>>>Is that a fair assumption?
I can't think of any other reason - although it's hard to think of why it's happening except:
(a) your iPad is too far from the router ;
(b) there's a physical obstruction (such as a thick wall) between the iPad and the router ; or
(c) there's interference on the channel being used by your router.
You might wish to try a different channel, to see if (c) is the problem, which means going into your router's settings. If you don't know how to do that, we'll need to know the make of your router.