New Macbook Pro: Wifi drops when externals connected

[Ries]

Placement of the antenna maybe? Whatever it is, it's odd. Should be interesting figuring out the parameters of the interference

So maybe we need a list of offending thumdrives to avoid

But, that guy in the review also had issues with the USB microscope adapter, right? And wasn't that on a tether? (I may have this wrong, no way i'm going back there )

Since the removal of ports, the USB-C is now closer to the wifi module than ever. Maybe proximity is a trigger too?

 

[westie3130]

Yes- this has happened to me. I tried a My Passport for Mac external drive into an Elago multi port hub usb-to usb-c hub. My external drive wasn't recognized. My wi-fi slowed to a crawl, and I couldn't even use the mac wifi troubleshooter as it wouldn't recognize my router password on my macbook pro. I thought it might have been the external drive.I wound up buying a new external drive from Apple, G Technology external drive, and the Apple usb to USB-c dongle which worked fine.But I need more than one USB to USB-C dongle ports. I'm now afraid to purchase another hub, as I'm afraid I'll have same problem. I have the new macbook pro 13 inch without touch. Glad to know it's not just me.

 

[Macalway]

Whatever it is, the parameters of this need to be fully mapped out. Pretty serious stuff.

 

[baddj]

Has anyone with this issue contact apple support about it, to see if they are aware of the issue?

 

[Ries]

Has anyone with this issue contact apple support about it, to see if they are aware of the issue?

They'll deny it until they know if it is a easy software fix, if not, they'll deny and claim you are plugin it in wrong, until the evidence is wide spread and affecting tons of people. You can be 8'th in que at a genius , all with chared MacBooks and the genius will still say it is the first time he heard about it.

 

[/V\acpower]

They'll deny it until they know if it is a easy software fix, if not, they'll deny and claim you are plugin it in wrong, until the evidence is wide spread and affecting tons of people. You can be 8'th in que at a genius , all with chared MacBooks and the genius will still say it is the first time he heard about it.

It is a very well documented issue that can affect any wifi enabled computer with badly isolated USB 3 devices (USB A or C) that emit enough interference in a 2.4 Ghz Wifi evironment.

My USB 3 Thumbdrive prevented my wifi from working even from approx. 8 inch away from my 2016 MBP.

My USB Thumbdrive wrapped in tinfoil doesn't affect my wifi.

It's an issue that can affect any computer. Mac or PC.

This is a very well documented issue (USB 3 interference with 2.4Ghz).

And yes Apple is very aware :

Why do I have difficulty with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth devices when USB 3 devices are attached to my computer?
Some USB 3 devices—hard drives in particular—can generate radio frequency interference that can cause Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices operating in the 2.4GHz band to have issues communicating with your computer.

Don't place hard drives or other USB devices behind your Mac, or near at the hinge of your screen. The antennas for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are located there, and USB 3 devices placed there may interfere with your wireless connections.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201163

--

It just happen that this particular dude in the youtube video found out about this with this 13' MBP. But if you search a bit you'll see that people have similar problems on a wide variety of computers. (PC and Macs)

 

[Unrealmac1988]

i did not watch the video but earlier this week I posted exactly the same problem and noone responded..

If I plug my usb C hub in the first port (the one further away from you), wifi is unusable.
If I plug the same device in the second port it depends on the angle the screen is opened. The smaller the angle the better. A fully opened MBP seems to let the wifi die just as case 1 did.

This clearly seems to be hardware related and also is the reason I am returning my MBP tomorrow. If anyone has questions let me know shortly.

I even did a video demonstrating the second case:
https://goo.gl/photos/gypoCe7gDZxnR8pQ6

 

[westie3130]

This article just came out via 9to5. Spent a lot of money on peripherals that don't work. How are we to know what has controller chips from Texas Instruments?
"Apple has chosen to prevent Thunderbolt 3 devices using currently available controller chips from Texas Instruments from enumerating and functioning on the 2016 MacBook Pros. All current Thunderbolt 3 peripherals which use this controller chip are incompatible with the new 2016 Thunderbolt 3 MacBooks (To our knowledge, this includes all currently available Thunderbolt 3 devices including our TBT3-DP2X and TBT3-HDMI2X graphics adapters. Our Thunderbolt 3 cables do not require this chip, and therefore are compatible.)"
[doublepost=1478212943][/doublepost]https://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/03/new-macbook-pros-thunderbolt-3-compatibility/

 

[/V\acpower]

i did not watch the video but earlier this week I posted exactly the same problem and noone responded..

If I plug my usb C hub in the first port (the one further away from you), wifi is unusable.
If I plug the same device in the second port it depends on the angle the screen is opened. The smaller the angle the better. A fully opened MBP seems to let the wifi die just as case 1 did.

This clearly seems to be hardware related and also is the reason I am returning my MBP tomorrow. If anyone has questions let me know shortly.

I even did a video demonstrating the second case:
https://goo.gl/photos/gypoCe7gDZxnR8pQ6

Have you read my posts ?

 

[Unrealmac1988]

Have you read my posts ?

yes I did. As written in my post: for me it's a problem of which slot I use+display angle, not just which device I plug in..

 

[Macalway]

Yikes, the plot thi

yes I did. As written in my post: for me it's a problem of which slot I use+display angle, not just which device I plug in..

But wouldn't that be moot if the source is external?

I think he pretty much nailed it. But we have to figure out what NOT to buy (and what else is wrong)

My garbage can is already filled with Amazon junk. And frankly, a tin foil hat for my drives is probably not an option.

 

[/V\acpower]

yes I did. As written in my post: for me it's a problem of which slot I use+display angle, not just which device I plug in..

Your choice.
[doublepost=1478214188][/doublepost]

Yikes, the plot thi


But wouldn't that be moot if the source is external?

I think he pretty much nailed it. But we have to figure out what NOT to buy (and what else is wrong)

My garbage can is already filled with Amazon junk. And frankly, a tin foil hat for my drives is probably not an option.

Well right now i'm about to go buy a 5 Ghz router. That's the obvious issue.

(inb4 : no it's not only my new "2016 MBP" that making me do that. It also resolve other problem I have with home networking.)

 

[Barnfather]

I watched about 15 minutes of that live stream and it was like watching my mum struggle with technology.

 

[torana355]

Well right now i'm about to go buy a 5 Ghz router. That's the obvious issue.

I think its the only reliable workaround for now. Ive been using 5Ghz for a few years now and have had zero issues on all my devices.

 

[/V\acpower]

Just found out that Bluetooth also use 2.4Ghz and that it can also be subject to the same problem.

Rethinking about all those little annoying moments where my iMac keyboard dropped for no reason ... hmmm ...

 

[Macalway]

Just found out that Bluetooth also use 2.4Ghz and that it can also be subject to the same problem.

Rethinking about all those little annoying moments where my iMac keyboard dropped for no reason ... hmmm ...

I used to run into that on my present machine. I recently switched to 5ghz though

 

[thadoggfather]

wow are you guys going to return your machines or hope for some sort of update?

 

[torana355]

wow are you guys going to return your machines or hope for some sort of update?

Keeping mine as im on 5ghz wifi.

 

[hj576]

UPDATE : New test

Original USB 3.0 Thumbdrive that caused the problem + Adapter + Everything wrapped in tinfoil = ... NO PROBLEM WITH WIFI !

So basically my cheap USB 3.0 Thumbdrive make interference with 2.4 Ghz Wifi band.

THANK YOU
AND I LOVE YOU (ok a bit extreme)
But I just ordered the New Macbook Pro and watching the video(I did today morning, its surprisingly fun and scary to watch some one **** over a product you just paid a lot to order ) and then reading your initial comment I was about to have a mini heart attack. But you clarifying stuff just eased the tension
Thank You for the super detailed analysis, Have a great day D:

 

[budfoot]

They'll fix it in the upcoming kaby lake, 4K OLED, 32GB Ram MacBook Pros From the last link:
"We have resolved this issue with better hardware design that isolates this noise and reduces the impact to almost negligible on our Wi-Fi routers with USB 3.0 like the R6250 (AC1600 WiFi router). In a non-optimized design the impact can be quite significant on the 2.4GHz band."

Hopefully they also fix the 6-8 week shipping problem with all douchebar macbook pros...

 

[Macintosh IIcx]

UPDATE : New test

Original USB 3.0 Thumbdrive that caused the problem + Adapter + Everything wrapped in tinfoil = ... NO PROBLEM WITH WIFI !

So basically my cheap USB 3.0 Thumbdrive make interference with 2.4 Ghz Wifi band.

UPDATE :

Adapter + USB 3.0 HDD Dock (self powered) + HDD + big file transfer = No effect on Wifi. Stream still strong. Pages updates as fast. (no lost bar on the Wifi icon, like any other test that didn't affect wifi signal.)
[doublepost=1478208052][/doublepost]PROBLEM SOLVED! :

Ok, from a bit of google search, it seems related to USB 3.0 and 2.4Ghz Wifi band (widely used on a lot of wifi setup). It doesn't seem to be related to the 2016 MacBook Pro but to badly "shielded" usb 3.0 devices that emit interference that disturb 2.4Ghz Wifi Signals. Also its easy to find people complaining about the same effect on other computers, Macs or PC.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us...al-bus/usb3-frequency-interference-paper.html

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2423604,00.asp

(just make a quick search on USB 3.0 and Wifi interference)

/V\acpower, you're the man!

Thanks a lot for doing all the research. With your ability to find both the root of the problem and a solution, you should be the one to earn money doing Apple support for people.

It is great that the dude in the video found the issue, but since he is making a living for this, I was a bit surprised he didn't try harder to find the cause of the issue and maybe even a solution?

Anyway, the new MBP's might be more sensitive to this issue, which could be a design flaw based on the way that you look at it, but if the solution is that you have to be more picky about which adapters / cables you use, then I would expect that information to be offered ASAP.

 

[Unrealmac1988]

Guys do you think this can be solved via a software update or do we need to wait for an internal redesign? I just bought this 1700€ machine and I am not willing to switch router and stuff to solve a problem which shouldn't even be there.

To work effectively I need like 3 USB c hubs and I won't buy them all from Apple just to solve this problem. I promise

 

[baddj]

I just picked up the non-touch MBP and tested some of my USB devices using a belkin USB-C to USB-A adapter and did not lose WIFI once.

Some of my devices I tried.

• Blue Yeti Mic
• No Name USB SD Card Reader (Cheap like AUD$5)
• Kingston USB Thumb Drive

I'll try other devices later tomorrow.

 

[TheBuffather]

This is incredibly concerning. I read through the thread and get the whole concept of devices with poor shielding, but I just feel like if that were the entire answer this would be a much more widespread issue.

Also, the display blinking issue is equally as concerning.

 

[leman]

Guys do you think this can be solved via a software update or do we need to wait for an internal redesign? I just bought this 1700€ and I am not willing to switch router and stuff to solve a problem which shouldn't even be there.

To work effectively I need like 3 USB c hubs and I won't but them all from Apple just to solve this problem. I promise

If /V\acpower is correct (and the argument is very convincing at the moment), neither a software update nor an internal redesign will fix anything, because the issue lies with the manufacturer of your peripheral device. Simply put, whoever made your HDD/thumbdrive etc. has apparently cheaped out on shielding.