How to fix Wi-Fi problems on Mac OS X Yosemite

Many Mac users are facing Wi-Fi and networking issues after updating to OS X Yosemite. These problems range from slow connections, frequent disconnects, or not being able to connect to the internet at all, despite being on a Wi-Fi network.

If you’re facing such problems, here are some tips that might help you fix them:

Remove Network Configuration Files

Many people have said that their problems have been solved after deleting network configuration related plist files. To do this:

• Turn off Wi-Fi from the menu bar.
• Navigate to /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/ in Finder by pressing ⌘ + Shift + G.

• Select the following files:
  • com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
  • com.apple.network.identification.plist
  • com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
  • NetworkInterfaces.plist
  • preferences.plist
• Copy these files in a safe location so that if anything gets messed up, you can easily restore them.
• Delete the files.
• Reboot your Mac and enable Wi-Fi again.

OS X should generate these files again, and hopefully fix your problems.

Change DNS Server

You can try changing your DNS server if you find that your Wi-Fi is connected, but you’re not able to connect to the internet:

• Open System Preferences from the  Apple Menu.
• Click on Network
• Select Wi-Fi on the left and click on Advanced.
• Select the DNS tab.
• Click on the + button at the bottom to add a DNS server. While there are a lot of DNS servers available, we’ve found Google’s DNS servers to be quite good. To use Google’s DNS add one or both of these IP addresses: 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4.

• Once you’ve done this, click on the Hardware tab and change Configuration from Automatically to Manual.
• Then click on MTU, and select Manual. Enter 1453 as the MTU Number.

• Click on OK, then on Apply to bring these changes into effect.

Quick and open the apps in which you were facing problems, and if everything goes well, you’ll no longer face connectivity issues.

Refresh discoveryd service

Another thing you could try is refreshing the discoveryd service:

• Open Terminal from Spotlight or Launchpad.
• Enter this command, press enter and enter your password: sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.discoveryd.plist
• Now run this command to start the service again: sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.discoveryd.plist

Other tips you could try include switching to 2.4GHZ N network or turn off Bluetooth.

If none of these problems fixed your issue, you might want to do a fresh install of OS X Yosemite on your Mac, downgrade to OS X Mavericks, wait for an update to Yosemite or take it to the Apple Store.

Let us know if you’re facing any Wi-Fi or internet issues on your Mac running OS X Yosemite.

[via OS X Daily]

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