O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: dual band

  • Purported iPhone 4S part photos display modified antenna base

    A series of purporting to be the structural case design for a revamped, cheaper new iPhone 4 indicate changes in its antenna design.

    The images, published by MacRumors and iPatchiPods, appear to show a unibody frame without case seams on the top or either side of the top of the phone.

    Existing GSM iPhone 4 models sold by AT&T and other global carriers have a single seam on the top, while the Verizon CDMA model has two seams on either side of the top end.

    The seams separate the external edge of the iPhone 4 into antenna segments; the GSM model has two antennas (one for mobile use and one for WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS, as shown below) while the CDMA model has three (dual mobile antennas required in the CDMA specification and a WiFi/Bluetooth/GPS segment).

    The modified case also incorporates a SIM card, something that only the existing GSM version of the current iPhone 4 has or needs.

    It’s not yet known whether the anticipated new cheaper iPhone 4 (sometimes referred to as the “iPhone 4S”) will be dual band, allowing it to work on both major mobile network types. It is expected that the separate iPhone 5 model, bearing an original new design, will support both networks.

    The primary feature of the new iPhone 4 phone design is expected to be its reduced cost, achieved through the use of streamlined components and a smaller 8GB of storage capacity.

    A similarly purported “iPhone 5” prototype case design appeared in January, similarly lacking seams on the top two sides, instead bearing a single seam on the top.

    The report also portrays a bottom frame segment that appears to lack a defined Home button, suggesting that Apple may change the appearance and design of the Home button on the phones it releases later this fall.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

  • Some users reporting Wi-Fi connectivity issues with iPad, routers

    A number of users who purchased their iPads on April 4rd have reported that their tablets have experienced wireless connectivity issues, complete with reports of weak Wi-Fi reception, dropped signals and difficulty connecting to a network.

    Per AppleInsider, a number of threads have emerged on the Apple Discussion Board with dozens of posts about Wi-Fi connection issues, ranging from a weak signal to an inability to connect to a router. Issues have been reported with a variety of routers, including Apple’s own AirPort Extreme.

    “I have also noticed very weak wifi signal in my 16GB iPad,” user tdbc wrote. “Even when standing in front of the wlan router the signal fluctuates from strong to very weak. The router has very strong signals as every other computer here has full signal strength, even 20-30 meters from the router. So there is definitely a wifi signal issue here with the iPad.”

    Another user, Dr. JB, said their iPad is getting just one bar of Wi-Fi signal, while a nearby MacBook Pro has strong, full reception. They said their iPad was also experiencing slow downloads due to the weak signal.

    A post from powerguru revealed bandwidth data from the Speedtest.net application, which showed an iPad with 1.83 megabits per second download, compared to 14.77 megabits on the iPhone 3GS. The user also noted that the iPad uses 802.11n while the iPhone 3GS is 802.11g.

    Others said their signal sometimes fluctuated, and some said resetting the network settings or restarting the iPad would temporarily fix the issue. But others who commented said they have experienced no Wi-Fi issues, suggesting the problems are not universal.

    In response to some issues, Apple has set up a Knowledge Base article for users who have problems getting their iPad to rejoin known Wi-Fi networks after a restart or waking from sleep. The issue is known to occur with some third-party Wi-Fi routers that are dual-band capable.

    To resolve the issue, Apple recommends creating separate Wi-Fi network names to identify each band, such as adding G to the 802.11g network name, and N to the 802.11n network name. It is also recommended that both networks use the same security type, such as WPA. If the issue persists, users can reset their network settings under Settings, General, Reset.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available and if you’ve seen this issue or discovered a fix or workaround on your end, please let us know in the comments.