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Why does wireless signal strength go up and down continuously?

Not sure if this was already asked, but lately (ironically after I did software updates on my mac), my wireless internet connection hasn't been stable. The signal strength seems to always go up and down, and I can't get past 5 minutes without getting a poor signal. Not sure if the problem lies with my Macbook or my DSL (I use 2WIRE). I already disconnected the 2WIRE and it didn't seem to fix the problem. Anyone else experiencing this or know what's causing this? It's a bit of an annoyance to not be able to surf the internet without losing connection, or getting a slow one. Thanks!

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on Jun 13, 2008 2:51 PM

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5 replies

Jun 15, 2008 4:25 PM in response to Tim Plunkett

Hi all, well I did call my internet provider and made some changes to my network settings. My wireless connection since then has greatly improved, although not as well as it should be (or how it was before I came across any problems) but I'm assuming the problem doesn't lie with the OS X upgrade itself, but that it just needs some adjustments from the router/wireless settings to be compatible. My wireless signal maintains 3 bars (it never went as far as the 4th bar even before the problems, so no worries there) and drops down to the 2nd bar at certain times. It sure does slow my internet down, but thankfully not to the point where there's hardly any connection at all. I'm going to try fiddling with my wireless settings once more to hopefully fix it back to its original, stable state. To those who are experiencing the same problems, did it only occur AFTER upgrading to OS X 10.5.3? That seems to be the cause for me. Please keep me posted as well if anyone else finds a fix, thanks!

Jun 15, 2008 6:31 PM in response to jldcdahl

My wireless has been much more jumpy since 10.5.3. Before, my bars never dropped, even under heavy use. Now, however, I seem to get 2 bars almost all the time. Nothing else has changed but for the upgrade to 10.5.3. Makes me wonder what was "fixed" in the update. Granted, my hardware is a MBP, but your symptoms are exactly the same as mine.

Why does wireless signal strength go up and down continuously?

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