Q: MacBook Pro constantly losing wireless connectivity

Good luck to everyone.  I feel bad for you.

I know the fix in my case:  a new MBP (and an Apple Airport). 

I believe they know about it, and are hoping not to deal with it - a big costly problem.

Caught this discussion looking for answers for my 2.7 Ghz Intel i5 iMac. Same exact symtoms. WiFi dropping regularly; from a few min to an hr or so. Turning Airport on/off regained connection. Or could simply select the desired network, which for some reason is shown not "checked", even though the WiFi signal indicator looks like connection is made (to somewhere) in top panel.

My solution was to set the iMac to a static IP address. (Also need to set DNS. Google DNS is good. 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4)

I'm using Netgear FWG114P WiFi router, G speed and WPA. No other computers  have a problem with this network - many other (earlier) Macs, Win, and Linux.

SOLUTION: Hi All. After 2 years of endless wifi problems with my Macbook Pro (from Snow Leopard through to Lion), I finally did some research on the Airport Express (AEX). It looked like users have been very satisfied with it. So I bought 2 Airport Express units, turned off the wifi on my ADSL router, connected one AEX directly to the router via ethernet and installed another at the opposite end of my house and set it to extend the wireless signal of the first AEX. It has been 6 days now and I have had a rock solid wifi connection throughout my house and have not dropped once. I run my office from home and therefore run my network all day everyday.

I don't know if it is a plot by Apple to sell only their own products, but every other post I have read has been fruitless with regards to configuring their wifi routers channels, encryption, etc, etc, etc. I tried it all. I finally decided to do this after I bought my wife a Macbook Air 3 weeks ago and was having the same problem. I finally deduced that the problem is compatibility between the Macbooks and Router. Now my router is only used for wired connections.

I am suffering from exactly this problem.  I can't use wireless on my Macbook Pro or my Mac Mini.  I have tried four different Wireless Access Points as well as various public hotspots, all of which drop the connections.  I am reluctant to buy Airports to fix the problem having invested in Cisco wireless but it makes using wireless useless to me.  I thought wireless was meant to be a standard, turns out it isn't in this case :-(

Hi Duncan. I believe you will be able to return the Air Express to Apple if it doesn't work. I asked them at the iStore before I bought it whether I could return it if my problem was not resolved. I am running about 8 days now with no problems.

Hi,

My frustration is having bought equipment from Apple that is publicly listed as supporting 802.11 wireless standards it turns out to be misleading, my MacBook Pro and Mac Mini BOTH drop connections.

If you read the customer reviews for the Airport on the shop site it has a common theme, "my home access point suddendly started dropping network connections so I replaced it with the airport etc......". What the users should say is my Mac is dropping connections to devices unless I buy a proprietary Apple wireless access point. The thing is they think the problem lies with their AP, it doesn't. I bet a PC would keep connections.

I have invested a lot in my wireless network, I bought Cisco access points (not Linksys owned by Cisco), because from my past experience they work really well. Well they do with every computer apart from a Mac running OSX. If you use bootcamp and just boot Windows guess what...??  It works so it seems to be a ploy to generate more sales of expensive Airports to fix the problem than just fix it so the hardware actually is compatible and just works.

I am frustrated that in order to get the freedom of being able to use my Mac wirelessly I have to fork out even more money to replace kit that works just fine for EVERYTHING apart from the Macs.

I am not happy about it. What will I have to replace next?  My worry is if Apple can't shift another product then compatibles will stop working soon just so the fix is sell proprietary Apple products.   Open standards have been closed today!

I hear your frustration. Strangely the iStore I went to, are running a normal Billion ADSL wifi router and they claim it is working fine. My nephew is running a Netgear and he is having no problems either. I have a Billion ADSL router (different model) and a Canyon (no ADLS) Wifi router as well. When connected to the Canyon I had no problems at the opposite end of my house, but when I was connected to the Billion in my office it kept dropping out.

I just didn't want to go through the pain and cost of trying different routers.

I really hope you come right. Did you try firmware updates for your access points, and changing wireless channels?

Hi,

yep, tried different channels, I have been reducing the security so gone WPA-2 Personal to WPA Personal (don't want to drop further into WEP as it is so insecure), upgraded firmware, tried four different access points, you name it, it doesn't work when I run OSX on a Mac.  Ironically running Windows directly through Bootcamp does work so it is an Apple problem not an access point problem.  I have lots of wireless devices in my house, they ALL work apart from the Macs which drop their connections. 

If the fix is having to buy proprietary kit then it is not a fix to me, it is a fix up by Apple to generate more sales which I am not happy about.

Apple should not be allowed to say they support a defined standard when they obviously don't.  Look at the thousands of posts here with people all suffering from the same problem, it is not us, it is Apple that has the problem.

If it works only by buying proprietary Apple kit then it is not an open standard.

I'm about one week into this potential solution . . . so far, so good!!

I am running 11 days now without a problem. I undertand where Duncan35 is coming from. The Macbook should not only work with proprietary equipment, but like I said, some people have changed their routers and have resolved their problems. My Canyon router was not dropping the connection but my office Billion was.

My MBP, late 2009, works as it should for a couple of months, and then I have about a week with lots of problems, having to reset the Airport Express (1:st gen), trying various tricks that I don't know if they really works or not. And then it suddenly stops causing problems. I had simillar problems with my previous MBP, last model before Unibody.

When I have problems with my MBP trying to connect to my network, my iPhone has no problem.

The computer finds all the networks of my neighbours.

Right now when I've reset my AE and I'm connected, the Airport-utillity still says it can't find the Airport-unit after the reset…

It's really anoying!

Took my MBP to authorized Apple service center 3-19-12 took it apart and reseated...got it back yesterday has been running about 24 hours now with no WIFI issues.

I'll try posting this again... my connection dropped last time which hung Firefox so I lost it. 

I have a new 21.5" iMac, 2.7Ghz Intel Core i5 with 4 GB running Mac OSX ver 10.7.3.

I am amazed that this issue is still happening 4 years later.... this is 2012 already, it shouldn't be this hard to get a stable wifi connection. 

My iMac displays that it is connected but it isn't. I have a iPhone 4s, 3 iPhone 4's, 2 windows 7 laptops, a Kindle Fire, a Google TV and a wireless HP printer that all maintain a stable connection just fine.  I have lost my wifi connection at least 5 times just reading through this thread searching for a solution.

I've tried the Google DNS, static IP and other fixes without relief.  The only work around I have found is that when my connection drops, I click on the wireless icon and turn off the wifi then turn it back on to re-establish my connection.

I have tried two different routers so far.  I have hesitated to buy an apple router because I was sceptical that the router was the problem.  I might try that next just to keep my sanity as it seems to have helped others although it rubs me the wrong way being forced to do that when it shouldn't be required.

If this affliction was happening to any company but apple, they would be crucified. Apple gets a free pass for some reason.   This has been going on for at least 4 years to many different platforms, enough already.

Thanks, I feel better, venting over.

This is a HUGE issue and we find ourselves here in hope Apple would be more attentive.  I have posted my problems too and have worked through several community suggested solutions to no avail. That these issues exist --  ongoing for YEARS is a disgrace!  APPLE --- are you listening?

MattzOnFire - I agree.  That's what needs to happen.