Leopard upgrade kills wireless

For what it’s worth..

I was having both Wi-Fi dropout problems as well as connection time-out issues after upgrading to both 10.5.2 and 10.4.11. My issues happened on both Intel and PowerPC G5 hardware. In the end, as a last ditch effort, I decided to update the firmware on my NetGear WG 602 V3 WAP. All my issues are gone now.

Hope you’re all able to resolve your problems, its been quite a headache for me.

Cheers!!

Count me as another victim. Just bought a new iMac 20" 2.4. It picks up a neighbor's signal but not my G router (my iMac G5 running Tiger connects fine). Apple techs told me to get a new router after spending 1.5 hours on the phone with me. If I didn't pick up my neighbor's signal, my wife would have rightly made me return this thing. I'll try the suggestions here and report back. Fingers crossed....

Switching back to windows...
i had enough with these conectivity issues.....

windows has it virues and spyware but it connects...

wait and see if apple truely fixes this issue...

i did this, and now the Airport will not turn on!

I tried reconnecting to my network after I rebooted, but I cant get airport turned on

Bowierules, I'm seeing the same problem. When starting up, the signal strength starts out OK and then slowly drops to nothing. Turning Airport off and then on again restores the signal strength indicator to full again and sometimes restores the transmission rate. Most times the transmission rate stays at zero with a full signal strength indicator.

Does anyone have the issue where it shows you have a FULL signal from Airport Extreme (dome) but you still can not connect. This happens to me randomly but then just starts working again randomly like a week or more later.

I couldn't get Leopard 10.5.1 wireless to stay connected (or even connect, really) on a PBG4—tried deleting .plist files and safe booting. However, changing my Airport Express to support 802.11g only fixed it instantly.

This work for me too:
From channel 6 to 11 and
From Mixed to "G" only
PowerMac Quick Silver G4/Linksys router/AirPort ---Linksys wireless adapter WMP54GS.
Thank you for solution

Same thing with me. I have a PB G4 which I am using now because my Macbook gets hardly any WI-Fi. Its driving me crazy! Just got back from the Genius Bar and they didnt know what to tell me. Im getting rid of this thing tomorrow till they fix this problem.

I have read that deleting or simply renaming the com.apple.airport plist file from /Library/Preferences/Systemconfiguration will wipe previous wireless settings thus restoring connectivity works. In Tiger I had to do the same thing in order to get wireless working again. Its a file that can become corrupt but luckily it gets rewritten after a reboot. Deleting keychain keys has a similar effect if you use them or are using certificates and WPA to connect with.

When using encryption like WEP or WPA you will never get the fastest connection possible as now you are adding fences to your connection and it takes time to encrypt and decrypt packets. I suggest turning broadcasting off and keeping your signal strength at a medium so you get your connection and no one else can see it except for the devious multitude who still can pick it out, its not that difficult.

computers are not difficult beasts to tame, even if you name the OS after large wild cats, you just got to be patient and willing to work with what you have and want to learn about your tool. If you are not, take it back and get a calculator.

I had this wireless problem, and Apple exchanged it for a new one, which also developed within four weeks the same problem. Since I am new to iMac, I was shocked and took it back for refund.

PowerBoook G4, upgraded to 10.5.1 and expreienced srongly degraded WiFi performance.
Extremely long wait times followed by normal data transfer speeds and intermittent repeats of the above.
It appears to be linked to a DNS issue - I migrated to OpenDNS and applied the changes to both router (Netgear) AND Apple Base Station. (Also upgraded Netgear's firmware, but I'm fairly sure that it's the DNS issue in Leopard - we run a MacMini and an iBook (both Tiger) via the same network without any issues.

I have the same problem, iMac 24 - 10.5.1 and after 12 hours aproximately wifi stopped. I tried deleting com.apple.airport.preferences.plist and restarting, but nothing changes. I see the network but when I select it I get an error. Wifi network is working because I'm using now from another computer. I'm really angry because I bought my iMac 4 months ago.

Hey guys, I had the same problem when i upgraded my macbook pro dual core to leopard. I am at 10.5.1 and lost connectivity to all my wifi's that i had configured however on any new ones that i came across (i.e. hotels, airpots, etc) it worked fine. So here's what I just did and it worked.

1. Deleted file com.apple.airport.preferences.plist from Library/Preferences/Systemconfiguration

2. Turned off my airport

3. Clicked on my Airpot open network preferences and removed my airpot and click apply.

4. Rebooted and then tried to connect back and it worked.

FINAAAAAALY!

I did a new install of 10.5.1 on a second hard drive on my G4 dual 867 and connection speed from my Airport Extreme wireless router rates 863 kbps on the CNET bandwidth meter. When I boot into my 10.4.11 partition on this machine it rates at 2191 kbps. A second G4 in the house (on a different floor I might add) running 10.3.x rates at over 2300 kbps.

Thanks, I thought I was all alone... this really sucks.. Where is the support from Apple???

I had a macbook and took it back for this very reason.
Loved the machine but hated how it seemed to drop signal CONSTANTLY - was a constant fight to keep it connected and wasnt worth the effort.
It was running 10.5

I having a similar problem with a PowerBook G4 and Leopard. Wireless worked fine with Tiger, but now doesn't work AT ALL ("Connection failed") with Leopard. I have read every discussion board on this topic and tried each of the suggestions and nothing has worked. I have an ethernet cable hooked up for the time being...

No problem on my powerbook but my dual G5 on clean install got all the wireless problems. The solution that has worked for me is to switch off all security on my BT 2100 wireless router and service restored fully. I'm not sure whether all my computers are 802.11g only so did not try that all else tried and failed.

Same problem here, and I absolutely refuse to change anything in the router etc because of a bug in Mac OS. The other computers at home (XP and Vista) work perfectly.

i thought it was safari and i change to firefox and opera but still the same i am using a macbook pro and a mac pro and its the same thing since i upgrade to leopard that start happening and it sux _(

I have been experiencing the same problem since upgrading to leopard, deleted the plist file you mentioned, but to no avail. Still have the same issues.

The solution is very very simple....
navigate to Library:Preferences:Systemconfiguration and delete the file - com.apple.airport.preferences.plist. Then restart the computer. On restart the file is rebuilt and it will work
I have found that this file sometimes is corrupted during an upgrade from Tiger. This corruption causes the whole local wireless system to go belly up. Unfortunately the corruption is caused by certain initial wireless configurations during setup but can be fixed by removing the initial setup preferences and letting leopard rebuild them after it has been installed.
Hope this helps.

I’m having the same issues. At random, my connection goes down, and the base station becomes undiscoverable. When it comes back on, and I try to connect to my preferred network, I get ‘connection failed’ or ‘connection time out’.
I just called Apple, and they claim this is not common. They sent me some testing documents so I could troubleshoot the problem, but I doubt it will help. Seems Leopard is the issue.
Also, I did not experience this when i first installed it. Maybe it started with a recent update? I can’t seem to pinpoint the start of these issues.

I had the same problem. Removing the airport setting in network prefs and recreating it seems to be the fix. That or create a new location because the upgrade procedure seems to do something stupid

Same problem here. 20" Core Duo iMac.

Signal is variable, and seems to degrade over time. The lower the signal the slower the internet connection, right down to dial-up speeds. Turning airport off and on sometimes helps. But only for a few seconds.

Works fine via ethernet.

This is my first mac and flies in the face of all the apple propaganda I've been exposed to all pver the years. So much for the attention to detail and flawless design I've heard about. With the premium price you pay for apple hardware, the fact that this article was written over 6 weeks ago and apple have done nothing to resolve such a critical issue is nothing short of a DISGRACE!!

Hi I have a ATT web provider and I use a Macbook Pro as well as a PC at home to connect to the web. I have recently made a fresh install of Leopard + upgrade to 10.5.1 and have been experiencing these problems. Until I read this post, I thought that it was ATT who was causing these drops in my connection because I have the same problem on the PC and the mac. When the connection drops on the mac, I try the PC and the windows icon tells me that there is limited connectivity. ATT tech support has not been able to help me but unlike you guys for which the web connection with the PC works, I have the problem on the 2 platforms...

Any hints?

Thanks

Is somehow nice to realize that this was no a problem of my own new iMac, because I was so disapointed that after many years of using a Dell and finally coming back to a Macintosh my internet connection both Wi-Fi and by cable in the Mac is about 50% slower according to McAffe internet speed tool (free in its home page). Having both computers, Mac and Pc side by side to the same CableModem + Wi-Fi Acces Point and Switch during the file transfer process PC to Mac, is so annoying to surf the web half speed that I will keep the PC until Apple comes with a fix.

Same problem with MacBook Pro (new) and Linksys router. Switched transmission speed on router from auto to 56, turned off use internet robustness on Mac, it has worked OK for 24 hrs. now, but I also reset router at same time, which has fixed it before but not for this long. Here's hoping ...

I'm experiencing the same problem with a fresh install of OS 10.5 on a power pc G4 and a Linksys WRT54G router.

The WIFI connection degrades as the number of network requests increases. I noticed that turning off Airport and then turning it back on resets the quality to a good level, which quickly decreases again.

Same problem. Wireless degrades. 10.5.1 doesn't help. I'm not a tech, going in and changing a bunch of router settings doesn't work for me. Tiger was perfect, never a problem. Apple support wants me to turn off security on router...not an option.

I am putting off purchasing 2 more Macs until this is fixed. Very disappointed that Apple delivers something so flawed.

After doing a fresh install of Leopard on my G4 iBook my wireless would constantly cause pages to hang or not load at all, as well as constant messages from itunes store that my connection was lost. After upgrading my firmware on my netgear router WNR834M everything now works perfectly. However I had to do the upgrade from a windows pc as it wouldn't take from my mac.

Got a new intel imac 24". Installed a fresh 10.5 and updated to 10.5.1.
802.11G Wireless run perfect for ca. 12 hours and went totally off or extremly slow speed and drops.
I spend around 5 hours before I've found a solution. Changed my wireless router to a fixed channel instead of automatic and now wireless works perfectly and smooth - 4 days with 100% uptime and still counting! :-)

I've got the PowerPC iMac G5, and after upgrading to Leopard, my wifi connection's been slow. I get perfect airport reception, but actual Internet access is slow and sporadic. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. I am constantly getting messages in iChat about how my request could not be processed, the server could not be reached, etc. The connection was fine for a few days, but then deteriorated to this. I'm running 10.5.1 - are there any answers out there yet?

My Macbook with Leopard (now freshly installed) crashes very often (hold down power botton screen). It seems to be related to WiFi (happens often after sleep while trying to connect via WiFi or when tinkering with the WiFi networks menu). Anyone experiencing similar problems?

I am having the same wireless problems and being a new user to Mac, I am really questioning the premium paid for an assumed reliable, high-quality product.

I have tried the 'G' only on my Linksys router and switched to a different channel. I also bought an Apple TV and seem to be having a similar problem re-connecting to the network constantly.

My HP XP Laptop never has a problem and stays connected constantly.

I had one success, I opened iTunes and played a Streaming Radio Station. The wireless never dropped. Yet, I turned it off and started browsing and sure enough, it dropped after a few pages.

Is Apple going to fix? Should I return and take the 10% hit on the re-stocking fee, since Apple does not seem to admit the problem? Maybe this is how Jobs gets his $700M bonus!!!

What routers are you using? We have gone through a couple now and are reverting to the Apple Wireless N router. They are stating that Draft 1 is the problem if you are using an N router. We did notice that if we disable the N broadcast on the N router so that the MAC was forced down it did work better. We are going to install the Apple piece with Draft 2 for the N and see if this really makes a difference. We did not have any problems or as many problems until upgrading to Leoptard.

I have an iMac Intel... doesnt work even when I switched to G only. It worked for a couple of days.
Just got a new MBP and seems to work fine!!

Really annoying as I need to work on it! Hope to fine a solution somewhere!

I have an iMac Intel core duo 20" purchased November 2006. Ever since Leopard has been installed, I have completely lost my wi-fi connection. The airport card is installed and identified but I cannot join either of my two wireless networks. Apple technicians have been unable to resolve this issue and a technician sent from my local Apple Store hasn't found out the reasons why this is happening. 10.5.1 upgrade made no difference either. The iMac was working perfectly under Tiger. The Leopard install was a clean install not an upgrade. Apple are now saying that I have to wait until the Leopard software is updated again until I can operate my iMac with the new system. If I want wi-fi, I have to downgrade to Tiger! Very frustrating.

Macbook Pro, same problem after switching to leopard. tried on three different wireless connection, connection lasts for maybe 10-15 minutes then dies. other computers with windows work fine. so frustrating, nothing seems to help.

SUGGESTION - I had the same problem, but i decided to try assigning my computer a static ip address. don't know if this will work for anyone, but it worked for me.

I am having the same problems with the latest Tiger update. I noticed after I upgraded and restarted there was no Airport icon on the menu bar. After a restart it appeared but now I am having the same problems everyone is describing above.

My WiFi sucks now. Up, down, shows connected but is not, pages choke, pages won't reload.... this is an absolute joke. I am downgrading back to Tiger

Solved my problem using a DNS cache of my own... It's called djbdns... I recommend especially for everyone who uses the macbooks...
I really don't know who, but it works now... =)

Same problem here. iboog G4, no problems until upgrade to leopard. Very strange.

Same problem with Leopard on a Powerbook G4. I've been running comparison speed tests on speakeasy.net/speedtest via the New York server (I'm in England) and get 3.8mb download speed on ethernet and about 53kbps on wi-fi!

Hurrahhhh!!! I finally got my wireless fixed after upgrading from Leopard.

I use Linksys WAPG54. I changed my settings from "Mixed" to "G Connection" only. Also, I have switched channels from default 6 to 11. To avoid problems having my airport asking me for my WEP password every time I lose connection, I switched to WPA and assigned a paraphrase instead. I left my MAC and wireless running all night and the next morning, my connection is still up and running! :-) My wireless is now stable. I guess with Leopard, "Mixed" doesn't work.

I hope this helps with everyone in here. Let me know if this worked for you.

I have a brand new MacBook Pro with the same issue on my home WiFi (which is WPA protected). Interestingly, i had better luck by connecting to an unprotected network i receive from a neighbor (despite the lower signal strength). What puzzles me is that in the office i have better performance on a third network which is WPA protected. Still trying to investigate...

I have a 24" iMac Core Duo. It has never been able to maintain a wireless connection. After years as a Mac user, I'm frustrated to tears with Apple's inattention to this problem.

I have the same problem. Apple techs cannot figure it out. No help. Slow and sporadic wireless access since the upgrade. I cannot use the internet or Airtunes. This only happened to my G5 iMac. All other Apple computers at my house are unaffected. 5.1 made no change.

Also having this problem on a brand new macbook 2.2 ghz. Restarting helps but cannot be the solution people. Pulease!

I have this problem too.

VERY ANNOYING.

mac mini 1.66 duo
everything worked fine on 10.4 but with 10.5 i get the same problems...terrible wifi
upgrade to 10.5.1 seems to make it a little better but still 50% slower and less reliable than it was under 10.4

Same problem, I upgraded to Leopard on my ibook G4, wifi hardly works and drops like crazy - Apple, please HELP!

I have the same problem with my PowerBook G4. I have to turn off and then turn on the airport to get the connection working again... I'm experiecing some issues with my torrent client too... That's killing me...

My wifi connection on a superfast connection lasts about 15 seconds before degrading and dying ...

Safari seems to decline more slowly (and recover faster) than Firefox ... I'm typing this on my DELL notebook (from the same wireless connection). I hate to say it, but no problems on my stable Winblows machine ....

I observe the same issue on WiFi connection. I found something though. When I run my Macbook Pro 2.33GHz over Battery power and WiFi...the connection dies in 1 min .....

But when I plug-in the power and run WiFi, the internet connection is very stable most of the time.

See if this is the same observations from other people too

Thanks

I was having a problem loading more than two web pages simultaneously and it got even worse to the point where none were loading. A week later my wireless started working again and its been fine for the last few days.

I'm back. Upgraded Leopard to 10.5.1 but no changes. Connection still drops. Help!

I have the same problem: the wireless connection painfully slow. Safari chokes on loading pages, even after I upgraded to the latest 1.5.1

same as everyone else, macbook pro, never had wireless problems with tiger, with leopard it stays connected for a few minutes then cuts out

My WiFi network lasts about 30 to 60 seconds and then drops. The two PC's on the WiFi network also drop simultaneously. When I shut down my Imac with Leopard, the PC's are fine. Annoying.

Same problem here. Since I upgraded to Leopard I am having this problem with my wife intel MacBook I bought her last month. I am connecting the MacBook to the internet using my iMac wireless connection. Before upgrading, I never had a single connection drop with Tiger. I used to tell this to my wife when I bought her this MacBook "Unlike Windows never working Ad-hoc, Mac OS X have a working computer to computer network connection".... not anymore I guess.

With my Mac 64 Powerbook YouTube videos work OK on ethernet and leopard but as soon as I hook up to wireless it is not possible to stream the videos. I thought it was the flash player but it was wireless

I have the problem. The signal drops out for no reason on my Macbook. Tried 2 different routers, changed channels, you name it. Never had any signal problem with Tiger.

yes. i'm also having the same problem. my wireless dies and goes back up again. YM crashes as well. hope Apple will come up with a solution.

I'm getting this with my Mac Mini and my Imac. they are connected by a network hosted by the imac and the max transmission speed is about 400KB/s between them (down from 2.5MB/s with tiger before).

I have two new MacBook Pro machines that are having this slow WiFi issue. I have called Apple Tech support. They seem to be aware of the problem but they don't have any solution to the problem. (Yet.) It is affecting thousands of users.

This is incredibly annoying. The Wi-fi on my iBook G4 from 2 years ago is significantly faster than on my brand new 24" imac...... this along with the flash issues make leopard a pain to use as of yet.

I have 5 mac at home,
mini mac g4
imac g5
imac intel 2
imac intel 1.8
laptop
only 1 works the laptop intel.
I change to Tiger again on the g4 and g5 and now the wifi works good .
On the intel computers I change again to Tiger OS because Filemaker pro 8.5 and the wifi charing data file.It crashed.
Good for the compatible leopard !!!
Bravo Mac
Sorry for my English I am Belgium

Our wifi connection which is to an apple airport extreme lasts about 30 seconds at a time, then drops off and dies

I have this problem too, and it's horrible... I've been using bootcamp to get to windows to have a steady internet connection...

I have certainly noticed this problem, and I'm hoping I get this post off before it dies again. It might have to do with both the type of AP and Leopard, since it doesn't seem to happen everywhere. Renewing the IP address under Network Preferences > Advanced > TCP/IP gets you connected again (for about 10 minutes until it dies again).