I phone 4S doesn't like wifi away from home. Why?

August 12, 2017 2:45 PM

I have an iPhone 4s that I use in conjunction with a Payd card reader at an outdoor market (they're connected with bluetooth). There's wi-fi available in the square, but my phone is very iffy about picking it up, and seems to have more trouble than other people's phones. I was in the public library yesterday and it wouldn't connect at all to the library wi-fi. It always connects at home with no problem. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.
posted by crazylegs to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Apple has ended iOS support for the 4S, so it can't run iOS 10. Perhaps there was an update which it needs?

Also, the 4S only has support for 2.4 GHz wireless, meaning it doesn't have the option of connecting to a 5 GHz network if available.
posted by bluecore at 2:57 PM on August 12, 2017

First thing that comes to mind is that the library could possibly be only using 5ghz wifi network? Quick google of the 4s indicates it only supports 2.4ghz wifi.
posted by TrinsicWS at 2:58 PM on August 12, 2017

IIRC, the early iPhones had issues running bluetooth and wifi at the same time.
posted by forforf at 4:15 PM on August 12, 2017

Yoy can try connecting to wifi with bluetooth turned off to see if that improves things or not.
posted by forforf at 4:22 PM on August 12, 2017

Bluetooth and wifi use the same chunk of spectrum in the 2.4GHz band, albeit in different ways; when properly implemented, both should be able to share it with minimal interference. But the key phrase there is "properly implemented". Bear in mind that your device was built by the same company that pushed out a phone with a cellular mobile antenna subject to accidental shielding when held next to a user's head with their hand.
posted by flabdablet at 8:39 AM on August 13, 2017