My iPhone's Wi‑Fi became noticeably unreliable after a recent power outage. It randomly disconnects, while my iPad continues working normally on the same network. The outages happen fairly often, but this is the first time I've had this problem. I've restarted the router, forgotten and rejoined the network, reset the iPhone's network settings, and fully powered down the modem and router, but nothing has helped. What else should I check to determine whether the issue is with the iPhone or the router?
3 Answers
Because the iPad works normally on the same Wi‑Fi, the iPhone is the more likely problem. Check that iOS is up to date, and test the phone on another Wi‑Fi network if possible. If it drops connections everywhere, the phone’s Wi‑Fi hardware or software may need attention. If it only happens at home, focus on the router or its compatibility settings.
A power surge may have affected part of the router even if it still works for some devices. The outage could also have changed the wireless channel or damaged one radio band. Check the router’s settings, try switching between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and consider a factory reset after saving the configuration. If other devices begin showing problems, replacing the router would be a sensible next step.
Try connecting the iPhone to a different Wi‑Fi network, such as a friend’s or a public network. That test should separate the two possibilities: trouble on every network points to the iPhone, while trouble only on your home network points to the router. If the router came from your internet provider, ask them to test or replace it.
I’ve already forgotten and rejoined the network, reset the phone’s network settings, and power-cycled the equipment, but the iPhone still disconnects.