IPhone 4S: the Wi-fi is greyed out and the Bluetooth seems unable to initialize.

Question

Several weeks ago, I got a replacement iPhone 4S due to an unrelated issue. Approximately six days after receiving it, I had the wi-fi start sporadically working (it could not stay connected to the wireless network). Within three hours of that, the wi-fi stopped working entirely. The wi-fi toggle was greyed out in the Settings app and I could not activate it. The bluetooth seemed to be unable to get going, either, although I at least saw a spinning "working" symbol instead of gray out. I tried the guidance provided in from the Apple Support site, including restoring, resetting, etc.
A week later (approximately four days ago), I went to an Apple store with the issue. They replaced the phone with another iPhone 4S. The wi-fi seemed to work. However, two days later (Monday, November 25), I observed that the wi-fi was no longer working. It was greyed out. The bluetooth seemed not to work either. I tried resetting it, clearing the network settings, and what not. It did not work it.
Today, I went to the Apple store at lunch time. After some standard troubleshooting, they got a new, replacement phone out for me. When that phone was set up (as a new phone), it wasn't able to connect to the Apple store's wireless. Once it was set up, we observed that the wi-fi was greyed out and could not be activated. The Apple store employee plugged it into a nearby laptop and did a factory reset. When that was done, the wi-fi seemed to work.
I got home roughly an hour ago. I have done little with the phone other than browse a few websites. As I was attempting to download some of the apps I no longer had (as I was *advised* not to restore from my old iPhone backup), the wi-fi disconnected. I went to investigate and it could no longer find any wireless networks. I tried to toggle the wi-fi. Once it was in the off position, it would not return to the on position.
I just completed a factory reset of the phone. As of right now (within 20 minutes of the restore), the wi-fi is still connected and functioning.
I'm already prepared to return to the Apple Store within the next four days because I'm expecting to the wi-fi to fail, again. Luckily, I got the extended AppleCare plan, but if I have to either return my phone to the Apple Store or do factory resets every day, this is not the phone I want.
Has anybody else had similar experiences? Is there an official justification for this, outside of "rumors" of iOS issues? Do I have a Sim Card problem? Or is this just a subtle suggestion from Apple that it's time to get a Windows phone?

Answer 1

Hi Holliecollie93,
It sounds very frustrating that you are unable to use wifi with your iPhone. I do have an article that I would like you to use in order to troubleshoot this, though it sounds as if you have already done some of the steps provided -
iOS: Wi-Fi settings grayed out or dim
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559
Specifically -
Resolution
Follow these steps to resolve the issue:
Restart your iOS device.
Make sure that airplane mode is off by tapping Settings > Airplane Mode.
Reset the network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
This will reset all network settings, including Bluetooth pairing records, Wi-Fi passwords, VPN, and APN settings.
Make sure that your device is using the latest software. To do so, connect your device to your computer and check for updates in iTunes.
If you still can't turn Wi-Fi on, please contact Apple for support and service options.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L