Q: MacBook Pro constantly losing wireless connectivity

I have been looking for a solution for weeks now. My MacBook Pro will loose connection to the wireless (while my work computer Sony stays connected, as does my iPhone) and couldnt figure out what to do.

I removed Real Player Download Manager from my login and my computer is running back to normal - wireless connection is fully restored and doesnt time out, doesnt freeze, and stays connected!! I cant believe it! thanks so much!

After my last post, my connection worked pretty well for a whole week. I didn't have drops and didn't have to do any special configurations other than creating a location for the office just to be sure (it still worked on automatic location).

That means... I think... that the problem was created by an update between 10.5.1 and 10.5.5. I can't tell which.

During the weekend I saw there was a 2009 Airport update that promised to solve issues with mixed mode networks, roaming and large networks. I thought that maybe Apple had found the issue caused by a previous update and decided to update. HUGE MISTAKE. I'm 10.5.6 again, with the latest updates applied and all my problems have resurfaced.

I'll probably have to reinstall the system again and just stay on 10.5.1, without security updates, java updates, airport updates... Not a great idea and it bothers me to do it... but the only solution that has worked so far for me. I can't even try new things because I would have to update like I did this weekend and be in trouble again if the promised fixes aren't delivered.

So far I am sure it's a software problem and it was caused by Apple, I mean, by one of the updates between 10.5.1 and 10.5.5. Apple, please fix this!

Is there a way to revert the updates I applied and go back to 10.5.1 without reinstalling the whole system?

in 2009 i am still getting problems with wireless on the macbookpro cutting out intermittently. I reset the PRAM - nothing - removed checked and all sorts and still nothing. My wife's iMac has no problem at all and it is 5ft away from me.

BTHomehub 2.0. Does this really make a difference - doesn't seem it with all different routers being used.

Come Apple do something about this as internet working every 5 mins then not is really hard work.

I have the same problem here.

Everything was working perfectly before the 2009_001 airport update.
After the update, I get intermittent loss of wifi connection.

My roommate's PC computer have no problems with the wifi so I'm absoultely sure it's not a problem with our wireless router.

The airport icon shows the signal at full strength yet my connection is lost.
To fix this, I have to turn off Airport, then turn it back on.

It seems I'm having the same problems as everyone else. My crappy 8 year old Compaq laptop has no problem keeping a wireless signal while my even crappier MBP can only hold a signal for 5 minutes at a time. Add to that the horrendous noise the fan makes from time to time and the fact that the superdrive only works intermittently makes this purchase a real disappointment.

It would be great if Apple could fix this mess and live up to all that they brag about!

I am a new mac user, but an experienced IT professional and have been facing this problem too. I found that each time it happened, I could go into Network prefs and renew my DHCP lease, which would fix the problem for a while. There are 3 other computers in the home, all connecting wirelessly with no problems.

I have tried setting up a new location, with a static ip address, cleared the PRAM, deleted and recreated the network preferences files - but nothing has made a difference.

ifconfig still shows a valid IP address, and netstat shows the correct gateway, but route get <some address> will simply not return a result.

All that Apple support will tell me is that I have wireless interference from other devices, but wont answer why then a windows machine 6 inches away does not have a problem.
I am in the process of trying to switch from WIndows to the mac, and while I have enjoyed the overall experience, I am getting discouraged, and am close to giving up.

First you can try to update to 10.5.7, but I must say that I don't see any improvement on my MBP. When I look at the signal strength it's at maximum, but web pages in safari are coming in very slowly and the overall speed is very inconsistent.
I won't give up, but this has been my first and last Mac experience. Good luck with yours.

MBP user in the UK and i haven't read all 49 pages but in the last two weeks my connection using airport has been very inconsistent.

It works occasionally then drops out completely even sitting close to the hub the Airport signal drops from 2 black bars to three.

I can also be in locations where other people have no problems finding a wireless signal but my MBP Airport has no black bars and cannot find any networks.

What are the solutions to this problem?

Thanks.

Well, the day after my post, I decided to check the Apple site for airport updates, and saw the 10.5.7 update there. I did the following:
Turned Airport off
Connected using a wired connection
Installed the update
Deleted the airport prefs files
Rebooted and cleared the PRAM - commandalt+PR (Please check the key combo)
Turned Airport on
Have not had a network drop since - left the machine running for nearly 48 hours, allowing it to go to sleep, manually putting it to sleep, and finally, at the end of 48 hours, powering down and back up.

Hopefully all this will help someone. Thanks for the responses.

Hi
So I was having a problem that was very similar to many of the descriptions listed here. I was able to restart, and connect to my wifi but if i'd close my lappy, I couldn't reconnect without jumping through hoops (e.g. stopping and starting my airport or going through diagnostics 10 times). After many many attempts to reconfigure my router and delete my prefs files and flash my pram, I finally think I've got it solved.

1. Delete the keychain entries for the network you want to join
2. Delete the network you want to join from your list of remembered networks
3. Delete your Airport Service from the network services list in network preferences
4. Restart your Mac
5. Create a new Airport Service in the network preferences
6. Go to "advanced" in network preferences and add the desired network to your list of preferred networks.
7. Enter the password if required.
8. Be done with your frustration

hopefully this works for you like it did for me

I've read many solutions.
I dropped my Linksys 3210N to only do G and have had no problems. Everytime I try N only, the MacMini assigns a Self Assigned IP.
Have the same problem with the Apple TV, recently bought as well.

After a few days, I've changed the Linksys to Mixed. So far so good on MAC Mini and Apple TV.

What I noticed, is I have a Linksys WAP B\G and the Linksys B/G/N. If the 310 N is set to N only it fails, but if I connect to the WAP G, which pulls IP address from the Linksys 310N the client pulls and stays connected no problem.
Makes me thin that the Apple still has issues with it's coding for 802.11n wireless protocol. Every OS X upgrade is a test again for 802.11n. Hopefully one day Apple will fix it, so users can get the benefit of the speed from 802.11n

I too have been having some inconsistent performance from wireless. We have 2 emacs 3 MBpro's and a Mac book in the house. Have only had some chronic difficulty with the most recent MBpro (refurb, Gen 1). But after several years as a user, the advice that Mr Sanchez gives is also what I have independently learned. I also deleted the network access password from keychain because I was having some difficulty with the system recognizing the password. Basically remove all reference to the old wireless network and reestablish everything from scratch. I did this last night to the new MBPro and immedaitaely it worked first time and every time since. I actually have become quite good at working the wireless experience after 5 years of learning.

So what's next

I've just about given up on using my MBP to access the internet and am in the process of looking for a cheap PC laptop for email and internet. Hopefully a solution is out there....

If I had known my MBP was going to give me so many problems I wouldn't have purchased it.

My MacBook Pro that is just over a year old is having the same problems staying connected to WiFi. When I'm using Airport Extreme or any other wireless network, the signal drops after a few minutes. But I have another situation that hasn't been mentioned before. When I use a Verizon USB mobile modem to connect to the Internet, I have no problems staying online. But if I set up my iPhone to connect wirelessly to my MacBook Pro using the Internet Sharing feature, the connection to the iPhone drops. My husband cannot get his Dell laptop to maintain a connection to the Internet connecting to my laptop wirelessly. His computer shows that he is connected to my laptop, but the Internet connection doesn't work. This just started a few weeks ago. I took my laptop to a computer repair shop. They had the same problem with the laptop staying connected to their network. They were going to put a new Airport card in my laptop, but they were out of them. Maybe I need to wait to see if there is an update that addresses this issue before I invest in a new card. Could there be a problem with the logic board if it isn't software related?