Q: Wifi Constantly Dropping in Lion

I've got the inverse problem: my router seems to work with Lion on b/g mixed mode: b/g/n mixed or n only cause a big fail. Followed the advice at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2644274 to roll back the kext for the Airport Extreme card, but this was unsuccessful. Was all fine in Snow Leopard, so looks like the upgrade to Lion has been the problem.

Agree with Lupunus: shouldn't have to tweak routers to get Lion to work

+1

One precision that may contribute : I have a MacBook Pro that I use on two locations. I had no wifi problem until last upgrade this week (I shouldn't have upgraded, I know)

- at home, no wifi problem with Time Capsule

- at office, works fine with RJ45 but many drops with wifi public access

Please Apple, don't hide and do something!

After about 6 hours of constant on-off disconnections, it all went back to normal. I'm writing this over wi-fi, and LSOH had at least 2 hours trouble free last night. Considering that most of those 6 hours were with it sitting on the coffee table with an ethernet plugged in, I really don't know what happened. It didn't even go to sleep, as I had the power plugged in.

Bizarre.

Daniel Ebeck wrote:

 

After about 6 hours of constant on-off disconnections, it all went back to normal. I'm writing this over wi-fi, and LSOH had at least 2 hours trouble free last night.

Maybe all other disturbing elements (neighbor nets; microwave's a.s.o) where off for that time.

Did you read my answer to "Webbasan"? I had mentioned your last posting there, cause it's matching on several points.

Cheers - Lupunus

I don't think it's that. I'm well away from kitchens and there's very little channel interference. Those particular entries in the log haven't shown up again, and I've not changed anything since my last post.

Follow up... now even the b/g connection is dropping of at random intervals. Before, the wifi icon in the menu bar was showing connected but the connection had actually died. Now, [having ditched 802.11n] the icon shows a decreasing signal strength, until it loses the connection entirely; router times out unless I turn wifi off and on again.

It does stay connected for longer than 60 secs now, but this is still pretty serious as the connection only stays alive for a few random minutes. The same router is working fine on iOS 4 devices, and other [non-Apple] systems.

I've filed a bug report at https://bugreport.apple.com (Developer account required) and sent feedback via http://www.apple.com/feedback/. Make sure you do too, so that Apple recognize that there is a significant problem.

Just sent feedback! Also just found a software update and since I installed this it hasn't dropped (it was constantly dropping this morning)...fingers crossed...

Daniel Ebeck wrote:

 

Those particular entries in the log haven't shown up again, and I've not changed anything since my last post.

Impossible. There MUST be any change, even a simple tiny minor one.

Computers are dumb machines, no humans and for that they don't heal himself simply by nature.

Cheers  - Lupunus

“People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the true void. It is bewilderment...” (Miamoto Musashi)

spareclaire wrote:

 

just found a software update and since I installed this it hasn't dropped

Good for you.

And which update did the trick for your infrastructure?

I've not changed anything. It's possible that something has been changed in the normal course of operation, although not a concious setting change. Exactly the same way that there were no settings changes made preceeding the bout of disconnectivity, which happened a week after upgrade.

Since the last update, my MacBook Pro has problems using Mail and Safari after waking form sleep. Using the network doctor thingy works and restores the ability to use Mail and Safari overy my TimeCapsule.

No tapering with the TC settings changed a thing. No deleting of all preferred networks helped.

The freaky thing is: while Mail and Safari cannot connect to the net, I can easily connect to a FTP server oder a AFP share. I can traceroute and ping - but neither Mail nor Safari can connect. Something is really f4cked badly by the last Lion update.

Still no word from Apple about this extremely annoying bug?

Daniel Ebeck wrote:

 

I've not changed anything.

Mysterious but not impossible.

Some applications influences the preferences in mystical ways.

Hi Lupunus,

Sorry I'm not very down with all this, but I found a Thunderbolt software update and a Security update 2011-005, both version 1.0,  which I seem to have downloaded today! Neither of which sound like they're to do with this wireless stuff....yet the imac still connects with no problems so I'll see what happens.....

Claire

spareclaire wrote:

 

Hi Lupunus,

  I found a Thunderbolt software update .... have downloaded today! Neither of which sound like they're to do with this wireless stuff....yet the imac still connects with no problems so I'll see what happens.....

 

Claire

Interesting point.

I've read some posts the last day's reporting the Thunderbolt firmware update solved their wifi problems. I'm not clear for now about the relations of wifi chipset and TB and which mechanism was doing the trick there.

We will see ...

The security update was only to disable and delete all the compromised digi-notar certificates and have nothing to do with the system or wifi.

Thanks for the info!!

Lupunus

My wifi worked fine with snow leopard, then got messed up with lion.

solved by

http://rys.pixeltards.com/2011/09/04/osx-lion-wifi.html

basically replacing lion wifi driver with snow leopard one.