Q: WiFi Issues With MacBook Air

jejejeje wrote:

 

Hello, i've just finished a phonecall with apple care and after many attempts we found a resolution that worked for me and that hopefully will work for the rest of you too.

 

1 - Load network preferences

2 - delete the wi-fi in the bar on the left hand side (press the little - at the bottom of the box)

3 - log out

4 - then create a new wi-fi

5 - connect to your usual wi-fi

 

Good luck with that one.

 

However, if that didn't work:

 

Another few options he gave me that didn't work for me but might for others are:

- Disable Bluetooth (read online that this worked for quite a few people)

or

- Unheck the box that says 'ask to join new networks'

or

- In the location bar, click edit locations and add a new location called test

or

- Create a new profile on your mac (he told me to call it test)

or

- move a file called com.apple.airport.a...plist (search for it) onto your desktop.

Highlighted above are things that I and others have tried on this forum to make this problem go away.  The highlighted things do not work.  Frankly, I'm not going to waste my time with the first thing they told you to do (delete then re-add the WiFi network service), but if someone else wants to, they should - and then post when it stops working again so it can be documented. 

Again, I am also speaking out about this issue on Twitter using the hashtag #mbawififail . I encourage you to do so as well.

I had problems connecting my macbook air to my home WiFi on the very first day. It disconnected every single minute and I have tried some of the ways that other users on this forum tried (like disabling BT, deleting and re-adding the WiFi, unchecking 'ask to join new networks' ) but they just did not fix the WiFi issue.

That's just very frustrating.

Hello,

I hava a MBA 2011 i5 with Lion, using it with a router called "FritzBox 7390". Most German readers will know it because it is extremely popular in Germany.

I never noticed real drops of the wifi connection (neither 10.7 or 10.7.1), however right from the beginning the transfer rates are extremely slow, especially using 2,4 GHz mode. In the 5 Ghz mode it is better but not satisfying.

Other laptops (all windows but with different wifi chipsets) do not have this problem.

I tried really hard to adjust settings in my wifi router and in the mba. After all the problem remains.

Apple->now its your turn. Your users obviously did everything to solve the problem. Or did you stop listening the the "voice of the customer"?

Today's entry into my ongoing networking problems:

Attempting to do a Skype conference today has been interesting, to say the least; by "interesting," I mean abysmal.  The connection has been unreliable and choked throughout the whole call.  Finally, the connection gave up the ghost completely. I had previously reset modem and Airport Express N within the course of this experience.  When the connection finally ceased altogether, kicking me off my Skype call, I turned my WiFi off and on from the Finder.  I also renewed/released my DHCP lease. In a final step, I did turn off BT, and my connection IMMEDIATELY came back. 

Again

- I _do_ have both wireless keyboard and magic trackpad, BUT

- these problems preceed me having these two peripheral BT items and

- I can have Bluetooth enabled on other (open, public WiFi networks) and not have any networking probelms at all.

Further -

- Disabling BT is not a viable option for me. I run the Air in clamshell mode.  We need more clarity on what the nature of the problem is and when a solution can be excpected. It has to be more complicated than simply a constant interference between WiFi and BT, and it has to be an issue beyond whether or not peripherals are present.

What do we make of this?  I'm tweeting about the MacBook Air WiFi fail at:

#mbawififail 

In the hopes that tech media will start paying attention, since Apple doesn't seem to be.

Well, disabling BT as a solution was certainly short-lived. Back to the same choked, abysmal ridiculous network speeds.  BT is disabled.

#mbawififail

This is a followup to the problems we have been having with our macbook air.  My last post I said Apple Care told me to buy a new Express and they would help set it up, that we had a loop in the system.  HOWEVER....since buying the equipment they recommended, which is still in the original packaging, the wifi has consistently remained connected.  Same computer location, same old Express, same router, no changes to settings as recommended by all the other participants...not sure how it will last, but it seems to have healed itself.  Thank you all for your continued input to this problem.  Now not sure if to be safe I should call Apple Care and add the new Express or just leave things as they are....

I'm glad you're having better luck today, but I have to honestly tell you that it's not likely to stay that way. There is some fundamental architectural problem with this hardware, and routers are not the issue. I'm not sure what "a loop in the system" is or means; that's not really a technical term or description I've ever heard anyone use, but you can safely return that Airport Express, because it's most likely not the problem whatsoever.

The bad news is that what seems fixed right now is unlikely to be.

Good luck.

#mbawififail

Hi,

i solved the problem this way,

first reset PRAM (google for "reset PRAM lion" if you don't know how = restart and immediately push these buttons simultanously  [option] [cmd] [P] [R] )

then

in network prefs, uncheck "ask for confirmation when connecting to other networks"

(or something of that kind, i don't use the english version)

this solved my problem

hope it will help you as well

give peace a chance

;-)

Hi,

i also have similiar problems with the Wi-Fi of my brand new MacBook Air (i7, 256GB SSD, 13inch). After deleting all known wifi networks and uncheck the options "show new wifi networks" (i don't know the expression at the moment) and re-connect to my Wi-Fi Network the problems are gone.

But Wi-Fi is extremly slow, i hope Apple will fix the Wi-Fi Issues in 10.7.2.

sebastian         

Been surfing a lot today (lazy sunday ) and my wifi has dropped dozens of times.  SO driving me nuts. Just trying to keep this thread alive.  Been plugging in using the USB ethernet adapter... funny that works fine!

No luck here.  Tried every fix I've read and even bought a new router.  MBA 11 with Lion wireless not only chokes constantly but it also causes other Windows 7 laptops in the house to choke when trying to surf at the same time.  10.7.1 had no effect.  Seems to work well on enterprise network at work though on corporate and guest wireless networks. 

Hello!

I found out, that the WIFI-problem has something to do with the Bluetooth-function.

So I turned bluetooth off, and deleted following files in "Library" --> "Preferences":

com.apple.Bluetooth.plist

com.apple.Bluetooth.plist.lockfile

After a reboot all was fine.

But if I reinstalled my Magic-Mouse and Wireless-Keybord, it is all the same and the Wifi-problem still occures.

I hope that the new update to 10.7.2 solves this problem - I can't understand why Lion was released with this issues of main functions.

Sadly, this hasn't been the case for me. I don't need BT so it's been off since the beginning, but I still have frequent random wifi disconnects. Usually several per hour.

I encourage EVERYONE on this thread who is continuing to experience problems to take a parallel discussion to Twitter, using the hashtag #mbawififail - That's MacBook Air WiFi Fail.

It's only when third-party tech journalists and others take note that Apple will feel enough pressure to respond to this situation. Until then, this thread will continue to languish with no official acknowledgment, much less response, from Apple personnel.

I just did, althought I'm a tweet novice and not sure I did it correctly!

Also, anyone have a chance to test the new EFI update for the Airs?  Wondering if it changes anything relating to Wifi.. My guess is that it doesn't but who knows!