MacBook Air Wi-Fi drops with BT Smart Hub 2

Question

Level 1

6 points

MacBook Air Wi-Fi drops with BT Smart Hub 2

Question about BT Smart Hub 2 Router linking to MacBook Airs:

I have a new MacBook Air and we have BT broadband at home with a Smart Hub 2. My old MacBook and all the other devices we have (iPad, iPhones, plus plenty of Android devices etc) all work fine. But the new MacBook couldn't maintain a wifi connection - it kept dropping out and made the video calls impossible. This is a nightmare as I work from home. After trying everything, Apple replaced the new MacBook but the replacement had the identical problem. BT then suggested many different things and I tried it all, including a replacement Smart Hub 2 - but no joy. So the problem must be the interface between new MacBook Airs and the BT router. It's a little better if I plug my MacBook directly into the hub with an ethernet cable but that's massively inconvenient.

My question is:

Has anyone else had this and know what's happening?
Will switching to full fibre broadband help? Bt say it's a 2 year contract so it's a big risk if it doesn't work. Speed doesn't seem to be the issue - it's maintaining the connection

Posted on Jan 26, 2026 4:10 AM

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Answer 1

Zurarczurx

Level 4

2,594 points

Jan 26, 2026 4:30 AM in response to Clairelfc

I assume you've been through all the other usual suspects - turn off private wifi address on the Mac, make sure the hub is close, not behind metal walls or partitions or in a cabinet, you're not too far away from it, the Mac hasn't got a case on it, etc.

It might be that a neighbour is using the same channel frequency on their wifi and there's interference. In theory this shouldn't be a problem because BT say that their hubs select the best channel to minimize interference. If you haven't tried it already then give it a go- google it and only take advice that's on the BT website.

Hit option+ the wifi symbol in the menu bar and screenshot what you see - something like this - and post back.

If you've already done all this with BT/Apple than I'm out of ideas.

Going to fibre won't necessarily help because you'll still need a wifi link to the BT hub that comes with the service and since you've changed hub already then it's doubtful it will make a difference.

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Answer 2

Zurarczurx

Level 4

2,594 points

Jan 26, 2026 5:29 AM in response to Clairelfc

Your signal strengths relate to the exteder on your desk, but if the extender has a poor link to the hub then it doesn't matter how strong the link to the extender is. Is there some way of monitoring the signal strengths that the extender discs are seeing from the hub?

If you haven't done so then you need to spend time connected to the hub via wifi directly - not via an extender disc If that's not a convenient place to work then either buy a longer cable so you can put the hub where you can work for a couple of days or when you have time, leave your Mac on and connected directly to the hub via wifi (turn off all the extenders) when you're not working and run the WiFi diagnostics in the alt-WiFi drop down. When the Diagnostics run it will eventually get to a "Monitor My WiFi connection". Click this and leave your Mac running for the sort of time you'd expect to get dropouts. The monitoring will tell you if it dropped out.

Remember, the extender is only as good as the signal it's getting from the hub, even you've got a great signal to the extender.

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Answer 3

Clairelfc Author

Level 1

6 points

Jan 26, 2026 5:00 AM in response to Zurarczurx

Thanks so much for your reply and yes, have been through all of it. 3 weeks of constant calls back and forth with Apple and then several more with BT once I had the replacement new MacBook, resulting in 1 visit from Open Reach and a new Smart Hub2. No change.

No neighbours here - I'm rural and no other wifi anywhere nearby. An old house and we use the BT discs to extend the wifi around the house. One of them is literally on my desk, and is now plugged into the Mac via ethernet. Wifi signal to all of the discs is fine. Every single other device works fine - including my 2017 MacBook Air which never had any problems. Hence why I feel it's something to do with the connection software between a very up to date MacBook Air and a BT router?? This problem seems to have happened to some. other people a couple of years ago - including my brother who ended up changing away from Bt and then it all worked. But I can't find anything about it happening to people now, which is odd.

Looking at my wifi settings, they're all exactly the same as the ones in your screen shot other than RSSI which is -31 for me and Noise which is -85. Security is WPA2 Personal. Any ideas?!

Thanks again :)

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