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

Similar Messages

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.

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.

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

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

Bad airport reception.

I don't know why, but my 1.2 ghz 12" ibook gets terrible airport reception. I have checked the airport antenna and it is plugged in. My ibook is 3 feet from my wifi station and it only get 1/2 the reception. When I go to public wifi spots, I never get a signal.
Any suggestions? Thanks

Hi,
How far is your Airport and modem from where your cable comes into your house. The reason i mention is that mine is approx 10mtrs and even when i am sitting at my desk with the AEBS right above my head i only get about 65% signal according to MacStumbler but 80-90% signal from my neighbour across the road. After phoning my ISP (Blueyonder in the UK) they sent out an engineer and he did all kind of tests but after it all he moved my modem and AEBS to about 2 mtrs away (temporarily) from where it splits from my cable box. Hey presto 98%.
Just a thought.
Pinkster

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

Wretched airport reception on new Mac Mini

Me and this Mac Mini are not getting on at all.
I've set this machine up right next to my iMac G5. Both are accessing the same Airport Express wireless router that is in the family room down the hall about 15 feet.
The iMac G5 is downloading at 6x the speed of the Mac Mini. To download the same file from the same site the iMac G5 d/led at 125 KB/sec while the Mac Mini then got 24-25 KB/sec. Just to make sure, I then tried out my iBook, and it also d/l'd at 125 KB/sec (the file was cyberduck).
I tried to just transfer files from the iMac G5 to the mac mini using wireless, with similar results.
Have tried moving the machine all around the room, right now it is perched by itself on a dresser with no gain in performance.
I hope I have a bum unit, or one whose antenna has come loose. If not, there's going to be a real problem with the new Mac Mini.
Already I have had to use an ethernet cable to link the mini to the iMacG5 because the Mac Mini's airport reception is so bad that it can't stream music or video from iMac--four feet away.
Ouchy. Really looking for a report from another owner of the new mini so I can tell whether I have bum machine, or if these are the new titanium powerbooks.

Could you guys with the mini problems run the ping test? This will make it clear if you are having the same or a different problem as the iMac crowd. I suspect that the problem is the same.
Open Terminal and type
ping -c 30 <your router IP address>
you will get 30 pings on 1 second intervals something like this
PING 192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=167.164 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=120.104 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=73.494 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=64 time=26.472 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=4 ttl=64 time=1.452 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=5 ttl=64 time=1.475 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=6 ttl=64 time=4.092 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=7 ttl=64 time=2.442 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=8 ttl=64 time=1.459 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=9 ttl=64 time=1.532 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=10 ttl=64 time=250.869 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=11 ttl=64 time=221.416 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=12 ttl=64 time=175.034 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=13 ttl=64 time=128.510 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=14 ttl=64 time=1.439 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=15 ttl=64 time=1.466 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=16 ttl=64 time=1.472 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=17 ttl=64 time=1.538 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=18 ttl=64 time=1.496 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=19 ttl=64 time=1.502 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=20 ttl=64 time=249.518 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=21 ttl=64 time=202.338 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=22 ttl=64 time=155.823 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.1.1: icmp_seq=23 ttl=64 time=112.687 ms
The typical sequence is 6 pings of about 1 mS followed by 4 pings of about 250, 200, 150 and 100 mS. This 10 ping pattern then repeats.
- gws

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

Airport reception compared to titanium powerbook

hi
just wondering if the aluminium powerbooks have better airport reception than the titanium model, as i currently have the 500mhz model and the reception is really bad compared to the ibook i used to have.
thanks andy

I never had any issues with my 17" Powerbook. I would say that your chances of having problems with Aluminum or plastic are about even with Titanium. The issue is not so much the material, as the potential for corrupt preferences, and problems of casing blocking some of the signal getting in that an external antenna could fix. Amazingly, you'll find the iMac Intel Core2duo is having airport problems, on this board:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3694890#3694890
But as you see, I have the ability to receive 5 more networks with my iMac Intel Core2duo than I did before with my other Macs. Suffice it to say your mileage may vary by machine, not by model.

Airport Reception Questions

I have read many complaints about poor Airport reception with TiBooks. But most of the complaints seem to come from owners of 500MHz TiBooks. Did Apple improve the reception in the 1GHz model? I ask because I have not experienced a problem, but then again, I typically sit on my couch about 8 feet from my Airport Express Base Station. But I am curious is that was one issue with earlier TiBooks that Apple dealt with at some point. I know they dropped the ball on TiBook hinge design and case sturdiness. But did they rectify the Airport "problem"?
Also, if I use one PB with Airport Extreme, and one with just Airport, will the computer with the slower card perform much slower than the one with Extreme, or will it slow down my broadband collection much?

Chris, as you know Apple is always making efforts to enhance and improve on there products.
That being said the older Airport technology running 802.11b is slower than the newer Airport Extreme 802.11g.
The nice part about this is the reverse compatability of the Extreme recognizing and operating at the b technology speeds.
As for your other question about slowing down your broadband connection much. Generally as a rule it won't be as noticable as you might think. Remember that b and g technology operate at 2 distinct different speeds, and you will notice the difference there.
Depending on your Broadband.(Internet Service Providers Speed). There could be a drain on bandwidth if let's say downloading large files and or music, or video.
Most folks don't notice if they aren't using several applications and have them all open and running which tends to slow things down... Hope this helps...Don

Slow internet speed compared to iBook on same Airport Xpress

Have had this problem off and on for a year. There are times when browsing the internet that the iMac simply will not go. It sticks while trying to load a website and is generally sloooowwwww. Four year old iBook on the same wireless system (airport xpress) hums along a great speed. Any reason why this would be? As far as I know all the settings are the same on both machines. One other thing, the iMac seems to drop the network occassionally and takes two or three tries to connect once it drops.
It's primarily my kid's computer and there's nothing worse than hearing them scream from the basement to "come fix this thing!".
Could use some help.
Thanks

Signal strength is "full" four bars. I had reception problems back in 2005 when I bought the iMac. It is no more than 9 feet from the airport xpress in the basement. The iBook is one floor above and as noted never has reception problems and speed is FAST. I do have cordless phones but they are 5.8ghz not 2.4. Shouldn't be interference from that.
I thought it might be something other than the network so I backed up my info (not much there since it's the kids) and did a clean install this morning. Now I'm having the same problems as when I bought the unit... can get connection to the APXP at all. This has happened off and on since purchase. Have read some threads about reseating the airport card(it was pre-installed). I might go that route as it does seem to be a network not a software problem. Have never cracked open a mac so I'm a bit aprehensive....
Before I go that route is there any other thing I should look at? I just went through all the settings for both and they are set up identically. Still no joining my home network.
Thanks,

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?

Airport Reception

I have been tempted to upgrade from my 5 month-old iBook G4 to a Powerbook 15" (refurbished unit), but I'm always stopped by reports of lousy Airport reception. Is it an established fact that PBooks get worse wireless than iBooks..or is it just Apple legend? Are there any PBook users out there with positive (at least as good as iBook) Airport experiences?

I have a hard time believing the problem MOST of us experience is due to a loose AP card. A loose AP card doesn't suddenly heal/reseat itself with a machine restart.
It seems that the only successful fixes for this problem in the last 15" PBs are:
1) Repair Permissions (I'm joking here, it worked for one guy; I've tried it countless times with no luck whatsoever)
2) Another AP base station installed in the home. (Another joke.) This one sounds like it was as much of a signal issue as anything else. That is, the home it was in sounded too big for adequate AP reception with only one BS.
3) Restart your machine. Which does work like a charm, but is not what was advertised by Apple in PB ads. Not even in tiny legal type hidden somewhere.
SO...that leaves us all with only one recourse (actually two, but hopefully the first will be all that's necessary): to constantly call Apple and complain in a firm but civil manner until this issue is resolved. We might have better luck going through Customer Relations. They can be accessed via the regular help line; you just have to ask a person to connect you with that department.
I think a good idea would be to tell the reps that there are multitudes of 15" last-gen PB owners experiencing this same problem (as evidenced by Apple's own boards right here) and we want to know what Apple is doing to address it...or if we need to pursue "other avenues" to get the problem rectified.
It might be warranted to call them oh, let's see...whenever the problem occurs. Or some close variation of that. For me, that would be literally almost every single day. PITA. But if enough of us do it and raise enough of a stink, my guess is they'll realize it will cost them more NOT to address it than to ignore it. As it stands, this lack of ANY official response is simply unacceptable.
The help line is 1-800-SOS-APPL. Dial early and often, people.

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.

Ibook G4 1ghz airport reception problems

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for