IOS 14 upgrade is freezing Wifi

Question

HiI have had a similar but different issue after upgrading iPhone x and iPad Pro to IOS 14. My Orbi Wifi has been operating without issue for nearly 2 years with up to 20 different devices attaching (other IOS devices, Apple TV's, Smart TV's, Sonos etc). All device upgrades including IOS have completed within this 2 years and no impact on the reliability of the Orbi WiFi. However I upgraded both my iPhone x and iPad Pro same evening about 4 weeks ago and since then whenever I attach either my iPhone or iPad (with IOS 14) to the Orbi WiFi it freezes/stops the WiFi for everything, thats including other IOS (V13) devices smart TV's etc., the only way to restart the WiFi is take IOS14 devices off the wifi and reboot the Orbi router, then so long as I leave iPhone x and iPad Pro off the Orbi wifi then no issue it works away.&nbsp;&nbsp;As the iPhone x stops the Wifi when it attaches I cannot use the Orbi app but I do have the option to allow access 'Local Network'. So instead I use the&nbsp;https://orbilogin.com and can connect to Orbi router. I have updated the firmware, done a factory reset, installed as new (as few times) and still same issue, IOS 14 devices causes the Wifi to freeze. I have never installed Orbi Nighthawk as an App.&nbsp;I am totally frustrated and while I did contact Apple and they did escalate they clearly identify the problem as the Orbi router issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anyone had a similar issue and at this stage before I throw the Netgear equipment into the trash I would try anything.

horsecore · Answer

I am having a similar issue. Upgraded an iPhone 11 Pro to 14.1 sometime in October, was receiving constant prompts to enter my network's WiFi password. Some quick searches revealed this to be related to VPN services running on the phone - had one installed from Bitdefender Armor (via Netgear), removed, and issue seemed to be resolved. My wife's phone, also an 11 Pro, did not have this issue as she is not using Bitdefender Armor at this time; all other devices in the home were operating normally.

Fast forward to Monday this week and my internet connectivity on my phone is not working - connection to our home wireless network is fine but it behaves as if there is no internet connectivity. Rebooted modem and router, no difference, rebooted phone, no difference, reset network settings on the phone, no difference. I had a pending update to 14.2, updated, no change. Disabling and re-enabling WiFi seems to correct the issue but only momentarily. My wife's phone is also experiencing the same set of issues. All other devices in the home are working as expected.

Found a post on Apple's developer forums (https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/651079) suggesting to try Google's public DNS addresses - no change. Also on that forum, a user described changing their security type on their router to "WPA2+WPA3" which unfortnately for us is not an option with the Orbi RBR50, we only have WPA2-PSK [AES] or WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES]. Router and satellite are running the latest firmware as well, V2.5.2.4.

Checked adding a new wireless network on the iPhone Pro 11 and of the security types available, default is WPA2/WPA3...there is no WPA2 only. I cannot validate what was present on my phone before updating to 14.x but I have an old iPhone 5s running 12.4.8 and WPA2 by itself is an option and this phone has no issue with internet connectivity.

My guess would be something to do with the WPA2/WPA3 security type currently set on IOS (could have been present before, not sure) and the lack of the option on the router.

Anyone else have thoughts?

horsecore · Answer

As an update for my specific scenario, I did change the security option on my RBR50 to WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES] and now connectivity to the internet seems stable. My theory may hold some water but curious what others are seeing.

tweadick · Answer

I am having the same issues as above,&nbsp;I did change the security option on my RBR50 to WPA-PSK [TKIP] + WPA2-PSK [AES]&nbsp; but it has had no effect. &nbsp;My iphone works fine in other locations on wi fi, my wife's phone which is android has no problems with my orbi, the issues appear to be between my iphone since I updated to ios 14 &amp; my orbi router.&nbsp; Whenever i log into my network it crashes everything &amp; the only solution is to reboot the router. This has been going on for a number of weeks &amp; as I work from home it is a nightmare

horsecore · Answer

Bummer - was hoping I found a common thread that may have been&nbsp;helpful to others in this situation. Thank you for sharing your experience.&nbsp;I have an email correspondence with the Netgear team, waiting on some feedback. I will update this thread once I hopefully have some new information.&nbsp;&nbsp;

horsecore · Answer

Following-up on my previous post -&nbsp;The post on the Apple Developer Forum has been updated with some great feedback, in particular, confirming my suspicion related to WiFi security type - see below:&nbsp;https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/651079?login=true&amp;page=1#650007022Apple just told me that WPA-2 security is a known issue for ios 14. Their support rep said I should use WPA-3. Problem is my broadcom-based router (Netgear AC1750 purchased in 2018) does not offer WPA-3.&nbsp;Chat transcript:&nbsp;Apple:SecurityWPA3&nbsp;Personal&nbsp;for better security, or&nbsp;WPA2/WPA3 Transitional&nbsp;for&nbsp;compatibility with older devices The security setting defines the type of authentication and encryption used by your router, and the level of privacy protection for data transmitted over its network. Whichever level of security you choose, always set a strong password for joining the network.&nbsp;• WPA3 Personal is the&nbsp;newest, most secure protocol currently available for Wi-Fi devices. It works with all devices that support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and some older devices.&nbsp;• WPA2/WPA3 Transitional is a mixed mode that uses WPA3 Personal with devices that support that protocol, while allowing older devices to use WPA2 Personal (AES) instead.• WPA2 Personal&nbsp;(AES) is appropriate when you can't use one of the more secure modes. In that case, also choose AES as the encryption or cipher type, if available.&nbsp;Don't create or join networks that use older, deprecated security protocols like WPA/WPA2 Mixed Mode, WPA Personal, TKIP, Dynamic WEP (WEP with 802.1X), WEP Transitional Security Network, WEP Open, or WEP Shared. These are no longer secure, and they reduce network reliability and performance. Apple devices show a security warning when joining such networks.&nbsp;Article:&nbsp;HT202068Apologies, discard that &nbsp;Me:OKApple:Once you change the Security, you will need to monitor the devices for dropping connections intermittently&nbsp;Me:So are you saying there is a problem with iOS using WPA2-PSK [AES]?Apple:Yes&nbsp;Me:Introduced in iOS 12.4?Apple:Correct&nbsp;Is there anything else I can assist with today?&nbsp;Unfortunately, this may mean that I/we have to invest in new network hardware, which is not ideal. To this point I have not received any further feedback from Netgear but I will be passing this along.&nbsp;

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IOS 14 upgrade is freezing Wifi

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