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AirPort Extreme Driver 3.4.2 (#2): Improved signal strength; Connection drops

AirPort Extreme Driver 3.4.2 (#2): Improved signal strength; Connection drops

CNET staff
2 min read

Improved signal strength We continue to receive reports of overall better wireless signal strength after the AirPort 3.4.2 update, even with third party wireless routers.

George Brownstone writes "AP performance (max usable distance between PB and APBS) had degraded sharply upon installation of AP update 3.4.1, even with the use of a Dr. Bott's unidirectional base station antenna. Now, with 3.4.2, there may be a very marginal improvement: the signal-strength indicator in the menu bar still indicates only 1-2 arcs in the usual place I use the PB, but my impression is that "inability to connect" is perhaps less frequent, at least this past hour. For sure, though, there's no great improvement, and certainly it's not back to what it used to be (used to be no problem at all where I usually sit)."

Another reader adds "This update has definitely increased my signal strength, it has risen from 73% to 80% in my local extreme network, and also improved at work with my cisco airnet."

Connection drops Although the AirPort Extreme 3.4.2 driver fixes the problem where systems with more than 1 GB of RAM would repeatedly drop connections, some users are reporting increased frequency of random drops, or at least persistence of previous connection drop occurrences:

Krish writes "The problem I had in 10.3.3 was that while the airport signal would show full or connected, I would lose my airport connection to the base station and the only way I could get it back was by switching airport off and on again. Luckily I did not have to reboot. " The airport update from apple still does not solve my issue. I still continue to lose the network -- even though the airport fan on the menu bar says full signal when my connection is inactive for 5 minutes or more. When I try to ping the base station, the response is 'no route to host'."

Another reader adds "I have my new aluminium powerbook and after installing the last airport update I am still having connection drops on my airport signal. I have the apple airport extreme base station but I am not satisfied with my signal strength. I am not having full signal when I put the computer near the base station.

"I don't know if anyone else is having this issue. My machine has 512Mb, less than 1GB."

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