iPad Won’t Connect to WiFi: 8 Fixes

If you’re looking for answers to why my iPad won’t connect to Wi-Fi, then you’ve come to the right place. This article explains why your iPad won’t connect to WiFi and various solutions to fix the problem.

How to fix “iPad won’t connect to Wi-Fi network”problem?

Often there are problems connecting to Wi-Fi from your smart devices. Every user will face this connection issue and most of the users can fix this issue quickly.

Before diving into this issue, try some general troubleshooting tips. These tips can be as simple as getting closer to your Wi-Fi router to check for loose cables and connections. Below is a list of simple troubleshooting tips you can try.

• General troubleshooting tips.
• #1 iPad Won’t Connect to WiFi Due to Router/Modem Error
  • Restart your router.
  • Update your router firmware.
• #2 iPad won’t connect to WiFi due to iPad error
  • Turn the Wi-Fi connection on iPad off and on again.
  • Turn airplane mode on and off
  • Forget about your Wi-Fi network and connect again.
  • Turn off your VPN.
  • Restart your iPad.
  • Reset your iPad’s Wi-Fi connection.
  • Check for iOS updates.
  • DFU recovery

General troubleshooting tips:

• Make sure your Wi-Fi router is turned on and your iPad is within range. If your iPad exceeds the favorable range of the WiFi signal, you may experience a no connection issue. Try moving closer to the router and try reconnecting to the network.
• Make sure your iPad’s Wi-Fi is turned on and the Wi-Fi network name is displayed on the screen. The WiFi router may be the cause of the problem. Therefore, it is a good idea to check the status of your WiFi router/network before proceeding with iPad troubleshooting. Go to the Wi-Fi section of your iPad, turn on the Wi-Fi service, and check if the network name appears in the list of available networks. A blue checkmark will blink next to the name of the Wi-Fi network if your iPad is connected to that network. Also try connecting to the network from other devices (laptops, desktops or smartphones).
• Check your password. In situations where you enter a network access password and are constantly denied, you can verify the authenticity of the password. Or the network administrator has changed the access password. Check your password and make sure you are entering the correct password.
• Check for loose cables and connections. It could be loose network cables that cause WiFi signals to fluctuate. Try reconnecting wires and other connections.

Solutions for iPad Not Connecting to WiFi Due to Router/Modem Error

1. Restart your router
2. Update your router firmware

1. Restart your router

Restarting the device is the easiest and most effective solution to fix the machine. Restarting your router will fix minor errors your router is experiencing.

Rebooting the router is very easy. Just turn off your router, wait a few seconds, and then turn it back on. If a simple restart doesn’t fix the problem, you can try power cycling your WiFi router.

• Turn off your WiFi router.
• Disconnect the cables (power cable, Ethernet cable).
• Press and hold the router’s power button for 30 seconds.
• Reconnect all wires and cables to their original ports.
• Turn on your WiFi router.

2. Update the router firmware.

The firmware acts as an operating system that manages the internal workings of the router, and it’s vital to keep your router’s firmware up to date. Each update contains minor bug fixes and improves the overall performance of the router.

Each manufacturer of routers has its own firmware. So there is no universal way to update the firmware. Generally, you can access the web management page of the router, go to “Advanced Settings”-> “Firmware”and check the current firmware version.

Click the download link, if available, and the router will automatically download the latest firmware and install it. However, if the automatic download link is not available on your router, download the update package from the manufacturer’s website. Go to the “Firmware”section, click “Browse”and select the location where the update package is stored.

Solutions for iPad Not Connecting to WiFi Due to iPad Error

1. Turn your Wi-Fi connection off and on again on iPad
2. Turn airplane mode on and off
3. Forget about your Wi-Fi network and reconnect
4. Turn off your VPN
5. Restart iPad
6. Reset your iPad’s Wi-Fi connection
7. Check for iOS updates
8. DFU recovery

1. Turn off and then turn on the Wi-Fi connection on iPad.

Your iPad’s Wi-Fi may not work properly due to minor software glitches. Turning Wi-Fi on and off can solve most temporary errors and glitches.

First, launch the Settings app from your iPad’s app drawer and tap WiFi. The button color will turn gray when you turn off WiFi. Press the button again to turn on Wi-Fi.

2. Turn Airplane Mode on and off

Enabling Airplane Mode disables all kinds of external communications from your iPad. So toggling Airplane Mode on and off will effectively restart your WiFi functions, removing bugs and minor glitches that prevent your iPad from connecting to a WiFi network.

How to switch Airplane mode on iPad? Let’s go through the step by step process written below.

• Launch the Settings app.
• Tap on the Airplane Mode option (Airplane icon).
• If this setting is disabled, the button next to Airplane Mode will be greyed out. Press the button to turn on Airplane Mode.\
• Please wait a few seconds, or you can also restart your iPad when it is in Airplane Mode.
• Go to the Airplane Mode screen and press the button again. This will turn off Airplane Mode.
• Now go to the WiFi section in your iPad’s Settings app. Turn on the WiFi button and try to reconnect to the WiFi network.

3. Forget about your Wi-Fi network and reconnect

Due to software glitches, saved network data can be corrupted, causing it to fail when you try to connect to a Wi-Fi network from your iPad. In such situations, you can delete (forget the network) the network and set it up again. Let’s look at the process of forgetting a network and reconnecting to it.

• Launch the Settings app.
• Click on the Wi-Fi option. Turn on the Wi-Fi service if it is turned off.
• From the list of available networks, select and tap the Wi-Fi network you want to work with.
• Tap the Info icon (i) next to the SSID (WiFi network name).
• Now click on the “Forget this network”option.
• Click “Forget network”and confirm that you want to forget (delete) the selected WiFi network.
• Also, if you want this process to be successful, you can try the “Forget network”operation for all available networks. This ensures that they will not interfere with the selected network.
• Restart your iPad.
• Go to Settings-> Wi-Fi.
• Click on the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to. Enter the correct password and click Connect.

4. Disable VPN

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) masks your footprints as you browse the online world, making it difficult for other people to track and record your history. But sometimes a VPN connection or setup glitches can interfere with your iPad’s Wi-Fi connection.

It is extremely important to disable or disable the VPN service and check if the VPN is solely responsible for the “iPad not connecting to WiFi”issue.

• Launch the Settings app.
• Click on the VPN option.
• Tap the switch/button in the top right corner. The switch will turn gray when VPN is disabled.

• Restart your iPad. This step will fix minor errors and network outages from your device.
• Open the WiFi section in the Settings app and try to connect to a WiFi network.

5. Restart iPad

Your iPadOS may have encountered unknown bugs that prevent your device from connecting to a Wi-Fi network. In this case, restarting the iPad might fix the issue (only for minor bugs and glitches).

For an iPad with an accessible Home button, press and hold until the Slide to Power Off icon appears on the screen. Drag the slider and your iPad will begin the shutdown process.

And for an iPad without a home button, you can press and hold both the top button and the volume button (volume up or down button) at the same time. Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off icon appears on the screen.

6. Reset your iPad’s Wi-Fi connection

You can only apply this solution if the previous solutions don’t work on your iPad. Reset is a broad term and feature in Apple devices. This article will only discuss the “Reset Network Settings”feature, because in a sense, the WiFi related problem refers to network errors.

Resetting network settings will return your iPad’s network services to factory default settings. Services include Bluetooth, Cellular settings, WiFi and VPN settings. This reset process will fix all kinds of software bugs or glitches.

• Launch the Settings app.
• Tap General. Then go to Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings.

• Enter your iPad passcode for authentication and tap Reset Network Settings.
• Wait for the reset process to complete. Go to Settings-> Wi-Fi.
• Select the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to connect to and enter the correct password.

7. Check for iOS Updates

You can try updating your iOS version to fix the “iPad won’t connect to Wi-Fi”issue. The update contains fixes for various bugs and minor crashes. And the Wi-Fi network problem can also be solved with this software update.

• Launch the settings app.
• Click on the “General”option.
• Select Software Update.
• Check for the latest updates. If it’s available, click Download and Install.
• Make sure your iPad is connected to a charger and has a stable Wi-Fi internet connection.

8. Recovery of DFU

DFU Recovery (Device Firmware Update) performs a deep restore of your iPad (any Apple device). This solution might be the final and final solution that users can try to fix their WiFi problem.

Please note that DFU Restore will delete your iPad’s data. Hence, it is necessary to backup your iPad data before proceeding with the restore process.

• Connect your iPad to your computer (Mac or Windows PC) using the data/charge cable.
• Launch the iTunes application on your computer. Or launch Finder on your Mac.
• Now follow the above process to make your iPad appear on the iTunes screen.
  • iPad with home button.
    • Press and hold the Power and Home buttons.
    • Release the Power button while holding the Home button 3 seconds after the iPad screen turns off or the Apple logo appears on the screen.
    • Hold down the Home button until your iPad appears on your computer’s iTunes screen.
  • iPad without a home button.

• Press and hold the top button.
• After 3 seconds, press and hold the volume down button.
• Hold both buttons for 10 seconds, then release the top button.
• Release the volume down button after your iPad appears on the iTunes screen.
• Now click “Restore iPad”.

Conclusion

No one is immune from problems with Wi-Fi. Each of us has experienced or will experience WiFi problems. And the most common problem with WiFi is that your iPad (or any other device) cannot connect to a normal WiFi network.

The root of these problems can sometimes be a network router, or it can also be your iPad with bugs and minor glitches. Luckily, there are solutions for these errors that you can apply and get your iPad online again.

And if you are unable to fix the issue with the solutions above, you can try contacting Apple Support for technical assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why does my WiFi say “Wrong password”when it’s correct?

You may encounter this “Wrong Password”message if you enter the wrong password (literally). Passwords are case sensitive, so double check your password for case sensitive errors. In other cases, mixing the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands may also trigger the above request. Separate the two networks and check if the issue is resolved or not. And finally, try to forget about the network and set it up again.

Why won’t my iPad connect to WiFi?

Both routers and your iPad can be the cause of this issue. On the router side, this may be due to the weakening of the network cable, which affects the signal strength. Or it could be due to bugs and minor glitches. Other causes include corrupted iPad network configurations, failures in VPN and APN settings, bugs in iPadOS, etc.

Why doesn’t Wi-Fi work on my iPhone but works on other devices?

Since other devices may be connecting to the Wi-Fi network, your iPhone is the problem. A few possible reasons are that your iPhone won’t connect to WiFi, such as corrupted network configurations (settings) and VPN settings interfering with the WiFi service.

How to fix an iPad that does not support Wi-Fi connection?

Signal strength is an all-too-common situation where your iPad constantly loses its connection to a Wi-Fi network. Try to get closer to the router, which will solve most users’ problems. If signal strength is not an issue, you may be able to find the root cause in the iPad’s Wi-Fi service. Turning the Wi-Fi service on or off or turning Airplane mode on or off can fix minor errors and help you reconnect to WiFi. You can try resetting your network settings if all the solutions failed to solve the problem.