Level 1

10 points

10.5.6 Breaks WiFi and How To Fix It

Just FYI out there.

10.5.6 messed up my WiFi for the third time this year and I fix it again by replacing the IO80211Family.kext file in //System/Library/Extensions/ folder with a version from 10.5.2

I don't know what exactly happens, but since I normally sit far away from my WiFi router, my connection gets unusable after the upgrades to 10.5.4, 10.5.5 and now 10.5.6. It works fine if I'm closer to the router but somehow having a weaker signal makes it very unreliable. I have never experienced that behavior with a PC system at the same spot in the house and as I said above, it gets totally fixed by replacing the file above.

APPLE, ISN'T IT TIME TO ADDRESS AND FIX THIS ISSUE. MAYBE YOU NEED TO INCLUDE DETAILED HACKING INSTRUCTIONS TO THE NEXT UPDATE SO PEOPLE CAN FIX THE MESS IT CREATES.

MBP, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Dec 16, 2008 5:43 AM

29 replies

Dec 16, 2008 7:53 PM in response to a brody

a brody wrote:
It may indicate that you have bad wireless card on your Mac, or one that has failed. Run the hardware test that came with your Mac, and if it is unrevealing, *go to an authorized service center and tell them what you've been forced to do*.

Sadly, this may be the only option. My problems began with 10.5.5. Everything worked perfectly up until that point. The extended hardware test showed no problem on that side.

There has to be a common denominator here.

Dec 17, 2008 12:46 AM in response to kpopov

Since installing 10.5.6 my wireless connection on my MBP has become painfully slow. At first I thought it was some DNS lookup issues so I reverted back to my ISP DNS instead of OpenDNS, but it was the same. And it's not from being too far away from my router as it's only a few feet from me. Everything was perfect before the upgrade, but now it's just frustrating sitting there waiting for pages which are mainly text to load. I've got bootcamp installed also and WinXP works at correct speeds.

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,821 points

Dec 17, 2008 4:32 AM in response to Cornelius Dorgan

10.5.6 is actually faster for me, so once again, it's a matter of tracking things down.

Are you sure you don't have any proxy servers selected in System Preferences -> Network -> Advanced under the Proxies tab?

kpopov Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 17, 2008 5:54 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

I feel like I have to reply since I started this thread.

I have written a similar post several times, essentially after every update. And certain members on this forum feel the need to comment, even though they have no specific knowledge or experience in this issue, warning readers what not to do.

I presume that anyone reading this actually is struggling with constant drops in their WiFi connections. I presumed it was a DNS issue as well at first this time, but when I looked at the firewall and the system logs it was obvious that my card kept trying to connect every few seconds. It is a connection issue with the OSX software.

I specifically would not include instructions on how to do that, since I googled it myself and there are several posts out there describing how to replace that file. I ended up downloading the whole 10.5.2 update, extracting the file in question and just replacing it. It works like a charm. No more drops and I'm back online for as long as necessary.

I really have little consideration for the cautionary warnings above. With the system as it was after the latest upgrade, I would just return it to Apple. If I cannot stay connected for any length on time, I could care less about the "GREAT" improvements being made. I would welcome those improvements only AFTER this issue is resolved. Until then I can take care of my own system the way I see fit and the petty scare tactics above really don't do too much for me.

Dec 17, 2008 5:24 PM in response to kpopov

kpopov,

I was experiencing the same issue with 10.5.6, and found a solution. I went into my wifi router and changed the security from wpa to wpa2 . This helped the macbook now reach as far as the living room , the same under 10.5.5.

I personally think its a osx issue, as all other devices in the house worked fine (iphone, xp and imac) all on wireless.

Give this a try.

suresh

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,821 points

Dec 17, 2008 8:12 PM in response to kpopov

kpopov wrote:
I really have little consideration for the cautionary warnings above. With the system as it was after the latest upgrade, I would just return it to Apple. If I cannot stay connected for any length on time, I could care less about the "GREAT" improvements being made. I would welcome those improvements only AFTER this issue is resolved. Until then I can take care of my own system the way I see fit and the petty scare tactics above really don't do too much for me.

You may see them as "petty scare tactics" and that's fine.

However, the majority of people reading the discussions may not realize the jumbled mess of a system they may be creating by following your steps.

I can definitively say:

1) Installing an old kext reintroduces bugs fixed in later versions

2) kexts may change how they use preference files from version to version

3) Installing an old kext may cause future Mac OS X updates to work improperly

If, for whatever reason, reinstalling an old version of a kext restores your functionality, that's great, and I'm happy there's a workaround for your issue.

Your statement is a little like saying "I've always smoked while fueling up my car and haven't blown up, so I'm sick of people using petty scare tactics to tell me I shouldn't smoke when pumping gas."

Just because you get away with it and it has a positive effect doesn't mean others will.

If others want to try it, they can as well, but they should be aware of the risks of doing so.

kpopov Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 18, 2008 4:50 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

I beg to differ on the smoking while fueling comment. Obviously if you did that and something went wrong the impact would be much larger than the inconvenience of reinstalling your own operating system. The goal of this thread to just inform people who have a problem with their WiFi and have tried resolving it by different means that there is yet something else to try that has worked for someone.

I do not imply that it will work in any case. I do not imply that there are no risks.

I think that a much better analogy would be to compare this with say... crossing the street on foot. True, you may get run over and many people say that it is much safer to drive across the street than to walk, but you know what, sometimes I just like to have the freedom to take my chances and walk across the street.

<Edited by Moderator>

kpopov Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 18, 2008 4:47 AM in response to shadowfax2

I did. This was one of he first things I tried. I tried everything that applied to my situation from A Brody's list first.

I'd glad it worked for you. Definitely a good thing to have.

kpopov Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 18, 2008 4:51 AM in response to kpopov

This thread was not a request for help. The fix that is mentioned actually resolved my issue with the WiFi card and I have no problem.

The thread was intended as a note to others who may be experiencing similar problems and a PLEA TO APPLE TO RESOLVE THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IN THE WIFI CARD KEXT FILE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AFTER EACH UPDATE.

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,821 points

Dec 18, 2008 9:23 AM in response to kpopov

kpopov wrote:
The thread was intended as a note to others who may be experiencing similar problems and a PLEA TO APPLE TO RESOLVE THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM IN THE WIFI CARD KEXT FILE SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AFTER EACH UPDATE.

That's the problem - we don't know if there's anything Apple can fix.

I know going back to 10.5.2 fixes your issue, but if the changes made were due to say new revisions in the 802.11 spec, it's your router that needs to become compatible, not vice-versa.

That said, I think we've both accomplished our goals here - you got out that you found a workaround for your issue, and I got out that doing this may be hazardous to your operating systems' health and worst case you may need to do an archive and install at some future date to recover.

There are hundreds of thousands of people using AirPort with Mac OS X > 10.5.2 not experiencing any issues, so that's what makes problems like this so difficult to solve.

Dec 22, 2008 3:51 PM in response to Dogcow-Moof

I know there are better threads to place this post, but I fixed my problem. It wasn't ideal, but it saved me a trip to the Mac store. I simply Archived and Reinstalled OS X (the version that was shipped with my iMac was 10.5.2). I wasn't aware of how easy this option is. Everything on my desktop remained intact...virtually unchanged. In fact, the only thing that did change was I went from 10.5.5 to 10.5.2 and now I have a steady, very fast wifi signal.

As I said, this wasn't ideal, but I'll be sticking with 10.5.2 for a while now. At least until Apple clears up things on their end.

Steph_za

Level 1

10 points

Jan 23, 2009 6:59 AM in response to kpopov

Well the solution offered by kpopov here solved my problem.
I'll rather use the supposed "unsecured" solution than having the signal drop every instant. Apple please this is going since 10.5.3 and only affect it seems the Extreme (n) cards. Please squash this bug.

hunterkr

Level 1

5 points

Feb 8, 2009 8:29 AM in response to Steph_za

I am having WiFi problems since upgrading a unibody Macbook to 10.5.6 too: previously stable connection to a weak network drops often.

To pinpoint the problem, I am going to test WiFi Vista under boot camp. IMHO running Windows on the same hardware represents a very good test to see whether issues are software-related or not. If interference or hardware is the root cause, Windows should have the same problems.

If, however, Windows can maintain stable WiFi connection on the same Macbook at the same spot, Leopard is the cause.

On a side note, Microsoft allows Vista installation with empty license key for 14 days, which should be enough for testing.

SONET

Level 1

0 points

Mar 24, 2009 9:26 PM in response to hunterkr

I had this problem as well. I changed the channel from 'automatic' to a specific channel (7 FWIW) on my router (Time Capsule v2) and it has been perfect ever since. Try choosing a channel that nobody nearby is using.

Not sure why this worked for me but I hope it helps you!

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10.5.6 Breaks WiFi and How To Fix It