Poor Wi-Fi connection

Recently, my iPad Air 2 has suffered slow and fragile Wi-Fi connection to the internet. My Macs manage around 50Mbps, but the best the iPad can do is 12Mbps much of the time. How can I restore its previously good connection? The first thing to try is to simply shut down your iPad, leave it off for 20 seconds or so, and turn it back on. Also, check out Apple’s support article about causes of interference on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks ( bit.ly/wifiprob) in case anything it mentions has recently changed in your home.

Try setting up your iPad’s connection to the network from scratch. Take it within fairly close range of the router, where the Wi-Fi signal is strong. In Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the ‘i’ next to your network, tap Forget This Network, then shut down your iPad and put it aside.

Next, check your router’s Wi-Fi setup: if it is capable of broadcasting on two frequencies (5GHz in addition to 2.4GHz), it’s likely using a single name (SSID) for both. Devices should connect to whichever band they think is best.

If the router can broadcast on separate names, set it to do so; they can use the same password if you like. Restart the router. When its internet connection and Wi-Fi are up again, power on your iPad, go to Settings > Wi-Fi and connect to each of your networks in turn.

If the trouble persists, switch to the other network to see if it works better at different places around your home. 5GHz should give greater speed over short distances. Tap ‘i’ next to a faulty Wi-Fi connection for an option to forget it.