June 22, 2015 at 6:58 p.m. PST
If you can’t connect to WiFi on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, follow the steps in this article. This guide also covers how to speed up your AirPort Extreme or other WiFi router by tuning channel frequencies.
WiFi is an essential utility for modern computing. Consumers often use WiFi to offset the costs of their mobile data plan. Even if you have an unlimited mobile data plan, your device might get throttled. For most people, a home Internet connection is faster than a cellular network. You can also get more battery life out of your mobile devices using WiFi. When WiFi doesn’t work, it can almost be devastating. Let’s take a look at how to fix WiFi on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
iPhone WiFi Grayed Out?
The iPhone is a durable and well-made device, however, it’s not perfect. A small minority of iPhone users cannot connect to WiFi at all. Their WiFi settings are grayed out, indicating that the feature is disabled.
If your iPhone’s WiFi settings (Settings > Wi-Fi) are grayed out, you might be able to fix it. Unfortunately, for most people, their iPhone’s WiFi module is physically damaged. For more information on this issue, pleased read “Fix Grayed Out iPhone WiFi“.
Check Your Router
If your iPhone’s WiFi is not working, check your router first. Take a look at your WiFi router. Most have diagnostic lights indicating the status. For example, if you have an AirPort Extreme, make sure that the front light is green.
If your WiFi router is working, your iPhone might not be connecting to it. Look at the top left corner of your iPhone’s screen to check WiFi signal strength. You should see at least one WiFi bar. If not, you may be too far away from your router. Try moving your iPhone closer to your router. If you see more WiFi bars, the problem is with range.
You can extend your WiFi router’s range by purchasing a range extender or a better WiFi router. I strongly recommend Apple’s Airport Extreme router. After going through many WiFi routers, I finally bought an AirPort Extreme. It has, by far, the best range of any WiFi router. It is also very easy to setup and offers advanced configuration options for power users.
If you don’t see any WiFi bars on your iPhone, try using another device, such as a notebook computer, to test the WiFi connection. If WiFi works with your notebook computer, then your router is working. The problem could be with the WiFi configuration on your iPhone.
Your router is definitely the problem if your iPhone can connect to another WiFi network. You can solve most router problems by turning the router off, waiting a few seconds, and then turning it back on. You may also need to update the firmware. Consult your manufacturer’s instructions or website for details on how to update the firmware.
Is Your iPhone’s WiFi Turned On?
While this may seem obvious, it is a good idea to check if WiFi is turned on. Simply swipe your finger up from the bottom of any screen to reveal Control Center.
Make sure that the WiFi icon is white and not gray. If it appears gray, tap it and it should connect to your default WiFi network.
You can also tap on Settings > WiFi to access your iPhone’s WiFi settings. This gives you more control over WiFi settings, with the ability to select different WiFi networks. Make sure your default WiFi network is selected and WiFi is switched on. A blue check mark appears next to an active WiFi connection. If WiFi is on, the switch displays a green indicator.
If you can’t see your WiFi router in the list, you might not be within range or it may be off or disabled. Refer to the Check Your Router section for more information.
Cable or DSL Modem Problems?
Sometimes you may have a WiFi connection, but you can’t access the Internet. This problem is evident if you see WiFi connectivity on the top left corner of your iPhone screen, but you can’t connect to the Internet. You can verify this by trying to open a web page in Safari. If Safari can’t connect to the Internet, but you see WiFi bars, then your cable, DSL or 4G LTE modem is probably disconnected. You may also see a message that Safari can’t connect to the server or the server is not responding. It is possible that the website you wish to visit is down. Try another website. If you still cannot connect, your Internet connection is the problem.
In this case, try unplugging your cable or DSL modem, then wait about a minute. Plug it in again and it should connect to the Internet. It is possible that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) is having problems. You can either wait for them to fix it, or contact them to report the problem. In my experience, if my Internet connection is down, it is usually working again within an hour. I usually need to restart my modem to regain connectivity.
Internet Service Providers often give their customers a combination modem and WiFi router. If this is the case, simply restart the combination modem/router device. Make sure to wait about a minute after the device is powered off before turning it back on again.
After trying these steps, if you still cannot connect to the Internet, call your Internet service provider. They may be aware of the outage and when it will be fixed. Sometimes it is necessary to send out a service technician, especially with cable and DSL.
Forget and Re-Join the WiFi Network
WiFi is often a shared resource. When many people are using the same WiFi router, one user could change the router’s access password or other configuration options, without your knowledge. This may disable access to the WiFi router. The iPhone should automatically prompt you for a new password. Maybe it did, but you dismissed it without noticing. If you have tried everything else, forgetting and re-joining the WiFi network might work.
First, tap on Settings > WiFi. Next, tap on the information button to the right of your WiFi network.
Next, tap on “Forget This Network”.
You will be asked to confirm this choice.
Forgetting This Network simply removes it as the default WiFi network. You will still see it in the list of active WiFi networks.
Now that you have removed the network as a default, you can try adding it again. Tap on the network in the list of WiFi hot spots.
Enter the password and tap Join.
If the password is not accepted, this explains why your WiFi no longer works.
You need to get the new password from your administrator or member of your household. You can also try resetting the router and creating a new password. Consult your WiFi router’s documentation for the reset procedure.
Try a Different WiFi Channel to Speed Up Your Network
People are often unaware that WiFi can operate on different channels. This is similar to broadcast television channels. Each WiFi channel operates at a slightly different frequency. WiFi channels are necessary because, in our wireless world, some wireless devices operate at the same frequency. This can wreak havoc on a device. For example, I have a wireless audio transmitter that I use to beam music from my Mac to my stereo. This interfered with my AirPort Extreme router. When I listened to music and used my WiFi connection, I would hear strange sounds on my stereo. The audio artifacts sounded like bursts of static. My AirPort extreme and wireless audio transmitter were both using the same frequency.
Frequency collision can also slow down the speed of your WiFi network. Perhaps a nearby neighbor has a WiFi router operating at the same frequency. If you have a cordless phone, baby monitor or other wireless device, it could be operating at the same frequency as your WiFi router. You can confirm this by consulting the documentation for your wireless products. The operational wireless frequency will usually be noted in the manual. Sometimes this information is on the device itself. Your WiFi router will likely have this information in the administrative app. Most WiFi routers either come with software or have a web address for administering the device.
If you have an AirPort Extreme wireless router, changing the channels is simple. First, launch the AirPort utility. This is not on the dock by default. The fastest way to launch the app is by using Spotlight. Simply press the command and space bar keys on your Mac keyboard. Spotlight search will appear.
Type in “airport” and you should see an option for AirPort Utility. Click on the app icon to launch the AirPort Utility app.
Next, click on the image of your AirPort Extreme router. A panel will pop up with details about your router. Click on the Edit button.
A panel with settings will appear. Click on the Wireless button at the top of the screen.
Next, click on the Wireless Options button.
Set the desired channels for 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz other frequencies and then click save. The frequency you need to change depends on other devices that may cause interference. For example, if your cordless phone runs at 5 GHz, change the channel on this frequency.
Next, click on Update.
A dialog box will ask you to confirm the update. It also informs the user that wireless services will be momentarily unavailable while the settings are being updated. Click on Continue.
The AirPort Utility main screen will be displayed, showing that your AirPort Extreme router is being updated.
You can see the light on your router turn amber while the update is in progress. The update is complete when the green light is displayed on your router.
You can also use the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch AirPort Utility app. Simply download and install the free app from the App Store.
After the app is installed, you can open it directly from the App Store by tapping OPEN. You can also launch it from your home screen.
The AirPort Utility will launch and display your wireless network topography. Tap on the router you wish to edit.
A screen with basic information about your AirPort Extreme router will appear. Tap on Enter Password. (continue…)
Next, enter the admin password for the device. This may (and should) be different from the WiFi access password.
You will now see a screen with specific information about your AirPort Extreme router. Tap the Edit button on the top right of the screen.
You will see a screen with a menu of options that can be edited. Tap on Advanced.
You will see a screen with a menu of advanced options. Tap on Wi-Fi Settings.
The Wi-Fi Settings screen will appear. Tap on Radio Channel.
The Radio Channel screen will appear. In my case, the wireless audio receiver operated in the 5 GHz range. I needed to adjust the 5 GHz channel on my AirPort Extreme to avoid frequency collision. Select the frequency that is used by a conflicting device. If Automatic Channel is turned on, you will need to turn it off in order to set a specific channel.
A screen with channel options will appear. Select a different channel by tapping on one of the options. Then tap on the Radio Channel label at the top of the screen to go back. The channel will not be updated on the router until the update process is run.
Tap Done on the Wi-Fi Settings screen to go back.
Tap Done on the Advanced screen to go back.
Tap Done on the main AirPort Utility admin screen.
You will see a grayed out screen with a dialog box asking if you want to update or cancel. Tap on Update. This will update the settings on your AirPort Extreme. You will be unable to use the router while the update process is running.
You will see the initial AirPort Utility screen, with an image of your AirPort Extreme router being updated.
It is best to be systematic when adjusting WiFi channels. First, use an app or website like Speedtest.net to measure your current speed. Next, change the WiFi channel and run the test again. Take screenshots or notes of each test. When you find the fastest speed, you can stick with that channel. This is an iterative process. You may need to repeat channel selections until you find one that works.
If the frequency collision resulted in strange noises on a cordless phone, baby monitor or audio transmitter, simply adjust the WiFi channels until the noise goes away. You will need to use the audio device and the WiFi connection after updating the AirPort Extreme router to verify.
This is all much easier if you know the frequency of each device. Unfortunately, if you live in an apartment, your neighbors’ wireless devices could be interfering with your WiFi or other devices. You might not even be aware of this and may be settling for a slower WiFi speed. It’s worth trying different WiFi channels if interference is a possibility.
Still Have WiFi Problems?
If you have tried everything in this article and you still have WiFi problems, try Apple’s support. You can either go into an Apple store or call their support number. Although Apple’s online documentation is rather poor, they do offer excellent customer support. If you don’t have an Apple AirPort wireless router, try contacting your router’s manufacturer. You can also visit their website. Please feel free to add a comment about any additional WiFi or router problems you are encountering, so I can improve this document.