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New Macbook Pro: Wifi drops when externals connected
- Thread starter Meister
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I use Apple's Digital multi-port adapter to connect my 13" TB MBP to an external monitor (via HDMI) and a printer (via USB-A). My 5GHz Wi-Fi never drops. It may be because I get my Wi-Fi from an AirPort...
Hi Guys,
I'm a newbie and newcomer from Indonesia
I've carefully read all your discussions regarding this issue, count me in as a member (15' MBP TB) of the same problem,
Anyway, looking at the issue, I have tried 3 different dongles/adapters (USB-C to USB-A), 6 different USB 3.0 devices, and 1 USB connected Printer.
One I bought at the Apple Store, it's not an official apple adapter but from a third party company, it's made out of plastic and cuts out wifi not all the time, so it's not certain when it will happen with this device. Though if I connect a USB 3.0 flash drive that's made of metal it directly cuts out my wifi and it's repeatable. But, same adapter, plastic USB drive, no issue whatsoever.
Second adapter I got from an online store and is very cheap (5$), this one is made of metal though, doesn't matter what device I plug in, its a disaster, cuts out wifi right away
Thirdly, I bought a multi-adapter from X***mi (well built to be honest), this adapter has less issues, the metal usb flash drive seems to work, but I see that there are some wifi networks I can no longer discover and are 802.11g (I don't know what this means by the way but it's a pattern I found). Then I tried a Seagate External Drive which also has a metal chassis, and same as the metal usb drive, it removes some networks from the list. Lastly, I have an older WD HDD completely made of plastic, and a brand new Transcend HDD. These seem to be working fine with no issues.
The USB connected printer shows no issues at all
So, I think I will agree with the ideas I've read above, it's a network interference. Since metal can transmit signals better (I think), the interference is more severe.
But as a personal opinion, Yes I'm a bit disappointed that this is happening to highly priced device from Apple, and would really hope for apple to find a solution, maybe a software update or firmware update that may fix this headache. But apart from that, I think that the 2016 MacBook lineup is great for my purposes.
I'm a newbie and newcomer from Indonesia
I've carefully read all your discussions regarding this issue, count me in as a member (15' MBP TB) of the same problem,
Anyway, looking at the issue, I have tried 3 different dongles/adapters (USB-C to USB-A), 6 different USB 3.0 devices, and 1 USB connected Printer.
One I bought at the Apple Store, it's not an official apple adapter but from a third party company, it's made out of plastic and cuts out wifi not all the time, so it's not certain when it will happen with this device. Though if I connect a USB 3.0 flash drive that's made of metal it directly cuts out my wifi and it's repeatable. But, same adapter, plastic USB drive, no issue whatsoever.
Second adapter I got from an online store and is very cheap (5$), this one is made of metal though, doesn't matter what device I plug in, its a disaster, cuts out wifi right away
Thirdly, I bought a multi-adapter from X***mi (well built to be honest), this adapter has less issues, the metal usb flash drive seems to work, but I see that there are some wifi networks I can no longer discover and are 802.11g (I don't know what this means by the way but it's a pattern I found). Then I tried a Seagate External Drive which also has a metal chassis, and same as the metal usb drive, it removes some networks from the list. Lastly, I have an older WD HDD completely made of plastic, and a brand new Transcend HDD. These seem to be working fine with no issues.
The USB connected printer shows no issues at all
So, I think I will agree with the ideas I've read above, it's a network interference. Since metal can transmit signals better (I think), the interference is more severe.
But as a personal opinion, Yes I'm a bit disappointed that this is happening to highly priced device from Apple, and would really hope for apple to find a solution, maybe a software update or firmware update that may fix this headache. But apart from that, I think that the 2016 MacBook lineup is great for my purposes.
Hi Guys,
I'm a newbie and newcomer from Indonesia
I've carefully read all your discussions regarding this issue, count me in as a member (15' MBP TB) of the same problem,
Anyway, looking at the issue, I have tried 3 different dongles/adapters (USB-C to USB-A), 6 different USB 3.0 devices, and 1 USB connected Printer.
One I bought at the Apple Store, it's not an official apple adapter but from a third party company, it's made out of plastic and cuts out wifi not all the time, so it's not certain when it will happen with this device. Though if I connect a USB 3.0 flash drive that's made of metal it directly cuts out my wifi and it's repeatable. But, same adapter, plastic USB drive, no issue whatsoever.
Second adapter I got from an online store and is very cheap (5$), this one is made of metal though, doesn't matter what device I plug in, its a disaster, cuts out wifi right away
Thirdly, I bought a multi-adapter from X***mi (well built to be honest), this adapter has less issues, the metal usb flash drive seems to work, but I see that there are some wifi networks I can no longer discover and are 802.11g (I don't know what this means by the way but it's a pattern I found). Then I tried a Seagate External Drive which also has a metal chassis, and same as the metal usb drive, it removes some networks from the list. Lastly, I have an older WD HDD completely made of plastic, and a brand new Transcend HDD. These seem to be working fine with no issues.
The USB connected printer shows no issues at all
So, I think I will agree with the ideas I've read above, it's a network interference. Since metal can transmit signals better (I think), the interference is more severe.
But as a personal opinion, Yes I'm a bit disappointed that this is happening to highly priced device from Apple, and would really hope for apple to find a solution, maybe a software update or firmware update that may fix this headache. But apart from that, I think that the 2016 MacBook lineup is great for my purposes.
In order for Apple to completely fix this issue, they would need to abandon USB 3.1 entirely. At best, with the next MacBook Pro refresh, they could perhaps design a WiFi card/antenna with better shielding, which could reduce the issue, but will probably not eliminate it (Mac Mini experiments with this saw notable improvements, but not eliminations.) This issue isn't unique to the new MacBook Pro, as it has affected older MBPs and other devices since the release of the 3.0 spec (which is now 3.1 gen 1.)
Your options are to either go to USB 2.0, Thunderbolt, or eSATA, or shift to a wired internet connection or one that runs 5 GHz exclusively. The reason your printer shows no issues at all is because it is likely a USB 2 connection, which does not cause the same issues as the 3.1 specification. This is one of several reasons I've come to strongly prefer eSATA and Thunderbolt over USB 3.1 for secondary storage devices that will stay attached & running long-term/permanently.
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Yeah,
I'm really hoping that apple "can" come up with a fix. But at the moment I don't have any possibility to change my wireless router, use USB 2 (coz I need the speed from usb 3). But anyway... We'll see what comes up...
The issue probably will not get any better with the 2016 (the 2017 might incorporate better shielding). eSATA might become your new best friend forever...especially if you use external SATA SSDs (hopefully a direct TB3-->eSATA 6g adapter will come out soon if it hasn't already!)
eSATA? I will take a look at this. Has anyone tried an external SSD drive yet? Or maybe a direct cable from External Hardrive to USB-C? It's just a little funny having to adjust some equipment that are fairly new around early 2016 to the new MacBook. But anyway, we should try to make the best of it... keeping positive...
by the way, having this issue reduce the internet / wifi discovery is something I think I can work around. I'm questioning though, if we keep using these devices on the MacBook, does this by any chance damage the MacBook?
eSATA is the interface that the Mac world kind of never gave much attention to (myself included, for many years.) It has several major downsides, and is becoming less common as the (very awesome) USB-C connector gains traction, but with single-disk SATA SSDs and HDDs, I find eSATA is sometimes quite a bit faster than USB 3.1, find that HDDs tend to work very consistently in their sleep cycles when using eSATA, with external SSDs via eSATA you can enable TRIM, and it causes absolutely zero interference issues. These reasons were enough to offset the downsides, such as lack of dedicated bus power, a connector that is nowhere near as durable as USB-C, and the tendency of eSATA enclosures to be more professionally-oriented products (with a professionally-oriented price.)
I find it can pretty much saturate the full ability of single-disk SATA SSDs. For example, my Samsung 850 Pro via eSATA 6G will read at around 530-550 MB/s and write at about 475 MB/s - in USB enclosures and a Thunderbolt enclosure, I don't get speeds that high - this could partly be the enclosures, but I have a lot of USB enclosures! The same goes with HDDs, in that with some 7200 RPM HDDs I can get over 230 MB/s with eSATA.
Another thing you can try is changing the wifi router channel - some channels seem to suffer more issues with USB interference than others, in certain circumstances. A direct certified cable with really solid shielding could also help, as could experimenting with which ports cause more/less interference with which devices (i.e., keeping the offending connections as far away from the wifi antenna as possible could help.)
Thanks for your feedback and input, most appreciated. So I guess I will start looking at cables first, since the drives are still quite new I don't see buying new drives again just now. I will try switching between ports and see what happens. So far the one closer to you on the left side is quite stable for now. But I will try the other 3.
But I will surely have a look at eSATA, and see where that goes.
I notice with my system that its not the drive but the amount of devices plugged into the USB ports. So if I use my external drive by itself its fine. If I plug in a jump drive and a iPhone to charge the wifi goes out the window. Anyone else seeing the amount of USB devices used verses a particular drive impacting their wifi?
Eric
Well it's impossible the iPhone has any impact since it's USB 2.0 and the problem is limited to USB 3.0.
But since it's an interference issue, it's probable that it get worse with the number of USB 3 devices.
Hi everybody, I have the same issue.
I'm using a third party USB-C adapter, and the wifi drops when it's connected. As soon as I unplug it, the video stream resumes.
Apple is now a f*cking adapter retailer, and had always been an overpriced devices seller. Only using it because my fellow designers all use this crap.
I'm using a third party USB-C adapter, and the wifi drops when it's connected. As soon as I unplug it, the video stream resumes.
Apple is now a f*cking adapter retailer, and had always been an overpriced devices seller. Only using it because my fellow designers all use this crap.
Not sure if you ever figured this out, but yes external drives cause this issue. I have a late 2016 Macbook Pro and I have a toshiba external HD and when plugged in it interferes with wifi and connection to my apple watch to unlock it.
Hi /V\acpower, Please help me... My macboop pro 15inch 2016 touch bar is giving this problem. I bought first a no-original dongle, later on I bought a third part adapter on Apple Store (Hyper Drive) it was fine until yesterday when I connected the dongle + HDIM cable + TV of my office, funny enough, I have used it before and it worked like charm and then all of the sudden it started again.... Where is the problem ? is it the MacBook or the dongle ??
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Can I just change from 2,4hhz to 5ghz ? does it affect the speed or something?
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For the record, I'm having these kinds of issues on my 15" 2017 MBP. Not that it's any surprise, as it seems to be a USB-C peripheral issue. However, the issue hasn't been fixed with the new machines. Thank goodness for this thread so I know how to deal...
thanks for the great info!
thanks for the great info!
I use the apple USB-C/HDMI multiport adapter and this drives me crazy. I got around it by not using the USB-C plug on the adapter itself. I just run the USB-C power cord directly into my Mac and the adapter only for HDMI. That seems to have fixed wifi drops so far.
Yes i have the same issue with the 13'MBP, one I use external hdd from WD with a USB-C cable the Wi-Fi drop, but not with all Wi-Fi connection. For example in the hotel drop, but at home with my airport no issue.
Just had a week of frustration with a new MBP, finally returned it and got a replacement. The dongles kill the WiFi signal ... it will stay connected for a while then it will drop until you unplug the dongles ... major bug for Apple to fix. You can either have WiFi or something connected to your device ... you can't have both. Pathetic treatment by Apple, they force everyone to use Thunderbolt connections ... but never test to see if they work with WiFi.
Was this with a new (as in 2017) MBP or with a 2016 model? If this is an issue on 2017 as well then that's a bummer.
2017 ... I purchased it last week 18/7/17. You can't have external devices (ie. iPhone or external Hard Drive) and WiFi. It will last for a short while before it drops. Unplug the external devices and wi-fi returns. I have 2 different dongles ... it happens with both of them. It is a major Apple problem ... no idea how they can fix it with a software update.
This issue applies to both the 2016 and 2017 models, as well as the 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012 models, because it stems from USB 3.1 (formally USB 3.0.) Some systems seem more sensitive to it than others, but I've noticed some degree of USB 3.1 interference with 2.4 GHz signals on every device I have ever owned that supports USB 3. With some Macs this has been more significant than with others.
You can try upgrading the wireless router to one which supports 5 GHz, or changing the channel for 2.4 GHz on your current router. Going to channel 2 seems to reduce the effect of USB 3.1 interference with 2.4 GHz signals for me, as did changing some of the cables themselves.
Hi my Netgear router already supports 5 Ghz - and it's enabled. I reported the issue to Apple today and an engineer will reply with (hopefully) a solution in the next few days. I had to return an adapter I purchased a couple of days ago (because it was for Lightning not USB-C) so I now have an external drive attached via an Apple dongle. I will see if this fixes the problem. What I found interesting with the Apple dongle is that it required a quite big software update when it was plugged in along with restarting the computer. Never experienced that before with an USB cable or external device. Unless that's the norm with Apple dongles, I suspect it's an issue they are aware of - hence the big software update and restart.
It was super weird today. I started experiencing this problem while tethered to my phone. I've been using my personal hotspot in my hotel room for the past week or so without any issues. Then when I had plugged in my external drive to watch a movie. I lose my internet connection.
I was able to get it to run albiet slowly with the hotel's wifi. But I could not get my hotspot to work at all. I tried restarting it and everything. All my other devices like my apple tv and ipad pro were running fine. And i only realized the issue was with the harddrive, when I finally unplugged it.
I was able to get it to run albiet slowly with the hotel's wifi. But I could not get my hotspot to work at all. I tried restarting it and everything. All my other devices like my apple tv and ipad pro were running fine. And i only realized the issue was with the harddrive, when I finally unplugged it.
SOLUTION! I finally figured out why this happens.
If you plug in the dongle into the MacBook Pro with the HDMI attached already it fails.
You must plug in the dongle first, then connect HDMI chord to the Dongle adaptor.
Hope that helps anyone with the issue of losing the internet/wifi the second you plug an external monitor into
a MB PRO 13" Late 2016 Model, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Rhoadsie