Q: MacBook Pro constantly losing wireless connectivity

I've only just come across this problem. Well I say just as I've only gone back to using an Apple Product at home.

I'm having the same issues. I have a full signal and works well for a while (2 mins - 3 hours) Then it loses the connection, the same if I've left the Macbook Pro for 20 mins or shut the lid.

At first I contacted my ISP and BT thinking it was a line issue. They assured me all was fine. I then tried changing my settings on my Linksys router. Updated to the latest firmware, changed from Wep to WPA, Changed and hide the SSID. Changed my Channels on the AP......Still no luck.

I've also changed my Airport settings to turn IPV6 off. I'm using the Wireless AP as a DHCP server so I have yet to try a static Wireless IP address. To say this is to getting to me is beyond the joke and especially when i work in I.T.

I've started to use my Work Dell Laptop as Windows 7 seems a happy bunny.

The only other option is maybe try an airport Extreme router? does anyone know if the issue is happening with this router especially as it is a Apple product I'd think it would have been tested with the Macbook Pro.

Any other help would be appreciated

I finally have my MacBook Pro 2.16 Back to full bombproof usefulness. The problem was solved by installing a new airport card that works with the wireless "N" base stations. I believe the older version of the card was overheating which led to the wireless network being dropped. Previously, to no avail, I had sped up the cooling fans with SMC fan controller. I had bought a new base station. I had done a clean install of an earlier version of Mac os 10. All other computers and Ipods had no problem with the wireless. Finally installing the latest airport card did the trick.

This problem just cropped up for me a few days ago--Thursday, September 3 to be exact (prior to my upgrade to Snow Leopard, if that means anything).

Right now I am at work and have absolutely no issues with the wireless network here. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for my home network.

Just like nearly everyone else, my internet connection at home constantly goes M.I.A. The AirPort icon maintains full bars, network preferences shows that there is a connection, but web browser fails to connect to anything.

Thus far, the easiest way for me to "fix" the connection is to run Network Diagnostics. Seriously. I just run Network Diagnostics and that magically repairs the connection. Of course, this "fix" only lasts maybe 5-10 minutes before the connection dies out again.

I've read several posts in this thread stating that this is not a router issue, but an issue with the MBP. I would believe this, but the fact that my wireless connection works flawlessly here at works leaves me scratching my head.

When I get home, I'm going to try changing to "G" only, hide SSID, change channels, etc. on the router and hopefully that temporarily fixes things.

But really. This thread started in January of '08. It's now September of '09 and apparently there is still no surefire fix to this issue? Fifty-one pages of complaints and not a single Apple representative sighting. Seriously!? F-ing lame. Almost as f-ing lame as when the Nvidia chip in my MBP crapped out into the black screen of death and I had to get the entire motherboard replaced.

Epic fail, Apple. Epic fail.

You guys keep getting my money though, so in the end, who really gives a ****, huh?

Happy to see you found a solution. My question is: which card did you use? I also exchanged my b/g with a b/g/n card and it didn't help me. I have to restart my airport card to have a more steady connection. I also found some other strange behaviour: when the 7200rpm disk gives a click, the wireless is temporarily out of order.

I am SO mad about this, i just popped my Apple cherry last month thinking good bye pc for life! I spent 2 hours this weekend on the phone with apple and they didnt do anything to fix it. Mine keeps saying airport has self assigned its own ip address. nuts.

I had the same problem and assumed it was my airport card or something. The guy at the Genius bar couldn't replicate it but suggested reinstalling the OS. Since it was a week away from the release of Snow Leopard I waited. Once I installed Snow Leopard all was fixed. It has now been almost 2 weeks and I haven't lost a signal once - the difference is amazing. I was losing the signal every 20 minutes or more.

Try a reinstall or upgrade to 10.6.

I used an airport card from Fast Mac. Card, Wireless, Airport Extreme (802.11n) $89.90. I had tried to use enabler (from apple) to unlock the original airport card's N capability as some MacBook Pros have the N built in but not enabled, but it was not applicable to my airport card. Fast Mac emailed me to check which card I had. Some have three leads for the antenna, some two. Mine had two and it works perfectly. I am connected to the 5Ghz N signal from a Time Capsule. It is so nice not to be losing the wireless signal anymore.

Snow leopard user here. I am encountering the same problems as everyone else in this thread (AirPort saying the internet is connected, but safari is unable to load a page). I've run through the full gamut of on-computer fixes, but I am in a bind when it comes to router settings, as I am living at university and as a result, am simply not allowed to go in and play with the router. The only time I can have the internet working is when I am connected to an ethernet cable in my dorm. Very disappointed with Apple and the lack of support for their flagship product. I almost wish I bought a Dell instead...

Same here.

I have waisted so many hours, for months, trying to fix this issue. There is simply no way I will buy a Mac computer again, and I wish I bought a cheaper but working PC. None of the PCs that are in the house have this Wifi issue. Besides, when XP was installed via BootCamp on my very MBP, there was no issue with the Wifi.

I upgraded to Snow Leopard thinking that it would probably fix the **** issue, but quickly realized it did not. 29 EUR were thrown away. Now I am for the XXXth time trying to use the small fixes again, but they always fail to work durably. The connection is slow and drops every 2 minutes.

You know what gets my goat? All of these posts and not ONE (1) Apple technician explaining that they are working on it. Go to another thread of someone wanting to know how to get a french keyboard and 19 techs with responses. Shameful.

You need to get into your routers address to change the signal. I have a D-link so I go to the ip address that is stamped on the back of the router.

Changing your router settings is just applying a bandage to the issue. The problem is in the Mac itself, and for people like myself who travel and use their MBP in various locations this fix will not work.

I upgraded to Snow Leopard and have had no issues BUT I haven't been out using other routers as I have my home router set to "G only" and didn't take the time to test it yet.

Okay - had my MBP for about 14 months now. Loving it, except for wi-fi connectivity. Since last September I have been running iStumbler and it has sorted out the problem (although of course it prevents the MBP from going to sleep). I'm on Snow Leopard 10.6.1 now. Everything is fine - I can even boot into the full 64-bit kernel with no issues.

Except iStumbler does not work under 64-bit. Oh, by all means, it loads, but nothing else happens.

I'm semi-convinced that my MBP has a faulty wireless card, but I cannot afford to do without it for work purposes. Plus, under Boot Camp with Win 7 RC it holds onto the network absolutely fine (same with the XP SP3 install before it) which would imply a software issue under OS X.

Does anybody know of a 64-bit compatible alternative to iStumbler that can be used? Or am I stuck with booting into the 32-bit kernel?

phxgmac wrote:
I have been following this thread for a while now and have never been able to get the wireless to work consistently on my MacBook Pro (of course it always worked fine when I went to the Apple Store!)

I have had no problems for the first time since I bought the computer almost a year ago after installing the software update: "AirPort Client Update for MacBook and MacBook Pro" (1.0)

It's been a few days now and that is the longest I've ever gone without any issues. I can even stream video wirelessly which I wouldn't have even considered before.

Has Apple finally fixed the problem??

Just curious if anyone else has had the same experience as I with "Airport Client Update for MacBook and MacBook Pro (1.0)? As with my initial experience, I have continued to have no problems whatsoever with wireless connectivity. The computer was purchased last September and the wireless never worked consistently until I did this software update.

I'm running a MacBook Pro 2,2 (Core Duo 2.16GHz) and an Apple Airport Extreme router. Both the MacBook and the router are running the current Airport software/firmware. I never had this problem until I upgraded to Snow Leopard and 10.6.1. Now the MBP drops its connection repeatedly and I have not found any way to fix it. My only workaround is to turn off the Airport on the MBP, then turn it back on again. APPLE, WHAT'S THE DEAL HERE? THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED FOR YEARS NOW!!!