Signal strength problem

Hi there- hope you can help.
Until recently I had an iBook G4 sharing the ethernet connection of an iMac G4 via airport. This worked perfectly throughout the house, both with and without an airport express base station
Recently I changed the iBook for a 12" PB G4 1.5 Ghz and set everything up with the exact same configuration. The problem is that the signal strength with the new PB is terrible. The two machines can sit right next to each other and I'll only get a 3 out of 4 signal strength on the PB. And when it gets more than 10 feet away, it loses all connection. This is the same either with the airport base station, or sharing the iMac's ethernet connection via airport cards.
Any ideas?
Many thanks,
Boris

I have a related problem. I'm running 10.4.4 on a G4 PB. I just downloaded the latest Airport update (as of 1/21). When I restarted, I either got a too-weak signal or none at all and I was sitting at the exact place from which I'd done the download. When I bring the PB within 10 unobstructed feet of the base station, the signal returns. This is extremely frustrating as the description of the update mentioned improved reception. Yeah, right. I repaired permissions and restarted which of course made no difference.
I have a feeling that we both need a software fix; I hope Apple is forthcoming with it.
PB g4 12" Mac OS X (10.4.4)

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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.

Signal Strength Problems - 1310

I've got a site with six 1310's installed. Prior to Hurricane Katrina we've had no problems with the setup.
Since the hurricane, we've replaced all but two of the units (those two didn't get flooded). On the units that were replaced, we also replaced the antenna's (12dBi omni's) and the cable's (100' ULL).
We are getting really poor signal strength, -85 to -90 dBm. The maximum distance between root and non-root's is about 425 feet with clear line of sight. I don't have a good calculation of Fresnel zone, but since it is 28ft at 2.8 miles, I think I'm clear on this also.
I've two non-roots that are about 200 feet away from root, on start-up they have a signal strength of about -50 dBm, but over 10-15 minutes, they degrade to -85 dBm.
The Cisco engineer I was working with was thrown in the towel, saying he doesn't know anything about antenna's.
I did a site survey and didn't come up with any interference.
Anyone have any clues?
Thanks,
Westley

Thanks for the pictures, it helps a lot to see how things are layed out.
The move to replace 200' of low loss to 100 feet of Ultra low loss was probably a Very Good Thing and should have increased the signal strength considerably.
Grounding is very important, if only for the safety aspects. "Lightning Arrestors" don't stop lightning; they bleed off static electricity and (tend to) reduce the space charge that can accumulate on exposed elements.
It's always a good idea to put in a segment of fiber between the APs and the wired network to prevent the zap from killing the rest of the network (and maybe the phones too ....).
Check the coax for kinks (or places that were kinked), sharp bends, broken jacket, etc. At Gig+ frequencies, any malformed section of cabling an have a significant impact on the propagation of the signal.
Check each connector to make sure there isn't any "stuff" that is causing a casual short between the center conductor and the shield. Look closely, wire fragments from the braid can be pretty hard to see.
Also make sure that the center pin is ~level with the surrounding sleeve. Sometime the center pin is driven back into the connector (i.e., bad termination) and is not making sufficient contact.
The "starts strong and tapers off" symptom can only be something related to power, a failing component, heat (causing a component to break down), or some safety mechanism (i.e., high SWR causing the transmitter to throttle back)....
Try another known good power brick,
Try another antenna (any antenna)
and see if the symptoms change.
Probably the most suspicious places would be the connections around the arrestor, and the connection from the coax to the antenna pigtail.
I looked at the pattern of your new antennas:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/wireless/ps469/prod_installation_guide09186a0080148acf.html
The "E-Plane" drawings are the "side view," the "H-Plane" is the "top view". Imagine the line from the center of the chart to the "90" (bottom) is your mast.
Anyway, the short version is: Check the cable and connections carefully (especially connections and the arrestors).
Second to that, make sure the power supply is stable.
It's not likely to be an IOS issue (but I'm a big fan of staying as current as possible).
Check it out and let us know if you find anything ...
Good Luck
Scott

Signal strength problems with n80

hi all
have just upgraded from samsung d600 to nokia n80. phone works brilliant and have had none of the problems others seem to have had. even the battery lasts for upto 3 days with on/off usage media player etc.
my problem is that my signal is very weak in areas where the samsung was very strong. i work in a shop and the phone is next to useless as i cant even get 1 bar. outside its fine. compared to my mrs d500, if you put the phones side by side she can have 3 bars where i have 1 bar.
can any of you bright sparks explain why and what can be done. ive tried those cheap signal boosters but no improvement. please help before i bung it on ebay
cheers dave

16-Aug-2006
12:59 PM
fruityno1 wrote:
Hi
I am on Vodafone and get little or no signal strength in some areas, yet I put my sim card into my sony and the signal is perfect? Any solutions cause its driving me nuts!!!
Contact your nearest nokia repair centre and get the phone inspected. Click repair on top menu bar
Orange Handsets : Nokia 51 > NK702 (6130) > 6210 > 6310i (silver)> 7210i > 6230 > 6230i (silver) > N80 (silver) > N95-1
T-Mobile: N96

TS1559 wifi signal strength problem

my ipad 3 wifi signal strength is very (increase or decrease) and some time its appear one bar
please tell me what i do for its solution
thanks

Could be a router problem or settings problem.
Some things to try first:
1. Turn Off your iPad. Then turn Off (disconnect power cord for 30 seconds or longer) the wireless router & then back On. Now boot your iPad. Hopefully it will see the WiFi.
2. Go to Settings>Wi-Fi and turn Off. Then while at Settings>Wi-Fi, turn back On and chose a Network.
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5. Renew IP Address: (especially if you are droping internet connection)
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6. Potential Quick Fixes When Your iPad Won’t Connect to Your Wifi Network
http://ipadinsight.com/ipad-tips-tricks/potential-quick-fixes-when-your-ipad-won t-connect-to-your-wifi-network/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
iOS 6 Wifi Problems/Fixes
Wi-Fi Fix for iOS 6
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4823738?tstart=240
How To: Workaround iPad Wi-Fi Issues
http://www.theipadfan.com/workaround-ipad-wifi-issues/
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http://tabletcrunch.com/2012/10/27/fix-ios-6-wifi-problems-ssid/
Wifi Doesn't Connect After Waking From Sleep - Sometimes increasing screen brightness prevents the failure to reconnect after waking from sleep. According to Apple, “If brightness is at lowest level, increase it by moving the slider to the right and set auto brightness to off.”
Fix For iOS 6 WiFi Problems?
http://tabletcrunch.com/2012/09/27/fix-ios-6-wifi-problems/
Did iOS 6 Screw Your Wi-Fi? Here’s How to Fix It
http://gizmodo.com/5944761/does-ios-6-have-a-wi+fi-bug
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http://www.iphonehacks.com/2012/09/fix-wi-fi-connectivity-issue-after-upgrading- to-ios-6.html
iOS 6 iPad 3 wi-fi "connection fix" for netgear router
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWS4ha-dn0
Apple's iOS 6 Wi-Fi problems
http://www.zdnet.com/apples-ios-6-wi-fi-problems-linger-on-7000004799/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/a/How-To-Boost-Your-Wi-Fi-Signal.h tm
Troubleshooting a Weak Wi-Fi Signal
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/a/Troubleshooting-A-Weak-Wi-Fi-Sig nal.htm
How to Fix a Poor Wi-Fi Signal on Your iPad
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/a/How-To-Fix-A-Poor-Wi-Fi-Signal-O n-Your-iPad.htm
iOS Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1398
iPad: Issues connecting to Wi-Fi networks http://support.apple.com/kb/ts3304
WiFi Connecting/Troubleshooting http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/wifi/
How to Fix: My iPad Won't Connect to WiFi
http://ipad.about.com/od/iPad_Troubleshooting/ss/How-To-Fix-My-Ipad-Wont-Connect -To-Wi-Fi.htm
iOS: Connecting to the Internet http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1695
iOS: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4199
How to Quickly Fix iPad 3 Wi-Fi Reception Problems
http://osxdaily.com/2012/03/21/fix-new-ipad-3-wi-fi-reception-problems/
iPad Wi-Fi Problems: Comprehensive List of Fixes
http://appletoolbox.com/2010/04/ipad-wi-fi-problems-comprehensive-list-of-fixes/
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http://thehowto.wikidot.com/wifi-connect-ipad
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How To Fix iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Wi-Fi Connectivity Issue http://tinyurl.com/7nvxbmz
Unable to Connect After iOS Update - saw this solution on another post.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4010130
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Wi-Fi or Bluetooth settings grayed out or dim
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If any of the above solutions work, please post back what solved your problem. It will help others with the same problem.
 Cheers, Tom

Very weird signal strength problem

Hello everybody, I have a rather unique problem with a linksys range expander. I have successfully set one up at my home and am presently trying to set one up for a friend. I set everything up in every possible way I knew how (I had a lot of experience after trying to set up my own)and I believe the range expander is set up correctly however in Wireless connection status it is still showing the signal as very low. BUT if I click view wireless networks, it shows the network as having excellent signal strength! I know that distance is not an issue as the adapter and range expander in my house is set up at more than twice the distance of my friends and it still receives excellent signal. Thus I'm inclined to think that something else is causing this problem, since I also have tried moving the range expander in case something was blocking it, to no effect. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if anyone has any ideas for a fix? Thanks!

If the Range Extender is showing two blue lights & from the wired computer you are able to ping 192.168.1.240........ we can assume that range extender is working fine ......
Let me know on wireless computer which utility you are using?
Message Edited by oook on 11-14-2007 04:31 PM

C3-01 signal strength problem.....

C3-01 Does not capture signals as other phones do,this model shows poor signal strength all time..i am using lattest 6.05 Version..

We are business users and have 3 of these phones. I find it hard to beleive the signal strength is so poor on a service such as Vodafone in 3 different city centre locations throughout the UK. The hand sets are only 4 months old, so is there a known design flaw?
prabhulcs wrote:
C3-01 Does not capture signals as other phones do,this model shows poor signal strength all time..i am using lattest 6.05 Version..

Airport Extreme signal strength problem

My airport extreme's signal is very weak by the time it gets to the other end of my house, and a couple of computers at that end have been using my neighbor's unsecured wifi for their internet connection. How can I extend or strengthen the broadcast? Is there a setting in the airport utility app? The computers affected are windows xp computers. My iMac and Vista pc are connected via the ethernet cable, so they're not using wifi.

Welcome to the discussion area!
Wireless signal strength dissipates quite quickly with distance and any obstructions such as walls or ceilings will make this effect even more noticeable.
If you have a newer dual band AirPort Extreme and you want to extend both bands for greater wireless coverage using wireless only, then you'll need to look at another dual band AirPort Extreme.
The AirPort Express can also be configured to extend your wireless network, but it will only extend one band.
The extending device would normally be located at approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the distance between your main router and the area that needs more wireless coverage.
Post back if you decide to add an extending device to your network and you need help with configuration details.

E71-1 Signal strength problem in the UK

Hi
I am thinking of buying the E71; I've read glowing reviews and it looks really a great phone.
However reading this forum is giving me second thoughts.
Can anybody tell me if the is a signal strenght problem in the UK. If there is, is it on both the GSM900MHz band and the GSM1800MHz band or just the lower band? I'm with Orange which uses GSM1800MHz band
Any information pertaining to the UK would be much appreciated.
Thanks

Hi ysgol
I may have been a little flippant with this remark and was not intending it as a definitive solution and my apologies if it was so taken.
Happy to have helped forum in a small way with a Support Ratio = 37.0

Signal Strength Problems

OSX 10.6.6 on an iMac and MBP, 3 iPod Touches (2 1st gen, 1 2nd), all trying to connect to a 1TB Time capsule. The closed network is set up with WPA2. The TC is a new replacement for an older model that died about 2 months ago.
Everything was fine 24h ago (no exaggeration). The MPB was in the living room, using the network simultaneously with the iMac, which was in the same room with the TC. (We were playing a game on Steam, so clearly the network was fine at the time.)
This morning, I used the network extensively on the iMac from about 6-9. Walked away for an hour, came back to a completely hosed network set-up. Now, we can't connect anything to the network unless it's in the same room as the TC. Normally, our touches can get good signals from the back yard. The touches aren't remembering the network settings. The MBP will connect in the room with the iMac and TC, but walking to the living room looses the connection.
I've re-set the TC, unplugged it. Unplugged the DSL modem. The network's working well enough to let me post this - but only from within 5' of the TC.
Any ideas of how it could have gotten so messed up? What have I missed in trying to get things working again?

Hello E&S Mom. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
It is very possible that you may have some form of Wi-Fi interference that has been introduced recently in the immediate area that is preventing your TC from providing a good clean signal to the network's wireless clients. Other Wi-Fis, portable cell phones, microwave ovens, etc.
I suggest you perform a simple site survey, using utilities like iStumbler, or AirRadar to determine potential areas of interference, and then, try to either eliminate or significantly reduce them where possible. You'll want to look for other Wi-Fi networks nearby; note the ones with the strongest signals, and which channel those are operating on. This would provide you with the best channel to set yours for. Please let me know if you need further assistance on how to go about doing this.

Not a signal strength problem; but other wierd dropouts .. PC a-ok

I'm currently in a hotel.. I have my iPad and PC laptop.
The iPad and PC BOTH get the same Wifi connection (strong)..
But the PC is working perfectly, and the iPad is just dying on the network.
Cannot consistently download POP email, cannot surf the web, cannot use remote terminal services without failing.
PC.. perfect.
I haven't seen this problem before... I've taken my ipad to several hotels without any issue.
What could be wrong here? Something wierd with the wireless access point? But if so, why is my PC a-ok?

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

Problems with signal strength with channels on Mux...

I've had a YouView box (Humax first gen model) for almost a week and i'm having pixelation/signal strength problems with all channels on Mux. Com5, Pick, Dave, Movie Mix and Really etc. My Vision+ box and TV are showing these channels without any problems. Any ideas?

I have a similar problem.
(But not on Crystal Palace Tx).
Switch to a poor channel. (Dave for example. This is one I have problems with).
Go to Settings, TV Settings, Freeview Signal Strength.
Now press the Info button to get extra information.
Note the UHF channel number, the channel is being received on.
Get the same channel information, on the other Freeview receiver you have.
In my case, the UHF channels are different.
I believe, the Youview box is pre-set to receive from a transmitter (and hence a UHF channel number), determined by a post-code and/or your address details.
Because my aerial is not pointing at the main transmitter for my post code, I get poor reception because the transmitter the aerial is pointing at, transmits Dave (MUX) on another UHF channel.
As confirmed by the other freeview receivers I have.
There doesn't seem to be a way to force the box to use any other UHF channel.
Any scan always comes up with the same one.
There is no manual setting.
I might be totally wrong, but I think this is another software bug.

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.

Iphone in Great Britian discovers Apple tech problem - Signal Strength -

November 25, 2007
Signal trouble: British iPhone mystery
Is O2’s network to blame, or Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone?
That’s the question posed by more than a few British iPhone owners who purchased the device in the past two weeks and have been struggling ever since to get decent telephone reception on it.
The problem surfaced two days after the phone went on sale in the U.K. when “Matlock” in Derbyshire started a discussion thread on Apple’s support board entitled “UK 02 (poor signal strength/reception problems)”:
My iphone can barely pick up even the slightest signal, although on occasion can pick up 3 ars, only for it to drop out again. I have two other 02 phones, a Sony Erricson and a Nokia n95 with no reception problems at all. Is anyone experiencing same problem with their iphone, I would like to hear from you. (link)
Two weeks later, Matlock’s query has received more than 100 replies (and 3,723 pageviews), most of them registering similar complaints. Some users found that reinstalling the software made a difference. When others returned their phones for new ones, the problem went away (although some reported that the new phones were no better).
Definitive U.K. sales figures are not available, but O2 reported that it sold “tens of thousands” of iPhones the first weekend it was available.
Several posters on the Apple discussion board volunteered that unlike the complainants, they were getting great reception on their iPhones. And many owners with signal problems expressed pleasure with how well the device performed its other functions.
But unlike American iPhone owners, who tend to blame any reception headaches on AT&T’s (T) cellular network, the assumption in the U.K. seems to be that the signal problem is Apple’s. The impression is reinforced by O2, which has been referring callers directly to the manufacturer.
One clue is that many British iPhone owners can, like Matlock, compare the signal strength on their iPhone with other cellphones using the same network (one user even posted photos showing the phones side by side). Another is that the indicator on the iPhone tends to jump to five bars as soon as it is placed in the charging dock, which suggests that the problem is battery related. As user Richard Catledge points out:
It says in the manual that phone signal is adjusted to the minimum power when not in use, just enough to detect the incoming pings, then it will power up to get the best quality call. It is digital, so as long as the signal power is strong enough to reconstruct at the other end, more power is pointless. I suspect this is what you are seeing, or a slightly flakey implementation.
Meanwhile, the consensus on the discussion board is that unhappy owners should let Apple know. Writes one user who posts as ::…SAM…::,
The only way to get anything done about it is if people that have poor signal problems is to take your phone back and get it replaced. The more phones they get back, the sooner they will do something to fix the problem. Emails and complaints are fine, they can be put in a folder, high handset return numbers cant be so easy to hide under the rug.
Thanks to InformationWeek’s Alexander Wolfe for the link. See his report here.
Filed

Interesting post. My previous phone was an 02 XDA Exec, a smart phone based upon a common handset (forget which one), but the smart phone before that was the same. They all had one thing in common - poor reception.
tbh, I think its an inherent problem with smart phones. However, with my iPhone I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary really. Its better than the XDA, at least the iPhone doesn't drop out completely!
But compare it to a normal handset and the normal handset will normally have a much better reception strength.

TS3623 I cannot activate my 3rd gn AppleTV due to NetworkTime problems, what is that? I am able to mirror fine. And my network read shows that I am accessing my network, with good signal strength, but the net work time has stopped me cold.

I am able to mirror fine, but that limits me, my wifi extend only to airplay, my ipad, my iphone, but not the store, or netflix Network stats are good, and signal strength excellent, but due to the problem of failing to set my Network time no activation. I have unplugged and replugged so many times my i need to see a chiropractor. What gives, I have seen this question on the forums but no diffinative answer. HELP!! —Bob

Try a reset or restore if you can get to that. I found when trying to use a wired ethernet setup (which wouldn't work but that is another story) that I couldn't even get to the menus without the atv3 wanting to connect with apple for the time. When I went back to wireless, I got the tome sync to let me get to the menus but then an apple rep had me restore or reboot (I forgot which sorry) and then I finally got my wired connection to work. That is, until tonight and I am having to download the 4 hour update. Download to what, I don't know.

Signal strength problem

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