new macbook pro 2011 weak and dropping wireless connection

I was skeptical, but downloaded Airport utility 5.5.3 update and installed. Still same brain-dead behavior as before. No improvement, repeat NONE!. And I suspect this update didn't have anything to do with the driver level code in OSX anyway. I think this is going to require an OSX update. 10.6.8 ????? Who knows? Certainly not getting any heads-up from Apple.

Anyone have hard info. regarding 10.6.8 update ready???

I have exactly the same problem as first described.

Bought my macbook about a month, maybe 6 weeks ago. It's the "Early" 2011 Macbook Pro Intel i7 2.2GHz model, 4GB RAM, Hi-Res screen. Had a problem with the screen already but had that replaced at apple and was VERY pleased with the customer service

However, now i'm realising that this Wifi cut out issue isnt just to do with me. It just suddenly drops out, showing no networks in the wifi bar at the top, and i have to click on the dropdown and wait for it to show the networks again before i get internet again - very annoying if i'm trying to watch videos on youtube.

I am downloading the airport utility update now and am hopeful but being that it doesnt refer to a fix such as we require, i'm not counting on it to be honest. The computer has had a number or PRAM resets as well as everything else when i was diagnosing the screen problem, and nothing has fixed that. It happens to me probably every 2-3 hours when im using the net (which is mostly what im using it for at the minute anyway)

A fix from Mr. Jobs would be great, otherwise if it keeps cutting out i'll have to make another call to apple, and another trip to the apple store 0.0

I have owned four macs before this, including an iBook G4, a PowerMac G5, and a PowerMac G4 and have never had problems so i'm slightly disappointed - not that i'm not acknowledging that new computers will have problems, but rather that im disappointed that we haven't already had a formal response from Apple.

I assume that for everyone here, it's too late to exchange or return your Macs?

I ask as one who has a 2011 17" and is NOT having these problems. It's hard for me to believe a software fix will resolve the behavior if it's not a universal problem, as I'm pretty sure all 2011 MBP's have the same wifi chip in them. If mine has never had a wireless drop issue and yours does either:

a.) the wifi chip is a problem or

b.) your routers are the problem and are some how incompatible with the drivers somehow

Right? Or am I missing something here? I've had my 2011 connected to TrendNET routers, Netgear routers (at home) and Linksys routers...as well as whatever the airports in Atlanta, Charlotte and Ft. Lauderdale are using.

Not once, not ever have I had a wireless signal drop. Not for a second. And I'm sure I've had the standard experience, rather than the exception's experience...so what does that mean for this dicussion? Who knows. It's impossible to do a scientific study since I don't have access to a problematic 2011. That is, of course, part of the problem all in this thread suffer with. Is it the wifi card, the drivers or the router? There's really no way to be sure outside of exchanges.

All I can offer (and I choose to offer it becuase I keep getting all the replies in my inbox) is the fact that my 2011 i7 2720-based 17" MacBook Pro (early March) and running 10.6.7 has ZERO wifi issues. I assume it's using the same wifi driver software that yours is using...while having no issues at all.

Make sure that you've considered trying a new router. It's the only variable you have control over (assuming you're not interested in finding and installing a 2010 MBP wifi card). It can't hurt to try, and at worst, you can return it within 30 days if the problems persist. If that doesn't work...well...I guess you'll have to continue waiting and hoping if you've run out of exchange time.

I remember posting in this thread back in April and warning people that they may be in for a very long wait if they chose to wait...and that a fix from Apple may never come because the problem may be your hardware itself, rather than software. Here we are and it's almost July...and the same people are still waiting.

Sorry guys.

I'm starting to agree with you that it's possibly a router issue. I don't have a MBP 2011 myself but my brother had trouble with his previous router (TP-LINK TL-WR54xx), but now he has streamed videos for hours without issues with a D-LINK DIR-655 and his MBP 2011. But I'll report if his wifi issues persist.

I know I said this 3000 times, but your macbook has the same issue if its the early 2011 MBP. I know you might think that you dont disconect from the network, but your issue is the same as everyones. Try it. Start a ping to something localy, while connected to N network preferable 450mbits. while pinging transfer a large file. See what happenes. This is exactly the same issue that is on everyones MBPs. Now if you are on G network or slower N networks you might not see the issue or might not notice it.

Thank you.

I concur with yoshbk and would emphasize yet again what we know:

1. jjhoupa - Read earlier posts to this thread and the evidence should steer you clear of the assumptions listed in your post. This problem is NOT a router issue. If it was, then explain why the MBP fails and other Apple and non-Apple devices (iPAD, iPhone, WinDoze PCs), sitting within inches of the MBP work just dandy.

2. If this was a router issue, then explain why so many users with so many different routers (Motorola, D-Link, Cisco, Netgear, et. al) are all experiencing the problem. Further if this is a router issue with Apple not playing nice with so many routers, in so many locations, then I would contend that router issue or not, it is an Apple problem. You simply can't exist in the mobile environment and not play nice with all the WiFi hotspots out there.

3. This problem is not confined to N connections. I am running G and so are others. Problems are same on the slower networks. Haven't tried stepping back to running B only, but at some point I suppose a couple tin cans and a string could be the last resort.

4. This problem is not confined to newer MBP. I have one over 2 years old. Same problems

5. This problem did NOT exist on my MBP, on the same router, same physical location, etc...etc... several OSX releases back (not sure when the problems started, but definitely 10.6.7, and 10.5.X (not sure, might have worked with earlier release of 10.5, but definitely later release of 10.5 (10.5.8???) was a problem.

6. I don't have a good explanation why some MBPs are apparently working fine. Those situations may be ideal environments as to RSS power or very low noise environments, which would work no matter what. I can put my MBP right next to the router and it plays nice all the time. Just go 40 feet away, down the hall, and it goes stupid. Yet the RSS levels are well within range that should be acceptable, and other WiFi devices in the same location work just fine. Including my Samsung WiFi BlueRay player that will stream Netflix like a batouttahell without skipping a beat. My MBP, just 2 feet away, drops the link multiple times, then for no apparent reason a off/on cycle on the Airport control pull down and I'm back running 54 Mbps, sometimes for hours.

7. Latest Airport Update download does nothing to solve this.

So the bottom line, I think is this. It is a MBP problem, more than likely OSX software/firmware. Was introduced in the recent past, problems apparently weren't there earlier. We're just all sitting around treading water until Apple comes up with a fix. Or, as in my case I'm going to plug in a USB WiFi dongle because I'm sick and tired of the network dying right in the middle of something I'm doing. Then if Apple want to keep fiddling around I won't so much care.

How can apple let this go on for THIS long! I've been plugged into the wall for months now! I downloaded the new update and it worked for a whopping day and a half. And I'm still waiting for the macprotector remover update! What's going on? I've never had ANY problems until the last few months.

yozhbk wrote:

I know I said this 3000 times, but your macbook has the same issue if its the early 2011 MBP. I know you might think that you dont disconect from the network, but your issue is the same as everyones. Try it. Start a ping to something localy, while connected to N network preferable 450mbits. while pinging transfer a large file. See what happenes. This is exactly the same issue that is on everyones MBPs. Now if you are on G network or slower N networks you might not see the issue or might not notice it.

Thank you.

What's supposed to happen? For me, a large 2GB file copy (from an AirPort disk connected to my AEBS to my MBP) successfully completed while simultaneously pinging my iMac on the same network. Sure, I got a few ping timeouts, but the connection never dropped. In fact, my sustained transfer speeds were 100Mbps+.

Check out the screenshot here. One thing is that I've been running 10.6.8 for a while, so I'm not sure if that's helping, but I don't really remember having any AirPort problems after Apple released the last update.

Ok so there you go. You have the same issue as all of us. Now I you think that ping drops are not a big issue try to stream a file at the same time as you have the transfer or YouTube or remote desktop or anything that requires a steady stream of data.

Just by you seeing all those drops should make you understand there is a really huge issue, do the same tests on you other macs( I don't know about 2011 iMacs) but pre 2011 machines don't have this issues.

Yes the transfer is complete and I do get high speeds but fundamentally this is broken.

yozhbk wrote:

Ok so there you go. You have the same issue as all of us. Now I you think that ping drops are not a big issue try to stream a file at the same time as you have the transfer or YouTube or remote desktop or anything that requires a steady stream of data.

Just by you seeing all those drops should make you understand there is a really huge issue, do the same tests on you other macs( I don't know about 2011 iMacs) but pre 2011 machines don't have this issues.

Yes the transfer is complete and I do get high speeds but fundamentally this is broken.

Gotcha. I agree there's definitely a problem (my new '11 iMac doesn't exhibit this issue) but I've yet to have it affect my workflow. That being said, Apple needs to fix this ASAP. And evidently 10.6.8 (Build 10K540) isn't going to do it.

Has anyone tried this with Lion? I'm running DP4 on my iMac but haven't installed it on my MBP yet.

Shwa72 wrote:

Has anyone tried this with Lion? I'm running DP4 on my iMac but haven't installed it on my MBP yet.

Reportedly DP3 and DP4 will not boot on 2011 MBPs unless the wifi drivers are removed so its hard to test...

Lately I've been going to a cafe where they offer free wifi.

Every time I went there I had the same problem connecting to the wifi.

Even though I had saved the password for the specific network, Airport would either ask me to enter again the password (like it was lost) or give me an error for using the wrong password.

Of course the password was the correct one and the solution was to click repeatedly OK when I was asked to enter the correct password, I would connect after 12-20 attempts.

But yesterday, the owner asked me if everything was ok with the wifi. I told him about the password problem.

He explained to me that was exactly the reason why he asked, cause another customer with a 2010 macbook pro had the same issues. And for that reason they have placed a second router and he asked me to try connecting to it. So I did and guess what, no problem connecting at all.

Then I noticed that in the first case the router was using 802.11n whereas the other one was using 802.11g.

The owner told me that the only devices having a problem to connect to the wifi are mac's and that no other pc-laptop has ever had any problem.

How worse can it get? Every day I feel more and more foolish for buying a 2000$ laptop that can't connect properly to the internet, just like any 400$ dollar cheap plastic netbook can do in our days.......

How is 10.6.8 public release, any changes ?

It actually seems worse for me after the 10.6.8 update.

When I got my new router (dual band) my original wireless issues seemed to disappear and I was connecting at 216Mbps on the 5Ghz band with no dropouts.

Just did the update and now getting only 54Mbps (when it's supposed to be Wireless-N)...not happy about it.

EDIT: just discovered that my Samsung TV's wireless was causing some interference.

Switched that off and now back to 216 / 243Mbps (even 300Mbps just now).

Switch it on and the noise goes up and I'm down to 54/81/108Mbps. Very interesting.

NO mention here about 10.6.8 addressing any airport issues.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4561

Doesn't mean it isn't in there. If it is, Apple didn't think it was important enough to mention.

I will download the update this evening (hardwire ethernet to my router, NOT WiFi) and give it a try. After all this time and so many theories and NO fix or communication from Apple, I have my doubts.

Chins up, positive attitude!