Lion - Wi-Fi doesn't automatically reconnect when reawakening after sleep

jonmuss, I'm sorry to hear this.

Pretty much the best I can say right now is that a lot of things have to work right for wi-fi to reconnect after sleep.

I've done a lot of things, based on both Apple Care and User Support recommendations; maybe it's getting them all fixed is needed.

I bought my iMac in August, 2011. It's the 21.5 inch screen, with the i5 processor.

When I get some free time, I'll post a list of the items I fixed. Mabye that'll help people.

Thanks VictorBk that would be very helpful. I have tried so many things now and i could do with a set of 'fixes' that might sort this problem out.

This is my first Mac, only had it for a week and am beggining to wonder why i ever moved away from Windows!!!

I hope you get some 'free time' soon!

Well Guys I have been having this problem for ever. Apple even replaced my iMac but nothing has worked. It is without doubt a Lion software problem. I just can't understand why Apple don't seem to want to acknowledge it and sort it out? I have never had this this with my PC or any other device. Perhaps we should email Tim Cook and ask him to sort it out because certainly no one else in Apple seems to want to do it!

Apple's reputation has taken a real hit over this I feel.

jonmuss, there's good news and there's bad news. The bad news is that, after I had 5 or 6 sleep/wake cycles with the wifi coming back automatically, I went out to a movie. Upon my return, it is no longer working. :-(

I guess the good news is that I can give you a list of the items I tried; some people say that they found them curative.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to give you step-by-step instructions, but perhaps a listing of the areas I worked in will be helpful.

First, a work-around is to wake the computer with the power button. That has not failed me, at least, not yet.

Also, I've always seen wifi start properly after power-up or restart.

System Preferences > Networks would seem to be a good place to start.

Make sure that your network name and password, if needed, are properly entered here.

in Advanced, under the Wi-Fi tab, be sure that the desirted network(s), and no others are listed.

under the TCP/IP tab, I show Configure IPv4 to "Using DHCP"

and also Configure IPv6 as "Link-local only"

Press "Renew DHCP Lease"; press OK. Restart.

Also, I'm told that the router that broadcasts wifi should use WPA or WpA2 encryption, and not WEP encryption. This did not help me, but seems like a good idea. (In my case, since I use a Verizon router, I got instructions for this at the Verizon web site.)

It was recommended to me to "Repair Disk Permissions". This is done after a restart while depressing the "shift" key. (Called a reboot in "safe" mode.) Start the disk utility, select MAC HD, and choose "repair disk permissions."

Also, in the same vein, I found on the web instrutions to "Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs."

I found this procedure at:

http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2011/09/want-to-really-repair-permissions-on-your -mac-try-this/

I also ran the Apple Hardware Test: no problems were found.

I also tried the procedure recommended in this thread, of using the Keychain Utility to remove entries related to Airport. Also, I removed the SystemConfituration folder in /Library/Preferences.

Restarted. (Posted here by ryeguy_24.)

Contributors have indicated that these steps have worked for them. I can olny suggest that you try them, and perhaps you'll solve the problem.

I'm kind of perplexed on this one. I do know that my iMac running Lion worked fine for 4 or 5 months before this issue came up.

Perhaps your Apple store might have more information on this problem.

To those that have recently posted they're still having problems...I'm curious about a few things.

1) What, if anything, is connected to your computer when you wake it? For instance, do you have a time-machine HDD connected and powered-up already?

2) How long are you waiting after the computer turn's on to do something? (hint...if any time at al has passed, do you wait for the system clock to update with the current time when before you try something?)

3) What actions are you taking to reconnect to your network?

Humor me...pls. I'm a user just like you and I've been experiencing the same issue since I upgraded to LION. I've also been working with a number of Apple folks on this and for me anyway, 10.7.3 works +95% of the time...heck I've only had one failure since I loaded the latest patch.

Thanks,

Scott Wallace

Thx, this worked for me as well. I've tried so many other things, thx....

I have a firewire harddrive connected to my iMac, for time machine backups.

I always waited till the clock updated.

I have done everything that VictorBK has suggested, the only thing that works is going back to 10.7.2 which worked fine.

I am and have always used WPA2.

If I press the power button the machine comes out of sleep and connects, If I reboot my router so the machine has to grab its DHCP lease again it connects, otherwise tapping the keyboard or mouse as before leaves the machine with no wifi connection. All has been fine since I recieved this machine till the latest update, it has the latest combo downloaded over software update as well, the only thing I would like to try is downloading 10.7.3 via the HD recovery partion, but that still seems to be bring down 10.7.2. I have a 21.5" i7 quad core Mid 2011 iMac with 8GB ram.

The disable bluetooth fix is still working just fine for me. As soon as I enalbe it again the problem comes back.

Bit hard when you have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse though 😉

Nubby Mac user, bought an imac on the weekend 10.7.3 installed Same issues won't connect from sleep using mouse or keyboard, but connects using start up button

Been on to support done most of the things discussed and they say it's a hardware fault and I should take the machine to an authorized service dealer ".............???????

The service tech said 10.7.3 was supposed to fix this problem with 10.7.2

I don't think they have a clue or won't say

Good Morning Scott,

I have an August, 2011 21.5 inch iMac. Model No. A1311.

Running Lionh 10.7.3 (11D50).

Acise from the wired keyboard and wired mouse, I have only a printer connected. (HP1012).

No external disks, time machines, airports.

I've turned off Bluetooth, using the small icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen.

Wifi is from a Verizon M1424WR router, using WPA2 encryption.

So far, the machine has always reconnected automatically to wifi when I weke it with the power button, and this is becomming my default action.

I just tried wake-with-mouse-click. The wifi symbol startted gray, and then started searching. Then, the time updated. Then the wifi gave up, and stayed gray. Now, if I click on the wifi symbol, I get a list of the dozen or so networks in my apt. building, and I can select mine.

If it is generally confirmed that the wifi always reconnects automatically upon wake-with-power-button, I'd say we have a clue.

Software Update is content this morning (Feb. 6).

The machine does pass the basic Apple Hardware Test. I'll tty the extended test later -- I have not run that one for 5 or 6 months.

Surely, we have a "puzzlement."

Victor Kava

Arlington, MA

1.) Nothing connected to my macbook air (sometimes bluetooth mouse, but happens even when it's not in use)

2.) I usually have to wait a bit, longer than after the clock time is correct. If I try to connect to wifi too early I get errors (can't remember which). ALso, I can't see any access points for a short while. Once they appear I can then connect to wifi again.

3.) I Always have to manually connect via the wifi icon in the menu bar

NOTE: It's only beena day, but disabling bluetooth seems to helping connecting to wifi when waking from sleep. Annoyingly though I have bluetooth mouse so this isn't a very helpful solution when using it at my desk!

I live on the other side of Florida. I could honestly say I have no problems connecing to wifi when waking the computer. If you o to System Prefences and Network, choose your network; put a check mark in the box that says "Show Wifi status in menu bar," next click the advanced buton, Under Preferred Networks, minus out of all the networks, and put a check mark where it says "remember networks this computer has joined."

It is that simple. If you have trouble, then you just select the wifi symbol that looks like a tornado (that you now have) located next to the time on the menu bar.

Just an update, rolled back my machine to the restore hard drive which is 10.7.2 and wifi works fine. I will probably not update again to 10.7.3 until there is a fix

All of that is as it should be, I think it depends on what iMac you have tbh. 10.7.2 works just fine, 10.7.3 does not, it is that simple, and all the fiddling with seetings sadly changes noting, anyway they were set like that in the first place, I would say there is a bug in 10.7.3 for some machines.