Wi-Fi doesn't connect unless next to router [MBP early-2011, 10.9.2]

[BP0413]

Hi guys. Longtime lurker, first-time poster. Hopefully you guys can help me out.

Ever since I "upgraded" my 2011 MacBook Pro to Mavericks last October, I've had an issue in which my laptop fails to connect to Wi-Fi unless I'm sitting close to (or sometimes, next to) the access point. Bluetooth is off, ethernet works fine, and I've made sure to set up the service order to my Wi-Fi and ethernet first. I've tried the trick where I copy and remove the Bluetooth plist file and/or the SystemConfiguration from the computer, then restart, to no avail. I've also reset the PRAM and SMC several times. My network password has been deleted and re-entered in Keychain Access.

This problem has persisted for months. Before I try to get the wireless card repaired or replaced, I want to figure out if this is a software issue, and not related to the hardware -- wireless was working perfectly fine before the update to 10.9!

If anyone can help, I'd really appreciate your responses. Thanks for all you guys do for everyone here.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Boot into Recovery Mode by holding down Command-R during boot - should bring you to an OS X Utilities screen. This is not using any of the OS X boot files or config from your primary partition - click the WiFi icon in Recovery and see if the symptom is the same, or if it works OK.

If it's working properly in Recovery, it's a software issue & can be fixed in OS X. If it's doing the same thing in Recovery, it's not related to software so could well be a hardware problem, or some interference, or some other issue not related to OS X itself.

 

[BP0413]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried this, and upon booting into the Utilities screen, I could get signal from other rooms, albeit a bit weaker. Where do you think I should proceed from here?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried this, and upon booting into the Utilities screen, I could get signal from other rooms, albeit a bit weaker. Where do you think I should proceed from here?

Delete the folder /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ - reboot - rejoin your network.

 

[HappyJun]

Network Assist from System Preferences

Hi, why don't you try Network Assist before deleting everything

Click System Preferences->Network.
Click Assist Me button below.
From the drop-down pop-up, choose Diagnostics...
From the Window, choose Wifi, then choose appropriately what follows next.

Hope this helps.