Suddenly Macbook Wifi has got weaker and dropping out...

I also have the same problem. I am on 10.4.11 using the white Macbook this was a very sudden problem it stopped picking up wifi in my room, where i use to have full bars before and now it doesn't even pick up the signal at all. I have changed my router from a netgear to a airport extreme thinking that was the problem. But I suppose it wasnt because its still having the same problem.

This morning however it started to pick up the signal again in my room but then i changed my router back to the netgear and it stopped picking it up again. i have to literally sit within 10 feet of the router to get any signal on both the netgear and airport extreme.

I have tried all of the suggested fixes from all over the web and i dont know what else to do. Anybody have any other ways to fix the wifi problem.

I have had so many problems connecting lately - my MB always worked great with my Airport Extreme and now the signal comes and goes constantly. Other people have no problem connecting at my house and I have no problem connecting other places. I am so frustrated! I just want it to work again! When I sit right next to the modem and router, Its 98% fine but the signal drops as soon as leave this room.

I called my ISP - they say its not their problem. I took my MacBook to the Apple store and they ran all kinds of tests and said there isn't anything wrong with my computer or settings. I don't know what to do! I have read countless other reports on this site with similar stories, so its obviously not just me, but there hasn't been a viable solution yet. Plus I am not very technical with networks and such, so some of the things I read go right over my head.

any help you have found would be EXTREMELY appreciated!
steph

So i figured out what the problem is and it is the airport card. I just put in a new one and i have not lost my connection since i put the new card in.

Its not a software problem as i had assumed before like many others on this discussion board it is a hardware problem that many people are facing. It could be a defect that is causing many people to have this problem all at the same time.

How can a hardware defect result a plethora of people having the SAME problem at suddenly the SAME time? This started shortly after I updated to the latest leopard update. It certainly isn't hardware.

+Reply to Dizzle's post+:
While your particular case may be a hardware failure, a mass synchronized hardware failure can only be a software or firmware bug. *To Apple*, you at least need to go public and admit there is a problem and you are working on it. A better solution would be to roll back the related code until the problem is solved and tested in house. Having support deny a problem like this insults the intelligence of your existing and potential customer base...

I agree, and well said.

While I certainly agree that a "mass synchronized" failure like this is likely to be a software issue, I don't agree that we can be sure of that. If we are all talking about similar hardware built at similar times, it is very possible that a run of machines might all have a sub-standard part or parts which all fail after about the same amount of use. This might appear to be "synchronized" when in fact it's just age.

Bark!

To add:

A firmware (or software) wireless update could be delivered in any number of packages, it could also affect users on Tiger as well as any of the Leopard versions. It could very well be delivered in one of the security updates, the installer checks the wireless adapter version and make and if the correct info is found installs the software or firmware update.

It difficult to believe a mass hardware failure.

Another possibility is one of the other Macbook updates is causing a conflict.

Safari-
Firefox-
Audio Driver update-
??

Anyone remember what they installed or updated prior to noticing the weak wireless signals?

pancenter-

I cannot believe that Apple hasn't admitted that this is a problem. My Macbook has been working fine for two years and all of a sudden it stopped getting wireless signal about a month or two ago. I am a big fan of Apple but this is just insulting. When all the zunes on the planet stopped working last december, microsoft was able to fix the firmware problem in a day. How is Apple not able to do the same. They have had months to solve this problem and they are refusing to do so. I strongly believe that it is a firmware update and if I knew which one it was I would reinstall the previous version. I am going to have to go back to school in two weeks and I am going to be screwed if I don't have wireless. It is a requirement in my major to be able to connect to the network at all times. PLEASE APPLE, SOLVE THIS PROBLEM!!!!!

I've been having this problem for almost 2 months now. The apple store couldn't find anything wrong with my computer or settings. I did an archive and install as well. The only way I have wifi now is if I sit within 15 feet of the base station - and even then it still cuts out periodically and is slow...

I've been having this problem for almost 2 months now. The apple store couldn't find anything wrong with my computer or settings. I did an archive and install as well. The only way I have wifi now is if I sit within 15 feet of the base station - and even then it still cuts out periodically and is slow...

Does anyone know if 10.5.8 resolved this issue? Having been burned by Apple's updates, I'm timid to update to this, lest it cripples some other aspect of my computer. Who knows?

I have had this same problem for about 6 months and I am still running 4.11, so it's not the 5.x update that is the problem. As far as I can remember I was not downloading any updates when this happened. I remember sitting in my room when the signal dropped and never came back.
Anyways yes, please take this up apple.

Well, I can only speak for my own case, but I just got my MacBook back from Apple today and it's working perfectly.

They replaced the Airport Card (again) and my signal strength is now comparable to other MacBooks that I tested at my workplace. All the wireless networks in my house (and my neighbors' as well) show up in the menu now.

This of course does not prove that it's solely a hardware problem. It's possible that they replaced my card with a different variety which is not susceptible to the problem, even though they clearly stated on the returned report that the Airport card was defective.

In any case, this gives hope that a solution does exist.

Bark!

Megaproblems connecting to the Internet via WIFI in recent days. Thinking of going to an Ethernet-connected iMac desktop. This laptop is just over three years old. Time to make a change...?