Should Apple be Blaming Your Router for the iPad Wi-Fi Weak Signal Issues?

Since the iPad’s highly touted release on 03 April the tech news sites have been quite full of iPad news and tidbits. Yes, even I have had a few iPad stories on this site.

In those few days since the release the reviews have definitely to the positive side.  In fact, I look forward to putting my hands on an iPad just to see what all the fuss is about.

However, in the last couple of days more and more reports are surfacing about weak Wi-Fi signal issues with the iPad.

Initially those reports were individuals and a compilation of the complaints littering the Apple discussion forums.  The Wi-fi Forum at Apple Discussions now has over 41,000 views on the weak Wi-Fi pages.

Apple’s official response came a couple of days later in the form of a knowledge base article, iPad: Does not automatically rejoin known Wi-Fi networks, which provided some steps to help deal with the issue. There was even a suggested fix in one of the support FAQ’s which recommended moving closer to the Wi-Fi router or hotspot.

Their recommended fixes all had to do with issues with the iPad users router.  That is right – your router is apparently the reason why your Wi-Fi signal is weak.  It has nothing to do with their hardware – at least at the moment.

And who can blame them. The only variable that is present in these situations is the routers that iPad users are accessing. Until these fixes do not fix the weak Wi-Fi signal then it is a viable target for Apple to point at.

So let’s say that the router is 100% the cause of weak Wi-Fi signals. If you own or operate the router than you can easily make the changes Apple is recommending and hopefully remedy the issue. I mean who wants to have a $500 piece of hardware that just does not work right.

What if your getting your Wi-Fi access in a public hotspot and have no access or control over the router? Then what do you do?  Deal with the weak signals constantly coming in and out or just leave the hotspot behind?

I guess you could always approach the business owner and let them know your iPad is getting a weak signal due to their router and ask for remote access to the hotspot router.

Yeah, they would be willing to give you the user name and password to their router. I don’t think so.

Related Posts

• Belkin Wireless N 4 Port Router Review
• Apple iPad/iPhone Shows Windows Phone 7 Will Succeed
• Some Users Reporting iOS5 Update Issues On Twitter
• Microsoft Office Coming To A iPad Near You
• I Agree with Mark Zuckerberg – the iPad Is Not Mobile

Richard Hay  (3359 Posts)

Richard is the Owner of WindowsObserver.com and has been involved in tech for over 25 years. His first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then he used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and what you see here today is the result of the work he has continued on the site since 1995. In January 2010 his community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when he was awarded the Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for Windows Desktop Experience. In January 2011 he was renewed as a Microsoft MVP but in a new category called Windows Expert - Consumer and in January 2012 he received the award for the third time.