Intel iMac airport connection problems

Hello,
My new intel iMac connected up to my 802.11g 3come wireless modem/router fine, the strength in excellent (always full or nearly full) but the connection is very very intermittent.
It will only work for a minute or so but then the internet will go down on the machine for about 30 seconds, then come back on.
The network file sharing also goes down. Other Windows PCs on the network do not have this problem.
I have tried the following, none has had any effect:
[*]Turning off all other network PCs
[*]Disabling all encryption on the router
[*]Using different browsers
[*]Calling Apple support - first they asked me to adjust some networking options, we also setup a new network connection. They then sent me a replacement iMac - it's exactly the same
The firmware is up-to-date on the router.
I am aware there are similar posts in the forum, but other people's problems seem to be to do with their speed. None of the solutions have helped.
Any suggestions?
Thanks for your support.
Davood

I wasted hours and hours trying to figure out a similar problem with my machine. Apple Support denied all knowledge of known issues, but then I came across a discussion titled "Will Apple react to the Airport problem with the new iMac (Intel C2D)?" - you will find it on the 5th page (at the moment) of these topics.
It is one of the largest threads I have seen in these forums (113 replies). I tried to add an update, but curiously the thread is now locked - Apple are obviously keen to censor further discussion on the subject.
Apple do now acknowledge that there is a problem with Airport and the Intel-based Macs. They are supposedly working on a fix, but when that will come is not clear.
I would urge everyone with Airport issues to pester Apple Support until they solve this problem.

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Persistent Airport connection problems

I've been having persistent airport connection problems since upgrading to Leopard. It got so bad that I finally installed an Ethernet network in my office. However, I really want to be able to use my laptop in other rooms so I want to fix this problem if possible.
Here's what happens. When I turn Airport on, and then select my network, I am prompted to enter my password (even though it's in the keychain). When I click "OK", I get a "connection timeout" error and no connection is made. This happens on both my MacBook and my Mac Pro.
I am currently using a D-Link ethernet/wireless router, but the problem also occurs with an Airport Express which I used previously and still have. I am using mixed 802.11n and 802.11g with WPA personal security and "WPA only" mode.
One note: if I disable any kind of network security, I can easily connect to the network. So it seems to have something to do with the security setting.

Can you reconfigure your router to use WPA2? Some people have found satisfaction after switching to the security model: http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=7336628#7336628

AirPort in Intel iMac loses connection and does not see network

I bought an Intel iMac in the summer of '06. I had no problems connecting my airport card to my house wireless network which uses an AirPort Extreme Base Station.
In september I brought my iMac to college and used an AirPort Express as my base station. I had no problems other than that the computer did not automatically reconnect to the network upon start up.
In december I returned home and configured the AirPort Express (located on the main level of the house) to extend the network of the AirPort Extreme (located upstair in the bedroom next to my iMac).
Lately the iMac loses connectivity to the wireless network randomly while the computer is on, even in the middle of using it. Not only does it lose the signal but does not list my network when i click the airport signal icon on the top bar of the screen. Once in a while it will have it listed but will give me an error when trying to connect. The only way I have of fixing the problem is to restart the computer.
I know the airport base station works fine and the network is still there becasue I have a PowerBook G4 that I will put right next to the iMac and the PowerBook will still be connected to the network.
Can someone help?

I have a very similar problem. My machine's airport connection has always been a little flaky, but it's always gone on working. However, yesterday I turned on WEP 128 bit encription. It now connects for a few minutes and then I see the signal strength gradually die until it goes off completely. There are then two ways to get it back working: 1. close the lid, then open it again; 2. tun off the airport, then turn it on again. When I do that the signal strength suddenly comes on full after about 3 seconds. The G4 iMac I have doesn't suffer from this problem. I am using a netgear access port as the base station.
Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Intel iMac Not Connecting to My Airport Express

I have had a 15" G4 Powerbook for about 1 1/2 years now and have not had any problems with my Airport Express. I purchased an Intel iMac back in February and everything has been working perfectly until about two weeks ago. (I think this may coincide with the update 10.4.9).
At first, the Airport would not connect at all after being put into sleep, either if I let it sit or pushed the button myself. I would have to restart to get it to work. Now, whenever I attempt to connect to my Airport Express it says there is an error and only gives the options of trying again or just clicking OK. If I try again it does nothing, but if I click okay the Airport card in my iMac seems to go down completely and I am unable to see ANY wireless networks at all! It comes back eventually and automatically connects to an unsecure network somewhere else in my apartment building, but if I try to connect back to my Airport Express the same thing happens again.
The odd part is that my Powerbook connects flawlessly, and also sets up the Airport Express if I reset it (something the iMac will not do). I have read through some of the threads and see there is an issue with the release of 10.4.9, but my Powerbook has it as well and doesn't have any issues.
I also have Vista premium installed and that has absolutely no problems connecting to the network either, which is irksome every time I see a PC vs Mac ad.
I have tried a couple of the remedies offered up: deleting the SystemPreferences folder in the Library (couldn't find it), creating a new location (didn't work), and reinstalling OSX (worked for a day after the 10.4.9 update).
If there is anyone with similar problems who has found a solution, please let me know, as I don't really like using someone elses network, but don't really have a choice if I need to use my iMac. Thank you for your help.
iMac 17" 2Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Hello sgraziano,
I suggest taking a look at this article named iOS: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections found here http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1398.
Follow these steps to troubleshoot the above issues.
Be sure that you are in range of your Wi-Fi router (access point).
Tap Settings > Wi-Fi and turn Wi-Fi off and then on again.If unable to do so, see this article.
Confirm that your Wi-Fi router and Cable or DSL modem are connected to power, turned on, and indicate that they are connected to the Internet.If not, refer to your network administrator or ISP for assistance.
Restart your iOS device.
Tap Settings > Wi-Fi and locate the Wi-Fi network to which you are connected. Then tap > and Forget this Network. Try to connect to your desired Wi-Fi network again.
Note: You will need to enter your Wi-Fi password again if your desired network requires one.
Turn your Wi-Fi router off and then on again2. If your ISP also provides cable or phone service, check with them before attempting this step to avoid interruption of service.
Update your device to the latest version of software.
Update your Wi-Fi router to the latest firmware2.For AirPort Base Stations, see this article for information about firmware updates.
And this section at the bottom if that troubleshooting does not resolve hte issue:
Unable to connect to a Wi-Fi network
Verify that you are attempting to connect your desired Wi-Fi network.
Make sure you are entering your Wi-Fi password correctly.Passwords may be case sensitive and may contain numbers or special characters.
Reset network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
Note: This will reset all network settings including: previously connected Wi-Fi networks and passwords, recently used Bluetooth accessories, VPN and APN settings.
Take care,
Sterling

Airport Connectivity problem

I have an Airport network in my house - an Airport extreme and Airport express
Here's the problem: When I log on to my iMac and turn Airport on, it not only fails to find my Airport network automatically, it finds my neighbors' WiFi first.
However, when I log on to my Powerbook, I don't have this problem. When I turn the Powerbook's Airport on, it automatically selects and connects with my Airport network.
I recently reset my Airports; before I did the reset I had no problems at all.
On both my computers, System Preferences/Network/Airport is set to join preferred networks by default. My network name is the only network listed; there are no other "preferred networks".
Why is my Powerbook connecting to my Airport network as it should but my iMac isn't?

Duane - I do believe the post you suggested solved my problem! (I have an early 2006 intel iMac. My security is WEP but it still worked.)
Thanks much!
See if the information in KB 304482, Mac OS X 10.4.8: AirPort does not
auto-connect to existing networks after restart or
wake from sleep is helpful.

IPhone 3Gs, Mac Pro Internet sharing via Airport connection problems

Hi, I have internet sharing turned on in my Mac Pro for the Airport connection and it works very well with laptops, but I have trouble getting my iphone 3gs to connect to it sometimes.
restarting the iphones does not help
stopping and starting the airport does not help
I can restart the Mac Pro, but that can be a pain, but does usually allow be to connect again for awhile...

I've been having the same problems as everyone else here. Trying to share internet connection from my ethernet wired iMac to my MacBook and my iPhone. Tried all the workarounds, but nothing works, or lasts very long.
Yesterday, I finally talked with AppleCare for over an hour. All their suggestions (trashing preferences, changing settings, etc.) failed, as well. The AppleCare person then put me on hold to speak to an engineer, who told her that Snow Leopard no longer supports Internet Sharing as of 10.6.1.
Not willing to accept that answer, I had them set up an appointment at the Apple Store Genius Bar for me, and after chatting with the Genius for a while, he also confirmed that Internet Sharing is no longer supported under Snow Leopard. Apparently, there were many hardware issues that the engineers decided to circumvent, and so did not include support for Internet Sharing with the internal airport in Macs. They said that the Airport it is intended to receive, not to send a signals! Yet, it worked fine, doing just that, under Tiger and Leopard! The only fix he could offer was to wipe my drive and take me back to 10.5, which I declined.
However both the guy at the Genius Bar and the lady at AppleCare inferred that Apple "may" release another update to fix this issue, if they get enough complaints and bug reports.
So, there you have it. Apple no longer officially supports Internet Sharing in Snow Leopard.

Intel iMac RAM install problems

Hello,
I have recently purchased a new 17" intel iMac with the standard 512MB memory. Looking to add more RAM, I bought a third party 512MB chip and put it into my computer. It worked fine for as long as I had it on. After I shut it down and booted the next day, my iMac did not recognize the new RAM. I took the RAM out and put it back in and it worked until i shut it down again. Since then, I have had to take the door off for the computer to see the RAM. Anyway, my question is has anyone else had this problem, and is there a solution, other than buy expensive Apple RAM.
iMac intel Core Duo 17" Mac OS X (10.4.7)

What brand RAM is it and who did you buy it from?
There is no such thing as "Apple RAM" as Apple gets it from a variety of sources. I use Patriot RAM in both my first gen G5 iMac and my BlackBook with no problems at all. Others have used Crucial, G.SKILL, Mushkin, Corsair, Samsung, OWC as well as a ton of others with similar success.

Imac internet connection problem (says connected, won't load any website)

I cant begin to express the incredible amount of frustration I have had with trying to get a fully loaded Imac 2011 connected to the internet. I am currently residing in Dakar Senegal, using Sonatel Orange as a service.
I am on a network where EVERY SINGLE piece of gear connected to it works 100%, including my ipad, cell phone, Asus PC. I have no connection issues and as of now typing this message on the very same network that the IMAC appears to have a problem.
I have called tech support and they walked me through several steps which resolved nothing so I am hoping the community can help me.
Whether I connect to my router directly with an ethernet cable, or use the wireless to connect, it give me green lights, says its connected to the isp but not to the internet. Obviously the internet works on this network or I would not be sending this message from my PC.
DNS was the same as the router and the same as the one on my PC. I even tried 8.8.8.8 and that did not resolve the issue. Like I said it says connected to the ISP but the internet and server lights are red on the IMAC diagnostic tool. Everytime I try to connect the IMAC to the internet via the router via wireless or the ethernet cable, It does nothing, and actually I have to reboot the router to get it to work for the PC or any other device. Its as if the IMAC does something to the router and requires a reboot to reset it.
IT is DHCP enabled, thus not a PPPOE connection.
If I cannot get this resolved, I will be boxing up a $2500 machine and sending it back to apple. I cannot believe that I buy a practically fully loaded apple for the first time, and cant connect to the internet. I will go back to PCs and not look back if this does not get resolved. 2500 bucks is WAY to much to have internet connection issues.

Sorry to hear about your connection problem, you have a great computer but sometimes small things can cause a major problem. Did you check your firewall, make sure it is not blocking traffic. Click on system preference>security & privacy then click the firewall tab. If it is on then turn it off and see if you can connect. I would also reset the SMC As a last check open your network utility and take a look at the status of your network card and link status.

IMac Yosemite connection problem

Yesterday updated my 2014 iMac to Yosemite 10.10.2 .
Up to that moment everything worked ok but after updating the iMac doesn't connect to Wifi, doesn't connect to the internet even when connected by ethernet.
How the **** can you restore an iMac that doesn't connect to anything?

In System Preferences --> Network --> Location bar (top of the screen). Pull down the the menu bar and click on "edit locations". Click the plus button to add a new Network Location then click Apply. See if that will force your iMac to connect to a network.

24" iMac Airport & Dock Problem

I received my 24" iMac 2 days ago: beautiful machine! I am having trouble with various things, though, and I don't know if these are problems with hardware, software or both. I don't want to spend a lot of time installing programs and getting the computer set up if it is defective and will need to be replaced.
First of all, the computer will connect with my 1st generation AirPort Base Station manually, but it won't reconnect automatically after sleep or restart. I have 3 Apple laptops and a G5 iMac that work fine with this Airport, so I think this is a problem with my new machine.
The computer was dodgy from the start, possibly due to poor performance of my wireless mouse. I was convinced that the data I'd transferred from an old machine was causing my problems, so I erased the HD and reinstalled the system and base software, then did a software update to get everything up to date. I also reset the PRAM and repaired permissions (does that ever really help?). That is when I discovered the mouse issue so I'm not sure if the early problems I had were all due to the mouse's inconsistent performance.
I connected to the wireless network with the initial setup of the machine after I reinstalled the system. Since then I've successfully connected through the Airport icon menu as well as Internet Connect and the troubleshooter program, but the connection lasts only until the next sleep or shutdown. I have to type in the name of the network and the password each time.
I'm running a closed network. I've entered the Airport ID to the Airport base station and as I said, it will connect manually without problems. The Network is set to join preferred networks by default and my network "Home Wireless" is the only preferred network that shows up in the list.
Next, the dock intermittently won't show up when I drag the cursor to the bottom of the screen. It displays all the time if I unclick the "Automatically hide and show the Dock" button, but I like the dock hidden when I'm not using it. This behavior is different from any of my 6 other Macs. I have plugged in a USB mouse and the dock seems to be working more reliably with it, though there have been some episodes of the dock not appearing even when I'm using the USB mouse when the wireless mouse is also connected. Could the wireless mouse be causing this problem with the dock?
The wireless mighty mouse's performance IS very spotty. Pushing the scroll button won't reliably call up the Dashboard, and the side buttons seem to either activate the Expose function too easily or not at all. In fact, there have been times when each of the buttons haven't worked properly.
Thanks for any advice. I'm hoping that replacing the wireless mouse will fix the mouse and dock problem and that the airport issue will be a software problem that will be fixed soon. I've read several others' posts relating to networking problems with the current generation if intel macs. I don't think that these are all operator dependent.

I unclicked "create a closed network" and now
everything seems to work on wake from sleep and on
restart. Is that the same as broadcasting the SSID?
Yes
If anyone else is following in my footsteps, I also
changed the security from 40 to 128 bit WEP at the
same time because if WEP is a useless scheme as I've
read, I want it to be the best darn useless scheme
it can!
Though 128bit WEP can be hacked, it takes a lot more traffic to find the key then using 40bit WEP.
Thanks iFelix. Any idea how much chance there is for
someone hacking my WEP in a residential neighborhood?
Depends on who your neighbours are...
To be honest if you lived in an apartment block I would argue you were more at risk than if you live in a detached property with only a couple of neighbours.
Should I update my wireless system? I'm happy with
the performance of the AirPort otherwise,
If you're happy and it's working, keep it as it is.
but I'm
disappointed that they don't allow an upgrade to a
more secure system and also VERY disappointed that I
can't at least create a working closed network with
my new Apple iMac.
The thing is putting your Airport base station in a brown paper bag adds as much security as creating a closed network does.
A wireless network is still broadcasting and therefore detectable regardless of whether you broadcast the SSID (closed network) or not.
A determined hacker (one who can hack 128bit WEP) will not be put off by a closed network.
As for casual users, well the 128bit WEP will stop them.
Unfortunately "Closed" networks, MAC access control lists, and reduction in transmission power are all more "feel good" security rather than real security. All these various approaches are dated and mistakenly lead to overconfidence.
WPA is your friend if you value wireless security, but that will only be possible if you upgrade your wireless router.
It could be for a variety of reasons why your Mac and original Airport don't like working with a closed network, however it does seem to happen more often when using hardware from different manufacturers.
The reason why your previous Mac didn't have this issue is that it used a different wireless chipset to your new Mac, which is the main reason for the issue you are having now.
iFelix

MacBook Pro and Airport connection problem

My MacBook Pro has a volatile connection to my Airport Express base station.
I have a 2-month old 15.4" MacBook Pro (Intel Core 2 Duo), all software updates are installed, etc. I connect to the internet through an Airport base station. For the past few days my MBP has had a dodgy connection, slowing down at seeming random and then occasionally disconnecting from the base station entirely, although the Airport icon on the MBP is always on. While downloading a file I noticed that the speed of the connection was incrementally slowing until it stopped, and it was only after a couple of retries and then connecting to the base station again (by finding it amongst the other networks on the pull-down menu that you get when you click on the Airport icon) that my connection resumed at its previous speed.
My 12" PowerPC iBook connects to the internet over this Airport base station at full speed, no problems.
I've tried resetting the PRAM on my MBP without change.
One possibly noteworthy change is that this past week I updated my Parallels software to 3.0, which may have an effect based on some of the other threads I've read.
What now?!

After trying all of the above the suggestions, the problem returned as before. However, after digging some more I discovered that the issue appears to lie with the 10.4.10 version of the Mac OS; when I checked the software log under the system profiler I noticed that I had installed that update at about the time my Airport problems began. Apple then quietly released a v 1.1 combo update to 10.4.10 on July 2nd, which once installed appears to have resolved the problem. You can find the download at http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/macosx10410comboupdatev11intel.html
What's curious is that originally Apple listed that the v 1.1 combo update resolved some issues with RAW image data, and some sound problems, which don't seem to have anything to do with Airport.

IBook G4 OSX 10.3.9 Airport Connection Problems

My mom absolutely loves her iBook but it has recently stopped getting the Internet. I have tried everything I can think of and I've looked through hundreds of threads and none have found the answer. There are three other computers in the house that are able to connect through Airport to our router (which is open) with no problem. However, when you try to connect on her computer it says that it is getting one bar but no more. It's impossible for the signal to be that low when everyone else has full signal. I'm open to any suggestion at this point! Please help!!

Hey lilangel and Welcome to Apple Discussions,
Exactly which iBook is this? If it's any of the ones up to the integrated Airport Extreme/BlueTooth card try swapping the card.
three other computers in the house that are able to connect through Airport to our router
Are any of these using a card compatible w/ your mom's iBook?
The card has a known failure rate.
Got 3 in my junk drawer.
Richard

Airport connection problems - solution !

In our company's office since a couple of weeks we have been suffering being unable to connect our Macbooks to the our wireless router. We have been trying any kind of WEP and other security codes etc. but there was no way to actually connect. Finally I found the true reason moreless accidentally trying out the most unlogically things:
Typically when you connect to your wireless network the a dialog will open that asks you for the WEP code. You enter the hexdecimal WEP and then there are 2 options:
1) "Show password": allows you to visually verify the password
2) "Remember my password in the key chain"
When the option 1) is active and you press "Ok" you will not be able to connect to the network. Vice versa, if it is inactive you will !
To be sincere this looks like a kind of bug to me ! So I recommend to provide an update for this as soon as possible. We have been 4 people trying to figure the problem during days, so an immense loss of time. And there was absolutely no thread on the web about this issue.
My general recommendations for connecting Airport to a misc. wirless router are:
1) Use WEP
2) Use a hexadecimal WEP
3) Put the dollar letter in front of the WEP, such as $673A5B82 ...
4) Be sure to deactivate the option "Show password" in the networkconnection dialog.
5) Activate the option "Remember password in the key chain"
Have fun !

Thanks for your comment. In fact my proposal although working and verified with my colleagues, does not working anymore after restarting the wireless router. It seems that Airport has still some pending compatibility issues which cause this kind of arbitrary behavior.

Airport Connectivity Problems

I'm new to Apple
Got a Macbook Pro. on Sept 2011
Initially everything was fine then Safari would halt half way through and lock when loading a site. I would shut Safari down but problem still existed till I shut down the Mac and re-booted. This would happen a couple of times during an hour session on the net ----- Then! when logging on for the 3rd or 4th time there would be no signal - Message reads " No Airport card installed"
1. I am 5' away from the router
2. There are 3 other Mac products and the PC I am using now that work just fine
3. When I go into "Preferences" I am asked how I am trying to connect to the net - Airport is not an option
Please help or direct me to somewhere in Apple Support that could help me address the problem
Regards
3.

Take it to an Apple store or AASP.

Fast iMac Airport connection - slow MacBook same connection

That just about sums it up...
My iMac and MacBook are on the same Aiport Extreme and Express (bridge) connection but the MB is so slow. The iMac is screaming along at 4Mb/sec and the MacBook is crawling at 600Kb/sec.
This has happened since I updated to 10.8 and the Airport firmware.
Lil help?
Thanks.

Thanks for that! I had tried all manner of solutions, and Coconut WiFi was the culprit. I guess I should have tried rebooting with extensions off too, since that might have twigged me to the solution:
http://coconut-flavour.com/coconutwifi/index.html
So the advice would be, yes, Coconut WiFi is useful, but only run it when you need it, then shut it down to get proper connection bandwidth on a MacBook.

Intel iMac airport connection problems

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