Wireless Problems with my Macbook pro

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Wireless Problems with my Macbook pro

For a while I have been having problems connecting my 13" Macbook Pro to wireless networks. It never used to be an issue, but the problem has got gradually worse and now it is very hard to live with.

I can connect to wi-fi networks if I am within a meter or two of the router, anything beyond that and it won't connect or the connection will be intermittent. It often tells me there was a connection timeout error.

It is the case with all wifi networks, and other devices can connect perfectly. So I know the problem lies with the Mac.

I am not very tech savvy, and I have trawled through many different forums but I can't find a solution.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Nov 26, 2015 8:20 PM

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Answer 1

jeremy_v

Community Specialist

Nov 28, 2015 8:09 AM in response to wleach5

Hi wleach5,

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

It sounds like your MacBook Pro is not reliably connecting to wireless networks. There are a few steps that I'd suggest trying first.

Start with Use Wireless Diagnostics to help you resolve Wi-Fi issues on your Mac, to see if Wireless Diagnostics can identify any issues with your Mac or network environment.

Next, create a new network location using the steps in Using network locations (Mac OS X v10.6 and later). With the new location selected, test your MacBook Pro on a few different Wi-Fi networks (if possible) and note if there's any change in the situation.

If there's no change with the previous steps, start up in safe mode and try again.

If the connection problems continue, let us know the results of the tests above and we'll go from there.

Safe Computing.

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Answer 2

wleach5 Author

Level 1

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Dec 2, 2015 9:31 PM in response to jeremy_v

Hi Jeremy,

When I use wireless diagnostics in usually suggests that I move closer to the router, or tells me that it can't detect any wireless networks. Or it connects for a moment, tells me that any problems have been solved and then stops working.

Changing my location settings didn't seem to have any effect. neither did rebooting in safe mode.

Thanks, Will

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Answer 3

Dec 4, 2015 12:02 AM in response to wleach5

I am experiencing the same problem here. My Macbook Pro 2011 stopped connected to the internet in certain places about a year ago. Now it won't connect anywhere, despite all other devices (phone/iPod) connecting, so it is definitely not router issues.

I have tried all of the above suggestions, including upgrading to latest OSX (which at the time was Yosemite), backing up my files and doing a complete wipe and factory restore. Nothing. My housemate has also experienced a similar problem with his Macbook, although he found a fix by splitting the wifi network into 2.4GHZ and 5.2GHZ. Unfortunately, that fix didn't work for mine.

As a patch-fix, I bought a Bolse USB that amplifies the signal. Now I can connect via that on any network, but it drops in and out occasionally so is not a long-term solution.

Would really like a full fix, but a year into the problem I am now considering just replacing the darn thing.

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