iMac loses wireless network connection intermittently - Linksys wrt54g v.5

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iMac loses wireless network connection intermittently - Linksys wrt54g v.5

I' ve setup a new 17" iMac for my folks, runs great with this big exception - it will spontaneously, but regularly lose connectivity with my Linksys WRT54G v.5 router (usually after sleep, but not always - and sometimes when starting cold). Restarting the iMac, fidgeting with internet connect, etc. will not fix the problem. ONLY power cycling the Linksys router will allow the iMac to once again see the network. Once the router is recycled, the network reappears with its strong signal indicator in the menubar (the iMac is maybe 20 feet from the router). When connected, network performance and quality are at expected levels (ie, no slow d/l speeds etc.).

To make it interesting, I also have a PC running XPsp2, that experiences NO network hiccups when the iMac loses connectivity. And the iMac does this whether or not the PC is on, etc. But if I turn the PC on when the iMac cannot connect, the PC has no problem joining the network or accessing resources.

In otherwords, I sense a problem between the Linksys router and the iMac (either the Airport card or OS X).

I HAVE upgraded the Linksys firmware, upgraded all Apple software, changed router channels, and tried both WEP and WPA Personal, all to the same result. I have also scoured every corner of Apple and Linksys boards, only to find many people with this same issue and no answers.

Brownie points for answers!

17" Intel iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7)

17" Intel iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7)

17" Intel iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7) Linksys WRT54g ver.5

Posted on Sep 3, 2006 6:00 PM

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Answer 1

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sherry johnson

Level 4

2,715 points

Sep 3, 2006 7:06 PM in response to ignatz72

hi ignatz72--

try writing down your network settings if you don't know them, and then go to /library/preferences and trash the folder called systemconfiguration. then restart the computer and reconfigure the network settings. let me know if that works. [ 8 ) ]

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Answer 2

ignatz72 Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 3, 2006 7:32 PM in response to sherry johnson

thanks sherry, for the response!

I was hesitant to delete ALL my prefs in there, but deleted 4 that referenced network settings, then redefined my network. Time will tell if it works or not, as it's usually several hours before the conk-out occurs.

I'll return to update within 24 hrs.

17" Intel iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7) Homebrew Athlon XP 2800+, Winders XP sp2

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Answer 3

Sep 3, 2006 7:42 PM in response to ignatz72

hi again--

i thought pulling the whole folder would be suitable, especially since the issue is more frequent after the machine has been asleep. so i would remove the whole folder. you could still remove the powermanagement.plist and the autowake.plist from that folder without it wiping your settings again. [ 8 ) ]

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Answer 4

ignatz72 Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 5, 2006 8:17 AM in response to sherry johnson

Well, so far so good!

I would never have found the preferences, so thank you thank you thank you for that Sherry. I never did delete ALL the prefs, just the ones obviously labeled as network related. But so far, no dropouts for 2.5 days. If Apple has anything up detailing this procedure, I sure couldn't find it - so you saved me there. I thought we left all the "delete prefs" solutions behind with OS 9. 😉

BUT, I was a bad boy and actually made two changes at once. Not recommended procedure, I know, but I was desperate. In addition to deleting/recreating the above prefs, I also changed the router from Channel 1 to Channel 11. Maybe the Airport card likes Chan. 11 in this application? Dunno if this was part of the solution, but worhwhile info for anyone else in the same situation.

Thanks again Sherry, I've marked "helpful" and "solved" accordingly. 🙂

17" Intel iMac Mac OS X (10.4.7) Homebrew Athlon XP 2800+, Winders XP sp2

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