Failing wireless

I think the 5Ghz wireless on my (late 2008) MacBook is beginning to turn its toes skyward

The 2.4GHz seems fine (atm) so it's far from bricked, but it's nuisance. It would happen a few weeks after I'd maxed out the RAM of course, sod's law strikes again

I don't know the costs of this sort of exercise, is it worth looking at getting it fixed or should I add it to the "pros" column for buying a new one?

Wireless transceivers in Windows lappies are generally plug-in modules. MacBooks may be the same, in which case it should be a simple fix. Best to contact Apple.

You could be right- System Profiler shows a "card type" rather than just a "chipset" so it's promising.

I need to tie it down a bit more surely before coughing up any money though- it's an intermittent problem and, when it occurs, doesn't really last long enough to do any meaningful diagnostics

Interference on 5GHz? Are there any apps that will show you what other wireless devices are nearby?

I've been running iStumbler, it's never shown even a trace of any other 5GHz networks within range. Anything up to a couple of dozen at 2.4GHz, which is why I prefer to use the higher frequency!

But there is an oddity regarding interference- when the problem occurs iStumbler frequently (not always) shows massive bursts of noise at 5GHz at ~30 second intervals, but only if the MacBook is connected to the 5GHz network at the time. If I switch to 2.4GHz the noise disappears, and it doesn't show at all in iStumbler running simultaneously on the iMac.

To me that's indicative (though not conclusive) that the problem is internal to the MacBook. I'm currently running the iMac wirelessly at 5GHz in an attempt to get a bit more evidence, or lack thereof, but the intermittent nature doesn't help

I have an MBP mid-2007 and it is certainly a plug in card in there. I looked into it as my MBP does not support AirDrop so I looked at changing the card to one that does. There seem to be a few such cards on ebay.

I hadn't thought about eBay, thanks- seems to be several types on there.

If it does look to be a wireless problem¹ I'll have to have the back off again to make sure what I've got... that always makes me nervous, I swear those screws get smaller as I get older



¹ Running some properly organised tests this time to narrow it down.

In reply to a post by billford:

I swear those screws get smaller as I get older

Yup, I have to use a magnifier in my work these days. Some of the components I use, if they ping out of the tweezers then it's get another one out of the packet, because I'm not going to be able to find it.

A new microwave, wireless phone?

Just in case. I've had similar difficulties with intermittent internet connections and to date have been unable to identify the source of the problem. It has been suggested by my ISP that the source might be the modem/router as the line seems to be fine.

I'm as sure as I can be that the problem isn't the router, that was my first thought as it's a new router.

The easiest way for me to monitor the fault is to play music from iTunes¹ via the Airport Express- I can be getting on with something else but if the connection drops, even briefly, I'll hear it.

But intermittent faults being what they are, I have to run it for several hours to make sure it isn't being difficult by behaving itself




¹ using combinations of the iMac or the Macbook, wired, 2.4GHz or 5GHz, shared or local libraries and see what's common to the fault regimes. So far the evidence all points to the 5GHz wireless on the MacBook.

In reply to a post by dsch:

I've had similar difficulties with intermittent internet connections and to date have been unable to identify the source of the problem.

I used to get that sometimes, with several different routers.

Eventually cured it by using manual channel selection for the wireless instead of leaving the router set to the "Auto" default. It even worked if I chose the same channel that the router had auto-selected... go figure

Check the model number - if it's A1181 It uses a plugin Airport Extreme card as most did, a moderate skill install. It may even be as simple as the antenna connectors being loose/detached.

I have a vague memory of seeing one where a new card did not resolve poor connectivity, was a bad motherboard.

In reply to a post by billford:

In reply to a post by dsch:

I've had similar difficulties with intermittent internet connections and to date have been unable to identify the source of the problem.

I used to get that sometimes, with several different routers.

Eventually cured it by using manual channel selection for the wireless instead of leaving the router set to the "Auto" default. It even worked if I chose the same channel that the router had auto-selected... go figure

I totally agree with this one.

A friend has a homehub and it does crazy things on auto. It will change the channel and then change it right back within a split second - so if you're not overly studying it you don't notice the channel change. This causes everyones connection to drop off and have to reconnect.

Auto channel is a pain. Some routers even switch to a 'less crowded' channel whilst the internets in use. So the wifi just completely drops out for a while.

Edited by ukhardy07 (Tue 31-Jul-12 16:03:25)

In reply to a post by radiomarko:

Check the model number - if it's A1181

Mine's A1278... but having found it, it prompted me into doing what I should have done to start with- use it as part of a google search

And of course, now that I've set up a series of logical tests the fault seems to have gone away . I might get one anyway, it's only twenty quid and having a replacement handy is by far the best way to stop an intermittent fault from recurring

The problem here was interference from a BT Fon network. Choosing a manual channel solved it.

Homehubs seem to blast out the wifi.