Weak signal while right next to router with ipad 4

Question

I recently got an ipad 4 and the wifi signal it is receiving is very weak unless I am 5 feet from the router. All of my other devices and computers work fine from long distances. This is defeating me, if anyone has an answer, I give a pretty mean hug. <3

Answer 1

The first step to troubleshooting is always to reboot the devices. This will solve more problems than any other step to try, so first off, let's power down the iPad and any other devices we are connecting to the network. While they are powered down, let's reboot the router. Leave the router off for a few seconds before powering it back on and wait until all of the lights come back on before powering up the iPad and other devices.
If you have a wireless phone or any other wireless technology near the router, try moving it somewhere else. Wireless phones can sometimes use the same frequency as a wireless router, which can cause the signal strength to degrade as it weeds out the interference. This can also be true of other wireless devices like baby monitors, so make sure the area around the router is clear of these devices.
Just as it is important to keep your iPad's software up to date, it can be important to keep your router's firmware updated. The firmware is what runs the router, and as we add newer devices (like the iPad), older firmware can run into problems.
You'll need to log in to your router to update the firmware. You can log into the router from a web browser on your PC or your iPad, but you need to know the right address, the username and the password. These might be located in the manual or on a sticker on the router itself.
The standard address for logging into a router is http://192.168.0.1, but some routers use http://192.168.1.1 and a few use http://192.168.2.1.
If you don't know the username and password, try "admin" as a username and "admin" or "password" as the password. You can even try leaving the password blank. If those don't work, you will need oohbm70 to find the correct username/password combo or refer to your particular brand of router on how to do a hard reset (if possible kit).
If you are still having problems with multiple devices, you may have a hardware problem. But before you go out and replace your router, you can try buying an external antenna. Make sure that your router supports connecting an external antenna before you run down to Best Buy.
There are two types of Wi-Fi antenna: omnidirectional and high gain. A high gain antenna broadcasts the signal in only a single direction, but the signal itself is much stronger. This is great if your router is on one side of the house, but if your router is in the middle of your house, you'll probably want an omnidirectional antenna.
Also, make sure you buy the antenna from a store that allows returns for any reason. We're basically troubleshooting the router's antenna, and if the problem is with the router itself, hooking up an external antenna won't fix the problem