People who have made purchases of one of the three generations of the iPad profess absolute love for their devices. With two new iPads just over the horizon, tablet lovers have every reason to continue that devotion and get the most out of their devices. There are thousands of apps available for countless applications whether for personal or business use and the number of apps on the marketplace continues to grow as Apple successfully expands its market. The way that users get those great apps is through the Wi-Fi and 4G connections that are on the iPad. Some users on PocketFullOfApps have complained that the newest generation has some design flaws that make the wireless connection on the iPad not as reliable as it could be, and even some users of the older generation of iPads have complained about occasionally spotty Wi-Fi connections. Although there are no apps legally available to improve download speeds, there are a number of tips, work-around, and one very excellent product that can improve the wireless capability of the iPad.

For the newest generation of iPad, one of the chief complaints has been dropping of signals when the Wi-Fi app searches for a wireless signal. Enough people have complained so that Apple themselves have offered some advice to fix this problem. Of course, the only trouble with these recommendations is that the advice they offer addresses not the iPad itself, but the connections to the iPad, namely the router. It is good advice and worth going through if you are experiencing trouble with your Wi-Fi connection, but as we will see later, there are some things you can do with the iPad itself to improve Wi-Fi connections. Apple advises that someone experiencing Wi-Fi trouble needs to update the firmware on their router. They also advise that users use WPA and WPA-2 security protocols on a router instead of WEP. Interestingly, Apple also advised for first generation iPads that the individual adjust the screen brightness above minimum, but this no longer applies to the second and third generation of iPads. Finally, Apple suggests renewing the IP address by renewing the lease under the Wi-Fi settings app.

All of these suggestions are fine, but they can be limited in scope if the iPad user is looking to increase their Wi-Fi signal strength, and not merely fix dropped signals. One product that Pony Research Corporation created this year is a case that improves signal strength on the iPad, increases download and upload speeds, and amazingly, increases the range of Wi-Fi. This iPad cover was tested by the Federal Trade Commission and was found to improve Wi-Fi speeds up to 9 times. How does it work? The case works through an antenna system that interacts with the electromagnetic field that the iPad generates. It makes this field work more efficiently by redirecting that energy that would be absorbed by the body. Here’s where the brains and guts of the iPad really get opened. Apparently, FTC regulations require that a device be installed in an iPad that is activated when it is next to the user’s body. When this device is triggered, it has been found to lower Wi-Fi and cellular signals. Although the case is expensive, it is currently the only device on the market that lets the user legally improve their Wi-Fi signal strength.

For the user with a more open mindset who does not mind voiding the warranty on their iPad, there is an app currently available that improves signal reception. It is not available on the App Store, and requires the user to jailbreak their iPad, so caveat emptor. It does not actually provide faster signal strength, but it does expand the Wi-Fi reception by lowering the threshold that the Wi-Fi app is set to for detecting wireless signals. On the iPad, any network that can be automatically detected will be displayed on the Wi-Fi app. Wi-Fi Booster reduces that threshold, but also displays the signal level of those connections as well as their MAC addresses. There are other apps that are legally available that measure Wi-Fi strength, but Apple discourages this because they do not want users knowing the exact data strength of their antennas.

A speed test is useful, but it’s important to know that most mobile devices have a “bad spot” where the hand interferes with the antenna in some way. On the iPad this is behind the Apple logo and near the home button. Some users have also reported that the larger battery on the iPad 3 covers part of the wireless antenna, and thus interferes with wireless signal, but these reports have been few. For the user wanting to get the most out of their Wi-Fi connection, vigilance is advised, but there are options available to increase its efficacy.

Editor’s Note

Amy Nielson is an avid blogger who writes often for tech sites. You can follow her on Twitter @NielsonAmy.