Wi-Fi

OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 update out with Wi-Fi improvements, bug fixes and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2014

In addition to launching the iOS 8.1.1 software update with bug fixes and performance improvements for the A5-powered devices running iOS 8, such as the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4s, Apple on Monday pushed the official OS X Yosemite 10.10.1 software update for Mac desktops and notebooks.

The software contains plenty of bug fixes while improving Wi-Fi performance on some Macs following numerous user complaints about intermittent Wi-Fi issues. It also contains enhancements for enterprise users and many other improvements to make your Mac more stable.

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New videos highlight iPhone 6’s faster Wi-Fi and real-world multitasking performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 2, 2014

A pair of videos have surfaced this week offering a good look at real-world multitasking performance of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus relative to competition, while demonstrating the speedy 802.11ac wireless networking Apple's implemented on both devices.

The results suggest that the new iPhones offer nearly three times faster Wi-Fi performance than the iPhone 5s while beating out Samsung's Galaxy S5 and HTC's One M8 handsets in app loading times and task switching.

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AT&T dragging its feet with Wi-Fi Calling

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 12, 2014

AT&T, the nation's second-biggest wireless provider, is allegedly planning on rolling out the Wi-Fi Calling feature to its subscribers, but in 2015 rather than this year, LightReading reported Friday.

Already supported on T-Mobile, but not coming anytime soon to Verizon (Sprint has yet to announce it), Wi-Fi Calling is supported by the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The feature will be coming to older iPhones from the iPhone 5 onward, courtesy of the free iOS 8 update scheduled to release next Wednesday.

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T-Mobile announces support for Wi-Fi calling on all new smartphones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

During its 7.0 Un-carrier event today, T-Mobile announced plans for its new 'Wi-Fi Unleashed' initiative. As part of the campaign, the carrier says that it will support Wi-Fi calling and texting on all new smartphones, including the just-announced iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

This allows users to send and receive both calls and text messages over a Wi-Fi network, and is a highly sought after feature for folks in areas with poor cell service. T-Mobile says the feature will be free, and is offering upgrades to customers that don't have Wi-Fi devices.

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Claimed iPad Air 2 GPS antenna, mic and Wi-Fi module leak in photos

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 21, 2014

Joining today's batch of leaks ahead of Apple's big reveal in Fall are some components apparently belonging to a second-generation iPad Air model.

An alleged iPad Air 2 GPS module, a Wi-Fi component and a microphone were shown off on a series of claimed photographs highlighted by a French website Thursday.

We've already seen photos that purportedly picture a number of the various internal components of the iPad Air 2 and today's leak reinforces the notion that Apple is getting ready to refresh the iPad lineup soon.

Among other hardware improvements, flagship iPad models could bring a thinner design, a faster A8 chip with 2GB of RAM, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, anti-reflective screen coating and more...

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Steve Jobs saw shared home Wi-Fi as the future of Internet access. Utopian vision?

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 6, 2014

Would you be willing to open your home Wi-Fi network to total strangers, so that passersby and folks in your near vicinity could join it and surf the web for free?

These questions kept Apple CEO Steve Jobs up at night back in 2007 as he envisioned building an open Wi-Fi Utopia. The idea was born out of his frustration with sluggish mobile data networks at the time.

Re/code's Walt Mossberg, the famous technology reviewer and columnist who used to enjoy unparalleled access to Jobs, recounts how Jobs's intense loathing of AT&T almost gave everyone free Wi-Fi...

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iOS 8 beta 3 enables Wi-Fi Calling for T-Mobile iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ July 7, 2014

Last month, T-Mobile confirmed that it will support iOS 8's new Wi-Fi calling feature when the update officially launches this fall. And today, the feature went live for developers with T-Mobile iPhones in the just-released iOS 8 beta 3.

For those unfamiliar with Wi-Fi calling, it allows users to place phone calls [natively] from their device over a Wi-Fi network, instead of their cellular network. Benefits of the feature include better call quality and improved battery life...

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T-Mobile will support Wi-Fi calling on iOS 8

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 2, 2014

Just a few hours ago, we rounded up a list of iOS 8 features that Apple simply didn't have much time to mention at its WWDC keynote this afternoon. One of them was Wi-Fi calling, which allows iPhone users to place calls over Wi-Fi as opposed to a cellular network. The feature allows for wireless customers to potentially save money on their monthly plans, which you would think is something that carriers would be against.

Not T-Mobile. Being the awesome underdog carrier that it has been as of late, the magenta-flavored company has embraced the feature with full arms. Earlier today, T-Mobile marketing chief Mike Sievert confirmed in a news release (via MacRumors) that Wi-Fi calling will be enabled for iPhone users on iOS 8, meaning that over 90% of smartphones on the network will be capable of the feature… 

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AutoBlue: enable or disable Bluetooth connectivity based on Wi-Fi connection

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 30, 2014

AutoBlue is a smart idea wrapped into a somewhat unassuming package. It disables Bluetooth when connected to your home Wi-Fi network, and reenables Bluetooth when disconnected from the Wi-Fi network.

The goal of AutoBlue is to save battery life by keeping Bluetooth disabled when it's not needed. Of course, this is only useful if you don't use Bluetooth at home, and there's really no telling how much battery life you actually save by disabling a Bluetooth connection when it's not in use in the first place.

But it's still a good idea if you happen to meet the criteria necessary to not make this tweak a hinderance. Check out our video walkthrough of AutoBlue in action after the fold.

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Apple patent ditches GPS for Wi-Fi to better determine location indoors

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Apple has been granted a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday that will help its Maps app better track your location indoors.

The patent describes a technology that temporarily ditches the GPS sensor, and uses Wi-Fi access points, location databases, and other sensors to determine your location where the GPS sensor may not be as accurate, Apple Insider first reported.

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Broadcom launches Gigabit Wi-Fi chip that will likely power the next iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 30, 2016

Imagination Technologies, the fabless British semiconductor maker, yesterday at Mobile World Congress detailed its new PowerVR graphics which outperforms Nvidia's Tegra K1 platform and is a likely candidate for the next iPhone's GPU. And now, another premium silicon vendor has announced a chip that could just as easily find its way into future iOS devices.

I'm talking about Broadcom, whose Wi-Fi chips and other controller components are used in the iPhone 5s and iPad lineup. The Irvine, California based firm announced at Mobile World Congress a new fifth-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi component which doubles data throughput and increases Wi-Fi coverage by up to 30 percent.

Should Apple choose to tap it, the iPhone 6 and the next iPad will adopt Gigabit Wi-Fi aka 802.11ac, the latest and greatest standard in wireless networking for the consumer market...

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