I should preface this post by saying iPad (especially iPad 2) is hands down our favorite platform for Elements. The video quality on a good connection is incredible. iPad’s native functions (e.g. double-tap to zoom) really enhance your ability to view small text, etc. However, on a marginal connection, or an old iPad (especially running older versions of the software), you may experience some issues, as noted below.
We recommend iPad 2 running iOS 5.0
Based on extensive testing of ToothIQ Elements on iPad and iPad 2, we have the following observations & recommendations:
If you haven’t yet made the leap into the iPad world, these issues may not apply when you do. Run out right now and get an iPad2. We did not experience any troublesome issues with iPad2 during testing. iPad original is another matter…
Aside from the fact that they’re both tablet devices made by Apple, iPad and iPad2 are really nothing alike. Regardless of anything else you try, you will probably get more consistent performance from iPad 2. GeekSpeak: iPad 2 is faster (dual core 1GHz CPU), has more memory, and its graphics processing unit (GPU) outperforms old iPad by miles. iPad2 runs on the new A5 chip set. iPad runs on the A4. Faster CPU and GPU means fewer connectivity and playback issues…
If using old iPad, you must be running Version 5.0+ software, or you may experience frequent errors- including being logged out to the login screen. You may have difficulty logging back in. To check your iPad, tap “Settings” and then “About.” The version will be listed on that page. If you’re not running at least version 5.0, connect to iTunes on your iPad’s home computer and download the latest software update. It will relieve most of your problems.
With either iPad or iPad 2, we recommend a broadband connection and Apple’s Airport Extreme (AE) router (designed to talk to Apple devices). Testing on an old Motorola router worked fine; and iPad is compatible with 802.11 a/b/g and n Wi-Fi standards on any router; but we still recommend using AE.
If you’re not sure about your connection speed, you can check it at www.speedtest.net, www.xostats.xo.com, or similar providers. Apps are available for iPad speed testing.
For uninterrupted video streaming, you must have at least 500Kb/s of download speed available. Keep in mind that in practice, your actual data throughput will be half (or less) of your connection speed. So in order to stream uninterrupted video, you’ll need at least 1 Mb/s connection speed.
Many things can affect your true available bandwidth (see the URLs listed below – especially the Cisco link), including other nearby Wi-Fi networks, microwave ovens (which can cut it up to 65%), baby monitors, other types of radio frequency interference, and certain building materials (shielding). If you are aware of these kinds of issues in your office, at least 1-2 Mb/s of download speed will probably be necessary from your speed test to deliver uninterrupted video streaming on your iPad.
Don’t waste time with 3G – it’s worthless for streaming video, especially with the technology that allows ToothIQ videos to be securely streamed to iPad.
If problems arise, clear browser cookies and re-login. To do this on iPad’s native browser (Safari), do the following: Tap “Settings,” then “Safari“, then “Clear Cookies and Data.” Return to the home screen, and log back into ToothIQ Elements. We successfully tested iPad on Safari and iCab browsers. Browser did not seem to affect performance.
The following also did NOT appear to correct issues:
Emptying cache (can’t under new Safari anyway)
Clearing history
Resetting network
Resetting device
Although keeping “Autolock” set to “Never” may have some effect (per some threads we saw on the Web), testing showed it works just fine with Autolock set to 15 min. We did not test less than that. You can find “Autolock” under “Settings.”
Although we did test up to six simultaneous network connections successfully, including up to four simultaneous ToothIQ Elements connections (all streaming video concurrently), the system performance may be better with fewer connections than that – depending on your network hardware, ISP, bandwidth, etc. We know of an office that successfully uses 8 simultaneous connections.
Apple’s recommendation to increase screen brightness and turn off “Auto” brightness to improve Wi-Fi connectivity may be worth trying. (You can find the “Brightness” setting under “Settings” as well). We tested with brightness settings at about 1/3 and about half. Not sure why screen brightness would improve Wi-Fi connectivity, but the only thing you have to lose with more screen brightness is less battery life… Worked just fine at 1/3 and 50% for us…
If, after trying the above, you continue to experience problems with streaming on iPad, it’s probably your Wi-Fi network or ISP. The type of problems we’ve seen on feeble Wi-Fi connections include video pausing with continuation of audio; presence of a large “Q” in the center of the video feed- both with and without audio continuation. These are signs that your bandwidth is inadequate to stream video.
Some URLs you may find helpful if you suspect Wi-Fi issues:
Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections on iOS
iPad: Issues connecting to Wi-Fi networks
How To Fix Your iPad’s Wireless Problems (If You Have Them) | Cult of Mac
20 Myths of Wi-Fi Interference [RF Solutions] – Cisco Systems