wifi problems? Channel selected issue maybe? Wifi Detector?

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Level 2

160 points

wifi problems? Channel selected issue maybe? Wifi Detector?

With over 35,000 entries on the subject of WiFi not working, especially with Lion, I have a slightly different question.

When this problem shows up, presuming you are using a router or access point that you can control, has anyone tried changing the wireless channel being used? What channel was in use when the computer stopped Wifi? It would be interesting if this happens much more frequently on one or two particualr channels.

Reason I am wondering is if somewhere in one or more of the software updates and changes that have gone on in the past months, I wonder if one of the things changed may have affected the Wifi card's tuning circuit where it is maybe a little off frequency and can no longer reliably communicate with the router. When the card is replaced, could the settings be restored? Or maybe something in the EFI got "tweaked" and threw somthing else in the frequency controls out of spec. Installing a new network card and its associated software might be what brinbgs the systems back and not so much an actual hardware "hard" (componet failure) error.

I have tried AirGrab to detect Wifi signals being used by routers outside of my control but it now appears that Apple has blocked these. At least they definitely did, and it was announced as such, for iPad and iPhone use. When I tried it on my iMac (10.6.8) Airgrab just flashed and vanished like it was being blocked on the iMac also. I will be trying it on a couple of MBPs Monday when I am back to work where I have access to several such machines.

Does anyone have a WiFi detector software that will work in an Apple? If not I might have to resort to using one of hose evil black machines to do a little WiFi detective work.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Mar 17, 2012 6:06 PM

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Answer 1

pennbank

Level 4

1,688 points

Mar 17, 2012 6:33 PM in response to Joe Pyrdek

If you go to about this mac, select more info, then check system report, then enter the Network, wi-fi, does not that page show the surrounding routers channels

You can check the transmition rate by clicking the alt key while selecting airport icon on menu bar

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Answer 2

Joe Pyrdek Author

Level 2

160 points

Mar 17, 2012 6:33 PM in response to pennbank

For this one machine, at this one location, it shows one wireless network yet other systems here will show two or three different networks. That makes this one machine a less than reliable monitor for this kind of problem. I know when I changed channels on my router, there was a small but noticeable improvement in performance. It is to early to say if this was or was not related to the change or just a network improvement on the part of my ISP or beyond.

What I am wondering is if there is any clear cut info that might point to one channel or maybe two which had been working and then quit following installation of an update or such since that seems to be the mode of failure most often quoted in many of the other enries on Wifi failure.

I am just wondering if with the 35000 entries and common data thread might appear.

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Answer 3

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Mar 17, 2012 7:52 PM in response to Joe Pyrdek

Simple fact is there is a bug in the OS and in the hardware of all those system that are having problems connectinig and staying connected to their own WiFi network.

There is no clear cut way to make any of those system connect and stay connected. Even though some have got it to work with different channels, buying a new router, this that and the other thing.

What gets me is that in most of those cases every other wireless device connects and stays connected except for Mac's running Lion. And then you have the Apple fanboys that will always say it is not a problem with the Mac. The best one is Lion is Up to Date with the newest WiFi standards and you need to conform to those standards for the Mac to connect.

Personally I have not had this problem and that is with 2 different routers. An old Linksys WRT54G V2 and I replaced that with a mid priced Netgear N band. Both set up as just access points as I have a very good firewall router doing my internet access.

I have not done anything special in setting either up. Put in the SSID and the password, set the channel to the default, whether that is Automatic as with the netgear or the default channel 6 of the Linksys, go to the computer and locate my SSID and type in the password. Connects and stays connected.

Good Luck.

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