[Stout]

I've had this new 17" MBP for 10 days now, and have started noticing that my airport isn't working well. It's not just that it isn't working well really, it's that it's completely unacceptable. It seems to work alright if my MBP is plugged in, but if I'm going off of the battery, it's dreadful. I have an Airport router, so any thoughts that it may be a network incompatibility don't apply. Also, I have two other macs in my house that use the network wirelessly, and their connections are flawless.

When I'm unplugged, I can browse the internet for a few minutes, and then pages refuse to load. Most of the time my airport still maintains 3 or 4 bars, but the internet doesn't work at all. In order to regain any connection, I have to go up to the menu bar, turn the airport off, turn it back on, and then reconnect to my network, which sometimes takes several times. I can then use the internet for 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 1 minute, sometimes as short as 10 seconds, but alas it goes through the same deal again.

I talked with an AppleCare rep today, after waiting on the phone for nearly an hour, who had me change a few settings on my airport router, and then remove my battery and push the power button for 5 seconds. Neither of which seemed like viable solutions. The frequency of my connection drops may have lessened some, but it's still very unpredictable, so I think, if anything, any positive performance is a coincidence rather than an actual fix.

I just wanted to know if you had heard of this before, or if you have this problem. Know of any fixes? I really hope to get this resolved soon, with or without Apple. After all, with any portable, portability IS a huge deal, and being tethered to the wall all the time is a bit of a problem. Thanks for reading.

[Kadarin]

While the problem is occurring, open a Terminal window and type "ifconfig" (without quotes), and check to see if interface en1 has the correct ip address. The problem may not be with the wireless itself, but rather with a networking issue like an ip conflict. Also "the internet doesn't work at all" is rather vague. Is it simply that DNS isn't working and domain names can't resolve, or are you not able to ping your default gateway?

[vtboyarc]

does mbp wirless airport extreme usually have problems compared to mb?

[klb5090]

i have been experiencing this exact thing on my new MPB 2.2. While on battery/power adapter my airport works perfect most of the time but every couple minutes or so it won't load any pages and after a disconnect and reconnect it works great again. i never EVER drop below 4bars seeing that my router is only a few feet away. So STOUT your not alone and i'm also looking for a fix

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by vtboyarc 

does mbp wirless airport extreme usually have problems compared to mb?

No.

It is possible that the newer MBPs have different power management firmware, which might possibly be reducing WiFi power while on battery. But I think I'm stretching the idea to say that this is a "problem."

[Stout]

Well there's definitely a "problem." I'm not just being picky, the performance when on battery is definitely unacceptable.

Kadarin, I appreciate your response, and will use the ipconfig command the next time this problem arises, but as far as your other requests, I really don't know how to check and see if it's that the DNS isn't resolving or if I can't ping my default gateway. I'd be grateful for some instructions. Man I feel like a noob. Thanks again.

[HarriganC]

I have the same problem it seems to be related to airport update 2007-004. While surfing at times, my internet connection for some reason stops responding. My ip address is still assigned, and still connected to the router. If I switch wireless networks, or turn airport off then on it re-establishes the connection without a hitch. There are lots of threads about this on apple discussions, but really no resolution. It was happening so frequently for me that I am wired in for now (pathetic). My machine is 2.16 c2d... hopefully it is resolved soon.

CH

[klb5090]

well lets hope for a resolution because going "wired" on my brank new MBP is not exactly what i was planning on.

[ghporter]

For those of you having problems, particularly klb5090, what sort of signal quality were you getting when you experienced the drop outs? Any idea what sort of access point you were connecting with? There are some older Cisco access points that are pretty poor about allowing connections with certain low signal levels, but there is firmware to correct this-if the administrator bothers to install it. I've never had a connection problem with my Core Duo 2.0GHz MBP. Never. I can't help but think that there's either something about the A/B/G/N AirPort card, or the firmware that runs it, that is the cause of these issues, and that should mean that an AirPort update should fix it.

[Stout]

ghporter, as far as my network goes, I have an Airport Express router hooked up to a cable modem. It looks like the problem is a bit more widespread than just the few of us though, there are several topics at discussions.apple.com about this problem, the biggest of which being:

Apple - Support - Discussions - Airport Update 2007-004 made airport ...

[HarriganC]

I am using a D-link DI634M mimo, I have 3-4 bars throughout the house and when it the internet drops out.

I am feeling it is certainly an airport firmware issue, are these altered by the airport updates, or are those just OS patches?

CH

[klb5090]

i've been using my d-link router for about 6months and my old ibook g4 had zero problems. When i loose the connection i have 4bars at the least, i'm only 15 feet from the router at any point. I'm sure the router i'm using (not at home so can't give a model) is "g" not "n" like the new pro but i didn't think it should affect it that much.

[Big Mac]

WAIT!!!! I had this exact same problem with my Dell laptop, and I'm pretty sure you'll find it's the router and not the computer that's the problem. I think this happens when too many WIFI or other wireless devices occupy the same channel because while I was having this problem I downloaded a Windows WIFI diagnostic app and was shown that three or four other routers in the area were set to the channel mine was set to. Even though my D-link was set on automatic channel selection mode and therefore was supposed to pick the best channel, it was apparently on the default channel. I changed it and have not had that problem since.

[ghporter]

"Automatic" channel selection is a poorly thought out function. I ALWAYS use a manually selected channel, and I've never had a problem. Hmmmmmm.

This now looks more like a networking problem than a MBP problem, but I'm not moving it just yet. I'd like to see some feedback, particularly from the three of you that posted your setups. Choose a specific channel-at the ends (like 1 or 11) rather than the middle of the range; by default EVERY wireless router and access point comes from the factory set on either channel 6 or 7. This could very well be the fix.

[HarriganC]

My initial thoughts were my router and surrounding as well, however, as of now I can safely say it is a MBP airport issue. I have turned off automatic channel selection, done site surveys and picked channels furthest away from other networks as I am aware of the overlap that occurs, and used other machines in the same locations as my own to verify... FRUSTRATING!

[Stout]

I would stake my life on the fact that this is an issue with either the software or hardware in the MBP, rather than a networking issue. I've changed just about every setting I could on my Apple Airport Express base station, selecting different channels, using different addressing, and the problem still persists. (I've used channels Automatic, 1, 6, and 11, and nothing changed the issue.)

I've been sitting here in my living room using my computer for about ten minutes, and my internet has failed 4 times during this time. I have an iMac G3, and iMac G5, and an old Dell laptop that have no problem connecting to, and holding a connection, my network. This makes me think, as I said, that it's not a network issue. Oh, look at that, my airport just lost the connection again.

I've done some reading and found that some owners have had success by removing the AirPort Extreme Update 2007-004 and re-installing AirPort Extreme Update 2007-002. The process looks pretty complicated, but I'm drawing for straws here, and am going to try it after this post. I'll let you all know how it turned out.

[klb5090]

i never thought i would be running upstairs to use the dell desktop this is a sad day. My problem is defentially consistent and no other computer (including the dell and ibook G4) are having any trouble.

[NKT]

Same issue here with a 15" 2.4ghz MBP. I've had to repeatedly press the "Renew DHCP Lease" button every time the airport cuts out to get a connection again. I hope apple comes up with a fix quickly.

[ghporter]

Crap. That quite thoroughly blows that theory-at least for those of you who have tested it.

[dmcnickle]

My sister has an Intel MacBook Pro that she bought in January. About a month ago she started having trouble connecting to the internet when she was on battery power. It was fine when plugged in. When she was in Denver she made an appt at an Apple Store and a genius there told her the problems were with the 2007-004 update. He did a few things to it and said if that didn't help she would have to go back down to the 10.4.9 version until they released the .11 update. He acknowledged that it was a problem with the 10.4.10 update.

[Kadarin]

Originally Posted by Stout 

Well there's definitely a "problem." I'm not just being picky, the performance when on battery is definitely unacceptable.

Kadarin, I appreciate your response, and will use the ipconfig command the next time this problem arises, but as far as your other requests, I really don't know how to check and see if it's that the DNS isn't resolving or if I can't ping my default gateway. I'd be grateful for some instructions. Man I feel like a noob. Thanks again.

It's "ifconfig" in unix, not "ipconfig".

When the problem occurs, open the Terminal utility, and type "ping www.yahoo.com" (without the quotes). If you get an error, try typing "ping 4.2.2.2" (this is an external dns server). The results will tell you if you're just experiencing dns issues, or if the problem is more fundamental.

[KP*]

I have had bad airport issues exactly like those described here for probably close to a month now. I just recently heard that it was a known issue, so I've just found this thread. I have a 15" 2.4 MBP, and have had the same problem with my Airport Express, Airport Extreme-g, and Airport Extreme-n. In the last month I have moved between two different apartments, so it's not the connection to the internet. I'm glad to hear it's not just me, I was beginning to worry something was going bad in my MBP. The next time it happens I will try out some of the things suggested here.

P.S. This happens both on battery power and when plugged in.

[Enigmatic]

It's definitely from the latest airport update, There's a post about it in the networking forums and theres pages of people who have the same problem on apple's discussion boards.
I have the problem too, I'm staying plugged into the router right now since I can only browse for like 2-3 minutes before losing internet connection. Apple should release a way to reverse the update for people with the problem if it's taking too long to fix it with another patch. Some people rely on the wireless internet connection and reconnecting the airport every 3 minutes isn't really feasible.

[unluckier]

Hi folks,

To those who are having connectivity problems, look in your system log (Console -> Logs -> system.log). Do any of you see lines like this:
ath_rx_proc: NO RX Packets for 5 contiguous interrupts first DS Vaddr 0x57780000 Paddr 0xd9d1000

This is an error message from the Atheros wireless network driver. When I'm at work on an 802.11a + 802.11g network, I get disconnected several times a day. When I do get disconnected (and the above error message is being spewed out to the system log), all I need to do is click the airport icon at the top of the screen once and that's enough to get things working again. When I'm at home (802.11g-only), it works flawlessly. I have confirmed with one other person that he is experiencing trouble on a mixed a/g lan, but the g-only lan works fine for him.

So...
1) Is anybody seeing similar system log errors?
2) Can you draw a correlation to 802.11a networks?
3) Are you running any other software that could interfere with networking, such as Parallels or the Cisco VPN client?

[JoshuaZ]

Wow, this is the EXACT same problem I've been having with my 3 week old Macbook Pro. Signal cuts out randomly, but turning airport on and off again makes things ok. The weird things is right before I lose my signal, the number of bars drops down to 4, then 3. They stay at three until I restart my wireless on my Macbook Pro. Odd as my Airport Express is about 20 feet away from me, with a clear line of sight.

I'm running off an Airport express, and didn't have this problem 4 weeks ago when using my 12in Powerbook.

[KP*]

Originally Posted by unluckier 

So...
1) Is anybody seeing similar system log errors?
2) Can you draw a correlation to 802.11a networks?
3) Are you running any other software that could interfere with networking, such as Parallels or the Cisco VPN client?

Thanks for the tips. I can't find anything exactly like that in my system log, but I haven't had a major problem in a few days and the log might not go back far enough. I'll be sure to look the next time I have a problem.

I don't think it relates just to 802.11a because I have experienced it on g-only, b+g, n only, and n+b+g.

I am using Parallels, although Parallels is pretty much never running, but its network settings are configured for use.

I don't know, but whatever it is is driving me crazy, and it seems to be getting worse. I'm starting a new job next week, probably on my own Airport Express network, and I don't want to look like an idiot because I can't connect to my own network.

[The Placid Casual]

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

Wow, this is the EXACT same problem I've been having with my 3 week old Macbook Pro. Signal cuts out randomly, but turning airport on and off again makes things ok. The weird things is right before I lose my signal, the number of bars drops down to 4, then 3. They stay at three until I restart my wireless on my Macbook Pro. Odd as my Airport Express is about 20 feet away from me, with a clear line of sight.

I'm running off an Airport express, and didn't have this problem 4 weeks ago when using my 12in Powerbook.

I have similar on my MBP too, but for me it happens if I connect to another wireless network (such as work) then go back to my own network later in the day... I have to shut Airport off, and rejoin, often taking a few tries.

Also, reception is pretty awful. I have a Thinkpad T60 and a Vaio, and both have significantly better reception

[Giorr]

I have the exact same problem as most of you. The conection speed just dropps off or stops,
either when connected or disconected from the power source....

ANYONE HAS A SOLUTION???
This problem is really terrible,
but i am happy to know i am not the only one....

Thanks.

[JoshuaZ]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

I have similar on my MBP too, but for me it happens if I connect to another wireless network (such as work) then go back to my own network later in the day... I have to shut Airport off, and rejoin, often taking a few tries.

Also, reception is pretty awful. I have a Thinkpad T60 and a Vaio, and both have significantly better reception

Reception isn't as good as the Macbooks. In my office the other day we had probably 10 personal computers out on desks in a row ranging from Dell to Sony, 12in Powerbook to Macbook Pro. There is one wireless network that is open a few floors down that we can sometimes pick up (otherwise no internet for us at work!). The PC users could most of the time pick it up, but it phased in and out. The 12in Powerbook couldn't even see it. The three Macbooks could almost always see it and connect to it. Sadly my brand new Macbook Pro could always see it but super duper rarely connect to it. And if it did connect it would do so for only a minute.

God I wish I could crack the password on my office wireless network. (To quote my boss "Why would you guys need internet access at work?" I don't know, maybe to plan classes or get materials! What else are we to do all summer long. Oh right. Nothing for 8 hours a day. Welcome to Japan.)

Seriously. I would pay someone off to get that password, but they don't cover that in my Japanese text books. I need better range.

[The Placid Casual]

*cough*kismac*cough

[JoshuaZ]

Originally Posted by The Placid Casual 

*cough*kismac*cough

Tried, and failed. Unless I'm doing things super duper wrong. Which is always a possibility.

[~bash $]

My C2D MB (not Pro) experienced very similar issues regarding wireless connections while on battery. Frequent drop outs and disconnects that were remedied by turning off airport, waiting a few seconds for the connection to actually disconnect, and then turning it back on, waiting for the network to be found and connect, and then continuing. That solution working gives me some indication that it is a software level problem. Worst case it is a problem with the antenna on the MacBook itself. Additionally:

--My signal is always very high, as there is nothing obstructing my wireless router and my computer, which are separated only by about 2 m or so.
--It's not the internet connection, as the direct ethernet connection exhibits no such problems.
--While it could be the router, switching routers did not remedy the problem.
--My security includes WPA with a strong password, hw address filtering, private IP space, stealth SSID broadcast, and obviously non-defaults on everything like channel, etc.
> It is conceivable that one of these is somehow contributing to the loss of signal, but that might point to a possible software level problem.

Regarding the system log messages, I have seen similar things as stated previously but do not have the machine on hand to look specifically.

[ghporter]

It is pretty obvious that the problem her is either the AirPort card hardware or firmware. Most people reporting the problem can relate its emergence directly to a specific OS X update that included an AirPort update, and they almost always report that everything was fine before this update.

People who are having this problem should definitely bug Apple about it. Let AppleCare know what's going on, write letters and email both customer service contacts and the business offices. Whatever the glitch is, it crept in recently and should be fairly easy (or at least straightforward) to track down.

Disclaimer: I have no proof that it was a particular AirPort update bundled into an OS X update that caused this problem. However, I do know that it's a) nothing to do with the A/B/G card in the pre-Core 2 Duo computers (I'd be having the same problem if it were) and b) it's no fluke that the update is somehow related to the problem. And if Apple publishes a new update that fixes this problem across the board tomorrow, I'll be happy to leave the "cause" as a matter of speculation.

[jlou04]

I found this thread while surfing Google. I'm having the exact same problem with my 1 month old MBP. I called Apple about a different issue about two weeks ago and mentioned this as well. The person I spoke to said, "Apple is aware of the problem and is working on an update in the near future". I assume that means a firmware update for the laptops or for the Airport Express. Of course, NO idea what "in the near future" means.

But, apparently, they do know this problem is out there!

[JoshuaZ]

Man, its been happening to me all morning. I've been online doing photo editing and chatting with friends, and I counted 8 times in 6 hours that its happened to me. Its realllllly annoying. Just dies randomly. Apple, get your act together on this one!

[~bash $]

Originally Posted by jlou04 

I found this thread while surfing Google. I'm having the exact same problem with my 1 month old MBP. I called Apple about a different issue about two weeks ago and mentioned this as well. The person I spoke to said, "Apple is aware of the problem and is working on an update in the near future". I assume that means a firmware update for the laptops or for the Airport Express. Of course, NO idea what "in the near future" means.

But, apparently, they do know this problem is out there!

That's interesting. That they acknowledge the problem for this. Is there a lot of people with 17" having this problem?

Originally Posted by JoshuaZ 

Man, its been happening to me all morning. I've been online doing photo editing and chatting with friends, and I counted 8 times in 6 hours that its happened to me. Its realllllly annoying. Just dies randomly. Apple, get your act together on this one!

... because I was thinking about this, and every time I've had this problem in the past, it was cured by changing my wireless router. Most routers drop wireless signals sometimes, and in my experience with the same computers, some seem to do it more than others. I could name drop from my experience, but it's all individual experiences. Have you tried another router, by chance?

[tinkered]

Is anyone who has this problem using a bluetooth device or has a cell phone with an active bluetooth device in the area. Bluetooth also works in the 2.4 GHz range and often interferes with wireless b/g. I know several people who get interference on their wireless when their bluetooth gear is on near their computer.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by tinkered 

Is anyone who has this problem using a bluetooth device or has a cell phone with an active bluetooth device in the area. Bluetooth also works in the 2.4 GHz range and often interferes with wireless b/g. I know several people who get interference on their wireless when their bluetooth gear is on near their computer.

This is not an interference issue. Bluetooth is not the major problem some people thought it would be, and there are plenty of people without 2.4GHz phones having the same problem. It's a firmware problem with a specific AirPort card.

This is not to say that 2.4GHz phones are not a problem, nor that some BT devices are not capable of causing issues. But not this issue. Thanks for the suggestion though...

[G. I.]

I've replaced the latest /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext version (1.6.2) with the previous one (1.6) and looks like the wireless connection is more stable, no need for Turn Off/On Airport cycles, although I still see sudden drops in the signal level from 4 bars to 3 or 2. The MBP is about 1 meter from the D-Link router in these cases...

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by G. I. 

I've replaced the latest /System/Library/Extensions/IO80211Family.kext version (1.6.2) with the previous one (1.6) and looks like the wireless connection is more stable, no need for Turn Off/On Airport cycles, although I still see sudden drops in the signal level from 4 bars to 3 or 2. The MBP is about 1 meter from the D-Link router in these cases...

Those sudden drops are probably due to interfering signals, not problems with your hardware or firmware. Are you able to "see" more than one network? Do you live in an apartment, where neighbors might have 2.4GHz cordless phones?

[JoshuaZ]

Originally Posted by ~bash $ 

... because I was thinking about this, and every time I've had this problem in the past, it was cured by changing my wireless router. Most routers drop wireless signals sometimes, and in my experience with the same computers, some seem to do it more than others. I could name drop from my experience, but it's all individual experiences. Have you tried another router, by chance?

I never had this issue with my 12in Powerbook using the same Airport Express router and same Bluetooth mouse. And I have the same issue at my favorite internet cafe.

Annnnnnoooooying