You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Wifi Connections Borked on a Brand New Macbook Pro

Hello all,


Problem:

Wifi does not work reliably on my MacBook Pro 14" which was brand new in 2021. It is enrolled in AppleCare+. 


Current status:

At the moment wifi does not work at all on multiple wifi routers despite other devices (Macbook Pro 2012, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, iPad, Chromecasts, ThinkPads, iPhones, a gazillion IoT devices) having zero issues connecting and using wifi on these routers. Only the Macbook has exhibited the problems detailed below.


Description of problem as of today:

Wifi sometimes shows a connection to an SSID (full bars in the menu bar) but networking says my Macbook does not have a valid IP address. Other times the wifi will try to connect and fail (question mark icon in menu bar). Up to September, 2022 if I rebooted the Macbook the wifi would usually fix itself. As of today (11/10) it does not work at all. I purchased and have been using a USB-C dongle with ethernet and that connection always works. Ethernet networking through the dongle always works and is how I now use this machine exclusively.


History of issues and of my interactions with Apple support to date:


Month of September, 2022:


1st wifi router.


Wifi began dropping randomly throughout a workday. A full reboot typically set things right again. I began interacting with Apple support via chat and phone. They recommended I backup and format the device. I spent 2 days doing so and the wifi began working again after a fresh install of OS 12.6 for a few days but then started crapping out again multiple times a day as before. Usually a reboot would resolve the wifi issues but sometimes it took multiple reboots. I started using a USB-C dongle and an ethernet cable to reliably get on the internet at this time as the issue was greatly impacting my productivity and business. It was at this time that I made note of, tested and verified that no other devices on my home network exhibited any problems with wifi -- it was solely the Macbook that was randomly dropping its connection to the router.


10/1/22 - I took the Macbook into the Genuis Bar to have the problem diagnosed as I was going to be traveling and wanted to use wifi. I was informed that the wifi problems were related to me using an incorrect power brick -- this even though I was using the one that came with the device. The one Apple gave me. It was suggested I purchase the 140W long power adapter since the one I had "may not" provide enough power for wifi. Really considered but in the end I opted not to purchase. Instead we determined that USB-C power did work and I was told to use that instead of magsafe. Alright. During my time at the apple store the wifi issues did not show itself to the tech but I did explain how it was an intermittent issue. He told me to submit another case if they returned after using the machine on USB-C power only. Alright.


10/5/22


2nd wifi router.


Wifi issues continued even while on USB-C power only. I was curious. so I also tried magsafe and noticed it had stopped working altogether (orange light and the machine stoped charging through magsafe). I reformatted the device and installed a fresh copy of 12.6 for a second time. This time I installed no other software. Wifi issues persisted with this setup of ONLY Mac OS 12.6 and no other software beyond what Apple ships with the device. I contacted Apple and was instructed to bring the machine back into Genius Bar as it would need to be examined again by a specialized technician. Alright.


I brought it in and they ran the same hardware diagnosis as before and told me the machine was fine and there were no issues. They also determined the magsafe cable I had was damaged and issued me a new one. Magsafe charging was back but I still needed to reboot multiple times a day when my wifi went down after returning home with the device.


10/29/22


3rd wifi router.


Wifi stopped working entirely on the Macbook. No amount of rebooting seemed to resolve the intermittent issues anymore. I contacted Apple again and was told to run HW diagnosis, follow the steps on a knowledge-base article about network connectivity issues and to verify all my network settings. These are the same dances I was instructed to do on 10/1 and 10/5 but I went ahead and did what I was told to do. Nothing fixed it. After a few hours on chat the tech told me they would need to escalate it to have someone phone me and that I would get a call within 24hrs. No one ever called me so I shut down the machine and wondered if I was somehow stuck in a macabre dream at this point. Went to sleep thinking hey I may wake yup and all this will have been a frustrating nightmare!


<more below>

MacBook Pro 14″, 12.6

Posted on Nov 9, 2022 8:25 PM

Reply

Similar questions

14 replies

Nov 9, 2022 8:25 PM in response to sampofilms

Woke up, booted the mac up and wifi started working again. Albeit it still dropped out a few times causing me to reboot. I was able to get onto Apple's support site on one of the reboots and set up a 3rd Genius Bar appointment. I brought in the machine and the tech listened to my story up to this point. They said they were going to escalate the issue and have the mac sent in for repair ASAP. The wifi modem and power management hardware would be completely replaced and the macbook would be shipped back to me. Spent another 4-6 hours backing everything up and gave them the macbook.


11/1/22

Device was received by Apple repair. Device was sent back to me with a note stating that no problems could be identified and no repair work was needed. The wifi issues persisted during my work day. I went back to the usb-c dongle and was happy to just have the internet working that way and focused on my work for the week.


11/10/22


4th wifi router.


I am at a hotel without ethernet today. Wifi does not work at all. My cell (Samsung Galaxy s21 ultra) works fine on wifi as it always has so I have been conducting work on it today. I called Apple this morning and was told by the tech that I would need to follow the exact dance steps I had already quite mastered by this point to verify network settings. I did. He seemed stumped and told me the problem was with my software. I explained how I was able to replicate the problem with a fresh install of OS 12.6. He asked me to download and run a utility on my mac so that the engineers could better understand what software was causing my wifi issues. I explained I cannot download anything on the Macbook since it doesn't have internet. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

He advised me to return to a space with ethernet to do all the same dances I have done many many times before. He also asked if I was running Ventura?


Questions for the community at large here:


1) Is wifi completely broken in OS 12.6? Not sure if it is related but I have noticed a tendency from every Apple tech I have spoken to on the phone that I really should be on Ventura. Thing is I cannot since all the software I use on my machine to make a living requires 12.6. Every tech has assured me 12.6 is stable though but I guess I am starting to have my doubts. I am curious if there is a known issue with wifi and 12.6 and if anyone out there knows more about it?


2) What more can I do at this point? The machine is not even a year old and is covered under something called AppleCare+ which I am quickly learning is a somewhat meaningless service. Do I just keep using the machine as ethernet only? Turn it into a non-internet connected electronic typewriter? Open to creative suggestions from y’all since Apple Support appears to have exhausted all of theirs.


Thanks all,


Nick

Nov 10, 2022 7:03 AM in response to sampofilms

That YouTube guy has status connected, but no web pages can be loaded. That is NOT the same symptom you seem to be reporting, which by my reading is connects for a while, then drops. VERY different.


His next test should be to launch a browser and enter :

1.1.1.1

and press return.


If you get the CloudFlare** splash page, you have a Domain Name Server (DNS) issue.


**CloudFlare is not part of the solution, they just own THE easiest to remember numeric IP address.

Nov 10, 2022 5:05 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

If that is your Network setup, you are close enough to your Router and you have good strong raw signal (RSSI) at -58 dB.


Right next to the Router should produce between -45 and -50, closer to zero is better. At -65, the signal is not strong enough, and your Mac will try to connect to another source.


You are using the very crowded and interference prone 2.4GHz band. Better connections are usually available in the 5GHz band, but some routers do not include that band.


Your router is using the old Wi-Fi 4 modulation technique, 802.11n. A more modern Router has the potential to produce better results using 802.11ac or 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 6, respectively).


If you are in apartment building with many other Routers all around you (many other networks seen from your location) your transmit rate of 144 may start to deteriorate as your signals collide with other networks and the Router backs off from that fastest 64-pattern speed to slower speeds to avoid collisions.



Nov 11, 2022 1:12 AM in response to sampofilms

Thanks for your assistance Grant. I am actually on a shinkanzen right now and cannot get the MacBook to connect to the free wifi here. The same SSID works without issue on my Samsung phone so idk. I did see some random IPs in the DNS tab under my networking tab for the wireless device on the MacBook. Cleared them all out so the dns list was empty, rebooted the Mac and tried to connect to wifi. The wifi icon in the title bar animated for about 30 secs and I was prompted to login with me email. Clocked the link and the wifi connection dropped. Then I was prompted to run wireless diagnostics. I did that and waited about 5 minutes but it never finished so I force quit it and rebooted the Mac again and tried to reconnect. Same problem. It tries to connect but never finishes or establishes an internet connection. Meanwhile I my phone just works 🤷🏻‍♂️

Nov 11, 2022 6:37 AM in response to sampofilms

<< Question:

do you work for Apple? OR


are you just a network engineer who is being super helpful to a random internet stranger ? >>


The latter.


Readers here are all volunteers, unless their post is tagged with an Apple symbol and "Community Specialist" or similar.


Apple employees EXCEPT community specialists are prohibited from posting here.

Nov 12, 2022 2:01 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Yes I tried thay while on the train but the issue I had was different than the hotel this time. The wifi connection kept dropping and it told me to run wifi diagnostics. When I did that the wifi diagnostics program would freeze and I had to force quit and reboot the machine. I tried this 3 times and after about 15 minutes I just shut down the Mac and used the wifi on my phone which worked perfecrly and I was able to backup all my photos and videos of the day on the phone's wifi.

Wifi Connections Borked on a Brand New Macbook Pro

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.