Early 08 Mac Pro Airport Trouble

I am having the same problem. I have 2 MBP's an iPad and 2 iPhones that have no trouble with my wireless network (Airport Extreme Base Station) sitting next to my MacPro. My MacPro, however, is "crawling". When I try to download anything (whether on the App Store, Software Update, or just browse in Safari or Firefox) connection speeds are reidiculously slow (1kbs to 15kbs). The MacPro indicates that the wireless signal is sufficient (full bars) but say, if I am trying to connect to Apple's update server to download a larger update, it always says I am no longer connected to the internet (the delay between initiating an update and this message varies widely). If I am updating something that is 40 to 60 MB, or so, I might get this downloaded after 5 or 6 attempts and 45 minutes. My ISP is rated at 18M connection speed.

The changing Wi-FI Icon, showing signal strength of one to five bars does not always tell the whole story.

One problem with these things in cities is interference from neighbors' networks on the same channel, or "Network Hopping" if you have not told your Mac explicitly to use only your Network.

In 10.7, there is a tool to show detailed signal strength information:

http://subrosasoft.com/blog/tips-and-tricks/hidden-wi-fi-diagnostics-tool-in-mac -os-x-10-7-lion

You can also use the free utility istumbler:

http://www.istumbler.com/

It is not an accident that almost every troubleshooting guide suggests you power cycle your Router as an early step. This will tend to force your Router to find the least-busy channel and use it.

I have power cycled Airport Extreme Base Station 15 times (this is no exaggeration), I have cycled power to internet several times, as well.

I am getting the following average numbers on the Lion Wi-Fi Diagnostics (thanks for that resource)...

MacPro

txPower 1496

txRate 5

Signal -81

Noise --88

MacBookPro

txPower 1496

tx rate 39

Signal -73

Noise -87

To be clear, it is the MacPro giving the above problem with internet speed.

Thanks

Rick

MacPro

Signal -81

Noise --88

Those numbers are really awful. I am surprised you get a connection, much less any data transfer

MacBook Pro

Signal -73

Noise -87

Those numbers are dismal.

You may be too far away from your Router (or way too close -- there will be a small dead spot around it).

You may be getting interference from another Network nearby. Those numbers are too poor to expect reasonable performance.

thanks for this info, it might come in handy soon

Thanks. What numbers should I try to acheive? This problem happened all of a sudden, so I didn't know to examine signal strength numbers. Also, the MBP is acheiving acceptable data transfer rates with these numbers (not doubting you, just saying).

Thanks Again

This user tip has some good insights:

AirPort - Optimal Base Station Placement

Those numbers are indeed negative numbers from a logarithmic scale. Signal must be closer to Zero (smaller absolute value) than the noise, or you have nothing. Then the difference between the two negative numbers should be looked up in this table:

SNR Guideline

• 40+dB = Excellent signal
• 25dB to 40dB = Very good signal
• 15dB to 25dB = Low signal
• 10dB to 15dB = Very low signal
• 5dB to 10dB = Little or no signal

To test, get a longer Ethernet cable and a longer extension cord and walk the base station around and try it in different places. Solid Masonry stuff like chimneys kills the signal. Electrically noisy equipment, motors, old fluorescent light fixtures, Microwave ovens, baby monitors may all cause problems.