Wi-Fi connection dropping occasionally in Mountain Lion

Question

Wi-Fi connection dropping occasionally in Mountain Lion

Information about my computer:
I have a 2012 Macbook Pro 15" that came with Mountain Lion, running the latest updates (as far as I know).

Problem:

Every now and then my wi-fi stops working. It appears to happen at totally random moments (since I am not doing anything specific when it happens) this can take from 15 minutes to a day. It can always (thus far) be turned back on by turning the wi-fi off and on again. But this is only a temporary fix. A few times it turned back on when I opened iStumbler, for some reason. It never automatically starts working again (as far as I know). Other computers in the house using the same wi-fi do not have these problems, including a (older) macbook pro.

I believe it has also happened when I am at university, so I suppose it's got to do with the macbook rather than the network.

When the wi-fi stops working the wi-fi icon in the menubar doesn't change and still shows a perfect connection.

According to iStumbler the signal strength is usually at 50% (can be 5% more or less at time).

I have brought my macbook in for repair and asked whether they could also fix this issue before. They streamed videos for hours (I believe they said 48) and concluded that nothing was wrong with the wi-fi. But it still occurs every now and then.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 15"

Posted on Nov 17, 2012 4:12 AM

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Answer 1

sig

Level 8

35,862 points

Nov 17, 2012 4:32 AM in response to Leipzig Jesus

You need to check your home network. Could be your modem. Could be your router. Could be your ISP. Could be your security preferences on your router. Could be the router's channel. So, what modem? What router? What security protocol? Have you tried going wired direct to the modem?

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Answer 2

Nov 17, 2012 5:07 AM in response to sig

I use a FRITZ!Box Fon WLAN 7270 v3 with WPA + WPA2.

Do you mean I should connect my laptop to the modem as the only connected device to test if the problem persists? That would meant that I'd have to use my laptop in the hallway.

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Answer 3

Nov 23, 2012 9:54 AM in response to Leipzig Jesus

I have tested it on other networks, and it does the same thing. Apparently other people with Mountain Lion seemed to have the same malfunction at the same moment, while people with other operating systems where unaffected.

Does anyone know why this happens?

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Answer 4

z06gal

Level 1

0 points

Nov 24, 2012 8:17 AM in response to Leipzig Jesus

There are threads all over the place about this problem. Apple seriously needs to figure it out and fix the issue. How many people use their Mac for work and can't even connect to the internet? Assinine

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Answer 5

Apr 5, 2013 5:57 PM in response to Leipzig Jesus

All this talk is not worth anything if it does not fix the problem! My unit has worked fine for over a year and now all of a sudden I am having this problem. My I-Pad is using the same wifi and not having these problems.

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