Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Painfully slow WiFi on new iPhone 5
- Thread starter bryan85
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Most likely software issue : http://www.zdnet.com/a-new-apple-io...ed-up-while-others-remain-unfixed-7000005134/
I didn't watch your video but I have no problems at home, however, have had issues connecting (or staying connected) and also weak signal/slowness. It varies.
I'm guessing its software or firmware issue (or both).
This is something I discovered today with itunes and wifi sync. I have an iMac, so this may not pertain to those with windows. My internet wifi DL speed is right around 60 Mbs. However, at home, I would get around 30 Mbs on my iPhone 5. So I decided to reset my pram on my iMac and turn off itunes wifi sync on my iMac. Lo and behold, my iPhone 5 is now getting close to 60 Mbs download. Don't know if the iMac was causing the problem and resetting the pram solved the problem or turning off wifi sync in itunes on my iMac.
Possible fix found in iMore forums.
Credit goes to the OP - Konjis1
I can't post the link, so I'm pasting it:
This worked for me as i searched and searched! Finally my iPhone 5 is complete!
Settings> Wi-Fi > Blue icon next to the network youre connecting to > Scroll to the bottom > Set your devices HTTP Proxy to Auto (leave Url blank)
After this, try speed test again! Snappy!
I got this from iphone5issues.net. Let me know if this works for you.
** I tried this, and so far so good for me. I don't know why this fix hasn't received more exposure **
Credit goes to the OP - Konjis1
I can't post the link, so I'm pasting it:
This worked for me as i searched and searched! Finally my iPhone 5 is complete!
Settings> Wi-Fi > Blue icon next to the network youre connecting to > Scroll to the bottom > Set your devices HTTP Proxy to Auto (leave Url blank)
After this, try speed test again! Snappy!
I got this from iphone5issues.net. Let me know if this works for you.
** I tried this, and so far so good for me. I don't know why this fix hasn't received more exposure **
I tried that and my DL speeds dropped from 60 Mbs to 30 Mbs. I will stay with my fix.
Ok, more investigation. Using speed test the first time via my solution, Or someone else's will produce great results. Run it again and the speed drops. Now if you close the speed app out, by double clicking home button to highlight app you can close, and then closing app, and then starting it up and running will produce great DL speeds on both my ipad and iphone 5.. That speedtest is flakey.
Last edited:
That behavior is pretty normal when running consecutive Speed Tests. I think when the modem feels its being pinged constantly, it starts to throttle a little. I forget the correct terminology but I've heard about this behavior before. It frustrates me too, because it skews your results if you're conducting some tests.
It's with guarded optimism I say you may be on to something here. I did a speed test a few minutes ago and my iP5 clocked 2.52 Mbps (I'm paying my ISP for 12). I plugged my iP5 into my iMac and synced with iTunes. I turned off WiFi syncing and synced again. I immediately did two more speed tests at 10.78 and 10.79 Mbps.
I'm not to excited yet because I tried a couple of other work-arounds that bumped my speed only to have my download speeds become dismal again. So for so good though, thanks for posting this.
EDIT: Back down to about half the speed I was hoping for.
For those that have a dual band router try the 5ghz band you should get normal speeds I hit around 70mbs from my 99mbs connection. I have tried to fix my 2.4ghz band problem it is better than it was before. I have the asus nt-66u router and my iPhone had problems with it. What I did was update the firmware and did a reset so I can clear the nvram and set it up as new. Changed bandwidth to 40mhz and channel rating to 5. I got the best channel rating by using an app called wifi analyzer on the nexus7. I got speeds that were pretty good around 30-40mbs when I'm close to the router and about 10-15mbs from 2 floors away from the router on the 2.4ghz band. It's still a bit eratic when I do the first speediest but after that the speed picks up. 5ghz band I get amazing speeds at about two floors away I get about 40-50mbs. I believe the problem is with 2.4ghz band, both 5ghz and 2.4ghz bands are setup the same wpa-2 with aes, the only exception being the channel ratings. The iPhone 5 has a MAC address beginning with 98:FE
I have the same issue. I tried 2.4GHz, 5GHz and WPA2 enabled and disabled - no difference. I did find that resetting the wifi on the phone would fix it for a while, i.e. toggle it off and back on.
I tried those things myself, and no joy to my problem (WiFi will be great for 2-5 minutes and then it's basically dead). I have two routers at home and found that switching between the two would fix for a while (well, 2-5 minutes), as will toggling WiFi.
As far as I can tell many people using work arounds see the problem return. That is what I am seeing on ours. I think it is firmware or software related with perhaps it is a stack accumulating over time causing slowdowns and various actions resetting the stack temporarily fixing it. I think Apple will adress and fix this, cant be too hard.
I noticed I get great speeds most of the time and every so often they drop to half.. I'm unwilling to exchange my phone for another to "maybe" fix the issue. My closest Apple store is 45 min away and i'm not wasting my time...
If I wasn't able to connect at all I would make the trip. Let's hope we get a software update sooner than later
If I wasn't able to connect at all I would make the trip. Let's hope we get a software update sooner than later
I had the same problem with wpa2 security, wouldn't work and kept dropping out, change down your security to wep until they patch it, wep will work fine on ios6 .. Pain in the ass I know but hey it works!
I noticed I get great speeds most of the time and every so often they drop to half.. I'm unwilling to exchange my phone for another to "maybe" fix the issue. My closest Apple store is 45 min away and i'm not wasting my time...
If I wasn't able to connect at all I would make the trip. Let's hope we get a software update sooner than later
I'm in the same situation as you and I'm willing to wait and see. I'm several hours from the nearest apple store.
In my case, changing it in that way did mean an improvement but not much - sometimes I managed to get a princely 7 minutes of wireless use (if I'm lucky) before it completely drops out. I have a iPhone 4 and an iPad 2, which have been upgraded to iOS 6 and both are usable on my home network.
In one of the Apple support threads, at least three people have said that the problem was fixed after having their handset replaced. In any case, I'm contacting Apple later.
Ive had to create a 2nd wifi network with no encryption but tied down with MAC address filtering and hidden the SSID. Why i should have to go through this crap just to get wifi working...........
Now it just doesnt work anywhere else still.........
Resisting making a Genuis bar appointment, as i want to wait to see if its resolved with software updates.
Now it just doesnt work anywhere else still.........
Resisting making a Genuis bar appointment, as i want to wait to see if its resolved with software updates.
At this stage, I'm calling to get the problem logged but suspect I'll be following it up an appointment soon - my main concern is that it's not a software issue, but hopefully (I'm an optimist) that the call may throw some light.
When i had LTE toggled to on, My WiFi connection slows down for reason. if i had it off then it goes back to the speed that i used to get it on. I wonder if the way the antenna switches it's signal could possibly the culprit to this. i also notice that my iPhone 5 would change from LTE to 3G constantly, especially when i'm at home. The LTE coverage in my area is fully engulfed like the 3G does. when i'm at home, i get about 3 bars...as soon as i enter my room, it goes down to 2 to 1. weird. i really hope that this is just a software issue.
It's funny because my ear piece quit working yesterday and now Apple is sending me a replacement overnight...
I am hoping the quality is the same as my defective unit (no scratches/dents/dings). I also hope my WIFI issue goes away! lol)
Last edited: