Q: WiFi Issues With MacBook Air

I have read many of the posts in this thread and I wanted to point out (especially to folks who cancel orders on the strength of problems reported in this thread) that there are many thousands of us who have an overwhelmingly positive experience with our MBAs. (In my family my daughter uses a 13" late 2010 model and my wife and I each use a 13" Mid-2011 model.)

I, too, have used Apple products since 1984 and I know that you can have problems with hardware - it can be very frustrating - but I try to bear in mind that active (and valuable) threads like this one receive posts primarily from people sharing the problem or offering a solution. If you are considering purchasing a MacBook Air, your experience is more likely to be overwhelmingly positive than frustratingly negative! I would encourage would-be purchasers to go for it and not deprive yourself of the considerable benefits and convenience of an MBA that many thousands of people use with great success and productivity.

The first post on this thread was in Nov 2010. Yet, there's been not one word from Apple. I find it hard to believe that no one from Apple is reading this.

And yet, they've chosen to pretend that there's no problem.

Perhaps it's time to 'move on'.

Apple never ever (EVER) comments on these board. Never.

Apple also never admits to anything until it hits the news. If Mossberg over at the WSJ wrote about this; bebold, you'd see a fix. Ths last well known example is Antenna Gate (iPhone). It wasn't until Consumer Reports and Mossberg  wrote about the issue that Apple finally admitted to it and fixed it.

This is just how Apple rolls. Most of us long time Apple users know this. Look, since Apple's tech support will always claim "I've nerver heard of this before" - you're best bet is to return the unit (get a new one or your money back).

Apple do read these discussions. Maybe Apple doesn't comment or react to it depending on how important they consider the issue in question. How I know this? I posted comments under the "Brand new MacBook Air keeps crashing". Apple Rep did call me and sent me email. He confirmed that he's calling based on my comment in the forum.

The wifi connection issue is not in the recent 2012 MBA. In fact it's now awesome. Maybe this thread helped Apple to improve the new but not attempting to fix the old one.

Guys I have a Macbook Air mid 2011 and have installed Mountain Lion 10.8 GM on it. As per my previous reply this does indeed fix the WiFi issue you and I have been experiencing. I urge you to upgrade when it comes out and hopefully you too will see your WiFi issues fixed.

I'm with you all. Same issue.  I've tried all the recommended steps I have read and this thing just loses the wifi connection about 70% of the time.  I can cycle the wireless off and on and it will reconnect but it's annoying and a time waster.

I will not purchase another Mac of any kind until this is addressed.  We've had numerous Windows laptops that never had such an issue (and were far less expensive).  Our Mac Book Airs are simply annoying to try and use.

I'd like to see a Windows vs. Mac commercial on this.  It would be very short. 

"Hi Mac.  I'm PC."

No response. 

Mac cannot see or hear PC. 

"The wifi connection issue is not in the recent 2012 MBA. In fact it's now awesome. Maybe this thread helped Apple to improve the new but not attempting to fix the old one."

Gee, I'm happy for you. Glad to see my suffering helped you out. Now what am I supposed to do? But another MBA?

I buy a a MBA last year. It's got issues. And what do i get, "just buy a new one"? Please... What, you work for Apple?

I'm one of those that started this very thread. Search to see. I owned the 2010 MBA too. Mine is ok though still runs Snow Leopard. You may want to try the Ethernet adapter as well.

I'm with you Stephen.

Apple is not some exclusive club.

I'm a customer not a "friend" of Apple and I expect to be treated as a customer. Now that Apple is mainstream the company needs to understand that if it wishes to maintain radio silence on genuine complaints from genuine customers then it must understand that those customers will think a lot harder about paying the "Apple premium". By that I mean the additional cost of very well designed product (apparently) with hassle free productivity.

Amazing then that I need to keep a Windows laptop to control various bits of my network and run certain apps and run Firefox because Safari doesn't work properly with many websites. I can put up with that but cannot have an expensive laptop that doesn't work properly on wireless - that makes it next to useless because I cannot rely on it. Its a pity because my Air is a startingly good laptop in every other way.

It is a bit like buying a car and finding the steering only works intermittently (or some other primary system) but you don't know when it will be inoperable. There would be a recall to fix the issue PDQ as the car would be considered unfit for purpose.

Bearing in mind that this is primarily a wireless-only device (Air!!) I would suggest that the MBA may well be considered unfit for the purpose it was sold for.

Agreed! I dig my 2 yr old SL MBA out of the closet every few months hoping for the miracle of a stable wireless so I can travel with it. Nothing. My 18 mo iTouch also refuses to stay on a wireless signal since I upgraded the OS last month. I am dragging around my 9 yr old win XP laptop as I ponder what to buy for my wireless needs. It sure won't be another Apple product! I value my hard earned money too much.

Can everyone who's replied here recently confirm that the problem with stable

WIFI/good reception is ONLY occuring if..

NOT MBAIR 2012...

or older MBAIR running current operating system 10.7.x?

I believe I was mistaken earlier and reading recent posts from April  and May not realizing those

machines were pre- MBAIR 2012..

Thanks ahead.. hopefully as posted by NHC2365 Mountain Lion will fix for all..

Mine is a mid 2011 4GB 1333 MHz DDR3 with Intel Graphics running 10.7.4

I hear the next service pack will "address the problem".  I've heard rumors before and, unlike some people, I'm tired of paying for service packs from Apple. 

Microsoft gets slammed for a lot of stuff but they call a bug a bug and they don't charge you for a fix. 

My Lenovo running Windows 8 finds the wireless network flawlessly and has had zero issues. 

Apple, if you want to remain competitive, you'll have to be more responsive to issues like this.  2 minutes of fidgeting with a $1500 laptop everytime you resume from sleep doesn't sound like much to you but it adds up during a busy day.  I suppose if you're sitting in a coffee shop watching videos or NPR it's not a big deal.  But if you're working, it makes a difference. 

If this kind of thing continues I'll be looking hard at the new crop of hardware that runs Windows.  And I'm definitely checking out the new Surface.  Looks like it could replace our iPads and our MBAs. 

Mine is an 11in late 2010 MBA.

i'm fighting against wifi issues since 2 year, i was one of the first posting on this thread.

i own not only 1 MBA 13" (2010), but an entire lab of Mac's, therefore 90 machines, 70 are intel macs.

i consider myself as well-skilled on MacOsX, i run it in my Lab since its first version.

I'm sure, i tested it in my lab,  that wifi issue hits only some mac models but all on Lion version.

Some examples:

Wireless AP In my Lab > 1 D-LINK B/G AP54 WIFI > 1 Netgear N 300mbit/s > 1 D-LINK Router G/N

- MBA 13" (2010) shipped with SL and never upgraded , join smoothless B/G/N stations and all AP above.Bluetooth is on.

- MBA 11" (2012) shipped with Lion, can join only N (Netgear), signal is good but not at max as when Linux/Windows is loaded instead of MacOsX (via BootCamp). Bluetooth is off. Sometimes DNS blackouts,loose of DHCP IP.

-MBA 13" (2010) same model as above but upgraded to Lion is totally unusable, you can join N networks

but forget the others.Bluetooth is off.

- MacBookPro (2009) upgraded to Lion, can join all APs. Bluetooth is turned on.

- MacBookPro (2011) shipped with Lion, can join N (Netgear),very good signal. Problems on B/G networks

slow downloads, average 11mbit/s,DNS blackouts. Bluetooth is off

and finally today:

- MacBook 13" (white model) with SL (never had a problem), upgraded today to Lion 10.7.4 and......

can join G networks but loose its IP very often, downloads are very slow.

My Home AP > Apple Extreme 54mbits

- iPhone4 - no problems

- iPad (1st) - no problems

- MBA13" (2010), Timeout errors while joining AP, close lid-wait-reopen lid, works (this works 7/10 on this model)

- notebook (10 years old), ubuntu linux - no problems

What is very annoying is that we use these MBAs (i'm sure this is your situation too) only when we are out of Lab, in a hotel, during a presentation, in an airport, all over Europe. And simply it doesn't work.

It works only when you'll find yourself just in front of an N AP/Router with a strenght signal (my Netgear is equiped with 3 antennas).

All happened to me is related to:

- DNS / mDNS

- DHCP

- Airport Driver

- System Keychain, sometimes repairing this keychain solve joining on preferred networks.

- Preferences for Network, example: network interfaces order.

i hope all will be solved in MountainLion, if so, as i read on this thread, we must have to consider Lion

as Vista Microsoft, a fail, with style ok, but a fail. Lion Server software too (not cover on this thread) is very buggy.

I'm sure Apple will learn from this lesson.

That Surface looks neat!

I think what bothers me about buying another Apple product is the lack of update support. I would agree with the posters that the new Apple products have "solved" the problems -- they work. Mine also worked when purchased so yes, I could buy a 2011/2013 product that works. But what happens within the next 18 months when Apple sends out the routine software updates that render it useless? I need a longer life cycle that what I have experienced in 4 of my 5 Apple products. 3-5 years would be nice. I don't mean 3 years of warranty support- I mean 3 years of just plain working without problems due to Apple software update issues.