iPad WiFi Issues Fix at WLAN Book.com

April 5th, 2010

iPad WiFi Issues Fix

by Zaib Kaleem

iPad WiFi Issues Fix

Like many others, I too **was** having problems with WiFi connectivity on my iPad.

I solved my iPad WiFi problems by configuring my access point (AP) for 802.11bg only mode. I have an enterprise class dual radio Cisco access point that allowed me to create a different SSID per 802.11 radio. I created one with for 802.11b/g and one for 802.11a. I use the 802.11bg mode for my iPhone 3GS and iPad.

iPad Works Fine With My 802.11bg WiFi

Yep..that’s it..no more problems. I couldn’t believe it, so I changed my AP back to to 802.11abg mixed and then to 802.11a only mode and noticed that the connectivity issues returned. My unscientific testing seems to indicate that the iPad has an issue with 802.11a/5GHz frequency.

My iPad WiFi Troubleshooting Process

I read on many blogs that the issue could be caused by the location of the WiFi antenna. After finding the photos below taken by iFixit I don’t think this is the case. I don’t know how these antennas operate but it seems that the body of the iPad is utilized based on the contacts that can be seen in the photos below. I’m pretty sure Apple wouldn’t release a product that would be impacted by how it is positioned like some blogs suggested.

I then found the Apple’s iPad: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections. I tried all the suggestions but nothing helped.

I then found another support document titled “iPad: Does not automatically rejoin known Wi-Fi networks“.

Symptoms
Under certain conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known Wi-Fi network after restart or waking from sleep. This can occur with some third-party Wi-Fi routers that are dual-band capable when:

* Using the same network name for each network
* Using different security settings for each network

Products Affected
iPad

Resolution
If you encounter this issue, try the following:

* Create separate Wi-Fi network names to identify each band. This can be done easily by appending one or more characters to the current network name.
o Example: Add a G to the 802.11b/g network name and an N to the 802.11n network name.
* Ensure that both networks use the same security type (WEP, WPA, WPA2, and so on)

If the issue persists, reset your network settings using Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.