Q: Wifi Constantly Dropping in Lion

Gphonei asket:

> I wonder still, if there are also people with multiple routers, at home, on the same band with the same SSID but with different security modes?

I am facing the issue and have a single Belkin N+ router configured with two distinct SSID: one hprimary lan with hdden ssid and based on WEP128 ( some devices would not support wpa2 ) and another one visible for guests based on WPA2 (  I consider it to be a kind of DMZ )

roxan wrote:

 

Gphonei asket:

> I wonder still, if there are also people with multiple routers, at home, on the same band with the same SSID but with different security modes?

 

I am facing the issue and have a single Belkin N+ router configured with two distinct SSID: one hprimary lan with hdden ssid and based on WEP128 ( some devices would not support wpa2 ) and another one visible for guests based on WPA2 (  I consider it to be a kind of DMZ )

Can you turn off one the "guest" network, or make it wep128 just to see if that provides any changes for the better?

When I first got my iMac, this was a major problem, and I spent HOURS on the phone with Apple. They said I might need a new wireless card, but with a 27" computer and no apple store within hundreds of miles of my apartment, it wasn't that easy to just pick it up and bring it to the store.

I was living in a large complex with many wireless networks.

Then, suddenly the problem went away. I moved to a different city where we shared our wireless with the apartment below--we were the only 2 apartments in the bldg (one on top of the other). We didn't pick up too many other signals from around. I had NO problem constantly being online.

Now I live in a NEW complex, where every apartment has their own wireless and router, and there are at least 20 being picked up on my list. The wifi problem has come back worse than EVER and I am literally constantly having to refresh my wireless (turn it on and off), every 30 seconds or minute. It's driving me crazy.

--> The point: I'm wondering if this problem is caused because there are SO many wifi signals being picked up that my iMac is confused? Since it wasn't a problem in my 2nd apartment, and now the problem is back, now that there are so many routers around. NEVERTHELESS, this is a major *iMac* problem, as my smartphone and laptop pick up the signal fine.

How do we get around this? Can't believe this isn't fixed yet! Does anyone know how to change to a new wifi channel on iMac OSX Lion (10.7.5)

Edit: and P.S., it ALWAYS says I have a full bars. But nothing requiring internet will function (browsers/skype/email/itunes store, etc)

bombadillo wrote:

 

How do we get around this? Can't believe this isn't fixed yet! Does anyone know how to change to a new wifi channel on iMac OSX Lion (10.7.5)

 

Edit: and P.S., it ALWAYS says I have a full bars. But nothing requiring internet will function (browsers/skype/email/itunes store, etc)

Your WiFi router controls the "channel" that is used.  What brand and model WiFi router do you have?  You will want to try channels 1, 6 or 11.  Using any of the other channel will just "double" the number of interfering routers, because then you'll be strattling two different sets of frequencies.

Can you open a terminal window, and try "ping -n 8.8.8.8" when the connection is down?  That will tell us whether it's the "network", or just some types of "traffic" that is the problem.

Okay, I have NETGEAR and I downloaded NETGEAR Genie (you can see everything that's connected to your network, change name/password etc) last week to help recover my password and set up all things wireless. It's been so helpful. In NETGEAR Genie, I just discovered an option to change the Channel, so I just changed it to 6. Crossing my fingers that this works! Thanks for the help; I will post back here in a few days or a week if all goes well. Otherwise, you might be seeing a post earlier

So far 6 is still dropping... I'll try out another.

So, it seemed like every channel just made it worse. Then, when things were worst and it was dropping every 10 seconds, just to be safe I updated my router's firmware again, and.... for the last 15 min, I've had super fast internet with no dropping out... I'm kind of embarassed that I didn't triple check my firmware first. But... it seems like that might have been the problem. Again, I'll post here if there's any more trouble. Thanks!

bombadillo wrote:

 

So, it seemed like every channel just made it worse. Then, when things were worst and it was dropping every 10 seconds, just to be safe I updated my router's firmware again, and.... for the last 15 min, I've had super fast internet with no dropping out... I'm kind of embarassed that I didn't triple check my firmware first. But... it seems like that might have been the problem. Again, I'll post here if there's any more trouble. Thanks!

It seems that most of the WiFi device manufacturers are shipping products before the firmware has been finished these days.  There's almost always a "new version" when you buy a new router because what you bought has set on the store shelf, or been in transit from its place of manufacturing and then through a warehouse or two, before you get it.  Hopefully that will take care of your problems.

Well I've been following this thread (and a few others) over the past many months, and finally decided to join in the discussion - I need to vent!! Bought my Mac in August 2011, and always had wifi dropping issues.  Husband bought new router sometime this past spring, but I continue to drop. 

Nothing else in the house drops!!  3 iPods, 1 iPhone, 1 other smartphone, 1 iPad, 3 Windows laptops, Apple TV, etc etc..... ONLY my Mac, drops.  Over and over and over and over!  Wifi symbol is black, so apparently it's "on", but pages won't load, videos freeze in youtube, etc.  Then I do get the "you are not connected to the internet" message.  The only solution is to manually click to turn wifi off, then turn wifi on.... wait..... then select our network from the list.  Sometimes this doesn't even work, and I have to do a restart.  This is ridiculous!!

I have no computer technical smarts what-so-ever, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out it is a Lion issue!  My old dinosaur PC worked on our old router without dropping, and all our other devices never, ever, ever drop.  Only the Mac.  Hmmmm.....

My Apple support has expired, and when I did bring it into Apple store earlier this summer, they did a ping test and said "your wifi is fine....".  Oh, ok, thanks for the help.  Brought it home, still dropped!  I'm ready to toss this thing out the freakin' window and go get a cheap PC - configuration of our house won't allow me to run a cable, and I shouldn't have to!  Husband made sure router firmware is updated, so that's not the issue.

139 pages of complaints on this..... and folks at Apple store look at you like you're crazy when you tell them about the problem.  I said "go to the support community and search wifi dropping......you'll see what I'm talking about!"

APPLE - PLEASE FIX THIS! 

If all else fails then just buy a cheap Lion compatible USB wi-fi dongle.

To all and sundry,

The latest update to the OS seems to have fixed the irritating wifi dropout, and it's plagued me for months largely by being totally unpredictable. How Apple got away without saying anything publicly about it (compare this to the fuss over it's iphone map fiasco) is simply amazing. Now there's corporate perseverance for you. Sooner or later there'll be a 'fix' and in any case, we're just to big to f**k with. Apple's beginning to look and feel, if you'll excuse the pun, more and more like Microsoft.

Millions of us have to fork out £20 for an operating system instead of getting the works on some disks as part of the pc. And from now on, whenever Apple 'improves' the software, we'll have to fork out another £20! It's outrageous!

Indeed,

Mountain Lion fixed the WIFI-issue over here.

What does the wi-fi dongle do?

momof3bnd wrote:

 

What does the wi-fi dongle do?

http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,1237,t=USB+wireless+dongle&i=60265,00.a sp

The wi-fi issue isn't the same for everyone, so one fix for someone may not be the same fix for everyone else.  The wi-fi dongle is like an external wireless card that plugs into your USB drive.  Just like an external hard drive that plugs in to your USB.  I recently spent $50 on one of these USB wi-fi dongles, and I still have the same network drops as before. 

But I've heard stories about a dongle resolving other people's issues.  Trial and error I guess.  It didn't work for me, so I'm going to return it and keep investigating.