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neil74 Author

Level 1

11 points

27" imac wifi problems (intermittant)

I really wish Apple had email or online support...

I have a 27" i5 imac that I bought just before Christmas, I had lots of problems with the wifi on it, it would not connect and when it did it was very slow, all while my macbook and iphone in the same room showed full signal and a fast rock solid connection. I rang Apple support, it took ages but they were very helpful and eventually we solved it and in the end it seemed to be WPA that was the problem and whilst I was not happy switching to WEP it seemed to work so I went with it.

Fast forward a month or so and I have started having problems again, it is fine when I boot but as the day goes on it gets slower and slower before finally refuses to connect at all. I am wondering if this could be something over-heating but in truth I am puzzled.

Anybody else having issues?

imac i5 27" and macbook, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Feb 21, 2010 3:11 AM

Top-ranking reply

Richcocozza

Level 1

0 points

Posted on Feb 21, 2010 5:31 PM

I am having the same exact problem. Bought a 27 inch iMac about a month ago, the wireless connection was a little slow off the bat, but then I was able to fix it. Recently after turning it on the signal is picked up fine for about 15 minutes and then all of a sudden the airport can no longer pick up any wireless network. Meanwhile my iPhone and MacBook have no issues. I called apple support and they had me complete a litany of useless diagnostic tasks - emptied my cache, did a hard reboot, repaired disk permissions , etc. None of it helped. Seems it's a hardware issue. Anyone know if this is a known issue with this model? I'm afraid the airport card itself may be defective in some way.

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443 replies

ruutb

Level 1

0 points

Nov 9, 2010 1:08 PM in response to grematters

Changing channel is often the solution but...
There are much complaints regarding wifi and the Intel Imac.

I had the same problems. Changed channels which did not work. Change encryption which worked for a moment.
I sent in my Imac for repair.

Today I got the call it is repaired. Changed Airportcard and changed display because of yellow tint.
Will pickup the device tomorrow and let you know how I proceed.

Ruut

ruutb

Level 1

0 points

Nov 14, 2010 5:08 PM in response to ruutb

Imac back from repair.
The airportcard and the display where replaced.

Internet is ok now... but the screens is much worse!
Brought it back and they are going to replace display for a second time..

Dec 29, 2010 7:50 PM in response to neil74

My iMac drops not only WiFi but also Ethernet connection at unpredictable intervals. Apple support involved, everyting tried - no luck. Tried everything in this forum and couple of others - same. Once holidays are over I'm taking it to the store for ? repair/exchange. Spent way too many hours trying to fix it myself

migabri

Level 1

0 points

Feb 12, 2011 10:08 PM in response to neil74

i'm in similar situation, with 1 imac, 1 macbook, 1 windows pc, 1 windows netbook, i have wifi download problems only on the imac that has poor performance compared to other device but it seems to have same performance in upload operations also to internet or to a NAS that is wired connected on the gateway/router and all the problems start in last 2 month; i also make a reset of the SMC and PRAM i saw a performance improve just for some few minutes after i restarted the imac: all that things let me think to a software problem with driver or with the electric power supply to the wifi card caused by some of the update.

cyrusy

Level 1

0 points

Feb 19, 2011 3:26 PM in response to neil74

I have a 24" imac and its the same problem. All other devices connect fine except the imac. I have tried several things from apple support to try to fix it but nothing has worked. Amazed that after several years no one has fixed this issue.
Has anyone tried a USB style wifi card to see if that solves it. I'm sure this is a hardware issue.

obocka

Level 1

9 points

Feb 20, 2011 11:58 AM in response to neil74

I had exact same problems connecting iMac to wireless router, even though MacBook had no problem at all. Got a lot of excellent advice from Apple Community members. However, I feel Apple have a problem here and just won't admit it. Below is how my problem was resolved (at least for now).

My technician switched to WEP and made some other adjustments, and downstairs (where I want it) I have 40% quality wireless reception, but can get 70% upstairs in the attic where the hub is located. A little device called iStumbler measures the signal. I am getting by, and it's a dramatic improvement on the horror show endured for the past four months.

Below I quote the solution offered by WiMax (my ISP wireless service), a series of operations I wouldn't dream of attempting lest the remedy becomes worse than the disease.

"There are different levels of wifi encyption and channels all of which are configurable on the router at the web address http://192.168.15.1:2000 - this can only be accessed when wired into the router with an Ethernet cable.

What i would suggest is, for testing purposes, disable the security on the wifi network entirely (this will give anyone in the area access to your internet connection so do not leave it like this permanently - it does not give them access to your computers - you do not have to worry about that, just your speeds could be lower)

Also we have had many reports of Apple products not working on various wifi frequencies. We have noted that using channel 1,2,3 or 4 work quite well but above this Apple products become unreliable. We have addressed this with Apple, and they accept the issue is with their products but they do not intend to fix it.

Both wifi channel and secturity level can be configured at http://192.168.15.1:2000

babowa

Level 9

78,429 points

Feb 20, 2011 12:21 PM in response to obocka

+Also we have had many reports of Apple products not working on various wifi frequencies. We have noted that using *channel 1,2,3 or 4* work quite well but above this Apple products become unreliable. We have addressed this with Apple, and they accept the issue is with their products but they do not intend to fix it.+

That is absolute fiction. Mine is set to Channels 6 and 10 and works perfectly. And, mine is set to WPA2 and works perfectly. These are with a Netgear router, Motorola Modem and Comcast cable as the ISP. WiMax needs to ascertain facts before making such absurd statements. Maybe higher channels do not work with WiMax, but that has nothing to do with the Mac.

Additionally, you need to remember that on an aluminum iMac, the only place for the signal to actually go anywhere is through the Apple logo on the back. Wireless signals cannot penetrate metal, so there is only a very small area for it to transmit the signal.

Message was edited by: Barbara Daniels1

May 6, 2011 12:26 AM in response to babowa

I'm the proud owner of a shiny new 27" 3.1 GHz quad core i5 iMac (purchased May 3rd, 2011). She's lightning fast for everything non-internet related. Sadly, she is having the same problem the rest of you have been discussing. However, there is one BIG difference that I don't think I have read anyone else mention -- she knocks off everyone else on the wifi network AND my ethernet cabled Blu-Ray player. Everyone = my 2007 15" MBP, my fiance's 2008 15" MBP, and last night while my mom was visiting, it knocked her off of her 2008 15" MBP.

Here's the battle: I'll be watching Netflix on the ethernet cabled Samsung blu-ray player while surfing the web on the iMac, after a few websites, the iMac then kicks off the Netflix (or so it seems since it starts rebuffering) and then it kicks itself off (yet still showing a full connection) and if any innocent bystanders are around (like my fiance or my mom) they will soon be seeing a beach ball or getting the not connected to the internet notice.

Does this sound like an issue with the iMac or the wifi aka wireless connection? We have AT&T high speed internet (the Elite version, whatever that means) and we use the router they provided.

Thanks for any assistance and yea, I admit, I'm still trying to grasp all of the wireless internet information that is out there. I do think I'll try changing channels to see if that helps, although I do really want to know if this could be more a problem with the ISP than the iMac.

Thank you!

wifiguru

Level 2

240 points

May 6, 2011 12:39 AM in response to ThreeCrows33

Could it just be that your internet connectivity is going down and all the machines are noticing it ?

Try this.

Have a ping going on to your router. And have a ping going to say www.google.com.

When the issue occur's notice if the pings to the wireless router drops . If it does not, ( but pings to google drop) it's your Internet connection thats an issue, not the wireless.

Also you mention your Samsung is cabled over Ethernet. So unless your router is crashing and rebooting, that connectivity should not be affected by wireless.

Since your Ethernet connectivity is suffering, my guess is your Internet connection is going down. It probably has nothing to do with the iMac wireless.

May 10, 2011 9:11 PM in response to wifiguru

It is our router that is the definite problem. Thank you for suggestion of the pinging, as it helped to diagnose the issue. Any suggestions for a good router? We currently have a 1-year-old 2wire router through AT&T.

babowa

Level 9

78,429 points

May 10, 2011 9:22 PM in response to ThreeCrows33

I've been very pleased with my Netgear RangeMax WNR3500 - excellent wireless range and haven't experienced any dropouts when I'm surfing with my laptop (wirelessly).

rondux

Level 1

23 points

Jun 3, 2011 9:49 PM in response to neil74

Sorry to say but my brand new iMac 21.5" has exactly the same problem and it's going back for a refund this morning.

What is it with Apple lately? I had to return an ipad with wifi problems and an iPhone4 with aerial problems.

I love Apple but of late I'm afraid my experience is not good.

It's as if they are just bashing out the machines with little or no quality control. It may make them lots of money but doesn't do anything for customer relations - at least not this one.

Hey ho - it's reluctantly back to a PC!

wonsup3

Level 1

9 points

Jun 8, 2011 12:41 PM in response to neil74

I have a new, base model, 27" imac that a got a few weeks ago (it has the new thunderbot connection).
The airport signal would stop for no reason. The problem would get progressively worse. I did a SMC and PRAM reset. No help. I reinstalled the operating system and I had no airport problems for a few days, but then it came back and got progressively worse. I am generally running only Finder and Chrome. I know my internet connection is ok because I tested it with my PC laptop at the same times airport would drop. The only solution I have is to turn airport off then on again.

mmm2m8r

Level 1

9 points

Jun 9, 2011 7:29 AM in response to wonsup3

I don't know if this is the same problem but a while back the iMac 27 and HP notebook running wifi thru Airport Extreme and a DSL modem gave limited internet connectivity with funny stuff happenning. The DSL support thought it was virus. Bypassed the AE and same problem. Took notebook to McDonald's and no problem. Reset DSL and AE-same problem. Called Geek Squad. On the day before they came it all started working perfectly. (Cancelled GS). I have concluded the DSL modem got a funky update which was corrected by Fairport Communications or they had trouble with their network but they deny it. Spent hours pouring over help sites and on phone. *****.

Jun 11, 2011 10:49 PM in response to neil74

had intermittent wifi disconnectivity with the new imac released this year (i5 quadcore verion). called apple support twice and a solution was achieved. the problem was in the router configuration - the sky router was channel 6 and i was told to change it to 11. after changing to 11, there has been no problems what so ever, its been 3 days now with no wifi issue. i was on the verge of returning this piece back but now things are better and i will to enjoy my imac experience .. am just 10 day old on my first imac anyway 🙂

27" imac wifi problems (intermittant)