Q: 27" imac wifi problems (intermittant)

The problem is not Wi-fi. I am also having the same problem. I connected it directly to the ethernet and still doesnt work.

If the problem was just wi-fi, then ethernet or direct connection should have worked, but it didnt. So i think the Wi-fi works, but the hardware that is suppose to connect the iMac to the internet, being it wireless or ethernet doesn't work. IT IS FAULTY! I am not a computer geek so not sure how to explain myself but i think it is that card which connects the Mac to the internet, something like INTERNET CARD?

People, the problem is not WIRELESS, LET ME SHOUT IT OUT FOR EMPHASIS, THE-PROBLEM-C'EST-NE-PAS-WIRELESS!!!!!! IF YOU CONNECT IT DIRECTLY USING ETHERNET, SAME PROBLEM!

PLEASE WHEN PEOPLE TRY OUT SOMETHING AND IT WORKS, DO NOT POST THE SOLUTION HERE RIGHT AWAY, WAIT TILL YOUR NETWORK HOLDS FOR 1 MONTH BEFORE PUBLISHING IT HERE COS ALL THE SOLUTIONS DONT LAST EVEN FOR A DAY TILL THE PROBLEM IS BACK. THANK YOU! 

POSTED THIS ON Sunday JUNE 2013!

YES AGREE! We must all return our machines to the store at the same time. I have been chasing them for 2 years and my apple care expires in 6 months.After 6 months, i wont get the luxury to go there anytime i want! my machine have gone to their store two times! Anyone who has knowledge in law should educate us on the minimum number of times a product must be returned to warrant a replacement. i know some countries do have such laws. I live in Canada.

The problem is not Wi-fi. I am also having the same problem. I connected it directly to the ethernet and still doesnt work. If the problem was just wi-fi, then ethernet or direct connection should have worked, but it didnt. I am not a computer geek so not sure how to explain myself but i think it is that card which connects the Mac to the internet, something like internet card?

The problem is not Wi-fi. I am also having the same problem. I connected it directly to the ethernet and still doesnt work. If the problem was just wi-fi, then ethernet or direct connection should have worked, but it didnt. I am not a computer geek so not sure how to explain myself but i think it is that card which connects the Mac to the internet, something like internet card?

The problem is not Wi-fi. I am also having the same problem. I connected it directly to the ethernet and still doesnt work. If the problem was just wi-fi, then ethernet or direct connection should have worked, but it didnt. I am not a computer geek so not sure how to explain myself but i think it is that card which connects the Mac to the internet, something like internet card?

The problem isn't the wifi, its the routers. I was plagued with this problem for almost a year until I finally broke down and bought an ethernet cable, this solved the problem on my late 2011 iMac. I just moved to a new house and got a new router that works fine with my computer. Basically what apple has created here is a monopoly with their wifi since it works fine with their router. Unless you have either the newest router on the market or apples router, chances are you wont have wifi. You will never solve the problem by taking it to apple since they will always test the computer on their router (i discovered this after three trips to an apple store 125 miles away). If anyone has the power to bring this corrupt company to justice for this it would be incredible and I would love to go on the stand for this if out ever comes to it. So please email me at ehlevated@gmail.com if you have the power to screw this company the way they have been screwing us.

I received my brand new imac 27 on Friday 28th June 2013....expecting some great internet usage I set it up and it has hardly kept its signal for more than 2 - 3 minutes. The WI FI signal is pefectly good and I have set up my ancient old HP PC on the same desktop. The HP connects immediately and never drops the signal. The HP answers the icon clicks almost instantly... the imac just sits there with the blue line doddering about a 5th of the way along its path... I got the imac from WEX Photographic and it is going back...I am not putting up with such crap after spending over £1500 with them for this piece of junk. After reading posts in this thread, which stretches back as far as 2009 it is obvious that this is an issue that Apple have absolutely no intention of fixing and no intention of warning customers about prior to them parting with their hard earned money...It will be on a Parcelforce Van tomorrow morning!!!

I had the same problem with my new iMac 27" 2013.

Some months ago, I changed my wifi access point for a newer compatible with wifi 802.11n, and problem has gone, now I can use my iMac at full speed in wifi.

So I admit, the problem IS NOT the iMac, is the wifi router or wifi access point.

If u want to solve the problem, you'll need to purchase a new router / wifi access point with 802.11n compatibility.

I have three routers with 802.11n support, including an Apple Time Capsule. Tried running them all in 2.4GHz and 5GHz and I still have the same problem.

Given up. Using ethernet now. Really miss the days when Apple's customer service was an example to all.

Your conclusion is based on your personal experience.  I posted several months ago about my fix for a 2010 imac running Lion which had been working perfectly until one of the OS upgrades made the wifi disconnect.  I fixed the problem with an external wifi adapter that since its installation has allowed that imac to connect to my wifi router without any difficulties.

If in fact it is the router and not the imac (or its software), then how can I have another imac (2009 version) running Lion in the house, as well as a mac mini (running snow leopard) and two macbook pros running Lion all with no wifi connection problems?

There is a problem with the apple product, whether it be a hardware or software problem, that is widespread and effects many different mac machines, and is either not been identified by Apple, or has been identified and found to be not cost effective to fix.  Until this problem impacts future sales, Apple has no incentive to fix it.

Not sure if what I did to resolve my Imac will help, but here is what I did.

Went to system preferences, network, click on wifi and then click on the '-' key below. This will delete the wifi option. You can then try to add it back by clicking on "+" and then add back wifi. My mac didn't show wifi as an option so I then plugged into to ethernet and restarted. Once restarted the wifi option was there and added it back. Wifi restored.

There is a youtube video on this about deleting the wifi interface and then adding it back to fix the problem but doesn't show rebooting with ethernet.

Give this a try. Hopefully it will work. I've found this works with troubleshooting home networks as well. Just delete it and then add back.

Good luck

Just confirming with everyone that my 27" Imac's wireless has been working flawlessly for many months since I tweaked my router. It was not a short term fix. It has solved my problem.

If anyone feels the need to switch to Windows then by all means feel free. I'm not sure you'll be any better off though, Windows has it's issues too: http://www.neowin.net/news/intels-wi-fi-adapters-connectivity-issues-continue

This thread is 29 pages long.  I'm sure you told somewhere, but I can't find it.  How did you 'tweek' the router?  Could you provide a link or at least the page you said what you do to tweek?

I'll put my two cents back in. Sometimes you're not close to an Ethernet cable. My permanent fix has been to use an external wifi adapter ( USB or Ethernet) and totally bypass the internal wifi adapter.  This has worked for me for over a year. No tweaking necessary. You can spend just 25-30 bucks and get rid of the connection issues.  What's causing the problem that you need a fix for?  Who cares!!  Done.  Hope this helps you!

We have a two week old iMac 27" (November 1, 2013 purchase) that is constantly dropping the WiFi signal from our Airport Extreme Base Station & brand new Airport Express. 

The iMac sits less than six feet away from the AEBS, yet loses the signal every time upon waking from sleep.  Usually a restart of the iMac will rectify it... until it goes to sleep and awakens and then can't hook on to the signal, despite showing full bars in the Aiport icon in the top menu bar and a check mark next to our home network.

Also sitting on my desk next to the WiFi-dropping iMac is my MacBook Air, iPad 2 and iPhone - none of which has any problems at all with the connections.

It is only the iMac having this issue.

I have been on the phone with Apple almost daily for the past few days and I am to call them again tomorrow if the iMac continues this dropping of the signal.  (And it has three times since yesterday afternoon.)

Also in the house are two other iPads, two iPhone 5, one brand new BlackBerry phone, another old iMac, and two other MacBooks.  Not one of these systems is dropping the WiFi connection, nor have they before the iMac arrived.  The AEBS and AX are also working flawlessly.

This problem - at least in my case - is limited to the iMac.

I'd say it's hardware-related to the iMac, as does the Apple reps I've spoken with and that's their next line of troubleshooting.