USB C dongle kills wifi on 2017 Macbook pro

This is driving me crazy. MB Pro has no USB ports. All my devices are USB: mouse, keyboard, headphones, HD, USB stick, scanner, printer, SD card reader. So I have to use a USB C to USB 3 dongle. I have purchased 3. All have the same problem. Plug the dongle in, wifi stops working, but stays with 100% signal. With the dongle plugged in, if I stop and start wifi, it instantly connects with 100% signal, but no internet. IP and DNS are picked up correctly.


So what I do is I have to unplug, replug test, unplug, replug test, wifi off, wifi on, about 30 times until, after a random replug, it start working again.


I called up the manufacturer of my favourite dongle (Wavlink), and they sent me a firmware update, but this had no effect.


Some people have said that it is interference produce by the dongle. This seems to be nonsense, as moving the dongle close or far away has no effect - it can work or not work when the dongle is close, and work and not work when the dongle is far. The wifi always instantly connects, just doesn't work.


Other people have said this is due to a design fault in the MBPro, and that if you push the USB-C connector all the way in, it shorts with the unibody and stops the wifi working. I have not been able to reproduce this effect.


I spoke to a few other MBPro owners, and they said the had the same problem. One of them, who is richer than the rest of us got so sick of it he went out and replaced all his periperals, including external HD etc, with USB-C ones, and makes do with no dobngles. This limits how many things he can plug in at one time (2, including monitor), but this is not a solution for me as I have too many peripherals (dual HD monitors, mouse, keyboard, headset, and Ethernet dongle for when I cant get wifi to work due to this issue).


So there we have it, the only solution I have found is to use an ethernet cable and yet another dongle. This works when you are right next to the router. I have started traveling with a 10m ethernet cable, so I can use the MB Pro in a different room to the USB router. Its quite dangerous though.


My 3 different USB dongles work flawlessly with my MSI Gaming laptop, which also has thunderbolt/USB-C, so there is nothing wrong with the dongles - its the Mac.

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, macOS High Sierra (10.13.4)

Posted on Aug 24, 2018 8:36 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 24, 2018 11:21 AM

Why do I have difficulty with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices when USB 3 devices are attached to my computer?

Some USB 3 devices 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. Here are some tips to avoid this issue:

  • If your USB device has a cable long enough that you can move the device, place it away from your Mac—and make sure not to place it behind your Mac, or near the hinge of its display. The antennas for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are located there, and USB 3 devices placed there might interfere with your wireless connections.
  • If you're using adapters or dongles on a Mac computer with Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, plug them into the front port on the left side of your Mac, or into the ports on the right side (if your computer has them). These ports are the farthest away from the antennas, making interference less likely.
  • To avoid interference on the 2.4GHz band using Wi-Fi, try using the 5GHz band instead. You can change this on your wireless base station. Bluetooth always uses 2.4GHz, so this alternative isn't available for Bluetooth.

from:

Using USB devices with your Mac - Apple Support


also, any of these items may be involved:

• Power Adapter cable recall

Apple USB-C Charge Cable Replacement Program - Apple Support


• firmware update for the Apple Multi-Port display adapters (specifically to reduce interference).

About the USB-C Multiport Adapter Update 1.0 - Apple Support


• LG-display recall -- to address Wi-Fi interference so severe, it knocks the Router off the air if too near the Router.

https://9to5mac.com/2017/02/03/lg-fixes-wifi-interference-problems-with-ultrafin e-usb-c-5k-display-new-units-unaffected/


.

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17 replies

Aug 27, 2018 1:36 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

@grant Thanks for the reply, but none of these are applicable unfortunately.

1) it is not radio frequency interference - it matters not how far away the dongle is, and it does not affect the wifi singal which is always 100%.

2) the cable is not the recalled one

3) I am not using the apple display adapter (and the problem exists with or without my displayport adapter)

4) The external monitors I use are Dell, and having them switched on or off makes no difference, and they dont affect my windows laptop when I was using this.

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USB C dongle kills wifi on 2017 Macbook pro

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