imac c2d owners.. listen up!!

[governor]

Ok.. First off.. I'm not sure this is an issue for core duo imac owners (early-mid 2006) since ive only experianced it with the newer core 2 duo. But to be on the safe side i think pretty much everyone with an intel imac can check their computers for this issue.

Many of you core 2 duo imac owners has a faulty Airport without even knowing it.
What happens is that the connection speed is "jumpy" it jumps from 11mbps to 28mbps to 36 to 54mbps then back to 11mbps all the time.

It's not consistent.

Many people don't know about this problem, since the most part don't even use the Airport instead of a cord connection.

To be on the safe side, i recommend every one to meter their connectivity with the Air Traffic Control-Widget..

If you have a consistant router max- speed in the display (mostly common 54mbps), then youre on the safe side. If not, you, like many others, have a faulty airport.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/networking_security/airtrafficcontrol.html

P.S. My apologies for bad spelling and gramatical errors. English ain't my mother tounge.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Ok.. First off.. I'm not sure this is an issue for core duo imac owners (early-mid 2006) since ive only experianced it with the newer core 2 duo. But to be on the safe side i think pretty much everyone with an intel imac can check their computers for this issue.

Many of you core 2 duo imac owners has a faulty Airport without even knowing it.
What happens is that the connection speed is "jumpy" it jumps from 11mbps to 28mbps to 36 to 54mbps then back to 11mbps all the time.

It's not consistant and static, like it should be.

Many people don't know about this problem, since the most part don't even use the Airport instead of a cord connection.

To be on the safe side, i recommend every one to meter their connectivity with the Air Traffic Control-Widget..

If you have a consistant router max- speed in the display, then youre on the safe side. If not, you, like many others, have a faulty airport.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/networking_security/airtrafficcontrol.html

It shouldnt be static anyway should it? I thought it was dynamic; only bluetooth is static, right?

 

[RobTuck]

Thank you!!!

Somebody at last seems to be experiencing the same issues as me.

Ive been having countless problems with the airport in my 24" iMac. It does exactly as you say. I'd not noticed it in Mac OS X so badly, as I didnt install the widget until last night, and as you say, the speed changes erratically. I had previously noticed this under boot camped XP.

No matter what wireless channel or encryption method I use, or the location of the router, the problems are always there.

I think I'll have to claim my iMac as DOA.

Stuart, the speed shouldn't be static as such, but it should be consistent. Constant erratic changes from one extreme to another is not right at all.

 

[MacBoobsPro]

Thank you!!!

Somebody at last seems to be experiencing the same issues as me.

Ive been having countless problems with the airport in my 24" iMac. It does exactly as you say. I'd not noticed it in Mac OS X so badly, as I didnt install the widget until last night, and as you say, the speed changes erratically. I had previously noticed this under boot camped XP.

No matter what wireless channel or encryption method I use, or the location of the router, the problems are always there.

I think I'll have to claim my iMac as DOA.

Stuart, the speed shouldn't be static as such, but it should be consistent. Constant erratic changes from one extreme to another is not right at all.

Sorry allow to me to explain.

I believe it should start off slow, hit as fast as possible then it gradually slows. I may be wrong but i vaguely remember reading it somewhere.

 

[governor]

Sorry allow to me to explain.

I believe it should start off slow, hit as fast as possible then it gradually slows. I may be wrong but i vaguely remember reading it somewhere.

Hmm.. Yeap! it gradually slows down. Until it hits rock bottom, sometimes loses connection.. And then it jumps up directly to 36mbps, then back to 48mbps and then a huge leap from 48 back to 11mbps again.

It would be great if i had a clue about how common this problems are..

 

[Flyinace2000]

Mineis pretty much constant at 48/45 mbps

 

[amin]

That widget is giving me info which is inconsistent with my practical experience. It tells me I have no signal at all at times when I am surfing and downloading stuff reliably at a good clip with no interruptions in service. My C2D iMac's wireless has without exception outperformed all other Wifi devices in my home. Makes me wonder about the reliability of the widget more so than the reliability of my Wifi connection.

 

[tomacintosh]

What you've also got to look at, the last time that Widget was updated was a year ago, a lot has changed since then. The rumors are the new C2D iMac's have a 802.11n Wifi card in them, so I don't know if it's anything to do with that?

 

[Eidorian]

And yet none of you checked for a Universal version...


http://www.spintriplet.com/

 

[governor]

And yet none of you checked for a Universal version...


http://www.spintriplet.com/

That's the one i have and use..

Same issues!

sorry for the old link before, but it seems to make no differance.

 

[vansouza]

What does the variation mean exactly

I bounce from 54 to 48 to 54. Yet when I download something from a good site I can hit 1019 per second... Cox gives us 10m for download speed... so if the download speed is there what does the fluctuation mean?

 

[anthny680]

Signal Bar concern?

Can someone please help me decide if I should be concerned. Under the WPA2 text on my widget it consistantly displays 54mbps BUT for some reason my signal bar reads full for 5 - 10 seconds then nothing for 1-5 seconds.

The only issue I have with my airport is that I have to restart it every time I start up my computer? Other than that I haven't noticed any speed loss while browsing or downloading.

Thanks

 

[balamw]

I'll check out the widget, though I don't have any issue with my CD iMac AirPort under OS X.

The only issue I have with my airport is that I have to restart it every time I start up my computer?

You might want to try and remove and recreate your favortie networks list and remove the keychain entry. This has finxed similar problems for me recently...

B

 

[vi2867]

I will test it also...

I just got an iMac C2D two weeks ago.

Since I have no need to use the airport card I didn't notice any problems with the airport card.

I will download the widget and test it my self. I think this may have to do with what the previous person mentioned. These new iMacs have 802.11n cards on them, but they are running at the g spectrum. This could be causing the problem.

 

[astewart]

I've had my c2D iMac for about 3 weeks now and have not experienced any problems with My Internet connection / Airport Card.

I'll also be check that Widget out as well

 

[Zwhaler]

Well, at least your Airport works at all. Unlike mine, I'm on my second one and it will not work worth jack. (Flashing Amber constantly) the Apple Store wants me to bring my computer in... gosh its like being sent to the Principals Office...

 

[clintob]

That fluctuation is completely insignificant.

(1) Using a Dashboard widget to determine your internet connection speed is about as reliable as licking your thumb to check the wind speed. There are much more useful and reliable tools than that - but mostly, you'll find the best results by loading a webpage or downloading a big file and checking it out with your own eyes.

(2) All commercial and residential internet connections fluctuate heavily based on traffic, your idle state, etc. Wireless connections fluctuate even more based on wave frequency, mobile phones in the area, microwaves, etc.

If you want a steady, static connection, buy a dedicated T3 node (which few of us can afford). Otherwise, close up your widget, enjoy your computer, and stop manufacturing issues.

IF you actually have a tangible problem connecting to and using the internet, that's a different story. But if you sit there and stare at a widget while your internet connection is idle and you find that it's "speed" floats up and and down, well, you need to find something better to do with your time. Apple is not scaming you with faulty wireless cards... if you can't connect to the internet or get frequent drop offs, call Apple and they'll fix it. If not, don't be so paranoid.

 

[Carniphage]

That fluctuation is completely insignificant.

The card in the iMac C2D is the same one as in the Mac Pro. It's a Broadcom Draft 802.11N module. And I am having trouble identifying a single user for whom this module is working as expected.

The card exhibits a number of issues.
1) Inconsistent ping times.
2) Consistently changing the connection speed - as revealed by Air Traffic Control widget. Yes Wifi does renegotiate - but every 5 seconds?
3) Never ever acheiving a connection of more than 3.5megabits (460Kbytes per second).

Note that 460KB per second is a quite respectable internet connection speed. But some of us use Airport for more than browsing pr*n. Some of us want to transfer files from one machine to another (Admittedly pr*n)

My maths brain tells me that 3megabits is less than 54.

There's something missing from Airport Extreme 0x14E4,0x87 - and I am guessing that that something is a firmware fix.

C.

 

[Markleshark]

That fluctuation is completely insignificant.

(1) Using a Dashboard widget to determine your internet connection speed is about as reliable as licking your thumb to check the wind speed. There are much more useful and reliable tools than that - but mostly, you'll find the best results by loading a webpage or downloading a big file and checking it out with your own eyes.

(2) All commercial and residential internet connections fluctuate heavily based on traffic, your idle state, etc. Wireless connections fluctuate even more based on wave frequency, mobile phones in the area, microwaves, etc.

If you want a steady, static connection, buy a dedicated T3 node (which few of us can afford). Otherwise, close up your widget, enjoy your computer, and stop manufacturing issues.

IF you actually have a tangible problem connecting to and using the internet, that's a different story. But if you sit there and stare at a widget while your internet connection is idle and you find that it's "speed" floats up and and down, well, you need to find something better to do with your time. Apple is not scaming you with faulty wireless cards... if you can't connect to the internet or get frequent drop offs, call Apple and they'll fix it. If not, don't be so paranoid.

*Waves arms in the air* Preach on Brother.... Woo

 

[Chrillan]

I thought that I was alone..

I got the new 20" a few days ago, and I am experiencing the same exact problems. Fluctuations and so on. I have all the recent updates, even the new firmware EFI 1.1 (or something) from november. Are you all still experiencing this or did some update fix it for you?

/Chrillan

 

[Eidorian]

My Airport works now. I used to get one bar on the first floor with my Belkin router. Now I get 4 bars. It rarely dips to 3.

 

[Jasonbot]

I psted on this issue before and people just laughed @ me... I thought it was only under XP but I seem to be corrected. But anyways, the connection should be consistant 54mbs but the effective speed should be less(54/8=6.75mbs).

My iMac G5 is a constant 54/48 while the iMac C2D is is 11/24...

There is a major problem with the C2D iMac and I hope that apple sorts it out soon.

 

[Chrillan]

Well, yesterdays security update seems to have.... *drum roll*
... made it even worse... Now, not only weak and fluctuating but completely drops. I am for example trying to download yesterdays security update again, but it stops after one or two megs and the safari download window says no internet connection. And trust me, I have tried everything from resetting the router to deleting SystemConfiguration folders to putting my router litteraly on top of the iMac. The latter at least gave me a 94% reception, but it kind of diminishes the hole idea of wireless... dont you think?

This is quite frustrating since my old PowerBook gets 93-99% percent, stable and strong reception with a Belkin PC-card just a meter away from this computer, and that also has a wall that blocks the signal to some extent. So, its not raining, no wireless interference, a fairly free spectrum (using channel 3 since 1, 6, 9 and 11 are cramped with other stations in the area) and no constantly operating microwave between this computer and the transmitter...... Now that Im writing this, my "internet connection" window says my connection is 4-5 blue little dots out of 15 and I am about 3,5 meters (about 11,5 feet?) away from the transmitter, my PB is shutdown, and nothing is blocking the signal... Aint wifi grand?
Ah, forgot to mention that I borrowed an AirPort Express to compare to my Belkin 7230, and the results are the same, totally open or WPA2 does not matter at all in this situation.... And so on and so on...

Ive tried everything but rain-dancing and chanting, but they are up next and I will post the results before next full moon....

 

[Jasonbot]

I hope it's just a firmware fix that is required. I do not want to repair/replace my entire mac if and only if apple finds a solution.

The card in the iMac, isn't it the same as the Macbook pro card? if so shouldn't MBP's also have problems?

 

[Chrillan]

I'm still having major problems with my iMac... I have extended my testing to include a brand new MBP.. No problems with that computer either, no dropping on either the Belkin or the airport express.. Full and stable reception.. My iMac though... is a complete mess... I'm so dissapointed, and a new cord now runs through my hole apartment from my router to my iMac.. Fun with wifi and macs...

Not even the above mentioned rain dance did much good...