Level 1

19 points

iPhone 17 not connecting properly to 5 GHz Wi-Fi, but 2.4 GHz works

Hi,

I'm reporting the following issue.

I have three iPhones (11, 14, and 17), and only on the iPhone 17 am I experiencing problems specifically with my 5GHz TIM Fiber WiFi network. Everything works fine with the 2.4GHz WiFi.

The problems generally involve connection difficulties and, above all, a lack of synchronization with my Sky Q Black Sat decoder, which is connected via Ethernet to the TIM Hub+ modem.

I should point out that on the other two iPhones (11 and 14), there are no problems whatsoever, and everything is fine on the iPhone 17 with the 2.4GHz WiFi as well.

I'd like to point out that I've given different names to the two WiFi network frequencies to be able to recognize the connection type and identify the frequency with absolute certainty (2.4GHz or 5GHz).

I've updated all my iPhones to version 26.0.1 without any improvements.

I'm waiting for your suggestions.

Thanks

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: iPhone 17 issue with wifi 5 ghz

iPhone 17, iOS 26

Posted on Oct 6, 2025 2:38 PM

Top-ranking reply

Pietro_Rome Author

Level 1

19 points

Posted on Nov 28, 2025 8:16 AM

Hello everyone,

I'm writing again about the issue I reported in this post because I have some news.

Over the past few days, I contacted TIM (Telecom Italia), the manufacturer of my TIM Hub+ Router, and I also ran some tests, which I'll describe below.

I should point out right away that TIM (Telecom Italia) confirmed that there are no new software updates available for my router: they believe the one I have is the latest version!

Naturally, I reported the issue in detail and hope they can address it.

At that point, I decided on my own to move forward and run some further tests, which I'll describe below.

I turned off my two range extenders: a TIM Hub modem (connected via Ethernet cable to the router and configured as an access point) and a Netgear wireless range extender. Then I went to the room where I have the Router and restarted the

Router and my three iPhones (11, 14, and 17). The 5GHz network signal from the Router was immediately and steadily established (without slowdowns or disconnections) on all three iPhones!

After a few minutes, I moved to the other, more distant rooms, turned the two range extenders back on, and restarted all three iPhones.

Result: iPhone 11 and 14 had no connection issues, while iPhone 17, ONLY on the 5GHz network, returned to having the usual connection issues!

It was clear that the iPhone 17 wasn't fully compatible with the 5GHz signal coming from range extenders.

Was it the fault of the new iPhone 17's N1 chip?

Was it the fault of its drivers, which didn't properly handle backwards compatibility on the 5GHz frequency with older network devices?

Why didn't the Broadcom chips in the iPhone 11 and 14 cause any problems?

I don't know, and at that point, I didn't care!

It was clear that the last test was to purchase two new repeaters with more advanced technology (at least Wi-Fi 6) and see if, with the two new repeaters, the iPhone 17 would behave differently on 5GHz.

I didn't believe, and I don't believe, that it's right to force Apple users to purchase new network devices to ensure full functionality of the iPhone 17!

But if I didn't want to wait any longer, and who knows how long, for a new software update (which MAYBE would have solved the problem, maybe NOT), there was only one solution: get my credit card!

So I purchased two new Wi-Fi 6 repeaters with two LAN ports. I configured them first in easy mesh mode, then in access point mode (with an Ethernet cable on LAN port 1), and then in repeater mode. Well, you won't believe it, but the iPhone 17 immediately connected to the new repeaters' 5 GHz network.

And on my 5 GHz LAN network (which can potentially reach a download speed of up to 1000 Mbps), the Speedtest app on my iPhone 17, near one of the two repeaters, two rooms away from the Router, reached a speed of 913 Mbps!

Conclusion.

1. For those with an iPhone 17 and a Tim Hub Router (or similar technology), there's no hope of solving the problem without an Apple software update (iOS 26.2? Maybe).

2. For those, like me, with an iPhone 17 and a Tim Hub+ Router (or similar technology): get out your credit card!

Thanks everyone for any feedback.

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35 replies

Pietro_Rome Author

Level 1

19 points

Oct 13, 2025 9:58 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

Thanks to all of you for the reply.

I've already checked, and it's not a router issue. Also, consider that my other two iPhones (11 and 14) are connected to the same router and have no Wi-Fi issues.

I believe it's a driver issue with the N1 chip, the new wireless networking chip Apple designed for the iPhone 17 line, which unifies Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, supporting new standards like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

My older iPhones (11 and 14) use Broadcom chips and have never had any issues.

If so, I can only hope for a new update (I've heard of iOS 26.0.2 and then iOS 26.1) that Apple can resolve the issue.

Oct 30, 2025 8:18 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

Having the exact same problem as you and I also have about a 5 year old router. I think it’s ridiculous that people are suggesting to get a new router when every other device works on it perfectly , including my partners S25. This is still an issue on the 26.1 RC even though some folks say it’s fixed for them. Idk this whole thing has been a nightmare to deal with as I have bad 5g signal at home and my 2.4 ghz connection is very congested due to being in a townhome development. Very disappointed in Apple.

Gkenneth

Level 1

12 points

Nov 7, 2025 5:26 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

I have the same issue, since I got the iphone 17 I have trouble conneceting to 5g wifi. Tried restarting everything, even went to apple to make sure that there’s no problem with the hardware but still not connecting properly. Sometimes it will connect randomly but eventually the connection will drop, my other devices had no issues connecting to 5g. Right now, my iphone is connected to 2.4ghz wifi with no issues. I am still looking for any fix and it’s very frustrating actually because I don’t have this issues at all with my previous iphones.

LD150

Level 10

100,275 points

Nov 13, 2025 6:06 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

Pietro_Rome wrote:

Hello everyone,

I wanted to stop telling you about my experiments regarding the issue I reported. However, since this issue concerns several other users in the Community, I decided to continue and run further tests, which I'll tell you about.....

You tested everything except another router outside your network, as two of us asked. You proved nothing except your network is incompatible with the latest iphone.

Nov 16, 2025 8:10 PM in response to darkKnight97

darkKnight97 wrote:

11/16 update - still the same problem. Tried upgrading the firmware of the router (CenturyLink) - still doesn't connect to the 5GHz. The 2.4GHz is too slow to use.

If you have a Mac available, please post the (edited) Wi-Fi info from the following reply:

iPhone 17 not connecting properly to 5 GH… - Apple Community

Otherwise, please post the (edited) info from the shortcut from that same reply.

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

60,896 points

Nov 3, 2025 6:32 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

Pietro_Rome wrote:

As I wrote, I still believe it's a driver issue with the N1 chip, the new wireless networking chip designed by Apple for the iPhone 17 line, which unifies Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, supporting new standards like Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.

If that were the case though, then it would be the same problem for every iPhone 17 that connects to a 5ghz wifi network and that is clearly not true. On my multi band router I have created a 5ghz only network and don't have any devices connecting to 2.4ghz. This along with 6 other devices including a Mac, TV, Doorbell, and iPhones all stay connected without an issue on my Xfinity router.

Pietro_Rome Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 4, 2025 9:46 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

Hi,

thanks to all of you.

I'm a computer scientist and have been working in IT for thirty years. I've been an iPhone user since 2012 (my first was an iPhone 5, then an iPhone 8, 11, 14, and finally the new iPhone 17).

Today, for the first time in 13 years, I'm deeply disappointed with Apple!

I've tried everything to fix the problem: manually setting an IP address, manually setting a DNS server, etc..

After seeing that even the update to 26.1 today didn't fix the problem, I gave up!

Because the problem, which occurs exclusively on a 5G Wi-Fi network and only on the iPhone 17, is not fixable on the user side.

I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Fravacca

Level 1

14 points

Nov 7, 2025 2:20 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

ciao, ho lo stesso problema per Iphone Air, 17 e 17 Pro e modem TIM HUB. Usando i precedenti Iphone 14 Pro Max e Iphone 12 mini non avevo questi problemi. Il problema si verifica solo quando viene utilizzata la Banda WiFi a 5Ghz, sulla Banda 2,4Ghz tutto ok. Ci sono disconnessioni e connessione molto lenta. A niente è servito cambiare la larghezza di banda e canale

Pietro_Rome Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 12, 2025 12:07 AM in response to Fravacca

Ciao,

hai descritto esattamente lo stesso problema che ho io.

Il mio è un modem Tim Hub+ con velocità fino a 1 GB (sistema FTTH).

Grazie per la risposta.

Hi,

you described exactly the same problem I had.

Mine is a Tim Hub+ modem with speeds up to 1 GB (FTTH system).

Thanks for your reply.

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

60,896 points

Nov 13, 2025 9:24 AM in response to MrHoffman

The problem I have with band steering when using my iPhone is that there is no way to verify on the iPhone what band it is currently using. My router supports band steering and I can check there, but that is not nearly as convenient for me. When I have my phone and come home, it will connect to 2.4Ghz due to the longer range of that band where 5Ghz would not be able to make the connection. Did it switch to 5Ghz when I come inside? I have no idea by looking at my phone.

It may be a "control" thing for me, but with the 5Ghz band separated, I always know what band I am using, without relying on the router to make that decision for me.

Pietro_Rome Author

Level 1

19 points

Nov 13, 2025 9:28 AM in response to MrHoffman

Hi Mr. Hoffman,

thank you very much for your suggestions. I've already explored some of the content in your links and hope they're helpful.

I also want to say that I like your response style!

It's the style I've always used in my work: suggest, not lecture!

I congratulate you and ask you a favor. I've noticed that many of the users complaining about the problem I reported have TIM (Telecom Italia) routers, such as the Tim Hub and Tim Hub+ (mine is the latter). Would it be possible for you to report the issue to Apple and suggest contacting Apple and Telecom Italia so they can work together to resolve the issue?

Maybe it's science fiction, or maybe it's a possibility.

Thanks again.

LD150

Level 10

100,275 points

Nov 13, 2025 10:25 AM in response to Pietro_Rome

Pietro_Rome wrote:

Hi LD150,

I decided to respond to you personally because I detected a subtle irony in your words.

"Hats off" to your level and your points! I would never doubt your expertise, especially within this community but not only, and I would appreciate it if you didn't doubt mine.

After thirty years of working as an...

I don't doubt your expertise, I was criticising your omission of trying other routers, now I must modify that to your simply omitting to report your results fully, but thank you for completing the report.

By the way finding one friend's router with similar problems proves nothing

Another contributor here reported that a firmware update to their old router solved the problem.