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Penryn MBP Constantly Dropping Wireless

W

wcprice

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 8, 2007
8
0
My new Penryn MBP is driving me nuts. It's got the yellow screen issue, as well as the dark bands on screen upon restarting from sleep issue, but what gets me most is the constantly dropped wireless connections.

I don't want to call this computer a piece of crap, but it's driving me nuts.

Anyone have any particularly good advice on the dropped wireless connections issue at least?

Thanks,

Clark
 
wcprice said:
My new Penryn MBP is driving me nuts. It's got the yellow screen issue, as well as the dark bands on screen upon restarting from sleep issue, but what gets me most is the constantly dropped wireless connections.

I don't want to call this computer a piece of crap, but it's driving me nuts.

Anyone have any particularly good advice on the dropped wireless connections issue at least?

Thanks,

Clark
Click to expand...

Update your routers firmware. That coupled with the Apple updates fixed my issues in Feb. Give it a try
 
I had this problem with my MacBook. My mac mini, xbox 360, iPhone and old iBook worked great but for some reason my new MacBook kept dropping the signal. Check to see what channel your router is broadcasting a signal. 95% of the time its on channel 1 (default). The problem with this is that the lower channels are the same as what your cordless phone or microwave, etc. is using so basically theres a traffic jam on the freeway, so to speak. Try changing the broadcast signal to either 9 or 11. Those will work the best. I set my AEBS to channel 9 and now it works great with any device I have.
 
Have Apple Routers

Actually, I have all Apple wireless routers, which I've updated with latest firmware. As far as I know, it's not possilbe to specify which channel to use on the Apple Airport Extreme N, is it?
 
Same here on a MBP 15 2.16ghz core duo... it just won't hold wireless... regardless of any wireless network i'm on...

Really sucks. I thought it must have been a hardware fault until i read all these leopard/wireless issues...

Also, the damn thing only started acting flakey after a while, with no change in config... i mean everything was working fine and i'd been using 10.5.2 for a few weeks... and then all of a sudden it just started dropping the connection... it's a real hassle.
 
Old Macbook Pro was Better

It's not a question of the aluminum, as my previous MBP (which my wife now uses) does not drop connections at exactly the same place.
 
This happened to me all the time with my last machine. We moved and now it doesn't happen! I chalk it up to interference. If you have AirPorts, why not try to configure them for 5GHz only? See if it still happens.
 
If you have issues with the screen and airport, why not just get it repaired or exchanged?

Have you tried adjusting / disabling the security on your wireless to see if that is the problem? I think I had to set mine to WPA2 Personal. Also, is your router's SSID being broadcast or not? My MBP had problems when SSID was hidden.
 
is this a common problem?

i've heard rumors of this and one of the reasons why I'm purchasing a new MBP soon is because my current desktop is having severe problems maintaining a wireless connection

(I have two networks on campus. one uses leap authentication and is about to be shut down and the other is the new wpa2 authentication)

I'd hate to purchase the new notebook only to have similar disconnects on the wpa2 network
 
It happens occasionally for me. It didn't happen once with my last MBP (2.2 SR Merom), same router and setup/settings etc.

I can fix it by clicking on the Airport icon, and waiting for a couple of seconds while it changes from "Scanning" to "On". It then seems to reconnect.

Odd.
 
I had an issue with the connection dropping when my laptop came out of sleep too. Actually is was taking it over 5 minutes to connect back to the web. long story short, it was an issue with my 'Locations' in the Network tab. I called Apple and they walked me through how to fix it. They had me create a new location and re-setup my wireless connection. Took 5 minutes - after that I have been good to go.
 
Is this one of those problems that sounds worse than it really is because I've been snooping around on a troubleshooting forum?

Or is the wireless disconnect issue really that bad?

Kinda apprehensive about purchasing a new MBP if I'm going to be suffering from the same wireless problems as my old computer.
 
No it is still a problem. Less since the last update after 10.5.2, but my notebooks still have problems reconnecting after sleep. I have to put them back to sleep three or four times before they can connect to my router without password problems. I have no problems with non-Mac computers on the same router, so it is still a software issue.
 
weckart said:
No it is still a problem. Less since the last update after 10.5.2, but my notebooks still have problems reconnecting after sleep. I have to put them back to sleep three or four times before they can connect to my router without password problems. I have no problems with non-Mac computers on the same router, so it is still a software issue.
Click to expand...

hmm

would you recommend holding off on a purchase until this is ironed out?

paying $2000+ to experience the same issues is probably not a smart idea
 
Problems with wireless disconnects?

I was all set to purchase a MBP today when I started perusing these forums and the official Apple discussion forums and saw a lot of MBP's continue to suffer from the wireless disconnect issues.

Do the Macbooks suffer from a similar issue? From what I've read, the newest updates help to cut down on it so I'm thinking it's a software issue.

But I've also read various reviews citing that the plastic in the Macbooks don't interfere with the wireless signal as much as the aluminum from Macbook Pros.

Anyone care to comment on the severity of these wireless disconnections in either a MBP or a MB?

I ask because one of the biggest reasons I'm purchasing a new laptop is because my old one is suffering from wireless disconnects every 30 seconds or so. (This is due to a network issue. My campus has two wireless networks and the older one that I'm currently on is unreliable. With a newer laptop, I could access the newer network but I don't want to put up with disconnects because of the laptop) I'd hate to spend $2000+ only to suffer the exact same issue I paid to resolve
 
Wireless Disconnections across Macbook line

I've been hearing rumors about wireless disconnections across the entire Macbook line from the whitebooks to the air to the pro.

Are these still plaguing a lot of the users here?

Kind of apprehensive about purchasing a new Mac laptop if they all suffer from this annoying wireless drop issue.
 
I have a MBP and the wireless is as robust, or even more so, then any of the many computers in the house. I have no experience with the Macbook.

My MBP never loses the signal from my Linksys Wireless-G router. The only thing I purchased differently from the standard router, was a couple of "Hi-gain" antennas, and I have a feeling the that those were just a marketing gimmick.

I wonder if a lot of these issues are not caused by the users own network. For instance I know more than one person, that never changes the channel on their router, gets a lot of interference from their neighbors and only after changing the channel, get a better wireless experience.

Other products I own drop the signal. My Xbox 360 is probably the biggest offender, but then again it's antenna is inside a heavy wood entertainment center. Again the MBP have never lost the signal in over two months of owning it.
 
asmallchild said:
I've been hearing rumors about wireless disconnections across the entire Macbook line from the whitebooks to the air to the pro.

Are these still plaguing a lot of the users here?

Kind of apprehensive about purchasing a new Mac laptop if they all suffer from this annoying wireless drop issue.
Click to expand...

Mine was like that when I fist got my MacBook. Along with the 10.5.2 update, however, it was fixed, and now my wireless will stay connected as long as I want it to.

It's a fair assumption that if you get a MacBook it will work fine. If it doesn't, wait for an update or take it to Apple.
 
When I first upgraded from 10.4.10 to 10.5, I was stuck with a LAN cable up until the 10.5.2 release because the connection was so bad. Now its working perfectly fine... I guess its pot luck whether you have a router that plays well with Leopard or not.
 
northernmunky said:
When I first upgraded from 10.4.10 to 10.5, I was stuck with a LAN cable up until the 10.5.2 release because the connection was so bad. Now its working perfectly fine... I guess its pot luck whether you have a router that plays well with Leopard or not.
Click to expand...

I have a terrible D-Link DI524.... I'm surprised it works so well seeing it was only like $49 at RadioShack.
 
I just bought a $3k MBP only to discover this evasive wireless problem exists......and I'm connecting to a new $500 1TB TC; they should speak the same language. My 4 year old Dell Inspiron and MS wireless router had a more reliable constant connection...unlike my new Mac experience. Wish I would have known this prior to making the switch and investing so much $$$.
 
ScottSyrNY said:
I just bought a $3k MBP only to discover this evasive wireless problem exists......and I'm connecting to a new $500 1TB TC; they should speak the same language. My 4 year old Dell Inspiron and MS wireless router had a more reliable constant connection...unlike my new Mac experience. Wish I would have known this prior to making the switch and investing so much $$$.
Click to expand...

thanks

I'll be sure to avoid the same fate then
 
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