I actually had to just register this new forum account so that I could reply to this thread. I've had a TERRIBLE time with wireless on my new MBP Penryn @ home and at cafes where my old Vaio would pick up the signal ANYWHERE and was never let down. I'm pretty disappointed but I followed the advice to change the signal from 11->6 and that seemed to have fixed my situation at home at least. Not sure how the cafe situation will be but since I work from home, this is the most important. I'll report back if I run into problems again.
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awful MBP wifi performance
- Thread starter sbb155
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I'll say it again. Check what channel is used around your house and go as far as possible away from it with the channel you set.
Airport Radar Widget
mine is working great!..i havent upgraded to 10.5.2 yet but its getting fantastic coverage..works in all parts of the house, even the family room which is in the far corner of the house 
. Much Much better than my old PC laptop..
. Much Much better than my old PC laptop..
i thought i'm having problems with the connection.
when i modified the router, it solved the problem.
when i modified the router, it solved the problem.
i'm not currently having any problem with my older mbp (2.33). i used to have trouble getting a good 'n' connection when i had a lynksys router. now i have a d-link and things seem to be working great
i hope my new mbp will not have an issue.
i hope my new mbp will not have an issue.
Well I am sure you have paid over or around 2 grand spend the extra couple bucks and buy an Airport-system-,You can buy it @ any where bestbuy,apple It works for me.-good luck
My Linksys WRT600N is the best router I've had.
I get full bars all over my house. Also the aluminum acts as a shield, but I haven't noticed a decrease in reception yet.
Well I am sure you have paid over or around 2 grand spend the extra couple bucks and buy an Airport-system-,You can buy it @ any where bestbuy,apple It works for me.-good luck
unfortunately, that works for home, but i can't go into all the various places i use wifi and demand they buy an airport.
luckily, like i said, my older mbp has great 'n' connection all over the house and even in the backyard... full bars everywhere.
I also have a WRT600N. My mac pro is connected on the 5GHz band, I have a external drive mounted to the back of the router (which Finder just shows with out me actually doing anything, how cool). When I copy files off the hard drive I am only seeing a max of 1.73 MB/Second when transferring files off the hard drive. This seems a little low. On my PC I see a throughput of about 20MB/sec. Is there anything I need to setup to get the faster speeds?
Thanks,
I have the identical MBP you have had no wireless issues either in the house our in public spaces. Router I have at home is a Linksys G
I had the same problem...it has to do with wireless N on the router. I am assuming you use a Linksys Router? The Wireless N on the router does not work correctly with MBP. Change the Router settings to Wireless G or Mixed and you will have full bars and high speed.
My 2.16GHz Core Duo MBP 15" is dropping wireless connections like there's no tomorrow...
10.5.2, with all software updates...
10.5.2, with all software updates...
This is quite a underwhelming thread. I was planning to buy a new MBP (or a Air, I haven't quite decided) but I wouldn't be able to deal with random disconnects...
I thought the default channel was usually 6?
I'm currently using channel 11 here on my G router (D-link DI-524- hooked up to a Linksys wired router)
Unfornatually having the same router with problems.
Well I am fixing this with the addition of a TC. That should fix it. 
Like so many things on the MBP once you get past the specs, the wireless is crap. Router compatibility issues further add to the woes of the MBP, so it's a good idea to stick with Apple throughout - that way if it's actually broken (not that uncommon) then you clearly know there is something wrong.
As one of the posters above, for third parties I've also had acceptable results with the latest Linksys MIMO routers, although the range in comparison with my other actually quality Windows laptops leaves something to be desired - and in fact, MIMO routers in general should give you better results.
As one of the posters above, for third parties I've also had acceptable results with the latest Linksys MIMO routers, although the range in comparison with my other actually quality Windows laptops leaves something to be desired - and in fact, MIMO routers in general should give you better results.
hmm...what if we're purchasing a laptop for work? We don't necessarily have control of the routers being employed. Would it be wise to eschew the MBP in this case?
I ran the cnet bandwidth test and it came up with (1328.6 Kbps - You) consistently.
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html
I run a DSL line into my linksys b/g router Mod runing tomato signal bumped up to 60mW and another cheap linksys router wireless bridge downstairs. Both on channel 6, I might try channel 11 to see if I squeeze a little more out of her
http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html
I run a DSL line into my linksys b/g router Mod runing tomato signal bumped up to 60mW and another cheap linksys router wireless bridge downstairs. Both on channel 6, I might try channel 11 to see if I squeeze a little more out of her
That's up to you. Personally, I don't think any Apple is suitable for real work without additional assistance but it's your call. You can also buy wireless range extenders which can project a stronger signal for you. The Linksys G extender for example does what it is supposed to do and doesn't seem to have any major issues with the MBP's but it doesn't seem to be the most reliable extender out there - it may be necessary to unplug it once a month or so.
However, the problem for current machines seems also to lie at the OS/driver level as well as crappy hardware - so it may not entirely solve your problems. If you need an MBP-class machine, it's not really like you have a choice if you're going OS X - so you might as well get it and see if it gives you problems. It may not (beyond the OS/driver problems) in your specific application and it is fixable to an extent.
I am using an Airport Extreme with a Macbook (Black, 2Ghz C2D) and a MacBook Pro (SR, 2,2 Ghz) and their wireless reception performance is nearly identical.
I have experienced no drops, and the signal level never drops a bar all around my house, which isn't that small. The connection is rock solid and the airdisk feature works impressively good, compared to the totally rubbish way it attempts to work in Windows.
Anyway, I've heard a lot about the wireless reception problem of the MbP but mine seems to work just as well as the MB, at least when connected to an Airport.
By the way, I do also have an Ipod Touch and it picks up the signal two stories and several walls below in the staircase, and it also has a plastic opening for an antenna on an otherwise metal case.
I have experienced no drops, and the signal level never drops a bar all around my house, which isn't that small. The connection is rock solid and the airdisk feature works impressively good, compared to the totally rubbish way it attempts to work in Windows.
Anyway, I've heard a lot about the wireless reception problem of the MbP but mine seems to work just as well as the MB, at least when connected to an Airport.
By the way, I do also have an Ipod Touch and it picks up the signal two stories and several walls below in the staircase, and it also has a plastic opening for an antenna on an otherwise metal case.