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Latest MacBook Pro wifi worse than phone

A

Avery52

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 15, 2017
10
1
My latest 15 inch MacBook Pro is unable to connect to a wifi network, probably because the router is pretty far away. However, my Samsung Note 3 is able to connect to the same wifi network.

How is it possible that the latest laptop have worse wifi connectivity than a 3 year old phone?
I've tried turning off my Note 3's wifi but it still didnt work so interference is not the cause.

Is there a way for me to determine if this is due to a low quality wireless network card and get Apple to replace it?
 
Because your note3 is made of plastic and a glass screen, whilst the MBP3 is all aluminum (basically a faraday cage) with a tiny window for antennas just below the screen (where the MacBook Pro text is).
 
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npreq said:
Because your note3 is made of plastic and a glass screen, whilst the MBP3 is all aluminum (basically a faraday cage) with a tiny window for antennas just below the screen (where the MacBook Pro text is).
Click to expand...
Why did Apple not think of a better design/material then...so there's nothing i can do about it? :(
 
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Avery52 said:
Why did Apple not think of a better design/material then...so there's nothing i can do about it? :(
Click to expand...

Honestly, work on your network infrastructure. If you don't care about performance much, get a dumb wifi extender. If you do, I would recommend those new fancy mesh wifi routers, like the Google Mesh ones.
 
By unable to connect, do you mean it finds it and won't connect, or won't find the network at all?

If it's the former, restart your router and change the wireless encryption to WPA2-PSK/WPA2-AES only (no mixed/legacy mode). If it's the latter, take it to an Apple Store for them to assess.
 
keysofanxiety said:
By unable to connect, do you mean it finds it and won't connect, or won't find the network at all?

If it's the former, restart your router and change the wireless encryption to WPA2-PSK/WPA2-AES only (no mixed/legacy mode). If it's the latter, take it to an Apple Store for them to assess.
Click to expand...
It finds it but couldn't connect. Sometimes it could though, works like 30% of the time.
It's a public wifi (school's) so i have no control over that.
 
Avery52 said:
It finds it but couldn't connect. Sometimes it could though, works like 30% of the time.
It's a public wifi (school's) so i have no control over that.
Click to expand...

Ah okay. Worth taking to an Apple Store anyway but it can't hurt to speak with the IT guys to see if they've had similar complaints on other laptops.
 
If it's a school, are other people having connectivity issues? If so, speak to the administration and have them fix it.
 
To the OP you need to buy an apple router. I have one and they work best with Apple products. I have no issues with my Apple router and always get excellent wireless on MacBook Pro, iPhone and iPads. Don't blame Apple for your choice of a 3rd party router. It's most likely your router, go to your router manufacture website to get your help on configuration and firmware update.

You also shouldn't be connecting to a public wifi, there is no security in a public wifi. You are opening yourself up to being hacked or spied on with a public wifi.
 
Are you operating any USB devices near it or are you using a different charging cable?
Have you tried changing the channel on the router?
Are you using 2.4 GHz?
 
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