Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Wi-Fi gets randomly turned off

My Wi-Fi connection randomly gets turned off (the menu bar icon turns empty as when you manually turn it off), and I cannot get it turned on unless I reboot.

It really is starting to get annoying.


When click on the icon and select "turn wi-fi on" from the menu nothing happens.


I have mac os x 10.7.5


Other than rebooting what do I have to do to get this fixed, and why is this happening.



Alex

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Nov 1, 2012 7:01 PM

Reply
12 replies

Apr 30, 2017 4:05 PM in response to Krellan

Still present in 2017 in MacOS 10.11.6 MacBookPro8,2 (Early 2011 15")


Just started a couple weeks ago, perhaps-not-uncoincidentally associated with an OS "update".


I can't keep Wifi up for more than an hour or so.

"sudo ifconfig en1 up" occasionally does the trick, occasionally twice, but eventually it's reboot time, because nothing else will get


This nice non-shiny-screen once-reliable once-capable laptop is becoming a brick thanks to this ridiculous driver (unlikely hardware, or if it is it's being uselessly non-diagnosed by MacOS) bug. Ugh!

Dec 6, 2012 7:39 AM in response to alexander110

Come on people, someone must have a solution.


This is getting ridiculous, I had to reboot twice in the past 30 minutes.

There must be somehting I can do.

I know that nvram has nothing to do with networking, but in a desperate try I even reset it with alt-cmd+p+r to no avail. I reset the smc which also did nothing.


In console I keep getting this error


WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored


Anyone....

Dec 8, 2012 2:09 AM in response to alexander110

Hi,


I run into the same problem, but in my case a reboot doesn't (temporary) fix the problem. I fear that in my case the problem is related to Little Snitch (will open a case @obdev this weekend), since it occurs in combination with Little Snitch (LS).


I blogged about it weeks ago, but after installing LS 3.0.1 it seemed stable, till I installed the latest update 3.0.2. After the mandatory reboot, my wireless was gone again.


The only thing that works for me is re-insert the original OSX DVD (Mountain Lion), reinstall and apply the updates, java etc. to get thing working again.


Will add new/more information to this thread later on.

Dec 8, 2012 5:39 AM in response to swithed2mac

Found a solution (so far) to my problem (do this at your own risk!!!):

  • Remove the following files from the OS:
    Go into /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ and delete:
    com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
    com.apple.network.identification.plist
    com.apple.smb.server.plist
    NetworkInterfaces.plist
    preferences.plist
  • Remove the wireless adapter from the network section in System Preferences by clicking the minus under the left panel.
  • Reboot the device
  • Manually add the wifi adapter in the network section of System Preferences


This seemed to do the trick for me (even with Little Snitch v3.0.2 installed). Only downside is that the OS forgot its name on the network (was set to default), and I had to reconnect to my wifi network again.

I did a couple of reboots and all looks well (so far).


These adventures are also documented on my blog

Sep 12, 2013 1:48 PM in response to alexander110

I get that error as well. It's very frustrating. I don't have Little Snitch (although it looks like a cool program) so it's unrelated to that.


It happens when resuming from sleep.


If I reboot, then the problem goes away, but it's annoying to have to save all my work locally (no Internet connection) then reboot. It happens some of the time, but not all of the time. It's not related to any particular Wi-Fi network or hotspot that I'm near, so I can rule out channels, interference, and so on.


About 10 times a second, this message appears, over and over, in Console:


WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)

WLAN adapter PCIE config space was not restored (stateNumber = 2)


This keeps going forever, until I reboot. It's like something inside the kernel is stuck in an infinite loop. Because of all this excess logging going on, the Mac becomes slow.


I tried the steps listed in "swithed2mac"'s post just above, and they unfortunately didn't help. I didn't have many of those plist files anyway.


Another thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5237208


Does anybody else have this problem?


Really hoping to find others, maybe there is a solution.


Josh

Sep 17, 2013 9:25 PM in response to Paul_31

Sorry, it's not the same problem.


I can't even get to the network list. It's not a problem with my network or my router!


It's at a lower level: the Mac is having trouble reactivating the PCIE wireless card. It can't see the network list at all, because the card never gets turned back on after sleep. I never get the chance to pick a network, add a network, or anything like that. It's a fundamental problem below the level of the network itself.


Other computers can see the network just fine.


I have the same problem "alexander110" has.


Any other suggestions?

Mar 13, 2014 4:34 PM in response to alexander110

Sadly, this problem still happens in Mavericks.


I upgraded to a new HD. Took the opportunity to do a clean reinstallation, not an upgrade or restoration. So, I can rule out any software change I made in the past. The problem just started happening, within less than a day of doing the reinstallation.


I'm running Mac OS 10.9.2 (Mavericks).


Has anybody else made progress solving this issue?

Wi-Fi gets randomly turned off

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.