MacBook Pro M1 - Ventura 13.3.1 - WiFi Disconnection

Hello Dave Minall,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. 

We understand that Wi-Fi disconnects from your Mac and will reconnect upon restarting. We are happy to help.

These steps may help. Apple recommends these router settings here: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support

"Router settings

To ensure that your devices can connect securely and reliably to your network, apply these settings consistently to each Wi-Fi router and access point, and to each band of a dual-band, tri-band, or other multiband router. Before changing the settings, you should take these steps:

• Back up your existing settings, in case you need to restore them.
• Install the latest firmware updates for your router. This is generally done from the app or webpage that you use to administer the router.
• Update the software on your other devices, such as on your Mac and on your iPhone or iPad, to ensure that they have the latest security updates and work best with each other.

After changing the settings, you might need to forget the network on each device that previously joined the network. This ensures that the device uses the router's new settings when rejoining the network."

If no resolution, we recommend doing some isolating troubleshooting steps—to test in safe mode and new user account.

Here’s how to use safe mode: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

"Apple silicon

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window.
3. Select your startup disk, then press and hold the Shift key while clicking “Continue in Safe Mode.”
4. Log in to your Mac. You might be asked to log in again."

Here’s how to add a new user account: Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Support

"Create a new user or group.

Click the New Account pop-up menu (you may be asked to enter your password), then choose a type of account.

• Administrator: An administrator can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings. The new user you create when you first set up your Mac is an administrator. Your Mac can have multiple administrators. You can create new ones, and convert standard users to administrators. Don’t set up automatic login for an administrator. If you do, someone could simply restart your Mac and gain access with administrator privileges. To keep your Mac secure, don’t share administrator names and passwords.
• Standard: Standard users are set up by an administrator. Standard users can install apps and change their own settings, but can’t add other users or change other users’ settings.
• Sharing Only: Sharing-only users can access shared files remotely, but can’t log in to the computer or change settings. To give the user permission to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change options in File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management settings. See Set up file sharing and Share the screen of another Mac.
• Group: Groups allow multiple users to have the same access privileges. You control a group’s access to your shared folders by setting access permissions in the File Sharing options in Sharing settings.

See Add a user or group."

Let us know if you have further questions.

Take care.

" I see from the threads that this issue started being reported with the release of Ventura 13 and remains an issue for all MacBook users. "

We appreciate the frustrations but the assertion " all MacBook users " it a bit of a wild stretch IMHO

If it were true, these forums would be flooded and over whelmed with similar reports.

FYI - running 2 M1 Computers and 1 M2 Computer all running Ventura 13.3.1(a).

Have had zero Wifi connection issues from the get go since Original Release of Ventura 13.0 to today.

Using the machines in multi locations and multi Wifi Network connections

Suggest the User start with Points 1 to 4 and then Test

Still having issues, move onto Steps 5 and 6 and Test Again

Still no resolve - move onto Step 7 and follow instructions therein 

1 - Restart in Safe Mode. This will perform a Disk Repair, clear cache files and only load Apple Software, extensions and fonts. The boot up will be slow and can take some time - Normal.

2 - Safe Mode will also eliminate Third Party Software, extensions and drivers from loading. It will only load the Minimum amount of Core Apple Processes to allow the the computer to function at a reduced Level of Performance 

3 - Does the issue present in this mode ?

4 - Sometimes a Safe Boot followed by a Normal Boot will just put things right.

5 - If not - there could be something in the main User Account playing up. To further isolate this - Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac. Then log out of the Main User account and log into the dummy account and test again if the issue persists.

6 - If the issue is present in the dummy account - then, this appears to be a System Wide issue on the computer.

7 - Download the Application Etrecheck directly from the Developer.

This is a Diagnostic Tool that makes no changes to the computer.

It makes a coherent and readable inventory of both the Hardware and Software used on the computer 

The application is free or paid from added features. 

The Report will Not Reveal Any Personal Information. 

Post back the Full Report - copy and paste - >>>> using the Additional Text Icon ( 3rd Icon to last ) <<<<

WiFi not staying connected.

If your router is using WPA2/WPA3 Mixed Mode “Wireless Protected Access”, try changing your router to just WPA2. Not all routers play nice with Macs that are trying to use WPA2. I cannot give you exact instructions, each home router is different. Check with your router manufacture.

If switching to just WPA2 does not improve the situation, then you can always switch back to WPA2/WPA3 Mixed Mode.

Try disabling IPv6:

Monterey: System Preferences -> Network -> Select Interface in left column -> Advanced (button) -> TCP/IP (tab) -> Configure IPv6 -> Link-local only

Ventura: System Settings -> Network -> Wi-Fi -> Details -> TCP/IP (tab) -> Configure IPv6 -> Link-Local Only

No issues 😀

As for the 7 Steps Program - you may try it before doing a Re-Installation

I suggest only because if the issue in via Third Party Application issue, the reinstallation should only touch the Operating System and not the possible Offending Application(s)

Do come back at a time best for you.

We ( collective We ) are usually on-line Daily ( even week ends - humour here )

Hardware: Macbook 2018 Ventura 13.5 against Linksys WRT1900ACS, OEM firmware v22.03.2

Description of problem, Macbook Connects successfully to 2.4 Ghz, will not stay connected to 5Ghz "AC" or "Mixed Mode"

As a baseline, My Lenovo T470 Thinkpad with Fedora 38 Connects successfully to same router on 5Ghz 802.11 AC or Mixed mode.

Router is running WPA2 Personal.

Problem is resolved by putting router into 5Ghz "802.11n" mode.

Macbook can now connect successsfully using 802.11n.

I gave up on having my MacBook Air M1 wifi working fine. While it does not drop, there are spikes in latency and the wifi speed drops to half and minutes later comes back to normal (see iperf3 test below).

And I have another MacBook Pro (intel) connected to the same wifi access point running the same version of MacOS and it works perfectly.

This is for sure a problem of M1/M2 wifi driver. But as usual with Apple products, the root cause is always the user environment. It is our fault, it is us that are using the product in the wrong way... Who needs USB-C in a smartphone anyway? Wait...

The same issue happened with Realtek USB Gigabit Ethernet (it was slow on Apple Silicon Macs but the same adapter worked fine on Intel Macs). At least this issue was fixed in the latest MacOS update.

ds@dsmba:~ $ iperf3 -c opi5 -R
Connecting to host opi5, port 5201
Reverse mode, remote host opi5 is sending
[  7] local 192.168.1.131 port 65458 connected to 192.168.1.151 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  7]   0.00-1.00   sec  35.2 MBytes   296 Mbits/sec
[  7]   1.00-2.04   sec  45.6 MBytes   367 Mbits/sec
[  7]   2.04-3.09   sec  47.4 MBytes   378 Mbits/sec
[  7]   3.09-4.00   sec  44.9 MBytes   414 Mbits/sec
[  7]   4.00-5.00   sec  44.8 MBytes   376 Mbits/sec
[  7]   5.00-6.00   sec  45.4 MBytes   380 Mbits/sec
[  7]   6.00-7.00   sec  39.6 MBytes   333 Mbits/sec
[  7]   7.00-8.00   sec  39.6 MBytes   332 Mbits/sec
[  7]   8.00-9.00   sec  43.8 MBytes   367 Mbits/sec
[  7]   9.00-10.00  sec  44.5 MBytes   373 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  7]   0.00-10.01  sec   434 MBytes   364 Mbits/sec    1             sender
[  7]   0.00-10.00  sec   431 MBytes   361 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.
ds@dsmba:~ $ iperf3 -c opi5 -R
Connecting to host opi5, port 5201
Reverse mode, remote host opi5 is sending
[  7] local 192.168.1.131 port 49415 connected to 192.168.1.151 port 5201
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate
[  7]   0.00-1.00   sec  71.0 MBytes   595 Mbits/sec
[  7]   1.00-2.00   sec  72.6 MBytes   610 Mbits/sec
[  7]   2.00-3.00   sec  71.6 MBytes   601 Mbits/sec
[  7]   3.00-4.00   sec  72.4 MBytes   607 Mbits/sec
[  7]   4.00-5.00   sec  73.1 MBytes   614 Mbits/sec
[  7]   5.00-6.00   sec  72.8 MBytes   610 Mbits/sec
[  7]   6.00-7.00   sec  71.0 MBytes   596 Mbits/sec
[  7]   7.00-8.00   sec  72.6 MBytes   609 Mbits/sec
[  7]   8.00-9.00   sec  72.4 MBytes   607 Mbits/sec
[  7]   9.00-10.00  sec  72.5 MBytes   607 Mbits/sec
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval           Transfer     Bitrate         Retr
[  7]   0.00-10.01  sec   725 MBytes   608 Mbits/sec    0             sender
[  7]   0.00-10.00  sec   722 MBytes   606 Mbits/sec                  receiver

iperf Done.
ds@dsmba:~ $

Good point made by @ BobHarris

Worthy of the User exploring that suggestion Before attempting the 7 Step Program ( humour here 😀 )