My older iPad Pro, probably the first-generation 12.9-inch model, suddenly stopped connecting to my home Wi‑Fi. It worked normally earlier today, then stayed closed in its case while charging. Now it repeatedly says the password is incorrect even though I'm entering the confirmed password carefully. Other devices, including a Nintendo Switch and a work phone, are still connected to the same network. I also tried sharing the Wi‑Fi password from my phones, forgetting the network, resetting network settings, and disabling the private Wi‑Fi address option, but nothing helped. The Wi‑Fi briefly connected once and then started rejecting the password again. What else can I try?
3 Answers
Try connecting the iPad to a phone’s personal hotspot. If it connects to the hotspot, the iPad’s Wi‑Fi hardware is probably fine and the problem is between it and your router. If it rejects the hotspot password too, or Wi‑Fi keeps turning itself off, the iPad may have a failing wireless chip or another hardware issue.
Make sure the iPad is fully restarted rather than only closing the cover. Hold the top button until the power slider appears, shut it down, wait a minute, and turn it back on. Also check for an iPadOS update using another connection if possible. Since your iPhone is having Wi‑Fi problems at the same time, restarting the router and checking its settings is especially worthwhile.
The password may still be correct, but the iPad could be having trouble negotiating the router’s security settings. Restart both the iPad and the router, then try connecting again. If your router recently changed to WPA3-only or another newer security mode, switch it temporarily to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode or WPA2, since an older iPad may not support the newer setting reliably.
I don’t remember changing anything on the router, but I’ll check whether its security mode changed. The iPad is old, so compatibility could make sense.
I did reset the network settings, but I don’t think I completely powered the iPad off for long. I’ll restart the router and try a full shutdown next.