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New 2020 MacBook Pro Will Not Stay Connected to Wi-Fi

For the enormous price I paid, I am continually frustrated that I cannot get any work done because my new MacBook Pro (2020) will not stay connected to Wi-Fi. It takes an inordinate delay to ever get connected and when it finally does, it drops within two minutes. Over and over again.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Posted on Aug 20, 2020 4:34 PM

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Posted on Aug 21, 2020 1:07 PM

If you have a connection to the Internet that is 1 Gigabit, ANYTHING you do with Wi-Fi will be slower than that.


Consider installing an Ethernet cable, that will provide an error-free full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet connection from the outset. You don't need fancy cable types, but all eight conductors must be connected. (Some cheaper cables just sneak by with only four wires.)

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Aug 21, 2020 1:07 PM in response to Pooma

If you have a connection to the Internet that is 1 Gigabit, ANYTHING you do with Wi-Fi will be slower than that.


Consider installing an Ethernet cable, that will provide an error-free full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet connection from the outset. You don't need fancy cable types, but all eight conductors must be connected. (Some cheaper cables just sneak by with only four wires.)

Aug 21, 2020 10:21 AM in response to Pooma

RSSI (raw signal strength at -52 is great, you must be very close to your Router.


Are you close enough to consider a faster (Gigabit) Ethernet connection?


Noise at -92 less signal at -52 yields signal-to-noise of 40, truly amazing, you should be having no trouble, unless you are on the exact same channel as another device.


Number of Spatial Streams (NSS) of two [essentially number of antennas] and MCS index 8 shows a complex 256 patterns per signaling interval. You are using an 802.11ac and 80 Mhz channel, only possible in the 5GHz band. You were able to attain a Transmit rate of 780, which indicates low interference at the time you made the connection. You did not report what channel number, which may be important.


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There are additional tools available off Option-Wi-Fi menu. there is a Monitor function, which can be left open in the background, and you will be notified if your connection deteriorates. AVOID the Diagnostic Report, as it is only a DUMP of all possible settings files, with no human-readable output, useful only when working with an Apple Engineer who has requested this output.


There is also SCAN, which produces a picture like this one, showing nominal channels. HOWEVER, since at 80 MHz ANY channel between 35 and 50 uses that ENTIRE spectrum, you need to reward the chart very skeptically:


(drag and drop on Preview to see larger)


I use and recommend WiFi Explorer, and inexpensive tool with a modest free trial, because it has a SPECTRUM display:



(drag and drop on preview to see larger)

Aug 20, 2020 8:11 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks for the response. I was able to reconnect. I'm not sure what you mean by "state of connection" but I see the specifics of my IP Address, Router, Security, BSSID, Channel, and Country Code. The "values" I presume are RSSI: -52 dBm, Noise: -92 dBm, Tx Rate: 780 Mbps, PHY Mode: 802.11ac, MCS Index: 8, NSS:2.


I see three networks, but only one is actually my home network. The other two are DirecTv and an Insignia freezer.

Aug 21, 2020 10:25 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

The "approved method" for dealing with interference from other networks is to set your Router to "automatic" channel assignment. This forces it to sniff the airwaves when it starts up, and choose the least busy channel.


Then if you have trouble later in the day, "Cycle the power to your Router" and it will choose a less busy channel. It is not an accident that "Cycle the power to your Router" is always step1 in any debugging procedure, because it has the potential to clear channel conflicts.

Aug 21, 2020 10:54 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks again. The problem is getting connected and staying connected. It's frustrating. At home, I pay for 1G internet service with a NetGear Nighthawk router within 30 feet, so when connected, I am not surprised the numbers are favorable. I bought this MacBook Pro around May, so due to COVID, I haven't tried to connect at any other locations yet.

New 2020 MacBook Pro Will Not Stay Connected to Wi-Fi

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