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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

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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.
443 replies

Nov 15, 2011 1:31 PM in response to Guh3

I am having this issue ever since I've got this unit in Jan 2010.


Softwares are all up to date with only 3 third party applicatoin on this imac 27" Core i7, I run MBP, G5 and couple of iphones on a same network via airport extreme which works perfect.


IT IS ONLY THE IMAC 27" CONSTANTLY DROPPING SIGNAL. IS THIS ISSUE EVER GOING TO BE FIXED?

We all know that taking this matter to genuis bar won't fix the problem rather expect held up in our day to day operation without having a computer. I am completely lost and feeling powerless for such a pricy shopping experience. 😟



Nov 29, 2011 11:54 AM in response to westcoastnomad

Hello


I have the exact same problem with my iMac 27" (jan 2010).

I never experienced any connection issue on Snow Leopard but the frequent disconnections or low performance became regular since I installed Lion. Actually it has become a hit or miss today. Either I have no problem at all or I "play" with the WIFI icon every 2 minutes to turn it off, back on, off ... restart my airport express, then the whole thing again. I have no problem with my MacBook Air (even id it forgets sometimes the WIFI network after it wakes up ...).


I hope - please Apple read me - that they will fix the problem in a near future because this is a real scandal : 2000 euros for a non working mac and no fix since July, come on. 😠

Nov 30, 2011 3:10 PM in response to neil74

Apple was able to fix this issue for me. At least, it hasn't returned and it's been almost a month.

If changing the DNS settings and resetting the PRAM doesn't work, try this:


1. Power down the Mac. Completely off.

2. Unplug it.

3. Disconnect everything. Power chord, keyboard, mouse...literally everything.

4. Hold down the power button on the back for 60 seconds.

5. Reconnect mouse, keyboard and stuff and power it back up.


I don't know what it does but it worked great.

I've been pleased ever since.

Dec 12, 2011 2:21 PM in response to neil74

This is an update to my original Jun 8, 2011 post.

I’ll Start with My Solution: Hard Line Ethernet Cable.

The Details:

I took my 27” iMac into the Apple Store and fortunately the genius technician was immediately able to duplicate my airport / wifi problem. This absolutely confirmed there was no issue with my wifi at home (which already I knew because I have two PC laptops, an iPhone 4, and MacBook Pro on the same home network with no problems). They replaced the wifi card, but damaged the case in the process, so they gave me a brand new 27” iMac (Sunday, September 4, 2011).

NEW iMac, SAME PROBLEM. Wifi drops for no reason. I have taken this new iMac back to the Apple Store twice, but after 15000 pings, everything was within normal parameters. I have tried every single suggestion on these posts, but to no avail. I went as far as getting a new router with the most up to date firmware. I connected the 27” iMac to the network first, and then all the other devices. SAME PROBLEM. So now I’m using an ethernet cable.

My cynicism: If the same percentage of wifi problems for the 27” iMac occurred for the iPhone or iPad, Apple would be all over it in terms of looking for a solution. Remember the reception problems that the iPhone 4 had with its defective antenna? Apple was all over that in terms of finding a solution.

Dec 18, 2011 1:02 AM in response to neil74

Had my new 21.5" iMac for a couple of weeks now and I have also been experiencing issues with the WiFi connection. It cannot be my ISP or Wifi because they both work fine with three PC laptops (Acer, Toshiba, Samsung) and my iPod touch. What I have noticed is that the problem is related to when my wife turns on her Samsung Netbook. As soon as she does that, the Internet starts dropping out, but only on my iMac. At first I thought it was when she was Skyping, but I now realise it is not just that. I am also wondering whether or not it is related to her using Google Chrome for her Internetting but not sure about that either, yet. Still trying to piece together the symptoms but clearly there is a widespread issue here.


Let's hope someone comes up with a solution...apart from me telling my wife to turm off her laptop! : - )

Dec 18, 2011 2:25 AM in response to aphid2aphid

I just posted this link on another thread. I haven't trawled this whole thread so I don't know if it's been suggested elsewhere. I spotted the link that another poster - shldr2thewheel - provided when helping someone else with wifi problems. Anyway, looking at the link, it seems to help some:

http://osxdaily.com/2011/11/06/lion-wi-fi-problems-solution-mac/?utm_source=feed burner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+osxdaily+%28OS+X+Daily%29&utm_conten t=FaceBook

Jan 2, 2012 1:00 PM in response to neil74

I recently called up apple about this problem and this is what the guy said to do:


1. turn off computer

2. turn on computer

3. wait for first chime to go then; hold down command, option,p, and r at the same time

4. hold down keys until you hear the chime again

5. let computer turn on normally


I am running lion 10.7.2 with a 27in Imac and an i5 processor


He also said to do the following:


1. get to the network option in system preferences

2. click the gear located to the right of the + and - signs

3. go into the drop down menu and click "set service order"

4. make sure that wifi is ontop (u click and drag to rearrange it)


So far it has worked for me. keeping my fingers crossed.

27" imac wifi problems (intermittant)

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