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iMac 2011 - no wifi connection after sleep under Lion

since i am using osx lion, my iMac is disconnected from my wireless network after sleep. (27 inch mid 2011, i5 with 2tb and ssd) (it states, that none of my preferred connections are available). sometimes it is connected ... but internet just won`t work.

besides that wifi is working just perfectly ... no drops no instability!

i am using airport extreme with 5ghz n-network, router is about 10 meters away (full signal).


under snow leopard i didnt experience any problems ... but since lion (which i am using since GM release) its really annoying because after every sleep i need to deactivate wifi and reactivate to connect.

i tried smc and pram reset ... changed my 5ghz settings to channel 36, deleted all other networks, did a reinstall (fresh!!) ... nothing helped 😟

this is NOT an airport station issue ... my other macs and iPhone are connected just fine.


please, this is VERY annoying .... if you have any hints i would be very grateful!


with kind regards,

felix

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 1:05 AM

Reply
399 replies

Feb 14, 2012 6:00 AM in response to peregrines

A large part of my issue is that I am nowhere near my early '08 iMac when I need it to wake from sleep. I am at my MacBook Pro (2011, which has not had the issue) attempting to sync to the iMac. I have done this since 2008 without issue until this problem arose.


Although I am finally able to connect via the network - a bit delayed, but successfully after months of nothing, it isn't perfect at the iMac itself, although I do not use the power button. I don't know that the "improvement" was due to 10.7.3.

Feb 14, 2012 11:24 AM in response to TonyK58

Hi TonyK58, your Feb 14 post and experience is absolutely identical to my wireless reconnect issues ( previously posted) with my mid 2010 iMac 27 with Lion 10.7.3. Lets hope this is solved soon. In the interim, I was able to rig up an ethernet connection and will have to remain " cabled " until those folks in Cupertino can sort this mess out.

I am just posting now to show identical technical issues in two machines.

Feb 14, 2012 1:04 PM in response to bandmk1010

bandmk1010, Yes, this seems to be a widespread problem. Here we are on a discussion board operated by Apple, and (as far as I know) not one Apple employee has said a peep to indicate that 1) this is a problem that's not unique to your or my machine and 2) they're working to fix the problem. The lack of any communication is not acceptable.


I like your idea of connecting via ethernet. I'm looking into the feasability of doing that myself. When I first backed up to Time Capsule, I ran a temporary ethernet cable, which gets about 0.8 GB/sec transmission, far faster than anything I've seen with wifi. In addition, since the computer (27" iMac) is obviously a desktop that I'm not going to be moving very much, it makes sense to hard wire it to the router.


The suggestion of waking the machine by pressing the power switch (vs. the keyboard) was excellent, and if I were an engineer, I think I'd be looking very closely at that as a big clue to what's underlying this problem.

Feb 14, 2012 1:51 PM in response to TonyK58

Here we are on a discussion board operated by Apple, and (as far as I know) not one Apple employee has said a peep to indicate that 1) this is a problem that's not unique to your or my machine and 2) they're working to fix the problem. The lack of any communication is not acceptable.


This is a user-to-user support forum. Apple does not respond to anything here, so don't expect it.

I like your idea of connecting via ethernet. I'm looking into the feasability of doing that myself. When I first backed up to Time Capsule, I ran a temporary ethernet cable, which gets about 0.8 GB/sec transmission, far faster than anything I've seen with wifi. In addition, since the computer (27" iMac) is obviously a desktop that I'm not going to be moving very much, it makes sense to hard wire it to the router.


Where it is practicable, use Ethernet. Use wireless when it's convenient or there is no other alternative. Wired is superior to wireless for many reasons.

Feb 15, 2012 3:23 AM in response to peregrines

I am having the same problem, when I wake up my iMac from sleep with the keyboard, trackpad or mouse it wakes up without WiFi connection, but if I wake up with the power button everything is OK. I am not sure if this problem starts with Mac OS X 10.7.3 or with the AirPort Extreme update.


I hope Apple find a solution fast, it is a very annoying problem.

Feb 16, 2012 5:56 AM in response to peregrines

Same problem here. Just purchased my first iMac, a 21.5" back in February 11 (which I love besdies this annoying problem). Have had the same success using the power button instead of the mouse or keyboard to wake with wifi working. That is the best option so far. Have tried all the other ideas with setting an manual ip address and the such with no success. The last update was suppose to correct this issue, obviously not. I hope that Apple is monitoring these and they come up with a fix quickly. I like the option of tapping the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard to wake, a lot easier than reaching around back to depress the power botton.

Feb 18, 2012 10:24 AM in response to arnstopable

I am not an expert here. But what I have experienced is that the wifi will wake after sleep only if you wake using the power button. I have been doing this for the last few days and have had 100% success. I rarely had success waking the mac using the mouse or keyboard.....argh! If your machine will not reconnect after sleep by presssing the power button, then there may be another problem. Could be with the imac itself or an access point/router issue.

Feb 18, 2012 10:25 AM in response to arnstopable

I too have similar problem. Just bought my imac last feb 13 2012 and noticed that after sleep my wi-fi wont turn on. What's worse is i have to reboot. What's annoying is its only days old and problems like these show up in less three days after buying.

Is this a hardware problem? Should i return my mac or wait for a software update?


Have you tried just quickly pressing the power button to wake it from sleep?


If that doesn't work then you might have a separate issue and you should probably call your Apple store or Apple reseller for an appointment if necessary or call Applecare if you bought it online.

Feb 18, 2012 3:57 PM in response to peregrines

everyone who prchased their computers should do what i did . i returned 3 new machines within 2 weeks with the same wifi issue and on the 3rd apple gave me the upgrade on the 4th for free(1tb) 21.5 mac and so far no issues. apple has a litle known policy that after so many returns for the same issue they up grade for no cost good luck and demand a fix. would you jump start your new car everytime you went for a drive. No

Feb 18, 2012 4:36 PM in response to Phillip Lovgren

Yes. I updated to 10.7.3. Used the power button and it worked but that's not how it's suppose to function.

If this problem applies to anyone who upgraded to 10.7.3, does this mean its a software isssue and a unit replacement won't be necessary?


Will apple be releasing an update, or will they just push through Mountain Lion to reset everything up?

iMac 2011 - no wifi connection after sleep under Lion

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