2006 MacBook drops wifi

[idiwa]

Looking for help with this please.
MacBook. 2Ghz Intel Core Duo. OS Snow Leopard 10.6.6

I'm running a 2006 MacBook with Snow Leopard. A few months back it started dropping wifi connection. Airport would show no connection but would list my network along with others in my building. If I tried to connect with my WPA password it would just time out. At this time I was running Leopard.

Since then I've done a few things.

• Tried running the Netgear router with no encryption at all (same thing happens). Will lose connection and then time out trying to connect
  
• I've tried the MacBook in a coffee shop with wifi access and at my parents (same NetGear router) and at my new apartment with a horrible Orange Livebox.
  
• Taken the MacBook in to see the genius bar at Glasgow Apple store. Worked fine for them, but I explained it was intermittent but we could not force it to fail. I'm sure if it ran for an hour it would.

At present if I have the MacBook in the living room (where the Livebox router is situated) its fine and wont drop connection. If I walk some 5m to my bedroom it will work for approximately half and hour and then lose it. A few days ago I bought the Snow Leopard upgrade and installed it last night. MacBook runs a hell of a lot faster (yay!) but moving it away from the router and its dead as disco in half an hour.

So to clarify, the MacBook has been tested on 4 wifi networks/ locus with same issue. iPhone, Xbox 360 and PS3 all have no issues with dropping connection no matter where they are in the apartment.

Apartment is a new build and its walls are not made out of lead or kryptonite. Is this a hardware issue rather than software? When updating to Snow Leopard it was an update to the existing OS of Leopard not a clean install. Thanks for your help in advance, cheers.

AIRPORT says the following in System Profiler.

Software Versions:
Menu Extra: 6.2.1 (621.1)
configd plug-in: 6.2.3 (623.2)
System Profiler: 6.0 (600.9)
Network Preference: 6.2.1 (621.1)
AirPort Utility: 5.5.2 (552.11)
IO80211 Family: 3.1.2 (312)
Interfaces:
en1:
Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x86)
Firmware Version: Atheros 5424: 2.1.14.5
Locale: ETSI
Country Code: GB
Supported PHY Modes: 802.11 a/b/g
Supported Channels: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64, 100, 104, 108, 112, 116, 120, 124, 128, 132, 136, 140
Status: Connected

 

[robertwhyte]

I had problems with 10.6.6 and after trying everything else finally reestablished normal life after I deleted all my keychain items except necessary certificates and keys and logged into the airport afresh.

 

[X2thaP]

When did it start to happen? ("a few months back") Perhaps when you updated to 10.6.3 or 10.6.4?

Reason I ask is because I've had this happen to me, on a 2008 MacBook (purchased with 10.5.4 installed), as well.
It happened as soon as I updated from 10.6.2 to 10.6.3. The following updates never fixed it, so I was working
with all different suggestions floating around on the internet, but non of them where a permanent fix.

I decided to 'downgrade' back to 10.6(.0) and everything worked perfectly. I kept it at 10.6 until the Mac App Store came out
and I was 'forced' to update because I wanted the App Store. I then found out that going from 10.6 straight to 10.6.6 did not
mess up the WiFi/Airport! So it is back to normal now.

*EDIT* Just missed the part where you wrote you just recently did the Snow Leopard install, so it can't be due to the update I suggested.
I do however remember some posts about the same thing happening on the 10.5(.8??) updates as well I believe.
In this case I have no practical solution for you, sorry.

 

[logana]

Most likely cause of the problem is the Atheros wireless card fitted in your (and most) Core Duo MacBooks.

Simplest answer is to open it up and replace with a Broadcom n card.

Some of the Atheros cards work fine with Snow Leopard but many just time out or connect on the 3rd attempt.

You should be able to get a replacement card fairly cheaply off eBay.