KamSuw

Q: MacBook Pro drops wifi connection...

Hi there!

My MacBook Pro is constantly dropping wifi connection, sometimes every hour, sometimes every several seconds. It is very annoying and I have no idea what the problem might be... All I can see is that my MacBook does not have assigned IP or has self-assigned IP. It is the only device in my house that has such issue, the rest work fine (several iOS and Android devices, an Acer laptop, smartTV, network attached storage and so on...) I tried using DHCP with manual address, and static address as well (I set Mac's IP to static in routers settings while using that). It helped for a few weeks but it seems like the problem is coming back. I tried deleting wifi settings and restarting both the MacBook and router... Reinstall of OS X also did not solve the problem. If you know or have any ideas what could help me I would really appreciate this.

 

My hardware is:

MacBook Pro 15" Retina (Mid 2012),

BTHub 4 (Type A).

 

Software:

OS X El Capitan v10.11.3

 

If you need any more informations about either hardware or software just ask. Thank you all in advance

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3), MacBook Pro 15" Retina (Mid 2012)

Posted on Mar 17, 2016 3:02 PM

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Q: MacBook Pro drops wifi connection...

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  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,Apple recommended

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Mar 18, 2016 11:01 AM in response to KamSuw
    Level 9 (60,951 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 18, 2016 11:01 AM in response to KamSuw

    Wi-Fi problems can be somewhat difficult to diagnose because there are many things that can influence the performance, but there are some tools available:

     

    system preferences > Network > Wi-Fi > ( assist me  )  > ( Diagnostics )

     

    this will check once for gross problems. But it tends to find none when your Wi-Fi is working, and not run at all when your Wi-Fi has dropped out.

     

    --------

    Hold down the Option key while you click on the Wi-Fi Icon on the MenuBar. This displays a number of important parameters about Wi-Fi performance. it will look a little like this:

     

    Option-WiFi.png

     

     

    what values are you showing for PHY Mode and channel?

    What RSSI or signal strength?

    what transmit rate?

     

    and very important, how many other networks do you see listed?

     

    --------

    Note also that there is an entry for Wireless Diagnostics at the end of this menu. This is NOT the same simple-minded diagnostic as in the System Preferences > Network panel. This one can be invoked from this menu for a more comprehensive look at your Wi-Fi setup. Obvious problems will be pointed out, but when completed, you can also choose to leave the window open to monitor your connection.

     

     

    If you do this and go about your business, Any unusual events will cause an alert message to appear.

    Wi-Fi monitor.png

     

    .

  • by Linc Davis,Apple recommended

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 18, 2016 11:01 AM in response to KamSuw
    Level 10 (207,978 points)
    Applications
    Mar 18, 2016 11:01 AM in response to KamSuw

    According to many reports, the BT "HomeHub" router works better with late-model Macs if you disable the 2.4 GHz radio mode in its settings and use only the 5 GHz mode. Note, however, that very old Apple devices and some third-party devices may then not connect at all.

  • by KamSuw,

    KamSuw KamSuw Mar 18, 2016 12:46 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mar 18, 2016 12:46 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Thank you for quick respond

     

    PHY Mode - 802.11n

    Channel - 40 (5GHz, 40MHz) I am writing this for second time as connection dropped (I could not access the internet) after it switched to channel 11 (2.5GHz, 20MHz)

    RSSI - about -62dBm

    Transmit rate - 108 MBps

    No. of other networks - 10

  • by KamSuw,

    KamSuw KamSuw Mar 18, 2016 12:50 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mar 18, 2016 12:50 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Thank you for quick respond

     

    I think this what you said may help, I will try this today in the evening as I have to leave the house now.

     

    I wil let you know how it works once I get home and disable 2.5 GHz.

     

    Cheers

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Mar 18, 2016 8:05 AM in response to KamSuw
    Level 9 (60,951 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 18, 2016 8:05 AM in response to KamSuw

    5GHz is good, especially with 10 competing networks around you. When you look inside the Router settings, make sure the 5Ghz Channel selection is set to "automatic". Then every time you power up the Router, it will evaluate the existing Routers (they each send a "heartbeat" signal) and move to the least-busy channel.

     

    signal strength is the difference between your RSSI and the expected noise at about -86 or -62 - -86 is -24, which is pretty good. The potential transit rate there is at least 180, you are seeing 108, which is lower than expected. Interference will cause the devices to back off the transmit rate until a stable connection can be maintained.

     

    You may have some interference or another Router on your channel.

  • by KamSuw,

    KamSuw KamSuw Mar 18, 2016 10:58 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mar 18, 2016 10:58 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    I disabled sync with 2.4 GHz network in router setting and I am free from the problem for about 15 minutes now. I monitored the connection for a bit and here are the results:

     

    Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 17.55.05.png

    What can I do about that? The channel is set to automatic, shall I do anything about that or just leave it as it is? Maybe restart router once a day?

     

    Thank you

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Mar 18, 2016 2:40 PM in response to KamSuw
    Level 9 (60,951 points)
    Desktops
    Mar 18, 2016 2:40 PM in response to KamSuw

    The channel is set to automatic

     

    do as advised in that second message "reset your wireless Router to reset the Wi-Fi channel."

    That is as simple as power it off, count to ten, power it on again.

     

    when it wakes up, it will choose a new channel that is not as busy.

  • by KamSuw,Apple recommended

    KamSuw KamSuw Mar 19, 2016 1:16 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Mar 19, 2016 1:16 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    I did that, but this did not solve the problem. I realised that I loose IP when it switches to 2.4GHz. I disabled it completely and bought a gigabit switch. One cable from the router downstairs to the switch upstairs and I connected all old devices that do not support 5GHz via Ethernet and assigned them all static IPs in router settings. Works fine so far. Seems like my problem is solved now. Thank you very much for the help

  • by weekendgolfer1,

    weekendgolfer1 weekendgolfer1 Sep 10, 2016 9:43 AM in response to KamSuw
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 10, 2016 9:43 AM in response to KamSuw

    My Macbook has given me wifi issues for almost a year now. I've spent countless hours on the phone with apple support, deleted configuration (plist) files, etc. You name it; I've probably tried it.

     

    I gave up and just was learning to live with it until I found CleanMyMac3. I'm not affiliated with them at all; just throwing that out there. I bought the software to help clean out old files, large caches, etc. The software has an option to "Repair Permissions." I ran that and had not had an issue since! I'm assuming that my restoring my new Macbook from a TimeMachine backup caused my permissions problem. So, if you're computer savvy, and you know what you're doing, you could try to repair them on your own to see if that fixes it. If you're like me, you should give CleanMyMac3 a shot. I hope this helps.

  • by Grant Bennet-Alder,

    Grant Bennet-Alder Grant Bennet-Alder Sep 10, 2016 9:54 AM in response to weekendgolfer1
    Level 9 (60,951 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 10, 2016 9:54 AM in response to weekendgolfer1

    Your experience with a so-called Mac Cleaner is not typical. Far more Mac Users find that their Mac has been slowed or damaged by a cleaner program, and some have been forced to do a re-Install to get back functionality that the cleaner program tossed out.

     

    General advice is to use such programs with caution, or better yet, not at all.

  • by weekendgolfer1,

    weekendgolfer1 weekendgolfer1 Sep 10, 2016 10:15 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 10, 2016 10:15 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

    Well, the software works perfectly for me. It's a reputable company, and it's very well known. I'm not going to buy software without doing a little research, of course. Macworld gives it 4-stars. I will say that one should be careful as it is easy to delete stuff that you may want to keep. With that, it's a good idea to use the software responsibly.

     

    My computer runs much better, and my backups have become much smaller. Being able to free up RAM with a push of a button has been a life saver, especially when I'm running my virtual machine. That's all I can say. I'll stick with it with hopes that I have better luck than the users you mentioned. Thanks, though! I appreciate it.