Early iPad User Complaints: Weak Wi-Fi, Charging Issues

[ikramerica]

Well yes, but everyone is used to charging their iPods and iPhones through the computer USB port and that's what they wanted to do. Of course, iPad is a much larger device and requires more power. Not exactly Apple's fault that the standard USB port delivers around 5W. They did include a 10W charger for a purpose.

Who is "EVERYONE" anyway? I charge my iPhone with the wall adapter every night when I'm not home, or with my iPhone clock radio when I am at home. I only hook it up to the computer when I want to sync media files.

People who connect it to the computer to charge are wasting energy, keeping a computer powered up simply to then syphon off some power to charge your phone?

 

[rsbagga]

Seems like some anti IPad people on this forum wake up daily praying these things go to hell.

I fully agree - try the thing out for a few days. I already think its awesome, and everyone (even the skeptics / apple haters) who have played with mine for 10 minutes are immediately sold.

 

[ValSalva]

WIFI issues are fairly common with all Apple devices if you don't have an Apple router. Makes me wonder how much testing they really do. My MBP used to get horrible service until I bought an Apple router. My friends Touch gets horrible service on his Linksys router even while standing right next to it. I would blame the routers, but other devices work just fine.

Seems like if you own an Apple router then it's probably going to work close to 100% of the time. If you don't, then it's hit and miss depending on the router you're connecting too.

I agree. I wonder if it's a hardware or a software thing? My Dell Mini 9 with 10.6.2 gets faster throughput than my MBP

 

[Bregalad]

Yeah, I got that too... goes full signal, then nearly off, all while sitting right next to my router...

Only functional issue is that some apps try to phone home and give an error message that there is no connectivity. Apparently the app calls are not enough to get it out of low power state (?).. I have to exit the app, open safari or something, then go back into the app so it can phone home....

Regardless, pretty amazing for a "Rev a" device...

PS, there's a few iphone os things that are clunky like moving app icons, but not specific to the pad.

My iPod touch goes from full signal to zero just sitting there. I assume it's a power saving technique, but it's annoying to have to quit an app and open Settings to get it to re-connect to the AirPort base station.

I believe the iPad does the same thing: switching off WiFi after the connection has been idle for a certain length of time to save battery.

 

[Zerg]

RE: USB CHARGING Mac vs Windows 7, same hardware

So what is very odd about the whole USB port thing, my situation and experience:

I own a 2009 Mac Mini with Snow Leopard installed, fully patched.

The iPad is connected via the USB cable that came with it to an non-keyboard iPad Dock.

When I am booted into Mac, the iPad says "charging" always (if discharged when placing on dock). This is with the display on or off.

Reboot into Windows 7 Professional (via BootCamp 3.1). Same USB port, same dock, same everything, nothing has changed. Simply reboot into Windows 7.

The iPad says "Not charging" when the display is on. I have not confirmed whether the device is actually charging when the display is off. Some websites have reported that it actually is charging when the display is off but changes to "Not charging" when the display is on. This can be verified by noting the battery percentage, putting it on the dock for sometime and verifying the battery percentage.

So, I don't know if I buy the whole "your not using a USB 2.0 port" argument. We are talking identical hardware here, just different OS.

 

[BC2009]

Do you have a non-Apple dual band router?

My WiFI connection drops out, and it seems to forget my password. This morning I was browsing the web then backed out of Safari to go into Weatherbug. After checking the Weather, I went back into Safari and it asked me to connect to a network. I chose my network, then it asked for the password. I didn't move around and normally my signal strength is fine. This has happened to me several times. I have my network password sitting in notes so I can copy it back in when the iPad forgets it.

I hope it's an easy software fix.

Do you happen to have a non-Apple dual-band router? It is possible the iPad keeps asking for your password because it is switching between bands and assuming it is switching networks. Just a guess here.

 

[Samuriajackon]

Gee, problems with the first ones sold. Who would've guessed?

having someone tell me that a device has a problem with wireless routers is like saying, "Some FORDS break down". Can we get a study with some data and include some data from the type of router and who makes it please?

 

[bretm]

Well, the thing requires a damn host computer to run anyway - the least it can do is charge it!

???? Like iphone or touch, it rarely requires a host computer. On iphone I only connect to transfer music or get software update. I charge mine every night by my bed with wall adapter. 3gs lasts all day this way.

 

[xdhd350]

I have noticed that it takes a while to charge connected via USB. I assume it would charge faster connected to the wall adapter but I have not tried this yet.

Apologies if this was answered later in the thread. Yes, it will charge faster. The same holds true for my 3Gs. The USB ports have a fairly low current limit, whereas the wall adapter can supply more current and thus charges my phone much faster.

Just so you'll know.

 

[babble]

I'm laughing at all the people who are trying to charge their iPads with laptops...

Really?

 

[jayducharme]

What is so earth shattering about that? Seriously, so many other devices don't support USB charging at all, I'm not sure what the big deal is.

I think the big deal is that you can either charge or sync. Most people feel you should be able to do both at once, as they can do with many other Apple devices. Perhaps Apple should have kept the dock connector for data transfer and add a small power adapter port to the iPad. Then people could plug into power and data simultaneously with no problem (albeit more cables). Maybe we'll have to wait for Light Peak for the ultimate solution.

 

[Digitalclips]

wifi range on iPad

Re Wifi: Using an Airport Extreme Base Station set to 802.11n (mine is pre the dual band model) I managed to get well away from my house maybe well over 100 yards and still get a full bars signal on my iPad. I was astounded to be honest.

Perhaps it is people using 802.11g routers or worse that is the issue here or where they have older 802.11b accessing their router at the same time messing things up. It's either that or some iPads have faulty parts else it's a lot of FUD. Mine can't be the only one with phenomenal wifi ability.

I tested a MacBook and a Dell laptop and the iPad got better range than any of them. The Dell was only .11g so i had to use a Verizon base station so that doesn't compare, it failed the other side of my pool. The MacBook got about half the distance as the iPad.

 

[zacman]

So many problems, and the overheating issues are not even mentioned in the article...

 

[cmaier]

Epic Fail! I kid, I kid. Always wanted to say that as this phrase is littered all over forums by 16 year olds.

Anyway,

1)I am astonished the WIFI problems are so rampant. Wow. Apple obviously did a poor job in QA on that. Hugely problematic as the iPad is all about internet connectivity. I am just floored. Heads will roll inside Apple.

Who said they were rampant?

2)The charging issues would prompt me to return the device. $500+ and the darn thing can't "charge" to a USB port in 2010? Even if Apple blames that some USB ports aren't compatible, that's still a lame excuse since USB 2.0 and powered USB ports have been around for over a decade. And then the need to be in Sleep mode? Sheeeez. Why doesn't Apple ship a giant flowchart diagram indicating how to charge it?!


I hope these 2 problems are fixed super duper ASAP. That last thing Apple needs is folks knowing that it can't connect to the internet and it doesn't charge as advertised! What's next? The speakers have no volume control?

-Eric

Can you charge your macbook air by plugging it into a macbook pro's USB port? Hell, some mobile phones with big batteries can't even be charged by USB. It's a simple matter of physics.

 

[zacman]

Plugging it into a macbook pro's USB port? Hell, some mobile phones with big batteries can't even be charged by USB. It's a simple matter of physics.

What part about "Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system" don't you understand on the iPad specs page? It's simple false advertising if you can't charge it over a standard usb port.

 

[cmaier]

What part about "Charging via power adapter or USB to computer system" don't you understand on the iPad specs page? It's simple false advertising if you can't charge it over a standard usb port.

It does charge over a standard usb port - just not while you're using the iPad. You can power the device for use, or charge it, but not both, if you are using a 500mA USB port. And the 1A USB charging port is also a "standard usb port."

 

[iWonderwhy]

Weak Wi-FI

You know the haters are gonna be all over this one.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I have no issues at all, got my case and dock today, sweet, case is awesome I have just walked all over a 20' x 40' pool deck which is off a 15' x 8 ft slab, with a screen enclosure, which is an additional 25' from the router (a SMC RoadRunner Super N "Turbo") and have no issues anywhere, I even have WI-FI to the very edges of my 2 acre lot, Me is Happy

 

[kingtj]

This charging "issue" again?!

First off, wi-fi seems to be a perpetual problem with Apple's products. It's funny, because on one hand, their wireless Airport series of routers have consistently received top ratings in reviews for good signal strength, reliability, ease of setup, etc. etc. But their computers and other connecting devices seem to consistently have people upset about weak signals, dropouts after certain firmware revisions are applied, and so on.

They're not designing their own wireless chipsets though.... They've been using industry-standard options for them (like Broadcom), so it probably has a lot more to do with their implementation than anything else. (EG. Trying to put the antennas inside portables with metal cases, or issues with their custom firmware.)

All I know is, my iPhone 3G seems to do an excellent job of handling wireless connections. When I do a search for networks, it pulls in signals in my neighborhood that my other computers don't even see at all --and it connects effortlessly with WPA encryption to routers that seem to cause a lot of authentication or "dropout" problems for others. I think Apple got it right on the iPhone 3G.

As for this charging complaint with iPads? I think the ONLY issue here is that Apple should have clarified that it's not really meant to charge off a computer's USB port! When you think about it, it's borderline ridiculous to think that's a sensible idea at all, given the size of the battery in an iPad. (As others said, would you charge your laptop off your desktop PC's USB port?!) Apparently, Apple has gone ahead and "bent the rules" on the USB 2.0 standard with their newer computers, so they always have at least 1 USB port on them capable of outputting enough power to charge things like the iPad. That's probably why they didn't say you CAN'T do it. But as a rule, no... The iPad probably should have just used a mag-safe connection like the notebooks do and had its own charger.

Epic Fail! I kid, I kid. Always wanted to say that as this phrase is littered all over forums by 16 year olds.

Anyway,

1)I am astonished the WIFI problems are so rampant. Wow. Apple obviously did a poor job in QA on that. Hugely problematic as the iPad is all about internet connectivity. I am just floored. Heads will roll inside Apple.

2)The charging issues would prompt me to return the device. $500+ and the darn thing can't "charge" to a USB port in 2010? Even if Apple blames that some USB ports aren't compatible, that's still a lame excuse since USB 2.0 and powered USB ports have been around for over a decade. And then the need to be in Sleep mode? Sheeeez. Why doesn't Apple ship a giant flowchart diagram indicating how to charge it?!


I hope these 2 problems are fixed super duper ASAP. That last thing Apple needs is folks knowing that it can't connect to the internet and it doesn't charge as advertised! What's next? The speakers have no volume control?

-Eric

 

[BC2009]

This is just one of the reasons why you never buy a Rev A product.

Good luck to all of those who just couldn't wait to get this big ipod touch. Hopefully yours are okay.

If its "just" a big iPod Touch, then its not really a "Rev A", now is it? I mean you change hardware with almost any revision, what's the difference in making the hardware 4 times larger? It's just a Rev D iPod Touch, right?

So if you believe Apple has done nothing new, then its not a Rev A. But if you believe that the iPad is something new then its not just a "big ipod touch". All I can guess is that your post is really saying:

I couldn't get a Rev A iPad, but I really wanted one and to make myself feel better I am going to tear down the iPad and those who spent the money on one so I can try to believe I'm not really experiencing iPad-envy.


Or has the Aesop's fox put it in reference to the grapes: "I am sure they are sour"

Good luck on getting your own iPad soon. I'll be ordering mine this week.

 

[CupertinoBob]

This is just one of the reasons why you never buy a Rev A product.

Good luck to all of those who just couldn't wait to get this big ipod touch. Hopefully yours are okay.

That is nice. I am not sure if you added much to the discussion, and you are missing a great device.

 

[dontmatter]

I wonder if some of the problem might be the ergonomics of the device? Antennas in laptop screens tend to be near vertical, whereas the ipad looks more natural to use at far closer to horizontal. This means that the signal would have to go through much more of the device for a router on the same floor of a building.

Additionally, the antenna will have a different orientation relative to the router.

Anybody want to test this by comparing ipad/mbp signal strength on a horizontal plane with the router and directly above/below it a floor or two? (also, perhaps rotate the devices and see what happens?

I don't have an ipad to test with.

 

[blindzero]

No WiFi or charging issues here. I use MacBook Pro 17". Battery Life is fantastic. Played with it a lot since Saturday and will do my first recharge today. I charged it first time through USB.

 

[grant.nytn]

Mine charges perfectly on my early '08 MacBook Pro and I have better wi-fi performance with the iPad than my MBP as well. So far, so good.

 

[wescravn]

I agree with no issues

I haven't had any issues with wifi except at the apple store the day of release. To say its a ipad issue is dumb, when wifi connections vary in strength and reception. Maybe those users complaining need to upgrade their wireless-b routers to something more modern