MacBook Pro Wireless 802.11g drops/connection problems - SOLVED! (rant)

[bobnugget]

I am really mad with apple now. I got a MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo as soon as they came out. My first one failed, but the second one is still going strong - it's a neat system. The only problem was that I'd get a very weak signal to my Wireless Network (802.11g: consists of 1x Philips, 1x 3com and 1x Belkin Base station running on SSID 11 with no encryption). The connection would keep dropping and sometimes the laptop wouldn't associate on resume giving the traditional "<Date> bobs-computer /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Resources/airport: Error: WirelessAssociate2() = 88001006 for open network "nuggetron" after prompt". This includes having line of sight from the laptop to the base station! I temporarily used a linksys RT2500 USB stick until today. Today I torrented the 802.11n $$ patch.

Guess what - after installing the Apple Wirele$$ driver, my 802.11g network works perfectly well. Looks like it was ALL of the wireless that is crippled until you slip stevey J a couple of bucks.

I'm needless to say pretty annoyed about this. It now appears I am in fact paying for the functionality that I was promised out of the box! Has anyone else had the same experience? Is anyone still having trouble with their 802.11g wireless and willing to try the enabler?

 

[clintob]

With all due respect my friend, I think a little less caffeine might be in order. It's $2. Hardly worth all the hubbub.

That said, Apple certainly didn't intentionally cripple all the wireless in the MBPs, or there would be a LOT more people with the same complaints. The problem is most likely that your particularly machine, for whatever reason, had a conflict somewhere that was hampering the wireless connection. It happens. It's not a conspiracy or a money laundering scheme, I promise.

Not to mention, if you torrented the patch, then you stole it and got it for free anyway, so why the complaining?

 

[smueboy]

..Today I torrented the 802.11n $$ patch...
...It now appears I am in fact paying for the functionality that I was promised out of the box!...

I've never had a problem with .11g on my system, so it is not 'crippled' without the enabler. It may have been another problem that the enabler happened to fix by updating certain files. And now that you have paid (i assume) for the firmware update, you should be happy that everything now works.

 

[thiagofll]

OMG, you are right!

After the last Airport Security Update my internet would disconnect every 5 minutes (I have a thread open). I just purchased the 802.11N enabler and my internet did not disconnect at all.

I can't believe Apple would screw everybody's system for $1.99? It's too weird that they decided to screw my internet connection one day before the update was out.

 

[bobnugget]

Not to mention, if you torrented the patch, then you stole it and got it for free anyway, so why the complaining?

Ah I was a bit annoyed I had to thieve to get the wireless to work - it's a weird problem that I've seen around here a few times and had from the start. (It's on the MBP Teething problems thread too). The MBP was fussy about which networks it would talk to. It has always talked to the one at work nicely, but had a lot of trouble with my home one (which I might add i've had a 17" PB, two twelve inchers and a Pismo working fine with). Now I have this patch on, my MBP works just as well.

It will be interesting to see if it works with 10.4.9 and no enabler.

 

[bobnugget]

OMG, you are right!

After the last Airport Security Update my internet would disconnect every 5 minutes (I have a thread open). I just purchased the 802.11N enabler and my internet did not disconnect at all.

I can't believe Apple would screw everybody's system for $1.99? It's too weird that they decided to screw my internet connection one day before the update was out.

I wonder if the n enabler has a bunch of fixes that are going to find themselves into 10.4.9 - that or the changes for n enabler fix a bug in the 802.11g support.

I have a rock steady connection now, which I've never had before with this MBP.

I don't really think that apple would deliberately cripple the G support til you pay . At least I hope they wouldn't!

 

[thiagofll]

I wonder if the n enabler has a bunch of fixes that are going to find themselves into 10.4.9 - that or the changes for n enabler fix a bug in the 802.11g support.

I have a rock steady connection now, which I've never had before with this MBP.

I don't really think that apple would deliberately cripple the G support til you pay . At least I hope they wouldn't!

LOL, they probably thought, let's trick the dumb people to think that they have a fu**ed-up router, so they can buy the new Airport Extreme from us.

 

[extraextra]

I have a steady connection with my Macbook after downloading the new Airport Update (not the N enabler). Maybe it's only a MBP problem.

 

[bobnugget]

I have a steady connection with my Macbook after downloading the new Airport Update (not the N enabler). Maybe it's only a MBP problem.

Hey, I think it entirely depends on your network hardware - my MBP worked fine with some, but didn't work at all well with my home set-up that a PBG4 used to work fine with.

 

[WillJS]

Where do I download the .11n enabler?

Nvm.. google is my friend.

 

[madog]

You know, depending on what kind of router you have a simple firmware update [to the router] usually fixes the unstable connections/wrong ip address issues that they have with new MBP and their N cards. I see this problem every week with Linksys routers.

 

[tarjan]

Guys, this is more complex than I think you want to believe. There are basic specs out there, but all of the vendors have their own interpretations to how to implement them. Maybe the code that does the 802.11n network acquire is better than the 802.11g code, maybe one of your neighbors switched their channel on their router at the same time, maybe the update changed the timing and while it is still "in spec" your router is NOT in spec which caused some consternation before the 802.11n code, or maybe something else was going on. Hard to say.

Without a network trace doing a full traffic dump both airlink and wired network it is very hard to come to an actual conclusion as to what specific thing was fixed.

I know that on my network I get gibberish broadcast ever 30 seconds by my stupid vonage router. Drives me absolutely crazy but I will finally be replacing it (at least as the front end router) with an apple extreme and putting it behind the firewall with only the phones attached. Just have to get off my butt and go out to the apple store and get one.

Now to get a new usb external case for a 500gb drive to put on the AE!

 

[Nuc]

Guys, this is more complex than I think you want to believe. There are basic specs out there, but all of the vendors have their own interpretations to how to implement them. Maybe the code that does the 802.11n network acquire is better than the 802.11g code, maybe one of your neighbors switched their channel on their router at the same time, maybe the update changed the timing and while it is still "in spec" your router is NOT in spec which caused some consternation before the 802.11n code, or maybe something else was going on. Hard to say.

Without a network trace doing a full traffic dump both airlink and wired network it is very hard to come to an actual conclusion as to what specific thing was fixed.

I know that on my network I get gibberish broadcast ever 30 seconds by my stupid vonage router. Drives me absolutely crazy but I will finally be replacing it (at least as the front end router) with an apple extreme and putting it behind the firewall with only the phones attached. Just have to get off my butt and go out to the apple store and get one.

Now to get a new usb external case for a 500gb drive to put on the AE!

I have the older airport extreme base station and lose signal all the time. Drives me nuts!

Nuc

 

[iBorg20181]

I have the older airport extreme base station and lose signal all the time. Drives me nuts!

Nuc

I also have the "old" Airport Extreme, and about every 4 weeks it has to be rebooted because of lost connection. Otherwise, it's rock-solid inbetween, connecting several Macs, a PC and my TiVo.

iBorg

 

[oldwatery]

I have the older airport extreme base station and lose signal all the time. Drives me nuts!

Nuc

I also have the "last" extreme base station and 2 expresses. I have drop out problems consistently on my MBP C2D machine. Sometimes it can take several attempts, reboots etc to get back.
My other Macs do not suffer the same way.
It's driving me nuts

 

[bobnugget]

I also have the "last" extreme base station and 2 expresses. I have drop out problems consistently on my MBP C2D machine. Sometimes it can take several attempts, reboots etc to get back.
My other Macs do not suffer the same way.
It's driving me nuts

This is the exact problem I had before I got the wireless-n enabler - if you have it, try the enabler, it fixed it for me! I'm just gonna reboot into windoze and see if it still doesn't work properly in that.

 

[bobnugget]

Definitely the driver

Hi, it's definitely the driver, the hardware still doesn't connect to the network through XP (all patches applied) in Boot Camp. And with the 802.11n enabler, it works fine in OS X...