Q: MacBook Pro constantly losing wireless connectivity

I was told yesterday by Tech Support that it is a Mac Software issue because it has a hard time renewing the dynamic IP address that typically everybody get from their ISP provider. The only way to resolve this is to get a static IP address which one can set up their router to do. So do not expect a patch or resolution anytime soon.

Has anybody else tried this? We have had a lot of suggestions on this forum how to solve the connection problems, for 99 percent of us the none of these suggestions have solved our problems, could this be it?

Just a recap: the problem is that MBP users manage to connect to wireless network but is disconnected after around 20 seconds every time. there have been different suggestions how to solve this but no solutions so far. Apple doesnt seem to take this problem seriously even though it has been a problem for MBP users for years.

Most routers doesnt work while a few routers work. Why some routers work and most dont we dont know!

Using ethernet cable connecting to internet works, its using wireless router only that doesnt work!

hgunneng wrote:

 

Most routers doesnt work while a few routers work. Why some routers work and most dont we dont know!

 

It's actually the other way around; most routers work while a few apaprently do not, unless most hotels and Starbucks locations just happen to use the ones that work.

Reducing mode down to 11bg in my router + lower temperature (October) helped me with the problem: no disconnections any more for now.

For those still having problems, I believe I have found something that worked for me.  I think there are really two issues users are experiencing (usually one or the other, and probably are different causes):

1. Wireless networks boot the MBP off the wireless network all-together, and signal appears as zero.

2. Wireless network remains "connected", signal strength appears normal, but internet connection just stops working until airport is cycled on/off/on.

I was having the latter issue (maintaining signal strength and connectedness, but internet dropping).  And my house of mixed apple and PC users soon discovered this was a Mac only issue.  The issue started happening only after switching from one wireless NETGEAR router, to a cable company provided modem/gateway/router multipurpose box, coupled with a series of wireless access-points-only (ie. no DHCP in the wireless APs, only in the modem/router combo).  The only difference in the configurations between the old NETGEAR router and the new cable modem router was the subnet that the DHCP servers were using.  The old NETGEAR used 192.168.1.xxx, whereas the new router used 192.168.0.xxx.

I had done some reading that the 192.168.0.xxx subnet has become used a lot more frequently these days, but that the 192.168.1.xxx subnet is the previously most common used one.  Some users had experienced issues with NAT and dmz configurations when operating on the 192.168.0.xxx new-standard subnet.

I decided to do some testing and see what the results would be.  First, I turned off the DHCP server in the new cable modem router and hard wired it to the old NETGEAR router.  I disabled the wireless radio on the NETGEAR and hard-wired my new AP-only wireless points.  All this did basically was use the old NETGEAR as a DHCP server between the modem and my APs.  Of course all the computers in the house were now on the 192.168.1.xxx subnet.  Tried it for a few hours....no drops...looking good.

Decided to keep testing it, swapped out the NETGEAR for my friends newer d-link router, setup in the same way.  Only difference was the d-link used the 192.168.0.xxx subnet for DHCP distribution.  Otherwise, it was performing the same task as in my NETGEAR experiment, strictly acting as a DHCP server in my network, no wireless functions whatsoever.  Tried for a few hours, and sure enough, the drops in internet connection returned.

What I'm getting at here is that my experiment showed that with the identical WIRELESS radios, configuration and placement, I would get different results by only changing what device performed DHCP distribution.  Those DHCP servers that distributed on 192.168.0.xxx had frequent drops, those on 192.168.1.xxx did not.

I have no idea if this is the cause or not, but it worked for me and I suppose its worth a shot as nobody has found a real fix yet.  If you can change the subnet on your router (my cable modem router was only set-up to use the 192.168.0.xxx, and it couldn't be changed), but I believe some can be, try it!

Best of luck, keep trying things out.  Theres nothing to say that my dropped connections won't start dropping again in a few days...or hours...or in the next minute :/

Thanks mac1234 for an interesting new slant.  First of all, Apple, with 1,100 users taking the time to reply, shame on you for not having a fix in the three years that this annoying problem has existed.  For each one who posts here, figure there are 5,000 who gave up or put their MBP on craigslist.  All of my software is up to date with Lion 10.7.2 etc. on my MacBookPro3,1.

I have a wireless cable modem (wireless is disabled because it's only b/g) with a Time Capsule 802.11n operaing as a bridge.  The subnet is the usual 192.168.0.xxx configuration.  After trying everything I've read including trashing preferences, resetting SMC, zapping PRAM, whispering "Think Different" in 16 different languages within three feet of he MBP on Tuesday, it still cycles about every 5-10 seconds, disconnecting and looking for a wireless network. I connected an old Airport Exteme to he cable modem and set it to 802.11g and made that primary for the MBP.  All that accomplished was finding a new use for a paperweight. The MBP now alternates between the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme about every ten seconds.  Backups constantly fail.  The AE has it's own subnet in the form of 10.1.0.xxx and that made no difference.  So I potentially have three wireless routers and my MBP can't stay connected to anything - I'm gonna rename it Larry King.  Steve, wherever you are, this is not the way tech support was intended to work.

Hi Folks,

As an update after a month of use, I just want to say that my macbook pro has been working fine ever since I made the changes I described (Am still running Snow Leopard 10.6.8).  Several wrote to say that this wasn't really a solution (and I agree) but I haven't had to tinker at all with my wireless settings ever since I made the changes, and my connection has been steady.  I have a sneaky feeling that it was the "set service order" change that caused the problem--maybe the bug lies somewhere in the search for the other services.

Now one change I have noticed is that I'm simultaneously connected to wireless and to wired connections, the computer will use the wireless connection unless I specifically turn off the wireless.

Ichatapple, it sounds like you have the first problem I described. My comments regarding the DHCP subnet only really make sense for the other issue I think (the one I was having).

An idea for those with the wireless connection issue like ichatapples, not a fix but a bandaid, get a USB wifi adapter. I'd imagine If you weren't using built in airport card the issue wouldn't persist.

I have the same problem with my MBP, both my Macbook White's have no problems, just the MBP that keeps loosing the wireless connection, I've tried everything but nothing seems to work, I can't get expreslane support from Apple, as my country is not listed (South Africa) and the support I can get is for iPhone...... Really frustrated and ticked off!

OK let me add my story, this saga is already 75 pages long, so one more won't hurt.

I found out I had a problem with our MacBook (not Pro) not connecting to our new wireless access point. Well, it connected alright. But that's where it stopped.

No application was able to connect, web browser, Skype, iChat, etc. But all other wireless devices and laptops connected fine and worked fine. It sure looked like the Macbook having an issue with the AP. The AP I am using has a firewall with advanced logging and I can testify I saw all requests pass the AP/firewall, and being returned. But the Macbook wouldn't have it.

I also tried to test from the command line, and verified that DNS and ping were both working. So the connection worked! But... not quite. Yes, ping and dns lookups worked fine, but apps were unable to connect. Also tried telnet and SSH from the command line - no luck.

However ... when I changed the AP from 802.11n to 802.11g everything came back to life. So it seems the Macbook has __some__ problems with 802.11n. Why do Ping and DNS work?? Why does the rest fail??

Anyone has the same issues?

I have a Comcast Xfinity modem/router, and PC's and Mac on the network.  All my PC's work great but all my Apple products drop internet connection every once in a while.  Mac Book drops connection but at least reconects automatically, same with my iTouch but the most frustrating is with Airport Express.  It connects for a couple of minutes then drops and the only way to reconnect is disconnecting it and reconnecting.  I've tried almost everything, removed firewall, static IP, some other funky stuff found on the internet.  This is obviously something particular to apple products.

I have tried the static IP, doesn't work, keeps dropping the wifi, now when I run network diagnostics (have to every 5 minutes to get my connection going again) it asks me for my administrator password to make changes..... This is really ridiculous, would I have known this at forehand, I would have never bought the MBP!

I had a problem with my first mac pro. Went in so many times to genius bar they got tired of me and just swapped it out lol. That being said the first mac was working fine with connectivty until i reinstalled snow leopard. Then with the new macbook pro they swapped out for me things were working good for about two months until last week the computer wouldnt go to sleep when i closed it. So took it to genius bar and they reinstalled lion. Come home and having the same problems i had the first time i reistalled the os on my first mac. So im thinking for me at least thats the problem. Connect for a few then it disconnects. However I managed to fix it idk how i fixed it though lol. I moved my network to the first in line in settings then I noticed it was connected to any networks. So i clicked on mine put the password in and vuala its been working fine now for 3 days.

JaapHoetmer wrote:

 

However ... when I changed the AP from 802.11n to 802.11g everything came back to life. So it seems the Macbook has __some__ problems with 802.11n. Why do Ping and DNS work?? Why does the rest fail??

 

Does your router have the most recent firmware available for it installed?

When most 802.11n devices came out, it was still a draft standard; in the past year the standard was officially accepted, and Apple's 802.11n stack now complies with the official standard; your router may still be using assumptions based on the draft standard.

i tried this and the router didnt aswer any more.. so i needed to connect per lan and set it back to mixed