Mac OS X Lion WiFi issues

If you do not have the wi-fi icon in the Apple bar, hm, seems the system does not detect the wi-fi module. If all had been OK in SL, and has turned bad after upgrade to Lion, seems something happened. Not excluded to have a hardware issue, and the upgrade was a coincidence. Try to run Apple Hardware Test with one of the two DVDs you must have for your mac, it is specified on one of them. This test is not entirely reliable, but may be useful. A problem there may also mean a bad contact, this depends from model to model, I do not know how your model has that component inside.

What make/model of Mac do you have ? You can get this info. by running this in Terminal:

system_profiler | grep -e 'Model Identifier'

the hardware test was ok and didn´t acuse any problem.

the model is macbook pro early 2008... 2.4Ghz... now i have the after Repairing Permissions but no internet conection:-(

First of all, you must get wi-fi icon back in the Apple bar. If it is not there, you have either a bad contact or, as you suspect, upgrading to Lion led to a malfunction. Over years, I encountered such a problem twice: after opening the mac, the wi-fi module was not detected, I affected the contacts somehow. I do not know how newer models are connected, but this is possible. This is just a guess.

If a software issue, an essential file got corrupt, so the only solution is to reinstall the system. A simple and good test would be to install Snow Leopard unto an external drive (must have a 16 GB drive, an 8 GB flash drive is not sufficient), boot into it and, if wi-fi module is detected, it is clear a software issue. Now upgrade to Lion unto that flash drive, if again OK, then you must reinstall the system unto the internal disk. These tests may take a long time, but—once done—you can at least identify the probable cause of your issue. If you have an external drive, do it, installing SL does not take more than half an hour and, if OK, you know that there is a software issue. If not detected too, then you must have a damaged wi-fi module, which may simply mean a bad contact.

Anybody try the System Configuration folder yet?

Go to: Macintosh HD/ Library/ Preferences/ System Configuration (folder)

Move the System Configuration folder to the trash, enter an admin password, and Restart the computer.

The restart will recreate a new System Configuration folder.

CAREFULL!

NOT in the System folder! You'll find a similar Sys Config folder there but don't move it, or you'll definately be reinstalling the OS.

Yep happening to me too and driving me mad.

Hey Apple Support - anyone out there reading this thread????

Fine, this solution http://osxdaily.com/2011/11/06/lion-wi-fi-problems-solution-mac/ have change the behaviour at least for two hours. The conection is fast and stable.

Wua!!! and Facetime works!!! It never works but with this fix is conectiong 😀

I hope it last forever!!!

hi Cattus,

now i have back the wifi icon after running the osx atheros 3.2, but the problem is that when i click on the icon sometimes i have the message that there´s no hardware installed. them i reboot, the icon apears again looking for the network. The signal is full and strong but it just stay conected till i open the webbrowser and the pages are not displayed. I go back to the wifi preferences and it ask me to activate the wife. I click on it but nothing happen and them the messege that the hardware is not installed apears again...:-(

i tryed it out but nothing happen.

Hm... may be a hardware issue, difficult to say without checking in deep. You say that all has been OK in SL, and that the issue became manifest after upgrading to Lion. Cannot say. Lion is not very good at wi-fi connections, e.g. loses active connection after sleep.

A simple test would be install SL unto an external drive, and see if all is OK. If yes, then a Lion issue.

Also, reinstalling Lion or running 10.7.2 combo update, to be dowlloade separately as a dmg file, may solve the issue. You will find it at

http://support.apple.com/downloads/

Try to imagine a simple and effective test solution, you have no other choice than to narrow possible causes, and finally solve it.

hi,

it seens that i´am not the only with this problem...https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3193255 . today my scenario is this .

as you can see there is non options to create a wifi connection. some time it apears and some it doesn´t. a few days ago i went to a Apple-authorized technician and he checked that the wifi card was installed correctelly. i really dont´t know what to do.

Bought my first 27" iMac 2 weeksago and am very disappointed. Problems with Wifi disconneting all the time. Have been a PC user and decided to give iMaca try after liking the iPad. What a mistake. Firstly bought it as video editing would be easy, which it was, but there is no iDvd on the computer. Also keeps disconnecting all the time from the wireless network. I have tried rebooting, restarting etc etc. I am not computer savvy and don’t dare doing anything else. What a waist of money. Regret my purchase.

Let us be calm. Lion is indeed not very good at wi-fi (worse than Snow Leopard, for sure), the problem will probably be better in the next update. Nevertheless what you say is not normal and something may be wrong with your network. What router do you use? Did you let router make its config, e.g. selecting channel automatically, or you chose one channel out of, I think, 11, am not sure? Are there many wl routers around? When does it interrupt? Just like that, any time, or mainly after sleep?

Note that Mac OS X, running on mac computers, is not exactly iPad, running on iPads and iPhones. iDVD is a part of iLife, and should be as additional install (I do not know how newer macs are sold, it was with mine). This is another issue, though.

I bought a new apple router with the computer, Airport extreme, as well as Windows Office. My purchase seems to have been a total waist as I am fed up with the problems of wireless. I have no probleme with wireless when connecting through the iPad or my old PC laptops. They are working fine with the new mac router so it is not the router or the network. it is the iMac being a piece of junk since only new "top of the range" iMac has the problem. iLife was installed on my Mac but does not include iDVD, so obviously new iMacs don't have iDVD.