I have a MacBook Pro 5,5 (aka Mid-2009 13inch MacBook Pro) and a 2Wire 2701HGV-W Gateway. So what's the problem? Well, Googling "apple 2wire" or "mac 2wire" or "macbook pro 2wire" will yield plenty of results full of juicy details, but in short things like regularly dropping connections, sluggishness, failing to load sites properly, stealing celery, and just generally being evil are all par for the course.
This can make time spent using my otherwise wonderful Mac less than enjoyable to say the least...
I've been wanting to get on top of this issue for a while now, but I now have a renewed sense of urgency: next week, Apple will reveal to us the future of the Mac, and I want to go into the Stevenote in a happy, pro-Mac mood (something which is unlikely if my connection is playing up).
So, what to do? I have few options in mind, and I'd like to hear your input.
1. Buy a new non-2Wire Gateway (Modem/Router all in one). This is pretty much guaranteed to solve the problem, by removing 2Wire from the equation completely. Unfortunately, this is also the most expensive option.
2. Disable the wireless on the gateway and purchase a 3rd-party wireless router to fulfill all my WiFi needs. This is cheaper than the first option, but because 2Wire hardware is still involved, I'm worried that the gateway will still manage to fizzle its brain somehow and my money will have gone to waste...
3. Change some magic settings to make all my problems disappear. I've heard that there are some settings that can be changed to do this, but I'm kinda reluctant to go ahead with it because the Mac is supposed to 'Just Work' without requiring this kind of thing (I realise this is 2Wire's fault, not Apple's, but still...). That being said, it doesn't cost anything, so it's probably at least worth a try.
Any thoughts? All suggestions are welcome.
This can make time spent using my otherwise wonderful Mac less than enjoyable to say the least...
I've been wanting to get on top of this issue for a while now, but I now have a renewed sense of urgency: next week, Apple will reveal to us the future of the Mac, and I want to go into the Stevenote in a happy, pro-Mac mood (something which is unlikely if my connection is playing up).
So, what to do? I have few options in mind, and I'd like to hear your input.
1. Buy a new non-2Wire Gateway (Modem/Router all in one). This is pretty much guaranteed to solve the problem, by removing 2Wire from the equation completely. Unfortunately, this is also the most expensive option.
2. Disable the wireless on the gateway and purchase a 3rd-party wireless router to fulfill all my WiFi needs. This is cheaper than the first option, but because 2Wire hardware is still involved, I'm worried that the gateway will still manage to fizzle its brain somehow and my money will have gone to waste...
3. Change some magic settings to make all my problems disappear. I've heard that there are some settings that can be changed to do this, but I'm kinda reluctant to go ahead with it because the Mac is supposed to 'Just Work' without requiring this kind of thing (I realise this is 2Wire's fault, not Apple's, but still...). That being said, it doesn't cost anything, so it's probably at least worth a try.
Any thoughts? All suggestions are welcome.