Mac mini (2014) WiFi Connection Problems

Question

Level 1

6 points

Mac mini (2014) WiFi Connection Problems

Hello,

my new Mac mini (2014) with OS X Yosemite arrived today. Problem: It won't connect to my WLAN. My network doesn't even show up in the list of available WLAN's. If I try to connect directly to my WLAN (entering name and password), OS X says "network not found". But my old Mac mini (2012) and my MacBook Pro (2010) connect both to my WLAN without any problems!

I already tried to delete some preference files, installed OS X 10.10.1, did a PRAM reset and deleted the WLAN connection and added it again - it didn't help. The brand new Mac mini won't connect to my WLAN...

This can't be true... I buy a new computer and one of the most important feature doesn't work.

Is there anything I can do? Thanks for _any_ advises and tips!

Posted on Nov 21, 2014 12:48 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 24, 2017 2:08 PM in response to likes_beer

This workaround solved my problem. 😠

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Answer 2

Sep 24, 2017 3:45 PM in response to likes_beer

This workaround solved my problem. 😠😠

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Answer 3

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Nov 21, 2014 12:58 PM in response to likes_beer

Did yo power off and then back on your router?

Can you connect to another network?

It does not look good.

Give Apple a call. You get 90 days of free telephone support.

Complimentary Support (USA)

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Answer 4

likes_beer Author

Level 1

6 points

Nov 21, 2014 2:21 PM in response to lllaass

Router restart didn't help.

SMC reset didn't help.

Disabled Bluetooth, didn't help.

It sees some other WLAN networks, but very few compared to my other Macs. According to the MacBookPro (2010, OS X Yosemite), there are over 10 wifi networks around. The new Mac mini shows only 3 wifi networks available.

:-(

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Answer 5

Nov 22, 2014 6:28 PM in response to likes_beer

I suffer exactly the same problem. I just bought a mac mini. it constantly can not find my in-house wifi. Even I connect it after several times reboot, the speed is super low. it's only 130bps.http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/3930804086

what can I do ? btw, I upgraded operating system to 10.10.1. same problem.

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Answer 6

lllaass

Level 10

210,411 points

Nov 23, 2014 2:01 AM in response to navyakula

How old is your router?

Older routers only used 2.4 GHz (B, G and the 2.4 GHz band of N). Posts here indicate that you should be using either the 5 GHz N band or the AC wifi which is very new.

What type of network are you connected to?

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Answer 7

likes_beer Author

Level 1

6 points

Nov 23, 2014 8:33 AM in response to lllaass

My problem is solved!

The external USB 3 SSD was the cause of the problem. I moved it away from the Mac mini and used a different USB port (that one besides Thunderbolt) - and WiFi works fine now!

The problem is that USB 3 can interrupt/disturbing WiFi connections.

Background:

"Some USB 3 devices, hard drives in particular, can generate radio frequency interference that can cause Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices operating in the 2.4GHz band to have issues communicating with your computer."

Source: Using USB 3 devices on Mac computers FAQ - Apple Support

Please keep this in mind when connecting USB 3 devices to your Mac. Hopefully this post will help others. 🙂

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Answer 8

Nov 23, 2014 9:02 AM in response to lllaass

i am not quite familiar with WIFI types here, but good news is that i solve my problem after reset router time to time. thx

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Answer 9

Feb 15, 2015 5:51 AM in response to likes_beer

I had a similar issue. My WiFi was working fine and then all of a sudden it would not connect or the connect was horribly slow. The one change I had made to my system was to add a USB 3 hub with two USB 3 flash drives (SanDisk). Finally, I disconnected them and the WiFi works again. So, I moved the new hub to the other side of my monitor and all is working fine. My guess is that the new USB hub/drives connected directly to the back of the mac mini was causing some interference.

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Answer 10

Mar 7, 2015 7:50 PM in response to likes_beer

I have three external usb hard drives. I also lost wi fi after replacing a dead usb 2 hub with a new usb 3 hub. I moved the hard drives about one foot further away from the mac mini (they're about three feet away now) and wi fi started working immediately.

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Answer 11

mrgtss

Level 1

0 points

Apr 11, 2015 8:11 AM in response to likes_beer

Thanks so much for the tip on the usb hub. I had tried everything since both Mac Airs worked fine with our wifi, but could not get this Mac Mini to connect. Removing the hub solved that issue for the moment.

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Answer 12

Jul 31, 2015 3:49 PM in response to likes_beer

Wow... Unexpected, but this worked for me too. Wifi was dropping, sometimes impossible to re-add to my home network for multiple restarts. Similarly, bluetooth connections (apple keyboard and touchpad) were very laggy.

I have a USB 3 Blu-ray and 2TB external HD connected to my mini (living room gaming/music/media system).

As soon as i disconnected my drives, everything immediately began functioning normally. Network joined at full strength, bluetooth devices were smooth and crisp.

Curious: Since both devices require USB3, i don't have much flexibility for connections. Have you tried this with a USB3 hub? I don't want to give up the drives... going to experiment and update this comment.

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Answer 13

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,623 points

Aug 1, 2015 5:41 AM in response to CarlosFromPhilly

You can still use USB3 devices just move them >3' from your Mac. It worked for me.

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Answer 14

Aug 29, 2015 2:38 AM in response to likes_beer

Terrific answer - after giving up and just using Ethernet for a while, I saw your suggestion, tried moving my USB3 router away from the Mac Mini and wifi came back on full strength and operational.

many thanks

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Answer 15

Aug 30, 2015 7:07 AM in response to likes_beer

Yes! After reading this I moved the external hard drive that I had resting on top of the Mac Mini, and connected to the network immediately. Thanks!

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