Princeton University has published a document outlining the iPad’s wireless networking issue that has led the school to block several of the devices from its network. According to the document, the iPad sometimes fails to release its IP address within the time allotted by the school’s Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, posing a potential problem for other devices that are assigned the same IP address by the server once the iPad’s lease has expired. Specifically, the problem is reproducible by allowing the iPad to lock its screen before its DHCP lease renewal time, and allowing it to remain in that state until after the lease has expired. The university is currently working with Apple to provide technical data which may be used to resolve the issue; it is also working with individual iPad owners, pointing them to a workaround for the issue. To date, Princeton has blocked only nine iPads from its network, some of which have since been unblocked; of the 41 iPads on the campus network, 25 have exhibited the issue.
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.