Ongoing WiFi issues and Apple Support's lack of support!

Question

Hi All,
I bought my MacBook Air in July/August 2012 (i7, 8GB RAM, 256 GB HDD, Mountain Lion). Since the first day, I have had issues with wifi connectivity. My primary use was at the university in Australia, where I had frequent drop outs and at times no connection at all. the university does not officially support Apple products and I was stuck with Apple support asking me to check with network administrators. I was also advised to re-install the OS, reset PRAM etc with no improvements. Then I had a 4 month stint as an exchange student in an Indian university. As i was not using my laptop at the university, I couldnt monitor the WiFi connectivity in these 4 months. Once back in Australia in January 2013, the issue surfaced again. Multiple conversations with Apple Support led me to another 4 re-installations and replacing my router with an uber expensive one. The reasons given by Apple were either the router's quality or interference from other networks. The new router supported 5Ghz band and had no intereference what so ever. I started to notice that the connectivity is far better with the wifi signal showing full range, but internet does not work. All is well if I am sitting right next to the router. The minute i move 5-8 metres away, Internet becomes super slow (from 12-14 Mbps to 1-2 Mbps on speedtest.net) and eventually does not load. At the same time, all other devices, including my iphone 5, ipad 2, ipad mini and other PCs in the apartment works perfectly fine.
On speaking to Apple Support, i was asked to conduct SNR checks and found out that the SNR readings fluctuate like ****. From 1-2 to 25-30. The Signal strength on my MacBook Air stays at -75dB to -65 dB. Armed with this info, the Airport card was replaced. But the issue still persists. The MacBook Air is presently at Apple waiting to get its display (antennas are embedded here) replaced. But I have lost total confidence in Apple. Is there anyone who had similar issues and found a stable solution? Other symptoms which may be connected are Mail becoming nonresposive intermitently, Power Nap function not working, battery life never more than 4 hours.
Apple Support has been appalling in a very courteous manner. Even though the commincation and care they took to talk to me, the issue hasnt been solved and its been 11 months!!
Any comments, advices and support will be appreciated.
Thank You!

Answer 1

I am sorry, maybe my comment was vague. I am an engineer too albiet in the medical devices sector. Problem for me is that, I have been talking to Apple for about 11 months now. If you know where I live and how far the Apple Store is, you'd understand my frustration. I have been accomodating so far and do love the customer service experience I get from Apple. I am a proud owner of 2 iPads, an iPad mini, an iPod classic, an iPod Touch, an iPhone 4 and an iPhone 5 besides the MacBook Air. They are the most courteous and receptive Customer Service Reps out there. But all the courtesy does not hide the fact that my MBA is 11 months old and still having an issue starting 11 monthds ago. I had taken this machine to the stores numerous times. With the last week, i was getting to a point where I felt I have done enough to try everything except replacement of the machine to try fixing this issue. But now, Apple wont play ball. the rep said, i quote "your machine is almost a year old and you cant expect Apple to replace it". they have support call documents to prove that i have been talking to them about the issue since 11 months and to top it all, I have also purchased the $279 extended warranty. At the time of purchase the rep promised me that 'I would be send a box containing a loan machine while yours can be sent to us and fixed'. if you go through my posts here in mac forum, I had raised the issue here as well.
Now coming to the question, I have exhausted my options with Apple support and wanted to know if anyone else had the same issue and found a fix. With that maybe i can stop pulling my hair apart - realistically, stop myself from making another long trip to the Apple Store.