MacBook Pro naturally have bad wireless?

[Mark2000]

I have the above in Core 2 Duo. Both before and after using the draft N enabler my wireless range has been terrible. I can only pick up 1/5 of the networks my wife's MacBook and Thinkpad pick up. I also have troubles staying connected to networks she uses just fine with two bars.

Apple has replaced bot the antenna and airport card. Fine the a genius told me that all of apple's metal (tibook, alu powerbook) notebooks have inferior wireless receptio because of the case. Anyone find this to be true? Anyone know a fix? Thanks!

[styrafome]

Yes, true. My metal PowerBook gets far worse reception than my older plastic PowerBook, my ThinkPad, or my friend's MacBook.

Antennas are available at Quickertek.com (http://www.quickertek.com/). I don't use them because they're pricey. I just suffer.

[DaveRR]

I have the latest 15.4" MBP. I always use the wireless around the home and have not experienced any dropped connections. Even when taking my laptop to the end of my garden (about 40 metres from AP).

[edjonesy]

sorry to dissapoint, but my experiences have been the complete opposite, I have a rev1 macbook pro and in my house and garden I can pick up my own wireless from a netgear DG834Gv3 no problem whatsoever. I can also pick up my next door neighbours, about 10m away and going through two external walls, and another neighbours, over the road, 2 external walls and at least 40m, I don't have any problems at all. Maybe i am just lucky

[Mark2000]

To those with good reception, barring any hardware problems, what could cause this kind of interference? Is there anything I can tweak in the OS?

[edjonesy]

maybe near to your wireless router you have a form of interference, cordless phone base station/microwave something like that!

[DaveRR]

keep away from netgear, go for linksys or have a look on ebay for cheap dual arieal intel one, they are the best AP's i've come across.

[styrafome]

I'd like to know if those with good reception have checked it side-by-side with the plastic cases like we're talking about. Because a Pro case can get a good, steady signal, but you might not know what you're missing. You may be able to see your base station across your garden, but if someone came over with their MacBook, they might also see 5 other base stations further away that you never knew about because you've never picked them up.

I'm wireless right now on the PowerBook, but if you put any of the plastic cases I mentioned next to it, they all see more base stations in the neighborhood, and there have been threads on the Apple discussion forums about other disappointed metal case owners asking the same question, like the student who wondered why all the other students in class get better reception. The student was the only one with a metal laptop...

[Mark2000]

styrafome, you're spot on. This is not a home network problem. This is an everywhere problem where a white Macbook is outclassing me at every turn. I can pick up networks across the street, yes. But she can pick them up 3-4 blocks away (there's a holiday inn that far with networks named after themselves).

[styrafome]

Exactly. The way I found out is I used to have a plastic PowerBook and take it out to cafes. Then I got an Aluminum, and suddenly, the same cafe tables got spotty reception, while PC laptops around me were still doing just great. Then my friend came over with a MacBook and I'm like "Look how much longer your AirPort menu is!" (the list of detected base stations)

P.S. Apple tells me there is nothing wrong with my AirPort. No loose antenna or anything. I've checked it myself, too. The Titaniums also had a bad reputation for reception...another metal case.

[chicorasia]

Anyone remembers the Faraday cage from high school Physics? :D

[edjonesy]

I can't disagree that plastic cases might provide better wireless reception, I can't compare, common sense agrees that is should provide less interference.

But I have got to say my netgear router has been faultless, no dropped signals, about 15 mins to setup and encrypt, not rebooted it since, I guess every manufacturer can ship a box which is flaky, but I have had no probs, only gripe was I got a free USB wi fi dongle with my router, netgear 111, and it has no mac drivers, I was going to wireless enable my cube and stick it on a shelf serving files, :( have to look for a slower airport compatible card!

[Mark2000]

I personally would think a metal case could act as an antenna in itself. Anyway to mod things so that becomes the case?

[Anti]

My AirLink and Linksys routers have both given me good performance, no drops, or anything.

[theladyboo]

the airport on my macbook pro is terrible. there are two linksys routers here on two different networks but both use the same ssid and i lose the signal all the time and it is so very annoying.

the other machines can see the networks okay.