Macbook Pro random dropping wifi with Google wifi

Dear @flytripper

Your AP's are configured to support the 160 MHz band feature and your MacBook is using it:

I'm experiencing comparable wifi dropouts when it's configured to use 160 MHz wide channels on crowded networks.

Suggest to disable the 160 MHz wide channels of 802.11ac in your AP configuration and retest.

Arguments and technical background of the 160 MHz topic:

• 160 MHz Wi-Fi Channels: Friend or Foe? - SmallNetBuilder
• https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeNetworking/comments/zlasz2/should_i_disable_160_mhz/
• https://community.ui.com/questions/Pros-and-cons-to-using-160MHz-Channel-Width-on-5-ghz/45707407-a5c6-4226-bb44-3365ac16cef2
• Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support also suggests to use narrow channels

Good luck,

bue

Are you suing ANY VPN features that you installed yourself? these do not provide additional protection form anything, but they absolutely DO muck up the connection is bizarre ways.

Any third-party Virus scanners? these will need to be removed to debug; consider NEVER re-installing them.

Hold the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fi icon on the menubar. This allows you see see some stuff pertinent to your situation.

The first is the snapshot of current wi-Fi operating parameters, like this older one. Please transcribe or screenshot and post.

the next is Wireless diagnostics. I suggest you open that, read the boilerplate reconmmencdations just to be sure something is not grossly wrong, then set it to MONITOR your connection, leave its window open and do do your work. If something blows up, you will get notified.

I suggest you skip the wireless diagnostics REPORT, intended to be senator an Apple Network engineer. it is a DUMP of every setting that could possibly influence wifi performance in any way, and so huge they compress it, and has nor human readable content.

<< At this point I think that there is something inherently wrong with the mesh capabilities of Google/Nest wifi product >

it is important that you change settings on the access points so that only the Main Router is providing IP addresses via DHCP service. Apple calls this "Bridge" mode, but other vendors use 'bridge mode' for a different feature, and every vendor seem to have their own name for Access Point only and NOT DHCP on the Access points.

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if you use Ping tests, are you using all-numeric IP addresses? if not, it is likely each Ping is preceded by a DNS lookup to translate that alphabetic name into an all numeric "internet phone number". The DNS lookup could be the weak link.

MANY networks set themselves up with the local Router as the (only) named DNS Server, which will then forward to stored DNS numbers in the Router as the secondary sources. Any weak link in that chain could give poor performance.

Some users have resorted to manually entering DNS Server address on their Macs for a variety of reasons, including performance issues. DNS numbers entered manually will override the ones in your Router (typically provided automatically by your ISP when your Router gets its IP address from the next upstream Router controlled by your ISP.)

System Preferences > network > wifi > (adnvanced) > DNS

¿what DNS numbers are shown there?

I have been having the exact issue, nest wifi with three APs, macbook pro, assorted devices, only the. macbook is an issue. It loses its IP address but stays connected. If I disconnect and reconnect, it gets and ip then immediately drops it. Resetting the AP usually helps. A friend with the issue was told by google to turn off ipv6, set up custom dns settings, and force upgrade the firmware, and that seems to have helped. I actually use my ipv6 unfortunately so haven't disabled it.

Pay attention to whether any household appliances turn on when you start to have the issue as appliances can interfere with a WiFi signal. Even USB3 devices can cause problems. Try disconnecting all USB devices to see if any of them are causing a problem.

If you are connecting via WiFi 6, then configure your network to an older protocol as you may be experiencing some issue related to WiFi 6. From everything you posted, this may be the most likely.

Have you tried running your laptop in Safe Mode to see whether you still get the intermittent drops? Software can definitely interfere with the WiFi on macOS....I've never seen this occur with any other OS.

If you hold down the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fi Icon on the menubar, you get access to additional information.the first is a snapshot of wifi operation at this moment. like this older one:

if you transcribe or post yours, Readers can attempt to analyze what might be happening.

what can be very helpful in a complex network or dense neighborhood is to look not just at what channel, but how much spectrum is consumed by each device that is using Wi-Fi, yours AND neighbors.

WiFi Explorer is an inexpensive tool that has a free trial. it can show Spectrum graphs like this one:

the users of those networks are not getting a lot done. their traffic is interfering all over the place.

RSSI of -40 suggests you are not far from your Router. if this is making you crazy, consider running an Ethernet cable. I have and use a Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet adapter (sold in the Apple store) and it works well.

Yours is the first posted snapshot showing Wi-Fi 6 working. Several users reported it does not work (which made me suspicious that they "were not holding it right".)

Your noise number is a little higher than I would have expected, given your reported isolation.

do your other access points have their 6GHz radios turned off, or are you seeing some competition for other access points? Wikipedia article on WiFi channels suggest there is exactly ONE 160 MHz channel, that occupies essentially the entire 6 GHZ band, while the 5 GHz band may have four or five at 80 MHz each.

Have you checked your Spectrum with an inexpensive Utility like WiFi explorer? it may reveal some unexpected cross talk from your other Access Points. This is what it regular (non-Wi-Fi 6 "spectrum" display looks like:

.

it occurred to me that if you have Access points capable of Wi-Fi-6e, they are very recent, and may be capable of 10G Ethernet as well.

If the cable you are suing is too long or too noisy, you could be seeing errors on your ethernet cabling. Do you have any way to check for Ethernet errors, or even see what speeds your accessPoint to Router cables are running at?

<< As for the "higher" interference - I would guess that is because I just have it sitting on top of some cables that are a mess and likely proving a tiny bit of faraday cage effect. >>

A classic debugging technique I use is, especially when 'stuck', whenever I discover anything out of the ordinary, whether it could cause the issue at hand or not, I fix it. Then I run the experiment again and check to see if the symptoms changed. Sometimes the symptoms can change (without fixing the issue) but it can provide more insight.

I suggest you clear the pile of cables near the Router and test again. Maybe something will be different. Not fixed, just different.

<<. Is there a way to disable 160 MHz band usage on the end device side? >>

Yes, according to the Apple article cited below:

How to turn off Wi-Fi 6E mode on your device

For Wi-Fi 6E networks that use a single network name as recommended, if you experience any other issues with your use of the network, you can turn off Wi-Fi 6E mode when connected to that network. Your device will then no longer use that network’s 6GHz band. Use of Wi-Fi 6E on other networks isn't affected.

Mac

1. Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Wi-Fi.
2. Click the Details button next to the name of the Wi-Fi 6E network you're connected to.
3. From the pop-up menu next to Wi-Fi 6E Mode, choose Off. 

Use Wi-Fi 6E networks with Apple devices - Apple Support

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