Ever since I got a new internet router, my wifi disconnects upon waking my computer in the morning. It looks like it's still connected, but the internet doesn't work until I restart my computer. I'd rather not do this routine every morning. How do I fix this?
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 14.5
Your slightly older Mac features three antennas, that's great! but requires low noise to be effective.
when using nominal channel 157 for a width of 80 MHz, your data pathway spills up and down the spectrum, by design, and uses all channels from 149 to 161. Any other Routers nearby using any of those channels will interfere with your data.
based on the -89 Noise level reported, which I would have expected to be closer to -90 or lower, you may have another Router using your channels.
Hold the Option key and click on the Wi-Fi icon int ehe menubar, and before. choose wireless diagnostic and stop. From the wireless diagnostics 'Window' menu choose 'Scan'.
The presentation look like this. Click the channel column to sort Into channel-number order. Look for competition in channel 149 to 161
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the 'regular' way is to use "Automatic" channel assignment inside your Router. this means it listens for a moment before selecting the least busy channel, or uses the last-used if it can't decide.
The brute force way to set a manual channel signet and keep checking for others on your channel. this is much more tedious.
another twist is that a narrower channel assignment, of say 40 MHz instead of 80 MHz, Creates a smaller demand on the spectrum, and may give slightly better long term throughput and more reliable connections.
I and others in this part of the support universe use and swear by an inexpensive and extremly useful utility called WiFi Explorer. it has a spectrum view that looks like this:
the clashes in this view are quickly obvious. No one on these graphs is having a fine day.
Actually, your internet disconnects when your Mac goes to sleep, because it does not know how long you will be "away".
The issue more correctly is that your internet connection is not re-acquired quickly on waking up, which is the way most users' Macs work.
On things that could cause this is issues in your 'network neighborhood', which can be a very busy place with radio signals from nearby Routers and other strange stuff moving invisibly through the space around you.
If you hold down the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fiicon in the menubar, you get a report of current parameters, like this older one. Readers can check it for glaring 'network neighborhood' and certain hardware issues before digging deeper.
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Thanks for your quick response! Just checked.
RSSI: -45 dBm
Noise: -89 dBm
Tx Rate: 1,300 Mbps
the last three are the same as the reference image.
that is part of it.
what channel? what channel width?
what Phy mode/modulation method, eg 802.11n
what MCS index?
what NSS?
Channel: 157 (5 GHz, 80 MHz)
PHY Mode: 802.11ac
MCS Index: 9
NSS: 3
Oh wow, there are 22 other wifi networks within that channel range. Curious why this never happened with my old internet router. Is there any fix to this?
Interesting! This is super helpful, thanks so much for your assistance!
Wifi Disconnecting Until I Restart Computer
