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EnchantedPlague

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
54
20
I have a launch iphone 5 and have had wifi problems with it since day one. The wifi becomes unusable if you are not in the same room as the router. I went into the apple store and after the genius rep looked at my phone he said he couldn't do anything because there was no proof of the problem.

So I go home, take a video of my iphone 5 doing a speed test on the same wifi network as a iphone 4s. My iphone got 3mbps download, the 4s had 28mbps. I go back to the store with the video, the genius rep takes a look. Still won't fix it and says the speed test app is unreliable and that the phone works fine in the store. Well obviously it works fine in the store, you have enterprise grade routers with no walls blocking the signal.

Anyway so I ask for the manger. He comes out and has the rudest attitude ever. I explain the situation and that I have tried it on 3 different routers and that it is a common problem (search iphone 5 wifi on Google and you get tones of hits). He then says that you can't believe what you read on forums. He then asks what happens if I replace the phone and the problem is still there. I then respond, then there is obviously something wrong with the design of the phone. His response...If that was the case then why wouldn't we have more complaints about it. That kinda contradicts what I said about the problem being all over the Internet. Anyway through the whole conversation he kept blaming me and my network and how I was using the phone. He finally agreed the replace the phone but I left feeling mistreated and frustrated. I was in shock that this was apple support.

Anyone else have similar situations?
 

EnchantedPlague

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
54
20
does it work on anyone elses wifi or a hotspot etc etc

I have tried it on two of my routers and at my girlfriends house. Works fine if you are in the same room, but as soon as there is any distance or walls between the phone and router the speed completely drops.
 

SMDBill

macrumors 6502
Apr 12, 2013
255
1
Does the new one work fine now? If so, that's the proof but a little too late to prove to the guy giving you a hard time about it.
 

iceman17

macrumors newbie
Dec 5, 2008
19
0
Denver, CO
Go to a different Apple store or call customer service. I have always had very positive experiences with customer service at Apple. Perhaps you just got a "rotten apple" (sorry, couldn't help myself)
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
Sucks you had a bad experience, but without yelling us which store and who you dealt with I am not sure this post can be useful to, well, anyone.
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
I have tried it on two of my routers and at my girlfriends house. Works fine if you are in the same room, but as soon as there is any distance or walls between the phone and router the speed completely drops.


Sounds like ur on 5 GHZ instead of the more forgiving 2.4 GHZ.
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
Err I'd suggest against that, seeing how WEP is significantly less secure than WPA.
And I'm pretty sure N mode and G mode are separate from what security you use.

Don't go to the deep end about your security method. I bet the the typical thief is not THAT interested or wants to spend the time required to break into your less than strong encryption.
 

EnchantedPlague

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
54
20
I tried both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands. I am aware that the 5Ghz will have less penetration and signal strength. I waited 6 months because I thought that a software update would fix the issue, and secondly, going to an apple store is quite a hassle. The apple store I went to was Fairview Mall in Toronto. The replacement phone seems to be much better, but I need more time to thoroughly test it.
 

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
Still won't fix it and says the speed test app is unreliable and that the phone works fine in the store. Well obviously it works fine in the store, you have enterprise grade routers with no walls blocking the signal.
There's no excuse for the attitude but surely you understand why they have to be able to replicate the issue to give you a replacement? Of course, from your perspective it seems like no big deal but they have to put up with spurious claims and people looking for replacements for reasons with no merit countless times a day.

If something is wrong with the device then a suitable test scenario should be possible. Even with "enterprise grade routers". Find the edge of their coverage and replicate the test with the faulty device and the known good device to demonstrate, for example.
 

EnchantedPlague

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
54
20
There's no excuse for the attitude but surely you understand why they have to be able to replicate the issue to give you a replacement? Of course, from your perspective it seems like no big deal but they have to put up with spurious claims and people looking for replacements for reasons with no merit countless times a day.

If something is wrong with the device then a suitable test scenario should be possible. Even with "enterprise grade routers". Find the edge of their coverage and replicate the test with the faulty device and the known good device to demonstrate, for example.

I completely agree. But they were very unwilling to do anything and didn't want to listen to me. They didn't want to try and move away to try test it. They just blamed the problem on me.

----------

It could also be a crappy router.

Its funny you say that, because that's exactly what they said as well, despite me telling them it is a $150 Dual Band Asus RT-N66U which is a top of the line router, as well as being tested on a Dlink DIR-655 and a Linksys router with DD-WRT.
 

blueroom

macrumors 603
Feb 15, 2009
6,381
26
Toronto, Canada
Some routers have quirky firmware, even worse many manufacturers use the same core code. Example would be the UPNP security hole which many routers had because they used the same UPNP module.

I've got an Apple Airport Extreme 5th gen and the 5GHz works great but is shorter range than the 2.4GHz.

That said Apple or more specifically Broadcom's WiFi drivers / hardware (who knows) are somewhat awful on both OSX and iOS. When they work they work great, else they're a pain in the butt. My iPhones WiFi is very moody.

PS there's a local Apple users meetup in Toronto, it's happening this Wednesday. Check meetup.com for details.
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
Some routers have quirky firmware, even worse many manufacturers use the same core code. Example would be the UPNP security hole which many routers had because they used the same UPNP module.

I've got an Apple Airport Extreme 5th gen and the 5GHz works great but is shorter range than the 2.4GHz.

Funny you should mention this. I threw my router to the wall (well, actually just retired it) because of UPNP issues. Finally just got an Apple router and it works fine. The fact that the OP spent $150 on a router with XYZ capabilities is largely irrelevant. While I am definitely NOT a pro, I know my way around router setup, and if I couldn't figure it out, a person who just wants a working router certainly wouldn't be able to either. Not implying the OP doesn't know what he is doing. For all I know, he is an IT manager! But coming from the viewpoint of the Apple worker, I can understand it.

My question for the OP is, have you tried another iPhone 5 on the same router? If at all possible, this is what I would try. As many have said, if they can;t replicate the issue, one can't really expect them to just replace the thing, especially when there are so many factors in play. I already feel like Apple's replacement policy is the most lax in the business.
 

sulpfiction

macrumors 68040
Aug 16, 2011
3,075
603
Philadelphia Area
Well obviously it works fine in the store, you have enterprise grade routers with no walls blocking the signal.

All of the apple stores I have ever been in have had horrible wifi speeds. Ever try restoring a backup while in an Apple store? Impossible. So if you connected fine in the store, and speeds were good, thats probably why the genius thought the phone was fine.
 

EnchantedPlague

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 25, 2011
54
20
Funny you should mention this. I threw my router to the wall (well, actually just retired it) because of UPNP issues. Finally just got an Apple router and it works fine. The fact that the OP spent $150 on a router with XYZ capabilities is largely irrelevant. While I am definitely NOT a pro, I know my way around router setup, and if I couldn't figure it out, a person who just wants a working router certainly wouldn't be able to either. Not implying the OP doesn't know what he is doing. For all I know, he is an IT manager! But coming from the viewpoint of the Apple worker, I can understand it.

My question for the OP is, have you tried another iPhone 5 on the same router? If at all possible, this is what I would try. As many have said, if they can;t replicate the issue, one can't really expect them to just replace the thing, especially when there are so many factors in play. I already feel like Apple's replacement policy is the most lax in the business.

I definitely know my way around routers and technology as I have worked in IT before. I did not have another iPhone 5 to try, but the video i recorded clearly displayed that there was an issue. Is that not proof enough for a replacement? The new iPhone's wifi works fine, again proving there was something wrong.
 
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lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
I definitely know my way around routers and technology as I have worked in IT before. I did not have another iPhone 5 to try, but the video i recorded clearly displayed that there was an issue. Is that not proof enough for a replacement? The new iPhone's wifi works fine, again proving there was something wrong.

For me, it's good enough. But I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt. I can see someone being skeptical of t being an issue, especially if e has never seen it before. A video of a signal dropping it becoming weak might not be enough evidence for them. I don't know what their specific protocols are.
 

forcetactic

macrumors 6502
Jul 30, 2010
478
7
Glad you had your phone replaced. I posted a similar thread about a horrible experience with replacing my iPhone 4 and got bashed by fanboys defending apple left and right :cool:

In general I've had good experiences with Apple's customer service but no company is perfect so sorry to hear about your experience
 

lordofthereef

macrumors G5
Nov 29, 2011
13,161
3,720
Boston, MA
Glad you had your phone replaced. I posted a similar thread about a horrible experience with replacing my iPhone 4 and got bashed by fanboys defending apple left and right :cool:

In general I've had good experiences with Apple's customer service but no company is perfect so sorry to hear about your experience

Been following the thread. Who, exactly, is bashing anyone here?
 
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