IMac - internet doesn't work

Question

I took delivery of a brand new 21.5" iMac a week ago. When it first arrived the internet was fine - then intermittently it started to go slow or just fail to load pages even though I could see it was connected to the router and had full signal strength. The problems gradually got worse and I'm now at the point where I have to turn the Wi-Fi on the mac off, then on again for each page I try to load. I know this is an issue with the mac because all other devices in my house that rely on the Wi-Fi are working fine. I've browsed a few message boards and can see that this seems to be a common issue but no one has a solution to it. Is this something I can fix myself or is it a hardware problem?

Answer 1

Hi, I didn't get it sorted exactly. I seem to have stumbled on a fix and I think the issue might be to do with the compatibility between my old router and new mac. If I were to make an educated guess based on the problems I've had and what others have described I'd say this is a software problem with the new OS - maybe it's just a little bit incompatible with certain routers?
I've been in contact with apple support a lot over the last 10 days and I'd just like to ay that despite not finding a fix they have been really helpful. One of the senior guys let me know that because I'd reported the issue that he would let the after sales team know if I wanted to swap the Mac, even though I'd gone over the 14 days (I'd probably be pushing my luck if I asked them to honour that now though).
So, what we tried was;
Solution 1: rename the config file, reboot the system so the config settings are reset. This worked for a few hours until the problem resurfaced then gradually got worse.
Solution 2: reinstall the OS - again this worked for a while, before gradually getting worse again.
Solution 3: Open Network Preferences, use the minus key to delete all internet connections then set up the Wi-Fi again - didn't help.
Solution 4: set up a new admin user, sign in there and see if the problem occurs. Again same thing, this worked for a number of hours before the problem crept back. I do find it a bit weird how the fixes seem ok for a while then it just gradually dies.
Trying the troubleshooting basically narrowed it down to a problem with the router or the Mac. So I took the Mac to my Dad's flat where he has BT Infinity with a fairly new modem and router. The internet seemed fine there - it was faster (as expected) and didn't drop out at all. My only worry is that I only had one night to test it there, so I can't guarantee after a weeks usage the same thing might not happen there also.
Not wanting to have to buy a new router I did try something which for now seems to have worked quite well and now I get internet connectivity for a good day or two, before there's a bit of a wobble but I repeat the same troubleshooting process and it works fine again. This is what I did:
Alt click on the Wi-Fi icon on the menu bar.
Select 'Open Wireless Diagnostics...'
Don't press continue in the box that opens, but instead select 'Window' from the menu bar, then 'Scan'.
In the box that opens up hit 'Scan Now' and check the numbers next to Best 2.4GHz.
Next - type in your routers IP address in Safari to access it's settings. I found the IP for mine by google searching the router on my iPhone and downloading the instructions.
Access the wireless settings.
Configure the channel that the router is using so it matches one of the numbers that was shown next to Best 2.4GHz.
I also changed the interface type to 802.11g (seemed to be the best my router had) and the WPA-PSK to WPA2. Also check that the router firmware is up to date.
Finally open up Spotify and play victory tune of your choice.
Whenever the Wi-Fi has a bit of a wobble I just switch the channels once or twice and it seems to come back to life.
The router I'm using is a really old Speedtouch 585 all in one. It's been reliable though and I've never had problem like this with any other devices. I'd be interested to know what other people are using. I should also point out that I'm not actually all that techy - I've just sort of fixed this through belligerent trail and error. I'd like to know if this helps anyone else.