Problem with WiFi of a new MacBook Pro

You might try setting your router up for 811g only. That has helped some people.



MacBook Pro, MacBook, G3 iBook, dual g5 +many older macs and PCs Mac OS X (10.4.9)

You might not care whether a router works with
everything except the MacBook/MacBook pro but the
rest of us do. If I go to a hotel room, my job, or
any other location where I need to use wireless and I
am the only person who can't connect, as far as I am
concerned my machine is defective and I think 90% of
people in that situation would agree. What makes you
think Apple is following the specs? Because they're
Apple? Which part of the spec is D-Link or any of the
others not following? Do you know? If the
MacBook/MacBook Pro is the one having a hard time
operating with industry standard routers then Apple
has a serious problem and they should fix it. If they
can't fix it themselves maybe they should hire a firm
who can.

That's just it; if they're not following the spec, they're not industry standard.

I can't tell you what part of the spec any particular vendor is not implementing properly, because I have no proof they aren't, but in the past many incompatibilities with Apple drivers have been fixed by router firmware updates. The router manufacturers wouldn't do that if operability issues were on Apple's end.

This type of issue has happened in the past; a few years ago, many FireWire enclosures stopped working with MacOS X because the Apple drivers used a part of the FireWire spec that Windows did not and that Apple had not previously used. It wasn't Apple's fault, and a wide variety of FireWire enclosures on the market required a firmware update to solve the problem. I can also tell you about a number of SCSI devices that have had issues working when you tried to do anything at all complex with them despite the fact that they were supposed to support the commands in question. I won't even bother to detail the number of hardware vendors who take the erroneous attitude of "Hey, it works with Windows, so it must not be our fault."

It's also important to remember that most people are not having problems connecting at work or at hotels, but rather at home with specific routers used with specific encryption modes. It's frustrating, I will not deny that for a second, but it's not like it doesn't work at all under any circumstances.

It would literally be impossible for Apple to try out their systems with every router made in every permutation of encryption mode, so that's why it's so important that those having problems open a ticket with AppleCare; not only will it help them isolate the bug and who's responsible, but it will also allow them to add that configuration to their future test matrix.

I do have an open ticket with Apple on this issue and I have for a long time. As I said before I started posting here after that got me nowhere. In my case, every single place where I really need to use it with Airport I can't because of driver issues. I never had issues like that with my iBook. That's why I finally found a portable USB adapter that worked.



MacBook Pro, MacBook, G3 iBook, dual g5 +many older macs and PCs Mac OS X (10.4.9)

These guys talk about the same problems I have,

http://ask.metafilter.com/66733/MacBook-wireless-connectivity-issues



MacBook Pro, MacBook, G3 iBook, dual g5 +many older macs and PCs Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Well I can't answer why you're having issues; I know several people who have a SR MBP and have been traveling with them with no issues.

Most of the issues I've seen reports of is when using encrypted networks, and most Wi-Fi hot spots are setup to be completely open. (Many corporate networks at all, with other security being used.) Other issues have involved 802.11n, and frankly I don't expect 802.11n to work between different vendors at present until the 802.11n draft spec becomes a real one and the various vendors play by the same rules.

I'm glad the USB adapter worked for you, and I hope that Apple has a fix for you soon.

Apple Airport Express Wireless Base Station works perfect.

Hmmm i just think my other router just to old had no problems with new routers that are only like year old tops.

... That's why I finally
found a portable USB adapter that worked.

joelcva,

i bought that d-link usb adpater today just in case this problem doesn't go away. i saved your links for the driver and the article. did your setup go pretty much like was explained in the article? anything else i should know before installing and setting up?

thanks,
jim

... That's why I finally

i bought that d-link usb adpater today just in case
this problem doesn't go away. i saved your links for
the driver and the article. did your setup go pretty
much like was explained in the article? anything else
i should know before installing and setting up?

thanks,
jim

Yeah, pretty much. The only thing I did different is turn Airport off first. The Ralink driver interface allows you to enter in any special settings. It normally pops up on its own when it first connects. If it doesn't just unplug the device and plug it back in. Once set, it will connect the same way automatically every time. I was very surprised at how well it worked with a macbook/macbook pro.





MacBook Pro, MacBook, G3 iBook, dual g5 +many older macs and PCs Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Update on my situation- I can now use my santa rosa macbook pro with my airport extreme base station and connect to the internet. I had a UK configured airport base station and a new American macbook pro.
My colleague gave me this advice and I am now surfing the net via airport:
Had a search on the net and it appears that US bought macbook pros
cant see above channel 13.

Your UK sourced airport extreme may be selecting this by default (I
think mine did when I bought mine).

You need to check/change this using the airport utility (in Utilities)


First select manual setup.

Then select the wireless tab .

Radio mode can be set to whatever you like....your extreme and
macbook both support N, so i would use that....it is backwards
compatible to b and g.

Importantly, you need to make sure the channel is set to 11 or below.
My bet is that yours is set to 13.
Doesnt matter what it is particularly, but you may get interference
on some of the channels e.g form cordless phones.

I have always used 11 and never had a problem.

This shouldnt interfere with your other macs as they should still
find the network. If you are using windows computers you may need to
select the channel depending on the wifi card.

Hopefully this should work, if not I'm stumped !

I am sending this in to the discussion forum incase it will help!

best wishes

LISTEN FOLKS: It's not a problem with the MBP because wireless works fine with OSX 10.4.9. The problem lies in 10.4.10. It has a problem with Linksys and (especially) Netgear routers configured using a certain channel (which happens to be the default). I took mine into the Apple store and it started working.. oddly enough (that's because they use Airport Base stations).

Try re-installing OSX off our boot discs using the "Archive & Install" option. Then download off Apple's site the OSX 10.4.9 Combo update for Intel. Just search Apple.com and you should be able to find it fine.

After doing this Airport worked fine and I'm not going to upgrade unless Apple has a specific fix for this problem.

it probably worked fine in the apple store because their network is open and not encrypted. the 10.4.9 fix will lessen the problem but i eventually started getting KPs again after about a week. if on the other hand you have the earlier version of the airport firmware, then the reversion to 10.4.9 may continue to work. i agree it's not a good idea to do any OS upgrading at this point unless the upgrade has a fix for the airport problem.

It's not surprising it worked with an Apple router. The real acid test is whether it works with those commonly found in the wild, like your DI-714+, for instance.


MacBook Pro, MacBook, G3 iBook, dual g5 +many older macs and PCs Mac OS X (10.4.9)

I'm having same problem. Will call Apple support to start a case. When using wired ethernet, no problem. When using battery and wireless, it drops every 20-30 minutes. I also had a hard crash when on wireless over a month ago but that was before recent updates to OS and firmware updates. But the internet dropping persists. My cure has been to turn off Airport and then turn it back on. But that's a nuisance. And so is the weak connection -- 2-3 bars when I am 9 feet from my Airport Express. I'd rather not have to send it in, but if that's what it takes...

UPDATE: So I went out today and bought a Linksys Wireless-G Access Point for the office to replace the Netgear one we had. All MacBooks and MacBook Pro's are working great. Weird.

Netgear problem? Mac problem? Everyone I ask or read from seems to be pointing fingers in every direction. I guess it's not a problem for me anymore. The Linksys works. I suggest going out and buying a Linksys. If it doesn't work, take it back.

Powerbook G4 1.67 GHz Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Am currently experiencing bizarre WiFi behavior from my MBP 2.16 CD2, late 06 modle. When I go to my T-Mobile Hot Spot account, I usually get disconnected after less than 5-10 minutes, esp. if I am idle for a couple minutes. Have never had this behavior before with this MBP. Usually T-mobile connection is very reliable. Have had this happen at several different locations within the last week or so. When I refresh home page, browser will not find the T-Mobile log-in page. I actually have to restart MBP to get back online. The only thing I can figure is that maybe my recent Apple software updates has caused this. Maybe 10.4.10. Just thought I'd share my experience to let you know that it's not something wrong with new MBP hardware.

Cube 1.25 Ghz, MBP C2Duo 2.16, iPods, iPhone Mac OS X (10.4.3)