New MacBook Pro & Leopard - Airport Connection problems

I wrote to apple about this a few days ago and did again today with more detail, pointing out that many are having this problem. Maybe if we keep sending that bug report they begin to notice. Here is the link to report to apple, it's easy:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html/

I am having the same problem. I have sent a feedback complaint. I agree everyone should submit one.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html/

I just did

I noticed that when the connection drops and refuses to connect it shows that is connect to my SSID but if I look at the IP it is some weird internet IP it did not receive from my router.

Possible work around included until Apple fixes, seems to have solved my problems. As a friendly reminder to those who are having problems; detailed information about your hardware is always more helpful than general information about the symptoms. Not meaning to flame anyone or be a jerk, but nobody can fix anything if the commonality can't be determined. So in the spirit of that statement:

Computer system: Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo
Boot rom version: MBP22.00A5.B07
SMC version: 1.12f5
Wireless Card: Airport Extreme
Wireless Firmware: 1.2.2
Network router: Linksys WRT150N
Router Firmware: 1.00.5
Network Mode: Mixed
SSID Broadcast: Disabled
MAC Filter: On
Encryption: PSK2 Personal


My symptoms were Airport card not being able to connect to network after sleep. It would repeatedly connect then immediately disconnect. I also had an extremely reduced range. I could no longer work in places that had previously not been a problem. I upgraded my Macbook's wireless card driver when Apple released it months ago. I don't know if Leopard installs this update to eligible computers but I would guess yes.

One thing I noticed from this thread is that those who posted specs all had NON Apple wireless Pre-N routers, myself included. Since Wireless N is still bleeding edge technology and it seemed to be a common theme, I changed the network mode on the router from mixed to G-Only. Then I applied the keychain update, followed by deleting and recreating the wireless settings in network preferences. Now I've only had about 2 hours of testing, but this seems to have solved the majority of my problems. Only once in about 100 times of putting the computer to sleep and waking did it not connect to the network, but turning airport off then back on made it connect. If it continues to happen I will enable SSID broadcast as I've had problems before with hidden networks. Range has also come back to acceptable levels.

YMMV, standard disclaimers apply.

Scott

100years wrote:
I'll try this when I get home - but for those of us not so savvy, can you explain what you meant by

"Then I applied the keychain update"

Cheers.

NP. 100Years I only meant that I downloaded and applied the "Keychain and Login" update supplied from Apple via software update.

Please let us know if this worked or even helped a little for you. I have several other MBP's that are getting Leopard in the next few weeks and it certainly would be helpful if people could actually use the computer to access the network 😉

As a side note I just noticed that JayOK posted he was using an Apple base station. Still wireless N, but apparently not just NON Apple routers.

YMMV. Standard disclaimers apply.

Scott

I replaced the linksys WRT300N with a new apple extreme router and the problem of disconnect after sleep doesn't happen anymore. It is also substantially faster and I set up wireless printing which works. The apple base station is connected to a PC with Windows XP. My macbook pro now connects much faster and without any disconnects on the wifi.

This is not a fix, obviously, since I go places that have linksys or other and the problem is still existing there.

I think there may be two different problems described in this thread:
1. loss of airport network connection after sleep (most commonly reported)
2. intermittent airport connection, which seems to occur at random, regardless of whether the computer is put to sleep.

i just installed leopard on my5 month old mbp at the office. it worked fine at the office with an ethernet connection. at home, i have an airport extreme base station, which has worked extremely well until today. as soon as I started using my mbp at home with the wireless connection, the wireless signal began to be intermittent (I loose it a few times per minute!). Then, when I plugged in the power supply it stopped and keeps the connection (which I think someone else mentioned in this thread). When I go back to the batter power, it becomes intermittent again.... Hopefully this will be a clue to apple.

I have the same "connection timeout" problem with the Westell router. Yet, interesting thing's happen to me when I connected to my neighbor's Apple's router and got connected. I suspect this is a compatibility problem between Apple computer and Non-Apple router. I also capture some connection error on the router's connection error log. Maybe somebody can find some clue out of this.
-----------------
Date: November 2, 2007
Time: 0:21:29Date: November 1, 2007
Time: 22:21:23

Connection Entries

CURRENT MODEM STATUS

DSL Modem Status....... Up

PPP Session Status...... Up

Connection Type......... PPPoE

Time set from............. Local

Time since last boot.... 0 days, 0 hrs: 36 mins: 36 secs

EVENTS
********************************************************************
Events are listed starting from the most recent.
********************************************************************
THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'lb. dns-sd.udp.myhome.westell.com'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'dr. dns-sd.udp.myhome.westell.com'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'r. dns-sd.udp.myhome.westell.com'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'db. dns-sd.udp.myhome.westell.com'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'b. dns-sd.udp.myhome.westell.com'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'lb. dns-sd.udp.0.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'dr. dns-sd.udp.0.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'r. dns-sd.udp.0.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'db. dns-sd.udp.0.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: 'b. dns-sd.udp.0.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa'

THU NOV 01 22:22:51 2007
DNS: Unknown host: '1.0.0.127.dnsbugtest.1.0.0.127.in-addr.arpa'

end of diagnostic log file
-------------------

I'm having the same issues with my MBP and my G5, all was working great until I upgraded to Leopard. I am constantly kicked off the internet, I have to turn off airport and turn it on and cross my fingers and hope I'll have a connection long enough to send an email.

I NEED HELP FOR THIS as I work as a freelance designer and I need a constant internet connection.

I have

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM51.0090.B09
SMC Version: 1.8f2

with the Airport of

Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x87)
Wireless Card Locale: USA
Wireless Card Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.25.8)

I must use LEAP authentication since I am on an enterprise network in my office (at a college in which I don't have wired access). I cannot reset the routers given that I am not a system administrator nor will I ever be able to persuade anyone to do that (so please don't suggest that.)

I have the same issues of connection: it will connect on occasion, particularly after a cold boot. It does the self-assigned IP after the computer goes into sleep mode. I have edited the key chain to get rid of the numerous times the network I connect to was mentioned in it.

Still no go. I am assuming that this is indeed a network protocol issue. Again I cannot force our routers to behave nicely, I have to live with this and my desktop iMac is not making that easy.

Temporarily resolved the frustration by telling my iMac never to go into sleep mode. That is not very Earth-friendly, but I've had not problem coming and going from my office and having to spend several minutes trying to reconnect to the wireless network. I note, however, that when I cold boot (which happens, thank god, only once per day) I must manually enter my network's information, otherwise it thinks the LEAD network is a WEP. No matter what I do in the "Advanced" settings dialogue, nothing will force it to behave right. Something is royally messed up with both the network connection application and the key database.

i have a macbook 2.16 running linksys wrt3000n i cant get it to reconect after sleep mode and it kicks out while i browse webpages diagnostics say every thing is in the green except isp and internet they turn yellow then red then sometimes yellow and red or green.i have to restart sometimes which doesn't always work or wait for it to come back on i had same problem using my ibook g4 and the wrt45g router. i also run vista on my macbook but that seems to work with out a problem so far haven't got kicked off and webpages and files download 3 times as fast it seems like i wonder if there is a problem with the airport driver or just the operating system i tried linksys but there overseas tech support were clueless and couldn't understand the words "i dual boot my macbook with ma os x and vista" she kept insisting i had 2 laptops and when i asked for a tech that knows about macs she basically said there was no one with all kinds of excuses. but they did fix my p.c. wireless problem(but thats a different story

Clinton Gardner wrote:

I must use LEAP authentication since I am on an enterprise network in my office (at a college in which I don't have wired access). I cannot reset the routers given that I am not a system administrator nor will I ever be able to persuade anyone to do that (so please don't suggest that.)

I have the same issues of connection: it will connect on occasion, particularly after a cold boot. It does the self-assigned IP after the computer goes into sleep mode. I have edited the key chain to get rid of the numerous times the network I connect to was mentioned in it.

Still no go. I am assuming that this is indeed a network protocol issue. Again I cannot force our routers to behave nicely, I have to live with this and my desktop iMac is not making that easy.

Given now two days worth of testing after setting my network router to G-Only mode, and not having a single problem. I am convinced this is a driver issue negotiating with N networks. It would be nice if 100years would check back in and let us know his results, or if someone else having the problem could try setting thier router to G only mode and report results back.

If you can't muck with the network, and can't convince anyone else to either, then your pretty much SOL if it's a wireless N negotiation issue. There is one thing you could try. While the network is connected and working, hold down the control (ctrl) key and reselect your network's name from the airport menu at the top of the screen. This used to force the airport extreme cards into B mode, but I have no idea what if anything it does in Leopard. Worth a shot.

Could somebody, anybody please confirm if setting their router to G mode only solves the connection problems for them?

Thanks
Scott