After installing 10.5.2 I'm noticing that if I click on Airport icon it indicates that it's scanning briefly and then stops. Is this a bug with 10.5.2? Unplugging my Airport Express briefly didn't seem to do anything.
I found that when I removed all the random networks my computer had found from the network list that it helped a bit, but it is still doing the same thing just not as often.
I'm starting to wish I hadn't changed to Mac. My old IBM had no wireless problems with an old D-Link router. The new Macbook constantly dropped out. I upgraded the router to Airport Express hoping for some compatibility - NO!
The connection constantly drops out/ slows down. Meanwhile my wife's Dell is connected fine and in another room.
My knowledge of networking isn't good enough to mess around with settings constantly. And it shouldn't need to be.
I don't have a helpful suggestion just adding my problem to the pile.
I just got a 2.4 GhZ MacBook with 10.5.4 Leopard and had the same problem... Finally I came across a solution that seems to work pretty well. It still does the scanning thing, but the connection is solid now. Check this article making adjustments based on the fact it's written for Tiger Network Preferences:
Scanning for ever (airport express with 10.5.4 now).
Synching for ever (Mobileme in the menu bar).
Indexing for ever (Soptlight with an exernal drive).
I have a brand new iMac 3.06 and have the airport: scanning / airport: on issue. I am really amazed that Apple hasn't fixed this issue. It seems that after I plugged in my likewise new Time Capsule and set it up on my existing 802.11n Belkin network that the problem got worse -
Attempting a wireless backup with Time Capsule is a worthless endeavor.
Please Apple give us a fix.
Just got a macbook 2.4 running 10.5.4 and I am having the excessive scanning by airport out of the box; I have a intel imac and a ppc both running the latest tiger release and neither of those are having the issues the macbook is. This issue is beyond frustrating!!! I've tried a few of the fixes above and none seem to work for the macbook. . .
I did a few things to my airport express settings under the "wireless" settings menus I changed:
Radio Mode to 802.11n
And under "wireless options I created:
A closed network
I posted this in another of the airport:scanning threads. Thought it might be useful here?
I was having the same problem with a brand new iMac, using first an airport express and then a time capsule. Given I was having the same problem with both base stations and my windows laptop and iPhone were perfectly happy with the wireless connection all along, I figured it was the iMac.
The chap on apple support suggested a range of things, including a full Leopard reinstall, but no joy.
In the end, we concluded it may be a hardware problem. 3 days with an authorised repair shop and a faulty Airport Card is diagnosed, replaced and everything is happy with the world.
Not all of you are having problems with new machines, but if you are, get the hardware checked out - it might save you an awful lot of frustration.
Aargh! Shouldn't have been so smug. I relocated my time capsule last night and lo and behold, iMac cannot pick it up, or does so at best intermittently. After much toing and froing, I now have the Time Capsule connected to the modem downstairs (all of 30 feet away) and the Airport Express sitting two feet from the iMac. Having had no joy even picking this up wirelessly, I've just connected the Express by ethernet. So the Express seems to be finding the TC, even if the iMac can't, and so far the ethernet-enabled internet connection seems fine.
A call to apple support suggests that, contrary to the 'very satisfied' customer care questionnaire response I just submitted, the new Airport card may not actually be installed properly. As there is evidence the TC and AEX can speak to each other and the iMac can just about manage to pick up a signal with a fair wind, he reckons that the connection may be being established by the airport card's own aerial, rather than the main aerial that apparently runs the length of the iMac casing. That would explain why it has been working fine for the last two weeks when the TC and iMac have been sitting four feet apart but has now collapsed.
So back to the repair shop it goes.
As I said at the top, aargh!
I'm having the dropped connection many times a day with subsequent airport scanning for the past few months. I'm 10.5.4 and it's still a problem. I was blaming the cable signal but now see it is an Apple issue!!
It seems that even if the scanning isn't the issue, the dropped connections are!
PLEASE FIX THIS!
I am still having the AirPort scanning issue even after the 10.5.5 update. It is not my ISP, it is not my router. In fact I upgraded my DSL service and bought a new router hoping it would alleviate the problem. It did not.
This is a WIDESPREAD issue, Apple. When do you plan on offering a fix for it?
I am now facing the same serious problem with WI-FI that is frustrating me and my family members (WE OWN 3 PORTABLE MACS - a MACBOOK AIR, A MACBOOK AND a POWERBOOK G4 + two PORTABLE pcs) and causing an enormous time wasting
WE ALSO OWN A TIME CAPSULE WIFI system. The WIFI is configured as WPA2-personal
Now, I have the demonstration that it is a software problem (read below)
In short, the problem is that AIRPORT in the two newer Macs keeps scanning and in doing so
it looses the connection at times for a very long time.
This happens ONLY with the two Leopard INTEL-based MACs
The PowerBook G4 (Running on MAC OS 10.4) has no problems !!!
BUT READ also THE FOLLOWING
ONE of the TWO Leopard based >INTEL MACS has also a WIndows partition
When I boot the machine with windows, a miracle occurs and the MAC/WINDOWS gets the network
allright !!!
I tried everything in the absence of any interference from cordless phones 40 cm apart from
the Time Capsule
Before I finish, let me tell that this problem has costed me tons of time
Added to the MobileME problems we recently had, we are so frustrated with the MACs that we are
considering to move back to the less glittering PC world
First point - the airport icon scans EVERY time you click on it. It also scans when it looses the network. The problem we have all been having is about interrupted network access and that relates straight back to the airport card in your laptop.
The EFI firmware update 1.5.1 does fix this HOWEVER getting it going is a bit confusing. The download and install dialogue you get when checking for updates does not tell you that the EFI firmware updater needs to be run separately from the 'check for updates' process - that is the update is installed but the EFI firmware updater is not run automatically.
SO... make sure you have the latest firmware, then find it using finder and run it. Fixed mine up a treat. Also it seems that SOME airport express units sold about a year ago are faulty - mine was and intermittently dropped off the network This added to the problem but was not a root cause. If you have one - take it in and have it looked at - mine was cheerfully and immediately replaced under warranty.
