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General discussion

AirPort Card + Keychain fail to work together

Jan 11, 2008 6:39AM PST

Alright, after I had my MBP's cosmetic problems fixed, I also had the AirPort Card replaced since it dropped my network connection every now and then. Well it's doing it again, but there are more issues now than before. For instance, under System Preferences, the AirPort pane saves my network as a WPA network when it is WPA2. Also, the password saved in it is shorter than my current password. When I attempt to change these and delete the saved items in Keychain, it just reverts back. I can't connect to the internet now it seems. WPA2 use to work much better, but now it just hates it. Regular WPA network are continuously dropped even when AirPort registers a strong signal. Note that the AirPort was working very, very well after it was replaced but it is doing what it used to do at a much more extreme rate. If it is not the card, then it is the logic board like one Genius suggested to me.

What should I do? I have switched my network to WEP for now in attempt to try to use the internet. When my connection does go through, the speed is very nice and files can be downloaded very quickly like they should, but this is just not right. Even my friend's MacBook is starting to be unable to connect, but it works right anyway. I know it's not my router since all of my other devices can connect correctly, so it must be the MBP. This is really hurting me since I am currently doing a lot of editing and video recording at the moment, though I could use my iMac or my friend's MacBook for awhile. Assistance and suggestions would really be helpful. I may have to take it in again...

Thanks in advance,
-BMF

Discussion is locked

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Well WEP seems to work for now
Jan 11, 2008 11:17AM PST

but this is absolutely frustrating. I've always used WPA2 and now I can't because the laptop refuses to use it. I did find this <a href="http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=359918">thread</a> about another MBP owner who has had some hardware issues as well. This is very recent as well, but my model's older and I've been a customer for awhile now, so Apple should do the same service they did this guy. I asked about swapping it but "That would never happen". I mean, this is the second time my AirPort card has started acting up, only this it is much worse than before. Sometimes, it would just quit loading pages and nothing would connect. IM apps would time out, iTunes would not access anything, and yet AirPort still registered the signal. The Genius I originally talked to said that either the board or the card was defective, so it is likely that the board is bad... And the cosmetic conditions are not as great either.
They replaced the outside shells, but now it is ripping apart on the sides more, its still ripping a little in the front, and the keyboard keys are in worse shape than before. The keyboard had always been fine, but not now. Some of my keys are sunken a bit and are odd to press when typing, which is new. Also, the aluminum panel that goes around the screen, where the iSight camera is, is popping out a bit where it hasn't been. What else?!
It seems that the only thing that they fixed for me was the power button, which is vastly improved. I am a loyal Apple customer but this is really some poor customer service that I have been given. Two years ago, they were nice about everything and would swap stuff like this out anytime there was a problem. Now, they're making more money than ever before and are not as friendly it seems. Come on Apple, your service used to be so much better. I guess if that guy in the link above was right, then the guys at the top of the food chain are much nicer than the store employees. I'll try a different store if I take it in, since they may have some better service. Plus, I have to buy some more software...

I personally think that this is worth pursuing here, but opinions are appreciated. Does anyone else think it is worth complaining about? These hardware problems, and now software, are disrupting my time for working on projects, time that I really use. I'm starting to think that I could have used a MacBook instead, which doesn't have these problems... I need a working a laptop Apple, so help me out.
-BMF

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I found this...
Jan 12, 2008 12:22AM PST
This is interesting. While the page I found it on was for the MacBook and not the Pro, it mentions it in that small part about the AirPort card. This seems to be very similar to what I am experiencing. Reinstalling the OS did not work, just like it said, and it is having a lot of problems with encrypted networks. I have found the Network Preferences list in the Library, and I'm wondering if I should delete it and retry everything...
Also, I'm going to enable Guest Accounts and I will attempt to configure the settings under the guest account and see if it still acts this way. I may have to create a new admin if the guest account doesn't have enough access...

Should I delete the AirPort Settings list and see what happens? Assistance much appreciated.

-BMF
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Fixed for now!
Jan 12, 2008 1:46AM PST

Well everything worked perfectly under the guest account: no security, WEP, WPA, and WPA2. Odd thing was that when I used WPA and WPA2, Speedtest reported that the download speeds had increased by 20kb. When I signed back on to my main account, I found and deleted the AirPort plist, and after I checked that everything had been reset and verified, I hopped onto my home network, which had still been set to WPA2, and it works. I went to Speedtest again and this time it said that it had gained another 20kb for downloads. Wow. I don't think that the download and upload speeds are too impressive, but it is quite fast enough for me Wink. It's good to know that the hardware seems to be working fine and that it was just a software issue. Now that I've settled that, I better hurry up and get some work done before I go and get me a new hard drive and some more RAM! I've been putting those upgrades off for way too long.

Just out of curiosity, if I get a larger HD installed, will it not be covered by Apple's warranty even if it was installed by an authorized technician? I don't think it will be... It's a tad unfair that the MacBook's hard drive is user serviceable and the Pro's is not. No matter, I think I'll be quite comfortable with a new hard drive, 3GB of RAM, a new keyboard, and brand new casing. Might as well get the keyboard since some of the keys are not aligned correctly and type funny, and the casing is coming apart in other places now... This machine is a very nice machine and it ought to be as perfect as it can be.

-BMF

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Spoke too soon
Jan 12, 2008 1:22PM PST

It's at it again, though this time it is not set to remember networks or passwords. This is frustrating, since it has been working for most of the day up until this point. One thing I notice is that it often mistakes WPA2 security for regular WPA, and then gives me an incompatible security message when it tries to join. Manually entering the network name and password would get it to join sometimes, but so did clicking on join again. I'm wondering if those SUID files have anything to do with it or if my hardware really is messed up. I'm tired of changing my opinion on it!

Thing is, it worked earlier today, so I have to figure out how to get it to stay that way. Download speeds and stuff have decreased again too, so I'm going to have to mess with my good old router to fix it up...

-BMF

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Hmm...
Jan 13, 2008 4:42AM PST

So last night the MBP just quit working with me and I was really mad about it. Since I couldn't do much else to the laptop, I turned to the router. I opened up the router's page and started tinkering with the settings and preferences in attempt to make it work better. Then, when I was browsing the support pages stored on the router, I found instructions for updating firmware. So I checked out the firmware and I was actually a bit surprised. I've had this router for about two or three years I suppose, and when I checked the firmware, it was at 1.01 and hadn't been updated since 2005. Wow. So I went to the manufacturer's site and found the latest firmware... Apparently it has only been updated to 1.04, which is what I found, and that was created only a few months ago. I read the instructions and installed the firmware onto it. Next thing I know, the router basically deleted all previous settings and preferences and acted like it was brand new and out of the box. I could no longer access the modem I had it connected to and thus, I was stuck without an internet connection.

After looking around on the router, I noticed that Windows thought it was connected, the router thought it was connected, and the only thing that wasn't working was the browser. I unhooked the router thinking that it was the problem, and was then able to mess with the modem. I went to the modem settings and found that it was set to some setting for PPPoE or whatever it's called. I believe that my network uses DHCP settings, so I found a setting that should work and reset the modem. Not only did the modem start working better, but the router began to work when I reattached it. So it was the modem's fault in the end...

As of now, my wireless connection seems to be working okay. Quick connection and Speedtest says my speeds are okay, so I think if it stays this way, I'll be set for awhile. Grin

You know, I really wish that I had had some help since it would have made this problem go by quicker. At least I figured out a few things about my internet connection.
-BMF

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wirelessness BMF
Jan 21, 2008 2:00PM PST

Dear BeatleMegaFan....I have an iMac 2.16 GHz only one year old.....I have exactly the same problems....and I used to come to this forum a lot. I'm very very surprised no one answered you and I am curious as to why? I am also new to PC's and Mac's. What do you mean when you say that you "opened the router page"???Where is that??
My 1st imac came DOA for Xmas last year...I have had a lot of trouble....with a lot of help from here.....!!! with this one. HOWEVER, I did not buy the package for help....all maccie advised against it(the ones I knew)....hope things are going better for you.....masp

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An iMac you say?
Jan 22, 2008 6:11AM PST

At least I'm not the only one Wink, and no, I don't know why no one has answered. I had suspected that it was just my Mac. At least I proved that it was a hardware issue, not a software issue, so my MacBook Pro is currently in for repairs. Apple may give me a new one if it continues to give me trouble.

The router page that you refer to may be the router's home page, which by default, should be (without quotations) "192.168.0.1". I discourage you from modifying any settings like I did, save wireless encryption and security settings (WPA and WEP, etc.). I basically killed my router and had to buy a new one. I'm not sure what you mean by "package for help". Are you talking about AppleCare? If so, you're out of luck if it's over a year old. Apple will not perform repairs for free if the machine is out of warranty. Mine is not a year old yet, but it does have AppleCare...
Point is, you can't buy AppleCare once the first year of warranty is up.

Besides that, I recommend taking your iMac to your local Apple Store. They may have to check out some parts. I don't think that your Mac could have the same exact issues as mine did, as it is an iMac and not a MacBook Pro, but you never know. It could be that you just have a faulty AirPort Card. I honestly do not know what was causing my machine's problems, but I'm sure Apple will take care of it.

Do you use a wireless network for your iMac's connection or do you use an Ethernet cable? You may want to check out both before you assume that it is a similar issue to mine. Also, check it out on a friend's internet connection and see if whatever issues you may have still occur.

Hope this helped some,
-BMF

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Replies
Jan 22, 2008 8:12AM PST

Maybe it is because he seems to write posts to himself.

There really aren't any questions.

He also seems to have far more problems with his Mac(s) than anyone else on these forums.
JMO

Router home pages are NOT always at the address give by BMF. Mine is at 192.168.1.1
Check your manual for your page.

It is really, really, difficult to trash a router from the routers Home page. The manufacturer has a button for when things go completely wrong. The Factory Default Reset Switch.

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I do not write to myself
Jan 23, 2008 6:19AM PST

and I did ask some questions. I posted more information as I went along in troubleshooting and hoped someone would try to give advice. Apparently I was mistaken. Perhaps you should try reading my posts before questioning them.

My MacBook Pro has faulty hardware it is true, but it really is only a minor problem. I asked questions here because I wanted to make sure that it was the hardware and not the software, which I proved. There are others here who have had more problems than I have had and more experience dealing with the Mac OS.

192.168.0.1 is what is what I have usually seen, but yes, not all routers are like that. Of course it is possible to change it as well. My old router quit working on me when I upgraded the firmware on it. Perhaps some settings on it were incorrect, but I can not tell. I've been locked out of it. I'd tried resetting it and it does nothing. It is of no consequence. My replacement router is much better.

Another point to this thread was to alert others to this issue should it be a recurring one. Apparently I'm not the only one.

-BMF

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Well, the moment of truth approaches
Jan 22, 2008 11:45AM PST

Apparently, as of right now, my MBP's repairs have been completed and it ought to ship back to the store tomorrow. I'm quite curious to see what happens to it.

Odd thing is, it says the product repair was completed on the 23rd... that's tomorrow. It was received on Monday the 21st as expected, but the repair and return dates are wrong. That's happened to me before though. Still, the Apple Repair Status pages tell me that the repairs have been completed and it is going to ship out shortly. I wonder if they meant that they'll finish it tomorrow and then send it out... Who knows? Last time they said they got the Mac on a Monday and finished the repairs later that afternoon. I checked back the next day and it said they had finished repairs on that Tuesday instead of the day before. It didn't get back until the day after, on a Wednesday. They love changing it around...

-BMF