As part of this article, I want to consider solutions to various problems that may be encountered while connecting an iPhone or iPad to a Wi-Fi network. I often come across questions in the comments: "what to do if the iPhone does not connect to Wi-Fi", "why the iPad does not connect to the home network", or "why the Internet does not work after connecting to the Wi-Fi network". Today I will try to answer these and other questions in detail.
I have been using an iPhone for a little over a year, I have had an iPad for over 3 years, and I have never had any problems connecting to wireless networks. True, I don't often connect to new networks. Basically, my devices are always connected to my home Wi-Fi network, or I use mobile Internet. It happened that the Internet just did not work, but it was on all devices, and the problem was in the router or provider.
The cities are now just full of Wi-Fi networks. In shops, cafes, clubs, hotels, subways, or simply open wireless networks on city streets. And more often than not, the iPhone does not connect to these networks. Although, it is not uncommon for problems with connecting to home routers. I also often noticed messages that the iPhone does not want to connect to wireless networks in the subway. Gives a message saying "Insecure connection". We will also try to figure it out with this.
I think this guide will work for all phone models (iPhone 7, iPhone 6, 5, 5S, etc.) and Apple tablets. There is also no big difference what kind of router you have: Mikrotik, TP-Link, D-Link, ASUS, etc. True, according to my observations, Apple's mobile devices are not very friendly with Mikrotik routers. If you have problems connecting to someone else's network, you will not be able to change the router settings. And this may be necessary.
We will look at solutions to the following problems and errors:
- Error on iPhone or iPad: "Failed to connect to the network." Probably one of the most popular. Or when the connection takes a long time (constantly). The icon is spinning next to the network name.
- When "Invalid password" message appears when connecting to Wi-Fi.
- No Wi-Fi connection and "Insecure network" or "Insecure connection" error. Including the subway.
- When the Wi-Fi switch is inactive. I can't turn on Wi-Fi on my iPhone.
- There is a connection to a wireless network, but the Internet does not work and the inscription "No Internet connection".
- Solving the problem when the iPhone does not automatically connect to the Wi-Fi network.
- We will not consider the problem when our iOS device does not see one, or all Wi-Fi networks. Since I have already written detailed instructions on this topic: what to do if the iPhone (iPad) does not see the Wi-Fi network. I can tell right away that if the device does not see a single network, and there is no cover on it, then this is almost always a hardware breakdown that needs to be repaired at a service center.
- Many people also complain that the iPhone does not connect to the laptop's Wi-Fi network. This can be encountered when distributing the Internet from a computer. I think that in this case it's not about the phone or tablet, but about setting up the access point on the computer itself. I wrote about the solution to this problem here.
Primarily:
- Reboot your iOS device. Pressing and holding the Home key and the Power button at the same time. Also, reboot the router (unplug and power on) if you have access to the router. Try to connect according to the instructions: how to connect iPad to the Internet via Wi-Fi. It's the same on the iPhone. If this method did not help, then we will look for a solution further.
- Find out what the problem is. To do this, try connecting another device to your (or someone else's) network. Several are possible. See if the internet works on them. If other devices also have problems with connection or Internet access, then the problem is on the side of the router or Internet provider. I will discuss some of the router settings below in the article. Also try connecting your iPhone to a different network. If it does not connect to any Wi-Fi network, then reset the network settings (more on this below in the article).
Trying to "forget the network" on iPhone / iPad and reconnect to Wi-Fi
The "Forget this network" function often helps to get rid of various connection problems. Especially, this method is relevant in the case when the device does not connect after changing the router settings. For example, after changing the Wi-Fi network password. And the error "Failed to connect to the network" appears, or there is a permanent connection.
Just go to Wi-Fi settings and click on the problem network. Then click on "Forget this network" and confirm the action by clicking on the "Forget" button.
After that, try to reconnect using the password.
Doing a full reset of network settings on an iOS device
Another solution that completely removes all network settings on the iPhone and allows you to get rid of many troubles related to the Internet connection and restore Wi-Fi.
In the settings, open the "General" - "Reset" section and click on "Reset network settings". Then we confirm the reset.
After that, you can try to connect your iPad, iPhone to the Wi-Fi network. If the problem persists and he does not want to connect, then most likely the matter is in the settings of the router (which, I hope, you have already rebooted).
What can you try to change in the router settings?
In the settings of your router, you can try to change the following parameters: region, operating mode, channel, channel width, encryption type.
To do this, go to the settings of the router. Almost all of these parameters can be changed in the section with Wi-Fi settings. I will show using the example of a TP-Link router.
Appel recommends setting the following parameters:
- Region: set your region. In some cases, setting the US region helps.
- Mode (mode): For a 2.4 GHz network - 802.11b / g / n (mixed). For 5 GHz - 802.11a / n.
- Channel: auto. As an experiment, you can put a static channel. But not higher than 11.
- Channel width: auto, or 20 MHz.
Authentication type WPA / WPA2-Personal and AES encryption.
After changing the parameters, do not forget to save them and reboot the router.
If the iPhone does not connect to the Wi-Fi router and says that "Invalid password"
Here's another popular mistake:
In this case, I advise you to check the password first. Since you most likely really enter the wrong password. Please note that the password is case sensitive (uppercase and lowercase are different letters). You can see the password on another device, or in the router settings. I wrote about this in the article: how to find out your Wi-Fi password, or what to do if you forgot your password.
If you are sure that you are entering everything correctly, but the iPhone still writes that the password is incorrect, then you can try to set a different password in the router settings. Put some simple 8-digit number. Security settings: WPA2 (AES).
Warning: "Insecure network"
This is just a warning that you can see on your iPhone when connected to an unsecured Wi-Fi network. By clicking on the network itself, security recommendations appear. This feature appeared in iOS 10.
If this is your home network, then of course set a password for it. If the network is not yours, then you can just use the connection. But remember, this is not entirely safe.
"No internet connection" on iPhone and iPad
In the case when the mobile device successfully connected to the network, but the sites in the browser do not open and programs cannot access the Internet, the reason is most likely on the side of the access point. Also near the name of the network there may be an inscription "No Internet connection".
Check if the Internet is working on another device that is connected through the same router. If not, then see the article: why the Internet via Wi-Fi and cable does not work through a router. If everything is fine on other devices, the problem with Wi-Fi is only on the iPhone, then first we restart it. If this does not help, then reset the network settings (I wrote about this above).
Update: you can try to register static DNS servers in the iOS settings.
Delete VPN configuration on iPhone
Update: If you have a VPN configured on your phone or tablet (possibly through an app), then the VPN profile created in the settings can cause many different problems with connecting to the Internet. The Wi-Fi icon may not appear after connecting. The Internet can only work over a cellular network, but not over Wi-Fi. It happens that there is no Internet access only in some applications. For example, Viber, WhatsApp, FaceTime. And in Safari, the Internet works and sites open.
You need to go to the settings and delete the VPN profile. Go to section The main – VPN... Select a profile (by clicking on (i)) and delete it.
Delete all profiles that are there.
Solutions to other Wi-Fi problems
Let's take a quick look at two more cases:
- Wi-Fi does not turn on. Inactive switch. Apple's website advises you to reset your network settings. How to do this, I wrote in detail above in the article. If the reset does not help, then you can try doing a full reset of the device. But most likely you will have to contact a service center. Since this indicates a breakdown of the Wi-Fi module itself in the phone or tablet.
- Why doesn't my iPhone connect to Wi-Fi automatically? Most likely, this is some kind of glitch. Since the phone always tries to automatically connect to a known wireless network that it has already connected to. I can only advise you to forget the necessary network in the setup (for more details on how to do this, I wrote above) and reconnect to the network.
I also wanted to say a few words about public and other people's Wi-Fi networks. When we cannot connect our iPhone or iPad to such a Wi-Fi network, then we need to understand that some kind of blocking may be configured there (for example, binding by MAC), or your device was simply blocked there. Since we do not have access to the access point settings, all we can do is reset the network settings on your device.
I tried to consider all the most popular and frequent cases encountered by owners of Apple mobile devices. If you have any other problem, or you know other, working solutions, then write about it in the comments. Good luck!
