Mac OS X Lion WiFi issues

Thanks for your message. My iMac is doing fine (for its age). The only issue I see is the wi-fi connection. It takes for ever to load even the most basic pages, and it never happened before I installed 10.7.3 (I jumped from 10.6.x directly to 10.7.3). And while it takes for ever to load a page the Activity Monitor shows between 91 and 95% of CPU INactivity.

Any root cause analysis software, Apple? (by the way how do I report this mess?)

maybe your computer has young computer' s dimensia, and forgot how to do a search on the apple website to contact apple, or perhaps it forgot how to get itself to an apple store or perhaps it forgot how to pick up phone... i dont know... do you have any suggestions?

How kind...

No, because "it" considered the accident rate on highways, the total distance to the nearest so-called Genius (i.e., located in another country), the cost of a return trip, the time required, the risks of back injuries and the probable return on the investment based on several posts in this forum indicating how useless the so-called Geniuses are in this case. Even compared to the overpriced helpline it makes sense to find a cost- and time-effective way to report exactly what's going on, in a way similar to what my Mac does when an application crashes. Apparently this method doesn't exist.

I'm ready to share data to help Apple find the root cause and stop this mess. Not to keep on sponsoring their own flaws when I can avoid it.

http://www.apple.com/buy/locator/service/

Dear Apple !

You have numerous long threads in this community regarding wifi problems on various apple machines arrising seemingly from doing the upgrade to Lion, and some of these threads are 3/4 of a year old. There must be many thousand of your customers having this problem at the moment. And yet, not a word from you ?

Apple, may I ask you, please, to make a sticky post to all these threads with some "weekly updated" information on what is going on and what is the forecast for a remedy ?

It is very, very annoying to have to restart the MacBook Pro many times per day in order to reconnect to wifi. A proper wifi connection is mandatory in a modern world. Other machines based on Linux, WIndows, Android and iOS4 have no problem on our local wifi network.

This is a message from 2012. Good luck with your efforts to create a fix!

Kind Regards

Carl H

Dear Carl,

Take a look at this thread https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3191630?answerId=17800801022#17800801022&ac_cid=142432#17800801

I am going to guote something I wrote.

I am thinking... this might..be the pattern (emphasis on "might be"). I have found this: {In my iMac} The AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x8F) (wifi) card firmware version is a Atheros 9280: 4.0.61.5-P2P. {In my MacBook Pro} The AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x8D) (wifi) card firmware is aBroadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.100.98.75.19). Both of these work well. But @Sentrix_ your firmware version is this: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x9A) (wifi) card firmware version Atheros 9380: 4.0.61.5-P2P.

I went to the Qualcom web site and looked at the difference between my chipset and your chipset...

my chip looks like: http://www.qca.qualcomm.com/technology/technology.php?nav1=47&product=85

Your chip looks like: http://www.qca.qualcomm.com/technology/technology.php?nav1=47&product=88

I do not think a down grade of the firmware is the correct solution even though it might work... but it looks like the firmwares (or chipsets - not sure) are utimately different.

Ok, if this is a software issue, then a firmware upgrade or downgrade will be needed. If this is a hardware issue, because it looks like the 9380 uses RF switches, and the 9280 does not, and it turns out something is wrong with the RF switches, then it is possible a replacement chip will be needed.

(Although it seems the Atheros 9380 appears only in iMacs) I searched around quickly and found at least 2 other people (including @Sentrix_) having problmes with the Atheros 9380 firmware. The other sites I found with something with a similar firmware as @Sentrix_ were these sites. (there might be other similarities, or differences but this is what I saw only cause I was looking at the Atheros 9380 firmware).

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1329406&page=2

and

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3767053?start=0&tstart=0

and

http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3429907301

What is your firmware version. Go into your utilty folder and go to system information, and click on WIFI on the left

Carlo

Thanks for asking, My firmware is Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0.

Does this give hope for a better future? If so, what can I do? thanks again.

Carl

If everyone copy and paste the full half page report here it might help. To find that report Go into your utilty folder and go to system information, and click on WIFI on the left.

i am thinking for you it is a setting... but only scratching my head trying to help others... I have no problem in mine.

Carlo TD wrote:

Dear Carl,

Take a look at this thread https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3191630?answerId=17800801022#17800801022&ac_cid=142432#17800801

I am going to guote something I wrote.

I am thinking... this might..be the pattern (emphasis on "might be"). I have found this: {In my iMac} The AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x8F) (wifi) card firmware version is a Atheros 9280: 4.0.61.5-P2P. {In my MacBook Pro} The AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x8D) (wifi) card firmware is aBroadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (5.100.98.75.19). Both of these work well. But @Sentrix_ your firmware version is this: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x9A) (wifi) card firmware version Atheros 9380: 4.0.61.5-P2P.

I went to the Qualcom web site and looked at the difference between my chipset and your chipset...

my chip looks like: http://www.qca.qualcomm.com/technology/technology.php?nav1=47&product=85

Your chip looks like: http://www.qca.qualcomm.com/technology/technology.php?nav1=47&product=88

I do not think a down grade of the firmware is the correct solution even though it might work... but it looks like the firmwares (or chipsets - not sure) are utimately different.

Ok, if this is a software issue, then a firmware upgrade or downgrade will be needed. If this is a hardware issue, because it looks like the 9380 uses RF switches, and the 9280 does not, and it turns out something is wrong with the RF switches, then it is possible a replacement chip will be needed.

(Although it seems the Atheros 9380 appears only in iMacs) I searched around quickly and found at least 2 other people (including @Sentrix_) having problmes with the Atheros 9380 firmware. The other sites I found with something with a similar firmware as @Sentrix_ were these sites. (there might be other similarities, or differences but this is what I saw only cause I was looking at the Atheros 9380 firmware).

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1329406&page=2

and

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3767053?start=0&tstart=0

and

http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/3429907301

I found this post interesting as well. My memory may be getting foggy after the amount of posts I have read in this thread... but weren't most of the early reports related to people having these issues with newer Macbook Pros though? Then as time went on a lot of other models were added? There definitely seems to be just as many issues with other models as with iMacs posted.

i dont know. I wish everyones unit was working. Of course with so many different set ups it is almost impossible. I think it was this thread or the other thead, a person was trying to use AppleTalk... I wonder how many other people are doing the same thing. Another person had a N router and broadcasted in N but their imac mini was only able to handle b/g. Some are condesending to others or berating to Apple products, in yet it is really them (maybe not), and that does not help especially when a person like myself is trying to help them - trust me I dont have to do this, but at the same time I noticed, many people just dont want to take five minutes and do what they need to do or take some time to try to figure it out - they just want the fast food lane and want it now now now... come on it is everyones part to have due dillegence, and upgrade to the latest operating system, and firmware, and what nots; and if a router needs to be replaced because your using a model from 5+ years ago... then it is a possiblity. The majority of problems I see is perhaps user-self-ended problems, for example: thinking their router was set up before, and it worked, but just because it was set up before does not mean it was set up right in the first place; (let alone not having a password on their router, because the neigbor that does not like them is messing with their network connection) or that it should just work (well it does just work - if you use it properly and give it adequate maintance just like a car, the tire pressure and oil etc has to be maintained); There is also the argument of well this occurred because of this reason... If P then Q (inductive reasoning)... but their inductive reasoning is false because it could be many reaasons... malware messing with the DNS; people not reading directions, possible wifi chip with potential problems (and if it is a chip problem, even that could be looked at), or even not upgrade their os x install properly, etc etc etc. I have seen it all .. .and what people have to realize, be patient, and use your due dillegence when a problem arrises - dont jump to conlusions, but be scientific about trying to fix the problem.

Carlo TD wrote:

i dont know. I wish everyones unit was working. Of course with so many different set ups it is almost impossible. I think it was this thread or the other thead, a person was trying to use AppleTalk... I wonder how many other people are doing the same thing. Another person had a N router and broadcasted in N but their imac mini was only able to handle b/g. Some are condesending to others or berating to Apple products, in yet it is really them (maybe not), and that does not help especially when a person like myself is trying to help them - trust me I dont have to do this, but at the same time I noticed, many people just dont want to take five minutes and do what they need to do or take some time to try to figure it out - they just want the fast food lane and want it now now now... come on it is everyones part to have due dillegence, and upgrade to the latest operating system, and firmware, and what nots; and if a router needs to be replaced because your using a model from 5+ years ago... then it is a possiblity. The majority of problems I see is perhaps user-self-ended problems, for example: thinking their router was set up before, and it worked, but just because it was set up before does not mean it was set up right in the first place; (let alone not having a password on their router, because the neigbor that does not like them is messing with their network connection) or that it should just work (well it does just work - if you use it properly and give it adequate maintance just like a car, the tire pressure and oil etc has to be maintained); There is also the argument of well this occurred because of this reason... If P then Q (inductive reasoning)... but their inductive reasoning is false because it could be many reaasons... malware messing with the DNS; people not reading directions, possible wifi chip with potential problems (and if it is a chip problem, even that could be looked at), or even not upgrade their os x install properly, etc etc etc. I have seen it all .. .and what people have to realize, be patient, and use your due dillegence when a problem arrises - dont jump to conlusions, but be scientific about trying to fix the problem.

Carlo, you have to see why people are frustrated though. It really should not be this complicated. I have had a dozen computers and devices running off this network in the time I have had this issue with the iMac, and none of them have even a hicup. Taking things at the most basic level, if every device you have is working on your network, and your computer was working fine until the Lion upgrade on that network, this problem really shouldn't exist and people are righfully frustrated about it. Or in my case and many others, a brand machine with Lion had this problem right out of the box while the another Mac beside it is running another OS is fine.

But... my machine has been running fine for over a month after doing fixes from this thread. I have not played with my router, only ran fixes within Lion's settings. So you would assume the hardware is working? What was the deal with the fresh Lion install if that's the case? Why are things working now?

It's just a ridiculous problem. If it is a hardware issue, then fine. They can let us know which machines it effects and I will take mine in. But to lug a 27" iMac to a store an hour away, only to be told there is no problem is just not an option for me.

TornDownunit,

If you would take a minute to outline which fixes you did that helped you, I just say thanks beforehand :-) There are so many postings, so many threads...

Here are my observations in case it is interesting:

The main problem on my (approx 2009) MacBook Pro is that WiFi cannot be turned on once turned off. It is turned off either by user action or by mysterious malfunction. Very often, the machine will work fine a whole day, but then the next morning waking up from sleep mode, the wifi is OFF again. In and out of sleep mode is most often the cause, but sometimes it just stops while in full use also.

On occasion, I can make a new profile and get it going again, but most often the only remedy is ice-cold restart. And BTW, something else, the Lion startup time is just very, very slow compared to Windows7 and Linux Ubuntu. And this machine was installed with Lion from scratch at the end of 2011.

Cheers

Carl H

This is kind of rediculous the size of this thread.

I too am having problems with my wifi connection dropping out and webpages not loading completely or correctly. I have a 2010 mac book running OSX Lion. I started having this problem when I switched from Comcast internet to ATT. I also have a Dell and the internet works fine on either internet provider.