Ethernet and Wi-Fi cuts out every 20-30 mins

[copydeskcat]

I've been on Mountain Lion on my Mac Mini since it came out, and I get this same problem on a daily basis:

my network connection times out every 20-30 mins, for roughly 2-3 minutes at a time, then comes back on with no prompting from me.

It was doing it when I was connected on wifi, so I turned off wifi and moved to ethernet - and it's still doing it. I tried changing the MTU setting to 1453, tried using a static IP address and reserving one on my router. I've had the cable company out (VirginMedia) and they can't find anything wrong with my connection or my modem/router (known as a Superhub). It only seems to happen on my Mac, not on any other devices.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on here? Is it a Mountain Lion bug?

Best,


CDC

 

[z06gal]

My wifi was dropping out and I did the first fix here:

http://allthingsapple.me/got-os-x-mountain-lion-wifi-problems-heres-the-solution/

I also clicked on the gear in the bottom left in system prefs > network and select "select service order." Drag wifi to the top of the order and hit apply [or ok]. So far so good

 

[copydeskcat]

My wifi was dropping out and I did the first fix here:

http://allthingsapple.me/got-os-x-mountain-lion-wifi-problems-heres-the-solution/

I also clicked on the gear in the bottom left in system prefs > network and select "select service order." Drag wifi to the top of the order and hit apply [or ok]. So far so good

Yep, I've done all that before - it hasn't made any difference. It's happening on wifi and ethernet.

 

[z06gal]

Not sure then. I wonder if this diagnostic tool would help:

http://lifehacker.com/5931280/optimize-your-wi+fi-network-with-macs-hidden-diagnostic-tool

When you first click on it, you can click on continue to run the diagnostic feature or you can hit command N and it will scan your networks and give you data. There seem to be so many wifi issues since the 10.8.2 update. Apple needs to fix this issue

 

[copydeskcat]

Not sure then. I wonder if this diagnostic tool would help:

http://lifehacker.com/5931280/optimize-your-wi+fi-network-with-macs-hidden-diagnostic-tool

When you first click on it, you can click on continue to run the diagnostic feature or you can hit command N and it will scan your networks and give you data. There seem to be so many wifi issues since the 10.8.2 update. Apple needs to fix this issue

It's definitely not solely a wifi problem. I have wifi switched off and ethernet only, and it's still doing it. I wonder if it's a network card issue?

 

[z06gal]

It seems like it has to be if ethernet is doing the same thing. I haven't had the ethernet issue and my wifi drops have been rare....couple times a week. Your issue sounds hardware related

 

[fisherking]

if it's happening in regular intervals, i doubt it's hardware...especially since you say it started with ML.

have you tried contacting apple? or going to the, cough, "genius bar"?

 

[copydeskcat]

if it's happening in regular intervals, i doubt it's hardware...especially since you say it started with ML.

have you tried contacting apple? or going to the, cough, "genius bar"?

Contemplating making a Genius Bar appointment.

Is there anyway I can monitor my ethernet network activity and take a log of it?

 

[Krazy Bill]

Contemplating making a Genius Bar appointment.

Don't bother. Your connection will work perfectly at the Apple Store and pass all tests. They will tell you to contact your service provider.

 

[copydeskcat]

Don't bother. Your connection will work perfectly at the Apple Store and pass all tests. They will tell you to contact your service provider.

It's 100% not my service provider. They've tested and tested the line, the router and the connection out in the street.

When it happens, I can access the net fine on every other device in the house. It's local to the Mac Mini, no question.

 

[Krazy Bill]

It's 100% not my service provider. They've tested and tested the line, the router and the connection out in the street.

When it happens, I can access the net fine on every other device in the house. It's local to the Mac Mini, no question.

Which is why I said don't bother. Apple will not acknowledge the fickle wi-fi issue.

 

[copydeskcat]

Like I say, it's not limited to wifi. It's happening on Ethernet too, with wifi switched off.

 

[chickaboom]

It's a Mountain Lion bug unfortunately. I have the exact same problem and have no luck in fixing it, although I've read what feels like thousands of posts/threads on this. Here's one with some solutions you might try: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1451152/

Some of the suggestions are:
reset PRAM
reset SMC
renew DHCP license
delete your wifi connection and create a new one
empty cache on all browsers
manually add a new IP address
change the MTU to 1453
delete the password in Keychain Access
fresh install of 10.8.2
etc. etc., just follow the link or Google "Mac 10.8.2 problems"

Nothing has worked for me sadly. To make matters worse I travel a lot for work and can't get a decent connection if I can get online because I'm in hotels and can't access routers to maybe troubleshoot if it that is even the problem. That means not being able to work properly and not being able to talk to my family. I'm so fed up.

I hope one or some of the above work for you. It seems that different solutions work for different people, so keep trying. Good luck!