Please see WiFried: iOS 8 WiFi IssueFor the past few months, I've been battling my 2013 11" MacBook Air's WiFi problems. Your computer will automatically switch to the wired Ethernet connection.Update 2 (11/25/14): If you're having trouble with iOS 8 and/or Yosemite, it could be related to AirDrop services over WiFi. We'll see!USB C to Ethernet Adapter, uni RJ45 to USB C Thunderbolt 3/Type-C Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter, Compatible for MacBook Pro 2020/2019/2018/2017, MacBook Air, Dell XPS and More - Gray TP-Link USB to Ethernet Adapter (UE300), Foldable USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet LAN Network Adapter, Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP for Desktop Laptop Apple MacBook LinuxThe Apple 20W USBC Power Adapter offers fast, efficient charging at home. Look how little.Update (3/4/14): Mac OS X 10.9.2 seems to fix at least the latency issue—and possibly dropped connections as well, at least for most users I've spoken with.This makes things like connecting to a remote server (either with SSH or via VNC or RDC) a painful experience, and causes some applications (like streaming video or VPN connections) to drop and reload, also contributing to the pain. Terrible latency: while sitting in one location, the Air might have ping times ranging from 30-4000ms, with many dropped packets. Judging by the number of individuals who have posted to this thread on Apple's Support Communities forum, among many other similar threads, I'm not the only MacBook Air owner suffering from WiFi issues like high latency, slow throughput, connection dropouts, and other random problems.Here are some of the symptoms I and others have encountered: TheoriesAfter trying many of the 'fixes' below, my best bet is that this issue is related to the power management Apple is using in Mavericks (or possibly in the driver used for the AirPort card). So I can guarantee it's not the network that's having trouble. If I DoS my router, this evens out to around 31ms.Also, as a point of reference, I had my wife's 2011 13" MacBook Air and an old Dell Latitude laptop next to me for almost all these tests—they never showed any drop in performance (throughput, latency, or connectivity)—not once. Dropped Network Connections: Sometimes, WiFi signals can simply drop off for no reason, even if the connection seems very strong (full bars in the menubar, and RSSI > -50).I've done literally hundreds of tests to diagnose, reproduce, and (in some situations) solve these problems, and I'll recount some of these things here, for the benefit of the many others having these issues, and possibly for an Apple engineer tasked with fixing the issues.These two graphics below show some of the investigation I've done (using ping and Apple's Wireless Diagnostics tool:This graph shows signal strength over time, with Bluetooth enabled (but not paired with anything), on a 2.4 Ghz 802.11g network.This graph shows the latency for a 1 second ping to google.com—and this was one of the best runs—while connected to an 802.11g network with Bluetooth enabled. Unstable throughput: When using a bandwidth-measuring tool like SpeedTest.net, bandwidth on a very stable connection can vary between 5-40 Mbps (while another Mac or PC sitting right next to the Air reliably gets 40 Mbps). It's almost worse than being connected to a 56kbps dial-up modem! I have done all these tests while sitting next to a 2011 MacBook Air and a 2010-era Dell Latitude, and neither laptops ever experienced any drop in bandwidth or latency.Now, on to the fixes. I have tried using Apple's USB wired Ethernet adapter, and never had any of the issues I have with built-in WiFi. I have tried using an external USB WiFi adapter, and never had any of the issues I have with built-in WiFi. Disabling Bluetooth often leads to a more stable connection, and some Bluetooth applications (like Knock, which keeps a constant low-power connection to an iPhone) can practically disable WiFi.Finally, these are the three major reasons I know there is a problem with WiFi/AirPort in my 2013 MacBook Air running Mavericks, and it's not just my imagination:
![]() Ethernet Adapter Book Air Book Air Late 2010 Usb Ethernet Adapter Mac OS XHowever, this comes with a major downside WiFi range is reduced dramatically, and I can only get about 40-50' away from the router before the connection drops (or gets very slow). Band-aid fix #2: Switch your router to 802.11n / 5 Ghz-onlyOne solution which is amenable at home (but impossible at work, because I have no control over my employer's access points or purchasing decisions) is to upgrade the WiFi network to 802.11n-only (or 802.11ac, if you have a fancy—and expensive—new ac-enabled router) on the 5 Ghz band.I have a few older devices at my house that only work on 802.11g, so I was fortunate to have an extra g-only WiFI router sitting around I now use my AirPort Express as an 802.11n-only 5 Ghz router, and set the old router to 802.11g-only on the 2.4 Ghz band.As long as I set my MacBook Air to only use the 802.11n network, I have good throughput, and low latency. Band-aid fix #1-a: Do something else that saturates your wireless connectionAnother way to keep the latency low is to use your Mac with an Apple TV and mirror your display (this will keep a constant, high-bandwidth connection to your Apple TV, keeping the wireless interface happy), or to download giant files (like when you run a Speedtest.net speed test)—both of these activities keep your wireless card in a normal/on state, and make it work like it should. If you go back to your first window and type in Control-C (to exit the ping utility), then see if the latency times for your Google ping start varying again.This fix could work for a home network, maybe, but definitely not in a corporate environment—you're effectively sending tons of junk traffic at the router, for no good reason (except to tell your Mac's AirPort card to stay in some higher-power state). It should be a stable amount of latency for each ping (the last value in the line). Button, and then clicking on the TCP/IP tab.Open a separate Terminal window and type in ping (this will ping Google's server every second). Biesseworks software downloadIf I quit the app, the bandwidth went up to 6-8 Mbps.Sadly, due to this behavior, I have had to stop using Knock. With the app running and connected to my iPhone, download bandwidth over WiFi went down to ~0.8 Mbps on a network that usually gets 15-20 Mbps. However, I found that certain Bluetooth-enabled applications caused the WiFi to be excruciatingly slow.One app, in particular, that caused this issue was Knock, an app that keeps a constant, low-power connection to your phone so you can tap it twice to unlock your Mac. Because usually, with Apple products, I can have it all).With Bluetooth disabled, my connection does seem to be perfectly stable, though it's usually stable even if I just have my mouse paired with my Air. Also, I sometimes use an external Bluetooth keyboard, or some other Bluetooth accessory, and that convenience is worth a ding in my Internet speed (sadly. Unfortunately, that's not an option for me I would take a slower internet connection over not being able to use my Magic Mouse. ![]() Hold down the option key while clicking on the AirPort menu—this way you can see what frequency WiFi is using, as well as the channel and RSSI for your connection (often useful for troubleshooting). Didn't help at all.In troubleshooting these problems, I've found the following tools and methods to be the most helpful: Had the Genius Bar completely replace the AirPort card with a new one.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorBecky ArchivesCategories |