Q: WiFi Issues With MacBook Air

I thought about returning it after having it for 3 weeks until I read the fine print on my bill. It can be returned within 7 days in original unopened package with a 10% restocking fee. The outlet where I purchased it was going to charge a 20% restocking fee so my new Airport Express ended up costing me less and did the job at home where I wanted it to. Not to mention the extra cost to jump into a new MacBook Pro instead of the Air. Time will tell if I made the right move. I have tested my MacBook Air out at my son's house who has a newer router and things worked great for the 4 days that I was there. I think all WiFi systems will be eventially going to fasters speeds in the future. My problem seemed to be with a 5 year old Linksys that was outdated for the faster equipment being producted. It was fine for my iPhone 4 and my wife's iPad but there was times when our connections were dropped by the Linksys.

What is interesting is for those that remember there were pages and pages of issues with the last iphone and wifi issues exactly the same as this, in the end we returned our third iphones and just left it, you can only take so much messing about. You are paying premium prices and receiving products that just don't work out of the box. I waited for this new macair but to be honest I will not buy until Apple hold up their hands admit there is an issue and sort it.

I dont think that is asking too much.

Amen.

I feel the bigger issue here is that people have always had issues with Apple's wifi connectivity in the Macbook Air to some extent as well as other Apple products. I know I did with a Macbook Air two generations ago and I also had a problematic iMac with wifi that I'd have to reset virtually every day.

Meanwhile - my household had 3 other PC's, an ipad, and an iphone all functioning without a problem. Apple tried the usual blame game regarding my router, its security settings, and its placement within my house to no avail.

I fixed the problem by selling my iMac, returning my Macbook Air, and selling my iPad nearly a year ago. I love Apple - but I cannot tolerate a product that can't perform its main function of connecting to the Internet reliably.

I am currently left with just an iphone but often think of giving Apple another shot to meet my computing needs. To see that these issues persist however just proves I made the right decision.

In the end - I voted with my feet and my wallet ! I suggest all of you do the same !

I know it's easy to be angry about this, I know I was. I don't think Apple intentionally sprung this on its customers. It's not like ending firewire or floppies or optical drives. THAT is Apple deciding "what's good for us" Apple customers. This is just a glitch that Apple is slow about acknowledging. On the other hand as a software engineer, when we have an issue, we try to figure out what is happening before we broach the subject so It's hard to blame Apple TOO much.

I guess now that I'm older, I feel like I can afford to solve some of these problems with more money and in this case, as part of my migration to a 2013 MBA from a 2010 MBA I upgraded my home network (faster internet for all my devices, including some really great Apple TV performance) and my walking around internet (my old AT&T dongle was unreliable but I don't think it was the MBA, just age, so now I have a new dongle with LTE). So far, it's working and it only took me 6 days. Sheesh.

I feel kind of sorry for people in the industry who upgrade their laptop every year. THEY are probably the biggest boosters for cloud storage. Anyway, I think Apple will fix this but having to upgrade your network and maybe buy a time capsule might just give you a better internet at home and backup and that's not all bad.

A while back, I had a Power Computing Power Tower Pro (great machine) Mac clone and the guy across the hall had a IIci I think. He was writing a screenplay. His hard drive was failing and he had to pick up the machine and give it a sharp rap sometimes to get the hard disk spinning. He had no backup. I told him he was basically crazy. This kind of backup, time capsule/router might just get a lot of people a backup who are no tech-unsavvy to use one normally, so maybe some of these will be forced to upgrade and it will actually save them sometime in the future?

Okay, I have been holding off posting this, just in case I jinx myself.  But here goes.  Due to the heat wave we are having, I moved my desk away from the window and moved my bed against it (I live in a small dorm room).  After moving my desk to another spot, I have lost my wifi connection a grand total of once.  It appears that the problem is related to when the internet connection is interupted, even for a few seconds, it will not reconnect.  In the new location, it rarely fluxuates enough to disconnect (only once). 

I felt it would be unfair to not post this finding after all my previous comments.  Apple, if you are listening, this might help in the diagnosis - or not. 

My wife recently got a new Macbook Air, and had this issue with our wireless network, many devices all hooked up just fine, but the macbook would claim to be connected and would work for about 10 seconds, then would get no traffic (still said connected though.)  Luckily I remembered an issue we ran into with the laptops at my company (I ran the helpdesk at the time) when N had just hit the scene and newer laptops were having issues on home broadband.  It seems to be an issue with new wireless cards and older wireless routers that don't support WPA2 which is a newer standard.  Our router was about 7 years old and only supported WPA and WEP.  Upgrading the router to a newer one fixed our issue.  In hindsight I think just updating the firmware on it may have done it, but that may be a bit involved to avoid purchasing a new $70 router.  Hope this helps some folks.

I am accessing the internet with a Verizon Jetpack 4g and intend to purchase a MBA.  What are your thoughts about the wifi issue? More or less of a chance with this setup than a router?

Hi Guys!

I just little bit speak english, I hope, you will understand me. I have bought a MBA 2012 MID the last black friday. My issues was absolutly same like Peverbian wife's MBA. All the other OLD thing (PCs, phones etc are working fine in the house, but the new really expensive laptop can not working of course....) I took my MBA back to the Apple Store, they exchanged two parts in this ..... and the problem is stayed with me. (it worked fine in the store, but at my house it does not working )  I was so mad and sad beacuse I dont have a thime for this ( go back again, etc), so I bought the airport express $99 and now it is working. I dont think so it is fair from the apple, because they has to know about the issue, all the forums are full with that and WOW!!!... the newest MBA has the same issue! (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5100655?start=0&tstart=0)

So, now it is working in my house, but If I go somewhere, I have to pray, because it is not working everywhere.... and I dont want to bring my airport express with myself everywhere, it is nonsense!!!!

I was thinking, I change my MBA for the new MBP. I checked the recycling program. I have bought that half year ago $1700, and now in the the recycling program, the can send me $831 gift card about that Macbook..... Khmm....

So I think, the only solution YET!!! is maybe a new router (which is able to work on 5Ghrz), or an Airport Extreme...  :(((((

I hope i could help for Somebody!

I assume that the jetpack is verizon home internet package using their cellphone network. I connect 2 ways, home where I use an AirPort Extreme Time capsule (did use a linksys router but that didn't work with my new MBA) and on the go where I use an AT&T Beam USB cellular modem.

My old AT&T Shockwave didn't seem to work on the new MBA but I think that was just the shockwave having aging problems -- you had to remove the sim for 30 seconds and put it back in to get it to work. The Beam works great with the new MBA though installation was difficult since the device was so new. It was a two part install and the second part didn't fire properly and we had to go find the second part (the AT&T comm manager) and download it directly. But it works very well at 4g speeds on the AT&T network. I'm guessing the Verizon device would work similarly. If the verizon device sets up a wifi network, it may work or it may not. It seems as if WPA and TKIP are problematic as are old routers or routers without the latest updates. Some say the 2.4GHz networks are a problem for the MBA and recommend the 5GHz networks instead. You would think though you could figure this out by going into the verizon store and trying it out.

Second MBA, 128gb ssd, core i5, 13 inch, exactly the same wifi issue as the first one I got. Pretty sure all 2013 Airs have the same wifi issue. Will wait 13 days and if not resolved return this one too. Apple come on solve this, it is very frustrating.

I gave up on Apple computers due to faulty wifi with my imac and macbook air. All other windows PC's and iphones, ipads work fine. I will no longer tolerate Apple's lack of due diligence in quality control.  I am even thinking of ditching the iphone.

Apple just scored with me - the problem lessened, I hesitated, and missed my 14 day window.  They made their profit from me without even needing to deliver a working device.  I guess the most frustrating is their complete lack of concern for their customer - as they still have yet to even acknowledge they have a problem.  We are taken completely for granted, or worse yet, we the paying customer are irrelevant to them - the stakeholder is number 1.  I do regret not returning mine now.  I hope when I return home it will connect in my house and church office.

I am going to go a bit farther this time - Apple leadership are cowards for remaining silent when they have shafted their customers.

Same deal on both units, drops on TKIP and works with AES. Dissapointing.

I am sorry to hear about these issues.   I am not a MBA user but I was very close to buying one today for my son who starts college next month.     Several MBA like PC laptops have had similar issues, the Samsung 9 series laptops and the Asus Zen series ultrabook.   Both units were plagued with where the manufacturer placed the wifi antennas, which was in the aluminum lid and both had consistently slow and dropped connectivity.   

It would appear this issue has been affecting MBA users for at least 2 years.   I would suspsect this to mean that a software update should have been implemented if it was possible.    The Samsung users that could not return their noteobooks have had great success using a USB Wifi device.  I wonder if anyone has tried this with the MBA?

This would tell you whether it is something in the OS or hardware. 

I am hopefull this gets resolved soon as the MBA does seem to be a well implemented laptop for a college student.