MacBook Pro 2018 USB-C - 2.4GHz WiFi Issues

[tomnavratil]

Hey guys,

I have recently got the 2018 13" MacBook Pro and unfortunately got serious WiFi issues with 2 ADATA USB-C - USB 3 dongles in order to connect my accessories as well as charge the MBP.

As documented here, this is not just Apple's fault however some laptops are OK due to a different placement of antennas.

Do you guys please have any good solutions to this issue? For example shielded dongles, getting cables instead etc.? I know changing the WiFi to 5GHz would help however I don't have that option at home at the moment I'm afraid.

What about using some ports for the dongles and some for charging and things like that?

Thanks for any advice, this is seriously annoying.

 

[Howard2k]

Not Apple's fault at all.

You can try to wrap your USB dongles in aluminium foil, and/or use them on the other side of the MacBook. You said "at home". A 5GHz router isn't more than US$100 these days, so it might be worth biting the bullet. Is it a price thing? Or you don't have control over the home network?

Ultimately, you need better shielding on your adaptors, or to change to 5GHz.

 

[fdeangelis]

I purchased a new 2018 MBP at the end of July and experienced the same problem. After numerous lengthy conversations with Apple Technical Support, over several days, they blamed it on my hub, a Belkin that they sold me when I bought the MPB. They suggested I reach out to Consultants.Apple.com and pay them to come to my house to see if they could fix it. Ridiculous. They also gave me a list of about 7 other hubs that they believed also would not work but they could not give me the name of a single hub the would work.

I also found that my two external monitors would only work if plugged directly into Thunderbolt 3 ports. They would not work plugged into a hub. Tech Support had no clue about this one and offered no suggestion on how to fix it.

Note that I tried multiple different hubs, purchased at my own expense, without any difference in the result.

Ultimately I must conclude there are unresolved issues with these machines. Perhaps these can be fixed with OS patches. However, in the event modifications need to be made to the physical architecture in order to make these corrections (e.g. relocate the antenna) I'm not going to be caught with a machine requiring a forklift upgrade to run as advertised.

So I returned it. I do hope to purchase a new MBP as soon as Apple recognizes and addresses these issues.

 

[leman]

Unfortunately, when such issues occur, they are ultimately rather random. It’s the combination of accesss point, laptop, usb cables/devices and environmental properties. The most reliable way to solve this is indeed upgrading your WIFi setup.

 

[misterbig]

Hey guys,

I have recently got the 2018 13" MacBook Pro and unfortunately got serious WiFi issues with 2 ADATA USB-C - USB 3 dongles in order to connect my accessories as well as charge the MBP.

USB 3.x interference with 2.4GHz wifi is a longstanding and well-known issue.

From what I've read from several people, the easiest solution is to use Apple's own USB-C to USB 3 dongle since Apple's is apparently shielded so it doesn't interfere with 2.4GHz wifi. Most third party dongles are not shielded so 2.4GHz wifi immediately disconnects the moment you plug in a USB 3 device.