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General discussion

2.4Ghz MacBook Pro 2010 does not connect to "N" network

May 8, 2010 1:50AM PDT

I have a brand new 13.3" 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz. I also have a 24" iMac and a new Mac Mini. I am using a Buffalo WHR-HP-GN as my router and wireless connection. The iMac and the Mini both connect to the network at "N" speeds while the new MacBook Pro only connects at "G". I have tried everything but it will not connect at "N". It will connect at "N" at the Apple store, so it seems strange that one out of three computers will not connect. I also have an MSI Netbook with OSX 10.6.3 and it also connects at "N" speed. Does anyone have any ideas? It seems like I am not the only one having this problem as it is mentioned on the Apple forums. Tech support was unable to help, so they escalated my case, what ever that means.

Discussion is locked

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Interesting problem,
May 8, 2010 3:16AM PDT

Leave the MSI Netbook out of the equation though, as it is not exactly kosher!

OS X EULA and all stuff.


P

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Sounds like
May 8, 2010 6:36AM PDT

Sounds like you probably need to update the firmware for your router. Sometimes Apple Airport cards are picky, and the same for routers.

Another question, is how far away from the access point (your router) are you using the problem laptop? You don't want to be too close or too far away. There's a sort of dead zone at point blank range with radio transmissions. Think of it like a donut, with the router antenna at the center of the hole. You'll get service in there, but it's a reflected signal off a wall or something else.

Try and get about 10-15ft away, with a clear line of sight, and see if that has any effect. It may well be that you're trying to use the thing too far away. It can't get a stable 11n connection, so it drops down to 11g.

Also "escalate" is generally Apple speak for "we're sending it to someone else to look at". Sometimes it's more of a lateral escalation than upward. Sometimes escalating a case just means you need to add some details to it. It has multiple meanings, and none of them really mean what you think. It's just supposed to give you a warm fuzzy feeling and make you think that your issue is really serious but they're putting their best people on it. For now though, you can at least assume that they haven't written off your problem. If you haven't already, I'd expect in a day or two you'll get a call requesting you bring your laptop in for repairs, where they'll swap out the airport card with another one.

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Latest Info
May 8, 2010 7:48AM PDT

I have tried many different distances and locations same result. As of now I can't find any new firmware for my router so as far as that goes I am out of luck. Apple support called me today and we ran a special program on my MacBook which gets certain info and that was sent to them for review. The supervisor is handling the case himself so I should get a call back tomorrow to continue our session. Then we should here from the Apple engineers in four to five days. But what I gathered from our conservations I will need to get an Apple router as Apple has switched from "N Draft" to "N Platform".

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That's always a possibility
May 8, 2010 8:50AM PDT

That's always a possibility, and was kind of why I was prompting to look for a new firmware update.

I assume they had you run the system profiler, which has an option to email a bunch of logs and what not to Apple support. At least they're not being lazy, and are making sure there's no other issue with your system.

But, if you were an early adopter to the whole 11n thing when a bunch of draft spec routers were coming out, this could very well be the time it comes back to bite you. There's never a guarantee that a draft spec will even resemble the final spec, and it sounds like Apple removed all support for talking to Draft 11n routers with the newest batch of airport cards.

You shouldn't need an Apple branded one, but of course they're naturally going to try and sell you that over something else. Any 11n router you buy today should support the final spec of the protocol and should thus work. As things go, you're probably looking at a $50-$100 fix for your issue. It could have been a whole lot worse.

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Not to good since I just bought the Router
May 8, 2010 1:05PM PDT

According to my router instructions it is supposed to handle both specs. I also understand that the card in my MacBook Pro is the same as the Mini, so it should work either way. The program I ran is not the one in System preferences About this Mac. I had to get it from the tech in an attachment. The tech is calling me tomorrow at 10:00AM with more info.

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i got similar issue on my mb pro 2010
Mar 10, 2011 1:12AM PST

I just bought my laptop, the first two days were good to connect to my 5.0ghz Wireless N router, but after i copy my ducument from my old mac using time machine... it never connect to the N wireless...so can you let me know if the issue are solved?