Weak WiFi on iPad May Signal Problems Ahead

Apr

2010

Leslie Meredith
03:43 PM ET

New iPad owners are complaining about Wi-Fi problems on their device on Apple's customer service site.

Wi-Fi is the technology that allows the iPad and other devices to connect to the Internet wirelessly.

Within hours of purchase, iPad owners reported problems with Wi-Fi connectivity on their new iPads ranging from no signal to varying signal strength to signal drop, all while within range of their routers.

"My signal keeps fluctuating from strong to weak," reads a typical complaint, "while my MacBook and iPhone show a consistent signal at the same location."

"I've noticed that if I use my iPad for a period of time longer than 20 minutes, the wireless will simply disconnect," another user wrote.

Apple déjà vu?

iPad">The MacBook Air notebooks launched in January 2008 also suffered from Wi-Fi connectivity problems. Apple blamed the problem on third party routers, suggesting users update their routers' firmware.

Michael Arrington at TechCrunch today wrote: "My understanding of Wifi issues on devices, particularly cramped devices like the Macbook Air and iPad, is that it’s usually a hardware/design issue and something that can’t be fixed via a software patch. I hope that’s not the case with the iPad, because faulty Wi-Fi would make this a very unattractive device."