Wi-Fi painfully slow when in Clamshell mode

Hi homli,

I operate my 13" MacBook Pro (same shell, same AirPort card, same card layout) and I notice no difference in download/upload speeds. I've been using my machine in this configuration for about 3 months and it's been consistent (clamshell and normal).

I will say, though, that the speedtest.net results are very inflated. What if you take a file (say 100MB) and upload it somewhere and then try to download it. Try it in clamshell mode and then in normal mode and report your findings.

It's definitely not a known issue in clamshell mode, nor specific to the unibody design.

Hi I have a new unibody Macbook Pro and I found the same thing. While I have an external monitor I, haven't used it in a while because it severely affects my internet speeds. Is their a problem with our individual computers?

I have the same problem of painfully slow wireless when my computer is docked and the lid is closed. According to Speedtest.net: docked with lid open (screen off): 15.5Mb/s vs docked with lid closed: 0.27MB/s.

I've also tried changing the orientation with the lid closed (I get only a slight improvement with the laptop perpendicular to the desk, .9MB/s), and opening the lid during the speed test (I also get a dramatic increase in speed).

Interesting my upload speed is still decent with the lid closed (3Mb/s closed 8Mb open).

Anyone called Apple about this problem?

-Aaron

Hello Aaron and Anthony,

I recognize that both of you are new here but it is really helpful if you start your own topics rather than piggy backing off of someone else's post with your own questions. Thanks.

Same problem, 2.26 Ghz 13" unibody macbook pro. Wireless reception tanks only when connected to an external monitor with the apple Mini-Display port out connector. Reception ***** whether the lid is open or closed while connected to the monitor.

If anyone else is experiencing this please post to substantiate a problem.

I have also confirmed the same problem with my 2.16 GHz MacBook (MacOS 10.6.2). When in clamshell mode upload and download speeds are only 10-20% of what they are with the lid open (still attached to the external monitor but with mirroring turned on), with all other conditions held the same to the extent possible. Four separate tests over two days. In case it matters, the external monitor I am using is a 36" Samsung LCD TV (in the living room). It's possible the large monitor size has something to do with it but I can't test for that.

Hi there, well i have the same problem here.
I have a Macbook Pro 13 and a Cinema LED Display (made for macbook pro).
It always worked with the clamshell mode, since yesterday i switched from airport express to netgear wlan router. Isn't strange? Why is that so? Maybe the Wlan Channel? Any ideas, solutions???

+*I recognize that both of you are new here but it is really helpful if you start your own topics rather than piggy backing off of someone else's post with your own questions. Thanks.*+

Actually, they are doing exactly what they should be doing. Starting a new thread for exactly the same topic is generally considered poor forum etiquette. As they were experiencing the same problem, this is the appropriate place for them to post it.

I just recently purchased a dozen unibody MacBooks and another nine 13" MacBook Pros for use in a media lab. Of these 21 machines, none of them (all running 10.6.2) have sluggish performance in clamshell mode over WiFi (versus when they're not). In addition, I've been polling other people across campus with various machines (running 10.5.8 & 10.6.2) and I've yet to come across any machine suffering from the issue.

While not to discredit what anyone is saying, I've yet to find any empirical evidence to support consistency to software or hardware.

I'd recommend that you reach out to AppleCare (all those with the issue) and get the information documented. While they might not have an immediate solution, fix or work around for you (obviously other than not using closed lid mode). Getting issues like this documented to AppleCare are important in getting fixes in place.

Sam problem here. Clamshell mode, internet dies. When open works like a charm. I connect to a Acer 22 inch monitor as external display via DVI and found no problems with wi-fi and the connection to the external monitor. But the problem with Wifi and Clamshell mode persists.

Does Apple actively look into these discussions??

Hi KingDude,

If you want to get your issue addressed it's much better served by contacting Applecare directly. These discussion forums are user-to-user and no a direct means of communicating with Apple. While there are employees of Apple that police the boards and some that post, the ones that post do so on their own time. As stated in the Terms of Use you agreed to:

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I'm also experiencing this during clamshell mode on this model Macbook. I notice every once in awhile, it will drop from 4 bars to 3 and the internet will start to feel like dial up. It's strange, sometimes I'll go for a few days or a couple weeks without the symptoms and then they'll come back out of nowhere. As I started this post, my wifi was a 3 bars and at dialup speed but now it's back up to 4 and the internet feels normal again. I don't know what's going on here.

Like what carl wolf said, closing the lid changes the position of the wifi antenna in the lid of your MacBook. Antennas have unique sensing properties in each direction.

There could also be some processor throttling when used in clamshell mode.

Only way to keep your antenna position up while in clamshell mode is to grab an usb wifi adapter that has an external antenna.

I had the same problem. I was, though strange, able to solve by changing my wireless (wifi) channel. I cannot explain it but slow connection was only happening in the clamshell mode.

http://www.helium.com/items/1295476-wifi-channel-change

Exactly the same problem with my 2.4 unibody its unacceptably slow in clamshell mode....