Like many others, I too **was** having problems with WiFi connectivity on my iPad.

I solved my iPad WiFi problems by configuring my access point (AP) for 802.11bg only mode. I have an enterprise class dual radio Cisco access point that allowed me to create a different SSID per 802.11 radio. I created one with for 802.11b/g and one for 802.11a. I use the 802.11bg mode for my iPhone 3GS and iPad.

iPad Works Fine With My 802.11bg WiFi

Yep..that’s it..no more problems. I couldn’t believe it, so I changed my AP back to to 802.11abg mixed and then to 802.11a only mode and noticed that the connectivity issues returned. My unscientific testing seems to indicate that the iPad has an issue with 802.11a/5GHz frequency.

My iPad WiFi Troubleshooting Process

I read on many blogs that the issue could be caused by the location of the WiFi antenna. After finding the photos below taken by iFixit I don’t think this is the case. I don’t know how these antennas operate but it seems that the body of the iPad is utilized based on the contacts that can be seen in the photos below. I’m pretty sure Apple wouldn’t release a product that would be impacted by how it is positioned like some blogs suggested.

I then found the Apple’s iPad: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections. I tried all the suggestions but nothing helped.

I then found another support document titled “iPad: Does not automatically rejoin known Wi-Fi networks“.

Symptoms
Under certain conditions, iPad may not automatically rejoin a known Wi-Fi network after restart or waking from sleep. This can occur with some third-party Wi-Fi routers that are dual-band capable when:

* Using the same network name for each network
* Using different security settings for each network

Products Affected
iPad

Resolution
If you encounter this issue, try the following:

* Create separate Wi-Fi network names to identify each band. This can be done easily by appending one or more characters to the current network name.
o Example: Add a G to the 802.11b/g network name and an N to the 802.11n network name.
* Ensure that both networks use the same security type (WEP, WPA, WPA2, and so on)

If the issue persists, reset your network settings using Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

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WiFi Scanner is a free 802.11 wireless scanner and connection manager for Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or later. This will detect access points and clients in ad-hoc mode if the SSID is being broadcasted. It can be used for wireless site surveys, wireless discovery, and to connect to wifi networks. The tool reports signal strength in dBm and shows access point BSSID/MAC addresses.

WiFi Scanner v1.1 Installer Package Download

New Features In WiFi Scanner v1.1 for Snow Leopard

v1.1 of our very popular (and free) WiFi Scanner application for Snow Leopard has following new features.

• Change Column Positions
• Sort Results
• Resolve Vendor OUI
• Noise and Signal/Noise Info
• Autoscan/Refresh
• Latitude/Longitude of Discovered Access Points
• Show Access Point in Google Maps
• Show Access Point in Google Earth
• Access Point Finder Using Audio Alert

See below for screenshots of the application and information regarding the various buttons and options.

Interface Tab

The tab entitled “Interface Info” contains information describing the static and dynamic state of the currently selected interface. Additionally, it allows the user to toggle interface power, disconnect from the current network, and change channels.

You will notice that you will not be able to change channels while connected to a network–this is by design. Attempting to do this would return a error. Furthermore, you will notice that when the interface is powered OFF, all the dynamic status information is cleared.

Scan Tab

The tab entitled “Scan” allows the user to scan for networks using the current interface. The scan results are shown in the table view and are can be organized by any column by clicking the column header. For each network, there is several pieces of information displayed in the table row that describe that particular network.

There is a button in the checkbox left corner of the Scan tab which sets/unsets the parameter to merge the scan result with the same SSID.

There is a Auto check box and drop down to select the auto refresh rate.

The Resolve Vendor OUI option to show the IEEE Organization Unit Identifier for the MAC address.

The Show Lat/Long will show the latitude longitude of the BSSID if available via WiFi databases.

And, there is a button in the bottom right corner of the Scan tab which allows the user to join the currently selected network in the table. A sheet will be presented upon clicking the Join button that will allow the user to provide the appropriate credentials for the given network.

Interface Popup Button

The app supports a multiple interface scenario, whereby the machine could have several IEEE 802.11 wireless interfaces. The popup button on the top left corner of the app allows the user to select which interface should be set as the current interface. By default, the popup button will select the primary WLAN interface for the system.

Refresh Button

In the top right corner of the app, there is a push button entitled “Refresh”. This button provides different functionality depending on which tab is currently selected. If the Interface Info or Configuration tabs are selected, the button will refresh the information display in the currently selected tab. If the Scan tab is selected, the button will start a broadcast scan and block until the scan has completed.

Double click a row of results to access the monitor screen.

Monitor Screen

From the monitor screen you will be able to display the BSSID in Google Maps or in Google Earth.

If the Auto refresh option is checked the monitor screen will refresh the RSSI value every refresh interval.

If audio is enabled a beep sound increase in frequency as the RSSI values increases (aka approaches zero). This is typically called the “Geiger Counter” feature in most WiFi scanning applications.

BSSID Search Tab

This tab will allow you to search any MAC address and have it

BSSID In Google Maps

BSSID In Google Earth

Green domes show estimated coverage area based on free space loss.

WiFi Scanner Email List

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iPhone WiFi Scanner Apps Banned By Apple

Apple has just banned iPhone WiFi Scanner apps from the iTunes store that use a “private framework” to scan for WiFi networks.

Below are some of the apps that have been removed from app store.

• WiFi-Where
• WiFiTrack
• WiFiFoForum
• yFy Network Finder
• WiFi Get
• eWifi
• WiFi Analyzer

An email to one developer from Apple stated that because “…There are no published APIs that provide the ability to manipulate the wireless connection or the show level of information regarding the wireless connection as demonstrated in the application….” their app was removed from the app store.

While this is not good news for existing app developers, I think Apple may be cleaning up things in preparation for providing standard methods to access WiFI information in the SDK for the iPhone and iPad.

They already provide standard methods of scanning for WiFi devices in Mac OS X. We currently use these methods for our WiFi Scanner app that works in Snow Leopard.

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Mac OS X Wireless Problems

I have fewer issues when running Windows XP on my Mac hardware using bootcamp compared to Mac OS X so I know the hardware is OK. Below are several troubleshooting techniques I use when I have connectivity issues.

First, confirm you have the latest airport client software! The Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 AirPort client update is suppose to fix the following issues.

This update is recommended for all Macintosh computers running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 and includes fixes for the following:

• Inability to turn AirPort on or off in some cases after upgrading from Mac OS X Leopard
• An occasional loss of network connection when using Wake on Demand
• Inability to create a computer-to-computer network, or share the Internet connection on some MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers

Troubleshooting Mac OS X Wireless

I applied the Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.2 AirPort client update a few days ago but still have occasional wireless issues connecting/reconnecting to my WiFi network. I usually take actions below when troubleshooting Mac OS X wireless problems.

Use airport utility to confirm proper signal strength and make sure the SSID and channel you are using for your network isn’t the same as your neighbors.

If you have Snow Leopard, use a free Snow Leopard wifi scanner to confirm proper signal strength and channel.

Once connected turn off the Airport status by holding “command” and “clicking mouse” and dragging icon to the desktop or by unchecking “Show airport status in menu bar” in Network Preferences. I believe this stops the background scans used by airport to track available networks and should make wireless more reliable [source].

Delete Mac OS X Preferred Networks

Delete all “Preferred Network” listings then re-enter into Network Preferences.

1. Open System Preferences and select the “Network” pane
2. Select “AirPort” and click “Configure”
3. In the “By default, join:” pull-down menu, select “Preferred networks”
4. Delete the network(s) you regularly use from the list
5. Launch the “Keychain Access” application located in Applications/Utilities.
6. Click on the “Kind” filter at the top, and look for “AirPort network password” entries. Delete them.
7. Restart, or log out then back in.
8. Repeat steps 1-3, this time re-adding your regularly used AirPort networks to the list.
9. Restart or log out then back in.

[source]

Resetting Mac OS X Wireless

If all else fails and you still are having issues connecting your wireless network, try resetting your wireless network preferences.

1. Network preferences are stored in the ‘System’ file space (/Library) and the ‘User’ file space (~/Library) in the following files:
   System files (network and wireless): /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.network.identification.plist
   /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
   System Files (General configurations) /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist
   802.1x Profiles: ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.eap.profiles.plist
2. To reset default network settings, remove (or make copy and remove) all of the above files. You need to be in command line/terminal mode, to do that: Launch ‘Terminal’: Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal From the UNIX Shell, create a directory to store old preferences:
3. cd ~
mkdir saved-preferences
Then, move all network preferences files to this backup folder:
4. mv ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.eap.profiles.plist ~/saved-preferences
cd /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration
5. sudo mv * ~/saved-preferences

The “sudo” command will prompt for admin password to proceed and a reboot should be performed. [source]

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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]]> http://www.wlanbook.com/mac-os-x-wireless-problems/feed/ 0 http://www.wlanbook.com/vista-wifi-60-second-lag-problem/ http://www.wlanbook.com/vista-wifi-60-second-lag-problem/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 01:00:21 +0000 Zaib Kaleem http://www.wlanbook.com/?p=675

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]]> Vista WiFi Wireless 60 Second Lag Problem

Have you ever used Skype, World of Warcraft (WoW), or any delay sensitive application online and noticed an annoying hiccup every 60 seconds? Based on my tests this lag is caused by Windows Vista wireless background scans used to keep available wireless networks updated.

My theory is that every 60 seconds Windows Vista’s wireless manager scans for other WiFi networks. This scan causes a minor hiccup in wireless networking because the client radio stops transmitting and receiving information on the current WiFi channel while it listens for networks on other channels.

A simple ping test and a timer can be used to measure the impact of this scan process. The results of my test are below. The replies are around 30ms or less but every 60 seconds they jump to over 500ms.

Time: 8:51:34 PM — Reply: 839ms
Time: 8:52:33 PM — Reply: 709ms
Time: 8:53.32 PM — Reply: 590ms

For basic Internet browsing and email the above delay spikes go unnoticed but for more interactive applications like voice over IP (VoIP) and online gaming, the lag caused by the scans can be annoying.

Below are screen shots of a Windows Vista station “pinging” www.yahoo.com using the following command “ping -t www.yahoo.com -l 1400″ and Windows Vista’s clock.

Vista 60 Second Lag Fix

There doesn’t seem to be a way to fix this lag issue using configurable settings available in Windows Vista’s wireless manager or WLAN Autoconfig. Turning off Vista automatic connection features didn’t help.

Vista Anti-Lag (VAL)

The only way I was able to stop the delay spike from occurring was to use a third party program called Vista Anti-Lag available at www.codecase.de.

Results of ping test after enabling Vista Anti-Lag are below….no more delay spikes!

Vista Anti-Lag (VAL) v1.1.1 Download

I was able to download Vista Anti-Lag from here.

Vista Anti-Lag (VAL) optimizes your wireless connection in Windows Vista (every edition).
Benefits / features:

Stops “Lag Peaks” / “Lag Spikes”
No dropouts / droppers anymore with Skype and Voice Over IP
Download at full speed without interruptions
Lag free gaming with Windows Vista
The best: IT’S FREE!

Background:
Windows Vista doesn’t work with the optimal wireless settings. Some of these settings are causing 1-5 sec dropouts with many wireless cards, which are appearing every 30-60 sec. These dropouts are very hated in the gaming community and if users are using voice over IP applications or other real-time protocols.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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WiFi combined with satellite based Internet access is very common in developing countries where it isn’t practical to run wire or fiber optic lines to homes and business. Even when wire lines do exist, the only option available is slow dialup Internet access requring customers to pay for a local telephone line plus the ISP for a slow service that is only usable for basic web browsing or email. Also, the local telecom infrastructure is usually not engineered for data communications and users constantly dropped connections and busy signals when dialing the ISP.

Even where institutions and individuals have Internet access, the connection often has little practical value for more than a few elite users. Our tests of actual Internet speeds indicate that, while users at large European or American universities enjoy Internet connections which deliver 17 million bits per second, users at African institutions operate at speeds that are 500 to 600 times slower (~30 thousand bits per second). We also routinely test hundreds of Internet servers at African institutions and find that the typical server is online only about six hours per day and has frequent disconnects lasting days or weeks. As a result, it is impractical for instructors at these institutions to require students to discover information on the Internet. Also, these instructors rarely use resources like video, audio and multimedia tutorials because downloading these items is expensive, slow and unreliable. [World Health Organization]

WiFi Community Networks

By combining low cost commodity WiFi hardware satellite Internet connections very large community networks can be built without any special tools or heavy equipment that would normally be required to connect users via wires or fiber optic cable. Once enough users are connected together via an 802.11 network the cost of a satellite dish, installation, and recurring free can be shared by the community or provided by a local business acting as the ISP.

Dedicated Satellite Bandwidth vs. Usage Based Internet Access

Dedicated satellite Internet links are still very costly in most developing countries, especially those in sub-Sahara Africa (see above). Even 128/64 kbps links that may seem slow to many Internet users with premium broadband services are priced so high that most communities and ISPs cannot afford them.

The costs of Internet connectivity in Africa can be hundreds of times higher than those in Europe or the United States of America. For “free” information on the Internet, institutions in developing countries must often buy larger-capacity connections than they can realistically afford. For example, some universities in Africa are spending as much as the equivalent of 20 full-time faculty salaries for a 2-megabit Internet connection that is then distributed to 500 to 600 computers, resulting in a costly and painfully slow connection for everyone.
[World Health Organization]

A more practical approach is to get service from a usage based satellite provider that provides tiered pricing so that as the community network expands or contracts the cost of accessing Internet can be adjusted. Another benefit of a usage based satellite Internet provider is that they usually support higher burstable speeds which is beneficial when using interactive applications like VoIP or interactive video.

Grid Power vs. Solar Powered WiFi

Another issue in developing countries is the lack of reliable and clean power. To overcome this hurdle most community networks power the WiFi satellite Internet system with a hybrid solution combining the local grid power, solar panels, and batteries.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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192.168.0.1 is a private IP address used in home and business networks. Devices with this IP address or other private addresses can not use the Internet without going through a router/NAT device that presents connections from this private IP address as a public Internet address.

Private IP Address Ranges

Private IP addresses are in the following ranges.

• From 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
• From 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
• From 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

D-Link Router Default IP Address

192.168.0.1 is the default IP address for the LAN interface of D-Link Wireless LAN routers. D-Link routers can be managed by connecting to http://192.168.0.1. The default username is admin and password should be left blank.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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192.168.1.1 is a private IP address used in home and business networks. Devices with this IP address or other private addresses can not use the Internet without going through a router/NAT device that presents connections from this private IP address as a public Internet address.

Private IP Address Ranges

Private IP addresses are in the following ranges.

• From 10.0.0.0 to 10.255.255.255
• From 172.16.0.0 to 172.31.255.255
• From 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.255.255

Linksys Router Default IP Address

192.168.1.1 is the default IP address for the LAN interface of Linksys routers. Linksys routers can be managed by connecting to http://192.168.1.1.

© 2008 Copyright WLANBook.com

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