One of the greatest features of the iPod Touch is the ability to connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi. All that is required is for you to be in range of an access point. Then, with minimal configuration on the iPod Touch, you will be surfing the Internet using the built-in Safari web browser. Follow these steps to connect to the Internet (should also apply to the iPhone).
- Tap the “Settings” application to open it.
- Look at the top of the list for “Wi-Fi” and tap it (the iPod Touch will begin searching for networks in range).
- In the list of networks that appears, tap the network to which you wish to connect.
- Optional: If the network you are connecting to is secure (contains a lock icon to the right of the name), you will be prompted to type in the password.
If all is well, you will be connected to the network and presumably ready to surf the web. There will be an icon appear in the upper-left corner of the iPod Touch screen to indicate network connection and signal strength.
Connecting to a secure network connection can be tricky. When connecting, you will be prompted for the WEP or WPA password, depending on which is used. The trick is that you will not be able to see the characters you are typing in. The password is masked. It would seem like good security to mask a password, but it is not necessary for an iPod Touch. Masking will only protect you from unwanted eyes peering over your shoulder. Since the iPod Touch is extremely portable, you can avoid peering eyes by walking away or turning a different direction. Therefore, masking is not really necessary. In fact, it can be a nuisance on the iPod Touch. Especially, if you have a long and secure password. You will just have to carefully type in your password.
Surfing the web using a real browser is a fantastic feature for the iPod touch and the iPhone. With a few easy steps, you can enjoy great, mobile web surfing.
——————————
Troubleshooting
If you are having problems connecting your iPod Touch to the Internet, follow the following procedures. These procedures have been gathered from the comments below.
REBOOT YOUR IPOD TOUCH
To reboot your iPod, hold the button on top of the iPod down for about 5 seconds. It will then ask you to slide a slider to shut the iPod down. Go ahead and shut down your iPod. After the iPod shuts down press and hold the button on top of the iPod and wait for the Apple logo. When the logo appears, release the button. Your iPod will reboot.
RENEW YOUR NETWORK LEASE
Go to Settings -> Wi-fi and then tap the the little blue arrow on the right side of your network name. Make sure you are on the DHCP tab (that’s the default). Make sure you have an address in the IP Address, Subnet, Router, and DNS fields. If you do not, then scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Renew Lease.
RESET YOUR NETWORK SETTINGS
Tap your Settings icon on your Home Screen. Then, tap on the General option in the menu. Scroll down to the very bottom and tap Reset. Next, you need to tap Reset Network Settings from the next set of options.
POWER CYCLE YOUR MODEM/ROUTER
One other thing you might try is a power cycle of your DSL/Cable modem and your router. Do this by turning both devices off (or unplugging them) for about 30 seconds and then turn them back on. You will want to turn your modem on before you turn on your router.
RESTORE YOUR IPOD TOUCH
(You will lose data)
Connect your iPod Touch to your computer and open iTunes (if it doesn’t open automatically). On the info screen for your iPod, there is a Restore button. Click it to begin the process.
MANUALLY CONFIGURE YOUR NETWORK
This can be a tricky process to describe, but I will do as best I can. I am going to try and have you set up your iPod Touch with manual network settings. Go to the wireless network settings.
From the DHCP tab, tap the Static tab at the top. You will be presented with 4 fields to fill in.
Field 1 is the IP Address. This address if for your iPod and it needs to be correct in order to connect to the network. You need to know the address of your router in order to fill this field in. If you have a home network router, chances are your router address is something like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (you need to find this in your router’s manual). Set your iPod’s IP Address to something like 192.168.X.150 (X = the 3rd number in your router’s address).
Field 2 is the Subnet Mask. Most likely, your Subnet mask will be 255.255.255.0 (as long as your router’s address begins with 192.168.X.X).
Field 3 is the Router address. This address is given to you in your router’s user manual. Some manufacturers even have it written on the bottom or back of the router itself. Most likely, it will be either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 (confirm with your user manual). This address is also called the Default Gateway.
Field 4 is the DNS address. If the above fields are correctly set, these should be determined automatically. However, if they are not, you will need to get this (or these) address(es) from your Internet Service Provider. You may also obtain this information from http://opendns.com (free service).
If all of this information is correct, you just might get connected to the Internet.
READ THESE ARTICLES
(You will be taken to the Apple support site.)
(Thanks to reader Wink for providing this link)
Unable to use Wi-Fi with iPhone or iPod touch because there’s no Wi-Fi address listed for the device
Get fed!
what if u have verizon dsl which uses pppoe how then can u connect?
Chris,
In a nutshell, you will need a wi-fi router to connect to your DSL line. Then, you would connect your iPod Touch to the router via wi-fi (per this post).
I am showing very good signal strength for from my internet and have a wireless router. It even says its connected to my specifically named router but every time i try to connect its says “Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the internet” How do I fix this?
Domingo,
This can be a tricky problem with the iPod Touch. However, I do have one thing you can try. Tap your Settings icon on your Home Screen. Then, tap on the General option in the menu. Scroll down to the very bottom and tap Reset. Next, you need to tap Reset Network Settings from the next set of options. Finally, when the reset is finished (your data will be safe), try to reconnect to your wireless network. That may do the trick.
Im having the same sort of problem. I have just got a ipod touch and i can find my wifi and connect to one easy. i even have the icon that shows the strenght of the connection in the top left hand conner of the ipod. But when i try to open google or youtube or anything that involves the internet it will not let me connect. any chance of a hand on what to do ? i really have no idea now. Cheers matt
Matt,
Does this problem occur on every network you try to connect to? For instance, does the same thing happen if you connect to a public wi-fi hotspot at a coffee shop or library?
I have the same probleme as Domingo. (When I go on internet it says “Safari cannot open the page because it is not connected to the internet”.) I have tried to do what you told her but it does not work. Any other suggestions?
Also, I read that you will have the DSN and Router number there, but it does not appear, how do we change that?
Melanie,
This seems to be a big problem with the new iPod Touches. One other thing to do is make sure your iPod’s firmware is up to date. Aside from that, go to Settings -> Wi-fi and then tap the the little blue arrow on the right side of your network name. Make sure you are on the DHCP tab (that’s the default). Make sure you have an address in the IP Address, Subnet, Router, and DNS fields. If you do not, then scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Renew Lease. Let me know if this works or not. If it doesn’t, I might be able to assist you in doing a manual network configuration, which may or may not give better results. I really hope you get your iPod to connect to the Internet.
Yea i have the same problem i tried everything you said and it still does not work. Any other suggestions to help me out ?
what if you have a wireless router and it connects to the internet on the computer… but the ipod touch is not picking up the signal at all and is not listed as a network?
Dylan,
This can be a tricky process to describe, but I will do as best I can. I am going to try and have you set up your iPod Touch with manual network settings. First, you need to follow the steps in my comment to Melanie (above your comment) up to the point of being on the DHCP tab in the wireless network settings.
From there, tap the Static tab at the top. You will be presented with 4 fields to fill in.
Field 1 is the IP Address. This address if for your iPod and it needs to be correct in order to connect to the network. You need to know the address of your router in order to fill this field in. If you have a home network router, chances are your router address is something like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 (you need to find this in your router’s manual). Set your iPod’s IP Address to something like 192.168.X.150 (X = the 3rd number in your router’s address).
Field 2 is the Subnet Mask. Most likely, your Subnet mask will be 255.255.255.0 (as long as your router’s address begins with 192.168.X.X).
Field 3 is the Router address. This address is given to you in your router’s user manual. Some manufacturers even have it written on the bottom or back of the router itself. Most likely, it will be either 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 (confirm with your user manual). This address is also called the Default Gateway.
Field 4 is the DNS address. If the above fields are correctly set, these should be determined automatically. However, if they are not, you will need to get this (or these) address(es) from your Internet Service Provider. You may also obtain this information from http://opendns.com (free service).
If all of this information is correct, you just might get connected to the Internet. However, if you have everything correct and you still cannot connect to the Internet, you may have a faulty iPod Touch and you may need to take it to an Apple Store and have it examined by a technician. I hate to make that suggestion, but there’s just not much more to troubleshoot on these iPod Touches. They’re supposed to work out of the box (that’s typical with Apple products), and if they don’t, usually there’s something wrong.
Alex,
I would make sure you have the wireless networking feature enabled on your router. Some routers ship with this feature disabled by default (for security). If wireless networking is enabled, you might make sure that your router is broadcasting the ESSID (wireless network name) of your wireless network.
i finally found a network called 2WIRE454 and it connects and the signal strength is good but when i place the blue arrow only the IP adress and the Subnet mask have number in them… the Router, DNS, Search Remains and Client ID are blank and i already pressed Renew Lease and nothing happens.
Please help??
Alex,
First, you might try rebooting your iPod Touch. To reboot your iPod, hold the button on top of the iPod down for about 5 seconds. It will then ask you to slide a slider to shut the iPod down. Go ahead and shut down your iPod. After the iPod shuts down press and hold the button on top of the iPod and wait for the Apple logo. When the logo appears, release the button. Your iPod will reboot.
If that doesn’t work, I would have you try the suggestion I made in my comment to Domingo (towards the top of these comments). If that doesn’t work, you might have to try my suggestion in my comment to Dylan (the really long one).
Wow thanks soo much this entire time i forgot to put a 0 in front of my password no one in my family knew but that website you gave me helped out so much thanks alot i really didnt want to go return my ipod Thanks soo muchh
Dylan,
I’m very glad you got your iPod Touch on the Internet! Congratulations!
I have read all the questions that are on this page and tried everything that you suggested to the ones that are having the same problems that I am having with my ipod and none of it has worked it is still saying that safari cannot open the page becaust it is not connected to the internet and I dont know what else I can do. HELP!!!
Jacob,
Does this problem occur with your home network only, or does it occur with any wireless network you try to connect to?
hi.
I also cannot connect to the internet even though i have picked up a connection. I have tried changing my setting for the router but it wont let me change it. Any ideas??
many thanks mike
Mike,
I’ll ask you the same question I asked in response to previous comments. Does this same thing happen if you try to connect to a public or open wi-fi. For instance, do you have the same problems with a public wi-fi hotspot at a coffee shop, library, school, etc., or do these problems only occur with your home network?
Sorry for bugging but, my ipod finally picked up my home network signal
and the information such as the ip adress, the subnet mask the router and the dns info is all there and there is a strong signal..
unfortunatly when i go on safari it loads and it constantly tells me
that the server stopped responding..
i have tried all your sugesstions.
what do i do?
Alex,
Don’t worry, you’re not bugging.
Hmmm…
So, you’ve: 1) Rebooted your iPod (per previous comment to you), 2) Renewed your lease (per comment to Melanie), and 3) Reset your iPod’s network settings (per comment to Domingo); and you still cannot connect. I’m assuming that you are only trying your home network.
My next suggestion is for you to try a public wi-fi hotspot. The reason why is that this will mean that your issue is either a problem with your home network settings or a problem with your iPod’s ability to establish a network connection.
It would also help to try and connect to an unsecured wireless network. This will indicate if the problem is with your iPod’s wireless network security, and its ability to establish a secure connection.
Finally, I would suggest taking a trip to the nearest Apple Store. This is not my favorite suggestion, but you can at least have an Apple technician look at your iPod while you’re in the store. If your iPod is still under warranty, you will be able to get the necessary repairs/replacement to get you up and running.
To those of you who are having connection problems,
One other thing you might try is a power cycle of your DSL/Cable modem and your router. Do this by turning both devices off (or unplugging them) for about 30 seconds and then turn them back on. You will want to turn your modem on before you turn on your router.
it only happends at home as far as I know because I have not used it any where else but my house.
Jacob,
Have you tried power cycling your modem and router (as per my comment just above your last comment)?
i recently went to the Apple Store and the wi-fi worked there (so i guess its not my ipod.. i told them what was happening at home and how it says the server stopped responding.. they told me that my password is wrong but my connection does not require a password and they supposedly updated it..
but the same thing happens..
*i dont know anything about my modem or my linksys router?
help?
Alex,
When you go to the list of available wieless networks on your iPod, is your network the only one that appears? Also, does the entry for your network on that same screen have a gray lock icon on the right side of it? Finally, are you a cable or DSL customer?
Hello
My son got an IPOD touch for Christmas and it is driving me crazy. I have been trying to figure it out since Christmas Eve. When I hit settings my nextwork is showing up with a check mark next to it but also with a lock – i do not remember locking router when i installed it a year ago nor do i remember any password so i just input ADMIN and hit enter and it connects – It is saying WI-FI is on; the internet bar at the top left on the IPOD strength is strong. When i go to check settings I have filled in the IP address, subnet mask, router, dns, search domain and then client ID I leave empty because i don’t know what it means. I have checked and re checked this so many times ….i’ve even checked all the connections on my laptop and my desktop. I’ve re-set IPOD and I’ve shut down and turned on and I’ve also renewed lease…………i’ve checked this and re-checked this so many times and i still have these problems —-i cannot get into UTUBE, THE STOCKS, SAFARI – ANY OF THE INTERNET STUFF. In stocks it will say ‘error retrieving data’, in safari it will say “loading” and nothing comes up and then it says could not open because the server stopped responding, in utube it says “cannot connect to You Tube”. Any ideas on what could be wrong – i’ve also read the router manual of which i’m not exactly sure what it all means and i’ve read the IPOD manual a couple of times which tells me absolutely nothing. Should i call Apple and they might be able to help me? i really don’t want to reset router because I’m not sure i’ll remember how to put it back on. Is there a problem with the router and the way i initially set it up do you think. Thanks.
Yes its the only one that appears.
Know its not locked (so i connect easily)
And i am a DSL customer.
Darlene,
It appears as if your iPod has all the necessary settings. However, unless you try the iPod on a network other than your own, I cannot be totally for sure if it’s related to settings on your setup. So, I recommend you try it on a different network.
Now, if the iPod works on a different network, and still not your own, you may need to do something that is rather inconvenient. You may have to reset your router. I’m sure that if you call Apple, they might ask if you have already reset your router. Since you have the manual for your router, setting it up won’t be so hard.
You might also take the iPod to the nearest Apple Store and have a technician look at it.
To those of you who are having connection problems,
There may be a chance that your connection problems are related to your router’s settings. It may be rather inconvenient, but you may need to reset your router and reconfigure it. However, I would only use this as a last resort.
It must be my router because I used it when i was out and it worked fine so thanks for all your help.
Jacob,
You are most welcome!
Hey, I got my iPod Touch 2G for Christmas. Internet was working fine immedietely and it was all perfect, however, today (for other reasons) I had to call up apple and my iPod was put into recovery mode and restored, etc etc… My iPod is now back to the way it was before however I can’t connect to the internet. My network is in the wifi area and it says I am connected up the top but when I go into safari it says Safari canot open the page because it is not connected to the internet. I am totally confused, what could’ve changed?
Georgia,
It sounds like you may need to renew your network lease.
First, follow my instructions in my comment to Domingo. If that doesn’t work, then follow the instructions in my comment to Melanie.
Both are towards the top of the comments on this page.
umm ok i soo i got every in the static thing but the one im missing is the dns part… what do i fill in there?
Sam,
You have to get the DNS information either from your ISP or from http://opendns.com (free service).
wat is the pass word for 2wire189 so i can get internet for my ipod touch
Joe,
That sounds like a DSL modem. I’m going to guess maybe AT&T? If so, then the default password might be the model or serial number of your modem. If not, you just need to call your ISP tech support and they will give you the password.
How do i find out what my password is for my wireless router?
Owen,
That all depends on the brand of router. However, here are a few places to start looking:
1. The user manual for your router. It’s almost always printed in there somewhere.
2. Some routers have the default username and password printed on the router near the serial number.
3. You can try calling technical support for your router. This can be time consuming just to get someone on the line to ask a quick question. However, it works.
4. You can do a Google search. Simply type in a search like this: “[Router brand name] [Router model number] default password” (Of course replace the brand and model for your specific router). Example: “Linksys wrt54g default password”
cheers my router is a office connect wireless router
Ok, i have this network called @homeA0B6….it used to work fine for my ipod…but now that i connect it says server stopped responding…i tried resetting the network, renewing lease and still wont work…any help?
Jose,
I hate to say it, but other than the suggestions I offer in the above comments, I probably cannot offer any more suggestions. At least, none are coming to mind. This iPod Touch connection problem is simply baffling. Without actually having hands-on experience with this issue, I’m afraid I don’t have much else to offer for advice. In that case, I offer my humble apology for not finding a solution.
See: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559
Wink,
Thank you for the link. It may prove to be quite helpful for many of the folks in these comments.
okai, i went into the settings and i put the passcode in for my bigpond internet witch i found on the bottom of hite box in the lounge room conected to various other things
it than said it was right and said it was connected i looked i the corner nad there was no signal at al and i cant get into safari
Jasmiine,
Read the article provided in the comment by Wink on 04/02/2009. This link is also provided at the bottom of the “Troubleshooting” section in the blog post.
On mine it says 2wire460 and when I click on it, it says I need to
put a password. How do I know what my password is?
Claudia,
Please read my comment to Owen posted on January 26, 2009. That will provide you with 4 methods to obtain your router password.
I have tried all of the tips on the previous commments
my trouble with my ipod is similar to Alex’s problem
with his ipod touch.
My ipod picks up my linksys routers signal
but when i go on safari it says
server stopped responding
and the DNS and all the other codes are filled in as well.
i don’t know whats wrong please help??
Alexis,
On 02/04/2009 Wink posted a link to an article in these comments. It is also at the bottom of my blog post in the “Troubleshooting” section. Please refer to that article. It is Apple’s response to this very issue with the iPod Touch.
I really appreciate your effort in trouble shooting issues with iPod Touch.
that wink link unfortunately doesn’t apply to me
my wifi address is there
Alexis,
I found another article for you to look at. This one is similar to the other, but it applies to iPod Touches that get the address info, just like yours.
“If the device shows an address in the Wi-Fi Address field and you are still having issues using Wi-Fi…”
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398
Hi All
I was facing the same connection issues with my touch. I visited this site yesterday and tried some of the tricks mentioned above. What I did exactly was, I reset my network connection and the touch restarted by itself. Next I switched on the wifi and it listed my connection. On selecting the connection it prompted me for the password. This time I was very careful when I entered the password. The connection was successfully established. When I launched safari surprisingly I could connect to Internet. And guess what, I am compiling this message thru my pod. I am really thankful to everyone on this list specially to Spice.
Rockstar,
Thank you for the comment! I’m glad you got your iPod Touch working.
i already tried to renew my lease numerous times
and i’ve tried practically everything
and none of that helps but thank you for the link.
everything is fine with my ipod
because i have gotten wifi successfully at the apple store
my ipod connects to linksys and the connection is strong
the dns and all the ip adresses are there
but when i go on safari or youtube
it says the server stopped responding
i set up my linksys router and it is all hooked up manually
but i am kind of confused with the whole thing
on the computer and don’t know how to configure the
wireless network on my desktop so that is send out the signal
please help if you can
i appreciate any support
Alexis,
I honestly cannot think of anything else to try. One thing you might consider is arranging a phone call with Apple while you are at home with the issue. If you look at the bottom of the page of the link I posted in my comment (look for the icon of a person), you will see a link to arrange such a call. If you iPod Touch is still under warranty, it’s certainly worth a shot. If it’s not under warranty, I don’t know what support would cost.
thanks for all your help
A few of you above seem to be having similar problems to me – and I’ve solved my problem so I thought it might help to share this. This solution is relevant if you have managed to establish a connection to your wireless router, but you don’t seem to be able to access any internet services via your ipod using Safari, YouTube, App Store etc.
I tried all the various suggested fixes on a number of forums and nothing seemed to work.
In the end, it seems that the problem related to some sort of DNS incompatability. My ipod was collecting my standard ISP’s DNS server entries from my router (in my case this is Orange) – and whilst these DNS Servers seem fine for my PCs, they don’t seem to work for the ipod.
It’s quite easy to check if DNS is the problem for you. If you open up Safari and instead of browsing to http://www.google.co.uk – try entering the Google IP address instead … 208.69.34.230 – if this opens the Google page but entering ‘www.google.co.uk’ doesn’t, then you have a DNS problem.
Therefore in my case, I looked up alternative DNS servers – I used the server addresses offered by http://www.opendns.org. Their DNS server addresses are 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220
I edited my router settings (the method to do this will depend on your particular router) and changed my existing Orange DNS server addresses to the new DNS server addresses above. I think I then ‘forgot’ my current ipod connection to my wireless router and then reconnected it to pick up the new DNS entries (but this step may not have been necessary).
Since I’ve made this change, I’ve had no problems using any internet based services on the ipod through my wireless router
Fingers crossed, that this helps you and/or others … let me know if it does?
AndyB,
That’s an excellent suggestion. Another reason to use opendns.org. Thanks for your comment.
Hi.
I cannot get my ipod to connect to my home network. the bars at the top say strong connection but when i click on safari it says server has stopped responding. I have tried everything but rebooting my router. Is that where you take a pen and stab it in the hole for three seconds? I don’t know if i should do that will it get rid of stuff like my pictures music and documents on my computer. i dont know what else to do. It works perfectly with hot-spots and other networks. please help!!!
You are correct. Resetting the router is using a pen on the button in that hole. That will in no way harm your documents or files on your computer. That will simply reset the configuration of your Internet connection. If you’ve never changed the settings yourself (or anyone else), then resetting your router may not have any noticeable change. It might solve your iPod Touch issue. However, I would first recommend you read the two Apple articles I link in the body of this blog post. If you have tried everything in my post, read those articles. You might even find some benefit to reading AndyB’s comment two spots above yours.
Hey, it wont let me change my IP Address and the thing under it my ip address is diff then the one it shows and i want to change it but it wont let me how do i do that?
In order to change your IP address, you must set your IP address to be statically acquired. I give the steps to do that in the original blog post on this page. Concerning that “thing” under your IP address, it will and MUST be different than your IP address. It is your subnet mask and will typically only contain a combination of the the numbers 255 or 0. (Occasionally, the last number will be different.)
i did all this but yet it just keeps going back to the old thing and doesnt work what should i do?
cause this is really getting me angry and i wanna use the internet on it and it just keeps loading the same one and i said forget this network and i tried again and it still does the same thing ): should i restore it or? i dont know..
It sounds like you need to do either a reset on your network settings or, as you mentioned, do a restore on your iPod Touch. Just be sure that you are in range of your home network when you do this. If all else fails, you might need to make a trip to the Apple Store if your iPod is still under warranty.
i reset my settings ): so i guess the restore is my only option and when i was doing all this i was right next to it D:
but thank you for the help
hey im just wondering, like it works on and off for some reason like it started to work fine then i put it in sleep modeand turend it on and then it didnt work do you know anything that would be turning it off or something?
Occasionally, my iPod Touch does this when leaving sleep mode. When it happens, I simply hold down the button on top of the iPod until the slider appears to power off the iPod. Then, I power off the iPod and then turn it back on. This always fixes my iPod. However, if it doesn’t fix yours, you might have a faulty network adapter. Does your iPod do this for other networks?
sometimes yes but its been working good since you helped me with most of it so thnx ALOT
You are very welcome.
I have just moved in with my best friend. Her family has Embarq but whenever I try and connect to it (using the password) it says it’s connected yet won’t let me get on anything dealing with the internet.
It worked fine in my house, and I even picked up a public wifi signal before. But once moving here (4000 miles away) it doesn’t work.
I tried renewing the lease, rebooting my ipod, redoing the password/forgetting the network, and even reset my network settings.
Please help. – Email me, don’t respond here. I won’t get it.
how do u get the password and no which number it is ?
I assume you speak of the network password. The network password is set at the access point or router. If it is your router, when you set up the router, you may have assigned a wi-fi security password. That is the password you use. If it is not your access point, then you will need to obtain the password from the person who set the network up.
hey im trying to connect to the internet on my ipod touch but when i click the network i want it asks for a password and i havnt put a password on the network, the only key we have is a wep key but theres no option for that yet because i have to type a password in, theres no password set up on the hub so can u help me
thanks stu
If you have a WEP key, then that’s what you need to enter for your network password.
You’re most welcome.