Late 2011 MBP Wifi issue

[dedzyyy]

Hi, I've been having issues recently with my wifi dropping.

Weirdly, if I jiggle the power connector or remove it, it seems to kick the wifi back into life, until the next time it drops.

Today I have replaced the airport card and the problems are identical.


I can't seem to find anyone with the same issues as mine online.
Just wondering if anyone has any ideas??

 

[ZapNZs]

Are you using a USB3 device near the computer?
Does this issue only happen on power? (not on battery)
Have you tried using a different power cord?
If you run the Wifi Diagnostic Scan, what signal strength and ideal channels are you getting?
Which channels are you currently using?
Are you running 2.4, 5, or both?

 

[dedzyyy]

I think all 3 USB ports on a late 2011 are USB 2 - I am using a Cubase dongle and occasionally an external hard drive.
It happens with the power disconnected, but not really as much.
I've not tried a different power cord yet, but I'll try and borrow the mrs' cord sometime soon.

 

[ZapNZs]

My Early 2011 is all USB 2 (I wasn't sure if Late added 3 or not), but if I am using another USB 3 device close by, like my SP3, and actively using USB 3, I've noticed that some of the USB3 accessories will interfere with my 2.4 GHz signal, but I've only really noticed this in areas with more Wifi clutter.

It might be worth trying a different power cord. I've read on forums that some people have had rogue issues with the power adapter itself interfering with the signal.

I highly doubt this is it, but given it would take only 10 seconds to try if you have not already, are you using the 3-prong cord that adds the dedicated grounding? Sometimes I can feel a strange sensation on my palms when using only the 2-prong and I've wondered in the past if that could interfere with other operations?

 

[dedzyyy]

I've sometimes felt a minuscule electric pulse come from he Mac body from time to time.

As you can see from my screen shot, there's not really much wifi clutter. Both my neighbours are super old and have no internet.

I've also got a firewire audio interface near the power port. Could that make any difference??

 

[dedzyyy]

I've been having a play with the USB ports on the Mac. The port closest to the power seems to be the problem.
The other 2 appear to be fine.

So are there any fixes for this??

Many thanks!

 

[ZapNZs]

For me and my problematic USB3 cables, the solution that has worked best for me is simply wrapping the cords in aluminum foil and moving the connected device further away from the computer. I'm not sure how much that will hep you here.

 

[dedzyyy]

Ah, I see. My problem is the device that was closest to the power is a dongle registration key. I could of course just cover the whole thing.

Meh, I'll just wait it out until I upgrade to an iMac sometime this year.