IMac & AEBS signal strength

My network includes an iMac, Mac Mini and PC. Today, while the PC was having no difficulty accessing the internet, on starting up the iMac was unable to, showing a very weak and unusable signal strength from the AEBS. I turned off airport on the iMac, waited 30 secs, turned it on, and VIOLA had a strong signal. After months of faultless Belken performance, the AEBS may be unreliable. Any suggestions????

You're missing my point.
If say, your router uses Wi-Fi channel 6, and a neighbor decides one day to buy a router and his also uses channel 6, you will see a reduction in signal level on your iMac due to the interference on the same frequency from your neighbor's router.
This same thing can happen if your neighbor one day buys a 2.4 GHz cordless phone.
Of course if your nearest neighbor is a mile away, this isn't an issue but since you mention you can see multiple networks, it's good to check to make sure there aren't any new ones that could be interfering with the signal and/or that none of the other networks are now using the same channel as your router.
The only Wi-Fi channels that don't interfere with others are 1, 6 and 11, so in general you should pick one of those three if it's unused or the one with the weakest existing signal if you can't.
BTW, as a result of this, in many more crowded metropolitan areas, the bands are getting so crowded Wi-Fi just doesn't work any more unless a user has 802.11n equipment only, allowing them to move to the less crowded 5 GHz band…

Similar Messages

  • Mid 2010 iMac Wifi signal strength issue

    I am having issues maintaining a robust Wifi signal on my 21.5 inch 2010 iMac with 10.6.5 installed.
    my symptoms are very similar to what is described in this post:
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    in addition to that I am experiencing the following symptoms:
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    accumulation of send and receive errors in Network Utility
    these symptoms occur after the machine has been connected to wifi for 30 minutes or so. Turning off Airport and turning it back on temporarily fixes the issue. the Mac firewall is turned off.
    as reported in the post mentioned above, signal strength for my Windows laptops and other devices is consistently -25 but the iMac signal strength fluctuates wildly.
    One more troubleshooting step that I have taken is to install Windows 7 on a boot camp partition to rule out the iMac hardware and physical location as the issue. While booted into Windows the iMac did not exhibit any of the above symptoms and held a steady -25 strength signal.
    Lastly I am using a TrendNet Wireless N Access Point but have also tried an Apple Extreme and Express (both N). I've tried 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz on various channels. I've even tried dialing down to G mode.
    I've read other posts about DNS settings, Static instead of DHCP addressing, etc. and none of these has solved this issue.
    Thoughts anybody? TIA

    Update concerning additional troubleshooting steps that I have taken.
    1) did a clean install of OS 10.6.3 onto an external drive and managed to replicate the issue....so that rules out apps, preference files, etc.
    2) managed to get a little bit more stability by setting up an Airport Express in 5Ghz mode with Interference Robustness turned on and the multicast rate set at 9Mbps....of course ios devices don't do 5Ghz so I still have to run another AP...so not an acceptable solution.
    What else do I need to do to prove that it's a Mac OS software issue?

  • IMac G5 AirPort Issues - Very poor signal strength.

    Disclaimer: I am normally a PC user, but just bought a iMac G5 for my son's bedroom. Problem is that I am having a **** of a time getting the iMac to stay connected to my network long enough to download a newest OS update and in general, it is very slow downloading webpages...clearly not normal...at least I hope not.
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    Solutions???

    Thanks Rod. Your comments were very helpful...
    Apologies for the dash of sarcasm, M., but these things usually are just that simple to get running, and your Dell jokes started me down that path you know . Yes, I should have resisted the temptation.
    Screen orientation really can make a difference in a low signal situation. So can simply changing the channel on which your wireless router operates (have you tried that yet?). You also can't assume that because a computer in a neighbouring room gets gets adequate signal , the one that you are working on will too. Walls, power circuits, nearby electrical gear, etc etc can all have highly localised effects with this stuff.
    If, as it appears, you have adequate signal strength (I thought you indicated initially that you didn't have) and the problem is not related to local interference on the channel which the router is using (that's why you need to try a different channel) , then its time to check other aspects of the setup, both of the router and the iMac. The problem could be caused at either end.
    Lets take the router first. The WRT54G usually actually works pretty well with Macs. In some cases, however, it may need a firmware update from the Linksys site. There have been quite a few different models of this particular router produced, so you'll need to check the downloads section at Linksys support for the correct one.
    The best people here to answer this sort of stuff are probably Henry B. and Frank Canzolino . They both spend much of their time over in the Airport forums. If a firmware update for the router , or a simple channel change, doesn't fix the problem then I'd try posting there with "WRT54G and iMac G5 AE " displaying in the subject line.
    As far as toast goes, I personally recommend asking the power company to drop the voltage for a few minutes. Saves all that time wasted knob twiddling.
    Cheers
    Rod

  • Signal strength from Airport Express dropping to imac (but not Macbook)

    I have an Airport Extreme to control my home wireless network. My Macbook Pro works all over the house with no reception/signal strength problems. But my imac, which is situated about 15/18metres away is dropping signal all the time. Any ideas or advice please?
    Cheers
    Simon

    The antenna opening for the iMac is on the back of the screen, so make sure that the iMac is not pushed back into a cabinet or even a corner of the room. Sometimes a small change in location will make a big difference in reception.
    Also check to make sure that you do not have other electronics near the iMac like a cordless phone, ampliifer, satellite receiver, TV, etc.
    If the iMac is near a window, it may be picking up wireless interference from another network in the neighborhood near you. Try to move the iMac away from the window to a different location.
    Power off the iMac and restart after any change in location so that it will establish a new connection.
    If you try everthing and the results seem to be the same, then you might want to think about taking the iMac to an Apple store in your area to let them have a look and check out the wireless card in the device.

  • Signal strength problem on MacBook Pro

    We bought a new AirPort Extreme 802.11n for Christmas. Setup was fairly easy. We have two Macs--an 2005 iMac which is plugged into the AE via Ethernet, and a MacBook Pro from mid-2006 that we use in other rooms.
    Our problem is that the signal strength on the MacBook Pro is terrible. Even at just 20 feet away, the signal strength varies between 1 and 3 bars (most often just the one tiny bar). The wireless is basically unusable at that point because pages stop loading.
    To eliminate interference as a problem, our daughter brought her 2008 MacBook Pro over and we carried it around the house. It had 4 bar strength with no problems wherever we went and held 4 bars for hours while she used it in the kitchen. So we're pretty sure the problem is not interference in our house, unless her newer AirPort card is far better at blocking it.
    What could be causing the signal strength on the older MacBook Pro to be so lousy? The computer is a Intel Core Duo, 2.16 GHz, running 10.4.11. The wireless card is 0x168C, 0x86. The wireless network adapter is 802.11 a/b/g, so it's not running "n", but I can't believe that's the only reason it won't hold a good signal. The AE is set up to run "n" as well as the older ones. (Bear with me...this is my first experience with wireless!)
    We've been trying everything we can think of to improve the signal but nothing works. When the bars are in the 2-3 range it runs the internet fine, but the problem is that the signal constantly shifts between 1 and 3. So is the AirPort card in the computer that weak?
    Any ideas are most welcome. Thanks.

    Sorry, posted in wrong forum by accident. Please ignore.

  • Poor signal strength on MacBook Pro

    We bought a new AirPort Extreme 802.11n for Christmas. Setup was fairly easy. We have two Macs--an 2005 iMac which is plugged into the AE via Ethernet, and a MacBook Pro from mid-2006 that we use in other rooms.
    Our problem is that the signal strength on the MacBook Pro is terrible. Even at just 20 feet away, the signal strength varies between 1 and 3 bars (most often just the one tiny bar). The wireless is basically unusable at that point because pages stop loading.
    To eliminate interference as a problem, our daughter brought her 2008 MacBook Pro over and we carried it around the house. It had 4 bar strength with no problems wherever we went and held 4 bars for hours while she used it in the kitchen. So we're pretty sure the problem is not interference in our house, unless her newer AirPort card is far better at blocking it.
    What could be causing the signal strength on the older MacBook Pro to be so lousy? The computer is a Intel Core Duo, 2.16 GHz, running 10.4.11. The wireless card is 0x168C, 0x86. The wireless network adapter is 802.11 a/b/g, so it's not running "n", but I can't believe that's the only reason it won't hold a good signal. The AE is set up to run "n" as well as the older ones. (Bear with me...this is my first experience with wireless!)
    We've been trying everything we can think of to improve the signal but nothing works. When the bars are in the 2-3 range it runs the internet fine, but the problem is that the signal constantly shifts between 1 and 3. So is the AirPort card in the computer that weak?
    Any ideas are most welcome. Thanks.

    I'll bet this is a hardware/firmware card with a chunk of AEx cards. I have had the same problem with a recently purchased iMac that was assembled in early '08. I tried all sorts of fixes, but ultimately took it in to a local Apple shop. The "geniuses" spent about 30 seconds looking at the machine (failed to replicate the problem), but then recommended replacing the airport card. I just got it back today &, while I can't yet say everything's hunky-dory, I think the problem's been solved. I'll bet there's a service bulletin that the genius bar has access to that describes this issue.
    I had the same AEx series you report. I had the problem with 10.5.4 & then with the 10.5.6 upgrade.
    See the following lengthy thread for more similar tales of woe: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1815644&tstart=0.
    I think this is hardware-related. It's a $183 dollar fix (parts & labor) -- mine was under warranty, but I think there's enough in the discussion forums to justify pushing for a free replacement, even in an older machine.

  • Can't get 100% signal strength

    Under OS X 10.5.7 I had to downgrade AirPort Extreme firmware to 7.3.2 just to make it work. With the OS patch I gave in to the constant harassment of the base station software telling me to upgrade (and interrupting connectivity frequently).
    With the new firmware, I have not been able to get 100% signal strength at my iMac, which sits less than 15 feet away from the base station. If anyone has any suggestions, please fire away. I am afraid to go back and get repeatedly harrassed about it.

    I still have this problem...being harassed by Airport to upgrade the firmware, tried it again, same effect. Signal strength went to complete crap, made the network unusable. Reversed the change, problem solved. Does Apple even know of this problem? I am so tired of dealing with the harassment of the Airport utility (pops up intermittently on all computers on the network), I am close to replacing the thing with an Ethernet-over-power-lines system.

  • WRT350N Signal strength

    I recently bought the WRT350N to go with my MacBook Pro and iMac and Powerbook G4, and so far I am very unsatisfied....
    One major issue (mentioned in my other thread) prevents me from being able to connect wirelessly if the signal is broadcast at "mixed mode". If I change to "G only" or "N only" ... its fine. But in mixed the signal constantly cuts out, and most of the time I can't even join the network (yes password and login name is correct).
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    I am sitting about 5 feet away from my AP. It still often does not show a strong signal. Right now I have less then 50%. Still I have very good transfer rates.
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  • "No Service" signal strength related

    So I got my iPhone and went through the set up on iTunes. I am porting from Verizon so it told me that they are working on my activation. Anyway, My phone says "No Service" up in the signal strength area. I walked around my house and it did not change. Then I got in my car and drove around and it still say's "no service". Does it say this because the phone has not been activated or do I actually have no signal strength? If so will ATT be able to activate my phone?

    I'm wondering that myself. I've been an AT&T/Cingular customer for several years, but recently moved to a location where the signal is weak to the point that I often have to go outdoors to make a call. I'm still not activated, but I've been seeing either "No Service" or - occasionally - a sliver of one bar. Even outdoors. Yikes!
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  • How to improve signal strength of TC ?

    I have replaced my Linksys WRT54G Router yesterday with my TC 1TB.
    Setup was a little bit confusing and not Apple like as i expected. However i got TC running with the following setup:
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    -) via airport i connected the MB and my second imac
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    Channel selection can make all the difference, 1 , 6 and 11 are the most widely used by professionals because they have less interference from the other channels. But they are widely used so two AP's can interfere with each other if they are on the same channel and in range of your devices. 2-5, 7-10 are garbage channels, too much interference (can tell from a good sniffer card)...stick with 1 or 11 which ever is less used (or not at all) in your area and mount it as high as you can and centered in the area you are providing coverage for. I found the TC uses its auto-setting pretty well, I have a lot of channels 1 and 6 in my neighborhood and it has always been on 11 when I check its status.
    Also walls, doors, metal, windows, coordless phones (2.4Ghz) or 5Ghz) and microwaves all cause signal loss and interference. The density of the material will attribute how much loss there is so yes, brick will cause signal loss.

  • How to improve iMac G5 wireless strength?

    My sons new MacBook has far superior signal strength compared to the connectivity of my iMac G5 (when machines are side by side). Also, the MacBook stays connected better, with the G5 occcasionally loosing connectivity. What can be done to improve the G5 connectivity? (the access point is a Linksys/Vonage access point router. Thanks.
    Mark

    Hello,
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    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106607
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106858
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106531
    http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58543
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  • IMac wifi signal fluctuates between -24 and -80 other clients stable.

    I'm experiencing Airtunes dropouts. The problem seems to be fluctuations in signal strength as shown in the screenshot in this link: http://gallery.me.com/alex.slaets#100343/wifi&bgcolor=black .
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    3 Airtunes express in 802.11n only 5 GHZ mode, configured to extend the range of one wireless network.
    Clients:
    1 iPad.
    1 iMac.
    All software and firmware is on the very latest version.
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    The iPad (C8:FB) is located near the iMac and its signal, remains stable.
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    Alex.Slaets wrote:
    Any ideas on what this might be ?
    _*wireless interference*_ ?
    any cordless phones nearby ?
    perhaps one of your neighbor's wireless networks is interfering with yours. download iStumbler (free) or AirRadar (it has a trial period) and note the channels other networks in your vicinity are broadcasting on. *change the channel(s) of your network as far away as possible from those*.
    JGG

  • 2g Touch's Wifi signal strength

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    CG
    Message was edited by: CasperGemini (typo)

  • Reduced signal strength

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    See this Apple support document for more details and suggestions:
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