iPad 2 wifi connection drops intermittently....problem solved

[David79]

Ok lets play nice =) it might just be his location, maybe the signal is not strong enough when the cover is on, but to be fair, Apple did release the iphone 4's in mass production with antenna problems, so you never know, a few hundred or thousand ipad 2's could have issues with Wifi. I would say maybe try a different router, or look for a firmware update (if you have access to the settings)

 

[rogerkash]

Nice try but I have the problem and not the cover.

Nice try but I have the problem and not the cover. Any other ideas?

 

[big_bear1963]

Same problem for me, 2 months in, ipad 2 with smart cover; gradually worsening; also have the problem of connecting to wifi (according to signal icon), but no response to internet, ie safari can't connect nor any apps. I know this problem is described elsewhere, and presume it is a different problem; I have both issues at once, so wifi is so unreliable as to be virtually unusable/useless. At least I have the 3G model, but currently feeling quite annoyed that I'll have to pay for SIM just when wifi points are getting more frequent, available. First stop though will be for a hardware exchange.......

 

[tweeter]

I started having this same problem. Last night I was so disgusted, I started going thru different things. I turned of the "cellular data", so now it just shows "ipad" in the upper left corner.....and no more problems. I've never signed up for cellular for the ipad.

My ipad is a 3G AT&T if that makes a difference. Before I would have AT&T in the upper left, now just the "ipad" and it's working great. (knock on wood)

 

[Johnm]

While reading this topic on my iPad2 I was thinking that I never have a wi-fi problem other than when using StreamToMe.
Guess what happens? My wi-fi cuts out. So I goto my iPad1 and it is still working.
I do not have Apple's magnetic case on either.
So there is a problem but I doubt it will get fixed easily.
Some time later I am able to make this post from my iPad2.

 

[vcom91]

This makes sense to me. I've had this problem since i got it, i thought it might be a problem with my router but once i reset the ip address it worked again. Never thought it would be the magnet! I'm gonna keep my eye on that now.

 

[Susaned]

Solved

Thank you for this. I have been having an ever increasing problem with the wifi dropping to the point that I could only view one website before the connection dropped. Have removed the cover and now it's working fine again. . When you think about it it makes sense as you say.....thank you

 

[Bingoldsby]

Oh boy... WiFi connections and their connect problems are so complex, that it's impossible to list one problem and/or one solution as the panacea for all of them.

Determining a WiFi connection problem can be different among users. Meaning... if the user experiences a loss of Internet connectivity, that can be the result of an IP configuration issue, and the basic WiFi connection path still be good to the router or access point. Not being able to access the Internet might be just the loss of the IP config entries for Gateway and DNS sources, but other WiFi functions and connections could still be in tact.

Possible interference from outside sources HAS to be considered also. When the signal path between two WiFi devices is somewhat marginal, it's altogether possible for an interruption to take place as the result of interference from other WiFi entities, wireless phones, microwave ovens, and a host of other devices that operate on or near the same band of frequencies that WiFi does. (There's a lot more than meets the mind.)

Signal interruptions and the causes are complex and can't be pinned down to just ONE source. Perhaps the magnetic case is the problem for one or a number of others, but each trouble has to be diagnosed and fixed (or understood) on its own.

Brian - Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[mwhatfield]

Same problem here!! I don't own the magnetic cover I have belkin survivor case. I notice it only happens with pandora. I thought it might be my ISP. But I decided to run pandora on my phone wifi no problems. Switch back to iPad 2 within 1st song it drops for a second comes back. Signal status doesn't seem to change when it happens. I have never used the iPad without a case. You would think all plastic case should not be a problem. Just 2 cents not sure what to make of it.

 

[mwhatfield]

Update!!!! Well further testing on wifi drop. It appears that ipad and iPhone was dropping signal from music app pandora but i was using airplay to apple tv2. I didn't consider that until today. Problems are signal strong without much variance but sound drops while staying connected to atv2. Routers airport extreme latest firmware all around. When I play pandora from device natively no problems stream to atv2 the drops occur. Others might consider other devices in the mix.

 

[Thankful]

Fantastic! I have been having problems for 3 months and had taken the iPad 2 back to the shop, fed up. Apple technical couldn't figure out problem, everyone thought it was the router. Guy in shop spotted this on the forum and I tried it. Case removed and it is the first time I have had continuous wifi connection for more than 5 minutes, so far has been stable for over 3 hours, hasn't dropped it even once. Thank you so much!

Searched everywhere for an answer. Everyone always posts about resetting the iPad or perhaps even the router....some have even suggested replacing the router. This is all not true!

We just realized that the cause of the connection dropping was the stupid magnetic case!!!!

Case on, connection drops or can't connect. Case off the connection is stable and I can type this message! I'm assuming everyone is using the same cover which is why everyone is experiencing this connection issue. Yet no one is realizing this. When you think about it why would you ever place a magnet near an electronic device!? You wouldn't!

I smell law suit for selling faulty covers. Please everyone else try this out and let me know if it fixes your iPad 2 wifi connection issues. It fixed ours!!!

 

[loanmanoh]

Here is my fix. Most home networks are dynamic and not static. I went to my router and reserved a static ip address number for the ipad 2 only. My other devices are not having problems so I left those alone. I went to the ipad and set the wifi for static ip and entered the static ip address i setup in my router and also entered manually the router's subnet address, router address and I also used the DNS of my internet service provider and not was in the router. That second step may not have been necessary but I did it anyway. It worked. I read somewhere else that the problem with the Ipad is that it has difficulty reacquiring a new ip address that is generated from time to time by the router. Setting up a static ip for the Ipad solved the problem. Try it. It works.

 

[blkcfp]

I started having this same problem. Last night I was so disgusted, I started going thru different things. I turned of the "cellular data", so now it just shows "ipad" in the upper left corner.....and no more problems. I've never signed up for cellular for the ipad.

My ipad is a 3G AT&T if that makes a difference. Before I would have AT&T in the upper left, now just the "ipad" and it's working great. (knock on wood)

This worked for me.

 

[equilibria]

Hi,

I recently bought an Ipad 2 and I must say I am a bit appalled. I also experience WIFI drops, when using streaming applications. Only the Ipad was experiencing WIFI problems. I checked everything and come to a conclusion that the software might be defective.
So I started with the wireless router and tested dynamic IP/Static IP, WPA2/WEP/open, checked the logging. I checked everything a test user might do.

When I play an online game Legends there is an IP latency on the left bottom. Within 1 second you notice that the WIFI connection drops.
So what I now do to fix it within a couple of seconds is: Pushing the home button, immediately open Safari, refresh a random internet page by clicking on a link and then immediately startup the game Legends. I have to suffer a connection loss of several seconds, but at least the problems is fixed.
After the fix sometimes I can play for another few minutes but also sometimes for hours.

IMHO Apple are releasing defective products and by making it more complicated are dodging the real problem.
Now I do not know what to do. Return the Ipad 2 or wait for a fix.

Regards,
Equi

 

[Johnm]

I too had many wi-fi problems like yourselves. It was driving me crazy. I noticed that it was my iPad2 that was most affected. My iPad1 had fewer problems. I then discovered that the placement of the modem/wi-fi had a major effect on my iPad2. I was using the iPad at the opposited end of the house from where the modem/wi-fi was located. By moving the modem/wi-fi two feet closer and away from my other electronics my problem was solved. With no other changes this vastly improved my wi-fi with no more cut outs on my iPad. For some this may be something worth trying. It worked for me.