Why, oh why hasn't El Capitan fixed Mac's most infamous WiFi issue after all these years!!!

[BrettApple]

Thats not going to help your issue but feel free to waste your time doing so. Have you tried some of the suggestions in the links you posted? I do recall having to move bluetooth below wifi in service order to fix a wifi issue a few years ago.

I actually need to do it anyway, I've just been putting it off. I need it for some Windows only utilities to use with some switches, check-in software, and a few sites that require IE and ActiveX. I could use Parallels but I like running it natively.

I've tried a few of them and it hasn't made a difference. Speaking of Bluetooth, Yosemite has some crazy Bluetooth issues as well. Multiple Mac Pros (2009-2010) my previous 2012 Mac Mini, and MBPs (2012, 2013, and 2014) have super laggy mice or disconnect issues with Yosemite that completely disappear when rolled back to Mavericks. But that's for another day. My MBA is fine though

I do remember moving Bluetooth and even Thunderbolt stuff in the network profile a while ago on one of the Macs here. It fixed it temporarily but issues came back till I put Mavericks back on it. Go figure. Not that Mavericks didn't have issues itself for a long time but I keep it on our mission critical Macs still for running sound, lights, and the set. I'm hoping to move to El Capitan after the first point release campus wide if possible.

And I think the WiFi was actually fine when I El Capitan it on a second partition on this same MBA for a couple days playing with it... May be worth investigating.

 

[mkeeley]

I get that all the time. Goes to sleep n battery, wakes up and you more often than not have to disable/enable wifi. Very annoying. It certainly is an OSX bug as booting to Windows the problem disappears.

 

[torana355]

I get that all the time. Goes to sleep n battery, wakes up and you more often than not have to disable/enable wifi. Very annoying. It certainly is an OSX bug as booting to Windows the problem disappears.

Then why does it not effect everyone? Ive never had this issue across my 3 home macs and 6 work macs. If anything it would be a driver issue with a specific wifi chip.

 

[Glenn.eu]

I get that all the time. Goes to sleep n battery, wakes up and you more often than not have to disable/enable wifi. Very annoying. It certainly is an OSX bug as booting to Windows the problem disappears.

I have the same problem on my 12" MacBook with my apple router, hoped el capitan would have solved it

 

[Tmelon]

I've got the issue on my white MacBook from '09 but WiFi connects fine on my Air and Pro.

 

[meson]

I have the problem on my 2012 13", no problems wit the 2010 iMac. The issue is much more intermittent than it was early on in Yosemite, but it's definitely still there, and definitely an OS issue. It does not do it on Mavericks.

 

[Hdub32]

I have the same issue on my 2015 mbp, but not on my 09 iMac both on same network

 

[mkeeley]

Then why does it not effect everyone? Ive never had this issue across my 3 home macs and 6 work macs. If anything it would be a driver issue with a specific wifi chip.

No idea why it doesn't effect everyone all I know is that it does effect a fair number of people. You'd perhaps think it was
non-apple routers but plenty have the problem with airports. Turning off bluetooth doesn't make a difference here.

 

[ZXMustang]

Ive had like 10 MacBooks and never had this problem. Ever.

 

[meson]

Mine does it with an Airpot Extreme, and I don't use Bluetooth. It seems more likely to happen when I put down the laptop and then want to use it again quickly, but it's not a consistent issue. Sometimes it'll work, and sometimes it won't. Sometimes it happens after a short sleep, other times after a long sleep.

Hopefully they get it sorted out, as it is frustrating.

 

[mmomega]

I'm not having this issue either and I'm running almost a dozen different types of Mac computers and none of them have this issue.
Sorry for your issue.

At one location I'm running latest gen Airport Extreme AC routers, the other 2 locations I am running UniFi AP AC routers.

 

[sniffies]

There are about 2400 suggested solutions on the Internet. But none of them are perfect or permanent. It took me 36 hours to try most of them but to no avail. Why it affects some Macs and not the others is still a mystery to everyone, even the best engineers at Apple. Apple has been trying to permanently fix it since the early 2000's with no success. The bug keeps striking back every now and then, affecting some minor or major OS updates. Mavericks especially has been infamous for reviving this nasty bad bug.

Some of the suggested solutions I've tried:

- trash bluetooth prefs
- trash wifi prefs
- turn off bluetooth
- clear the network list
- PRAM reset
- SMC reset
- set service order
- create new wifi location
- 2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz
- renew DHCP lease
- add security to network manually
- require password to change networks
- disable wake for wifi network access
- Apple TV on a different network
etc.

Alas, none of them worked for me. As a result, I had no choice but to revert to my old workaround that has worked for me 100% on older Macs. It's simpler than simple. Just enable this:

 

[Skoal]

Sucks to hear folks still dealing with this. I Haven't had a single wifi issue through all of Yosemite (betas) and current el Cap betas. Late 2014 MBPr 15".

 

[Hog Milanese]

I've never had this issue on any Mac.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Then why don't we hear more about the faulty WiFi chips? Surely, can't be just 2 people.

On 10.10.3 and all previous Yosemite releases I do have the exact same issue. I have to turn wifi off and on. Very annoying. Actually I was hoping for 10.10.4 to fix it

 

[Traverse]

This must be an extremely complex issue, because I have only had the issue like twice in Yosemite. I think the router, the WiFi security, and many other factors go into this.

 

[matt2053]

You know what, I think I'll install a copy of Windows 8.1 or 10 and see what happens. If it works 100% of the time there I think the only thing to blame would be a bug in OS X.

And I don't think its a router issue if it does it with multiple routers and access points of different brands and using different bands and frequencies.

And Yosemite (and OS X for that matter) is kind of famous for WiFi issues as it is. As seen here, here, here, and here with many replies.

Off to install Windows...

Let me know your results. I have this problem too, and I also believe it to be an OS bug, because I've exchanged my Macbook Pro 3 times and they all have this problem.

For me, sometimes it also disconnects randomly during use. I'll just be surfing and then all of a sudden nothing connects. Toggle wifi on/off always fixes it. Same for you?

Also, I have a 2012 Air, and iPad, two iPhones, and an Apple TV all on the same network with no problems. Only my 2015 13" rMBP has the problem. And previously my 12" rMB which I exchanged.

I wonder if it could be a driver issue with chipsets used in the newer MacBooks and MacBook Pros?

 

[torana355]

I wonder if it could be a driver issue with chipsets used in the newer MacBooks and MacBook Pros?

That would be my bet. Like i said ive never had this issue on any of my macs (i dont own a rMPB or rMB)

 

[djdsas]

I never had an issue until Yosemite.

3 macs all have had the dreaded wifi issue. 2012 mac mini, 2010 15" macbook pro, and 2012 15" Macbook pro Retina.
Apple Airport Extreme(previous generation 2012?)

On wake, can't find wifi connection in the same room as the router!. I get an "!" in the airport icon.

Very frustrating!

Must toggle WIFI on/off to fix!

 

[matt2053]

On mine, I've determined that my wifi connection is staying connected. I just lose the ability to connect to the internet.

For example, I can see my Skype and Dropbox connections go dim in the menu bar, but I can still ping my router:

So I guess it's a networking issue, BUT, it ONLY affect my Macbook. My iPhone and iPad stay connected just fine. Bizarre!

 

[mkeeley]

It effects my retina macbook but not my hackintosh!

 

[matt2053]

It effect my retina macbook but not my hackintosh!

I have the problem on my 2015 retina Macbook Pro, but not my 2012 Macbook Air...

 

[saxon48]

Having the same issue on my 2013 rMBP, but only since installing beta 2 of El Cap.

 

[MrNomNoms]

Is your router invisible or is the name broadcast? IIRC a while ago OS X has issues with routers that are invisible - a bit of a hit or miss as to whether it auto-connects.

 

[matt2053]

Is your router invisible or is the name broadcast? IIRC a while ago OS X has issues with routers that are invisible - a bit of a hit or miss as to whether it auto-connects.

No.