Hi, this appears to be a common problem. I've tried ALL the suggestions on how to troubleshoot this problem in many forums BUT TO NO AVAIL. I notice that my ipad doesn't even show the wifi connection symbol at the top-most bar. How do I get the 3-curve symbol to appear which will mean that the wifi is REALLY connected? THANKS.

Hi there--do you have your wifi connected? If you do, are you within a secure network which requires you to type in a password. Most personal wifi networks set up will have this. Or, are you accessing wifi in public areas?

Go to Settings>Wi-Fi,make sure that Wi-Fi is turned on.