problems with a new macbook - any insight?
 

So I've always been a PC guy. I've never owned a Mac and have had very little experience working with them. It took me a while to figure out my way around, but now I'm rather comfortable.

My problem with this macbook is that my wireless connection drops frequently for about 3-5 seconds. I have no problems with my wireless PC laptops (2 currently + friends who have been here) and even my friend who has a Mac doesn't have the issue - but I do. It is especially annoying when watching/listening to anything that streams as it gets choppy. I can't watch YouTube!

Is this common? I'm seriously about to pack this thing back up and ask for my money back. I had originally purchased the laptop as I was excited to install Windows Vista on it as well. Vista works - but the screen looks terrible (using Parallels software).

So to those who have had experience with Macs & PCs ... what would you do? Should I box the darn thing up and send it back? I'm sitting on the fence between trying to deal with this issue or not. I was thinking about going back to a PC Core 2 Duo (this thing does have a Core 2 Duo as well).

Thanks for your help!
Chris

no, it isn't common, but we need more information.

what brand/model wireless base station? 802.11b, g or n?
are you using any encryption? wep? wpa?
is it using dhcp for configuration when connecting to the base station?
how far away is the macbook from the base station?
how many other devices are connected to the base station?
any possible source of interference such as a microwave oven or 2.4 ghz cordless phone (even from a neighbor) ?
does it work with someone elses base station (ideally a different make)?
also, what version of osx ? 10.4.9 has some airport updates which may be related.

one thing to try is if you are using any encryption, turn it off for test purposes and see if it makes a difference. and, if it is flaky with another base station (i.e. at starbucks), then maybe apple needs to take a look at it.

The wireless base station is a D-Link DI-614+. It says speeds up to 22Mbps. I'm assuming that's b?

No encryption is being used (now disabled) as I read that sometimes that causes issues with the wireless connecting to non-apple-supported routers.

The macbook is about 2-3 feet from the base station.

There is no possible source of interference. Cell phones only - no where near the router/laptop - no microwaves, etc.

I do NOT have the same issue connecting to another wireless connection at home (an unsecured neighbor's connection) - but another macbook had no issues at all connecting to my d-link.

I'm running the newest OS - Tiger. Not sure of the exact version number. The most recent updates (last week) have been installed - both for OS X and for the wireless card.

Any ideas?
Thanks!
Chris

There have been reports that the latest system update is having some issues so that could be part of what's going on.

I have a MB Pro and have never had the problems you are describing. You might want to take it down to the Apple store and ask them for help.

that's an old 802.11b router with d-link's extension to double the speed to 22. check to see if it has the latest firmware:

http://support.dlink.com/products/re...id=DI%2D614%2B

it has also been discontinued, so consider replacing it with an 802.11g (or draft n if you want). that would not only be faster, but it would be more robust, more secure, have more features, and all around, better. they're really cheap these days.
sort of. converting wep pass phrases to the hex key isn't standard and it affects more than just macs. the solution is simply using the hexadecimal key on the mac instead of the text pass phrase. since it can be saved, this only needs to be done once.

unfortunately, wep is not very secure - it can be cracked in minutes (literally). not only is wpa encryption substantially more secure, but it also eliminates the above problem too.
it is certainly possible that your macbook has a problem, but since it works with other base stations and your current base station is old, it might be worth updating the base station.

another thing is the early macbooks (core duo) have a different wireless card than in the more recent core 2 duo models. is that other macbook of the same vintage?

that's 10.4.9, so that should be ok.

Do you have the same issue when you use your MacBook with other access points, like at a coffee shop with wifi?

If it works fine when connecting to other access points, it might be a compatibility issue with your access point.

If not, take it in to the nearest apple store and ask the Mac geniuses to take a look. You might want to schedule an appointment to meet with them. There's a link to set up an appointment at the Apple Retail web site mentioned above. They get busy, especially on weekends. This will hopefully ensure you won't be waiting.

You could also call Apple's technical support and go through some troubleshooting over the phone. Unlike other companies, Apple's support agents are actually quite good. You should not be on hold, the agent you'll speak to will likely be based in the US, and they generally know what they're doing.

Still though, there's only so much they can do over the phone, and this very possibly could be a hardware problem. If you take it in, troubleshooting should go a lot faster, and they could even be able to fix a hardware problem on the spot if it's simple. Plus, you could get some tips on working with OS X while you're at it.

Sorry to hear you're having problems with it, and I hope they get resolved fully and soon!

Do you have an Intel chipset? If so, look here:
http://support.intel.com/support/wir.../cs-006205.htm

try turning off internet robustness, or whatever it is called in the drop down menu, that can help with this problem.

I had the same problem
 

When your wireless connection drops off go to your network setting. Does it assign itself an ip address?

If it is assigning itself an ip address then you are having a common problem that can be fixed by downloading the latest update from apple.

I had the same problem with my MCBPRO but when I update this last go around it fixed it.

Sorry it took so long for an update (been painting the new house)...

The problem definitely seems limited to a very few routers. Based on the excellent feedback I will be doing some more troubleshooting later tonight and tomorrow.

After browsing the Intel article (and I do have an Intel-based Mac) ... I think that's the issue right there. I did upgrade the firmware for the router to the latest version and have all of the Mac updates. The laptop is so new that I always had the latest update (I think) ... although I'll try updates again tonight.

Thanks for the help! I'll report back.
-Chris