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#1 2008-04-19 3:15 am
- cheeryble
- Member
- Registered: 2006-01-22
- Posts: 24
2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
Hi there
Was sitting in a cafe in Chiangmai where i live. They have no internet but I get a signal from a nearby payable hotspot. Trouble is it's 1 or 2 so i never bothered subscribibg. My friend turned up yesterday and got strength 4. He had a blackbook same as me but much newer. Mine is from when they came out. His is new.
We looked at "about your mac" > airport card and found I had (0x168C, 0x86) whereas his was slightly different.....may have been 0x87 sorry can't quite remember.
My Wireless Card Firmware Version: 1.3.5.........his 1.3.4
Any explanations please it would be really useful to get the same signal he is??
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#2 2008-04-19 3:59 am
Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
i have one theory, it could be when they first started to ship their version of N standard.
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#3 2008-04-19 5:49 am
- iMan
- New from Apple, the iMan!
- From: Maine, USA
- Registered: 2007-07-22
- Posts: 582
Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
They have different wifi cards. His being newer is most likely a better N then yours.( or is the old mb's G?)
iMac G5 iSight 1.9GHz 17" main widescreen + 17" regular 2.5 GB of RAM
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#4 2008-04-19 8:50 am
- mrreet2001
- Member
- From: NW Ohio
- Registered: 2005-05-25
- Posts: 2749
Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
cheeryble wrote:
Hi there
Was sitting in a cafe in Chiangmai where i live. They have no internet but I get a signal from a nearby payable hotspot. Trouble is it's 1 or 2 so i never bothered subscribibg. My friend turned up yesterday and got strength 4. He had a blackbook same as me but much newer. Mine is from when they came out. His is new.
We looked at "about your mac" > airport card and found I had (0x168C, 0x86) whereas his was slightly different.....may have been 0x87 sorry can't quite remember.
My Wireless Card Firmware Version: 1.3.5.........his 1.3.4
Any explanations please it would be really useful to get the same signal he is??
Do you have an intel core duo processor or an intel core 2 duo processor?
2.2Ghz BlackMB---15" 2.4Ghz MBP(work)---Dual 2.3Ghz G5 (4G Ram, 2x 250G HD)---1.5GHz Powerbook---1.6Ghz G5 iMac ---500Mhz iMac DV
2.4GHz PC --- 1.2Ghz PC laptop
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#5 2008-04-19 5:08 pm
- D'Eyncourt
- OMGDICTATOR
- Registered: 2001-12-27
- Posts: 8265
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Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
NSX wrote:
i have one theory, it could be when they first started to ship their version of N standard.
Only the first version of the MacBook (with the Core Duo CPU) had 11b/g AirPort, while all subsequent MacBooks with Core 2 Duo CPUs had 11a/b/g/n AirPort.
cheeryble: are you having with WiFi connections everywhere or only at this particular cafe? If your problem happens everywhere, then having an AirPort Extreme card with a bad antenna connection(s) isn't an unknown problem. Unfortunately opening a MacBook for such repairs isn't recommended (take a look at the appropriate iFixIt guide to see for yourself), so if you aren't comfortable with doing this yourself then take it to your local dealer for repairs.
If your problem is confined to the WiFi you get from near this particular cafe, then there might be some limitation at that particular spot.
BOYCOTT SONY
"I think the question now is not whether you went to Vietnam or whether you didn't, whether you fought in the war or fought against the war. I think the only question is whether we can find a president smart enough never to make a mistake like that again"--Molly Ivins, way back in 1992
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#6 2008-04-20 1:53 am
- cheeryble
- Member
- Registered: 2006-01-22
- Posts: 24
Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
Thankyou all
I've got the regular non 2 Duo
I'm suspecting the diff in our signals given we were sitting next to each other and both on battery is to do with the "N" card. I normally connect quite well elsewhere so card probably fine.
I guess replacing the card is damned expensive?
Thank you all.
John
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#7 2008-04-20 5:41 am
- dv
- Negusa Negest
- Moderator
- From: Minneapolis, MN
- Registered: 1999-08-30
- Posts: 16976
Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
$60, iirc. Is that damned expensive?
"Now commences the process of cutting off the head, which generally takes from an hour to an hour and a half by an expert workman with a sharp blade." -Reuben Delano, Wanderings and Adventures
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#8 2008-04-20 4:20 pm
- D'Eyncourt
- OMGDICTATOR
- Registered: 2001-12-27
- Posts: 8265
- Website
Re: 2 BLACKBOOKS-why different signal strength????
Could it be that your friend's MacBook was connecting to a different open WiFi that is limited to 11n devices? If that particular WiFi router limits access only to 11n machines, then your older MacBook simply won't connect to that one (I'm not sure if your MacBook would even see it).
The reason for making such limitations is that some (most? all?) 11a/b/g/n routers which are set to accept any of the slower standards will communicate with ALL WiFi devices at that slower rate.
BTW: in another thread someone asked about replacing his older 11b/g AirPort Extreme card with a current 11a/b/g/n card, but apparently they have different connections (two for the older; three, the newer). Your MacBook may not be compatible with the new card (check the iFixIt link in my previous post and compare pictures for the AirPort card for the different MacBooks). You may have to get a USB WiFi adapter to get 11n WiFi.
BOYCOTT SONY
"I think the question now is not whether you went to Vietnam or whether you didn't, whether you fought in the war or fought against the war. I think the only question is whether we can find a president smart enough never to make a mistake like that again"--Molly Ivins, way back in 1992
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