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Embarrassing moment with my brand new MBP

J

jjmaximum

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 8, 2004
94
0
Gainesville, FL
Yesterday I was hanging out with some friends at a local sportsbar enjoying the first day of the NCAA tournament. One of my buddies had his $480 Acer laptop and was picking up a wireless signal from the coffee shop next store to surf the net, etc.

I wanted to check my email (and show off my brand new one week old MBP compared to his 'brick' of a laptop). I couldn't even pick up a weak signal or anything and it was a pretty embarrassing moment in the life of 'one of those Mac guys'.

Any ideas why my reception would be so much inferior to a cheap PC?
 
Unlike the PC or the cheaper Macbook, the Pro has an aluminium case responsible for a worse signal.
 
jjmaximum said:
Yesterday I was hanging out with some friends at a local sportsbar enjoying the first day of the NCAA tournament. One of my buddies had his $480 Acer laptop and was picking up a wireless signal from the coffee shop next store to surf the net, etc.

I wanted to check my email (and show off my brand new one week old MBP compared to his 'brick' of a laptop). I couldn't even pick up a weak signal or anything and it was a pretty embarrassing moment in the life of 'one of those Mac guys'.

Any ideas why my reception would be so much inferior to a cheap PC?
Click to expand...
The MBPs are made of aluminum, so that interferes with the wireless reception. Just last night I was at my friends with my MBP. He and I both have MBPs and were getting 2 bars, but my other friend's MacBook was getting 4.
 
because the macbook pro is made of metal
most laptops have wifi antenna around the screen

and wifi signals can go through plastic far easier than metal

there are also better ways to show of a mac than by checking your email :p
 
When they updated the MacBook Pros to Penryn, they should have put the little square of black plastic on the antenna area to improve reception, like on the iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Air.
 
I see that the Apple store is selling a wireless upgrade patch (£1.25 in the UK) which allegedy enables new MBPs access to 802.11n networks. Some reports suggest that this patch also improves general wireless performance.

linq
 
Wireless Buddy said:
When they updated the MacBook Pros to Penryn, they should have put the little square of black plastic on the antenna area to improve reception, like on the iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Air.
Click to expand...

This used to exist on the Powerbooks... I could of sworn that I remembered something like this back in 2005
 
Wireless Buddy said:
When they updated the MacBook Pros to Penryn, they should have put the little square of black plastic on the antenna area to improve reception, like on the iPhone, iPod touch, and MacBook Air.
Click to expand...

They did. The antenna on all MacBook Pros is in the plastic covered strip along the hinge, not in the display bezel a la the PowerBook.
 
My other choices were work or home. Work is obviously the worst choice and home would mean the wife/kids would be there after 2PM and they don't share by zeal for gambling, watching sports and drinking $2 gin & tonics served by a hot college blonde...

If you were there, I don't think you would have considered it 'nerding'...


brn2ski00 said:
Why were you guys nerding it out at a Sportsbar anyway?
Click to expand...
 
steveza said:
I see that the Apple store is selling a wireless upgrade patch (£1.25 in the UK) which allegedy enables new MBPs access to 802.11n networks. Some reports suggest that this patch also improves general wireless performance.

linq
Click to expand...

11n is standard on all new Macbook Pros, this update is for those Macs which came out before it did.
 
steveza said:
I see that the Apple store is selling a wireless upgrade patch (£1.25 in the UK) which allegedy enables new MBPs access to 802.11n networks. Some reports suggest that this patch also improves general wireless performance.

linq
Click to expand...

Yes, but the new MBPs already have the "Nabler" installed.
 
jjmaximum said:
My other choices were work or home. Work is obviously the worst choice and home would mean the wife/kids would be there after 2PM and they don't share by zeal for gambling, watching sports and drinking $2 gin & tonics served by a hot college blonde...

If you were there, I don't think you would have considered it 'nerding'...
Click to expand...

Ah ha, touche.

You had me at the $2 g&t's.... the hot college blonde solidified the deal.
 
sadly it's true that many cheap pc notebooks do pick up more signals. a neighbor of mine has an aluminum body acer and constantly picks up our wifi even 2 floors up..

oh well, the mac still look better..:cool:
 
jjmaximum said:
Yesterday I was hanging out with some friends at a local sportsbar enjoying the first day of the NCAA tournament. One of my buddies had his $480 Acer laptop and was picking up a wireless signal from the coffee shop next store to surf the net, etc.

I wanted to check my email (and show off my brand new one week old MBP compared to his 'brick' of a laptop). I couldn't even pick up a weak signal or anything and it was a pretty embarrassing moment in the life of 'one of those Mac guys'.

Any ideas why my reception would be so much inferior to a cheap PC?
Click to expand...

it's the Holy Week, definitely a lesson about Humility!:D

seriously, some routers need to be restarted for your MBP to work properly.
or the router hasn't been updated yet.
number of reasons actually, but i'm sticking my neck with the very 1st reason.. Humility:D
 
AliensAreFuzzy said:
The MBPs are made of aluminum, so that interferes with the wireless reception. Just last night I was at my friends with my MBP. He and I both have MBPs and were getting 2 bars, but my other friend's MacBook was getting 4.
Click to expand...

OK.. the WIFI signal on the MBP shouldn't be affected since the antenna isn't embedded the case, unlike their the earlier PowerBooks.
Instead it's in the rubberised hinge section located at the back of the keyboard/bottom of the display, this also houses some of the
electronics for the the LED Backlight. However, i found that directionality can... so if your getting weak signals try rotating your MBP slightly...

It's really odd.

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866083531_ca48180980_b.jpg
 
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