I went down to the Apple Store on the Country Club Plaza, in Kansas City, MO to find out more about my Internet problem. I wanted to see if the problem was the airport or AT&T (they said previously the problem was airport). I had read some Airport books and fiddled more with the diagnostics on the system preferences It's not. Sometimes it worked sometimes not. Weak signal, no signal, strong sometimes, I could not figure out and rhyme or reason what was wrong. Yeah I could try to call someone but I decided to see if I can find out more at the local Apple Store.
I had made an appointment at the Genius Bar at 3:15 the night before over the Internet. I got there an hour early as I did not know how the roads would be after the snowfall. The roads were fine. I knew I was in luck when a parking space opening up across the street from the Apple Store.
I strolled in an hour earlier put my Imac on the bar and then I wandered around and waited while checking out the laptops but mostly the iPhone which I have not seen close up. I had some questions to answer if I might buy one in the future.
I was able to try out the iPhone and try to get into one of the weather websites that I use for my stormchasing. I flipped over the iPhone and the screen went sideways-cool. But the font was small. I was told by another Mac Genus and he demonstrated visually, that to enlarge the font and screen content you place two fingers together on a point on the screen and then widen your two fingers. The screen then enlarged-very cool. I fiddled with it for a while.
I asked about the price for online plans. Still pricey. I asked if you can have several people on the same plan (my wife and I currently share a plan with Sprint for our phones). He said yes. I would have to inquire with AT&T whether there are less costly plans and I might do that.
I looked at the macpros, ipods and other equipment. The place was absolutely mobbed. One guy was getting help at the Studio bar (used to be the Genius bar) for projects and work (could not figure out what he was working on with his pad). A young women was demonstrating the iPhone to someone else. Kids and adults were playing with the iPhones and iPods and desktop and laptops.
At 3:15 I was called and wondered over to the Genius Bar (now at the head of the room and not at the side) and I met Jared Cash, one of the genius guys. He was very personable and helpful indeed.
And he new his stuff.
He plugged in my Imac and had it running off my airport so the airport was not the problem.
Wewww!! So far so good.
He said it was probably the cable modem of AT&T and the 2WIRE system that the guy put in when he came when things did not work right a few weeks ago.
Jared said it was most likely that the 2Wire AT&T modem was either interfering with the base station next to my wife's Macpro laptop and her airport. My Imac is some 20 feet away up some short stairs so it was not clear why all of a sudden the signal was cutting out or non existent sometimes.
Jared graciously drew me a drawing of the system. Most likely I would have to call AT&T and tell them what's up (it is not the airport and too old like they said as the airport still has some life in it). But it seems that the best way to fiddle with the system is to click on my wife's current airport preferred network and not the 2WIRE network in my preferred network listing. Originally set up with her computer and Comcast when we first got high speed and my Mac troubleshooter Tom had installed for me from my wife's defunct mac laptop.
Jared also said that even a telephone line would mess things up. So I moved the phone further away instead of next to the computer.
So right now the high speed and airport are working synched to the local network name I configured.
I will cross my fingers and see what happens.
If things get wishy washy again I will try fiddling with the 2wire or shutting it off. But so far so good.
Thanks Jared. Appreciate your time and patience!! Happy holidays.
PS It seem to me that the best thing Apple ever did was create iTunes/ Ipod. I think that has fueled things around working the Apple computer and OSX. But the Genius bar idea is a stroke of GENIUS!!!
Happy holidays!
Dr. Eric Flescher, Olathe, KS(dreric1kansas@aol.com): DrEric1MacNews/Macsightings Blog : http://dreric1macnewsmacsightings.blogspot.com/ : editor MacsU.N.I.T.E. ( MacIntosh Users Network for Integrating Technology into Education):(Subscribe send email to :macsunitsubscribe@egroups.com)
Staff Writer at macCompanion Magazine (http://www.maccompanion.com/); moderator
macintoshvideo@yahoogroups.com- to subscribe
macintoshvideo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com; editor TechU.N.I.T.E. (Subscribe send email to PC version TechU.N.I.T.E.: to subscribe send email to techunite-subscribe@egroups.com
**
On Dec 22, 2007 9:36 PM, <Dreric1kansas@aol.com> wrote:
Steve
Thanks very much for answering.
Have you found any rhyme or reason why it fades out or just completly goes out while my wife's with her maclaptop is going fine?
NO, I HAVE NO CLUE ... I HAD HEARD THAT SOME AT&T FIELD TECHNICIANS DON'T LIKE 2WIRE BECAUSE THEY NEED TO KEEP REPLACING THEM, BUT IF THAT IS THE ONLY PROBLEM BOTH MACS SHOULD BE AFFECTED
The signal was out all day and I tried. Finally came in synch 15 minutes ago. The signal keeps ebbs and strengthening. I've looked in an airport book for more answers but not much has come. I keep tweaking the airport connection port info. I have an Imac flatpanel.
WELL I'M GLAD YOU ARE AT LEAST FUNCTIONAL ... DID YOU TRY PLUGGING YOUR MAC INTO THE 2WIRE WITH AN ETHERNET CABLE? I USUALLY DO THIS & JUST SHUT OFF THE AIRPORT CARD. IT SAVED A LOT OF FRUSTRATION, BUT DID NOT SETTLE THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, SINCE I USUALLY USE MY MACBOOK PRO IN THE LIVING ROOM, I HAVE A CABLE RUNNING FROM A NETGEAR SWITCH (ALSO USED BY APPLE TV) ACROSS THE FLOOR TO MY LAZY BOY ... IT IS A GOOD THING MY WIFE LOVES ME A LOT.
what do you mean "Back-to-My-Mac?"
YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW .MAC SERVICE IN LEOPARD? ...
http://www.apple.com/dotmac/backtomymac.html
What kind of DSL modem ? How will you work that out? Let me know if it works?
A FRIEND WHO IS AN APPLE CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED A SPEEDSTREAM 5100 FROM TERAYON COMMUNICATION SYSTEM. HE GAVE IT TO ME, SO I DO NOT KNOW WHERE TO PURCHASE. I WILL NEED TO CALL AT&T TO GET THEIR DIRECTION. I'VE BEEN SO BUSY, I'M NOT SURE WHEN I'LL TRY IT.
That is totally weird. As I was typed the signal gave out. I went back and did the diagnostics on the airport and went on and the signal keeps going in and out.
I just had to go back in and do the diagnostic and turn the airport on and off 2 times and then it clicked into the 2wire again.
Could that mean I have a bad airport card? That is what the AT&T person said?
PERHAPS IT IS THE AIRPORT, BUT HAVE YOU TRIED GOING TO A WI-FI HOT SPOT OR A FRIENDS HOUSE WITH WIRELESS CONNECTION. IF THE PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENS AT HOME AND IT IS NOT THE 2WIRE, PERHAPS YOU ARE GETTING INTERFERENCE FROM SOME OTHER WIRELESS DIVICE IN YOUR. TRY SHUTTING OFF ANY CORDLESS PHONE. PERHAPS YOU ARE GETTING SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL DEVICE INTERFERENCE. IF YOU HAVE A LOCAL APPLE RETAIL STORE, PERHAPS THEY CAN CHECK THE AIRPORT CARD.
I don't think that is the problem but...
MIGHT BE WORTH THE TIME TO CONFIRM THAT IT IS OK.
Take care. Have a Merry Christmas.
Steve
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment