FWIW...Solved my Airport reception problem on MBP C2D

After 2 hours with AppleCare it turns out I had to many computers on my airport network (7) which slowed down my benchmark internet times on my MBP C2D at speakeasy. It seems an old G3 iMac may be the main culprit. When I turn off its airport my MBP speed goes up 3-4X.
BobM

Nikolaus... I might agree with that except the MBP is the only machine affected. My G4, 1yr old ibook, 2 yr old iMac, and another older G4 are not having any problems. When I turn off the G3 only the MBP C2D improves alot.

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Airport reception problems: SOLVED

For me, at least. I did a number of things while trying to figure this out. Things I believe didn't contribute to the solution are marked with asterisks, and things I did have a number, with notes below.
[*] Set router to channel 11.
[*] Disabled IPv6.
[*] Disabled Interface Robustness (had it on for testing).
[*] In SysPrefs->Network Ports I rearranged Airport to the top and disabled all other ports.
[1] Disabled Bluetooth on my iMac Core Duo (only other box with BT)
[2] Moved antennae positions on router.
[3] Placed router at same height from floor as my Mac Mini.
Notes, and What I Believe Fixed the Problem:
[1] Immediately after disabling BT on my other iMac Core Duo responsiveness on my VNC connection to the Mini increased dramatically. I'm wondering if the BT adapters in the Intel Macs simply don't play nicely with each other. It could also be that they don't play nicely with /any/ other adapters, regardless of brand.
[2] My Linksys WRT54GX2 router has two antennae -- I arranged them so the right antenna is now parallel with the ground and the left antenna is perpendicular.
[3] I did this at the same time as [2], so I am unsure as to which actually finally solved the problem, but I strongly suspect [2] had more impact.
After doing [2] and [3], bingo -- everything working normally. Full signal strength all the time. Good ping times to the router (~2ms -- not as good as my iMac, which gets ~1ms avg, but definitely acceptable). More importantly, my VNC connection is rock-solid -- was getting dropped connections and extremely sluggish performance before.
Now the best part: I just transferred 1GB worth of files to my server in 8 minutes. Compared to the abysmal 2-4 hours I was getting before, I am now happy.
FWIW, the router is located approx. 40-50 feet from the Mini.
My Mini is running 10.4.6 with Airport firmware 0.1.17. Bluetooth is enabled with an Apple BT keyboard and a 3rd party pen mouse connected.
Any other questions, just ask
-jingai
Mac Mini Core Duo 1.66GHz Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I guess it depends entirely where you bought the unit but if it was from the Apple Store online then you would be entitled to return the unit directly to them for replacement of rapid repair. It should be classed as DOA in my opinion. The two week return period is simply a cooling off period if you are not ahppy with your purchase and not if it is defective.
With a problem such as this where it may not be immediately evident that the unit is at fault. Especially given the vague help being offered by the apple support staff with regard to this issue. A defective unit is a defective unit and should be guaranteed for at least a year.
I had to insist but I did get a replacement sent out to me before I had to return my unit which is exactly as it should be. Once the replcaement arrived I transfered my data and returned the faulty unit.
Make sure you properly understand the Warranty and return policies.
PRODUCT WARRANTY
All Apple hardware products, including clearance and refurbished products, carry a one-year Limited Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. You may review a copy of the Limited Warranty on new products, including its limitations and exclusions, before you purchase, by clicking the appropriate link below.
http://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/hardware.html
Dead On Arrival (DOA) Product: System Failure Out of the Box
An Apple-branded hardware product is considered DOA if it shows symptoms of a hardware failure, preventing basic operability, upon its first use out of the box. If you believe that your product is DOA, please call Apple Care Technical Support at 1-800-APL-CARE (1-800-275-2273) within 30 calendar days of the invoice date. Apple Care Technical Support will determine whether the product is DOA and offer you the following options:
* Replacement: The same product that you ordered will be shipped to you at Apple's expense. Apple Care Technical Support will put you in touch with an Apple Store Sales Support Representative to set up a replacement order and provide the procedure for returning the DOA product.
* Service: You may have the product repaired; however, once serviced, the product is no longer eligible for replacement.
Product must be deemed DOA by Apple Care Technical Support within 30 calendar days of the invoice date in order to receive a replacement unit.

Ibook G4 1ghz airport reception problems

hello,
i recently bought an AE card for my ibook G4. i had a chance to test it today and it works, but only within about 6 feet of the wireless router, and even then i only get 2 bars. i tried reconnecting and verifying the antenna connection to the airport card, and then i didn't get any reception at all. many other times i had no reception at all in Public WiFi spots, so i am certain the problem is with the iBook.
Any ideas?
It is out of warranty. Goes to show you that you should test every poosible thing that could not work before your warranty expires, especially seeing as how 50% of Apple products lately seem to have a major defect.

i'm dumb. it was the stupid antenna! fixed though

Airport Reception Problems

Recently my Airport card stopped connecting to the wireless network in my building. After playing around for a while, I noticed that it connects if I move the screen to a certain angle, but once I move it back, the connection drops again. I am the only person in the room experiencing any problems with the network; three people can be within 5 feet of me and have no problems. Is the problem I'm experiencing more likely to be due to a problem with the network or a problem with my Airport card?
Thanks,
Andy
PowerBook G4 17, 1.5 GHz, 1GB RAM, 80 GB HD Mac OS X (10.4.4)

It might be one of several things.
But from what you say it almost sounds like you are getting interference causing you a dead spot.
If you can rearange your computer and can maintain your connection then it sounds like that.
If you have a good connection and can use your computer and not move it and still loose your connection then it might be internal.
Go up to the Airport Signal strength meter at the top of your screen and click it and make sure your your not picking up a different Network.
Sometimes you may need to recheck the correct Network you want to use.
Dont rule out Interference
http://www.gistwireless.com/2.4GHz%20802.11x%20Interference%20Detection%20and%20 Analysis.htm
Cheers Don

Xp networking problems on mbp c2d

i don't know if this problem should be addressed under the mbp forum or boot camp forum so i'll post in both to get the most input.
i'm having a problem connecting to my home wireless network under bootcamp. i installed xp sp2 as well as the driver cd. when i try to connect to my router it takes a long time detecting the network type. then it pops up a window that says "windows is unable to connect to the selected network. the network may no longer be in range. please refresh the list of available networks, and try again." when i connect to another network in range (that has 0 bars) it quickly detects the network type and gives a window where i can enter the wpa password (which i don't have).
the mbp connects fine under os x. my mac mini along w/ a few windows computers in the house have no problems either.
our router is a 2wire that has wep encryption. the ssid is broadcast and found by windows.
any help would be great. this is driving me nuts!!!

That behavior is normal. Intel's chips use a technology called (I believe) "SpeedStep", which dynamically adjusts the processor speed as is needed. This improves battery life and has no impact on performance.
With respect to quitting the battery, I assume you mean to remove it... This will, in fact, freeze the processors at a max of 1GHz, which is a safety feature.
A quick review of these forums would have revealed that, btw.
Thanks for trolling, though!

Bad Airport reception and resetting SMC problem

Hi,
I still have the bad Airport reception problem (see http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1088230&tstart=0).
I did a complete new erase and install with the discs I got with the computer (10.4.10). When I arrived in the Finder, Airport was completely gone. Nothing to see in the menu bar, nothing in SysPrefs, nothing in System Profiler.
I reset the SMC (shut down, remove power, remove battery, hold power key for 5 secs, install battery, connect to power, boot without pushing any keys). Now I got Airport back, although with the same bad reception.
As a bonus, I now have 2 extra problems:
- when the computer goes to sleep after some idle time, it wakes up again within the second
- rebooting gives me a black screen, no chime, caps key light doesn't work, sleep light is on but not flashing, hard drive is still spinning. Only option: hold the power key for several seconds until it shut downs and boot it again.
And by the way: all this after the Airport card has been replaced!
Any similar experiences, or even better: solutions?
Thanks,
Jef

Hello,
I just received my MBP and I can't believe apple could keep ignoring this serious problem. I have a Dlink router and it works terrific with an old sony vaio but not with my brand new Mac!!! Actually my Airport detect several of the wireless networks around home including mine, but the signal indicator remains gray and the message:"there was an error joining the AirPort network "XXXXX" " is shown. What the **** are they doing at Apple? I use to be very confident about the quality of Macs but now ... Please Apple, stop being so arrogant and respect your costumers!!!! Provide a solution

Anyone with a 17" MBP C2D having AirPort issues?

Most of the reports I've seen of people having issues with their MBP C2D and AirPort have the 15" MBP C2D (myself included.)
Has anyone with the 17" MBP C2D had issues, or is it isolated to the 15"?

Hi William
I had a 2.33 15"MBP 2.33and had no probelm with the airport reception (until security update 2006-007 was installed - I erased and reinstalled to get rid of the update and my machine went back to working fine.) Apple have released an update for Airport on the 15". So using software update the machine installed the airport update first, then installed security update 2006-007. Airport worked great.
Due to an excessively grainy display, my reseller allowed me to return the 15" and upgrade it to the 17". Again, this machine has had absolutely no airport issues. Connects full signal to whatever network I have attempted to connect to without issue.
So, I have had both a 15" and a 17", neither of them have had any airport issues, other than the one mentioned above in regards security update 2006-007 on the 15", but Apple did launch an Airport update which fixed this.

MBP C2D + Airport Express + WPA frequently loses connection. but WEP OK

many people seem to have wireless connectivity problems with their MBP
-- here is the problem I see with my 2wk old MBP and my wireless setup at home (Airport Express) and at work (Linksys, model# unknown):
1) MBP C2D + Linksys + WEP = no problems
2) MBP C2D + Airport Express + WEP = no problems
3) MBP C2D + Airport Express + WPA = frequent dropped connection, and poor range
for reference, my previous laptop:
4) Pismo + Airport Express + WEP = no problems
5) Pismo + Linksys + WEP = no problems
with WPA (whether WPA or WPA2) and the MBP, I turn on Airport, signal looks strong, but then suddenly disappears. I have to toggle Airport off and on and then (sometimes) I'll successfully re-establish connection - only to possibly lose it again at some random point in time. Or it may work fine for an hour or more - it's hit or miss. no such problem or inconsistency with WEP enabled instead.
both laptops are running OS X 10.4.8. Of course only 802.11b on the Pismo, but results don't change on the MBP whether b, mixed b/g or only g.
The Airport Express is set up as a closed network, it's running firmware v6.3 (though I also reinstalled v6.1 but no change). I've tried many of the various other ideas for fixes - deleted Airport related keychains, etc played with various other Airport config settings - but all evidence points only to WPA as being the differentiating cause.
does this match anyone else's experience?
and more importantly, is there some fix?
thanks in advance for your feedback or suggestions
MacBook Pro 15.4" 2.33GHz C2D Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hi!
Used to have same problems. But not anymore.
Here's what I did. I have a DLINK 624 router. not the same model but this could help you, I guess
1) Disable Super G mode into router.
2) Choose a 62 character key with a $ in front of it. (go https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm) and use wpa2.
3) Uncheck the Robutesse Interference (sorry, i am french) in the airport menu.
4) Change the advanced performance settings from auto to 11 (Tx rate) into router.
5) Whent into keychains and only kept the one for the active wi-fi. Since I tried almost verything, there where a lot!
Since I did that, no more lost connection for a day now!
Now I am not saying that this is the ultimate fix....but It worked for me.
BTW, did not do the SMC and EFI upgrade, still a little scared after what I read in the forums...I bought my mac book pro last week...how come it did not came with all the upgrade done??!! bizarre.
Good luck!

MBP C2D unable to boot on external OSX 10.4.8

I have a Mac mini CD and a external HDD, both are installed with OSX 10.4.8. My Mac mini can boot on both OSX. However the MBP C2D is unable to boot on both (mac mini CD in target disk mode, and ext. HDD), it can only boot on the built-in OSX. When I tried to boot that two OSX, first it loads for a while and then freeze at a white screen. Sometimes the white screen may even blink vigorously.
I even had made a disk image of the OSX on the ext. HDD and restored it on my MBP C2D's internal HDD. The same freeze still happened.
Now it seems that the MBP C2D is not compatible for OSX other than its origanal one.
Can anyone confirm the existence of the problem?

It is really bad. Does the Apple support line help? The support line in my region is not that "pro".
For the issue, I had never experience something like that on a Mac, neither MBP CD nor Mac mini CD, they can boot from each other's OSX or OSX on ext. HDDs.
I am really surprised by this problem on MBP C2D. I think it should be software issue and every one using MBP C2D should have the issue, right?

Poor Airport Reception in MBP

I just bought the 15" 2.16 GHZ MacBook Pro 2 days ago and have notcied the airport reception is flaky. When I am 2 rooms away from my router, I get 4/5 bars and then when I go downstairs, it fluctualtes from 1 bar to 4 bars - very inconsistent.
This never used to happen with my titanium nor does this happen with my Dad's iBook or Sony Vaio.
Is anyone else experiencing this issue? Should I take it back to the store?
Thanks.
Macbook Pro 15" 2.16 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

I have genuine Airport Signal issues with my MacBook Pro, when sitting with the laptop IN CONTACT WITH the airport base station I can't get more than 75% signal, with it 2 feet away I'm at 50%, much more than 5 feet and I'm down to 20% and dropping signal regularly. Through walls? Not a chance.
Obviously, this is not normal behavior for a MacBook Pro, so I will be taking it in to the apple store - I just know that they are gonna ship it back to apple, and I don't want to be without my machine for a week, so I haven't quite got around to it yet.
I have tried multiple apple-branded airports, including the extreme and express I both own and severals others, as well as multiple 3rd party base stations. Signals and connection stability have been unusably poor in all cases.
I have ran all the latest software updates and firmware patches, and have wiped the hard drive and re-installed the entire system from scratch. No change.
I haven't found many other people complaining of similar problems, so I suspect I'm just unlucky. On the other hand, perhaps my antenna isn't plugged in or something simple. Even if that was the case, I doubt that the apple store itself would fix it so I gear up for shipment back to apple.
Sigh.
MacBook Pro 2.0ghz Mac OS X (10.4.6) 2GB RAM, 100GB HD

Poor Airport Reception - Antenna Problems

I get very sporadic airport reception with my PBTi connected to an Airport base station (clear/ice). It seems to be related to the internal antenna wire. In fact, I have found that if I take out my battery, the reception becomes tolerable, but is still ridiculously weak. I am about 20' from the base station and the only way to get good reception is to be a couple feet away.
Has anyone found a way to truly improve the antenna function? It does improve for a short while if a press the sides of the battery cavitity, but this is not workable if I am unplugged.

Being line of sight does not necessarily mean good comms. If you're in the wrong spot with the wrong conditions you can get 'destructive interference' - the same signal traveling over multiple paths can be added together and cancel out the signal - That's how noise reducing headphones work!However if you can move the Powerbook around and still get the issue then the problem lies elsewhere....
mrtotes

2011 macbook pro 17 poor airport reception

Howdy.
I have a fairly new MB Pro 17" built in early 2011, details below:
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro8,3
Processor Name:          Intel Core i7
Processor Speed:          2.3 GHz
Number of Processors:          1
Total Number of Cores:          4
L2 Cache (per Core):          256 KB
L3 Cache:          8 MB
Memory:          8 GB
Boot ROM Version:          MBP81.0047.B1E
SMC Version (system):          1.70f3
Hardware UUID:          3F7D3A04-A3CE-524C-BD05-9C5E5776BB82
It's a great computer and is my 3rd unibody MacBook Pro - I update every year because of a salary sacrifice system at work!
I've never had a problem with airport on an MBP before, but the reception on this one is appalling in some situations - at home I have an Airport Extreme and the MBP works well with that. However, when I'm at our Cabaret Club using an other wireless connection, my MBP is constantly losing signal. In our venue I have a Mac Mini which connects to the wireless modem without a problem and, my colleagues MacBook's all seem to connect and mantain their connection without issue - it's just my MBP that has a majro problem.
Any ideas what I can do to try to rectify this - it's driving me nuts.
Cheers.
Phil.

Hallo Uppe,
the Macbook Pro 17" (8,3) has a normal gamut display that in fact covers 98% of the sRGB and 75% of the AdobeRGB colorspace.
Here the sRGB colorspace (green) and the LCD colorspace (in red) compared:
...and there the AdobeRGB colorspace (in purple) and the LCD colorspace (in red) compared:
...hope this helps!
damon

Sudden and severe loss in AirPort reception

I use my TiBook at my desk (12 feet from wireless router) and on my couch (9 feet from wireless router). AirPort reception has been very strong (always five bars) for more than two years in these locations. I was even getting good, consistent reception throughout my entire condo. I have moved/added no furniture nor any other possible sources of interference.
Suddenly, reception is severely fluctuating and impacting network communications. I am never getting five bars, now. Reception varies wildly and quickly: 15 seconds of four bars, followed by 10 seconds of no network connection, followed by 20 seconds of two bars, etc. This continues even if nothing changes—for example, if I step away from the TiBook and watch the screen from several feet away.
I have tried the following without results: reseating the AirPort card and confirming the antenna is securely attached, pressing against the inside of the battery compartment to reseat one antenna, rebooting the machine (several times), small adjustments to the router antennae, subtle repositioning of the router, reseting the router, setting wireless communications from G to the supposedly more stable B, trying several channels other than the default channel 10. Nothing helps.
I have been reading about connectivity issues, but nothing suggests I should be having AirPort troubles when only 9 feet away from the router! I have run out of ideas. What am I missing?
J.

And another afterthought: I just picked up on rereading your post that you live in a condo. That suggests the possibility that someone in an adjacent or nearby unit may have installed something new in their unit that has caused increased interference for you. You obviously have no control over that — perhaps not even the ability to discover whether it's true. If you can't find any indication that either your router or your Airport card is malfunctioning, you may need to switch to using a wired connection, inconvenient as it may seem.
In my own home (which is several hundred feet from any external interference source), I was stymied for a long time by limited wireless range to distant parts of the house, porch, deck, etc., and I couldn't face having to run ethernet cables all through my existing walls. I solved the problem with two of these ($48 for the pair, shipping included, on Ebay). They work extremely well in my situation, but they might be vulnerable to power line noise in yours; I don't know for sure. Of course if you only use your Powerbook in the same room with your router, using a simple patch cable to connect them wouldn't be much of an inconvenience compared to having your connection dropped unpredictably.

Poor MacBook Pro Airport reception?

Just upgraded from a 12 inch PowerBook to new 15 inch MacBook Pro - and my Airport signal strength has crashed as a result. Compared to the PowerBook reception is now so poor that I often have trouble connecting to the Internet at all. Signal strength showing on MacStumbler with the PB was generally about 75, it's now (using iStumbler on the MBP, because it's a Universal app) at 50. Is this a known issue with the MacBooks, and is there any solution? Or could it even be a problem with the specific airport card that's installed in the MacBook?
MacBook Pro 2.0 x 2 Mac OS X (10.4.6) 1GB RAM

Hi,
I am having the same issue with my iBook G4, it has terrible airport reception, however I am using an airport extreme card which I installed about 2 years back when I got the iBook.
My boyfriend gets excellent reception on his (PC) laptop but using MacStumbler signal strength is only about 25-35 on my iBook.
Other factors:
The reception is just as bad for me on other networks (for example at my boyfriends house I have to virtually sit on top of the router to get reception and even then its dodgy and drops out all the time.
I have removed the Aiport Extreme card, cleaned it and put it back in and re-connected the ariel cable.
I have downloaded the latest software updates.
I have 2 routers (in a 1 bedroom flat!!!) I thought this might improve things, so I have a Belkin (I think) wireless modem/router in the hall AND an Airport Extreme base station in the living room acting as a bridge. Not a great deal of improvement was seen.
I have an iMac G4 in the living room also and the reception on that is fantastic.
Can anyone help or have any suggestions?

New Airport Extreme problems or DSL router problems

Hi all,
List of what I have: Time Warner Cable (motorola modem) DSL, Latest Airport Extreme (with 2.4Ghz channel 5 & 5GHz channel 149) with the updated version 7.6.1, 2008 MBP4,1 with 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo with Mac OS X 10.5.8.
Now the problem, when I am on my MBP on the web internet slows to a stop, I will go to Systems Preferences, Network, (at this point Airport shows connected Full bars for the ant symble and a green light), then go to: Assist me... , I click Diagnostics, (On the left side) List: Airport (Green), Airport settings (green), Network Settings (green), ISP (either amber or red), Internet (either amber or red) and Server (amber or red).
So, basicly I keep looseing ISP, Internet and Server, now for the kicker, It does not happen every time i'm on my MBP or every day. But if it happens in the morning it will happen all day long.
This was happening with my old Airport Extreme so I up graded to the new one, worked without a problem for about a week, then started again reset & re installed several times changed channels (now back to default settings) I was hopeing that getting the new AE would take care of the problem so I coild start useing streaming TV but I'm not going to spend the money if I can't have the internet all the time.
By the way we just moved from one state to Maine never had this problem before, both area's are rural, & both are with TWC.
So the question is: do I have a TWC Modem problem or Airport Extreme Problem or is it just my MBP?
I have a Win7 desktop hard wired in, and my wife has an ipad2 but she is not home much and dosent seem to be around or on the web when this happens.
I am a serious NOVICE so if you give advise please be very basic, Step by step!!!
Thank you all in advance,
Not So Mad Max, But Getting there!!!!

P.S. I do have my AE set to be hidden with WPA2 set and a discoverable Guest also with WPA2 set!!
Thanks
Not So Mad Max

FWIW...Solved my Airport reception problem on MBP C2D

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