Catalina update 10.15.7: problems with Internet connection but router with 5GHz band seems to help

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Catalina update 10.15.7: problems with Internet connection but router with 5GHz band seems to help

Hi,

I thought I would revive the discussion about the 10.15.7 macos Catalina update making the wifi connexion unstable or unusable. Here is the former discussion.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251854730?answerId=254975004022

As I mentioned in that previous discussion, I resorted to buy a USB wireless adapter to compensate for Apple's broken wifi driver. None of the subsequent Apple updates released for macos Catalina fixed this problem.

My previous router only had 2.4GHz capability and my Macbook Pro's wifi used to work fine throughout the house and in the garden with only 2.4GHz. Until Apple released Catalina's update 10.15.7

Interestingly, I recently changed my router for a new one which has both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands capability. If I activate the 5GHz capability on it, the wifi connexion using Apple's internal wifi chipset does not drop as much and starts to be more reliable. However, it only works on the same floor of the house, and for as long as I am still not too far away from the router (I haven't changed the position of the router in the house).

If I switch the router to 2.4 GHz only, then the problem of poor and unstable wifi signal resumes.

So basically, I think this reinforces the idea that Apple somehow changed their driver under Catalina 10.15.7, which makes their wireless chipsets not so efficient at catching the wifi signal with the standard 2.4GHz band. The 5GHz band of my new router seems to compensate this issue a bit.

I thought this new development would be of interest to other people who experienced the same issue.

Regards.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Dec 31, 2021 10:07 AM

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Answer 1

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Nikoolinux Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 5, 2022 10:44 AM in response to steve626

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

However, as many others before me have said in this former thread:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251854730?answerId=254975004022

this issue has nothing to do with a router problem or a laptop hardware problem.

All my laptops (several PCs on Windows 10, an old MBP Santa Rosa 2007, and my mid-2012 MBP) connected fine throughout the house. No changes done to the network or the router.

After the macOS Catalina update 10.15.7, only the mid-2012 MBP ended up with an unstable Wifi as soon as I am beyond an arm's length away from the router. Never experienced this with any updates on any of my Mac devices.

The driver is not more sensitive to other 2.4GHz signals in the vicinity, if anything it is actually weaker. There is only one wifi network from the neighbourhood that all the laptops in the house can usually detect, but that is about it. So the issue is clearly not caused by a crowded environment in terms of frequency.

The machine is multi-user, and the problem remains when logged with a different account.

Apple techs made me do a number of tests in Safe Mode back in the days, that didn't solve the issue either, and this ended up with them saying "well, we are not supporting your Mac anymore, so..."

And the reason they can't fix it, is because... it is certainly a change in the driver, which was maybe beneficial to some more-recent machines, but detrimental to older non-supported machines.

Anyway, don't worry, I mainly posted to help others since the former thread has been closed, to report on the improvement I witnessed since my new router has a 5GHz band along with a 2.4GHz, and turning it off/on makes the issue come/go.

So if anyone has this issue, just make sure your router has a 5Ghz band activated, and this should improve things a bit, since Apple won't repair their driver.

Cheers.

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Answer 2

PRP_53

Level 10

91,747 points

Jan 1, 2022 6:58 AM in response to Nikoolinux

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points

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Answer 3

steve626

Level 6

11,501 points

Dec 31, 2021 3:54 PM in response to Nikoolinux

There are several possibilities. It's easy to simply conclude that Apple's wifi driver is "broken" but note that millions of Catalina users are using wifi without issues. Back when Catalina was the latest MacOS, the Apple Stores were full of display Macs running wifi with Catalina with very fast speed. I had several Catalina Macs all on Wifi with no issues, most have been upgraded to Big Sur or Monterey but one remains on Catalina and gets the max speeds with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands working.

The new Catalina driver might be MORE sensitive and hence picking up other 2.4 GHz signals in the vicinity that your Mac could not see before. 2.4 GHz is typically very congested. Have you tried changing the 2.4 GHz channel? I suggest that you download an app called WiFi Explorer which will show you all the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals that your Mac can detect. It might help you change your router to utilize a channel that is not as impacted by other signals.

It is also possible of course that there is a hardware issue with your WiFi antenna or receiver in your Mac. This could be checked at an Apple Authorized service center.

Another thing to try is to boot into Safe Mode and see if the issue is still there. If it is gone, then something else that is installed is conflicting.

Another test: log in as a different user and check to see if it is resolved. That would be useful diagnostic info to have as well.

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Catalina update 10.15.7: problems with Internet connection but router with 5GHz band seems to help

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