2011 iMac WiFi Contoller failing

[LarryJoe33]

Hi all. My iMac has been losing the WiFi consistently for the past month. I’ve tried removing the hot spot and setting it up. Rebooting the Xfinity router and rebooting the machine. We use it to work from home so it’s becoming an issue. I have my router set up to broadcast the 2.4 and 5.0 ghz signals under the same name. My 2.4 devices have no issue and this machine didn’t have any issue before this switching or picking.

Does this machine have a history of the internal controller failing? Feels like it is.

If so, can I buy a USB external controller? There are a ton on amazon fairly cheap. Any suggestions or troubleshooting I am missing here?

Thanks,
Joe

 

[Fishrrman]

You provided the answer yourself, above.

Get an EXTERNAL USB wifi adapter.
They're cheap, and you can probably get one that will be faster than the built in wifi was.

Many are available, but I never tried this myself -- can't advise on which one(s) might work best.
Reading a lot of reviews (paying attention to the reports from Mac users) is probably going to be necessary before you pick one...

 

[LarryJoe33]

Thanks,

Went with this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CCMUN8C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They have ones that do 1200Mbps, but since the machine is USB 2.0, it can only do 480Mbps.

 

[mikehalloran]

Most likely, the antenna is failing. Not uncommon. Many on these were installed incorrectly at the factory. Only way to deal with it is to open 'er up or use an external.

 

[LarryJoe33]

Most likely, the antenna is failing. Not uncommon. Many on these were installed incorrectly at the factory. Only way to deal with it is to open 'er up or use an external.

Thanks Mike. External seems to be an easy option.