Backup doesn't occur; manual can't complete

[kenatease]

Many thanks. Other than a cell phone, and a TV that connects but never uses its Wifi, the iPad is the primary Wifi user here (2 PCs are hard-wired). So I've got to be suspicious of that 788,000 Out Packets Dropped stats. And that's fully HALF the total Out Packets shown, 1.48 million! My Gateway shows it's been up for 12.3 days so that's probably when the router was last reset. I need some software to analyze the problem or I need a tech to examine the iPad. I agree with you the bandwidth governor shouldn't even come into play and 54 is likely to be negotiated. (The highest iPad Speedtest result was about 37 Mbps - uh, download that is). Eventually I will plug in and try one of several spare routers I own but I am not that hopeful.

 

[scifan57]

Have you tried taking your iPad to a location with free WiFi, such as McDonald's, to see if it will connect at another location?

 

[kenatease]

I don't doubt it would connect anywhere - the wife uses it at work. But ...I just now got from her that her connectivity at work is just as flaky as at home here, unpredictable, tenuous, crazy variances, sometimes losing it entirely sometimes flying.

 

[kenatease]

We'll probably have to get a newer model iPad for her, I suspect. Repairing this one might be costly. If we do upgrade, of course all her apps make the leap over because those are tied to her iCloud account (ie I'm not worried).

Edit: FYI this iPad is 2.3 years old

 

[scifan57]

The poof behaviour of the WiFi connectivity on your iPad is not typical of the iPad 2. There is the possibility that the WiFi antenna, it's connecting wires, or the WiFi radio circuitry has become defective. If you live close enough to an Apple Store, make a Genius Bar appointment to have a diagnostic run.

 

[scifan57]

We'll probably have to get a newer model iPad for her, I suspect. Repairing this one might be costly. If we do upgrade, of course all her apps make the leap over because those are tied to her iCloud account (ie I'm not worried).

Edit: FYI this iPad is 2.3 years old

If you do get a new iPad, back up the old one just after you get the new iPad and set up the new iPad from the backup. I'd suggest an iTunes backup, considering the poor performance of the WiFi.

 

[kenatease]

Ten-four

 

[kenatease]

Yes I am very happy indeed to have made this much progress and learned about iTunes backup, which I am certainly poised to follow up on, count on it; and I've had one great success at manual iCloud backup. The Wifi thing needs more testing - at MacDonald's, at a friend's house, and wherever because the wife now steps back from her tale. Her job is at a huge public school and she says the Wifi service itself is disreputable and she and others have periodic problems connecting laptops reliably. No there's no Apple Retail/Genius Bar within 100 miles of me. But I see that Apple Support online offers myriad avenues to solutions and I'll surely pursue. iPad replacement is another viable approach. I can handle it.

Really, I am golden with the outcome of this thread and my special thanks to scifan57. I'll be posting again - that's fer dang sure!