Hypnoguy
Level 1 (11 points)

Q: Wifi stops working when I close the lid of my macbook pro?

I have woken the computer with the lid closed from sleep using a bluetooth keyboard and Brand New 27" Apple Display monitor I just bought. But, the wifi stops working unless the lid on the macbook is open, which kind of defeats the purpose. Is this a common problem; how can I fix this so I can just use the monitor, surf the Internet etc, and not need to have the lid open and the computer awake (although the macbook's screen is not awake.)

Thanks

H

Macbook Pro 15" 5.4, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Apr 9, 2011 2:47 AM

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Hypnoguy

Q: Wifi stops working when I close the lid of my macbook pro?

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  • Helpful answers

  • by ictjohn1967,

    ictjohn1967 ictjohn1967 Apr 9, 2011 9:04 PM in response to Hypnoguy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 9, 2011 9:04 PM in response to Hypnoguy
    Seems to have been a common problem for years... Just got one of the new 15" MacBook Pros and was noticing how slow it was when I was using an external monitor. If I open the lid, then everything's fine. I've seen posts saying to prop it up on its hinge instead of lying flat or propping up on the side the opens. Might try that...

  • by Hypnoguy,

    Hypnoguy Hypnoguy Apr 9, 2011 11:40 PM in response to ictjohn1967
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Apr 9, 2011 11:40 PM in response to ictjohn1967
    A bit odd. I went to the mac store and they plugged in a bluetooth keyboard and screen, but usb mouse, and it worked fine. Back home and I have to have the lid open a bit again. Will be investigating the further, but if you have any ideas, please let me know.

    H

  • by BSteely,

    BSteely BSteely Apr 10, 2011 4:12 PM in response to Hypnoguy
    Level 5 (7,635 points)
    Apr 10, 2011 4:12 PM in response to Hypnoguy
    I'm pretty sure the antenna are in the lid. When the lid is down, the antenna's polarity is changed by 90 degrees. If the MBP is fairly distant from the access point, it could be weakening the reception enough that the signal doesn't get received reliably.

    You could try closing the lid but then standing the MBP up on edge to restore the original antenna position. See if that makes a difference. You could also try moving the access point closer to see if that helps.

  • by Hypnoguy,

    Hypnoguy Hypnoguy Apr 10, 2011 4:21 PM in response to BSteely
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Apr 10, 2011 4:21 PM in response to BSteely
    I took it to an Apple shop and it seemed not to have anything to do with the computer. I pondered on the idea of it being an environmental issue. I decided to use the Airport express at the main router and not the modem. I had a device running from the modem with an ethernet cable. I unplugged it and plugged it into the Airport express. Now everything works properly. Thanks you fro your replies.

    H

  • by Rodrigo Zahr,

    Rodrigo Zahr Rodrigo Zahr Apr 15, 2011 3:02 AM in response to Hypnoguy
    Level 2 (295 points)
    Apr 15, 2011 3:02 AM in response to Hypnoguy
    the antenna is the plastic black strip on the bottom of MBP, it's on the external side of the machine so it won't be affected by the lid if closed or open.
    if the airport connection drops with some it could be a bug or a glitch that should be resolved updating the system or resetting the machine.
    I have the MBP-27" combination working on 2 MBPs 15, one being the latest one "thunderbolt" and had never experienced this issue.

  • by roboboot,

    roboboot roboboot Sep 8, 2011 2:58 PM in response to Hypnoguy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Sep 8, 2011 2:58 PM in response to Hypnoguy

    I have a MBP mid 2009 connected with external monitor and lid closed,  and only now I've got this problem. Before the WiFi router was very close to the MBP and so, I think, I've never had problems. But now I've moved the WiFi router to other room and I am having the problem.

     

     

    When the LID is closed there is a reduction of dBm: from -60 to -76. If I run the speedtest.net from 10 Mbps to 3-4 Mbps.

     

     

    Playing the WiFi channel can improve the signal quality but I think the problem is hardware and isn't the software. I'm very astonished by this problem.

     

     

    My OSX is Lion latest versione.

     

     

    I've also thought to go to the Apple center (I have an apple care plan) to test the same problem there, but it could be only a loss of time....

     

     

    Anyone who has this problem has a solution?

     

     

    Appla has a problem with the Antennas :-(

  • by sale.vrs,

    sale.vrs sale.vrs Aug 26, 2012 2:25 AM in response to roboboot
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 26, 2012 2:25 AM in response to roboboot

    I've had the same problem, everything was o.k. when lid is open but when I connect it to external monitor and close the lid, wifi signal is very week or there was no signal at all. I tried moving macbook all over the room and nothing helped, untill I tried to open the lid just a little so that macbook monitor stays off, immediately my wifi signal was normal again, strong as it is when I'm using it whit lid open.

    I hope it will help you to.

  • by Steve_233,

    Steve_233 Steve_233 Jun 28, 2016 7:42 AM in response to Hypnoguy
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Peripherals
    Jun 28, 2016 7:42 AM in response to Hypnoguy

    My 2013 Macbook Air has this issue, too. I ran a bunch of speed tests, and finally the best solution is to open the lid just a little bit so that the screen stays on. Here are my results:

    Normal (open lid): ~30mbps

    Open the lid a little bit, like I mentioned above: ~15mbps

    Close lid: ~1.5mbps

    So, for me, the second option is an ok solution.

    Hope this will help