2018 MBP Wireless

[KookiMonster]

Hi,

I've just swapped from a Mid-2013 MBP to a 13" 2018 MBP (with touch bar) and I'm noticing serious issues with the network connections. It often won't connect to networks which my other laptop (and phones, tables, etc) will, although it sees them in the list, and it sometimes just drops the connection (the network list is empty if I check it).
Turning the wireless off and on tends to fix it immediately, but if I don't it can take a min or 2 to right itself.
The same thing happens after sleep / resume sometimes.

Anyone else had issues like this?

Thanks

 

[Fishrrman]

Do you by chance have anything plugged into the USB-c ports when this is happening?

 

[KookiMonster]

Sometimes power, sometimes a dongle, but I see the same behaviour with nothing plugged in.

 

[Painter2002]

Sometimes power, sometimes a dongle, but I see the same behaviour with nothing plugged in.

I would first maybe try rebooting and/or resetting your wifi router, it could be an issue there.

Other things to consider:
1). Some dongles are notorious for interfering with with WiFi and bluetooth connections if they don't have the proper insulation. Try a different dongle.
2). Are you using a bluetooth mouse or keyboard linked directly to the Macbook? Does the wifi drop in relation to those devices being on?
3). If your router has multiple channels (like a 2.4 and a 5.0GHZ bands), try connecting to the other band you aren't using. 2.4 GHZ bands tend to get more interference from surrounding devices, where as the 5.0 GHZ bands don't. Conversely, if you are using a 5.0 GHZ band but are far away from the router (i.e. at the other end of the house for example), you may need to try the 2.4 band, as 5.0 doesn't reach as far.
4). Do you have other family members or business partners using the wifi heavily for large GB downloads or other stuff? Sometimes this can interfere with the connection as well.
5). Try deleting the Wifi profile from the Macbook and resining into the wifi, perhaps the Macbook just needs to have a fresh login.

Unfortunately it is really hard to pinpoint what the issue is, but I'd start looking at your wifi router and any peripherals you are using first, then your MacBook Pro. Odds are that it is the router or a dongle causing the issue, rather than the MacBook. If the issue continues, take it back to Apple to have them run diagnostics to see if there are any issues.

 

[jerryk]

Other people have reported this. If you do a search you will get some hits. As Painter2002 and Fishrrman say dongles can cause this. The other issue seem to be with older routers that are not strict in their implementations of the specs or running "draft" standard implementations.

 

[KookiMonster]

Thanks for the notes. To be clear, this isn't just at home, it's dozens of access points, in airports, coffee shops, offices. The connection is noticeably worse with a dongle, but absolutely repeatable without anything connected, and the 2018 MBP is just terrible compared to any other device on those same networks. "Reboot the router" isn't a solution when every other device works.

I don't use anything BT, the connection is terrible 3 ft from the router in the same room. 5G is better than 2.4G, but not always.

It's frequent enough (I get a drop at least once every 30 mins) that I can use Ethereal to trace what's happening over the air, the question was really one of the following 2 options:
Is there a known issue with the wireless adapter in the 2018 MBP behaving worse than other models? (I had seen 1 or 2, but not lots of people with similar reports, especially post resume)
Is it just my MBP, in which case I can spend 6 weeks arguing with a "genius" that there's really something wrong.

Thanks

 

[Painter2002]

Thanks for the notes. To be clear, this isn't just at home, it's dozens of access points, in airports, coffee shops, offices. The connection is noticeably worse with a dongle, but absolutely repeatable without anything connected, and the 2018 MBP is just terrible compared to any other device on those same networks. "Reboot the router" isn't a solution when every other device works.

I don't use anything BT, the connection is terrible 3 ft from the router in the same room. 5G is better than 2.4G, but not always.

It's frequent enough (I get a drop at least once every 30 mins) that I can use Ethereal to trace what's happening over the air, the question was really one of the following 2 options:
Is there a known issue with the wireless adapter in the 2018 MBP behaving worse than other models? (I had seen 1 or 2, but not lots of people with similar reports, especially post resume)
Is it just my MBP, in which case I can spend 6 weeks arguing with a "genius" that there's really something wrong.

Thanks

No, I have not seen any significant posts beyond normal on wifi issues from the 2018 MBP, at least from my readings.

It could very well be then that you have an issue with your computer, and it may be worth reaching out to Apple customer service to see if they can run diagnostics. It could be a software bug that they can help with, or an actual hardware issue. If it happens at many different places then it would seem to indicate it is your unit that has the issue.

It should be noted too, there is a small possibility that there is an application that is causing the poor wifi performance. Have you tried wiping the computer and reinstalling the MacOS? That will probably be the first thing that Apple suggests. If not give that a shot, just be sure to look up the proper steps for reinstalling MacOS on a 2018 MBP... if you don't do it right you can block up you computer and won't be able to get it running because of the T2 chip.

Edit: I forgot to ask too, do you use the internet through a VPN? I had a weird bug once before on an older device that gave me issues with constantly disconnecting from Wifi every hour or so when logged into my company's VPN. Seemed to be a bug of just that computer and once I got a replacement the issue went away.

 

[jerryk]

My 2018 15" MBP has been fine in numerous places including corporate setting, airport, cafes, airplanes, home, etc. Both 2.4 and 5GHz work fine.

I would take yours back.

 

[Howard2k]

Thanks for the notes. To be clear, this isn't just at home, it's dozens of access points, in airports, coffee shops, offices. The connection is noticeably worse with a dongle, but absolutely repeatable without anything connected, and the 2018 MBP is just terrible compared to any other device on those same networks. "Reboot the router" isn't a solution when every other device works.

I don't use anything BT, the connection is terrible 3 ft from the router in the same room. 5G is better than 2.4G, but not always.

It's frequent enough (I get a drop at least once every 30 mins) that I can use Ethereal to trace what's happening over the air, the question was really one of the following 2 options:
Is there a known issue with the wireless adapter in the 2018 MBP behaving worse than other models? (I had seen 1 or 2, but not lots of people with similar reports, especially post resume)
Is it just my MBP, in which case I can spend 6 weeks arguing with a "genius" that there's really something wrong.

Thanks

Totally sounds like just your Macbook. I'd return that for sure.