Q: MacBook Pro constantly losing wireless connectivity

My advice:  if you can still purchase Apple Care, DO IT NOW.   Apple Care buys you a couple of years of free problems solving over phone, and free Genius Bar(in Apple Store) fixes.  Once you have a track record of NOT being able to solve your problem, you can call Apple Corporate and Customer Affairs.  This is how I got a new MacBook Pro - and, bingo, problems gone.  This is a hardware problem, comes and goes, etc.  Read some of the posts here and you'll get a good idea how profound the problem is.  With hope, you can fix yours.  If not, you'll need to replace the laptop entirely.  In my opinion, this problem is an engineering failure.  All those big shots at Apple - and basic problem like this affecting so many?  Shame.

Pathetically, all you can actually do if you are having problems is use an Apple Airport or Airport Express in bridge mode if you have this problem. Apple has completely, consistently, and unapologetically dropped the ball on this since at least 2008 spanning multiple hardware generations, and countless software updates intended to fix the issue. Apparently they don't take the issue seriously. Odd since they don't bother to put network ports on many of their products now.

Different things will work on other routers for some amount of time, but the only consistent thing to work is an Apple access point, but nothing really fixes it. Cisco enterprise equipment seems to work ok, but not the Linksys/Cisco consumer equipment.

I don't think I would buy AppleCare.

There is no simple answer though.

The fact you can see your network in "advanced" just means the mac is set up to look for it.

Did you have your wifi hidden as well as password protected? If so I would unhide it. Pointless and adds nothing to security.

Our problem went away after doing two things, still not sure which really did the trick.

Completely removed all traces of wifi settings and remembered networks and started again.

Bought a better router. Not apple though, a netgear that does 5Ghz wifi which avoids clashes with every neighbour who is on 2.4Ghz.

Works perfectly now.

Excact same problem... only started once I upgraded to lion, and then was on both wireless and if I plugged directly into router.

What fixed it for me was to turn off IP Flooding protection in my Routers firewall settings. For some reason that became an issue with my OSX upgrade, once I did that, internet was instantly fixed and have been screaming along for days..... This was after messing with DNS servers, disabling page swapping, etc etc etc... none of which worked. This is an easy and cheap fix if it works for you.  Good luck!

What a nightmare!

Just set my routers wireless channel to a fixed number from 'auto' and the network immediately popped up on the MacBook and connected. Don't know for how long, and it seems a bit slow but I'll let you know.

I've had my MacBook Pro for about 18 months, and it's just developed the problem that everyone is talking about here and which, by all accounts, Apple seems to be ignoring. I've got a BT Infinity fibre connection, which normally delivers a 40mbps connection. When my Airport is connected - and that's not very often - it's now delivering around 3mbps. Like other people are saying, the Airport suggestions I'm connected to the internet but more often that not webpages are unresponsive and I eventually get a message saying I'm not connected to the internet. Tried most of the obvious, non-drastic solutions like resetting modem, and I've got into a cycle of turning Airport on and off, but this problem seems to be here to stay. I'm wondering if upgrading to Lion might help. Currently using previous OX, Snow Leopard.

How old is your Aiprort? The advice I received from an Apple store was that if using an older Airport, loss of connection or slow speeds may occur. I had awful problems until I bought an Airport Extreme last month - and voila all works fine. I wish I'd known about this a long, long time ago. It may be your cure.

I agree.

I replaced my old first generation AE in the beginning of May for a new one, and have been without problems since then. Touch wood...

I think it's an outrage that you need to purchase another expensive apple product to get something as simple as wireless to work. There is a defect in your laptop, and Apple should fix it! If your macbook is 18 months old, chances are that by law you are still entitled to warranty even though Apple only gives you 12. So, contact apple care and get them to fix or replace your machine!

PK Tjo o Tjim wrote:

 

Pathetically, all you can actually do if you are having problems is use an Apple Airport or Airport Express in bridge mode if you have this problem. Apple has completely, consistently, and unapologetically dropped the ball on this since at least 2008 spanning multiple hardware generations, and countless software updates intended to fix the issue. Apparently they don't take the issue seriously. Odd since they don't bother to put network ports on many of their products now.

 

Different things will work on other routers for some amount of time, but the only consistent thing to work is an Apple access point, but nothing really fixes it. Cisco enterprise equipment seems to work ok, but not the Linksys/Cisco consumer equipment.

Right… as if there aren't Apple users happily using their products in conjunction with a variety of WAPs and routers from multiple vendors all day, every day without issue.

If you see an issue with Apple products and Linksys gear, perhaps Linksys needs to fix their firmware.

I have tried with different wireless routers but the problem is the same. I have a windows laptop on the same network. It doesn't drops the connection but mac even can not reconnect after the first time out drop.

It is really annoying should I always have to make a cable connection. Please Apple People help us.

Here is the ping table:

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=187 ttl=254 time=8.209 ms

Request timeout for icmp_seq 188

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=189 ttl=254 time=8.978 ms

Request timeout for icmp_seq 190

Request timeout for icmp_seq 191

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=192 ttl=254 time=46.466 ms

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=193 ttl=254 time=4.653 ms

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=194 ttl=254 time=5.314 ms

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=195 ttl=254 time=5.245 ms

Request timeout for icmp_seq 196

Request timeout for icmp_seq 197

Request timeout for icmp_seq 198

64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=199 ttl=254 time=202.190 ms

Request timeout for icmp_seq 200

Request timeout for icmp_seq 201

Request timeout for icmp_seq 202

Request timeout for icmp_seq 203

Just discovered this post after my MB471ll/a just had it's LB replaced for the second time in a month. NOW, this MBP won't stay connected to my home networl since the LB was replaced the first time!

I have been to the AppleStoe 6 times in the past 6 weeks and my 3 yr Applecare expired 5 days ago.

I have 2 other MBPs, 2 Imacs, 1 Ipad3 and 2 Iphones which all connect seemlessly.

My cable ISP who provided my router spent hours troubleshooting this before telling me it's the MBP.

My worst fear was realized, took it in before the warranty expired to fix the backlit KB and it comes back WORSE.

If I wanted this kind of service, I'd have stuck with Dell...for a lot less $$

Same thing happened to me yigittezel, look two pages back on how I fixed it, might help you.

Thanks Alot, Chaning the wireless channel worked. That was really very easy.

Easy for you lol that took me a week or so with trial and error.  I live in a condo complex so tons of channel interference.  You might have to change channels again.