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WiFi Issues With MacBook Air

I am about two weeks in to my new Macbook Air and love it except for the wifi. I have had five or six other Mac laptops in the past five years including the original air. I can confirm that there are some wifi issues with the Macbook Air. Based on the messages posted here and my experience here is where I am. I think if it is a "N" network it seems to work fine. I have never had an issue with my Airport Extreme at my house or my Dad's Linksys at his house which is also an N. This also I think resolves the "is it an ISP" issue, since they are distinctly different ISP's and these both work perfectly.

My problems are on non-N's it seems. I travel a lot so I hit a lot of guest networks which are almost always "g". These networks I can generally find and attach to them but not get a consistent internet connection. With these networks I have found that turning the airport on/off and refreshing the IP address does not work. Again I can connect to the browser, in most cases get what appears to be a valid IP but not gain any internet access. I have found that a power down and reboot AFTER attaching to the network (but not getting the internet connection) will then give me a steady and consistent connection.

I need to do some more testing and I guess traveling to pin down some of these things but I wanted to share what I have found thus far, but I definitely think there is a problem with the wifi on the new MacBook Air's.

Thanks,

Macbook Pro and iMac 27" and iPad and iPhone and MacBook Air 2010, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Nov 28, 2010 6:10 AM

Reply
948 replies

Aug 6, 2013 5:35 AM in response to gcrump

Since installing the patch a few weeks ago, mine is working quite well. I am not sure what direction the Apple techs have been given, but it seems they are not suppose to admit there is a problem, so they keep trying to fix the routers, or have us tell our Internet providers to change their systems. Seems to be the ultimate in arrogance when they put out a product and ask the world to change to work with it.


Can anyone find any public comments acknowledging this problem? (their request for people to test the patch still did not say there was a problem).

Aug 6, 2013 12:50 PM in response to des325

Jumped through more hoops today with Apple support and my ISP...no fix yet...very annoying. I am sure this is hardware related and they are just jerking us all along. I traded my 1 day old MBA back for a new one and its exactly the same. My 17" MBP just soldiers along unnaffected by any of this. I am ready throw it in a lake.

Aug 6, 2013 10:27 PM in response to dogschool

This is my 1st macbook air. And yea i have the KNOWN wireless issue. This is the latest macbook air available in the apple store Model: MD760LL/A

I am a software engineer in Test and i really really debugged this issue. Installed all the patches Apple has.

So nothing worked and I went to Apple store to inquire about a fix for this KNOWN issue. They say its not an issue and they will have to keep the laptop to test for a few days. I was like nope.


So now I goto bestbuy(this is where i got the laptop from) just to get it replaced. Bestbuy said its a known issue and replacing may not resolve the problem since Apple has given a patch. I get it replaced regardless and boom the issue is still there. Wireless network drops and there is nothing I or APPLE can do at this time.

So basically I pay 1100 plus for this laptop and have this wireless issue(which apple store call as a minor issue)


Now i will return this laptop and go back to Windows. I heard hp and dell is doing good

Aug 6, 2013 10:31 PM in response to vj1200

Dell is the best PC brand in terms of reputability and customer service. That being said, it still doesn't hold a candle to Apple. Apple has a 1 year warranty for a reason, and allows customers to opt for an extended warranty (Applecare) for a reason. If they sold cheap hardware, this wouldn't be a great business strategy.

Aug 7, 2013 3:07 AM in response to nbar

I'm sorry, but that is not a valid argument for buying an apple product, or a way to say they have good hardware. All laptop manufacturers offer a one year base warranty on their hardware, sometime longer. You can always buy an extended warranty, including one with accidental damage coverage and premium phone support. This doesn't mean one manufacturers hardware is better than another. Dell's products that you see on sale are lossleader products. They are priced to draw you in and hope you spend money on accessories which is where they make their money. They actually sell most of their sale products for a loss. I know this being a former corporate dell purchaser. Most of Dell's products are Ok at best. You have to spend good money to get a good dell product. HP or Acer are better for your money. Not saying that apple products are junk. I love them and their construction is excellent and far exceeds the industry norm. However they need to step up and admit there is an issue and fix it. Not just for the current model, but previous models as well.

Aug 7, 2013 4:30 AM in response to nbar

Agree with mdiorio. All the warranty in the world is pointless if they refuse to fix the problem. HP has been great with their 1 year support that came with my laptop. In Apple's case, because I am new to MAC, I bought the extended warranty too. I am wondering what it would take to have Apple actually acknowledge their customers with this problem? I have tried everything, including shaming them, but no reaction. I never felt HP was indifferent to me as a customer, but Apple has so many disciples that I guess the rest of us really don't matter.

Aug 7, 2013 4:45 AM in response to mdiorio

Okay. Wonderful. That has nothing to do with what I said. The only applicable point you made had to do with manufacturer warranties, which I accept as valid.


"I love them and their construction is excellent and far exceeds the industry norm. However they need to step up and admit there is an issue and fix it. Not just for the current model, but previous models as well."



This is a vague argument, and their warranty does address the issue. When Apple awknowledges an issue, they replace it even out of warranty (2008 MB under carriage, 2010 MBP GPU - free logicboard replacements, I could go on...)


Aug 7, 2013 4:51 AM in response to des325

"All the warranty in the world is pointless if they refuse to fix the problem. "


This makes no sense. The warranty provides customers with a fix to the problem.


If this is only an intermediate solution, and there is an underlying problem in the hardware development itself, then the problem will be addressed if it becomes large enough. A thread on an Apple forum does not provide adequate backing to do so.


"I am wondering what it would take to have Apple actually acknowledge their customers with this problem? I have tried everything, including shaming them, but no reaction. "


Apple has publicly awknowledged flaws in development, fixed them free of charge, out of warranty, in multiple cases within the last 3 years. See my previous post.

Aug 7, 2013 5:39 AM in response to nbar

Sorry, don't agree. I took my MBA back to the Apple Store I bought it from, they worked on it and it did work in their store environment. When I went back to my place of work (Univeristy) it did not work. I took it back again and because it works in their environment, they would not replace or allow a return. They said I have to continue to work with Apple support to get it fixed. Your comment is not valid in my circumstance. They did not fix the problem, and would not allow the return.


Please direct me to Apple's acknowledgement that their is a problem with WiFi in their MBA.

Aug 7, 2013 9:03 PM in response to des325

just give them time. theyll come thru with something. i know it............................................................................. ................................................................................ ................................................................................ ................................................................................ ................................................................................ .....................................................

WiFi Issues With MacBook Air

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