Wifi bounces from full bars to none, then drops

[ununhexium]

I have done some searches, but from the nature of my internet I hope you can understand if this question is a repeat, if so please point me in the right direction.

I am using a August 2007 black macbook with airport extreme using 10.4.11

I am using a neighbors wireless network that is WPA. I live in Senegal and my computer is American, and I have heard that this might cause problems because of hardware. But the wifi connection works, it just bounces from full bars to no bars, spends a lot of time at 1 bar, and then when the connection drops and I try to rejoin the network, it says that there was an error. Sometimes, the network won't even show up.

After long stretches of time trying to rejoin the network only to find an error, it will suddenly work.

I have tried using interference robustness and relocating my computer. The router is just one floor above me, and when it was being installed (before they applied the pw) I had full bars. I think this is a mac problem because my host sister's PC does not seem to be experiencing problems. Also, due to the nature of the wifi (it belongs to my moroccan neighbors), I really can't make any changes on the router's end.

Thanks for any help.

 

[jtibbitt]

When my computer first connects to any signal (weak or strong), it gets full bars for at least a couple of seconds. If the signal is strong, it stays at full bars. If the signal is weak, it drops down to one bar. If really weak, it might pick up the signal, get full bars, then drop down to one or none. If the signal is weak, it will rarely go from one bar to full bars. It always loses the signal first, then reacquires it to get full bars briefly (for a couple seconds) then goes back down to one or none. So maybe you are losing and reacquiring a signal?

But then again, routers can sometimes act funny, and even if your computer is 10 feet from it, it loses and reacquires the signal.

 

[Flore]

I also believe this is due to low signal strength.

Have you tried moving the Macbook near your sisters PC and see if it is able to keep the connection there?
This might be an indicator.