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unix · Dec 15, 2009, 03:31 AM

i just got the new macbook pro. and its great. one problem i have with it is that it keeps dropping my wifi signal. i turn it off, then turn it back on it'll be fine. sometimes when im just doing some light surfing it'll just cut out. it wont come back unless i turn off airport and turn it back on. im using a linksys wrt54g2. not sure if thats the problem...

Andy8 · Dec 15, 2009, 03:51 AM

Originally Posted by unix

i just got the new macbook pro. and its great. one problem i have with it is that it keeps dropping my wifi signal. i turn it off, then turn it back on it'll be fine. sometimes when im just doing some light surfing it'll just cut out. it wont come back unless i turn off airport and turn it back on. im using a linksys wrt54g2. not sure if thats the problem...

Are you using a cordless telephone at home? These can cause inference with 2.4Ghz 802.11b & 802.11g (which your wrt54g2 broadcasts)

unix · Dec 15, 2009, 03:53 AM

i am. would playing around with different channels help ?

Andy8 · Dec 15, 2009, 03:55 AM

Originally Posted by unix

i am. would playing around with different channels help ?

Well you could try some different channels, but first of all try unplugging the cordless phone for a few hours and see if your wifi signal stays stable, at least then you know the phone is causing you the problem and not some other device in the home.

unix · Dec 15, 2009, 03:56 AM

had the same problem with my old white macbook too. only happened when i upgraded to snow leopard.

Simon · Dec 15, 2009, 03:57 AM

Have you installed the Snow Leopard AirPort update?

unix · Dec 17, 2009, 12:16 AM

yup. same problems.

ghporter · Dec 17, 2009, 08:22 AM

It sounds like you're experiencing interference or signal strength problems. When Andy8 asked about your cordless phone, he was asking about sources of interference that you might have control over. If you're in an apartment, you could have a neighbor who just got a new cordless phone and that could cause this sort of interference. Or your neighbor could have just gotten a brand new wireless router and his signal is interfering with yours. Changing channels may help-just about every consumer access point and router comes set for channel 6 or 7, and a whole lot of people never do anything but plug them in and go, so selecting a different channel (go at least 2 channels up or down from where you are) could get you out of that spot.

Another thing to think about is how your WRT54G is oriented in relation to the rest of the house. A poor signal will drop out even without interference, and the WRT's 2 external antennas could be in a less-than-optimum orientation and location, resulting in low signal levels where you use your computers. A wireless router or access point should be fairly high off the floor - eye level or higher is good. Just moving the box higher often causes significant improvements in coverage, so try this first and then see how things go. (It's not magic; raising the box lets its signal go out over most furniture which could absorb or block the signal.)

If you still want better signals, experiment with which direction the box faces. The antennas work together and produce a coverage pattern that is roughly oval in shape with the antennas as the foci. Rotating the box can redirect the coverage to more used parts of the house at the expense of areas you don't use as much. You can also adjust the antennas' angles-a slight tilt can alter the signal pattern enough to cover a room that had sketchy coverage before.

I have had no problems with Snow Leopard on my original version MBP using a WRT54G. My 1800 square foot house has good to great coverage throughout, and I even have good coverage on my patio out with my WRT in a front room.

I've moved the thread to Networking because it's not about your computers, it's about your network.

unix · Dec 18, 2009, 02:41 AM

appreciate the move.

i have great coverage. in my 3000sqrft home. the signal on the airport is always at full. no matter where im at. its just weird that it always just drops. when it drops the airport signal strength is STILL full. just that thers no connection to the internet. and its a wrt54G2 not sure if it makes a difference

ghporter · Dec 18, 2009, 08:30 AM

The differences between different WRT54G models are their processor and RAM setup and what OS they use. Most have at least equivalent radio systems.

Since your problem is not signal level, then it must be interference. One thing to look at is if there's a specific area in the house that you have more drops in than others. That would help identify where your interference might be coming from. And of course you should change your channel before going any farther because that could get you out of the interference problem all by itself.

olePigeon · Dec 18, 2009, 04:24 PM

Have you tried turning on Interference Robustness?

amazing · Dec 18, 2009, 05:04 PM

Download iStumbler from versiontracker.com and see how crowded your wireless neighborhood is. You may have other routers on the same channel as yours. If your neighbors have routers on the same channel, then you should switch to another channel.

Also, have you changed the default password on your router?

unix · Dec 19, 2009, 01:48 AM

i reset to factory settings, and changed from WPA2 personal to WPA. so far its not giving me too much problems. i'll report if that is a fix or not. thanks guys.

amazing · Dec 19, 2009, 11:52 AM

Another fix that has worked for a lot of people is to delete the hotspot in Network Prefs and then add it in again. Seems to clear up many difficulties.