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User profile for user: kpopov
kpopov Author
User level: 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

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User profile for user: a brody
a brody
User level: Level 10
83,125 points

Posted on Dec 16, 2008 6:24 AM

Well as a data point, I've updated from 10.5.2 to 10.5.5 and not seen any WiFi issues. I have written a FAQ* explaining why WiFi goes crazy:

http://www.macmaps.com/WIFI1048.html

The point is, your setup may just need some emptying and reconfiguring, or you need to update the firmware to your router. I'll see if I can get someone else in here to help you with this so you don't have to keep doing this. I know another WiFi expert.

- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.
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User profile for user: a brody
a brody
User level: Level 10
83,125 points

Dec 16, 2008 6:24 AM in response to kpopov

Well as a data point, I've updated from 10.5.2 to 10.5.5 and not seen any WiFi issues. I have written a FAQ* explaining why WiFi goes crazy:

http://www.macmaps.com/WIFI1048.html

The point is, your setup may just need some emptying and reconfiguring, or you need to update the firmware to your router. I'll see if I can get someone else in here to help you with this so you don't have to keep doing this. I know another WiFi expert.

- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.
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User profile for user: kpopov
kpopov Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Dec 16, 2008 6:39 AM in response to a brody

I appreciate the detailed guide you've compiled. I actually tried all of it while trying to troubleshoot my problem. Replacing the ...kext file/folder did it.

I am confident that the problem has nothing to do with my router, or even the hardware of the MBP. I have Windows XP on bootcamp and it works just fine. The problem is with OSX itself. I'm not an OSX expert and have no idea where to look for it, but I have personnally experienced the fix several times and it works for me. I would just like Apple to address it or explain the rationale behind the changes that cause the problem to begin with.

There is a problem, I found multiple posts and blog entries related to it, but Apple is just silent. Reminds me so much of Microsoft...
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User profile for user: a brody
a brody
User level: Level 10
83,125 points

Dec 16, 2008 6:42 AM in response to kpopov

Data corruption on the internet preferences can yield such problems.
Trying to isolate which preference has gone bad is hard. This is especially true if you are using tools such as cache file cleaners which should only be used for very specialized troubleshooting functions.

At least you've found a workaround for now, but there must be some contributing factor. Whether it is anti-virus, firewall software, or spyware software, or PthHelmet, or some third party software, or data corruption which is the beginning of a dying hard drive, or a directory that is getting damaged due to improper shutdowns, there are many factors which can contribute to file corruption. The trick is isolating it and removing the cause.
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User profile for user: a brody
a brody
User level: Level 10
83,125 points

Dec 16, 2008 7:10 AM in response to kpopov

A kext file is a kernel extension file. This tells the computer how to communicate to the hardware. If for some reason the installer fails to install an updated version of the file, you can have data corruption. Following my upgrade steps below*:

http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html

Usually avoids such failure. If your system isn't behaving right in the first place, that could cause problems in the future when you try to upgrade. You say that your system misbehaved from the beginning? That suggests that it was a lemon, and should have been serviced then.

- * Links to my pages may give me compensation.
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User profile for user: annexit
annexit
User level: Level 1
23 points

Dec 16, 2008 7:18 AM in response to a brody

Not sure of the etiquette here, but thanks abrody for your website - I have unfortunately made mistake #1, migrating from a PowerPC to the MacBook with attendant wifi problems - I was beginning to wonder if there were some setting the Assistant used that did not work. One question: no money at the moment for an external Firewire drive, but I have an extra hard drive on my Quicksilver as a backup that I have not yet formatted (installed as a slave). 1. Is there a way to use this to back up home folders using the software mentioned on your site? 2. Is there a way to simply restore default settings for Airport and not have to restore all apps? Thanks!
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User profile for user: kpopov
kpopov Author
User level: Level 1
10 points

Dec 16, 2008 7:24 AM in response to a brody

Well,

I make a point to check the version of the kext file I replace and it is always greater, so it looks like it updates and I have no problem if I get close to the router. It is the behavior of OSX when the signal gets week that is so weird. I found some blog posts that argue that this is a new feature, not a bug, but it is a problem for me.

I believe it is updating fine, and the MBP is just fine. It is OSX. I have had the laptop for 6 months now and am quite happy with it.
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User profile for user: Dogcow-Moof
Dogcow-Moof
User level: Level 8
36,251 points

Dec 16, 2008 7:38 AM in response to kpopov

kpopov wrote:
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'm glad this works for you, despite the security holes and changes in operation you introduce into your system by doing this.

There are also a significant number of people who report 10.5.6 fixed their Wi-Fi issues.

So I appreciate you've had problems, but Apple hasn't "fixed this issue" because as far as they can tell, yours isn't a general case bug.

Have you opened an AppleCare case for your issue or opened a bug via the Apple Bug Reporter?

By the way, despite what others say, my MacBook Pro was migrated from a PowerPC iBook and I've had no Wi-Fi issues whatsoever, so it's not necessarily a bad move.
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User profile for user: Dogcow-Moof
Dogcow-Moof
User level: Level 8
36,251 points

Dec 16, 2008 2:59 PM in response to orangekay

I wish I could tell you right off hand but Apple isn't very forthcoming about it.

But you can look at the contents of all the AirPort updates and Mac OS X updates since 10.5.2 to get a general feel for what's been done.

All of that goes away when you reinstall the kext from 10.5.2.

There are also preference file format differences that come into play when doing that.
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User profile for user: crowejoshua
crowejoshua
User level: Level 1
0 points

Dec 16, 2008 5:06 PM in response to Dogcow-Moof

William Kucharski wrote:
kpopov wrote:
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'm glad this works for you, despite the security holes and changes in operation you introduce into your system by doing this.

There are also a significant number of people who report 10.5.6 fixed their Wi-Fi issues.

*So I appreciate you've had problems, but Apple hasn't "fixed this issue" because as far as they can tell, yours isn't a general case bug.*

Have you opened an AppleCare case for your issue or opened a bug via the Apple Bug Reporter?

By the way, despite what others say, my MacBook Pro was migrated from a PowerPC iBook and I've had no Wi-Fi issues whatsoever, so it's not necessarily a bad move.


This is the exact same thing that's happening to me (and thousands of others) so I'm not sure how much of a "general case bug" it needs to be for Apple to get off their cans and do something about it.

I appreciate you appreciating that we have problems, but if we've tried EVERYTHING, the only thing we can do is wait on Apple to fix the mess THEY'VE made.

By the way, it's taken 20 minutes to post this due to constant connection drops. I can't file a bug report as someone else mentioned because I can't stay connected long enough for the page to load.
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10.5.6 Breaks WiFi and How To Fix It

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