American Macs and Euro WiFi

[hotspur]

I have a MacBook I bought in the USA, but I live/work in the WiFi paradise of Tallinn, Estonia. Literally, there are a half-dozen WiFi signals available on every street corner, and every public building has an available signal. The problem: My Mac doesn't pick them all up.

I can be sitting next to another Mac user in the public library, and he'll find a connection. But mine may not. I may get a connection one day and the next not.

More odd still: In general, the system connects, and I can use Skype, but I can't use the internet either through Firefox or Safari.

Has anyone come across this irregularity and inconsistency? Ideas? Do I need to re-set something in advanced settings?

Grateful for any advice.

 

[Daiya Mitchell]

Hi hotspur,

You are in a forum run by Microsoft, that only handles Office for
Mac--Word, Excel, Entourage, PowerPoint, etc. You should try posting in
Apple's discussion forums. Maybe the hardware forum for your laptop?
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa

Alternatively, sounds like it might be a problem with Safari or Firefox?

 

[CyberTaz]

Sorry, but you're asking in the wrong place - this has nothing to do with
anything from Microsoft & this newsgroup is Word for Mac Where you need
to go - at least for a more likely & timely reply is:

http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa

--
HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
Office:Mac MVP

I have a MacBook I bought in the USA, but I live/work in the WiFi paradise
of Tallinn, Estonia. Literally, there are a half-dozen WiFi signals
available on every street corner, and every public building has an available
signal. The problem: My Mac doesn't pick them all up.

I can be sitting next to another Mac user in the public library, and he'll
find a connection. But mine may not. I may get a connection one day and the
next not.

More odd still: In general, the system connects, and I can use Skype, but I
can't use the internet either through Firefox or Safari.

Has anyone come across this irregularity and inconsistency? Ideas? Do I need
to re-set something in advanced settings?

Grateful for any advice.

 

[hotspur]

Ah, sorry about that. I will post where you recommend. Thank you.

 

[CyberTaz]

No problem - if you ever have any Mac Office or MS for Mac related issues
don't hesitate to come see us... or if you have answers to any of the
queries posted here!

--
Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
Office:Mac MVP

Ah, sorry about that. I will post where you recommend. Thank you.

 

[John McGhie]

Yours is generally the experience of WiFi

You need to recall that the wavelength of the WiFi system is either 12 cm or
6 cm. In any radio transmission, a movement of half a wavelength in the
position of either the sending or receiving Antenna can make all the
difference between reception and none.

The more the signal bounces around (inside offices, in a built-up area) the
more effect this has.

Moving the computer a few centimetres (particularly, "away" from metal or
stone) can magically bring things right.

You don't even say which "Mac" you have, so we don't have enough information
to go on. Some Mac portables have a bad habit of working the internal
antenna connection loose, through vibration. When they do, extremely poor
WiFi performance is the result.

Your local Mac shop or hardware technician can pop the keyboard out and
re-connect things in perhaps three minutes, if you can find someone who
knows how.

As the others have suggested, you will get more and better advice in a group
dedicated to WiFi issues.

Cheers

I have a MacBook I bought in the USA, but I live/work in the WiFi paradise of
Tallinn, Estonia. Literally, there are a half-dozen WiFi signals available on
every street corner, and every public building has an available signal. The
problem: My Mac doesn't pick them all up.

I can be sitting next to another Mac user in the public library, and he'll
find a connection. But mine may not. I may get a connection one day and the
next not.

More odd still: In general, the system connects, and I can use Skype, but I
can't use the internet either through Firefox or Safari.

Has anyone come across this irregularity and inconsistency? Ideas? Do I need
to re-set something in advanced settings?

Grateful for any advice.

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50