I have been having this problem off-late where my iPod touch with firmware 2.2.1 would constantly forget about my home’s Wi-Fi settings, showing a ‘Not Connected’ instead. The only way to get connected is to manually key in the SSID, followed by the password.
I am not very sure how this issue came about, but it all started once I began connecting to my office’s wireless connection, which are usually designated for guests. My iPod touch also managed to connect to a few neighbour’s open connections while I was out for a jog. So, I am guessing that this occurs once your device has connected to too many access points, and it begins to lose memory of which is the default.
Now, for my own Wi-Fi setup at home, I chose not to have the SSID broadcasted, and also implemented the stronger encryption mode for security, which is WPA2. Doing so requires me to key in a very long password which contains symbols and digits along with the usual alphabetical characters. The iPod touch’s keyboard is not going to be very helpful, I find myself constantly needing to switch between the alphabetic and numberic/special characters keyboard.
Back to the issue at hand. I went searching for a solution to this via Google, but found many references on how to ‘forget this network’ instead of ‘iPod touch forgetting network settings’. So is the magic of search engines. I then decided to check out Apple’s own discussion board and found the solution.
If you happen to be facing this situation, and you run a similar setup as mine, then this is what I did to solve it. First, key in the actual SSID for your wireless connection. Next, choose a security mode – I chose the simplest (and weakest), which is WEP. You’ll be asked to key in your password. Simply type in some random characters, then tap on Join. You’ll most likely get an error message saying that the password is incorrect. However, magically enough, the device will still connect to the wireless access point using the above-mentioned (wrong) details.
Perhaps it’s the SSID that reminds the device, but this quick-workaround seems much better than having to key in the long and complicated password again.
Apparently, iPhone users are having this problem as well, as indicated by the postings over at Apple’s Support discussion forums. If you happen to be facing this problem and you are running a similar setup, feel free to leave a comment and let everyone know if the above helped.
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June 23rd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
I have OS 3.0 and now the problem is worse than ever! Oh and when I try to re-establish my connection I just type the SSID without a password instead of random chars, it works just as well and saves you some typing.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:27 am
Thanks for the tip, Compmouse!
August 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
My iPod 2g is doing this but I don’t understand.
After working perfectly it now can’t find my home network saying just \not connected\.
If I click on \not connected \ , it says \Wi-Fi is on \.
So, where do I type this SSID code & where do I find it *?
Please help, it’s driving me mad.
Only bought the thing for internet in my pocket.
* Nothing marked \SSID\ on my \Livebox\.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:00 am
My new 3G touch with 3.1.1 is doing the same thing. It is a real pain to type in the SSID at work every time.
But if I just do the name it clicks on. We use WPA2 Enterprise security.
Thanks for the tips!
December 17th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I have just brought iphone 3Gs and i have this problem with my company network. My company network is hidden and one has to type everything manually. but my iphone will lose it once i go out of range and come back Or if i switch on and off my wifi.
This loosing of password also happens sometime at my home network. I tried to buy few paid wifi apps from itunes store. But neither they have a function to store and remember everything offline, so we connect it again.
I am still struggling and not able to find the answer..
December 30th, 2009 at 10:02 am
please please help!!!! whenever i go on safari or the app store on my ipod it says invalid argument and i dont know what to do
December 31st, 2009 at 7:34 am
aiden, you might want to check your wi-fi settings..
a reset might help.. to do so, go to Settings – General – Reset – Reset Network Settings..
once done, reconfigure your wi-fi settings again.. hope this helps!
March 7th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
This tip doesn’t work, not with the latest firmware anyway (3.1.3).
March 19th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
does not work on iTouch “3g” 32GB