MacBook Pro (July09) freezes due to Airport

Yes, I have had the same problem since I bought the machine last May. I looked on all kinds of other discussion forums on keywords "MacBook Pro" "Random Freeze" and "10.5.7" (since I thought it had to do with the 10.5.7 upgrade). I noticed that the problem only occurred at home, while on wireless. At work, I have an external monitor, external keyboard and ethernet cable => it NEVER freezes. Now I have the ethernet cable plugged in at home (Airport switched off) and it hasn't frozen for seven full days, allowing the computer to go to sleep normally.
Quite frankly, I think that the many discussion topics on recent MacBooks randomly freezing are due to the Airport Extreme. Some forums suggest that it is the high temperature which causes the freezing.However, installing smscFanControl to manipulate the kick-in of the fans does not help at all. Others suggest there is something wrong with the trackpad after installing Parallels Desktop.
The Airport Extreme is most defintely the problem!

I have the same problem and I have posted in multiple posting about freezing and I have tried everything. It started on 10.5.8 and now 10.6. I just finally put 2 and 2 together when my first lock up happened. My macbook pro and my iphone which is on my network and not hooked up to my mbp locked up at the same time. I have tried to reset the network settings and it didnt help.

That's exactly the problem I've seen also. I now have my MacBook Pro plugged in to wired Ethernet and have no problems, running more than a week at a time constantly (before having to restart to install software, for example). But with AirPort turned on it will freeze within a few hours at most, sometimes under an hour. And by freeze I mean no onscreen movement of any kind, mouse or otherwise. This did not happen in 10.5.6, but anything more recent, including Snow Leopard, and it will freeze.

I've been having the same problems. Rolling back to 10.5.6 gets rid of the problem. Anyway I wiped the machine, installed 10.6 and took it to the apple store. Of course it did not freeze in the store but I furnished them with a ton of details about the problem, printed pages from this forum like this one and other related topics, a full page of observations about what I'm doing with the computer when it happens. They sent my computer for repair, and had it for a week. I just got it back today. The freezing persists. They didn't even do anything except reinstall the OS. NO new logic board. No new airport card. Nothing. Thanks apple, I already proved a clean install of 10.6 does nothing to fix it. Thanks for keeping my laptop for a week and doing nothing about the problem and seemingly not even reading my notes. It's not like I'm trying to scam you out of a logic board. What good would that do me?

I usually have very good customer relations with apple but this leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The apple repair place didn't even receive the laptop until yesterday when I left it at the store 6 days ago. All they did was run the hardware diagnostic that's on the install disc and then reinstalled the OS. EVer thought the hardware diagnostic mght not be so complete?

I know apple doesn't read these boards so I'm just venting, but just a warning to anyone trying to get apple to fix this issue, be persistent. I was persistent but apparently not enough. I guess the next thing I can try is some new ram?

I can confirm that this seems to be it. Machine was locking after 10.5.8 update, and using Ethernet prevented the freeze. Nevertheless I rolled back to 10.5.6 because Airport actually works there.

No Snow Leopard for me.

Fingers crossed that there will indeed be a solution. I want to get rid of the my 30 m ethernet cable down the staircase....

After I got my computer back from the apple store (from my above post) I contacted apple phone support and they arranged for me to send it in. I sent it in, they had it for one day, they sent it back. While they had it they replaced the logic board, airport card, airport antenna, and screen. I don't know which part it was that did it, but the freezes are gone. Everything is great now.

I'm thinking there was a bad batch of a component on the logic board or in the airport card that conflicted with something in 10.5.7+

Whatever the case is, my laptop works over airport and doesn't freeze anymore.

I just wanted to add in that I have this exact same problem with my Macbook with OSX 10.5.8. Completely locks up whenever I'm using Airport, but no problem at all when I'm using an Ethernet cord. Very frustrating.