MacBook Pro constantly losing wireless connectivity

AirPort Card Information:

Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x87)
Wireless Card Locale: USA
*Wireless Card Firmware Version: 1.3.5*
Current Wireless Network: HOME
Wireless Channel: 1

My MBP has become absolutely unusable with Wifi. When I bought it last year it had the Kernel Panic Issue where an error somewhere in the airport driver caused the entire machine to freeze. Then after some time (during this time I connected only via ethernet cable) there was an update that fixed the problem. Until a couple of months ago everything was running fine. Now I have this issue of the MBP constantly loosing the Wifi connection. The wireless network is aboslutely fine, I now use my girlfriends Macbook to surf via Wifi which does not loose the connection once when using it for hours. The MBP cannot be used anymore with Wifi... This is absolutely redicuous. I love my MBP but a modern computer for quite some money and I can't use it in my Wifi network...

Looks like there's an Airport Utility update, but I don't think this has anything to do with the actual Airport driver, just the utility for configuring a base station.

Anthony Cordeiro wrote:
Looks like there's an Airport Utility update, but I don't think this has anything to do with the actual Airport driver, just the utility for configuring a base station.

Correct. I stopped posting on this thread after I phoned up and spoke to some very helpful support people who sent me a capture data utility to start cataloguing my experiences with this problem which effects my MBP, MacBook, mac mini and my sisters MacBook. Also Apple TV is completely useless as a streaming device so they keep replacing it for one the same with the same problem.

I've heard nothing back despite providing them with a deluge of information about these problems. It affects all of the machines mentioned above in wireless g/n, with or without security, with or without mac address filtering, with or without SSID broadcasting, with multiple routers including two airport extremes, on leopard and since reverting back occassionally on Tiger.

I Installed Leopard on an external HDD plugged into my MBP and did all the updates, exactly the same.

I'll try and contact them again this week. if I can't get hold of the person who was dealing with my case then I'll have to put the airport extreme + express and the 2 apple TV's I now have on ebay. should recoup some of my costs at least.

I took my brand new Macbook Pro, which had all the symptoms of this issue, in for repairs. They replaced the airport card under warranty and all seems well for now (knock on wood..). Just thought I'd let you guys know. It seems there is something they can do about it... Anyway, this doesn't help people with expired Applecare, they should just do a callback and replace the airport cards.

I've got one of the first 1.83 Intel Core Duo's. Somewhere awhile back I started having the problems described in this thread. I'd gone through all of the solutions, to no avail. However, on Tuesday I bought an Airport Extreme Wireless Upgrade Kit for Mac Pro Part number MB363Z/A as my airport card was the older model that didn't have wireless n.

I've had one occurrence of a loss in connectivity in the last two days. I can't believe I have a laptop that I can again use around the house. I was getting pretty frustrated. Now I wonder if the card just needed to be reseated to work properly? I'm almost tempted to put the old card back in to see if that would have solved the problem.

Well, I'm back at the beach where I was having problems last week, and I'm getting a very slow, intermittent network connection. I sent some poor guy about a dozen copies of the same email because it kept looking like it wasn't going through. The little wheel just kept going round and round, and it stayed in my outbox. The router is an older D-link. I don't know if it's a setting issue, but my IBM laptop has no problems with it.

My MBP is an early 2008 and my primary gripe is that the wireless reception (range) is unacceptable. In addition to periodically having problems losing connectivity to the network, I've had to replace a Belkin N router with an Airport Extreme as a base station and finally an Airport Express located literally 25 ft. away from the Extreme to boost the signal so that I can use the MBP in the next room.

My son has a MacBook that picks up the network with no trouble all over the house. My wife's Dell Inspiron 1520 also has better network performance that my MBP. The MBP simply loses signal where the others don't.

I'm going to ask Apple to replace the modem. If they are willing to try that, I'll report the result here for others. If this doesn't help, well then I think I've purchased a very expensive desktop and my first venture into the vaunted Apple realm will leave me with a very bad experience.

Bill

I have to say, it appears that the latest update fix my Macbook Pro. The only remaining issue I seem to have is a short delay when first surfing to a new location. Other than that, I've not dropped the connection!!!

OMG, here we are at 10.5.4 with drop outs sill happening.I have lost complete faith in Apple and will no longer support them with purchases or referrals.I am so angry at this point that an issue has been lingering for this long.My warranty is over and I am stuck with a laptop that cannot be used the way it was intended(mobile wi-fi capability) because Apple is too arrogant to admit they have a serious issue at hand.


Goodbye Apple!!!

I upgraded to 10.5.4 and no help here either. Though, I've found a recipe that seems to help at least:

1) With Airport off, set up a ping within Terminal to a known host or IP address (you'll need to use an IP if Airport is your only connection)

2) Start your Airport connection.

3) After a minute or two, for me anyway, the packet loss starts up again.

4) Turn Airport off.

5) Turn Airport on again.

Leaving the ping running certainly seems to help, but just the restart quickly after the first connection startup may be the trick. Regardless, this is my recipe to keep my connections going, and I've had reasonable success. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

This has become obscene...10.5.4 plus the new upgrade to Airport Extreme Basestation and it still drops the connection (AP Grapher tells me that it still only maintains a 60% connection). Not only obscene but also ridiculous. I have the 1st gen MBP and was considering the AirBook but have withheld until I saw how this was handled...now I'm just taking the AirBook off of the decision table because I have lost all faith in Apple. As much as I dislike MS and Windows, this experience has moved Apple into the same corner (and I've been a dedicated Apple user since 1980).

I think the problems with bad connection cannot be related to same reason in all cases.

I had a MBpro 2,4GHZ newest Generation having know Problems with Leopard 5.2 to 5.3. ´(I had to return it because of some Display failure) The connection was not strong but i could do all the updates with good speed and didnt have to fear because of a disconnect.

Second was MBpro 2,2GHZ Midsummer 2007 edition which had big networkproblems loosing the connection from the same position constantly. Couldnt even think doing any updates from there. Retsarting the PC or turning airport on and off or changing to sleep and waking up did not bring the connection back.
It only worked within 5 Meters range. But if u came back from the "weaker area" to the area of optimal reception, it didnt reconnect automatically unless u restarted or made "sleep/wakeup"



While an Imac G3 had constant connection with good transfer rate from the same position

A cheap old Windows Laptop could connect too Not excellent but there was a connection. and could be adjusted to a satisfying connection, Allthough it has damaged Antenna.
So the reason cant be a noisy channel because the MBpro 2,2GHZ is the only Computer dropping connection in this place.

A

(P.S: Its an AEBS Router)

Message was edited by: Alfi

Cant edit any more so i continue by answering:

In my case it cant be (purely) software related because the 2,4GHZ PB had no connection issue using the same SW.

i live in the uk and have a usa version mac book pro .

i get drop signals as well....

i have a imac 20" and works better than my MBP.

looking to sort this out too.
jai