Airport Problem since 10.4.6

Ever since 10.4.6, I have had issue with airport. It always stays connected to my wireless network.
however, the internet will periodically stop working (happens several times a day very annoying). I have to turn off airport and turn it on again, to make internet start working again. This does not happen to my Powrbook and PC on the same network.
Any ideas? Thanks.

Sorry, this isn't a helpful reply, but I thought it might be worth pointing out that I have the same (or a very similar) problem.
I'm running a 20 inch Intel Mac, which prior to 10.4.6 suffered from that other horrible airport problem described under the 'Airport Speed Problem' threads on this forum. That has since been resolved by 10.4.6 (network speeds are normal). However, my iMac periodically loses the wireless network when I wake it up from sleep mode (I go from four bars to no signal). To get it back I usually have to switch off my airport card, put the iMac to sleep, power cycle the modem (cable) and router then start up the iMac again, and even this cumbersome routine doesn't work all of the time. I know this isn't a problem with my network because I have several other computers in the house that don't register any change or problem with signal levels or connectivity. My iBook, for example, which also runs 10.4.6 doesn't notice any change.
I'm surprised not to see more examples of this problem here, as when I spoke to a Mac genius about it, he said it was a 'known issue', though one more common to the Mac Minis. It has to be a hardware problem in my case. Maybe I need to get my airport express card checked out?
iMac 20" Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Similar Messages

Strange airport problem since 10.5.3 - not solved by x.4

Hello,
as suggested by RodneyW I will try looking for help with an own thread:
I have a major problem with my airport-connection. Until 10.5.2 it worked fine.
I have a MacBook C2D (late 2006) and a Fritz!Box 7270 router with latest firmware. Wireless is set to ngb. The router normally broadcasts via the 2,4 Ghz band using channel 1.
I use WPA (TKIP) and a very strong random password (63 characters, I think).
This worked great until 10.5.3. Since then it is very hard to connect to the network. Sitting next to the router in the same room (no matter whether I am one meter or just centimeters away), I cannot connect most of the times. Mostly I get an error message ("time limit exceeded" should be the correct translation). In case my Mac connects, the connection is very(!) slow or literally doesn't exist at all.
The "funny" / strange thing is: as I walk away from the router, the connection starts getting better! I am now sitting two rooms away and my MacBook next to me connects perfectly!
According to AirportRadar and iStumbler there is no other wireless broadcasting at the same channel as my router does. Next to the router the signal strength is great (but no usable connection), two rooms away my signal strength is even lower than some other signal around here but the internet works fine (I am in fact connected to my network).
What I tried so far:
- repair permission, scan hd for errors (just in case s.o. asks)
- re-installing 10.5.3 using the combo update
- updated to x.4 using the combo update with turned off airport and bluetooth
- deleted my network from the preferred networks and connected again
- changed the ssid
- changed the wpa-password
- reboot in safe mode
- turned off IPv6
- played around with the IO80211Family.kext
Btw., there is no problem with re-connecting after wake-up.
Is there anyone having an idea to solve this? I would add any additional information needed to solve this.

Hooray, working again!
I changed encryption to WPA2 as you suggested. My first experience was that my connection got much faster. Since I have the draft-n-patch installed, sold by Apple some months ago, I was now able to connect using that standard. I never realized that.
Unfortunately, the main problem still existed. Now I slightly modified your second advice and switched to 802.11n+a broadcasting via the 5 Ghz band, used solely by me. And now, the connection even works next to the router! Still looks a bit unstable but I just downloaded a 500 Mb-file without troubles.
Seems as if the great number of networks was one of the reasons for my problem.
The commands mentioned by you return the following now:
agrCtlRSSI: -27
agrExtRSSI: -39
agrCtlNoise: -92
agrExtNoise: -92
state: running
op mode: station
lastTxRate: 300
maxRate: 270
lastAssocStatus: 0
802.11 auth: open
link auth: wpa2-psk
BSSID: 0:1c:4a:4b:f:6a
SSID: Irischer Tanzsaal
MCS: 15
channel: 36,1
SSID BSSID RSSI CHANNEL SECURITY (auth/unicast/group)
axelpaul 00:17:9a:68:bc:85 -53 6 WPA(PSK/TKIP/TKIP)
treggiari 00:1b:2f:5b:bf:d4 -71 11 WPA(PSK/TKIP/TKIP)
WLAN 00:03:c9:a3:42:ca -89 11 WEP
Irischer Tanzsaal 00:1c:4a:4b:0f:6a -27 36 WPA2(PSK/AES/AES)
Any comments?
Thank you very much for your help. I will pay you drink in case we ever meet.

AirPort problem after installing Security Update 2007-007

Help! I installed the security update 2007-007 on my Mac mini os x and now my AirPort is not detecting any signal. Should I backup the system and then reboot? I'm not really sure what to do. I have tried almost everything I can imagine. I checked through the user logs and all was functioning properly until the update installed. All of the settings for the network and internet connect say that they have failed.
Please help! I am not particularly familiar about backing up -- how do I do this? (please spell out for me, I'm really new to mac!)
Thanks in advance

Can't help with the airport problem, since I don't do wireless. As for backing up, these should get you pointed in the right direction:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106941
http://www.macmaps.com/upgradefaq.html
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/installswupdates.html
http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/backuprecovery.html
Since you're a newcomer to the Mac, peruse these:
Switching from Windows to Mac OS X,
Basic Tutorials on using a Mac, and
MacTips Learning Centre.
Additionally, *Texas Mac Man* recommends:
Quick Assist.
Welcome to the Switch To A Mac Guides, and
A guide for switching to a Mac.

External hard drive connected to my airport extreme will no longer open, when navigating to it in Finder, the Finder window quits and reopens, cannot access hard drive, it is visible in airport utility, since the problem began I have updated firmware

External hard drive connected to my airport extreme will no longer open, when navigating to it in Finder, the Finder window quits and reopens, cannot access hard drive, it is visible in airport utility, since the problem began I have updated firmware on Extreme as well as both of my Airport Expresses. Hard drive is USB connected to Extreme.

Reboot the USB drive.. assuming it is powered.. or unplug and replug a self-powered drive.. (you should not use self-powered drives on AE before the latest model.. always use a powered hub).
Does the drive now appear in finder..
If not reboot both drive and the AE.. it should now appear.
If it doesn't work with direct connection try a powered hub.. that can help.

Can't connect to router through airport (problem with encryption)

We have a small office network with several computers connected to a wireless router. A while back all the macs using airport suddenly were no longer able to connect to the internet (email still worked fine) while the windows computers on wireless and macs on lan still work fine.
The router is using WPA personal encryption, and when using this the macs can connect to the wireless network no problems, but then they aren't able to use the internet. as i said though email still works without any problems. We spoke to the tech support at our ISP but macs aren't very common in south africa, so they just suggest we change the encryption from WPA to WEP encryption. I tried both 64 bit and 128 bit but every time i get an error saying: There was an error joining airport network. If I turn off encryption though everything works fine and the macs are able to access the internet without any problems. Anybody have any ideas what might be wrong?

I am having the same problems since 3 days ago (Imac core 2 duo 20" 2,16). I think it was after the 10.4.10 upgrade.
I haven't tested if I can connect an open network (without encryption).
I can't connect to internet using the wifi network... sometimes, i can't even locate the SSID's network.
Even using windows xp with bootcamp i can't use the network, so it's really strange. This can only be firmware/hardware... cause XP on my mac was able to connect and now it can't too. I tried with other computers (notebook) and i can connect without problems.
Have you solved this issue ?
Anyone can help?
Joao Oliveira

Many problems since the update - help?

Hi all,
Let me start by saying that I am, for all intents and purposes, a huge Apple booster. I have a new 24" iMac. I have an Airport Extreme. I have an iBook G3 I use for travel (I'm a journalist) and recently handed down my old G3 iMac to my son after loading it up with RAM. I extoll Apple products because they are elegant and simple, and a pure pleasure to use.
Unfortunately, this hasn't been my experience with Apple TV since the 2.0 update.
My problems since the update include:
1) My Apple TV regularly "hangs" when trying to connect to ATV content. About 50% of the time when I try to play a song or podcast or movie preview -- whatever -- instead of connecting to it, I'll get an "Accessing iTunes Store" message which, after about 30 seconds of the little spinning icon, will inevitably revert to "The iTunes Store is currently unavailable. Try again later." I have to "back out" of the submenu (e.g., "Movies" or "Podcasts" or "TV Shows"), and enter another, different submenu before it will connect. I've tried all combinations of Airport settings ( both 2.4 Ghz and 5Ghz N, mixed b/g/n), and many different channels, but this keeps on happening. I have troubleshot my network connection with my ISP, and have tested the integrity of the line at DSL Reports. The connection and line quality is fine. Connection strength: signal = 54; noise = 92. In other words, decent.
2) When attempting to play HD Trailers, it is now hit and miss whether or not they will load. Instead of a blue progress bar, my screen goes black for about 15-20 seconds. (During this time, I cannot exit out of the action by pressing 'menu' on my Apple remote; it is effectively unresponsive.) After the 15 seconds or so are up, I get the following message: "Selected content is not available. Format is not recognized" -- or something close to this. After I exit, play an SD trailer, and then hit into the same trailer again, it will often (but not always) work.
3) Album cover art flips often "stick" when turning, especially when playing songs with long, scrolling titles. (I spent a lot of time on the phone with an Apple TV Product Specialist and, after he replicated the issue, he passed on his findings to the Apple Engineering. It is, I was informed, not high on their list of priorities
4) Unplugging and then replugging the ATV to reboot causes a small electrical spark. Needless to say, I don't tempt fate by doing this any more, and instead use the "-" and "menu" restart method.
All in all, a very disappointing experience of late. Very un-Apple.
By the way, connecting to YouTube videos and Flickr contacts ALWAYS works. No problems at all with any non-Apple site accessed through the ATV. So the problem lies with Apple.
Is anyone else experiencing similar difficulties? I'm at my wit's end with this thing. Never thought I'd be saying that about an Apple product. But I want to try and solve it, so I'm asking for help. If nothing can be done, I'm going to ask Apple to replace it, or return it.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Rick Rouse wrote:
Trust me you are not alone. Apple's "not high on their list of priorities" response is outrageous.
That was a paraphrase. The exact words, I'm afraid, I didn't write down. I wish I had, though. It was truly a beautiful example of corporate bafflegab. Something like: "since this only affects the visual aspects of the unit and not its overall performance" -- I told the (very nice) product specialist that the Apple TV was pretty well ALL AND ONLY about visuals. (FWIW, he agreed.) Anyway...

Mac Pro SL Wifi / Airport Problems... big time !

Hey everyone,
im typing this text on my 600 euro sony subnotebook because of wireless problems with my 6 Core Xeon Mac Pro Late 2010 i paid 6024 euros for.
Whats the Problem ?...
My Airport connenction is usual 4 times slower than on every other wifi device on my netgear wnr 2000v2 Router. And extremly instable too... it drops down to 0 bytes per second transfer for over 1 minute peaking at 40kb and dropping down to 0 bytes again... all other devices run at 200 kb/s at least...
I tried so far:
resetting the pram
deleting the System Configuration Folder from /Macintosh HD/ Library/ Preferences....
deleting Keychain Passwords for wifi
deleting all chaches via Cocktail
resetting smc
resetting the router
tried every firmware version on my router
tried different channels on my router
tried every encryption and no encryption on my router
tried b/g/n modes on my router
tried to deactivate quality of service settings on the router
installed a combo update of 10.6.7 snow leopard over the first 10.6.7 installation
nothing worked,increased the bandwith / stability, or it worked ony for a couple off minutes or 2 restarts...
i know these Mac OS X wireless problems since i got my Powerbook G4 in 2005 with Panther and Tiger and Leopard and i cannot believe after 5 Years of Development a Unix based OS has problems with networking... i expect a Unix OS to work like 1+1= 2 and not 1+1=268 on a rainy day, on sunny days its 739... this is what i experienced from windows systems in the past... i have my doubts that 10.6.8 will solve this problem... oh wait, maybe lion will fix this !

If you've never had good WiFi performance from the MP, that suggests a hardware issue, such as a loose antenna connection.

ITunes 6.0.5 and Airport Problem

A short description of my recent problem is that iTunes 6.0.5 crashes my wireless connection when streaming music to my stereo via an Airport Express. The problem was repeatable and frequent. Reverting to iTunes 6.0.4 seems to make all the problems go away.
Before updating my MacBook recently to 10.4.7 from 10.4.6, and updating from iTunes 6.0.4 to 6.0.5, I updated my bootable system backup on an external Firewire drive, first repairing permissions.
After updating my MacBook, everything associated with the Airport Express seemed to function perfectly, except I had massive problems with attempting to stream music from iTunes. When first choosing in iTunes to connect to the external wireless target, music would begin playing and then my entire airport connection would dispappear within seconds. The menu bar throughput icon would go from 4 bars to nothing and my network SSID would disappear from the drop down. After toggling the airport on and off for a while, along with toggling the iTunes external/internal target control, I could eventually finagle a stable connection, which would last for maybe 15 minutes at a time. Then the connection would drop.
I happened to be one of the early 10.4.7 upgraders who used the non-combo updater, so when Apple announced that files were missing from the delta updater, I downloaded the new version and repeated the upgrade (successfully, indicated by the suffix on the new build number). Again a perfectly stable wireless connection through the 133 MB download; wireless works fine as long as iTunes is not involved.
The problem persisted after the 10.4.7 re-upgrade. I then tried booting from my external drive backup, into 10.4.6 and iTunes 6.0.4. The problem went away.
I then restored iTunes 6.0.4 from my backup to my internal drive, replacing 6.0.5. So far, everything is working perfectly again, with iTunes 6.0.4 under OS 10.4.7.
The airport problem seemed to be entirely on the MacBook side, not the Airport Express, since I never saw the Airport light change from green and the displayed connection time has stayed at x days and counting across all the times the airport connection disappeared, including when booted from the external drive.
So based on my experience, it would appear that there is a problem with iTunes 6.0.5. Anyone else see similar behavior or, conversely, can confirm that they are successfully streaming from a configuration similar to a MacBook through an Airport Express with iTunes 6.0.5 and OS 10.4.7?
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Just to bring closure to this thread, I am now successfully using iTunes 6.0.5 with OS 10.4.7: the problems I reported have disappeared.
Contrary to my original post, with more use I saw some drop-out problems with 6.0.4, though far less severe than with 6.0.5.
It occurred to me that maybe what I was seeing was due to the iTunes app paging, but I could find no direct evidence of that.
It then happened that I began experiencing the random shutdown problem that some MacBook users have reported (many posts in the MacBook forum). I sent in my machine for repair.
In the few days since I received the repaired machine back, I have had no random shutdowns. I also noticed I had no iTunes wireless dropouts with 6.0.4. I then re-upgraded to 6.0.5. No problems have surfaced. The only other software change at the system level I have made is to update the SMC firmware, which makes the machine run cooler.
I have no explanation and speculation seems pointless. (The shutdown repair consisted of replacing the heat sink and top case; as far as I know, no involvement with airport components.) But I'm again a happy camper.

Wifi problems since 10.5.8 Update. Even after Snow Leopard Upgrade.

Wifi problems since 10.5.8 Update. Even after Snow Leopard Upgrade.
Is there any way to use a 10.5.7 wireless .kext files on Snow Leopard? And where can I find the files?

Ok, I have the fix!! After several frustrating days it finally just works.
The process:
Upgrade your Macs to 10.6 (Snow Leopard)
Powercycle your modem AND time capsule / airport TWICE
Reset your time capsule with a pin or paperclip on the back
Follow the prompts to setup your time capsule / airport access
-- On your Macs
Go to System Preferences > Network > Airport > Advanced > TCP/IP
Click "Renew DHCP Lease" then click "Ok"
Click Apply
Turn off Airport
Turn Airport on
IT WORKS!!!
One of the magical people at tech support walked me through it earlier today. The whole process took about 1.5 hrs because Show Leopard takes about an hour to install on one machine.
Hope this helps-
Joshua

Airport problems after update

I have been using my 20" Intel iMac for a few months now and have had no problems getting the built-in airport device to connect to my wireless home network. Yesterday, I downloaded and installed the new airport system update, and ever since I've been having big trouble. It doesn't show any available network connection at all (and I know my wireles network is working because my laptop can still connect). If I restart the computer, sometimes it will find my network and sign on, but then it drops the connection after just a few minutes and goes back to saying it can't detect any available networks. Has anyone else had any problems since the new update? Any suggestions on what to do? Thanks.

Unfortunately, I can't get any of your suggestions to work. If I restart the computer and go through the Network Diagnostics set-up, I can sometimes get it to find my home network and connect, though not everytime. The connection might last from 2 minutes to an hour or more, but then it is inevitably lost, and Airport shows no available networks, even though my MacBook is still connected to my home network and shows several other available networks from neighbors' houses, too. It seems like it must be a software problem since I had no problems before the update. Does anyone know anything else I can try short of taking it in to an Apple Store? Thanks for all your suggestions.

Macbook airport problems linked to battery power?

I too have experienced the macbook/airport problem, specifically since 10.5.8 came back. When I upgraded to 10.5.8, it was so useless that I just reinstalled tiger. Then Snow leopard came out and I upgraded only to experience the same problem but not as severe.
I have just been able to pin/point the problem today (mainly because I just grew so frustrated and spent considerable time trying to figure out). I have tried all the other potential fixes posted on here to no avail (changes airport settings, replacing card, changing dynamic IP to manual, encryption etc).
This is what I have determined and was able to reproduce it:
When macbook is running on power (plugged in):
If battery power is below 60%, connection is spotty - the lower it is, the worst the problem.
If the battery power is above 60%, no problems at all, runs fast and no drops.
When macbook power is not plugged in and running on battery:
Below 60% almost useless
Above 60% spotty and worse as the battery drains
Can anyone else test this out? I've sent Apple an e-mail.

I've gone down to maybe 15% without any noticable difference in connection.

Hp4050tn connection through airport problems

Printer: HP4050TN
Computer: iMac 27" (2010) w/ OS 10.6.8
Wireless Router: Airport Extreme
Connection: Ethernet RJ45 printer to Airport
Problem: I have had this configuration since 5/2010, and a week ago for some reason the iMac would not connect with the printer. I have tried all the combinations I can think of, with reboots and restarts, to no avail. I have also tried a direct connection via ethernet to the iMac, but the print menu returns the same error, "Unable to connect to printer".
Any assistance will be greatly appreciated!

Let's double-check your Mac's Internet Sharing settings ...
To setup for Internet Sharing (Wired to Wireless):
Setup the Network
Cable Modem > (Ethernet cable) > \[Ethernet port] Mac > (wireless) > PS3
Enable Software Firewall
System Preferences > Security > Firewall
o Block all incoming connections (enabled)
Enable Internet Sharing
System Preferences > Sharing
o Select "Internet Sharing" from the options in the left column
o Share your connection from: Built-in Ethernet
o To computers using: AirPort (checked) (Note: Uncheck all other entries in the list.)
AirPort Options...
o Network Name: <anything you want>
o Channel: Automatic
o Enable encryption (using WEP) (optional)
o Password: (optional)
o Confirm Password: (optional)
o WEP Key Length: (optional)
o Click OK
o Select "Internet Sharing" again
o Click "Start" to start Internet Sharing
o Click Start

A possible workaround for C2D Airport problems?

A collegue advised the other day to download iStumbler, a free application that seems to sit and monitor all connections coming in your Airport, also for Bluetooth, Bonjour, etc.
Well, I did... and ever since this thing started to work seeing my Network wifi the airport bars has returned back to the maximum level and there has been no connection drops, re-connecting flawlessly after sleep.
Its funny also how iStumbler is able to see more Network wifis than the Airport menu: I see 2, sometimes 3 connections that I never saw on the Airport menu.
The signal is reported to be at 70% with a 13% noise. But working great!
Can someone with Airport problems try this solution and see if it works too? Maybe we are into something?
Regards,
-- Carlos

I had installed istumbler a couple of days ago it did seem to improve the signal for a period then the signal dropped back to the normal 4/5 bars.
After your post I started istumbler again and found there was an update the purports to solve signal problems with core 2 Duo macs.
I have updated and have full signal strength for last 5 minutes longer than ever before.
Fingers crossed

I'm having all kinds of problems since loading Lion and I really wish I hadn't bought it yet. Even after the software update today, 1. my modem still won't work, 2. Photoshop Elements produces muddy photo prints, etc. Anybody at Apple listening?

I'm having all kinds of problems since loading Lion and I really wish I hadn't bought it yet. Even after the software update today, 1. my modem still won't work, 2. Photoshop Elements produces muddy photo prints, 3. View preferences in windows don't hold, etc. Anybody at Apple listening? Anybody else out there having these kinds of problems?

10.7 was horrible unstable so I waited until 10.7.1 and tried it again. Well I have to say that it is still a defective OS. I am reverting to Snow as we speak from my carbon clone copy.. This is really the worst OSX I have ever used. It gives me random Kernel panics for no reasons, unstable airport and hundreds of small issues that are just not necessary. For instance I can't use QuickTime in Lion to trim a videoclip ( the UI goes mad and the trimslider becomes inoperable and hangs the Player window ) while in Snow it is no problem. Itunes gives me crackling sound when the equalizer is turned on, Graphical glitches in Photoshop, games crashing, Preview.app not working with some pdfs, so I need Adobes reader which I never used before.. It is definately not ripe for mass usage. Might 10.7.2 or 10.7.3 fix it, but not yet.
* and just for the records : the hardware is absoltely ok. Because in Snow it works as it should. ( So many Lion fanbois are talking : "your Ram is defect", defintely NOT. - Lion is defect! ).
Shame on you Apple.
Message was edited by: Sjazbec

Airport problem 2

since apple closed the previous port related to airport problems , now noone can put their experiences, that i think it can help apple to see the problem we are experiencing here. please put all the details so apple will read this and arrive to a good idea of what's going on.
i have 2 mbp
1 2.33 ghz ,2gb, 120gb 10.5.1
2 2.0 ghz ,2gb, 120 gb 10.4.11
the laptop runing 10.4.11 is also aving issues with the wireless, so is not only the leopard one. now, i downgraded my 10.5.1 to 10.4.10 and i have no more wireless issues anymore with that laptop. so there's a problem in networking software design with 10.4.11 and 10.5 and 10.5.1 . that is what i experienced. i did not want to go back to windows, so i purchased a linux machine to survive junt in case apple will ..... but still have faith, just i'm waiting for months, like others are doing too.

There's another thread called "Airport Problem" that goes into extraordinary detail about the behavior he's experiencing. Since someone locked the thread it is now being pushed back by current updates to other threads, in this category, but I recommend going back and skimming the comments in that thread to get a better idea of what is going on. You can't miss it, it has 33,000 views and 530+ comments.
I have been experiencing similar wireless behavior. I installed Leopard 10.5.0 (as an update) and my wireless connections became intermittent: I would see the airport icon in the menu bar indicate full strength, a few seconds later the icon indicates zero (0) strength, and then the indicator shows full strength again. This happens about three to five times per minute, and makes real time tasks, like playing in a raid on a Warcraft server, appear to lag badly for a few seconds up to about three times a minute. My interim solution for this was to drape 50' of cat 5 from the router to my office and wire in. Worked well enough for me to get work done and let Apple take the time to identify and fix the problem.
I did eventually do a clean install of Leopard, but that did not clean up my wireless signal problem.
Here's the interesting news, however. I'm using someone else's wireless facility at this moment. That facility used the same wireless router I've been trying to use with Leopard at my normal office location without success. So, predictably, when I first tried to use the wireless router here, I was seeing the same problem. Then a couple hours later, that router's transmitter appears to have died, because nobody here was able to see it on the Airport list.
We replaced the dead router with a new one of the same make and model (different revision), but with a different third-party firmware package.
I now have a rock solid wireless connection. It no longer drops signal strength to zero three times per minute.
This leads me to conclude that while there is still a problem with code in Leopard that makes it not work with some wireless routers that worked fine with Tiger, it is entirely possible to work around the problem by installing a different 50 dollar wireless router. Take your machines and try (with permission!) to use different wireless connections to see if any work.
I notice that AP Grapher indicates another wireless access point using the same channel as the AP I'm attempting to use, and the app also shows my transmit rate dropping to zero periodically. Nevertheless, the wireless appears to work now. I'll be changing my own wireless access point shortly.

Airport Problem since 10.4.6

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