Wonkey browser+ connectivity problem

[mreg376]

I'm not sure if this is the same problem, but this has happened to me now for the 3rd time, and the return window on my 16" Max 24C/64GB/2TB MacBook is closing:

Internet will be working, BUT all of a sudden Safari stops being able to connect to the Internet, followed by Google and Edge. BUT, the page I was on when the problem started still works, as does all of the links and interlinks coming from that page (but if I quit the browser and try to come back to that same page -- doesn't work). At the same time, Apple Mail stops being able to show the contents of messages, but it retrieves them normally. Quitting and restarting the apps does nothing.

Note: Other computers on the same network are working perfectly.

The only thing that works is restarting the MacBook. Annoying. AND when I go to restart the browsers are generally locked up (as is Apple Mail sometimes) and I have have to force quit all of them first.

The icing on the cake is that the MacBook then takes about 3 full minutes before it restarts.

Any help/diagnosis/advice would be welcome!

Mitch

Notre: Also posted in the Monterey group

 

[Sanpete]

Try a restart in safe mode. Sometimes that resets something that's causing trouble. If it's a software problem, though, the problem will likely return when you run whatever software could be causing it. If you're running some unusual software, you might want to mention what.

 

[mreg376]

Try a restart in safe mode. Sometimes that resets something that's causing trouble. If it's a software problem, though, the problem will likely return when you run whatever software could be causing it. If you're running some unusual software, you might want to mention what.

Thanks, but no, nothing unusual. The MacBook is about a week old, and I made it a duplicate of my 2017 iMac, which is running the same everything, including Monterey, and working fine. I just changed DNS servers, and cleared my DNS cache. Shot in the dark. If it happens again, I'll try safe mode.

 

[Sanpete]

Your new machine would run the same programs differently, via Rosetta, so it could still be a software issue, in case you run out of other ideas.

 

[mreg376]

Good point.

 

[woolypants]

I would return it, but my Mac has also started doing this – although mine's a 2015 MacBook Pro. I wonder if it's a Safari issue? I have had this in the past, but not recently. I'd been putting it down to a recent change in my ISP provider.

 

[DJLC]

Are you using an Ethernet adapter? I've recently learned the Realtek 8153 Ethernet controller chip has intermittent connectivity issues like this in macOS Big Sur and Monterey. This is a very popular chip among OEMs, including Anker and OWC. For me, the symptom was iMessage and HomeKit failing while my browser would work fine for most sites.

I think it's fixable with a driver from Realtek on Intel Macs, although I haven't tested that yet. But on my 14" MacBook Pro, I've had to explicitly disable the Ethernet adapter in my dock and quit the AppleUserECM process. No better driver is available on Apple Silicon, and AppleUserECM fails intermittently during large data transfers. I'm double-dongles now with Apple Thunderbolt 3 > Thunderbolt 2 > Ethernet, and my connection has been rock solid since making that change.

Have had zero issues with Wi-Fi on this new MacBook. If you're having wireless issues, I'd agree with the advice in prior responses: try safe mode, try a Genius Bar, or consider returning / exchanging.

 

[mreg376]

I would return it, but my Mac has also started doing this – although mine's a 2015 MacBook Pro. I wonder if it's a Safari issue? I have had this in the past, but not recently. I'd been putting it down to a recent change in my ISP provider.

My conundrum is going to the bother of returning it, then setting up a new MacBook only to have the same problem because it's a Monterey issue...

 

[mreg376]

Are you using an Ethernet adapter? I've recently learned the Realtek 8153 Ethernet controller chip has intermittent connectivity issues like this in macOS Big Sur and Monterey. This is a very popular chip among OEMs, including Anker and OWC. For me, the symptom was iMessage and HomeKit failing while my browser would work fine for most sites.

I think it's fixable with a driver from Realtek on Intel Macs, although I haven't tested that yet. But on my 14" MacBook Pro, I've had to explicitly disable the Ethernet adapter in my dock and quit the AppleUserECM process. No better driver is available on Apple Silicon, and AppleUserECM fails intermittently during large data transfers. I'm double-dongles now with Apple Thunderbolt 3 > Thunderbolt 2 > Ethernet, and my connection has been rock solid since making that change.

Have had zero issues with Wi-Fi on this new MacBook. If you're having wireless issues, I'd agree with the advice in prior responses: try safe mode, try a Genius Bar, or consider returning / exchanging.

Thanks. Yes, it's in wireless. So far I have changed DNS providers, flushed the DNS cache, turned off that new IP tracking prevention. Waiting to see if it happens again. As I mentioned above I'd hate to return it and find that it is a software problem. The usual Apple paradox.

 

[woolypants]

> My conundrum is going to the bother of returning it

Honestly, the best advice here is to return the item if you believe there's even the possibility of a fault. Living with a slight fault can be unbearable, especially when you've paid big bucks for Apple hardware.

 

[mreg376]

> My conundrum is going to the bother of returning it

Honestly, the best advice here is to return the item if you believe there's even the possibility of a fault. Living with a slight fault can be unbearable, especially when you've paid big bucks for Apple hardware.

Problem happened again today, right in the middle of my work. So yep, just sent it back. Hopefully better luck with its replacement. Thanks.

 

[woolypants]

Problem happened again today, right in the middle of my work. So yep, just sent it back. Hopefully better luck with its replacement. Thanks.

Good for you. I hope it goes well. At the very least if the problem is repeated you'll know for sure that it's software.

 

[HDFan]

I made it a duplicate of my 2017 iMac,

How did you do the duplication? Could you have inadvertently gotten some software that was just for the 2017?

 

[mreg376]

How did you do the duplication? Could you have inadvertently gotten some software that was just for the 2017?

Migration Assistant from my main 2017 27" Desktop iMac. First time I used Migration Assistant and it worked perfectly. Yes, some problem software may have moved over, but I now have the replacement MacBook (not exactly the same specs, and from Costco with its 90-day return policy ), did the same migration using Migration Assistant, and the problem has not repeated. Yet?

 

[mreg376]

Update (hopefully final update): I have been using the replacement MacBook pretty heavily for the past five days, with the exact same software setup, and no appearance of the Internet connectivity issues that plagued the returned Macbook. So it must have been something with that machine.