Poor Wifi reception with MacBook Pro (vs. MacBook Air)

Hi fobo1964,

Welcome to the Support Communities!

The article below will provide some basic troubleshooting steps to improve your Wi-Fi connectivity. Click on the link to see the complete details, but I've highlighted some info for you:

Wi-Fi: How to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connectivity

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4628?viewlocale=en_US

Symptom: The Wi-Fi network seems slow

Confirm that your computer is using the fastest protocol available.

1. Confirm that your computer is using the fastest protocol available. Hold the Option key while clicking the Wi-Fi menu.The PHY Mode line shows the protocol your computer is using to join the Wi-Fi network. If this does show the expected 802.11 protocol, you should check the settings of your Wi-Fi router.
2. Disable other active network services. Active network services consume a portion of the available bandwidth. Examples of these include file servers, video streaming, online games, and so forth. When these are in use, they may cause other services to slow down. Try turning off unused network applications to increase the speed of other applications. Be aware that other computers or devices connected to your network may also contribute to poor performance. If you are not sure if a computer associated with your Wi-Fi network is causing poor performance, try turning it off or disconnecting it from the network.
3. Use WPA2 Authentication, if available. The WPA2 authentication mode meets the highest standards for Wi-Fi compliance and should be used to provide the greatest speeds for modern Wi-Fi networks
4. Try connecting to a different Wi-Fi network.
5. Check your range to the Wi-Fi router and reduce the effect of interference.. See Potential sources of wireless interference for more information about interference and solutions.

iOS and OS X: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4199

You may also want to speak with AT&T for ideas to extend the range of their router.

I hope this information helps ....

- Judy

I'm observing the same issue with my Mac Book Pro 15 Retina.

I'Ve had this issue for over a year now, and none of this advice has helped.. Neither has any other advice from apple experts i've wasted hours trying to follow. The terminology is alien to the average user, takes hours of valuable time and always seems to go nowhere. And updating anything is difficult on a mac book pro when said machine won't go online unless it is either connected to a lan cable or i am within a meter of the modem. And updating the os is the last thing i want to do when said action risks losing the software (without warning) i use to get my work done. this is the second macbook pro with impossible to fix airport issues... Always occurring around two years after purchase. I am not the only one with these issues on their macbook pro. by this point, i am convinced that the aiport is engineered to stop working after a certain amount of time in order to force users into buying another machine. Judy, after spending another two hours trying your links, troubleshooting and wasting valuable time, nothing is fixed... And this is the third time i've banged my head against a wall trying to fix airport issues on my macbook pro, using advice from chirpy experts who treat apple's flaws as acceptable. this is programmed obsolescence on the part of Apple and I've had enough of it. Time to move to PC. sorry Apple, but I've got a life to live, and I've got work to do.

I assume that all users are suffering from this issue if they have a macbook pro. This is both surprising and nonsense! I have a very recent macbook pro which cost me a fortune compared to the alternatives. When I have it connected to an external screen with the lid up everything works perfectly in terms of wifi. When I put the lid down, it still shows two wifi networks with five bars each, and says I am connected to the first one. Yet there is no internet connection and when I click the wifi icon it's status keeps cycling from Wifi:On to Wifi: Looking for networks... over and over again (all the time telling me that I'm connected to the first network and it's got five bars!)

This must be a hardware or software issue / bug. All other Apple devices work perfectly with both private wifis. Lifting the macbook up, rotating through 90 degrees etc doesn't change a thing. In fact I'm having to use my phone to search the internet if I'm using the macbook pro connected to an external screen. After looking all over the internet there does not appear to be any solution to this which is a joke. Apple is supposed to make high end top quality products but they can't make an expensive macbook pro with no ethernet connections keep a wifi connection when the lid is closed. Perhaps I should take the macbook back to the Apple store and ask for my money back as this is not fit for purpose?

Testing the screen by opening at different angles does seem to alter the connection in that the traffic is much faster with it fully up and slower the more you close it until it just stops. Although as I've said the software says it's five bars and connected!!! Madness.

I was about to give up and decided to remove all the possible wifi connections apart from one. Now it's working fine! I therefore assume that it's the way that Apple has set up the program monitoring and managing wifi connections that is causing the problem. Annoying if you are working in a place with a number of wifis that you may connect to from time to time. At least I can use it with the lid down now 🙂

YES - everyone should try this solution. Worked perfectly.