Level 1

10 points

after 10.5.7 on TWO macs, intermittent wireless network problems on them

After I installed 10.5.7, my wireless connection is intermittently doing strange things:
- Connection just hangs when loading a web site/watching video. Sometimes after a few minutes, sometimes after just a few seconds of browsing. But it returns sometime later... haven't figured out a pattern as to when it returns.
- After reboot, it doesn't automatically find my wireless network. If I explicitly set it, and type my password, I get Connection Timeout. But then after a little while later, it automatically finds it and I get all bars in my wireless menu
- This happens on BOTH computers that was upgraded to 10.5.7
- No problems at all before the upgrade
- iPod touch can browse without any problems any time
- wireless router is Time Capsule. I'm not sure if it's something specific to Time Capsule that only affect Macs
- Wired connections to Time Capsule always works
- Wireless is the top priority network connection
- I tried deleting all my keychains associated with the wireless network. It didn't change anything

Any suggestions, explanations?

PowerBook G4 1.33mhz, Mac OS X (10.5.7), Time Capsule

Posted on May 23, 2009 12:56 AM

75 replies

Aug 3, 2009 11:17 AM in response to Adam Kim1

Add me to the list. Very frustrating! I keep checking these boards for a solution since Apple isn't providing a fix or suggestions.

Aug 3, 2009 1:57 PM in response to Adam Kim1

I am having similar problems. With my MBP right after I installed 10.5.7 at work, my laptop drops the connection continuously, sometimes in a few minutes, sometimes after an hour. The (very frustrating workaround) is to turn airport off and on again. Renewing the DHCP lease does not help, nor does simply clicking on the airport icon and re-scanning the list of networks, of which there are several (all WPA2, I believe, or open [I'm in a hospital, so several private nets, and a couple of guest networks]). I would be grateful for any ideas.

Of note, at home I have a newish iMac running 10.5.7 and serving as the wifi router for our adsl service, and there I have no problems with my MBP.

xPixel

Level 2

450 points

Aug 3, 2009 2:08 PM in response to thisisnotmyusername

I changed my router config (d-link di-624) to:

Security : WPA-AUTO
802.11g Only Mode: YES
CHANNEL: 7 (manual - no auto select)

It seems to work until now (24 hours no drop connection)

Aug 5, 2009 8:14 PM in response to Adam Kim1

10.5.8 did not solve the problem for me, not that I expected it would given the change log for this release. Sigh. Apple wants me to replace my airport card and antenna but I'm out of warranty. Sigh.

Dogcow-Moof

Level 8

36,857 points

Aug 5, 2009 9:04 PM in response to Michael Loader

Michael Loader wrote:
10.5.8 did not solve the problem for me, not that I expected it would given the change log for this release. Sigh. Apple wants me to replace my airport card and antenna but I'm out of warranty. Sigh.

To be fair, if it is your card or antenna, no software update is going to fix it.

calivw78

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2009 9:57 PM in response to Michael Loader

10.5.8 did nothing for me either. I've moved off the macbook now and because of that, had the ability to wipe it clean with a fresh install of Leopard. This didn't help either. This makes me believe that there was a firmware update of some sort, which obviously would not be affected by any software update. I'm thinking about picking up another wireless chip to replace it.

azebra

Level 1

0 points

Aug 5, 2009 10:15 PM in response to calivw78

I agree with the firmware hypothesis:
I TM-restored back to 10.5.6 immediately after the problems that the 10.5.7 combo brought but they still remained.

Aug 9, 2009 8:05 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

Apple is replacing my Airport card right now so I'm crossing my fingers that this fixes it. Apple is doing this free of charge without being asked even though my AppleCare expired in May. And they are replacing the top and bottom bezel to fix a crack in the bottom bezel at the same time. This excellent customer service will ensure my continued product loyalty.

satcomer

Level 4

1,593 points

Aug 9, 2009 4:43 PM in response to xPixel

If you go into the wireless D-Link router (that was working before a 10.5.x upgrade) and drop the fragmentation threshold and the frame threshold to 2306. This might fix your problem.

Also disabling IPv6 (in System Preferences->Network->Airport and turn of IPv6) might help.

NYHappy

Level 1

4 points

Aug 9, 2009 5:21 PM in response to satcomer

I have a one year old White MacBook and a one year old Black MacBook. Ever since the update, we have had problems. Both have the same exact problem. We can get online wirelessly when our laptop power plug is plugged in. When the laptop power plugs are not plugged in, NO WIRELESS! Everything was fine until the update.

Again, since the update, we have to have the power plug connected to the MacBook in order to use wireless. Unplugged, we cannot connect. Power cord plugged in, wireless works fine.

Any idea if/when/how Apple plans on fixing this?

Aargh. Just when kids are getting ready to head back to college with their laptops, this big glitch has to happen.

Aug 9, 2009 6:09 PM in response to NYHappy

My problem may have been twofold and I think it was part software and part hardware. With 10.5.7 and 10.5.8, I experienced intermittent wireless when waking from sleep. It would work for 30-60 seconds and then disappear, and then re-appear some time later and keep working until the next time it went to sleep. After an archive and install, I =think= this problem went away.

Both before and after the archive and install, I had a second problem in that all of the dozen wireless networks in my area would disappear. I could see mine and one other only and while I could sometimes connect to mine, it was incredibly weak. It was as if the antenna was connected sometimes but not others. Apple determined this was a problem with the card.

After replacing the card today, it does appear that all of my problems have been fixed now. It's possible the card was responsible for the earlier problem that the archive and install appeared to fix but there's no way to really know.

azebra

Level 1

0 points

Aug 9, 2009 6:16 PM in response to NYHappy

NYHappy, you sound like you are describing the issues that have affected some users since upgrading to 10.5.8, not the issues with 10.5.7 that this thread is discussing (albeit somewhat off track now that it has become a collection for any and all 10.5.7 wifi issues).

The workaround solution for the 'no wifi on battery power under 10.5.8' has been posted here and seems to work well:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9953617#9953617

NYHappy

Level 1

4 points

Aug 9, 2009 6:20 PM in response to azebra

Oh, I'm so sorry. Yes, my issue is with the 10.5.8 update. I'm not savvy enough to try a workaround. I suppose I'll wait and see if Apple releases a fix.

Aug 10, 2009 12:44 AM in response to NYHappy

Just to ensure Apple understand how many people are having problems - I too have the same issues with intermittent internet access. It all began when I upgraded. Apart from ensuring it's not a problem with my ISP I don't really know what to do. It is very frustrating !!!!

el.mago

Level 1

0 points

Aug 14, 2009 2:34 AM in response to Adam Kim1

Hello!

I still don't dare upgrading my leopard from 10.5.6...

When I did, I could not connect to my network (router Amper Xavi 7968) by wifi.

The Airport recognized my line , but it asks for the password WEP (which already was memorized) and after a few seconds appeared the message of " Time of connection exhausted ".
I have tried everything, (to restart the router the mac to bring over to the antenna to the maximum, changing channels, put $password, etc but it doesn't seems to work)

This happened after the update 10.5.6. So... I saved all my files and reinstall the original 10.5.
But this *****... not being able to upgrade. I've read that 10.5.8 still hasn't fixed the problem...

Any new ideas??

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after 10.5.7 on TWO macs, intermittent wireless network problems on them