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

Same problem - lost wifi (Airport Extreme) connection upon waking my (nearly new) iMac. I re-installed the 10.7.3 "combo" from the Support site and at first that seemed to fix it...ta-da!...but then the problem returned...no wifi, then a 30-to-45 second wait while the iMac "searches" for the Airport wifi that's sitting 12 inches away...then it runs OK. But what an annoying hassle! Everything was fine with OS 10.7.2. Not now.

Soooo...there's obviously a bug in 10.7.3. Well, Apple?

I am having the same issue, even after 10.7.3 when I wake my Macbook Air from sleep it won't reconnect to wifi at home or at work. I remove the networks altogether and re-add them, but the issue is still occuring. All suggestions welcome.

Are you saying that the wifi connection NEVER re-connects?

If you try something like re-fresh a web page...does that work?

SW

You know, if only Apple had told us from the beginning that the only way to wake the computer was to use the Power button, and that a keystorke or mouseclick wouldn't do it, we'd all be happy computer users. But, having had a capability, and losing it, we are not happy campers.

At any rate, I did a little experiment. I found the file /var/log/kernel.log. (You need admin permissions to read it.)

I then put the computer to sleep, using the Apple menu. After a few minutes, I woke it using the Power button, and noted that the wifi started. So I put it to sleep again, waited a few minutes, and woke it using a mouse click. I noted that the wifi did not start. Now I copied the last lines (35 or so) from the kernel log.

Here are the relevant lines from the kernel log. It seems to me that different code runs, starting from "Wake reason", which is the first line that the log shows after a wakeup.

****************** After waking with the Power button *****************************************

Feb 6 12:48:08 new-host kernel[0]: Wake reason: EC.PowerButton PWRB (User)

Feb 6 12:48:08 new-host kernel[0]: Previous Sleep Cause: 5

Feb 6 12:48:08 new-host kernel[0]: 6719.404676: ar9300WowWakeUp: Skip PCIE WA programming

Feb 6 12:48:08 new-host kernel[0]: 6719.404693: setDISASSOC from ATH_INTERFACE_CLASS disconnectVap

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Down on en1. Reason 8 (Disassociated because station leaving).

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: 6719.476883: setDISASSOCIATE ****STA SYNC DISASSOC SUCCESS

----------------- now, the messages are quite different from the messages below ---------------

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: Sound assertion "0 == fAudioEngineArray" failed in AppleHDADriver at line 3047 goto Exit

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 00:26:b8:36:13:3a

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Up on en1

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 00:26:b8:36:13:3a

Feb 6 12:48:15 localhost kernel[0]: AirPort: RSN handshake complete on en1

Feb 6 12:48:16 localhost kernel[0]: en1: BSSID changed to 00:26:b8:36:13:3a

Feb 6 12:48:42 new-host kernel[0]: 6753.403852: ar9300WowEnable: Skip PCIE WA programming

*****************After waking with a mouse click *******************************

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: Wake reason: EHC1

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: Previous Sleep Cause: 5

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: The USB device HubDevice (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfd000000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (2)

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: 6753.865232: ar9300WowWakeUp: Skip PCIE WA programming

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: 6753.865248: setDISASSOC from ATH_INTERFACE_CLASS disconnectVap

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Down on en1. Reason 8 (Disassociated because station leaving).

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: 6753.905723: setDISASSOCIATE ****STA SYNC DISASSOC SUCCESS

----------------------- now, the messages are quite different from the ones above -------------------------

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: The USB device Keyboard Hub (Port 3 of Hub at 0xfd100000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: The USB device Apple Optical USB Mouse (Port 1 of Hub at 0xfd130000) may have caused a wake by issuing a remote wakeup (3)

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: 6754.143787: performCountryCodeOperation: Disconnecting from AP

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: 6754.150364: setDISASSOC from ATH_INTERFACE_CLASS disconnectVap

Feb 6 12:54:10 new-host kernel[0]: HID tickle 306 ms

Feb 6 12:54:17 localhost kernel[0]: Sound assertion "0 == fAudioEngineArray" failed in AppleHDADriver at line 3047 goto Exit

Feb 6 12:54:36 localhost kernel[0]: en1: 802.11d country code set to 'US '.

Feb 6 12:54:36 localhost kernel[0]: en1: Supported channels 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 100 104 108 112 116 120 124 128 132 136 140 149 153 157 161 165

******************************************************************************** ****

There are differences in the message sources: either "new-host kernel"or "localhost kernel".

Clearly, different things are happening.

(You are welcome to perform the experiment on your own machine.)

One tentative conclusion seems reasonable: if the Power button wake up works, it would seem that the various settings and permissions are OK.

I am somewhat tempted to conclude that some programmer, when assigned to add new functionality or fix a bug, inadvertantly broke the wake-from-mouse-click code. However, I try not to be cynical.

I think I'll try to get nto the habit of waking the iMac with the Power button, and check back with Apple from time to time to see if there's a fix.

I THINK this may work for others who have found that after installing 10.7.3 their Mac "forgets" it has a wifi (Airport) connection when it's asleep. The following seems to have succeeded for me.

1) Re-install 10.7.3 Combination from the support site. Then:

2) Use Airport Utilities (in Utilities section of System folder) to update the Airport firmware to most recent version. Then:

3) Restart.

So far, so good.

I have the same issue with my iMac. I have tried everything, but today I learned that the only solution to this problem is to wake up your computer by pressing the power POWER BUTTON instead of the keyboard or mouse.

Same thing here. Weird. I tried the power button vs. the keyboard several times.

BTW, I have a one month old iMac which has never been on another network. The only network which shows in the panel in the system preferences\network\advanced\preferred networks is my home network. The "no connection on waking" problem just started about a week ago. I've read through most of this thread, and tried the easy fixes (delete preferred network, etc.), but to no avail. The power button wake is the only working solution for me, which isn't a solution. Does anyone have a difinitive fix for this issue?

This has been my experience, as well.

What has always worked:

1. Power up (from being just plain off)

2. Restart (from Apple menu)

3. Wake from sleep by touching the Power button.

What has sometimes worked, and sometimes not worked:

1. Wake from sleep with a mouse click

2. Wake from sleep with a keystroke

I'm using a 2011 21.5" iMac, running 10.7.3.

Until a real solution shows up, the best I can think of is to get into the habit of waking

the iMac by touching the power button. Not ideal, just a workaround.

I'm with you. It's ironic that I just changed over from years of using a PC. I've been bragging to my friends and coworkers about how the Apple stuff "just works" without having to use magic tricks to get things done. How embarrasing 🙂

On my 2011 macbook air I can now relaiably reproduce the problem and fix it by disabling bluetooth.

To reproduce the problem I just have to re-enable bluetooth, close the lid, wait 30-40 mins, then open the lid again and it won't connect to wifi automatically after waking. (The wait seems to be necessary so it is no longer associated with the wireless network, and I'm not waking with keyboard or mouse).

Unfortunately, I can't try the power button fix as it requires closing and lifting the lid which covers the power button when closed.

I am aware this fix only works for some people.

^^ Identical for me

Had this problem since 10.7.1 (I think), so far I've tried:

Deleting remembered WIFI SSID's

Keychain fix

IPV6 fix

Location fix

Repair permissions

Different WIFI router (problem goes but returns when switched back)

Only disabling Bluetooth works.

I have tried every single one of these fixes and I can't get it to ever reconnect to my Wifi without having to tell it to. I know this is a small issue, but it's really annoying.

This Macbook Pro isn't even two weeks old!

In agreement with you here too VictorBK. I have a new iMac that came from the factory with Lion. I've been running it for a few months and have never had an issue with my Wi-Fi reconnecting after sleep. Just upgraded to 10.7.3 a few days ago and now find that if I wake with a mouse click or keyboard stroke, the menu bar icon searches for a bit then grays out, despite my network (which is the only one I have ever joined as well) being in the list of available networks. Waking using the power button (which admittedly I didn't even realize was an option prior to reading this thread) automatically reconnects me every time.

I have tried many of the other suggested fixes (deleting the plist, wiping out all Airport references in the keychain, forgetting and then re-joining the network, etc.) Must be a coding issue so far as I'm concerned. Apple?

My wifi has come back after sleep always, and worked for several months since I upgraded to Lion. In the last couple of days, it stopped working. The Wifi spins, then doesn't connect to my Apple branded Wifi device. I have to select by hand, after each sleep. Bummer.

I'll try the power button wakeup, but Apple should fix this one.

I don't use an AirPort wireless router, but a device from another vendor (AVM Fritz!Box 7390 in my case). And like many others in the forum here I have same or similar issues.

So I don't think this is related to the AirPort (router) firmware.

Best regards, Thomas