Another day, another “something’s wrong with the iPhone 5” report. The latest concerns reports from some users that are having problems with the device’s Wi-Fi connectivity. MacRumors forum users have detailed some of the problems they’ve experienced with their new device.
Byran85writes: “I just got done setting up my iPhone 5 (as new, not restore). I was trying to download my music from iTunes when it seemed to be taking forever. I cancelled the downloads and then kept testing the WiFi in various other ways. Just loading the app store, my iPhone 4 will load anything faster than my iPhone 5 right now. I’ve rebooted the router and tried multiple devices and have narrowed the problem down to the WiFi in the iPhone 5. I’ve also tried using different bands, 2.4 and 5 both produce the same outcome. I launched speedtest.net app about 2 minutes ago and hit begin test. Its still “finding the closest server”. I have also tried the reset network settings. Still the same issue.”
The rest of the thread contains other posts from users having similar problems. They include slow to no connectivity, and slower than normal connectivity. Some users have reported speeds down to 0.5Mbps (~62K/s).
Some users have been able to isolate the problem down to being connected to WPA2 encrypted routers, and found that moving to WEP encryption resolves the issue. (Not recommended as WEP is MUCH less secure than WPA2.)
Some users have reported success with replacement iPhone 5 units from Apple, but others report still having problems after receiving a replacement unit. A long thread in Apple’s own discussion forum also reflects the same issues amongst many users.
One Apple forum user received confirmation from AppleCare that they are aware of the issue, but as of yet no resolution is available.
The issue seems to only be affecting a small amount of iPhone 5 users.
I personally haven’t had a problem with Wi-Fi speeds or connectivity with my new device, and I tested my connection with the Speedtest.net app just before writing this article. Speeds on my iPhone were comparable to the speed of the connection on my MacBook, and my previous iPhone, the 4S.
How about you readers? Any problems with the Wi-Fi connectivity on your new iPhone 5? If you have, let us know in the comments section below.
