Apple Prepares to Release Patch for iPad Wifi Bug

By Nicholas Tarnowsky on May 11, 2010
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apple iPad wifi patchI think the biggest news that comes out of this story is the fact that the WiFi connectivity issue on the iPad isn’t hardware related.  Apple has fully acknowledged the bug, and plans to fix it with an upcoming firmware patch.  A recent updated Apple support document states that Apple will fix the issue that any remaining iPad owners are still experiencing.

A very small number of iPad users have experienced issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. This article outlines workarounds for these issues. Apple will also address remaining Wi-Fi connectivity issues with a future iPad software update.

It didn’t take long at all for early adopters of Apple’s iPad to come forward and complain that their new $500+ device won’t stay connected to their network.  Seems there is only a small number of iPad owners that are really experiencing any substantial problems, but everyone has noticed the constant fluctuation of their WiFi signal strength.  Now for me, I guess I am one of the lucky ones, personally my iPad has had no problem with my WiFi staying connected after it comes out of sleep.  But I have noticed that my iPad a reports change in the WiFi signal strength all the time.  I think the actual signal strength stays the same, just my iPad reports a difference.  It’s not from moving around either.  That is not really a big reported problem, but it’s definitely a firmware issue, and not hardware.

Since the first reports, Apple has released few different workarounds to fix the underlying issue.  They ranged from changing your router’s security encryption form WEP to WPA, all the way to adjusting the screen brightness.  And Apple wasn’t the only one working hard to find a fix, it seems everyone had an idea on how to remedy the problem.  From IT techs and bloggers, even Princeton University took a stab at trying to come up with a fix.  In the end the best fix was really just turning off your Wifi, and restarting it again.  That’s what users wanted to avoid, the constant switching on and off of their iPad.

A lot of wary iPad owners, were worried that it was going to be a hardware issue, which would of caused a serious uproar, and big problems for Apple.  Some people have already returned their iPad cause of this current WiFi problem, imagine how many owners would be wanting a refund if it was a hardware problem?  This news is good bad situation, it can be patched, but what about the recent release of the Spirit jailbreak?  Will this upcoming patch kill the jailbreak?  I sure hope not, cause that will put a lot of people in a tough predicament, do you want keep your iPad jailbroken?  Or do you want to fix the WiFi issue?

It’s way too early to know any of this, and I’m sure the Dev Team and Comex are on top of the situation.  Apple has not even given an exact time frame for the release of the patch.  In the meantime, if you need some help with a Wifi fix, you can check out Apple’s support page on the matter.

[via MacRumors]

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Nicholas Tarnowsky

Nicholas Tarnowsky

Nicholas Tarnowsky is a full-time contributing editor and the U.S correspondent @BlogsDNA. His passion for tech, gadgets, general computing and writing, go hand in hand. You will find articles written by him on everything from Android to Windows. He is also a certified A+ and Network+ technician and consultant. He hopes to be a big part of the BlogsDNA community. You can follow him @ twitter.com/nicknowsky View author profile

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  • Davide

    Hello everyone. Yes, I am sure I figured out the fix. The many fixes that worked for some of the people some of the time, and the rest of them that tried them and nothing worked, this is for you. It is really a combination of the fixes with one extra step. My remedy might take a little bit of time depending on how advanced your router is configured. I have fixed mine, and 3 of my friends routers with various iPad connection issues and it has fixed all of them. Tested on the following routers (Linksys, D-Link, & Netgear). I am sure it will work on other brands too due to my success on these routers. Before continuing, hand write or copy your personal configuration settings into word/publisher/etc or by any other means except creating a backup bin file via your router.

    1) Install the latest firmware on your router even if it already has the latest version. When the router firmware is newly updated, do a hard reset to bring the router to its factory settings with the new firmware. Refer to your individual product manual. (Usually while the router is plugged in, press and hold the reset button on the back of the device and unplug the power to the device while continuing to hold the reset button for 20-30 seconds more, then release the reset button.) Do not restore your existing configuration from a bin file (I know this is a pain but you want it fixed right?)

    2) Change your broadcast channel to 6 or 11. Not always necessary but it wont hurt. P.S. Don’t forget to save the settings as you go from page to page.

    3) Proceed to your wireless security settings and setup WPA (I personally setup all the routers with WPA2 but to each is own). Before preceding to the next step, connect your iPad/iPhone/iTouch and your other wireless devices to your wireless network. P.S. Don’t forget to save the settings as you go from page to page.

    4) Now you may proceed to manually reconfigure your router. (I.e. DHCP/Static DHCP/Static IP/Port forwarding settings, etc if applicable. I have a static ip for my router and use static DHCP for all my network devices as I do a lot of remote access configurations, windows rdp and real vnc connections so this was tedious for me) P.S. Don’t forget to save the settings as you go from page to page.

    5) Finally, this next step is not always necessary but I recommend doing it just for the sake of making sure you you start fresh. Once you have saved all settings on your router, Power off all network connected devices and unplug your router for at least 10 seconds. Power up 1 device at a time and make sure it connects to the Internet. Wahla. Your iPad/iPhone/iTouch connection issues are solved.

    Any other questions, I will try to handle on an individual basis.
    __________________
    Brought to you by Davide Mingoia.
    (I don’t know everything but I always try to find the answer)

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