Wireless connection drops on 1/2 of computers on network

I have an Apple Airport Extreme N Router setup to feed my NAS wirelessly to all computers on my network. Some computers on the network can sign in wirelessly (Via TP-Link TEWDN3200 USB Adaptor) and connect to the NAS. The other half drop connections all the time and cannot connect to the NAS in any way using the TP-Link USB adaptor or the PCI-e adaptor. (Via Webserver or mapped network drives) Computers which are wired directly to the router can access the NAS without any problems.
Some more facts:
- All computers (with and without the problem) are running Windows XP PRO 32 bit SP3
- Some computers are using a TP-Link TL-WDN4800 with latest drivers
- All computers are connecting via the Wireless Zero-config service
- In the 'status' window on the wireless network, for computers that connect fine, the Netnwork ID remains solid and the connection looks stable.
- In the 'status' window on the wireless network, for computers that can't connect, the Network ID flashes in and out and the network speed bounces between 450.0 Mbps and 200.0 Mbps. Said computers eventually lose connection and then automatically reconnect only to drop out within an hour or so.
- All PC's are using DHCP and the addressable range is 99 on the NAS. More than enough for 7 computers.
- All computers are in the same room and the problem is evident no matter which broadcast channel I use or which frequency. (2.4 gHz or 5 gHz) It is now set to automatic in the Airport because it seems the most stable.
- I installed a WDN4800 PCI-e adaptor into one of the PC's that worked with a USB adaptor and it no longer works with either!
Very frustrating!
I did some troubleshooting with TP-link, thinking it was their card, but came up with nothing. They think it's the Airport.
The only telltale sign that the PC is not going to work is that Network name in the status window of the wireless connection. If it's flashing: It won't connect. If it's solid: it works flawlessly for weeks on end.
Has anyone seen this issue before? If so: what did you do to fix it?

SOLVED:
The Airport Extreme is dying. Why it works on some computers and not others is beyond me but, after replacing it, everything works flawlessly. I hope this is covered under warranty.

Similar Messages

Wireless connection drops every day -- iTunes 8.02 the problem??

Hello! Our iMac is connected to the internet via Airport, and we have rarely had problems with the connection. For the last two weeks, when I get on the iMac for the first time that day, I have to reconnect to the wireless network through the Airport Setup Assistant every single time. I've tried resetting our cable modem and Airport -- no effect on the problem. I've tried going into sleep mode without logging off to see if that might help -- nope. I've tried repairing permissions in the off-chance that that might help -- no again.
In something that seems more than just a coincidence, we updated our iTunes to 8.02 about two weeks ago, and that's when this problem began happening. I am especially suspicious that there's a link because we did not update iTunes on our Macbook and it has no problem whatsoever staying connected to the exact same wireless network.
Two questions, then:
-- Is the iTunes 8.02 update the problem?
-- If so, how do I go back to iTunes 7.7?
Thanks!

Hi, I'm new to iTunes and apple, but this is happening to me too! I've got iTunes 8 and whenever I run it, my wireless connection drops (disables itself) and cannot be restarted without rebooting the machine. Did you manage to find an answer?

Wireless connection drops out for no reason

I have a macbook with 10.4.11 update. I had my macbook since october last year and had no problems. About two months ago now i have this problem were my wireless connection drops for no reason, my modem/router shows everything is working normal with its lights on the front panel.
My setup is, motorola sbg900 on a cable 80000mbps wireless network, firewall off on my modem, firewall on on my mac (its always been on), Playstation 3(wireless), PC(wireless, but is switched off), another pc which is wireless and also off, nintendo wii off as well, and a baby monitor.
I have a feeling its nothing to do with my setup(except for maybe port forwarding) but am wondering if it is an update issue bug that needs to be fixed(thats what im hoping).
One other thing, when my connection drops in the menu bar and i select it to see which networks are availale, my network motorola8566 is not visible, another 'motorola9522' and 'wireless' network is?My prefered networks dont list any of these in system preferences. Then all of a sudden those other networks dissapear, my network is reshown and i can select it no propblems. What gives? Any help would be great, thanx in advandce

I have the same issue with my wireless connection being dropped. I have the most recent version of leopard 10.5.2 . The other macbook in this household also has 10.5.2 and has no problems with dropped connections. I tried resetting the pram which helped at first until I used my macbook on the battery alone the problem started to reoccur. Help?!?

Wireless connection drops at random

Hi,
I have a 27" late 2011 iMAC. Since I updated to Lion my wireless connection drops at random. The wireless symbol shows that I am connected, but i cannot use the internet.
The sollution at that time is that I turn off wireless, and than turn it on again. This solves the problem, but only temporarely. Since I also own a NAS for TimeMachine backups, the dropping of the connection is annoying because the backups fail most of the time.
What is causing this problem. I have 2 windows PC's and the connection stays. Router has latest firmware (fritzbox 7340), and my mac is up to date.
Please help.
Thanx in advance.

Hi,
try to change the WiFi channel on your fritzbox, sometimes it works better on higher channels 11, 12, 13 especially if there are Telekom routers in your neibourhood. Make sure to use the latest Firmware for your Fritz!Box, the actually had a few issues in this area a few months ago. If this still does not help, only activate the 2,4 Ghz Bandwidth on the Firtz!Box and deactivate de 5 Ghz option.
I hope that this will solve your issue.
Cheers

Wireless connection drops after time. Please assist.

Hi
My problem is that my wireless connection drops every 5-15 minutes.
I don't know all the relevant info to give. If there's something I can post that will help let me know and I'll reply.
I've used netcfg to configure my network. I have a Canyon CN-WF511 wireless card.
I load the following 3 modules in my rc.conf; rt2500pci rt2x00lib rt2x00pci. I think those are the only ones pertaining to my network card.
When it drops I just netcfg -a then netcfg default (profile name) and it works for another few minutes.
Below is my network profile.
CONNECTION="wireless"
INTERFACE=wlan0
#IP="dhcp"
#DHCP_TIMEOUT=20
IP="static"
IFOPTS="192.168.0.2 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.0.255"
GATEWAY=192.168.0.1
#DOMAIN=localdomain
#DNS1=192.168.0.1
ESSID=default
SECURITY=none
SCAN="YES"
TIMEOUT=15

The easiest solution might be to setup NetCfg somehow with your wifi card and access point. Have you tried that? Can you find your card's chipset on the wiki?(chances are that your particular chipset will need a firmware put into /lib/firmware. Again that's found on the wiki on the NetCfg or Wifi page, I forget which sorry.) Those are two places where I'd look for good information.
By the way, your rc.conf is way out of date. You should look at updating it by using the recent rc.conf.pacnew file that you'll find in the /etc directory.

Wireless connections drops after AirPort Extreme 2007-001 Update

Hello, I am getting a lot of wireless connection drops since I installed the AirPort Extreme 2007-001 Update. Anyone has similar issue? Any fix?

Well, I was conneting to the University's wireless server (which is maintained and huge) flawlessly prior to the update. My friend has a macbook pro and didn't apply the update and he has no problem. I installed the update and since then I'm having a hard time connecting to ANY wireless server/router.
I came across the following, looks like a lot of other persons are having the same issue:
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070202141024604
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20070126190822382
Looks like my solution would be to perform an Archive & Install and to not reinstall the AE 2007-001 update.

10.5.2 failed to fix wireless connection dropping problem

10.5.2 did not fix wireless connection dropping problem. I lose wireless connection whenever my MBP restarts or wake up from sleep in the building where I am and have to retype password about 10 times a day. I had not had this problem when I used Tiger. Everyone who has upgraded to Leopard or has it installed on their Mac is experiencing the same problem. Is there any solution or trick to resolve this problem? Thank you.
Message was edited by: FrenchQuarter
Message was edited by: FrenchQuarter

Amularya,
Please read the post I made in this thread earlier. No less than a dozen solutions are offered in the link I provided for wireless issues. Troubleshooting wireless issues requires individual attention because of the plethora of issues which can't be tested for. So please start a new topic thread here:
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1225&start=0
So you can get a wider audience, and won't confuse the original poster with solutions that don't apply to them.
There literally hundreds of different WiFi adapters.
Dozens of different virus and firewall combinations.
Possibilities for damaged WiFi cards and routers, as well as routers whose firmware is not to spec with the latest wireless standard.
To top it off, bad RAM, hard disk being too full, and bad preference, cache or or logfiles can make various aspects of the operating system misbehave, and/or even the directory leading to those files.
Until each person starts their own thread looking for solution individually, chances are they won't find one. Yes, 10.5.2 addresses WiFi for some people. Obviously it doesn't for everyone. The point is, there are some people, like myself who have never had a WiFi issue either with Intel or PowerPC Macs that they couldn't resolve without a little bit of troubleshooting. I'm happy to help you walk through it, but only if you start your own thread asking for help.

Intermittent Wireless Connection, Dropping Wireless Connection

I am asking this in hopes of finding at least some way to diagnose my problem and hopefully eventually solving it. My wireless connection currently drops at varying amounts of time. Sometimes I can go 20mins others merely 5mins. The Airport reads that I am still connected and have a strong connection but when I try to navigate to a page with the browser (either firefox or safari) it merely times out after trying to load the page for up to a few minutes. I have changed the channel and frequency of my router (first router I tried was a Trendnet TEW-432BRP) and I have no cordless phones or other possible wireless obstructions. (I do have a very very infrequently used microwave but being that it's on the other side of the house and I can be sitting next to the router I doubt this is the culprit)
Then I tried changing routers to a Belkin N1 Vision router. Same issues. Additionaly worth noting all other PC's and linux machines on my network (about 4-5 other computers) all work just fine with out dropping their connections (with both routers).
Then I brought my original machine (a white macbook less than a year old) into the apple store, thinking at this point it was a hardware problem with my machine. They the replaced the airport card twice and the logicboard once. Eventually decideing that they should just replace the whole machine. Now with my new unibody I thought I had finally illeviated the problem but now I am having the same issues with an intermittent connection again.
If I turn off the Airport card and turn it back on again usually it will reconnect and allow me to browse again. But not always. The odd part is that generally when using another program that accesses the net the connection does not seem to be interrupted (such as with bit torrent). Very odd.
Anyway I tried using my computer at a friends house with the same trendnet router (his router but same model) and still the connection issues persist. Any ideas on what I can do or try to at least even begin to understand why this is happening would be helpful. I want very much to get to the bottom of this. Thanks for your help.

You didn't get the Apple Store to replace a white MacBook with a unibody?!
Anyhow - the connection problems could easily relate to an incompatibility between OS X and the router in question. Or it could simply be a setting on the router that isn't working well. To assist in the diagnosis... can you please supply:
1) The security mode of the router? (WEP or WPA/WPA2 and AES or TKIP).
2) The network mode (G/N)?
3) The signal strength as reported by Airport (RSSI)
You can get most of this information (all except the security mode) by holding the option key down whilst clicking on the Airport icon in Finder. For the security setting you can go to your routers configuration screen (or you can get it from the command line).
Cheers,
Rodney

Wireless connection drops on iPhone4

My wireless connection at home drops frequently on my iPhone4. It will not allow me to reconnect. The connection is not being dropped on any of my computers attached to the wireless connection, so my carrier believes it is a problem on the iPhone. I have tried removing the internet connection and then resetting it, including the password required. This does not help. The only way I am able to restore the connection is to unplug and reset my wireless modem. I am then able to restore the connection, but then I am dropped again after a short while. Anyone out there with similar problem or with a solution?

Does your wireless indicator on your iPhone show a strong connection? A lot of things could play in to what's going on (the router you are using...other devices in your household affecting the wireless signal, etc). Does this only happen with your home wifi connection or do you experience the same thing no matter where you use wifi? If it's only at home then I doubt it's the phone alone. If you can repeat the same issue regardless of where you use wifi then you might want to contact tech support or go to a local store where they can try troubleshooting. I personally don't have any issues with my iPhone 4 losing wifi connection in my home or elsewhere. The usual things will be first suggested: reset/restart/restore your iPhone to see if that helps.

Wrt160n wireless connection drops when phone calls come in

I operate 2 laptops on Vista and 1 desktop on XP . I have cable connection for intenet and phone. When a phone call comes in, my connection drops on all 3 computers. Comcast has told me I have the same freceuncy for my phone and internet, therefore, I need to change the frecuency on my modem? or router? using my ethernet cable connected directly to the router (? ).
I am trying to download the wizard but get no where. I went to the default IP address 192.168.1.1 mentioned in the owners manual, left USER name blank, and wrote admin on password, and can't get in, all I get is Not Authorized.
How can I manage to change the freceuncy to avoid my connection from being lost every single time someone calls us thru the home phone, or I pick up the phone to make call?
Help please!!!

If the admin password is not working then,you have to reset the router.Reset the router for 20 seconds and then,try to open the setup page..On the setup page,Under the Wireless tab,Change the Channel Width to 20MHz only and Channel to 11.

Wireless connection drops and doesn't reconnect (netcfg, wpa_actiond)

I use netcfg 2.5.4-1 and wpa_actiond 1.1-1, B43 driver (BCM4318 wireless card) with firmware.
$ uname -a
Linux vekta 2.6.32-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Mar 15 20:08:25 UTC 2010 i686 Mobile AMD Sempron(tm) Processor 3100+ AuthenticAMD GNU/Linux
Connecting works fine. I can connect using sudo netcfg <profile>, or it automatically connects me on startup.
However, after a few minutes (up to 15 at best, usually 3-5) the connection is dropped. dmesg prints:
"No probe response from AP <macaddress> after 500ms, disconnecting."
However, netcfg isn't notified of this event, and still thinks the profile is connected. So I have to use netcfg -r <profile> to reconnect. Isn't netcfg supposed to notice this connection drop and try to reconnect again automatically?
Also, is there any way to increase the 500ms threshold mentioned in the log? I don't think I ever had this problem when I first installed arch in november/december last year.
Thank you.

geniuz wrote:
Hey,
I'm having this sort of problem with my Broadcom wireless card, in my case however the connection seems to drop after a period of inactivity. What you have done might solve my problem. So exactly what modification have you made in netcfg ?
This is the patch I made;
diff --git a/src/globals b/src/globals
index 2d5cf19..dcffea3 100644
--- a/src/globals
+++ b/src/globals
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ SUBR_DIR="/usr/lib/network/"
HOOKS_DIR="${SUBR_DIR}/hooks/"
CONN_DIR="${SUBR_DIR}/connections/"
STATE_DIR="/var/run/network/"
+AUTOWIRELESS_DIR="/etc/rc.d/"
### Logging/Error reporting
diff --git a/wpa_actiond/netcfg-wpa_actiond-action b/wpa_actiond/netcfg-wpa_actiond-action
index 3547fef..324d990 100755
--- a/wpa_actiond/netcfg-wpa_actiond-action
+++ b/wpa_actiond/netcfg-wpa_actiond-action
@@ -42,7 +42,12 @@ case $action in
fi
set_profile down "$profile"
- LOST|REESTABLISHED)
+ LOST)
+ if ! "$AUTOWIRELESS_DIR/net-auto-wireless" restart; then
+ exit 1
+ fi
+ ;;
+ REESTABLISHED)
# Not handled.
exit 0

Wireless connection drops

I know this has been covered in other threads, but I haven't seen my particular situation elucidated. So here goes.
I'm using an Macbook C2D, an iBook G4, and an Airport Express connected to a ADSL modem.
On the Macbook, I get intermittent stalls on my wireless connection to the AE. I haven't experienced the same stalls on the iBook. Therefore, I think it has something to do with the Macbook's wireless adapter.
I have found a work around to this problem, which is to click on the wireless network name in the menu bar when it stalls. this usually forces a reconnect and restores the connection.
When running a ping, I can see the ping hang when the connection is dropped and start again when it is reestablished.
I am running OS X 10.4.10 and all the latest firmware/software updates. I have tried several channels on the AE, but the problem persists _only on the Macbook_. Therefore, I assume it is a Macbook issue, which is why I'm posting here.
I have also read that people have had this issue when operating on battery. For me, it doesn't matter if I'm on battery or the power adapter.
If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.
cheers,
-n

there is a soltion by user "IamNobody" in other thread that worked for me:
*HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM!!!!! Here's what I did:*
1) Download Pacifist http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/12743
2) Download airport extreme update 2007-002
3) Download 10.4.9 combo update
4) Go to /system/library/extensions and copy appleairport.kext and appleairport2.kext to a backup location just to be safe and then delete them from the extensions folder.
5) Also in the extensions folder you'll find IO80211Family.kext and copy it to backup folder and then delete it.
6) Mount airport extreme update dmg and then open Pacifist.
7) In Pacifist click on "Open Package" and select the airport extreme update package.
8) In Pacifist you will now see all the files that are in the package. Find system and expand it's tree by clicking on the triangle. then expand library and then extensions. You will now see the IO80211Family.kext file. Click once on it so it's highlighted and then click "Install".
9) When it's done copying files expand coreservices and then menu extras. Highlight "Airport Menu" and click install.
10) When it's done copying close the window in Pacifist for the airport update package.
11) Now mount the 10.4.9 combo update dmg and click "Open Package" in Pacifist and select the 10.4.9 combo package.
12) Again find the system folder and expand it and then expand the libray and extensions folders.
13) In the extensions folder you'll see a bunch of files. Look for appleairport.kext and highlight it. Click "Install".
14) when it's done copying you should see the appleairport2.kext. Highlight it and click "install".
15) when Pacifist is done copying reboot your Macbook.
16) Once booted try your internet and then jump up and down shouting YIPEEEEE!!! IT'S FIXED!!
I have now had a solid connection for over 30 minutes on battery as I've been typing these instructions when I couldn't stay connected for more then 1-3 minutes before applying this fix.
Who needs Applecare support!!!!...HEHEHEHE!!!!
Hope this helps and enjoy having your internet connection back. I think I'll send Apple a bill for all my labor time fixing their bug. Boy wouldn't they just love that..LOL!!!!
THIS IS WHAT WORKED FOR ME! FOLLOW THIS GUIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK!! I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG SUCH AS YOU DELETED THE WRONG FILES OR YOUR SYSTEM HAS OTHER ISSUES THAT MAY AFFECT THE OUTCOME!!!

Wireless connection drops after bout 5 min - HP all in one C6180

Hi!
I'm having problem with my all in one product - HP all in one C6180. The wireless network connection drops, and the printer becomes unreachable from both web-interface and printjobs/scanningjobs etc...
This problem has existed since I bought this machine..
I've tried several different setups when it comes to WEP/WPA/WPA2 etc..and also different channels on the wireless, but still same problem exist. The printer works perfect for about 5 min, but then drops the connection it seems like. I'm having about 5-6 devices connected to my wireless router (Draytek VGI 2910), and all seems to work perfect together except the C6180.
At this moment I'm running WPA2 for security on my network. I've tested the software both on Win/ Mac, and currently running the Mac-version.
Is there any firmware-update out that could solve my problem, or how else should I manage it to work properly?
Thanks for any help!
/V

There does not appear to be any firmware update on this page. It could be a router issue.
Let's set a static IP address for the printer:
- Print a Network Config Page from the front of the printer. Note the printer's IP address.
- Type that IP address into a browser to reveal the printer's internal settings.
- Choose the Networking tab, then Wireless along the left side, then the IPv4 tab.
- On this screen you want to set a Manual IP. You need to set an IP address outside the range that the router automatically sets (called the DHCP range). If you do not know the range, set a high IP address, like .250
- Use 255.255.255.0 for the subnet (unless you know it is different, if so, use that)
- Enter your router's IP (ends with .1) for the gateway and first DNS. Leave the second one blank.
- Click 'Apply'.
Now, shut down the router and printer, start the router, wait, then start the printer.
After this you may need to redo 'Add a Printer' using the new IP address.
Say thanks by clicking "Kudos" "thumbs up" in the post that helped you.
I am employed by HP

Wireless Connection Drops, Doesn't Start Again

This is driving me crazy. Every few hours or so, the wireless connection on my WRT54G2 drops. I can't connect to it from any computer, and the wireless icon on the router is no longer lit. I have to go to the router, unplug it, plug it back in, and press the refresh button on top of the router for it to start working again.
Any ideas?

Carvin206, after the firmware upgrade you need to perform a factory reset by holding in the reset button on back of the linksys router for 30 seconds, the lights will start to blink, wait about 2-3 minutes till the router syncs back up. However you will need to write down the settings in the router as they will be erased from the factory reset. You then will manually enter them back in by accessing IE and typing 192.168.1.1 into the address bar. The password = admin, unless you changed it.
Also try the below steps.
It is sounding like an interference issue. please try the below steps if you have not done so already.
1. Try switching to different channels, (1,6,and 11 are best) but do not hesitate to try the other channels to see which is best for you.
2. lets say that all the devices in your home are Wireless G , then set the router to Wireless G only, this way the router will not search for Wireless B
3. Any devices that are in the 2.4 GHz range are moved away from the router.
4. Always check for the latest firmware for the router
5. Always check for the latest driver for the wireless adapter.
Good luck,
Ttech

Wireless connection drops - T500

I just purchased a T500 couple days back. My wireless card turns off automatically like after a couple of hours or so. It wont work again without a restart. I uninstalled and reinstalled Access Connection, but it still did not help. I am running Windows Vista. I also tried disabling the "switch off wireless card to save power" in the wireless card properties. That did not work either. I have a Intel Wifi Link 5300 card. When the connection drops, i try to search, and i cannot find any other wireless connection in the area. Any help would be really appreciated as it is annoying when the internet goes off every now and then, and you have to restart. I have other laptops connected to the network as well, and they don have any issues connecting to the wireless network.
Thanks!
Message Edited by mukun566 on 09-20-2008 01:17 PM
Message Edited by mukun566 on 09-20-2008 01:27 PM

Hi,
I am running XP Pro, 2002 edition with SP3 on an X200, 4Gb ram, 160gb HD, , with Intel WiFi Link 5300, and I have the same issue as described above. The connection will drop after approx 2 hours. Any program running on the computer will continue working okay, but the wireless connection stops responding.
Trying to right click on the taskbar wireless connection icon doesnt show the usual dialog.
The 'networks' folder on control panel opens okay, but trying to disable the wireless adaptor from there, does not return a positive answer, the system just doesnt return anything. While this happens, once again, every other function in the computer works correctly. After rebooting the computer, the wireless adaptor is not enabled.
I also noticed that the issue propagates to the wired network connection. Once the wireless adaptor stops working, the wired adaptor does not provide connectivity either. This might signal the Lenovo 'Access Connection' software might be to blame.
I tried to prevent Access Connections to manage the connections, without actually uninstalling, and the freeze continues.
I will install the newer driver from intel's website, to see if it helps.
wrs
Message Edited by wrs on 09-28-2008 04:32 PM

Wireless connection drops on 1/2 of computers on network

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for