Keep losing internet connection

I've had better luck since I installed the update. However today I'm having problems again with the ATT mobile connection. Things are 'hanging' - BUT I have been noticing more and more how often Mail seems to be part of this problem, and where I'll need to force quit it. Twice today I quit mail and it seemed to open up the connection twice. I have been running Safari and Ical only, with mail closed, and not having problems so far. I'm wondering if anyone else notices or wonders about a Mail involvement?

I found these suggestions have corrected the problem with the ethernet & Apple Airport Extreme internet problems:

However, I find that I need to unplug Airport Extreme and reconnect after the computer goes to sleep to gain an internet connection. Hopefully, Apple will resolve this problem.



I did this step first:

"would suggest you to delete your network from the preferred networks list on your Mac. In Network Preferences, select AirPort, and start out by turning off the AirPort card. Then click Advanced, select the first tab in the overlaid window. Remove your network using the - sign, click Ok, then Apply. With AirPort still off, go to Keychain Access, delete the password for your network. Restart the computer, turn AirPort back on, rejoin your network and authenticate. Put the computer to sleep from or using Hot Corners, wait 5-10 minutes, maybe 30 or overnight, and wake it back up. Does it work?I finally installed the system update xtech noted May 12, 2010. So far it's 7 hours and counting on the ATT mobile and no problems with the internet connection. I haven't gone more than 2 hours in a long time without problems. I'll copy his early answer again here, and will update if I continue to have problems when I get home and back to my wireless. Otherwise I recommend you try it."

This step second:

"finally installed the system update xtech noted May 12, 2010. So far it's 7 hours and counting on the ATT mobile and no problems with the internet connection. I haven't gone more than 2 hours in a long time without problems. I'll copy his early answer again here, and will update if I continue to have problems when I get home and back to my wireless. Otherwise I recommend you try it."

QUOTED:
There is an Apple update fix for it here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1017

Why hidden from Software Update? .. no clue.

~xtech

Message was edited by: Raydream

Message was edited by: Raydream

Glad to hear this worked for you Raydream. I've done both of these steps as well, and they offered temporary improvement at best. And that part really confuses me - that a "fix" will improve things for a couple of days, then it degenerates to its typical behavior.

Hi guys,

i'm facing same problem with a brand new Imac 27'' i've bought two weeks ago. Suddenly my airport connect went unstable and with low speed.

I have 10.6.4 version and this update is 10.6.3 may sound a stupid question but this will change my system back to 10.6.3?

i really don't know what to do.

I would be surprised if rolling back to 10.6.3 would help. Many of the posters on this thread have said that the problems began when they moved up to 10.6.3. That being said, I'm not sure if simply installing the 10.6.3 update will roll you back to the earlier version, though I'm sure there's information about how to do that floating around.

update: I did the above fixes as well, and they all worked - but only for 6 days. Now it's back to the same old thing. What's part of it, Network Diagnostics will run, notice the problem, say 'network configuration has changed,' require password and then hang endlessly trying to re-connect. Only restarting the computer has worked for me to get it to go. I suspect restarting the airport might too, but that's farther away so I have only done that once. It was happening for me with 10.6.3 and in fact, the 6 good days happened after installing 10.6.4. It started after installing a new airport extreme to replace a first generation that was working fine. I've considered reinstalling the old one.

More data, just in case someone has ideas, or someone from Apple actually looks sometime. As noted, after all suggested 'fixes' I had some temporary improvement. This morning I was running a radio feed, and at the same time all the other internet access (mail, web pages, calendar sync) was not functioning. As usual, when running Network Diagnostics, it noted that all was good through the ISP, with problems below at the Internet level. It attempts to 'connect' at that level and also hangs, until I do the tried and true restart. During this entire time, the radio feed was fine.

At a much earlier point, I have posted on this thread and others concerned with the same subject.

I have solved my version of the problem. Here is how. I bought a refurbished Apple Extreme router. It is in a slightly different place from the older Netgear wireless router. The computer no longer loses its connection to the internet, period.

I do not know if it is the Apple router (working more happily with SL) or simply the new location. The new device is at about the same level as the old router but about five or six feet in a different direction. Conceivably, because it is in a different position vis-a-vis the telephone (a 5.8 GHz digital AT&T phone) the interference is less. However, interference from the phone wouldn't account for the glitch, I think, since the MacBook only lost its connection after about ten hours--and, of course, the phone was operative all that time.

The fix, if you can call it that, was immediate and total. I'm sorry that what proved the solution for me clearly is not going to work for everyone on this thread and the other relevant threads. Pretty clearly, the same problem (i.e., symptom) is multiply determined, variously caused.

Good luck everyone.

Alarik

Interesting. I posted earlier with similar dropped connection problems although I was using a ethternet connection, exactly as grsk described too, through to ISP & dropped at internet. Problem was occurring on all computers on our home network. Changed the router from a D-Link, (about 2 yrs old) to a new Vigour 2710, problem solved. How much of the problem is with the router not the wireless connection?

I would like to reiterate to people that installing the 10.6.3.x update fixed my problem immediately. I think you need this update regardless of whether or not you have 10.6.4. I think 10.6.3 has something wrong with it regarding the iMac and airport.

Update. Since my last post 3 weeks back and updating to 10.6.4 as soon as it was released, had not remembered any more situations where the wifi connection to the Apple Extreme dropped. Perhaps Apple did make some fixes in 10.6.4

Update. Possible solution.

Again, my problem is different than some here. When mine drops, my network is always listed, and full bars show, but it can't access the internet, not any web pages nor mail. However, if a radio was streaming, it will keep streaming, as long as I don't try to close or reopen the window. Network diagnostics lists no connection to internet.

I spent some time on the phone yesterday with Apple support. First going through the first line solutions. Most of them I had done, via suggestions on this thread. The one I hadn't done is change the channels the airport extreme was using. I say that for anyone who hasn't, since I was told twice that that interference of some sort is the most common cause of dropped connections. People with new computers or other devices might want to first try changing the channels.

But for me that didn't help. I talked to a supervisor who said that there is a record of some of these problems arising from migration issues. About a year ago I replaced my Macbook after my hard drive died, restoring through Time Machine backup. He had me go through all the keychain files and delete them - sure enough, it was obvious once we found them all that there were duplicates dating back several years. With the old wifi, the duplicates from the old computer didn't matter - since it didn't matter which one was accessed. These files needed to be found 'by hand' through the finder, not just through spotlight. They did not all show up in spotlight.

Since deleting all the keychain files, the system has worked fine. I'll update again if the problem re-occurs.

I have the 21.5" imac...works great when connected directly to the dsl modem....as soon as I connect to the netgear wireless router, it loses connection constantly and is very slow. All other peripherals connect fine with no issues. anyone know if changing to an Airport router will help?

Have MacBook Pro, 3 yrs old, and an older netgear router; was running Leopard. After upgrading to Snow Leopard, every ten hours or so--and even while remaining connected to the net (could ping, etc.)--my mail and browser, etc., could not connect to the net.

Had to "renew dhcp lease" (if on ethernet) or turn Airport on and off when connected wireless. I'd get the same dhcp address but it would somehow refreshed.

Tried everything I could understand on this string and the many others devoted to "losing connection."

Finally bought a refurbished Airport Extreme and mounted it about an extra five to eight feet further away from the 5.8 ghz digital house phone (ATandT).

That fixed everything. I don't know if it's the added distance from the 5.8 ghz or the newer Apple router. Or both.

Endlessly ambiguous in the manner of life.

Alarik

I have the same problems as others on this thread but mine seemed to have started after installing 10.6.4. It has gotten to the point where my Imac is unusable with wi-fi. It is discouraging to read that users with ethernet connections are also having problems because that was going to be my next step. This has been going on for some time now. I wonder when and if Apple is going to step up with a fix.