Very slow opening web pages

[baz4jazz]

I have searched the ipad forums but cannot find this topic discussed, hence this message.

My ipad is: Model MD515ZP/A is a 64GB WiFi only white iPad 4. iOS 10.3.3

Well, this iPad of mine is a mystery! For months, it has persistently taken several minutes to load most web pages. So, I have done some tests this morning as follows:


I tried it from boot-up downstairs in the dining room (my fibre optic router is upstairs on an extension socket), and it took the usual few minutes to load Sainsbury's Great Prices (my test page), which is our usual experience. As is normally the case though, once the web page is loaded working within it is as fast as you would expect.


I then switched it off, took it upstairs and placed it next to my fibre optic router, turned it back on again (having before I switched it off changed the web page to something else so it was calling up Sainsburys from scratch again), and it made little difference. It still took an age.


In both cases, my wifi signal was at the maximum 3 symbols.


SO, if it wasn't anything to do with the router, as seems likely to be the case, it must just be a fault within the iPad, assuming my O2 iphone signal would not affect the iPad. If it does, it may be that the "villain" is O2. But if an internal fault, how come it was so much faster when I first had it?


I have removed several apps, to no effect. I have also cleared the cache many times, to no effect.


If nobody can give me a possible solution to this problem, I will just give up and not use my iPad for any internet stuff. It's fine with all my usual apps.


Thanks for any help or advice.


Barry

 

[Brian 244]

Do you have other wireless devices that you can test with the router? Do they behave the same? Also try the Speedtest app this will help determine if it’s a network issue.

 

[NSquirrel]

I assume that you are using Safari. If so, how about trying another web browser? There are several on the app store, many of which are free.

(Btw, as I am in the UK, too, I tried your test page and it loads fairly fast on my iPad air 2, running 11.2.6. Sometimes I do get slow pages, seemingly caused by the web page coding and oftem I think, news pages with all their graphics.)

 

[Jupiter7]

Are you using any Adblockers? They can slow things up considerably or prevent some websites loading altogether.

 

[baz4jazz]

To reply in order, and thank you all for replying so quickly - unlike my reply today! (We were busy yesterday)

Brian 244 - My wife and I both have iphones, and using them to load the same web address in the same locations with the same router produces a normal quick response.

I loaded the Speedtest app on my iPad, which took it 11 minutes (!) and ran it. The results were Download 0.58 Upload 0.84 Ping 22ms Jitter 130ms

As well as www.sainsburys.co.uk, I have also tried it on other web sites and it is just as slow with Amazon, Argos and others.
Thank you for your help.


Nsquirrel - Yes, I am using Safari. I did not know that you could use any other on an iPad. Is there one you would recommend please for me to try? Thank you for your help.


Jupiter7 - I don't know. I did a search in Settings for ad blockers which didn't produce anything. I did look in Settings myself and found in the Privacy section at the bottom under Advertising an option to limit Ad Tracking, which was green for go. I cancelled this but the web loading results have remained the same. Thank you for replying but that doesn't seem to have solved my problem.

 

[Brian 244]

There’s definitely an issue between your iPad and the router. I would try your iPad with a different router (perhaps another location) and run Speedtest again and see how the results compare. Those speeds are horribly low and that would explain the slow load times.

 

[NSquirrel]

Brian 244’s suggestions wrt the router suggests the way forward, although as your iphones are fine, I wonder whether it is more likely to be on your iPad.

Wrt an alternative browser, I use safari nearly all the time; occasionally I use a very old browser since dumped by the authors. Many people use Google Chrome, but I personally avoid it as I believe Google analyses everything you do. (I do use gmail, so they do see everything I send or receive by email.) I would just pick a free browser and see what happens. You can always delete it later, if you want.

Another thought, although probably one you have tried, is to compare your network settings between the iphones and the ipad. Settings/Wifi/ and select the ‘i’ for information against the connection you are using. I would especially look at the DNS setting.

It might be worth mentioning who your ISP is, and the type of router. (I am on BT, with a smarthub 6, but not with fibre.)

 

[baz4jazz]

There’s definitely an issue between your iPad and the router. I would try your iPad with a different router (perhaps another location) and run Speedtest again and see how the results compare. Those speeds are horribly low and that would explain the slow load times.

Hi Brian 244

I have now tried my iPad at my daughter's house with her router and it was fine. Web loading was almost instant so I think you must be right - I seem to have an issue between my iPad and my router which is not affecting our iPhones. I wonder if it is because Plusnet recently upgraded my router to fibre optic?

I will have a word with Plusnet tomorrow (when they finally answer the phone - always the problem with them!) to see what they have to say. It may be a known problem and a change of router might solve the problem.

Thanks for the comment on my Speedtest readings; I didn't know how to interpret those figures so your analysis was very helpful. I am tempted to load that app on our phones and run the test on those by way of comparison.
Thanks for your interest and your time in helping me with this. Much appreciated.
Barry

 

[baz4jazz]

Brian 244’s suggestions wrt the router suggests the way forward, although as your iphones are fine, I wonder whether it is more likely to be on your iPad.

Wrt an alternative browser, I use safari nearly all the time; occasionally I use a very old browser since dumped by the authors. Many people use Google Chrome, but I personally avoid it as I believe Google analyses everything you do. (I do use gmail, so they do see everything I send or receive by email.) I would just pick a free browser and see what happens. You can always delete it later, if you want.

Another thought, although probably one you have tried, is to compare your network settings between the iphones and the ipad. Settings/Wifi/ and select the ‘i’ for information against the connection you are using. I would especially look at the DNS setting.

It might be worth mentioning who your ISP is, and the type of router. (I am on BT, with a smarthub 6, but not with fibre.)

Thanks NSquirrel. Please see my comments to Brian 244 above.

I will try another browser if I don't get a satisfactory resolution from PlusNet. I will also compare the settings as you suggest although that won't be until tomorrow. My router is a recent upgrade to a fibre optic one, from PlusNet.

I will report back soon. Thank you for your time and thought in helping to sort out my problem.

Barry

 

[Jupiter7]

To reply in order, and thank you all for replying so quickly - unlike my reply today! (We were busy yesterday)

Brian 244 - My wife and I both have iphones, and using them to load the same web address in the same locations with the same router produces a normal quick response.

I loaded the Speedtest app on my iPad, which took it 11 minutes (!) and ran it. The results were Download 0.58 Upload 0.84 Ping 22ms Jitter 130ms

As well as www.sainsburys.co.uk, I have also tried it on other web sites and it is just as slow with Amazon, Argos and others.
Thank you for your help.


Nsquirrel - Yes, I am using Safari. I did not know that you could use any other on an iPad. Is there one you would recommend please for me to try? Thank you for your help.


Jupiter7 - I don't know. I did a search in Settings for ad blockers which didn't produce anything. I did look in Settings myself and found in the Privacy section at the bottom under Advertising an option to limit Ad Tracking, which was green for go. I cancelled this but the web loading results have remained the same. Thank you for replying but that doesn't seem to have solved my problem.

I would turn your Limit Ad Tracking back on. AdBlockers are third party Apps, which provide a rather different service. Good luck with PlusNet.

 

[NSquirrel]

A friend nearby has Plusnet and he is very pleased with their assistance and service, so hopefully they will sort the problem out - and quickly.

 

[Brian 244]

You may need to go into your WiFi settings and “forget “ your home WiFi network then re add it ,see if that makes any difference.

 

[baz4jazz]

TO Brian 244, NSquirrel and Jupiter7

My grateful thanks to all of you for your time in helping me sort out my ipad problem.

The good news is that it has now been sorted! In the end I got in touch with PlusNet - never an easy task, as their 'phone system is pants and it took me 3 or 4 days to finally get through to someone - but after talking me through various changes in their advanced settings via going into 168.1.1 in my browser, they changed my router settings from a 2g channel to a 5g one. SInce then, my iPad has been back to its old self, and my web responses in Safari are now back to what it was when I first had it.

Thank you again, but I am now OK, and this thread can be closed.

Barry

 

[NSquirrel]

Good news. Very glad to hear that it is all sorted.

 

[Jupiter7]

That’s great. Thanks for letting us know.