nickfromwestfield

Q: Time Machine Kills Wireless

Hello Everyone,

 

I've had a MacBook Air 13" that I bought new about a year ago.  This last week I purchased a 1TB Toshiba external hard drive to use with Time Machine.  It backed up and everything was fine, so I thought.  I turned on the laptop today to use it and it can't connect to my wireless.  Well, it connects but doesn't get Internet connection.  If I unmount and unplug the hard drive, wireless starts working again.

 

What sort of conflict would an external drive cause with wireless?  The hard drive has a USB 3.0 connection.

 

Thanks...

MacBook Air, OS X Yosemite (10.10.2), null

Posted on Mar 21, 2015 10:43 AM

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Q: Time Machine Kills Wireless

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  • by brenden dv,

    brenden dv brenden dv Mar 24, 2015 7:02 AM in response to nickfromwestfield
    Community Specialists
    Mar 24, 2015 7:02 AM in response to nickfromwestfield

    Hi nickfromwestfield,

     

    I'm sorry to hear you are having issues with your MacBook Air. If you are having issues with your WiFi connection when using your USB 3.0 external hard drive, you may find this note in the following article helpful:

     

    I sometimes have difficulty with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices when USB 3 devices are attached to my computer. What could be wrong?

     

    Some USB 3 devices, hard drives in particular, can generate radio frequency interference that can cause Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices operating in the 2.4GHz band to have issues communicating with your computer. Do not place hard drives or other USB devices behind the rear of your Mac near at the hinge of your screen. The antennas for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are located there, and USB 3 devices placed there may interfere with your wireless connections. See this white paper for more information.

     

    Using USB 3 devices on Mac computers FAQ - Apple Support

     

    Regards,

    - Brenden