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MacBook Pro (late 2016) 5Ghz network issue

gtal

gtal

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 9, 2017
2
0
MacBook Pro (late 2016) 5Ghz wifi network issue
I have a two moths old the new 15” MacBook Pro and basically I”m happy with it.

My main issue is with WiFi networks.

I have an Airport router with two networks defined (with two different names): a 2.5 Ghz and a 5 Ghz.

Each time after restart I’m getting connected to the 5 Ghz, however after couple of hours the MacBook switches to the 2.5 Ghz network, and the 5 Ghz network is NOT included in the list (I can’t select it).

I’m almost sure it’s not a router definition issue, as at the same time, in the same location, all my other Apple devices: MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs have both networks as an option. I also didn't face this issue with my previous 4 years old MacBook Pro that has been replaced by this one 2 months ago.

Until today all my attempts to solve this issue failed.

My MacBook Pro is a 15-inch, Late 2016, 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7,16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3, Intel HD Graphics 530 1536 MB, Sierra 10.12.2
Any ideas?
 
might be a priority issue, If it's not seeing it for whatever reason then it will go to your 2.4 network. In advanced network setting you can set it to prioritize the 5gz over the 2.4ghz. However if it's just not seeing it, there could be an issue there, move closer to the router to see if you computer can even pick it up. If its' not seeing it altogether, I would book an appointment.

Maybe do all your updates and a SMC/Pram reset as well could help.
 
Are you moving your MacBook from room to room? 5Ghz signals drop off quickly and are blocked by walls, furniture, and any other obstructions. 2.4 Ghz have much better penetration and range, but slow speed and are subject to more interference from other devices.
 
byakka said:
That's not the issue here. 5GHz networks just disappear until a reboot, even if you're standing next to the base station.
Click to expand...

Do you have nearby neighbors that might have used the channel your router selected? Most routers have the ability to detect and adjust the least used channel at boot up. But if you live someplace with enough people nearby, even the 23 channels of 5GHz cannot be enough.

FWIW, I got rid of all my consumer gear and replaced it with Ubiquiti Access points and dedicated routers. They let me roam throughout my house and yard, and automatically switch devices to the best access point.
 
jerryk said:
Do you have nearby neighbors that might have used the channel your router selected?
Click to expand...
I'm using Ubiquiti gear as well. Did an RF scan and the channel it was using when I observed the issue showed up as barely used. I'm pretty sure that's an issue with the recent macOS since I noticed it with two different models of MBP and none of my other devices have it.
 
byakka said:
I'm using Ubiquiti gear as well. Did an RF scan and the channel it was using when I observed the issue showed up as barely used. I'm pretty sure that's an issue with the recent macOS since I noticed it with two different models of MBP and none of my other devices have it.
Click to expand...

Seems strange. My MBPs have no issue. However, I do have 2015 and earlier MBPs, not 2016.
 
byakka said:
I've seen that happen on a 2015 mbp with 10.12.2 and on a 2016 one with 10.12.3, probably not a hardware issue.
Click to expand...

Well something is different. My machines have been solid in my environment.

Might be because there are only two neighbor's I see, sometimes, on the Wifi list. Other than that both the 2.4 and 5ghz at my house are pretty unused.
 
I've got the same issue with my Mid 2015 Macbook Pro, it's only been recently doing this.

gtal said:
MacBook Pro (late 2016) 5Ghz wifi network issue
I have a two moths old the new 15” MacBook Pro and basically I”m happy with it.

My main issue is with WiFi networks.

I have an Airport router with two networks defined (with two different names): a 2.5 Ghz and a 5 Ghz.

Each time after restart I’m getting connected to the 5 Ghz, however after couple of hours the MacBook switches to the 2.5 Ghz network, and the 5 Ghz network is NOT included in the list (I can’t select it).

I’m almost sure it’s not a router definition issue, as at the same time, in the same location, all my other Apple devices: MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs have both networks as an option. I also didn't face this issue with my previous 4 years old MacBook Pro that has been replaced by this one 2 months ago.

Until today all my attempts to solve this issue failed.

My MacBook Pro is a 15-inch, Late 2016, 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7,16 GB 2133 MHz LPDDR3, Intel HD Graphics 530 1536 MB, Sierra 10.12.2
Any ideas?
Click to expand...
 
enter the wireless options in the "Airport utility App" in UTILITIES and change the 5G channel to 41 or 44...
This fixed the problem for me.
 
byakka said:
I'm using Ubiquiti gear as well. Did an RF scan and the channel it was using when I observed the issue showed up as barely used. I'm pretty sure that's an issue with the recent macOS since I noticed it with two different models of MBP and none of my other devices have it.
Click to expand...
Hi byakka, you say you have Ubiquiti gear: how many AP's? If more than one, how did you set channel selection, width and transmission power for each, to make them work well together?

I am using Ubiquiti UniFi USG3, US8 switches and 4 AP's in the home. I have the reconnect issue (after wake from sleep 5GHz SSID not visible in the list, only 2.4GHz SSIDs) on my Late 2013 MBP and sometimes also on the 2017 MB Air. iPhones and iPads reconnect fine as does a new 2020 MBP 13" (apparently, have had it for 4 days only).

Elaborating a bit on my setup: I recently abandoned 2.4 networks and set all 4 AP's to only use 5GHz at low transmission power. I'm a person that's on the cautious side about radiation effects to humans so I want to minimise transmission power across devices. I added AP's to each area of the house so I could get away with low power set manually.
After the change from 2.4 GHz to 5GHz only, the "reconnect" issue on my MacBooks got so much worse. I may have made unlogical settings decisions.
My setup approach on each AP is:
- turn off 2.4GHz channels
- set 5GHz to 40MHz (as an in between setting balancing speed and channel overlap)
- Auto channel
- manual transmission power: low. For the 2 kids rooms AP's (middle floor) I set power to the lowest possible, ground floor I set a little higher as it's a larger area to serve and attic same as ground floor.
As I said after this change the reconnect issue on my MacBook is driving me nuts, so something is definitely not working out as expected.
For now I set my attic AP to 20MHz and channel 40, to see if I notice a change when reconnecting in that area.

Would be very interested to hear about your setup and settings.

Cheers!
Peter
 
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