it kept dropping the 5Gz signal while sitting in the exact same spot as my 7S, in my office, where I have been sitting every day

> if I'm lucky i'll get it to connect to 5GHz with 1-2 bars, but it always drops out after a few minutes. however the 2GHz signal sent out by my router is picked up by the XS with full strength no matter where the phone is sitting, the same as my old 7S used to do with both the 2 and 5 GHz signals.

TL;DR: iphone XS struggles to pick up the 5GHz signal but has a very strong connection to the 2Hz signal. definitely a problem with the XS. image of my WiFI shown below on a good day:

For every one of you having this issue saying "Apple, please get on this quickly" won't get your message where you hope. This is really a user to user forum.

The absolute best way and every one of you experiencing this should provide feedback via this link: Feedback - iPhone - Apple

I'm quite sure Apple is well aware of this (it has been reported in news articles) and I'm also equally sure their top engineers are working on this furiously. But solutions take take time and will need to be rolled out in a software update, which will need to be tested significantly to ensure the fix doesn't cause more things to go wrong.

Your router should have a web portal, sometimes it’s 10.0.0.1 or maybe 192.168.0.1 or something. The IP Address. Find out from the manufacturer how to log in (username is maybe “admin”, and maybe blank password or “password” or something. Again, refer to manufacturer), and you should be able to see each network’s MAC Address. They both probably start with the same info, but end in something different. I use Network Analyzer Pro to find my network details:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/network-analyzer-pro/id557405467?mt=8

But, the xFi iOS app can tell you, too (if you have Comcast).

Also having LTE issues Network Reset didn't fix the problem. Only getting 1 bar the majority of the time.

Wifi seems to be working since I turned WMM Quality of Service off in my router settings, even though this article recommends leaving it on. Was constantly getting disconnected from my Wifi. The iOS 12.0.1 update was having it reconnect faster, yet was still getting disconnected til I turned WMM Support off.

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support

"WMM (Wi-Fi Multimedia) prioritizes network traffic according to four access categories: voice, video, best effort, and background.

Set to: Enabled

All 802.11n and 802.11ac access points should have WMM enabled in their default configuration. Disabling WMM can cause issues for the entire network, not just Apple products on the network."

WMM Support OFF

No-Acknowledgement OFF

Power Save Support OFF

Install iperf on NAS and this app on iphone HE.NET Network Tools de « Hurricane Electric, LLC »

https://itunes.apple.com/ch/app/he-net-network-tools/id858241710?l=fr&mt=8

It will do speed test but anyway... Again if this is an antenna design issue... And they fix it in iphone XI I will be ****** off... Pretty sure that a one plus 6T is definitely better than the XS MAX... And also my 7Plus outperform my XS-Max when I'm 20 m far from the 5Ghz wifi router... What a shame

Then your phone with the issue may require service.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

People with issues may have a bad device, but it is not an issue with all phones of the same model.

There was an issue with the software that was largely fixed in iOS 12.0.1.

I have same issue with my Xs max. Something wrong with the 5ghz connection. When I connect to 5 ghz the signal is too weak. I use the 2,4 ghz connection for better results for now. Hope the issue will be fixed. Here are my screen shots at the same location in my home with 2,4 and 5 ghz.

Having the same issues myself. Used to have full bars for wifi throughout my whole house with my X and now my XS Max is struggling to keep 2 bars. It's uper frustrating. Having the same issues at work 2. I still have my X and tempted to return this and pay TMobile the restocking fee.

I'm in the same boat, in places where my iPhone 7 Plus and iPad (2017) are able to connect to the 5ghz network just fine, the XS has trouble. It only shows two bars and doesn't maintain the connection that well. Really disappointing, for now I've switched to the 2.4ghz network on the XS. I hope Apple can fix this with a software update.

Thank goodness it's not just me! I actually have NO SERVICE in my house now! Granted, with my X, I was only 1 or 2 bars, but there are literally rooms in my house now where I go to "No Service." It's tremendously frustrating.

Just adding my iPhone XS Max to the list. iPhone X in the same room getting much faster speeds on Wi-Fi and both on AT&T. On the XS Max, some web pages in Safari don’t even START to load for maybe 10-15+ seconds, and then once the page does start to load, it still takes longer than it should.

I was thinking it was an issue with some leftover junk in the backup from the X to the XS Max, but I’m not seeing any change after restoring and setting up as new. I even made sure to “forget” the XS Max in my router’s admin settings and in the xfinity iOS app. So it’d be truly like a new phone connecting for the 1st time when setting up as new. This is either a software issue that a 12.0.1 release could hopefully fix, or a hardware issue (yikes).

This is very disappointing to see that all of us have the exact same problem. My xs max has week wireless and cellular performance.I have to disconnect and connect to wifi to fix this all the time. Apple has been known for exceptional quality, but it looks like it is changing now. iPhones do not fit for purposes since they cannot even do their main function-call with good reception and be connected to the internet without problems.Extremely disappointed to pay $2400 for the phone and has to deal with that....